What would you do for a great love story? For a shy but outgoing male bookstore owner who sometimes crosses paths with a female writer, this question gets to the test. When the bookstore owner finally gets to know the female writer, he falls for her like a magnet. With the help of the internet and social networking, he employs every resource at his disposal just to be close enough to her to touch her heart, and eventually, to win her love.
In his first season as the new manager of the bookstore, your ex-boyfriend Jimmy tries to make the transition from being his ex-boyfriend to a new boyfriend by developing good communication skills. However, a new character from Jimmy’s past suddenly shows up and Jimmy finds himself caught between two men: the serial killer and a disturbed former student of his. Jimmy must find out who killed his friend and use his good relationships with the people in charge of keeping the city safe to apprehend the serial killer. Meanwhile, the female character, who happens to be the boss, finds herself caught between two men as well.
This creative play by award-winning author David Michael Slater takes place in the year 2021. The first season of “You,” as it is called, chronicles the rise of Jimmy and Sarah’s friendship. Jimmy is the bookstore manager, while Sarah is the new editor-in-chief of a popular online site for book lovers. They meet each other and instantly form a strong connection. Unfortunately, things go awry when Sarah’s husband suddenly announces that she will be taking on the role of being an editor-in-chief alongside her friend. Faced with this drastic turn of events, Sarah must decide on whether or not she can adjust to life as a sole proprietor and carry on with her life as she always has: writing.
This interesting take on the English language features several homophones that may confuse English learners. To help English learners learn these words, the play includes a few pronunciations, proper grammar, and a few words that can serve as flash cards. These words are commonly found in everyday conversations, but they are very important for those who are learning the rules of English grammar. Knowing the correct words to use in this context will give students an edge over native English speakers when it comes to writing and speaking.
The play also features a number of common mistakes, some of which are quite harmless. One of these is a homophone that describes one of Jimmy’s best friends as his brother. In real life, however, there is no such person as “brother” in the English language. Instead, this word would be pronounced the way it sounds in the language. The solution here is to look up the correct spelling of the word in the dictionary, or simply Google the word to see if there are any examples of the spelling that is being described. Again, depending on the type of English that is spoken, some English speakers may not have access to certain spellings of common words and phrases, so it is good to be aware of these potential problems when looking for homophones.
Lastly, there is one mistake in the play that many students will make, and a lot of English speakers will make, when they incorrectly assume that the noun they are talking about is a singular. This is actually an incorrect usage of the English pronoun. “The manor’s house” and “the manor’s housemate” both describe a single individual. When these pronouns are used as a singular, the speaker is being described by his first name, which is “manor.” This can cause confusion among ESL speakers.