DIALOGUE : At the Pet Store

 


CONNIE: Oh! What a beautiful cat. What do you think? 

GARY: I think I’d rather get a dog. Dogs are more loyal than cats. 

CONNIE: Yes, but they’re so much work! Would you be willing to walk it every single day? And clean up after it? 

GARY: Hmm. Good point. What about a bird? Or a fish? 

CONNIE: We’d have to invest a lot of money in a cage or a fish tank. And I don’t really know how to take care of a bird or a fish! 

GARY: Well, we’re obviously not ready to get a pet yet. 

CONNIE: Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go grab some coffee and talk about it.




LANGUAGE NOTES

  • Oh! What a beautiful cat “Oh!” is used to show surprise or excitement. “What a …” is an expression that means “I think this is a very …” “What a(n) …” is followed by an adjective, which is usually emphasized. Notice the emphasis on “beautiful” here. 

  • Dogs are more loyal than cats. Two things are being compared here (dogs and cats). Notice the structure of the sentences: (noun/s) plus “is/are more” plus (adjective) plus “than” plus (noun/s). The nouns and the adjective are content words here, so they are all emphasized.

  • They're so much work here means taking care of a dog is too much to do. So much that they don't want to do it.
  • Every single day - Notice that each word here is stressed. The speaker wants to make a point, so she emphasizes each word equally. “Every single day” is a lot! Everyday and Every single day are technically the same thing. The only difference is that adding "single" to every day adds more emphasis.

  • Good point here means “I agree with you.”

  • Obviously is a word people use when they are sure of something and sure that it's plainly clear to others.

  • Go grab (food/drink) - this expression is used when you want to get something to eat or drink. 



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