Views #320 | Intermediate 4

Last Night

Eli talks about what she did the night before.
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I had a really good time last night, Thursday night, so I couldn't stay out that late, but I went over to a friend's house, an English girl, that I met over here in Japan, where I'm living at the moment, but she's like the only English girl that I actually know, she's actually Welsh, but British girl, that I know here, so it's really nice to sort of hang out with someone who's similar. She also knows a few friends that I know in England so we've
kind of got similar interests. We're from a similar world in our own country so it's really nice to find someone who I'm sort of on an equal stepping with here, so she invited me over for the evening. I had a lesson in the afternoon and then after that I got in the tube, she lives about, sort of over an hour away from me by train cause I live in the sort of northeast of Tokyo, actually out of Tokyo in Chiba, and she lives in the southwest, so we couldn't really be farther away if we tried but she invited me over for a girl's night in which is something I did a lot with my friend when I was in England so it was really nice and she's doing, she's teaching a design course here, interior design, in a Japanese college, and she's got her own apartment near Shibuya, which is quite a sort of busy nice area of Tokyo. So when I went over it was really nice. She's got her own little space with a balcony and kitchen something which I don't have at the moment, cause I'm living in a guesthouse and she cooked for me. Mash potatoes and sausage and onion gravy which is a very typical English dish and so we ate that. We had some wine and then watched a DVD called Twin Towns which is made in Wales and is sort of made us really miss home. We had this sort of very English evening together all together. I had Bangers n' mash , *** a potato and sausage, and um, like English film, and it was really, really enjoyable. It was something I haven't done here yet and I guess it's something I really miss cause I really miss my friends from home and hanging out with them and it was nice and then I stayed over. She had like a futon in her sitting room and I stayed over we both got up together this morning to head in for work. I was a little bit late, but, cause of the distance I was having to travel but that doesn't really matter. I'm usually late for school anyway.

Learn vocabulary from the lesson!

similar

We've kind of got similar interests.

When people have 'similar' interests it means that their interests are alike, but not exactly the same.

Notice the following:

  1. I can tell you are sisters you look very similar.
  2. The two cars looked similar.

equal stepping

It's really nice to find someone who I'm sort of on an equal stepping with here.

When you are on an 'equal stepping' with someone it means you think about things in the same way.

Notice the following:

  1. We are well suited, we are on an equal stepping.
  2. It makes a change for me to find some who is on an equal stepping with me about politics.

if we tried

We couldn't really be farther away if we tried.

The phrase 'if we tried' refers to something that has happened by chance and that even if you planned it you probably could not end up with the same outcome.

Notice the following:

  1. I could not have done that better if I had tried.
  2. I could not make that shot again if I tried. 

guesthouse

I'm living in a guesthouse.

A 'guesthouse' is a small hotel that is usually family owned. It is usually cheaper than a hotel and may have a common kitchen or shared bathrooms.

Notice the following:

  1. I want to spend the weekend at a guesthouse in the country.
  2. Her parents run a guesthouse and she helps at weekends.

stay over

She had like a futon in her sitting room and I stayed over.

When you 'stay over' it means that you stay the night at someone's house.

Notice the following:

  1. I am going to have some friends stay over for my birthday.
  2. I have a spare room if you would prefer to stay over, as we might get back from the concert late.

Vocabulary Quiz

similar • equal stepping • if he tried
guesthouses • stay over
  1. My parents and I are on much more now than when I was younger.
  2. The weather is really bad now. Would you like to ?
  3. When we are traveling we usually stay in instead of hotels.
  4. He couldn't be luckier .
  5. You and my sister have very personalities.
Answer the following questions about the interview.

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