check this out: listen to this

I have no idea: I do not know

you’ve gotta be kidding:

you cannot be serious

pullin’ my leg: making a joke by lying to someone and pretending the lie is true

far-fetched: unbelievable

due east: exactly east of someplace

epicenter: the middle of an earthquake

all of a sudden: right away with no warning

Joe: Hey, check this out. Y’know what Eric asked me when I got into work this

morning?

Kristin: I have no idea, what’d he ask you?

Joe: He asked me if I felt the earthquake last night.

Kristin: Earthquake? You’ve gotta be kidding, I didn’t feel an earthquake.

Joe: I know, that’s what I said. He told me it actually woke him up last night.

Y’know…

Kristin: What?

Joe: …yeah, it was like, it went, it happened at like, uh, 4:42 in the morning. So we must’ve been sleeping. But I mean, it’s possible that, y’know, even if we had been awake we might not have felt it because, y’know, maybe it, uh, wasn’t felt, y’know, this far north. But, uh, I, I mean I thought he was pullin’ my leg when he first talked about it.

Kristin: Well, I guess it’s not so far-fetched considering we live on a major fault line here.

Joe: Yeah, but actually I think this earthquake was, uh, on a different fault line, um, because, y’know, Eric lives, uh, just, uh, south of San Jose…

Kristin: Yeah.

Joe: …and, uh, the earthquake he said was due east of San Jose, so he was obviously a lot closer to the epicenter than we were. So, I d-, I’m not even sure it was felt here.

Kristin: Yeah, that makes sense. Well, y’know, I’ve experienced quite a few earthquakes in the past several years but I’ve been living here a little over two years, I’ve, I think I’ve only experienced one here. It was really strange, too, I was, um, each, I should say each earthquake has been a completely different experience. But the one I, the one I felt here, I was standing outside a restaurant talking to AJ and another friend and all of a sudden it just felt like, this shift. It’s really hard to explain, but it made me think of, like, a cartoon, like how, in the cartoon, like buildings might just shift to the right and then shift right back.

Joe: Yeah, without falling.

Kristin: Yeah, without falling. And I, I had no idea what was going on for a few minutes afterwards. And then I realized, oh that must have been an earthquake.

Joe: Yeah, you know what I usually notice, the times that I’ve been at home, here…

Kristin: Yeah.

Joe: …and, uh, there’s been an earthquake? It’s almost as if there’s this really big train, or like a gigantic Mack truck going by. And, uh, suddenly I start to hear the heater shaking. And, um, it’s like, the noise is like, uh, is loud for like a second and then it’s gone, so…

Kristin: That’s so…

Joe: …it’s really weird, y’know, it’s almost like the first couple’a times I felt it, I wasn’t even aware it was an earthquake while it was happening.

aftershock: an earthquake that happens right after another earthquake

it dawned on me: I remembered; I realized

totally: definitely

a while: a long time

it’s a given: there is no doubt

Kristin: Well, that’s so funny you say that because one that I experienced in Bangkok, it actually was after the tsunami and so later I found out that it was, it was, um, aftershock from the tsunami. But anyway, I was in a building up on the ninth floor and suddenly, uh, there was all this rattling. And I’m thinking to myself, it, it just, it, it was so irrational. I’m thinking to myself, god, there’s like a train going by and I can’t believe that this building is shaking so much from the train [laugh]. It… And of course a train wouldn’t have made a building, or at least me up on the ninth floor, feel something to that effect. And I think it happened about two times. And it… That one wasn’t until several days later when I was talking to people and they were like, “Oh didja feel the earthquake?”. Then it dawned on me, oh, that was an earthquake. It was…

Joe: Yeah, I know. It’s, uh, it’s crazy how when you’re not used to feeling them you can think it’s something else.

Kristin: Yeah, yeah totally.

Joe: I mean, I’ve been livin’ here for a while now and I’ve definitely felt my share of earthquakes. I mean, y’know, when you live here it’s a given that you’re gonna experience earthquakes. You just hope that you’re not gonna be here for the big one,

y’know…

Kristin: [laugh] Yeah, right.

perspective: what someone thinks about something

World Series: the championship games in American baseball

taking place: happening

cut out: no longer was able to be seen

rundown: information

weed through: to look or dig through

I’ll tell you what: that is for sure

a dime a dozen: very common

surreal: unreal

Joe: When I first moved here, it was, uh, about five years after the Loma Prieta earthquake, which was a very big earthquake here. And, um, there are a lot of people who lived here who I met who had actually been living in the area when the earthquake hit. So it was interesting to get their perspective…

Kristin: Oh.

Joe: …and, uh, it also like made me remember where I was when I heard about the Loma Prieta earthquake. I was watching the World Series on TV. And, uh, y’know, it was, uh, taking place in San Francisco. So, uh, as I’m watching it suddenly the announcer starts, uh, uh, saying, “Wow, I think we’re feeling an earthquake here.”. And the cameras started shaking. And, uh, all of a sudden the TV coverage cut out. So, uh, y’know, I wanted to get a rundown on what happened. So I turned to the news station and, uh, within a few minutes they were discussing this gigantic

earthquake that had hit San Francisco. And they started showing pictures, uh, maybe thirty minutes later, of these people who were, uh, trying to weed through the rubble of these buildings that had been, like, coming down. So, I mean, it was…

Kristin: Oh, wow.

