Views #56 | Mid Intermediate 5

Night Out

Clare talks about getting ready to go out for a night on the town and playing cards.

Script
Vocab
Quiz


Clare	Todd

Todd: Clare, what are your plans for tonight?

Clare: Well, tonight, first of all I'm going to head back home and take a nap because I've got a big night ahead of me.

So, I'm going to be going out quite late, about 11:00 so I'll need my energy, but unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to have much of a rest because it will be probably half past seven (7:30) by the time I get home and I need to start getting ready at about 9:00 so, an hour and a half max.

Todd: Actually, what do you do to get ready when you go out?

Clare: Well, have a shower, get changed, and then, play some games.

Todd: OK. What games do you play?

Clare: Well, we've recently acquaired a pack of giant cards, so we'll be playing some card games with the giant cards.

Todd: So, can you like, give a specific game that you play?

Clare: Well, I don't know if you know the game "Play Your Cards Right"

Todd: No, no, how do you play?

Clare: It's actually a TV game show. We take it from that. And it's very simple. You have a row of cards that you can't see. And you turn over the first one, and you have to say whether the next card is going to be higher or lower. Very simple, so, so you turn over a 10, and you say lower, and it's a 6, so you carry on. You say, "higher" and it's a 4, and if you're wrong....so as you can imagine, it's very easy to go wrong.

Todd: Yeah. It sounds like a good game. Well, have a good time tonight and good luck in getting ready.

Learn vocabulary from the lesson!

head back home

I'm going to head back home to get some rest.

The informal expression 'head back home' means go back to your house. We would use this around friends, family or in casual situations. Notice the following:

When are you going to head back home?
I need to head back home after we finish here.

max

I only have an hour and a half max before I need to get ready.

'Max' is a common shortened form of the word 'maximum' which means limit. This is commonly used in speech, but isn't used often in written English. Notice the following:

The max she will pay for jeans is $60.
What was the max temperature today?

take a nap

I'm going home to take a nap.

To 'take a nap' is to sleep for a short amount of time during the middle of the day. A nap is used to increase energy. Notice the following:

You should go take a nap if you feel so tired.
My son usually takes a nap in the afternoon.

big night

I have a big night ahead of me.

A 'big night' is a common way of saying a busy or important night. This is also an informal phrase. Notice the following:

You will have a big night with the ceremony and celebrity party tomorrow.
It was a really big night for me last night.

turn over

You have a row of cards, and you turn over the first one.

To 'turn something over' is to change it from one side to the other. For example you turn meat over when you cook it so that both sides are cooked. Notice the following: