English, baby!

简体

Talk Someone Out of Something

Learn English with this wedding English lesson

Date: Jan 01 2013

Themes: Soap Opera

Grammar: Be Able To

Go Super!

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

Go Super to Listen

venue

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Go Super to Listen

Let’s say one of your friends is about to do something that you think is really stupid. Or maybe it’s just something that you don’t agree with. How can you get your friend to change his or her mind? You can try to use force. You can yell at your friend. But often, the best way to convince someone of something is to simply use words. You can try to talk someone out of something.

For example, if your friend is about to go skydiving and you think it seems dangerous, you might say, “Is there any way I can talk you out of it?” Or, if your friend can tell that you disapprove, she might say to you, “There is no way you will talk me out of skydiving!” Basically, you are saying you want to convince her not to go, and she is saying that you will not be able to convince her.

Outside the office, the storm is getting worse. Mason’s got big plans for the weekend, and he’s nervous. In this English lesson video, we learn the meaning of the English idiom “talk someone out of something,” and find out what what Mason’s big plans are.

3. Watch - Watch the video without reading the dialog.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Amanda: Hon, what are you doing?

Mason: Oh, hi sweetie.

Amanda: What is this? Are you crafting a little something for our wedding ceremony this weekend? Like a little lantern?

Jeff: What? You guys are getting married this weekend? Didn’t you just get engaged?

Amanda: Um, yeah. Didn’t you get the Evite? We didn’t have a lot of time, so we’re just gonna have a simple wedding and it’ll be great.

Mason: Well, I wanted to have a big wedding, but Amanda talked me out of it.

Amanda: Well, since I just invested in this company, it’s kind of a challenge to afford a big wedding for Mason.

Mason: We might not be able to even have a wedding this weekend.

Amanda: What are you talking about?

Mason: It’s supposed to be a huge storm. There could be flooding and…I don’t know if it’s gonna happen.

Amanda: Sorry. Like I said, I’ve been kind of busy running this company. I’m not really paying attention to what’s out there.

Mason: Sweetie, I know. I’m sorry. Well, anyway, I’m really concerned about the whole situation, so I want you to know, I’ve got a plan.

Amanda: OK. What kind of plan?

Mason: Well, I’m not sure I should tell you cause you might try to talk me out of it.

Amanda: First of all, I love your crazy plans. And second of all, I can’t remember the last time I was able to talk you out of anything.

Mason: Well, OK. So first, I go out the window and then I wade or swim if necessary, to the river where I’m sure to find a boat. I’m not 100 percent sure on how I’m going to get the boat back here. Tow it. If I’m lucky, it’s got a motor. But one way or another, we will have a boat that will take us to the wedding, so we can get married this weekend.

Amanda: OK, that plan’s insane, even for you.

Mason: I told you, Amanda, I won’t let you talk me out of it.

Amanda: Mason, please.

Mason: Nope!

Amanda: I told you. We’re gonna get married no matter what. If we don’t have a wedding this weekend, it will be next weekend. Just don’t be stupid. Come on. It’s cold out there.

Greta: “Don’t be stupid.” That’s what my manager just told me, too.

Mason: Wait, she didn’t tell you to not work with us?

Greta: No. She talked me out of going out in the storm to make my next appointment. I guess it’s supposed to be the worst storm in a hundred years. But how bad can it be, right? Anyway, is it OK if I hang out for a little while until it lets up?

Amanda: Totally fine. Make yourself at home. Mason, maybe we can table this discussion now that we have a guest?

Mason: Yeah, I guess. I’ll have to see if the venue will give us back our deposit.

Amanda: What was that?

Mason: Nothing, sweetie.

Grammar Point

Go Super to learn "Be Able To" from this lesson

Quizzes

Go Super to take Quiz

Lesson MP3

Go Super to download full lesson MP3

Go Super to Ask Ebaby! teachers your questions!

The iTEP^® test

Sponsored by

Schedule an iTEP^® test and take the official English Practice Test.
Take Now >

Discussion

Go Super to Listen

Mason is going around the office gathering an odd pile of objects, and Amanda asks what he’s doing. Maybe he’s getting something together for their wedding this weekend. Jeff is surprised, because he didn’t know they were getting married so soon. They’re just having a small party, because Amanda just put a lot of her money into the company.

That is, if the wedding happens at all. Mason is worried that they might have to cancel the wedding because of the storm. But he’s come up with a plan! At first he’s afraid to tell Amanda, because she might tell him not to go through with it. Eventually, though, he explains. It’s something crazy involving a boat and jumping out the window.

