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Cabin Fever

Date: Oct 12 2010

Themes: Soap Opera

Grammar: Gerunds vs. Infinitives

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Intro

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

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cabin fever

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

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Staying in a cabin in the woods can be cozy. Cabins are usually small and warm. It’s nice to spend a night or a weekend in one.

But if it snows and you’re trapped in the cabin for days, you might start to go a little crazy. You would get bored and restless. You might get irritable and start fighting with the people you’re with. Cabin fever would set in.

You don’t have to be in a cabin to have cabin fever, you just have to be stuck somewhere. Jason has been cooped up in his house for a while since he broke his leg. Watch as he calls his friends. He hopes one of them has the cure for cabin fever.

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: What are you watching, honey?

Jason: Oh, it’s the WNBA championships.

Devan: Oh. Why are you using your sweater? You should have your sweater over you.

Jason: No, no, it’s cool, I like it like this…

Devan: No! You need a real pillow! Let me go get your real slippers for you, OK?

Jason: Yeah, yeah, sure!

Devan: Do you want anything else? What can I make you to eat? You need to build up your strength to get better.

Jason: How about just something little, like a piece of fruit or something?

Devan: OK, I’ll go get the pillow for your leg, I’ll go get a blanket for you, and I’ll go make you some soup from scratch, and some crackers, and some fruit. A fruit bowl.

Jason: OK.

Devan: OK.

Jason: Thanks!

Devan: OK.

Beren: Hello?

Jason: Beren! Hey, it’s me! It’s Jason!

Beren: Hey! What’s up, Jason? How’s your leg?

Jason: It’s still really fragile, so I can’t leave the house or anything yet. And I’ve got serious cabin fever here.

Beren: Yeah, you can only watch so much Star Trek in one day, dude.

Jason: Yeah. So can you hang out, or what?

Beren: I’ll come over…maybe tomorrow? Today is not looking too good though.

Jason: I understand, bye.

Ella: Hm, it’s Jason.

Jeff: Huh.

Ella: Hello, Jason!

Jason: Ella! Hey! How are you?

Ella: Oh, I’m just, like, super busy. Just reading about ghosts and towns, and…you know, deciding how I’m going to wear my hair in the next two hours…

Jason: I’m really going crazy. I need some entertainment! So, do you wanna come over and do my hair or something?

Ella: I don’t know…my hair is kinda more important than yours…

Jason: OK…I mean, of course…

Ella: OK, bye.

Jason: Hey…Jeff! It’s Jason! You know, I know we don’t hang out that often, but I just thought, maybe…

Jeff: I’ve actually got quite a bit of reading to do…

Jason: Wait, wait, Devan’s coming back. OK, OK, I gotta go, I gotta go, bye.

Ella: I’m bored! And I’m craving sweets.

Jeff: How does gelato sound?

Ella: Perfect! Let’s do it! Yeah.

Grammar Point

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Discussion

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Devan is taking very good care of her boyfriend Jason while he recovers from a broken leg that she might have caused. But still, just being stuck at home all day is starting to give Jason cabin fever.

If he can’t leave, Jason hopes that at least having one of his friends over will help him not feel as restless. He calls Beren, but she is busy working. Ella doesn’t seem very interested in hanging out either. Jason is getting a little desperate. He calls Jeff even though they aren’t very good friends, but he even doesn’t want to hang out.

After Jason gets off the phone with Jeff and Ella, they agree to go out together. They must be too focused on their new relationship to want to visit Jason.

Have you ever had cabin fever? What did you do to pass the time?

Comments

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DominikLi

China

To happy that I have no cabin fever,I just play ball games and visit other places in my bike,spend more time outside your house,you will feel much better:D

Marcelolic

Brazil

Oh yeah…When it's raining here we used to stay at home watching TV,listening to music…Or better,I prefer to play my PS3 it is great to pass the time ;)

มะนาว

Bahrain

what your name?

มะนาว

Bahrain

hello

rebel lee

China

Some weedends I got nothing to do, so I got bored. Then I spent lots of time to sleep.
But I think reading is a very good way to pass time, and you can learn something useful from books. So, if you get bored, just read a book. For me, I will read a book or learn some English.

alfarese2

Yemen

take a tablet of sedrojen and you will be fine;-)

renemex

Mexico

tks Kukuka, I got it

kukuka

Ukraine

Craving sweets means desire or want sweets very much.

kukuka

Ukraine

I don't remeber a single time when I felt a cabin fever. When I'm stuck at home for some reason I usually watch movies, it's such a good way of spending spare time because I usually can't afford it as I'm a hard working person and always very busy as a rule.

renemex

Mexico

what means "craving sweets"? anybody knows please?

mickee85

Philippines

I can't remember the last time I feel like I'm having a cabin fever. I'm a loner type of person, I love being alone as long as there's an internet connection. I'd rather stay alone in a cabin with laptop than hang out with my friends.

dragonwarrior

China

yea....i am really having a cabin fever . you know i gonna attend an examination test and these days i am in my little house. .. wo… what a terrible feeling .

rozonex

Pakistan

well!any one can have cabin fever but the one who has cabin fever his friends

must hang out with the friend having cabin fever due to any reason.

alhgag

Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

it's terrible condition especially when somebody works or studies. difficultly, we comeover this problem ,but it's not impossible.

trailo_hathanh

Viet Nam

Hey, Rosendo, You see, Jason is going to start fighting with Devan bcoz He is getting a serious cabin fever.

I think in that situation, It is better to do some entertainment to get out of that condition.

Ella is smok'in hot you see, but be careful, she is a mindreader. I have to sorry If she can read my mind. Kiss

rosendo

Mexico

ohhh , come on jason , i wish be like u ,... imagine dude , u are with devan , see the goos side my friend , do u know what do i mean ??

saludos.

hncuong1978

Viet Nam

Thanks Beatrice Chiu, but I'm afraid that your response doesn't totally persuade me. "Wear my hear" seems like there is no hint to think that it means "make my hair". The term "Wear my hair" is so obscured, i think. And if it really means "make my hair", then I understand your explanation that Jason's saying is like an excuse. But if I were Jason, then I would say this: "Why don't you come over and do your hair or something ?". By saying that, it is clearer to understand. Anyway, thanks a lot for your response, Beatrice. Does anyone else has other idea on this discussion?

hncuong1978

Viet Nam

Hi everyone!

In today's lesson "Cabin Fever", I can't understand what Ella means when she says "I'm deciding how I'm going to wear my hear". Does that means she is deciding what make-up she is going to have on his hair? And If it does, why Jason says that "Do you wanna come over or do my hair or something" in response? I got so confused. Can anyone help me, please? Thanks in advance