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Too Little, Too Late
Too Little, Too Late English, baby! Video Lesson

Learn English meaning of 'too little, too late'

Date: Mar 31 2015

Themes: Alternative, How To, Soap Opera, Work

Grammar: Simple Present Tense

Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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It’s a hot summer day. All of the windows are open, but there is no wind. You’re so thirsty that you’re drinking a glass of water every hour. Suddenly, you remember the tomato plant your aunt gave you for your birthday. It’s in the garden, and you haven’t checked on it in two days. But when you go outside to water it, it has already died. The water you are bringing to your plant is too little, too late.

When you try to help a person or situation after a problem has ended or been solved, you’re too little, too late. Now matter how badly you want to help, if the help is too late to be useful, then it’s not needed. For example, if someone gives you an umbrella after you’ve been waiting for a bus in the rain for ten minutes, it’s not helpful anymore. You’re already wet, so you no longer need the umbrella.

Why does Jessica believe that their efforts to become friendly with the ghost are too little, too late? You can find out by reading today’s English lesson.

3. Watch - Watch the video without reading the dialog.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Jessica

Jessica

Gary

Gary

Jessica:  So, I said, “Your apology is too little, too late. Next time, I’m telling Mom.”

Gary:  How much longer until you move out your parents’ house and back into your apartment?

Jessica:  One more week. Thank goodness.

Joun Kim: Look! The nuts and dried fruit are gone.

Gary:  Look at that.

Jessica:  Can you believe this? We’d better get to work cleaning this up.

Joun Kim: Where’s the broom?

Gary:  It’s behind the door. We might need the vacuum, too. There are beans everywhere.

Jessica:  We’re going to need to scrub this with some type of cleanser. It’s really dirty. Where are the paper towels?

Joun Kim: Over there. There are sponges, too. I think I saw a bucket in the closet.

Gary:  Hold on a sec. I have to ask. Who do you think did this?

Joun Kim: It was Oscar, you mean?

Jessica:  I think so. He’s been causing trouble for weeks. And the beans all over the floor. He’s saying, “I don’t want your beans. This is all too little, too late.”

Joun Kim: I agree with Jessica. This ghost means business.

Gary:  Man!

 

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Gary, Joun Kim, and Jessica enter the office, only to learn that Oscar has made a big mess. The food that Brian told his friends to leave for the ghost is on the floor, and the chairs are, too. Plus there’s garbage everywhere!

Everyone decides to get to work cleaning. It will take time, but it needs to be done. Jessica points out that Oscar is probably trying to tell them something. She thinks that he’s saying that it’s too late for them all to become friends.

Was the mess made by Oscar, or was it someone else? Has anyone ever told you that your efforts were too little, too late?

 

Comments

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Shoba

Shoba

Sri Lanka



S&W, like in your country here too repairing computers costs a lot.


In fact, it’s so expensive that when we have a major problem with our computers we never try to fix them. We just put them aside and buy a new one. 



09:47 AM Apr 01 2015 |

S&W

S&W

China

@scienceboy i am sorry to hear what happened to your brother.what can we do to stop cruel things like that?that remined us healthy is all.


@shoba oh i repaired my computer last week not like someone here whose is under warranty.I changed video card and that cost a lot.

08:02 AM Apr 01 2015 |

Shoba

Shoba

Sri Lanka



Oh, I’m so sorry to hear about your brother-in-law, ScienceBoy. It’s a pity that he failed to act as early as possible. 


How lucky you were, dear Julito! You know, life is pretty strange sometimes. Some people run and board the bus at the last minute. And some miss the bus just by a few seconds. 



06:31 AM Apr 01 2015 |

yamylight

yamylight

Germany

ohh Iam a friend with these word because I always say it to my dear husband. When I ask him to do things he sayes ok dear hold a sec I have something to do, I will come back to fix it, but for my bad luke he forgot to do it for days and poor me a have to fix it my self , I say to my self ( If you want something to be done do it your self )  and whan my sweet husband remember what I had asked him to do. I said to him it too little, too late dear I had fixed it my self. He said Iam really sorry I swear I had forgot about it. But in the end I forgive him. Ohh, Iam so kind, am I ?:-P :)))))

10:11 PM Mar 31 2015 |

julito1

julito1

Argentina

Dear Shoba , same with me , I have a Sony Vaio laptop , all of a sudden the screen  blackened  , ohh , ohh, this is serious , i thought. I went to the dealer  and they said that the screen needed to be replaced. If is not  under warranty it costs a lot of money . I was extremely lucky that  the period of warranty  ( lasted a few days more) ) had not expired, otherwise, i would have to hear ” i am sorry, too few, too late.   ouch, it hurts !!! 

