1. A40-MS-Marathon Hi. I’m Joe Weiss, one of the directors of Learn Real English and I would like to welcome you to the mini-story lesson for the Advanced Conversation Club. I have a great story for you today and before we start the story, I want to tell you about some of the words, phrases and other idioms that you might hear in this story that you may not yet be familiar with. So let’s start.

2. First, the word marathon. Now a marathon is just a race. It’s actually a foot race so people run in a marathon. And it’s a long race. It’s 26 miles long, which is about 42 kilometers. So a marathon is just a long foot race.

3. Okay, next I have an idiom for you and that idiom is “bummed out.” So you might hear someone say they felt bummed out or they were bummed out. You might even hear them say that they were just bummed. And what that means is that they were sad or they were very upset. So if you’re bummed out, you’re very upset.

4. Next for you, another word. And that word is triumph. So if I was to say that I triumphed, then that means that I succeeded. That I had won. I had come in first place. For example, in the story I will say that a man wishes to triumph in a marathon. And if you triumph in a marathon, that means you come in first place. You were the first one to finish the marathon.

5. Okay, next another vocabulary word for you. And that word is discouraged. So if you’re discouraged or you’re discouraged about something, it means that you are no longer confident about it. You feel the situation is hopeless and that you’ll never be able to do it. Let me give you an example. If I tell you that I’m discouraged about learning how to play the guitar, that means that I do not believe that I am going to be able to learn to play the guitar. I feel that it’s hopeless. I have no confidence about it.

6. Okay, last one, I have an idiom for you and it’s a great idiom. And that idiom is to “throw in the towel.” So if you throw in the towel, that means you quit. You decide that you’re not going to try anymore. Okay, so that’s all for our words and phrases. Now let’s start with the story.

7. There was a snake. And the snake’s name was Sam. Now Sam the snake was 18 years old and he was bummed out. He was bummed out because he had never won a marathon. Okay, so tell me, was there a snake or was there a cat? A snake, a snake, of course. And tell me, what was the snake’s name? Sam, Sam was the snake’s name. Was the snake’s name Sally? No, the snake was not named Sally. The snake was named Sam.

8. And how old was Sam? Was Sam 18 years old or 8 years old? 18 years old, Sam was 18 years old. Okay, so tell me this, who was 18 years old? Well, Sam, Sam was 18 years old. And was Sam really happy or was he sad? He was sad. How did Sam feel? Did he feel bummed out? Yes, yes he did. Sam felt bummed out, which is the same thing as saying that Sam felt sad.

9. Okay, so tell me this, why was Sam bummed out? Well, he was bummed out because he had never won a marathon. Okay, one last question before we go with the story further. Had Sam ever won a marathon? No, no Sam had never won a marathon. In fact, Sam had run in 51 marathons. And he had never triumphed. Okay, who had run in 51 marathons? Sam, Sam had run in 51 marathons.

10. Had Sam run in more than 21 marathons? Yes, yes he had, because he had run in 51. And 51 is more than 21. So how many marathons had Sam triumphed in? Zero, he had never triumphed in a marathon. Well, before each marathon Sam would practice running every single day. But he still would never win. So he was discouraged. He was discouraged because he had never run a marathon. And he wanted to throw in the towel.

11. Okay, so tell me, who was discouraged? Sam, Sam was discouraged. And did Sam feel very confident? No, no he didn’t. Sam did not feel very confident. He felt discouraged which means he did not feel confident. Okay, so who wanted to throw in the towel? Sam, Sam wanted to throw in the towel. Did Sam want to continue trying to run in marathons or did he want to quit? Well, he wanted to throw in the towel which is the same thing as saying that he wanted to quit.

12. Well, Sam did not throw in the towel. Instead he went to Boston. He had gone to Boston because he had wanted to run in the Boston Marathon. Okay, so tell me, who had gone to Boston? Sam, Sam had gone to Boston. And had Sam gone to Boston or Baltimore? Boston, Sam had gone to Boston. Had Sam gone to Boston? Yes, yes he had. Sam had gone to Boston.

13. Okay, so tell me this, why had Sam gone to Boston? Well, he had gone to Boston because he wanted to run in the Boston Marathon. Well, guess who else was in Boston at the same time as Sam? Tiger Woods ! Yeah, Tiger Woods had come to Boston to visit his mother. His mother had lived in Boston for 22 years. Okay, so Sam was in Boston, but who else was in Boston at the same time? Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods was in Boston at the same time.

