"zorro and michelle" video transcript with notes and exercises

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SECTION 1: TRANSCRIPT (Zorro and Michelle, pages 1-2 of 10)

Michelle: Hi, Zorro!

Zorro: Hi, Michelle.

Michelle: How are you doing today?

Zorro: I’m fine, thank you, and you?

Michelle: I’m doing all right—just a little bit cold. Aren’t you?

Zorro: Oh…just…just too cold. 1

Michelle: Uh. It’s terrible today.

Zorro: Yes.

Michelle: Um…Before we get started, I want to ask you, do you mind if I interrupt you and correct

you while you’re speaking?

Zorro: Correct?2

Michelle: Mmm. If you make some mistakes?

Zorro: Uh, yes, correct me because I’m just poor at English. 3

Michelle: No, I think you speak English very well.

Zorro: Ah, no, no, no, no, no.

Michelle: Aw, c’mon!4 Anyway, so, the question is…the question is, um, what do you do in your

free time. But—oh, sorry—before you answer, I just wanna [want to] explain that this question is

similar to “What do you do for fun?”

Zorro: For fun?

Michelle: And it’s also kind of like the question, “What are your hobbies?” But that’s not a very

natural question. So, what I want to ask you is, “What do you do in your free time?”

Zorro: Free time? Um…Okay. I like watching movie5,…and my favorite movie is Transformer. 6

Michelle: Transformers?

Zorro: Yes, Transformer! 6

Michelle: Uh, huh.

Zorro: Yes!

Michelle: What else do you like to do besides watching movies?

Zorro: Beside? 7 Just talking with friend.8

Michelle: Uh, huh.

Zorro: Um, also, taste—

Michelle: Can you try to speak in complete sentences?

Zorro: Complete sentence? 9

WePlayEnglish Michelle Andrus

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Michelle: I like...Yeah.

Zorro: I like meet a friend.10

Michelle: Meeting friends?

Zorro: Yeah, friends.

Michelle: Uh, huh.

Zorro: That’s okay. That’s enough.11

Michelle: That’s all?

Zorro: Yes.

Michelle: So, watching movies and meeting friends [is what you do in your free time]?

Zorro: Yes.

Michelle: Okay.

Zorro: It’s my life.12

Michelle: Okay. Sounds like a nice life. Very nice.

Zorro: Yes.

Michelle: Um, just a couple of pointers. Don’t forget, when you have a count noun, like movies or

friends, when you’re speaking generally, [you should say] I like watching movies; I like meeting

my friends. If you say, I like meeting my friend, that means you have only one friend. A little bit

sad.

Zorro: Oh. Actually, um…I have…fear to speak English, so my expression is so…has limitation, so

just forgive me.13

Michelle: Of course, of course.

Zorro: And you ask me speaking a complete and perfect word, speaking.14

Michelle: Uh, huh.

Zorro: Okay. I like Transformer,6 and the movie is very interesting because robot is…uh…just fun.

That’s enough.15

Michelle: Okay. All right. Great! Well, it was very nice talking with you today, Zorro. Thank you

very much.

Zorro: Thank you.

Michelle: See you later.

Zorro: See you later.

Michelle: Bye!

Zorro: Bye!

Michelle: Bye!

Zorro: Bye!

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SECTION 2: VOCABULARY NOTES (Zorro and Michelle, pages 3-6 of 10) NOTE: The words “sounds natural” will be used to refer to what sounds correct to a native English speaker. The words “sounds awkward” will be used to refer to what sounds incorrect to a native English speaker. In both cases, consideration will be given to what is generally accepted as common usage. Because these transcripts are meant to help students of English develop their conversation skills, colloquial English will generally be used. ALSO NOTE: The native English speaker who is writing these pages (My name is Michelle ^^) has been heavily influenced by North American English as she hails from that part of the world. No bias is intended. WePlayEnglish invites its friends to share English vocabulary and expressions (from any English, be it that of a country where English is generally spoken as a native language, or that of a country where English is generally taught and learned as a foreign language) that are similar in meaning to vocabulary and expressions included in the transcripts we post. Thank you!

