1. Hello, I’m Joe Weiss, and I’m one of the teachers and directors of Learn Real English. And I would like to welcome you today to our mini-story lesson. I hope that you’re having a fantastic day today because I am prepared to have a fantastic lesson with you. So before I start with the story, I’d like to tell you about some of the words and phrases that I’m going to use in the story because I want to make sure that you understand them when you hear them. Okay, so let’s start.

2. First is a word, and that word is “yard”. So a yard is just the land that you have with your house if you purchase a house. Okay, next is an idiom and it’s one that we use a lot. It’s “to mow the lawn”. Now to mow the lawn just means to cut the grass. Lawn is the same as grass, so if you mow your lawn, it just means that you cut the grass.

3. Okay, next is to “live next door” to someone. Now if you live next door to someone that means that your home is next to the other person’s home. So sometimes we even say that the person is your neighbor then. But to live next door to someone just means that your home is next to their home.

4. Okay, next I have a great idiom for you and it’s one that we really use a lot. It’s to “get along” with someone. So if you get along with someone that means that you have a good relationship with them. And it may even mean that you’re friends with them, if you really get along well with them. So just the same, if you don’t get along with someone that means that you do not have a good relationship with them. So it means that you’re not friends with them, you’re not close with them, you do not get along with them.

5. Next is just a word, and you may have already heard this word before, it’s to “bribe” someone. So if you bribe someone that means that you give them something in exchange for them to do something for you that they wouldn’t normally do, or maybe even something that they wouldn’t want to do. So a lot of the times it refers to something that’s pretty bad.

6. But it can mean something that’s more innocent. So as an example, sometimes you hear about people giving people money to vote for them in an election. So we would say that you bribed the person to vote for you. But then there’s more innocent uses like maybe a parent would bribe their child to eat vegetables by telling them that they can have a cookie or a piece of cake if they eat their vegetables.

7. Okay, so let’s move on to the next one. This also is an idiom and it’s for something to be “dry as a bone”, dry as a bone. If something is dry as a bone that means that it’s very, very dry. So in the story you’re going to hear me say that there hadn’t been any rain for many months so all the grass in the person’s yard was dry as a bone. So it was very dry.

8. Okay, next I have another idiom for you and that idiom is to “go up in flames”. So if something goes up in flames, it means that it’s on fire. Okay, so that’s a pretty simple one, too. And in the story I use this by saying that someone threw a cigarette into another person’s yard and the grass was very dry so it went up in flames. What I mean is that it was on fire.

9. Okay, so that completes our review of the words and the idioms. So now I just want to give you a few instructions before I start with the story. So I’m going to tell you a story. And your job is to just listen and understand the story. But I am also going to ask you a lot of questions as I tell you the story.

10. So when I ask you a question …and this is really important… when I ask you a question, I want you to answer that question very quickly. And I also want you to be loud when you answer it and act confident. So answer it quickly, loudly and confidently. Very easy. Okay, now it’s time for our story so let’s start our story.

11. There was a man and his name was Jim Carrey. And Jim Carrey was rich. Oh, he was rich. So he had a very expensive house and he also had a very big yard, but there was a problem. Jim Carrey never mowed the lawn. He never did it. And he refused to hire someone to mow the lawn. So the grass in his yard grew very, very tall. The grass was more than 15 feet tall. That’s very tall. But he still refused to mow the lawn.

12. Okay, time for some questions. Was there a man or was there a woman? Oh, there was a man. There was a man, of course. And what was the man’s name? Was the man’s name George Bush? No, no, it wasn’t George Bush. What was the man’s name? Jim Carrey, right? It was Jim Carrey. So tell me this, was Jim Carrey rich or was he poor? Oh, he was rich. Yes, he was rich.

