Today Tom will tell you about his bad habits.

This story will help you learn how to talk about your own bad habits in English, and you'll also learn some useful words and phrases for everyday conversations.

So, let's get ready to practice and improve your English skills.

Listen carefully.

Hi, I'm Tom.

I have a confession to make.

I have some pretty bad habits.

They aren't the end of the world, but they can be annoying.

Let me tell you about them, and maybe you'll find them a bit funny.

First, let's talk about my love for snacks.

For some reason, I just can't say no to them.

Chips, cookies, candy, you name it.

Even when I'm full from a meal, I still find myself reaching for a bag of chips.

It's especially bad when I'm watching TV.

One minute I'm just sitting down to watch my favorite show, and the next, I finish a Another bad habit of mine is procrastination.

I am the king of putting things off.

Have a project due?

I'll start it the night before.

Need to clean the house?

I'll get to it later.

Much later.

My motto might as well be, why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?

This habit has gotten me into some sticky situations, especially at work.

I remember one time I had to finish a report by the end of the week.

I kept pushing it off until the last minute, and I ended up pulling an all-nighter to get it done.

Not my best moment, I'll admit.

Then there's my terrible habit of losing things.

Keys, wallet, phone, you name it, I've lost it.

It's like my belongings have a mind of their own and love to play hide-and-seek.

I once spent an entire morning looking for my car keys, only to find them in the fridge.

Don't ask me how they got there.

I'm still trying to figure that one out.

I also have a habit of being late.

No matter how early I start getting ready, I always manage to run late.

I've tried everything, setting my clocks ahead, laying out my clothes the night before, even creating a get-out-the-door checklist.

Nothing seems to work.

My friends have learned to tell me to meet them 30 minutes earlier than they actually plan to, just so I arrive on time.

It's a bit embarrassing, but I've come to hard to stop.

I'll ramble on about anything and everything, sometimes forgetting to let others have a chance to talk.

I know it can be annoying, and I'm working on it.

But sometimes I just get so excited about a topic that I can't help myself.

So there you have it, a look at my bad habits.

They're not the worst things in the world, but they do make life interesting.

In the end, we all have our little things that make us who we are.

That said, I am trying to turn over a new leaf.

I'm working on stopping procrastination and being more punctual.

After all, better late than never, right?

It might be hard, but as they say, old habits die hard.

With some effort and a bit of humor, I'm sure I'll get there one day.

I hope you've enjoyed the story.

Now let's explore some new words and phrases from the story.

Confession.

A confession is when someone admits to something they did, usually something wrong or secret.

An example in a sentence will be, I made a confession to my friend about eating the last piece of cake.

Procrastination.

Procrastination means delaying or putting off doing something until later, often because it always ends up doing my homework at the last minute because of my procrastination.

Motto.

A motto is a short phrase or sentence that expresses a principle, goal, or ideal that someone lives by.

An example in a sentence will be, her motto is, always do your best, and she tries to follow it every day.

Sticky situation.

Sticky situation is an idiom that means a difficult or resolve.

An example in a sentence will be, when I accidentally sent the wrong email to my boss, I found myself in a sticky situation trying to explain the mistake.

Pulling an all-nighter.

Pulling an all-nighter means staying awake all night to work on something or study.

An example in a sentence will be, I had to pull an all-nighter to finish my report before the deadline.

Embarrassing.

Embarrassing means causing someone to feel awkward, self-conscious, or ashamed.

An example in a sentence will be, it was embarrassing when I tripped and fell in front of everyone.

Ramble.

Ramble means to talk a lot without sticking to the main point.

An example in a sentence will be, he rambles when he's nervous, talking about many different things.

Turn over a new leaf.

Turn over a new leaf means to make a fresh start or change one's behavior for the better.

An example in a sentence will be, after years of being late to work, Sarah decided to turn over a new leaf and set her alarm earlier.

Punctual.

Punctual means being on time.

An example in a sentence will be, she is always punctual for her appointments, arriving exactly when she is supposed to.

Better late than never.

The phrase better late than never means it's better to do something late than not do it at all.

An example in a sentence will be, I finally finished the book I started last year.

Better late than never.

Old habits die hard.

Old habits die hard means that it's difficult to change long-standing habits or behaviors.

An example in a sentence will be, even though he's been trying to eat healthier, he still finds himself reaching for junk food.

Old habits die hard.

Great.

Now that we've learned some new words and phrases, let's listen to the story again to see how much better you understand it.

If you want to read along, feel free to follow the text on the screen.

Hi, I'm Tom.

I have a confession to make.

I have some pretty bad habits.

They aren't the end of the world, but they can be annoying.

Let me tell you about them, and maybe you'll find them a bit funny.

First, let's talk about my love for snacks.

For some reason, I just can't say no to them.

Chips, cookies, candy, you name it.

Even when I'm full from a meal, I still find myself reaching for a bag of chips.

It's especially bad when I'm watching TV.

One minute I'm just sitting down to watch my favorite show, and the next, I finish a whole bag of chips without even realizing it.

Another bad habit of mine is procrastination.

I am the king of putting things off.

Have a project due?

I'll start it the night before.

Need to clean the house?

I'll get to it later.

Much later.

My motto might as well be, why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?

This habit has gotten me into some sticky situations, especially at work.

I remember one time I had to finish a report by the end of the week.

I kept pushing it off until the last minute, and I ended up pulling an all-nighter to get it done.

Not my best moment, I'll admit.

Then there's my terrible habit of losing things.

Keys, wallet, phone, you name it, I've lost it.

It's like my belongings have a mind of their own and love to play hide and seek.

I once spent an entire morning looking for my car keys, only to find them in the fridge.

Don't ask me how they got there, I'm still trying to figure that one out.

I also have a habit of being late.

No matter how early I start getting ready, I always manage to run late.

I've tried everything, setting my clocks ahead, laying out my clothes the night before, even creating a get-out-the-door checklist.

Nothing seems to work.

My friends have learned to tell me to meet them 30 minutes earlier than they actually plan to, just so I arrive on time.

It's a bit embarrassing, but I've come to accept it.

Lastly, I talk too much.

Once I get going, it's hard to stop.

I'll ramble on about anything and everything, sometimes forgetting to let others have a chance to talk.

I know it can be annoying, and I'm working on it, but sometimes I just get so excited about a topic that I can't help myself.

So there you have it, a look at my bad habits.

They're not the worst things in the world, but they do make life interesting.

In the end, we all have our little things that make us who we are.

That said, I am trying to turn over a new leaf.

I'm working on stopping procrastination and being more punctual.

After all, better late than never, right?

It might be hard, but as they say, old habits die hard.

With some effort and a bit of humor, I'm sure I'll get there one day.