Audio script
All: Johnny! Welcome back! Great to see you again!
Johnny: It’s great to be back!
Olivia: Are you just back for a visit?
Johnny: No! I’m staying!
All: Hooray!
Fadi: Great news!
Johnny: Yeah – a position came up with my company back in London – I applied for it, and, well, here I am!
Olivia: How did it go in China?
Johnny: Great! It was really good to be back. I did really well in my job...
Magda: You always talk about your job!
Johnny: Hey! My career is important to me!
Sarah: Oh, I’m a bit jealous of you... I’d love to go back home to visit my family and friends. I haven’t been back for ages now...
Johnny: Yeah... you should go...
Olivia: So you’re back for good?
Johnny: For a year, at least... then we’ll see!
Harry: Oh, by the way – this is Bindyu – she’s my girlfriend...
Johnny: Nice to meet you! Well done, Harry...
Bindyu: Nice to meet you, too.
Fadi: We’ll have to start the football team again!
All: Hi Carlos!
Carlos: Oh, hi! Hi, Sarah!
Sarah: Hello!
Harry: Johnny – this is our new Brazilian friend, Carlos...
Johnny: Hi Carlos! You’re Brazilian? You must be good at football... join our team!
Carlos: Erm, well, actually, I’m afraid I’m no good at football...
Johnny: Well, you’ll fit in with our team, then!
Carlos: Eh?
Harry: Never mind, Carlos, it’s not important...
Johnny: So what’s been going on here while I’ve been away?
All: Er, well... hmmm...
Harry: Lots of stuff.
Johnny: Go on! I saw that banner in the window – what’s up? Why do you need to save the café?
Olivia: And my shop...
Harry: Well, did you see that building site just behind the café?
Johnny: Yes, I did actually – it looks like they’re building something big, looks interesting...
Olivia: Hmmm...
Harry: Yeah, luxury flats...
Olivia: The problem being...
Tony: ...they want to knock down the café!
Olivia: And my shop.
Johnny: Oh no...
Sarah: But don’t worry!
Johnny: Why not?
Harry: We got a campaign going – the banner in the window...
Bindyu: And I wrote an article in the local paper!
Sarah: We found they’re historic buildings – so it’s not legal to knock them down.
Johnny: Don’t worry anyhow - I’m rich enough now! I could buy the café, and your shop, Olivia, then do what I want...!
Harry: Seriously?
Johnny: Er, well, no, actually, probably not. Just joking, you know. But I will be rich enough in a couple of years...!
Harry: Yeah, right.
Carlos: Listen guys, that was what I came to talk to you about. At lunch today – I’m a caterer, Johnny, I make lunch for all the people who work on the building site next door...
Johnny: I see...
Carlos: ...well, there were two of the top managers there.
Olivia: Oh yeah?
Sarah: And?
Carlos: Well, I didn’t listen to them, exactly...
Sarah: Of course not!
Carlos: No, but... I heard what they were saying...
Olivia: And what were they saying?
Carlos: They were saying...
Tony: Oi! Johnny! Are you going to buy something? If you want to have a party go back to your house! I run a business here, you know...
Johnny: Oh sorry, Tony – yeah, could I have a coffee please?
Tony: That all?
Olivia: Tony! Please...Carlos is going to tell us something really important...
Tony: What?
Olivia: That’s what we’re going to find out...! Carlos... go on!
Carlos: The managers, they were saying, that they know these buildings – the café, and your shop – they know they’re historic buildings, and they know they can’t knock them down...
Magda: Yes... that’s what I found out... I told Bindyu... she put it in the paper...
Carlos: Yes – they’ve read the newspaper, they said. They know there’s nothing they can do...
Olivia: So?
Magda: So?
Harry: So?
Tony: So?
Carlos: So... they’re not going to knock them down! The campaign was a success! You’ve won!
Comments
Very good episode. Thanks!!
good
Thank you very much! I know this phrase long time ago through the name of a song but I don’t understand the meaning until you explain it for me. :)
Sorry, I don’t understand “back for good” meaning? Is that “how long will he stay in London?”
Hello Steven Bui,
The phrase 'for good' here is an informal way to say 'for ever'. Thus when someone is 'back for good' it means that they are not planning to leave again.
Best wishes,
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thanks for your reply!
I like the efforts have been taken by team to save the cafe & Olivia's shop.
Thank you very much
I always find it difficult whether to use Infinitive(to+verb) or Gerund( ing+ verb) . Here i m trying to explain my difficulty
1. I stopped smoking
2. I stopped to smoke
I don't know which one is correct and why. Sir pls give me a general idea about it.
Hello,
The verbs: remember, forget and stop can be followed by either an infinitive or a gerund; however, the meaning of the sentences change depending on whether you used gerund or infinitive, e.g. I stopped to look at the window display, means that you were walking and then you stopped to look at the window display, wheras I stopped looking at the window display, means that you were looking at window display, and then you stopped looking at it and moved on. The same is applicable to either of the other two verbs mentioned above.
Warm Regards,
Luis
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