داستان کوتاه

Mouse In The House – 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 five idioms that you will hear in this lesson story. So let’s start there.

First is to “drive someone nuts,” to drive someone nuts. So if someone or something drives you nuts it means that it annoys you, okay? It even annoys you so much that maybe it makes you a little crazy. Let me give you an example. John’s mother is driving him nuts because every day she asks him when he is going to get married. Okay, so what I’m saying is John’s mother is annoying John, she’s even making him a little crazy because she’s annoying him so much because every day she asks him when he’s going to get married.

Okay, so next is when a person is “in their late 20s.” Okay, you’ll hear me say in the story that someone is in her late 20s and what that means is the person is between ages of 27 and 29. So the person is either 27 years old, 28 years old or 29 years old. Or you can even say the person is older than 26 years old but younger than 30 years old. So once again, the idiom is to be in your late 20s but you can also use this with other numbers, like a person could be in their late 30s, or their late 40s, or their late 50s, or their late 60s, or their late 70s, or their late 80s or their late 90s, okay? So, for example, if a person is in their late 60s, it means that person is either 67 years old, 68 years old or 69 years old. Okay? I think you understand now what it means if a person is in, say, their late 40s then. Okay, obviously it means the person is either 47 years old, 48 years old or 49 years old. But let me give you an example, okay? John became a parent for the first time when he was in his late 20s. Okay, so what I’m saying is John became a parent for the first time when he was between the ages of 27 and 29 or you could even say that he was older than 26 years old and younger than 30 years old. He was in his late 20s.

Okay, next is to be “joined at the hip.” So if two people are joined at the hip it just means that those people spend a lot of time together. They’re very close, okay? They spend a lot of time together. Here’s an example for you. Alex and Marie were joined at the hip after they met. Alex and Marie spent a lot of time together after they met.

Okay, next is to be “dressed to the nines.” If you are dressed to the nines it means that you are dressed really nicely in elegant and stylish clothing. And even your shoes are really nice, okay? You’re dressed very nicely. Let me give you an example and then you’ll understand this one a little better, I think. Marie was dressed to the nines when she went to her sister’s wedding. Okay, so what I’m saying is Marie was dressed very nicely. She was dressed elegantly and stylishly when she went to her sister’s wedding.

Okay, and I have one more for you and this is one I hear a lot. It’s to be “sweating bullets,” okay? So if you were sweating bullets, it means that you’re nervous or you’re worried or you’re frightened. It can mean that you’re also sweating, but it always means that you’re really nervous or you’re worried about something or you’re frightened, okay? Here’s an example. John was sweating bullets before his job interview. John was nervous before his job interview.

Okay, so now I’m going to tell you a story but I’m 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. Just tell me the first answer that you even think of, okay? And don’t worry if you make a mistake. Mistakes are okay as long as you learn from them, alright? And when you answer these questions, I want you to speak loudly and confidently. Alright, well it’s time for our story then. So let’s begin.

There was a bear and his name was Bob and Bob had a problem. Unfortunately, Bob had a problem. Bob had a mouse in his house. Yes, Bob had a mouse in his house and the mouse was driving Bob nuts. The mouse was driving him nuts because the mouse was eating his cheese.

Okay, so time for some questions. Was there a bear or a cat?

There was a bear, right? There was a bear.

And what was the bear’s name?

Bob, the bear’s name was Bob.

And was Bob a mouse?

No, no, Bob wasn’t a mouse.

What kind of animal was Bob?

He was a bear, Bob was a bear.

So was there a mouse in Bob’s house?

Yes, yes, there was, there was a mouse in Bob’s house.

Who had a mouse in his house?

Bob did, Bob had a mouse in his house.

And what did Bob have in his house? Did he have a cat in his house?

No, no, Bob didn’t have a cat in his house.

What did Bob have in his house?

A mouse, Bob had a mouse in his house.

And tell me this, who had a mouse in his house?

Bob did, Bob had a mouse in his house. There was a mouse in Bob’s house.

Okay, so tell me this. Was the mouse driving Bob nuts?

Yes, yes, the mouse was driving Bob nuts.

Who was driving Bob nuts?

