Pick Me English as a Second Language Podcast (With Transcripts)

#ESL Podcast 232 – Business Bookkeeping##GLOSSARY**on the side –** extra; in addition to one’s regular job*Janice works as a science teacher at the high school, but she offers privateclasses for younger students on the side to make extra money.**accounting –** the study or job of keeping correct records of money spent andreceived by a business or organization*Kareem is detail-oriented and he’s very good at math. Has he considered acareer in accounting?**bookkeeping –** keeping correct records of money that a business ororganization spends or receives*Shelly and her husband run a small business together. She is responsible formarketing and sales, and he is responsible for bookkeeping.**cash flow –** having enough cash for a business to pay its bills*The company had a problem with cash flow last month, and the owners had torequest a bank loan to pay their employees.**ledger –** the book or computer file in which a business or organization recordsmoney that it spends and receives*Years ago, ledgers were written by hand, but today, they are usuallycomputerized.**debit –** money that is spent by a business or organization; money that should besubtracted or taken away; payments*These records don’t look right. Did you remember to record the debit after wemade that big product purchase?**credit –** money that a business or organization receives; money that should beadded*She was happy to see that there were more credits than debits in her accountlast month.**break-even point –** the point where a business’s revenues (money received) areequal to its total expenses (money spent)*When the business finally reached its break-even point, the owners had a partyto celebrate their success.**asset –** something that has value or is worth money and is owned by a business,organization, or person*Miyung doesn’t have very much money in the bank, but he does have otherassets: a big house, an expensive car, and a new boat.**liability –** money that a business, organization, or person owes to someone else*The bills that a company needs to pay should be listed as liabilities on itsfinancial statements.**administrative expense –** cost of operating a business, such as telephone bills,secretary salaries, and paper for the printers and copiers*Every time we hire a secretary, our administrative expenses go up. Are yousure you need another assistant?**budget –** a plan for how a business, organization, or person will spend money*When the price of gasoline increased, the bus company had to make changesto its budget.**accounts payable –** money that a company owes; bills that a company has notyet paid*Bills are sent to the accounts payable department, where employees enter theinformation into a computer and print a check for payment.**balance sheet –** a document that shows how much money and other assets(things that are worth money) a company has and how much money it has paidover a period of time*Before investing in a company, it is always a good idea to study the balancesheet to learn more about its financial position.**expense –** money that is spent or will need to be spent in the future; cost*College students’ expenses include tuition, books, housing, and food.**receipt –** a piece of paper that is received when one pays for something; proofshowing that a person has paid money for something*The landlord says that I still need to pay him $100 for last month’s rent, but thisreceipt shows that I already paid the rent in full.**to audit –** to look carefully at a business’s financial records to determine if theyare correct*When the company was audited last year, the auditors discovered that theaccountant had been stealing money.**IRS –** Internal Revenue Service; the agency that collects taxes in the U.S.*If you are honest about your finances and pay your taxes regularly, you don’thave any reason to be afraid of the IRS.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why is Magdalena talking to Rolando about accounting?a) Magdalena is starting a new business and wants some advice.b) Magdalena is being audited by the IRS and needs his help.c) Magdalena wants to hire Rolando as her accountant.2. Magdalena’s current accounting system is:a) Horrible, because she isn’t keeping track of the right information.b) Okay, but it could be improved if she kept better track of her receipts.c) Perfect, so she doesn’t need to change anything.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?on the sideThe phrase *“on the side,”* in this podcast, means something that is in addition toone’s regular job: “Gisele works in a bakery during the day, and sells cakes toher friends on the side.” The phrase *“on the side”* can also refer to a food that isordered and served separately: “Waiter, I’d like a salad, but please put thedressing on the side.” To *“side with someone”* is to support someone in anargument: “The judge sided with the mother and said that the child should livewith her.” Finally, to have something *“on one’s side”* means to have anadvantage: “The politician has a lot of money on his side,

#ESL Podcast 231 – The Supermarket Checkout##GLOSSARY**cashier –** a store employee who takes the money for things that a customer buysand provides a receipt*The cashier said he couldn’t help me with the clothes I wanted to buy becausehe works only in the shoe department.**lane –** a narrow (small and long) area in a grocery store where shoppers stand ina line to wait for a cashier to help them make their purchases*I wanted to use the express lane at the grocery store, but in that lane, peoplecan pay only with cash and I needed to use a credit card.**15 items or less –** a restriction at express (fast) checkout lanes at a grocerystore, meaning that only people buying 15 or fewer items may use that lane*Mindy became very angry when she saw that the woman in front of her had atleast 20 items in her basket, even though the sign clearly said, *“15 items or less.”***coupon –** a small piece of paper usually cut from an advertisement or anewspaper that gives a shopper a lower price on a particular item*Brice found a coupon for $0.35 off his favorite brand of shampoo in themagazine.**belt –** a wide band of rubber (soft plastic) that moves along the counter at acheckout lane to move groceries from the end where the shopper is taking itemsfrom their cart to the other end where the cashier is checking prices*Please don’t let your child play with the belt! His fingers might get caughtunderneath it and I don’t want him to get hurt.**cart –** a large basket with wheels and a handle that is pushed through a store bya shopper, who fills it with the items that he or she wants to purchase*Every time I go to the grocery store, I get a cart that has broken wheels!**per pound –** for each pound (one pound is approximately 2.2 kilograms)*In the early summer, strawberries are very inexpensive, but in the winter, theycan cost up to $5 per pound!**price check –** an employee in a store asking or finding out the price ofsomething for a customer*I thought the TV was on sale, but the cashier’s computer showed that it costmore than $500, so I asked her to do a price check to make sure.These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (200 7). Posting of**club card –** a membership card that gives shoppers lower prices on many items*With a club card, my favorite ice cream is only $1.50 this week.**to swipe –** to quickly move one’s card through an electronic machine that getsinformation from the card about the cards’ owners and their accounts*I swiped my credit card four times, but the machine couldn’t read it, so thecashier had to type in the account number by hand.**debit –** a type of card that deducts money directly from a person’s checkingaccount; to take money out of an account*He tried paying for his purchase with his debit card, but the computer told thecashier that he didn’t have enough money in his account.**credit –** a type of card that connects to a credit card account and allows a personto buy something now and pay for it later*When I got my first credit card, my father warned me that if I don’t pay the entirecredit card bill every month, I’d have to pay a lot of interest.**cash back –** money in cash (dollars and coins) that one receives at the end of adebit-card transaction by adding that amount to the total amount of the purchase*Going to the bank to get cash is inconvenient, so we usually ask for cash backat the grocery store instead.**Paper or plastic? –** a phrase used by grocery store cashiers or baggers to askshoppers if they would prefer to have their purchases placed in paper or plasticbags*When the cashier asked, *“Paper or plastic?”* Sharon pointed to the cloth bagsthat she had brought from home and asked them to put her items in thoseinstead.**tabloid –** a newspaper with scandalous (shocking) stories about unusual eventsor famous people, usually which cannot or should not be believed*Reading the tabloids is a waste of time. Why don’t you read about world newsinstead?**Do you need any help out? –** a phrase used by grocery store cashiers to askshoppers if they want someone to help them carry their purchases to their car*The cashier asked me if I needed any help out, but I said *“no”* because I onlyhad one small bag of groceries.These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (200 7). Posting of##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why does the cashier ask Yong *“Paper or plastic?”*a) He wants to know whether Yong wants a paper bag or a plastic bag.b) He wants to know whether Yong will pay with cash or with a credit card.c) He wants to know whether Yong wants a paper receipt or a plastic receipt.2. How much money is deducted from Yong’s account?a) $47.52 (the total price of the groceries).b) $7.52 (the total price of the groceries minus a $40 gift).c) $87.52 (the total price of the groceries plus $40 in cash).##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?laneThe word *“lane,”* in this podcast, means a narrow (small and long) section in agrocery store where shoppers form a line to wait for a

#ESL Podcast 233 – Asking for a Date##GLOSSARY**to admit –** to say that something is true even if one doesn’t want to; to confess*Last week, one of the football player on the championship team admitted thathe had used illegal drugs to build stronger muscles.**player –** a man who dates a lot of women, often at the same time*Those guys are such players! They hang out in bars nearly every weekendtrying to get women’s phone numbers.**attractive –** pretty; nice-looking*Renee is very attractive. She has long beautiful black hair and green eyes.**to break up with (someone) –** to end a romantic relationship with someone*Clint wants to break up with his girlfriend, but he doesn’t know how to do itwithout hurting her feelings.**geez –** an expression used to express surprise or confusion*Geez, are you still working? It’s almost midnight!**to go for a drink –** to go to a bar or restaurant to drink an alcoholic beverage,such as beer or wine*After the concert, they went for a drink at that expensive new restaurant nearthe concert hall.**Do you mind if I join you? –** May I accompany you? Would it bother (annoy)you if I joined you in what you’re doing?*I heard that you’re going to the movies tonight. Do you mind if I join you?**to try (one’s) luck –** to do something, knowing that it may not work; to try to dosomething, hoping that it will be successful, but not being sure of it*The company wanted to hire someone with 10 years of experience and I onlyhad three, but I decided to try my luck and apply for the job anyway.**to depend on (something/someone) –** to be controlled or determined bysomething or someone else*We’d like to buy a new car, but that depends on whether we’re able to saveenough money.**to go for –** to choose; to select*If I had to choose between a vacation in Asia or Europe, I’d probably go forAsia, because I’ve always wanted to visit India.**I’d like to get to know you better –** I want to learn more about you; I want toknow you better; I’d like to become your friend (or maybe a boyfriend orgirlfriend)*Pierre said he’d like to get to know me better, so we’re having dinner togetherthis Friday.**here’s my number –** here’s my phone number; an expression used when givingsomeone one’s phone number written down on a piece of paper*A beautiful woman walked up to Alberto at the party and said, “Here’s mynumber. Call me.” He was so happy that he couldn’t stop smiling for hours.**charm –** the power to attract other people and make them feel comfortable*Marjorie has such wonderful charm. Everyone loves spending time with her.**flattery –** the use of words that other people want to hear, even if they aren’ttrue; saying things to make other people feel good about themselves, so that onecan get what one wants from them*Mike always uses flattery when his wife is angry. He thinks that if he says thathe likes her hair or dress, she’ll stop being mad at him.**irresistible –** impossible to deny; impossible to say no to*Carina is on a diet, but she never loses weight because chocolate cake isirresistible for her.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why does Liam ask Debra to go on a date?a) He feels bad that she broke up with her boyfriend.b) He thinks she is attractive and wants to spend time with her.c) He needs someone to go to the art show with him.2. Liam tells Monica that he *“just moved to this area”* because:a) He wants to ask for directions to the grocery store.b) He wants to know where the good restaurants are.c) He wants to give her directions to his house.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?playerThe word *“player,”* in this podcast, means a man who dates a lot of women, oftenat the same time. For example, “If I had known he was a player, I never wouldhave agreed to go on a date with him.” A *“player”* is also a person who plays asport or a game: *“Basketball players are usually very tall.”* A *“player”* can also besomeone who plays a musical instrument: “The piano player knew all of ourfavorite songs.” A *“player”* is also a business or a person who is a leader inbusiness or politics: *“Microsoft is a key player in the computer industry.”* Finally,a *“player”* is an electronic machine that plays music or video, such as a recordplayer or a DVD player: “He bought a new CD player for his car after the old onewas stolen.”to go forIn this podcast, the phrasal verb *“to go for”* means to select something or tochoose something: *“I’m so thirsty! I could really go for a large glass of water.”**“To go for it”* means to try to be successful at something, usually something thatmay be difficult: “People have always told me that I’m too short to be aprofessional dancer, but my teacher convinced me to go for it.” Another similarphrasal verb *“to go into (something)”* means to join an organization, especially ifit’s related to one’s career: “He went into the army when he was 18 years old,and now he’s a captain.” The phrasal verb *“to go on about (something)”* meansto talk about something for a long time, usually while complaining or bo

#ESL Podcast 230 – A New Year’s Cruise##GLOSSARY**New Year’s Eve –** the holiday celebrated on December 31; the night before theNew Year (January 1)*Normally their children go to bed early, but on New Year’s Eve they’re allowedto stay up until midnight.**harbor –** an area of ocean water near the land that has strong walls to protectboats from bad weather*The storm destroyed the boats that were on the ocean, but the boats in theharbor weren’t damaged at all.**cruise –** a relaxing journey on the ocean, usually for a vacation*After they were married, they went on a two-week cruise in the Caribbean.**fireworks –** small objects that explode in the sky with a loud noise, producingbright lights in many colors, usually used for celebrations*Many American towns and cities use fireworks to celebrate the country’sIndependence Day on the fourth of July.**marina –** a harbor (an area of ocean water near the land that has strong walls toprotect boats) that is built especially for small boats, often with wooden walkwaysover the water to get access to the boats.*Pedro and his uncle often fish in the marina where the fish are used to smallboats coming and going.**to board –** to get on a ship, airplane, bus, train, or another large vehicle for manypeople*Melissa was a little bit nervous as she boarded a plane for the first time.**this was no... –** this was not a...*He took a long time getting dressed, because he knew that this was no ordinaryday.**boat –** a vehicle that floats and moves on the water and carries people or cargo(good and products)*During the summer, they take their boat to the lake every weekend.**upper / lower –** located above (upper) or below (lower) something else*Unlike the lower floors, the upper floors of this office building have wonderfulviews of the city.**deck –** a floor or level of a ship or bus*Some busses in London have two decks. Tourists like to sit on the top deck sothat they can see the city.**crew –** the staff or workers on a boat or ship*Did all members of the crew return to the ship by 5 p.m.?**on board –** on or inside a boat, ship, airplane, train, or bus*Move aside, please, so everyone can get on board.**life jackets –** vests (jackets with no arms) that people wear so that they will floatif they fall into the water, usually filled with air or other material*These boats are supposed to have enough life jackets for everyone on board.**captain –** the highest-ranking (most important and powerful) member of thecrew; the person who leads, runs, or manages everything on a boat or ship*It looks like a bad storm is coming! Does the captain seem worried about it?**passenger –** a person or guest traveling on a boat, ship, airplane, train, or bus*Their boat is small and can only hold seven passengers.**seasick –** a bad feeling in one’s stomach and dizziness caused by being onmoving water, usually when one is on a boat or ship*Andrea gets seasick very easily, so she always has to take a pill before shesteps onto a boat.**Coast Guard –** a part of the U.S. military that protects the people and land alongthe country’s coasts (where water and land meet)*Our boat’s motor stopped working while we were a mile from land, so we had towait for the Coast Guard to come help us.**on shore –** on land; off of a boat or ship*Do you know what time we’ll be able to go on shore?**to walk the plank –** to walk down a long, flat piece of wood that goes out from aship over the water; in stories, pirates (thieves in ships who steal from other shipsand boats) made people walk down the long, flat piece of wood to their death*In many movies about pirates, a beautiful young woman is forced to walk theplank, but someone always saves her before she falls into the water.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why did the friends decide to take a harbor cruise on New Year’s Eve?a) Because they didn’t get invited to any parties.b) Because it’s how they celebrate the holiday every year.c) Because they wanted to try something new.2. The cruise was:a) On the ocean near the city.b) On a lake near the city.c) On a river that runs through the city.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?cruiseThe word *“cruise,”* in this podcast, means a relaxing journey in a luxurious orfancy boat: “He asked her to marry him while they were on a romantic harborcruise.” As a verb, *“to cruise”* can mean to take a cruise: “They saw a lot ofmonkeys while they were cruising down the Amazon River.” The verb *“to cruise”*can be used informally to mean to move in a car at a constant speed: “They werecruising at 85 miles per hour when they were stopped by a police officer forspeeding.” Many cars have *“cruise control,”* which is a small button near thesteering wheel that the driver can turn on to have the car maintain a constantspeed without the driver having to constantly step on the gas or brake pedals.boardIn this podcast, the verb *“to board”* means to get onto a boat, ship, airplane, train,or bus: “When he boarded the bus, he was disappointed to see that there weren’t

#ESL Podcast 229 – Irritating Co-Workers##GLOSSARY**to get on (someone’s) nerves –** to annoy someone; to irritate someone*I love my sister, but we really get on each other’s nerves sometimes.**cut that out! –** a rude (not polite) expression meaning *“Stop that!”* or “Stop doingwhat you’re doing!”*Can you please cut that out? I can’t talk on the phone while you’re making somuch noise!**to drive (someone) crazy –** to annoy someone; to irritate someone*Josephina’s mother always comes into her room without knocking and it drivesher crazy.**to slurp –** to make a loud noise while drinking a beverage*I really hope that the kids will remember not to slurp their soup at dinner tonight.**you’ve got to be kidding me –** you must be joking; I can’t believe what I’mhearing; you can’t be serious*You were never allowed to watch TV when you were growing up? You’ve gotto be kidding me!**to shoot the breeze –** to have a relaxed conversation about things that aren’timportant*Aleksay doesn’t really like fishing, but he does like spending time on the boat,just shooting the breeze with his friends.**to not be able to stand (something) –** to not be able to tolerate something; tobe frustrated and tired of something*I can’t stand the way my girlfriend is always trying to tell me what to do with myfree time.**no skin off my nose –** something that does not matter to someone because itdoes not affect him or her; it doesn’t matter to me*Jacqueline can sit in the front seat if she wants to. It’s no skin off my nose.**pent-up –** built up over time; an emotion that has been growing stronger overtime but has not been let out*He didn’t cry when his father died, but at the funeral, he cried for hours with allof his pent-up feelings of anger and sadness over his death.**close quarters –** cramped or crowded space; a room with little space for thepeople in it*In college, I lived with three other guys in a small apartment. Those closequarters made it hard to have any privacy.**to let off steam –** to do or say something that lets someone get rid of negativeemotions that have been growing over time*I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier. I was just letting off steam from my frustrationat work, but it really had nothing to do with you.**to keep (something) up –** to continue to do something*You played really well in the basketball game yesterday! If you keep it up, you’llbe the next team captain.**to forgive and forget –** to stop fighting, apologize, and behave as if a fight hadnever happened; to reconcile and be friends again*The brothers had a huge fight five years ago and stopped talking to each other,but last week, they finally decided to forgive and forget.**truce –** an agreement to stop fighting*Jill has been fighting with her roommate all week. Her roommate wants to calla truce, but Jill isn’t interested. She’s still too angry.**considerate –** thoughtful of another person’s feelings; careful not to hurtsomeone else’s feelings*Manuel is the most considerate person I know. He always thinks before hespeaks, and he never says anything that would hurt someone else’s feelings.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why is Isabel irritated by Pete’s friend Deepak?a) Because he interrupts her phone calls.b) Because he leaves the window open and lets in the breeze.c) Because he comes to the office to talk too often.2. Pete is upset with Isabel because:a) She is too noisy.b) She took his pencil.c) She uses his phone.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?close quartersThe phrase *“close quarters,”* in this podcast, means a cramped or crowdedspace, or a room with little space for the people in it: “The soldiers live in veryclose quarters.” A *“quarter”* can also refer to one-fourth (1/4) of something: “Therecipe says that we should use a quarter of a cup of sugar and three-quarters ofa cup of flour.” A *“quarter”* is also one-fourth (1/4) of an academic year at somecolleges and universities: “Even though she received all A’s in the fall quarter,she almost failed in the winter and spring quarters because of family problems.”A *“quarter”* is also a 25-cent coin: *“This public telephone accepts only quarters.”*Finally, a *“quarter”* can refer to a part of town: “The French Quarter of NewOrleans was destroyed by the flood last year.”to keep it upIn this podcast, the phrase *“to keep it up”* means to continue to do something:*“Michael is eating too much. If he keeps it up, he’ll weigh 300 pounds soon.”*The phrase *“to keep it real”* is an informal expression that means to not be fakeor superficial, or to not pretend to be something that one is not: “Dominiquealways keeps it real. No matter what kind of people she’s with, she neverchanges how she acts.” The phrase *“to keep it down”* means to be quieter or tostop making a noise: “Okay kids, keep it down in your room or you’ll have to stopplaying that game.” The phrase *“to keep (something) under wraps”* means to nottalk about something or to keep something a secret: “We need to keep thisproject under wraps, because if our com

#ESL Podcast 228 – A Christmas Feast##GLOSSARY**the more, the merrier –** the more people there are, the more fun something willbe*Lydia asked if she could bring her cousins to the party, and I said, “Of course!The more, the merrier!”**thrilled –** delighted; very happy*Magdalene was thrilled to learn that she had been accepted at BoondocksUniversity.**fruitcake –** a traditional Christmas cake that contains small pieces of dried fruit*Ashley doesn’t like raisins, so he always picks them out of the fruitcake.**to sit down to (a meal) –** to take a seat at the table and begin to eat a meal*We had just sat down to dinner when the telephone rang, but we didn’t answerit because we didn’t want the food to get cold.**feast –** a very large meal, usually for many people*The wedding feast was delicious, with enough meat, breads, desserts, anddrinks for 300 people.**to go overboard –** to be too enthusiastic about something; to do somethingbeyond what one should; to do too much*Alberto just started a new exercise program, but he’s going overboard andexercising at least two hours a day.**roast –** a large piece of uncut beef or pork cooked in an oven*Grandma Chin has a delicious recipe for a pork roast with an apple-buttersauce.**ham –** pork; the meat from the top part of a pig’s leg*He always has a ham-and-cheese sandwich for lunch.**stuffing –** a mixture of chopped bread, herbs, vegetables, and fruits put inside ofa turkey, duck, or chicken, and cooked in an oven*Their family makes a stuffing with apples and carrots. It sounds strange, but it’svery tasty.**yam –** a vegetable that is orange-colored that is a root of a plant, similar to asweet potato*Do you think we should make some baked yams for dinner?**mashed potatoes –** potatoes that have been cooked and then pressed until theyare smooth, usually mixed with butter and milk, and served with gravy (a darkbrown sauce)*If you eat too much of the mashed potatoes, you won’t have room for turkey.**cranberry sauce –** a dessert that looks like jelly made from cranberries (a typeof sour, red berry) and sugar, usually served with turkey for holiday meals*Could you please pass the cranberry sauce to this end of the table?**eggnog –** a holiday drink made from alcohol, eggs, milk, and spices*Would you like a glass of eggnog or do you prefer soda?**to save room for (something) –** to stop eating before one is full, so that one willbe able to eat something else later*I’m glad you like the salad, but please don’t eat too much of it. Save room forthe pasta!**pumpkin pie –** a dessert baked in an oven, made with soft, sweet pumpkin in themiddle and crust (harder edge) on the bottom and sides*Nancy served us huge slices of pumpkin pie with whipped cream on top.**gingerbread house –** a dessert made of cookies flavored with ginger, puttogether in the shape of a house and decorated with candies*The girls tried to make a gingerbread house, but it kept falling down, so theydecided to just eat the gingerbread by itself.**to carve the bird –** to cut an oven-cooked turkey, chicken, or duck into smallpieces for each person to eat*Their grandfather always lets the children help him carve the bird for theThanksgiving dinner.**to do the honors –** to perform a ceremony or ritual; to do an important thing*We need a close friend to give a speech at our wedding reception. Would youdo the honors?##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why did the family invite Adriano and his family over for Christmas?a) The family thought that dinner would be more fun with more people.b) The family made too much food and needs help eating it all.c) The family needed someone to bring a dessert.2. Lucy asks Adriano to:a) Pour the drinks.b) Cut the turkey.c) Bring a fruitcake.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?to go overboardThe phrase *“to go overboard,”* in this podcast, means to be too enthusiasticabout something or to do too much of something: “We know the food at schoolisn’t very good, but don’t go overboard while you’re home for the holidays.” Or,“Cynthia went completely overboard when her granddaughter was born, buyingfar too many presents for the baby.” The phrase *“to fall overboard”* or “to jumpoverboard” can mean to fall or jump over the side of a boat or a ship into thewater, usually accidentally. For example, “The child was playing too close to theedge of the boat, and he accidentally fell overboard into the cold water.” On aboat or ship, one should shout, *“Man overboard!”* to make other people awarethat someone has fallen into the water.to do the honorsIn this podcast, the phrase *“to do the honors”* means to perform a ceremony orritual. or to take on an important responsibility: “Maria couldn’t cut her birthdaycake because her arm was broken, so her mother did the honors.” To graduate*“with honors”* means to graduate with very good grades, as one of the beststudents: “Adam received a lot of job offers because he graduated with honorsfrom a very good university.” The word *“honor”* means something that one isvery p

