Learn how to use the English auxiliary verb "to do"
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Chihiro: I’m Chihiro and I’m joined in the studio by… |
| Ryan: Hey, everyone, Ryan here! Sitting Back and Enjoying the American Ride. |
| Chihiro: In this lesson, you will learn how to ask for a haircut. |
| Ryan: This conversation takes place at a hair salon. |
| Chihiro: The conversation is between Drew and the haircut guy. |
| Ryan: Drew will be speaking casually. |
| Chihiro: Alright, let’s listen to the dialogue. |
Lesson conversation |
|---|
| Haircut Guy: Welcome to ExtraCuts! |
| Drew: Uh, hi. Yes, I'd like to get a haircut. |
| HG: Then you came to the right place. The best cuts for only twelve dollars. |
| Drew: Okay, that seems reasonable. |
| HG: Right this way. Please have a seat in this chair. |
| Drew: Thank you. |
| HG: So do you just want a trim, or would you like to try something new? |
| Drew: Well, I'm not so sure, but I did like my last haircut. |
| HG: I can just shorten your hair all around, but basically keep the same style as your last haircut if you want. |
| Drew: Hmmm. Maybe I'll try something different this time. |
| HG: So…you don't want a trim…then how about a mohawk or a mullet. |
| Drew: Uhh, I'm not so keen on that. |
| HG: Just kidding. |
| Drew: I'd just like a little off the top, but I do want to grow the sides out a little. |
| HG: Okay. And the back? |
| Drew: I'd like to cut it pretty short in the back. |
| HG: All right then. Sit back and enjoy the ride. |
| English Host: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| Haircut Guy: Welcome to ExtraCuts! |
| Drew: Uh, hi. Yes, I'd like to get a haircut. |
| HG: Then you came to the right place. The best cuts for only twelve dollars. |
| Drew: Okay, that seems reasonable. |
| HG: Right this way. Please have a seat in this chair. |
| Drew: Thank you. |
| HG: So do you just want a trim, or would you like to try something new? |
| Drew: Well, I'm not so sure, but I did like my last haircut. |
| HG: I can just shorten your hair all around, but basically keep the same style as your last haircut if you want. |
| Drew: Hmmm. Maybe I'll try something different this time. |
| HG: So…you don't want a trim…then how about a mohawk or a mullet. |
| Drew: Uhh, I'm not so keen on that. |
| HG: Just kidding. |
| Drew: I'd just like a little off the top, but I do want to grow the sides out a little. |
| HG: Okay. And the back? |
| Drew: I'd like to cut it pretty short in the back. |
| HG: All right then. Sit back and enjoy the ride. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Chihiro: Okay so, Ryan, have you ever had a mohawk or a mullet? Tell the truth. |
| Ryan: No way. |
| Chihiro: Well, as you might know, there are different types of hair salons in the United States, ranging from not so expensive to very expensive. Drew went to the kind of place that is a franchise that offers haircuts at low prices. These places usually don't require reservations beforehand, and since they are located in convenient places, you can drop by anytime. |
| Ryan: Yeah, you can find them at the mall, or in one of those places where a few stores are gathered together. So Chihiro, have you ever been to one of those places? |
| Chihiro: You know what, I have. I have to say it wasn't a terrible experience, but it wasn't the best either. In other words it was my first and last time! |
| Ryan: In other words, either you were fussy or they were bad. |
| Chihiro: Yes, I guess it depends on your perspective. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Chihiro: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| : The first word we shall see is: |
| Ryan: trim [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: act of cutting something from something to make it look better |
| Ryan: trim [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: trim [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: reasonable [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: logical or fair or agreeable |
| Ryan: reasonable [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: reasonable [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: basically [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: generally, simply |
| Ryan: basically [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: basically [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: style [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: particular manner or sort or way something is |
| Ryan: style [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: style [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: to shorten [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: to make the length smaller |
| Ryan: to shorten [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: to shorten [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: mohawk [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: hairstyle with shaved sides and the middle strip often spiked up |
| Ryan: mohawk [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: mohawk [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: mullet [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: hairstyle with short hair except the back bottom, which is long |
| Ryan: mullet [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: mullet [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: keen [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: excited and eager about something |
| Ryan: keen [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: keen [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCABULARY AND PHRASES |
| Chihiro : Let’s take a closer look at the usage for some of the phrases from this lesson. The first phrase is something Drew says at the hairdresser’s. In the end he just wants, |
| Ryan: "a little off the top" |
| Chihiro: What this means is that he wants the top part cut just a little. This is a common expression to say when asking for a haircut. You can of course talk about different parts of your head, for example, |
| Ryan: "I want a little off the back." |
| Chihiro: If you have long hair, then you wouldn't use this expression. You can say "just a trim" instead. |
| Ryan: Okay, the second phrase we'll look at is when the haircut guy says, |
| Chihiro: "Sit back and enjoy the ride." |
| Ryan: This doesn't mean that the chair is going to start moving, but it just means "relax." We often use it when one person is going to do all the work, and the other person doesn't need to do anything. |
| Chihiro: You can say it to a friend perhaps in the passenger seat of a car, or you can say it to an audience who is about to see your show. |
| Ryan: In other words, it's supposed to be a fun experience for the person on the ride. |
Lesson focus |
| Ryan: The focus of this lesson is the auxiliary verb "to do." |
| Chihiro: Which is a very important verb with several uses. First of all, Ryan, tell us what an auxiliary verb is again? |
| Ryan: It's a helping verb |
| Chihiro: So today we're talking about the verb "to do" when it's used to assist other verbs, and not the verb as a main verb. |
| Ryan: We're going to take a look at a particular function, which is for emphasis. |
| Chihiro: Don't worry, the formation is very simple, but you may not be accustomed to using it so much. |
| Ryan: Take for example the sentence from the dialogue. |
| Chihiro: "I did like my last haircut." |
| Ryan: You may have noticed that even if he didn't use the word "do," the sentence would still make sense. |
| Chihiro: "I liked my last haircut." |
| Ryan: However, by adding the auxiliary "do," he emphasizes the fact that he liked his last haircut. |
| Chihiro: He also says, |
| Ryan: "I do want to grow the sides out a little." |
| Chihiro: Here again, he uses the auxiliary to emphasize the point. Now, Ryan, can you give us some examples of sentences first without and then with the verb "to do" |
| Ryan: Sure, how about, "I like kebabs." and "I do like kebabs!" |
| Chihiro: And "He speaks Swahili." or "He does speak Swahili!" |
| Ryan: One more, "They finished before the deadline." or "They did finish before the deadline!" |
| Chihiro: In all of these cases, the second sentence with the auxiliary verb places more emphasis on the action. |
| Ryan: We can also say the sentence with some emphasis on the auxiliary. Note that we conjugate the auxiliary "do," and the main verb does not change. |
| Chihiro: Okay and a little added bonus for today, everybody. When used with a command, it actually has the opposite effect. |
| Ryan: The command sounds softer and it has a politer feel to it. For example, |
| Chihiro: “Do help yourself” |
| Ryan: Makes, |
| Chihiro: “Help yourself” |
| Ryan: Sound even more polite. |
| Chihiro: Good point. So remember, with a regular statement use it for emphasis, and for a command use it to soften it. |
| Ryan: Okay, Chihiro, do please finish the grammar point. |
| Chihiro: Yes we did just finish the grammar point. |
Outro |
| Chihiro: Okay, that just about does it for today. See you all later! |
| Ryan: Bye for now! |
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