Boston Lesson 7

Welcome to LIVE CONVERSATIONS “BOSTON: Lesson 7!” 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: Cool. But, I have to say that you, now…Since you’re living in the Ukraine, and I’m living in Japan….And my first experience living in a place where there were no cars in my life was in the Marshall Islands. I just, you know, walked to work. It was a five minute walk.

Mark: That’s great!

Greg: You know?

Mark: Yeah.

Greg: And that was coming from Phoenix —

Mark: Yeah.

Greg: –where I gave up…gave up my truck, and gave up my car, and then I went from the Marshall Islands, with no car, to Japan. And again, no car. Good public transportation. And I’m very much sold on the idea of living a lifestyle of just riding a bike around. It’s kinda awesome.

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Greg: Well, this says: “B and B in P-Town” and so that must be a bed-and-breakfast. I’ve never actually been to a bed-and-breakfast. Is this in a person’s actual home, or how does that work (what’s the correct procedure)?

Mark: Yeah, it’s in a person’s actual home. So, you get the feeling that they probably had a lot of kids, and those kids have all grown up. Except for, I think, one of them who now helps run the place. And so they rent out all their rooms to summer visitors. Probably make quite a bit of money. This was their least illustrious room, only because that was all they had left. You can see we got the slanted ceiling. You know, we’re under the roof there. And…You do get an amazing breakfast. It was nothing but like, you know, hand-chopped berries and crepes. And it was—I think this cost probably a hundred and twenty, or a hundred and forty a night. But, you at least…At least you do get a killer breakfast. Maybe the bed, you know, “Bed & Breakfast,” maybe the “Bed” wasn’t spectacular (very good) but the “Breakfast” part, you know, they made up for it.

Greg: Isn’t it kind of weird, though, like when—I’m just…I’m imagining going into a bed-and-breakfast. Walking into total stranger’s house, and like, “Here we are!” And they don’t know you, and you don’t know them. But you’re like, “Where should I put my bags?” and stuff like that, you know?

Mark: Yeah.

Greg: Isn’t it….Isn’t it a weird feeling?

Mark: But, you can see they…They turned their house into a business during the summer. So, they have a table that’s clearly, like, where you’re supposed to go to check in. What happened though, was we were early. We…Our ferry got in at like, whatever it was , like ten in the morning. And so there was actually no one even there. And the door was locked. We had to wait. We waited awhile outside the house and then someone showed up. It wasn’t even the owner, but just someone who worked there, or helped out. They let us drop our bags off and then told us where the bike rental place was. And then we came back a couple hours later to actually check-in.

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Mark: Next up: Arizona and The Grand Canyon. We’ll see you there.

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Step 1

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.

step2

Click below (where it says, ‘Click to reveal #1’) and compare the sentences. See the highlighted phrases? They both have the same meaning. But the 1st one is what students of English say. (For example: “to choose to live without it”). The 2nd one is what native speakers say, (“to give it up”). Listen one more time, and then go to Step #3.

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to give something up = to choose to live without something

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

I chose to live without my job to form my own company.
I gave up my job to form my own company.

I chose to live without drinking when I was in the military.
I gave up drinking when I was in the military.

I chose to live without smoking last year.
I gave up smoking last year.

When I moved to the Marshall Islands, I chose to live without my car and my truck.
When I moved to the Marshall Islands, I gave up my car and my truck.

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step3

Make a study card. (Also called a “flashcard”). Write one of the example sentences on your card, and underline the new word. On the other side of the card, write the translation in your first language. Please make these flashcards now, as you go through the lesson. Then repeat Steps 1 – 3 for each word below.

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to be sold on something = to be convinced of something

Remember, the 2nd version (using "to be sold on") is how a native speaker will probably say these sentences.

You really convinced me of going to Rome. I can’t wait to go!
You really sold me on going to Rome. I can’t wait to go!

They really convinced me of getting WiFi!
They really sold me on getting WiFi!

I think I convinced him about going to college.
I think I sold him on going to college.

I’m very much convinced of the idea of living a lifestyle of just riding a bike around.
I’m very much sold on the idea of living a lifestyle of just riding a bike around.

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quite a bit = a lot

It takes a lot of time to become fluent in a language.
It takes quite a bit of time to become fluent in a language.

It costs a lot of money to build your own house.
It costs quite a bit of money to build your own house.

It takes a lot of time to plan a business.
It takes quite a bit of time to plan a business.

The owners of the B & B probably make a lot of money.
The owners of the B & B probably make quite a bit of money.

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to have left = to have (after everything else is gone or taken)

After an expensive night in the club, all I had (after spending all my money) was two dollars.
After an expensive night in the club, all I had left was two dollars.

All they had (after selling all the others) was cherry pie.
All they had left was cherry pie.

All they had (after renting all the others) was a room by the elevator.
All they had left was a room by the elevator.

All they had (after every room was taken) was a small room that had a slanted ceiling.
All they had left was a small room that had a slanted ceiling.

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killer (slang) = great, awesome, etc.

Metallica is a great band!
Metallica is a killer band!

The new Acura is an excellent car!
The new Acura is a killer car!

Lords of War is an awesome game!
Lords of War is a killer game!

The Bed and Breakfast is expensive, but you get a great breakfast.
The Bed and Breakfast is expensive, but you get a killer breakfast.

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to make up for something = compensated for it, (to make things better)

I lost playing poker, but my wife won playing Blackjack, so that compensated for it.
I lost playing poker, but my wife won playing Blackjack, so that made up for it.

She was mean to me in the morning, but later she compensated for it.
She was mean to me in the morning, but later she made up for it.

The hotel compensated us for their mistake.
The hotel made up for their mistake.

The "Bed" wasn’t so good, but the "Breakfast" compensated for it.
The "Bed" wasn’t so good, but the "Breakfast" made up for it.

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Step 1.

First, read the “Easy” sentence. Then, try to think of the advanced expression that we learned which has the same meaning as the highlighted expression.

Easy: I chose to live without my job to form my own company.

Advanced: I ___ ___ my job to form my own company.

Step 2.

Play the audio file to check your answer.

Step 3.

Play the audio again, and repeat, until you can say it from memory.

Step 4.

Repeat Steps 1 – 3 for each set below.

Easy: You really convinced me of going to Rome. I can’t wait to go!
Advanced: You really ___ ___ ___ going to Rome. I can’t wait to go!

Easy: It costs a lot of money to build your own house.
Advanced: It costs ___ ___ ___ of money to build your own house.

Easy: After an expensive night in the club, all I had (after spending all my money) was two dollars.

Advanced: After an expensive night in the club, ___ ___ ___ ___ was two dollars.

Easy: The Bed and Breakfast is expensive, but you get a great breakfast.
Advanced: The Bed and Breakfast is expensive, but you get a ____ breakfast.