And Amanda tells him it’s a stupid idea. She’s not the only one in the office talking about stupid behavior in the storm. Greta’s manager just told her she’d be stupid to go out there. So it turns out she’s going to sit out the storm in the office.

Do you have any friends who make crazy plans? Do you ever try to talk them out of their plans? What are some methods you use?

Comments

Qoritia

Indonesia

Hello =)

elisa9926

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

my dad always makes us to follow his plans and no one can talk him out of them. we always try to convince him but discussion is fruitless.for example: many years ago he decided to repair the house we live in،my older borother said “i can pay money to repair the house provided that pay attention to family plan” but he didnt accept . i think he is a real stuborn.

boss-8

Tajikistan

Hello I’m looking for interesting and witty conversation.
And i love to study English and speak English.
I want to learn English please help me.
This is my emails:

iokh

Saudi Arabia

I’m tried to convince my house partner to leave out apartment but he refused. He talk me out it, I told him its more expensive and it challenge for us stay in this apartment but he said it is suitable for us.

sober666

Mexico

wow…...some the thing that always others do with me called “talk out”........

Sajjad Monti

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

well, some months ago, I wanted to drive in opposite line, my friends were with me, they were trying to talk me out of it, they told me: it’s an insane plan, are you crazy ..(Beeb) ? don’t do that …(Beeb), f…k u, stop the car.
with this method they convinced me, and I think conversation is more usefull than using force :D ))
anyway, I still think it’s so exciting to drive in opposite line for once :P :)

yuminaga

China

actually I’m not goot at this way though , there was a coworker of mine wanted to study Japanese ,its ok but she just had studied for about 3 months but she told me he want to challenge the test1 (which is like TOEFL) its an insane plan.I was trying any mothod as i can ,she says to me :you wont able to talk me out of it .Gosh! what a world ! I have been learning Japanese for more than 10 years though

haitham4vip

Egypt

just go out first day new year

mariodef

Italy

someone want learn me english?by skype?

julito

Argentina

A2020, you should consider to take the bus instead :))))))

julito

Argentina

i don´t know , but it looks that Mason is grumpy with Amanda and viceversa. We should not ruled out the possibility that Mason is not happy that their marriage won´t be in style and prefers calling off the wedding. If this is so, he doesn´t know what he is getting to, Amanda is a tough lot to deal with .I hope that Greta would want to step forward and help them to find a way around this dead end.

friendlover

Turkey

Maybe Mason was trying to persuade Amanda to postpone the wedding. I think he didn’t wanna hurry because he wanted to more prepared for his wedding. He made up that plan he knew Amanda would find it stupid. Becase his plan is really stupid. It cannot be only Amanda who sees that. I guess in some way Mason talked Amanda out of it.

goodmahsa

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Amanda and Mason seem to be a wierd couple,Amanda is more like a matured person while Mason more seems to be puerile.none of my friends’ plans is as crazy as Mason’s ; he really goes all out. A few and far between I suggest so-called crazy ideas cause I feel we have trapped ourselves too much and it’s good to set us free sometimes and make unplanned plans (crazy plans)like children who always follow what their hearts tell them.I’m totally out of loop how’s others culture but here generally we are expected to always behave like a matured person and stop our inner child.That’s so pity sometimes I feel there’s a really naughty person inside me who can do really devilish things but now is doing time :)

Wielomian

Poland

This situation is very funny. They wanted to get married and suddenly the storm showed up. And it could be very fast because Amanda did not pay attention to the weather. I think Amanda did not really want to get married with Mason. She was not very excited. Her attitude to marriage was very cold. It looked like she would say: “not this weekend, so next, not next maybe another, not another then someday”. Mason was a bit nervous about wedding. In my opinion he just was afraid that Amanda was able to resign from wedding. And the storm… It could be some kind of sign to call wedding off and break up with Amanda. I know it is edge case, but I think it should discussed.

julito

Argentina

Oh my God !! the whole situation is blowing out of proportion , have they already sent out wedding invitations ? otherwise , they should reconsidered if their relationship so far is been built on solid grounds of trust and mutual understanding. Granted that Amanda is going through a lot of pressure : to make her business profitable and tie the knot at the same time but brushing him off the way she did and on top of that telling him “don´t be stupid” is not what Mason should have expected and deserved from her fiancee.Definitely, the boat (marriage) that Mason is about to get on is rocking on choppy waters , .Let´s hope that they will reach the shore safe and happy.