illustrated Everyday Expressions with Stories 1 » Lesson 7 - The Girl Who Dressed Like a Boy

Word List
  • find out
    learn; get information
    →
    I want to find out if she has a boyfriend.
    She wanted to find out the name of the book.
    Diane found out where the money was.
    A: What time does the store close?
    B: I'll call and find out.
  • for a long time
    for many minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, ect.
    →
    He hasn't cut his beard for a long time.
    He has been waiting for a long time.
    Miss O'Hara has owned this land for a long time.
    A: Have you been playing the piano for a long time?
    B: No, I've only been playing for three months.
  • for a while
    for a time; a while
    →
    He has been underwater for a while.
    We have been sitting here for a while.
    I worked in that company for a while.
    A: I'm going to the store. Do you want to join me?
    B: No, I think I'll stay here and read for a white.
  • for example
    for instance; as an example; say
    →
    All of us are familiar with mammals. A cow, for example, is a mammal.
    I like sweet food. For example, I eat ice cream every day.
    We are different. I am older, for example.
    A: You said that Fred insults you. How does he insult you?
    B: Well, for example, yesterday he said that I was stupid.
  • for some time
    for a period of time
    →
    The fish hasn't moved for some time.
    We have been waiting for some time.
    This song has been popular for some time.
    A: Have you seen Philip recently?
    B: No, I haven't seen him for some time.
  • for sure
    certainly; surely; for certain
    →
    The girl will beat the boy for sure.
    That girl will win the math contest for sure.
    You will get the job for sure.
    A: Is your sister going to help you clean the house?
    B: Yes. She said she would help me for sure.
  • for the first time
    first; the initial time
    →
    He is getting kissed for the first time.
    The boy from Brazil saw snow for the first time.
    She flew in an airplane for the first time.
    A: Have you been to that restaurant before?
    B: No. I'm going for the first time.
  • for the time being
    for the moment; for now; for the present
    →
    It's raining. Let's stay inside for the time being.
    She is sick, so she must stay in bed for the time being.
    His car is in the shop, so he's using mine for the time being.
    A: Where do you live?
    B: I'm living at my uncle's house for the time being, but I'm going to move into my own place next month.
  • from now on
    from now onwards; starting now and continuing
    →
    From now on, maybe you won't play in the street!
    From now on, I'm free! I promise to be good from now on.
    A: From now on I'm going to exercise every day.
    B: That's a good idea! You're going to be very healthy.
  • from time to time
    sometimes; at times; once in a while; every now and then; occasionally
    →
    From time to time, he likes to go fishing.
    From time to time, I enjoy going to the opera.
    The department store has a sale from time to time.
    A: Do you see your grandmother often?
    B: No I don't. She lives in another city, so I only see her from time to time.
  • generally speaking
    in general; by and large; as a rule; on the whole
    →
    Generally speaking, dogs are friendly animals.
    Generally speaking, Mexican food is very spicy.
    Generally speaking, people hate going to the dentist.
    A: Do you like sweet food?
    B: Generally speaking no, but I do like a few sweet things like ice cream and juice.
  • get back
    return; come or go back
    →
    I need to get back home before dark.
    Dorothy wanted to get back to Kansas.
    I don't know how to get back to the hotel.
    A: When will you get back from your trip?
    B: I'll return in two weeks.
  • get in touch with
    communicate with; connect; contact
    →
    He gave me his business card, so I can get in touch with him.
    They can get in touch with me at this address.
    I've been trying to get in touch with him for weeks.
    A: We haven't talked to Julie recently. We should get in touch with her.
    B: Good idea. Let's call her tonight.
  • get involved in
    be a part of; take part in; participate in
    →
    He didn't want to get involved in their argument.
    She wanted to get involved in her school dance team.
    I don't usually get involved in politics.
    A: Roman and Carla are broke. Should we try to help them?
    B: No. It's not our problem, so let's not get involved in it.
  • get married to
    marry
    →
    Her parents didn't want her to get married to a mosquito.
    Prince Charles got married to Lady Diana Spencer.
    Sally will get married to Tom in March.
    A: Who is your brother going to marry?
    B: He's getting married to a girl he's been dating for a few years.
  • get off
    leave a vehicle
    →
    The spider got off the ball.
    The old lady is getting off the bus.
    He got off the subway at the wrong stop.
    A: How can I get to your house from here?
    B: Take bus number seven and get off at the third stop.
  • get on
    board; enter a vehicle
    →
    The spider got on the ball.
    He got on his horse and rode away.
    We got on the bus in front of City Hall.
    A: Can you wait while I go to the bathroom?
    B: No, the train is about to leave, so we have to get on now. You'll have to use the bathroom on the train.
  • get out (of)
    exit; leave; go out (of)
    →
    Get out of here!
    My father said to the dog, "Get out."
    Get out of my room right now!
    A: Thanks for giving me a ride to the library.
    B: No problem! I'll stop the car in front of the library and you can get out quickly.
  • get rid of
    remove; dispose of; throw away
    →
    He must get rid of his cold.
    I want to get rid of the ants in my room.
    My mothers got rid of her old dresses.
    A: Can we get rid of these old books?
    B: Yes, I don't want them anymore.
  • get tired of
    become bored with; get sick of
    →
    I will never get tired of hamburgers.
    She got tired of hearing the song over and over.
    He got tired of waiting, so he went home.
    A: I am getting tired of studying.
    B: Why don't you take a break?
Practice

