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Work Interrupted - With The Past Progressive Tense

Work Interrupted - With The Past Progressive Tense English, baby! Video Lesson

Date: Apr 20 2010

Themes: Soap Opera, Work

Grammar: Past Progressive Tense

Intro

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

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Being a perfect boss is a matter of balance. You have to be the right combination of strict, fun, friendly, and professional.

When Devan first started running her own company with all her friends as employees, she was a bit of a slave driver. Then she started playing favorites. Now she has a new problem. Nobody can get any work done, because Devan keeps interrupting them.

In today’s special grammar episode of As the World Learns, Devan’s employees use the past progressive tense to explain what they were doing before Devan stopped them.

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.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Jason

Jason

Mason

Mason

Ella

Ella

Devan

Devan

Jason:  Man, we’re eating lunch so late.

Mason:  Tell me about it, man.

Jason:  I can’t get anything done!

Ella:  It’s ridiculous.

Mason:  And I’ve still got stuff to do! I’ve only cleaned like half the office.

Jason:  Devan, like, interrupts me every time I try to do something productive.

Ella:  Me too!

Mason:  What were you trying to get done, you know?

Jason:  Oh, I was just trying to recruit more traffic to the site and she interrupted me to referee a game of paper football.

Ella:  I was on the phone talking with this very lucrative advertiser to set something up and get some money in, you know, for the site, and then Devan calls me in and tells me to pick up her dog and then get her dog’s paw-nails painted.

Mason:  Seriously, guys, I was trying to take the garbage out and she, like, called me over to look at which kind of sweater she thought would be better for her grandma.

Jason:  Oh man.

Ella:  We’re never going to get anything done!

Devan:  What are you guys doing in here? Get back to work! Come on! I’m just kidding, I’m just kidding. We’re totally about to have a poker tournament in here. Who wants to buy in? It’s $10. Come on, who wants to play, who wants to play. Anybody?

Jason:  Oh my god.

 

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Jason, Mason, and Ella are eating lunch really late at the office because they haven’t been able to get anything done all day. Every time they try to do some work, Devan interrupts them.

Everyone explains what they were doing before Devan stopped them. It finally looks like the gang might get some work done when Devan comes over and yells at them for being lazy. But it turns out she really just wanted to interrupt them again. It looks like it’s going to be a long day at the office.

What were you doing the last time someone interrupted you? What qualities do you think make a good boss?

 

Comments

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termini

Poland

Good boss can't be overbearing and resentful. Good boss should be encouraging, supportive and reassuring. It is very important in day-to-day work time. I utterly detest micromanaging bosses who want to check up on everything.

07:08 PM Apr 20 2010 |

handwriter

handwriter

Norway

If one hates bosses and is a boss or plans to be one, therefore, being self-employed, would this mean that he or she would be troubled with self-hatered too?

06:10 PM Apr 20 2010 |

Romio79

Romio79

Russian Federation

What qualities are necessary to be a good boss? I think it depends on employees in great extent. I mean in one company, office, etc. to be effective boss you must be supportive, gentle, polite. In another one you must be strict and even rude. For example it's not the same to be boss in army or in the theater. 

06:02 PM Apr 20 2010 |

ainraiwak

Poland

The best boss is person who is not very strict but bearing. Also boss has to know what he wants, that's resolution. Another quality which makes a good chief: responsibility.

 P.S. Great lesson, thanks and cheers!

05:42 PM Apr 20 2010 |

yeorche

Mexico

A good boss is someone who teach you how to learn and grown at the past of the time. I mean someone who define golas and challenges for you 

05:01 PM Apr 20 2010 |

spacedragon

Brazil

i hate bosses so i think i will become my own boss ;) nothing better than self-employment ;D

03:48 PM Apr 20 2010 |

lclaytonl

lclaytonl

Brazil

Last time someone interrupted me I was watching a movie, I guess (My neighbor called me…hunf!).

I think this matter about bosses is something complicated. The right boss must be an combination  of all of it we've seen, but the environment of the company affects it, and the way it's put to the employees too.

Did I make myself clear?...hahaha…

03:26 PM Apr 20 2010 |

iwori

iwori

Japan

Being interrupted is really irritating even if the person doesn't mean to it.

When I was about to sleep in midnight, my friend called me and made me awake. What's worse, he was drunk and soon hang up without words. I was at a loss at that time.

03:09 PM Apr 20 2010 |

andylu2

andylu2

Canada

I used this lesson in my university class today and they loved it.  It's real life stuff.  

"Tell me about it" was a great phrase.

One thing is I think you could have explained the use of "like" as well.

"I've only cleaned like half the office"

Many of my students didn't get it in this context and it's a great phrase for casual spoken English. 

If you like this level of lesson and want more of this I can recommend something to you.  It isn't free and you need an MP3 player, but I use it in my class often and my students love it.  Actually, one of my students found it for me.  I've been teaching for years and it is the best material I've seen.  It's for intermediate to advanced students and is over 100 lessons with a 12 to 15 minute talk show.  The website looks poor but the product is great.  How to Speak English Fluently

I get my students to use this website as well as some other podcasts as well.  It's good to hear many different voices and explanations to see what works best for you.  If it isn't interesting, it won't work.  You need to challenge yourself but not make it too challenging. 

02:01 PM Apr 20 2010 |

handwriter

handwriter

Norway

Yes, it has been my experience that many "bosses", especially new ones, will too often try to find validation through their employees.  I mean they want to try and be thought of as "just one of the guys." 

Maybe thinking that they will be better respected as bosses they try to be friends with their employees so that their employees will work better for them.  We all know that this is hardly the case – in fact maybe even the opposite. 

 Being a boss can be a lonely place, and not everyone can deal with that.

May I suggest that the better bosses have less employee friends?  As well, I think that the better bosses teach their systems how to manage themselves.  A good boss doesn't have to be physically or "presently" bossey.

01:40 PM Apr 20 2010 |

Ahshan

Ahshan

China

trust the workers who work for you is a potential way to be productive !

04:10 AM Apr 20 2010 |

Ahshan

Ahshan

China

personally!i think the phenomenon of the kind heppened oftenly for workers in some compony!

04:09 AM Apr 20 2010 |

dreamingman

Panama

It's necessary to fulfill the responsibility.

03:35 AM Apr 20 2010 |

super_sylar

China

good job! thanks.

01:59 AM Apr 20 2010 |

Charise

Charise

Philippines

Must be responsible enough to finish the task that given to him/her.

01:47 AM Apr 20 2010 |

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