Ep.12 Garage Sales

英語 × 英文 × 樂詞不疲

Intro
Stuff has a way of piling up. Even if you have a lot of storage, you will run out of room eventually. Everyone has some things they could get rid of. But how?
You don’t just want to throw your stuff away. That would be wasteful, and it’s got to be worth something to someone. Time for a garage sale!
A garage sale, also known as a yard sale or tag sale, is when you put all of the things you want to sell on your lawn or in your garage, put price tags on them, and sell them for a day or two. Shopping at garage sales can be a great way to find used furniture, electronics, and all sorts of fun surprises.
Jason is thinking about having a garage sale. Listen to him discuss how to clear out some junk with Sara in this organization English lesson.
Dialogue
Jason: I’m going through all my storage and I have a lot of stuff to get rid of.
Sara: What are you going to do with it?
Jason: Well, I’m trying to decide if I should have a garage sale or if I should just sell it individually online.
Sara: It’s kind of fun to have a garage sale.
Jason: Yeah, I was thinking if it’s a nice day, my friends could just drop by and we could just hang out on the lawn, kind of waiting for people to come buy things.
Sara: I think it’s cool, whether it’s your neighbors coming over, or someone who saw a sign that you put up a few blocks away, you just get this interesting accumulation of people who want to come look at your weird stuff.
Jason: That’s a good point. Although, I’m worried that I won’t make as much money at a garage sale. I think if I put it on Ebay the whole world will have a full week to find it, instead of just the neighbors and random people that see the sign.
Sara: It’s true, but I think that if you’re moving away you might want to have that experience of having a really nice community moment before you go. Maybe save some of your most expensive things to put on Ebay, but all your junk? Just have a garage sale.
Jason: Sounds like a plan.
Discussion
Jason has a lot of stuff he needs to get rid of. He’s thinking of having a garage sale, but he thinks he might make more money selling his stuff online.
Sara agrees that your junk may sell for more if you post it online, but she still thinks Jason should have a garage sale. She says it’s fun to hang out in front of your house and meet the people who drop by to buy some used stuff.
Have you ever had a garage sale? Do you like to shop at garage sales? What is the best way to get money for your old stuff?
Grammar Point
Past Progressive Tense
When Jason says, “I was thinking if it’s a nice day, my friends could just drop by and we could just hang out on the lawn, kind of waiting for people to come buy things,” he is using the past progressive tense.
The past progressive tense (also sometimes called “past continuous”) is formed by using was/were + main verb + ing.
We use this tense to talk about actions in the past that took place over time. Jason thought about what it would be like to have a garage sale many times or continuously over a period of time.
Which is correct, “He was sleeping,” or, “He were sleeping”?
Quiz
❶　What is another term for “garage sale”?

• Yard sale.　✓
• Price tag.
• Drop by.
• None of these.

❷　Sara likes garage sales better than selling stuff online because __.

• they make more money
• you get to meet people　✓
• it’s faster
• None of these.

❸　Before talking to Sara, Jason __.

• was planning a garage sale
• had not thought about a garage sale
• was not planning a garage sale
• was thinking about having a garage sale　✓

❹　Ultimately, Sara says Jason could sell some stuff online, but have a garage sale to __.

• get rid of junk　✓
• drop by
• throw stuff away
• hang out

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