Tom: John Blake was visiting a museum when a pendant was stolen. The museum director accused John of the theft. A police detective asked him a lot of questions, then let him go. John and his friend, Mary Green, wanted to find the pendant and its thief. Anthony Forset, a collector of old things told them that a dr. Haverel had given the pendant to the museum. Dr. Haverel was now dead, but his sister, Emily Haverel was still alive. The next morning they went to see Emily Haverel. On the way they met the detective. The detective gave them a warning, “If you don’t give up, you’ll get hurt. If you go to see Miss Haverel, you’ll get into trouble.”
Cathy: “Give a warning”, “give up” – if you don’t explain these expressions, we’ll get into trouble. I don’t think the listeners understand them either.
Man1: Have a cigarette.
Man2: Oh, no. No, thank you.
Man1: What’s happened?
Man2: I don’t smoke.
Man1: You’re joking. I know you smoke.
Man2: I used to smoke, but I don’t smoke any longer. I’ve given up smoking.
Cathy: Tom, are you a heavy smoker?
Tom: Yes. Quite a heavy smoker.
Cathy: I’m warning you. You should give up smoking.
Tom: Otherwise?
Cathy: Otherwise you’ll get seriously ill. Smoking is very bad for your health.
Tom: Then let me give you a warning.
Cathy: Well?
Tom: You should give up eating chocolates.
Cathy: Otherwise?
Tom: Otherwise you’ll get extremely fat. Eating chocolates is very bad for your figure.
Cathy: Oh, yes, you’re right. I’ll have to give in to you. But what about you, giving up smoking?
Tom: Next time. Now, we have to
go on.
The detective gave a warning to John and Mary, but they didn’t want to give up.
Detective: You’re going to Orchard Street, aren’t you? You’re going to see Miss Haverel.
Mary: Are we?
Detective: If you go to see Miss Haverel, you’ll get into trouble—I’ve warned you.
Mary: And we’ve listened to you. Now, let’s go back to the car.
Detective: Are you going to drive home?
John: Perhaps. Or perhaps we’re going to drive to Orchard Street. I can’t give up now.
Detective: You can’t give up, or you won’t give up?
John: We won’t give up.
Detective: Won’t you?
Mary: Are you going to stop us?
Detective: Oh, no. I’m not going to stop you. But someone is going to stop you.
Mary: Someone?
Detective: You’ll give up, because if you don’t give up, you’ll get hurt. If you get hurt, don’t run to the police. Excuse me! (sneezes) I warned you.
Mary: Yes, yes. All right. You warned us. Let’s go, John.
John: All right.
Tom: John and Mary didn’t want to give up now. The detective thought they would be in danger, but he couldn’t stop them. “We’re going to find Miss Haverel,” Mary said.
Cathy: Excuse me for interrupting you. Mary said, “We’re going to find Miss Haverel.”
Tom: That’s right. It means, “we’ll find Miss Haverel. We want to find her, and we will.”
Cathy: Oh, I see. So, instead of asking “Are you going to stop us” I could ask “Will you stop us?”
Tom: Quite right and vice versa. For example: “You’ll travel to America.”
Cathy: “He’s going to travel to America.”
Tom: “We’ll learn a lot.”
Cathy: “We’re going to learn a lot.”
Tom: “They won’t give up.”
Cathy: “They’re not going to give up.”
Tom: “Will you go to see her?”
Cathy: “Are you going to see her?”
Tom: Excellent, Cathy.
Cathy: Are you going to give me a piece of chocolate for answering so well?
Tom: Not the tiniest bit. You’ve just promised that you you’re not going to eat any more chocolates.
Cathy: Well, that was three minutes ago.
Tom: Cathy, you don’t take anything seriously. Give me John and Mary, I prefer them. They didn’t want to give up now that they have begun. The detective thought they would be in danger, but he couldn’t stop them. They got into the car, and soon they found Miss Haverel’s house. To their great surprise, it was old and broken down.
Cathy: Why were they surprised?
Tom: Because they thought Miss Haverel was wealthy – that she was rich – and she had a lot of money.
Woman: Porter! Porter! Carry these suitcases to the taxi, please.
Porter: Yes, ma’am.
Woman: Thank you. Here you are.
