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Juvenile Delinquent – Mini-Story Lesson

Hi, I’m Joe Weiss and I’m one of the teachers and directors of Learn Real English and I’d like to welcome you to this mini-story lesson. Okay, I want to start this lesson by telling you about some of the words and phrases that you will hear me use in the story for the lesson. Okay? So let’s start.

First is “juvenile delinquent.” So a juvenile delinquent is a young person who is very badly behaved. You can even say it’s a young person who commits crimes or what we would call a young criminal. And when I say a young person I mean a person between the ages of 10 and 17. When a person is 18, we don’t consider that person a juvenile delinquent anymore. That person’s an adult at that point. So let me give you an example. The policeman told Dan that his son was a juvenile delinquent after his son had stolen a police car. So what I’m saying is the policeman told Dan that his son was a young criminal after Dan’s son had stolen a police car.

Okay, so next is to “be expelled” or to “get expelled.” And you get expelled or you are expelled from a place or thing. And what it means is to be forced to leave and not allowed to return again. Now usually when I hear this word used, it’s used in reference to school. You hear about someone being expelled from school, which means the person’s not allowed to return to school. They’re forced to leave and not allowed to return to school. Here’s an example for you. After John hurt his teacher, he was expelled from school. Okay, so what I’m saying is after John hurt his teacher, he was forced to leave and not allowed to return again to school. He was expelled from school.

Okay, so next I have a great idiom for you and that idiom is to “let someone off the hook.” So if you let someone off the hook it means you free that person of any responsibility. And sometimes you let someone off the hook for something that person has done wrong. And in this case it can kind of be thought of as freeing someone from any punishment from what that person did wrong. But you can think of it the same way. You’re still freeing the person of a responsibility that person has or any responsibility.

Let me give you an example of this one, it’ll really help you understand it better. John was driving his car very fast and a policeman stopped him while he was driving his car. And normally when a person was driving too fast, the policeman would make the person pay a fine. But this policeman knew John. They were friends. So the policeman did not make him pay a fine. He let John off the hook, okay? So what I’m saying is the policeman freed John of any responsibility. He freed John of any punishment related to what he had done wrong, which was driving too fast. He let John off the hook.

Okay, so let’s move on. Next is a “good turnout.” And we say this with respect to an event. A good turnout at an event or a good turnout for an event. And what it means is a lot of people came to the event or a lot of people attended the event, okay? So turnout just refers to the number of people who came.

So a good turnout means a lot of people attended the event. A lot of people were at the event. Here’s an example for you. There was a good turnout for the president’s speech. Okay, so what I’m saying is a lot of people attended the president’s speech. There were a lot of people at the president’s speech.

Okay, so I have one more for you and this is another really good idiom. It’s to “make a name for yourself.” So if you make a name for yourself, it means that you are well-known and respected for something. Here’s an example for you. John made a name for himself as a great athlete when he won 10 Olympic gold medals. Okay, so John was well-known and respected as a great athlete after he won 10 Olympic gold medals. He made a name for himself as a great athlete.

Okay, so now I’m going to tell you a story but I’m also going to ask you a lot of questions as I tell you the story. So when I ask you a question, I want you to answer that question quickly. Okay, just tell me the first answer that you think of.

And don’t worry about making a mistake because you’re going to listen to this lesson many times and so you’ll have a lot of repetition. So if you make a mistake this time, you probably will not make the same mistake the next time you listen to this lesson because you will have had more repetition by then.

And also when you answer these questions, I want you to answer loudly and confidently, okay? Pretend that you’re trying to allow the people who live next door to you to actually hear you answer, okay? Speak loudly. Okay, well it’s time for our story then so let’s begin.

There was a boy and his name was Andy. And Andy was 12 years old and unfortunately Andy was a juvenile delinquent. Yes, Andy was a juvenile delinquent and he liked to throw apples at things. For example, one day at school Andy threw an apple at his teacher’s head. And, of course, after he threw the apple at his teacher’s head he was expelled from school.

Okay, time for some questions now. Was there a boy or was there a girl?

No, there was a boy, of course, right? There was a boy.

And what was the boy’s name?

Andy, yes his name was Andy. The boy’s name was Andy.

Okay, so how old was Andy?

He was 12 years old, Andy was 12 years old.

Who was 12 years old?

Andy was, right? Andy was 12 years old.

And was Andy older than 11 years old?

Yes, yes, of course he was, Andy was 12 years so that means he was older than 11 years old.

So was Andy a juvenile delinquent?

Yes, yes, he was, Andy was a juvenile delinquent.

Who was a juvenile delinquent? Was AJ a juvenile delinquent?

No, no, AJ wasn’t the juvenile delinquent.

Who was a juvenile delinquent?

Andy was, Andy was a juvenile delinquent.

And tell me this, was Andy a young criminal?

Yes, yes, Andy was a juvenile delinquent so that means he was young and he committed crimes or you could say he was a young criminal or he may have just been a young person who behaved badly, but in this story he was a young criminal.

