
English Lessons
Intro
A few weeks ago, Devan and Amanda got pretty worried when Beren starting eating and drinking things that she usually doesn’t. Maybe they were overreacting. After all, it’s not all that weird to try a new kind of soda.
But you know what is weird? A sudden and inexplicable fear of all things Russian. Watch as Beren panics at the mere mention of vodka and ballet.
Dialogue
Marni: Oh my God. Guess what?
Beren: What?
Marni: I just got tickets for the ballet and guess who’s going to be here?
Beren: Who?
Marni: Mikhail Baryshnikov. Do you want to go?
Beren: No! No. No. No. I do not want to…No.
Marni: I’m in love with Mikhail Baryshnikov.
Amanda: Shhh! I’m trying to read this book, Crime and Punishment, by Dostoevsky. Is that how you say it?
Beren: I don’t know. I have no idea. I don’t know.
Amanda: It’s so gripping.
Beren: I don’t know.
Devan: Hey guys.
Beren: I don’t know.
Devan: Look! I brought borscht.
Beren: What? Are you kidding? No! It’s hot in here. I feel sweaty.
Jason: Does anyone want a vodka tonic?
Beren: Oh my God!
Jason: I’ve had way too many of these.
Beren: I am freaking out.
Jason: You want some?
Beren: No. No, no, no, no.
Amanda: What do I have to do for some peace and quiet around here?
Jason: What was that all about?
Devan: What is her deal?
Jason: That was so weird.
Marni: I don’t know.
Devan: Does she not like vodka and borscht?
Marni: And ballet? Who doesn’t love Baryshnikov?
Jason: Yeah. Who doesn’t love borscht and vodka?
Marni: And Dostoevsky?
Jason: A crazy person.
Amanda: Oh, is that how you say it?
Marni: Yes.
Discussion
What was that all about? It just so happened that all of Beren’s friends showed up with different things from Russia at the same. Devan has a Russian soup called borscht, Jason has Russian alcohol, Amanda is reading a Russian book and Marni is going to a Russian ballet! When she heard all this, Beren got really scared, started hyperventilating and ran out of the room.
Why would Beren be afraid of all things Russian? Could it have anything to do with her crazy night in Vegas?
Grammar Point
If you see a word that ends in phobia, it means it describes a fear of something. Beren is afraid of things from Russia, so this lesson is called Russiaphobia. That’s not a real word, but xenophobia, which means fear of foreign people and things, is.
Some of the most common phobias are claustrophobia, which is a fear of small spaces and arachnophobia, which is fear of spiders. Acrophobia is commonly called fear of heights. There’s even phobophobia, which is the fear of phobias! What are you afraid of?
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