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Jim: I want to go the Labor's Day party this weekend. Let's go together.
Stacy: I wish you had told me earlier. I am going to visit with my parents this weekend in Boston.
Jim: Well. I have no luck with you then. I will call up Mary, my sister. She doesn't like to dance, though.
Vocabulary:
call up: make a telephone call
visit with: verb. to go see someone in their location. Example: I visited with my uncle last week. This sentence means: I went to see my uncle in his home, city or workplace.
to have no luck with somebody: idiomatic phrase. not getting what want you want from a person. Example: I have no luck with girls. I always meet the wrong ones.
though: adverb. It is used after you express your opinion on something you don't totally like. Neither you dislike. 'Though' shows slight disagreement.
Jim: Jane has a breast cancer. I've just learned. I feel so sad about it. She is only thirty-two years old.
Stacy: I am sorry to hear that, Jim. But who knows she may have a pretty good shut with new chemotherapy. Some women show remarkable healing. Or, at least, their cancer doesn't grow.
Jim: I wish Jane's cancer were benign. But her cancer is in the advanced stage. Her days are numbered according to the doctors.
Vocabulary:
her days are numbered:idiom. To have lost the possibility of survival of a situation. Someone or something does not have a long life to live.
feel sad about something: to feel sorry about something. Example: I am sad about my sister's divorce. She has two children to take care of. I am sad about my mother's broken leg. She will not be able to walk for a long time.
chemotherapy: chemical therapy for cancer patients
remarkable: adjective. something to pay attention to. If something is remarkable, there is an extraordinary quality about it. Example: My sister is a remarkable pianist. This sentence means: My sister plays the piano extremely well.
pretty: adjective. very, rather in this conversation. Example: I am pretty happy with my husband. He is a nice man. This sentence means I am very happy with my husband.
to have a good shut with: idiomatic phrase. to have a good chance with something. If you have a good shut with something. you will have good results. For example: Why not send your resume to them. You have a good shut with them. They are hiring new people now.
benign: adjective. mild, small in this conversation.
grow: verb. to get bigger. This verb is used in different ways. In this conversation for cancer that grows bigger. Example: My plants in my garden are growing so fast.
Grammar:
The Conditional Tense: I wish her cancer were benign. Jim doesn't say: I wish her cancer was benign. When you wish something but it is impossible to have it the way you want, you use the Conditional Tense.In the Conditional Tense, for the TO BE HELPING VERBS, "am" the first singular person, and "is" the third person singular "WERE" is used.
Examples:
Correct: "If I were a rich man, I would by a villa." ( I am not rich now, in the present.)
Incorrect: "If I was a rich man, I would by a villa."
Correct: "If she were well educated, she would get a good job." (She is not well educated now, in the present.)
Incorrect: "If she was well educated, she would get a good job."
The Present Perfect Tense: See how Americans use this tense. Click here.
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