#ESL Podcast 227 – Describing Symptoms to a Doctor##GLOSSARY**stomachache –** a pain in the stomach*Jenny has a stomachache because she ate too much junk food this afternoon.**to come and go –** to appear and disappear; to arrive and leave*Ella is tired because she was coming and going all day yesterday, between herhouse, her work, the school, and store.**heartburn –** a burning pain in the chest, usually caused by something you ate*Whenever Dad eats pizza, he gets a bad case of heartburn.**bloated –** uncomfortably full of food, gas, or water*I drank too much soda with lunch and now I feel bloated.**nauseous –** sick to one’s stomach; a feeling that one wants to vomit or throw up*Standing on the roof of a tall building and looking down makes me feelnauseous.**to press –** to gently push; to push down*The little boy pressed all of the buttons in the elevator so we had to stop onevery floor.**headache –** a pain in the head*Jeremiah says that his neighbors play their music too loudly and that’s why healways has a headache.**fatigued –** very tired*After working 12 hours at the hospital, the doctor was very fatigued and sheneeded some rest.**stuffy nose –** the feeling that something is in one’s nose which makes it difficultto breathe*Grandpa always has a stuffy nose when he visits their house. Maybe he’sallergic to their cats.**cough –** the noise caused when air is forced through one’s throat, especiallywhen one is sick*I would have enjoyed the opera, but it was difficult to hear the singers becausethe man sitting behind me had a bad cough.** sore throat –** a burning pain in one’s throat*My mother taught me that whenever I have a sore throat, I should drink a lot oforange juice and hot tea with lemon.**earache –** a pain in the ear*If a bad earache isn’t treated, the infection can cause a loss of hearing.**stiff –** difficult to move*My body is so stiff today because I went running yesterday for the first time insix months.**to lose feeling –** not to be able to feel anything; to have no feeling in a part ofone’s body*Karen slept on her right arm, and when she woke up, she realized that she hadlost feeling in her hand.**symptom –** a problem with one’s body that shows that someone isn’t healthy*The symptoms of the flu include fever, body aches, and tiredness.**in-laws –** the parents of one’s husband or wife*Ever since my parents died, my in-laws have treated me like their own son.**to admit (someone) –** to send someone to a clinic or hospital for special care,usually overnight*When the doctor couldn’t identify the cause of Carly’s symptoms, he admittedher to the hospital for more tests.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why is Nick visiting the doctor?a) He feels very sick and has an unusual combination of symptoms.b) He thinks he broke his leg because it is stiff and he has trouble walking.c) He wants the doctor to send him to the hospital so he won’t need to go home.2. Dr. van Eyck believes that:a) Nick isn’t really sick, but he is having trouble at home.b) Nick should take medicine and rest in bed for three days.c) Nick’s symptoms are very dangerous and he should go to the hospitalimmediately.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?to pressThe verb *“to press,”* in this podcast, means to gently push: “She pressed a bag ofice against her forehead, hoping that it would make her headache go away.” Theverb *“to press”* can also mean to try to persuade or convince someone else. Forexample, “The salesperson is pressing the young family to buy the mostexpensive car, even though they don’t need it.” Another meaning of *“to press”* isto make something flat: “She pressed the flowers between the pages of a heavybook.” As a noun, *“the press”* refers to newspapers and magazines or the peoplewho work for newspapers and magazines. For example, “Americans believe infreedom of the press, which means that the government should not control whatis written in newspapers and magazines.”to lose feelingIn this podcast, the phrase *“to lose feeling”* means to not be able to feel anything:“After the car accident, he lost all feeling in both of his legs and now he can’twalk.” Many idioms use the verb *“to lose.”* For example, *“to lose it”* is aninformal expression that means to be out of control and unable to stop oneselffrom laughing or crying: “When she heard that she had won the lottery, shecompletely lost it and began screaming, laughing, and crying at the same time.”The phrase *“to lose oneself”* means to become very interested in something sothat nothing else is important: “Whenever he plays video games on the computer,he completely loses himself and he doesn’t hear his mother calling his name.”##CULTURE NOTECompanies that create new medicines must spend a lot of money on researchand development. These companies want to know that they will receive moneyfor these medicines once they are ready to be sold to *“consumers”* (buyers). Forthis reason, the United States allows these companies to *“patent”* (legally protect)their medicines.This paten

#ESL Podcast 226 – Holiday Decorating##GLOSSARY**to decorate –** to make something more attractive by putting objects on it*The students are going to decorate the high school gym so that it looks like adance club for their dance on Friday night.**to go all out –** to put all of one’s energy and effort into doing something*She went all out during the race and finished in first place.**Christmas tree –** a pine tree (or a plastic tree) that people decorate and place intheir homes to celebrate Christmas*Please put all of the presents from your grandparents under the Christmas tree.**ornament –** a small object used for decoration, usually with a string for hangingon the branches of a Christmas tree*My favorite Christmas tree ornament is the blue glass ball that my daughtergave me three years ago.**tinsel –** narrow, thin strips of shiny material used for decoration*The children were supposed to put the tinsel on the Christmas tree, but theyhad more fun putting it in each other’s hair.**wreath –** a circle of flowers and leaves hung on a door or wall for decoration*Everyone who visits their house admires the beautiful Christmas wreathhanging on their front door.**mistletoe –** a plant with green leaves and white berries that is used asdecoration during the Christmas holiday*I’m hanging mistletoe above the doors because tradition says that if a man anda woman stand under the mistletoe, they have to kiss each other.**chimney –** a brick or rock structure that carries smoke from a fireplace, throughthe roof and outside of a house*When we lit the fire, the room started to fill with smoke because we hadforgotten to open the chimney.**stocking –** a very large, colorful sock that is hung near the chimney and filledwith presents the night before Christmas*Last year, Josiah made a giant stocking because he thought he would get morepresents that way.**holiday cards –** a piece of paper folded in half, with a picture on the front and amessage inside, sent to friends and family to wish them happy holidays*This year we are sending a photograph of the children inside our holiday cards,so that our family and friends can see how much they’ve grown since last year.**lawn ornaments –** statues and other objects placed on the grass in front of ahouse as decoration*Look at the lawn ornaments across the street! That family must be very excitedabout the holidays.**snowman –** snow shaped in the form of a person*Myung and Oscar made a snowman with cookies for eyes and a carrot for anose.**reindeer –** a large animal that looks like a deer with long antlers (horns that looklike tree branches) on its head that lives in the snow*According to Christmas stories and songs, Santa Claus uses flying reindeer tohelp him go from house to house, delivering Christmas presents.**Santa Claus –** an imaginary fat, jolly (cheerful) man with a white beard and redclothing who delivers Christmas presents to good boys and girls*Many children behave very well in December because their parents tell themthat Santa Claus will bring them presents only if they are good.**outdoor lights –** lines of multi-colored, white, or blue lights that are placed alongthe roofs, doors, and windows of houses as Christmas decorations*Some neighborhoods are famous for their outdoor lights at Christmas, andmany people drive by to see their decorations.**to string –** to hang decorations in a line*When we learned that Katie was pregnant, we celebrated by stringing pink andblue decorations all around the living room.**it’s no wonder that –** it isn’t surprising that*It’s no wonder that you passed the exam. You have been studying every nightfor almost two months!##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why is the family decorating the house?a) Because the house hasn’t been decorated for many years.b) Because this is how the family celebrates the holidays.c) Because Santa Claus visits only decorated houses.2. Where does the family put its holiday decorations?a) Only inside the house.b) Only outside of the house.c) Both inside and outside of the house.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?to decorateThe verb *“to decorate,”* in this podcast, means to make something moreattractive by putting objects on it. For example, “For their wedding, theydecorated the room with white, yellow, and gold fabric.” The verb *“to decorate”*can also mean to be placed on something to make it look more attractive:*“Paintings of kings and queens decorated the walls of the old castle.”* “Todecorate” can also mean to give someone a medal or another honor: “Thesoldier was decorated for his bravery in the battle.” A *“decorator”* is someonewhose job is to decorate homes: “We want to hire an interior decorator todecorate our dining room because we don’t think we can do a good job withoutprofessional help.”stockingsIn this podcast, the word *“stockings”* means very large, colorful socks that arehung near the chimney and filled with presents the night before Christmas. In apopular poem, *“The Night Before Christmas,”* the author wrote:

#ESL Podcast 225 – Feeling Homesick##GLOSSARY**long face –** an expression of sadness on someone’s face; the look on a person’sface when they are unhappy*He had such a long face when he got home from work that we immediatelyknew something was wrong.**homesick –** sad to be away from family, friends, and home; missing or longing tobe home*Whenever Alexander looks at pictures of his family, he becomes homesick.**adjustment –** adaptation; change to fit into a new environment or place*It was hard for Sheila’s daughter to make the adjustment to going to daycaremost of the day when Sheila went back to work full-time.**to cope –** to manage or to deal with a difficult situation*She isn’t coping very well with her mother’s death. I wish I knew how to helpher.**to afford –** to be able to pay for something; to have enough money for something*I would like to buy a new computer, but I can’t afford it right now.**to long for (something) –** to strongly want something; to have a strong wish forsomething*They have been studying very hard for final exams, and now that the exams areover, they’re longing for summer vacation.**comforts of home –** things found in the home that make life more pleasant;things that make you feel comfortable and happy at home*After two weeks of hiking in the mountains, we were ready to enjoy the comfortsof home: a hot bath, good food, and a soft bed.**lonely –** sad to not be with other people; sad to be by oneself*He feels very lonely when his wife has to travel for work.**to be depressed –** to be sad, sometimes without an explanation*When people are depressed, they often stay in bed all day.**nostalgic –** sad when remembering a past time or a place far away that is part ofa happy memory*I felt nostalgic when I thought about how my brother and I used to play togetherwhen we were children.**to see through rose-colored glasses –** to see something as being better than itreally is; to see only the good and not the bad*Ever since they got married, they’re always so happy and optimistic! They’reseeing the world through rose-colored glasses.**idyllic –** perfect; without problems; peaceful and beautiful*We had an idyllic vacation in the Caribbean. The beaches were beautiful andquiet, and we were able to forget about all of our problems.**to be bummed out –** to be disappointed, depressed, or sad*Zachary was bummed out when he heard that he didn’t get the job in Peru.**on (one’s) own –** without other people; by oneself*Do you live on your own or do you have a roommate?**misery loves company –** a saying that means that sad people like to be aroundother sad people*Julie and Zelda spend a lot of time together crying about their ex-boyfriends. Iguess misery loves company.**to be up for (something) –** to be willing to participate; to be willing to dosomething*Do you think you’ll be up for a movie tonight after work?##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why does Luis feel homesick?a) Being in his home makes him feel sick.b) He doesn’t like any kind of holiday.c) He misses being with his family.2. What does Annie suggest to help Luis feel better?a) To see things through rose-colored glasses.b) To have a party with other friends.c) To buy airfare to go back home.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?adjustmentThe word *“adjustment,”* in this podcast, means an adaptation or change to fit intoa new environment. For example, “Going to college was a major adjustment forme because I had never lived away from home before.” As a verb, *“to adjust”*can mean to adapt to a new situation: “It was difficult for him to adjust to his newjob.” An *“adjustment”* also means a small change to make something better:*“This chair needs a few adjustments to make it more comfortable.”* When usedas a verb, *“to adjust”* can mean to change something to make it work better. Forexample, *“I need to adjust my watch because it’s five minutes fast.”* Or, “Couldyou please adjust the volume on the TV so that it isn’t so loud?”to be up for (something)In this podcast, the phrase *“to be up for (something)”* means to be willing to dosomething: *“I’m up for some ice cream. Would anyone like to join me?”* Thephrase *“to be up to (something)”* has the same meaning: “If you’re up to it, let’sgo running at 5:30 tomorrow morning.” The phrase *“to be up to (someone)”*means that that person is responsible or will make the decision. For example,*“It’s up to me to make sure that the children are ready for school each morning.”*Or, *“It’s up to him to decide whether we’ll work on this project.”* The phrase “tobe up against (something)” means to face problems: “She was up against manyproblems, but her good attitude kept her from giving up.”##CULTURE NOTEMany U.S. citizens *“live abroad”* (live in other countries). Some live abroad forwork or school, and others live abroad because they want to learn about anotherlanguage or culture. Living in a foreign country is an exciting adventure, butalmost everyone feels homesick during some part of the experience.When Americans livi

#ESL Podcast 224 – Holiday Promotions##GLOSSARY**to come up with (something) –** to think of something, usually a new idea or asolution to a problem*How did you come up with that idea? I’ve never heard anything like it before.**holiday promotion –** activities to increase sales during the holiday season,usually in November and December*The store’s holiday promotions are incredible! They sell everything at 30% offof its regular price.**inroad –** progress; advancement*Japanese car companies rapidly made inroads into the U.S. automobileindustry.**gift-buying market –** the economic market of people (group of buyers) who buypresents*Was there an increase in the gift-buying market during February for Valentine’sDay?**retail sales –** sales of small number of products to individual buyers (not to otherbusinesses)*Because it was extremely hot last August, retail sales of air conditionersincreased significantly that summer.**sales cycle –** the same time of year when there are very high or low sales*Most types of products have predictable sales cycles. For example, sales ofschool supplies and children’s clothing are highest right before the school yearbegins.**innovative –** new and creative; original*Everyone admires her innovative ideas for making this a better team this year.**brick-and-mortar store –** a business that serves customers in a real store, notthrough a website*My mother likes to see and touch what she’s buying, so she prefers shopping atbrick-and-mortar stores.**computer savvy –** knowledgeable about computers*Today, children are often more computer savvy than their parents are.**more likely than ever –** more likely now than anytime before; more probablethan before*Harold’s boss yelled at him yesterday in front of all of the other employees, andnow it’s more likely than ever that he’ll quit his job.**to capitalize on –** to take advantage of, to profit from*The team capitalized on its early lead and won the game by more thanpoints.**to slash prices –** to greatly reduce prices, usually during a sale*When one company slashes prices, many competing companies feel pressuredto do the same because they fear losing their customers.**inventory –** a complete list of what is in a place, such as the products a storehas available for sale*We are closing our store for two days to do an inventory of what we have in thestore.**stock –** the number of products that a store has available for sale*I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t have that product in stock, but I think our downtownstore does.**gimmick –** an unusual or clever trick to encourage people to buy something*His sales gimmicks were so annoying that most people left the store withoutbuying anything.**to jump-start –** to start quickly*He jump-started his career in business by getting a graduate degree when hewas very young.**to count on (someone) –** to rely on someone; to depend on someone*I can’t attend the meeting so I’m counting on you to tell me what was discussed.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. How does this company plan to enter the gift-buying market?a) By opening a brick-and-mortar store.b) By thinking of creative ideas for holiday promotion.c) By slashing prices.2. This company’s customers:a) Like to buy products online.b) Like to buy products from companies that use sales gimmicks.c) Like to buy products at brick-and-mortar stores.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?promotionThe word *“promotion,”* in this podcast, means the things a business does toincrease sales: “The new store is offering a great promotion this month: ifcustomers buy two sweaters, a third sweater is free.” *“Promotion”* can also referto activities that encourage people to support an idea or belief: “The Center forthe Promotion of Peace works to prevent wars in Asian countries.” As a verb, “topromote” means to help sell a product: “Authors often promote their books bysigning them in a public place, like a bookstore.” The verb *“to promote”* can alsomean to help something happen: “Supporting private businesses is one way thatgovernments can promote economic growth.” Another meaning of *“promotion”* isa move to a better job: “She received a promotion to vice-president of salesbecause of her excellent work on the sales team.”stockIn this podcast, the word *“stock”* means the amount of products that a store hasavailable to sell: “We need to order more AA batteries because we’re out ofstock.” Or, *“Are any of the blue dishes still in stock, or have we sold them all?”* A*“stock”* can also be a share in a company, making you one of the owners: “I wishI had bought stock in that company ten years ago.” A *“stock”* is also a liquid usedto make soups: “My mother makes an excellent vegetable stock by boilingcarrots, onions, and potatoes in water for two hours.” As a verb, *“to stock up”*means to buy a large quantity of something to use later: “We stocked up on somuch toilet paper when it was on sale that we won’t need to buy anymore thisyear.”##CULTURE NOTEStores in the United States often offer *“sales”*

#ESL Podcast 223 – A Mistake in the Hotel Bill##GLOSSARY**bill –** a list of costs that need to be paid*Why hasn’t the waiter brought us our bill yet? We finished eating twentyminutes ago.**stay –** the amount of time spent somewhere; a visit*I enjoyed my weekend stay with my good friends in San Diego.**incidentals –** extra costs not included in the basic cost of the hotel room*If she had known how expensive the incidentals were, she wouldn’t haveordered room service.**pay-per-view movie –** a movie that can be seen on television at any time, eitherat home or in a hotel*Watching pay-per-view movies is better than going to a movie theater. Theyaren’t very expensive, and you can see them whenever you want.**spa services –** health or beauty treatments*Aunt Juanita owns a beauty salon that offers spa services, such as manicuresand massages.**to be positive –** to have no doubt; to be certain; to be confident that one iscorrect*Are you positive that this is the way to the museum? If not, I think we shouldstop and ask for directions.**supervisor –** boss; manager; an employee who is responsible for the work ofother employees*Peter has to work all weekend, because his supervisor said that the report mustbe finished by Monday morning.**on duty –** working; at work*The security guards aren’t allowed to make personal phone calls while they’reon duty.**to resolve –** to find a solution; to find an answer; to correct an error*The two brothers couldn’t resolve their disagreement, so they asked theirmother for advice.**in error –** mistakenly; incorrectly; wrongly*The man was in error when he said that his neighbor’s daughter threw the ballthat broke his window. It was someone else.**to be switched –** to be exchanged with something else; to be mistaken forsomething else*Would you please switch seats with me? I am too short to see the stage fromhere.**to check in –** to register; to sign in; to report one’s arrival*When you arrive at the conference, be sure to check in to get a program.**lobby –** an entrance area; the first room seen when entering a building*When you enter the lobby, turn right to get to the swimming pool.**to have a plane to catch –** to need to go to the airport for a flight; to have anairplane ticket for a flight that is leaving soon*She has a plane to catch in three hours and she still hasn’t packed. She needsto hurry!**general manager –** an employee who has the main responsibility for a businessor organization*The company needs to hire a general manager for its new office. Can yourecommend anyone?##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why is May in a hurry?a) She has an appointment for spa services.b) She needs to go to the airport.c) She wants to check in to the hotel.2. The hotel clerk:a) Agrees with May that the bill is incorrect.b) Believes that the bill is correct.c) Is going to ask the general manager about the bill.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?stayThe word *“stay,”* in this podcast, refers to the amount of time spent somewhere:*“After a three-night stay in Moscow, we took the train to Saint Petersburg.”* As averb, *“to stay”* means to live somewhere as a guest or visitor: “Which hotel didyou stay in while you were visiting Barcelona?” *“To stay”* can also mean tocontinue to be in one place: “Carmen has a fever so she is going to stay in bedall day.” Or, “We had planned to be at their house for only a few minutes but wedecided to stay there for dinner.” The phrase *“to stay out of something”* means tonot become involved in something: *“Please try to stay out of trouble.”* *“Stay!”* isa command that people often use with their pets, especially dogs, when theydon’t want them to move.lobbyIn this podcast, the word *“lobby”* means an entrance area or the first room yousee when entering a building: “The lobby of our office building has a lot of plantsand some very nice furniture.” *“Lobby”* can also mean a group that tries toinfluence politicians about a law: “The tobacco lobby fights against laws thatwould create non-smoking areas in restaurants and bars.” A person who worksfor a lobby is called a *“lobbyist”*: “To be successful, a lobbyist needs to be a goodspeaker and be well informed about current events.” As a verb, *“to lobby”* meansto try to influence a politician about a law: “Environmental groups are lobbying forthe creation of more national parks.” Or, “The teachers’ association is lobbyingagainst the proposal to close the high school.”##CULTURE NOTEIn the United States, there are more than 45,000 hotels and more than 4.4 millionhotel rooms. When people travel, they can choose to stay in many differenttypes of hotels: big, small, modern, traditional, fancy, simple, expensive, orinexpensive.A *“hotel rating system”* can help travelers find the type of hotel that they arelooking for. A *“rating”* is a score that something gets according to its quality or itsperformance. Unfortunately, there is no nationally accepted rating system.However, many travel websites and travel organizations have created thei

#ESL Podcast 222 – Alternative Medicine##GLOSSARY**to be prescribed –** to have something, usually medicine, recommended inwriting by a doctor to treat pain or an illness*The doctor told her that she should never take medicine that was prescribed forsomeone else.**lasting –** permanent; continuing for a long time*Living in another country has a lasting impact. It often makes people morerespectful of cultural differences and more interested in world news.**alternative medicine –** ways to treating pain or illnesses that are not taught inmost western medical schools or considered standard in a community*The doctors said her illness could not be treated, but with alternative medicineshe got better.**to swear by –** to believe in; to rely on; to trust in*Manuel swears by carrots as the key to a long life because his grandfather eatsthem every day and he is 103 years old.**acupuncture –** a treatment for pain by placing needles in the skin on certainparts of the body*Kim would never use acupuncture because she’s afraid of needles.**therapy –** a set of exercises or treatments designed to reduce pain or treat aninjury*After I broke my leg, the doctor said I would need two months of therapy to beable to walk normally again.**skeptical –** doubtful; not believing; questioning*Why are you so skeptical about being able to pass the test? You’ve studied forweeks and I think you’re going to do very well.**New Age –** related to a movement about religion or spirituality that believes in aholistic (both mental and physical) way to treat pain and illness*Their friend writes New Age music that sounds like it’s from another planet.**homeopathic –** a system of medicine that uses small amounts of something totreat an illness, believing that large amounts of it will cause harm*Homeopathic doctors believe that small amounts of medicine can havepowerful effects on our health.**herbal supplements –** medicines or vitamins that are made from plants*My aunt drinks teas as herbal supplements during the winter so that shedoesn’t get sick.**all natural –** without artificial ingredients; without man-made chemicals*His message at the talk was that If you’re worried about getting cancer, youshould eat all natural foods because other foods have too many chemicals inthem.**to be injured –** to be hurt; to have a damaged body part, like a broken bone*The driver was injured in the car accident when he hit his head on the windowand the glass cut his face.**complementary –** something that is added to something else to make itcomplete; putting things together that make each part even better*We chose to send our son to that school because its classes arecomplementary to what we teach him at home.**medication –** a drug; something taken to treat an illness*She is taking two medications: one is for her throat pain and the other one is tohelp her stop coughing.**to undergo clinical trials –** to participate in laboratory studies that use people tostudy a new drug*The new drug treats bone problems in mice, but it needs to undergo clinicaltrials before doctors will know whether it works in humans.**unorthodox –** non-traditional; unusual; not generally accepted*At first, her unorthodox ideas about the project shocked her co-workers buteventually, they all agreed with her.**what does (one) have to lose? –** it can’t hurt and it might help*He should apply for the job. What does he have to lose? If they say no, he’llstill have his old job, but if they say yes, he’ll have more interesting work.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why is the man in the story considering alternative medicine?a) Because he doesn’t trust traditional doctors.b) Because his family recommends it.c) Because he hopes it will treat his back pain.2. The man’s friend, Amelia:a) Believes that alternative medicine can be helpful.b) Is a medical doctor.c) Tried alternative medicine once and was very unhappy with the results.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?lastingThe word *“lasting,”* in this podcast means being permanent or continuing for along time: “When Jana´s uncle died in a car accident, it made a lastingimpression on him, and now he never drives at night.” As a verb, *“to last”* meansto continue or to be enough: “The batteries in the radio lasted all night but thebatteries in the flashlight only lasted for two hours.” Or, “The party was fun whileit lasted but cleaning up afterwards was too much work.” As an adjective, *“last”*means the final one: “He is worried because he waited until the last minute to dohis homework.” Or, “Who ate the last piece of bread without telling me that weneed to buy more?” *“Last”* can also mean the previous, such as: “Last year wewent on vacation in Hawaii, but this year we’ll probably go to Florida.”swearIn this podcast, the phrase *“to swear by”* means to believe in something or totrust in something: *“I swear by dancing as the best way to lose weight.”* The verb*“to swear”* also means to make a serious promise: “He swore that he would nevergo to the dangerous pa

