ENS

Level-graded English lessons with reading, listening, activities, and discussion.

Lesson Info

Type
Social Post
Level
4 / B2
Published
Title
Is this weird?
Webpage
https://eslnewsstories.com/smposts/is-this-weird/

Lesson Content

Warm-up, Vocab List, Reading and Audio

Understanding: Read the Comments, Why Did They Post?, True or False, Put Events in Order, Multiple Choice

Language: Words That Go Together, Everyday Expressions

Use It: Discussion Builder, Discussion Questions

Answers

(1) How do you relax at home?

(2) Are there clothes you only like wearing at home? Why?

A young woman from behind, bare-backed in pajama bottoms, opens her apartment door to her middle-aged father. Her boyfriend reacts with a shocked expression from the bedroom.
Answering the door.

Vocab List

boundary (n.) — A limit about what feels acceptable or comfortable.
undressed (adj.) — Not wearing clothes.
privacy (n.) — Freedom from other people watching or entering your personal space.
without warning (phrase) — Suddenly, with no notice before.
topless (adj.) — Not wearing anything on the upper body.
overreact (v.) — To respond more strongly than a situation seems to need.
bra (n.) — A piece of underwear worn to support the breasts.
weird (adj.) — Strange or unusual.
Reading

Is it just me, or is this weird? My girlfriend (23F) and I (25M) have been dating for six months, but we've known each other for almost two years because we used to work together.

Lately, I spend most weekends at her apartment because she lives alone and we have privacy there. During that time, I noticed that she is far more comfortable with her body than I am. When we get back, she often changes into boxers or pajama bottoms and stays topless. She told me bras feel awful, and at home she just wants to relax.

I took that as a good sign. It seemed that she is comfortable with me, even if I am much shyer about being undressed. Still, it made me realize how different our boundaries are, and last week that difference suddenly felt much bigger.

One morning, her dad came by without warning to drop something off. We were still in bed, but she got up, walked to the door in pajama bottoms, and answered it topless. I was shocked. What felt even stranger was that she stood there talking to him for about ten minutes as if nothing was unusual.

When she came back, I asked why she had not put on a t-shirt first. She said that when she was growing up, walking around like that at home was normal in her family. I told her that, to me, a child doing that is very different from an adult daughter greeting her father that way. She disagreed and said every family has its own boundaries. Now I keep wondering if I am overreacting, or if this would feel uncomfortable to most people.

Is this weird?

Level 4 Social
Warm-up → or → Check Understanding → Language → Use It

A young woman from behind, bare-backed in pajama bottoms, opens her apartment door to her middle-aged father. Her boyfriend reacts with a shocked expression from the bedroom.
Answering the door.
Poster
Eric

Is it just me, or is this weird? My girlfriend (23F) and I (25M) have been dating for six months, but we've known each other for almost two years because we used to work together.

Lately, I spend most weekends at her apartment because she lives alone and we have privacy there. During that time, I noticed that she is far more comfortable with her body than I am. When we get back, she often changes into boxers or pajama bottoms and stays topless. She told me bras feel awful, and at home she just wants to relax.

I took that as a good sign. It seemed that she is comfortable with me, even if I am much shyer about being undressed. Still, it made me realize how different our boundaries are, and last week that difference suddenly felt much bigger.

One morning, her dad came by without warning to drop something off. We were still in bed, but she got up, walked to the door in pajama bottoms, and answered it topless. I was shocked. What felt even stranger was that she stood there talking to him for about ten minutes as if nothing was unusual.

When she came back, I asked why she had not put on a t-shirt first. She said that when she was growing up, walking around like that at home was normal in her family. I told her that, to me, a child doing that is very different from an adult daughter greeting her father that way. She disagreed and said every family has its own boundaries. Now I keep wondering if I am overreacting, or if this would feel uncomfortable to most people.

Read the Comments

Read the Comments

  • PizzaTheHutt81

    Different families can have different rules, and this may just be a boundary difference between you two.

    This comment

    b. Explains the conflict as a difference in family boundaries
  • SkyDancer00

    You are not overreacting if this crosses a real boundary for you. You should talk about it clearly.

    This comment

    c. Supports setting a clear personal boundary
  • drift35

    You seem focused on what feels weird to you, but her family may truly see this as normal.

    This comment

    a. Challenges him to see her family's view as normal
  1. a. Challenges him to see her family's view as normal
  2. b. Explains the conflict as a difference in family boundaries
  3. c. Supports setting a clear personal boundary

Speaker: American Male  Duration: 1:44  YouTube

Listen Closely

Listen and Fill Gaps

Listen to the audio on eslnewsstories.com and complete the gaps below:

Is it just me, or is this weird? My girlfriend (23F) and I (25M) have been (1) for six months, but we've known each other for almost two years because we used to work together.

