Learn how to use the prepositions "next to" and "beside"
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| INTRODUCTION |
| John: Are You Still Looking for an American Post Office? John Here. |
| Becky: Hey I'm Becky. |
| John: In this lesson, you’ll learn the prepositions “next to” and “beside.” The conversation takes place at work. |
| Becky: It's between Rachel and Sean. |
| John: The speakers are co-workers, and they will use both formal and informal English. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Rachel: Did you mail that package, Sean? |
| Sean: I couldn't find the post office! It wasn't next to the bank. |
| Rachel: I didn't say it was! Do you remember the Christmas party? |
| Sean: Last year's? Yes, it was at the Italian restaurant. |
| Rachel: The post office is beside the restaurant. |
| Sean: I'll try again. |
| John: Listen to the conversation one time slowly. |
| Rachel: Did you mail that package, Sean? |
| Sean: I couldn't find the post office! It wasn't next to the bank. |
| Rachel: I didn't say it was! Do you remember the Christmas party? |
| Sean: Last year's? Yes, it was at the Italian restaurant. |
| Rachel: The post office is beside the restaurant. |
| Sean: I'll try again. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| John: Poor Sean. Sounds like he went to the totally wrong place. |
| Becky: He should have listened to Rachel. |
| John: Or at least remembered what was by the restaurant where they had their Christmas party! |
| Becky: Speaking of Christmas, that’s a big event in the States every year. |
| John: Yeah, the Christmas season starts pretty much as soon as Thanksgiving is finished at the end of November. |
| Becky: Yeah, the annual Thanksgiving parade ends with an appearance from Santa. But sometimes stores start stocking Christmas supplies as early as October! |
| John: Christmas dinner is a key event of the day, and it’s usually marked by eating ham or turkey with cranberry sauce and many side dishes. |
| Becky: Too many side dishes, usually! |
| John: No such thing! At Christmas we give each other presents. This is really the main event. |
| Becky: Yes, there’s presents, and we decorate our homes and sometimes outside our homes too. |
| John: Many cities and towns decorate with lights and trees. |
| Becky: I love going to New York at Christmas to shop and ice-skate at Rockefeller Center. |
| John: I don’t think I could handle the crowds. Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| John: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is... |
| Becky: did [natural native speed] |
| John: past tense of “do” meaning “to perform an action” |
| Becky: did[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: did [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Becky: to mail [natural native speed] |
| John: to send something through the postal service |
| Becky: to mail[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: to mail [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Becky: couldn't [natural native speed] |
| John: contraction of “could not” meaning “not possible” |
| Becky: couldn't[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: couldn't [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Becky: Christmas [natural native speed] |
| John: the most important date on the Christian calendar, December 25th |
| Becky: Christmas[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: Christmas [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Becky: party [natural native speed] |
| John: group of people |
| Becky: party[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: party [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Becky: last [natural native speed] |
| John: final, with nothing after |
| Becky: last[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: last [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Becky: year [natural native speed] |
| John: a length of time equal to 52 weeks or 365 days. The length of time taken for the Earth to orbit the Sun |
| Becky: year[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: year [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Becky: restaurant [natural native speed] |
| John: a business where people go to eat |
| Becky: restaurant[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: restaurant [natural native speed] |
| John: And lastly... |
| Becky: again [natural native speed] |
| John: an adverb indicating the repetition of an action |
| Becky: again[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: again [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| John: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is... |
| Becky: ...did... |
| John: ...meaning "the past tense of do, meaning to perform an action." What can you tell us about this word? |
| Becky: It’s used in sentences to talk about past actions, and to also ask questions about past actions. You can also use it for emphasis in sentences when it isn’t strictly needed. |
| John: Instead of saying “I studied,” you could say “I did study.” |
| Becky: The second sentence sounds more firm, as if you’re highlighting the fact that you studied. |
| John: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| Becky: Sure. For example, you can say, “Did you wash the car, yesterday?” |
| John: ...which means "You washed the car yesterday, right?" |
| John: Okay, what's the next word? |
| Becky: Couldn't... |
| John: ...meaning "contraction of could not - not possible" How do we use this? |
| Becky: “Could not” is the negative version of “could” and, also the negative past tense of “can.” |
| John: You use it to say that something wasn’t possible in the past. |
| Becky: For example, you had a report to finish yesterday, but didn’t do it. |
| John: I was very busy yesterday! I had no time! |
| Becky: You can say “I couldn’t finish it yesterday” to show it wasn’t possible. |
| John: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| Becky: Sure. For example, you can say, “He couldn't pass the test.” |
| John: ...which means "He wasn’t able to pass the test." Okay, what's the next word? |
| Becky: Christmas... |
| John: ...meaning "the most important date on the Christian calendar, December 25th." |
| Becky: We spoke about Christmas a little earlier in this lesson. |
| John: That’s right. Christmas is an event in the Christian calendar that is celebrated in Christian countries. |
| Becky: The date is fixed as December 25th and never changes. |
| John: We give presents to our family and friends. Where does the word “Christmas” come from? |
| Becky: It comes from the two words "Christ" and "mass," as the holiday celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. |
| John: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| Becky: For example, you can say, “I'm going home for Christmas.” |
| John: ...which means "I’m going home for the annual Christian event on December 25th." Okay, onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| John: In this lesson, you'll learn about the prepositions “next to” and “beside.” |
| Becky: Let’s get started! |
| John: Alright! Let’s start with “next to.” |
| Becky: You can use this as a preposition of position and place. It means “at the side of.” |
| John: Such as “There is a post office next to the library.” |
| Becky: That means that there is a post office at the side of the library. |
| John: Let’s look at some more examples. |
| Becky: “I’ll wait next to the station.” |
| John: “My dream home is next to the ocean, with its own private beach.” |
| Becky: Be careful that you don’t mix up “next to” with “nearest to.” |
| John: Can you tell us what the difference is? |
| Becky: “Nearest to” means the closest, but doesn’t mean that the two places are side by side. |
| John: What does “The gas station nearest the park” mean? |
| Becky: It could mean that the gas station is next to the park, or it could be several blocks away. It’s just closer than any other gas station. |
| John: Okay. The next preposition is “beside.” |
| Becky: This is also used as a preposition of position and place and means “at the side of.” |
| John: Isn’t that what we said about “next to”? |
| Becky: Yes, it is. It means the same thing, only it’s slightly more formal. |
| John: In regular conversation, you’re more likely to hear “next to.” |
| Becky: That’s right. Shall we look at some examples? |
| John: I think we should! |
| Becky: “The exit is beside the counter.” |
| John: “Don’t wait beside the wall; it’s still wet with paint.” |
| Becky: That last one is not only a good example, but useful advice too. |
| John: Yes, always be aware of wet paint! |
Outro |
| John: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| Becky: Bye |
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