English Lessons

In the US, when people want to get rid of their junk for a little cash, they have yard sales. They put a sign up in their yard, maybe place an ad in the newspaper or on the Internet, and sell items they no longer have use for. Often people have yard sales when they are getting ready to move from one residence to another.

Emily: You want to hit up some yard sales this weekend?

Amanda:  Oh my God, I live for yard sales.

Emily:  Really? I haven’t, I haven’t been in quite a while. Have you, uh, have you been finding some good…

Amanda:  You’re missing out.

Emily:  ... good finds?

Amanda:  Yes. On Friday, Saturdays and Sundays, but the thing is, if you go after noon or 1:00, don’t bother. All the good crap is gone.

Emily:  Are you one of the people that sit with the newspaper and scope out the night before, circle the addresses where you’re going?

Amanda:  Um, no, but I do check craigslist the night before, or the week before, and whoever has a pretty decent ad or posting, I’ll check it out. And I’m looking for key items.

Emily:  This is, this is very popular in our culture. I know, I used to go a lot with my mom when I was younger…

Amanda:  So did I.

Emily:  And, um, I remember even, even, um, my grandma talking about how she used to go to yard sales a lot, like decades ago. I wonder if it’s, like, a really American thing to do or do they do it in other countries?

Amanda:  I think that it is an American thing to do and I think what’s nice is it’s, um, it seems to pass from generation to generation, like you said. Families do it because it’s free. Everyone can do it. It’s not like you have to make a certain income to enjoy a yard sale or a garage sale on a weekend.

Emily:  Right. Exactly.

Amanda:  You want to bring your kid, your husband, hit a yard sale.

Amanda points out that yard sales take place on the weekend. Sometimes they start on Friday, but more often they start early Saturday or Sunday morning.

Emily used to go to yard sales with her mother when she was a kid. Her grandmother also went to yard sales.

Yard sales are called yard sales because people sell things in their front yards. Yard sales are also called garage sales because some people set up their sales in their garages.

Are there yard sales in your country?

You can find good stuff at yard sales for cheap. People sell everything from clothes, dishes and books to CDs, furniture and art.

Put Out That Cigarette

Intro

Most people will admit that smoking is bad for your health—even if they smoke.

In some countries, words and images on cigarette packs try to warn smokers of the harmful effects of tobacco. But in most countries, you can smoke anywhere.

In the US, actual warnings on cigarette packs remain small. But in many American cities now, it is getting harder to smoke in public. In California, for example, smoking is not allowed inside any public place.

In early 2007, France will enact a ban on public smoking, following other European countries that have already put laws into place, like Italy and Ireland.

Listen to Logan and Kevin talk about smoking in public.

Dialogue

Kevin: What’s your thought about going to places like smoky bars on a Saturday night?

Logan: I don’t… you know, I’m going into a bar, I’m going to expect smoke.

Kevin: I, you know, I prefer non-smoking bars but I go to bars that are… where people smoke.

Logan: I don’t have a problem with people smoking in public. It does kind of… I mean, it’s their prerogative. They can do it if they want.

Kevin: I agree. But you know, this summer, I had a couple instances where I was out, like, in, uh, cafes, like in the street, eating, where you’re outside, so people are smoking. Very unpleasant. And, you know, I think the US is unique… I would say the US and Canada are unique in terms of, like, government action against tobacco companies…

Logan: Banning it, yeah. In certain areas…

Kevin: Uh-huh, as opposed to, uh, most Asian countries, you know, European… when I lived in Spain, I mean, people just smoke everywhere. People smoke on the platforms of the subway. Um…

Logan: I think in the United States and a little bit… and in Canada obviously, they have skulls on their packs. They really emphasize the effects of second-hand smoke. That, you know, if you’re just sitting next to someone smoking, you’re inhaling the smoke. It’s just as bad as smoking that cigarette.

Kevin: Almost, yeah.

Logan: And so our government has really cracked down on that kind of an issue, where you can get lung cancer from not even smoking, just being in an area where people are smoking.

Discussion

Logan says that people have the right to smoke wherever they want.

Kevin agrees but he’s had some bad experiences breathing other people’s cigarette smoke at outdoor cafes.

Kevin and Logan think that the US and Canada have more rules about where you can smoke than in Europe or in Asia.

Do you think smoking in public should be allowed?

Kiks In

“I just take it and it kicks in when it kicks in.”

Michael J. Fox talking about the effects of the medication he takes to control his symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease.

Quote

Meaning

takes effect

Use

When Michael J. Fox says the drug kicks in, he means it takes effect. When something kicks in, you can feel the effect of it.

This expression usually refers to the effect of a substance we take, whether it is aspirin, a prescription drug, or even a recreational drug like alcohol.

If your shy friend becomes louder and more outgoing after a few drinks, you can say, “Lee is shy until the tequila kicks in. Then he’s a clown.”

If you are feeling sick and take some medicine, you know you will feel better when the medicine kicks in.

The way Michael J. Fox uses the expression here, he means that the timing of the effect of his medicine is unpredictable. He never knows how long it will take for it to kick in.

Grammar Point

This expression has different meanings in different contexts. It can mean to pay. For example, “Let me kick in for lunch.” It can also be more literal. If someone kicks a door which breaks the door and allows entry, we say “He kicked in the door.”

Examples

“Jean has a terrible headache, but when the aspirin kicks in, he should be feeling better.”

“I can’t do anything in the morning until the coffee kicks in.”

“When the wine kicks in, I can dance all night.”

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