Elias and the Rhythm of the Clock
Improve your reading comprehension through a narrative set in the world of daily routine & life events.
Elias is an architect who finds his work to be a most days because of his years of experience. However, he admits that he used to constantly when he first started his career. He recalls a significant life event from ten years ago when he missed a critical meeting because he overlept. That moment was a wake-up call. He realized he needed to pull himself together if he wanted to succeed in such a competitive field. Since then, he has mastered the art of time management, ensuring he arrives at his office by 8:30 AM every single day to his correspondence before the phone starts ringing.
His workday is often a of meetings and site visits. Around noon, he usually meets his colleague, Sarah, to at a nearby café. They often talk about how , marveling at how quickly the years have passed since they were junior designers. Sarah often reminds him of the proverb, ',' referring to the time Elias lost his first job but eventually found a much better position that defined his career. They laugh about the slang they used to use and how they have matured over time.
In the afternoons, Elias focuses on deep work, designing structures that challenge the status quo. He remembers how he used to in university, studying until the early hours of the morning. Now, his routine is more balanced. He leaves the office at 6:00 PM, making sure to leave work stress behind. He believes that even for those who start their passions later in life, it is to find professional fulfillment.
When he arrives home, he spends time on his hobby: painting. It is a quiet contrast to his busy day. He reflects on his past life experiences, both the triumphs and the failures, recognizing that they shaped him into the man he is today. By 10:00 PM, he begins to wind down. He knows it is important to to maintain his health and focus. As he turns off the lights, he feels grateful for the routine that keeps him grounded, knowing that tomorrow he will do it all over again with the same dedication.
Context Clues
Look for meaning in the surrounding sentences before tapping the highlighted badges.
Active Reading
Read once for the overall plot, then a second time to master the specific expressions.
Story Glossary
Detailed breakdown of phrases used in the narrative.
/ኤት ዘ ክራክ ኦፍ ዶን/
Idiomጎህ ሲቀድ
Very early in the morning, at first light.
በጣም በማለዳ ፣ ፀሐይ ስትወጣ
Used to describe the earliest part of the morning when the sun first appears.
/ራይዝ ኤንድ ሻይን/
Idiomተነስና አብራ (ንቁ መሆን)
A command to wake up and be active.
ከእንቅልፍ ለመነሳት እና ንቁ ለመሆን የሚነገር ትዕዛዝ
A cheerful way to tell someone to get out of bed and start their day.
/ቢዚ ኤዝ ኤ ቢ/
Simileእንደ ንብ ስራ የሚበዛበት
Very busy or active.
በጣም የተጠመደ ወይም በስራ ላይ ያለ
Compares a person's level of activity to a bee, which is constantly moving and working.
/ፒስ ኦፍ ኬክ/
Idiomበጣም ቀላል
Something very easy to do.
ለማድረግ በጣም ቀላል የሆነ ነገር
Used to describe a task that requires very little effort.
/ራን ሌት/
Colloquial Expressionመዘግየት
To be behind schedule.
ከታቀደው ሰዓት ዘግይቶ መገኘት
Commonly used when someone is not going to arrive at the expected time.
/ፑል ዋንሰልፍ ቱጌዘር/
Phrasal Verbራስን መሰብሰብ
To recover control of one's emotions or actions.
ስሜትን ወይም ድርጊትን ተቆጣጥሮ መረጋጋት
To organize one's thoughts and act calmly after a difficult or emotional situation.
/ጌት ስሩ/
Phrasal Verbጨርሶ መውጣት / ማጠናቀቅ
To finish or complete a task.
አንድን ስራ ወይም አስቸጋሪ ጊዜ ማጠናቀቅ
Often used when dealing with a large amount of work or a difficult period.
/ሮለር ኮስተር/
Metaphorውጣ ውረድ የበዛበት
A situation characterized by many ups and downs.
ብዙ ለውጦች እና የተለያዩ ስሜቶች ያሉበት ሁኔታ
Used to describe a period of time with many changes or varying emotions.
/ግራብ ኤ ባይት/
Slangምግብ መቅመስ / መብላት
To go and get something to eat quickly.
ፈጠን ያለ ምግብ ለመብላት መሄድ
An informal way to suggest eating a light meal or snack.
/ታይም ፍላይስ/
Clichéጊዜ ይነጉዳል / ይበራል
Time passes very quickly.
ጊዜ በጣም በፍጥነት እንደሚያልፍ መግለጫ
A very common expression used when people realize how much time has gone by.
/ኤቭሪ ክላውድ ሃዝ ኤ ሲልቨር ላይኒንግ/
Proverbከመጥፎ ነገር ጥሩ ይወጣል
Every bad situation has some good aspect to it.
ማንኛውም መጥፎ ሁኔታ ውስጥ አንድ መልካም ነገር አለ
Used to encourage someone to stay positive during difficult times.
/ሂት ዘ ቡክስ/
Idiomበጥልቀት ማጥናት
To study hard.
በትጋት ወይም በከፍተኛ ሁኔታ ማጥናት
Informal expression meaning to begin studying or to study intensely.
/ቤተር ሌት ዛን ኔቨር/
Proverbከመቅረት መዘግየት ይሻላል
It is better to do something late than not to do it at all.
አንድን ነገር ጨርሶ ከመተው ዘግይቶም ቢሆን ማድረግ ይሻላል
Encourages completing a task even if it is long overdue.
/ካች ሰም ዚስ/
Slangትንሽ መተኛት / መጋደም
To get some sleep.
ለተወሰነ ጊዜ መተኛት
An informal expression referring to the sound of snoring (represented by 'Z').