13. Who was rich? Jim Carrey, right? Jim Carrey was rich. So did Jim Carrey have a lot of money? Yes, yes, he did. He was rich. So that means he had a lot of money. Did Jim Carrey have a lot of money or food? Money, money, of course, he had a lot of money. He was rich. Okay, so did Jim Carrey have an expensive house? Oh yes, yes. He had a very expensive house. And how about his yard, was it large or was it small?

14. Oh, it was large. Yes, he had a very large yard. Who had a large yard? Well, Jim Carrey did, remember? Jim Carrey had a large yard. So did Jim Carrey have a lot of land with his house? Yes, yes, he did. Remember, a yard is the land that you own with your house. So he had a large yard. That means he had a lot of land. Okay, so did Jim Carrey ever mow the lawn? No, no, he never mowed the lawn.

15. Who never mowed the lawn? Well, Jim Carrey, Jim Carrey never mowed the lawn. So now tell me this, did Jim Carrey ever cut the grass? No, no, he never mowed the lawn. So that means that he never cut the grass. Remember, mowing the lawn is the same thing as cutting the grass. So if he didn’t mow the lawn, he didn’t cut the grass. Okay, so tell me this now, how tall was the grass in Jim Carrey’s yard, how tall was it? It was more than 15 feet tall. It was very tall, very tall more than 15 feet tall.

16. Okay, so was the grass more than 15 feet tall or less than 15 feet tall? Oh, it was more, remember? It was more than 15 feet tall. So what was more than 15 feet tall, Jim Carrey’s house or the grass in his yard? The grass in his yard, the grass in his yard was more than 15 feet tall but he still refused to mow the lawn.

17. Well, Jim Carrey had a pet. He had a dog. And the dog’s name was Pablo. And, wow, Jim Carrey, he loved Pablo. Pablo was his best friend. And Pablo lived in the house with Jim Carrey. And Pablo, he had his own bed and Jim Carrey had his own bed, too. They didn’t sleep in the same bed. But Pablo slept in his bed each night. But Pablo also liked to go outside. So one day Pablo went outside into the yard and he ran around the yard.

18. He ran around and around the yard. He ran around the yard for a long time, two hours. He ran around the yard for two hours. And after he had finished running around the yard he was pretty tired. So he wanted to go inside the house and lay down on his bed. But there was a problem. Pablo was unable to find the house. Yeah, he was unable to find the house because the grass was too tall. So he was unable to see the house. It was very tall.

19. Okay, how about some questions now. Let’s start with some more questions. Who had a pet? Jim Carrey did, Jim Carrey had a pet. Did Jim Carrey or Barack Obama have a pet? Jim Carrey did, Jim Carrey had a pet. And what type of pet did he have, what type of animal was it? Oh, it was a dog. Yes, it was a dog. Did Jim Carrey have a cat? No, no, he didn’t have a cat. Remember he had a dog.

20. So tell me this, what was the dog’s name? Pablo, Pablo was his name. Was the dog’s name Jim Carrey? No, no, it wasn’t Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey was the man. Pablo was the dog. So how did Jim Carrey feel about the dog? Oh, he loved him. Yeah, he loved Pablo. And did Jim Carrey have a best friend? Yes, yes, he did have a best friend. Who was his best friend? It was Pablo. Pablo was Jim Carrey’s best friend.

21. Okay, so where did Pablo live, did he live in the yard or did he live in the house? Oh, the house, he lived in the house. And where was his bed? It was in the house. Yeah, his bed was in the house. So did Jim Carrey and Pablo sleep in the same bed or in separate beds? They slept in separate beds. They each had their own bed. Okay, so now tell me this, who ran for a long time in the yard, who was it? Was it Jim Carrey?

22. No, no, Jim Carrey didn’t run in the yard. Who ran in the yard? Pablo, it was Pablo who ran in the yard. And how long did Pablo run in the yard for? Two hours, remember? He ran for two hours. Did he run for two hours or for two days? It was two hours, yeah, he ran for two hours. And where did he run for two hours, in the house or in the yard? In the yard, he ran for two hours in the yard.