A. Match each word with its meaning.

1. for some timea. to leave
2. for sureb. to join
3. get backc. for a certain period of time
4. get involved ind. definitely
5. get oute. to go back to the place you started from

B. Choose the best answer.

  1. I am satisfied with myoId car at the present time.
    • a. for a long time
    • b. for the first time
    • c. for the time being
    • d. from time to time
  2. He says that he won't smoke starting now.
    • a. for a while
    • b. from now on
    • c. generally speaking
    • d. for example
  3. She called her old boyfriend after many years.
    • a. got rid of
    • b. was full of
    • c. got married to
    • d. got in touch with
  4. I wanted to remove all the weeds in the garden.
    • a. get off
    • b. get out
    • c. get rid of
    • d. get back
  5. He didn't want to continue taking the bus to work, so he walked.
    • a. was supposed to
    • b. did badly in
    • c. got tired of
    • d. was used to
Answer Key
A. Match each word with its meaning.
  1. c
  2. d
  3. e
  4. b
  5. a
B. Choose the best answer.
  1. c
  2. b
  3. d
  4. c
  5. c
Answer Key
The Girl Who Dressed Like a Boy

This story comes from the Middle East. Generally speaking, women in the Middle East are not seen as equal to men. For example, women cannot get the same jobs as men. Once, there was an ugly girl that no man wanted to marry. Also, she could not get a job. She decided to cut her hair short and put on boy's clothes. She got a job caring for some sheep.

For a long time, no one knew that she was a girl. Then one day, while she was out in the field, she saw a young man lying on the ground. He was badly hurt. She took him to her house and cared for him. For a while, she didn't know who he was. Then she heard that the king's son had been attacked by robbers and was missing. She knew for sure that the young man must be the prince. She got in touch with one of the king's soldiers. The soldier came to take the prince back home. The girl went with them. The king was very glad to meet the "boy" who saved his son. As a reward, the king gave her a horse named Lulizar. It was fast and strong and could also talk!

From time to time, she would go to visit the prince. For the time being, the prince did not know that she was a girl. However, for the first time in her life, the girl fell in love. She got tired of acting like a boy. One day, she told the king that she wanted to get married to his son. When the king found out she was an ugly girl, he wanted to get rid of her! However, he did not want the prince to get involved in his plan. He decided to send the girl on a dangerous journey. He told her, "If you want to marry my son, you must bring back the necklace of the Devil Mother." The king knew that the girl would fail and never come back.

She got on her horse, Lulizar, and rode to the place where the Devil Mother lived. When she got off, Lulizar said, "As soon as you find the necklace, get out! Jump out the window and I will catch you." The girl went quietly inside. She looked around for some time. She found the necklace and jumped out the window onto Lulizar. The Devil Mother saw a boy riding away with her necklace. She pointed her magic finger, and said, "I curse you, boy! From now on, you will be a woman!"

When the girl got back to the king's palace, she had changed into a beautiful woman! When the prince saw her, he immediately fell in love and asked her to marry him. The king had to keep his promise to the girl for getting the necklace. The prince and the woman got married and lived happily ever after.

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