Joe: …it was pretty scary, I’ll tell you what…

Kristin: Yeah.

Joe: …y’know.

Kristin: Yeah, well, um, you know the three months I was living in Japan I experienced two. Both of those were very different, uh, very different from the one I’d experienced here and also very different from the one in Bangkok. But one of ‘em, I was actually up in my apartment, which was on the fifth floor of a building. And I was woken up at about 5 o’clock in the morning to the building swaying. And because, uh, earthquakes are like a dime a dozen in Japan, they, they’ve built a lot of their buildings to absorb the shock. So that’s why it was swaying, it was really, it was a very surreal feel.

Hello, welcome to the mini-story lesson for the conversation titled “Earthquakes.”  Let’s get started with the

story.

* * * * *

Luke lives in San Francisco.

Luke can eat fifty eggs in one hour.  Luke told his friend George.  George thought this seemed far-fetched.  He thought that Luke was pulling his leg.

“You’ve gotta be kidding,” he said to Luke.

So Luke bet George $100 that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Luke ate fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes then all of a sudden the ground started to shake.  There was an earthquake due east of San Francisco.  Luke was not surprised because earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco.

“When you live in San Francisco, it’s a given that you will feel an earthquake,” said Luke.

“Totally,” said George.

Then Luke ate the rest of the eggs in twenty-two minutes so George had to give him $100.

* * * * *

Okay, so that’s our story.  Now I will start at the beginning of the story and as I read the story I will ask questions and as always, please answer the questions out loud.  If you need a little more time then you can pause your iPod or your mp3 player and take as much time as you need to answer the questions.  Of course, if you just feel like listening to the questions and not answering them, that’s fine as well.

Okay, so here we go.

* * * * *

Luke lives in San Francisco.

Does Luke live in San Francisco?

Yes, he does.  Luke lives in San Francisco.

Who lives in San Francisco?

Luke.  Luke lives in San Francisco.

Does Larry or Luke live in San Francisco? Luke does.  Luke lives in San Francisco. Does Larry live in San Francisco?

No, Larry doesn’t live in San Francisco.

Where does Luke live?

San Francisco.  Luke lives in San Francisco. Does Luke live in New York or San Francisco? San Francisco.  He lives in San Francisco. Does Luke live in New York?

No, Luke doesn’t live in New York.

Does Luke live in San Francisco?

Yes, yes, that’s correct.  Luke lives in San Francisco.

Luke can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Can Luke eat fifty eggs in one hour?

Yes, he can.  I mean that sounds like a lot of eggs but he can do it.  He can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

What can Luke do?

Well, he can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Can Luke eat fifty eggs in one hour or read a book in one week?

He can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Can Luke read a book in one week?

No, no, Luke’s not reading a book in one week.

Who can eat fifty eggs in one hour?

Luke.  Luke can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Can Luke’s brother Stanley eat fifty eggs in one hour?

No, no, Stanley.

Can Luke eat fifty eggs in one hour?

Yes, he can.  Luke can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

What can Luke eat in one hour?  Can he eat fifty eggs or two pieces of bread?

Fifty eggs, he can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

How many eggs can Luke eat in one hour?

Well, he can eat fifty.  He can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Can he eat fifty or sixty eggs in one hour?

Fifty, he can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

How much time does it take Luke to eat fifty eggs?

Well, it takes him one hour.  He can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Can Luke eat fifty eggs in one hour or ten minutes?

One hour.  He can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Can Luke eat fifty eggs in one hour?

Yes, he can.  Luke can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Luke told his friend George.

Did Luke tell his friend George?

He certainly did.  Luke told his friend George.

What did Luke do?

That’s right, he told his friend George.

Did Luke eat some eggs or tell his friend George?

He told his friend George.

Who told his friend George?  Did Luke’s brother Stanley tell George?

No, it wasn’t Stanley.

Did Luke tell George?

Yes, he did.  Luke told George.

Who did Luke tell?  Did he tell his mother?

No, he didn’t tell his mother.

Did he tell George?

Yes, yes, that’s correct.  He told George.

What did Luke tell George?  Did he tell him the score of the football game?

No, that’s not what he told him.

Did he tell him that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour?

He certainly did, that’s what he told him.

Did Luke tell George that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour?

Yes, he did.  That’s what he told his friend George.

George thought this seemed far-fetched.

Did George think this seemed far-fetched?

Yes, he did.  George thought this seemed far-fetched.

What did George think?  Did he think that it was going to rain?

No, George didn’t think that it was going to rain.

Did he think that it seemed far-fetched?

Yes, yes, he did.  He thought it seemed far-fetched.

Did he think that it seemed believable?

No, he didn’t think that it seemed believable.  Far-fetched does not mean believable.

Did he think that it seemed unbelievable?

Yes, yes, he did.  George thought that this seemed far-fetched, which is the same thing as saying that he thought that it seemed unbelievable.

What did George think was far-fetched?  Did he think that Luke being able to eat fifty eggs in one hour was far-fetched?

Yes, yes, that’s correct.  That’s what he thought was far-fetched or unbelievable.

Did George think that Luke could eat fifty eggs in one hour?

No, he didn’t.  He thought that it seemed far-fetched or unbelievable.

Who thought that it seemed far-fetched?  Did Luke think that it seemed far-fetched?

No, Luke didn’t think that it seemed far-fetched.

Did George think that it seemed far-fetched?

Yes, yes, he did.  George thought this seemed far-fetched.

