Hi everyone. I'm Jennifer from English with Jennifer.
Some people love surprises. Others hate them. What kind of person are you? In this
lesson, I'll teach you some conversational expressions that will
prepare you for the next time you give or receive surprising news. If you follow
me on Instagram, you might have seen this before. It's a face roller. I got it for
less than five dollars, if you can believe it. I've been using it for about
a year. Maybe not as much as I could, but I use it. I like to think it works. We say
"if you can believe it" before or after a surprising statement. I got it for less
than five dollars, if you can believe it. If you can believe it, this thing cost
less than five dollars. A similar expression is "believe it or not" Believe
it or not, I think this face roller actually works.
I believe I've stopped some new wrinkles from appearing. Okay. You're probably
going to think that I buy a lot of frivolous things, but I want to show you
one more thing that I recently got. Members of my YouTube channel already
saw this in a bonus video about posture. It's a posture corrector. Call me crazy,
but I'm using it to help me stand up straight. Under a sweater no one can see it.
"Call me crazy" is a fun way to introduce something a
little shocking. It can be something you did or something you plan to do. Call me
crazy, but I bought one of those posture correctors. Call me crazy, but I'm going
to paint the whole house a new color. So here's something you may not know about
me. When I go to the pharmacy, I love to use coupons. Who doesn't like a
discount? 25% off everything, 40% off one item. Buy two, get one free. And other good
deals. I plan very carefully. Then I make one big trip. Would you believe it? I
can save anywhere between 10 and 40 dollars. I get really excited when I see
the total price drop down. "Would you believe it?" is a natural way to introduce
something surprising about yourself or someone else. Would you believe it? I
saved $40 at the pharmacy! Would you believe it? People are still going to the
beach during a lockdown. A similar expression is "you're never going to
believe it." "Going to" reduces to "gonna." You're never gonna believe it. You're
never going to believe it. I saved $40 today at the pharmacy! So
here are all the ways to introduce surprising news. Listen and repeat. Try to
follow my intonation and rhythm. If you can believe it... Believe it or not...
Would you believe it? You're never gonna believe it, but... Call me crazy, but...
So, what can you say when you receive surprising news? A friend says, "Believe it
or not, but I saw Jennifer Lopez at a store!" You don't quite believe that, so
you say, "No way!" Or maybe you do believe it, but it's still quite unexpected,
so you say, "Really?"
Your cousin surprises you with the news that he's just found a box of old family
photos that must be about 70 or 80 years old. You find this interesting and
surprising. You say, "Huh. You don't say!"
We also use "you don't say" sarcastically when the news isn't surprising at all.
A friend tells you, "Would you believe it? My cousin got a speeding ticket yesterday."
Your response, "Hmm. You don't say! Isn't that his third speeding ticket this year?"
Here's a fun task for you. I'll share a few different surprising stories that I
read about. You can retell the stories to a conversation partner. Use different
expressions from this lesson. Okay? First story. Believe it or not, this guy
in South Africa spent almost 80 days in a barrel on top of an 80-foot pole! He
was alone, but I think he did have his cell phone. Food was sent up to him every
day. Crazy, right? Second story. Would you
believe it? This guy in New York City used a drone to get the phone number of
a cute girl living in the apartment building across from his. He first saw
her on the rooftop, and after he got her phone number, they started texting. Now
they're dating. Third story. You're never gonna believe it, but I read about an
Australian man who managed to save a gecko that was drowning!
He found it in his drink at a pub, and he saved its life by performing CPR on it.
Pretty incredible, huh? Do you have an interesting and surprising story to tell?
Well, now you have some new expressions to share it. If you found this lesson
useful, please like and share the video. As always thanks for watching and happy studies!
Thank you to all the members of my
channel and, you Super and Truly Marvelous Members, look out for the next
bonus video! Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And try something
new! Download the apps Kiki Time and Hallo.
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