Duplex

Intro

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

• American Dream
• bright future
• tenant
• laid-back

• blissful
• deteriorate
• nightmare
• hilarious

• blew me away
• hilarious
• couple
• duplex

• money pit
• previews
• in the same vein
• give it a shot

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

In the new movie Duplex (2003), Alex (Ben Stiller) and Nancy (Drew Barrymore) are living the American Dream. They are a young, happy couple in New York City with bright futures ahead of them. But one thing is missing: a home of their own. When they find one they like, it comes with one feature they didn’t expect – an upstairs tenant, Mrs. Connelly, who isn’t quite as easy-going as Alex and Nancy originally anticipated. As their blissful life begins to deteriorate, their dream home rapidly turns into a nightmare.  
Listen in to Beth and Miguel’s recent conversation to learn more about Duplex.

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.

Miguel

Beth

Miguel:  Hey Beth, I remember you telling me about a movie that you said was really hilarious. What, do you remember what that was?

Beth:  Yeah, it was Duplex. It was a film with Drew Barrymore and Ben Stiller. It was so funny. I had, uh, very… I didn’t really know anything about the movie and it just blew me away. It was so funny.

Miguel:  So, why? What’s so funny about it? Is it the story or the characters or what?

Beth:  Definitely the characters and some of the scenes were hysterical, where everything sort of goes wrong, but then just when you think it can’t get any worse, something even bigger happens that just makes you laugh so hard.

Miguel:  That sounds good. So, are, uh, Drew Barrymoore and Ben Stiller, like, a couple in the movie?

Beth:  Yeah. They’re a couple and they buy a duplex and it turns out to be sort of a money pit and they keep having all these problems with the home and the – there’s a woman who lives in it. So, it’s just really great.

Miguel:  So I’m getting the message that I should see this movie.

Beth:  You definitely should see that movie.

Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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