Marriage Ceremony
Two friends talk about the marriage ceremony. The Grammar focuses on Adverbials.
Kaleb: “Who are you coming to see?”
Walter: “Oh, I know the bride.”
Kaleb: “Me, too. Does anyone know him?”
Walter: “She does.”
Kaleb: “Seriously, I never saw him before.”
Walter: “She hasn’t known him very long.”
Kaleb: “What is he, the New Man?”
Walter: “More like the third wheel, in my opinion.”
Kaleb: “So you get that vibe too?”
Walter: “I never predict these things. I’m a garden hose.”
Kaleb: “You’re pretty funny. How come I don’t know you?”
Walter: “Stick around. I’ll be here all week!”
VOCABULARY WITH IDIOMS
New man (sometimes capitalized) means a man who shares household and child-rearing responsibilities equally with his wife. See online Idioms Dictionary.
Third wheel means an unwanted, extra or unnecessary person. See online Idioms Dictionary.
Garden hose is used in various kinds of humor. Here it means he knows nothing and says nothing.
Stick around means to remain, to linger. See online Idioms Dictionary.
ENGLISH GRAMMAR
Suggested Topic for Comments: Adverbials
“I never saw him before.” Here, the Adverb “before” is a typical sentence-final adverbial which answers the question “When?”
INTERMEDIATE-ADVANCED DIALOGUE
New Idioms are “The sky is the limit” and “Wet behind the ears.” The grammar focuses on the Co-Occurrence of certain Verbs with certain Prepositions.
Melody: “This is going to be a beautiful wedding. Look at all the people.”
Ursula: “I’m impressed. Where did they all come from?”
Melody: “Her father is a big man in the music business. They come from all over.”
Ursula: “Probably Hollywood too. Maybe you should mingle all evening and see what kind of contacts you can make!”
Melody: “I actually brought a tape of my most recent songs with me.”
Ursula: “So you’re not wet behind the ears at all!”
Melody: “You can’t be, if you want to get ahead in music.”
Ursula: “So what will I do while you’re off signing your next record contract?”
Melody: “Look for other important people I could talk to!”
Ursula: “You forget, I have my own ambitions too.”
Melody: “That’s right, your paintings! Well, I’ll keep my eye out for gallery owners and arts journalists too.”
Ursula: “I wonder how many people are here for the wedding, and how many to further their own careers?”
Melody: “This is America, my friend. The sky is the limit here.”
Ursula: “Not if you’re just normal and well-balanced. It all depends on going the extra mile.”
Melody: “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
VOCABULARY WITH IDIOMS
Wet behind the ears means young and inexperienced, immature. See online Idioms Dictionary.
The sky is the limit means anything is possible. See online Idioms Dictionary.
Going the extra mile means being especially assiduous, or making a special effort to do or achieve something. See online Idioms Dictionary.
ENGLISH GRAMMAR
Suggested Topic for Comments: Many Verbs co-occur with Particular Preposition(s)
“It all depends on going the extra mile.” Many verbs and adjectives co-occur with specific prepositions and these need to be remembered. Here, “depends” is used with “on,” its required preposition (“upon” may also be substituted here). Other verb-preposition combinations are “to rely on,” “to detract from,” “to consist of,” and “to part with.” Some verbs can be used with different prepositions (“compete with,” “compete against”) and may retain the same meaning, whereas some verbs achieve a different meaning with different prepositions (“provide for,” “provide with”).
Learn Conversational English
About the Author
English Grammar Categories
480 English Idioms
Home