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: Ok, so this has to be The Venetian, which is awesome because even…I think…I think that they even take you to your hotel room, in some cases, in the little boat.

Mark: I think…I mean, you and I, of course, know that this is inside. But someone, maybe not as experienced in the extravagance of Vegas might have thought that this was actually an outdoor photo. But this is, of course, an inside, you know…You’re inside a building, here. That’s a roof. That’s not the actual sky, that’s a painting of a sky. And like you said, you can actually get out of your taxi on Las Vegas Boulevard, or The Strip, and hop into one of these gondolas. And then that guy, whatever, the gondolier, can — I don’t know, I’ll say row — he can row you from outside, into the building. Like you said, he can take you to the registration desk in the lobby; he can take you to this…We’re in a mall here, so this is the mall at The Venetian. Or like you said, he can take you all the way through the hotel to your room….as far as I understand. That’s pretty darn (Words of Experience Video) cool.

Greg: That’s awesome, yeah. When I first looked at this picture, I actually didn’t realize…It took me a second to realize that that is a painting. Just because of the lighting. So, yes, that is inside the hotel.

Mark: The other thing I wanted to point out, and bring…You know, it can open a whole new topic is: There’s a lot of shopping in Las Vegas. And all…And most of the big, themed hotels have immense, you know, their own immense shopping malls. The Venetian is one of them. Caesars’ Forums…Their shopping area is amazing. It also does the painted-sky thing (Words of Experience Video)

Greg: Yeah, definitely. I actually have a shopping story to tell.

Mark: Oh, let me hear it!

Greg: When, I think I told you this…I’m sure I’ve told you this story, because it was incredible. I already mentioned that Megumi’s parents came from Japan for our wedding in Phoenix, and we went up to Las Vegas. So, that was Megumi, her sister, her mother, myself and her father.

Mark: Ok.

Greg: We were at a small, little store and Megumi hands me a brown wallet. You know, Megumi’s female, so she has lots of different wallets and purses, and things like that. So, I wasn’t paying attention. And she just said, “Here. Hold this.”

Mark: Ok.

Greg: So I thought…I thought she was asking me to hold her wallet. So, about five minutes later I was like, “Why am I holding this thing?” You know? “Why am I still holding this?” So I put it in the shopping bag.

Mark: Ok.

Greg: Because I was, you know, I was tired of holding it.

Mark: Right.

Greg: So, I put it in my bag that I had, with my stuff. Then, we left. And about fifteen, twenty minutes later we had been…We had walked down Las Vegas Boulevard a way, and we were looking through that bag to get something…

Mark: Oh, here we go.

Greg: …and Megumi pulls it out and goes, “What’s this?!” And I said, “That’s the wallet you wanted me to hold. Why?” And she says, “I was going to buy that. I just wanted you to hold it for a minute.” And I was like…And then we all…Actually, they all looked at me as if, you know, because…because…

Mark: Thief!

Greg: Yeah, because this is her parents, you know? And I’m just…

Mark: Oh, yeah.

Greg: …you know, getting to know them. And they’re like, “So, you stole this wallet?” You know? But, I had no idea. I just thought Megumi was asking me to hold the wallet for her. And I was like, “I don’t want to hold this anymore,” because, you know, her other wallet is brown. So, I just completely don’t pay attention to things like, you know, lipstick, wallets, nail polish. I don’t pay attention. So…

Mark: Yeah. Did you not go back? Or did you feel compelled to go back and fess up?

Greg: We talked about it and talked about it. We decided they would probably be cool because, you know, we walked out with it on accident. We’re…Even and…It would also be on their security cameras if we showed like, “Look. Hey, she just asked me to hold this. I got tired of it. You can see. And, you know, I put it in there, and we walked out.”

Mark: Yeah.

Greg: So, yeah. We decided to go back and just told the….and it was just a teenage girl working at the cash register. We just told her what happened, handed it to her, and she said, “Okay,” and we walked out.

Mark: Sweet. Yes, it makes you feel better that way.

Mark: So, you know where this is.

Greg: Definitely the Luxor.

Mark: I was going to ask you…I know you stayed here. What were your thoughts of…Who were you with, and what were your thoughts of Luxor?

Greg: Luxor was great, as are all the hotels in Vegas. And…But it was particularly cool because you have the whole pyramid thing. But what really made it fun for me, actually, was taking Megumi’s parents to Vegas. And in particular, we were staying at The Luxor for the first time.

Mark: Wow!

Greg: Yeah. Megumi’s dad’s eyes were wide open the entire time. Just like, “Wow!” You know, “Look at that! Look at that! Let’s go over here! Let’s check this out!” And that was just in The Luxor when we got there. So, I was thinking, “This is going to be an awesome trip!” Because there’s so much to show them, and they’re enjoying that alone, already, so much. You know? So, it was great.

Mark: When you guys were staying there, did…Who gambled? Did you gamble? Did your father-in-law gamble?

Greg: I always…I lean towards roulette and blackjack. And whenever I go to Vegas, I tend to play those. I also play keno a lot. So, yeah.

Mark: What’s keno? I know…Most people are going to know blackjack, but I’m not sure a lot of people know what keno is.