08:01 PM Mar 31 2015 |

julito1

julito1

Argentina

I remember having read about a glamorous actress that used this expression when a   famous singer who had a big crush    bought a bouquet of flowers  and gave it to her. ” Too few, too late ”  After thus being rejected  i believe  that the singer`s ego  was” Crushed”  

07:41 PM Mar 31 2015 |

ScienceBoy

ScienceBoy

Turkey

You are right Shoba, thank God it cost you a laptop only not your health. My brother in law lost his life due to being too late. He started losing weigh suddenly and feeling pain in his stomach but he didn’t consult a doctor till the pain was unbearable. It was too late. He had cancer and it was spreaded all ove his body already.. 

07:01 PM Mar 31 2015 |

Shoba

Shoba

Sri Lanka



My laptop was making weird noises and kept going blank every now and then. But I didn’t pay that much attention to its cry for help. 


When it finally stopped working altogether, I rushed it to the nearby electronic shop. After checking it, the repairman said with a serious face (like the doctors you see in movies), “I’m afraid, you’re too little, too late, sister. We could have saved it if you had brought it earlier.”


Sometimes, being too little, too late could cost you an arm and a leg, or even lives. 



s11211s

s11211s

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Maybe the ghost wants to tell them she or he doesn’t like that food! or seems the ghost be a child that she or he try to play with them!
As I remember anyone hasn’t ever told me that my efforts ware too little, too late! but in our life sometimes we where, or we will in such situation, some times you know it’s late to do some work but you try and it works on the last seconds! and maybe some times is too little, too late.

09:40 AM Mar 31 2015 |

ScienceBoy

ScienceBoy

Turkey

Amy, I think it sould be “no matter”. 


I haven’t been told it was too little, too late. I hope I will never head that too, like Mahtab.

08:43 AM Mar 31 2015 |

amy19890909

China

“Now matter how badly you want to help”, no matter or now matter?

04:40 AM Mar 31 2015 |

amy19890909

China

“Now matter how badly you want to help”, no matter or now matter?

04:40 AM Mar 31 2015 |

2 people like this

Mahtab.bp

Mahtab.bp

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Im worried you finally find a ghost there! :)))


I still think there is a rat in the office or someone wants to make a joke with his friends! ;)


I cant remember if anyone has told me what I did was too little , too late but Im sure the feeling after hearing that will be very disappointing!


I hope I never hear that from anyone!

S&W

S&W

China

Oscar again.Why don’t they let Oscar go and install camera suvillance and fund out what on earth it is.where is brain ,who is the leader to deal with oscar ,Brian should stand out and make a reasonable explaination.


@la princesse la vie good point Brain is a sleepwalker.that should be rat 


I know this quote from movie in which the main actress is going to breakup with her boyfriend,but the man want to save their relationship,at that time ,she would say too little ,too late.

La Princesse de la vie

Egypt

Was the mess made by Oscar? Well, we agree that Oscar doesn’t exist.


Who made it? Hmm, it depends on where Brian is. He said he’d handle it, and he was supposed to be sleeping at the office that night. 


But no, it’s not Brian. Why would he do all of that. He could’ve eaten the foods, but not making a mess by them. I think it would be some kind of animals at last. Or maybe Brian is a sleepwalker :))



Too little, too late, had I been told that before?! Yeah, but it was me telling me that it was too late.


It was an exam on physics last year, and I really always hated physics, and because I’m a last-moment person, I just studied it hours before the exam, but found out that unlike other subjects I could get it together easily, that one needed more time, so I failed it and took it with me to the next year (This year, I mean) And I worked hard for it this time, like 5 hours per day for 4 days before the test, and finally I passed it. 


It was too little, too late. I could have avoided failing at the first time if I had worked hard, but I always choose to learn it the hard way.. Bad me :(

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