Improve Your English Vocabulary With An English Story | Learn English Through Story

Today you're going to learn English through story  

to help you improve all areas of  your English at the same time.

Welcome back to JForrest English.

Of course, I'm Jennifer.

Now let's get started.

Our story today is called  Bobby Misadventures at Work.

Do you know what a misadventure is?

A misadventure means bad luck or  an experience with a bad result.

For example, you could say our vacation  quickly turned into a misadventure.

Now let's start our story and learn  about Bob's misadventures at work.

Bob was thrilled when he landed a job at Tech  Solutions, but his first day was a disaster.

He spilled coffee on his boss's desk and her  stern look made him realize he was in trouble.

So we already know that Bob has some bad luck.

This is a misadventure.

Now notice here landed Bob landed this means to  

get in the past of course got so  you can think of it as received.

We commonly use this with jobs.

I landed the job I'm thrilled.

So notice Bob was thrilled to be thrilled.

And then you conjugate your verb and if you're  thrilled, this means you're extremely happy.

Other alternatives You could say Bob was  very happy sounds less than thrilled.

Or you could say ecstatic, which sounds  about the same or even more over the moon.

That's a fun idiom that means very happy.

On cloud 9.

You could say Bob was beyond happy.

Or you could say Bob was jumping for joy.

Now let's look at this sentence structure.

Bob was thrilled when he landed a JOMP.

The model here is I or someone was our verb  to be in the past and then any adjective.

I was thrilled when and then  you need a past simple clause.

A clause is a subject, a verb, and an object.

For example, I was thrilled  or I was ecstatic over the  

moon when my student told me he passed the IELTS.

Or you could say I was thrilled when  Jennifer responded to my comment.

This is a great structure to practice and I have a  

free lesson PDF that summarizes  everything to help you practice.

You can find the link in the description.

Let's continue on and notice this important word.

But but this is used as a contrasting point  

because we have thrilled,  which is extremely happy.

But then we have disaster, which is  negative so but helps you transition.

Now let's look at to be a disaster.

Notice that verb to be and then a disaster.

We use this to say to go very wrong,  resulting in problems or failures.

You can say it was it being the situation.

It my first day at work, it was a disaster.

You could sound even stronger and say  catastrophe, repeat after me, catastrophe.

Or you could say it was a debacle.

It was a train wreck.

That's a very common one.

It was a nightmare.

All of those are alternatives.

And why was it a disaster for poor Bob?

Because he spilled coffee on his boss's desk.

Here, spilled is a verb.

I accidentally spilled my coffee.

Now you can also use it as a noun.

Here's a rag to clean up your spill.

So this functions as a noun.

You can also use it as an adjective.

Here's a rag to clean up your spilled coffee.

So spilled modifies coffee.

It's an adjective.

And notice Stern, his boss's stern look.

Stern.

This means serious, strict, or firm.

So you could say my boss is stern or  my boss always has a stern expression.

So you can use it to describe  someone's expression, or you can  

describe the person and notice our  pronoun and possessive agreement.

He spilled his coffee.

The coffee belongs to Bob on his boss's desk.

The desk belongs to the boss  but who does the boss belong to?

Bob.

That's why it's his boss's desk.

You could say he spilled his coffee on her desk  

because the desk belongs to  the boss, which is female.

Her desk.

Let's continue our story.

Determined to make up for it,  

Bob works late to finish a report only  to discover it was due two days earlier.

He felt like he'd really dropped the ball.

Let's review.

Determined to make up for it.

This is an adverbial phrase.

It modifies the main clause, which  is the main sentence determined.

This is a past participle.

It describes Bob's state of mind at that time.

You could say Bob was determined to make up  for it, so he worked late to finish the report.

You can also say Bob worked  late to finish the report  

because he was determined to make up for it.

Now let's review to make up for something.

This is very commonly used because it means  to right or wrong to rectify a mistake.

You could say to your husband,  wife, boyfriend, girlfriend.

I'm so sorry I forgot our anniversary.

I promise I'll make up for it.

I'll right this wrong, I'll rectify this mistake.

You could also say I'm so  sorry I forgot our anniversary.

I promise I'll make it up to you.

Notice the slight variation here?

It's to make something up to someone.

Same meaning to rectify a  mistake, to right a wrong.

Now let's look at to drop the ball.

This is a very common idiom.

It means to make a mistake, but  because you failed to take action.

For example, I asked you to book  the reservation a month ago,  

and now there's no availability  because you failed to take action.

