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A Falling Out

English lesson about friendship and "be able to"

Date: Jan 25 2011

Themes: Friend, Soap Opera

Grammar: Be Able To

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Intro

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A couple can break up, but if friends have a disagreement and want to stop being friends, they have a falling out.

You can have a falling out anytime you get upset with one of your friends and don’t recover quickly. Sometimes, a falling out ends the friendship forever. But just like couples can get back together after they break up, you can resume a friendship after a falling out if you can forgive one another.

Recently, Beren stormed out of the office and quit her job. She and Marni haven’t talked since then, but they used to be friends. Devan gives Marni some advice about how to recover from this falling out.

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Dialog

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

Marni

Devan

Marni: Devan, I need to talk to you about something.

Devan: Like, about reports, or paychecks?

Marni: Oh, no, no, no. It’s a personal matter. Can we talk friend to friend?

Devan: Sure! Shoot!

Marni: I don’t really know what to do, I…It appears that Beren and I have had a falling out.

Devan: Yeah, I’ve noticed that. It seems like you guys aren’t talking ever since she quit and you guys had that big blow-up fight.

Marni: Yeah.

Devan: But, you know, falling outs, they’re just a moment in time when two friends, after an argument, don’t talk for a while and kinda go their own separate ways, but that doesn’t mean you can’t repair things and be friends again. Friends have falling outs all the time, like me and you had, remember?

Marni: Exactly! And we were able to work things out. So, that’s a good point!

Devan: Because you’ve known each other for so long, and you’ve been through so much together, there’s so much history between the two of you. You know, you guys went to Vegas together, she helped you through that whole John relationship...

Marni: I know…yeah.

Devan: I think that this is something that can be reconciled.

Marni: OK, well, I’m really glad to hear that because I do…I do want some reconciliation. I want…You know, I really care about her, I just…I want to be friends again. So I’m glad to hear you think that.

Devan: In the meantime, while you’re having this falling out, I think that Beren, because she’s upset, she needs time, and you just need to leave her be for a while.

Marni: Just give it time? Really? I shouldn’t call her, or…

Devan: No, I think she needs to cool off and take some space for herself to think over things, and realize that maybe she’s being a little irrational. And then I would call her.

Marni: I think that seems good. Thank you! I appreciate this talk.

Grammar Point

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Discussion

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After Marni asked Beren to do extra work, she quit her job. Marni wonders how this will affect their friendship.

Devan says that friends can often be close again after a falling out, it just takes time. Hopefully, Beren will remember all the fun she and Marni used to have and all the things they did together. Devan points out that she and Marni once had a falling out and eventually got past it. Marni agrees that she’ll wait a while and then call Beren.

Have you ever had a falling out with a friend? Did it end your friendship?

Comments

ranyah-2000@hotmail.com

Saudi Arabia

I had a big blow up fight with my roomate and she was like my sister but she didn’t understand that and it cause a falling out for a while. After a lots of a falling out between us, I could’t repair our relationship or, so I don’t want any reconciliation because I hated her.

lyly999

Tunisia

i always have a falling out with my bf and we end it by a big blow up fight

cococheng

Taiwan

She was one of my best friends. Due to some misunderstanding, our friendship ended gradually. Not sure if this is another way of "falling out"?

It's a pity to have a falling out with friend because of misunderstanding. It's even sad if a falling out with one's brother or sister. How can this be reconciled?

Romio79

Russian Federation

Yes, I have. Some things are hard to forgive.

EnglishLove

Belgium

Falling out with a friend is very sad, but it happens…

Zambuka

United States

the falling out is the check of the friendship…real friends stay together whatever happens… and just phony friendship crashes//

sofree

China

Yes, when I was very young. I had a very close friend. We had a falling out, didn't talk to each other for months. I'm happy we eventually get over it.

Now I don't easily have a falling out with my friends. If I do, that will be my final desicion. I don't think I will resume again.

charming princess

Saudi Arabia

Oh wishtolearn ! This is so mean of him. And I could not agree more ! Some times , though having falling outs , you come to know the real friends from the fake ones. I do not usually have such a blown up fight with my friends and colleagues because i do not lose my temper easily.

wishtolearn

El Salvador

sometimes falling outs are good… why? because some of our so called "friends" are not fiends actually. that happened to me at the office, i trained a friend and after a few months he stopped talking to me and all of a sudden he had a promotion and i got fired cos he started telling to my boss a lot of lies about myself and he promoted my dismiss. So, falling outs let you know who your real friends are !!!!!

MUHAMMAD92

Saudi Arabia

hi dear you too with beren,why you annoy her evry time.

i wish happy all your time.

asfo00ora

Bahrain

yes I did

unfortunately, I lost my friend forever

stil, I don't know why she did leave me?

she was the best friend I had

lolita_lempicka

Yemen

ya i did .. nice lesson

asef

Afghanistan

Well, this is one of the human nature to get falling out not only with their friends but with their family too like sister with brother brother with sister as well as wife and husband, Irritations,Sadness,bad emotions sometimes casuses we falling out with our friends or some one else, So in this kind of sutiation if we wanna control and not being falling out is, we shouldnt get impatient we should bear in mind and relaize that something is wrong with the person who is being falling out, Three things can stop us from falling out, Frist patient, 2, Aceept whatever speech is comming out from the person's mouth, for example (yes you are right) ( I am agree with you) 3 Stop reaction and say nothing. Then he/she come to senses. Thanks for your friendly attention,

spwan3

Brazil

No, I don't remember. I'm peace and love.

andrespretty2

Colombia

Yes, I had a falling out with a friend, I dind't agree with him, and i got mad, and we lasted many days without talking, but my friend called on me again, and we got over that bad moment.