14. And tell me, was Tiger Woods in Boston or was he in Paris? Boston, of course, he was in Boston. And who had Tiger Woods come to Boston to visit? Had he come to visit his father or his mother? His father is not who he came to visit. He had come to visit his mother. Had Tiger Woods come to visit his mother? Yes, yes he had come to visit his mother. Okay, so tell me this, for how many years had Tiger Woods’ mother lived in Boston? 22, she had lived there for 22 years.

15. Who had lived in Boston for 22 years? Sam’s mother or Tiger Woods’ mother? Tiger Woods’ mother, Tiger Woods’ mother had lived in Boston for 22 years. Okay, one last question, where had Tiger Woods’ mother lived for 22 years? Boston, she had lived in Boston.

16. Well, Sam ran in the Boston Marathon. But he had run very slowly. It had taken him 17 hours and 11 minutes to complete the marathon. So he had not triumphed. So he was still very bummed out. Okay, so tell me, who had run in the Boston Marathon? Sam, Sam had run in the Boston Marathon. Had Sam run in the Paris Marathon or the Boston Marathon? The Boston Marathon, he had run in the Boston Marathon.

17. And how long had it taken him to complete the marathon? Had it taken him 17 hours and 11 minutes or 11 hours and 17 minutes? 17 hours and 11 minutes, that’s how long. Okay, had Sam triumphed in the marathon? No, no he had not triumphed. Had Sam come in first place in the marathon? No, no he had not. He had not triumphed, which is the same thing as saying he had not come in first place in the marathon.

18. Okay, one more question, how many marathons had Sam won by that time? Zero, he still had never won a marathon. Well, I have some more information for you. Guess who else ran in the Boston Marathon? Tiger Woods ! Yeah, Tiger Woods also had run in the Boston Marathon. But he had not completed the Boston Marathon. You see, he had run for 4 minutes and at that time he had met a girl. And they had left to go to his hotel room. So after only 4 minutes he had thrown in the towel.

19. Okay, so tell me, we know Sam had run in the Boston Marathon. Who else had run in the Boston Marathon? Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods had run in the Boston Marathon. And who had completed the marathon? Had Tiger Woods completed the marathon or had Sam completed the marathon? Sam, Sam had completed the marathon. Who had thrown in the towel, Tiger Woods or Sam? Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods had thrown in the towel.

20. So how many minutes had Tiger Woods run for before throwing in the towel? 4, he had run for only 4 minutes. And remember then he had met a girl and they had gone to his hotel room. Well, 3 years later, Sam was in New York. He had gone to New York because he wanted to run in the New York Marathon. Okay, so who had gone to New York, Tiger Woods or Sam? Sam, Sam had gone to New York.

21. Had Sam gone to Paris? No, Sam had not gone to Paris. Had Sam gone to New York? Yes, yes Sam had gone to New York. So tell me this, where had Sam gone? New York, New York, of course. He had gone to New York. Okay, one last question. Why had Sam gone to New York? Well, he had wanted to run in the New York Marathon, that’s why.

22. Well, I have some more information for you. Sam’s sister Mary lived in New York. She had moved to New York 4 years earlier. She had moved from Los Angeles to New York. Okay, so tell me, who lived in New York? Mary, Mary lived in New York. Did Sam live in New York? No, Sam did not live in New York. Okay, so tell me this, how many years earlier had Mary moved to New York? 4, 4 years earlier.

23. Had she moved to New York 6 years earlier? No, she had not moved to New York 6 years earlier. She had moved to New York 4 years earlier. And from where had she moved to New York? Los Angeles, she had moved from Los Angeles to New York. Who had moved from Los Angeles to New York? Well, Mary, Mary had moved from Los Angeles to New York.

24. Well, so do you think that Sam ran in the New York Marathon? Well, I have to tell you, he didn’t. On the day of the marathon, Sam had woken up at 11:00 in the morning. But the race had started at 8:00 in the morning. So he had woken up too late and missed the race. So he still had never triumphed in a marathon. So he was discouraged and he was bummed out. Okay, so tell me, at what time had Sam woken up, 8:00 or 11:00? 11:00, he had woken up at 11:00.

25. Who had woken up at 11:00? Had Mary woken up at 11:00? No, Mary had not woken up at 11:00. Who had woken up at 11:00? Sam, Sam had woken up at 11:00. And at what time had the race started? 8:00, the race had started at 8:00. So had Sam run in the New York Marathon? No, no Sam had not run in the New York Marathon. Had Sam triumphed in the New York Marathon? No, no he had not. Sam had not triumphed. He had not even run in the New York Marathon.

26. So how did Sam feel? Did Sam feel confident? No, no he did not. Did Sam feel discouraged? Yes, yes Sam felt discouraged. Had Sam ever won a marathon? No, no he still had never won a marathon. Well, Sam had woken up when his sister Mary called him on the phone. And she told him that she had run in the New York Marathon. And it had taken her 87 minutes to finish the race. And guess what? She had come in first place. She had won.