#ESL Podcast 221 – Long-distance Relationships##GLOSSARY**bicoastal –** in two different places near the ocean, usually very far from eachother on the opposite sides of a large area of land*Major magazines like Time and Newsweek have bicoastal offices, usually inNew York and California.**long-distance relationship –** two people in a romantic relationship or datingwhile living far away from each other*One of the downsides to a long-distance relationship is the expensive phonebill.**to get out of –** to leave; to no longer be a part of something; to end*I’ve been a member of this club for five years, but I need to get out of it becauseit’s taking too much of my time.**out of sight, out of mind –** a phrase that means if someone doesn’t see you,then they aren’t thinking about you*I write down everything I have to do in my calendar. If I don’t, I’ll never getanything done since it’s always out of sight, out of mind with me.**it’s not that –** this is not the reason; it’s not because of this*I know that he didn’t eat anything at dinner, but it’s not that he didn’t like therestaurant. He just wasn’t hungry.**temptation –** something that makes you want to do something, usuallysomething wrong or harmful*People who are on diets try to avoid temptations like chocolate and potatochips.**to be committed –** to be devoted; to feel loyal to someone or something*Rachel shows how committed she is to her work by staying late to finish herprojects on time.**vibe –** (slang) good or bad feelings given off by a person or thing; theatmosphere of a place*Leshon didn’t think he did a bad job painting the wall but he got a strong vibethat his girlfriend wasn’t too happy with it.**misunderstanding –** not understanding something correctly; when two or morepeople have different feelings or beliefs about something*To avoid any misunderstandings, the teacher told his students that he wouldwrite all assignments on the board.**to hurt (someone’s) feelings –** to make someone feel bad or sad; to insultsomeone; to cause someone else to have negative emotions*Not wanting to hurt her feelings, he said he liked the cake she had baked eventhough it tasted like sand.**to grow apart –** for two or more people to become not as close as they used tobe; to stop being as friendly or as familiar*Only two months after Kendra left for her new job in Europe, she started tonotice that she and Hassan were growing apart.**in common –** having interest in the same things; being similar in beliefs,interests, or behavior*The only thing they had in common was that neither of them liked the movieTitanic.**to call it quits –** to give up; to quit; to end something*After 20 minutes of trying to program the new DVD player, Hide called it quits.**to have it out with (someone) –** to let a person know of the things that’sbothering you; to argue with someone*Earlier that day, Catherine decided to have it out with her secretary by tellinghim she’s not happy with the work he’s been doing.**to deal with it –** to be okay with something; to handle a difficult situation*It’s been a year since her husband died but she was still having problemsdealing with his death.**to know where (one) stands –** to know what someone else is feeling orthinking about a topic or issue; to know someone else’s opinion or belief*My professor said to me, “Your paper is very good. It clearly shows where youstand on the issue.”##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Where did Enrique meet Diana?a) Floridab) New York Cityc) California2. In this story, Enrique tells Emily that:a) He wants to break up with Dianab) He thinks that Diana is working too muchc) He and Diana are not as close as they used to be.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?got out ofThe phrase *“to get out of,”* in this podcast, means to no longer be a part ofsomething: “I got out of the project because I didn’t agree with the team leader’sdecisions.” This phrase also means to avoid doing something: “He got out ofdoing the dishes by volunteering to cook dinner that night.” Or, “How can I getout of going shopping all day with my wife?” This can also mean to leave or toexit a place, such as a room: “She got out of the crowded room right after shegreeted the party’s hosts.” Or, “The audience was sure that the box was emptybut the magician’s assistant got out of it as though she had been there the entiretime.”to be committedIn this podcast, the verb *“to be committed”* means to be devoted or dedicated tosomething or someone: “She was committed to helping out her sister in any wayshe can.” This can also be used to mean that someone is obligated to dosomething: “Since Leslie invited him to the party, Leonard felt committed to goand to bring a gift.” Or, “The governor said that he was committed to spendingmore money on the poor and the sick in the state.” The verb to commit is alsoused for doing wrong or bad things, such as a crime: “She told the police thatshe had committed no crime but no one believed her.” Or, “It’s not clear whethersomeone killed him or h

#ESL Podcast 220 – Giving Opinions in a Meeting##GLOSSARY**feedback –** thoughts and opinions given in reaction to an idea or thing*The presenter asked them to complete the evaluation forms so that he coulduse their feedback to improve his future presentations.**to get something across –** to make an idea understandable or acceptable*I think I have found a great solution to the problem, but my boss never listens tome. How can I get my idea across to him?**colleague –** co-worker; people who work together*Are your colleagues complaining about the president’s decision to change thecompany’s vacation policy?**to give someone a hard time –** to make things difficult for someone*Please don’t give him a hard time about not doing his homework last night. Hismother is sick.**in (one’s) opinion –** according to what one believes*In my opinion, running is more fun than swimming. What do you think?**perspective –** a way of thinking about something; one’s view of somethingbased on a belief or opinion*To understand his perspective on the war, we need to remember that he livedin that country for three years.**to really feel –** to strongly believe*The governor wants to build a new courthouse, but the mayor really feels thatthe city needs a new hospital first.**to tend to think that... –** to usually or normally believe something; to have anatural feeling toward something*My sister tends to think that eating at home is best, but when she doesn’t havetime to cook, she eats in restaurants.**the way (one) sees it –** in one’s opinion; according to one’s beliefs*José thinks that opening a new office is a wonderful idea, but the way I see it,we aren’t ready to expand yet.**to scratch the surface –** to deal with only a small part of a topic or problem; tobe at the beginning of a long task*Even though people have walked on the moon, we have only scratched thesurface of space exploration.**to get inside (one’s) head –** to understand what someone else is thinking*The reporter will need to ask more difficult questions if she wants to get insidethe criminal’s head.**if you ask me –** in my opinion; according to my beliefs*I know that you believe that we should hire Jack, but if you ask me, I don’t thinkhe would be a good employee here.**to sink –** to put time, money, or other resources into a project*Why are you sinking so much time into this project? It isn’t that important.**that’s precisely (one’s) point –** exactly; that’s what one is trying to say*When Mom asked Dad to schedule a hearing exam, she had to repeat herselfthree times! That’s precisely her point: he needs to have a get his hearingchecked.**to be sure that –** to believe that; to be certain; to have no doubt*She is sure that it will be sunny this weekend, so she is planning a trip to thebeach.**one step ahead –** being better informed; being better prepared; being moreready*He pays for a tutor so that he can be one step ahead of the rest of the students.**to side with –** to agree with*Most people are siding with Sela, because her opinion is the most logical one.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why does Marcelo want the company to do more market research?a) Because customers aren’t purchasing the company’s product.b) Because the company needs to understand its customers better.c) Because other companies are doing more market research.2. Ellen believes that:a) The company already has enough information about its customers.b) Other companies have done more research.c) It is too early for the company to make any decisions.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?to tendIn this podcast, the verb *“to tend”* means to usually or normally do something orbelieve something. For example, “My favorite class in high school was bandclass, so I tend to think that all high schools should have music programs.” Or,*“My sister tends to be much more comfortable with strangers than I am.”* Moreoften, however, *“to tend”* means to take care or look after someone or something:“While she tended her dying grandmother at the hospital, her husband wastending their grocery store.” Or, ¨He worked in the fields all day, tending thesheep and goats.”pointThe word *“point,”* in this podcast, refers to the final or most important purpose ofsomething: *“That’s precisely my point.”* Or, “I don’t see the point in continuing toargue about this.” *“Point”* can also be used to refer to a small mark, such as aperiod at the end of a sentence, or the tip of an object, such as the sharp end ofa pencil. Points are also used when keeping score during a game or on anexam: *“He scored ten points during last night’s basketball game.”* Or, “Herparents are very proud of her because she earned 97 points on the exam.”When used as a verb, *“to point”* means to extend a finger and gesture toward anobject far away: “I couldn’t find the stars he was talking about until he pointed tothem.”##CULTURE NOTEAn *“employee grievance”* is a complaint about something at work. Employeegrievances are usually about *“compensation”* (payments received

#ESL Podcast 219 – Giving Compliments##GLOSSARY**to ask (someone) over –** to invite someone to your home or to the place whereyou are*Benjy asked Julia over to his place to see the changes he made to his house.**to be more than friends –** to date; to be romantically involved*She told Christopher that they couldn’t be more than friends because shealready had a boyfriend.**compliment –** praise; a nice thing said about a person or a thing that is meant tomake the other person feel good*Oscar gave Angelica a compliment about her new hairstyle and she had a smileon her face for the rest of the day.**to make it –** to come; to arrive; to attend*Now that the meeting has moved to Tuesday, I’m not sure the other departmentheads can make it.**to look great on (someone) –** to make someone look good*I wasn’t so sure about that tie when I bought it for my father, but it looks greaton him.**What a fantastic… –** This is a very good…*What a fantastic idea! Let’s call the others to see if they want to join us.**This is a really nice… –** You have a very nice…; This is a good...*This is a really nice car. Can I take it for a test drive?**to decorate –** to add details such as paint, furniture, or decorations to a place tomake it look nice*Will you be able to come over early to help us decorate the house for thesurprise party?**That's nice of (someone) to say. –** Thank you for saying that.; a polite responseto a compliment*He told me that he had never worked with anyone as hard working as I am, andI told him that that was nice of him to say.**cool –** excellent; very nice*We saw a really cool exhibit of modern art at the Los Angeles County Museumof Art.**you know –** an expression used to get someone’s attention, often to a differenttopic; an expression used to emphasis what you are about to say*You know, this is the first time your dog hasn't barked at me when I walked inthe door.**to drink up –** to finish your drink*The bartender said, *“Drink up, everybody. The bar closes in 20 minutes.”***any minute –** very soon; can occur anytime*I know you’re in pain but don't try to move. The doctor should be here anyminute.**cheers –** an expression said before taking a drink; often used after making atoast (a speech in honor of someone)*Congratulations to Elena and Ethan, and may they have a long and happy lifetogether. Cheers!##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why is Sebastian saying nice things to Nia?a) They had a fight and he wants to be her friend again.b) He wants to be her boyfriend.c) He says nice things all the time to everyone he meets.2. How does Nia feel about the compliments?a) She thinks that Sebastian must be drunk.b) She doesn’t want compliments.c) She is confused and doesn’t know why she is getting so many compliments.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?complimentThe word *“compliment”* in this podcast means something nice you say tosomeone to make them feel good or to be kind: “It’s easy to compliment Lisabecause she has a great sense of style.” This word is part of two phrases thatare commonly used: *“to pay (one’s) compliments”* and “to return thecompliment.” *“To pay (one’s) compliments”* means to give someone a formalgreeting: *“The Queen pays her compliments to the people of the village.”* “Toreturn the compliment” means to say or do something similar to what the otherperson has said or done to you: “Jade decided to return Cornelius’ complimentby buying one of his paintings after he bought one of her drawings.”you knowIn this podcast, the phrase *“you know”* is used to bring attention to a differenttopic: *“You know, I don't think the food is supposed to be green.”* Peoplesometimes use *“you know”* to refer to something that they don't want to talk aboutor that they assume the other person probably already knows: “I was walking mydog in the park, and just when we were about to leave, he, you know, on thegrass and I had to clean it up.” Or, “I wanted to come to dinner with you but itwas so late when I left work and I was so tired so, you know...” At the beginningof a question, *“you know”* is usually short for *“Do you know…?”* For example,*“You know that guy's name?”*##CULTURE NOTEWhen flirting or dating someone in the U.S., it is important to use compliments toshow your interest and to make the other person feel comfortable about spendingtime with you. Compliments can make the other person feel like you are payingattention to them, but don’t *“overdo it”* or try to do too much. You don’t want to*“come off”* or appear *“desperate”* or like someone who needs or wants somethingvery, very badly.If you are on a first date, it’s a good idea to find two or three things that you reallylike about the other person. Don’t just *“blurt it out”* (say it aloud quickly andwithout thinking). Instead, save them for later in the date or *“space them out”*(put some time between each one) so that you’ll sound more *“sincere”* or areshowing your true feelings.Here are some acceptable compliments on a date.- *“You look really nice tonight.”*

#ESL Podcast 218 – Getting a Driver’s License##GLOSSARY**driver's manual –** a handbook of rules and laws that tells drivers what they canand cannot do while driving on public roads*All of the answers to questions on written driver’s test can be found in a driver’smanual.**traffic laws –** rules made by the government about what drivers can and cannotdo while driving on public roads*Not following traffic laws is a sure way to get a ticket from the police.**with flying colors –** easily; without difficulty*Having studied all week, she passed the test with flying colors.**to miss –** to be incorrect; to make an error; to be wrong, usually on a test*How many questions did you miss on the final exam?**vision test –** a test taken when applying for a driver’s license to check how wella person can see*There is little chance that she’ll pass the vision test if she doesn’t wear herglasses.**road test –** a test taken when applying for a driver’s license where drivers drivewith the examiner in the car to make sure that the person can drive properly andfollow the rules*She had no problems getting her driver’s license after getting a perfect score onthe road test.**driver’s ed –** short for driver’s education; this is a class available in many highschools that teaches students to drive and about the rules for driving*Driver’s ed seems to be the only class that teenagers don’t mind taking.**behind the wheel –** driving a car; being in control of a car*Truck drivers spend most of their day behind the wheel.**to signal –** to let someone or something know what you’re going to do; to getsomeone’s attention*When our plane crash-landed on an island, we tried to build a fire to signal forhelp.**to yield –** to make way for someone or something; to allow someone else to gobefore you*When people are rushing home after work, many of them forget to yield to thepeople trying to cross the street.**pedestrian –** any person walking on a sidewalk, street, or road*Since pedestrians are harder to see at night, it’s a good idea to wear bright-colored clothes if you plan to walk home.**to screw up –** to make a mistake*Every time I try to help my wife in the kitchen, I screw it up and ruin our meal.**parallel parking –** parking a car next to the sidewalk in between two cars, withone in front and one in back*Parallel parking is not easy, and even good drivers try to avoid it if they can.**intersection –** where two roads from different directions meet and form a cross*Drivers have to worry about other cars and pedestrians at all intersections.**appointment –** a specific date and time for a meeting*She called to tell me that she’s running late for our lunchtime appointment.**DMV –** short for the Department of Motor Vehicles; a place where drivers getpermission to drive and also where they let the state know what cars they aredriving*Instead of waiting in line at the DMV, I decided to fill out the forms and sendthem in to their office instead.**walk-in –** to go into a business or an office without an appointment where youusually need an appointment to be served*I missed my appointment and tried to see my hair stylist as a walk-in.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why is Henry worried about taking the DMV road test?a) He gets nervous behind the wheel.b) He doesn’t yield to pedestrians.c) He forgets to wear his glasses.2. Jane tells Henry not to worry about the tests because:a) The DMV is usually not too busy on Tuesdays.b) He’s very good at parallel parking.c) He can miss a few of the questions and still pass.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?to missThe verb *“to miss,”* in this podcast, means to be wrong, usually on a test: “If hedoesn’t miss the last question then he will get a perfect score.” But this word, asa verb, has other meanings. It can also mean to not recognize or see something:*“I told him exactly where the keys were, but he still missed them.”* *“To miss”* canmean to not attend or participate in something that is worthwhile: “Try not tomiss the concert tonight. Who knows when they’ll perform here again!” “Tomiss” can mean to feel a sense of loss, usually when someone goes away: “It’snormal for parents to miss their kids when they leave home for college.” Theword *“miss”* can also be used as a noun. *“Miss”* can be used as a formal title foran unmarried girl or woman: “Before Mrs. Sanders got married, she was knownas Miss Jones.” However, these days, most people use the title *“Ms.”* for bothmarried and unmarried women.to yieldIn this podcast, the word *“yield”* means to make way for someone or something:“Many car accidents could be avoided if drivers learned to yield and not alwaysinsist on going first.” The word also means to produce something or to causesomething to happen: “She is hoping that hard work in the garden will yield a niceselection of vegetables in the spring.” It is also a term used in finance thatmeans to earn or make money: “Stocks are a good investment because theyusually yields more money than bonds.” Or, “Sales went u

#ESL Podcast 217 – Lost and Found##GLOSSARY**Lost and Found –** a place that holds lost items for people until they come to findthem*I left my glasses at the theater last night, and I’m hoping someone turned themin to the Lost and Found.**to claim –** to say an item belongs to you*Everyone is waiting to see who will claim the $20 million lottery prize!**claim form –** a form that someone completes to say that an item that was foundbelongs to him or her*Before we can allow you to take this bicycle, you’ll need to fill out a claim form.**luggage –** suitcases or bags that people take on a trip*My sister always has a lot of luggage when she travels because she can’t makeup her mind about what to bring.**claim receipt/ticket –** a small ticket that passengers receive when their luggageis stored so they can claim it again at the end of the trip*The security officers at the airport were checking each person’s luggage andclaim receipt before they were allowed to leave the baggage claim area.**to turn (something) in –** to give to someone else, usually something thatdoesn’t belong to you; to submit*He wasn’t sure if he would get to his professor’s office in time to turn in his finalassignment.**key chain –** a small metal ring for holding keys; can come in many shapes orwith special decorations*I’d better put my new apartment key on my key chain before I lose it.**distinctive –** easy to notice; special; unique*This artist has a very distinctive style and should get a lot of attention at theshow next month.**to prove ownership –** to prove or give evidence that you own something*Erin’s car was stolen but the police found it. At the police station, she had toprove ownership before she was allowed to drive it home.**plain –** without decorations or design; simple*Some people like to t-shirts with different designs but I like mine to be plain.**to identify –** to recognize; to see if something fits a certain description or issomething or someone you know*She was sure that she could identify the dog that bit her if she ever saw himagain.**unclaimed –** not claimed; not taken; without an owner*In the 10 years that our organization has given out this award, we have neverbefore had a prize go unclaimed.**to dispose of –** to throw something away, usually in the garbage; to destroy*Would you please dispose of that food in the refrigerator? It’s turning green!**finders, keepers –** a saying that means that the person who found somethinggets to keep it, even if it doesn’t belong to them, usually used by children*The little boy picked up the jump rope off the ground and said to the girl whodropped it, *“Finders, keepers!”***to turn up –** to be found; to be discovered*Don't worry about your ring. I'm sure it’ll turn up soon.**never mind –** forget what I just said; don’t worry about what I said before*Are you sleeping? Never mind. That was a stupid question.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why does Lucas call the airport Lost and Found?a) He wants to apply for a job.b) He lost his luggage.c) He lost his keys.2. Why is Lucas going to the Lost and Found?a) He is having problems communicating with the person on the telephone.b) He wants to see if his luggage is there.c) He wants to invite the airport employee to lunch for being so helpful.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?to turn upThe phrase *“to turn up,”* in this podcast, means for something to be found: “I’msure your cell phone will turn up when they clean up after the party.” This phrasecan also be used to mean to arrive: “We weren’t sure if Sarah would make it tothe performance but she turned up right before it started.” Or, “I told him that ifhe didn’t turn up to his own birthday lunch, I would never forgive him.” “To turnup” can also mean to increase something, such as the volume or speed: “Turnup the volume on the radio so we can hear the results of the game.” Or, “You’llneed to turn up the speed on the mixer if you want all of the ingredients to mixwell.”to turn (something) inIn this podcast, the phrase *“to turned (something) in”* means to give something tosomeone, usually something that is found but that doesn’t belong to that person:*“My sister turned in the money she found under the seat in the bus.”* “To turn(someone) in” can also mean to give information, usually about someone whohas done something bad: “When I saw the man who robbed the store, Iimmediately went to the police to turn him in.” Or, “I know that it was Rob whodamaged the car but I don’t know if I should turn him in.” The verb *“to turn into”*can also be used for driving, when someone enters a place or when they turnfrom going in one direction to suddenly going in another: “The car was drivingnorth when he turned into the parking lot.”##CULTURE NOTELost and Founds are usually found in large, public areas with a lot of people,such as airports or museums. But there are also websites that can work as Lostand Founds online. Craigslist.com is an American-based website with pages fordifferent cities and countries in the

#ESL Podcast 216 – Outsourcing Operations##GLOSSARY**overhead –** the money a company spends to run its business*Moving to a bigger office building will mean an increase in the company’soverhead for upcoming years.**to outsource –** to have company business done by people outside of thecompany; to pay someone else to do part of the company’s work*Many companies outsource for services that they need only once in a while.**pros and cons –** reasons for and against something; the positive and negativereasons for something; the advantages and disadvantages; the good and the badparts of something*She sat down with her parents and made a list of the pros and cons of going toan out-of-state college.**in principle –** in general, but not necessary all the time or in all cases*She followed the recipe exactly, so in principle, the cake should taste good.**downside –** the bad parts of something; the negative aspects of something; thedisadvantages*The downside of the job promotion is working more hours.**in house –** in the building; within the company*She used to work part-time for that publishing company, but now that they editits books in house, she has to find other work.**non-core operations –** the services within a company that are not as importantto the main business*When a company decides to downsize, non-core operations are usually the firstof many departments to let people go.**IT –** short for *“information technology”*; a department or part of the company thathandles computers and technology-related problems*Lisa was told to make an appointment with IT so she can learn about the newprograms that they’ve just installed on her computer.**accounting –** the department or group of people at a company that keeps trackof how much the company spends its money and how much money it receives*June is a busy month for government accounting departments since it’s usuallythe end of the official year.**call center –** a place where people answer or make phone calls for companies*Many U.S. airline companies forward customer calls to call centers in othercountries.**call volume –** number of calls; the number of calls during a specific time period*This month’s increased call volume proves that it was a good idea to advertisein major newspapers.**to micro-manage –** to tell someone what to do step-by-step; to supervise worktoo closely and not to let employees make their own decisions*The new hires wouldn’t have to be micro-managed if they showed up on timeand did what they were supposed to do.**oversight –** supervision; overseeing someone or some work to make sure it isdone properly and on time*Hopefully, having Beatrice working at the downtown office will give her moreoversight of the Showland project.**quality control –** rules and levels of standard in a company to make sure thatsomething is as good as it should be*If a product doesn’t meet quality control standards, it is never sold.**offshore –** company business done in foreign countries; overseas*It’s not unusual for American companies these days to have offshoreoperations.**to think along the same lines –** to be thinking of the same thing or of doing thesame thing; to agree with someone else’s thinking*Laura and I were thinking along the same lines and agreed to paint the livingroom walls blue.**staff –** a group of workers*For Martha’s birthday, the staff put money together and bought her a nicesweater.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Which part of the company is Bonnie and Jean-Luc not thinking ofoutsourcing?a) The call centerb) Accountingc) IT2. What does Jean-Luc think of Bonnie’s suggestion to outsource some of thecompany’s operations?a) He disagrees with her.b) He thinks it’s a good idea.c) He doesn’t think the staff will like the idea.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?overheadThe word *“overhead”* in this podcast means the money used to operate abusiness: “If we don’t reduce our overhead, we’ll need to fire at leastemployees.” The word *“overhead”* can also be used as an adjective to meansomething that is above your head: “This room is too dark. We need to installsome overhead lights so visitors can see the displays better.” Or, “While I wassitting on the beach, a really big bird flew overhead and made a lot of noise.” Inan airplane, the storage space where passengers put their bags above theirseats are called the *“overhead compartment”*: “I was the last passenger to geton the plane and there was no more room in the overhead compartment for mybriefcase.”staffIn this podcast, the word *“staff”* is used as a noun to mean a group of workers:*“The staff’s positive attitude made it a pleasant place to work.”* The same wordcan also be used as a verb, *“to staff,”* which means to supply or hire people towork on something or for someone: “Make sure to staff the event with at leasteight waiters and five busboys.” *“Staff”* can also be used as a noun to mean along stick that is usually as tall as or taller than the person carrying it: “In thestory, the old man who lived on the

