Episode 95

EPISODE 95
LEVEL A1.2/A2.1

 

READING COMPREHENSION 

 

LOVE AND LOVING

Mary Johnson is sixteen years old and she has never been in love. She likes boys and she sometimes goes out with them (= has romantic meetings with them). There are a few boys she is fond of (= she likes them very much) and several boys who care about her (= she is important to them). But she has never felt true love for anyone. 

Her friend Melinda is different. She falls in love with (starts loving) a new boy every week, and then she falls out of love (= stops loving). She says she has been in love many times. Last week Dan was her big love. They were a couple (= a boyfriend and a girlfriend). This week she is going out with Steve. Next week she will probably stop seeing Steve and she will start dating (=going out with) Mike who is very attracted to her (= thinks she is very attractive).

 

More contexts for the new words: 

• I fancy Steve (= I am attracted to him).
• There are a couple of pictures on the wall (= a few).

 

EXERCISE 1 

Decide if the sentences below are true of false. Correct the false ones.

1. If you date somebody it means you go out with them.
2. A couple means a lot.
3. If you fancy someone, you like them.
4. When you are fond of someone it mean you don’t like the person.
5. A couple are two people who love each other. 
6. When you fall out of love, your relationship ends.

 

EXERCISE 2 

Complete the questions with correct prepositions. Then answer the questions.

1. Have you ever fallen …….. love with someone?
2. Who do you care …………. most in your life?
3. Are you fond …………… films? What films do you enjoy watching?

 

ENGLISH IN USE  

When you want to talk about your experience you use the Present Perfect tense.

She has never been in love.

Remember that in the Present Perfect tense you should use ‘have’ or ‘has’ and 3rd form of the verb (Past Participle). We use ‘has’ in the 3rd person singular (he/ she/it)

I have been in love.
She has been in love

When you want to ask somebody about their experiences you use the word ‘ever’ in questions:

Have you ever been in love?

 

IDIOM CLOSE-UP

 

She loved him the moment she first saw him. It was LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.

If people experience love at first sight it means they start loving each other the moment they see each other for the first time.

 

PHRASAL VERBS CLOSE-UP

1. When you ASK someone OUT, you invite someone to go out on a date.

He asked her out to dinner, but she had other plans.

 

2. When you HOOK UP with somebody you meet the person and spend some time together.

I was travelling alone but then I hooked up with one woman about my age.

 

EXERCISE 3 

Match the sentence halves.

 

1. John would like to ask
2. Do you believe in  
3. At the last party I didn’t know anyone but finally I hooked 

a) up with Jerry.
b) Mary out, but he is afraid that she may refuse.
c) love at first sight?

 

NEWS

DO YOU BELIEVE IN TRUE LOVE?

1. Do you ever want to get married?

A: You’re not sure because marriage sounds boring.
B: Yes.

 

2. What is your idea of a perfect date?

A: A dinner at a very expensive restaurant and then a party in a fancy nightclub.
B: A romantic candlelight dinner followed by a night full of conversations.

 

3. Do you believe in the phrase “made for each other’?

A: It sounds nice but no such thing exists.
B: Yes. If it’s real love people are made for each other.

 

4. How many boyfriends/ girlfriends have you had?

A: So many it would be difficult to count them all.
B: Not many.

 

5. Do you believe in love at first sight?

A: Not really. You can be attracted to someone at first sight, but falling in love at first sight is a bit overrated.
B: Yes, I’m sure it exists.

 

AND THE RESULTS…

If you chose mostly A answers – you think it’s normal that people fall in and out of love. All relationship start and finish and such a thing as true love does not exist.

If you chose mostly B answers – you believe true love exists. Probably you are truly in love with someone.

 

GLOSSARY 

• fancy nightclub – expensive and extravagant
• candlelight dinner – with the lights from candles
• made for each other – very well suited romantically
• overrated – not as good as expected

 

download lesson (pdf)