Lately, I spend most weekends at her apartment because she lives alone and we have (2) there. During that time, I noticed that she is far more comfortable with her body than I am. When we get back, she often changes into boxers or pajama bottoms and stays topless. She told me bras feel awful, and at home she just wants to (3) .

I took that as a good sign. It seemed that she is comfortable with me, even if I am much shyer about being undressed. Still, it made me realize how different our (4) are, and last week that difference suddenly felt much bigger.

One morning, her dad came by without (5) to drop something off. We were still in bed, but she got up, walked to the door in pajama bottoms, and answered it topless. I was shocked. What felt even stranger was that she stood there talking to him for about ten minutes as if nothing was (6) .

When she came back, I asked why she had not put on a t-shirt first. She said that when she was growing up, walking around like that at home was normal in her family. I told her that, to me, a child doing that is very different from an adult daughter greeting her father that way. She disagreed and said every family has its own boundaries. Now I keep wondering if I am overreacting, or if this would feel (7) to most people.

Listen and Fill Gaps

Loading listening activity...

Discussion Builder

  1. Q: Can something feel normal in one family but strange in another? Give an example.

    A:

  2. Q: How should couples talk about different boundaries without starting a fight?

    A:

  3. Q: What advice would you give the poster now?

    A:
Use It

Discussion Builder

Choose the best phrase for each gap:

  1. Q: Can something feel normal in one family but strange in another? Give an example.

    A: Wearing pajamas around family may feel normal in one home strange in another.

    but / so / because / and

    Wearing pajamas around family may feel normal in one home but strange in another.

  2. Q: How should couples talk about different boundaries without starting a fight?

    A: Couples should talk about boundaries early small differences can become big problems later.

    and / but / because / so

    Couples should talk about boundaries early because small differences can become big problems later.

  3. Q: What advice would you give the poster now?

    A: They clearly have different family rules. I would tell the poster to explain his boundary calmly and listen to her side too.

    Like, / Because of that, / Still, / Also,

    They clearly have different family rules. Because of that, I would tell the poster to explain his boundary calmly and listen to her side too.

Discussion Questions
  1. Did anything in this story surprise you? Explain.
  2. What advice would you give the poster now?
  3. Can something feel normal in one family but strange in another? Give an example.
  4. Why do you think the poster first saw his girlfriend's behavior as a good sign?
  5. Would you have felt shocked in the same situation? Why or why not?
  6. Should family members always warn each other before visiting?
  7. How should couples talk about different boundaries without starting a fight?
  8. Is being comfortable with your body always a positive thing?
  9. In your culture, what kinds of clothing feel acceptable in private and in public?
  10. Have you ever thought, "Is this weird, or is it just me?"

Discussion Questions

  1. Did anything in this story surprise you? Explain.
  2. What advice would you give the poster now?
  3. Can something feel normal in one family but strange in another? Give an example.
  4. Why do you think the poster first saw his girlfriend's behavior as a good sign?
  5. Would you have felt shocked in the same situation? Why or why not?
  6. Should family members always warn each other before visiting?
  7. How should couples talk about different boundaries without starting a fight?
  8. Is being comfortable with your body always a positive thing?
  9. In your culture, what kinds of clothing feel acceptable in private and in public?
  10. Have you ever thought, "Is this weird, or is it just me?"

Answers Is this weird? / Level 4

Read the Comments:

  1. PizzaTheHutt81: b. Explains the conflict as a difference in family boundaries
  2. SkyDancer00: c. Supports setting a clear personal boundary
  3. drift35: a. Challenges him to see her family's view as normal

Listening: (1) dating, (2) privacy, (3) relax, (4) boundaries, (5) warning, (6) unusual, (7) uncomfortable

Why Did They Post?: He wants to know if he is overreacting or if other people would also feel uncomfortable.

True or False:

  1. False. He says they have dated for six months, but they knew each other for almost two years because they used to work together.
  2. True. He says that difference suddenly felt much bigger when she answered the door topless.
  3. False. She says it was normal in her family when she was growing up.

Multiple Choice: b, c, a

Put Events in Order:

  1. The poster and his girlfriend knew each other from work before they started dating.
  2. He began spending most weekends at her apartment and noticed she felt very comfortable with her body at home.
  3. He realized their personal boundaries were quite different.
  4. Her father arrived without warning, and she answered the door topless and talked to him.
  5. After they disagreed about it, the poster kept wondering if he was overreacting.

Vocabulary:

  1. come by: without warning
  2. spend: weekends
  3. have: boundaries
  1. change into: boxers
  2. answer: the door
  3. greet: her father

Everyday Expressions: 1. a; 2. a; 3. b

Discussion Builder:

Hints: 1) Contrast. 2) Reason. 3) Result.

  1. but
  2. because
  3. Because of that,

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