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Maria |
Alex |
His Bad Habits
Maria talks with Alex about some of his bad habits that he thinks he should change.
Maria: Any habits you'd like to change?
Alex: I would like to change my habits of buying bad food and drinks.
Maria: Oh, yes.
Alex: It's so easy.
Maria: So dangerous.
Alex: And especially when you're at university and they only sell the bad stuff because it's just so much easier to do than to cook a good meal. I'm a pretty good cook.
Maria: I noticed.
Alex: Thank you. My mother taught me to cook well but I don't, I don't know, sometimes I just cannot be bothered so I wish I had the habit of just always being much better with my food. That would help with the weight as well. What else? Habits, habits? I have some bad habits that I would like to change. I have the bad habit of having to sleep with a duna, a duvet cover on. I have to have something like heavy otherwise I can't sleep.
Maria: Why do you see that as a bad habit?
Alex: Because in summer, I have to crank the air conditioning up to really, really high so as a result you know I end up wasting electricity so easy. I wish I had the habit of turning my computer off as well. I leave it on all the time.
Maria: So you're an electricity waster?
Alex: Yeah, sorry, sorry world. Where is it the islands are flooding in the South Pacific?
Maria: Everywhere.
Alex: It's all my fault. So yeah, turning lights off, remembering my key would be good. I always forget my key. I actually thought I lost my key the other day and nearly had a coniption fit so yeah.
Maria: Drinking habits, any good, any bad?
Alex: Drinking? Alcohol?
Maria: That was the point.
Alex: I get too excited too quickly and just want to go dancing but the good thing about the dancing is that then you don't drink alcohol because at a certain point you have to drink water.
Maria: That's true.
Alex: Do you know what I mean? So like I don't go too far off the deep end.
Maria: You can't really drink anything when you're dancing then you spill it all over the floor.
Alex: Yeah, so that helps I guess.
Maria: That does help.
cannot be bothered
My mother taught me to cook well, but sometimes I just cannot be bothered.
When you 'cannot be bothered' to do something, you think it takes too much time and effort. Notice the following:
- Sometimes I cannot be bothered to dry my hair.
- He cannot be bothered to get out of bed right now.
crank up
I have to crank the air conditioning up to really, really high.
You can use the phrasal verb 'crank up' to refer to using something at a high level or to its full potential. Cranking up the air conditioning means that you are using the air conditioning on high power at its coldest setting. Notice the following:
- I love this song. Crank it up.
- I'm freezing. We need to crank up the heat in here.
a conniption fit
I lost my key the other day and nearly had a conniption fit.
A 'conniption fit' is a hysterical outburst of emotions, usually anger, frustration or worry. Notice the following:
- If I don't find my keys in the next five minutes I am
going to have a conniption fit.
- When she doesn't get her way she has little conniption
fits.
at a certain point
At a certain point you have to drink water.
When you get to 'a certain point,' it means that you have reached a certain place or level. Notice the following:
- At a certain point I knew that I would never be able to
swim to the other side.
- At a certain point it really doesn't matter if it gets
much colder because you can't feel your feet anyway.
go off the deep end
I don't go too far off the deep end.
Here, going 'too far off the deep end' refers to getting too drunk or going too crazy. Notice the following:
- When he hears that news, he is going to go off the deep
end.
- Keeping things at the house organized usually keeps her
from going off the deep end.
Vocabulary Quiz
certain • deep end