23. So after he was finished running, did Pablo go into the house? No, no, he didn’t. He was unable to find the house. He was unable to find the house, remember? Why was he unable to find the house? Well, Pablo was unable to find the house because the grass was too tall. It was very tall. So Pablo was unable to see the house. So one more question before we continue, why was the grass so tall? Was it tall because Jim Carrey never mowed the lawn? Yes, yes, that’s why. The grass was very tall, it was too tall, because Jim Carrey never mowed the lawn.

24. Well, Pablo barked and he barked and he barked. Woof, woof, woof, woof. He barked. He barked for a long time. He barked because he wanted Jim Carrey to find him and bring him into the house. So Jim Carrey heard Pablo barking. So Jim Carrey looked for Pablo in the yard. And he looked for him for a very long time. So do you think he found him? No, no, he was unable to find him. He was unable to find him because the grass was too tall.

25. So he was unable to see Pablo. But you might think that would make him want to mow the lawn. But it didn’t. He still refused to mow the lawn. And he refused to hire someone to mow the lawn. But Pablo was hungry every day and Jim Carrey knew that he needed food. So every day Jim Carrey threw food into the yard for Pablo. Once a day he threw food to him. He threw seven hamburgers to him each time, every day.

26. Okay, time for some questions. So who barked? Did Jim Carrey bark? No, no, Jim Carrey didn’t bark. Who barked? Pablo, Pablo barked. And why did Pablo bark? Did he bark because a car drove by the house? No, no, that’s not why he barked. Did he bark because he wanted Jim Carrey to find him and bring him into the house? Yes, yes, that’s why.

27. Who did Pablo want to find him? Did he want Barack Obama or Jim Carrey to find him? Jim Carrey, he wanted Jim Carrey to find him. Okay, so now tell me this, who heard Pablo barking? Jim Carrey did, remember? Jim Carrey heard Pablo barking. So did Jim Carrey look for Pablo in the yard? Yes, yes, he did. He looked for him in the yard. Who looked for Pablo in the yard? Jim Carrey, Jim Carrey did.

28. Did Jim Carrey look for Pablo or Barack Obama in the yard? Oh, he looked for Pablo, of course. He looked for Pablo. And where did he look for Pablo, tell me that? In the yard, yeah, he looked for him in the yard. So did he find him? No, no, he was unable to find Pablo. Why was he unable to find Pablo? Because the grass was too tall, it was very tall. So he was unable to find Pablo.

29. So did Jim Carrey finally mow the lawn? No, no, he didn’t. Did Jim Carrey cut the grass? No, no, he did not mow the lawn. So that means he did not cut the grass. He still refused to mow the lawn. And he refused to hire someone to mow the lawn. Okay, so who fed Pablo one time each day? Jim Carrey did. Jim Carrey fed Pablo one time each day. And who did Jim Carrey feed? Pablo, right? He fed Pablo.

30. Did he feed Pablo once a month or once a day? Once a day, yeah, he fed him once a day. And what did he feed him, did he feed him salad? No, no, he didn’t feed him salad. Dogs don’t eat salad. What did he feed him? Hamburgers, he fed him hamburgers, right? Every day. How many hamburgers did he feed him each day? Seven, seven hamburgers he fed him each day. Pablo really liked hamburgers.

31. Well, guess who lived next door to Jim Carrey? Brad Pitt! Brad Pitt lived next door to him. But I have some more information for you. Brad Pitt and Jim Carrey did not get along with each other. They didn’t. They didn’t get along with each other because Jim Carrey’s dog Pablo barked all night long. So Brad Pitt was unable to sleep at night. He wasn’t able to sleep at night because Pablo barked all night long.

32. Okay, let’s have some more questions now. Who lived next door to Jim Carrey? Brad Pitt, Brad Pitt lived next door to Jim Carrey. Did Brad Pitt live next door to Jim Carrey? Yes, yes, he did. And tell me this, did Jim Carrey live next door to Brad Pitt? He did, yes, he lived next door to Brad Pitt. So was Brad Pitt’s home next to Jim Carrey’s home? Yes, yes, it was. They lived next door to each other. So that means Brad Pitt’s home was next to Jim Carrey’s home because they lived next door to each other.

