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Happy Hour

Learn about Gerunds and Infinitives

Date: Aug 29 2012

Themes: Food

Grammar: Gerunds vs. Infinitives

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Intro

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Five o’clock might be the happiest hour of the day. It’s when most people are done working. At five, you can finally leave your office behind and head home. But it might make you even happier if, instead of going home, you stopped for a drink and a snack with friends.

That’s the idea behind happy hour. Most happy hours begin right after people get off work and end just before dinner. Bars and restaurants offer specials on drinks and small plates during this time. It’s a way for the bars and restaurants to get more customers, and for the customers to get a little more happiness in their lives. Hear Jason and Amy talk about going out for happy hour.

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.

Amy

Jason

Amy: It’s 5 o’clock. Happy hour!

Jason: Oh yeah, is there a good one around here?

Amy: Yeah, there’s a lot. I really like to go to happy hours where there’s food and drinks.

Jason: Yeah.

Amy: And sometimes you can even make a meal of it.

Jason: Yeah, just order a couple of appetizers. It’s a meal.

Amy: Right.

Jason: Sometimes it’s a little early for me to start drinking, though, you know? People are inviting me to happy hour and I’m like, I’m just not ready to have alcohol right now.

Amy: It’s true. I really love it when happy hours go to like 7. Because then you can have a drink and it’s actually around dinner time.

Jason: You know what I’ll use happy hours for, though, is to go to places I can’t go to normally.

Amy: Yes. They might not have the full menu available at happy hour, but they’ll have a few things, and sometimes they’re really delicious and way cheaper.

Jason: Yeah, and, I mean, bar drinks are overpriced anyway. I feel like going to happy hour is almost like getting something on sale.

Amy: Right. I do love to get a deal.

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Discussion

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Amy tells Jason it is 5 o’clock, which means that it is happy hour. Happy hour is when many restaurants and bars offer cheaper food and drinks. Amy wants to go out for happy hour.

Amy likes it when there are food specials during happy hour, not just drink specials. Sometimes a few appetizers are enough for her dinner. But she prefers happy hours that go a bit later because otherwise it is too early for dinner. Jason thinks that sometimes happy hour is too early to start drinking, too.

Jason likes it when expensive restaurants offer happy hour specials. Then he gets to try food at places he wouldn’t normally be able to afford. He and Amy agree that it’s fun to get food and drinks on sale.

Is happy hour popular in your country? Do you like going out to happy hour?

Comments

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oumag

Morocco

in morocco we don’t have Happy Hour

hobo

China

Not happy in every hour, but happy in more than one hour

silah

Indonesia

I am trying to built up my habits by happy hours all the time….

Masbarar

Turkey

Unfortunately there is no happy hour in my country.At 5 o’clock we drink coffee at the office and I like it.Sometimes we go somewhere after work,but the restaurants,bars don’t need to make happy hours to call customers.Because there is always movements.

It could be nice to have happy hours,but I know in Istanbul everybody will exagerate it.20 millions people and mostly like to eat,drink.

marija luiza

Mexico

No, it isn’t. Here in my country things are difficult. But, when I go to USA things are absoluty different, and I really enjoy to be a happy hours at hotels. You can drink wherever you want, eat everything and wow everything is so nice. After that go to the swimming pool. Love it.

i love life

Palestinian Territory, Occupied

I’m lack to this happy hour , I need to happy hour , sometimes my life is good sometimes my life isn’t good , but generally our lives has became more worse because of the occupation procedures , we are suffering from this terrible conditions living sine a long time , when I decided visit somewhere I feel a big sorrow in myself , because Really without any courtesy we lack to the Normal life like others people .

Here everything is different yesterday I tried to go out for Happy hour , some Isreal soldiers beating me and arrested me for a long time , they want to arrested me because I asked the soldier what I did .

How you can feel an comfortable during your life as the same time you lack the safety , I can ask everyone over the world Have you ever been exposed to the insult or hurt from anyone .

I hate this world because of the injustice , I can’t forget what happened with me yesterday .

Unfortunately we are talking about the humanity and the human rights , where is the human rights where is the quality between each others .

Julihno

Finland

In finalnd we don’t have really happy hour but some people goes out with friends after work to bar or terrace but we have sauna’s evening then you can get drink. That’s all

Serenahan

China

I think happy hour would be very wonderfull . But we don’t have happy hour in my country ,and we are working at 5 o’clock. So i can’t imagine what would happen if we have the happy hour in my country.

Anyway i still like the time can make people happy.

melillo

Brazil

It’s very commom in beaches cities in Brazil. Thanks to the good weather and also beautiful people around!

bellaboo2422

Pakistan

yep i have enjoyed happy hour in my country. different food chains offer it with snaks apitizeres and different drinks. its a great fun to have some deals after your job or specially after late classes of college. students can enjoy low prices with friends. happy hour is a feast actully;).

raisacorrea

Brazil

Yes, it’s pretty common!

People in metropolitan use to do happy hour more often than in small cities, but it’s common anywhere here.

I like happy hours, it’s a time to know better ur co-works and to aproach them.

During happy hours u can forget ur bad day, the stress, get later at home and break the routine.

m/d

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

unfortunatly we dont have this custom in our country but i like to have.its so enjoyable not only for sales discount but also because every body is permissive & feels tranquility.in my idea its just as an excuse to remember that we should enjoy our life &even we work to achieve happines.so we can put special happy hour for our family ourselves to do what we like & be free of difficulties &bussiness.

sato012

Japan

We don’t have a habit like a happy hour, and I have never heard of the word before.

Many Japanese continue to work after 5 o’clock, so how it would be great if we had a happy hour custom!

Englishty

Egypt

It’s a fantistic idea helps the owners of restaurants and bars to gain more customers and of course make the customers happier and satisfied to get cheap food, i mean who doesn’t?

Charlesdarwin

Philippines

My friend and I like to go to the fast food chain during happy hour where we can avail a lot of discounted stuffs.

Victoriaa

France

Unfortunately I haven’t seen such concept here in France, though it’s quite popular to go have a drink or as it called here “apéritif”.

khaethe

Philippines

i super love barhoppin with friends that’s our happy hour

Jullieta

Russian Federation

We also don`t have happy hour, and this is a very sad thing. But I think any of us can make his own happy hour, to cook some food or appetizers and to invite his friends! isn`t it a happy hour?