by: Larissa

It is important to understand English slang in order to speak confidently and correctly. Below is a sample conversation between co-workers. Please read once and then read again out loud with the help of your teacher.

Lesson 1:
Conversation and Role Playing:
Read the dialogue

A: AB, what’s going on?
B: Not much, just taking it easy today. Work’s been killing me lately.
A: What do you say we head downtown and grab a coffee at the Starbucks near plaza 66?
B: I’ve had way too much caffeine lately. I wouldn’t mind grabbing something to eat though. Would you be up for that?
A: It’s a nice day today, so we could get something at Element Fresh near the Portman. They’ve got a patio so we could sit outside.
B: Sure, do you want to work out after?
A: I’ve already gone. Wasn’t great though. 6 out of 10 at best.
B: Just come with and do some cardio. I think you could afford to shed a few more pounds.
A: We’ll see. Let’s meet at Element at 2.
B: K, later.

Lesson 2:
Building the slang:
Read the following vocabulary words and their descriptions.

AB: Friends sometimes call people by their initials just for fun. My name is Andrew Best so friends of mine might call me AB.

What’s going on? A slang phrase meaning, “What are you doing now? Or what are your plans for the next while?”

Taking it easy: relaxing, not doing much.

Been killing me: A phrase meaning “causing you a lot of stress”. You can say, “My new job has been killing me.” Or you could say, “The summer has been so hot this year, it’s killing me.”

Grab a coffee: In casual conversation, we sometimes use the verb “grab” for food or drinks. “Let’s grab a coffee”, means, “let’s go somewhere and get a coffee”.

Way too much: In casual conversation, we sometimes use “way” instead of “far”. “Way too much”, means, “far too much”.

Caffeine: The drug found in coffee that gives people energy and keeps them awake.

Would you be up for that? A casual phrase meaning, “Do you want to do that”, or “Will you do that?”

Patio: A place to sit outside. Sometimes restaurants and pubs have patios where people can sit outside and eat on a nice day.

6 out of 10: Sometimes people rate things out of 10. 10 out of 10 is perfect. 0 out of 10 is the worst.

At best: Ranking something is subjective, which means that it is not always clear what the score out of 10 will be. If you say, 6 out of 10 at best, it means, 6 out of 10 or even lower than 6 out of 10.

Come with: A slang phrase that means, “come with me” or “come with us”.

You could afford to shed a few more pounds: Sometimes we say “shed a few pounds”, which means, “lose weight”.

We’ll see: It means, “I’m not sure yet”.

Element: In the dialogue, I said the restaurant’s name is Element Fresh. When both people know clearly what is being talked about, people sometimes use short forms.

K: Slang and short for “ok”.

Later: When hanging up the phone we sometimes say “later”. It’s slang and should be used only with friends.

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Finding Mr. or Mrs. Right, Dating

Everyone is looking for love, but finding a suitable mate can be difficult. Luckily, many people have friends who are willing to set them up on blind dates in hopes of making a successful match. Dating services are another option for those looking for Mr. or Mrs. Right, but many people are leery about letting a computer decides their personal relationships. There seems to be ongoing search for true romance, and the best way to meet your perfect love is a matter of preference.

The following are some sayings related to finding that man or woman of your dreams. Do you agree with them? Can you think of any others?

· There are many fish in the sea.
· Age and wedlock tame even the wildest man.
· Women: you can’t live with them, you can’t live without them.
· A good man is hard to find.
· The reason that husbands and wives do not understand each other is because they belong to different sexes.

Discussion:

1. Are you a good matchmaker? How many times have you set someone up on a date? Are any of the couples still together?
2. Are you a good judge of character? Is your first impression of someone usually correct? What do you look for?
3. How many blind dates have you been on? Talk about your best and worst?
4. In many Western countries, blind dates are fairly uncommon. Why do you think this is? How do people in Western countries usually find dates?
5. How do you feel when you meet someone for the first time?
6. Have you ever tried a computer dating service or matchmaking service? If so, what was it like? If not, would you be willing to try one?
7. Where is the best place to pick up guys or girls?
8. What do you think about sex before marriage?
9. How do you feel about “booking clubs” in Korea? Do people usually expect to find a girlfriend or boyfriend there, or are they just looking for some fun?
10. Do you think that people’s criteria for dating changes over time? Has your taste in guys/girls changed at all? What kind of person do you think you will be attracted to in 20 years?
11. What do women look for in a man? What do men look for in a woman? What are your priorities?
12. How can you tell if you have found the perfect partner? How long should people date before they decide to get married?

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Telling Lies and Being Honest

It is widely known that people who tell lies usually experience psychological strain, unease or agitation because of the worry that their lies may be detected. Other physiological reactions include excessive blinking, stammering, sweating, shaking, avoiding eye contact, shortness of breath, and changes in the tone of voice, to name only a few.

During his testimony to the grand jury regarding the sex scandal involving White House intern Monica Lewinsky, President Bill Clinton touched his nose an average of 26 times a minute. As with former President Clinton, sometimes when an individual is lying, he tends to exhibit nervous habits. Some experts watch for these signs to detect whether a person is being truthful or not.

A more scientific method for detecting whether a person is lying or not was developed in 1920. A polygraph, or ‘lie detector’ (as it is more commonly known), can detect changes in breathing patterns, pulse and blood pressure that typically indicate, with about 90 percent accuracy, that someone is nervous about something they are trying to conceal.

However, this machine is incapable of measuring physiological rates in persons who exhibit dietheses, a condition that enables a person to lie and show minimal physiological changes. To combat this problem, scientists are now perfecting a machine that measures electrical impulses in brain waves. Some people believe this new device may be capable of detecting even the most convincing liars, even those individuals who exhibit diatheses.

Comprehension:

1. How good are you at lying? Are you a convincing liar, or can people see right through you?
2. Can you usually tell that someone is lying?
3. When you lie do you exhibit any nervous reactions?
4. Do you agree with the expression, ‘honesty is always the best policy’? if not, when do you think it is better to lie?
5. Politicians are well-known for lying. Do you think that politics encourages lying and corruption?
6. Is it possible to go through life without ever telling a lie (even a ‘white lie’)? Would living in this way have a positive or negative effect on your relationships?
7. When you guessed correctly that your partner was lying, what gave him or her away?
8. When you were lying to your partner, did you find it difficult to keep a straight face?
9. Is it sometimes necessary to lie in order to save face?
10. Who do you think lies more often, men or women? What kind of lies do men tell? Do women tell?
11. Can you think of situation where it would be okay to lie?

Activity:

Typical Excuses

One very common occasion for lying is when people need to come up with excuses to explain their mistakes or irresponsibility. Give typical excuses for each of the types of people in the list below.

1. People who smoke
2. People who are late for school or work
3. People who are late for a date
4. Men and women who have love affairs
5. Husbands who beat their wives
6. People who have messy houses
7. Students who give up trying to learn English
8. Public officials who take bribes
9. Singles who want to stay single

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