Welcome to Lesson 10. 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!

Greg: Alright, so looks like we have The Bellagio here. And The Bellagio is known for its awesome water-and-light show. I have not actually seen it, though. Did you have a chance to check that out go and see?

Mark: Yeah, we took this picture. And we saw it. I think we caught it, you know, twice each night. So…Because they do different songs. It’s timed to music. So, they play these very classic songs: Sinatra, Elvis. You know. It’s an incredible, incredible show. I really think it is by far (Words of Experience Video) the best thing on The Strip. It’s really is artistic, creative, and just so, so well done. If you look at this…this final picture of Bellagio, where we then went inside. You know, we were drawn by the beauty of the fountain show. We went inside, and this is that — I guess I would call it stained glass, but it’s 3-D. Those are…This is the glass sculpture that adorns the ceiling right when you walk into The Bellagio.

Greg: Wow, that’s cool looking. In the New York thing (Words of Experience Video), you talked about a famous glass artist. Is this the same? Is this what you were talking about?

Mark: Yeah, this is. I’m pretty sure it’s the same guy. Yeah.

Greg: Wow, awesome.

Greg: What about your gambling experiences? Have you ever had any big awesome wins or some heartbreaking losses?

Mark: I’ve had, you know, plenty of both. But for me the one that really stands out is: I wasn’t actually gambling. I was in Caesars with a friend of mine. And his, I guess his girlfriend at the time, she’s Chinese. She got us into the baccarat area at Caesars. The VIP baccarat area. Which…Baccarat is played really by the richest of the rich(extremely rich: richer than most rich people). It seems to be, like, a totally VIP game. I don’t know. I couldn’t even explain to you how it works (meaning: what the rules are). But I get the sense of it’s almost a nearly fifty-fifty chance. But, I couldn’t explain the game. And the VIP…When you’re talking the VIP lounge at what…And that was back when Caesars was the…it was The Hotel at the time. This was—

Greg: Right.

Mark: — just before Mirage came around. So anyway, she somehow got me and my friend into the baccarat area, and the minimum bet was a hundred thousand dollars. The guys were playing with ten thousand dollar chips. The chips were ten thousand dollars each. And they had just—

Greg: Wow!

Mark: –stacks of them. These were just Chinese businessmen. These guys must have just had absolute money to burn. And I just…All I remember, aside from seeing how much money was trans—you know, being transacted. Every, you know, every two minutes…Just fantasizing. That’s back when I wasn’t making so much, you know, as a guitar teacher.

Greg: Yeah.

Mark: One of those…One measly little chip to those guys would have been, you know, more or less life-changing to me. It was just absolutely incredible. I’d never: Never since, and never before, had seen that much money kind of in one shot. And certainly just the casualness that they were playing with was incredible.

Greg: Wow, that is kind of amazing.

Mark: My friend Jeff, who is a big Vegas…”Vegas head (Words of Experience Video),” I would call him. In fact, he’s moving there. He’s going to be buying a condo there. Anyway, he was at The Hard Rock… and he was not counting cards. This is for the record: He was not counting cards. He was having one lucky day. And he had turned about two hundred bucks into, about, close to two thousand, in the span of about ten hours. So, he was really on a long-term winning streak.

Greg: Nice!

Mark: By the end of that ten…By the end of that ten hours, three — not one, not two — three very large bouncers came over to him, and told him that, “You are finished at this hotel. Please get your things and leave. You’re not welcome here again.”

Greg: Really?!

Mark: That’s pretty scary. Yeah, that’s pretty scary to be bounced.

Greg: Wow!

Mark: He didn’t know what was going to happen. You have three large, muscular men escorting you outside. You know the rumors that they have. Some guy named Bruno, who is going to take a bat and break your leg. And…You know what I mean?

Greg: Yeah.

Mark: So…You don’t know how much of that old Vegas is still there. So, he was really quite worried for his safety. But they had someone retrieve his things, and he was out. That’s incredible.

Greg: That’s amazing. Just for winning?

Mark: I know, isn’t it?

Greg: I guess it’s over…and…Yeah, ten hour time span, or something. That’s probably…And consistent wins, consistent wins. So, he…

Mark: But he was even at different tables. He was, at one point…They have a swim-up blackjack table. So he was actually out at the pool. I mean, how much more casual can you get? He was… He had played swim-up blackjack, but his luck was still continuing. They must have just been…I think that they have a quota. I think that they have a quota of people you got to bounce or harass to kind of keep that vibe of, “We’re tough, and we keep, you know….We maintain authority here!” You know what I mean? So, that’s my guess is, that they had some quota to fill.

Greg: Or they just figured, “Okay. This guy is a pro player and we don’t want him in our place.”

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to catch = to see (a show, a movie, a play, etc.)

Remember, in these four groups of sentences below, a native speaker will usually use the 2nd version. So, “to catch” is the advanced phrase we want to learn.

We got to the concert hall late, but we still saw the second half of Paul McCartney’s show.
We got to the concert hall late, but we still caught the second half of Paul McCartney’s show.