#ESL Podcast 215 – Getting a Men's Haircut##GLOSSARY**barbershop –** a place where men get their hair cut*I'm taking my brother to the barbershop tomorrow to get his hair cut beforeschool starts on Monday.**hair salon –** a place where men and women get their hair cut*When I was little, I didn’t like going to the hair salon with my mother because itsmelled of chemicals and hair spray.**curly –** not straight; wavy; hair that curls*He has curly hair and has to keep it short or it’ll look messy.**Afro –** a thick hairstyle with very tight curls sticking out all around the head;bushy hairstyle with curly hair*I’m tired of wearing my hair straight. I’m letting it grow out naturally into an Afro.**buzz cut –** a haircut given with a razor or a machine normally used for men'sshaving to leave the hair very, very short*When my brother went into the military, they gave him a buzz cut.**dreadlocks –** a hairstyle in which all the hair is braided into long, thin braids*Dreadlocks take a long time to create, but don’t require a lot of care afterwards.**sides –** the right and left sides of the head; the area around the ears*Did you see the drummer for that band? He has blue hair in the middle andpink hair on the sides!**bangs –** the part of the hair that covers part of one's forehead*This kind of dog has long bangs that covers his eyes and makes it hard for himto see.**an inch off the collar –** to cut hair so that it stops an inch above the shirt collar*The school has a very strict dress code and requires that all male students cuttheir hair at least an inch off the collar.**above the ears –** the area around the top of the ears*Oh no! The barber cut the two sides above the ears to different lengths, andthe left side definitely looks shorter than the right.**sideburns –** strips of hair grown by men on each side of the face in front of theears*Long sideburns were a popular style back in the 70’s.**part –** the line where the two sides of hair are separated on someone's head*My cousin wears his part on the left to cover a scar on the right side of hisforehead.**trim –** cutting off a little hair*I told the hair stylist that I wanted a trim, but he cut off three inches of my hair!**to shave –** to use a razor or a men's shaving device to take off all the hair*I'm afraid of shaving without an electric razor because I might cut myself.**bald –** having no hair*Benjamin likes being bald because he doesn't have to worry about drying hishair after he swims.**Mohawk –** a hairstyle with most of the hair shaved, except for a line along themiddle of the head*When my brother walked in to the house with a Mohawk, my mother almost hada heart attack.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. What did Shinobu want to do to his hair?a) He wanted to make his hair curly.b) He wanted a trim.c) He wanted to add sideburns.2. Why did Shinobu leave the hair salon before getting his hair cut?a) He had something else to do.b) He wanted to find a barbershop.c) He was worried the hair stylist would do strange things to his hair.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?partThe word *“part,”* in this podcast, means the line where the two sides of hair areseparated on someone's head: *“My boyfriend parts his hair down the middle.”**“Part”* is also often used as a noun to describe a section of something larger: “Ithought the kids would eat the entire cake but they only ate a small part to it.” Ifwe make the word plural – *“parts”* – it can be used to mean the different sectionsof a car or a machine: “This car will never run if we can’t find the right parts forthe engine.” Or, “Can you go to the store to see if you can find the right part to fixthis refrigerator?” *“Part”* can also be used as a verb to mean to separate fromsomeone: “In the movie, it was so sad when the young lovers had to part andleave each other forever.” Or, “The children cried when they had to part fromtheir grandparents after a their summer visit.”bangsIn this podcast, the word *“bangs”* means the part of the hair that covers part ofthe forehead: *“Her bangs are so long that they cover her eyes.”* The word*“bang”* can also be used to describe a loud sudden noise: “The gunshot nextdoor sounded like a very loud bang.” Or, “He walked into the door carrying thenew chair and let it fall to the ground with a bang.” *“Bang”* can also be an action.It can mean to hit something unexpectedly or hard: “I banged into the table, sonow my knee hurts.” Or, “When no one answered the door, he banged on itangrily for a few minutes before walking away.”##CULTURE NOTEThe word *“metrosexual”* has been used a lot in the past ten years to describemen who spend a lot of time and money on the way they look and on their*“lifestyle”* or the way they live. Metrosexuals are usually men who live in *“urban”*areas or cities. When people hear this word, they usually think of men who payas much attention to their appearance and the way they dress as many womendo. In fact, metrosexuals use some of the same beauty services traditionallyused by

#ESL Podcast 214 – A Jealous Girlfriend##GLOSSARY**to hang out –** to spend free time with others*Mary wanted to go to the movies with Josh, but he was already hanging outwith Kim that afternoon.**jealous –** wanting something or someone that belongs to another person*After getting a short haircut, Lisa couldn't help but be jealous of other womenwith long hair.**to avoid –** to stay away from someone or something; to stop oneself from doingsomething*Kelly knew that Michael was avoiding her when he didn’t go to class for twodays.**green-eyed monster –** jealousy; the feeling of wanting something or someonethat belongs to another person*It’s hard to avoid the green-eyed monster when you have a girlfriend who is afamous model.**to be up front –** to be honest; to be direct when speaking*Wanting to be up front with the boss, Jake told him that he was looking foranother job and would be leaving the company soon.**possessive –** wanting very badly to control things or other people; wanting verymuch to keep what one has to oneself*She was possessive about her baby the first three months after it was born andwould not let anyone near him.**to flip out –** (slang) to go crazy; to suddenly be out of control*Coming home after a long day at work, my mother flips out if the house is amess.**to trust –** to have faith or confidence in something or someone*Even after the mistakes she’s made, I still trust her to get the job done correctlyand on time.**insecure –** not have confidence in oneself*He’s insecure about his skinny body and always wears clothes that are too bigfor him.**to stop (something) in its tracks –** to stop something right away, usually beforeit becomes a problem or a bigger problem*Unless we stop this in its tracks, the bad news about our company will be in allthe newspapers by the end of the week.**to make up –** to have good feelings again after a fight; to say sorry after adisagreement*Jen was trying to make up with Britney, but Britney was still mad and wouldn’ttalk to her on the phone.**the root of the matter –** the source or main reason, usually of an issue orproblem*The root of the matter is that she's lazy, and that's why she was taken off thisproject.**whatever it takes –** doing everything possible to make something happen or tocomplete a task*Whatever it takes, I’m going to save up enough money to go to Europe thissummer.**under control –** in a normal state or condition*She got the noisy kids under control when she offered to buy them ice cream.**to jeopardize –** to risk; to put in danger*Getting fired from his job would jeopardize his plans to buy a house next year.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why has Dominick been avoiding Sarya?a) They had a fight.b) He doesn't like Sarya.c) His girlfriend gets jealous when he hangs out with other people.2. Sarya thinks Leslie gets jealous because:a) Dominick doesn't invite her when he goes out with his friends.b) She is insecure about herself.c) Dominick has been calling Sarya too much.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?to trustThe verb *“to trust”* in this podcast means to have faith or confidence in a personor thing: “I proved to her that she can trust me to take care of her cat while she'son vacation.” *“Trust”* can also mean to hope for something, with confidence: “Itrust that you will be home on time.” Or, “We trust that this will be the last timethat you’ll miss a deadline.” When this word is used as a noun, it is a legal termfor property owned by one person or group being held and run by another personor group: “Before Dana’s uncle died, he arranged to put his money into a trustthat is managed by the bank and that pays out money every year to Dana andher sisters.”to make upIn this podcast, the verb *“to make up”* means to say or be sorry for somethingand to get along with someone again: “My sister and I fight often, but we usuallymake up right afterwards.” The phrase also means to do something good forsomeone after having done something wrong or bad to them: “To make up forusing the car without asking, her son made dinner for the whole family.” Or, “Idon’t know how I’ll ever make up for letting you down.” *“Makeup,”* as one word,is a noun that means cosmetics, usually worn by women, such as lipstick andeye shadow: *“For Halloween, she wore dark makeup to look scary.”* Or, “Don’tyou think that she’s too young to wear all of that makeup?”##CULTURE NOTEIn the U.S., personal problems are often used as topics on T.V. shows. Showslike The Jerry Springer Show, The Montel Williams Show, and Maury are talkshows that *“air”* or are shown during the day and that have people telling privateand sometimes secret things about their lives. There is usually a large audiencethat then gets to offer comments, both good and bad, and some advice. Guestsof these shows usually talk about problems like *“cheating”* or unfaithful husbandsand wives or boyfriends and girlfriends; out of control sons and daughters; ordrug and alcohol problems in the family. These shows focus not so mu

#ESL Podcast 213– Buying a Bicycle##GLOSSARY**bike shop –** a store that sells bicycles and other things related to bicycles*I’m going to the bike shop this afternoon to get a new bike lock.**road bike –** a bicycle designed for paved or smooth roads rather than dirt, sand,or other rough surfaces*Vera takes good care of her road bike and tries not to ride it over rough roads.**mountain bike –** a bicycle designed for rough or bumpy surfaces, as well aspaved or smooth roads*My sister uses her mountain bike when she goes camping in the woods.**beach cruiser –** a simple bicycle designed for comfort and style with usually onlyone gear*Billy likes his beach cruiser, but I prefer to have one with more options.**racing bike –** a bicycle designed for speed*Many of the riders in the Tour de France ride the most technologically-advanced racing bikes available.**versatile –** able to change easily or handle different types of situations easily*This chair is so versatile! I can sit up straight or lean back as far as I want to.**frame –** on a bicycle, the supporting structure, usually made of metal*The frame on this bike is really heavy, making it hard for me to carry it up thestairs to my apartment.**tire –** a round ring of rubber with air inside that goes around the wheel to supporta bicycle or vehicle (car)*On my way home from work, my car had a flat tire and I couldn’t figure out howto change it.**seat –** on a bicycle, the part of the bicycle where the rider sits; a place intendedfor people to sit*If you want more light, take a seat next to the window.**handlebars –** on a bicycle, the part that the rider holds onto with his or her handswhile riding and uses to control the direction of the bicycle*When I was little, my sister would let me sit on the handlebars while she rodeher bike into town.**sturdy –** strong; will not break or fall apart easily*My desk is so sturdy that five people can sit on it!**off-road –** not on a paved (or smooth) road or street; usually a rough surfacesuch as dirt or grass*Her dad doesn't want her to ride off-road because he’s afraid she’ll fall and hurtherself.**gear –**a set of small wheels in a car or on a bicycle that determines how fast youwill move*When we were in San Francisco, we often had to shift our car to the lowergears to get up the steep hills.**brakes –** the part on a bicycle or vehicle (car) used to stop its movement*I need to get my brakes fixed. They make this funny noise every time I try tostop.**foot brakes –** on a bicycle, a brake that can be controlled with the foot*He’s more comfortable with foot brakes because he’s used to driving andbraking in a car.**hand brakes –** on a bicycle, a brake that can be controlled with the hands*Some new riders have trouble using hand brakes because they’re not used tothe idea.**air pump –** a tool that is used to put air into things, such as tires*This air pump was not expensive, but it takes a long time to fill my tires with air.**bike lock –** a thick wire or rope attached to a lock that is used to secure a bike toan object, such as a telephone pole, so that the bike cannot move*If you don’t want to get your bike stolen, remember to use your bike lock.**helmet –** a hard cover that is worn on the head for protection*I won’t ride on a motorcycle unless I have a helmet on.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why does Lance want to buy a bicycle?a) He wants to win the Tour de France.b) He wants to ride it to work.c) He old one was stolen.2. What type of bicycle does the clerk recommend for Lance?a) A road bike and a mountain bike.b) A road bike and a beach cruiser.c) A mountain bike and a racing bike.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?frameThe word *“frame,”* in this podcast, means the main part of a bicycle that supportsthe other parts: *“This bike's strong frame is good for off-road bicycling.”* A framecan also be something that you use to display a picture or photograph often witha glass or plastic covering: “I used a silver frame for our wedding photo andhung it in the living room.” People also use the word frame when talking aboutcartoons or films. A frame in this case is the individual picture that is created andput together with many others to make a moving image: “How many frames arein that scene?” Frame can also be used as a verb informally to mean to createfalse evidence against someone so they will seem guilty, usually of a crime: “Hestole $1 million from the bank but framed another employee who worked withhim.”gearIn this podcast, the word *“gear”* means the set of small wheels that controls howfar a bicycle will go each time a pedal is pushed around: “When I’m riding downhills, I don’t usually change gears.” Another way people use the word gear is torefer to equipment or supplies in general: “Do you have all of your campinggear?” Or, “I never knew that a professional photographer needed so muchgear.” The verb *“to gear up”* means to get ready or to prepare for something:*“He’s geared up to take his trip this summer to Alaska.”*##CUL

#ESL Podcast 212 – Asking for a Raise##GLOSSARY**to pick (someone’s) brain –** to ask someone for advice or suggestions*Mike and his girlfriend have been fighting a lot. He asked me if he could pickmy brain on how to make things better.**to make it quick –** to hurry*We can stop for something to eat but we have to make it quick or we’ll miss thebeginning of the game.**a raise –** an increase in an employee’s salary or pay*My boss finally gave me a big raise when he found out that I got a job offer fromanother company.**on (one’s) plate –** what a person is responsible for; work a person must do*I have too much on my plate right now to take on even more work.**to broach –** to raise a sensitive or difficult subject; to bring up a topic*Have you had a chance to broach the topic with your parents about lending ussome money?**to bring up –** to introduce into conversation; to raise*I wish you wouldn’t bring up the past every time we talk about getting married.**qualifications –** talent, skill, or training that makes someone a good match for ajob*Zayra has all of the qualifications she needs to be our new leader.**indispensable –** very necessary; can’t do without*Jeff is indispensable and we couldn’t do this show without him.**promotion –** to move someone to a higher position or rank*After working in this company for five years, Dana deserves a promotion.**bump in pay –** raise in salary; getting paid more money at work*Your new title won’t mean a bump in pay, but you’ll have more influence on thedecisions we make.**to sell (oneself) –** to promote oneself; to get others to see your value, such asyour qualities, talents, or skills*In a job interview, you have to sell yourself to the interviewer in order to impressher.**to be self-serving –** to care about one’s own interests more than anyone else’s*The employees accused the manager of being self-serving when he fired twopeople in order to buy himself a new company car.**ultimatum –** the final demand for something that, if it isn’t given or done, willresult in something very bad happening*We gave him an ultimatum: Stop smoking or you’re sleeping outside!**to fly –** to be acceptable; to work*If I go to the concert, I have to stay overnight in Las Vegas, and I’m sure that’snot going to fly with my parents.**to see things (someone’s) way –** to have someone agree with you or youropinion*Life would be so much easier if you could just see everything my way!##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why does Patty think she deserves a raise?a) Alberto, who does the same job, makes more money than she does.b) She has some new qualifications.c) She has more responsibilities now.2. Alberto tells Patty to:a) Make Wayne see that she is indispensable.b) Give Wayne an ultimatum.c) Say to Wayne, *“Give me a raise!”*##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?to bring upThe verb *“to bring up,”* in this podcast, means to raise or to introduce a topic intoconversation: “Before we end our meeting today, I’d like to bring up one lastissue.” *“To bring up”* can also be used to mean to raise children or to take careof children who are your responsibility: “Dan and Lucinda decided to bring up allthree children themselves when their friends died in the car accident.” Or, “It’snot easy to bring up healthy and happy children in these modern times.”to flyIn this podcast, the verb *“to fly”* is used informally to mean to be acceptable or tosucceed: “I tried to convince the president of the university that we need to havea day off for the school’s celebration, but I don’t think it’s going to fly.” *“To fly”* ismore often used to mean be in control of an airplane: “Knowing that there is anexperienced pilot flying this plane makes me feel a little less nervous about thistrip.” But, it can also be used to mean to be a passenger on an airplane: “Lastweek, I flew from Beijing to Paris and this week I’ll be flying from Milan to Lima.”Used as a noun, *“fly”* means a small insect or bug with wings: “Close thatwindow! The flies are coming in and bothering our guests.”##CULTURE NOTEGiving raises to employees is just one way that American companies reward theiremployees. Some provide an *“incentive,”* or something that encouragessomeone to do something, that is often *“financial,”* or involve money. One of themost popular is to give employees one-time *“bonuses,”* which are cash paymentsto an employee, usually as a reward for things like completing a difficult project orfor getting an important *“client,”* or customer. Some companies give “year-endbonuses,” and the amount of money an employee gets depends on theemployee’s performance during the past year. Another possible financialincentive is to give employees *“stock options,”* or the possibility to buy thecompany’s stock at a discounted or lower price.Instead of raises, bonuses, or stock options, employees may ask for rewards thatdon’t involve money. They may want a change in their work schedule, forexample. Some American companies allow *“compressed”* or shortened workweeks

#ESL Podcast 200 – Meeting a Deadline ##GLOSSARY **You wanted to see me? –** short for *“Did you want to see me?”*; I’m here as you wanted or requested *You wanted to see me? I’ve been out to lunch for the past hour. **to pull out (all) the stops –** to give something the most effort that you can; to try as hard as you can *The university research team pulled out all the stops to make the discovery before any other university. **deadline –** the latest time or date that something should be completed *The deadline to submit your application is Friday at 5:00 p.m. **milestone –** an important time, action, or event that marks a change in the development of something *Most people believe that the 10-year wedding anniversary is a milestone in a marriage. **scope –** the boundaries or the outside limit of something *The wide scope of power he has in this company allows him to make decisions at all levels of management. **turned out to be –** a phrase used when someone expect one thing but gets something else; to wonder about something that is mysterious or unclear and then to find out what it is *We thought that there was a dangerous animal trapped under the car, but it turned out to be a cat. **to anticipate –** to expect; to predict; to think something is likely to happen *All of the employees in the company anticipated getting a large cash bonus at the end of the year. **to allocate –** to give for a specific purpose *How can we finish building this park if the city government won’t allocate enough money for the project? **resource –** anything valuable or useful that someone can use to do something *This is a big job but I’m sure we have enough resources in this organization to get it done right. **to push back –** to delay; to reschedule for a later time *She’s too busy right now to take time off from work, so we decided to push back our vacation from August to September. **the time to ask (something) was… –** a phrase used to mean that it is too late to ask for something now; you should have asked for it earlier *The time to ask for a day off this week was last week when I was making up the schedule. **to miss –** to be too late *She got to the station 10 minutes too late and missed her train to Boston. **to breathe down (someone’s) neck –** to watch someone very closely, usually making the person being watched uncomfortable *Stop breathing down my neck! I’ll finish cooking dinner faster if you stop bothering me. **to stall –** to delay to give yourself more time *He didn’t have enough money to pay his rent and tried to stall the landlord by telling her that he had already sent a check in the mail. **you have my word –** I give you my promise *You have my word that I will be there at 10 a.m. to help you with the presentation. **to take the heat –** to take the blame for something *Even though all four of the kids were responsible for breaking the window, Lionel took the heat. **to count on (someone) –** to rely on someone; to be able to be certain that someone will do what they say they will do *He knew that he could count on Sarah to be on time for the meeting. **to let (someone) down –** to disappoint someone *I’ll give you another chance, but don’t let me down this time. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. What is the reason Pam gives for missing the deadline? a) The project is more work than she originally thought. b) The managers have been breathing down her neck. c) She didn’t know that the deadline was last Monday. 2. Ed is Pam’s a) co-worker. b) boss. c) boyfriend. ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? to push back The phrase *“to push back,”* in this podcast, means to chathe a scheduled event to a later date: “Since Dave will be out of town on the 4 , we’ll need to push back the date of the party.” There is a slightly different phrase, *“to push ahead,”* that means to continue even though the situation is difficult: “We’re all tired but let’s push ahead and try to finish this letter before we quit work for the day.” Or, “A lot of people don’t want us to say anything negative about the new policy, but we have to push ahead if we want our opinions to be heard.” Another phrase, “to push around,” means to force someone to do something they don’t want to, by threatening them with harm: “An older boy at school is trying to push my little brother around.” Or, “The new boss is trying to push everybody around by making decisions without asking anyone else.” to count on In this podcast, the phrase *“to count on”* means to depend on someone to do something: “I’ve known him for 10 years and I know that you can count on him to do a good job.” Another slightly different phrase, *“to count down,”* means to begin at a higher number and to count to the lowest number: “These are the last seconds of this year, 2007. Let’s count down: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.” Or, “Your new store opens soon. Are you counting down the days?” ##CULTURE NOTE In a U.S. business setting, employees are expected to meet deadlines by having good *“time management

#ESL Podcast 211 – Giving Bad News and Condolences ##GLOSSARY **How are you holding up? –** How are you feeling?, normally asked of someone who is having a difficult time *I went back to work after my illness and I must have looked tired because my boss asked me, *“How are you holding up?”* **test results –** the results of medical tests that a patient takes *After being told that his test results came back negative for cancer, Bobby went out and celebrated. **I’m afraid... –** I’m sorry to say... or I regret to have to say...; a phrase often used to give bad news *Because you have had three car accidents this past year, I’m afraid we are going to have to raise your insurance rates. **to deteriorate –** to get worse; to slowly become worse or more sick *He was a great employee but because of personal problems, his work deteriorated over the past few months. **rapidly –** quickly; fast *Our company’s sales have increased rapidly over the past two years. **to prepare for the worst –** to get ready for something very bad that is likely to happen in the future *When we heard that a bad storm was coming, we prepared for the worst. **to recover –** to return or go back to a normal condition; to feel better after an illness *She broke her arm in July, and it took the entire summer for it to recover. **to hope for the best –** to believe that a bad situation is going to have a good result in the end *With fifteen flights already cancelled due to a snowstorm, the ticket agent told her to hope for the best. **to pass away –** to die *She still talks about her dog, the one that passed away three months ago. **wake –** a time to visit or see a dead person’s body before he or she is buried *Her aunt’s wake is scheduled for 6 o’clock on Tuesday, the day before the burial. **funeral –** a ceremony to honor and remember a dead person, usually before he or she is buried *Many people wear black or dark-colored clothes when going to a funeral. **to console –** to comfort or make someone feel a better during sad or bad times *To console her son after his team lost the baseball game, she took him and his friends out for pizza. I’m sorry for your loss. / Please accept my condolences. / My thoughts are **with you during this difficult time. –** phrases to express sympathy or kindness towards someone who was a relative or close friend of the person who died; usually said at a funeral or a wake *When I saw Evan at the funeral, I said, *“Please accept my condolences.”* **funeral director –** the person in charge of the place where a funeral or burial ceremony is held *The funeral director was very kind and told us that he would take care of all the arrangements for the funeral. **funeral service –** the ceremony, often religious, that usually is held before a dead person is buried *The funeral service is scheduled for 4 o’clock that afternoon. **eulogy –** a speech that remembers good things about a person, given at a funeral service *Greg’s eulogy for his cousin was so touching that nearly everyone cried. **burial –** the time and place for putting a dead person in a grave (in the ground) *His close friends and family were all at the burial to pay their last respects. **bearable –** being able to tolerate unpleasant things or a difficult situation *Even though it was supposed to be very hot in Phoenix in the summer, the weather turned out to be bearable. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. Who passed away? a) Wendy b) Wendy’s father c) Wendy’s doctor 2. When the doctor tells Wendy to prepare for the worst, he means: a) Her father isn’t going to recover. b) Her father is still weak but will be fine. c) Her father wants to see her. ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? to pass away The verb *“to pass away”* in this podcast, means for a person to die: “Before he passed away, he told his children that he loved them and that he was very proud of them.” There are several phrasal verbs that begin with *“to pass.”* “To pass over” means to leave someone out or to ignore them when they should be getting something good, such as a job: “Dan decided to take a job with another company when he was passed over for manager last month.” Or, “The president passed over a lot of more qualified people to give the position to his friend.” Another phrasal verb, *“to pass up,”* means to let something go, or to not accept something when you have the option to take it: “How can you pass up tickets to see your favorite singer in concert?” Or, “I’ve decided to pass up the chance to be a working actor so I can have a more secure job in business.” wake In this podcast, the word *“wake”* is a noun that describes the time and place to visit a dead person’s body before he or she is buried: “At my grandmother’s wake, I met relatives I’ve never seen before.” But the word is more commonly used as a verb. *“To wake”* means to stop sleeping: “He told his friend to make sure to wake up at 5 o’clock so that they could leave on time.” It is also used in the phrase, *“to wake up to (something

