Mystery Object

Listening

Listen to Finn and Neil playing the Mystery Object game.

u3_s4_a1_msytery.mp3

Transcription

Finn
Hello Neil.

Neil
Hello Finn.

Finn
I'm holding something in my hand and you don't know what it is.

Neil
I don't know what it is. You're right.

Finn
Can you ask me some questions to figure out what it is?

Neil
OK, yep, I'll ask you some questions. First of all, what's it like?

Finn
Right, it's quite small, it's hard and it's metal and some plastic as well.

Neil
Right. Small, hard, metal and plastic.

Finn
Yep.

Neil
What colour is it?

Finn
Well it's two colours. It's black and silver.

Neil
Black and silver? Right. Is it something you use every day?

Finn
I use it around two times a day, sometimes more.

Neil
You use it twice a day?

Finn
Normally I use it twice a day, yes.

Neil
I think I know what it is. Can I guess?

Finn
Well are you sure you know?

Neil
Another question first.

Finn
OK.

Neil
Can you open doors with it?

Finn
You can. Yes, you can open doors with it. Do you know?

Neil
It's a key isn't it?

Finn
It is a key but what kind of key is this particular key?

Neil
Is it a door key?

Finn
Well you can open doors with it but it's not only a door key. What else can you do with a key besides open doors?

Neil
Does it start something?

Finn
It starts an…

Neil
…does it start an engine?

Finn
It starts an engine so it's a…

Neil
…it’s a car key.

Finn
Very good!

Neil
Do I win?

Finn
You win… the keys to my car!

Practice

Now get together with a friend and practise asking what something is like by playing the mystery object game. Here are the rules:

Person A thinks of an object.
Person B asks "What's it like?"
Person A describes the object using adjectives.
Person B keeps asking questions until they get the right answer.

Person B will need to ask lots of questions. Can you remember how to form questions correctly?

One more thing

In spoken English, you sometimes hear it used in a completely different way. For example:

It's, like, so confusing!

This is a very common way of speaking, especially for young, cool people

Transcription

I went to karaoke last night. So I, sort of, don't have any voice. At about midnight last night, when I was going home… I was with Caroline, who's my manager. Her job is to, like, look after me. At midnight last night I was tapping her on the shoulder, because I couldn't actually say her name, because my voice had gone. And I was like: "Caroline, Caroline. I've got no voice. I've got no voice whatsoever." She was like: "Ok, ok, ok. Let's figure this out. Let's have a glass of water." It was gone.

Explanation

"Her job is to, like, look after me..."

Here it's used as a filler. Fillers are words or sounds that don't have a specific meaning. Instead, they allow the speaker more time to think.

Look at these examples:

That's, like, so unfair!
He's, like, a really good guy.
I wonder if I could, like, borrow your camera?

He also says:

"She was like: "Ok, ok, ok.""

Here it's used to mark reported speech. In other words, it's said before you quote somebody. The form is: to be + like.

Look at these examples:

When I told him about my new car, he was like: "I don't believe you!"
She asked if I wanted to go to the pub. I was like: "Yeah, that's cool. When shall we meet?"

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