Welcome to Lesson 3. Any questions or comments? Please write us at: support@realenglishnow.com
Please watch the video below. Remember: Don’t write anything. Just watch and listen. By the end of the lesson you will understand everything!
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Greg: Let’s see…Where else I have stayed? Caesar’s Palace a couple of times.
Mark: Really?
Greg: Yeah. One time our room wasn’t ready and, you know how Las Vegas is with comping things and making things right.
Mark: Oh, yeah.
Greg: Our room…They sent us to our room, and the lady was in it, still making it up. And it was a mess. And so they gave us the night for free.
Mark: Sweet.
Greg: So, thank you Caesar’s Palace for that. Yeah, and one time we had a…There was a famous power outage, or something, at Mandalay Bay where the hotel was out of power entirely for two days, I think it was.
Mark: Wow.
Greg: We were going to be staying there. Or…No, we were…No, we were staying at the Luxor, but the lines at the check-in counter were…It was like the lobby was completely packed full of people when we got there, and we didn’t know anything about the Mandalay Bay situation.
Mark: I see.
Greg: So, I got up there and I was like, and I was, you know, kinda (WOE video) short with the guy like, “This is the worst customer service ever! Now why…Why is there not more staff here? You know?
Mark: Yeah.
Greg: And, he’s like, “Well, the entire Mandalay Bay just had to come over here, sir.”
Mark: Wow.
Greg: Because he was…He wasn’t in a good mood either, from, you know, dealing with this. So I was like, “Sorry.”
Mark: For people to really appreciate what you’re saying, Greg, they have to understand that The Mandalay Bay houses, probably, four thousand guests.
Greg: Right.
Mark: I mean (Words of Experience Video), these hotels…Like nine of the ten largest hotels in the world are in Las Vegas.
Greg: Right.
Mark: As far as I recall. MGM Grand has, like, five thousand rooms. That’s…That is unfathomable. And there’s often two people in a room. I can totally understand the…I can absolutely see what your describing. These are big resorts.
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Listen to Audio #1 below.
Listening before reading is very important. Please, DO NOT read the text yet. If you don’t understand the audio, that’s okay. Listen now, at least two times.
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to comp = to give something for free (Abbreviation of “compensate”)
Remember, in these four groups of sentences below, a native speaker will usually use the 2nd version. So, “to comp” is the advanced phrase we want to learn.
Because the maid didn’t clean our room, the hotel gave us our dinner for free.
Because the maid didn’t clean our room, the hotel comped us our dinner.
The security system failed, so our security company gave us a new system for free.
The security system failed, so our security company comped us a new system.
The new phone wasn’t working, so the phone company gave me a better phone for free.
The new phone wasn’t working, so the phone company comped me a better phone.
You know how Las Vegas is with giving away things for free.
You know how Las Vegas is with comping things.
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to make things right = to improve a situation (after doing something negative)
Remember, the 2nd version (the sentences with “to make things right”) is what a native speaker would say.
After kissing another woman, he tried to improve the situation by apologizing and buying his wife a diamond ring.
After kissing another woman, he tried to make things right by apologizing and buying his wife a diamond ring.
When was caught stealing, Mike tried to improve the situation by returning what he stole.
When he was caught stealing, Mike tried to make things right by returning what he stole.
Bill tried to improve the situation by giving me $50.
Bill tried to make things right by giving me $50.
You know how Vegas is with improving the situation.
You know how Vegas is with making things right.
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Oh, yeah! = I strongly agree!
“Oh, yeah!” is a very common phrase of agreement in American English. Here are our example sentences…
Jessica Alba is beautiful, isn’t she? — I strongly agree!
Jessica Alba is beautiful, isn’t she? — Oh, yeah!
Isn’t that car fantastic? – I strongly agree!
Isn’t that car fantastic? – Oh, yeah!
This new food is delicious isn’t it? – I strongly agree!
This new food is delicious isn’t it? – Oh, yeah!
