Audio script
Magda: (talking into phone) So…ok…hmm...yeah! That’s great news!
Olivia: So? Did you get the job?
Magda: Yes!!!
All: Hooray!! Fantastic! Well done!!
Magda: But...
Harry: There’s always a ‘but’...
Magda: It’s only on a trial basis...just for a month.
Harry: Ok, that’s pretty normal actually. Most companies do that.
Olivia: But they are paying you, yes?
Magda: Oh yes, the salary isn’t bad. It’s not an internship.
Harry: I did internships for ages...had to work for a month to get experience – no pay! – and then I never got offered the real job at the end. Like now! I’m doing this work for Johnny’s company – they want me to work at weekends too – Saturdays and Sundays – with no extra money!
Olivia: That’s terrible!
Harry: I don’t know what to do...I want to say ‘no’, but I’m afraid I’ll lose the job...
Olivia: You’ll have to think carefully about it!
Magda: Or you’ll be trying to do an internship again!!! Only joking! It can be important to do an internship if you want to get experience – things to put on your CV...
Harry: Yeah, I guess you’re right, but I’m past that stage...I’ve got lots of experience now.
Magda: I’m really worried though, about my first day, really nervous. I might be terrible!
Olivia: Don’t worry Magda, you’ll be great. Show them how good you are in the first month and they’ll be offering you more money by the second month!
Magda: Let’s hope so!
Harry: What are you going to be doing exactly?
Magda: Well, it’s a lot of admin work..but I do get a chance to work with the senior partners on some designs.
Harry: Great...What is it you do again?
Olivia: Harry! How come you always forget this stuff?
Magda: Architecture! I’m an architect! I design buildings!
Harry: Oh yeah, right, of course...
Sarah: She’s a good one too, Harry – I’ve seen some of her drawings.
Harry: Oh really, Sarah!
Sarah: I keep on telling her that she should go to China – there are lots of opportunities there at the moment.
Magda: Maybe, one day. That’d be really interesting...How are you, Sarah?
Sarah: OK...
Harry: How’s the new flat?
Sarah: That’s the problem...
Olivia: Oh no! You’ve only just moved in!
Magda: I thought the flat was great...
Sarah: The flat is nice, but the problem is the landlord...
Olivia: Isn’t that Fadi’s cousin?
Sarah: Yes, exactly...but he’s really intrusive.
Magda: Intrusive?
Sarah: He comes round all the time, wants to know everything about me. I think that if I pay rent, that’s it, I shouldn’t have to tell him anything else.
Olivia: I see...that’s not on, is it? Have you mentioned it to Fadi?
Sarah: No, I don’t know how to. He was so kind helping me get the place. I don’t want to seem rude.
Olivia: Would you like me to have a word with him?
Sarah: Could you? That’d be really great. I’d really appreciate it.
Olivia: I’ll say something the next time I see him! Promise!
Comments
Thanks for the epsodes!
They are great.
Thanks for the Episode!.
usefull
Hi.
Task 3, the form of "help". Is it OK "to help" instead of "helping"?
Cheers.
Hello again kinobori,
No. If you changed the sentence to 'He was so kind as to help me find a flat' or 'It was so kind of him to help me find a flat', then 'to help' would be correct.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi kinobori,
This is a bit tricky, as it's a matter of usage, and usage is not always consistent. For example 'It's + (so) + adj. + infinitive' works with a lot of adjectives, e.g. 'It's so easy to fall in love' (as in Linda Ronstadt's classic song), but it doesn't work with all. It's also possible to use a subject pronoun that refers to a person with the same construction (e.g. 'You're right to be sad'), though again this really depends on the adjective.
It's a bit more difficult to explain 'He was so kind helping me find a flat', as it's not something I'd say myself, to be honest. I understand it by thinking that the word 'while' or 'in' is omitted before 'helping', or perhaps you could see 'helping' as a kind of participle clause, but I'm not very satisfied with that explanation. If you check the example sentences in the dictionary entry for 'kind', you'll see the most commonly used constructions with it, though remember these aren't necessarily true of all adjectives.
I hope that clears it a bit for you.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
If my landlord is intrusive I will tell me I need private space directly.
Hello peter M
Tasks of this episode are missing.
Hello sarfaraz,
The tasks seems to be working fine to me. You should see four green bands below the audio player, headed Task 1, Task 2, Task 3 and Task 4. If you can see these then click on one of them to see the relevant task. if you cannot see them then check your browser or system settings as it may be that you have certain content blocked for some reason.
Best wishes,
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
I didn't understand the meaning of this sentence :
Olivia: I see...that’s not on, is it?
Could you explain it?
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