Learn how to discuss in English the pros and cons of making a decision
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Jonathan: Hi everyone! onathan here. |
| Dede: And I’m Dede! This is Upper Intermediate Season 1, lesson 3 – The Hunt for a Good American Apartment. |
| Jonathan: In this lesson, we’ll hear a conversation outside on the street after a day of apartment hunting. You'll learn to talk about positives and negatives, also known as pros and cons. |
| Dede: This conversation takes place between Dave and Sheila. They’re looking for a place to live and just spent all day seeing several apartments they’re considering. |
| Jonathan: Since Dave and Sheila are friends, they’ll be speaking very casually. |
| Dede: Let's listen to the conversation! |
| DIALOGUE |
| DAVE: I think being roommates was a great idea. I think we make a pretty good apartment hunting team! |
| SHEILA: Me too! What did you think of that last apartment? |
| DAVE: It was so nice! It was big and it's in a really upscale neighborhood. |
| SHEILA: Yeah it was, but on the other hand it was a bit out of our price range, don't you think? |
| DAVE: Sadly, yes. The other one we saw was affordable... but it’s in kind of a run-down neighborhood! |
| SHEILA: On the plus side though, it was right next to the Metro. |
| DAVE: That’s true; it certainly has convenience going for it. It wouldn’t take me more than 15 minutes to get to work. |
| SHEILA: Yeah, I hate commuting and it would definitely cut down on my time too. |
| DAVE: I’m just worried that a place like that might have lead pipes or bed bugs. |
| SHEILA: Oh come on, don’t be so paranoid, it wasn’t so bad! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Dede: Geez, apartment hunting sounds kind of stressful… |
| Jonathan: It certainly can be – a lot of the times it’s fun though. Sadly a lot of the best places are the ones you can’t afford. |
| Dede: Yeah, and the ones you can afford are in a bad location, too small, in an old building, or have some other negative point. |
| Jonathan: (laughs) But when you find a good one, it’s really exciting. |
| Dede: I bet it is! It must be a real relief. |
| Jonathan: Alright, are you ready for some vocab? |
| Dede: I’m ready! |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Jonathan: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| Dede: The first word we shall see is: |
| Jonathan: upscale [natural native speed] |
| Dede: high-end, nice, trendy, and expensive |
| Jonathan: upscale [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: upscale [natural native speed] |
| Next we have: |
| Jonathan: price range [natural native speed] |
| Dede: the range of prices that you are willing to spend for something, usually expensive things |
| Jonathan: price range [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: price range [natural native speed] |
| Next is: |
| Jonathan: affordable [natural native speed] |
| Dede: not too expensive |
| Jonathan: affordable [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: affordable [natural native speed] |
| Next we have: |
| Jonathan: run-down [natural native speed] |
| Dede: old and not well maintained, falling apart |
| Jonathan: run-down [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: run-down [natural native speed] |
| Next is: |
| Jonathan: The Metro [natural native speed] |
| Dede: the Washington, D.C. light rail system consisting of both subway and above ground tracks. |
| Jonathan: The Metro [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: The Metro [natural native speed] |
| Next we have: |
| Jonathan: cut down [natural native speed] |
| Dede: to reduce |
| Jonathan: cut down [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: cut down [natural native speed] |
| Next is: |
| Jonathan: lead [natural native speed] |
| Dede: a metal that old pipes were made of, lead pipes are no longer used because they can cause health problems |
| Jonathan: lead [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: lead [natural native speed] |
| Next we have: |
| Jonathan: to worry [natural native speed] |
| Dede: to feel concerned about something |
| Jonathan: to worry [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: to worry [natural native speed] |
| Next is: |
| Jonathan: bed-bug [natural native speed] |
| Dede: a small insect that can live in beds or furniture and that bites humans at night |
| Jonathan: bed-bug [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: bed-bug [natural native speed] |
| Next we have: |
| Jonathan: paranoid [natural native speed] |
| Dede: irrationally afraid (usually from invented threats) |
| Jonathan: paranoid [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: paranoid [natural native speed] |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Jonathan: Let's have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
| Jonathan: The first phrase we have is… |
| Dede: “It was a bit out of our price range.” |
| Jonathan: We can say something is “out of our price range” when it is more expensive than we are willing to pay for it. So if you are looking for a $600 computer but the salesman shows you a $1,000 model, you could say… |
| Dede: Hmm, “Sorry, that’s a bit out of my price range.” |
| Jonathan: Right! What’s the next phrase? |
| Dede: Dave says “I’m just worried that…” |
| Jonathan: “I’m just worried that…” is a soft way of saying that you are unsure that something is a good idea and that you want to be careful with it. |
| Dede: Right. In the conversation, Dave used it like this: I’m just worried that a place like that might have lead pipes or bed bugs. |
| Jonathan: That’s how he shows his concern about the affordable apartment. Okay, now let’s get onto the Grammar Point. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Dede: The focus of this lesson is expressing pros and cons when making decisions. |
| Jonathan: Sheila and Dave are talking about two different apartments they saw while they were apartment hunting today. |
| Dede: Dave says “It was so nice! It was big and it's in a really upscale neighborhood.” |
| Jonathan: And then Sheila replies “Yeah it was, but on the other hand it was a bit out of our price range, don't you think?” |
| Dede: What does Sheila mean by “on the other hand” |
| Jonathan: Good question. “On the other hand” is a great phrase to use when we are talking about the pros and cons of something. When do you think we use it? |
| Dede: Well, I guess that Sheila used it when she made a negative statement after Dave had made a positive statement |
| Jonathan: Absolutely right. We usually use “on the other hand” when we want to express two opposite opinions on the same topic. |
| Dede: Ahh I see. So I could say “You are very funny, but on the other hand not very good looking.” |
| Jonathan: Haha, I suppose so! And I could say that “You are smart, but on the other hand not very nice.” |
| Dede: (laughs)… What are some other phrases we can use like that? |
| Jonathan: Well, “On the other hand” can be used by yourself or when talking with someone else the way Sheila used it. We can use “Maybe, but I think that…” or “That’s true, but…” when we want to express a different opinion than someone we are talking to. Why don’t you make a pro statement about something? |
| Dede: Hmmm… Jay-Z is a very talented rapper. |
| Jonathan: That’s true, but I think that his lyrics aren’t very good. |
| Dede: Ah, I see! |
| Jonathan: Do you want to try making a con statement now? |
| Dede: Sure… “Broccoli tastes really gross.” |
| Jonathan: Maybe, but I think that it’s really healthy for you. |
| Dede: Well, that’s true! |
| Jonathan: Using these kinds of phrases, we can express both pros and cons when we are talking with someone else. |
| Dede: Great! But what about when we are talking ourselves? |
| Jonathan: Well, like we said, we can always use “On the other hand”, but there are a lot of other phrases we can use too. |
| Dede: Sheila also says “On the plus side”, is that one of them? |
| Jonathan: Exactly! We can say “On the plus side” followed by a good aspect, and then “but on the negative side” followed by a bad aspect. Why don’t you demonstrate for our listeners? |
| Dede: Oh, Ok… let’s see… On the plus side, learning English will help me with my job and is fun, but on the negative side, it takes a lot of work and practice. |
| Jonathan: Perfect! Learning is fun and useful, but on the other hand, it can be very difficult. That was a great usage and I agree with you 100%. |
| Dede: Thanks! |
Outro |
| Jonathan: Well, folks, that’s all for this lesson. |
| Dede: Check out the Lesson Notes for even more phrases and examples. |
| Jonathan: See you next lesson! |
| Dede: Bye for now! |
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