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Views #556 | Intermediate 5

Mean Professor

Shuan and Brett talk about their classes.

Script
Vocab
Quiz


Brett	Shuan

Brett: Hey, Shawn, how are classes going?

Shawn: Well, it's exam time right now, and you know what, I really think I'm going to fail this one class.

Brett: Why is that?

Shawn: Well, it's not any of my fault. It's actually, I think that the teacher doesn't like me.

Brett: He doesn't like you. What do you mean?

Shawn: It's kind of strange, I mean, I go up and I ask him and he disagrees with me and but he actually takes personal offense to what I say.

Brett: Personal offense.

Shawn: Which is funny, right.

Brett: What do you mean?

Shawn: Like, I'll give you an example. I went up because I didn't get a question on my homework right, and I asked him why I didn't get any marks for it, and the question in the book, asked you for your own opinion, so I did write my own opinion, but when I went up to talk to him about the question he said that what I had written wasn't in the book so I got no points for it.

Shawn: So what's the point of asking for your own opinion?

Brett: See, that's the funny part. I don't know.

Shawn: What about you? How are your classes going?

Brett: My classes are going OK. Right now I'm really just working on my thesis, and it's taking me a long time to gather all the materials, resources, and go through all the readings, but it's going OK, I think.

Shawn: How many pages do you have to write for your thesis?

Brett: I probably have to write about twenty pages, or so, and I have to survey, about a thousand people and it's taking me a lot of time to analyze all that data.

Shawn: Twenty pages, that's not, is that double space or single space?

Brett: That's double space.

Shawn: So that's not that much.

Brett: Yeah, it's about 10,000 words, or so.

Shawn: Well, I hope you do well and good luck to your research.

Brett: Thank you.

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

take offense

He actually takes personal offense to what I say.

If you 'take offense' to something' you feel hurt, injured or offended by the comment or the action. Notice the following:

Please don't take offense to this, but I don't really like your new perfume.
I was only trying to be honest. I didn't want you to take offense.

thesis

Right now I'm really just working on my thesis.

A 'thesis' is a long academic writing, which is completed a after a long period of research. Notice the following:

He completed his thesis on criminal punishment last year.
I will start writing my thesis is in a few months.

gather

It's taking me a long time to gather all the materials.

If you collect materials, you 'gather' them. More specifically we use this word to imply bringing a number of different items to one location. Notice the following:

The children gathered around the new puppy.
Gather all of your things together. It's time to go.

resources

To gather all the materials, resources, and go through all the readings.

'Resources' is another word for supplies. In an academic situation, this word usually refers to books or articles that you will use to support your research. Notice the following:

He doesn't have the financial resources right now to fix his house.
She was trying to study, but she had forgotten most of her resources at home.

survey

I have to survey about a thousand people.

'To survey' someone is to give him a questionnaire. Surveys are usually done to collect anonymous information about a particular topic or product. Notice the following: