Ep.4 Moving Out

英語 × 英文 × 樂詞不疲

❶　Intro
Living with your parents can be nice. They pay for rent, food, and many other things. But there comes a time for all of us when we need to leave the nest. If you want to become independent, you have to move out at some point.
Moving out can be hard. It is sometimes difficult to pay all the bills. And you have to cook for yourself. But many people like living alone, because it means having their own space.
Brian is going to help his brother move out this weekend. Listen to Sara’s advice in today’s English lesson about leaving the nest.
❷　Dialogue
Brian: Sara, this weekend I have to help my little brother move out of my parents’ house.
Sara_R: That is so exciting. It is so fun to be independent for the first time.
Brian: Yeah, I’m a little worried he might not be responsible enough to handle life on his own, though.
Sara_R: Maybe not ready to leave the nest?
Brian: Yeah, it seems like the next stage in his life. It’s for college. Hopefully he’ll be able to make his own rules and be an independent and responsible adult.
Sara_R: That would be great. Having your very own space is just amazing.
Brian: Yeah, it is kind of nice. You get to eat when you want to eat, clean up when you want to clean. I love not living with my parents.
Sara_R: That’s great. I think he’ll be responsible. It’s a testing time. So, you never know.
Brian: Yeah, I guess if there are any dire emergencies, we’re all around to help him out.
Sara_R: He’ll make mistakes and he’ll make good decisions, too.
Brian: Yeah, he’s a smart cookie, because he’s already talked me into helping him move.
Sara_R: He’s a salesman.
❸　Discussion
Brian’s brother is moving out. Brian thinks his brother is a smart cookie, but is not sure if he is responsible enough to live by himself. He is worried his brother will have trouble becoming independent.
Sara thinks moving out can be really fun. She thinks it is amazing to have your own space, even if you have to pay the bills. She hopes Brian’s brother will make smart decisions and become a responsible person.
Have you moved out of your parents’ house? How does it feel?
❹　Grammar Point
Plural vs. Posessive S
Brian is going to help his brother move to college. He says, “Sara, this weekend I have to help my little brother move out of my parents’ house.” This example uses both the plural and possessive S.
Most nouns form the plural by adding -s or -es. For example, boat becomes boats, or hat becomes hats.
A noun ending with a consonant and the letter y forms the plural by adding -ies. For instance, city becomes cities, and baby becomes babies.
This is not true for all nouns. There are many irregular plural nouns, such as woman (women), potato (potatoes), or tooth (teeth), and some nouns are the same in both the singular and plural forms (such as sheep and fish), but most nouns are made plural by adding -s, -es or -ies.
When we want to show that something belongs to somebody or something, we usually add ’s to a singular noun, and an apostrophe ‘ to a plural noun. For example, the boy’s ball (one boy) or the boys’ ball (two boys). The number of balls doesn’t matter, only the number of possessors (in this case, boys). It is the same in Brian’s example. His parents are the possessors of the house, therefore an apostrophe comes after “parents.”
We often use possessive ’s with proper nouns (names): Mary’s car, Sarah’s son, or Robert’s book. If the name ends in s, like Charles, we usually treat it like a singular noun and add ’s: Charles’s friend. However, it is also correct to just add the apostrophe: Charles’ friend.
Which is correct, “Those cats are Brian’s,” or, “Those cats are Brians’”?
❺　Quiz
⒈ What does Brian have to do this weekend?
❶ Move out of his parents’ house.
❷ Help his parents move out.
❸ Help his brother move out of his parents’ house.　✓
❹ Watch a movie.
⒉ What does Sara say about having your own space?
❶ It’s amazing.　✓
❷ It’s terrible.
❸ It’s OK.
❹ Sara doesn’t say anything about having one’s own space.
⒊ Dire means __.
❶ funny
❷ cookie
❸ wolf
❹ serious　✓
⒋ Which sentence uses the possessive S?
❶ Those flowers are pretty.
❷ It’s a beautiful morning.
❸ Sarah’s not coming to the dance tonight.
❹ Those shoes are Sarah’s.　✓
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