We saw a movie last night.
We caught a movie last night.

We saw the show on Broadway the day before it closed!
We caught the show on Broadway the day before it closed!

(Talking about the fountain show outside of the Bellagio hotel.)
I think we saw it twice each night.
I think we caught it twice each night.

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money to burn = a large amount of money that can be spent with no concern.

Remember, the 2nd version (the sentences with “money to burn”) is what a native speaker would say.

Did you hear that Tony bought a new Mercedes yesterday for his cousin, and a new BMW for his sister?
Wow…He must have a large amount of money that can be spent with no concern, I guess.
Wow…He must have money to burn, I guess.

I heard John bought three new houses this year. How does he have a large amount of money that can be spent with no concern?
I heard John bought three new houses this year. How does he have money to burn?

His new job pays him enough that he has a large amount of money that can be spent with no concern.
His new job pays him enough that he has money to burn.

These guys must have just had a large amount of money that can be spent with no concern.
These guys must have just had money to burn.

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in one shot = at one time, in one place, etc

We were so productive, we finished today and tomorrow’s assignment at the same time.
We were so productive, we finished today and tomorrow’s assignment in one shot.

At this store, you can buy food and clothes in one place.
At this store, you can buy food and clothes in one shot.

The castle and the statue were next to each other, so we were able to take pictures of them both at one time.
The castle and the statue were next to each other, so we were able to take pictures of them both in one shot.

I’d never seen that much money in one place.
I’d never seen that much money in one shot.

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for the record = to be completely truthful

I write this blog to give fair reviews about all computer products, but to be completely truthful, I do own stock in Apple.
I write this blog to give fair reviews about all computer products, but for the record, I do own stock in Apple.

To be completely truthful, I don’t like Janine either.
For the record, I don’t like Janine either.

To be completely truthful, I didn’t see anybody steal the candy from the store.
For the record, I didn’t see anybody steal the candy from the store.

To be completely truthful, Jeff was not counting cards.
For the record, Jeff was not counting cards.

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to bounce someone from someplace = to physically remove, or escort someone out

I heard Matt got physically removed from the club last night because he was fighting.
I heard Matt got bounced from the club last night because he was fighting.

We got physically removed from the bar, because our friends were being too loud.
We got bounced from the bar, because our friends were being too loud.

He gets physically removed every time we come here, because he always drinks too much.
He gets bounced every time we come here, because he always drinks too much.

That’s pretty scary to be physically removed from a casino.
That’s pretty scary to be bounced from a casino.

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vibe = feeling

I know Melissa has a boyfriend, but I’m getting this feeling from her that she likes me.
I know Melissa has a boyfriend, but I’m getting this vibe from her that she likes me.

It was really dark, and there were weird noises coming from the house. I just had a bad feeling about it.
It was really dark, and there were weird noises coming from the house. I just had a bad vibe about it.

He seemed upset. He just gave me a “don’t talk to me” feeling.
He seemed upset. He just gave me a “don’t talk to me” vibe.

I think the casinos like to keep that feeling of, “We’re tough, and we maintain authority here.”
I think the casinos like to keep that vibe of, “We’re tough, and we maintain authority here.”
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to figure = to think

If we leave at 8 in the morning, I think we can get to the Grand Canyon before noon.
If we leave at 8 in the morning, I figure we can get to the Grand Canyon before noon.

I think the new car shouldn’t cost too much. We should be able to afford it.
I figure the new car shouldn’t cost too much. We should be able to afford it.

He thought he was strong, so he tried to lift the barrel by himself.
He figured he was strong, so he tried to lift the barrel by himself.

Maybe they thought he was a pro player.
Maybe they figured he was a pro player.

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Easy: We got to the concert hall late, but we still saw the second half of Paul McCartney’s show.

Advanced: We got to the concert hall late, but we still ____ the second half of Paul McCartney’s show.

Easy: I heard John bought three new houses this year. How does he have a large amount of money that can be spent with no concern?

Advanced:I heard John bought three new houses this year. How does he have ____ __ ____ ?

Easy: We were so productive, we finished today and tomorrow’s assignment at the same time.

Advanced: We were so productive, we finished today and tomorrow’s assignment __ ____ ____ .

Easy: I write this blog to give fair reviews about all computer products, but to be completely truthful, I do own stock in Apple.

Advanced: I write this blog to give fair reviews about all computer products, but ___ ___ ______, I do own stock in Apple.

Easy: I heard Matt got physically removed from the club last night because he was fighting.

Advanced: I heard Matt got _______ from the club last night because he was fighting.

Easy: I know Melissa has a boyfriend, but I’m getting this feeling from her that she likes me.

Advanced: I know Melissa has a boyfriend, but I’m getting this ____ from her that she likes me.

Easy: If we leave at 8 in the morning, I think we can get to the Grand Canyon before noon.

Advanced: If we leave at 8 in the morning, I _____ we can get to the Grand Canyon before noon.