Making Personal Decisions
Sam feels bad about a personal decision he made the previous day; He decided not to
intervene when he saw a boy being bullied in the park. He is talking to his friend, Ben, about
his decision…
Sam: Hi Ben. You don’t seem like yourself today - is something wrong?
Ben: To be honest, I feel awful about something that happened yesterday…
Sam: Go on, tell me what happened…
Ben: Well, I was walking past the park on my way to the post office and I saw a gang of
older boys pushing a younger boy around. He seemed really upset…
Sam: Did you do something?
Ben: That's the problem… I feel like such a coward. I did nothing. I was caught between a
rock and hard place – if I had helped him, they might have started a fight with both of us and
by the time I went to the shop to get help, they were gone. I can’t stop thinking about what
might have happened to him…
Sam: How many of them were they?
Ben: There were about 10 of them. I thought I had no chance, but I should have done
something…
Sam: Did you call the police?
Ben: Of course, I did! They came too, but the bullies were gone.
Sam: That's too bad...Was the boy hurt?
Ben: I don’t think so, but they had stolen his wallet and phone. If I had helped him, maybe
they wouldn’t have stolen anything…
Sam: It’s hard to know what to do in a situation like that, but I think you did the right thing
by calling the police. Now, it’s their job to find the bullies.
Ben: Hopefully soon, before they strike again…
PHRASAL VERBS
Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example sentence | Categories |
---|---|---|---|
To run through something | To practice or repeat something from beginning to end. | Let’s run through the song one more time before we perform. | Home and School Life |
To fall behind (with | To fail to do something on time or fast enough. | 1. He missed most of classes and fell behind with his schoolwork. 2. He didn’t come to class for weeks so he fell behind. | Home and School Life |
To drop out (of) | To quit before you have finished something. | 1. He dropped out of school 2 months before he was due to complete his exams. 2. He dropped out. | Home and School Life |
To sail through | To succeed easily in doing something. | He sailed through the test and achieved the highest mark. | Home and School Life |
To keep up with | To continue being informed about something. | I like to watch the news to keep up with current affairs. | Home and School Life |