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Clumsiness

Learn Comparatives and Superlatives

Date: Sep 26 2011

Grammar: Comparatives and Superlatives

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Intro

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

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Some people get injured doing risky things like skateboarding or rock climbing, or playing aggressive sports like football or basketball. But clumsy people get injured doing everyday things like walking down the street. They also have a knack for tripping, spilling, and breaking things. You should definitely think twice before you let a clumsy person wash your dishes.

A clumsy person is more likely to trip, spill things, or knock things over. But why are some people clumsier than others? Hear Jason and Amy talk about this problem that they both share.

Dialog

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

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

Jason

Amy

Jason: Looks like you’re limping there.

Amy: Yeah, I tripped over my own feet this morning.

Jason: Oh man. You weren’t doing anything difficult, just…

Amy: Just walking.

Jason: Wow.

Amy: I guess I’m pretty clumsy.

Jason: Yeah, I guess I am too, really. I mean, I usually have some small injury from something that you really shouldn’t be getting injured from.

Amy: I bet I’m clumsier than you.

Jason: Yeah? What’s the clumsiest thing you’ve ever done?

Amy: Well, it’s not one big thing. It’s just a lot of little things.

Jason: Oh yeah, they add up.

Amy: Like every wine glass I’ve ever owned I’ve broken.

Jason: Man, my girlfriend got these fancy wine glasses, and I was like, I just knew I was gonna break one of them.

Amy: How long did it take?

Jason: Like a couple weeks.

Amy: We just got some new plates, and I broke one within two days.

Jason: Wow. I did endure a major knee injury from a very small jump. I wasn’t skiing or skateboarding or doing anything hard. I just jumped two feet in the air, and I had to go to the hospital and have surgery. It was horrible.

Amy: OK. Maybe you win.

Jason: I’m trying so hard after that to be a little more graceful.

Amy: How do you stop being clumsy though? Is it just about paying attention?

Jason: I think it has to do with hurrying for me. If I just slow down, I’m less likely to run into an open drawer, or stub my toe on a door. Easier said than done.

Grammar Point

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Discussion

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Amy is limping because she tripped…over her own feet. She is so clumsy that sometimes even walking down the street can be dangerous for her.

Jason says that he is clumsy too. He often injures himself doing things that aren’t very risky. He once got a major injury from taking a very small jump. Both he and Amy also have problems with breaking things.

Jason says he would be less clumsy if he just slowed down. He thinks that rushing too much causes accidents.

Are you clumsy? What could a clumsy person do to become more graceful?

Comments

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mickee85

Philippines

I’m not a clumsy person and I am so thankful for that. I can’t imagine those clumsy people playing risky sports such as football and skateboarding. For sure they will end up limping and tripping while running or kicking whatsoever on the pitch.

When it comes to stuff like doing the dishes or things like walking down the street. I think all they need to do is to pay attention and take it slowly.

hanislam

Sudan

please correct me in sentence syntax or spelling.

hanislam

Sudan

I am clumsy person ,when i confused by something .I realy need to take care sometime.

farag_50

Egypt

clumsiness may be due to mental disorder.

Anise

Austria

Fortunately I am only clumsy when I´m really tired. But once I was running against a street lamp. It was so embarrassing. I´m glad I didn´t become costumed to do such things like running against lamps.

I could also be clumsy when I´m really nervous or unconfident. Then I get in a hurry instead of taking a deep breath and relax.

rdk971

France

Yes I am, but only sometimes. Generally it’s when I want do something too fast.

I think clumsy person need to take their time at the begining to have more trust in their moves.

Nakul

India

Yeah, I am little bit. not often.

We should slow down then this will cause us not to be injured as it is said that “think before speaking”. Rushing is the cause of this.

But we should not worry about it because trip also helps us to think again and become cautious of doing things better in some cases.

CatcheR

Iceland

I often drop things like phone, bowl, plate, ah my mom always scold me.

rigil_kent09

Philippines

thank god im not clumsy, i take things slowly but surely, i dont rush i avoid being in a hurry and that’s what i think a clumsy person should do to avoid injury ^^