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Chicken Out
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Chicken Out English, baby! Video Lesson
临阵脱逃

Simple Past Tense

Date: Sep 30 2011

Themes: Soap Opera

Grammar: Simple Past Tense

Intro

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

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Have you ever met a brave chicken? Like chickens, cowards like to run away. In fact, in English, if you call someone a chicken, it’s the same as calling them a coward and to chicken out means to run away from something or not do it because you’re scared.

Jason has been planning to ask his girlfriend Devan to marry him. Naturally, he’s a little bit nervous. His friend Mason is going to help with his plan to propose. See if Jason can go through with it, or if he chickens out.

你是否从未见过勇敢的鸡?懦弱的人会像鸡一样落荒而逃。实际上,在英语里,如果你称某人像只鸡,就等同于称呼他们为胆小鬼。临阵脱逃是指因为害怕而从某件事情中逃脱或不去做某事。
詹森已经计划向他的女友徳凡求婚。当然,他有些紧张。他的朋友梅森将帮助他完成求婚计划。让我们来看看詹森是会一往无前呢,还是临阵脱逃。

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Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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

Jason

Jason

Mason

Mason

Devan

Devan

Waiter

Waiter

Jason:  So, how is this supposed to go again?

Mason:  OK. Devan’s already here, right? I give the ring to the waiter, he brings it to the table and then when Devan sees it, you say, “Will you marry me?” Nice ring, by the way.

Jason:  Oh, thanks. Jeff helped me get one without breaking the bank.

Mason:  I’d like to break something…But anyway, are you ready?

Jason:  I think so. Yeah. I’m getting a text, though. It’s from Marni. It says, “Good luck.”

Mason:  Oh. That’s weird. She must have sent that by mistake.

Jason:  You’re probably right. Wait, I’m getting another one. This one is from is Ella. It says, “Congratulations!” Mason, did you spill the beans?

Mason:  Oh man…They tricked me, OK? But listen. Alright. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. But now that everybody knows, you can’t chicken out, alright?

Jason:  You’re right. You’re right.

Mason:  You have to go through with this.

Jason:  I want to. I want to do this.

Mason:  OK. Let’s go.

Devan:  We’ll both have the chicken.

Waiter:  Good choice.

Devan:  This is so nice, going out to dinner like this.

Jason:  Yes. You look great. Excuse me just for a minute. I’ll be right back. What’s going on?

Mason:  I don’t know if I should give the guy the ring, man. OK? Like, what if he steals it? OK, or what if Devan doesn’t see it and she eats it? Right?

Jason:  Look, man. I need you to do this. You can’t chicken out. OK?

Mason:  I won’t chicken out.

Jason:  Thank you.

Mason:  OK. I’m on it.

Waiter:  Two orders of the chicken.

Jason:  Thank you.

Devan:  That’s weird. I just got a text from Ella that says, “Send me a picture.” A picture of what?

Jason:  She must mean of the food or something. I’m going to wash up. I’ll be right back.

Devan:  OK. Hurry back!

Jason:  OK.

Devan:  This looks delicious.

Mason:  What happened?

Jason:  I don’t know, man. I chickened out. The food came and I just couldn’t do it.

Mason:  Dude, well, OK. It’s OK. Just hold on to the ring. You can pop the question later. OK?

Jason:  Alright. Alright.

Mason:  Ella sent me a text. She wants to know why Devan is sending her pictures of the food, not the ring.

Jason:  Tell her chicken’s on special tonight.

 

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Jason plans to have Mason give a ring to the waiter, which he will serve to Devan with her dinner. But just as Jason and Devan are sitting down, Mason starts to chicken out. He says he’s afraid the waiter will steal the ring or that Devan will accidentally eat it. But Jason convinces Mason that it’s going to be fine and sits back down.

When the waiter arrives with the food and the ring, Jason chickens out. He switches his plate with Devan’s and puts the ring in his pocket. Meanwhile, Jason and Devan are receive confusing texts from their friends who Mason accidentally told about the plan.

Mason asks Jason what happened and he says he got nervous and chickened out. Have you ever planned to do something and then chickened out?

