Flying

Intro

Do you like flying? It is amazing to be able to travel so fast and visit faraway places. There is nothing like sitting in a comfortable seat and looking out the window at beautiful clouds. Maybe, you enjoy taking off and seeing all the buildings grow smaller and smaller. Maybe, you like to hear the voice of the pilot over the speakers.

On the other hand, maybe, you do not like flying. Many people are afraid of flying. They think airplanes are dangerous. They think it is not natural for people to be up in the sky. However, many people still have to fly for work or to visit family. They have to come to terms with their fear and board an airplane. Maybe, once they are up in the air, they will feel like it is not so scary after all.

Romeo and Gary are talking about flying. Find out what they think in this English lesson.

Dialogue

Romeo: Are you still going to go to Denver?

Gary:  Yeah, my job sends me all over the place. I have to fly everywhere.

Romeo:  Oh, no. I couldn’t do that. I cannot fly. I am deathly afraid of flying.

Gary:  Really? You could come to terms with it. You could actually join me. I have a companion ticket.

Romeo:  Uh, no. I’m good. The whole landing, the taking off, the being someplace where you’re not supposed to be… I mean, men weren’t made to fly. If we were made to fly, we would have had wings.

Gary:  Yeah. I don’t know. I guess I really like the idea of getting somewhere so quickly and flying so high.

Romeo:  Yeah.

Gary:  You know, the leg room... I’m not a fan of feeling cramped in these seats.

Romeo:  Right.

Gary:  I wish I could buy a business seat when I fly, but I don’t know, it’s really exciting to just fly all over the country and see so many places.

Romeo:  Yeah, that’s what they made cars for.

Gary:  So, I can’t get you to come with me this time.

Romeo:  If you were willing to drive, we could do that. We could make a road trip out of it. But I’m not about to fly.

Gary:  Huh. I’ll think about that.

Discussion

Gary has to fly all over the place for his job. He likes being up high among the clouds. He likes getting from place to place quickly. He invites Romeo to go on a flight to Denver with him. He has a companion ticket, so Romeo would be able to join him for free.

Romeo does not like flying. He is scared of being in an airplane. He thinks that people are not meant to be up so high in the sky. Taking off and landing are stressful for him. He tells Gary that they can travel together but only if they go in a car. Gary says he will think about going on a road trip with Romeo.

Do you like to fly? Where do you want to go in an airplane?

Grammar Point

Second Conditional

Romeo tells Gary he will only travel with him if they go in a car. He says, “If you were willing to drive, we could do that.” He uses the second conditional.

We use the second conditional (also sometimes called the “present unreal conditional”) to talk about a situation that is not real or is unlikely to happenand what might happen as a result.

For example, I might say, “If I had a million dollars, I would go on a trip around the world.” I don’t have a million dollars. That situation is unreal. But if I did have a million dollars, an around-the-world trip might happen.

The second conditional is formed with two clauses. The first clause consists ofif + subject + past tense verb, as in “If I loved him…” The second clause is formed with “subject + would + verb, as in ”...I would marry him.” All together, the sentence looks like this: “If I loved him, I would marry him.”

Note that you can also use should, could, or might instead of would with the second conditional. For example, Romeo says, “we could do that” rather than “we would do that.”

Which is correct, “If I told you, you would be surprised,” or, “If I would tell you, you would be surprised”?

                                                                                    

Vocab

pilot n.

Definition

person who flies a plane

Example

My dad is a pilot, so he does a lot of traveling.

come to terms with expr.

Definition

accept something as it is

Example

It was hard coming to terms with my father’s death.

deathly adv.

Definition

extremely, in a way that is bad

Example

He is deathly afraid of dogs.

companion ticket n.

Definition

free or discounted ticket for a person traveling with one

Example

My airline gave me a companion ticket for my husband.

road trip expr.

Definition

traveling by car, usually a long distance, where the travel is part of the fun

Example

The wind in your hair, music on the radio, the road stretched out in front of you—Road trips give you an incredible sense of freedom.

land v.

Definition

hit the ground

Example

I always get nervous when the plane is landing.

leg room n.

Definition

space for one’s legs when one is sitting

Example

Jessica drives a tiny sports car that has no leg room in the back seat.

cramped adj.

Definition

not much space; tight; small

Example

There were seven of us in the car yesterday. It was so cramped!

seat n.

Definition

place to sit, as in an airplane, car, or train

Example

My seat on the train was really uncomfortable.

take off v.

Definition

leave the ground in order to fly (as a plane or bird)

Example

The airplane had an easy take off. I slept right through it.