Joy English · Level C2 · Shoppingjoy-english.com
The antique desk dilemma
Name:Date:
Follow polite bargaining with contrast and compromise.
Listen to each sentence and write what you hear.
Audio and answer checking: https://joy-english.com/listening-lessons/the-antique-desk-dilemma
Words to know
- veneer
- A thin layer of fine wood on cheaper wood.
- patched
- Mended with a repair.
- object
- To say you disagree or do not like something.
- haggle
- To bargain over a price.
Answer key
- It is a beautiful piece, but the drawers stick and the veneer has clearly been patched at some point.“Veneer” is pronounced vuh-NEER. “Piece” here means an item of furniture.
- Every antique has a past, madam, and I would argue that those repairs are part of its character.“Madam” is a formal address. “I would argue that” introduces an opinion politely.
- I do not object to repairs as such; I object to being charged as though they had never been made.“As such” means in themselves. “Object to” is followed by an -ing form: “being charged”. “As though they had never been made” imagines an unreal past.
- That is a fair point, so I could lower the price a little if you collected it yourself.“Fair point” accepts the other person’s argument. “Collected” here means picked up.
- Then let us say a little more than a little, and I will bring a friend with a van.“Let us say” proposes terms. “A little more than a little” playfully asks for a bigger reduction in the price.