Did George think that it seemed unbelievable?

Yes, he did.  He thought it seemed far-fetched or he thought it seemed unbelievable.  Far-fetched means unbelievable.

He thought that Luke was pulling his leg,

Did he think that Luke was pulling his leg?

Yes, he did.  He thought that Luke was pulling his leg.

What did he think Luke was doing?

Pulling his leg, he thought that Luke was pulling his leg.

Did he think that Luke was pulling his leg or biting his hand?

Pulling his leg, he thought that Luke was pulling his leg.

Did he think that Luke was pulling his leg?

Yes, he did.  He thought that Luke was pulling his leg.

Did he think that Luke was making a joke by lying to him and pretending that the lie was true?

Yes, yes, he did.  When someone is said to be pulling your leg, that person is making a joke by lying to you and pretending that the lie was true.  So that’s what he thought Luke was doing.

Who thought that Luke was pulling his leg?  Did George or Leo think that Luke was pulling his leg?

George.  George thought that Luke was pulling his leg.

Did George think that Luke was pulling his leg?

Yes, he did, he thought that Luke was pulling his leg.

Who did he think was pulling his leg?  Did he think that Luke’s mother was pulling his leg?

No, he didn’t think Luke’s mother was doing it.

Did he think that Luke was pulling his leg?

Yes, Luke, he thought Luke was pulling his leg.

Did George think that Luke was making a joke by lying to him and pretending that the lie was true?

Yes, he did.  He thought that Luke was making a joke by lying to him and pretending that the lie was true, which is the same as saying he thought that Luke was pulling his leg.

“You’ve gotta be kidding,” he said to Luke.

Did he tell Luke that he’s gotta be kidding?

Yes, yes, that’s exactly what he said.  He said to Luke “You’ve gotta be kidding.”

Did he tell Luke that he cannot be serious?

Yes, yes, he did.  He said, “You’ve gotta be kidding,” which is the same thing as saying you cannot be serious.

Who told Luke he’s gotta be kidding?  Did Stanley tell him?

No, it wasn’t Stanley.

Did George tell Luke he’s gotta be kidding?

Yes, that’s correct.  George told Luke he’s gotta be kidding.

Did George tell Luke that he cannot be serious?

Yes, he did.  Remember you’ve got to be kidding is the same thing as saying you can’t be serious.

Why does George think that Luke has gotta be kidding?

Well, he does not think that George can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Does George think that Luke can eat fifty eggs in one hour?

No, no, he doesn’t.  He said to him “You’ve gotta be kidding,” which means he did not think that what Luke said was true.  And Luke had told him that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour.  And then that’s when George said, “You’ve gotta be kidding.”

So Luke bet George $100 that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Did Luke bet George $100 that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour?

Yes, he did.  Luke bet George $100 that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Okay, so what did Luke do?

Well, he bet George $100 that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Who bet George $100?  Did Luke or Stanley bet George?

Luke did.  Luke bet George.

Did Stanley bet George?

No, Stanley didn’t bet George.

Did Luke bet George?

Yes, he did.  Luke bet George, he bet him $100.

How much money did Luke bet George?

One hundred dollars, he bet him $100.

Did Luke bet George $500?

No, he didn’t bet him that much money.

Did Luke bet George $100?

Yes, that’s correct.  He bet him $100.

Who did Luke bet?  Did Luke bet George or Stanley?

Well, he bet George.  He made a $100 bet with George.

What did Luke bet George?  Did he bet him that he can bake a cake?

No, he didn’t bet him that he can bake a cake.

Did Luke bet him that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour?

Yes, he did.  That’s what he bet him.  He bet him that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

How many eggs does Luke have to eat to win the bet?  Does he have to eat fifty eggs or one hundred eggs?

Fifty eggs, he has to eat fifty eggs in order to win the bet.

How much time does Luke have to eat the fifty eggs?  Does he have one hour or one day to eat the eggs?

Well, he has one hour to eat the eggs.

If Luke eats twenty eggs in one hour, does he win the bet?

No, he doesn’t.  He has to eat fifty eggs in one hour in order to win the bet.

If Luke eats twenty eggs in one hour, does George win the bet?

Yes, he does.  If Luke eats twenty eggs in one hour, that means that Luke loses the bet and George wins the bet.

Luke ate fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes

Did Luke eat fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes?

Yes, he did.  He ate fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes.

What did Luke do in the first ten minutes?

Well, he ate fifteen eggs.

Did Luke eat ten pieces of bread or fifteen eggs?

Fifteen eggs, he ate fifteen eggs. Did Luke eat ten pieces of bread? No, he didn’t eat any bread.

Did Luke eat fifteen eggs?

Yes, he did.  He ate fifteen eggs.

Who ate fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes?

Luke did.  Luke ate fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes.

Did George or Luke eat fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes?

Luke did.  Luke ate fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes. Did Will Smith eat fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes? No, it wasn’t Will Smith.

Did Luke eat fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes?

Yes, that’s correct.  Luke ate fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes.

How much time did it take Luke to eat fifteen eggs?  Did it take him thirty minutes?

No, it didn’t take him that long.

Did it take Luke ten minutes to eat fifteen eggs?

Yes, that’s correct.  It took him ten minutes.  Luke ate fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes.

then all of a sudden the ground started to shake.

Did the ground start to shake all of a sudden?