Okay, so tell me this. Did Andy throw an apple at his teacher’s head at school?

Yes, yes, he did, Andy threw an apple at his teacher’s head at school.

Who threw an apple at his teacher’s head?

Andy did, Andy threw an apple at his teacher’s head.

And tell me this. Where was Andy when he threw the apple at his teacher’s head? Was he at church or at school?

School, Andy threw an apple at his teacher’s head at school.

So what did Andy throw at his teacher’s head? Did he throw an orange at his teacher’s head?

No, no, Andy didn’t throw an orange at his teacher’s head.

What did Andy throw at his teacher’s head?

An apple, Andy threw an apple at his teacher’s head.

So tell me this. Did Andy throw an apple at his teacher’s head or his teacher’s feet?

Oh, at his teacher’s head, Andy threw an apple at his teacher’s head.

So did Andy get expelled from school?

Yes, Andy got expelled from school or you could say Andy was expelled from school. It means the same thing.

Who was expelled from school?

Andy was, Andy was expelled from school.

And what was Andy expelled from?

School, yes, Andy was expelled from school.

So tell me this. Was Andy forced to leave and not allowed to return to school?

Yes, yes, he was, Andy was expelled from school so that means he was forced to leave and he wasn’t allowed to return. Andy was expelled from school.

Well, after Andy was expelled from school he didn’t have anyone to play with during the day. You see, he didn’t have anyone to play with during the day because all of his friends were at school during the day. So Andy was bored. So he went outside and he threw apples at cars. Yes, that’s right. Andy threw apples at cars. It was a very dangerous and a very mean thing to do but Andy was quite good at it. You see, Andy had a very strong arm so he was very good at throwing apples at cars.

Okay, time for some more questions. After Andy was expelled from school, did he have anyone to play with during the day?

No, no, Andy did not have anyone to play with during the day after he was expelled from school.

Who didn’t have anyone to play with?

Andy didn’t, Andy didn’t have anyone to play with.

And when didn’t Andy have anyone to play with? Before he was expelled from school or after he was expelled from school?

After, after he was expelled from school, Andy didn’t have anyone to play with.

Okay, but why not? Why didn’t Andy have anyone to play with each day?

Well, Andy didn’t have anyone to play with each day because all of his friends were in school during the day.

Who was in school during the day? Was Andy in school during the day?

No, no, Andy was definitely not in school during the day. Andy was expelled from school.

So who was in school during the day?

Andy’s friends were, Andy’s friends were in school during the day.

So tell me this now. Did Andy throw apples at cars?

Yes, yes, he did, Andy threw apples at cars. It was a terrible thing.

Who threw apples at cars?

Andy did, Andy the juvenile delinquent threw apples at cars. It was a very dangerous and mean thing to do.

So tell me this. Did Andy throw oranges at cars?

No, no, Andy didn’t throw oranges at cars.

What kind of fruit did Andy throw at the cars?

Apples, Andy threw apples at cars.

And did Andy throw apples at houses or cars?

Cars, yeah, Andy threw apples at cars. He did not throw apples at houses.

So tell me this. Was Andy good at throwing apples at cars because he had a strong arm?

Yes, yes, Andy was good at throwing apples at cars because he had a strong arm.

Well, I have something else to tell you about Andy. One day Andy threw an apple at a car and of course the apple hit the car and then the driver of the car stopped the car, got out of the car, ran after Andy and he caught Andy. Now let me tell you about the driver of the car. The driver of the car was named Bill and Bill was a coach. He was a baseball coach for the New York Yankees.

And when Bill caught Andy, Andy was afraid that he was in a lot of trouble so he begged Bill not to call the police. He begged Bill to let him off the hook. Well, Bill saw how Andy threw the apple at the car so he knew that Andy had a strong arm and he thought that Andy could be a good baseball player. So Bill agreed to let Andy off the hook if Andy played baseball for the New York Yankees for one year. So Andy agreed to do that and that day Andy signed a contract to play baseball for the New York Yankees for one year. So Bill let Andy off the hook.

Okay, time for some more questions. Did Andy throw an apple at Bill’s car?

Yes, yes, he did, Andy threw an Apple at Bill’s car.

Who threw an apple at Bill’s car?

Andy did, Andy threw an apple at Bill’s car.

And whose car did Andy throw the apple at? Did he throw it at AJ’s car?

No, Andy didn’t throw the apple at AJ’s car.

Whose car did Andy throw the apple at?

Bill’s, Andy threw the apple at Bill’s car.

So tell me this. What did Andy throw at Bill’s car?

An apple, Andy threw an apple at Bill’s car.

Did Andy throw an apple at Bill’s bicycle or at his car?

Oh his car, Andy threw an apple at Bill’s car. He did not throw an apple at Bill’s bicycle.

So tell me this. Did Andy agree to play baseball for the New York Yankees for one year?

He did, yes, Andy agreed to play baseball for the New York Yankees for one year.

And what did Andy agree to do?

He agreed to play baseball for the New York Yankees for one year.

And tell me this. For how long did Andy agree to play baseball for the New York Yankees?

