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Foo Fighters

Gerunds and Infinitives

Date: May 23 2011

Themes: Alternative, Music

Grammar: Gerunds vs. 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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It’s rare enough to be such a good drummer that you end up in a band as famous as Nirvana. But when Kurt Cobain died, Nirvana’s drummer Dave Grohl showed that he could do more than just drum. He started his own band, Foo Fighters, which has become very popular and successful.

Now, Foo Fighters has been around for 15 years. The band just put out its seventh album, Wasting Light, and critics and fans alike think Grohl’s still got it. Hear Mason and Jeff talk about the latest from the Foo Fighters, and other multi-talented people.

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

Mason

Jeff: New Foo Fighters album just came out, I guess, and supposedly the critics are saying it’s pretty good.

Mason: I’ve heard that as well, and the Foo Fighters are my jam, like that’s a throwback to the music of my youth, back in Nirvana and then when Dave Grohl first decided to step up and be the front man for his own group.

Jeff: Yeah, that’s kind of a big challenge to overcome.

Mason: Well, who would’ve thought, right? He was just this kinda quirky, long-haired grunge dude drumming behind Kurt Cobain, and then he’s like, “I’m gonna make my own band.” And then they became incredibly successful, he’s like really, really good at singing and songwriting and all this other stuff.

Jeff: Yeah, it kind of makes you think about other people who have done that.

Mason: Who are some of the other weird, “I didn’t know they could do that” stories?

Jeff: Well, I feel like actors tend to go on to become successful politicians.

Mason: And you’ve got Gwyneth Paltrow trying to be a country singer now.

Jeff: That’s not working out so much for her.

Mason: No. Well, she named her kid Apple.

Jeff: That’s true. I mean, she might as well name her kid Table.

Mason: Might as well.

Jeff: It’s an insane thing.

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Discussion

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Jeff tells Mason that the Foo Fighters have a new album out, and it’s gotten great reviews. Mason is happy to hear that because he loves the Foo Fighters. He has been a fan since the 1990s when the band first got started.

Dave Grohl, the Foo Fighters’ front man, used to be the drummer for Nirvana. After Nirvana that, he showed that he was also a talented singer and songwriter.

Mason and Jeff talk about other people who have tried to prove that they are good at more than one thing. A lot of actors, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, have become politicians. But it’s hard to say if Arnold is actually good at being a politician. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow recently began singing country music. But most critics seem to think she should stick to acting.

Are you multi-talented? Do you know anyone else who is good at more than one thing?

Comments

nativebabylove12

United States

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FFFFFFFFFFFFFFIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHTTTTTTTTTTTTEEEEEERRRRRRSSSSSS!!!!!!!

tecsroc

Mexico

dave grohl is a genius!!!! foo fighter’s is a big band:::

Madline

Jordan

Iamn’t multi-talented . I only sing gracefuly but my brother is really multi-talented he sings acts and speaks 3 languages thats really cooOOoOl

Athosfbc

Brazil

I’m happy to see this lesson, beacause Foo Fighters, I mean, they are a incredible band, and like a classic rock they make me get a new style hehehhehe. I want to hear them inlive. Because is time like these that we learn to live again!!

hehehehe

Javier_LJ

Mexico

its a good discusion, in my coutry there is a man who is an actor, businessman, boxer, fighter of werstling, and political, he is the front man of the nueva alianza party, but not is good in anything, first he was an actor and thanks to publicity is the man who is! but not is good in anything in my own opinion, but for example leonardo davinci he was an exelent multy-talent man, the people who is multy talet have relly important things… a big knowlage, and a big intelligence!

Isis Oliveira

Brazil

I love Foo Fighters… and it’s so bad know they won’t come to Rock in Rio….

patitto1977

Paraguay

I love this band, Dave is a great singer…I hope they´ll come to Argentina. I would like to see them.

Bye.

Patricia.

Fernandinha

Brazil

Multi-talented people are rare but they exist or existed. Leonardo da Vinci comes to my mind when I think about multi-talented people.

midnight_nightmare

Spain

yeah, same as juliette lewis. But in her case she’s doing right on music. And what about phil collins? but in this case i think he should stay as a drummer.