Yes, yes, it did.  All of a sudden the ground started to shake.

What happened?

Well, the ground started to shake all of a sudden. Did the ground start to shake or a tree start to fall? The ground started to shake.

Did a tree start to fall?

No, a tree didn’t start to fall.

Did the ground start to shake all of a sudden?

Yes, that’s correct.  The ground started to shake all of a sudden.

Did the ground start to shake right away?

Well, yes, it did, because it started to shake all of a sudden.

Did the ground start to shake without any warning?

Yes, yes, it did.  It started to shake all of a sudden, which is the same as saying it started to shake right away and without any warning.

Did the ground start to shake all of a sudden?

Yes, yes, it did.  All of a sudden the ground started to shake.

There was an earthquake due east of San Francisco.

Was there an earthquake due east of San Francisco?

Yes, there was.  There was an earthquake due east of San Francisco.

What was there?  Was there an earthquake or a rainstorm?

An earthquake, there was an earthquake.

Where was the earthquake?

Due east of San Francisco, the earthquake was due east of San Francisco.

Was the earthquake east of San Francisco?

Well, yes, yes, it was.  It was due east of San Francisco which is the same thing as saying it was east of San Francisco.

Was there an earthquake due east of San Francisco?

Yes, there was.  There was an earthquake due east of San Francisco.

Luke was not surprised

So was Luke surprised?

No, he wasn’t.  He was not surprised.

Who was not surprised?  Was Will Smith not surprised?

No, we’re not talking about Will Smith here.

Was Luke not surprised?

Yes, that’s correct.  Luke was not surprised.

What was Luke not surprised about?  Was he not surprised that gas prices increased?

No, that’s not it.

Was he not surprised that there was an earthquake?

Yes, that’s correct.  He was not surprised.  He was not surprised that there was an earthquake.

because earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco.

Are earthquakes a dime a dozen in San Francisco?

Yes, they are.  Earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco.

Okay, so what are a dime a dozen in San Francisco?  Are red cars or earthquakes a dime a dozen in San Francisco?

Earthquakes are.  Earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco.

Are red cars a dime a dozen in San Francisco?

No, not red cars.

Are earthquakes a dime a dozen in San Francisco?

Yes, they are.  Earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco.

Are earthquakes very common in San Francisco?

Yes, that’s correct.  Earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco, which is the same thing as saying earthquakes are very common in San Francisco.  A dime a dozen means very common.

Why was Luke not surprised?  Was he not surprised because earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco?

Yes, yes, that’s true.  He was not surprised because earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco.

Was Luke not surprised because earthquakes are very common in San Francisco?

Yes, that’s true, that’s why.  Luke knew that earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco so he wasn’t

surprised when he felt an earthquake, because he knows earthquakes are a dime a dozen or that earthquakes are very common in San Francisco.

“When you live in San Francisco, it’s a given that you will feel an earthquake,” said Luke.

Is it a given that you will feel an earthquake when you live in San Francisco?

Yes, it is, that’s what Luke has said.

Is it doubtful that you will feel an earthquake when you live in San Francisco?

No, it’s not doubtful, it’s a given and when something is a given that means that there is no doubt about it.

Is there any doubt that you will feel an earthquake when you live in San Francisco?

No, there isn’t.  There is no doubt, it’s a given.  It’s a given means that there is no doubt.

Is it a given that you will feel an earthquake if you live in New York?

No, not New York, we’re talking about San Francisco.

Is it a given that you will feel an earthquake if you live in San Francisco?

Yes, that’s correct.  It’s a given that you will feel an earthquake when you live in San Francisco.

What is a given when you live in San Francisco?  Is seeing a red car or feeling an earthquake a given when you live in San Francisco?

Well, feeling an earthquake is.  It’s a given that you will feel an earthquake when you live in San Francisco.

Does Luke believe that you will feel an earthquake if you live in San Francisco?

Yes, he does.  He said it’s a given that you will feel an earthquake.

Does Luke have any doubt that you will feel an earthquake when you live in San Francisco?

No, he has no doubt.  He says it’s a given that you will feel an earthquake.

“Totally,” said George.

Does George think that what Luke said is true?

Yes, yes, he does.  George said, “Totally,” which means definitely, so he was agreeing with what Luke said.

Does George agree with what Luke said?

Yes, he did.  He said, “Totally,” which means definitely, I definitely think what you said is true is what he meant.

Does George think that it is a given that you will feel an earthquake when you live in San Francisco?

Yes, yes, he did.  He definitely agrees with Luke and Luke said that it’s a given that you will feel an earthquake when you live in San Francisco so that means George also thinks that.

Then Luke ate the rest of the eggs in twenty-two minutes

Did Luke eat the rest of the eggs in twenty-two minutes?

Yes, he did, that’s what he did.  Luke ate the rest of the eggs in twenty-two minutes.

So what did Luke do?

He ate the rest of the eggs in twenty-two minutes.

Did Luke eat the rest of the eggs or watch the football game?

He ate the rest of the eggs.

Did Luke watch the football game?

No, he didn’t watch the football game.

Did Luke eat the rest of the eggs?

He certainly did.  He ate the rest of the eggs.

Who ate the rest of the eggs?

Luke did.  Luke ate the rest of the eggs.

Did George eat the rest of the eggs?

No, George didn’t eat the rest of the eggs?

How much time did it take Luke to eat the rest of the eggs?

