| Level | Topic | Speakers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intermediate | School | Man – Woman | 02:12 |
Pre-Listening Exercise
What are some common excuses that students come up with for missing class or not doing homework?
- Some school excuses should be accepted without any questions.
- Being tired is not a good excuse for missing class.
- Students often use fake excuses to avoid homework.
- Family emergencies should always be accepted as valid excuses.
- Teachers are too strict about student excuses.
- Technology problems (like a dead battery or no Wi-Fi) are real excuses.
- Forgetting to bring homework is worse than not doing it at all.
- Students should be allowed to make up work if they miss class.
- School rules about absences and excuses are fair.
- Mental health should be an acceptable reason to miss school.
Idioms
“paint yourself into a corner” = do something to put yourself into a difficult situation
“Okay. So, you didn’t study, you didn’t go to class, you didn’t take things seriously, and now the school isn’t going to continue your scholarship. It looks like you’ve really painted yourself into a corner.”
“weasel out of something” = get out of doing something
“He tried to weasel out of taking the class again by giving the teacher gifts, but it didn’t work.”
Listening Exercise
Listen to the recording and answer the questions. (See transcript)
Vocabulary and Sample Sentences
Here are some words and expressions that appear in the recording:
-
come on (idiom): used when you do not believe what someone is saying
– Come on! Tuition at that college isn’t that expensive, is it? -
make it (idiom): get somewhere on time
– Why didn’t you make it to class the other day? -
consequence (noun): something that happens as a result of a person’s actions or choices
– My roommate has to accept the consequences of his poor grades. -
blame shift (also, shift blame) (verb): transfer the responsibility of a mistake or problem from one person to another
– If you do poorly in school, don’t try to shift the blame to your roommates who play video games all night. You are responsible for your own progress. -
paint yourself into a corner (idiom): do something to put yourself into a difficult situation
– Okay. So, you didn’t study, you didn’t go to class, you didn’t take things seriously, and now the school isn’t going to continue your scholarship. It looks like you’ve really painted yourself into a corner. -
weasel out of something (idiom): get out of doing something
– He tried to weasel out of taking the class again by giving the teacher gifts, but it didn’t work.
Post-Listening Exercise
Talk about people you know that have used similar excuses as the student in the conversation. What are the underlying causes of making poor choices? What are the short-term and long-term consequences of such behavior?