Learn how to use the prepositions "against" and "opposite"
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Eric: What's All the Commotion on this American Street? Eric Here. |
| Becky: Hey I'm Becky. |
| Eric: In this lesson, you’ll learn the prepositions “against” and “opposite”. The conversation takes place at work. |
| Becky: It's between Kate and Sean. |
| Eric: The speakers are co-workers, and they will use both formal and informal English. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Sean: What is that noise outside? |
| Kate: It's a demonstration against the recent tax hikes. |
| Sean: It sounds really close. |
| Kate: Yeah, the protesters' headquarters are opposite us. |
| Sean: If my desk wasn't against the window, maybe it wouldn't sound so noisy. |
| Kate: You can move to the desk opposite me for today, if you wish. |
| Eric: Listen to the conversation one time slowly. |
| Sean: What is that noise outside? |
| Kate: It's a demonstration against the recent tax hikes. |
| Sean: It sounds really close. |
| Kate: Yeah, the protesters' headquarters are opposite us. |
| Sean: If my desk wasn't against the window, maybe it wouldn't sound so noisy. |
| Kate: You can move to the desk opposite me for today, if you wish. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Eric: I hope that they don’t have serious work to do, as it sounds like it’s a little noisy at the office this time. |
| Becky: Yeah, there is a protest happening outside. That’s bound to be distracting. |
| Eric: Are protests common in America? |
| Becky: Well, politics and freedom are important to Americans, and if we don’t feel that our voices are being heard, then we might protest. |
| Eric: What kinds of things do you protest against? |
| Becky: It can be employment related, like higher wages, or better health care, or it can be related to social issues. |
| Eric: I remember hearing on the news about some protests over the last couple of years against alleged police brutality. |
| Becky: That’s right. That’s been a hot topic for some communities. |
| Eric: And those protests then had counter protests... |
| Becky: Yeah, if you protest for, say, stricter gun control, then I bet that there will be people protesting against your protest. |
| Eric: Do protests work? |
| Becky: Sometimes, but even if the end goal isn’t reached, they raise awareness. |
| Eric: Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Eric: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is... |
| Becky: noise [natural native speed] |
| Eric: sounds that are often loud and unwanted |
| Becky: noise[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: noise [natural native speed] |
| Eric: Next we have... |
| Becky: demonstration [natural native speed] |
| Eric: a practical exhibition and explanation, a public gathering to protest something |
| Becky: demonstration[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: demonstration [natural native speed] |
| Eric: Next we have... |
| Becky: tax [natural native speed] |
| Eric: compulsory contribution to state revenue |
| Becky: tax[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: tax [natural native speed] |
| Eric: Next we have... |
| Becky: hike [natural native speed] |
| Eric: a steep increase |
| Becky: hike[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: hike [natural native speed] |
| Eric: Next we have... |
| Becky: protester [natural native speed] |
| Eric: a person who publicly demonstrates and opposes something |
| Becky: protester[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: protester [natural native speed] |
| Eric: Next we have... |
| Becky: headquarters [natural native speed] |
| Eric: the place that serves as a managerial and administrative center of an organization |
| Becky: headquarters[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: headquarters [natural native speed] |
| Eric: Next we have... |
| Becky: window [natural native speed] |
| Eric: a glass opening in a wall that lets in light |
| Becky: window[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: window [natural native speed] |
| Eric: Next we have... |
| Becky: to move [natural native speed] |
| Eric: to change position |
| Becky: to move[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: to move [natural native speed] |
| Eric: And lastly... |
| Becky: to wish [natural native speed] |
| Eric: to want something to be true or to happen |
| Becky: to wish[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: to wish [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Eric: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is... |
| Becky: noise |
| Eric: ...meaning "sounds that are often loud and unwanted." What can you tell us about this word? |
| Becky: The key part is loud and unwanted. |
| Eric: If there is loud music that we want to listen to, we wouldn’t call that “noise.” |
| Becky: No. If the loud music is coming from our neighbors and we don’t want to hear it, then that would be “noise.” |
| Eric: Can this be used as an adjective? |
| Becky: No, but we can call things “noisy.” |
| Eric: Can you give us an example using noise? |
| Becky: Sure. For example, you can say, “The only noise I can hear is you slurping your soup.” |
| Eric: Which means "The only unwanted sounds I can hear is you slurping your soup." |
| Eric: Okay, what's the next word? |
| Becky: To move |
| Eric: meaning "to change where someone lives." When do you use this word? |
| Becky: This verb is generally used for the action of changing place or position. |
| Eric: So if you were on the first floor and then went to the second floor, you have “moved” to the second floor. |
| Becky: That’s right. It also has a specific meaning of changing where you live. |
| Eric: If we say “I’m moving...” |
| Becky: It means that we are physically moving from one house to another. |
| Eric: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| Becky: Sure. For example, you can say, “It's too hot today. Let's move out of the sun.” |
| Eric: Which means "It’s too hot today. Let’s go to a place that isn’t in the sun." Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Eric: In this lesson, you'll learn about the prepositions “against” and “opposite”. Two more prepositions to cross off the list in this lesson! |
| Becky: You like seeing these prepositions being crossed off the list, don’t you? |
| Eric: I do. We’re making progress. The first preposition is “against.” |
| Becky: We can use “against” to say that we oppose a concept or idea. |
| Eric: If the idea is that everyone can go home at 3pm and we don’t agree with that, then we are “against” it. |
| Becky: I don’t see why anyone would be against that, but yes, that’s how it works! |
| Eric: Can you give us a more typical example? |
| Becky: “I’m against animal testing.” |
| Eric: I don’t agree with, and oppose, testing medicine or makeup on animals. |
| Becky: Or “The group is against elementary school testing.” |
| Eric: The group doesn’t agree with testing elementary school children. |
| Becky: You can also use “against” in a sports context, to say what opponent you’re facing. |
| Eric: For example, if there’s a game tomorrow with the Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints, we could say... |
| Becky: “The Dallas Cowboys are playing against the New Orleans Saints tomorrow.” |
| Eric: The next preposition is “opposite.” |
| Becky: We looked at “opposite” in lesson 8, so let’s review it here. It can be used for place, to say that something is on the other side or facing another object. |
| Eric: Let’s hear an example. |
| Becky: “I live opposite the park.” |
| Eric: Becky, why are we reviewing “opposite” here? |
| Becky: It’s because “opposite” can have a similar meaning to “against.” Take the sentence “I have the opposite view from him.” |
| Eric: That means that I have a different view from him, and might even be against him. |
| Becky: But it’s different because “opposite” is being used as an adjective here, not a preposition. |
| Eric: So although their meanings can be similar, they serve different functions in a sentence. |
| Becky: So don’t mix them up! |
Outro |
| Eric: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! |
| Becky: Bye! |
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