Learn English meaning of idiom 'in the dark'

Intro

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

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• advertise
• online
• post
• habits

• in the dark
• advisor
• registrar
• all in the same boat

• messy
• roommate

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

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It’s happened to all of us. One minute you’re eating dinner or doing your homework, and the next minute the lights have gone out! Sometimes it’s the weather, and sometimes it’s just a problem with the power company.

If it’s late at night, not having lights makes things very difficult. Trying to find your way around a dark house might be OK if it’s your house, but what if you’re at a friend’s house? Or in a completely different place? It would be confusing, a little scary, and very frustrating. It’s hard to know what to do when you can’t see everything around you.

People say that they’re in the dark when they don’t know much about a subject or situation. If your friend is throwing a party, but you don’t know where or when it’s happening, you’d feel in the dark. Or if you’ve missed a week of classes because you were sick, you might feel in the dark about what your teacher is talking about when you return to school.

Marni wants to take classes at the university, but she feels in the dark about how to make it happen. Learn more in today’s English lesson!

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.

Brian

Marni

Kellie

Brian:  So, how did it go at the university?

Marni:  I think it went OK. I’m still feeling kind of in the dark, but I am meeting with an advisor, so…

Brian:  That’s a really good idea.

Marni:  Hey, Kellie!

Kellie:  Hey, Marni!

Marni:  Kellie, this is Brian. Brian, this is Kellie.

Brian:  Nice to meet you.

Kellie:  Nice to meet you.

Marni:  I work in the same office with Brian, and I met Kellie at the registrar’s office today.

Brian:  You’re a student, too.

Kellie:  I am. I’m kind of in the same boat as Marni. I’m ready to go back to school, but I’m still not sure what I want to study.

Marni:  Hey, are you still looking for an apartment?

Kellie:  And a roommate. Why do you ask?

Brian:  Oh, we know the perfect place. My girlfriend, Lily, just moved to Paris, and they haven’t rented out her apartment yet.

Marni:  It really is a great place.

Kellie:  I would love to see it. There’s only one problem. I don’t know the first thing about getting a roommate.

Brian:  Oh, easy… just advertise online.

Kellie:  What do you mean?

Marni:  Just write something about the kind of person you are, and then post it on the internet.

Kellie:  Wanted: Handsome musician who can cook and clean.

Brian:  Maybe more about your habits, like if you like to stay up late, if you like to have parties, if you’re messy… that kind of stuff. Then your new roommate won’t be in the dark about the kind of person you are.

Kellie:  I could do that. Could I email it to you first, to make sure it sounds good?

Marni:  Of course. Here, let me give you my email address, and we could even get together for lunch and discuss it.

Kellie:  That sounds fun. Great. Well, I’ll write soon.

Brian:  See you later.

Kellie:  Bye!

Grammar Point

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Lesson MP3

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