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Make the Best of Something

Learn English with this survival English lesson

Date: Feb 05 2013

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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go into labor

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

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Have you ever had a day where everything goes wrong? You spill your coffee in the morning, and you break a plate, and you step in the dog’s food. To make it worse, you miss your bus. So now you have two choices. You can sit around and feel sorry for yourself. Or, you can wipe up your coffee, clean off your shoe, and enjoy the hour before your next bus comes. You can make the best of it.

When you make the best of something, you decide to focus on the positive aspects of a situation. You act like an optimist, even in a difficult moment. You try to smile through the tears.

The crew at the office is in a difficult situation. They’re stuck there overnight, and they’re eating out of cans and sleeping on the floor. Is it possible for things to get any worse? Find out if they’re able to make the best of the situation in this English lesson.

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.

Amanda: So, this isn’t so bad, right? We’ll get some sleep. We can just make the best of being trapped in the office. OK?

Jeff: Yeah. Since we’re done solving our emergency situation for the time being, I wanted to ask you something, Ms. Van—Greta. You know you’re so good in the movies at handling these heavy romantic situations. I have a bit of advice to ask you, ‘cause this whole Marni thing I’ve been caught up in…

Amanda: Uh, Jeff, I hardly think you’re the one in need of the most urgent advice. So Greta, I was hoping you might have a little advice. If the person that you are supposed to marry is starting to get really…

Mason: Actually, Greta, I feel like I could use your help with something because, you know, there’s this girl, and what if she was trying really hard to pursue you, but then, right before you were gonna get married, she dried up just like an apricot in a food dehydrator.

Marni: Can you guys be quiet? I’m trying to sleep over here!

Greta: Seriously. You guys seem like you have a lot of problems. What’s wrong with you?

Jeff: No no no. There’s nothing wrong with us.

Amanda: Yeah, nothing! Everything’s cool. We just happen to be dropped in an office with a woman that’s known for her romantic savvy, so…

Mason: And we’re trying to make the best of the situation.

Greta: This is what you call making the best of the situation? For starters, we need a bottle of wine, and…

Marni: Aaah!

Jeff: Marni! What’s going on?

Marni: I think I might be going into labor!

Jeff: What? Awesome!

Marni: It is not awesome! It’s insane! What are you talking about?

Jeff: OK OK. Obviously, we’re not going to be able to go to the hospital. But I think we can do it here. I can help, I can help. I can do this. We can make the best of this.

Marni: Jeff, having my baby in the office is absolutely the worst thing that could happen, OK? And you just need to stop. I am sick of your weird obsession with me. You are not the father of this baby. Just leave me alone!

Jeff: OK, yelling at me is not gonna make the best of the situation, Marni. OK? Alright? Shhh…

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Despite all the annoying and uncomfortable aspects of being trapped in the office, most of the staff thinks it’s not too bad. In fact, Amanda, Mason, and Jeff all want to make the best of the situation by taking the opportunity to ask Greta for advice. Jeff wants to ask her what to do about Marni, and Mason and Amanda need advice about their wedding.

Marni wishes they would all just be quiet so she could get some sleep. And Greta doesn’t understand why everyone has so many problems. If she were making the best of the situation, she’d do it in a much more relaxing way.

Suddenly, Marni screams. She’s going into labor! Jeff thinks it’s great, because he wants to play the hero. But for Marni, this is definitely not the best situation she’s been in.

Can you think of a time when things were bad, but you had to make the best of the situation? What did you do?

Comments

javier_man

Mexico

Taake off the best from the worst situation

wannicho

China

when things get tough , i take it as a mission from god , a way to help me grow n learn, to be strong , i have to fight it and be positive , or otherwise , i can go straightly to hell if i don’t make the right decision . thats how i pulled myself out of all the mess my parents dragged me into , but now i am doing well

julito

Argentina

I believe that what this lesson is teaching us is that whenever we are trapped in a situation in which we can not see the way out , is to stay calm to think clearly what are the best options at the moment ,give way to desperation can not help at all .Look at Greta ,how well is she handling the situation in which she got into.

