General Listening Quiz

Listen to the recording on washing machines and clothes, and read along with the conversation. Review the key vocabulary and the sample sentences.

Woman: Oh, man. What happened here?

Man: What’s wrong?

Woman: Someone ran a pen through the dryer, and now all of my clothes AND the dryer are a real mess.

Man: Ugh. Wow. Tha . . . That’s rough. Well, I have to go. [What?] I’m playing tennis with Jacob in a few minutes.

Woman: No way! Wait, wait. What about the mess?

Man: Well, uh, what clothes did you have in there?

Woman: I had two of my . . .

Man: They weren’t mine?! Uh . . .

Woman: Listen. I had two of my new shirts, a pair of shorts, and some running socks, and one of your work shirts.

Man: No way!

Woman: And from the looks of the pen stain, you are the one who probably left a pen in your pocket from work.

Man: Oooh. Uh . . .

Woman: Yeah.

Man: How do you know?

Woman: Look. Here’s the pen, and it has your company logo on it.

Man: Oh. Uh . . .

Woman: So, look, here. Here’s your phone.

Man: My phone? For what?

Woman: Call your friends and tell them you’re going to be late. And try using this hairspray. It’ll help get the ink stains out of the dryer.

Man: Oohhh. Well, yeah, I guess it was my fault. Um, how about if I take you to buy some new clothes after I get back?

Woman: Okay. I . . . I’d appreciate that, but please, be more careful next time.

Man: Okay. Sorry.

Woman: Love ya.

• run (verb): put something in the dryer, also use or operate 
  – I’m going to run some towels through the dryer. Do you have anything you want to put in?
  – Do you know how to run this copy machine? I can’t figure it out.
• mess (noun): a very dirty or disorganized condition 
  Oh, no! Your bedroom is such a mess. Pick up all the dirty clothes and put them next to the washer.
• rough (adjective): difficult 
  – We had a rough night and didn’t sleep much because the baby was sick.
• logo (noun): a symbol for a company that goes on its products 
  – The company decided to change their logo to give it a new look.
• stain (noun): a mark on clothing or another surface that is difficult to get out 
  – I’ve washed this shirt three times in the washer, and the stain still won’t come out.
• fault (noun): mistake or responsibility for a problem 
  – I don’t know whose fault it is, but someone mixed my white shirts with the pink towels, and now all of my shirts are pink.
• get back (verb): return to a place 
  – Dad will throw the clothes in the washer when he gets back from work.
• appreciate (verb): be thankful for 
  – I appreciate your help in washing and drying my clothes this morning. I couldn’t have done it without you.