#ESL Podcast 210 – A Family Road Trip ##GLOSSARY **road trip –** a trip using a car to get from one place to another, usually with a lot of driving *Barry and I are going on a road trip from Vegas to Florida next summer. **to navigate –** to find out which way to go or how to get somewhere *I'm very bad with directions, so someone else should navigate. **road map –** a map that shows a lot of detail, including the streets and roads in an area *Road maps are really helpful when you get lost in a certain city and need to find your way back home. **route –** a path of travel; a way to get from where you are now to where you want to go *When I drive to work, I like to take a longer route around the mountains so that I can see the nice view. **points of interest –** things or places that are famous; usually why tourists visit an area *One of main points of interest in Los Angeles is the Hollywood Walk of Fame. **camper –** a large vehicle (truck) that has beds, a place to cook, and other equipment for camping *When my cousin visits my house, she sleeps in her own camper because she feels more comfortable there. **to behave –** to be good, usually used with children; to be quiet and to not cause problems *Ben doesn't like to spend time with his sister’s kids because they don’t know how to behave. **car sick –** feeling sick because of the movement of the car *I would love to go on a road trip, but I need to be careful so I don't get car sick. **to act up –** to be bad; to misbehave; to be loud and to cause problems *Can you go outside to see why the dogs are acting up again? **rest stop –** an area near a freeway or highway where people can stop for a short time to use the bathroom, get something to drink or eat, or to rest, usually not near towns or cities *I drive so much for my job that I know where all the rest stops are in this state. **mile marker –** signs along a freeway or highway showing the number of miles, usually from the state’s border *The mile markers said that we were 60 miles from the border, but I didn’t think we had been driving that long. **to explode –** to feel a violent emotion; to blow apart *She didn’t want to go home and tell her father that she had failed her math class because she knew that he would explode. **photo op –** short for *“photograph opportunity”*; a chance to take a good picture *Mickey Mouse walks around Disneyland to give kids a lot of photo ops. **to question the wisdom –** to doubt how intelligent or sensible something is *I'm beginning to question the wisdom of eating six hamburgers for dinner. **to recover –** to get better from an illness or from a stressful or worrying situation *Wow, that movie is really scary. I think it’ll take me a few days to recover! ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. Who felt car sick? a) The man’s wife. b) The man’s oldest son. c) The man’s daughter. 2. Why was the man in the story unhappy? a) His wife wanted to stop many times along the way. b) They didn't have a camper. c) The car ran out of gas. ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? to behave The verb *“to behave,”* in this podcast, means to be good or to not create problems: “I was surprised that the group of young school kids behaved so well in the museum.” *“To behave”* can be used more generally to describe how people are acting in a situation: “Mary behaved so foolishly when she gave her credit card information to the man on the street!” Here, *“to behave”* is used to describe her behavior. Another example would be: “Why does he behave like a policeman every time there are other people around?” It’s very common to use the word *“behave”* to compare people to other people or things. A teacher may complain: *“These students are behaving like monkeys!”* to recover In this podcast, the verb *“to recover”* means to feel better after an illness or a stressful or worrying situation: “The operation was a success and the doctor said she should recover within four weeks.” We can also use *“recover”* to mean to return to normal after being surprised or upset: “While he was giving his speech, he forgot part of it but then recovered at the end.” *“To recover”* can also mean to find or to have something returned to you that was lost or stolen: “My car was stolen last week but the police recovered it after only two days.” Or, “She lost her luggage on the train but recovered it after she reported it missing.” ##CULTURE NOTE There are many historical places to visit in the United States. At some historical places, visitors can even experience life the way it was lived in earlier times. Colonial Williamsburg, in the state of Virginia in the eastern part of the U.S., is a place where people can see how people lived in the 1700’s. Williamsburg used to be the capital city before the U.S. became a country. This site *“recreates”* or tries to rebuild the city as it was at that time, so that people today can see the lifestyle of those who lived 300 years ago. Colonial Williamsburg has a large number of people working there

#ESL Podcast 209 – Extreme Sports ##GLOSSARY **snowboarding –** a sport where you use a snowboard, which is a small board that looks like a small surfboard, to go down hills with snow *We tried to go snowboarding last weekend, but it was too warm and the snow was melting too quickly. **bungee jumping –** a sport where you jump off from very high up, usually an airplane or a bridge, while attached to a strong elastic rope, called a bungee cord, that pulls you back up *She’s scared of heights so I don’t think she’ll go bungee jumping with us tomorrow. **cave diving –** to go underwater for long periods of time and explore caves, or deep holes, in the ocean or sea *Cave diving is considered a dangerous sport because it’s not easy getting back up to the surface of the water if you have trouble breathing. **extreme sport –** a type of sport that is more dangerous that regular sports, usually involving great heights or speed, and taking chances on getting hurt *Extreme sports are popular with people who want to do something exciting and a little dangerous. **adrenaline rush –** a chemical reaction in the body that makes you excited and causes your heart to beat faster, sometimes caused by a very exciting experience *The snowboarder got an adrenaline rush from the jumps he made. **to push (oneself) to the limit –** to go beyond what one can normally do *I’ve been pushing myself to the limit by working two jobs and only getting five hours of sleep every night. **to get hurt –** to get injured; to feel pain *When you learn to dance, don’t worry about getting hurt or you’ll be afraid to try the more difficult steps. **danger –** the possibility of being harmed or being in pain; something that may cause harm or pain *When I get off work at 10 p.m., I walk home with a friend to avoid any danger on the streets. **competitively –** in a way that tries to win something by defeating others, sometimes to prove that you are better than others *He used to play video games for fun but now he plays competitively. **stunt –** a difficult or dangerous action *I’m sure that the people in the movies who perform stunts, like falling off a horse or jumping off a building, are professionals. **to push the boundaries –** to test or to try to go past the limits of something *When he got fired from his job, Danny realized that it was not a good idea to push the boundaries of his position. **adventurous –** someone or something that is exciting and daring; someone willing to do something not considered safe or normal *She was an adventurous child and liked to jump off high places and run at high speeds. **climbing –** a sport where you go up something, usually a mountain, using your hands and feet and special equipment *They were planning on going climbing Mount Fuji this Sunday, but she broke her arm and couldn’t go. **ice climbing –** a sport where you go up large ice blocks, like frozen waterfalls, using your hands and feet and special equipment *Do you think we can do some ice climbing when we go to Alaska this winter? **to pass –** to decline; to say ‘no’ to something *I asked her if she wanted a piece of cake, but since she’s on a diet, she politely said, *“No thanks, I’ll pass.”* ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. What is Ryan doing this weekend? a) He is going cave diving. b) He is going ice climbing. c) He is going snowboarding. 2. Which sport has Celeste done before? a) climbing b) bungee jumping c) ice climbing ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? to pass The verb *“to pass,”* in this podcast, means to say ‘no’ to something or to decide against doing something: “I told Mary that I’m going to have to pass on dinner this weekend because I have to go visit my mother.” As a verb, *“to pass”* can also mean to go around something, usually a car or vehicle on the road: “I had to pass the truck on the one-lane highway because it was going so slowly.” We can also use *“to pass”* to mean to be successful on a test or a challenge: “He was worried that he wasn’t going to pass the final exam so he studied all weekend.” Or, “He passed the driving test even though he made several small mistakes on the road.” to get hurt In this podcast, the phrase *“to get hurt”* means to get injured or to be in pain: *“Being the smallest person on the team, he faced the biggest risk of getting hurt.”* The phrase is used in this podcast to refer to physical pain that people feel on their bodies, like a broken arm. But, we can also use *“to get hurt”* to mean mental or emotional pain, like being sad or having hurt feelings: “She didn’t want to get into another relationship and get hurt again.” Or, “He wanted to reach out to his daughter and to tell him he cared for her, but he was afraid of getting hurt.” ##CULTURE NOTE Extreme sports are activities that are different from traditional or normal types of sports. These sports are more dangerous and usually played by individuals rather than teams. Sometimes extreme sports are called adventure sports or action sports. Some example

#ESL Podcast 208 – Corporate Image ##GLOSSARY **expansion –** to become larger; to spread from one area to other areas *The expansion of the company from telephones to computers has required the hiring of many new employees. **corporate image –** the way people see a company *The financial problems the company has had will probably negatively affect their corporate image. **brand –** a type of product made by a company that is given a specific name *I recommend this brand if you want to buy some high quality luggage. **brand loyalty –** preference for a brand; usually means that someone will continue buying a specific brand *Our company hopes that with endorsement from major athletes, we will get customers to develop brand loyalty. **product image –** the way people see a product that is made by a company *According to our company’s research, we’ll need to improve product image if we want to increase sales. **to reposition –** to change a company’s image for a new or bigger audience; to change position *If our organizations is to continue for another 100 years, we need to reposition ourselves as a leader in the field. **to lose sight of –** to overlook; to forget *It’s hard not to lose sight of my goal to lose weight when I see all of these delicious desserts! **end-user –** the person who will use a company's products *The reports from our marketing department are important, but what I really want to know is what our end-users think of the new product. **registered trademark –** a name, symbol (small picture), or thing used for identifying a product that has been legally registered with the government so that no one else can use it *We can't use the symbol with a circle with the line through it for our product because it’s a registered trademark. **prestige products –** the most expensive or respected products that a company makes *We build a lot of cars but this new sports car is our top prestige product. **household name –** a product name that is popular or common and that most people know *You may not have heard of this brand yet, but in five years, it will be a household name. **to update –** to bring something up to date; to add or change something so that it reflects current tastes or opinions *Have you updated our website yet with information on this week’s events? **logo –** a name or symbol (small picture) used by a company or organization to identify its products *I don’t like wearing clothes with the company’s logo on it. **to shape –** to have influence on; to develop *One of my high school teachers helped me shape my plans for a career in music. **corporate identity –** a company's name, logo, or tagline (or a phrase a company uses to say what their company represents); the way a company is seen by customers *We’ve hired a team of writers and designers to develop our new company’s corporate identity. **logical next step –** the next thing to do based on common sense; the obvious thing that should be done next *After you graduate from college, the logical next step is to try to find a job. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. Why does the company need to change its corporate image? a) Other businesses are trying to compete with it. b) The company has stopped being a paper company. c) The company has expanded and changed. 2. Which of these are NOT a part of the company’s plans? a) The company plans to become a PR firm. b) The company plans to change its logo. c) The company plans to stop brand loyalty. ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? brand In this podcast, the word *“brand”* means a type of product that a company makes that has a specific name: *“What brand of soda do you like to drink?”* *“Brand”* can be used as a verb to mean to describe someone or something as being bad. After something has been *“branded,”* it’s difficult to change other people’s opinion about it: “Because of problems at home, she didn’t do well in school and was branded a poor student by her teachers.” Or, “I used to cry a lot as a child and was branded a ‘cry-baby’ by the other kids in the neighborhood.” The use of *“brand”* in this way comes from the original use of the word to mean to make a permanent mark on something by burning a world or symbol into its skin. This is usually done with animals so that other people will know who its owner is: “Can you see the brand on those cattle (cows) over there?” to shape The verb *“to shape,”* in this podcast, means to influence something, usually as it is being developed: “Listening to classic rock when he was a child helped shape the way he writes music today.” We can use the verb *“to shape”* to mean to form something physically: “Let’s shape these cookies to look like Dr. Jeff McQuillan’s head!” Or, *“Can you teach me how to shape this clay into a vase?”* As a noun, *“shape”* can be used to mean something that is difficult to see or to identify clearly: *“Did you see that shape in the sky last night? I think it was a big bird.”* Or, “I couldn’t tell the police what the robber looked like be

#ESL Podcast 207 – Giving Birth in a Hospital ##GLOSSARY **pregnant –** a woman (or female animal), when she will be having a baby *After having her second child, Lin decided to wait at least two years before she got pregnant again. **to have (one’s) water break –** to have the *“membrane,”* or thin skin where the baby is located inside of a woman’s stomach break and for the fluid inside to come out *Now that I’m in my eighth month of pregnancy, I’m starting to worry that my water will break while I’m at work. **contraction –** a painful feeling when a woman’s muscles tighten, usually before a baby is born, that becomes more frequent the closer it is to the birth of the baby *The contractions started while she was eating dinner and her husband took her to the hospital. **in labor –** in the act of giving birth to a baby *After being in labor for seven hours, she told her family that she will never have another baby! **to page –** to send an electronic message to a pager *We tried paging Dora for this important phone call, but she must not be carrying her pager right now. **maternity ward –** a part of the hospital where babies are born *Do you want to go with me to the maternity ward when it’s time for the baby to be born? **reception desk –** an area where guests stop first in a public place or place of business *Since Elias wasn’t in his office in the morning, I left a message for him at the reception desk. **to admit –** at a hospital, to be received as a patient, usually to stay overnight *The doctor told me that he wanted to admit me into the hospital so that they could run some tests. **insurance card –** a card provided by the insurance company showing that you have coverage, or that the company will help pay *When I arrived at my dentist’s office, I realized that I had forgotten my dental insurance card at home. **birthing suite –** a room where a woman gives birth to a baby, usually in a hospital *The birthing suite has everything the doctor needs to deliver a healthy baby. **false labor –** a feeling when a woman’s muscles tighten while she is pregnant, but that is not actually a sign that the baby will be born soon *After two false labors, the doctor told her to stay in bed as much as possible. **far along –** the amount of time, usually in months or weeks, a woman has been pregnant already *When she told us that she was pregnant, we asked her how far along she was. **head first/breech –** when a baby is born, the part of the baby that appears first: the head (head first) or feet (breech) *My son was born breech but my daughter came out head first. **to be relieved –** to stop being in pain or difficulty; to stop worrying *We were all so relieved when the police rescued her son from the top of the building. **janitor –** a person who takes cares of and cleans a building *The janitors in this building usually start work after 6 p.m., when nearly all of the employees have gone home. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. Why did the husband and wife in the story go to the hospital? a) The wife was feeling ill. b) The wife was having contractions. c) The doctor paged the husband. 2. When the doctor arrived, she told them that: a) The baby would be born soon. b) This was a false labor. c) The baby will be born breech. ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? in labor The phrase *“in labor,”* in this podcast, means to be in the process of having a baby: *“Does your husband plan to be in the room when you are in labor?”* The word *“labor”* is most often used to mean work, usually difficult or physical work. It can either be used as a noun, *“labor,”* or as a verb, *“to labor”*: “After laboring on her taxes for three hours, she decided to hire a professional to do them instead.” In the U.S., there is a national holiday called *“Labor Day”* that is celebrated on the first Monday in September each year. This is a day to celebrate workers and the work that they do. In the federal government, one of the major departments is the *“Labor Department”* that is concerned with the country’s workers and the person who is in charge of that department is the *“Secretary of Labor.”* to admit In this podcast, the verb *“to admit”* means to be formally received into a hospital: *“He was admitted into the hospital with a broken leg and a head wound.”* The verb, *“to admit,”* is more commonly used when someone finally says that something is the truth, usually when they don’t want to: “The girl admitted that she had stolen the flowers from their garden.” Or, “I have to admit that I’m too tired to go dancing tonight.” A phrase, *“to admit failure,”* is used when you reluctantly say that you have failed: “I think it’s time to admit failure and to close this restaurant since we don’t have enough customers.” Or, “Since no one wanted to admit failure, they told everyone that they had just changed their minds.” ##CULTURE NOTE Most babies are born in *“vaginal births,”* or come out of the woman without surgery. In recent years in the U.S., however, ther

#ESL Podcast 206 – A Generation Gap ##GLOSSARY **to get –** to understand someone or something *I don’t get why you have to leave this week if your job in Jacksonville doesn’t start for three weeks. **tattoo –** permanent ink words or pictures made on the skin *She doesn’t want to get a tattoo now because she’s not sure if she will still like it when she’s 60-years-old. **to freak out –** to have extreme emotions, usually when someone is very angry or very sad, but can also be used when someone is very happy *Denny freaked out when he heard that he had won the drawing contest. **any better than –** at the same level; used when comparing two people or things *I can't type any better than she can, but she always finishes her letters before I do. **behind the times –** to be uninformed of recent trends or news *We want to buy a present for our grandchildren, but we’re so behind the times, we don’t know what they would like. **to keep up with –** to know; to be informed about *It’s hard to keep up with the changes in the tax laws in this country when they change so often. **what's in/what’s out –** what is fashionable (what’s in) and what is unfashionable (what’s out) *She never looks at fashion magazines and has no idea what’s in and what’s out. **to express (oneself) –** to show your thoughts, ideas, personality, or style *He has trouble expressing himself in front of the other students in class. **hippie –** young adults in the 1960’s who were seen as rebels or people who rejected traditional culture *Aidan's parents were hippies, but he became a politician and is nothing like them. **hipster –** someone who is very fashionable or well-informed about what is popular *The most popular students in school are usually the hipsters. **pop culture –** the popular culture right now based on current trends *Reading fashion, gossip, and music magazines can help you learn more about American pop culture. **club –** a place where people go to dance and socialize *We went to that new club on Saturday night and the music was great. **blog –** short for web log; a place on the Internet where people post news about themselves or something that interests them *My sister kept a blog while she traveled around Asia last summer, and her friends and I could read about her travels. **to suck –** to be bad; to be disappointing (very informal) *It sucks that everybody else gets to go to the concert and we have to work all night. **to make (one’s) point –** to prove an argument is correct by using examples or other evidence *You’ve made your point that taking this job would be a bad idea. **things could be a lot worse –** the situation is not as bad as it could be *Even though our house burned down, at least my family is safe. Things could be a lot worse. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. How did Carlos' parents react to his tattoos. a) They were excited. b) They wanted to get tattoos, too. c) They were not happy. 2. Carlos is confused about his parents' reaction because a) they used to be hipsters. b) they used to be hippies. c) they like to be behind the times. ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? to get The verb *“to get,”* in this podcast, is used informally and means to understand someone or something: *“I don't get how to use this new email program.”* “To get” is usually used more traditionally to mean to receive something: “I got a package in the mail yesterday.” Sometimes people use the verb to mean that they will do something or that they want to be the person who will do that. For example, if the doorbell rings, you may say, *“I'll get it,”* to mean that you will answer the door. There is also a negative way to use the verb *“to get.”* It can be used to mean that you plan to harm someone else: “Dan is always laughing at me. I’m going to get him for making fun of me.” Or, “I’m going to get him for taking the job I wanted.” to keep up with In this podcast, the phrase *“to keep up with”* means to know or to be informed about certain issues or trends: “It's so hard to keep up with the news around the world when you don’t read the newspaper everyday.” It can also mean to physically stay at the same pace, or speed, as others. For instance, if you are walking with a group of people and you are walking more slowly than everyone else, you could say, *“I’m having trouble keeping up with you guys. Slow down!”* This phrase can also be used in other situations where you are having difficulty understanding or learning something: “This professor talks so quickly it’s hard to keep up with what he’s saying.” Or, “Can you explain that again? I’m having trouble keeping up with your arguments.” ##CULTURE NOTE In the U.S., people who are born and living during certain years are usually grouped together in a *“generation.”* These groups are usually given names. For example, people born between 1883 and 1900 are known as the “Lost Generation” because many of them fought and died in World War I. People born from 1901 through 1924 are known as the *“Civic Generat

#ESL Podcast 205 – Shopping for Shoes ##GLOSSARY **dress shoes –** formal shoes worn with formal or business clothes *My brother asked me to help him pick out a pair of dress shoes to go with his new suit. **heel –** the back part of a shoe under the ankle; the bottom back part of the foot *She stepped on some gum with the heel of her left shoe and had trouble getting it off. **brand –** the name of the company that makes the things you find in stores *I’ve never heard of this brand of televisions. Do you recommend them? **sandal –** a type of shoe made with straps so that the foot is easily seen *Summer is the perfect time of year to wear sandals. **boot –** a type of shoe with a tall top so that part of your leg is covered *Make sure you wear your winter boots if you plan to be out in then snow all afternoon. **loafer –** a type of shoe that is flat or has a low heel, with no shoelaces or buckles *He prefers wearing a loafer because they are easier to put on and to take off. **open toe –** a type of shoe that doesn’t cover the toes *People do not normally wear open toe shoes in the winter. **strap –** a long, thin piece of material, such as leather or cloth *When she got on the crowded subway, she held on tightly to the strap of her bag so that no one would be able to steal it from her. **slip-on –** any type of shoe without shoelaces or buckles that someone can put on simply by putting their foot into the shoe *Slip-ons for young kids are a good idea because many of them haven’t learned how to tie shoelaces yet. **width –** size of the foot when measured across, from side to side *She liked the shoes, but none of the widths it came in fit her correctly. **narrow –** a thin space that is longer than it is wide *Those big trucks are having problems driving through the narrow streets of London. **wide –** a large or big distance from side to side *The purpose for building this bridge is to make it possible for cars to cross that wide river between the two cities. **to fit –** to be the right size and shape for something *She didn’t buy the sweater because it wasn’t a good fit. **tight –** not enough room for something; too little space *The jacket looked like it was the right size, but when he tried it on, he thought it was too tight. **loose –** too much room for something; too much space; not strongly fixed or attached onto something *Some of the book’s pages are loose and keep falling out of the book. **to keep in mind that... –** to remember; to think about; to consider *My wife decided to buy a large couch to replace a smaller one even though I told her to keep in mind that there may not be enough space in the house for it. **leather –** the dried skin of an animal used to make clothes, shoes, bags, and other things *He’s a vegetarian and he doesn’t buy anything made of leather. **to stretch –** to make wider, longer, or larger by pushing or pulling *I don’t want to try on your sweater. I’m bigger than you are and I’ll probably stretch it. **to ring (someone) up –** when a salesperson adds up and records on a cash register the things you want to buy *You look like you’re ready. I can ring you up over here. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. What type of dress shoes did Alissa buy? a) Boots b) Slip-ons c) Loafers 2. Alissa bought shoes in what size? a) b) 6 1/ c) ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? heel The word *“heel,”* in this podcast, means the bottom part of the back of a shoe under the ankle: “You can tell that she walks a lot because of the worn-out heel on her shoes.” *“Heel”* can also mean the back part of a foot: “She had some trouble walking because of a cut on her left heel.” A term that is often used for women’s shoes is *“high-heels,”* a type of shoe that has a tall, thin heel: “I like the look of these high heels but I can’t walk in them!” The word *“heel”* is also used for the bottom part of a hand that connects with the arm: “The heel of my hand felt sore yesterday after making bread all day.” boot In this podcast, the word *“boot”* means a type of shoe with a tall top that covers the lower part of your leg: “Before going into the river, the fishermen put on their rubber boots.” As a verb, *“to boot”* is an informal term that means to dismiss someone, usually from a job or a position: “After he was found stealing, he was booted by his company and told to never come back.” Or, “She was on a reality show, but was booted after the first show.” *“To boot,”* as a verb, can also mean to start a computer: “We had to boot the computer again after the new software was installed.” ##CULTURE NOTE In the United States, there are different sets of shoe sizes for men, women, and children. Shoe sizes are *“determined,”* or found, by measuring how long a foot is, from the tip of the largest toe to the very back part of the heel. This is normally done in shoe stores where there is a foot-shaped metal plate with numbers to measure feet. The width is also measured and is given a letter on this plate. Most stores use the

