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Newguest Posted 17 years ago
Vocabulary
Passage
Hi guys!
Edge (from U2) says: "So Bono and myself bought this house together and started making plans to renovate, because it was in such bad condition. We are only just finishing it, over fifteen years later. It's two houses on a single piece of land and we swap houses every couple of weeks. When I tell people "I go on holidays with Bono" they look at me a little funny but it has actually worked out really well.
--- I have problems with understanding the part in bold.
1. Does "swap houses" mean that every second week Edge goes to live in Bono's house and Bono goes to live in Edge's house. Or maybe both of them go to live in the same house together at the same time? Or maybe they swap the houses and renovate them for each other? So Edge goes to Bono's house and works on it and Bono goes to Edge's house to work on it too
2. Why people look funny at him when he says that he goes on holidays with Bono? Maybe swapping the houses is like holidays for him??? Why they looked funny at him?
3. What has worked out really well - maybe swapping the houses or maybe living together next to each other?
Edge (from U2) says: "So Bono and myself bought this house together and started making plans to renovate, because it was in such bad condition. We are only just finishing it, over fifteen years later. It's two houses on a single piece of land and we swap houses every couple of weeks. When I tell people "I go on holidays with Bono" they look at me a little funny but it has actually worked out really well.
--- I have problems with understanding the part in bold.
1. Does "swap houses" mean that every second week Edge goes to live in Bono's house and Bono goes to live in Edge's house. Or maybe both of them go to live in the same house together at the same time? Or maybe they swap the houses and renovate them for each other? So Edge goes to Bono's house and works on it and Bono goes to Edge's house to work on it too
2. Why people look funny at him when he says that he goes on holidays with Bono? Maybe swapping the houses is like holidays for him??? Why they looked funny at him?
3. What has worked out really well - maybe swapping the houses or maybe living together next to each other?
Top answer
I hate to say it, but I'm afraid being a native speaker doesn't give me any advantage in understanding this. I have to assume "swapping houses" refers living in one while renovating the other, but without more context ("that way, the paint fumes don't keep us awake at night" or "that way, we don't get sick of working on our own projects, because we're always trading jobs") I can't tell who's living where or doing what or when. And I also don't know why they're looking funny at him.
- I hate to say it, but I'm afraid being a native speaker doesn't give me any advantage in understanding this.
- I have to assume "swapping houses" refers living in one while renovating the other, but without more context ("that way, the paint fumes don't keep us awake at night" or "that way, we don't get sick of working on our own projects, because we're always trading jobs") I can't tell who's living where or doing what or when.
- And I also don't know why they're looking funny at him.
- Might it be because they suspect a sexual relationship?
- Or because, since he & Bono work together, they might not be expected to vacation together too?
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4 Answers
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I hate to say it, but I'm afraid being a native speaker doesn't give me any advantage in understanding this. I have to assume "swapping houses" refers living in one while renovating the other, but without more context ("that way, the paint fumes don't keep us awake at night" or "that way, we don't get sick of working on our own projects, because we're always trading jobs") I can't tell who's livi
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Hi Delmobile
DelmobileI hate to say it, but I'm afraid being a native speaker doesn't give me any advantage in understanding this. I have to assume "swapping houses" refers living in one while renovating the other, but without more context ("that way, the paint fumes don't keep us awake at night" or "that way, we don't get sick of working on our own projects, because we're
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Swapping does mean exchange, as in "wife swapping." I think I jumped to the conclusion that he is using the word here simply to mean "change" because it seemed so strange to me that they would choose to work, alone, on alternate renovation projects.
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