1. a) Oh, yes, I am! b) Oh, yes, very! c) Oh, yes (I am)! It’s so cold (out there)! If you are not answering a question, but are making a statement, you can use these expressions: I’m so cold! It’s so cold today/outside/in here. 2. Correct me? 3. Uh, yes, please (do) correct me. I’m not so good at English. (The sentence sounds less abrupt with “please.”) 4. “C’mon” has different meanings. Here, it is roughly equivalent to, “Don’t say that!” 5. I like watching movies. Remember, “movie” is a countable noun. When you are speaking about movies generally, you should use the plural form. If you are speaking about a specific movie, you can say, “That was a good movie,” or, “I liked that movie.” 6. Transformers: The name of the movie is Transformers with an “s” because transformer, a countable noun, is being used in its plural form (see note 5 above). The movie is not about one Transformer; it is about many Transformers. 7. Besides watching movies?*** In this usage, “besides” is a preposition, so it must be followed by a nominal structure (a noun*, pronoun** or gerund***).

Example: A: What else do you like watching besides movies?* B: Besides movies?* I like watching TV shows, too.

Example: A: Who else do you know besides him?** B: I know the woman in the green shirt, too.

8. (Just) talking with friends. Remember, “friend” is a countable noun. See note 5 above.


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9. Complete sentences? Remember, “sentence” is a countable noun. See note 5 above. 10. I like meeting friends. Remember, “friend” is a countable noun. See note 5 above. Also, if you are talking about an activity you like doing/to do, use a gerund (v-ing) or an infinitive (to + verb), but not a base verb. (A base verb = the plain form of the verb = the simple form of the verb.)

I like + meeting friends. I like + to meet friends.

11. That’s all.

Here is an example of a situation in which you can use “That’s okay”: A: I’m sorry I’m late. B: That’s okay. I just got here myself.

Here is an example of a situation in which you can use “That’s enough”: [A brother and sister are fighting.] Their mother: That’s enough! If the two of you don’t stop fighting right this minute, there will be no TV for either of you tonight.

12. That’s my life. This is tricky to explain, but let me try (I’m sure I’ll have to add to this explanation in the future): “It” is a personal pronoun, specifically a subjective pronoun, in the sentence that Zorro uses above. In such usage, “It” should replace a noun mentioned earlier in the sentence or in the immediately preceding sentence.* What Zorro wants to do, however, is refer to a series of activities he has already mentioned by grouping them together as one whole thing: “my life”. Therefore, he should use a demonstrative pronoun (this, that, these, those). “That” is the best choice because he has already mentioned the activities, and because he is grouping them together as one entire thing (not talking about them as different activities): “my life”.

Compare: I love music. It’s my life. * (It = music)

Compare: I love movies. They’re my life. (They = movies)

Compare: On my vacation, I went to a few museums, and I spent a lot of time taking pictures of statues and architecture. I also went to the beach a few times, and when I was too tired to do anything else, I just stayed in my hotel room and snoozed or read a book. Yep, that was my vacation. It was a good vacation. (It = my vacation)

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Similarly, Zorro can say, “That’s my life. It’s a good life.” (It = my life)

Compare: In my free time, I like reading books and watching TV. I also like hanging out with friends and going for walks with friends or alone. Those are the activities that I like to do.

In the last example, the speaker is treating the activities as different activities, not as one entire unit. If you like learning English by listening to music, consider the use of “It’s my life” in Dr. Alban’s song, “It’s My Life”. 13. I feel nervous when I speak English, so it’s hard for me to speak. Please understand. “Please forgive me” is grammatically correct, but why should a speaker need to be forgiven for trying to speak another language? They should be admired! Try asking someone to do this, instead: “Please understand.” Or, say this: “Please be patient with me.” 14. And you asked me to speak in complete sentences. Pronunciation of complete: /kəm-plēt/ [Note: You can hear the correct pronunciation of “complete” if you look up the word in an online dictionary.]

