Beat A Drum
Friends discuss a fight where they beat each other like drums. The grammar focus is on the Conjunction “So.”
Hallie: “Let’s go watch a professional fight.”
Sakeena: “What do you mean? Watch two men beat the crap out of each other?”
Hallie: “Yes, outside City Hall there’s a fight this evening.”
Sakeena: “When did they start that?”
Hallie: “I don’t have any idea. Maybe it’s a one-time deal.”
Sakeena: “And you actually want to see this? I would rather watch a chess match. At least they use their brains.”
Hallie: “Are you some kind of pussy?”
Sakeena: “No, I’m not. I just think bloody violence is stupid.”
Hallie: “I could always go alone.”
Sakeena: “Actually if you are serious about this, I think you should go alone.”
Hallie: “No problem on my end. Say hello to your mother.”
Sakeena: “Love that sarcasm!”
VOCABULARY WITH IDIOMS
Beat the crap out of means to strike or assault someone violently and severely. Chiefly informal and colloquial. See online Idioms Dictionary.
Pussy is vulgar slang for a vagina, and by extension means a cowardly person, a wimp. See online Idioms Dictionary.
ENGLISH GRAMMAR
Suggested Topic for Comments: Imperatives
“Let’s go watch a professional fight.” This sentence illustrates a form of the Imperative in which includes the speaker and the addressee. This is called the inclusive imperative and according to some studies, is almost always seen in the contracted form “let’s.” The normal form of the Imperative which does not include the speaker assumes “you” as the subject.
INTERMEDIATE-ADVANCED DIALOGUE
New Idioms are “Hang back” and “Threw the fight.” The Grammar focus is on the Conjunction “So.”
Kaira: “That fight wasn’t right, it just makes me shake my head.”
Tamarr: “What are you saying, he threw the fight?”
Kaira: “It’s my gut reaction. I am sure of it.”
Tamarr: “Landis was already dominating him. I don’t think he threw it.”
Kaira: “But you could see even before, he wasn’t giving his all.”
Tamarr: “When are you talking about?”
Kaira: “You could see it right from the beginning, the way he was hanging back and just taking abuse.”
Tamarr: “No, that was his strategy to make Landis over-confident, maybe so he would take risks. Maybe make himself more vulnerable.”
Kaira: “I don’t know, I’m not convinced. I’ve never seen him fight like that before.”
Tamarr: “He always fights like that. Hangs back until he sees his chance, and then jumps in suddenly with ferocity.”
Kaira: “Maybe. I haven’t seen him fight before.”
Tamarr: “Seriously, I have. That’s always what he does.”
Kaira: “Seems dumb to me. Get your head beaten in until you decide to get aggressive. Why not just be aggressive from the beginning?”
Tamarr: “I’m no expert at this, so I can’t tell you. All I know is that it worked until tonight.”
Kaira: “Wonder if he’ll change after this. Landis beat him like a drum.”
VOCABULARY WITH IDIOMS
Shake my head means to express disapproval, dissent, or doubt. See online Idioms Dictionary.
Threw the fight means to lose a boxing match on purpose. See online Idioms Dictionary.
Gut reaction means a reaction to a situation based on a person’s instincts and feelings, rather than a logical analysis. See online Idioms Dictionary.
Give his all means to put forth or utilize the utmost of one’s energy. See online Idioms Dictionary.
Hang back means to hold back, be reluctant to move ahead. See online Idioms Dictionary.
Beat him like a drum is a fairly common expression, its meaning literal.
ENGLISH GRAMMAR
Suggested Topic for Comments: The Conjunction “So.”
The conjunction “so” may be understood as a marker that relates causes to results. “I’m no expert at this, so I can’t tell you.” It can also be used inferentially between speakers, where one supplies the initial proposition and the other supplies the inference:
“The stock just dropped fifty points.”
“So we’ve lost our money.”
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