Dialogue
In this lesson, your tutor will help you go over this topic: Working Late. First, read the following dialogue out loud with your tutor, then switch roles and try again.
Kevin and Dorothy are talking about what happened last night.
| Dorothy: |
What happened to you last night? You missed the party! |
| Kevin: |
It’s a long story. My boss asked me to do something for him very last minute. |
| Dorothy: |
What time did he give you the work? |
| Kevin: |
Just before I was about to get off from work, maybe 7pm? |
| Dorothy: |
That is terrible. What took you so long? |
| Kevin: |
He told me I just needed to give him a file, but in fact, I had to do some research and make a new file for him. |
| Dorothy: |
Bummer! And you had to finish it last night? |
| Kevin: |
He told me it was urgent. |
| Dorothy: |
Geez. Anyways, you missed out on an awesome party. |
| Kevin: |
Tell me about it. |
Vocabulary
Go over the following vocabulary and expressions with your tutor. Read the word/expression and definition out loud, and your tutor will go over anything you do not understand. Practice creating a sentence or two to make sure you know how to use the word/expression properly.
Vocabulary/ Expressions
|
Expression |
Definition |
Example |
|
what happened to… |
– |
Do you know what happened to Kevin? He’s not here. |
|
miss |
to fail to be present for (something) |
She missed three days of school when she was sick. |
|
it’s a long story |
– |
How did you end up in the hospital? It’s a long story. |
|
last minute |
the latest possible time |
My brother waits until the last minute to take a shower in the morning. |
|
just before |
immediately before |
The bus left just before I got to the station. |
|
be about to (verb) |
to be going to (perform an action), do something very soon |
I‘m about to leave the office. |
|
get off from work |
having left one’s work at the end of the day. |
I usually get off from work at 7pm. |
|
in fact |
in reality or actuality |
I have to send you the email. In fact, I will send it to you right now. |
|
urgent |
very important and needs immediate attention |
We’ve come to deliver an urgent message. |
|
miss out on… |
lose a chance for |
Ruth came late to the party and missed out on all the fun. |
Exercise
Practice answering the following questions with your tutors. You can use the sample answers to come up with your own answer.
- What did you do last night?
- I was working till late.
- I went out with my friends.
- Your answer:_______________________________
- How late do you normally stay at work?
- I get off from work at 7pm sharp.
- I usually stay till late.
- Your answer:_______________________________
- Do you get a lot of last minute requests at work?
- No, my boss is very good at time management.
- Yes, and I hate it.
- Your answer:_______________________________
- Do you get to go out with your friends often?
- I try to meet up with friends twice a week.
- I don’t see them often.
- Your answer:_______________________________
- What do you do when you meet with your friends?
- We normally get dinner and some drinks.
- We try to do something fun.
- Your answer:_______________________________
Conversation
Use the following questions as a guideline to form an interesting conversation with your tutor. Feel free to diverge from these suggestions if anything interesting comes up.
- What time do you usually get off from work?
- What time do you normally arrive at the office?
- What time of day do you feel you are most productive in your work or study?
- What do you usually do when you get last minute requests at work?
- How often do you go out with your friends?
Wrap-up
Go over any new expressions or vocabulary that you learned today.
Cambly Content 
I second that Dave. That’s how I would say it too. Nevertheless, I think this way is still grammatically correct.
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