Twenty-two minutes.  Luke ate the rest of the eggs in twenty-two minutes.

Did it take him fifteen minutes or twenty-two minutes?

Twenty-two minutes.  It took him twenty-two minutes to eat the rest of the eggs.

so George had to give him $100.

Did George have to give him $100?

He certainly did.  George had to give him $100.

What did George have to do?

Well, he had to give him $100.

Did George have to eat fifty eggs or give him $100?

Give him $100.  He had to give him $100. Who did George have to give $100 to? Luke, he had to give $100 to Luke.

Did George have to give $100 to Bill Clinton or Luke?

Luke, he had to give $100 to Luke.

Did Luke have to give $100 to George?

No, he didn’t have to give him $100.  George had to give Luke $100.

How much money did George have to give to him?

One hundred dollars, he had to give him $100.

Did he have to give him $100 or $700?

One hundred dollars.

Why did George have to give him $100?

Well, he had to give him $100 because Luke ate all fifty of the eggs in less than one hour.

Did George lose the bet?

Yes, yes, he did.  George lost the bet because Luke ate all fifty of the eggs in less than one hour.

Did Luke win the bet?

Yes, he did.  Luke won the bet because he ate all fifty eggs in less than one hour.

* * * * *

Okay, that brings us to the end of our story which means we have come to the end of the mini-story lesson for the conversation “Earthquakes.”  Now it’s your turn to tell the story by yourself.  Remember you do not have

to memorize every word in the story but you should use the idioms that we went over.  The idioms that we used were “far-fetched,” “pulling his leg,” “you’ve got to be kidding,” “all of a sudden,” “due east,” “a dime a dozen,” “it’s a given,” and “totally.”  Okay, so now tell the story on your own and remember, if you need to listen to this lesson more times, you can do that.

Okay, thanks a lot and we’ll see you next time.

            Hello and welcome to the point of view stories for “Earthquakes”.  I'm going to tell the same story from the “Earthquakes” mini-story lesson in a number of different ways.  Each time I tell the story I’ll change the time in which the story is being told or I will change the person who is telling the story.  So we’ll hear it from a different point of view.  Let’s start by telling the story as if it is happening right now, or as we say, in the present.  Okay.

* * * * *

Luke lives in San Francisco.

Luke can eat fifty eggs in one hour.  Luke tells his friend George.  George thinks this seems far-fetched.  He thinks that Luke is pulling his leg.

“You’ve gotta be kidding,” he says to Luke.

So Luke bets George $100 that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Luke eats fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes then all of a sudden the ground starts to shake.  There is an earthquake due east of San Francisco.  Luke is not surprised because earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco.

“When you live in San Francisco, it’s a given that you will feel an earthquake,” Luke says.

“Totally,” George says.

Then Luke eats the rest of the eggs in twenty-two minutes so George has to give him $100.

* * * * *

Okay, so that ends the story being told as if it is happening right now.  Next let’s hear the story as if it happened seven months ago.

* * * * *

Seven months ago Luke lived in San Francisco.

Luke could eat fifty eggs in one hour.  Luke told his friend George.  George thought this seemed far-fetched.  He thought that Luke was pulling his leg.

“You’ve gotta be kidding,” he said to Luke.  

So Luke bet George $100 that he could eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Luke ate fifteen eggs in the first fifteen minutes then all of a sudden the ground started to shake. There was an earthquake due east of San Francisco.  Luke was not surprised because earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco.

“When you live in San Francisco, it’s a given that you will feel an earthquake,” said Luke.

“Totally,” said George.

Then Luke ate the rest of the eggs in twenty-two minutes so George had to give him $100.

* * * * *

Okay, so that is the story as if it's happening in the past or it’s already happened.  Now let’s tell the story as if it is happening in the future.  So we think of the story happening, say, four years from now.  Okay, here we go.

* * * * *

In four years Luke’s going to be living in San Francisco.

Luke will be able to eat fifty eggs in one hour.  Luke’s gonna tell his friend George.  George’ll think this seems far-fetched.  He’ll think that Luke is pulling his leg.

“You’ve gotta be kidding,” he’ll say to Luke.

So Luke’s gonna bet George $100 that he’ll be able to eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Luke’s gonna eat fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes then all of a sudden the ground will start to shake.  There is going to be an earthquake due east of San Francisco.  Luke’ll not be surprised because earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco.

“When you live in San Francisco, it’s a given that you will feel an earthquake,” Luke will say.

“Totally,” George’ll say.

Then Luke will eat the rest of the eggs in twenty-two minutes so George’ll have to give him $100.   * * * * *

Okay so that’s the end of this version of the story, the version in which the story is in the future, where we talk about events that are going to happen or events that will happen.  Now, I’d like you to notice that instead of saying something like, “George will think.” we shorten it in normal conversation by saying, “George’ll think”. Basically we combine the words “George” and “will” into “George’ll.”  This is more like how we would say it using spoken English.  But, say, in a text book you would be more likely to say / to see “George will” instead of seeing “George’ll”.  You also probably noticed that when we convert the word “can” into the future we usually say “is able to”.  For example, “Luke can eat fifty eggs. “ is changed to, “Luke will be able to eat fifty eggs.“

Alright now let’s hear the story from Luke’s point of view.  So this is the story that’s gonna be told by Luke. Okay, here we go.

* * * * *

I used to live in San Francisco.

