Okay, next we also have an expression out of curiosity. In the sentence like “Out of curiosity, tell me, you are young, strong and you have a wonderful wife, but you are not successful. Why?”
Out of curiosity. It means I want to know, I desire to know, I wonder or tell me why. That famous and successful business person wants to know why Jim is not a success. He says it because he wants to learn, he wonders why he has not been a success yet: being young and strong, having a wonderful wife. The man is curious about it. He is curious about the reason why Jim is not a success yet.
Okay, next we see the expression to go through. The sentence says “Jim goes through his list of reasons why he is not a success.” Here go through means to read out again or to tell the same reasons why he is not a success yet. So Jim tells that man, he reads out to that man his list, his list of reasons, why he is not a success yet. He goes though the list of reasons that stops him from being a success.
A little bit lower we see another very common expression to look through. In the sentence like “Jim finishes, the man looks through the list very carefully”. Look through. To look through means to read something usually quickly, especially to find the information you need. That businessman reads Jim’s lists quickly because he wants to find the information he needs to understand why Jim is not a success. And as you know he doesn’t find it.
Okay, our next verb is to wonder. To wonder means it is interesting to know or I want to know, I want to learn. “What is it?” Jim wonders. Jim wants to know, he wants to learn what is wrong with his list. It is interesting for him to learn, where there is a big problem.
Next we have another good and useful verb, this is to revolutionize. As you may already guess, it comes from the word revolution which means a big, huge or major change in something. To revolutionize something means to completely change the way that something is done, thought about or made. In other words, this idea of not being on the list of reasons why he is not a success, this thought has completely changed Jim’s life. He changes the way he thinks about being a success. It revolutionizes his life.
Our next expression for his vocabulary lesson is to tear up. To tear up means to destroy something such as a piece of paper or clothing by pulling it into pieces. And you can see it in the sentences “Jim tears up the list of reasons for not doing well”. Jim destroys the list of reasons for not doing well. He tears up the list of reasons for not doing well.
Our final word for today is to grab. Here to grab means to take something quickly and you hold it. So Jim takes a fresh piece of paper quickly and he puts one word on it, which means he writes one word on it – him. Of course, you understand the idea of the story that you are the only person who is responsible for your own success. No one else can decide for you.
Alright, and that is all for the vocabulary lesson for “The key to your better future is you.” See you for the mini-story.
The Mini-Story Lesson
Hello, my superstar English student! This is Alex. Welcome to the mini-story for “The Key to Your Better Future is You”. Let’s get started. By the way, this time I am going to ask the story in the present tense, not in the past tense. Let’s go!
Jim is married to a beautiful woman. And they have two children.
Who is Jim married to?
He is married to a beautiful woman.
Is Jim married to a beautiful or an ugly woman?
Beautiful, of course. Not ugly. Who wants to marry to an ugly woman? And Jim is married to a beautiful woman, of course.
What is her name?
Oh, you don’t know. I’ll tell you. Her name is Dorothy. Oh, what a nice name, right? Dorothy.
So Jim is married to a beautiful woman, named Dorothy.
What do they have? Dogs?
No, no, not dogs. They don’t have dogs. They have children.
How many children do they have?
Two, right! They have two children.
Do they have two girls?
No, they don’t.
Do they have two boys?
No, they don’t.
Do they have a girl and a boy?
Yes, that’s right. They have two children: a girl and a boy.
Okay. That’s lovely. And Jim is a success, right?
No, unfortunately, not. Jim is not a success. Instead, he is in debts.
What is Jim in?
In debts. Jim is in debts.
Does Jim owe money to other people?
Yes, exactly. Jim owes money to other people. He is in debts.
Is Jim’s father in debts?
No, Jim’s father is not in debts. Jim’s father is doing well. It’s Jim who is in debts.
Is Jim a rich or a poor man?
Jim is a poor man.
Does Jim have any money?
No, he doesn’t. He doesn’t have any money. Jim is in debts. He owes money to other people.
How do you know?
Because when he looks at his bank account and he is not happy.
Is Jim happy or unhappy when he looks at his bank account?
Jim is unhappy. He is unhappy when he looks at his bank account.
Why is Jim unhappy when he looks at his bank account?
Because he has no money on his bank account. He is unhappy, because he owes money to other people. Jim is unhappy, because his bank account is empty. Jim is in debts.
What does Jim need money for?
For his family, of course. He needs money to provide his family. As a result, it is difficult for Jim to provide his family.
Right?
Yes.
Is it easy or difficult for Jim to provide his family?
It is difficult. It is not easy for Jim to provide his family.
What is difficult for Jim to do?
To provide his family, to give what they want and need. It’s difficult for Jim to provide his family.
Who is it difficult for to provide his family?
For Jim, of course. It is difficult for Jim to provide his family.
And why is it difficult for Jim to provide his family?
Because he is in debts. He doesn’t have his own money. Jim owes money to other people.
And he even has a list of reasons for not being a success.
What does Jim always do? What does he always say?
He always blames something or something.
What kind of list does Jim have?
He has a list of reasons for not being a success.
Jim