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Meg |
Todd |
Pack Rat
Meg and Todd discuss if they keep a lot of stuff.
Todd: Meg, I'm going to give you a test.
Meg: Okay.
Todd: It's a personality test.
Meg: Uh-oh.
Todd: And we want to know, are you a pack rat?
Meg: Am I a pack rat?
Todd: Right. Do you save things, do you keep things, or are you a minimalist? Do you have very few things in your house?
Meg: Well, I think I try to be a minimalist, but I'm a little bit of a pack rat.
Todd: Okay. We'll take the test, let's see. Okay, the first question is, how many books do you have in your house?
Meg: Not counting Kindle?
Todd: Not counting Kindle. Physical books, how many books do you have?
Meg: Physical books, I think I have around 15 books.
Todd: Oh. Oh.
Meg: Is that a lot?
Todd: That's bad.
Meg: That's so many?
Todd: Yeah.
Meg: Really?
Todd: So negative-
Meg: Uh-oh.
Todd: Negative ... Boo. Negative one means pack rat [crosstalk 00:00:58] positive one means minimalist. Okay. Next question. How many shoes do you have?
Meg: Can I not answer that question?
Todd: No. You have to say.
Meg: Okay. I think I have 25 pairs of shoes.
Todd: Oh my gosh. I'm giving you negative two points.
Meg: No, just one.
Todd: All right. Next question is, how many blankets do you have?
Meg: Blankets? I think I have 10 blankets.
Todd: Oh my gosh. I knew you were a pack rat. I knew it, I knew it. Now you're negative five.
Meg: But you need blankets for the cold winter.
Todd: You only need one blanket.
Meg: But if you have friends visiting you, you need more blankets.
Todd: Okay.
Meg: I have a lot of friends.
Todd: Wow. That's a good point. Okay, next question. How many umbrellas do you have?
Meg: I think I have around five or six umbrellas.
Todd: Wow. And you live alone, correct?
Meg: Yes. I live alone.
Todd: Okay. So a pack rat is somebody who does not get rid of things they don't need. So, do you need five umbrellas?
Meg: I do need those umbrellas.
Todd: Why do you need ...
Meg: I'll tell you. I'll tell you why. One is a very small umbrella that's easy to carry. Another umbrella is very large for a really rainy day. A third umbrella is decorative and very pretty. The fourth umbrella is for the sun. And the fifth umbrella is clear, to use on a really windy day.
Todd: That's interesting. Now, the fourth umbrella, for the sun, that's called a parasol, correct?
Meg: I guess so, but that sounds a little old-fashioned.
Todd: Okay. I won't consider that. I consider an umbrella for the rain only. So, we'll say four.
Meg: Four.
Todd: So let's just ...
Meg: Do I get a point back?
Todd: You do. But let's do a recap. You are single, you live alone.
Meg: Yes.
Todd: You have four umbrellas.
Meg: Yes.
Todd: You have 10 blankets.
Meg: Yes.
Todd: You have 25 pairs of shoes.
Meg: Correct.
Todd: And you have 15 books?
Meg: 15 books.
Todd: I'm sorry, Meg, but you qualify as a pack rat.
Meg: Oh no.
Todd: You are not a minimalist. We're taking away your minimalist membership.
Meg: Oh. Well I guess I need to get rid of some things, huh? And what about you? Are you a pack rat or a minimalist?
Todd: I'm pretty much a minimalist, I think, because I only have two bags of stuff.
Meg: Only two bags?
Todd: Yeah. So, you can take everything I have and put it in two big suitcases.
Meg: So you don't have 15 books?
Todd: No, I have maybe four books.
Meg: Only four books.
Todd: And they're very small paperback books.
Meg: What about blankets?
Todd: I have one blanket.
Meg: Just one.
Todd: Just one.
Meg: So if visitors come to your house ...
Todd: That is true.
Meg: ... they're out of luck.
Todd: When somebody comes to my house, I ask my neighbor to borrow a blanket. I do. Why?
Meg: You borrow a blanket?
Todd: ... is that funny? Yes. This is-
Meg: Wow.
Todd: I am such a minimalist, my friend told me, he said I am the only person that has ...
Meg: One blanket.
Todd: No. A spoon and a fork.
Meg: A spoon and a fork?
Todd: That's it. I have one.
Meg: Okay. So basically, your house is not prepared for any visitors.
Todd: That's true.
Meg: Whereas my house is prepared for many visitors.
Todd: That's true.
Meg: Okay. Umbrellas?
Todd: I have maybe two.
Meg: Two. So why two?
Todd: Because I can't remember if I have one or I will leave the house and I won't take it, and so then I need to buy one and then...
Meg: And then you get rid of one?
Todd: No, then I just never buy another one. I'm pretty good.
Meg: Oh.
Todd: Only two.
Meg: Okay.
Todd: But shoes?
Meg: Shoes.
Todd: I only have four pairs of shoes.
Meg: What is the purpose of each pair of shoes?
Todd: I have one pair of shoes for work. Nice dress shoes. I have two sneakers, one pair of sneakers for running, jogging, one pair of sneakers for fashion, and one pair of Futsal shoes for soccer. That's it. That's it.
Meg: Wow. Well, I have to say, you really sound like a minimalist.
Todd: Yeah, and you really sound like a pack rat.
pack rat
And we want to know, are you a pack rat?
A pack rat is someone who does not like to throw things away and has lots of stuff they rarely use. Notice the following:
- I am a pack rat , so I need to get a bigger place.
- She is a pack rat. She has hundreds of boxes in storage.
minimalist
are you a minimalist?
A minimalist is the opposite of a pack rat. A minimalist has very few possessions. Notice the following:
- He is a minimalist. His apartment has no furniture.
- For parents, being a minimalist is hard due to shopping for kids.
out of luck
They're out of luck.
Here, if a person is 'out of luck' that means an opportunity does not exist for them. Notice the following:
- The food at the party is eaten quickly, so if you come late, you're out of luck.
- If you don't get to the beach early, you will be out of luck. All the good places to sit will be taken.
recap
But let's do a recap.
When you do a recap, you discuss or list things previously talked about. Notice the following:
- At the end of the lesson, the teacher always does a recap.
- Before each episode, the TV show does a recap of the previous week's show.
get rid of
A pack rat is somebody who does not get rid of things.
When people get rid of things, they throw them away or give them away. Notice the following:
- I have too many shoes. I need to get rid of some of them.
- I need to get rid of some books. Would you like any of them?
Vocabulary Quiz
do a recap • get rid of
Related Video - One Minute English
About the Teacher / Creator
Hello, and welcome to elllo. My name is Todd Beuckens. I've been an ESL teacher for 25 years. I created elllo to provide teachers and students free audio lessons and learning materials not usually found in commercial textbooks.
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