The Invite
Mike talks with Erina and invites her to come and hang out with his friends at the park. (Scenes 3 | Part 3 of 7)
Mike: See that wasn't that hard, was it?
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Erina
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Mike
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Erina: Oh it was actually so easy. Thank you.
Mike: Yeah no problem. So since you've come to Vancouver, have you seen any places?
Erina: No I haven't really been anywhere in Vancouver yet.
Mike: Really? Have you heard of the place called Stanley Park?
Erina: Oh Stanley Park? Yes, actually my friends were talking about it.
Mike: Really? Because a bunch of friends and I are going to be going to Stanley Park on the weekend, and if you'd want to come we'd be happy to have you.
Erina: Oh that'll be great. Thank you for inviting me.
Mike: Yeah, no problem. Stanley Park is a huge national park at the edge of downtown. And it has something what's called a seawall, which is a walkway for people to walk, and cyclists, and people on rollerblades, that goes around the whole perimeter of the park.
Erina: Wow, that sounds amazing.
Mike: Yeah, it's beautiful. And it actually goes right under the Lions Gate Bridge.
Erina: Lions Gate Bridge?
Mari Goes to Australia
Part 1: First Meeting
Part 2: Drop Classes
Part 3: The Invite
Part 4: The Job Offer
Part 5: The Interview
Part 6: Work Rules
Part 7: The Mistake
Mike: Yeah it's the bridge that connects downtown to West Vancouver.
Erina: Oh, okay.
Mike: It's also the bridge you would take to get on the highway to go up to Whistler.
Erina: Oh, Whistler.
Mike: Yeah.
Erina: That name sounds so familiar to me.
Mike: Yeah, it's a mountain for skiing and snowboarding. And it's definitely one of the most famous mountains in North America.
Erina: Oh wow. Actually I'm from northern part of Japan, where it snows a lot, and I ski and snowboard all the time when I'm in Japan. So I'm very interested to go to Whistler one day.
Mike: Well one day we'll have to go up together because it's a great mountain and it has lots of different runs.
Erina: Oh wow, I'm already excited.
Mike: So why don't I give you my phone number and you can give me a call Saturday morning and let me know if you want to come to Stanley Park.
Erina: Oh cool, okay. That'll be great. I'll give you a call tomorrow. Is there anything you want me to bring?
Mike: No, should be fine. If you want to bring some drinks that's fine, but we're probably just going to be playing frisbee and sitting in the park.
Erina: Oh, sounds great. Okay, so should I give you my phone number?
Mike: Well, I'll give you my number and you can call me in the morning.
Erina: Oh yeah that's true.
Mike: Do you have a pen?
Erina: Yes I do. Hold on.
a bunch of friends
Because a bunch of friends and I are going.
A bunch is just a group, so if you have a bunch of friends, that means you have a group of friends. Notice that if the pronoun 'I' is included, it goes after the phrase 'a bunch of' not before it. Here are some more uses:
- A bunch of friends and I are going to the movies. Do you want to come?
- There are a bunch of boxes by the door. Can you bring them here?
we'd be happy to have you
If you want to come, we'd be happy to have you.
The phrase 'we'd be happy to have you' means the speaker would like to invite the listener or let the listener know they are invited to some event.
- If you are free tonight, we'd be happy to have you over for dinner.
- We are playing bridge tonight. We'd be happy to have you join us.
at the edge of
There is a park at the edge of town.
The phrase 'at the edge of' means the outside area of something.
If a place is at the edge of town, that means it is in town, but far from the center, almost out of town. Notice the following:
- I used to live downtown, but now I live in a house at the edge of town.
- There is a cool cafe just at the edge of campus.
runs
It has lots of different runs.
Here, a run is a skiing slope or skiing route. A run is basically a course or trail people can follow. Notice the following:
- That ski run is only for advanced skiers.
- That is my favorite run on the course.
hold on
I have a pen. Hold on.
The phrase 'hold on' just means please wait. It is short for 'hold on a second' or 'hold on a minute'. The speaker uses it because they need time to do something. Notice the following:
A: Let's get going. We need to leave now.
B: OK, but hold on. I need to get my jacket.
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Vocabulary Challenge
the edge of • hold on