Porter: Five pounds? I can’t believe my eyes. But who would give a five-pound tip?
Man: She must be very rich. She must be extremely wealthy to give a tip like that.
Porter: She must be wealthy. Or mad.
Cathy: But Miss Haverel couldn’t be wealthy, if she lived in such a dirty house.
Tom: She wasn’t. But her brother was. And he had given the pendant to the museum.
Mary: That detective should go home. He should go to bed.
John: Perhaps we should go home, too.
Mary: Go home?
John: Perhaps we should give up.
Mary: We can’t give up.
John: Can’t we?
Mary: We’re not going to give up.
John: He said someone is going to stop us.
Mary: Who’s going to stop us?
John: I don’t know. Someone.
Mary: We’re going to see Miss Haverel. We’re going to find the pendant, and we’re going to catch the thief. (noise of motorcar) Here is Orchard Street, isn’t it?
John: Ahem, that’s right. Orchard Street.
Mary: And this is the house.
John: No! This isn’t Miss Haverel’s house. Miss Haverel’s wealthy. Her brother gave the pendant to the museum. Ugh! This house is old.
Mary: Old and it’s dirty. But this is the number. (mysterious music)
Tom: John didn’t want to believe that the old and dirty house was Miss Haverel’s. “Miss Haverel’s wealthy. Her brother gave the pendant to the museum,” he said. “But this is the number,” Mary replied. Everything they saw was broken—the windows, the fence and the gate. They knocked, but there was no reply. No one answered the door.
John: Ugh! This house is old.
Mary: Old and it’s dirty. But this is the number. (mysterious music)
John: The windows are broken.
Mary: Yes, the windows are broken. The fence is broken. And the gate is broken. But this is Miss Haverel’s house. This is the number. Let’s knock.
John: All right. (he knocks) There’s no reply.
Mary: Knock again.
John: The house is empty.
Mary: Knock again.
John: (he knocks again) The doors are locked; the windows are broken… this house is empty.
Mary: Forset gave this number to us.
John: He tricked us.
Mary: Did he?
John: Yes, he tricked us. This house is falling down. It’s empty.
Mary: Knock again. No, look. Someone is at that window, upstairs.
Old woman: Thieves! Thieves! (noise of a bottle breaking)
Tom: First, John and Mary thought that the house was empty. They had got the address from Anthony Forset. They thought Forset had tricked them – that he had given them the wrong address. “He tricked us. This house is falling down. It’s empty,” John said. Suddenly, they saw someone at the window upstairs.
Cathy: Was it Miss Haverel? Did she really live in that broken-down house?
Tom: Cathy, you shouldn’t ask so many questions.
Cathy: But how can I learn if I don’t ask questions?
Tom: You should listen.
Cathy: I see, I ought to listen.
Tom: You should repeat the words.
Cathy: I see, I ought to repeat the words.
Tom: You should imitate the intonation.
Cathy: I see, I ought to imitate the intonation.
Tom: That’s right. And you shouldn’t ask silly questions.
Cathy: I see, I oughtn’t to ask silly questions. Silly questions?? But they’re not silly questions. You shouldn’t be so rude. You should be more polite.
Man: Can’t you see? You idiot!
Wife: Darling, don’t be so rude. You should always be polite. You should never lose your temper.
Man: Yes, I was rude, wasn’t I? I know I ought to be polite. I know I oughtn’t to lose my temper, but he was an idiot!
Tom: And now, Cathy, and you, listeners,
EXERCISE YOUR ENGLISH.
Exercise 1
Listen to the example:
A: Perhaps we should give up.
B: We’re not going to give up.
Listen, speak, listen.
A: Perhaps we should give up.
[Your response]
B: We’re not going to give up.
A: Perhaps we should drive home.
[Your response]
B: We’re not going to drive home.
A: Perhaps we should stop them.
[Your response]
B: We’re not going to stop them.
A: Perhaps we should answer the door.
[Your response]
B: We’re not going to answer the door.
A: Perhaps we should try it again.
[Your response]
B: We’re not going to try it again.
A: Perhaps we should go on.
[Your response]
B: We’re not going to go on.
Exercise 2
Listen to the example:
A: I can’t give up.
B: You can’t give up or you won’t give up?
Listen, speak, listen.
