Daily English 100 - Making Unkind Comments

Complete Lesson

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Dialogue/Story

Slow Speed begins at: 0:56
Explanation begins at: 3:45
Normal Speed begins at: 18:12

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Yesterday, I was talking to an ex-colleague of mine who, frankly, has something of a big mouth. I bumped into him at the beach, where he was walking his dog. Anyway, as I was saying, he's the kind of guy who is always bad-mouthing his co-workers. So he came up to me and said, "Hey, Jeff. Long time, no see. What've you been up to?" "Ah, not much," I said. "Well, guess who I saw yesterday? John Robeson, the guy from accounting at Firth Industries. You remember him, the guy with big ears and and an ego to match." “It takes one to know one,” I thought, but I kept it to myself. "Oh, really? How interesting," I replied.

"Yeah, well, I hate to talk behind someone's back, but ever since he and I had that falling out last year, I've never really cared for the guy." "How come?" I asked. "Well, he's a bit of a backstabber, always trying to outdo the other guy." "I know what you mean," I said. I knew at this point it was time to make my exit. Otherwise, this guy would go on about John Robeson for the next 10 minutes.

"What time do you have?" I asked him. "It's a quarter after five." "Geez, already? Man, I've got to hit the road. I'm supposed to meet my brother at the pier in a few minutes. But, hey, it was sure good to see you again. You take care!" With that, I made my exit. I've got better things to do than to listen to him gripe all day.

Category: Daily Life | Relationships + Family