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Fool Around
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Fool Around English, baby! Video Lesson
乱搞

Learn the First Conditional

Date: Aug 21 2012

Themes: Soap Opera

Grammar: First Conditional

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

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

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“Fool around” is a slang phrase with both innocent and R-rated meanings.

Most of the time, fool around means to play or have fun. A teacher might ask the students to stop fooling around and making so much noise in the back of the classroom. If you fool around with your car, it means you tinker with the engine. You’re not working very hard. You might fix something and you might not. It doesn’t matter because you’re just fooling around anyway.

Be careful using this phrase though, because fooling around can also mean making out or being physical and romantic with another person. Find out which meaning of the phrase applies to Dale and Vanessa.

“乱搞”是一个既有普通含义也有限制级含义的俚语。

很多时候,乱搞表示玩或是做些有趣的事。老师会要求学生停止在教室后边乱搞并制造很多噪音。如果你捣鼓你的汽车,表示你在修理发动机。但你并没有认真工作。可能是在修理一些东西,也可能不是。没什么大不了,因为你只是胡乱捣鼓而已。

但是使用这个词的时候要注意,因为它还会表示红杏出墙,或与其他人有身体上的接触。找出这个词用在黛尔和瓦内萨身上的意思。

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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.

Devan

Devan

Dale

Dale

Vanessa

Vanessa

Devan:  Whoa. What is going on here?

Dale:  Nothing, boss, nothing. Nothing at all.

Vanessa:  Yeah, we were just fooling around.

Devan:  Fooling around behind Mason’s back? Dale, are you and Mason’s girlfriend…

Dale:  What? No. We’re just friends. You know, we’re just fooling around, like telling jokes, being silly, what friends do. We’re just friends.

Devan:  Vanessa, is this true?

Vanessa:  Yeah. We’re just fooling around.

Devan:  OK. But sometimes “fooling around” can mean, you know, doing things that are not appropriate with someone else’s girlfriend.

Dale:  True, true. But there’s nothing inappropriate going on here. Nothing at all.

Devan:  So I can tell Mason about this, then?

Dale:  Well, um. Let me think about that, um…

Devan:  Right. Vanessa, will you excuse us for just a moment? Thanks. Now, you listen to me. Mason is a good guy, and he loved Ella for so long and she didn’t love him back, and now he’s finally met a girl who’s actually hot, and she seems to like him, and if you mess this up for him, well, I’ll fire you. Do you understand?

Dale:  Yes, I got it. I promise. I promise.

Devan:  Anything I find out that happens between you two, even if you look at her weird, I am not fooling around, I will fire you.

Dale:  I understand. I understand.

Devan:  Alright, well, glad we had this talk.

 

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Discussion

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Dale and Vanessa are hanging out and laughing in the hallway. Devan discovers them and asks what they are doing. They say they’re just fooling around.

When they say they are fooling around, they mean they are just having fun and being silly. But it appears to Devan that what they’re doing might not be so innocent.

She asks to speak to Dale one-on-one and tells him that Vanessa is Mason’s girlfriend and if he does anything to hurt Mason, he’ll be in trouble.

What do you think is going on between Dale and Vanessa? Do you like to fool around or are you a serious person?

 

Comments

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Sami Aswad

Sami Aswad

Iraq

It is obvious they were doing good things :P I think mason’s GF stabbed him in the back in this situation , I’ mostly a serious person but time to time I would like to fool around with my friends but in appropriate way ;)

10:45 PM Aug 21 2012 |

marija luiza

Mexico

Well, to be honest, They are just having fun, speaking, and making jokes. However, after a while they will start a new relationship. Because, they have a lovely friendship. Well, it depens on the context. Normally or the most of the time, I’m a serius person, but sometimes is fun to say or to make silly things to laught for a moment. 

09:14 PM Aug 21 2012 |

1 person likes this

ana.p94231

ana.p94231

India

I think, it depends on the situation and the context where we are using this phrase, because it changes meaning, so we should use this very carefully. In this case, I agree with Devan because, if I were on her situation, then I might do the same like her. Because it seemed that they were not just fooling around. And sometimes, result of such behaviour could create problems. However, fooling around is good, we all should, it changes our mood and make us happy. As I said, it depends on the situation.


I don’t like all time serious people and I am also not a serious person. I like to enjoy my life with fun and fooling around…:)


Ana.   

