Everyday Idioms 2

Episode 8:

Kate Gets the Call

Warm-Up
A. Preview

In the last episode, Kate talked to her best friend,

Melanie, on the phone. Melanie was upset because
Kate doesn’t have time to hang out on the weekend.
Kate is busy working, studying, and pursuing a boy
named Jason. Melanie is hurt that Kate doesn’t have
any time for her. Speaking of phone calls, Kate is
waiting for an important one today. Who will it be?

B. Vocabulary Preview

Match the idioms on the left

to the correct definitions on the right.

1. dead a)  a lot

2. lemon b)  to relieve another person of a problem

c)  to do something or make a decision

3. from A to B
without thinking much about it
4. second-hand
d)  from one place to another
5. take something off someone’s hands e)  a car that always breaks down and is not reliable

6. get by f)  available, having no plans

7. decaf g)  used by another person before

8. not put much thought into something h)  not busy

i)  to do very well (academically)

9. a ton
j)  to be able to function properly
10. ace
k)  does not contain caffeine,
11. free short for decaffeinated coffee

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 Kate Gets the Call
Episode 8 of 15 | Everyday Idioms 2

Listening
Fill in the blanks as you listen. Then read the dialogue with your partner
a few times. Take turns being each character. Practice your intonation and
pronunciation. Underline or highlight any new words or phrases that you
don’t understand. Kate Jason

You really didn’t think I was going to call, did you?

Well, you said Wednesday, and it’s Thursday now. You never know with guys.

Sorry I didn’t call last night. I ended up having to close up.

It was              tonight, so I am glad you’re              .

Well, thanks for picking me up. I could have taken the bus downtown.

Are you kidding? What kind of a guy makes a girl take a bus
on a first date? Besides, I wanted you to check out my wheels.

Yes, I see. Um...what kind of car is it? It's a nice color.

You're too sweet. It's a              , but it gets me              .

That’s all that matters. Did you buy it              ?

My uncle gave it to me for my 19th birthday. Actually, he was

going to take it to the junkers. I offered to              .

Well, it beats the bus.

You can say that again. So where do you want to go for coffee? Do you even drink coffee?

Yes, I couldn’t              without it.

I’d better make it a              or I’ll never make it to class in the morning, though.

Sounds good. So what are you studying, anyway? Wait, let me guess. You look like a science girl.

Me? Not a chance. Then again, I’m not exactly acing English literature.
I                        picking a major.

English? I would never have guessed.

I hear English majors have              of required reading.

It’s true. If Randy didn’t call me in to fill shifts all of the time, I’d be able to get some studying done.

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 Kate Gets the Call
Episode 8 of 15 | Everyday Idioms 2

Comprehension
Answer and discuss these questions in pairs or as a class,
then write your answers in your notebook.
Did you know?
1. What doe Kate mean when she says, In English, it is common to
“Well, you said Wednesday, and it’s Thursday now”? remove the pronoun it or that
before the verb “sounds.”
2. What excuse does Jason make at the beginning of the phone call?
A: We’re going swimming
3. True or false? Kate takes the bus to meet Jason. before dinner. Is that
okay with you?
4. Why does Jason mention a lemon?
B: Sounds fun! /
5. Why will Kate get a decaf coffee? Sounds good! /
Sounds perfect! /
6. What do English majors have to spend a lot of time doing?
Sounds like a plan!
7. Why is Kate finding it difficult to study now?

Vocabulary Review
A. Spot the Error

Get into pairs. One of you will be Student A and the other
will be Student B. Read the sentence out loud. Ask your partner
to listen for an error. Then correct the error together.

Student A: Student B:

1. I couldn’t get be without my morning coffee. 6. I’m freed to babysit if you’re in a pinch.

2. The restaurant was death tonight, 7. We didn’t put much think into our car purchase.
so I sent two servers home.
8. I’m icing English class this year.
3. If you don’t want that table, I’ll take it off your arms.
9. My car is okay. It gets me from Y to Z.
4. We have a tan of dishes to do after lunch.
10. That sands good to me.
5. I hate riding my bike that far,
but it bets waiting for the train.

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 Kate Gets the Call
Episode 8 of 15 | Everyday Idioms 2

Vocabulary Review cont.

B. Role-Play

With your partner, choose one of Scenarios:

the scenarios to the right and write
1. A student bought a lemon from a car dealer. (student & salesman)
a short dialogue (up to 10 lines)
using vocabulary from the list on 2. A student has a ton of studying to do. (student & friend)
page 1. Practice the dialogue and
3. A student wants to change his/her major. (student & friend)
check. Read the dialogue out to the
class with your partner. 4. A worker is closing up the restaurant. (worker & customer)

5. A student is going out for coffee. (student & romantic interest)

C. Matching

Match the words on the left to their opposites on the right.

1. busy a) acing

2. new b) a lemon

3. light as a feather c) free

4. a gem d) second-hand

5. failing e) weighs a ton

Discussion
MY LIFE

Discuss these questions with your class

or write your responses in a journal entry.

1. Describe an important call that you waited for.

2. Do you prefer to buy new or used cars? Explain your reason.

3. In your opinion, where is the best place for a first date?

4. Do you drink coffee? Why or why not?

5. Have you ever made a mistake because

you didn’t put enough thought into it?

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 Kate Gets the Call
Episode 8 of 15 | Everyday Idioms 2

Group Activity
In groups, brainstorm the pros and cons of drinking different
types of beverages and fill in the chart below. After the discussion,
take a vote to see which beverage is more popular in each category.
Discuss the various health issues related to each one.

Decaf Coffee Caffeinated Coffee

Pros Cons Pros Cons

Diet Soda Regular Soda

Pros Cons Pros Cons

Sugar Free (Sugar Substitute) Beverages Sugary Beverages

Pros Cons Pros Cons

Stay Tuned
In Episode 9, Kate realizes her grades are slipping.

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