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Chicken Out

Simple Past Tense

Date: Sep 30 2011

Themes: Soap Opera

Grammar: Simple Past Tense

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Intro

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Have you ever met a brave chicken? Like chickens, cowards like to run away. In fact, in English, if you call someone a chicken, it’s the same as calling them a coward and to chicken out means to run away from something or not do it because you’re scared.

Jason has been planning to ask his girlfriend Devan to marry him. Naturally, he’s a little bit nervous. His friend Mason is going to help with his plan to propose. See if Jason can go through with it, or if he chickens out.

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.

Jason

Mason

Devan

Waiter

Jason: So, how is this supposed to go again?

Mason: OK. Devan’s already here, right? I give the ring to the waiter, he brings it to the table and then when Devan sees it, you say, “Will you marry me?” Nice ring, by the way.

Jason: Oh, thanks. Jeff helped me get one without breaking the bank.

Mason: I’d like to break something…But anyway, are you ready?

Jason: I think so. Yeah. I’m getting a text, though. It’s from Marni. It says, “Good luck.”

Mason: Oh. That’s weird. She must have sent that by mistake.

Jason: You’re probably right. Wait, I’m getting another one. This one is from is Ella. It says, “Congratulations!” Mason, did you spill the beans?

Mason: Oh man…They tricked me, OK? But listen. Alright. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. But now that everybody knows, you can’t chicken out, alright?

Jason: You’re right. You’re right.

Mason: You have to go through with this.

Jason: I want to. I want to do this.

Mason: OK. Let’s go.

Devan: We’ll both have the chicken.

Waiter: Good choice.

Devan: This is so nice, going out to dinner like this.

Jason: Yes. You look great. Excuse me just for a minute. I’ll be right back. What’s going on?

Mason: I don’t know if I should give the guy the ring, man. OK? Like, what if he steals it? OK, or what if Devan doesn’t see it and she eats it? Right?

Jason: Look, man. I need you to do this. You can’t chicken out. OK?

Mason: I won’t chicken out.

Jason: Thank you.

Mason: OK. I’m on it.

Waiter: Two orders of the chicken.

Jason: Thank you.

Devan: That’s weird. I just got a text from Ella that says, “Send me a picture.” A picture of what?

Jason: She must mean of the food or something. I’m going to wash up. I’ll be right back.

Devan: OK. Hurry back!

Jason: OK.

Devan: This looks delicious.

Mason: What happened?

Jason: I don’t know, man. I chickened out. The food came and I just couldn’t do it.

Mason: Dude, well, OK. It’s OK. Just hold on to the ring. You can pop the question later. OK?

Jason: Alright. Alright.

Mason: Ella sent me a text. She wants to know why Devan is sending her pictures of the food, not the ring.

Jason: Tell her chicken’s on special tonight.

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Discussion

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Jason plans to have Mason give a ring to the waiter, which he will serve to Devan with her dinner. But just as Jason and Devan are sitting down, Mason starts to chicken out. He says he’s afraid the waiter will steal the ring or that Devan will accidentally eat it. But Jason convinces Mason that it’s going to be fine and sits back down.

When the waiter arrives with the food and the ring, Jason chickens out. He switches his plate with Devan’s and puts the ring in his pocket. Meanwhile, Jason and Devan are receive confusing texts from their friends who Mason accidentally told about the plan.

Mason asks Jason what happened and he says he got nervous and chickened out. Have you ever planned to do something and then chickened out?

Comments

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ttsuka

Japan

That is one comfortable-looking nice restaurant. I particularly like the plates they use for the food, for they are ideal to sneak an engagement ring into. Please tell me the name and address of the restaurant so that I can use it for my proposal.

Anne Tai

Taiwan

I like it!! haha :)

ricardom

Mexico

funny lesson!

La Princesse de la vie

Egypt

it’s really enjoyable lesson , i’ve already enjoyed reading

well, to be serious , i was put in many situations like that before , to be responsible for something and chicken out it later is ordinary for most

but maybe because we’re not confident enough or maybe we just mistook when we decided to be in the charge

i think we just have to be more confident when we take a serious step

Caramella

Egypt

and all of us chickened out before it is normal in some situations ^^

Caramella

Egypt

I love this lesson thanx a looooooooot

whipiry

South Korea

popping the question could be hard to spit out. who wants to be a chicke?. i don’t want to chicken out. they are trying to be on it. but it was helpless….

lolita_lempicka

Yemen

good lesson :) i checken out on same cases lol

Szancsuska

Hungary

i like this lesson very much:D

and i have never chickenen out. yet.:P

Maria del Alba

Spain

yeah, i like very much betting on stupid things and daring my friends but i sometimes chicken out at the end. Anyway challenging’s funny

crazy.ended

Saudi Arabia

hhhhhhhhhhh there is no brave chicken.nice lesson i like it soooo much….........

YYShirleyYY

China

I’m a person who always chicken out。。。

sadafh

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

in my country most of the boys on the first days of their date plan for getting married with their girlfrind but over a period of time they chicken out and forget about all their plans.it is not because they are afraid of getting rejected by the girl it is just because of their irresponsibility and their weakness of taking resposibility

jerryjeff

United States

I chickened out on many occasions before, but If I were to propose to a girl I’d of be nervous but I wouldn’t chicken out all the way through, i’d eventually man up and ask her, and expect a “yes” from her otherwise no tips for the waiter, hehe! ;-)

ancsy

Hungary

Never. :D

*asma*

Algeria

yeeeeaaaah sometimes i have planned to do sth then chickened out :(

i love life

Palestinian Territory, Occupied

we have always many of nice time which we can spend together i would like to say about this topics if we have a lot from ideas about what we can do in the specific time we cant know i think there are a lot from special occassion a wonderful in our lives specially when we have a real love a real thing

i think should to any one do every thing best in his life in order to of the pleasure some times i envy all people over the world woh dont exploited all nice times why we suffer from a difficulties if we can changed to forward why we cant do what we like if we can havent money this is not a big problem i guess all thing depend on the desire to the life if you have a big desire you will be happy for me i would like to do something do express about my life my status