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Meet Someone Halfway

Meet Someone Halfway English, baby! Video Lesson

Date: Jul 06 2010

Themes: Soap Opera, Work

Grammar: Modal Verbs

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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Have you ever had a friend who lives on the other side of town? Sometimes, it’s hard to get together to hang out. You don’t want to go all the way to their neighborhood and they don’t to go all the way to your neighborhood. So what do you do? You meet in the middle.

But you don’t have to go actually go out to meet someone halfway. Any time you compromise you meet someone halfway. Meeting someone halfway just means that each of you gives up a little of what you want so that you can agree on something and move forward.

Say you meet your friend from the other side of town to see a movie. She wants to see a scary movie and you want to see something romantic. So you meet halfway and see the new Twilight movie, since it’s a romance about vampires. Afterward, she wants to play a game and you want to get a drink. So you meet halfway and play pool at a bar.

Last week, Devan and Marni made up and became friends and business partners. Though their office is small, they’re having a hard time meeting halfway.

3. Watch - Watch the video without reading the dialog.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Marni

Devan

Devan

Jeff

Jeff

Marni:  You know, I have a lot of things that I really would like to have in the office. Things that I was accustomed to in my old job. So, I typed up a list here of all the things that I really want to have as part of, you know, my title and whatnot. So, if you want to take a look at that, but basically, I’ll just outline it for you. You know, every Friday we had a massage therapist come in and I just, for at least an hour, need to be on the table, totally relaxing.

Devan:  That is a ludicrous expense. Are you going to pay for that out of your own pocket?

Marni:  Well, I just think we should share that expense. You would really enjoy it. It really, really helps with the stress level. I really want the front parking spot. I don’t like to walk at all, so.

Devan:  What? No!

Marni:  And I noticed there’s one a few blocks down, I think that’s fine for you.

Devan:  I completely disagree. I need the front parking spot because I have one leg slightly shorter than the other. You know that.

Marni:  Please.

Devan:  But the thing I want to talk to you about is our roles as co-managers, what we are each going to be doing.

Marni:  Okay.

Devan:  And I was thinking that you could do marketing, sales, hiring, PR, human resources, and I’ll do the party planning.

Marni:  Excuse me?

Devan:  So we need an expense budget for, you know, two or three parties a week.

Marni:  Well, that seems to me like an extravagant expense. So this doesn’t really seem fair.

Devan:  Um, I…

Marni:  It seems to me that my responsibilities way outweigh yours.

Jeff:  Listen, I think you guys possibly need to meet each other halfway? Would you be into that? You know, splitting the responsibilities, you are co-presidents, so…

Marni:  I really want that front parking spot.

Devan:  I really want to be party planner.

Marni:  I guess I’m willing to give up a few things that I want in order to get some things that I want, so…

Jeff:  Excellent.

Marni:  You know, we can split that parking spot, as long as you’ll take some of those responsibilities.

Devan:  And I guess I could do marketing, as long as I can do party planning too.

Marni:  Fine with me!

Jeff:  That’s great! I like how you guys chose to meet halfway. Well done.

Marni:  Thank you.

 

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Marni and Devan have agreed to be co-presidents and run their company together. But they’re having a hard time agreeing on some things. Marni wants to have a massage therapist come to the office and Devan wants to have frequent office parties and spend all of her time planning them. And they both want the same parking space.

Luckily, Jeff is sitting in on the meeting and reminds Devan and Marni that they should try to meet each other halfway. Devan agrees to take on some work in addition to party planning. They’ll share the parking spot.

Have you ever met someone halfway? What did you have to give up?

 

Comments

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DarknessLight

Germany

It mostly happens when me and my friends are going to the cinema.We all have to agree on which movie we should see…I want a horror movie, they want an action movie, then we end up watching a movie about zombies…and everyone is satisfied. :)

08:05 PM Oct 19 2012 |

1 person likes this

ahmed1111

Jordan

hi


07:27 PM Sep 07 2011 |

jullieta86

Russian Federation

I always try to meet my husband halfway , but he doing it hardly to me(((((((thats the problem…..but with my best friend the situation is different -we are absolutely mutually meet each ather halfway!