27. Okay, so tell me this, who had run in the New York Marathon? Mary, Mary had run in the New York Marathon. Had Mary run in the Boston Marathon? No, no Mary had not run in the Boston Marathon. Who had run in the Boston Marathon, remind me again. Oh yes, Sam and Tiger Woods. Okay, so who had finished the New York Marathon? Well, Mary, Mary had finished the New York Marathon. And had it taken Mary 86 minutes to finish the New York Marathon? No, no.

28. How long had it taken Mary to finish the New York Marathon? 87 minutes, it had taken her 87 minutes to complete the marathon. Okay, so tell me this, who had triumphed in the marathon? Mary, Mary had triumphed in the marathon. Mary had come in first place or she had finished first, which means she had triumphed in the marathon.

29. Well, although Sam was discouraged, he did not give up. 5 years later, Sam was living in Bali, Indonesia. He had moved to Bali when he was 25 years old. And by that time he had run in 117 marathons. But he still had never won a marathon. Okay, so at what age had Sam moved to Bali, 25 years old or 26 years old? 25 years old. Who had moved to Bali, Sam or Mary? Sam, Sam had moved to Bali. And where had Sam moved to, Bali or Boston? Bali, he had moved to Bali.

30. Okay, had Sam run in 147 marathons by that time? No. How many marathons had Sam run in by that time? 117, Sam had run in 117 marathons. And in how many of those marathons had Sam triumphed? Zero, Sam still had never won a marathon.

31. Well, I have a little bit more information for you. You see, 2 days after Sam had moved to Bali, he had met Julia Roberts. Yeah, Julia Roberts was in Bali because she was making a movie. Okay, so who had Sam met in Bali, Tiger Woods or Julia Roberts? Well, Julia Roberts, of course. And why had Julia Roberts come to Bali? Had she come to Bali to get a suntan? No, that’s not why.

32. Had she come to Bali to make a movie? Yes, yes she had come to Bali to make a movie. Had Sam come to Bali to make a movie? No, no not Sam. Who had come to Bali to make a movie? Julia Roberts, Julia Roberts had come to Bali to make a movie. Well, Sam and Julia Roberts decided to run in the Bali Marathon. And the Bali Marathon was on April 11. And on that day it was hot. Ooh, it was very hot. It was 50 degrees Celsius.

33. Okay, so on what day was the Bali Marathon scheduled to occur? April 11, it was to happen on April 11. And what was to happen on April 11? Well, the Bali Marathon, people were going to run in the Bali Marathon. So on that day, was it cold or was it hot? Oh, it was hot. How hot was it? 50 degrees Celsius, it was very hot.

34. So Sam and Julia Roberts both ran in the Bali Marathon. And Sam had completed the marathon in 21 hours and 6 minutes. So he had run very slowly. But guess what? He had won the marathon. Yeah, you see the weather had been so hot that every other person in the marathon threw in the towel. So Sam had finally triumphed in a marathon. So he was very happy.

35. Okay, so tell me, who had run in the Bali Marathon? Sam and Julia Roberts. Had Julia Roberts run in the Bali Marathon? Yes, yes she had. Had Julia Roberts completed the Bali Marathon? No, no she had not completed the Bali Marathon. Who had completed the Bali Marathon? Sam, Sam had completed the Bali Marathon. Had Sam thrown in the towel? No, no Sam had not thrown in the towel.

36. Okay, how long had it taken Sam to complete the Bali Marathon, was it 21 hours and 6 minutes or was it 6 hours and 21 minutes? 21 hours and 6 minutes. Who had taken 21 hours and 6 minutes to complete the Bali Marathon? Sam, it was Sam who had taken that long. Okay, so tell me this, had Julia Roberts or Sam triumphed in the marathon? Sam, Sam had finally triumphed in a marathon.

37. And how did Sam feel? Did he feel bummed out? No, he did not feel bummed out, he felt very happy actually. So after the race Julia Roberts gave Sam a big hug and a kiss. And she told him he was the best runner she had ever met. And that’s the end of our story.

38. I hope that you all enjoyed it. Now it’s your turn to tell the story. I would like you to tell the story to a friend or a family member. And if you don’t have someone to tell the story to, then tell the story to yourself. But I want you to tell the story loudly and confidently. I don’t care if you make a mistake. Mistakes will happen. But I want you to be loud and confident when you speak. And I also want you to listen to this story every day for two weeks. And you will find that you will learn this story very well if you do that. Okay, that’s all for now. I’ll see you next time.