Have you ever felt so excited, or angry, or scared, that
you couldn’t recognize yourself? Have you ever been so emotional that you behaved
like a different person? To be beside oneself is to act in a way that is not
normal for you. It’s used with all kinds of emotions, from feeling anxious to
feeling sad.
A mother
might be beside herself with worry if her young son doesn’t come home when
she’s asked him to return. A high school student might be beside himself with
excitement as he waits to hear from universities and colleges. A little girl
could be beside herself with sorrow when her pet dog dies. Being beside oneself
means having strong feelings about something.
Both
Jessica and Rafael are beside themselves, but for different reasons. What do
you think is happening? Read today’s English lesson to find out!
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Dialogue
Brian:
So, how do you like working at StarScoop.com?
Jessica:
I love it. I was beside myself when I found out I’d gotten the job.
Brian: Good. And how are things in terms of working with Gary?
Jessica: It’s been fine. Nothing to worry about. It’s
all water under the
bridge between us.
Brian:
Cool. Who’s looking over your yoga studio while you’re here?
Jessica: Rafael. I promoted him to
office manager. And he’s teaching all of the classes, too. He’s very capable.
Brian:
But you miss teaching yoga, don’t you?
Jessica:
Yes and no. The more I think about it, the more I feel like I’m ready to move
on from the world of yoga.
Brian:
Really?
Jessica:
Yeah.
Brian:
Why’s that?
Jessica: Working here has reminded me
how much I’ve always wanted to be in journalism. And it also helps that Rafael
is so good at what he does.
Brian: I’m sure. He seems like a dependable guy.
Jessica: Yes. And I hinted to him that I
might want to sell the yoga business to him, and he was beside himself with
excitement. And it’s all thanks to you.
Brian:
To me?
Jessica:
Of course. If you hadn’t gotten me this opportunity to work here, I wouldn’t be
thinking about selling my yoga studio to Rafael.
Brian: I
am pretty awesome that way.
Jessica:
You are pretty awesome. By the way, I think it’s about time that you tell Lily
that you like her.
Brian:
You do?
Jessica:
Yes.
Brian:
But what if she doesn’t like me back?
Jessica: I get the feeling that she
likes you, too. But one of you has to make the first move.
Brian:
True. OK. OK, OK. I’ll do it.
Jessica:
OK.
Brian:
Will you help me?
Jessica:
Of course! You know what? You should write her a poem.
Brian: A
poem.
Jessica:
Yes.
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Discussion
Brian is
interested in how Jessica feels about her new position at StarScoop.com.
Jessica absolutely loves it, and she thanks Brian for giving her the chance to
go after her dream job.
Jessica
also tells Brian that because of him, Rafael may have a dream come true as
well. She’s thinking about selling her yoga business to Rafael, and she would
never have thought about it if she hadn’t gotten the job at StarScoop.com.
Brian is clearly pleased with himself and jokes with Jessica about how awesome
he is.
Jessica also takes this opportunity to encourage Brian
to tell Lily how he feels. She thinks that Lily likes Brian, too, and someone
has to make the first
move. Jessica offers to help Brian and
suggests that he write a poem for Lily.
Do you
think that Jessica should sell her yoga business to Rafael? Should Brian tell
Lily that he likes her? Why or why not?
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Grammar Point
Tag Questions
Brian
asks Jessica, “But you miss teaching yoga, don’t
you?” He uses atag question.
Tag questions are two word tags added to
the end of a statement to make a question. Tag
questions give the other person a chance to reply to something that
has been said. Although we can use different words to make tag questions, they all mean the same thing:
“Do you agree?” or “Am I right?”
We can
make tag questions with both
positive and negative statements. Positive statements will always have negative
question tags, and negative statements will always have positive question tags.
To make
a tag for a positive statement, use the
negative form of the first auxiliary verb + subject (or its
pronoun), as in, “Jane has already seen the movie, hasn’t she?” or, “You are studying tonight, aren’t you?” Brian first makes a positive
statement, so his tag question is negative.
To make
a tag for a negative statement, use the
positive form of the auxiliary verb + subject (or pronoun), as in,
“We didn’t eat very much, did we?”
or, “He isn’t interested, is he?”
For
sentences that do not have auxiliary verbs, use
do, does or did. Like other tag questions, make a negative tag for a
positive sentence and make a positive tag for a negative sentence. For example,
“They don’t have a car, do they?”
or, “I forgot my lunch again, didn’t I?”
Tag
questions can be used in past, present, or future tense, so it’s important
to match the tense of the tag question to
the tense of the original statement. For example, “We didn’t get very
far, did we?” or, “They will be
there, won’t they?”
Which is
correct, “You didn’t buy the car, did you?” or, “You didn’t buy the car, didn’t
you?”
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Vocab
dependable
adj.
Definition
able
to be trusted to do something, able to be relied upon
Example
Laurie’s
dad is very dependable. He picks her up from school every day, no matter what!
----------------
hint
v.
Definition
suggest
something indirectly; share small pieces of information about something
Example
Our
dad keeps hinting that he wants us to come home for Christmas. I wish he would
just ask!
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get the feeling expr.
Definition
feel
that something is true or is going to happen without any definite reason to
believe it
Example
I get
the feeling that my mom got me the bike I’ve been wanting. She keeps smiling
like she has good news!
-------------------
make the first move expr.
Definition
show
interest in something or someone, usually in a romantic way
Example
I wish
Jim would make the first move. He still hasn’t kissed me.
--------------------
recognize
v.
Definition
see
something and know that one has already seen it
Example
Don’t
you recognize me? We met last week!
----------------------
in terms of expr.
Definition
as far
as; relating to; for
Example
This
project is easy in terms of research, but the writing is hard.
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water under the bridge expr.
Definition
something
that is no longer an issue or problem
Example
My
brother was mean to me when we were kids, but that’s all water under the
bridge. We get along great now.
I
apologized to Ruth for laughing at her, but she said it was water under the
bridge. I’m so relieved she’s not angry with me.
Kenny
and I had a horrible breakup, but that’s water under the bridge. We’re good
friends now.
-----------------
promote
v.
Definition
give a
person a position with more responsibility and pay within a business
Example
My
boss usually promotes someone every six months. Next time it’s going to be me!
--------------------
encourage
v.
Definition
inspire
someone to do something
Example
I
encourage him to play the guitar and he’s getting better every day.
--------------------
reminded
v.
Definition
made
one think of [something]
Example
That
man reminded me of my father.
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