第24課 A LATE START

字號:

“Do you take spicy things?” should be “Do you eat spicy food?”
    Jane arrives at work to find Gary waiting outside. They can hear the phone ringing in the office.
    Jane: Hello, Gary. Why are you waiting out here?
    Gary: I had lost my keys.
    Jane: Where did you lose them?
    Gary: I don't know. If I did……
    Jane: The phone's ringing. Can you let us in?
    Gary: Cannot. I had lost my keys.
    Jaya arrives.
    Jaya: Good morning all. Why are you waiting out here?
    Jane: I don't know.
    Jaya: The phone's ringing.
    Jane: I know.
    Jaya: Here, let me.
    Jaya opens the door and they enter the office.
    Jane: Good morning. HotDotCom. How can I help?
    Nora: It's me. Nora.
    Jane: Hello, Nora. What's wrong?
    Nora: I am late. I sleep late yesterday.
    Jane: Umm……
    Nora: I am on my way. I am in the bus now.
    Jane: Oh! You are on the bus.
    Nora: Yes, I will be there in a few minutes.
    Jane: That's OK. Thanks for ringing.
    Gary: Hey Jane, did you hear? Hotel Boat Quay had signed the contract.
    Jane: Why? What happened? It was signed, sealed and delivered on Friday.
    Gary: Yes.
    Jaya: Gary means they have signed the contract.
    Jane: Then what happened?
    Jaya: Nothing.
    Jane: (realising the confusion) Ahhh……! I had lost my keys.
    Gary: You too?
    Jane: No. When you said, “I had lost my keys” you meant to say, “I have lost my keys.”
    Gary: Ahhh……!
    Jane: (sighs) Maybe we should start this morning all over again.
    Narrator: What a confusing morning! Gary had a problem with……
    Replay……
    Gary: I had lost my keys.
    Narrator: ……which means that he has now found them. Jane thought he was talking about an earlier past. Like, “I had lost my keys but I found them this morning.” He should have said ……“I have lost my keys”……which means that the event is still important.
    Replay……
    Gary: Hey Jaya. Did you hear? Hotel Boat Quay had signed the contract.
    Narrator: This suggests that they backed out of the deal.
    (pause) Nora also said:
    Replay……
    Nora: I am late. I sleep late yesterday.
    Narrator: Nora's late. She says she slept late - but that's a Singaporean expression. In good English we say: “I went to bed late”。 It also seems as if Nora didn't get up on time, either. She could've said, “I overslept this morning.”
    So don't oversleep tomorrow - get up early and phone in for the next lesson!