33. Okay, so did Brad Pitt and Jim Carrey get along well, did they get along, excuse me? No, they didn’t get along with each other. So did Brad Pitt and Jim Carrey have a good relationship? No, no, they didn’t. They didn’t get along with each other so they did not have a good relationship. So do you think they were friends? No, no, they definitely were not friends. They did not get along with each other. That means they were not friends. No, they were not friends.

34. Okay, so who didn’t get along with each other? Jim Carrey and Brad Pitt, they didn’t get along with each other, remember? Okay, so tell me this now, why? Why didn’t they get along with each other? Well, they didn’t get along with each other because Jim Carrey’s dog Pablo barked all night long. So was Brad Pitt able to sleep at night? No, no, he wasn’t able to sleep at night. Who wasn’t able to sleep at night? Brad Pitt, Brad Pitt was unable to sleep at night.

35. So what was Brad Pitt unable to do at night? Sleep, he was unable to sleep at night. And when was he unable to sleep? Was he unable to sleep during the day or at night? At night, yeah, he was unable to sleep at night. Okay, so tell me this, why was he unable to sleep at night? Was he unable to sleep at night because he drank too much coffee during the day? No, no, that’s not why.

36. One last question, why was he unable to sleep at night? Well, he was unable to sleep at night because Pablo barked all night long. So Brad Pitt was unable to sleep at night.

37. Well, Brad Pitt wanted Jim Carrey to mow the lawn. Now the reason he wanted him to mow the lawn is because he knew that if Jim Carrey mowed the lawn, then Pablo would go inside the house and he would not bark at night. So Jim Carrey had told Brad Pitt that he would not mow the lawn. Brad Pitt had asked him and Jim Carrey told him he would not mow the lawn. So Brad Pitt had another idea.

38. Brad Pitt tried to bribe Jim Carrey. He tried to bribe Jim Carrey into mowing the lawn. So he told Jim Carrey that he would pay him $2,678 if he mowed the lawn. So do you think that Jim Carrey did it? No, he didn’t do it. He refused to mow the lawn. So Brad Pitt tried to bribe Jim but he was unable to bribe him. He was unable to do it.

39. Okay, let’s have some more questions now. What did Brad Pitt want Jim Carrey to do? Did he want him to cook him dinner? No, no, he didn’t want him to cook him dinner. What did Brad Pitt want Jim Carrey to do? To mow the lawn, he wanted him to mow the lawn. So tell me this, who bribed Jim Carrey? Brad Pitt did, yeah, Brad Pitt bribed him. Did Jim Carrey bribe Brad Pitt? No, no, he did not.

40. Did Brad Pitt try to bribe Jim Carrey? Yes, yes, he did. He tried to bribe him. Okay, so tell me this, did Brad Pitt offer to pay Jim Carrey to do something that he did not want to do? Yes, yes, he did. He tried to bribe him. So that means he tried to pay him to do something he didn’t want to do. So what did Brad Pitt try to bribe Jim Carrey into doing? Mowing the lawn, remember? He tried to bribe him into mowing the lawn.

41. And how much money did he try to bribe Jim Carrey with? $2,678, that’s a lot of money. But he tried to bribe him with that much money. So did Brad Pitt try to bribe Jim Carrey with more than$2,000? Yes, yes, he did. He tried to bribe him with $2,678, and that’s more than $2,000. Okay, so was Brad Pitt able to bribe Jim Carrey? No, no, he was unable to do it because Jim Carrey still refused to mow the lawn. So Brad Pitt was not happy.

