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Bury the Hatchet

Learn English with this forgiveness English lesson

Date: Jul 15 2014

Themes: Friend, Romance, Soap Opera, Work

Grammar: Split Infinitives

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Intro

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

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In today’s movies, when the “bad guy” is trying to show that he’s not going to fight anymore, he throws his weapon (usually a gun or knife) on the ground. A long time ago, when Native Americans and the people moving onto their land agreed to make peace, they buried their weapons (hatchets) in the ground. With their hatchets in the ground, people could not get hurt.

Nobody carries hatchets anymore, fortunately. Today the expression has a similar meaning, but it’s used when talking about relationships between two people. For example, if two friends had a fight ten years ago and stopped talking, they might agree to bury the hatchet and become friendly again. If you bury the hatchet with someone, you both agree to move on and leave your argument in the past.

Gary wants to bury the hatchet with Jessica now that they’re working together. Will she agree to do it? Learn what happens in today’s English lesson about becoming friends again.

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.

Brian

Jessica

Gary

Brian: Thank you for coming in, Jessica. It was great meeting you.

Jessica: Thank you, Brian. I look forward to hearing your decision.

Brian: Yes. Well, I have to take off. Gary, do you mind walking Jessica out?

Gary: Of course. Actually, I wondered if we could touch base first.

Jessica: Sure.

Gary: Sit down for a minute?

Jessica: OK. What’s up?

Gary: OK. Well, obviously, this is a little weird.

Jessica: Only a little?

Gary: OK. Yeah, very weird. And I was thinking, since we’re going to be working together, it would be best if we just bury the hatchet.

Jessica: Go on.

Gary: OK. It’s been, what? A little over five years since we broke up.

Jessica: Yes.

Gary: And you’ve moved on. I’ve moved on.

Jessica: Have you?

Gary: Of course. Haven’t you?

Jessica: Definitely.

Gary: OK. Glad that’s settled. So since we’ll be working together and we’ve both moved on, I think we’ll have no problem working together. Right?

Jessica: Absolutely. I am totally fine working with you.

Gary: Great.

Jessica: As long as you are ready to finally admit that you messed up our relationship.

Gary: That I messed up our relationship?

Jessica: I’m kidding, Gary. It’s nobody’s fault.

Gary: Oh, OK. OK. OK.

Jessica: I just wanted to see your face when I said that.

Gary: Very funny, Jess.

Jessica: Anyway, I think we will be totally fine. I am totally ready to bury the hatchet.

Gary: Good. Yeah, me too!

Jessica: Good. Don’t worry, Gary. We’ll be great.

Gary: Yeah.

Grammar Point

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Discussion

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Gary wants to talk to Jessica about their relationship in high school. More specifically, he wants the two of them to officially move on from the problems of their past. Now that they’re working together, it would be best if they bury the hatchet. Sharing the same office would be so much easier if the two of them made peace with each other.

Jessica has no problem agreeing to Gary’s idea. She points out that she has moved on and checks that he has done the same. For a moment, Jessica plays a joke on Gary and tells him that he should admit that he was responsible for their relationship ending. It’s not very funny to Gary, but he tries to laugh and act normal. It seems like the two are likely to get along OK.

Do you think that Jessica and Gary can both bury the hatchet? If not, what will it be like in the office? Can you bury the hatchet and become friends with someone again?

Comments

Mr. Learner

Peru

For me, burying the hatchet with someone depends on his readiness to do so. It also depends on the severity of what had happened before.

ahmet55

Germany

First of all, I think, they were playing their roles very badly. They were both embarrassed and stressful, it reminds me a moment as like asking a shy person from someone in his/her first dating. Looking forward they would got closer to their characters in the next shows and make plays more realistic.

Yes, they could do. Why not. it’s easy and also very effective to burry hatchet as native Americans did and now we can see the result of their decision. How great was their choice.

park216

South Korea

what?! Have you guys already buried the hatchet and moved on? Not joking?!

Wow, it’s obviously embarrassing to them to work together, i think!

Anyway, it’s great to hear that you’ve forgotten each other’s past and start all over again.

you can tell how to be between public affairs and private affairs when working at the same office.

But maybe one day, you will be falling in the deep love with each other, haha!

foz12

Saudi Arabia

I think they are going to do their best to make the work easy as much as they can , but I don’t know how in the future are going to be especially if one of them faced a problem with the other it is like opening the door again which is already opened from now.

Olga_Alina

Germany

It is no way it can be easy for them to work together for the first time. For me it looks like it is Jessica, who is moved on and can make jokes about relationship with Garry.

And yes, I would like them to fall in love again.

Eric_

China

@S&W i would rather see them fall in love again… :))

S&W

China

I used to think Gary was a serious person,at least he looks very serious,Seldom laugh and always remind Brian to play it cool.I had wondered how Brian and Gary worked together,But ,Looking Gary’s expression in today’s lesson,He’s funny when jessica play a joke on him.He and Brian are good work partner.

I think they can bury the hatchet.After all,their relationship was five years ago and they both move on.