English, baby!

Long Shot

Learn English with this unlikely English lesson

Date: Jun 17 2014

Themes: Celebrity, Friend, Soap Opera, Work

Grammar: Conditionals with "Unless"

Go Super!

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

Go Super to Listen

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

Go Super to Listen

A group of friends is playing basketball. The red team is winning, but the blue team has the ball. Far in the corner of the court, a player on the blue team is ready to shoot the ball. He’s so far away that his chances of scoring a point aren’t very good. He’ll have to shoot from a long distance, and most players aren’t successful unless they move closer. Scoring a point for his team is a long shot.

The same can be said for a person who is target shooting. The closer she is to her target, the more likely it will be that she will hit it. The further she is from her target, the less likely it will be that she’s successful. Every step she takes back makes it more of a long shot.

If something is a long shot, it doesn’t mean that it will fail. It just means that it will be harder to succeed. It means that it’s important to stay positive and do one’s best.

Getting an interview with a movie star is a long shot when you’re new to show business. Learn if it’s going to happen for Gary and Brian in today’s 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.

Jeff: Boys! Oh, boys!

Rafael: Anybody home?

Brian: You guys back from LA already?

Jeff: Yeah, we just got back from the airport.

Rafael: Came straight to you.

Brian: Straight to us?

Jeff: Boy, do we have some news for you.

Gary: Let me guess. You brought us some Mickey Mouse ears from Disneyland.

Jeff: No.

Brian: You got some of those cool “I heart LA” t-shirts.

Rafael: No.

Gary: Fortune cookies from Chinatown.

Jeff: Much better. Much, much better.

Rafael: We have a phone number.

Brian: A phone number?

Rafael: Not just any phone number. An agent’s phone number.

Gary: Wait. Are you two serious? Whose agent is it?

Jeff: Should we tell them?

Rafael: Well…

Jeff: OK, I don’t want you to get too excited. I just want to let you know that, at this point, it’s a long shot. They haven’t agreed to an interview.

Rafael: But her agent said she would put in a good word for it.

Brian: Her. Her! It’s a woman? Is she in movies? Who is it? Come on now, just tell us already!

Jeff: Should we tell them? Do you want to tell them?

Rafael: I do believe I would, unless you want to.

Jeff: By all means.

Rafael: Thank you.

Gary: And?

Rafael: Jennifer Lawrence.

Brian: Jennifer Lawrence?

Gary: You two are amazing! We need to celebrate.

Brian: Yeah.

Gary: Can we buy you a drink?

Jeff: Whoa, boys. That’s a bit of a long shot.

Rafael: He’s kidding. Of course you can buy us a drink.

Brian: Well, then let’s get out of here. I want to hear the whole story, though. From the top?

Jeff: From the top.

Brian: From the top.

Grammar Point

Go Super to learn "Conditionals with "Unless"" from this lesson

Quizzes

Go Super to take Quiz

Lesson MP3

Go Super to download full lesson MP3

Go Super to Ask Ebaby! teachers your questions!

The iTEP^® test

Sponsored by

Schedule an iTEP^® test and take the official English Practice Test.
Take Now >

Discussion

Go Super to Listen

The guys at StarScoop.com are surprised to hear Rafael and Jeff calling to them. They have just returned from their trip to LA, and they have a gift for Brian and Gary. It’s not from Disneyland, it’s not a t-shirt, and it’s not a treat from Chinatown. It’s the phone number of Jennifer Lawrence’s agent.

Gary and Brian can’t believe how lucky they are. They are so excited that they want to buy drinks for Jeff and Rafael, who are happy to go and share the story of how they got the number. It’s not certain that Jennifer Lawrence will give StarScoop.com an interview, but it’s possible, and Brian and Gary are extremely excited.

Will you try to do something even if it’s a long shot? What qualities does a person need to be successful?

Comments

ahmet55

Germany

I love Jennifer Lawrence, I can’t wait anymore. Hope to be happening.

Well, as long as i can, i try to don’t GET SB HOPES UP but often it occurs even if it’s a LONG SHOT. Sometimes when i see someone work harder and harder but with a little progress in her activities, even though it’s VERY HARD TO COME BY but i give her a long shot news to increase her temptation for accomplishing it and in order to avoid her of CHANGING HER HEART. FOLLOWING THEIR HEART and trying to PULL THROUGH of all problems which are as same as dams in their ways is the common choice that most of them have selected.

To be success the only thing is PUTTING THEIR FOOT DOWN as well believing themselves and insisting on their goals and do their best, then they will have to WAIT AND SEE no matter what will happen. The important thing is that they did what they had to do.

ttsuka

Japan

In the introduction, it goes “The further she is from her target, the less likely it will be that she’s successful.” Shouldn’t it be “The farther she is…”? Or is this a long shot?

Idriss

Morocco

good lesson !!

rosendo

Mexico

good lesson !!

thanks.

Nabilo

Germany

Just note this principle: “if you really want to achieve something, you’ll get it someday”. It can be look like a long shot at the beginning, but just don’t stopp working hard for that and don’t give up! For me it’s also important to believe in the success!

Of course, the things we want to achieve must be achievable:D

mshare

Saudi Arabia

I always like to challenge myself. So I don’t give up hope because there’s nothing impossible. In retrospective, I achieved a lot of things someday It looked long shot, actually not long shot but impossible, it became a reality now . Some past dreams or ambitions already came true in my life thanks to my persistence and insistence. Just go for it maybe you’ll fail once or twice or even ten, in the end you’ll succeed especially those things you feel you’re nothing without them. Just don’t give up hope.

S&W

China

Yes,i will try ,But before i try i will divide a long shot into many short ones.I chose to finish the impossible goals step by step.

Ditti

Hungary

I tried different things even they were long shots. It doesn’t mean that I celebrated my success in advance, but I tried to belive in my success. But of course hoping doesn’t worth nothing without a hard work. I guess you can hope your success if you worked hard for it before. except a miracle happens, but it happens rarely, unforutantely.