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  • Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Noun Phrase 19.

  • The noun phrase today is sob story.

  • Okay.

  • Let's take a look at the note.

  • A sob story is a very sad story, especially about one's personal difficulties, usually

  • told to someone in order to get sympathy.

  • Yeah.

  • There could be many reasons why they want sympathy.

  • Sometimes it is to borrow money, Sometimes it is because they are not paying money that

  • they are supposed to be paying.

  • Sometimes it could just be used for an excuse why they didn't get something done or sometimes

  • it could be that maybe they want a personal favor from somebody.

  • But whatever it is , it is a sob story.

  • And we usually use it, especially when a person has been using sob stories a lot.

  • You know, it is more believable if it is the first time you ever heard it from them.

  • But if they for , you know, almost no excuse seem to come up with some sob story for something.

  • Then you start to question it.

  • Then that is when you start to use the term.

  • So let's continue.

  • Let's look at some examples here.

  • Every time my co-worker wants to borrow money, she gives me another sob story.

  • Okay.

  • That is a perfect example because we often use it about borrowing money.

  • Let's look at number two.

  • Jane's tenant give her a sob story about why she hasn't paid her rent for several months.

  • All right.

  • Another good example about why you didn't pay money.

  • All right.

  • And remember of course the whole idea of a sob story comes from of course, sob by itself

  • means to cry . So we say to cry noisily while taking short breaths.

  • Yeah.

  • It is often the type of crying that maybe some children will do.

  • (sobbing sounds )You know if you have ever seen a child that sometimes can cry for long

  • periods like I don't know.

  • Maybe 20 minutes , 30 minutes, an hour . Where you know they keep taking short breaths in

  • between (more sobbing sounds) So that is what sobbing really is.

  • But we just use the term sob story.

  • Anyway, I hope you got it.

  • I hope it is clear.

  • Thank you for your time.

  • Bye-bye.

Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Noun Phrase 19.

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