Conversation Lesson 18
 
 
 
 
Lesson 18 - Musical Instruments

Dialogs for everyday use. Short situational dialogs for students of English as a Foreign (EFL) or Second (ESL) Language.
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Musical Instruments

Anne: Listen! Somebody’s playing the piano.

Betty: Yeah, it sounds nice, doesn’t it? I wish I could play a musical instrument.

Anne: Don’t you play the violin?

Betty: No, but my sister does. Actually, she’s pretty good at it.

Anne: I took flute lessons for a couple of years, but I never learned to play very well. I guess I don’t have any musical talent.

Betty: Oh, that’s not true. You sing very well. I can’t even do that!
Conversation Notes
  • Yeah
  • An informal variant of yes. Doesn’t it? The falling intonation on this question tag shows that it is simply a conversational element not requiring an answer.
  • I wish I could
  • Note that could is a past tense form, as required after wish.
  • Don’t you play
  • The negative question implies that the speaker expects the answer to be affirmative. It is equivalent to You play the violin, don’t you? with a rising intonation on the final you.
  • my sister does
  • Does is a pro­verb, standing in place of the verb. The sentence means My sister plays the violin.
  • flute lessons
  • A compound noun, with the principal stress on the first word.
Source: U.S. State Department
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