Laundry

Posted by MichikoNakamura Sat, 24 Nov 2007 15:11:44 GMT

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Now let's start by reading this opening conversation:

Michiko: Michael, what are you going to do tonight?
Michael: I have to go to the laundromat and wash my clothes.
Michiko: You mean you don't have a washing machine in your apartment?
Michael: Unfortunately not. So every week I have to carry my clothes over to the laundromat.
Michiko: How long does it take to do your laundry?
Michael: It usually takes about 2 or   3 hours. It depends on how long I have to wait for the machines.

In this conversation, Michael was at the laundromat or "coin laundry." These places have public washing machines that anyone can use. You only need to put some coins in the machine. That's why they call it a coin laundry. There are different ways to ask questions. For example:

"What are you going to do tonight?"

"What are you up to tonight?"

"What's happening tonight?"

One thing you have to remember when you go to the laundromat is to bring a lot of change, especially quarters.   If you forget to bring any change, you can always ask someone.

Read this next conversation:

Michael: Oh no, I don't have enough quarters. Excuse me. Do you have any change?
Michiko: Uh, no, I'm sorry I don't. You might try at that store across the street. They might give you some change.
Michael: Excuse me, could you give me some change?
Clerk: I'm sorry, we can't give any change unless you buy something. Here's your change.
Michael: Thank you.

Read these example sentences:

"Could you give me some change?"

"Do you have change for a dollar?"

Some stores aren't able to give a lot of change because they need it for their business. In that case, you may have to buy something first. And then, they will give you change.

At the laundromat, if you want to use one of the machines, you can ask one of these questions:

"Are you using this dryer?"

"Are you using this washing machine?"

There may be some men who would like to try to meet ladies. They might use some of these common pick up lines. Read these examples:

Michael: Do you come here often?
Michiko: No, this is my first time?

Michael: Have you lived here long?
Michiko: Yes, I've lived here all my life.

Michael: Haven't I seen you somewhere before?
Michiko: No, I don't think so.

Michael: Do you live around here?
Michiko: That's none of your business.

If you have any real problems with someone in the laundromat, you should call the police immediately. They will come and check out the laundromat. It's probably better to go in the daytime, especially if you're a woman. Now, read this opening conversation between a mother and her son:

Mom: Andy, would you mind doing your laundry this week? I have a meeting to go to so I won't have time.
Andy: Aww, Mom. I don't know how to do laundry.
Mom: Ok, I'll teach you. But first you have to promise me that you'll stop whining.
Andy: OK. So what do I do first.
Mom: Are these all of your dirty clothes?
Andy: Yeah.

In this conversation, a mother is teaching her son how to wash clothes. He has never washed clothes by himself. This is a very useful thing for mothers to teach their children because some day they will have to do it themselves.

If someone says:

"Would you mind?"

You can answer:

"No, I wouldn't."

or just

"no".

Read these example conversations:

Michael: Would you mind doing your laundry this week?
Audience: Would you mind doing your laundry this week?
Michiko: No, I wouldn't mind.

Michael: Would you mind doing your laundry this week?
Audience: Would you mind doing your laundry this week?
Michiko: Yes, I would mind.

When washing clothes, you will have to adjust the temperature for the wash cycle and rinse cycle. For white and light colored clothes, you can use hot or warm water. For colors, you can use cool or cold water.

Read this next conversation:

Andy: OK, mom. I'm ready to use the dryer.
Mom: Do you need any help?
Andy: Yes. Do I put everything in the dryer?
Mom: Well, I usually dry heavy objects on the clothes line like jeans   and towels.

Using the dryer is usually much easier than using the washing machine. All you need to do is clean out the lint screen and push the on button. In this conversation, the mother asked her son:

"Do you need any help?"

She could also say:

"Would you like any help?"

or

"Could you give me a hand?"

But if you can do it by yourself, you can say:

"No, I think I can handle it."

Here's a tip for saving electricity in the dryer. Some heavy objects like jeans and towels take a long time to dry. So if you want to save money on electricity, you can dry them by hanging them on a clothesline.

Michiko: Michael, sometimes I see people put something in the
dryer with the clothes. What is that?
Michael: Oh, that's something to keep the clothes from clinging.
Michiko: What does "cling" mean?
Michael: "Cling" means to stick together.
Michiko: Oh. Why do the clothes stick together?
Michael: Because of static electricity.

Static electricity causes clothes to cling or stick together. For example:

"Static electricity causes clothes to stick together"

So how do you get rid of really tough stains. The first method of getting out tough stains is to spray some kind of stain remover on the clothing and / or let them soak in water. You can say the word "should", "let's" or "why not". Read these examples and repeat after me:

Michael: We should spray this stain remover on the clothing.
Audience: We should spray this stain remover on the clothing.

Michael: Let's spray this stain remover on them.
Audience: Let's spray this stain remover on them.

Michael: Why don't we spray stain remover on them.
Audience: Why don't we spray stain remover on them.

Read this example conversation between husband and wife.:

Wife: I'm really looking forward to next weekend.
Husband: Why's that?
Wife: Because Monday is a holiday.
Husband: Oh, yeah. You should cook something healthy on Sunday. I haven't eaten good food in a long time.
Wife: What do you mean by that? Husband: It was just a suggestion. You don't have to get upset.

In this conversation, we can see the problem. The husband used the phrase "you should" and the wife understood it to mean " you must". She became upset because it sounded like a command. So to avoid that problem, you can say:

"I think it would be a good idea"

The most powerful way to get stains out of clothes is to use bleach. Bleach is for really tough stains. If you use too much bleach, the clothes will lose their color. Now, read this final conversation between a mother and her son.

Mom: Oh, I have to do some ironing now.
Son:   Good. My shirts have a lot of wrinkles.
Mom: You're not kidding.
Son: Can you put starch in the collar?
Mom: Here, I want to show you how so next time you can do it by yourself.
Son: Oh, sorry, I have to go now. See you later.
Mom: Hey come back here.

If you go to a professional dry cleaner, you can use the word "press." They usually use a heavy iron or steam machine. You can use this sentence:

"I got my clothes pressed at the dry cleaners."

You can use the word iron as a verb or as a noun. For example:

"I have to do some ironing now"

"I iron my shirts every day"