10:59 AM Aug 16 2011 |

Marcelolic

Marcelolic

Brazil

Puts! this is a little complicated…Some controversial situations between a couple or friends is normal but it can be solved friendly 'cause when only one part give up your stuff it is bad…

12:22 AM Jul 28 2010 |

Baldim

Baldim

Brazil

Congratulations for this great lesson!! Its really fantastic and very important to improve our skills in English!!!

11:24 PM Jul 16 2010 |

somayeh81

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

yes I have and eventually i spend all my weekend with her plan

do you know why?

because i love her

12:17 PM Jul 12 2010 |

Grazyna Krauze

Poland

compromise give something up to make an agreement

02:23 PM Jul 11 2010 |

johnsten

johnsten

Chile

We can't live without meeting each other half way; basically; it is part of our lifes because we do it almost all the time either at home or at our workplaces. Once, I and my friend wanted to carry out a project, but he only wanted to take care of insignificant stuffs and leave me the hard work. Therefore, in order to solve that problem, we met each other halfway. I said that we would share our responsabilities fairly as project partners. 

02:17 PM Jul 11 2010 |

Crisasc

Crisasc

Portugal

yes, I had to give up some relaxing weekends, but I think it was good, because sometimes we have to make concessions.

01:15 PM Jul 09 2010 |

ebabywentao

China

Meet Someone Halfway

07:07 AM Jul 09 2010 |

rosendo

rosendo

Mexico

sometimes it is hard to meet someone halfway but this is the best way how we have to live

saludos.

04:42 AM Jul 09 2010 |

al-raheem

al-raheem

Kuwait

some times In our life we need to meet someone in halfway to avoid losing him or her 

11:32 PM Jul 08 2010 |

Ca_Brazil

Ca_Brazil

Brazil

yes, i met my boyfriend half way about the time we spend together, i mean we agreed about he wouldnt give up doing things he likes as sports, going out with his friends, and i wouldnt give up of a great opportunity i have as studies. so its been a while and we have a good relationship.

11:31 PM Jul 08 2010 |

Ozzalina

Ozzalina

Georgia

I not always can meet someone halfway, but I really try )

08:13 PM Jul 08 2010 |

rebel lee

rebel lee

China

Actually, we always meet somebody halfway.For example, you and your friends went out for dinner,you wanted to go to a fancy place,but your friends would rather to go to a cheaper place.Finally,you guys went to a nice and cheap place.And all other stuffs,you would and have to compromise with people arould you.

04:23 PM Jul 08 2010 |

kelly_abd

kelly_abd

China

sometimes you have to meet someone halfway

10:20 AM Jul 08 2010 |

julioces

julioces

Colombia

ok. I do that all the time with my wife. for example: i clean the room and she attends the  kids or while she cleans the house i buy groceries, etc. I think it´s fair.

10:16 PM Jul 07 2010 |

reeze

reeze

Uzbekistan

telling the truth that very a little hard to understand as there were many new words for me, but I really liked this lesson..

I have never met someone halfway, but I think I will do it soon as my boyfriend lives too far from me:) so compromise is the right way in our life if we don't want to lose smth which is very important for us..

07:29 AM Jul 07 2010 |

caandrade

caandradeSuper Member!

Ecuador

Seven years ago, I decided to get married but I used to live in a city that is 8 hours from where I live now. So, my husband and I met each other half way and I had to move where we live now; sometimes we need to make compromises in order to achieve our goals.

11:36 PM Jul 06 2010 |

Krencita

Chile

Four mounths ago I was living in Santiago with my boyfriend, but he started a new project 1 hour from the city and he needed to move there.  In order, to continue our relationship we decided to continue living together, although we had to meet each other half way to do so. Finally, I moved to the new place but the new expenses resulting from the change are not out of my own pocket. We decided to share expenses of transportation and all the outcoming expenses related to the change…

10:17 PM Jul 06 2010 |

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