Interviews

High-intermediate

“Never Have I Ever” is a party game where players take turns making statements about experiences they’ve never had. Have you ever played this game in some format with family or friends?

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the video:

curious (adjective): eager to learn or know about something; strange or unusual

• The little boy’s curious nature led him to ask countless questions about the world around him.
• There was a curious sound coming from the attic late at night, which made everyone uneasy.

ponder (verb): to think about carefully; to consider deeply

• She liked to sit by the window and ponder the mysteries of the universe.
• After receiving the job offer, he spent days pondering whether to accept it or not.

chaotic (adjective): in a state of complete disorder and confusion

• The classroom was chaotic as the children ran around, shouting and laughing.
• Trying to navigate through the crowded streets during rush hour was a chaotic experience.

vivid (adjective): producing clear and striking mental images; intensely bright or colorful

• Her vivid imagination allowed her to create detailed worlds in her stories.
• The sunset painted the sky in vivid hues of orange and pink.

reluctant (adjective): unwilling or hesitant; showing doubt or unwillingness

• Despite his reluctance (a noun), he agreed to try the new food his friend offered him.
• She was reluctant to speak in front of the class, fearing she would make a mistake.

Now, watch the interview and answer the comprehension questions. You can also turn on the automatically-generated captions for the video once you start it.

Randall: Hi everyone. In today’s video, well, what is the topic?

Aubrey: We’re going to be playing a game called Never Have I Ever. So I have a generator. It’s going to ask us questions and you’re going to answer whether or not this is something you’ve ever done and maybe an anecdote about it. So like the example question we talked about before was, “never have I ever put peanut butter on a dog’s nose.” So a lot of these are silly questions.

Randall: No that’s fine. And I mentioned putting cheese on my dog’s nose to train him today. All right. Go ahead.

Aubrey: Never have I ever walked into something.

Emily: I think everyone’s done that.

Aubrey: Oh, yeah. I’m so clumsy. I walk into things all the time.

Randall: That happens every single day. Yeah, I mean, I, I ran just a few minutes ago. I ran into our dog Felix.

Aubrey: All right. Next.

Randall: Oh, and just for those that are watching, you’re pulling this off the internet. Is that right?

Aubrey: Yes

Randall: Kind of like an online generator. Okay.

Aubrey: I have a couple of different generators going. Never have I ever had a crush on a coworker. And we don’t need to get into specifics, but yes or no?

Emily: Nope.

Aubrey: Oh yeah, I totally have.

Emily: Anything else? You want to elaborate on that?

Aubrey: No, I did not date them because that would have been a nightmare if we had broken up, because I have had coworkers that dated each other and still was working at the same place, and it was awful. One of them cheated on the other one, so it was just not fun to work with them.

Randall: Bad news.

Aubrey: Yep. Let’s see. Never have I ever gone on a shopping spree.

Emily: I’ve done that.

Aubrey: Yeah, I definitely have done that.

Randall: Yeah, I mean there’s probably cases when you say shopping spree, are you saying like you have a, a large amount of money and you’re just spending indiscriminately? Or no, I’ve got a bunch of…

Aubrey: I let’s define this as spending indiscriminately whether or not you have the money.

Emily: I’ve done that.

Randall: Um, I don’t know. I’m, I probably have. I can’t think of anything. I mean, going to buy seeds or plants for the garden. I don’t think that’s that exciting.

Aubrey: That’s not a shopping spree though.

Randall: No, no I don’t think that qualifies.

Aubrey: I think dad’s better at his money than we are. Emily.

Randall: Alright, give me a good one.

Aubrey: Okay. Never have I ever eaten an earthworm.

Randall: Oh.

Aubrey: Did you [inaudable]

Randall: Emily, you’re smiling.

Emily: I’ve done that. I’ve done that.

Randall: Emily is smiling. Hey, wait. And what about you, Aubrey? You’re not even responding.

Aubrey: I have not, no, I did eat the book How to Eat Fried or read the book How to Eat Fried Worms. Did you read that book, Emily? No?

Emily: No

Aubrey: Well, but you ate an earthworm anyway?

Emily: Yes.

Aubrey: Ah

Randall: When was this?

Aubrey: How does it taste?

Emily: Not great. I just swallowed it whole.

Aubrey: Why?

Emily: To freak out the other kids at elementary school.

Randall: Yeah, man. That’s. That’s freaky. Worm breath.

Aubrey: I did eat crickets for a dollar one time.

Emily: Yeah, I’ve never done that.

Randall: No.

Aubrey: All right. Never have I ever laughed so hard or sneezed so hard that food came out of my nose.

Emily: I’ve never done that.

Aubrey: I have. One time it was like a chunk of carrot. That wasn’t fun.

Emily: Ewww!

Randall: I think I maybe choked on something, laughed so hard, and then it got my throat and started choking.

Aubrey: What about, like laughed so hard you choked and then, like, soda or whatever you were drinking, come out of your nose?

Randall: Uh. Yeah.

Aubrey: Yeah,

Randall: That’s happened to me. That’s happened.

Aubrey: Well, Emily hasn’t had this experience, but she did eat a worm, so I don’t know that.

Randall: I think she’s up on us. Ten bonus points, Emily. Alright, throw out one more. Last one. Make it a doozy

Aubrey: Never have I ever cleaned my room by shoving the mess in my closet.

Emily: Nope. Absolutely not.

Randall: I know, I yeah, I can, I could witness that, uh, that has happened from time to time.

Aubrey: My problem tends to either be I shoved everything from my room into the closet, or I decided to clean the closet, and now everything’s in my room.

Emily: Yeah, that’s about right.

Aubrey: Yeah.

Randall: Something comes crawling out like a sandwich that’s been under there six months, and it’s still alive.

Aubrey: It’s developed sentience? It’s now a living being.

Randall: A Zombie, a zombie sandwich. All right, well, thank you, Aubrey, for entertaining us with those, I guess, insightful questions that challenge how we think and our past experiences.

Intermediate:

1. Have you ever played the game “Never Have I Ever”? If so, what was your experience like?

2. Do you have any funny anecdotes similar to the ones shared in the interview about walking into things or laughing so hard that food came out of your nose?

3. How do you think personal experiences, like those shared in the interview, contribute to building camaraderie and bonding between individuals?

4. In what ways do you believe workplace dynamics influence personal relationships and decisions, such as whether or not to pursue a crush on a coworker?

Advanced:

5. Reflecting on the interview, how do societal norms and workplace culture shape individuals’ behaviors and choices, particularly in relation to topics like dating coworkers or handling embarrassing situations?

6. Considering the humor and vulnerability displayed in the interview, discuss the role of authenticity and self-disclosure in fostering meaningful connections and relationships, both personally and professionally.

Play this same game book using an online Never Have I Ever question generator. An Internet search can locate such online tools.