English, baby!

Some Space

Date: Nov 04 2008

Themes: Romance

Grammar: You're vs. Your

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Intro

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.

No matter how close two people get, they are still two people. Everyone needs a little bit of private time, even people who are in love.

Private time in a relationship is called space. There are two relationships happening of the Ebaby! soap opera right now. Marni is with John and Amanda has Mason. Since one is a long-distance relationship and the other a friendship that quickly became serious, the amount of space in each is quite different. Listen to Marni and Amanda compare.

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.

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

Marni

Amanda

Marni: So, how’s it going with Mason? We haven’t checked in with each other in a while. What’s goin’ on?

Amanda: It’s goin’. It’s pretty good.

Marni: Yeah.

Amanda: But honestly, like friend to friend...

Marni: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Amanda: I just don’t…It’s real claustrophobic. Not a lot of space…

Marni: Really?

Amanda: I guess you could say.

Marni: Interesting.

Amanda: And it’s kind of a lot too soon for me.

Marni: Oh. Really?

Amanda: But I don’t know if I’m just being cold.

Marni: Interesting.

Amanda: What do you think about that? What kind of girlfriend are you?

Marni: Well, considering I’ve seen my current boyfriend two days total ever, we’re all about space.

Amanda: Two days in forty-eight hours? Like that, back to back?

Marni: Well, yeah. But you know, like ever. I mean now we’re, you know, in separate cities.

Amanda: Ever?

Marni: Yeah. I mean we just, you know, met on the Internet…

Amanda: OK. That’s some major space.

Marni: That’s major space.

Amanda: That’s what I’m talking about. That’s what I want.

Marni: No. You don’t want this much space. We need a happy medium. We need, like…I understand personal space and needing your own time, but…

Amanda: Yeah.

Marni: You know, like, I wanna see him. That’s kind of…

Amanda: I think the hard thing for me is we’re…we work together, and we live together, and he’s a spooner so he has to sleep literally together.

Marni: OK.

Amanda: And he’s a really hot breather. So I just…I can’t, I can’t do it.

Marni: Wow.

Amanda: I know. And I don’t want to hurt his feelings, but I kinda want to put this barricade of pillows in between us. And…I don’t know.

Marni: That might hurt his feelings.

Amanda: I know. I know it would, but that’s what I want.

Marni: OK. I would definitely approach the subject with him before…I mean, I understand wanting personal space, but maybe, you know, maybe you guys just need, like, separate hobbies. Like a night where, you know…Doesn’t he hang out with his friends? And you do…You know, we hang out.

Amanda: Yeah. But no, I see what you’re saying: “The grass is always greener,” ‘cause what you got goin’ sounds amazing right now. And what I have, you know, twenty-four seven, is probably what you want with your lover boy.

Marni: I’d trade a little bit of the spooning for a lot of yearning.

Amanda: Well, you know what might rectify that? Is swingin’.

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

Amanda and Mason spend all their time together and even sleep holding each other, so she feels like she needs more space. Marni and her boyfriend never see each other because they live in different cities. They literally have hundreds of miles of space.

Naturally, each wants what the other one has. But there has to be a happy medium. How much space do you need in a relationship? Would you prefer Marni’s situation or Amanda’s?

Comments

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mcitp certification

Antarctica

It sounds good! 70-680 Thanks for sharing.

shekharkc

Nepal

The grass always grazes cows

shekharkc

Nepal

hi, thank's your oneself

wuricheng8888

China

i haven,t girlfrinds

so i don,t know

but i hope stay

iskierkax1991x

Poland

marni’s and I have such situation.

iskierkax1991x

Poland

marni's and I have such situation.

ramiLOVE

Lebanon

Maggie-Yang

China

What does the sentence " the grass is always greener" mean?

salimjanitou

Algeria

i hope good life to eny body that's all

litterlac

Thailand

nothing to say

ahyer

Philippines

for me none of them.

helen2569

China

I think both of them can talk to their boyfriends,see what they respond

applee_143

Philippines

how close is too close?? everybody needs some space. but amanda has to tell her boyfriend what she wants to prevent future misunderstandings… good lesson~~

soso99

Saudi Arabia

yeah

nadia

Brazil

I think is very good stik around alone ,join our own space but is so good when we know we has someone by our side that we can count and we can´t live without ….

zoebaby

China

well,it's hard to say,i think if i was in the situation of Marni,i will want the Amanda has,anyway, the grass is always greener,hehe,don't you think,but happy medium is perfect for each other.

afro_toes

Philippines

been with someone for a year now and we’ve spent so much time and money with me traveling here and there to be with him. a month in my country and the next in his. sorta difficult but it’s what makes it fun~ when you are willing to be silly buying too many round trip tickets to be with someone you adore. (^.~)but yeah, space is important.actually… i think balance is the key to not get bored.

Naomi1010

Taiwan

Well, it’s really hard to balance bwtween every kind of relationship and life. :P However, there is always a way to figure out. And that’s why we all need some companies, isn’t that?