Greg: Keno is kind of like a bingo-type game, where the numbers are either electronically generated, or if it’s a physical Ping-Pong balls inside of a rotating case. The balls come out and they’re numbered from, I believe, one to eighty. And there’s a big board, and you can bet on what numbers will be drawn, or will appear.

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It took me a second = I needed a little time
(Variation: It took me a minute…)

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

I haven’t driven in New York for a long time, so I needed a little time to remember the best way to get to the train station.
I haven’t driven in New York for a long time, so it took me a minute to remember the best way to get to the train station.

I needed a little time to remember that my wife had our car, and I would have to walk to work.
It took me a second to remember that my wife had our car, and I would have to walk to work.

I needed a little time to realize that we were going the wrong way. Then we turned around.
It took me a minute to realize that we were going the wrong way. Then we turned around.

I needed a little time to realize that it was a painting.
It took me a second to realize that it was a painting.

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a way = a somewhat long distance
Variation: a ways

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

We had rowed a somewhat long distance towards the island, when I lost my paddle.
We had rowed a ways towards the island, when I lost my paddle.

You are searching for the movie theater? That is a somewhat long distance down this road. Just keep walking.
You are searching for the movie theater? That is a way down this road. Just keep walking.

We still have another 20 minutes of driving before we reach the lake. It’s a somewhat long distance further.
We still have another 20 minutes of driving before we reach the lake. It’s a ways further.

We had walked down Las Vegas Boulevard a somewhat long distance, and suddenly…
We had walked down Las Vegas Boulevard a way, and suddenly…

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Oh, here we go = I think this situation will be bad, or unpleasant.

A really drunk guy approached my girlfriend in a bar. She said, “I think this situation will be unpleasant. He’s going to ask if we want to dance, or something.”

A really drunk guy approached my girlfriend in a bar. She said, “Oh, here we go. He’s going to ask if we want to dance, or something.”

Another customer is upset about broken merchandise? I think this situation will be unpleasant.
Another customer is upset about broken merchandise? Oh, here we go…

The storm was terrifying. When it started to rain, all I could think was “I think this situation will be unpleasant.”
The storm was terrifying. When it started to rain, all I could think was “oh, here we go.”

When Greg was telling a story about when he accidentally stole something from a store. Mark said “Oh, here we go…”
When Greg was telling a story about when he accidentally stole something from a store. Mark said, “I think this situation will be bad.”

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to fess up = to admit you did something bad

Jimmy? Sally? Please, admit that you did something bad! Who ate the last piece of cake?
Jimmy? Sally? Please, fess up! Who ate the last piece of cake?

Did you admit to stealing the CD?
Did you fess up to stealing the CD?

We have a lot of evidence to show that you committed the crime. Admit to doing it and we will shorten your punishment.
We have a lot of evidence to show that you committed the crime. Fess up to doing it and we will shorten your punishment.

Did you feel compelled to go back and admit that you did something bad?
Did you feel compelled to go back and fess up?

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to lean towards = to prefer

John and Kim were discussing which restaurant to go to. Kim said, “I prefer Italian food.”
John and Kim were discussing which restaurant to go to. Kim said, “I lean towards Italian food.”

I prefer soccer. I think it is great exercise, and it is fun!
I lean towards soccer. I think it is great exercise, and it is fun!

I prefer John, because I think he would be a better candidate for the position.
I lean towards John, because I think he would be a better candidate for the position.

When I go to a casino, I prefer roulette and blackjack.
When I go to a casino, I lean towards roulette and blackjack.

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to draw (a number) = to choose (a number) by hand

When the judge chooses your number, step up to the microphone and say your name.
When the judge draws your number, step up to the microphone and say your name.

While playing poker, I chose two cards from the stack.
While playing poker, I drew two cards from the stack.

It you choose all five number, you could win a million dollars!
If you draw all five numbers, you could win a million dollars!

Keno is like the lottery. You can bet on which numbers will be chosen.
Keno is like the lottery. You can bet on which numbers will be drawn.

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Easy: I needed a little time to remember that my wife had our car, and I would have to walk to work.

Advanced: __ ____ __ ____ ___ to remember that my wife had our car, and I would have to walk to work..

Easy: We had rowed a somewhat long distance towards the island, when I lost my paddle.

Advanced: We had rowed _ ____ towards the island, when I lost my paddle.

Easy: A really drunk guy approached my girlfriend in a bar. She said, “I think this situation will be unpleasant. He’s going to ask if we want to dance, or something.”

Advanced: A really drunk guy approached my girlfriend in a bar. She said, “__, ____ __ __. He’s going to ask if we want to dance, or something.”

Easy: Did you admit to stealing the CD?

Advanced: Did you ____ __ to stealing the CD?

Easy: John and Kim were discussing which restaurant to go to. Kim said, “I prefer Italian food.”

Advanced: John and Kim were discussing which restaurant to go to. Kim said, “I ____ _______ Italian food.”

Easy: When the judge chooses your number, step up to the microphone and say your name.

Advanced: When the judge _____ your number, step up to the microphone and say your name.