Intro
Mustaches, beards, goatees, soul-patches. There are many options for men who want to sport some facial hair. Facial hair has become so trendy that there are even contests to see who can grow the best mustache or longest beard.
Not every man wants to go the hairy-face route, though. Some men find beards itchy. Others don’t like worrying about getting food caught in their mustache. But it’s not as if shaving’s all that great either. Find out Mason and Jeff’s thoughts on facial hair in this fashion English lesson.
Jeff: Uh, what is that? It sounds familiar.
Mason: Well, it’s where many gentlemen will agree to grow mustaches, ostensibly to support awareness for male cancers, but mostly it’s an excuse to grow a mustache.
Jeff: I noticed it looks like you’re in on that.
Mason: Yeah. But I feel like my mustache isn’t really that great.
Jeff: I’ve tried the same thing before. Not for Movember, but I don’t know, I have pretty heavy facial hair…
Mason: Yeah, you look like you could grow a mighty beard.
Jeff: I can grow a beard, but the mustache is a little lacking. I have grown a beard, but let me tell you, I don’t like it.
Mason: Why not?
Jeff: It’s uncomfortable. I don’t know.
Mason: You can’t get past the itchy phase?
Jeff: I’ve gotten past the itchy phase, and I’m not a fan. But I also hate shaving. Isn’t it a pain?
Mason: It’s a total pain. And yet, have you ever gotten a shave, a professional shave?
Jeff: I have not. But I’ve been looking into it.
Mason: Let me tell you, my friend. There is no greater pleasure for a man on this earth than getting a professional shave from an old dude in a dingy barber shop.
Jeff: That’s a bold statement.
Mason: I know it sounds terrible, but it’s amazing.
Not every man wants to go the hairy-face route, though. Some men find beards itchy. Others don’t like worrying about getting food caught in their mustache. But it’s not as if shaving’s all that great either. Find out Mason and Jeff’s thoughts on facial hair in this fashion English lesson.
Dialogue (Download Here)
Mason: Jeff, have you heard of the Movember tradition?Jeff: Uh, what is that? It sounds familiar.
Mason: Well, it’s where many gentlemen will agree to grow mustaches, ostensibly to support awareness for male cancers, but mostly it’s an excuse to grow a mustache.
Jeff: I noticed it looks like you’re in on that.
Mason: Yeah. But I feel like my mustache isn’t really that great.
Jeff: I’ve tried the same thing before. Not for Movember, but I don’t know, I have pretty heavy facial hair…
Mason: Yeah, you look like you could grow a mighty beard.
Jeff: I can grow a beard, but the mustache is a little lacking. I have grown a beard, but let me tell you, I don’t like it.
Mason: Why not?
Jeff: It’s uncomfortable. I don’t know.
Mason: You can’t get past the itchy phase?
Jeff: I’ve gotten past the itchy phase, and I’m not a fan. But I also hate shaving. Isn’t it a pain?
Mason: It’s a total pain. And yet, have you ever gotten a shave, a professional shave?
Jeff: I have not. But I’ve been looking into it.
Mason: Let me tell you, my friend. There is no greater pleasure for a man on this earth than getting a professional shave from an old dude in a dingy barber shop.
Jeff: That’s a bold statement.
Mason: I know it sounds terrible, but it’s amazing.
Discussion
Mason asks Jeff if he’s heard of a tradition called “Movember.” It turns out that it’s a combination of “mustache” and “November,” during which men are encouraged to grow a mustache for a month. Jeff notices that Mason is participating.
Jeff has grown facial hair before, too, though not for a particular reason. He’s had a beard, but he doesn’t really like it. He finds it uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, Jeff doesn’t really like shaving, either. Mason asks if Jeff has ever gotten a professional shave. He hasn’t. Mason strongly encourages Jeff to get one. He thinks it’s one of the best experiences he’s ever had.
If you are a man, do you like having facial hair? If you’re not, what do you think of facial hair? In your country, is it popular for men to have beards or to be clean-shaven? Do you like having a professional shave or haircut?
Jeff has grown facial hair before, too, though not for a particular reason. He’s had a beard, but he doesn’t really like it. He finds it uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, Jeff doesn’t really like shaving, either. Mason asks if Jeff has ever gotten a professional shave. He hasn’t. Mason strongly encourages Jeff to get one. He thinks it’s one of the best experiences he’s ever had.
If you are a man, do you like having facial hair? If you’re not, what do you think of facial hair? In your country, is it popular for men to have beards or to be clean-shaven? Do you like having a professional shave or haircut?
Grammar Point
Jeff says that he has gotten past the itchy phase when growing a beard. He uses the present perfect tense.
The present perfect is formed with have/has + a past participle. In this case, the present perfect is used to refer to something that happened at an unspecified time in the past. We don’t know exactly when Jeff got past the itchy phase, just that it happened at some point in the past.
Notice that Jeff uses “gotten” as the past participle. In American English, you use “gotten” as the past participle when using the present perfect.
Which is correct, “I have grown a beard before,” or, “I have grew a beard before”?
Ex: I can't grow a full beard, but I've got a nice goatee going.
Trendy: cool, hip or popular
Ex: Some of the trendy restaurants int Los Angles charge way too much for their food.
Shave: remove hair from your body using a razor.
Ex: I used to shave my legs, but now I prefer to wax.
Pretty: rather, move or less.
Ex: John was pretty rude to me. When I said hello he just grunted. Is he stressed about something?
Get past: move beyond, in time or int your thinking.
Ex: I just can't get past the fact that he's a blonde; I can't help it, but I also prefer brunettes!
A pain: a hassle, an annoyance
Ex: It can be a pain to find parking here on Friday and Saturday nights.
Looking into it: investigate, find out about
Ex: He doesn't know if the house on Maple St is for rent, but he said he'd look into it.
Dingy: dirty, worn down.
Ex: The show was at this dingy little bar, so we were really close to band.
The present perfect is formed with have/has + a past participle. In this case, the present perfect is used to refer to something that happened at an unspecified time in the past. We don’t know exactly when Jeff got past the itchy phase, just that it happened at some point in the past.
Notice that Jeff uses “gotten” as the past participle. In American English, you use “gotten” as the past participle when using the present perfect.
Which is correct, “I have grown a beard before,” or, “I have grew a beard before”?
Quiz
- Why is Mason trying to grow a mustache?
- A paradox is when two pieces of information contradict each other. What is Jeff’s paradox?
- Which doesn’t belong?
- Which is correct?
Answer Key 1:D 2:B 3:C 4:A
Vocabulary
Goatee: a small beardEx: I can't grow a full beard, but I've got a nice goatee going.
Trendy: cool, hip or popular
Ex: Some of the trendy restaurants int Los Angles charge way too much for their food.
Shave: remove hair from your body using a razor.
Ex: I used to shave my legs, but now I prefer to wax.
Pretty: rather, move or less.
Ex: John was pretty rude to me. When I said hello he just grunted. Is he stressed about something?
Get past: move beyond, in time or int your thinking.
Ex: I just can't get past the fact that he's a blonde; I can't help it, but I also prefer brunettes!
A pain: a hassle, an annoyance
Ex: It can be a pain to find parking here on Friday and Saturday nights.
Looking into it: investigate, find out about
Ex: He doesn't know if the house on Maple St is for rent, but he said he'd look into it.
Dingy: dirty, worn down.
Ex: The show was at this dingy little bar, so we were really close to band.
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