Choose Your English Lesson 02

LESSON 2

Harry and Barbara have the impression that they have been sold the wrong house. Here they are trying to straighten out the situation with the estate agent. The mood is anger.

Conversation

HARRY            : I’ve got a bone to pick with you!

CLERK : Me, Sir?

HARRY : Yes, you!

CLERK : I beg your pardon!

HARRY : Well, if it isn’t you, it’s someone in this firm.

BARBARA : It was a man with red hair!

CLERK : Ah! You must be talking about Mr. Maddox! If you’ll be kind enough to wait a moment, I’ll fetch him.

BARBARA : Well, really! Who does he think he is?

HARRY : I’ll get my deposit back if it’s the last thing I do.

MR. MADDOX : Oh, good evening Mr. and Mrs. Sallis. I gather there’s been some little difficulty.

BARBARA : Little difficulty! I like that!

HARRY : We’ve been defrauded!

MR. MADDOX : Defrauded. Are you accusing me

HARRY : Yes, Mr. Maddox, I am!

MR. MADDOX : Well, of all the nerve!

BARBARA : Look! Don’t try any nonsense with us!

HARRY : We’ve just about had enough!

MR. MADDOX : Enough of what? You haven’t even told me what’s happened! You just come here and start shouting your heads off!

HARRY : Shouting our heads off ! How dare you!

MR. MADDOX : Look here! You’ve got nothing to complain about. We’re offering you a lovely house at  a very good price.

BARBARA : Lovely? Are you being funny?

HARRY : Murderers. Pirates.

MR. MADDOX : Murderers! Pirates! This is really going too far! Have you gone off your head? I’ll have you know that that is defamation.

HARRY : I don’t care what it is

MR. MADDOX : Ah, Mr. Roper. (To the Sallises) This is our general manager

MR. ROPER : What on earth’s going on, Maddox? I’ve never heard such a noise.

BARBARA : This gentleman has cheated us!

MR. ROPER : Cheated you?

HARRY : It’s true. We’ve been tricked.

MR. MADDOX : Now, please . . . (Door opens) Oh, good evening Mr. and Mrs. Middleton.

MRS. MIDDLETON : We’ve come here to make a serious complaint.

MR. ROPER : No. Not another one.

MR. MIDDLETON : An example of the most extraordinary in-efficiency.

MRS. MIDDLETON : Believe it or not, gentlemen, the house you sent us to see has disappeared!

MR. MIDDLETON : And been replaced by a large but very commonplace building.

MRS. MIDDLETON : We gave you a deposit for this beautiful house, full of wonderful carvings.

HARRY : Oh no!

BARBARA : Oh, you idiot, Mr. Maddox! You’ve mixed up the addresses!

HARRY : Really! What incompetence!

DRILL TWO for Lesson 2 Exercise 4.

Here is a way of showing anger by emphasizing key-words, like this:

How dare you.

I like that.

Now practise with the following. The sentence is given first in a neutral tone followed by the key-words to be emphasized. You must then say the sentence with emphasis and in angry tone. (A correct answer follows each pause.)

1. How dare they. Dare.

How dare they!

2. This is too much. Too.

This is too much.

3. Angry? Yes, I am. Am.

Angry? Yes, I am!

4. I’ve never heard such a noise. Heard.

I’ve never heard such a noise!

5. I don’t care what it is. What.

I don’t care what it is!

DRILL THREE for Lesson 2 Exercise 5.

Here is a way of showing great surprise by repeating a key-word but with a rising tone. Notice that this rising tone begins on the stressed syllable and continues over the syllables following it.

1.         This gentleman has cheated us.

Cheated us?

2.         This fellow has robbed us all.

            Robbed us all?

Now practise with the following

1.         Mr. Maddox has insulted them.

Insulted them ?

2.         Mrs. Sallis has complained about him.

Complained about him ?

3.         The agents have defrauded all of us.

Defrauded all of us?

4.         They have been tricked into buying a house.

            Tricked into buying a house?

5.         He’s confused us, Mrs. Middleton.

Confused us?