English, baby!

Pen Pal

Date: Sep 15 2009

Themes: Soap Opera

Grammar: Count and Noncount Nouns

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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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It’s common for people who are kidnapped to bond with their kidnapper, believe it or not. It’s called Stockholm syndrome and named after a famous case in which some hostages in Sweden later defended their captors.

Earlier this year, Beren was kidnapped by her evil twin. She was saved by Dale and Ella some time later. But since then, she hasn’t really been around much. It’s understandable. She’s been through a lot. But watch as Marni discovers that Beren has been busy corresponding with a pen pal...in the pen. Who could it be?

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

Beren

Marni: Oh, Beren! How are you? Oh my God. How are you?

Beren: I’m good.

Marni: Yeah?

Beren: Yeah.

Marni: We haven’t seen you in so long. Where have you been?

Beren: I’ve been…busy. Really busy. I was in Costa Rica working on coffee…

Marni: Really?

Beren: ...making espressos…

Marni: Making espresso in Costa Rica?

Beren: In Venezuela?

Marni: They’re two different countries.

Beren: I went to both, I went to both.

Marni: OK.

Beren: I just got back.

Marni: Well, wow. It’s so good to see you. We’ve missed you…

Beren: It’s good to see you too! I should go…Like, really. I’m busy. But it was good to see you.

Marni: OK, well, you dropped…

Beren: No, no, no…ah!

Marni: This is…This is from the prison. This is…Is this from your…

Beren: She writes to me. I never write back. It’s just one of those things. It’s interesting. I’m curious about prison life.

Marni: You’re just writing? Corresponding?

Beren: I’m not…Well, it’s not a correspondence if it’s one-sided. I just keep on receiving the letters.

Marni: So you’re not visiting her…You’re visiting her!

Beren: It’s my sister!

Marni: She’s not your sister. She’s your evil twin!

Beren: Can I have that back?

Grammar Point

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Discussion

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Beren hasn’t been hanging out with her friends much. When Marni runs into her, she drops her mail and Marni discovers that Beren has been exchanging letters with her evil twin who is in jail for kidnapping her. It turns out that Beren has also been visiting her evil twin!

Clearly, it is not healthy for someone who has been kidnapped to stay in touch with his or her kidnapper once it’s all over. But Beren’s case is complicated. She was kidnapped by her sister, who she never knew she had.

And how much trouble could Beren’s sister really cause while in jail? Do you think it’s OK for Beren to visit her?

Comments

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Rose01

United Arab Emirates

I think it's good from Baren to visit her sister after what she had did with her , it means that Baren is a very kind person , so she will forgive her sister and give her a chance to prove that she is a good person

mani124

Pakistan

yes, family is family, as my friends said below.she cant forget her childhood days with her sister,that memory always keep her motivated to go their.when they were at their childhood they had not thought that some 1 will go to jail,but everything happens in life and every difficult situatiuon teach us 1 new lesson,but it's up to us wht we gain from that.

Pedro Chung

Peru

Family is family, we can forget that, but at the case of Beren, she must take the issue with care. People can change for good or evil, it´s a persnal choice.

weiliaosi

China

Everybody makes mistakes, forget about it, and learn to forgive other people's mistakes.
Beren is a kind-hearted girl, she is forgiving her twin-sister who was kidnapper by her, we should give people an opportunity to turn over a new leaf…

Shinichi Lover

Bahrain

It's complicated poblem for Beren, it's difficult to forgive specially when she do something big like kidnapping and the worst thing when that happen from one whose clouser to you, but if Beren twin take her punshiment it's ok for Beren to visit her sister because they are a family and give her another chance ..

enyf

Indonesia

wow…very touching!

we have to forgive someone mistakes eventhough it's not easy

good lesson I guess

rachu77

India

In my opinion it’s completely ok for Beren to meet her sister in prison and exchanging letters with her. After all it is said that “blood is thicker than water” so no matter how bad one’s own sister or brother but the very bond which exists between them never ends.Humans are emotional beings so they really get sentimental now and then. Moreover it is also possible that her twin has now realized her mistake and she has been realy sorry for what she did to her. So i think its ok for Beren to meet her sister.

ed.waldo

Brazil

Whar I understand, is that she's hiding some secret about absence. it was not working but was prisoner, and did not want to tell your friend about it.

webrich56

South Korea

I wonder why beren was kidnapped.

marwa saleh

Iraq

i think she is still her sister what ever she did or will do, they still sisters & Beren must stay visting her sister.

i like it :)

luise

Taiwan

Family is family although what he or she do

Bruce zhang

China

I don't hope Beren to get in trouble.

shirley

China

It`s can be understandable.they`re sister.even beren sister kidnapped her before,but now she got the punishment.she stayed in the jail.so beren should be forgive her sister.