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Play Along

Learn to use English phrasal verbs and play jokes at work

Date: Oct 26 2010

Grammar: Phrasal Verbs

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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 fun to play jokes on your co-workers. Usually, you will end up laughing together and become a little closer. Of course, sometimes, a prank can get out of control.

Jason wants to play a prank on Dale. He can’t do it alone, so he asks Beren for help. He needs her to play along and pretend like what is happening is real so that Dale will believe it. See how it goes.

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.

Jason

Beren

Dale

Jason: Hey, Beren!

Beren: Yeah?

Jason: I’ve got this great idea for a prank on Dale.

Beren: Oh no, oh no… What is it?

Jason: You don’t really have to do anything. All you have to do is play along.

Beren: You want me to follow your lead, and…

Jason: Yeah!

Beren: ...you know, go along with what you’re saying?

Jason: Exactly.

Beren: I can do that!

Jason: And we’ll see what happens.

Beren: Alright! Let’s do it!

Jason: Okay.

Beren: Alright!

Jason: Are you all set? Hey, Dale?

Dale: Yeah! What’s up?

Jason: I overheard some of the meetings about how the company is going to be structured now…

Dale: Oh! And is it good?

Jason: Yeah! You’re not going to believe this! You’re in charge! I don’t know how it happened, but, I mean, it’s not official yet but that’s what I heard! That they’re basically, like, “Dale is going to be essentially in charge of everyone!”

Dale: I’m in charge?

Jason: Hiring, firing, et cetera!

Dale: Thanks! I knew it, I knew it… You’re fired!

Beren: What? Are you serious?

Dale: Time for you to go!

Beren: Are you kidding me? Jason, you gotta…alright, if you…like, why, though?

Dale: Well, remember that one time, you were in the bathroom and I was pounding the door. I needed to go! I really needed to go. And even though you weren’t in the bathroom, and I saw you outside of the bathroom, I was still mad that you didn’t answer the door. So, you know, I thought that was disrespectful to me.

Jason: Why did you do that to our new boss, Beren?

Beren: Is that it? Is that your only reason?

Dale: No. You actually took my pencil and my stapler. I remember you taking it even though they were all the same color. I knew it was mine, though. I knew it. ‘Cause it was right there…

Beren: Oh my…Alright!

Jason: Unforgivable.

Beren: No! Okay, wait, stop right there! I can’t play along anymore. This is…this is outrageous. This is just a little prank that Jason set up. Just a friendly little prank.

Dale: A…a prank?

Beren: It was a joke. Got taken too far.

Dale: A joke? Okay…

Beren: But now I know how you really feel!

Dale: No no! Shhh! I’ve got it! But when I become the real boss, you guys are really fired.

Beren: Oh my God, dude! That was pretty good.

Jason: Thanks for playing along!

Grammar Point

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Discussion

Go Super to Listen

At the water cooler, Jason asks Beren to help him play a prank on Dale. At first she doesn’t want to, but he tells her that all she has to do is play along.

Jason tells Dale that he overheard in a meeting that from now on, Dale would be in charge of the company. Beren plays along and confirms that this lie is true.

Dale gets really excited, stands up and immediately fires Beren. Jason encourages her to continue playing along and not let Dale know that it’s all a joke. But when Dale gives some really bad reasons for firing Beren, she can’t play along anymore and reveals that it’s all a prank.

Outside of jokes, to play along can mean to cooperate, usually with something dishonest. If someone you know breaks a law and doesn’t want you to tell anyone, they might ask you to play along.

Have you ever asked someone to play along and follow your lead? How did it go? Are you good at playing along?

Comments

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AryelLanes

Brazil

That’s a wonderful way to take people’s mask off! You have fun and find out what kind of person you’re dealing with at the same time… (6)

fabsir

Brazil

At work sometimes I must get co-workers to play along to get stuff sorted out. Sometimes it works and sometimes it blows to my face. LOL.

Marcelolic

Brazil

Oh yeah sometimes it happened hihihi Oh we were successful :P hihihi

bloodshedder

Mexico

lol at Dale, the most gullible guy ever…how come he believed all that stuff coming from Jason, the prank king…..I'm really still cracking up

charming princess

Saudi Arabia

super funny ! Poor Dale !

DaeNg

Thailand

I will play along who leads me good action but not bad action and of course I play along my brain command

Hania7

Poland

Yes, I played along and I thing I'm good in it. I can make my face very serious and I have fun when I take part in such a joke.

jurmala1

Germany

I would never play along. On the one hand is it nasty on the other hand i wouldn't like see possibly unexpected negative side of friends. Friendship to earn is more difficult as to loose…

rosendo

Mexico

this prank would have been better if dale and beren have said jason that mason has a lover and something like that hehehe

saludos.

neha1209

India

yes, i played along with my friends in school.

ALIREZA

United States

I want to know who created the story,cause they got Dale pretty good.

s id

Saudi Arabia

i used to jokes on my friends .when i was in collage .we had a lot fun then .

indianeha64

India

we can't play pranks alone so we need our frnds to play along…........many times my frnds make my fool…......one day our teacher gave us a very tough assignment n that assignment was very boring …........... but i forgot the date of submission so my frnds decided that they'll tell me the wrong date n theydid according to the plan…....... i spent whole 9t to prepare that boring assignment n when i went to my college then i came to know that i hv to submit this assign after 5 days …...at that time i wanted to kill my frnds …....they cheated my assignment in one hr n i had made that assign by spending my whole 9t…....

Romio79

Russian Federation

Yes, I used to play along in the past. The last story I can remember now was when we played a prank on one girl who was our colleague. I just made a written order with a false signature of our boss. According to that order the schedule of watering flowers was set up in our office. That was fun ‘cause she believed it