Some Space

Intro

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

• claustrophobic
• happy medium
• the grass is always greener
• twenty-four seven

• space
• long-distance relationship
• serious
• check in

• swinging
• friend to friend

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.

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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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