A: I can’t give up.
[Your response]
B: You can’t give up or you won’t give up?
A: I can’t drive home.
[Your response]
B: You can’t drive home or you won’t drive home?
A: I can’t stop him.
[Your response]
B: You can’t stop him or you won’t stop him?
A: I can’t open the door.
[Your response]
B: You can’t open the door or you won’t open the door?
A: I can’t try it again.
[Your response]
B: You can’t try it again or you won’t try it again?
A: I can’t go on.
[Your response]
B: You can’t go on or you won’t go on?
A: I can’t visit them.
[Your response]
B: You can’t visit them or you won’t visit them?
A: I can’t forgive him.
[Your response]
B: You can’t forgive him or you won’t forgive him?
Exercise 3
Listen to the example:
A: Miss Haverel’s wealthy.
B: (they thought)
C: They thought that Miss Haverel was wealthy.
Listen, speak, listen.
A: Miss Haverel’s wealthy.
B: (they thought)
[Your response]
C: They thought that Miss Haverel was wealthy.
A: Her house is falling down.
B: (they didn’t know)
[Your response]
C: They didn’t know that her house was falling down.
A: The doors are locked.
B: (they noticed)
[Your response]
C: They noticed that the doors were locked.
A: The windows are closed.
B: (they saw)
[Your response]
C: They saw that the windows were closed.
A: The fence is broken.
B: (they saw)
[Your response]
C: They saw that the fence was broken.
A: The house is old and dirty.
B: (they were surprised)
[Your response]
C: They were surprised that the house was old and dirty.
Tom: And now, let’s get back to our friends, John and Mary. They wanted to go to Orchard Street, to visit Miss Haverel. The detective warned them against it.
Detective: You’re going to Orchard Street, aren’t you? You’re going to see Miss Haverel.
Mary: Are we?
Detective: If you go to see Miss Haverel, you’ll get into trouble—I’ve warned you.
Mary: And we’ve listened to you. Now, let’s go back to the car.
Detective: Are you going to drive home?
John: Perhaps. Or perhaps we’re going to drive to Orchard Street. I can’t give up now.
Detective: You can’t give up, or you won’t give up?
John: We won’t give up.
Detective: Won’t you?
Mary: Are you going to stop us?
Detective: Oh, no. I’m not going to stop you. But someone is going to stop you.
Mary: Someone?
Detective: You’ll give up, because if you don’t give up, you’ll get hurt. If you get hurt, don’t run to the police. Excuse me! (sneezes) I warned you.
Mary: Yes, yes. All right. You warned us. Let’s go, John.
John: All right.
Mary: That detective should go home. He should go to bed.
John: Perhaps we should go home, too.
Mary: Go home?
John: Perhaps we should give up.
Mary: We can’t give up.
John: Can’t we?
Mary: We’re not going to give up.
John: He said someone is going to stop us.
Mary: Who’s going to stop us?
John: I don’t know. Someone.
Mary: We’re going to see Miss Haverel, we’re going to find the pendant, and we’re going to catch the thief. (noise of motorcar) Here is Orchard Street, isn’t it?
John: Ahem, that’s right. Orchard Street.
Mary: And this is the house.
John: No! This isn’t Miss Haverel’s house. Miss Haverel’s wealthy. Her brother gave the pendant to the museum. Ugh! This house is old.
Mary: Old and it’s dirty. But this is the number. (mysterious music)
John: The windows are broken.
Mary: Yes, the windows are broken. The fence is broken. And the gate is broken. But this is Miss Haverel’s house. This is the number. Let’s knock.
John: All right. (he knocks) There’s no reply.
Mary: Knock again.
John: The house is empty.
Mary: Knock again.
John: (he knocks again) The doors are locked; the windows are broken… this house is empty.
Mary: Forset gave this number to us.
John: He tricked us.
Mary: Did he?
John: Yes, he tricked us. This house is falling down. It’s empty.
Mary: Knock again. No, look. Someone is at that window, upstairs.
John: What?
Old woman: Thieves! Thieves! (noise of a bottle breaking)
Mary: She threw a bottle at us!
John: A bottle?
Old woman: Thieves!
Mary: Look out!
John: She threw another bottle. Run, Mary, run!
Old woman: Thieves!
(theme music)