#ESL Podcast 204 – Using Visuals in a Presentation ##GLOSSARY **pointers –** advice; suggestions *After Clara gave me some pointers on driving, I passed the road test without any problems. **visuals –** anything that people can see, such as a picture or display, usually used to make something else clearer or interesting *Our manager liked the new report, but he suggested that we add more visuals. **slide –** a small picture that is usually put into a projector or that is projected so that it can be made bigger for others to see *In this next slide, you’ll see a painting by Pablo Picasso. **pie chart –** a type of visual with a circle that is divided into parts, each part having a different meaning *Do you think you can create a pie chart showing how much money each company has given to help build the new hospital? **bar chart/graph –** a type of visual with thick lines (bars) that shows how much there is of each thing *By looking at this bar graph, you can see that we had 300 new customers in 2000 and 500 new customers in 2005. **to represent –** to substitute for something else; to take the place of something *Can you tell me what this line represents on the map? **slice –** a small piece cut from a larger piece, such as a slice of pie, cake, or bread *That cake smells so good. Can I have a slice? **X-axis/Y-axis –** in a graph, the range from left to right (X-axis) or from bottom to top (Y-axis) *On this graph, the X-axis represents the months of this year and the Y-axis represents how many products we’ve sold. **increment –** a regular increase or addition *In her contract, her salary will go up in 10 percent increments every year. **trend –** a general direction in which something is changing or developing *The trend in American television is toward more and more reality shows. **line chart –** a type of visual with lines going left to right, showing whether something has gone up or down, usually over time *If you follow the blue line on this line chart, you’ll see that the number people who drive on this road has increased a lot over the past 10 years. **to change (one’s) mind –** to make a different decision than you made before; to change the decision you made before *I wish I could change your mind about climbing that dangerous mountain by yourself. **flip chart –** a large pad of paper that is held together at the top so that each page can be turned over at the top *Let me write your suggestions on this flip chart so everyone can see them. **to turn (one’s) back on –** to turn so that your back is facing someone else; to ignore or to refuse to help someone who is expecting your help *The photographer told the model to turn her back to the camera and to look over her shoulder. **audience participation –** when the audience is invited by the presenter or performer to do something that becomes part of the presentation or performance *We’ll need some audience participation during this three-hour presentation or everyone will fall asleep. **token –** a thing that is given or done for someone to show one’s feelings *As a token of my love for her, I plan to give her these roses. **to treat –** to pay for someone else, usually for their food and drink *Did you hear? Dr. Jeff McQuillan has invited all of his listeners to dinner and he’s treating! ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. Rosa plans to use these visuals for her presentation: a) Pie chart, bar graph, and flip chart b) Pie chart, line graph, and flip chart c) Pie chart, video, and flip chart 2. When does Rosa plan to use the flip chart? a) During the first part of the presentation b) While she is introducing herself to the audience c) During the second part of the presentation ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? slide The word *“slide,”* in this podcast, is a noun meaning a small picture put into a projector to make it bigger to show others, or a page in a PowerPoint-type presentation: “I went over to their house and they showed us all 300 slides from their summer vacation!” As a noun, slide can also mean the thing that children play with at the park, where they climb up a ladder and come down very quickly on a smooth, usually metal surface: “When Yolanda was only 3-years-old, she was too scared to come down on the slide by herself.” This word can also be a verb used to mean to move along a smooth surface: “When Jim got to the restaurant, he told me to slide down on the seat so he could sit down next to me.” to treat In this podcast, the verb *“to treat”* means to pay for someone else, usually when you are doing something together with them: “If you let me treat you to dinner, you can treat me to a movie.” A very common phrase you’ll hear is, “it’s my treat,” meaning I will pay for you. It can also be used to mean how you behave toward someone else: “Why do you treat me like a child when I’m already years old?” Or, “When we stayed with friends after the fire, they treated us with kindness and patience.” This verb can also be used to mean to give medical care: “There

#ESL Podcast 203 – Text Messaging ##GLOSSARY **to text –** to send a text message to someone *I texted my friend to tell him where to meet us so we could all go to dinner together. **I M @ lib wher r u? –** *“I am at (the) library. Where are you?”* *When Megan didn’t arrive by 8:30, Tim texted her the message, “I M @ lib wher r u?” **template –** something that is a sample or a model that someone can change and use for their own purposes *The template we used to build our website uses red as a background color, but I changed it to yellow. **to make up –** to invent; to create *All he said was he that he couldn’t come tonight. Don’t make up a story in your head about the reasons why. **to compose –** to write something *Could you please wait a minute while I finish composing an email? **setting –** the part of something that can be set, changed, or adjusted according to someone’s preference *She changed the settings on her alarm clock so that she could wake up to her favorite CD playing. **predictive text mode –** a setting for text messages that allows the machine to complete words for you as you enter the first letters in a word *Predictive text mode makes it easier for me to text people quickly. **normal tap mode –** a setting for text messages that allows you to enter your own words instead of having the words completed for you by the machine *I don’t use normal tap mode very much anymore unless I’m texting a list of names. **character –** any text that takes up one space in a text message; usually letters, numbers, and symbols *This screen has a limit of 200 characters. I hope my message is short enough to fit. **symbol –** a character that is not a number or a letter; a small picture that represents something else *The logo for that company was created as a symbol of their long history. **screen –** the area on an electronic device where you can see the characters *My computer screen stopped working so I can’t see what I’m typing! **capital letter –** a letter used to begin sentences and names, for example, *“W”* and *“D.”* *This sentence begins with the capital letter, *“T.”* **option –** a type of setting that can be turned on or off, or changed; a choice *When you purchase this camera, you have the option of paying just $20 more for a photo printer. **abbreviation –** a shortened version of a word *Do you know what the abbreviation for Texas is? I’m not sure if it’s TX or TS. **to get up to speed –** to be able to do something that you are learning as well as others *He just started sailing two weeks ago, so please help him to get up to speed. **to not make (any) sense –** to be difficult to understand; not to be logical *It doesn't make any sense to take the elevator when the stairs are faster. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. Why does Jenny text Richard? a) Instead of the library, Jenny wants to meet at the café. b) Jenny can’t meet Richard at the library after all. c) Richard hasn’t arrived and Jenny wants to know where he is. 2. What kind of message did Richard send to Jenny? a) He sent her a message with predictive text. b) He used a template. c) He sent a message written with only capital letters. ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? to make up The phrase *“to make up,”* in this podcast, means to invent something: “I am making up this recipe as I go along.” It can also be used in a negative way to mean that someone is lying: “Don’t tell me your dog ate your homework because I know you’re making it up.” The phrase can also be used to mean to stop fighting and to be kind to one another again: “After fighting for two days, Bill and Stephanie made up at lunch today and said that they would never fight again.” A similar phrase, *“to make up for something,”* means to do something nice for someone after you’ve made a mistake or done something bad: “To make up for running over her bicycle with his car, he bought her a new and better one.” character In this podcast, the word *“character”* means any text that takes up space in a message or document: “This business card doesn’t allow enough characters for my full name.” Another meaning for the word *“character”* is a person in a story, usually not a real person: “The main character in the Harry Potter books is Harry Potter.” As a noun, *“character”* can be used to describe someone who is different from other people or strange in some way. If there is someone who does strange things for no reason, he might described as *“a character”*: “I didn’t know that Lia’s brother was such a character until I met him last week.” It’s common to hear people say, *“he/she is quite a character.”* From this, people will know that this person is a little different or is unique. ##CULTURE NOTE Below is a list of common texting abbreviations, also known as *“txtspk”* (text- speak). TextMeaningTextMeaning bbene1anyone cseeb4before kokayuryour, you are, you’re maml8rlater nandatmat the moment; right now rareasapas soon as possible uyoubtwby the way ywhycyasee you (later) 1used for part of a

#ESL Podcast 202 – At the Gas Station ##GLOSSARY **gas prices –** the amount of money you pay to buy one gallon of gasoline, the fuel put into cars to make them run *A lot of people are choosing not to go on vacation this summer because gas prices are too high. **through the roof –** very high; higher than people thought possible *I read that during World War II, many people couldn’t buy meat because prices were through the roof. **gas station –** a place that sells gasoline, the fuel that makes cars run *This gas station sells gasoline, and also drinks and snacks. **to fill up –** to put something in a space until the space is full *Could you hand me those empty bottles so I can fill them up with water? **tank –** a container or an object, usually made of metal, that holds large amounts of liquids or gas *Those large round containers over there are the city’s water tanks. **full-service –** a part of a gas station where a gas station employee puts gasoline into your car and takes your money for payment *I like to use the full-service option when it’s raining so I won’t get wet. **self-service –** getting gasoline and making payment at a gas station on your own, without the help of a gas station employee *It costs less to buy gas using self-service than full-service at most gas stations. **pump –** the machine at a gas station where you buy gas *Can you help me with this? I don’t think this pump is working. **out of order –** not working; broken *We were in the bathroom so long because three out of the four sinks were out of order. **pay inside –** being required to go into the gas station building or store to pay for the gas you buy *She was sure she was going to be late for work if she had to pay inside for gas. **pay at the pump –** to pay for gasoline by using a bank card or credit card at the pump, or the machine that gives gas *Some of the independent gas stations don’t have the option to pay at the pump. **to swipe –** to slide; to move your credit card through a machine quickly to make a payment *After the clerk told me the total amount for my purchases, I swiped my credit card through the machine. **cap –** a removable top to a container to keep things from spilling or falling out *After pouring a glass of orange juice, he didn't put the cap back on correctly and juice spilled everywhere. **grade –** a score given to something to show its level or quality *My father only eats at restaurants that get a grade of A from the state health department. **unleaded gas –** a type of gasoline; the most common type of gasoline sold at gas stations in the U.S. *I told him to be sure to buy unleaded gas because any other type may hurt the car’s engine. **nozzle –** the smallest part of the end of a hose, tube, or pipe *Be careful! I think you just broke the nozzle off the garden hose. **to top off –** to add to something that is already full *She planned to top off the five-course meal with three different kinds of cake. **receipt –** a piece of paper that shows the items someone bought and the price *She told me that I couldn't return the shoes I bought last week without the original receipt. **squeegee –** something used to clean windows; a T-shaped object with a strip of sponge on one side to clean and a piece of rubber on the other side to wipe the water off windows *After cleaning them with some soap and a squeegee, the windows looked brand new. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. How did the person in the story pay for the gas he bought? a) He went inside and gave money to the cashier. b) A gas station employee took his credit card at the full-service pump. c) He swiped his credit card at a self-service pump. 2. After filling his tank with gas, a) the man bought some snacks. b) the man cleaned his windows with the squeegee. c) the man pushed the button for the grade of unleaded gas. ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? to swipe The verb *“to swipe,”* in this podcast, means to slide: “Each employee has an ID card that he or she has to swipe to get into this building.” Another meaning of this verb is to try to hit something with one long motion, or by moving an arm: *“The cat swiped at the ball and made it roll under the sofa.”* A similar term, *“sideswipe,”* is used to describe when one car hits another on its side: “Coming home in the rain, another car sideswiped mine, and now, the passenger door doesn’t open properly.” Used in an informal way, *“to swipe”* can also mean to steal: “The boy was caught trying to swipe all of the candy from the jar when the owner wasn’t looking.” cap In this podcast, the word *“cap”* means a cover or a top to a container: “If I don't find the cap, I'm going to have to throw out this jar of peanut butter.” *“Cap”* can also be used as another word for hat: “Baseball caps are worn even by people who don't play baseball.” The word can also be used to mean a restriction or a limit on something: “She knew she had to put a cap on her spending if she wanted to save enough money for a new car.” In thi

#ESL Podcast 201 – Making a Bet ##GLOSSARY **back of the line –** end of a line of people waiting for something, some event *We’ll never get in. I can’t even see the back of the line from here! **to step out of line –** to leave your place in a line of people *If you’ll hold my place, I’ll step out of line to get us some water and snacks from the store across the street. **ahead of –** in front of; before *If we don’t hurry, the other team will get ahead of us and reach the finish line before we do. **to flip for it –** to decide a winner by using a coin; using a coin, each person selects a side, then one person throws it in the air to see which side is up when it lands *There are three of us and only one ticket left for the show. Why don’t we flip for it? **heads/tails –** the front side (heads) or the back side (tails) of a coin *If it’s heads, he has to wash my car, and if it’s tails, I have to cook him dinner. **to take the odds –** to decide to take the risk or the chance *He took the odds on that basketball game and he won for the first time in weeks. **you’re on –** said when someone accepts a bet or a gamble; to agree to a contest or competition *You think you can beat me in a bike race around the park? You’re on! **your lucky day –** you are fortunate; you have good luck *It’s your lucky day. You can buy this MP3 player for only $20. **double or nothing –** a bet in gambling where a player bets again to double or cancel the debt depending on the result *I can’t believe I lost that last game. How about double or nothing? **stakes –** money or something valuable that people gamble to win or play for *She’s playing a dangerous game at work, but the stakes are a better job and a higher salary. **no matter what happens –** an expression used to assure someone that something will occur even if there are difficulties or problems *They told us that the electricity will be back on tomorrow morning no matter what happens. **that’s the idea –** an expression used to tell someone that they are correct or that they are doing something correctly; that’s right *- Am I doing this math problem correctly? - Yes, that’s the idea. Now all you need to do is finish solving it. **what do you say? –** will you agree? *I promise never to forget your birthday again if you’ll just give me another chance. What do you say? **to talk (someone) into (something) –** to convince someone about something; to get someone to do something that they don’t want to *She tried talking Curtis into coming with us this weekend, but he said he had too much work to do. **your luck will hold up –** your good luck will continue *Don’t bet that your luck will hold up. If I were you, I’d take my winnings and quit now. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. Ivan just won the first bet and he is now a) standing in front of Suzanna in line. b) at the back of the line. c) standing behind Suzanna in line. 2. What are the stakes for the double or nothing bet? a) Suzanna has to get in the back of the line. b) Suzanna or Ivan has to buy a drink for the other person. c) Ivan buys two drinks for Suzanna. ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? to flip for it The phrase *“to flip for it,”* in this podcast, means to decide a winner using a coin: “They decided to flip for it to decide who will ride in the front seat of the car on the long road trip.” The verb *“to flip”* has several meanings. *“To flip through”* means to look or search through something quickly, usually something with pages: “I flipped through all of the books on this shelf but I still didn’t find the letter she was hiding.” Or, *“He didn’t really read those papers. He just flipped through them.”* *“To flip over”* means to turn over very quickly: “In the accident, the car flipped over and caught on fire.” Or, “When we all jumped on the bed, he flipped over and fell off!” that’s the idea In this podcast, the phrase *“that’s the idea”* is used when you’re confirming to someone that they’re doing something correctly: “You’ve got it now. That’s the idea. Soon you’ll be doing it better than I can.” We can also use this phrase to mean that this is the general meaning or method of doing something: “Making good bread isn’t easy, but that’s the idea.” A similar phrase, *“to get the idea,”* means to understand: *“I’m starting to get the idea that you don’t want me here.”* Or, “He’s been studying those books for days but he doesn’t seem to be getting the idea.” Another phrase, *“to have no idea,”* means to not know at all: “I could tell that she was gaining weight, but I had no idea that she was going to have a baby!” Or, “We’re all going to the performance tonight but I have no idea what time it starts.” ##CULTURE NOTE In the U.S., one of the most popular ways to gamble is to go to a *“casino,”* or a public place where gambling games are played. Each state in the U.S. can make its own laws about allowing gambling casinos. For almost 50 years, the state of Nevada, where the city of Las Vegas is located, was the only state where

#ESL Podcast 199 – A Love Letter ##GLOSSARY **to promise –** to assure or to tell someone you definitely will do something *I need you to promise me that you’ll always be there when I need you. **love letter –** a letter to tell someone how you feel about them romantically *When I was 10 years old, I got a love letter from the boy who sat behind me in class. **premature –** something that happens or is done before the usual time *Quitting your job before you find out if you’re being offered the one you interviewed for today is a little premature. **to pour (one’s) heart out –** to express or tell your thoughts or secrets completely to someone *He poured out his heart to his parents and told them that he wanted to become a musician and not a doctor. **love at first sight –** to fall in love the first time you see someone *When Dale saw Angelina Jolie in her first movie, it was love at first sight. **to not be able to get (someone/something) out of (one’s) head –** to not be able to stop thinking about someone/something *My boyfriend and I had a terrible fight and I couldn’t get it out of my head for all night. **to mean everything to –** to be very important or the most important *Being able to make enough money to move out of my parents’ house means everything to me. **sweet nothings –** unimportant but nice things about love you say to someone you feel romantically about *Stop whispering sweet nothings in my ear and start paying attention to the movie. **heavy –** serious *I thought this play was a comedy but it turned out to be really heavy. **terms of endearment (such as *“my love,”* *“my darling, and “sweetheart”*) –** words/names you use to address, call, or talk to someone you love *Oh, my darling, you make me so happy! **too much –** more than necessary; too serious *I know it’s a special evening, but don’t you think wearing a formal dress to a beach party is too much? **to scare (someone) off –** to make someone not like you; to cause someone to lose courage or to run away *We have three people coming to interview for the job. Be nice and try not to scare them off by telling them how much work the job really is. **head over heels in love –** when someone has a very strong feeling of love for someone else *If she weren’t head over heels in love with him, she’d realize that they don’t have very much in common. **if I were you…I’d… -–** a phrase used to offer advice to someone, to give them a suggestion; if your situation were mine...I would... *I think she likes you. If I were you, I’d ask her out on a date. **to play it by ear –** to decide your action later, depending on a future situation *I’m not sure if I’ll have time to stop by after work today. Can we play it by ear? **to play it cool –** to remain calm; to act carefully *We all know that he wants to win the race, but he’s playing it cool so the other runners won’t know his strategy. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. What does Vicky think of the love letter? a) She thinks it’s too serious. b) She wants one, too. c) She things it needs more terms of endearment. 2. What does Issac decide to do with the love letter? a) He decides to give it to Julie on her birthday. b) He decides to follow Vicky’s advice. c) He decides not to give it to Julie, but will send her flowers instead. ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? premature The word *“premature,”* in this podcast, means to do something before the usual time: “It’s premature to think about retiring from your job when you’re only years old.” *“Premature”* is also used to describe a baby who is born too early, before the end of the nine months: “My brother was born two months premature, but he was healthy.” You can also say that a baby is *“born prematurely.”* The babies who are born prematurely are called *“preemies”*: “At the hospital, the preemies are cared for by special nurses.” to play it by ear In this podcast, the phrase *“to play it by ear”* means to decide on an action later depending on the situation: “I don’t know yet if I’ll need a gardener to help me plant this garden. I’ll get started and play it by ear.” Or, “This project is too important to play it by ear. We need to make a decision right now.” This phrase is also used to mean the ability to play music without a seeing it written down on paper: “She never learned to read music, but if she’s heard a song before, she can play it by ear.” ##CULTURE NOTE There have been several very popular dating shows on U.S. television. One show that everyone knows is an older *“game show,”* or TV show where people compete to win, called *“The Dating Game.”* On this show, there is one *“bachelor,”* an unmarried man, or *“bachelorette,”* an unmarried woman. This person can ask questions of three *“contestants,”* or people who are competing. The difficulty is that the bachelor or bachelorette cannot see the contestants who are seated behind a wall. The bachelor or bachelorette must chose one of the contestants based only on their answers to the questions. When the bach

#ESL Podcast 198 – Starting a Band ##GLOSSARY **band –** a group of people who play musical instruments *The band played all night and got a lot of people onto the dance floor. **musician –** someone who plays a musical instrument and makes music *To be a good musician, you have to take the time to practice. **as it turns out –** a phrase used to describe something that happened that no one expected or thought would happen *As it turns out, the person who stole her ring was her best friend! **guitarist –** someone who plays a guitar, a musical instrument with strings *The band that played last night was terrible because the guitarist kept forgetting parts of the songs. **songwriter –** someone who writes songs *We tried to tell him that he is a much better songwriter than he is a singer. **gigs –** jobs (slang) *Do you think we would get more gigs if we had our own website? **lead singer –** the singer you see in front of the group on stage; the most important singer in a group *I couldn’t hear the lead singer because the microphone wasn’t working. **drummer –** someone who plays the drums, a round musical instrument that you hit with sticks or with your hands *The band had to replace the drummer because he never came to the practices. **bass player –** someone who plays the bass, an instrument that looks like a regular guitar and that plays very low notes *She’s important to the band because she is both the lead singer and the bass player. **back-up singer –** someone who sings in the background or behind the lead singer *When they perform, the back-up singers stand next to the guitarist on the left side of the stage. **to audition –** to interview for a job as a singer, musician, actor, or dancer, usually to become part of a group *She auditioned five times before they told her she had the part. **instrument –** a thing for making music, played by a musician *She plays two musical instruments and plans to learn to play another one this year. **sound equipment –** machines and tools that help musicians make good musical sounds *Good sound equipment can help make a band sound professional. **rehearsal –** a practice *There were nine dancers already at the dance rehearsal when he arrived. **demo –** short for *“demonstration,”* a sample recording of a song *The group recorded a demo and hoped to get a important agent to listen to it. **headliners –** the main performers of a show *There were two opening acts before the headliners came on stage. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. How many members are in Michael’s band? a) Two b) Three c) Four 2. Michael plays the guitar, and he also a) plays the bass b) sings c) writes songs ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? band The word *“band,”* in this podcast, means a group of musicians or people who play instruments and makes music: “The band was good, but they were nervous to play in front of a large crowd.” The word has many other meanings. It can be used more generally to mean any group of people: “People who saw the robbery say that it was a band of thieves and not a single robber that took the money.” Band is also a strip, or a small, but long piece of material: “When Leon hurt his arm, there were no bandages in the house so he used a band of cloth to stop the bleeding.” It can also be used as a verb to mean to form a group: “The workers need to band together if they want to be taken seriously when asking for more money.” instrument In this podcast, the word *“instrument”* describes the things or objects that musicians use and play on to make music: “The musical instruments played by professional musicians are usually handmade and very expensive.” We use the term *“musical instruments”* to talk more formally about these objects and *“instruments”* for short in speaking of them informally. The word can also be used to mean tools that people use to do a job: “It’s important for the doctor’s instruments to be clean.” Or, “Scientists use a lot of different instruments to try to predict the weather.” ##CULTURE NOTE There are many *“up-and-coming”* bands, or bands not well-known yet, in most cities in the U.S. Whether these bands can succeed depends on how well they can get themselves known to the public. Many bands start by performing local shows in their hometowns. Through *“word of mouth,”* or people telling other people, they hope to get more attention and more fans. A lot of bands try to *“promote,”* or get publicity or attention, by making t-shirts and bumper stickers with the band’s name, and fliers to advertise their gigs. Recently, with the use of the Internet, bands can set up websites to tell people about themselves and their music. MySpace is a very popular website where people can set up their own page. It has helped some small or unknown bands find an audience. Band members can post pictures, links to other website, and samples of their music, such as mp3’s of their songs and sometimes even entire albums. This way, other people can get to know them even if they don’t liv