The mouse was, the mouse was driving Bob nuts.

And tell me this. Who was the mouse driving nuts?

Bob, the mouse was driving Bob nuts.

So was the mouse annoying Bob? Was the mouse even making Bob a little crazy because he was annoying, because the mouse was annoying him so much.

Yes, the mouse was driving Bob nuts so that means that the mouse was annoying Bob. It was even making Bob a little crazy because it was annoying him so much. The mouse was driving Bob nuts.

Okay, so tell me this. Was the mouse eating Bob’s cheese?

Yes, yes, the mouse was eating Bob’s cheese.

Who was eating Bob’s cheese?

The mouse was, the mouse was eating Bob’s cheese.

And tell me this. Whose cheese was the mouse eating?

Bob’s, the mouse was eating Bob’s cheese.

So was the mouse eating Bob’s apples or his cheese?

His cheese, the mouse was eating Bob’s cheese.

And what was the mouse eating?

Bob’s cheese, the mouse was eating Bob’s cheese.

So one more question before we continue. Why was the mouse driving Bob nuts?

Well, the mouse was driving Bob nuts because the mouse was eating Bob’s cheese.

Well, Bob had a girlfriend and her name was Jane and Jane was also a bear. And Jane was in her late 20s and Bob and Jane were joined at the hip.

Okay, time for some more questions. Who had a girlfriend? Did the mouse have a girlfriend?

No, no, the mouse didn’t have a girlfriend.

Who had a girlfriend?

Bob did, Bob had a girlfriend.

And what was Bob’s girlfriend’s name?

Jane, Bob’s girlfriend’s name was Jane.

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And tell me this. Who was Jane’s boyfriend?

Bob, Bob was Jane’s boyfriend and Jane was Bob’s girlfriend.

So what kind of animal was Jane? Was she a mouse?

No, Jane wasn’t a mouse.

What kind of animal was Jane?

She was a bear, Jane was a bear.

So were both Bob and Jane bears?

They were, yes, both Bob and Jane were bears.

So tell me this now. Was Jane in her late 20s or was Bob in his late 20s?

Jane was, Jane was in her late 20s.

So was Jane older than 26 years old?

Yes, yes, she was, Jane was in her late 20s so that means Jane was between the ages of 27 and 29, so she was either 27 years old, 28 years old or 29 years old. So, yes, she was older than 26 years old.

Okay, so tell me this. Who were joined at the hip?

Bob and Jane were, Bob and Jane were joined at the hip.

So did Bob and Jane spend just a little bit of time together or did they spend a lot of time together?

Oh, they spent a lot of time together, Bob and Jane were joined at the hip so that means that they were very close and they spent a lot of time together.

Well, I have something else to tell you about Bob. Bob was an excellent cook and, of course, Jane knew that, so Jane wanted Bob to cook dinner for her at his house. So she asked him to do that. Well, Bob did not want Jane to come to his house. Bob didn’t want Jane to come to his house because he had a mouse in his house. But Bob loved Jane very much and he was unable to say no to her. So Bob agreed to cook dinner for Jane at his house.

Okay, so tell me this. Who was a great cook? Was Jane a great cook?

No, not Jane.

Who was a great cook?

Bob was, Bob was a great cook.

And was Bob a great driver or a great cook?

He was a great cook, Bob was a great cook.

So did Jane want Bob to cook dinner for her at his house?

Yes, she did, Jane wanted Bob to cook dinner for her at his house.

Who wanted Bob to cook dinner for her?

Jane did, Jane wanted Bob to cook dinner for her.

And tell me this. Did Jane want the mouse to cook dinner for her?

No, no, Jane didn’t want the mouse to cook dinner for her.

Who did Jane want to cook dinner for her?

Bob, she wanted Bob to cook dinner for her.

And what did Jane want Bob to cook for her? Did she want Bob to cook breakfast or dinner for her?

Dinner, Jane wanted Bob to cook dinner for her.

Okay, so where did she want him to cook dinner?

At his house, at Bob’s house, Jane wanted Bob to cook dinner for her at his house.

So did Bob want Jane to come to his house?

No, no, Bob didn’t want Jane to come to his house.

