Ashlie: Oh hi, Stephen. You made it then!
Stephen: Hi, Ashlie, I thought we were going Christmas shopping, not ice-skating.
Ashlie: Oh, we are. But I saw the rink and ice-skating is so much fun. It’s almost as much fun as shopping!
Stephen: It’s Christmas Eve and this is the Tower of London Ice Rink. Ashlie and I are supposed to be doing some last-minute Christmas shopping.
Ashlie: We’re cooking dinner for the family this year. They’re coming to Stephen’s to give our mum a rest.
Stephen: And we’ve still got lots of presents to buy. So you shouldn’t be messing around on the ice.
Ashlie: Oh come on, Stephen. Come and have a go. What’s wrong with you? Look watch me - I can go backwards!
Stephen: Stop showing off. Alright, I’ll come on, but just for five minutes - no more.
.....
Ashlie: Come on then. Take my hand. That’s it and we just go in a big circle… like this…
Stephen: It’s not as difficult as it looks. I think I’m better than you. It’s all about keeping your balance.
Ashlie: Stephen, you’re going in the wrong direction.
Ashlie: Stephen! Watch out!
Stephen: Oh, sorry!
.....
Stephen: Oh, I love Christmas, Ash. It’s so exciting.
Ashlie: I know. All the presents, the wonderful food. I can’t wait.
Stephen: Wow, look at these. They’re great. Oh, I love these. Look, it’s snowing! Let’s get some Christmas decorations. These are so cool.
Ashlie: Well, maybe we could get something for the tree. What about some tinsel? I want the tree to look really tasteful and stylish. These are nice.
Stephen: Those are really boring. What we need is lots of different colours to make the tree look really beautiful.
Ashlie: Mmm, well, I’m not sure. I think the tree will look better with just a few decorations.
Stephen: No way! A Christmas tree is meant to be bright and colourful. Oh come on, Ash, let me choose some Christmas decorations.
Ashlie: Well, I suppose so. As long as you don’t get too much. Listen, I want to go and buy your present now, but it’s a secret. So I will see you later.
Stephen: Presents - of course. OK. Bye!
Ashlie: Bye!
.....
Stephen: There... perfect!
Ashlie: Stephen! What have you done? What has happened to the Christmas tree?
Stephen: It looks so much better now, doesn’t it? All bright and Christmassy. It’s as big as the tree Mum and Dad had last year but it looks even better.
Ashlie: But I wanted the tree to be stylish and beautiful. Now it looks like a kid’s decorated it!
Stephen: Do you think we should add some more of these baubles?
Ashlie: No, I really don’t. Just don’t put anything else on the Christmas tree, OK? Come on, let’s hang up our stockings.
Stephen: OK. They look great. And look, I’ve put out some mince pies for when Father Christmas comes down the chimney and some carrots for the reindeer.
Ashlie: Ah, that is sweet of you. Hmm, mince pies! They do look good. I’m starving. I suppose Father Christmas won’t mind if I have one.
Stephen: Maybe one or two won't matter.
Comments
People usually give presents which they have wanted to buy or they have needed to each other, Christmas present (or new year present according to my culture) doesn't have to be very big, it can be small. The important thing is thinking for another person and making him/her happy.I know that decorations are made with pine trees, lights, colorful balls etc.
Christmas is a special day. People buy each other precious gifts
ı think christmas present have to be special
In my country the christmas doesn't celebrate because of our religion.
I don't have any idea about British Christmas.
Hi
I find a problem listening because they speak fast. Please, how can I find a solution? thank you
Hello player one,
I'd recommend you use the transcript as a support. It's a good idea to watch a video once without any support first, to see if you can understand anything. Even if you understand nothing or very little, it's still a good idea to listen once. Then either open the Transcript (below the exercises) or to download and print it (see under Downloads for a pdf of the transcript) and to play the video while reading the transcript. It's probably a good idea to do this several times. Pay special attention to the phrases or sentences that you find difficult and listen to just those parts several times, too.
To get the most out of the video, you should identify some words, phrases and sentences that you'd like to learn. They can be new vocabulary or vocabulary you understand but don't use. Write them down in a notebook so you can revise them from time to time, and then it's also a good idea to practise pronouncing them - use the video as a model to imitate. Say them again and again until they are easier for you to pronounce. This will not only help your speaking, but slowly, your listening comprehension will improve as well.
What I'm suggesting requires quite a bit of work, but the advantage is that you can really learn a lot this way. But you're of course welcome to use each episode in any way you please.
Good luck!
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
OK, thank you so much Kirk for your tips!
Hello,
could you please explain me the difference between "to be supposed to" and "to be expected to"?
Stephen said: "Ashlie and I are supposed to be doing some last-minute Christmas shopping".
is it ok to say "Ashlie and I are expected to be doing some last-minute Christmas shopping" instead?
thank you very much in avance.
Hello robtag,
That's a great question! First of all, 'expected to' is used in formal contexts, whereas 'supposed to' is used more informally – though I'm sure you could find it in somewhat formal contexts as well. 'supposed to' also has a wider range of meanings. For example, it can be used to talk about what is expected or what someone has to do according to the rules, but is also very often used to speak about a situation in which things are not happening as expected, which is what's happening here – they are skating instead of shopping. 'expected to' isn't generally used this way.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello robtag,
Yes, analysing how these two phrases are used should help you understand them better. I'd recommend looking both 'supposed to' and 'expect' up in the dictionary to see the example sentences. In general, the contexts in which both have the same meaning are relatively few, but, for example, in weather forecasts both 'It's expected to rain today' and 'It's supposed to rain today' have the same meaning. You'll see various examples of 'supposed to' in the dictionary – and you can even look it up in other dictionaries, e.g. Oxford, to see more.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
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