Vegas knows how to make things right. Don’t you think? — I strongly agree!
Vegas knows how to make things right. Don’t you think? — Oh, yeah!
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to make up a room = to clean and prepare it, as for a guest’s arrival
Excuse me, is our room ready? — Yes, Sir. They just finished cleaning and preparing it.
Excuse me, is our room ready? — Yes, Sir. They just finished making it up.
How long will you be staying with us? I will go clean and prepare your room for you.
How long will you be staying with us? I will go make up your room for you.
Does it usually take this long to clean and prepare a room?
Does it usually take this long to make up a room?
They sent us to our room, and the lady was in it, still cleaning and preparing the room.
They sent us to our room, and the lady was in it, still making it up.
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Sweet! = (slang) Great
We won the game with a three-point shot at the very end of the game. That was great!
We won the game with a three-point shot at the very end of the game. That was sweet!
I really want that new video game. It looks great.
I really want that new video game. It looks sweet.
Your won the lottery? Great!
You won the lottery? Sweet!
They comped you a free night in the hotel? Great!
They comped you a free night in the hotel? Sweet!
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packed = very crowded with people
McDonald’s was very crowded with people. The line to order food was really long.
McDonald’s was packed. The line to order food was really long.
The boat was very crowded with people, no more people could get on.
The boat was packed, no more people could get on.
The streets in Tokyo were very crowded with people on the weekend.
The streets in Tokyo were packed on the weekend.
It was like the lobby was completely very crowded with people, full of people.
It was like the lobby was completely packed, full of people.
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to be like = to say
When my friend told me she got us tickets to see Beyonce, I said, “Awesome!”
When my friend told me she got us tickets to see Beyonce, I was like, “Awesome!”
When he yelled at me, I said “Stop it!”
When he yelled at me, I was like “Stop it!”
She said “I don’t know you.”
She was like “I don’t know you.”
So I said, “Sorry.”
So I was like, “Sorry.”
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unfathomable = very difficult to imagine
There are billions of stars in the universe. That’s very difficult to imagine.
The are billions of stars in the universe. That’s unfathomable.
Bill Gates has billions of dollars. That is very difficult to imagine.
Bill Gates has billions of dollars. That is unfathomable.
He won the lottery three times. That’s very difficult to imagine.
He won the lottery three times. That’s unfathomable.
The MGM has over 5,000 rooms. That’s very difficult to imagine.
The MGM has over 5,000 rooms. That’s unfathomable.
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Easy: Because the maid didn’t clean our room, the hotel gave us our dinner for free.
Advanced: Because the maid didn’t clean our room, the hotel _____ us our dinner.
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Easy: After kissing another woman, he tried to improve the situation by apologizing and buying his wife a diamond ring.
Advanced: After kissing another woman, he tried __ ___ ____ ____ by apologizing and buying his wife a diamond ring.
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Easy: Jessica Alba is beautiful, isn’t she? — I strongly agree!
Advanced: Jessica Alba is beautiful, isn’t she? — __ ____ !
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Easy: Excuse me, is our room ready? — Yes, Sir. They just finished cleaning and preparing it..
Advanced: Excuse me, is our room ready? — Yes, Sir. They just finished ____ __ __ .
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Easy: We won the game with a three-point shot at the very end of the game. That was great!
Advanced: We won the game with a three-point shot at the very end of the game. That was ______!
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Easy: McDonald’s was very crowded with people. The line to order food was really long.
Advanced: McDonald’s was _______. The line to order food was really long.
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Easy: When my friend told me she got us tickets to see Beyonce, I said, “Awesome!”
Advanced: When my friend told me she got us tickets to see Beyonce, I ____ ______, “Awesome!”
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Easy: There are billions of stars in the universe. That’s very difficult to imagine.
Advanced: The are billions of stars in the universe. That’s ____________.
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How many did you get correct? If you made a mistake…
Do them ALL one more time. It will help you remember.