Who didn’t want Jane to come to his house?

Bob, Bob didn’t want Jane to come to his house.

And tell me this. Why? Why didn’t Bob want Jane to come to his house?

Because he had a mouse in his house, Bob didn’t want Jane to come to his house because he had a mouse in his house.

Who had a mouse in his house?

Bob did, Bob had a mouse in his house.

And did Bob have a cat or a mouse in his house?

A mouse, of course, Bob had a mouse in his house.

So tell me this. Was Bob able to say no to Jane?

No, no, Bob was unable to say no to Jane.

And who was Bob unable to say no to?

Jane, Bob was unable to say no to Jane.

So did Bob agree to cook dinner for Jane at his house?

Yes, yes, he did, Bob agreed to cook dinner for Jane at his house.

And what did Bob agree to do?

He agreed to cook dinner for Jane at his house.

So tell me this. Did Bob agree to cook dinner for the mouse?

No, no, Bob didn’t agree to cook dinner for the mouse.

Who did Bob agree to cook dinner for?

Jane, he agreed to cook dinner for Jane.

And where did he agree to cook dinner for Jane? At his house or at Jane’s house?

At his house, Bob agreed to cook dinner for Jane at his house.

Well, Jane arrived at Bob’s house at 7:00 and she was dressed to the nines. And Bob was dressed nicely also but he was sweating bullets. Yes, Bob was sweating bullets because he didn’t want Jane to see the mouse.

Okay, so did Jane arrive at Bob’s house at 7:00?

She did, yes, Jane arrived at Bob’s house at 7:00.

Who arrived at Bob’s house?

Jane did, Jane arrived at Bob’s house.

And at whose house did Jane arrive at?

Bob’s, she arrived at Bob’s house.

So tell me this. Did Bob arrive at Jane’s house?

No, no, Bob didn’t arrive at Jane’s house, of course not. Jane arrived at Bob’s house.

And did she arrive at Bob’s house at 6:00?

No, she didn’t arrive at 6:00.

At what time did Jane arrive at Bob’s house?

7:00, she arrived at Bob’s house at 7:00.

So did Jane arrive at Bob’s house after 6:00?

Yes, yes, she did, she arrived at 7:00 and 7:00 is after 6:00.

So tell me this. Was Jane dressed to the nines?

Yes, yes, she was, Jane was dressed to the nines.

Who was dressed to the nines?

Jane, Jane was dressed to the nines.

So was Jane dressed very nicely? Was she wearing very elegant and stylish clothing?

Yes, yes, she was, she was dressed to the nines so that means she was dressed very nicely, very finely. She was dressed in elegant and stylish clothing. She was dressed to the nines.

So tell me this now. Who was sweating bullets?

Bob was, Bob was sweating bullets.

How about Jane? Was Jane sweating bullets also?

No, Jane wasn’t sweating bullets, only Bob was.

So was Bob confident or was he worried?

He was worried, Bob was sweating bullets and if a person is sweating bullets that means that that person is worried or nervous. Sometimes it means the person is even afraid, okay? So Bob was sweating bullets. He was nervous.

So why was Bob nervous?

Well, Bob was nervous because he had a mouse in his house and he didn’t want Jane to see the mouse. Bob didn’t want Jane to see the Mouse.

Well, after Jane arrived at Bob’s house, Bob went to the kitchen to finish cooking dinner. And a couple of minutes later, Jane walked into the kitchen. And she was holding the mouse. Well, when Bob saw Jane holding the mouse he was embarrassed and he didn’t know what to say. But then Jane hugged and kissed Bob and she thanked him for the mouse. You see, Jane loved mice and she thought that the mouse was just a present from Bob.

Okay, well, that’s the end of our story and I hope you enjoyed the 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, okay? Maybe you want to tell it to a person who lives next door to you. Maybe you want to tell it to your husband or wife or your boyfriend or girlfriend. It can be anyone who you choose.

And when you tell the story, I want you to use each of the five idioms that I taught you at the beginning of this lesson. And I really want you to learn this material deeply, okay? So I want you to listen to this lesson every day for at least seven days.

Alright, that’s the end of this lesson then. I’ll see you next time.