 

Comments

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ttsuka

ttsuka

Japan

That is one comfortable-looking nice restaurant. I particularly like the plates they use for the food, for they are ideal to sneak an engagement ring into. Please tell me the name and address of the restaurant so that I can use it for my proposal.   

08:08 PM Mar 23 2014 |

Anne Tai

Anne Tai

Taiwan

I like it!! haha  :)

05:08 AM Feb 11 2012 |

ricardom

ricardom

Mexico

funny lesson!

10:05 PM Oct 06 2011 |

1 person likes this

La Princesse de la vie

Egypt

it’s really enjoyable lesson , i’ve already enjoyed reading



well, to be serious , i was put in many situations like that before , to be responsible for something and chicken out it later is ordinary for most



but maybe because we’re not confident enough or maybe we just mistook when we decided to be in the charge


i think we just have to be more confident when we take a serious step 


04:37 AM Oct 06 2011 |

1 person likes this

Caramella

Caramella

Egypt

and all of us chickened out before it is normal in some situations ^^

03:16 PM Oct 05 2011 |

Caramella

Caramella

Egypt

I love this lesson thanx a looooooooot Laughing

03:14 PM Oct 05 2011 |

whipiry

whipiry

South Korea

popping the question could be hard to spit out. who wants to be a chicke?. i don’t want to chicken out. they are trying to be on it.  but it was helpless….

11:48 PM Oct 02 2011 |

lolita_lempicka

Yemen

good lesson :) i checken out on same cases lol

05:43 PM Oct 02 2011 |

Szancsuska

Szancsuska

Hungary

i like this lesson very much:D


Laughing  and i have never chickenen out. yet.:P

03:37 PM Oct 02 2011 |

1 person likes this

Maria del Alba

Spain

yeah, i like very much betting on stupid things and daring my friends but i sometimes chicken out at the end. Anyway challenging’s funny

03:24 PM Oct 02 2011 |

crazy.ended

Saudi Arabia

hhhhhhhhhhh there is no brave chicken.nice lesson i like it soooo much….........Laughing

10:57 AM Oct 02 2011 |

YYShirleyYY

China

I’m a person who always chicken out。。。Yell

07:15 AM Oct 02 2011 |

sadafh

sadafh

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

in my country most of the boys on the first days of their date plan for getting married with their girlfrind but over a period of time they chicken out and forget about all their plans.it is not because they are afraid of getting rejected by the girl it is just because of their irresponsibility and their weakness of taking resposibilitySurprised


07:01 AM Oct 02 2011 |

jerryjeff

jerryjeff

United States

I chickened out on many occasions before, but If I were to propose to a girl I’d of be nervous but I wouldn’t chicken out all the way through, i’d eventually man up and ask her, and expect a “yes” from her otherwise  no tips for the waiter, hehe! ;-)

04:46 AM Oct 02 2011 |

1 person likes this

ancsy

ancsy

Hungary

Never. :D

09:31 PM Oct 01 2011 |

*asma*

*asma*

Algeria

yeeeeaaaah sometimes i have planned to do sth then chickened out :( Undecided

09:21 PM Oct 01 2011 |

i love life

Palestinian Territory, Occupied

we have always many of nice time which we can spend together i would like to say about this topics if we have a lot from ideas about what we can do in the specific  time we cant know i think there are a lot from special occassion a wonderful in our lives specially when we have a real love a real thing


i think should to any one do every thing best in his life in order to of the pleasure some times i envy all people over the world  woh dont exploited all nice times why we suffer from a difficulties   if we can changed to forward why we cant do what we like if we can havent money this is not a big problem i guess all thing depend on the desire to the life if you have a big desire you will be happy for me i would like to do something  do express about my life my status

06:14 PM Oct 01 2011 |

1 person likes this

KrisTinaA

Serbia and Montenegro

Hahahahah :D
He is soo weird… He didn’t have the sourage to propose her… Oh my god… Tongue out                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

05:36 PM Oct 01 2011 |

1 person likes this

marwa89

marwa89

Syrian Arab Republic

there are many times i have planned to do many things then checkined out;i think that hesitating is good and fruitful in many places.

03:21 PM Oct 01 2011 |

dangthaibinh

United States

I have many plans to do. And I always try to reach to best results. Why must I be nervous and chicken out?

09:19 AM Oct 01 2011 |

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