1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
The biggest day in many American high school students’ lives isn’t graduation. It’s prom. Prom is a formal dance held at the end of senior year, when students get dressed up, rent limousines, and dance the night away at a special venue. When the dance ends, they usually attend after-parties, which is often where the real fun begins.
But prom can also be stressful. First of all, you have to find a date, which can be quite challenging for some. Then, if you’re a girl, you have to get the perfect dress. Many girls also buy new shoes and jewelry, and get their hair and makeup done at a fancy salon. Guys have to rent a tuxedo, buy their date a corsage, and pay for the tickets, the limousine, and dinner before the prom. That’s a lot of money to spend for one night of awkward slow dancing.
Prom season is happening right now. Listen to Ella and Devan share their memories of prom.
Intro
The biggest day in many American high school students’ lives isn’t graduation. It’s prom. Prom is a formal dance held at the end of senior year, when students get dressed up, rent limousines, and dance the night away at a special venue. When the dance ends, they usually attend after-parties, which is often where the real fun begins.
But prom can also be stressful. First of all, you have to find a date, which can be quite challenging for some. Then, if you’re a girl, you have to get the perfect dress. Many girls also buy new shoes and jewelry, and get their hair and makeup done at a fancy salon. Guys have to rent a tuxedo, buy their date a corsage, and pay for the tickets, the limousine, and dinner before the prom. That’s a lot of money to spend for one night of awkward slow dancing.
Prom season is happening right now. Listen to Ella and Devan share their memories of prom.
Dialog
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Devan: Did you go to your prom?
Ella: I did. It was really fun and now it’s coming around that time again where prom…Everyone’s getting their gowns and tuxes. It’s kind of exciting.
Devan: So you’re big on prom. Do you think that it’s an important ritual?
Ella: Well, I wouldn’t say it’s an important ritual. I just like to get dressed up. I think that’s one of the biggest reasons I started going to proms. I went to my friends’ proms, and they came to mine, so…Just an excuse to dress up.
Devan: So did you…you got a nice fancy gown, and did you have a corsage and everything?
Ella: Yeah, did the corsage, got the makeup done, had the hair done. All that stuff.
Devan: Did your date wear a tux?
Ella: Yes. Yes he did. All that good stuff.
Devan: Were you voted prom queen?
Ella: I was not!
Devan: I actually didn’t even go to my prom.
Ella: Oh my god!
Devan: Um, well, I wasn’t into the whole prom thing when I was in high school. I was kind of a rebel, so…
Ella: Nice. Cool.
Devan: We went to the bowling alley instead.
Grammar Point
Simple Past Tense: Interrogative
You probably already know how to form the simple past tense. For regular verbs, you just add ed to the basic verb form. For example, walk becomes walked, and jump becomes jumped. But do you know how to ask questions, or form the interrogative in the simple past tense?
Devan asks Ella a lot of questions about her prom. She asks, “Did you go to your prom?” “Did you have a corsage?” “Did your date wear a tux?” In each case, she uses did + subject + simple present verb. This is how we ask yes/no questions in the simple past tense.
What would you say if you wanted to ask somebody if she wore a fancy gown to her prom?
Discussion
Discussion - Join the discussion to learn more and make friends.
Ella liked prom so much in high school that she not only went to her own prom, but also attended her friends’ proms. She loved getting dressed up and having her hair and makeup done. It sounds like she didn’t have any trouble finding a date.
Devan, on the other hand, didn’t go to her prom. She and her friends didn’t have much school spirit. They were rebels who thought prom was lame. On prom night, instead of following the crowd by going to the dance like all their classmates, they went to the bowling alley.
Do you have prom in your country? Do you think it would be fun to go to prom, or would you be a rebel like Devan and skip prom?
Comprehension Quiz
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06:29 AM Jul 24 2009 | Reply |
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no we haven`t but i would like to go sound intersting i can go to the bowling anytime but the prom it just one night so am not down with devan in that |
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I want to make friend with you ….I come from china |
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