Note: A complete sentence in English has a subject and a verb, and it expresses a complete idea, which means sometimes it has an object or other structure to complete the idea. In English, you do not usually use “perfect” when you want to say “complete.”

Here are some examples of situations in which you can use “perfect”:

A: That dress looks perfect on you! B: Do you think so? Maybe I’ll get it. (get = buy)

A: What a perfect day that was! I wouldn’t change a thing. B: Me, neither!

BUT: This sentence is grammatically correct. (NOT grammatically perfect: “Grammatically perfect” may be grammatically correct, but it definitely sounds awkward.) A: Life is blah, blah, blah. (Use your imagination!) B: That sentence is perfect to describe my life! I’m going to steal it from you and use it as my motto. A: Sure, go ahead.

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15. That’s all. (See note 11 above.) I like the movie Transformers because the robots are really funny. (The movie’s hysterical.) Here are some other possibilities, but they are repetitious.

a) I like Transformers because it’s very funny. The robots are fun to watch. b) I like Transformers. It’s very funny because the robots are funny. c) I like Transformers because it’s a lot of fun to watch. The robots are fun to watch. Note: In this sentence, “it’s a lot of fun to watch” (fun = noun) sounds more natural than “it’s very fun to watch” (fun = adjective).

In English, “fun” and “funny” are both related to amusement, but they are not the same in meaning, so they are used in different situations. Fun: Zorro can say, “My friend Luis is a lot of fun,” because Zorro does things (activities) with Luis. However, he only watches the robots in the movie Transformers; he doesn’t do things with them. Therefore, he can say, “The robots are fun to watch.” This means that he has fun when he watches them in the movie. He enjoys watching them in the movie. Watching them in the movie gives him pleasure. Zorro can also say, “Playing soccer is fun.” Or, he can say, “I have fun playing soccer.” Soccer is enjoyable to play for him. Playing soccer gives him pleasure, or makes him feel good. Funny (as in the usage above): Funny is used to refer to something that makes you laugh. Consider these examples:

The robots are funny. = The robots make me laugh. The movie was funny. = The movie made me laugh.

Interesting: In English, interesting does not mean the same thing as fun or funny. Interesting is used to describe something that stimulates interest; that causes interest; that holds your interest or attention. Think of interest as a mental state, related to the intellect, related to being curious—wanting to know more. Consider these examples:

That was a really interesting movie. I didn’t space out at all.

She finds human social behavior very interesting, so she’s considering majoring in sociology.

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SECTION 3: LISTENING PRACTICE (Zorro and Michelle, pages 7-8 of 10)



Michelle: How are you doing today?

Zorro: I’m fine, thank you, __________ __________?

Michelle: I’m doing all right—just _____ __________ __________ cold. __________

__________?

Zorro: Oh…just…just too cold. 1


Zorro: Yes.

Michelle: Um…Before we __________ __________, I want to ask you, _____ _____ __________

_____ I interrupt you and correct you while you’re speaking?

Zorro: Correct?2

Michelle: Mmm. If you make __________ __________?

Zorro: Uh, yes, correct me because I’m just poor at English. 3



Michelle: Aw, __________!4 Anyway, so, the question is…the question is, um, what do you do

_____ __________ __________ __________. But—oh, sorry—before you answer, I just wanna

[want to] explain that this question is similar to “What do you do __________ __________?”

Zorro: For fun?



Zorro: Free time? Um…Okay. I like _______________ movie5,…and my favorite movie is

Transformer. 6


Zorro: Yes, Transformer! 6

Michelle: Uh, huh.

Zorro: Yes!

Michelle: What __________ do you like to do __________ __________ __________?

