It’s certainly not mine! Not mine! Not mine!

Not yours? - Not mine!

Are you sure? - I’m sure!

It’s his? - It’s his!

Not yours? - Not mine!

Focus on: This chant offers practice in the possessive pronouns mine, his, yours;

negative statements and questions with not; the use of certainly and

of course for emphasis.

sure —adj. 1 (often foll. by of or that) convinced. 2 having adequate reason for a belief or assertion. 3 reliable or unfailing. 5 (foll. by to + infin.) certain. 6 undoubtedly true or truthful. —adv. colloq. certainly.  be sure (in imper. or infin.; foll. by that + clause or to + infin.) take care to; not fail to. for sure colloq. certainly. make sure make or become certain; ensure. sure enough colloq. in fact; certainly. to be sure admittedly; indeed, certainly.  sureness n. [French from Latin securus]

awful adj. 1 colloq. very bad or unpleasant (has awful writing; awful weather). 2 (attrib.) as an intensifier (awful lot of money).

certainly adv. 1 undoubtedly. 2 (in answer) yes; by all means.

A BAD DAY I overslept and missed my train. Slipped on the sidewalk in the pouring rain. Sprained my ankle, skinned my knees, Broke my glasses, lost my keys. Got stuck in the elevator - it wouldn’t go, Kicked it twice and stubbed my toe. Bought a pen that didn’t write, Took it back and had a fight, Went home angry, locked the door, Crawled into bed, couldn’t take any more.

MORE BAD LUCK The bread was stale, it was 4 days old. The milk was sour, the coffee was cold. The butter was rancid, the steak was tough. The service was dreadful, the waiter was rough. My bill was huge, his tip was small. I’m sorry I went to that place at all.

oversleep —v. (past and past part. -slept) sleep beyond the

intended time of waking.

miss —v. fail to catch (a bus, train, etc.) or see (an event)

or meet (a person).

slip —v. (-pp-) 1 slide unintentionally or momentarily;

lose one's footing or balance.

sidewalk —n. US pavement.

pour —v. flow or cause to flow esp. downwards in a stream or

shower. 2 rain heavily.

sprain —v. wrench (an ankle, wrist, etc.), causing pain or

swelling.

ankle —n. 1 joint connecting the foot with the leg.

2 this part of the leg.

skin —n. 1 flexible covering of a body. —v. (-nn-) 1 remove

the skin from. 2 graze (part of the body).

to get stuck - застревать

elevator —n. US lift.

fight —n. 1 battle. 2 conflict, struggle, or effort.

stale —adj. a not fresh.

sour —adj. 1 acid in taste or smell, esp. because unripe or

fermented. 2 unpleasant; distasteful.

rancid —adj. smelling or tasting like rank stale fat.

steak —n. thick slice of meat (esp. beef) or fish, usu.

grilled or fried.

tough —adj. 1 hard to break, cut, tear, or chew. 2 difficult.

3 colloq. criminal or violent. —n. tough person.

dreadful —adj. 1 terrible. 2 colloq. very annoying, very bad.

rough —adj. 1 uneven, not smooth, level. 2 violent, not mild,

quiet, or gentle (rough fellow; rough play; rough sea).

bill —n. statement of charges for goods or services.

huge —adj. extremely large; enormous.

tip —v. (-pp-) 1 make a small present of money to, esp. for a service given. —n. 1 small money present, esp. for a service given. 2 piece of private or special information, esp. regarding betting or investment.

PERSONAL QUESTIONS

Where were you born? - I’d rather not say!

Where are you from? - I’d rather not say!

How tall are you?

How old are you?

How much do you weigh? - I’d rather not say!

How much rent do you pay? - I’d rather not say!

How much do you make? - I’d rather not say!

Why aren’t you married? - I’d rather not say!

Why don’t you have children? - I’d rather not say!

Where were you last night?

Why weren’t you home?

Did you stay out late?

Did you come home alone?

Did you have a good time?

Did you see a good play?

Did you go to a concert? - I’d rather not say!

DO YOU KNOW MARY?

Do you know Mary? - Mary who?

Mary McDonald. - Of course, I do!

Do you know her little brother? - Yes, of course, I do!

I know her brother and her mother and her father too.

Do you know her older sister? - Yes, of course, I do!

I know her older sister Betty and her younger sister Sue.

Do you know her aunt Esther? - Yes, of course, I do!

I know her aunts and her uncles and her cousins too.

Do you know her husband Bobby? - Yes, of course, I do!

I know her husband and his brother and his father too.