Episode 09: Aaagghhh... my injured leg!

Episode 09: Aaagghhh... my injured leg!

Interview advice from poor Johnny the injured footballer.

Do the Preparation task first. Then listen to the audio. Next go to each Task and do the activity. If you need help, you can read the Transcript at any time.

Preparation

Transcript

Johnny: Oucchh!! Be careful!

Fadi: All right, all right...I’m trying..you’re heavy!

Harry: He’ll need his crutch...hang on...here you go...ok...can you sit down now?

Johnny: Yeah...I think so.

Olivia: Oh my goodness!! What has happened?

Sarah: Johnny! What have you done to your leg?

Johnny: Sporting injury. Sarah: Oh no! What happened?

Johnny: Well, we were playing football...me and the boys...

Harry/Fadi: We were...that’s right...

Johnny: And I was Sun Jihai, from Manchester City...

Harry: I was Drogba, from Chelsea...

Fadi: And I was David Beckham, of course...

Sarah: So you were playing football, and Johnny got injured?

Harry/Johnny/Fadi: Ermm...

Olivia: Did someone kick him?

Fadi: No... Sarah: Did he fall over?

Harry: Not exactly... Olivia: Well what happened then?

Fadi: It wasn’t really a sporting injury...

Sarah: Go on! Johnny: It was kind of a sporting injury...

Fadi: But we’d actually finished playing football...

Harry: And we decided to go to the pub for a drink...

Fadi: And as we were walking there...

Johnny: I slipped and fell over.

Olivia/Sarah: What???

Olivia: That’s ridiculous!

Sarah: That’s hilarious!

Johnny: Hmmpph. Thank you very much. Here comes Magda, at least she’ll give me some sympathy...hi Magda!

Magda: Hi Johnny...oh dear! What happened to your leg?

Johnny: Long story...don’t really want to talk about it...

Olivia: Really Magda, it’s better if you don’t know.

Sarah: Just don’t ask! We’ll tell you later...don’t worry!

Magda: Erm, ok then...sure..listen, Johnny, I was hoping you were going to give me some interview advice...do you remember? I have an important interview next week...

Johnny: Oh sure, yeah, I remember. Yes, good idea – I’ll give you some tips. It’ll help take my mind off this injury...So, interviews, well, first thing – make sure you dress smartly.

Magda: How do you mean “smartly”?

Johnny: Well, wear a suit...a grey one...

Magda: A woman’s suit?

Johnny: Yeah. You know the kind of thing, skirt and a jacket...

Magda: Ok...

Sarah: Erm, I’m not sure that’s always right, though...it depends on the company, surely.

Magda: How do you mean?

Sarah: Well, if you’re going to a company where everybody wears smart suits – like the kind of people Johnny works with – then, yeah, you should wear a suit. But if the company you’re applying to isn’t the kind of company where everyone wears suits all the time...

Olivia: Where people dress more casually...

Sarah: Exactly...you don’t want to look overdressed, too formal...

Magda: No, I guess not...

Olivia: You just need to look like you fit in!

Johnny: Yeah, that’s good advice. But you have to know first, and that’s the second thing I wanted to say – research the company! Find out as much about them as you can! Don’t let them ask all the questions...

Sarah: Yes, that’s right – they always give you a chance to ask a question, so ask an intelligent question!

Johnny: Just one or two questions are enough, no more than that.

Sarah: Yeah, to make you sound interested, and look interested...

Johnny: Precisely – look interested. Body language. It’s really important. Make sure you look the interviewers in the eyes....

Sarah: But don’t stare at them!

Magda: No.

Johnny: But show you’re confident, and you know what you’re talking about...

Magda: That’s the problem...I’m not sure that I do!

Johnny: Oh, and don’t be late for the interview! Plan to get there early.

Magda: So much advice, so much to think about...it’s making me more nervous, not less!

Olivia: Oh dear...

Sarah: Don’t worry, that’s the important thing. Relax and enjoy it! What’s that?

Olivia: Oh, I forgot to tell you all – my nephew Joe is here again today...

Fadi: I remember Joe...he’s the little boy who’s always…… exactly!

Olivia: Joe! Slow down please! Joe! Please be careful!

Magda: He’s so sweet...

Johnny: He’s sweet as long as he doesn’t come near my ... aaaagghhhh!!!! ... my injured leg!!
 

Task 1

Task 2

Task 3

Task 4

Language level

Average: 4.9 (10 votes)
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Submitted by dhiyaa on Sun, 17/09/2023 - 19:26

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poor Johnny because the nephew of Olivia is very energetic

Submitted by Iryna.h on Sun, 21/05/2023 - 19:42

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Hello everybody! I can`t understand this sentence: "I was hoping you were going to give me some interview advice". Which grammar construction is there? Why it isn`t : "i hope you are going to....\or you will give me..."
HELP ME PLEASE!

Hi Iryna.h,

Past forms (I was hoping = past continuous; You were going to = past form of "be going to") are used here to show that Magda had this hope in the past (i.e. before the present moment), and that Johnny also knew about the interview and apparently promised to give advice about it before the present moment as well. By focusing on the past, it has the effect of reminding Johnny about what he promised.

Your suggestions are also grammatically fine. But if you say "I hope you will / are going to ...", it does not say anything about any event before the present moment. Therefore, this does not have the effect of reminding Johnny. It simply gives him new information.

Does that make sense?

Jonathan

LearnEnglish team

Submitted by jmajo on Wed, 12/06/2019 - 15:32

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Thanks for the episode, it was really useful to learn new words and practise vocaulary.