I could eat fifty eggs in one hour.  I told my friend George.  George thought that this seemed far-fetched.  He thought that I was pulling his leg.

“You’ve gotta be kidding,” he said to me.

So I bet George $100 that I could eat fifty eggs in one hour.

I ate fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes then all of a sudden the ground started to shake.  There was an earthquake due east of San Francisco.  I wasn’t surprised because earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco.

“When you live in San Francisco, it’s a given that you will feel an earthquake,” I said.

“Totally,” said George.

Then I ate the rest of the eggs in twenty-two minutes so George had to give me $100.

* * * * *

Okay, so that’s our last story.  Now, please listen to each version again and then after you listen to a version, try to tell the story to yourself.  If you can’t do it, it’s okay.  Just relax, go back, listen to it again and then make another attempt to tell yourself the story.  Remember, you can listen to this every day until you feel comfortable.  Okay, that’s all for our point of view stories for “Earthquakes”.  We’ll see ya next time.             Hi. Welcome to the vocabulary lesson for the conversation “Earthquakes.”  In this conversation Joe and I are talking about different earthquakes that we’ve both experienced.

So let’s start with the conversation.

* * * * *

Joe starts off by saying, “Hey...”

Now, hey….  This is just a filler word.  It really has no meaning here except for Joe trying to get my attention.

Joe goes on to say, “check this out.”

Check this out.  Check this out means listen to this.  Check this out.  An example of check this out would be: Scott said, “Check this out.  I got two free tickets to the Rolling Stones concert.”  Check this out.

And Joe goes on to say, “Y’know what Eric asked me when I got into work this morning?”

Y’know.  This is short for you know.  You won’t see this in written English but you will hear it in conversational English.  Y’know.

And then I say, “I have no idea, what’d he ask?”

I have no idea, or have no idea.  It means do not know.  I do not know.  For example:  I have no idea how I’m going to make time each day to exercise.  Have no idea.

And then Joe says, “He asked me if I felt the earthquake last night.”

Earthquake.  This is when the ground shakes from natural causes.

And then I say, “Earthquake?  You’ve gotta be kidding, I didn’t feel an earthquake.

You’ve gotta be kidding.  Now gotta is short for got to.  You’ve got to be kidding.  This is something else you’ll hear in conversational English but you won’t see it in written English.  You’ve gotta be kidding.  What this means is you cannot be serious.  You’ve gotta be kidding.  For example:  When I told my mother that I had won $2 million, she said, “You’ve gotta be kidding.”

And then Joe says, “I know, that’s what I said.  He told me it actually woke him up last night.”

Actually here is just really filler.  It has no meaning.  It’s not even needed in this sentence.  

And then Joe goes on to say, “Y’know...”  And then I say, “What?”  And Joe says, “yeah...”

Yeah is casual or informal for yes.

And Joe goes on to say, “it was like...”

Like is just filler here.  It also has no meaning.  It’s not even needed in this sentence.

And Joe says, “it went, it happened at like, uh...”

Uh.  This is filler as well.  It has no meaning.

And he goes on to say, “4:42 in the morning.  So we must’ve been sleeping. But I mean...”

I mean.  This is filler so it also has no meaning.  It’s not needed in this sentence.

And Joe goes on to say, “it’s possible that, y’know, even if we had been awake we might not have felt it because, y’know, maybe it, uh, wasn’t felt, y’know, this far north.  But, uh, I, I mean I thought he was pullin’ my leg when he first talked about it.”

Pullin’ my leg.  First of all, pullin’ is short for pulling.  So you won’t see pullin’ in written English but you would hear it more in conversational English.  Pullin’ my leg.  Now this means making a joke by lying to someone and pretending the lie is true.  Pullin’ my leg.  For example:  When Chris said that he won $200,000 in Las Vegas, I thought he was pullin’ my leg.  Pullin’ my leg.

And then I go on to say, “Well...”

Well is just filler.  It’s a filler word.  It doesn’t have any meaning.

And then I say, “I guess it’s not so far-fetched…”

Far-fetched.  This means unbelievable.  Far-fetched.  For example:  When Chris said that he won $200,000 in Las Vegas, I thought it sounded far-fetched.  Far-fetched.

And I go on to say, “considering…”

Considering meaning since.

“we live on a major fault line here.”  

Major fault line.  A fault line is an area where a lot of earthquakes happen.

Then Joe says, “Yeah, but actually I think this earthquake was, uh, on a different fault line, um, because, y’know, Eric lives, uh, just, uh, south of San Jose...”

Now when I say um, you’ll hear um in a lot of conversations.  But it’s not something that you would ever see in written English.  But you’ll hear um, uh, a lot in conversations.  San Jose.  This is a city south of San Francisco.

And then I go on to say, “Yeah.”  And then Joe says, “and, uh, the earthquake he said was due east of San Jose...”

Due east.  This is exactly east of someplace.  Due east.  For example:  Sacramento is a city that is due east of San Francisco.  Due east.

And Joe goes on to say, “so he was obviously…”

Or he was definitely.

“a lot closer to the epicenter than we were.”

Epicenter.  This is the middle of an earthquake.  Epicenter.  An example of epicenter would be:  The epicenter of the earthquake was Los Angeles.  So there was a lot of damage in that city.  Epicenter.

And Joe goes on to say, “So, I d-, I’m not even sure it was felt here.”  And I say, “Yeah, that makes sense.  Well, y’know, I’ve experienced quite a few earthquakes in the past several years but I’ve been living here a little over two years...”

