Soccer Upset
The World Soccer Cup is the issue. The Grammar Focus is on the Imperative.
Magnus: “I’m going to try out for soccer this year. What about you?”
Trevor: “Tennis is more my style. I’ve played for a few years.”
Magnus: “I like Roger Federer. Maybe you can play like him.”
Trevor: “I would give anything to play like Federer. I didn’t know you followed tennis.”
Magnus: “I don’t that much, but I like Federer.”
Trevor: “Me too. Even better than Nadal.”
Magnus: “Have you been following the World Cup?”
Trevor: “In soccer? I know it’s in Qatar, but that’s all I know.”
Magnus: “I’m sure Argentina will win. Nobody plays like Leo Messi.”
Trevor: “I’ll check it out next time it’s on TV.”
Magnus: “Check it out tonight!“
VOCABULARY WITH IDIOMS
Try out means to undergo a qualifying test, as for an athletic team. See online Idioms Dictionary.
Give anything means to pay, give, or do whatever is necessary or required to acquire or achieve a thing for which one has an intense desire. See online Idioms Dictionary.
Check out means to investigate, inspect, or look at something of interest. See online Idioms Dictionary.
ENGLISH GRAMMAR
Suggested Topic for Comments: Imperative
“Check it out tonight!” With this imperative form of the Phrasal Verb, separation of Verb and Particle is obligatory here, since the object is the pronoun “it.” The pronoun cannot be placed after the particle: *”Check out it tonight!”
INTERMEDIATE-ADVANCED DIALOGUE
Alice and Bonnie discuss the soccer upset in Qatar. The Grammar focus is on Gerunds.
Alice: “Tell me about your day.”
Bonnie: “I inch my way closer to a Master’s Degree. We’re reading Jung and how his work is related to mythology. What about you?”
Alice: “I’ve been teaching the passive voice all afternoon. Do you want to hear about it?”
Bonnie: “Not really, not grammar. But how are the students?”
Alice: “They’re pretty bright, actually. Intermediate level.”
Bonnie: “They were taught by you. Their books were bought at the store.”
Alice: “You remember how to use passive voice!”
Bonnie: “I know, I would never forget that. But I like literature more than grammar.”
Alice: “Of course you do, you’re a normal person, not a grammar freak like me.”
Bonnie: “You’re not a freak, you just love teaching.“
Alice: “Hey, I just got a text we’re on the air in a minute. We have to report on Saudi Arabia’s victory.”
Bonnie: “Saudi Arabia beat Argentina in the World Cup?”
Alice: “Yeah, they did.”
Bonnie: “Unreal! Was Lionel Messi there? He’s a superstar even at 35.”
Alice: “He was, but I guess it was a bad night for him.”
Bonnie: “Shoot, we have to work. We’re on the air in one minute.”
Alice: “I just have to remember I’m a newscaster and not a teacher.”
Bonnie: “No problemo.“
VOCABULARY WITH IDIOMS
On the air means broadcasting on radio or television. See online Idioms Dictionary.
Inch my way means to enter or move into some place or thing very gradually, in small increments. See online Idioms Dictionary.
Freak as a slang noun means a person or thing considered highly irregular, unconventional, or bizarre. See online Idioms Dictionary.
Unreal means incredible, awesome, unbelievable. See online Idioms Dictionary.
Shoot is used to express surprise, mild annoyance, or disappointment. See online Idioms Dictionary.
No problemo is a slang expression used and popularized in North American English to indicate that a given situation does not pose a problem. See online Idioms Dictionary.
ENGLISH GRAMMAR
Suggested Topic for Comments: Gerunds
“You love teaching.” Gerunds are most easily defined as a verb + -ing acting as a noun. In this sentence, “teaching” is the direct object of “You love.” “Teaching is fun” would be another such example, with “Teaching” as the subject noun of the sentence.
Verbs ending in -ing can also be present participles, but they do not function as nouns, but rather as progressives (e.g. “You are teaching today.”) or as adjectives (e.g. “interesting”). These are often called Verbal and Adjectival Participles.
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