#ESL Podcast 197 – An Apology ##GLOSSARY **to promise –** to guarantee; to tell someone you will do something *Gwen, please promise that you won't tell anyone about the mistake I made in the report before I have a chance to fix it. **sorry –** regretful; feeling bad about something; usually used in cases when someone did or said something wrong *She was sorry to have broken the vase that belonged to her friend’s grandmother. **a crush –** to think someone is attractive, usually used for teenagers who feel a temporary attraction; to want to date someone *Dana has crushes on three players on the baseball team. **to slip out –** to say something accidentally, without intending or wanting to *She didn’t plan on telling anyone that she was quitting her job, but during a lunch meeting, it just slipped out. **in confidence –** in secret, so that no one else knows *If I tell you something in confidence, I don’t want you to repeat it to anyone. **totally –** completely *I totally forgot that I was supposed to go over to Martin’s house today to help him set up for the party! **to regret –** to feel sorry for something; to wish that something had not happened *After losing the most important game of the year, the team regretted not practicing more. **to take it back –** to wish that you had not done something after you’ve done it; to want to make things as they were before *I was trying to help him when I told his boss that he was sick, but his boss fired him. I wish I could take it all back. **to accept (someone’s) apology –** to forgive someone; to recognize that someone has regret; to not feel angry with someone anymore *Will you accept my apology for insulting you earlier tonight? **what's done is done –** you cannot change what is in the past; now that an action has been taken, you cannot change the results *What's done is done. It won’t help anyone to be angry about it. **to be pissed off –** to be very angry *Of course I’m pissed off at you. You said that my husband eats like a pig! **to be over it –** to stop being angry; to feel little or no emotion about something that made you very emotional in the past *She was very disappointed when she wasn’t given the job, but she’s over it now. **hold on a sec –** wait a moment; please wait *Hold on a sec. Let me see if I can find that contract. **guess who…? –** do you know who…?; asking someone to guess the identity of someone else *Guess who tried to take credit for my work during the meeting? **to be interested in –** to be romantically interested in someone; to want to date someone *Ronald asked me out, but I'm really interested in his brother. **Don't let your imagination run away with you. –** don’t let yourself believe what you imagine; don’t believe that something is there when it is only in your mind *You think that at the concert, you’re going to get to meet the band? Don’t let your imagination run away with you. **to keep (one’s) fingers crossed –** to be hopeful, to wish someone good luck *Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the teacher won’t find out about the trick we played on her until after the school year is over. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. Why is Becky apologizing? a) She knows Curt's secret. b) She told Curt's secret to Joyce. c) She told Joyce to call Curt. 2. How does Curt feel about Becky at the end of the conversation? a) He is still angry that Becky shared his secret. b) He is angry with Joyce. c) He was angry but he is not angry anymore. ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? to slip out The phrase *“to slip out,”* in this podcast, means to say something by accident: “I didn't want to tell him that I like him, but it just slipped out.” This phrase can also be used to talk about physical things, like when you accidentally let go of something you are holding or something falls out of your hand: “The pot slipped out of my hand when I was carrying it across the backyard.” The phrase is also used informally to mean to leave a place quietly, without many people knowing: “I didn't know Dan left the room. He must have slipped out through the backdoor.” Or, “The speech was so boring that during the middle of it, my friend and I slipped out.” to take it back In this podcast, the phrase *“to take it back”* means to make things as they were before the action was done, to take away the meaning of the act. It is used for things that were done that should not have been done, or for things that someone regrets doing: *“I was wrong to insult you. I wish I could take it back.”* This phrase can also be used to talk about objects that need to be returned to their original place: “This book is on the wrong shelf. Could you please take it back to the right one?” Another meaning of *“take it back”* is to return an item to the store where you bought it so that you can get your money back: “I bought the wrong case for my cell phone. I need to take it back to the store.” ##CULTURE NOTE Many governments around the world have made *“reparations”* for things that the government has

#ESL Podcast 196 – A Business Plan ##GLOSSARY **to revolutionize –** to change something completely, usually so that it can be done much better *The cell phone revolutionized how people communicate with each other. **goods –** product; merchandize; things that people sell *The government just passed a new tax to be paid on all goods sold to customers outside of the U.S. **investor –** someone who expects to make money by giving money to start or to improve a business *To open our restaurant, we need an investor with a lot of money. **business plan –** a written document that describes a business, its plans, how it will work, and how it will make money *Here is our business plan. It should answer any questions you have about how the new business will operate. **entrepreneur –** someone who starts and owns a business, usually by using some of their own money *I’m not sure he will ever be an entrepreneur even though he has good ideas. He doesn’t understand how to do business. **business model –** a plan that shows in detail how a business will work and how it will make money *This business model won’t work unless all of the employees work for free for the first year. **in the black/red –** making money (in the black) or losing money (in the red); usually used to describe a business *When we started this company, we were in the red for the first two years. But now, we’re in the black. **revenue projections –** a prediction or a good guess about how much money a business will make in the future *If the revenue projections are correct, we will have enough money next year to open the new office in Hamburg. **to estimate –** to make a good guess that does not need to be exact or exactly right *Can you estimate on how much these car repairs will cost? **gross sales –** the total amount of money a company makes before it takes out the costs, taxes, and other amounts it has or will need to pay *These are the highest gross sales the company has ever had. **target market –** a group of people that a business tries to sell to *Are you sure that the target market for these t-shirts are young men between the ages of 18 and 34? **potential buyers –** people who are likely to want to buy a business’s product *Don’t worry. We have three potential buyers for your house already. **competitive advantage –** having the things that make one business different and better than other businesses *Hiring the new president won’t give our company a competitive advantage if the management stays the same. **to take a chance on –** to risk; to do something that is uncertain but that is likely to have good results *I don’t want to take a chance on him not being home when I stop by his house. I’ll call him first. **this time next year –** the same time period a year from now *She will be graduating from college this time next year. **to be well on (someone’s) way to… –** to be advanced; to have made a lot of progress; to be close to finishing something *After three months, the band is well on its way to finishing its new CD. **business empire –** a very large business owned by one person or one group of people *Building a business empire takes a lot of money, hard work, and luck. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. What advice did Steve give the man in the story? a) Be sure to include in your business plan how much money the business is likely to make. b) Don’t include in the business plan any information about target markets. c) Get investors by telling them that they will be in the black after one year. 2. What would the new company do? a) Help people make revenue projections on the Internet. b) Help people sell their products on the Internet. c) Help people find a husband or wife on the Internet. ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? goods The word *“goods,”* in this podcast, means the products or things that people sell: *“What type of goods do you plan to sell at the conference?”* Goods are physical things, like cars or pencils. A *“service”* is something that someone does for you, such as clean your house or fix your car. The words *“goods”* and *“services”* are often used together when talking about things that customers pay for: “The bill included all of the goods and services we received on our tour.” There is an informal phrase, *“to get the goods on (someone),”* which means to find out someone else’s secrets, usually to do something bad to them: “He got the goods on his boss and tried to get more money out of him.” Or, “She got the goods on the criminals and the police were able to arrest them.” target market In this podcast, the phrase *“target market”* refers to the group of people that a business tries to sell to: “The target market for health food is young professionals.” The word *“target”* can be used as a noun to mean a person or thing that has been chosen to be the focus of something, usually an attack: “The thief selected as his target an old man with an expensive car.” As a noun, it can also be used to mean the point or place which someone

#ESL Podcast 195 – At an Amusement Park ##GLOSSARY **amusement park –** a large outdoor area with rides, food, games, and entertainment *How many rides do you plan to go on at the amusement park today? **roller coaster –** a ride at an amusement park where people sit or stand in small cars and the cars go along a thin track moving very fast *This is the fastest and most dangerous roller coaster in the world! **theme park –** an amusement park that is built around one main idea *Both Disneyland and Universal Studios are popular theme parks in the southern California area. **shuttle –** a car, van, or bus that travels regularly between two places, usually a short distance *Since so many of our employees live in that new housing area, the company is thinking providing them with a shuttle to work. **entrance –** an opening, such as a door or a gate, where people enter a place *I walked around the building three times, but I still couldn’t find an entrance. **day pass –** a ticket that allows people to have access to a place or to use services for an entire day *If you plan to be there more than three hours than I think it worth it to buy a day pass. **to get in (for) free –** to enter a place for free that normally charges a fee *If you get to the theater ten minutes before a performance and there aren’t very many people in the audience, you may get in for free. **to stand in line –** to wait with other people by standing one in front of the other *No matter what time you go to get your driver’s license, you’ll need to stand in line for at least an hour. **attraction –** a place or thing that visitors want to see *There are so many attractions in Hong Kong. I think we should stay more than three days on our visit. **sister/brother-in-law –** a woman (sister-in-law) or man (brother-in-law) who is married to your brother or sister *Whenever I go to San Antonio for business, I always stay with my sister and brother-in-law. **Ferris wheel –** a ride at an amusement park; a very large round wheel with people sitting its small cars as it goes around and around *You can see the entire city from the top of the Ferris wheel. **carousel –** a ride with fake horses and other animals that people sit on as it goes around and around; also called a *“merry-go-round”* * The younger kids like to ride the carousel at the park. **concession stand –** a place where you can buy drinks and food; also called a *“refreshment stand”* *When you go to the concession stand, can you get me a hot dog and some candy? **parade –** a celebration with people dressed in special clothing walking along a path, often with music; usually to celebrate a special day or event *This year, our school band is marching in the Independence Day parade. **head of the line –** to be at the beginning of a line; to be the next one to be served *The store was just closing when he finally got to the head of the line. **queasy –** to feel sick in your stomach *Our whole family felt queasy after eating too much at the party. **all in all –** after everything has been thought about; considering the entire situation or event *I wasn’t sure if I would like camping, but all in all, I had a good time. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1.Why did the man in the story go to an amusement park? a) He likes to ride roller coasters and Ferris wheels. b) He wants his brother and sister-in-law’s children to have fun on their visit. c) He likes to feel queasy. 2. Who went on the roller coaster? a) Grace b) Maria c) the entire family ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? to get in (for) free The phrase *“to get in (for) free,”* in this podcast, means to enter a place without paying: “My brother works at that movie theater and he told me that we could get in for free.” Another term we use for getting entry to a place without paying is *“free admission”*: “There was a sign at the store that read: ‘If you buy 10 cans of corn, you can get free admission to a movie.’” A more formal way of describing something that is free is to use the term *“complimentary,”* such as *“complimentary tickets,”* or *“complimentary drinks”* at a bar. An informal way of talking about free things is to use the word *“freebie”*: “I got this hat as a freebie when I went to the opening of that new store.” attraction In this podcast, the word *“attraction”* means places or things that visitors like to see: “One of the most popular attractions in Washington DC is the White House.” *“Attraction,”* as a noun, can also mean a romantic feeling you feel toward someone else: “As soon as I met him at the party, I knew that we had a strong attraction.” There was a popular 1987 American movie called “Fatal Attraction,” where a man has a romantic relationship with a woman who is not his wife. The man tried to stop seeing the woman, but she does not want to stop their relationship, and she does terrible things to him and his family. Now, the phrase *“fatal attraction”* is use to describe a situation where one person wants to end a relationship

#ESL Podcast 194 – An Unwanted Houseguest ##GLOSSARY **to stay with (someone) –** to live in someone’s home for a short time *When you visit California next month, do you want to stay with me? **houseguest –** someone who visits you and sleeps in your home *Omar has some houseguest staying with him right now and he asked me if he could bring them with him to the party. **As (someone) said… –** a phrase used when someone is repeating or saying in another way what they have said before *We have to get there in 15 minutes. As I said, there isn’t enough time to stop for coffee. **guestroom –** a bedroom in your home where visitors sleep *She said that she didn’t want to make her guestroom too comfortable or her guests will never leave. **ever since –** throughout a time period since something happened in the past *He’s been afraid of the water ever since he fell off a boat when he was 8-years- old. **to get along with (someone) –** to be together with someone without having problems or arguing *This time, let’s try to hire an office manager that everyone can get along with. **in the way –** someone or something that gets between you and what you want, or that makes a situation inconvenient *I can’t see the movie because that woman’s hat is in the way. **to hog –** to keep or to use all of something *Stop hogging the cookies and let everybody else have some, too. **pet peeve –** something specific that happens often that bothers you *One of my pet peeves is when people park their cars so that they take up two parking spaces. **slob –** someone who is messy or lazy *I don’t like it when my parents visit me at my apartment because they think I live like a slob. **to overstay (someone’s) welcome –** to stay longer than the other person (usually the person who invited you) wanted you to stay *I’d better go. It’s after 11 and I don’t want to overstay my welcome. **to throw out –** to tell someone to leave *Those guys drank too much and started a fight, and the owner of the bar threw them out. **to move in –** to begin to live somewhere *She plans to move in to her new apartment this weekend and I promised to help her. **to be bowled over –** to be very surprised *The boss was bowled over when all of his employees decided to quit on the same day. **to talk (someone) out of (something) –** to try to change someone’s mind; to try to get someone to change their decision *Adam tried to talk me out of buying this car because he said it wasn’t in good condition, but I had already paid for it. **to make up (one’s) mind –** to make a decision, with no plans to change it *Sometimes it’s so hard to make up my mind about where to take my date for dinner. **free spirit –** someone who doesn’t follow the rules of society; someone who doesn’t like to do what everyone else does *It’s hard to know where she will move next. She’s such a free spirit. **who am I to… –** I should not; I don’t have the right, power, or ability to… *If you want to quit your job, who am I to stop you? ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. The person in the story thinks that: a) Richard is a great roommate. b) he should be a free spirit like Richard. c) Richard has stayed too long. 2. Richard plans to: a) move back to the city where he came from. b) stay in L.A. c) move in with Dr. Jeff McQuillan. ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? in the way The phrase *“in the way”* in this podcast, means to have something between you and what you want: “Robert wants to go out with Diana, but her boyfriend, Fausto, is in the way.” A similar phrase, *“in a way,”* means something very different. It is used to mean something is partly or not completely, and is usually used when trying to compare two things that isn’t usually thought of as being alike: *“In a way, working in a company is like being a part of a family.”* This means that there are similar things about being in a company and in a family, but that they are not exactly the same. This phrase can also be used to mean in a specific manner: “Do you think you can borrow money from him in a way that wouldn’t get him mad?” to make up (someone’s) mind In this podcast, the phrase *“to make up (someone’s) mind”* means to make a decision: *“I wish he would make up his mind about who he’ll hire.”* A similar phrase, *“to make up with (someone),”* means to end a fight or argument with someone: “To make up with Dan, she told him that she was sorry and that she would never break a promise again.” A popular saying, *“to kiss and make up,”* means that you don’t want to fight anymore and that you are suggesting that you both end the argument. For example, “You’ve been angry with me all day. Why don’t we kiss and make up?” ##CULTURE NOTE In the U.S., it is normally up to a *“host,”* or someone who entertains other people, to invite someone to stay in their house. It’s not considered polite to ask if you can stay in someone’s house, unless you are a member of their family or a very close friend. You can *“hint,”* or suggest in an indirect way, that you

#ESL Podcast 193 – Placing a Business Order ##GLOSSARY **to place an order –** to order something, usually in a restaurant or from a business *I called this morning and placed an order for two shirts and a pair of pants. **to order from a catalog –** to order items listed in a book that the company produces *I’m going to order some paper and pens from this catalog. Do you need anything? **item number –** a number that each item has that makes it easy to find *It’s easy to order these on the Internet from that company. All you need are the item numbers. **backorder –** something that has been ordered but is not available yet *The camera I ordered three weeks ago is still on backorder, and it won’t be here in time for my trip. **account –** a record of a person’s or a company’s information and buying and selling in the past *Your account shows that you bought from our company three times last year. **outstanding –** something that hasn’t been done or delivered yet *His came back from the conference two weeks ago but his report is still outstanding. **delivery date –** a date that something should arrive *The delivery date has been pushed back a week because of bad weather. **no later than –** before; by *We start our trip today and we should arrive in Florida no later than Thursday. **to buy in bulk –** to buy a large amount of something; usually at a lower price *My family drinks so much soda that we usually buy it in bulk. **wholesale –** products bought in large amounts, usually to be sold to other people at a higher price *Our store buys these cameras wholesale and resells them to our customers. **to negotiate –** to agree on something after some talking, usually with each side giving to the other side something the other wants *Are those two countries willing to negotiate an agreement to stop the fighting? **price reduction –** discount; the lowering of a price *The car companies are trying price reductions to get people to buy more cars. **net price –** the price after you take away any discounts or costs *Don’t include the price of shipping when figuring out the net price. **requisition –** a written request to ask your own company to approve the buying of something *This department’s requisition for three new printers will need to be approved by the Ms. Lazzo. **purchase order –** written permission from your company that you give to the company you want to buy from that promises that your company will pay; usually used so that your company does not pay immediately, but only after the item is received *Here is the purchase order for the supplies we want to order. **invoice –** a bill showing how much is owed for something that has been ordered *I think this invoice is wrong. The price should be $200 less. **by the end of the day –** before the end of the work day *If I don’t hear from you by the end of the day, I’ll know that you’re not coming with us this weekend. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. How many items are backordered and how many did Jessie order today? a) There are two items on backorder and two items in today’s order. b) There are three items on backorder and two items in today’s order. c) There are no items on backorder and two items in today’s order. 2. Jessie’s company is paying less for one of the items ordered today because a) the item will not be delivered on time. b) the price of the item has gone down. c) Jessie told Rudy that if they did not lower the price, she would not order from his company again. ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? outstanding The word *“outstanding,”* in this podcast, means that something still needs to be done: *“How many of the reports are still outstanding?”* We can also use *“outstanding”* to talk about money that is owed: “I’m sorry but you can’t check out of this hotel until you pay your outstanding bill.” Or, “After we received your check, your account still shows a small outstanding amount.” *“Outstanding”* can also be used to describe someone or something as very, very good: “The food here is really outstanding.” Or, *“She is an outstanding student.”* wholesale In this podcast, the phrase *“wholesale”* means to buy a product from a company in large quantity and at a lower price, usually with the plan to sell it again to someone else at a higher, or *“retail,”* price: “If I can buy these MP3 players at a good wholesale price, I plan to sell them in my store.” The person or company who sells wholesale is called the *“wholesaler.”* *“Wholesale”* can also be used as an adjective to mean to do something on a large scale or to do something completely: “It’s hard to believe the wholesale destruction caused by the storm unless you see it for yourself.” Or, “That company plans to move all of the families out of this neighborhood wholesale so that they can build a shopping mall.” ##CULTURE NOTE Many U.S. companies have two types of people who do work for them: employees and independent contractors. The difference between these two groups is the amount of control the compa

#ESL Podcast 192 – Winning the Lottery ##GLOSSARY **lottery ticket –** a small piece of paper that you buy for a game of luck where you pick numbers and you win if your numbers are the same numbers picked by a machine *Most people believe that the more lottery tickets you buy, the better your chances are of winning. **jackpot –** the large cash prize *All of the newspapers wrote about the winner of the $200 million jackpot. **to imagine –** to suppose; to see in your mind *It’s hard to imagine how different my life would be if I had been born 150 years earlier. **drawing –** the choosing of a winner in a game of luck *Her husband bought six tickets hoping to win the big-screen TV. **o be televised –** to be shown on television *This year’s World Cup games were televised in over 50 countries around the world. **what would you do if… –** a phrase used to ask how someone would react in a situation *What would you do if your daughter had a big party for her entire school at your house while you were out of town? **the first thing I would do –** a phrase used to tell someone what you would do before anything else in a situation *If my house caught fire, the first thing I would do is to get the kids out of the house. **to slave –** to work very hard for little or no money *His computer job has him slaving away for 15 hours a day! **If I were…I would –** a phrase used to tell someone what you would do in a situation *If I were rich, I would go on vacation whenever and wherever I wanted. **I’ve always wanted to… –** a phrase used for something that you have been thinking about doing for a long time but have not yet done *She went mountain climbing in Fance? I’ve always wanted to do that! **It’s never too late to… –** a phrase used to say that there is still time to do something *It’s never too late to learn how to ride a bicycle. **you can’t teach on old dog new tricks –** a phrase meaning you are not too old to change, to do something different, or to learn something new *He was teaching his father how to send email, but his father said, “You can’t teach on old dog new tricks.” **retire –** to stop working and to live on money you have saved, usually after many years of work *Many people in the U.S. retire when they are 65 years old. **to suppose –** to guess, usually about something you aren’t sure about *I suppose we’d have to move if he gets a job in another city. **coming out of the woodwork –** something coming from somewhere not obvious or easily seen *When that great job was advertised online, a lot of people came out of the woodwork to apply. **to pester –** to bother or annoy *The neighbors keep pestering us to cut that big tree in our front yard, but I like it just the way it is. **curse –** something that is believe to cause harm or bad luck *Sometimes I think that being tall is a curse because I am always hitting my head against things. **don’t hold your breath –** a phrase used for something that is unlikely to ever happen *Don’t hold your breath if you think I’m going to do your work for you over the weekend. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. What would Daniela do if she wins the lottery? a) Travel. b) Tell all her friends and family about the money. c) Quit her job. 2. If Boris were younger and he won the lottery, he would: a) Lean to fly a plane. b) Buy a new house. c) Give away the money. ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? drawing The word *“drawing,”* in this podcast, is used as a noun to mean the choosing of a winner in a game of luck, like the lottery: “I’m sure I’m going to win the big prize in tomorrow’s drawing.” It can also be used as a verb, *“to draw,”* to mean to pick: *“He was hoping to draw the number 8, but he got the number 6 instead.”* The most common use of the word *“drawing,”* though, is to mean a picture that you someone makes: *“Her drawings are always colorful.”* And, *“to draw,”* in this case, means to make a picture: “It’s difficult to draw good pictures of people because their eyes and mouth move often and quickly.” retires In this podcast, the word *“retire”* means to stop working: “The president of the company held a big meeting to announce that she would retire at the end of the month.” This is the way the word is generally used. But the word can mean something else. *“To retire”* is a formal way to say to go to bed or to go to sleep: *“I retired at 2 a.m. last night, right after the last party guest left.”* We can also retire things, or stop using them because they have a special meaning, usually in sports: “When Joe DiMaggio retired from baseball, they retired his number and no player for the Yankees will ever have the number 5 again.” ##CULTURE NOTE In the United States, lotteries are run by the states. For example, in California, you can buy a lottery ticket for the California Super Lotto. There are also lotteries formed by several states together. These are called *“interstate,”* or more than one state, lotteries and they have very big jackpots. The more popular ones are the Tri-