02:42 PM Aug 21 2012 |

8312016

8312016

Switzerland

i like Fooling Around i think we must do anything we like. although some persons have territory or private enviorment that led to have distance. its depended on his or her character and culuter and many other things. at the end enjoy yor life our time is a littel.


happy ur life


 

02:31 PM Aug 21 2012 |

Lesya2102

Lesya2102

Czech Republic

i like when in my company have guys ) We can joking, walking , driving a car,playing sports and many other thing . We often fool around together but anytime i keep a distance between us , because i know if do not do it our friendship will be something else …i do not want it , because i love everyone, but only as friends

02:18 PM Aug 21 2012 |

Englishty

Englishty

Egypt

I think if Vanessa treats all her friends the same way as Dale so there’s nothing going on between them and the only excuse is she’s funny and loves fooling around and having fun but if she considers Dale a special person for her and loves to talk and kids just with him so she may have feeling for Dale and she has to break up with her BF. Am i a serious person or love to fool around? i think lately i became the person that loves joy and having fun without too much drama and i love to surround myself with things make me more happier Laughing

01:34 PM Aug 21 2012 |

dream-iou

dream-iou

China

Two people,a man and a woman should treat the emotion sincerely.But there are also have truly friendship in the opposite sex

01:12 PM Aug 21 2012 |

solang

solang

Jordan

fooling around with limits.. just for playing and jokes

12:49 PM Aug 21 2012 |

darnessa

darnessa

Poland

Sometimes I like to fool around. But usually I am a serious person. :)

11:57 AM Aug 21 2012 |

Victor wu

China

spend time with friends

11:29 AM Aug 21 2012 |

saeedshin

saeedshin

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

We have some meaning in this case


1)To  Waste time behaving in a sillyway


2)To behave in a way which is careless and not responsible


3)To spend time doing somthing that you enjoy but does not have a particular purpose


4) and intimacy

09:52 AM Aug 21 2012 |

blue-sonnet

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

i don’t like “fooling around” i always prefer committed and serious relationships.

09:23 AM Aug 21 2012 |

nourelyakine

Algeria

I love to fool around ,but I prefer to do that at  respectaful methodEmbarassed

07:31 AM Aug 21 2012 |

Irene Forever

Ukraine

I am a serious person, but I love jokes. Fooling around is not for me. Very often people pay a high price for doing it with others.


Everything has its limit. Doing something, think if you won’t do any harm to others, especially in the matter of friendship or love.

06:24 AM Aug 21 2012 |

kotlesya

kotlesya

Belarus

“Fool around” is an innocent phrase at first sight but actually it is a dangerous idiom to use ( for me anyway) because of its double and quite opposite meanings 


I better keep myself away of this phrase though I like it ;)


The video of today’s kesson is amusing. Well done, guys!! ( storm of applauses).


Devan came in the room  out of blue  like a severe judge. Lady in black! Looks so funny! :D


Poor Dale and Vanessa. Devan’s lecture caught them off guard though they were just fooling around in its innocent meaning.


I don’t think they were fooling around in another meaning ;) Dale is not that sort of guy.


Vanessa just keeps the initiative on her side and Dale like a polite gentlemen does not want let her playful mood down. 


Dale does not mind to fool around with Vanessa like colleagues or friends and no more than that. 


It would be not fair to fire Dale – he is a decent guy. :)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Usually I’m a serious person. I would say my seriousness goes over the top and it even irritates me sometimes. 


It does not mean serious people don’t like to fool around in innocent sense :) I do like to do it, especially with my kids. It is impossible to stop us when we fool around. We make lots of noise, laught, runnings and playful fights. :)

ola33

ola33

Japan

I love fooling around but I always carefully scrutinize a person to pull his/her leg or not :). As very often, the joke is not a joke for another one when for you it’s funny. I try to make jokes that  will make a person happy and leave him with a positive mood. As there’s a proverb, “Every joke has a grain of truth” ;)  and if I see that something went wrong, I right away, say quickly, “Just kiddin’, hahahaha” Well, it’s better for me to look foolish rather than a person a joke is played on ;) I also noticed that for  people with different cultures, it takes different time for the joke to sink in and when the joke got landed, a person looks at you and says, “So…?” That’s awkward but there’s always a way out – to laugh together out of nothing or just give a Cheshire smile or to… chuckle :)). The last one is a very interesting word for me I’ve came across recently. Usually I smile broadly or just serious but not chuckling… oops,  just kidding :))) 

04:51 AM Aug 21 2012 |

taitran

taitran

Viet Nam

Maybe, I will try to use “fool around” when I meet someone. But I don’t know what they think about me?

03:53 AM Aug 21 2012 |

Summer0113

Summer0113

China

Generally i don’t like fool around,i am a serious person to others.so there is not many people daring doing this with me.


and in this dialogue,i think there is something between Dale and Vanessa bcs they fool around in the wrong place. it is office.

03:12 AM Aug 21 2012 |

1 person likes this

Ngubo Sixtus

South Africa

dale and vanessa, looked like there is some between them but they are hidding it.  i do not like to fool around because i would not like that someone i relay on being worried . i do like this subject.

02:39 AM Aug 21 2012 |

La Princesse de la vie

Egypt

Um, everytime I make sure more that Vanessa doesn’t like Mason.. I think that that anxiety and confusion looked on Dale and Vanessa’s faces when Devan saw them hide something… We will wait until we be one hundred per cent sure, and actions will prove the truth..


Poor Mason!.. I think he will turn to Amanda due to the shock he will have later.. 


For me, when it requires seriousness then I do my best, but if it’s not necessary to quicken and work hard, it’s Ok.. I can then fool around ( I mean the innocent fooling around )...... But actually, I mostly like to accomplish my duties freshly to be done as fast as I can..




07:19 PM Aug 20 2012 |

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