42. Well, that year, during the month of July, it was very hot. The weather was very hot. And it had not rained for ten months. That’s a long time. So the grass in Jim Carrey’s yard was dry as a bone. It was dry as a bone. So one day during that month of July a man drove his car past Jim Carrey’s house. And the man was smoking a cigarette, smoking a cigarette.

43. And he did not want the cigarette any more so he threw the cigarette out of the window. And the cigarette went into Jim Carrey’s yard. And the cigarette was still lit. So guess what happened? The grass in Jim Carrey’s yard went up in flames. Yeah, it went up in flames. And in just five minutes all of the grass in his yard burned. He had no grass in the yard. And guess what else burned? Jim Carrey’s house, his house burned also.

44. But after his house burned, Jim Carrey was not angry or upset. He was happy. Do you know why he was happy? Because after his house burned he saw Pablo and Pablo ran to him and jumped in his arms and he gave Jim Carrey a big lick on the face. So Jim Carrey was happy because he knew Pablo was safe. He knew Pablo had not been hurt in the fire.

45. Okay, time for some more questions. That year, during what month was the weather very hot, was it January or July? July, right? It was very hot. The weather was very hot during the month of July. And how many months had it been before it had rained? How many months had it been since it had rained, you can ask that. Ten months. Yeah. Had it been more than nine months since it had last rained? Yes, yes, it had been ten months and ten months is more than nine months, right?

46. Okay, so what was the grass in Jim Carrey’s yard like? Was it wet? No, no, it wasn’t wet. Was it dry as a bone? Yes, yes, it was dry as a bone. Was the grass in Jim Carrey’s yard very dry? Yes, yes, it was. It was dry as a bone. So that means it was very, very dry.

47. Okay, so a man drove past Jim Carrey’s house. What did he drive past in? Did he drive past in a car or a truck? Oh, a car, yeah. He drove past the house in a car. And what was he doing as he drove past the house? Was he drinking a bottle of water or was he smoking a cigarette? He was smoking a cigarette. Yes, he was smoking a cigarette. So what did the man throw in Jim Carrey’s yard? A cigarette, he threw a cigarette.

48. Was the cigarette lit still? Yes, yes, the cigarette was lit. So did the grass in Jim Carrey’s yard burst into flames? Did it go up in flames? Yes, it went up in flames. Was the grass in Jim Carrey’s yard on fire? Yes, yes, it went up in flames. You could also say it burst into flames. But it went up in flames, so that means it was on fire.

49. Okay, so tell me this now, how long was it before all of the grass had burned, how many minutes? Five minutes, after only five minutes all of the grass had burned. So had some of the grass burned or all of the grass? All of it, yeah, all of the grass burned. And what else burned? Did Pablo burn? No, no, Pablo didn’t burn. What else burned besides the grass? Jim Carrey’s house, his house burned.

50. Did Brad Pitt’s house burn? No, no, not Brad Pitt’s, it was Jim Carrey’s house. Okay, so tell me this, whose house burned? Jim Carrey’s, Jim Carrey’s house burned. And was Jim Carrey angry or upset after his house burned? No, no, he was happy, remember? He was happy because he saw Pablo and Pablo was not harmed in the fire, he was not injured. So he was actually happy.

51. Well, two months later Jim Carrey bought a new home. And he and Pablo lived in that home. And every Sunday they mowed the lawn together. * * * * * Okay, so that’s the end of our story. What did you think? Did you like it? Well, I hope you liked it because now it’s your turn to tell the story. I want you to tell the story to someone in your family or one of your friends, maybe someone in your class if you go to school.

52. Or if you are unable to find someone to tell the story to, please tell the story out loud. You can look in the mirror so that way you can pretend you’re telling the story to someone. But I want you to tell this story out loud. Don’t just think about it in your head. Remember it’s really important for you to say these words and not just think about it. And I also want you to listen to this lesson every day for at least seven days.

53. I’m sure that you will start to remember the story even better each time you listen to it. Okay, so that’s all for our mini-story lesson. I’ll see you next time. Bye-bye.