So you can say I know I dropped the ball.

You're admitting that you failed to take action.

I know I dropped the ball.

I'm so sorry.

I promise I'll make it up to you.

I'll write this wrong.

Let's continue the story.

Still, he didn't throw in the towel.

He volunteered to give a presentation,  but on the day of the presentation,  

he accidentally broke the projector and  didn't have a hard copy of the presentation.

Notice another idiom to throw in the towel.

Do you know what that means?

If you throw in the towel, it means you give up.

You accept defeat.

Learning English can be difficult at times,  but I'm not going to throw in the towel, right?

Right, You can say I'm going to stick with it.

If you stick with something  that it being learning English,  

it means you continue doing something  difficult and that describes you, right?

You're going to stick with it.

You're not going to throw in the towel.

If that describes you put that's right, that's  right, put that's right in the comments.

Let's look at He volunteered  to give a presentation.

Of course you can say I'm a volunteer.

This is a noun form.

I'm a volunteer.

You can say every Saturday I volunteer.

That's the verb.

I volunteer at a local animal shelter.

Now let's say in the workplace, like  in Bob's situation, your boss says who  

has time to pick up the client from  the airport and you say I can do it.

In this case, you volunteered to do it.

So volunteered is a verb in the past,  simple, you volunteered to do it.

So if you volunteer in the workplace, it means  you complete extra duties without compensation.

Let's keep going with our  story, hoping for a fresh start.

Bob brought Donuts to the office, but  after getting stuck in, he arrived late.

As he passed them out, he  tripped and spilled coffee again.

His boss, half amused, said maybe this is a  sign you should give up your coffee habit.

Let's review, hoping for a fresh start.

This is a participle phrase.

It explains why Bob did the action.

Now a fresh start.

This is an opportunity to begin again.

We commonly refer to events such  as New Year's birthdays, new jobs,  

new relationships, even new  locations as a fresh start.

It's an opportunity for you to begin again.

Let's look at.

But after getting stuck in  traffic, he arrived late.

So when Bob got to work, he  could say, sorry, I'm late.

I was stuck in traffic.

So notice here it's to be the verb  to be, to be stuck in traffic.

The verb to be describes your current state.

I was at that time stuck in traffic.

Now you could also say I hope  we don't get stuck in traffic.

O using the verb get to get stuck in traffic.

This is the transition from not stuck to stuck.

Now let's look at as he passed  them out to pass Oregon.

To hand something out means  to distribute to a group.

Of course the teacher passed  out the practice exercises,  

but you can use this in other situations.

The store handed out coupons,  distributed coupons to the customers.

As he passed them out, he  tripped and spilled coffee again.

Poor Bob.

So trip.

This is when you catch your foot on an object.

Compare that to slip.

When you slip, you slide on a slippery surface.

You could say I tripped on the  rock, but I regained my balance.

So if you regained your balance,  it sounds like you didn't fall.

Let's look at his boss.

Half amused, half amused.

This describes a mixed reaction.

O partially amused, which is another way  of saying entertained but not entirely so.

Also partially the opposite emotion which could  

be annoyed or upset because  he spilled another coffee.

So the boss could say if you  spill another coffee you're fired.

Oh, you're fired and I'm only half joking.

We use this a lot to say I'm half joking.

This means I'm partially  serious, but partially joking.

I'm half joking.

So now that you understand all the vocabulary,  let's read the story from start to finish.

Bob's misadventures at work.

Bob was thrilled when he landed a job at Tech  Solutions, but his first day was a disaster.

He spilled coffee on his boss's desk, and her  stern look made him realize he was in trouble.

Determined to make up for it, Bob  worked late to finish a report,  

only to discover it was due two days earlier.

He felt like he'd really dropped the ball.

Still, he didn't throw in the towel.

He volunteered to give a presentation,  but on the day of the presentation,  

he accidentally broke the projector and  didn't have a hard copy of the presentation.

Hoping for a fresh start, Bob  brought Donuts to the office,  

but after getting stuck in  traffic, he arrived late.

As he passed them out he  tripped and silled coffee again.

His boss, half amused, said, maybe this is  a sign you should give U your coffee habit.

Do you want me to make another lesson  where we learn English through story?

If you do put let's go, let's  go put let's go in the comments.

And of course, make sure you like this lesson.

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And you can get this free speaking  guide where I share 6 tips on how  

to speak English fluently and confidently.

You can click here to download it or  look for the link in the description.

And you can keep expanding your  vocabulary with this lesson right now.