Meet Someone Halfway

Intro

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

Go Super to Listen

• meet someone half way
• compromise
• ludicrous
• out of your own pocket

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

Go Super to Listen

Have you ever had a friend who lives on the other side of town? Sometimes, it’s hard to get together to hang out. You don’t want to go all the way to their neighborhood and they don’t to go all the way to your neighborhood. So what do you do? You meet in the middle.

But you don’t have to go actually go out to meet someone halfway. Any time you compromise you meet someone halfway. Meeting someone halfway just means that each of you gives up a little of what you want so that you can agree on something and move forward.

Say you meet your friend from the other side of town to see a movie. She wants to see a scary movie and you want to see something romantic. So you meet halfway and see the new Twilight movie, since it’s a romance about vampires. Afterward, she wants to play a game and you want to get a drink. So you meet halfway and play pool at a bar.

Last week, Devan and Marni made up and became friends and business partners. Though their office is small, they’re having a hard time meeting halfway.

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.

Log in to Listen

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

Marni

Devan

Jeff

Marni:  You know, I have a lot of things that I really would like to have in the office. Things that I was accustomed to in my old job. So, I typed up a list here of all the things that I really want to have as part of, you know, my title and whatnot. So, if you want to take a look at that, but basically, I’ll just outline it for you. You know, every Friday we had a massage therapist come in and I just, for at least an hour, need to be on the table, totally relaxing.

Devan:  That is a ludicrous expense. Are you going to pay for that out of your own pocket?

Marni:  Well, I just think we should share that expense. You would really enjoy it. It really, really helps with the stress level. I really want the front parking spot. I don’t like to walk at all, so.

Devan:  What? No!

Marni:  And I noticed there’s one a few blocks down, I think that’s fine for you.

Devan:  I completely disagree. I need the front parking spot because I have one leg slightly shorter than the other. You know that.

Marni:  Please.

Devan:  But the thing I want to talk to you about is our roles as co-managers, what we are each going to be doing.

Marni:  Okay.

Devan:  And I was thinking that you could do marketing, sales, hiring, PR, human resources, and I’ll do the party planning.

Marni:  Excuse me?

Devan:  So we need an expense budget for, you know, two or three parties a week.

Marni:  Well, that seems to me like an extravagant expense. So this doesn’t really seem fair.

Devan:  Um, I…

Marni:  It seems to me that my responsibilities way outweigh yours.

Jeff:  Listen, I think you guys possibly need to meet each other halfway? Would you be into that? You know, splitting the responsibilities, you are co-presidents, so…

Marni:  I really want that front parking spot.

Devan:  I really want to be party planner.

Marni:  I guess I’m willing to give up a few things that I want in order to get some things that I want, so…

Jeff:  Excellent.

Marni:  You know, we can split that parking spot, as long as you’ll take some of those responsibilities.

Devan:  And I guess I could do marketing, as long as I can do party planning too.

Marni:  Fine with me!

Jeff:  That’s great! I like how you guys chose to meet halfway. Well done.

Marni:  Thank you.

Grammar Point

Go Super to learn "Modal Verbs" from this lesson

Quizzes

Go Super to take Quiz

Lesson MP3

Go Super to download full lesson MP3