One year, Andy agreed to play baseball for the New York Yankees for one year.

What team did Andy agree to play baseball for? Did he agree to play baseball for the San Francisco Giants or the New York Yankees?

The New York Yankees, of course, Andy agreed to play baseball for the New York Yankees for one year.

So tell me this now. Did Bill let Andy off the hook?

Yes, yes, he did, Bill let Andy off the hook.

Who let Andy off the hook?

Bill did, Bill let Andy off the hook.

And who did Bill let off the hook? Andy or Kristin?

Andy, Bill let Andy off the hook. He did not let Kristin off the hook.

So tell me this. Did Andy let Bill off the hook?

No, of course not, Andy didn’t let Bill off the hook. Bill let Andy off the hook.

So did Bill free Andy of any punishment?

Yes, yes, Bill let Andy off the hook so that means he freed him of any punishment for what he had done.

He did not allow him to be punished for throwing an apple at a car, at his car. He let Andy off the hook.

Well, two days after Andy signed the contract he played his first baseball game with the New York Yankees. And there was a good turnout for the game that day but no one at the game had ever seen Andy play baseball before that day. No one at the game even knew who Andy was. But Andy played very well that day so he made a name for himself as a great baseball player.

Okay, time for some more questions. Did Andy play his first baseball game with the New York Yankees two days after he signed the contract?

Yes, yes, he did, Andy played his first baseball game with the New York Yankees two days after he signed the contract.

Okay, so who played his first baseball game with the New York Yankees? Andy or Bill?

Andy did, Andy played his first baseball game with the New York Yankees.

And what team did Andy play his first baseball game with?

The New York Yankees, of course, Andy played his first baseball game with the New York Yankees.

Okay, but when did he do it? When did Andy play his first baseball game with the New York Yankees?

Two days after he signed the contract, two days after Andy signed the contract he played his first baseball game with the New York Yankees.

Okay, so tell me this. Was there a good turnout for the game?

Yes, there was, there was a good turnout for the game.

And what was there a good turnout for?

The game, there was a good turnout for the game.

So did a lot of people attend the game or did very few people attend the game?

Oh, a lot of people, there was a good turnout for the game so that means a lot of people attended the game that day.

So tell me this. Did Andy make a name for himself as a great baseball player?

Yes, yes, he did, Andy made a name for himself as a great baseball player that day.

Who made a name for himself as a great baseball player?

Andy did, Andy made a name for himself as a great baseball player.

Did Bill make a name for himself as a great baseball player?

No, no, Bill did not make a name for himself as a great baseball player, Andy did. Andy made a name for himself as a great baseball player because he played very well that day.

So tell me this. Was Andy well-known and respected as a great baseball player?

Yes, yes, Andy made a name for himself as a great baseball player so that means he was well-known and respected as a great baseball player. Andy made a name for himself as a great baseball player.

Well, Andy played baseball for the New York Yankees for the entire year and he played very well.

In fact, Andy played so well that he won an award for being the best player in baseball that year.

And because Andy won the award, the Yankees paid Andy $10 million!

Okay, so tell me this. Did Andy play baseball for the New York Yankees for the entire year?

Yes, yes, he did, Andy played baseball for the New York Yankees for the entire year.

Who played baseball for the New York Yankees for the entire year?

Andy did, Andy played baseball for the New York Yankees for the entire year.

So tell me this. Did Andy play baseball for the New York Yankees for just part of the year?

No, no, Andy played baseball for the New York Yankees for the entire year so that means he played baseball for the New York Yankees for the whole year, not just part of it.

So was Andy the best player in baseball that year?

He was, yes, he won an award for being the best baseball player that year so he was the best player in baseball that year.

Who was the best player in baseball that year? Bill or Andy?

Andy was, Andy was the best player in baseball that year.

So did the New York Yankees pay Andy $10 million?

Yes, yes, they did, the New York Yankees paid Andy $10 million, wow!

So how much money did they pay Andy?

$10 million, the New York Yankees paid Andy $10 million.

Who paid Andy $10 million?

The New York Yankees did, the New York Yankees paid Andy $10 million.

So tell me this. Did the New York Yankees pay Andy more than $10,000.00?

Yes, yes, of course they did, they paid Andy $10 million and $10 million is much more than $10,000.00.

So they paid Andy more than $10,000.00.

Well, after the New York Yankees paid Andy $10 million, Andy was rich. But he was still a juvenile delinquent who liked to throw apples at cars so Andy purchased 1,122 pounds of apples and 10 new cars. And whenever he wanted to throw an apple at a car, he threw the apple at one of his own cars.

Okay, so that’s the end of this story and I hope you enjoyed this story because now I want you to tell the story. I want you to tell the story to someone who you know. It can be anyone who you know. And if you really do not have someone to tell the story to, just say the story to yourself but say it loudly, okay? Don’t just think about it in your mind, say it out loud. And I want you to listen to this lesson every day for at least seven days so you get a lot of repetition.

Okay, well that’s all for this mini-story lesson. I’ll see you next time.