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Loosen Up
Loosen Up English, baby! Video Lesson

Learn the present progressive tense and not to be uptight

Date: Dec 14 2010

Themes: Soap Opera

Grammar: Present Progressive Tense

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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You can see someone’s mood by the way they hold their body. When you’re relaxed, you tend to spread out, lean back and sit comfortably. When you’re focusing or working hard, you might hunch over or strain your muscles.

How do you get from one extreme to the other? You have to loosen up. When you loosen up, you stop being tense and you relax. A lot of people use alcohol and music to loosen up. It’s similar to mellowing out, but it’s typically used as a suggestion to someone who is uptight. If you’re uptight, you’re not mellow at all and you need to loosen up.

Ella usually likes to slack off around the office. She typically doesn’t work very hard. But she has recently started to act differently. See how her boyfriend Jeff responds to her new work ethic.

3. Watch - Watch the video without reading the dialog.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Jeff

Jeff

Ella

Ella

Jeff:  Hey, what’s up? It’s 4:15, what do you say we get out of here, huh?

Ella:  I can’t…

Jeff:  What’s the deal?

Ella:  I’m trying to work a little harder, you know…

Jeff:  Oh, come on. You’ve got everything done for the day.

Ella:  No! There’s still, like, 45 minutes! It’s 4:15, what do you…What are you talking about?

Jeff:  You’re just not fun anymore. What’s the deal?

Ella:  I’m fun!

Jeff:  Why don’t you loosen up a little bit?

Ella:  I can’t. I just…I just really need to work harder.

Jeff:  No, it used to be such a good time. You know? We’d cut out about an hour early.

Ella:  I just…no.

Jeff:  No dice? No?

Ella:  No, I can’t. I’m sorry. Just… Just go.

Jeff:  Come on. Come on, babe? And what’s with this hat?

Ella:  I’m trying to be taken more seriously!

Jeff:  Are you going to a funeral? A wedding? Are you trying to…

Ella:  It’s helping me focus! It covers the screen with a circle, like a tunnel…

Jeff:  You’re so uptight!

Ella:  No I’m not! You’re…under-tight.

Jeff:  I’m under-tight?

Ella:  I don’t know!

Jeff:  No, no, no. You’re uptight. All you wanna do is focus on work. Stay, you know, with the task at hand.

Ella:  Work is serious! You don’t make it fun.

Jeff:  Well, if you’re so good at it, then you can quit an hour early!

Ella:  I’m not good at it. I’m gonna become better at it. The best. The best at it.

Jeff:  Whatever. You’re no fun. I mean, look at this! That’s our boss! Look at her! Come on.

Ella:  I…no. I’m sorry. I’m gonna…

Jeff:  Hop on the bandwagon!

Ella:  No! It’s Tuesday! We can wait until Friday?

Jeff:  We’re at work five days a week, come on! You know, loosen up at least a few of those days. I’ll be taking this. See you later.

 

Grammar Point

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Discussion

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Ella is usually fun. So Jeff is surprised to find that she won’t leave work early with him. He offers her beer and tries to convince her to have some fun, but she won’t even take off her hat. She says it helps her focus. She’s being pretty uptight.

Jeff doesn’t know what to do. He can’t get Ella to loosen up. He shows her that their boss, Devan, is relaxed. He reminds her of all the fun they usually have. But none of it works, so he gives up.

Do you know anyone who needs to loosen up? Are you uptight?

 

Comments

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shi shang yun

China

I am working in Beijing now.A big company.I feel very unhappy in these days. Because everyone is selfish.They only care of themself.I think life is not hopeful any more. 

09:41 AM Dec 28 2010 |

jecks

Kazakhstan

I like to loosen up today. Beacause i got everything done for today!!!!!

 

10:33 AM Dec 20 2010 |

Sydney2009

Italy

In my working place, I usually try to find a good balance between being uptight and to loosen up…Of course, I think a hat can' t be helpful to me as much as watching my boss sleeping just in fornt of me…but at least it would be really funny :) Good one

09:32 PM Dec 19 2010 |

hncuong1978

Viet Nam

Thank you guys for uploading the video now. Good lesson, good video, I can't hold the laugh after Jeff says "look at her", and then the camera points at Devan sleeping, wake up and then putting something into her mouth, hehe

01:21 AM Dec 15 2010 |

koxa

koxa

Ukraine

There are people who love being busy but I'm not that one)...so I seldom get seggestions to loosen up! But it doesn't mean that I'm so lazy and sometimes I give such advice to other people who really seem to be uptight and help them by my own. 

06:28 PM Dec 14 2010 |

afufu

China

Some jobs need you to be uptight, but some don't, that depends. I believe a little bit uptight actually can help you with you work, it makes you more efficient. But if you are a artist, maybe you need to be loosen up. Then you can do some real art.

 

03:46 PM Dec 14 2010 |

hncuong1978

Viet Nam

Getting uptight is a negative state of mind even if we are uptight in a effort of working hard. Do it smarter, don't do it harder man. The boss will appreciate the guy who slacks off but the result of his work is out-standing rather than a guy who is always getting his hair straight up but the result is so-so. By the way, it's a shame that this soap opera episode does not come with a video as it usually does. Long time no see, Devan, I would like to see how you relax at work. Just making a joke, please don't feel offended, hehe

01:51 PM Dec 14 2010 |

jasbebo

jasbebo

United Arab Emirates

very nice , and cool lessonCool

10:59 AM Dec 14 2010 |

neha1209

India

everyone likes to loosen up who wants to be uptight by choice… But there are circumstances at workplace or in othr areas of life where u cannot avoid being uptight at times.

09:08 AM Dec 14 2010 |

luosijie203

Taiwan

In fact, nowadays being relax is very rare for everyone, we feel too much stress. I like loosen up. hate uptight, I think some who don’t need to loosen up is horrible, crazy!! sometime I need to loosen up, but sometime I like to be uptight, that’s life!

03:53 AM Dec 14 2010 |

littleflow3r

Indonesia

being focus is hard for me if there was so much voices around me. usually, i always fun. always loosen up. but, i know that i have to focus on the certain time :)

03:29 AM Dec 14 2010 |

trailo_hathanh

Viet Nam

Yes, I know one person uptight pretty well. Do you know who? It's me. I am uptight. Unfortunately, in my place people do not like uptight at all. All of them like to loosen up. 

Some of my friends said that I should work in another place or oversea. I am thinking about that.

Ella makes the change. It surprise me too.

03:20 AM Dec 14 2010 |

sunyu922

China

Opposite, I think I need to focus on my new job hunting. Before six months, I was totally loosen up without working and I found I put  more than 10 pounds on.

Embarassed

02:53 AM Dec 14 2010 |

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