Or a little more than two years.

And I say, “I’ve, I think I’ve only experienced one here.  It was really strange, too, I was, um, each, I should say each earthquake has been a completely different experience.  But the one I, the one I  felt here, I was standing outside a restaurant talking to AJ and another friend and all of a sudden it just felt like...”

All of a sudden.  This is right away with no warning.  All of a sudden.  For example:  I was driving my car when all of a sudden someone hit me.  It happened so fast.  All of a sudden.

So I say,"all of a sudden it just felt like this shift.”  

Or change.

“It’s really hard to explain, but it made me think of, like, a cartoon...”

A cartoon is just animation.

And I go on to say, “like how, in the cartoon, like buildings might just shift to the right and then shift right back.”  And Joe says, “Yeah, without falling.”  And I say, “Yeah, without falling.  And I, I had no idea what was going on for a few minutes afterwards.  And then I realized...”

Or I understood.

“oh that must have been an earthquake.”  And Joe says, “Yeah, you know what I usually notice...”

Or he’s saying what I normally see.

“the times that I’ve been at home, here...”  And I say, “Yeah.”  And Joe says, “and, uh, there’s been an earthquake.  It’s almost as if there’s this really big train, or like a gigantic Mack truck going by.”

Gigantic means very big or large.  And Mack truck…  This is just a kind of truck.

And Joe goes on to say, “And, uh, suddenly…”

Or right away.

“I start to hear the heater shaking.  And, um, it’s like, the noise is like, uh, is loud for like a second…”

A second is a short time.  60 seconds makes one minute so it’s a very short time.

And Joe says, “and then it’s gone, so...”  And then I say, “That’s so...”  And Joe says, “it’s really weird...”

Weird, or strange.

He goes on to say, “y’know, it’s almost like the first couple’a times I felt it...”

Couple’a.  This is short for couple of.  So you won’t see this in written English but you’ll hear it in conversational English.  Couple’a.  Couple meaning two.   So Joe’s saying, "the first couple’a times I felt it, I wasn’t even aware it was an earthquake while it was happening.”

So he’s saying, I wasn’t even aware.  I didn’t even know it was an earthquake while it was happening.

And then I say, “Well, that’s so funny…”

Now when I say that’s so funny, I’m not saying it’s really funny.  I’m saying this because something Joe said was the same experience that I had.  And that experience being not knowing there was an earthquake while it was happening.  He experienced that and I experienced it.  So I’m saying wow, that’s so funny.  Like that’s so funny we both experienced this.

And I go on to say, “that’s so funny you say that because one that I experienced in Bangkok, it actually was after the tsunami…”

And I’m talking about the tsunami that hit Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, southeast India in December 2004.

And I go on to say, “and so later I found out that it was...”

So.  Here this is a filler word.  It has no meaning.

And I say, “it was, um, aftershock from the tsunami.”

Aftershock.  This is an earthquake that happens right after another earthquake.  Aftershock.  An example of aftershock would be:  When I felt the aftershock of the earthquake, I ran outside.  Aftershock.

And I go on to say, “But anyway, I was in a building up on the ninth floor and suddenly, uh, there was all this rattling.”

Rattling is a kind of noise.

And I go on to say, “And I’m thinking to myself, it, it just, it, it was so irrational.”

Irrational.  I’m saying, it wasn’t clear.

And I go on to say, “I’m thinking to myself, god...”

God is just showing emotion like I don’t believe.  I don’t believe I’m hearing this.

And I say, “there’s like a train going by and I can’t believe that this building is shaking so much from   the train.”  And I laugh, “It...  And of course a train wouldn’t have made a building, or at least me up on the ninth floor, feel something to that effect.”

Or feel something that much.

And I go on to say, “And I think it happened about two times.  And it... That one wasn’t until several…”

Several or many.

“several days later when I was talking to people and they were like, oh didja feel the earthquake?”

Didja.  This is something you will hear in conversational English.  It’s short for did you.  You won’t see that in written English though.

And I go on to say, “Then it dawned on me, oh, that was an earthquake.  It was...”

It dawned on me.  This means I remembered or I realized.  It dawned on me.

And then Joe says, “Yeah, I know. It’s, uh, it’s crazy…”

Or he’s saying it’s unbelievable.

“how when you’re not used to feeling them you can think it’s something else.”  And I say, “Yeah, yeah totally.”

Totally here means definitely.  For example:  Sonia said that she totally felt the earthquake last night.  Totally.

And then Joe says, “I mean, I’ve been livin’ here for a while now…”

Livin’.  This is short for living.  Again, you won’t see livin’ in written English but you’ll hear it in conversational English.  So he says, I’ve been livin’ here for a while now.  A while means a long time.  A while.  An example of a while is:  I have been an English teacher for a while.  A while.

And Joe goes on to say, “and I’ve definitely felt my share of earthquakes.”

So he is saying I definitely felt a lot of earthquakes.

And Joe says, “I mean, y’know, when you live here it’s a given…”   It’s a given.  This means there is no doubt.  It’s a given.  For example, when you walk or live in downtown New York, it’s a given that you will hear a lot of noise.  It’s a given.

