Beginner Listening Series 1 Lesson 9- Dialogue about Holidays in English
In this lesson, you listen to an English conversation between two people talking about holidays.
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Lesson Script
Meg: Let’s talk about months and American holidays.
Jim: All right, let’s do it.
Meg: Great. What holiday is in January?
Jim: Well, on January 1st, we have New Year’s Day.
Meg: Right.
Jim: That’s very fun.
Meg: Of course.
Jim: I love New Year’s Day.
Meg: Me too.
Jim: What about February?
Meg: In February, we have Valentine’s Day on February 14th.
Jim: That’s right, so romantic.
Meg: Yes.
Jim: I don’t like Valentine’s Day.
Meg: Why not?
Jim: I never have a girlfriend.
Meg: Oh, sorry. What about March? What holiday is in March?
Jim: March has St. Patrick’s Day.
Meg: Right.
Jim: On March 17th?
Meg: Yes. Do you usually celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?
Jim: I do. I love green. Green is my favorite color.
Meg: Me too.
Jim: Oh, nice.
Meg: What about April?
Jim: April has April fool’s Day, but that’s not a holiday.
Meg: Not really, but it’s still fun to celebrate on April 1st.
Jim: Right. Oh, usually Easter is in April.
Meg: Usually yes, but the day changes every year.
Jim: Right. Sometimes it’s March though.
Meg: True.
Jim: Right, okay.
Meg: What about in May? What holidays are in May?
Jim: In May, I think a lot of countries have a holiday on May 1st, but America doesn’t have a holiday on May 1st, but we do like to have fun celebrations for Cinco de Mayo, May 5th.
Meg: Right. What do you usually do for Cinco de Mayo?
Jim: We usually eat Mexican food.
Meg: Same.
Jim: I hear that in Mexico they don’t celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
Meg: Really?
Jim: Yeah, it’s only in America.
Meg: That’s funny.
Jim: Yeah, funny. I actually heard that St. Patrick’s Day also is not popular in Ireland.
Meg: Oh, that’s surprising.
Jim: Yeah, I don’t know. Maybe.
Meg: Maybe.
Jim: Okay, what about June?
Meg: In June, we have the first day of summer.
Jim: What day is that?
Meg: I think it’s on June 21st.
Jim: I think so.
Meg: The longest day of the year.
Jim: I love that day.
Meg: Me too.
Jim: It’s the best.
Meg: Yeah.
Jim: In July?
Meg: In July, in America of course, we have July 4th, Independence Day.
Jim: Yeah. What do you do on July 4th, Independence Day?
Meg: Usually, I would have a barbecue with friends and family and watch fireworks.
Jim: Yeah, me too. The same.
Meg: It’s fun.
Jim: What about August? Is there a holiday in August?
Meg: I can’t think of a holiday in August, but my brother’s birthday is August 15th.
Jim: That’s great.
Meg: Yeah, my younger brother.
Jim: Oh wow.
Meg: Do you know of any holidays in August?
Jim: I don’t, but usually school is out in August, so for the whole month there’s no school.
Meg: Yeah, vacation time. What about September?
Jim: Well, September has Labor Day, but I don’t remember the day. Is it September 1st?
Meg: I’m not sure.
Jim: I think it’s September 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th.
Meg: I think it changes every year.
Jim: Maybe it’s the first Monday.
Meg: I think so. Let’s see, after September, what holiday is in October?
Jim: The best holiday, Halloween.
Meg: Yes, I love Halloween.
Jim: Halloween is October 31st.
Meg: Right. Every year.
Jim: Plus, October has my birthday.
Meg: Oh, what day is your birthday.
Jim: October 2nd.
Meg: Nice.
Jim: Yeah. When is your birthday?
Meg: Not until December.
Jim: Coming up.
Meg: Yes.
Jim: Okay, so what holiday is in November?
Meg: November, we have Thanksgiving Day.
Jim: Yes. Actually, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.
Meg: Oh, you said Halloween.
Jim: I know, I change, I changed it.
Meg: What day is Thanksgiving?
Jim: It changes, like Easter. It’s on the third Thursday.
Meg: Is it the third or the fourth Thursday?
Jim: It’s the fourth Thursday.
Meg: Oh, okay.
Jim: You’re right. It’s on the fourth Thursday of every November.
Meg: Right. How do you usually celebrate Thanksgiving?
Jim: I have dinner with my family-
Meg: Me too.
Jim:… and I watch football.
Meg: Yes, it’s tradition.
Jim: I watch football on [inaudible 00:04:55].
Meg: Right. What about December?
Jim: Well, December has Christmas, which is December 25th.
Meg: Yes.
Jim: We also have New Year’s Eve, which is December 31st.
Meg: Right, both fun holidays.
Jim: Yeah, really good holidays. I like it because you get lots of time off work or school.
Meg: Yeah, it’s good to spend time with friends and family.
Jim: And to get presents.
Meg: Of course.
Jim: When is your birthday?
Meg: December 14th.
Jim: Nice. I have to remember.
Meg: Yes. You could give me a gift.
Jim: What is your favorite holiday?
Meg: My favorite holiday is actually Halloween.
Jim: Okay, I change again, me too.
English Listening Lesson Quizzes
Answer the following questions about the conversation.
1) When is Valentine’s Day?
- a) January
- b) February
- c) March
2) When is Saint Patrick’s Day?
- a) March
- b) April
- c) May
3) When is Independence Day in America?
- a) May
- b) June
- c) July
4) What day is popular in May?
- a) May Day
- b) Cinco de Mayo
- c) Thanksgiving
4) When is Labor Day?
- a) May
- b) September
- c) November
Answers
- 1=b
- 2=a
- 3=c
- 4=b
- 5=b
English Grammar Tips
Months / Times of the Year
Point 1: There are twelve months in the year.
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Point 2: Always start months with a capital letter.
I love October.
May is very cool.
I leave in June.
See you in August.
Point 3: Use the preposition ‘in’ for months and seasons.
I will be back in June.
See you in July.
I have a vacation in December.
My birthday is in October.
Point 4: There are four seasons in most English speaking countries.
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
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