English, baby!

Shake On It

Date: Jun 15 2010

Themes: Soap Opera, Work

Grammar: Past Perfect Tense

Go Super!

Intro

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

Go Super to Listen

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

Go Super to Listen

If you want to be in business, you have to have a good handshake. When you meet someone, you shake hands. When you say hello to someone, you shake hands. And when you finish a deal, you shake on it.

When two parties come to an agreement and then shake hands, you can say they shook on it. The handshake means the deal is official. Though not as official as signing a contract, shaking on it is more official than just giving your word.

Jeff is an attorney sent by a rival company to buy Devan’s company. Their meeting today ends with a handshake. But what exactly did they shake on?

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.

Devan

Jeff

Mason

Devan: Yeah, well, I’m really liking how this sounds. I really think that the idea of selling the company to Marni is sounding pretty good to me at this point.

Jeff: Excellent, excellent. I’m glad that you’re glad.

Devan: Yeah, well, thanks for coming in.

Jeff: Let’s shake on it. Alright! Well, I’m glad all this is behind us. Things went a little more smoothly than I had anticipated.

Devan: What do you mean “behind us”? The negotiations have only begun!

Jeff: I believe we just shook on it.

Devan: Shook on it?

Jeff: Shook hands to make a formal agreement. Legally binding.

Devan: You’re saying that because I just shook your hand now I’m legally bound to sell you my company? I thought we were just talking!

Jeff: That is what I’m saying.

Devan: I thought we were just shaking hands because you were about to leave, I wasn’t trying to shake hands to bind any contract with you. I think we need another opinion on this. Mason!

Jeff: Where are you going to get that opinion?

Devan: Mason?

Mason: Yeah, boss! Oh, it’s you.

Devan: So, we were just having a discussion about some terms and some agreements about some things, some legal things, and then he got up to leave and I shook his hand, and now he says I’m legally bound to do everything I said before the handshake because we shook on it.

Mason: I mean, I don’t want to go this guy’s way, but you know, a

shake is a shake!

Devan: You’re taking his side in this?

Mason: I’m not taking his side, I’m taking the handshake’s side! I mean, that’s side-agnostic!

Devan: Okay, well, what if I told you that I did this behind my back!

Mason: Then it is null and void, man! Fingers crossed supersede handshake, totally invalidated.

Jeff: Will not hold up in a court of law.

Mason: Well, if you will reference Fingers Crossed v. Handshake I think you will clearly see who here is in the right.

Grammar Point

Go Super to learn "Past Perfect Tense" from this lesson

Quizzes

Go Super to take Quiz

Lesson MP3

Go Super to download full lesson MP3

Go Super to Ask Ebaby! teachers your questions!

The iTEP^® test

Sponsored by

Schedule an iTEP^® test and take the official English Practice Test.
Take Now >

Discussion

Go Super to Listen

Devan and Jeff make an agreement and then stand up and shake hands. Devan says that she was just shaking Jeff’s hand to be polite, but Jeff says they shook on the agreement and now it’s official. Mason is called in, and while he doesn’t like Jeff, he has to admit that if you shake on it, it’s official.

But wait! Behind her back, Devan’s fingers were crossed. Everyone knows that if you cross your fingers behind your back while shaking hands the handshake doesn’t count.

Do you think Devan and Jeff shook on it or were they just shaking hands? Have you ever made a deal and then shook on it?

Comments

< Previous
21 through 29 of 29
1 2

Sheep1207

Germany

I dont' think that they were shaking hands for concluding a contract beetween them. They just shook their hands. That's all.

I agree with the other opinions.

Ahshan

China

nice lesson!

in the point of my view,i think that devan and jeff were just shaking hands in polite way for jeff,s leaving! i want to shake on it when i make a deal with somebody, i am sure it is a official way to do business by shaking hands!

now i catch it ,the term "shake on it " a nice phrase! thank u ebaby cast!

nancyy2y

Egypt

ithink they just shake their hands not for business or agreements i shook on before just to say good by or hi ….....

abbasam

Turkey

thank u it's oretty good

akshi

India

its was ok deal always start & end with shake hands whether its final or not

m_mahboob

Pakistan

the situation is very nice that one is going for a legally binding with just handshake and the other is having just the discussion that something will be done later on by making legal contract

since there is no document involve in this legally binding and they have not even signed on any paper so i agree with the policy that if handshake can make a legally binding then crossing finger can supersede and nullify handshake…