Mixer #30 | Intermediate B1

Early Bird or Night Owl

Six people share if they like to get up early or stay up late.

Jeannie, The United States
speakerI am definitely a night owl. I can stay up all night and be fine but getting up early in the morning is always painful for me. with my current job, I always have to get up really early, but I still can't manage to get to bed before 1 o'clock in the morning.

Jim, England
speakerI used to be a night owl when I was a student, staying up until about 4 o'clock in the morning, writing essays, drinking lots of coffee but I'm finding as I'm getting older, I can't do it. I have to go to bed, so nowadays I'm up a lot more earlier in the morning and I think I'm more productive in the morning.

Kate, New Zealand
speakerI'm more of an early morning person. I wake up about 10 o'clock, which is quite late, I think, I guess, but when I wake up, I feel really refreshed and I'm ready to go to class and I'm awake and listening to the lecturer, but then by about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, I need a nap. I get so exhausted that after classes and sports and things,and then I have a ten minute nap in the afternoon and then at about 12 o'clock I'll go to sleep.

Martin, The United States
speakerI function the best in the morning, so I would have to say I'm an early bird. I can stay up late and I enjoy doing that now and then but by-and-large, more often than not, I do my best work in the morning. I can get up early and don't really complain too much about it, so I'm an early bird.

Nitya, India
speakerI guess I'm an early bird because I really enjoy getting up early in the morning taking a good shower and a good early start in the morning but it doesn't usually happen because of my late part-time jobs, but I guess everybody should be an early bird to better in their studies at least students.

Rina, Canada
speakerI am a night owl. I am the person that stays up till 4 in the morning and then I will have to get up at 8 in the morning and I'll do that repetitively every night, and I'm never tired I don't know what's wrong with me.

Learn Vocabulary from the Lesson!

stay up

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I can stay up all night.

'Stay up' is the opposite of go to sleep. If we stay up all night that means we do not sleep, we stay awake. Notice the following:

  1. I stayed up most of the night studying for the exam.
  2. We stayed up all night watching the Wimbledon finals.

painful

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The morning is always painful for me.

Here, we use the word 'painful' to talk about something we hate to do. Notice the following:

  1. It was painful to watch our World Cup team lose.
  2. Doing laundry is painful for me. I hate ironing!

used to

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I used to be a night owl when I was a student.

We use 'used to' + (verb) to talk about something we did, had or were in the past for a long time, but not now. Notice the following:

  1. Beckham used to play for Man U, but not anymore.
  2. My dad used to have long hair in college. Now he's almost bald!
  3. I used to be slender in primary school, but now I a little fat.

refreshed

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I feel really refreshed and I'm ready to go to class.

When we feel 'refreshed' that means we are relaxed and energized. Notice the following:

  1. I feel so refreshed after that glass of iced tea.
  2. He felt cool and refreshed after the swim.

early bird

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I'm an early bird because I really enjoy getting up early.

An 'early bird' is a person who wakes up very early in the morning. Notice the following:

  1. Early birds are usually up before sunrise.
  2. My dad gets up at 5:00 every morning. He's a real early bird.

Vocabulary Quiz

stay up • painful • used to
refreshed • early bird
  1. If you washed your face maybe you would feel .
  2. My husband is an , but I like to stay up late.
  3. She exercise 5 times a week, but now she doesn't have time.
  4. Listening to her play the violin is .
  5. I will until about midnight, but then I have to go to bed.
Answer the following questions about the interview.

One Minute English Video

Speakers
Mixer Video #30
Are you an early bird or a night owl?

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