Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
Did you have lots of friends when you were a child? Did you play games with them, and go to birthday parties together, and watch movies? Even if you had many friends, chances are that there were times you were alone. And maybe sometimes when you were alone you wished you had a friend with you. So what did you do? You created an imaginary friend.
Imaginary friends are common for many children. Sometimes children imagine them to be other little kids their own age. Sometimes imaginary friends are animals, or make-believe creatures. Whatever form they take, they are fun to have around and, most of all, reliable. Find out whether Marni and Lily had imaginary friends in this childhood English lesson.
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.
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Lily: Did you ever have an imaginary friend when you were little?
Marni: No. I thought that was so weird when people had imaginary friends that had to keep them company because they couldn’t have real friends. You didn’t have that, right?
Lily: Uh… No, it’s fine.
Marni: I’m sorry.
Lily: I used to have this invisible porcupine that would follow me around. His name was Bob, and he was my buddy. He kept me company, you know? He was really cool.
Marni: OK. I get a little bit into make-believe, but I just thought it was weird when people had to make up a friend. I just live in the present, and in the now. This is real life. I always just thought it was kind of strange when kids had to make up friends.
Lily: I grew out of it. It’s not like I still think that I have an imaginary porcupine friend wandering around. And you’re right, it is real life. I think it’s kind of comforting to have an imaginary friend sometimes. Someone to talk to, someone to tell your deepest, darkest secrets to when other kids may laugh.
Marni: OK. Well, I guess I can see that. I’m glad you don’t have your imaginary friend right now, because you have plenty of real friends.
Lily: Yes.
Grammar Point
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Discussion
When Lily was a child, she had an imaginary friend. Her friend was a porcupine, a little creature with spikes on its back, named Bob. She thought he was really cool, and enjoyed spending time with him, even if it was just her imagination.
Marni, on the other hand, thinks imaginary friends are weird. She thinks that it’s much more normal for kids to have friends in real life.
Lily tries to convince her that it’s actually normal to have an imaginary friend. It’s especially normal if you grow out of that friendship when you get older.
Did you have an imaginary friend when you were a child? Describe your friend. Do you think it’s normal to have an imaginary friend?
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