Zorro: Beside? 7 Just talking with friend.8

Michelle: Uh, huh.


Michelle: Can you __________ __________ __________ in complete sentences?

Zorro: Complete sentence? 9


8


Zorro: I like meet a friend.10



Michelle: Uh, huh.

Zorro: That’s okay. That’s enough.11

Michelle: __________ __________?

Zorro: Yes.


Zorro: Yes.

Michelle: Okay.

Zorro: It’s my life.12


Zorro: Yes.

Michelle: Um, just ___ __________ _____ pointers. __________ __________, when you have a

count noun, like movies or friends, when you’re speaking generally, [you should say] I like

watching __________; I like meeting my __________. If you say, I like meeting my friend,

__________ __________ you have only one friend. A little bit sad.

Zorro: Oh. Actually, um…I have…fear to speak English, so my expression is so…has limitation, so

just forgive me.13


Zorro: And you ask me speaking a complete and perfect word, speaking.14

Michelle: Uh, huh.

Zorro: Okay. I like Transformer,6 and the movie is very interesting because robot is…uh…just fun.

That’s enough.15

Michelle: Okay. All right. Great! Well, _____ _____ __________ __________ __________ with

you today, Zorro. Thank you very much.

Zorro: Thank you.



Michelle: Bye!

Zorro: Bye!

Michelle: Bye!

Zorro: Bye!

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SECTION 4: APPLYING WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED (Zorro and Michelle, pages 9-10 of 10) Fill in the blanks (without listening) using the vocabulary from the transcript and vocabulary notes. Guess first, then consult the transcript and notes for help if you need it, and check your answers when you finish.



Michelle: How ________ you ________ today?

Zorro: I’m fine, thank you, and you?

Michelle: ________ ________ all right—just a little bit cold. Aren’t you?

Zorro: ________________________________ 1


Zorro: Yes.

Michelle: Um…Before we get started, I want to ask you, ________ ________ mind ________ I

interrupt you and correct you ________ you’re speaking?

Zorro: Correct ________?2

Michelle: Mmm. If you make some mistakes?

Zorro: ________________________________________________________ 3



Michelle: Aw, ________4 Anyway, so, the question is…the question is, um, ________ ________

________ ________ ________ ________ free time. But—oh, sorry—before you answer, I just

wanna [want to] explain that this question is similar to “________ ________ ________ ________

for fun?”

Zorro: For fun?



Zorro: In my free time? Um…Okay. ________ ________ ________ ________5,…and my favorite

movie is ____________. 6


Zorro: Yes, ____________! 6

Michelle: Uh, huh.

Zorro: Yes!

Michelle: What ________ do you like to do ________ ________ ________?

Zorro: Besides watching movies? 7 Just talking with ________.8

Michelle: Uh, huh.



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Michelle: Can you try to speak in complete sentences?

Zorro: ____________ ____________? 9


Zorro: I like ________ ________.10



Michelle: Uh, huh.

Zorro: ________ ________.11

Michelle: That’s all?

Zorro: Yes.


Zorro: Yes.

Michelle: Okay.

Zorro: ________ my life.12


Zorro: Yes.

Michelle: Um, just a couple of pointers. Don’t forget, when you have a count noun, like movies or

friends, when you’re speaking ____________, [you should say] I like watching movies; I like

meeting my friends. If you say, I like meeting my friend, that means you have only one friend. A

little bit sad.

Zorro: Oh. Actually, um…_____________________________________________________

______________________________________________13


Zorro: And you asked me to speak in ____________ sentences.14

Michelle: Uh, huh.

Zorro: Okay. I like the movie Transformers because ________ ________ ________ ________

________. That’s ________.15

Michelle: Okay. All right. Great! Well, it ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ you

today, Zorro. Thank you ________ ________.

Zorro: Thank you.



Michelle: Bye!

Zorro: Bye!

"zorro and michelle" video transcript with notes and exercises

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