| Level: | Topic: | Speakers: | Length: |
| intermediate | washing machine and dryer | man – woman | 01:15 |
Pre-Listening Exercise
What are some basic ideas or tips for washing and drying clothing without a problem? What temperature water do you use to clean white clothing and colors? Do you sometimes take your laundry to the dry cleaners?
Idioms
“clean out” = to remove things from something
“I’m going to clean out the washer before I put more clothes in. I think someone left paper in some clothing, and it caused a real mess.”
“wash/air your dirty laundry in public” = to talk about personal information in front of other people
“If you want to talk about this matter more, let’s do it at home. You shouldn’t air dirty laundry in public like this.”
“It’ll all come out in the wash” = everything will all be okay in the end
“I know you said some pretty bad things to your husband, but it’ll all come out in the wash. Just apologize for anything you have done, and everthing will be okay.
Listening Exercise
A. Listen to the recording and answer the questions.
What thing caused a mess in the dryer?
Woman: Someone ran a pen through the dryer, and now all of my clothes AND the dryer are a real mess.
What clothing did the woman have in the dryer?
Woman: Listen. I had two of my new shirts, a pair of shorts, and some running socks, and one of your work shirts.
Who does the man need to call?
Woman: Call your friends and tell them you're going to be late. And try using this hairspray. It'll help get the ink stains out of the dryer.
The man is going to get new clothes for his wife _____.
Man: Oohhh. Well, yeah, I guess it was my fault. Um, how about if I take you to buy some new clothes after I get back?
What happens at the end of the conversation?
Woman: Okay. I'd appreciate that, but please, be more careful next time. Man: Okay. Sorry. Woman: Love ya.
Vocabulary Practice
Do the vocabulary quizzes with the words from the conversation for more practice:
Post-Listening Exercise
What percentage of people use washers and dryers to clean clothes in your area in your home country? Does your family do this themselves, or do they have another person wash their clothes for them?
Online Investigation
Use the Internet to learn about laundry customs around the world.
- How has washing clothes changed over time in different parts of the world?
- Do people always use washers and dryers, or do they do their laundry by hand?
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