So he goes on to say, "it’s a given that you’re gonna experience earthquakes.” Gonna.  This is short for going to.  You’ll hear gonna in conversations but you won’t see it in written English. And then Joe goes on to say, “You just hope that you’re not gonna be here for the big one, y’know...” The big one.  What he’s talking about is, you hope that you’re not gonna be here, or around, for a really big earthquake that might hurt or kill a lot of people.

And then I laugh and say, “Yeah, right.”

So I’m saying, yeah, I know.  Or I’m just agreeing with Joe.

And Joe says, “When I first moved here, it was, uh, about five years after the Loma Prieta earthquake…”

Loma Prieta.  This is the name of a mountain, where this earthquake he’s talking about that happened five years before he moved to San Francisco…  The Loma Prieta mountain was at the epicenter or the middle of the earthquake.

So he says, "about five years after the Loma Prieta earthquake, which was a very big earthquake here.  And, um, there are a lot of people who lived here who I met who had actually been living in the area when the earthquake hit.”

Or when the earthquake happened.

“So it was interesting to get their perspective...”

Perspective.  What Joe is saying here is what someone thinks about something.  Perspective.  An example of perspective is:  I like to speak with my mother when I have a problem.  She always has a different perspective than me.  Perspective.

And then I say, “Oh.”

Oh, here is really just filler.  It has no meaning.  I didn’t even have to say that but I just say it.  Oh.

And then Joe says, “and, uh, it also like made me remember where I was when I heard about the   Loma Prieta earthquake.  I was watching the World Series on TV.”

World Series.  This is the championship games in American baseball.  World Series.  For example:  Joe really likes baseball.  One year he went to the World Series even though the tickets were expensive.  World Series.

And Joe goes on to say, “And, uh, y’know, it was, uh, taking place in San Francisco.”

Taking place.  This means happening.  Happening in San Francisco.  Taking place.  For example:  I remember the Winter Olympics taking place in Japan when I was younger.  Taking place.

And then Joe says, “So, uh, as I’m watching it suddenly the announcer starts, uh, uh, saying, ‘Wow...”

Announcer.  This is a person who talks throughout a sports game about what’s happening.  Wow.  This is just showing emotion such as, I don’t believe it.

And Joe goes on to say, “I think we’re feeling an earthquake here.’  And the cameras started shaking.”

The TV cameras.

And Joe goes on to say, “And, uh, all of a sudden the TV coverage…”

The TV coverage of the game.

“cut out.”

Now. cut out…  Here cut out means no longer was able to be seen.  The TV coverage of the game cut out.  It was no longer able to be seen.  For example:  The television station cut out during the big rain storm.  Cut out.

And then Joe says, “So, uh, y’know, I wanted to get a rundown on what happened.”

Rundown.  This is information.  He wanted to get information on what happened.  Rundown.  An example of rundown would be:  I called my mother to get a rundown on how my father was doing.  Rundown.

And Joe goes on to say, “So I turned to the news station…”

Or I changed to the news station.

“and, uh, within a few minutes…”  

Few meaning three or more. “they were discussing...” Discussing or talking. "they were discussing this gigantic earthquake that had hit San Francisco. And they started showing pictures, uh, maybe thirty minutes later, of these people who were, uh, trying to weed through the rubble of these buildings that had been, like, coming down.”

Weed through.  This means to look or dig through.  Weed through.  An example of weed through is:  I had to weed through a lot of papers when I did my yearly income taxes for the government.  Weed through. So he’s saying there were people trying to weed through the rubble of these buildings.  Rubble means parts.  The parts of these buildings that had been like coming down or falling down.

And Joe says, “so, I mean, it was...”  And I say, “Oh, wow.”  And Joe says, “it was pretty scary...”

Pretty means very here.

And Joe says, “I’ll tell you what...”

I’ll tell you what.  That means that is for sure.  I’ll tell you what.  An example of I’ll tell you what in this situation would be:  I’ll tell you what, I really enjoyed the Thai food we had today.  I’ll tell you what.

And I say, “Yeah.”  And Joe says, “y’know.”  And then I say, “Yeah, well, um, you know the three months I was living in Japan I experienced two.  Both of those were very different, uh, very different from the one I’d experienced here and also very different from the one in Bangkok.  But one of ‘em...”

‘Em is just short for them.  This is something that you’ll hear in conversational English but not see it in written English.

So I say, "But one of ‘em, I was actually up in my apartment which was on the fifth floor of a building. And I was woken up at about 5 o’clock in the morning to the building swaying.”

Swaying means moving from one side to the other side.

And I go on to say, “And because, uh, earthquakes are like a dime a dozen in Japan...”

A dime a dozen.  This means very common.  A dime a dozen.  An example of a dime a dozen would be:  I   remember when no one had a cell phone.  But today they are a dime a dozen.  A dime a dozen.

And then I say, “they, they’ve built a lot of their buildings to absorb the shock.”

So what I’m saying here...  To absorb the shock means the buildings take the shaking from an earthquake much easier.  They make their buildings to take the shaking from the earthquake easier.  Absorb the shock.

And then I say, “So that’s why it was swaying, it was really, it was a very surreal feel.”

Surreal.  This means unreal.  Surreal.  For example:  I looked at the sky and it was purple.  It looked surreal.

* * * * *

Okay, so that is the end of the conversation and this is the end of the vocabulary lesson for the conversation “Earthquakes.”  So if you need to, go back and listen to this until you have a basic understanding of the vocabulary.  And when you feel ready, go to the mini-story.

Alright, bye bye.  See you next time.