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Saying Goodbye

Saying Goodbye

Date: Jan 12 2010

Themes: Friend, How To

Grammar: Gerunds vs. Infinitives

Intro

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See you later. Farewell. ‘Til we meet again. Ciao. In every language, there is more than one way to say goodbye. There are formal and informal, warmer and colder, shorter and longer types of goodbyes. But the hardest goodbyes come when you have to say goodbye forever to someone you care about. Anyone who has ever moved away, lived abroad, or gone to school in a different city has probably experienced at least one of these sad farewells.

Mason recently had to say goodbye to a close friend of his. Listen to him tell Beren how he dealt with it.

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Mason

Mason

Beren

Beren

Mason:  I had a good friend move away recently, and I hate saying goodbye to friends when they’re gone for a long time.

Beren:  And why do you hate saying goodbye, just like the actual goodbye, like what do you say? Do you want it to be drawn out or quick and painless, or…

Mason:  Well, there’s kind of two kinds of goodbyes. There’s just like, “Hey, goodbye, I’ll see you sometime within a week or a month or whatever.” And then there’s the big send off, where it’s like I don’t know when the next time I’ll see you again…you know?

Beren:  That’s always hard because you need to make it special but you don’t want it to be too drawn out and not have it over with.

Mason:  Yeah. It’s mostly the big ones that I’m just terrible at.

Beren:  So did you guys have a farewell party?

Mason:  We did, we went out for drinks. But then that was awkward too because it was like all these other friends of this friend that I don’t know, so I didn’t get to feel like I had an intimate moment with this person to really like, you know…

Beren:  Say goodbye.

Mason:  Say what I wanted the way I wanted.

 

Grammar Point

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Recently, one of Mason’s good friends moved away. There was a goodbye party for him, but Mason felt like he didn’t have a chance to say a special farewell. Mason hates saying goodbye because he never knows what to say or how to say it.

Some goodbyes are easier to say. It’s not hard to say “See you later” to someone whom you know you’ll see again soon. But when you or someone you love leaves town for good, the goodbye gets more painful and complicated.

There are different ways to handle those tough goodbyes. Some people like to slip away without making a big fuss, while others like a long, drawn-out farewell. Some throw big going away parties and others try to have private, one-on-one goodbyes with each person they care about.

Have you ever had to say a difficult goodbye? What is the best way to say goodbye?

 

Comments

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nancyy2y

nancyy2y

Egypt

i never say goodbye to my friend but unluckly to my dad who died Frownand i think thebest way to say good bye to have ahug and give your friend a present which always remind her with me but i think real friends never forget  each other

Smile

06:42 AM Jun 07 2010 |

whirl

whirl

Thailand

I never say goodbye to my friend, but I used to say goodbye to my grandmom because she passed away from my life. It was a bad time for me…

03:57 AM May 04 2010 |

1 person likes this

zlm33

Turkey

I also got used to saying goodbye although it is hard to say it for some people whom you care aboutand miss forever but unfortunately it is one of the realities of life for me coz I often move from city to city.Nevertheless, it is  good even  to have someone whom we have to say a difficult goodbye…

06:16 PM Apr 10 2010 |

1 person likes this

Cameo Chen

Cameo Chen

China


Goodbye is only painful when you know you'll never say Hello agian. I'vd learned that Goodbyes will always hurt, memories good or bad, will bring tears. And words can never replace those feelings. I do not like to say goodbye to the peoples who I care.

05:23 AM Mar 13 2010 |

Marcelolic

Marcelolic

Brazil

When a goodbye is longer loger,it is hard to say it…Once I had a girlfriend and she had to leave me because she moved to other state for working…It was pretty hard…So we finished to breaking up 'cause it…I guess,when goodbye is longer or "forever" is always to express it easily,it is aways pretty sad :(

11:06 AM Jan 22 2010 |

kukuka

kukuka

Ukraine

Well I happened to say big goodbyes many times actually, but I hadn't ever been aware of it. I mean it was accidental somehow, like you think you willl see a person soon but instead you don't see him. In a word, this way of saying goodbye is quit easy. If I knew that Ihad to say a big farewell, I would probably  try to do it gently and quietly or I would slip away. There are too many sad things in our life so let's care for others' feelings. Everyone will profit from it, I'm sure.

02:35 PM Jan 18 2010 |

bienemaja

bienemaja

Andorra

unfortunately, saying goodbye is a constant in my life.

I got used to it.

01:50 PM Jan 18 2010 |

PumpkinSoup

Thailand

My parents and I are living in a different town and I visit them twice a year. I hate saying goodbye when I have to leave home and my parents for good.

10:51 AM Jan 18 2010 |

L_a_d_a

L_a_d_a

Ukraine

yes  it was ones, it was sad

i don`t know whether ther is the best way to say goodbye, it is different for different situation  and for different people

10:03 AM Jan 18 2010 |

sofree

sofree

China

Yes, this is life.

 

I want to make it short, a big going away party makes me sad.

07:48 AM Jan 18 2010 |

Otonashi Saya

Saudi Arabia

I liked this lesson , it touched me , by the way I hate it when I have to say good bye or something it's toooooooo hard you know

 

07:53 PM Jan 17 2010 |

Y4nk33

Y4nk33

Dominican Republic

xD

09:31 PM Jan 16 2010 |

iwori

iwori

Japan

My close friends or I've not moved, so I've not said sadly goodbye except one time. That was just before my grandfather passed away. I'd known that his disease is so heavy and we can't have "next time" because we lived separetaly and so far. It was really hard for me to say "see you later" on purpose. Love, granpa.

02:53 PM Jan 15 2010 |

Igor88

Igor88

Russian Federation

yes, it is hard and I hate to do it

05:56 AM Jan 15 2010 |

LIL

LIL

Saudi Arabia

i never had this kind of situation

i like a girl just for her combination

i had to say goodbye but i miss the pronunciation  

see you later cuz u always in my imagination 

11:36 PM Jan 14 2010 |

mvcsesl

mvcsesl

United States

yes it is hard

05:05 AM Jan 14 2010 |

helga

Philippines

well, saying goodbye isn't easy to do. but you have to do it anyway. so what i do is get it done as fast as i can

 

04:14 AM Jan 14 2010 |

Ca_Brazil

Ca_Brazil

Brazil

i did that last year. it was painful. how to say goodbye if you dont want to say it. so im still in touch, but its not the same, distance hurts sometimes.

01:14 AM Jan 14 2010 |

john andrew

Pakistan

Realy it is very hard time to say Good bye to your sweatheart

06:12 PM Jan 13 2010 |

john andrew

Pakistan

Realy it is very hard time to say Good bye to your sweatheart

06:12 PM Jan 13 2010 |

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