Call a Taxi
Melody needs to call a taxi. The Grammar focuses on Imperatives.
Melody: “Hi, thanks for stopping!”
Driver: “I can’t stop here, I would get in trouble. Not on the street.”
Melody: “Why not? Is there a law against it?”
Driver: “Yes, actually, there is a law. You have to call for a cab.”
Melody: “That’s insane. That doesn’t happen where I’m from.”
Driver: “It happens here.”
Melody: “Then why did you stop?”
Driver: “I felt sorry for you. I know it’s very cold outside.”
Melody: “I appreciate that. Will you get into trouble?”
Driver: “I might. But sometimes you have to do the right thing.”
Melody: “Can you take me to a coffee shop? Where it’s warm?”
Driver: “Hop in. I know a place not far from here.”
Melody: “I hope they don’t see you. I would feel terrible.”
Driver: “It’s dark out and nobody is around. I can’t let you freeze.”
VOCABULARY WITH IDIOMS
Get in(to) trouble means to be subject to punishment for a particular offense or wrongdoing. See online Idioms Dictionary.
Feel sorry for means to empathize with or feel compassion for another person and their sorrows, problems, or plight. See online Idioms Dictionary.
Hop in means get or climb into something. See online Idioms Dictionary.
ENGLISH GRAMMAR
Topic suggested for Comments: Imperatives
“Hop in.” The imperative is one of the three main moods in English (along with indicative and interrogative). It takes a form without a subject noun phrase, but traditional linguists refer to it as the “understood you” (Larsen-Freeman).
INTERMEDIATE-ADVANCED DIALOGUE
New Idioms are “Got it” and “In case.” The Grammar focuses on Comparatives.
Garth: “Hi, can you take me to the Farmer’s Market in Mission Valley?”
Driver: “Sure, no problem.”
Garth: “But then I need you to wait for me. Not long, just five minutes or so.”
Driver: “I can do that. The meter will be running.”
Garth: “I know, but I need to go downtown after that.”
Driver: “It’s all good, hop in.”
Garth: “I’ve got this suitcase too, can you help me with that?”
Driver: “Sure. I’ll put it in the back.”
Garth: “Be careful with it, it’s got some glass inside.”
Driver: “Are you going to the airport too?”
Garth: “Eventually, but first two other places. Starting with the Farmer’s Market.”
Driver: “Got it.”
Garth: “Is this the only way to get there? I thought the back way might be faster.“
Driver: “We can do that if you prefer. Hard to say at rush hour.”
Garth: “Ya, let’s do that. I like the scenery better.“
Driver: “Are you travelling?”
Garth: “Yes, but not for very long. I’ll be back next week.”
Driver: “Here’s my card, in case you want to call me when you return. Or anytime, for that matter.”
Garth: “Thanks a lot. I’ll do that.”
VOCABULARY WITH IDIOMS
Farmer’s market means an open-air marketplace, usually for farm products. See online Idioms Dictionary.
Got it means understood. See online Idioms Dictionary.
Rush hour means a particular period of the day, typically when people are traveling to or from work, when traffic on the road is particularly heavy or congested. See online Idioms Dictionary.
In case means in the event that, if it happens that. See online Idioms Dictionary.
For that matter means besides, in addition. See online Idioms Dictionary.
ENGLISH GRAMMAR
Suggested Topic for Comments: Comparatives
“Faster” is a standard comparative degree form in which the original adjective (“fast”) is inflected with -er. The same inflection is used on the irregular adjective “good,” i.e., “better.” For all three degrees, we see “fast,” “faster” and “fastest” for the regular forms, and with the irregular adjective we see “good,” “better” and “best.”
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