Irene Forever

Ukraine

Seiyf, thank you for your ideas about trust.

To cheat doesn’t always mean to break a promise or to get something from a person by deceiing somebody. It can mean just a kind of lie when a person plays with someone’s soul like with a toy.

So, my motto from now and on is:trust yourself so as later on not to see an optical illusion.:))) Thank God, I have the people I trust totally and they enough for me to go to when I need their help.

ale_serrat

Brazil

Im’ very optimist, because I think that sometimes you’re supposed to pass through some situations and you can learn with them.

Once I was cooking something and when I was going to eat I dropped everything on the floor. At first I got really angry but then I thought that it was a great excuse to go to my favorite restaurant.

So I think that is important to make the best of a bad situation, is good to your health and imagination. :)))

AppleRome

Antarctica

Hmmm people.. is it just me or is this case supposed to be solved?

Oh naughty Ebaby team, you are giving us homework now :)))

No personal story, just lets share our ideas how to make the best out of this case. How about my proposal?

Interesting. Interesting.

I am still thinking about it though!! :D

Ya Nina

Kazakhstan

Yesterday I got the refusal from the potential employer though I had succeded to pass the some level of the selection. It seemed that the situation is really badly because it was the large international company and I will be glad to join their team. But I tried to make the best of the situation. I can to find out some obvious pluses of that situation. First of all and mainly, I can to continue the maternity leave. Secondly, I’m really sure that if it isn’t your fate even the opened door will be closed for you. And vice versa if it is your fate even the closed door will be opened for you. It means that it wasn’t my fate and the job of my dream wait for me in the future.

Irene Forever

Ukraine

Seiyf, believe me, it’s the right way to feel happier.:) To be too trustful means to run into a risk to be cheated.

Olga_Alina

Germany

Trying my best. It is not easy, because I am defenetly not a optimist.

Wielomian

Poland

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger All, even bad situations have good aspects, so we should make the best of each one.

Irene Forever

Ukraine

Good luck to you, Tracy.

Tracy_green

China

I have to say I am living a happy life since I was born.

There are still troubles , confusions and quarrels, but I always feel good.

And I like this lifestyle and I am going to move on.

Irene Forever

Ukraine

Last year I lost a friend from my virtual world. It took me a few years to realize that we had never been friends though I thought we had been very close. It was not simple for me to stop our communication. At last I understood that a friend must always be near, but not only when he feels bad and wants somebody to share his problems ignoring mine. Besides I hate lie. I got it enough in different interpretations and was fed up with it. Now my former friend feels great thinking himself a very good person putting smile on his face. It’s another of his problems, thank God – not mine any more.

Due to the situation, I became more cautious, less trustful and realized how much beautiful is the real world around me, how precious are people who love me, and I reciprocate their feelings.

I got a lesson which tought me rightly what is really important to me. Thus my conclusion is: things work out for the best. Always!

S&W

China

The worst situition for me was that i went to another city for exam,I have already booked the ticket for back in advance.But there was no one give me my ticket.I did bad at the exam amd i called many times to the booking office ,no one here answer the phone.I decided to go to the railway station.Unfortunately,I took the wrong bus and reached to a srange place.I felt upset that time.But i should left there as soon as possible and comfort myself everything would be ok.Finally i got to the railway stataion and knew that my train was canneled.I have to take another one without seat.However i was happy i can go home

single juan

China

All of us are meeting something bad in a day, but different people has different points when they meet the bad situation, Someome behave negtively, they complain the bad situation and have no idea to deal with it,in fact, they don’t want to solve it, on opposite, another people do the best of the bad situation and they make themself happy more to face to the bad situation.

What we should when the bad thing happen? Don’t worry, nomatter how bad feelings you have, the problem is that you have to deal with the bad thing,so just finish it or you can sing a happy song or run 10KM, relax and relax!

Good luck!