#ESL Podcast 191 – Changing Money ##GLOSSARY **to have everything –** to have all of the things one needs; to be fully prepared *Do you have everything you need for school today? **to change money –** to give one type of money to get another type of money *After I arrive in Japan, I’ll need to change some money from U.S. dollars to yen. **to recommend –** to suggest; to advise *The website recommends that travelers use the bus for getting around the city. **exchange rate –** the amount of one type of money that will have to same value as another type of money *The exchange rate isn’t very good today, so I will get fewer British pounds for my U.S. dollars. **fee –** an amount of money that must be paid for a service *Aside from tuition, students must pay fees to be a student at the university. **branch –** one office that is not the main office in a larger group of offices *My bank has several branches in my city. It's very convenient. **to exchange –** to give something in order to receive something of the same, or nearly the same, value *I bought this shirt for my brother but it doesn’t fit him. Can I exchange it for another size? **currency –** money used in a country *Do you know what currency India uses? **How much is (something) worth? –** What is the value of something?; What is the cost of something? *This is a very old car. If I decide to sell it, how much do you think it’s worth? **one...to –** used when talking about exchange rates to describe how much one unit of money is worth in another unit of money *When I traveled to Thailand, the exchange rate was one dollar to 38 baht. **large/small bills –** in money, large bills have greater value (such as $50 and $100 bills) and small bills have less value (such as $5 and $1 bills) *The store would not accept any large bills and I didn’t have any small bills on me. **mix –** a combination of different things *Usually in a bag of candy, there is a mix of different colors like red, yellow, and green. **change –** coins; money with the same or smaller value than the U.S. one dollar bill *She wanted to buy a soda from the vending machine, but she didn’t have any change. **please sign here –** a polite request for someone's signature in a certain place *Please sign here on this line and put today’s date next to it. **$20's, $10's, $5's, $1's –** pronounced *“twenties, tens, fives, ones”*; a way of referring to types of U.S. paper money when there is more than one of each bill *The man who robbed the store took all of the $20’s and $10’s out of the cash register, but he left the $5’s and $1’s. **quarters, dimes, nickels –** types of U.S. coins; a quarter = 25 cents, a dime = 10 cents, a nickel = equals 5 cents *I can’t believe it! That woman paid for all of her groceries in quarters, dimes, and nickels. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. Why does Sandra want to change her money? a) She wants U.S. dollars instead of euros. b) She wants euros instead of U.S. dollars. c) She wants to go to the bank. 2. How much money does Sandra want to get? a) .8 euros b) 400 euros c) 500 U.S. dollars ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? mix The word *“mix,”* in this podcast, means a combination of different things or types of things: *“There was a mix of men and woman at the meeting.”* The word *“mix”* is used often in cooking. The verb *“mix”* means to combine different *“ingredients,”* or things that can be put together to make a type of food. If you are making a cake, for example, you may *“mix eggs and water.”* The noun *“mix”* is used to describe something you can buy at the store with some of the ingredients already put together but that isn’t already cooked: “Instead of buying all of the ingredients to make cookies, it’s easier to just buy the mix.” The phrase “to mix it up” is often used to mean to add something new or different to something else, such as music: *“I’m tired of dancing to these slow songs. Let’s mix it up.”* Or, “This band mixed it up on their latest CD by adding electric guitar to classical music.” change In this podcast, the word *“change”* means money in the form of coins. “I have too much change in my pocket.” The verb *“to change”* can also be used to describe turning one thing into something else: “I changed my mind, I want the blue car instead of the white one.” or *“Could you change this to another radio station?”* It can also be used to describe when you take off some clothing to put on other clothing: *“I need to change my clothes before I start exercising.”* ##CULTURE NOTE The *“federal,”* or national, government in the U.S. tries to prevent people from *“counterfeiting,”* or making fake money. Counterfeiting is a serious crime. However, because people still try to make fake money, the government does several things to try to make it more difficult for people to counterfeit and also for people to *“detect,”* or identify, fake money when it is used. One thing the U.S. government has done is to print money using special paper and *“ink,”* or the color liquid us

#ESL Podcast 190 – Taking a Phone Message ##GLOSSARY **Could I speak to…? –** a way to ask if someone is free or available to talk, usually used on the phone *I called the store and asked if I could speak to the manager, but they told me that he just left the building for lunch. **Can I take a message? –** an offer to pass on information from one person to another *Julia wasn’t home and her sister asked me, *“Can I take a message?”* **Do you know when (someone) will be back? –** a way to ask when someone will be returning *Five minutes after Jack got on the plane, Sasha turned to me and asked, “Do you know when he’ll be back?” **Is (a person’s name) there? –** a way to ask if someone is free or available, usually on the phone *I asked, *“Is Helene there?”* and her mom replied, *“No, she went to the store.”* **to leave a message –** to leave information for someone *The battery on Jean-Paul’s phone ran out before he got a chance to leave a message for Kevin. **ask him to call me back –** what you say when you want someone to call you back, instead of you calling them again *Please ask Monica to call me back, since I have no idea when she’ll get home from her trip. **I’d better… –** what someone says when they feel responsible for doing something or think that taking an action is the right thing to do *I’d better clean the house tonight since people are coming over for the party tomorrow. **receiver –** the part of the phone that you put your ear and mouth against to listen and talk to the other person *She picked up the receiver but there was no one on the other end. **Is this (a person’s name)? –** a way to ask if someone you’re talking to is the person you believe they are; a way to ask for the person you want to speak to on the phone *Janis wasn’t sure if he called the right number so he asked, *“Is this Bob?”* **to get a hold of –** to reach; to make contact with *I’m trying to get a hold of Mimi before she goes on vacation Friday, but she’s been in and out of meetings all week. **to give it out –** to let other people have something or to know some information that you have *He knew the answer to the hardest question on the test and didn’t want to give it out to the rest of the class. **tell you what –** a way to suggest or offer an answer to a problem *I was thinking that the sweater cost too much when the salesperson said, “I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you an extra 20 percent off the price.” **Why don’t (someone)… –** a phrase used to give a suggestion or a solution to a problem *Her car wouldn’t start so I said, *“Why don’t we take my car instead?”* **to hang up –** to put down the telephone’s receiver to end a conversation *She told her boyfriend that she had to hang up when she saw her boss come in to the store. **to take the phone off the hook –** to remove the part of the phone that you talk and listen with (the receiver), from the main part of the phone so that no one will be able to call *He didn’t feel like talking to anyone that night so he took the phone off the hook. **to have had enough –** to lose patience; to no longer be willing to tolerate something *She had had enough of his careless spending of their family savings. **answering service –** a company that answers calls and takes messages for people *She decided to use an answering service so that she wouldn’t miss any important calls while traveling on business. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. What are Paolo’s plans for the evening? a) to call his friend Evelyn and to have a nice long talk b) to spend a quiet evening at home c) to go see a movie with his roommate Tony 2. Which woman does not leave a message for Tony? a) Evelyn b) Pam c) Susan ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? to get a hold of The phrase *“to get a hold of,”* in this podcast, means to be able to make contact with someone, often someone who you have had difficulty reaching: “She works all the time so it is hard to get a hold of her.” People may use this phrase when they’ve tried to call someone more than once but are not able to talk to him or her at all. In this case, the phrase is used to talk about people. But it can be used to talk about a thing. *“To get a hold of (something)”* means to get something that is difficult to find: “The concert was sold out, but Jaime was able to get a hold of two tickets.” Or, “Do you think you can get a hold of a car large enough to carry this sofa?” to hang up In this podcast, the phrase *“to hang up”* means to put down the telephone’s receiver to end a conversation: “I couldn’t hear him very well so I hung up the phone and waited for him to call back.” This is a common way to use the phrase, but it is also common to use it to mean something completely different. “To be hung up” is a phrase that means to be delayed because of something or someone else: *“I was hung up at work and couldn’t make it in time for dinner.”* Or, *“I was hung up in traffic for two hours!”* The same phrase can also mean to have your mind set on or focused on something:

#ESL Podcast 189 – Getting Home Late from School ##GLOSSARY **to lose track of time –** to forget to pay attention to the time *He lost track of time at the library and was late for his doctor's appointment. **to be worried sick –** to be very worried or concerned *I was worried sick when my younger sister had a high fever. **supposed to –** to be expected to do something; to have the responsibility to do something *My friend was supposed to give me a ride to work, but she called and said her car broke down. **straight –** directly, without stopping anywhere else *When you arrive at the airport, be sure to go straight to the hotel where someone will be waiting to take you to the meeting. **locker –** a small storage space with a lock; usually found in schools, workplaces, and gyms *The gym has lockers where I can store my wallet and clothes while I’m working out. **to break out –** to happen suddenly *The people at the soccer match broke out into a cheer when he scored a goal. **hallway –** the walkways in a building; the area where you walk from room to room *There are so many boxes in the hallway that it’s difficult to get into her office. **vice principal –** the second highest official in a school, after the principal *The vice principal is talking to those two students who went to see a movie today instead of going to class. **to break (something) up –** to end an event or action *My brothers were having an argument, but luckily, my mother broke it up. **excuse –** a reason given for doing something wrong, usually to try to lessen the blame *Teachers hear a lot of excuses from students who don’t do their homework. **(someone) is trouble –** someone who often causes problems or gets into trouble *I don't like that boy. Stay away from him. I think he's trouble. **to hang around with –** to spend time with; to be friends with *Do you want to come over after school and hang around with my friends? **curfew –** a specific time when people are required to return home; usually a time parents set for their children to come home at night *Now that I’m older, can we change my curfew from 9 o’clock to 11? **just wait until –** an expression that suggests that someone else is going to have a big reaction; usually it is used when someone will be very angry or very happy *Just wait until she get home and finds out you’ve had a party for 100 people in her house! **to be grounded –** to be punished by having restrictions placed on free time; usually this means that a child must stay in his or her room, cannot talk on the phone, and may not spend time with friends outside of school *After my parents saw the grade I got in math class, they grounded me for two weeks. **that's not fair –** an expression used to claim that someone is being treated more poorly than others; often used by children and teenagers *My friends get to see the late movie, but I can't. That's not fair! **strict –** to have many rules and to strongly enforce them *Benny's parents aren't strict at all. He does whatever he wants. **won't have –** will not accept or approve of *Gina has been late for work every day this week. I won’t have it. **to talk back to –** to argue or complain to someone in authority *Melissa was fired from work because she talked back to the boss. **go to your room –** an order to wait in one's room; usually used when a child is being punished for misbehaving. *This isn't a good time to talk about this. Go to your room! ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. Why was Caitlin late? a) She was listening to podcasts with her friends. b) She was hanging out with Dan. c) There was a fight at school. 2. Why is Caitlin's father angry? a) Caitlin wants to change her curfew. b) Caitlin was hanging out with Janet’s parents. c) Caitlin was talking back to him. ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? to be grounded The word *“grounded,”* in this podcast, means a punishment given to children who has misbehaved, usually not allowing them to do what they like during their free time: “Dina's parents grounded her when they found out she had driven the car without permission.” *“Grounded”* can also be used as an adjective to describe an airplane that is not allowed to fly. “All of the planes at the airport are grounded because of the big storm.” *“Grounded”* can also be used to describe a person who is sensible and well-balanced: “Even though her father is a rock star, she is very grounded.” Or, “People who are grounded don’t usually go crazy when something bad happens to them.” *“To ground”* is also the past tense of the verb *“to grind,”* which means to break a large thing into smaller pieces by pressing against it many times, like *“grinding pepper”* or *“grinding coffee beans.”* broke out In this podcast, the phrase *“broke out”* describes something that happens suddenly: “An argument broke out between those two drivers when they almost hit each other on the road.” The event is usually something negative. “To break out” can also mean to separate someone from a group

#ESL Podcast 188 – Correcting Misunderstandings at Work ##GLOSSARY **counterpart –** a person who does the same job as you do, but in a different organization or different part of the same organization *Do you know who your counterpart is in the Washington DC office? **corporate structure –** company organization *Looking at the corporate structure at this company, it’s clear that the managers are responsible for each office’s salespeople. **to report directly to –** to have as your immediate boss; to be responsible to with no one in between *My manager won’t listen to my ideas. I wish I could report directly to the president. **CEO –** chief executive officer; a manager who is usually has the most power and responsibility in a company and is in charge of the money and planning for the whole company *The new CEO is planning to make some big changes to how we do business. **that’s not quite right –** a very polite way to say that someone is wrong or that they have misunderstood *When I saw the plan for the new garden, I told them, “That’s not quit right. There should be more trees on this side.” **local –** something that belongs to or relates to an area or neighborhood *There are a lot of local musicians who would be interested in playing at our event. **regional –** something that belongs to or relates to a region, usually including more than one smaller area *Now that she’s won the local contest, she’ll compete at the regional level. **to supervise –** to watch and tell others how to do work *Can you supervise the workers at this location and make sure that the job is done right? **COO –** chief operating officer; a manager who is in charge of the day-to-day activities in a company *The employees are unhappy about how the office is being run and wants to have a meeting with the COO. **oversight –** management or supervision *How will you have oversight of your project if you move to the Berlin office? **that’s not what I meant –** a polite way of saying that someone is wrong or have misunderstood, but more direct than *“that’s not quite right”* *- You don’t like my present? - That’s not what I meant. When I said that I don’t usually wear this color, I meant that I’m glad to try this new color. **we were actually thinking… –** a polite way to begin to correct someone who has just said what they believe you mean, but are incorrect *If you want, we could come back here after dinner, but we were actually thinking of going dancing. **to free up –** to release from responsibility; to create free time *My schedule is really busy this week, but I can free up some time next week if you want to get together for a meeting. **to attract –** to get someone’s interest; to get others to like something/someone *Do you think the new TV shows on that channel will attract new viewers? **that’s not it –** a direct way of saying that someone is wrong or have misunderstood *You think that I don’t want to go with you to visit your parents, but that’s not it. I just don’t have time right now to take a trip. **what I’m trying to say is… –** a phrase that tells the listener that you are going to say something (again), but in a different way, because the listener has misunderstood; used also when you have difficulty saying something *What I’m trying to say is that no matter what you decide, I’m still going to move to Detroit. **to have (one’s) wires crossed –** to have a miscommunication; to not understand each other *I think we had our wires crossed when we talked on the phone last week. **that’s fine with me –** that’s okay; I agree *If you’d prefer to eat at a different restaurant than the I picked, that’s fine with me. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. Dean says that the reason for the new plan is that a) the company needs a better chief executive office. b) the company is getting too big for the old corporate structure. c) the local managers are not doing their jobs 2. Dean and Rory decide to a) go ahead with the plan. b) ask the CEO and COO for their opinion of the plan. c) talk about it again next week. ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? oversight The word *“oversight,”* in this podcast, is a noun that means to supervise or manage something: “The reason we’re over budget is because there wasn’t enough oversight on how the money should be spent.” *“Oversight”* can also mean to forget to do something because you weren’t paying attention: “It was an oversight that he was the only who wasn’t invited to the event.” Or, “Because of an oversight, the work on this car has to stop while we wait for the parts to be ordered.” to free up In this podcast, the phrase *“to free up”* means to no longer have responsibility for something, often related to having more time for something else: “Do you think you can free up a few days to go with me on vacation?” You will also hear another phrase, *“to be free of (something)”* that means something very different. *“To be free of (something)”* means to get away from the responsibility or power of something or s

#ESL Podcast 187 – Enjoying the Outdoors ##GLOSSARY **time of year –** a season in a year; a specific time of the year such as Christmas or summertime *Winter is the time of the year to wear sweaters and coats. **outdoors –** outside *We had lunch outdoors because the weather was so nice. **anything from…to… –** used to give a range of things, often to show a large variety *I was willing to work all sorts of jobs as a teenager, anything from washing cars to painting houses. **hiking –** a long walk, usually through places with a lot of plants and dirt like parks with hills and mountains *We are planning to go hiking through the hills of Yosemite National Park this summer. **beach –** a sandy area right next to a large amount of water such as a lake or ocean *Everyone I know goes to the beach on summer vacation because it’s always cooler near the water. **fresh air –** to be outside *Lunchtime is always a good opportunity for some fresh air. ** to take full advantage –** to use as much as possible or every way possible *Taking full advantage of my time off from work, I got up late every morning for an entire week. **sunscreen –** a cream or lotion used to block the harmful parts of the sun’s light *Many people use sunscreen to protect themselves from skin cancer. **sunburn –** when your skin in red and painful because you have been in the sun too long *She fell asleep for two hours at the beach yesterday and got a bad sunburn. **beach umbrella –** a large umbrella people use at the beach for shade so that they’re not always in the sun *He thought it was too hot and decided to stay under the beach umbrella most of the afternoon. **beach chairs –** short, folding chairs that people use at the beach *I reminded everyone to bring beach chairs so that we wouldn’t have to sit on the hot sand. **volleyball –** a sport with a net high above the ground and two to four people on each side, where a ball is hit back and forth over the net and each side tries not to allow the ball to hit the ground *She is a really good volleyball player. Does she want to join our team? **to swim –** to move through water by moving parts of the body like arms and legs *I learned how to swim when I was five, and since then, I have always liked swimming in a pool or in the ocean. **to lounge –** to rest in a relaxed position *After a very busy day at work, he went home and lounged in front of the TV until bedtime. **sand –** very small and smooth pieces of rock that is seen on beaches and in deserts *I like going to the beach, but I don’t like getting sand all over my clothes and things. **insect repellant –** a cream or lotion to prevent a person from being bitten by insects or other little bugs *She made sure to bring a bottle of insect repellant so that she wouldn’t get so many mosquito bites in the park. **mosquito bites –** little, red, itchy bumps that people get from small insects that land on and cut the skin to suck tiny amounts of blood *The mosquito bites he got last weekend from camping had him scratching his arms and legs all week long. **trail –** a thin strip or piece of road for walking, usually away from main roads and busy highways *The trail took us from one side of the campsite to another. **to get in the way –** to have something that prevents someone from doing something *People talking on cell phones in theatres get in the way of me enjoying a good show. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. The people on the beach did not: a) set up beach chairs and play volleyball. b) go for a swim in the ocean and lounge around on the sand. c) finish some work they brought from the office. 2. What did the person in the story get at the store before going hiking? a) sunscreen so that he wouldn’t get a sunburn b) a volleyball to play volleyball c) insect repellant so that he wouldn’t get bitten by mosquitoes ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? fresh air The phrase *“fresh air,”* in this podcast, means the outdoors or the outside, usually of a building: “He watched T.V. until his mom told him to go outside and get some fresh air.” This means that he was inside, and his mother telling him to get some fresh air is a way of telling him to go outside. *“Fresh air”* can also be used to describe something new, or something different. You can describe something as a *“breath of fresh air,”* which means it is new and different: “He didn’t like his old boss, so getting a new job is like a breath of fresh air.” Or, “Moving to Atlanta after living in New York City for 10 years was a breath of fresh air.” trail In this podcast, the word *“trail”* is a noun which means a thin piece of road meant for walking or bicycling, away from majors roads and highways: “I like taking the bike trail because cars are not allowed on it.” *“Trail”* also has another meaning. A *“trail”* can mean traces or tracks, like footprints or pieces of information that can lead to a person or thing: “The police found a trail of evidence against the criminal.” Or, “I lost my dog, but by follow

#ESL Podcast 186 – Dating a Younger Man or Woman ##GLOSSARY **just now –** shortly before now, before this moment *I received your email just now, and I wanted to reply while I am still at the computer. **used to –** in the past, but not now *I used to play the piano when I was younger, but I don't anymore. **the scoop –** news; information that other’s don’t know yet *What's the scoop on the new teacher they hired? **type –** sort of personality or person *She is the quiet type, so she didn’t say much at the party. **nowadays –** these days; currently *Nowadays, people don't watch video cassettes very much in the U.S. **to rob the cradle –** (slang) an expression used to describe a romantic relationship between an older person and a younger person; emphasis on the younger person’s age *His new girlfriend just graduated from high school! That’s definitely robbing the cradle. **May-December romances –** (slang) an expression used to describe a relationship between an older person and a younger person; emphasis on the older person's age *People usually have strong opinions on May-December romances because of the age difference. **to have things in common –** to have similar interests, hobbies, or beliefs between two people *My husband and I have many things in common. We like the same kinds of music and movies. **age difference –** the number of years between one person's age and another person's age *The age difference between my mother and father is only four years. **to approve of –** to agree with something, usually by someone older or someone in a position of power or rule *I don't approve of my best friend dating my younger sister. **hypocrite –** someone who says one thing and does the opposite *Cindy gets angry if I’m late meeting her, but she's never gets to class on time. What a hypocrite! **to be divorced –** to have legally ended a marriage *My parents divorced when I was very young and I don’t remember them ever being married. **step-mother –** a woman who becomes a mother by marriage to a man who already has children *Our new step-mother is trying very hard to get us to like her. **don't mind saying –** it does not bother me to say *I don't mind saying that I’m not looking forward to taking this business trip with Jim. He isn’t very reliable. **double standard –** a rule that applies to one group or person, but not another; often used when talking about men and women *It’s a double standard that women are judged much more by their looks than men. **you may be right, but… –** to say someone may be correct, but that their opinion is not the only one possible or is not one that you agree with *You may be right about today's weather, but I'll take an umbrella with me in case it rains. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. Helen and Tadashi a) agree that May-December romances are not usually a good idea b) know that Diane usually dates men who are younger than she is c) disagree about Diane’s relationship with a younger man 2. After his parents' divorce, which of Tadashi's parents remarried? a) mother b) father c) step-mother ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? type The word *“type,”* in this podcast, means a kind of person or personality: “My girlfriend is the talkative type,” which means she likes to talk a lot. Or, “She isn’t his type. She likes the artistic type.” *“Type”* can also be used to mean a sort of thing in general, such as *“type of food”* or *“type of music”*: “What type of plants do you think we should put in the backyard?” Or, “We had all types of people at the meeting.” The verb *“to type”* can be used to mean to write with a keyboard on a computer or typewriter, when you hit the keys to form words or letters: “I can type very quickly when I am writing emails to my friends.” used to In this podcast, the phrase *“used to”* means that you did something in the past that you no longer do: “I used to shower in the morning everyday, but now I shower in the evenings.” Another similar phrase, *“to get used to,”* means to make something a habit or to accept something as normal: “My new neighbors like to practice singing, so I had to get used to the noise.” Or, “I’ve lived in Maine for three years but I can’t get used to the cold weather.” ##CULTURE NOTE In the U.S., a typical first date is to go for a meal, to the movies, to an event such as a concert or a sporting event. Everyone wants to make a good “first impression” or the first opinion other people have of you. In fact, there is a famous saying: *“You never get a second chance to make a first impression,”* which means that you won’t have another opportunity to influence how the other person first sees you. Here is some advice to make a first date a success. First, try to keep the conversation going by asking your date polite questions that are not too personal, such as, *“So, how was your day?”* and “Did you see that TV show the other night?” Don’t talk about yourself too much. It’s common to ask about the other person’s job (*“What kinds of things do you

#ESL Podcast 185 – Ways to Pay ##GLOSSARY **to ringing (someone) up –** to complete a purchase in a store by having the clerk add up and to provide a total purchase price for payment *I’d like all three of these pens. Can you right me up? **Your total comes to… –** what a sales clerk says to a customer to tell them the total purchase price * This one is $12 and this one is $43. Your total comes to $55. **credit card –** a small plastic card from a bank or business that allows someone to buy now and pay later *I better not bring my credit card with me to the sale, or I may spend too much. **Visa/MasterCard/American Express –** three major types of credit cards in the U.S. *Do you think they will accept Visa, MasterCard, or American Express? **to be declined –** when the bank or business does not allow someone to continue using their credit card, usually because that person has not paid their bill or they are over the limit of what they are allowed to spend *I was so embarrassed when my credit card was declined at the restaurant. **I can’t imagine why –** I don’t understand why; it’s not possible; usually said when a person is surprised about something *I can’t imagine why she would want to get a job instead of finishing school. **overdrawn –** when a person has tried to spend more money than is available in their account *We received a notice from the bank that our account was overdrawn last month. **debit card –** a small plastic card that allows a person to pay for items by taking money out of their bank account electronically *I have enough money in my bank account so I’ll use my debit card to pay for this. **cash –** money in coins and paper bills *I don’t like carrying a lot of cash when I’m on vacation. **personal check –** a check that takes money from a person’s own individual bank account; (a check is a piece of paper with the signature of the person who holds the account for an amount of money; used for payment) *This store takes credit cards but it doesn’t take personal checks. **bank error –** a mistake made by the bank *Due to a bank error, my account had $200 more than it should! **fee –** money paid as part of a service *I can’t believe how much the phone bill is with all of these new government fees. **to charge –** to require payment or fee *When I brought my books back to the library, the clerk told me they were one day late and charged me a small fee. **checkbook –** a book of checks that have not yet been written *Let me get my checkbook and I’ll write you a check for the total amount. **to hold –** to reserve; to keep so no other customers can buy it *Would it be possible for you to hold this dress for me until Wednesday? **ATM –** stands for *“Automatic Teller Machine”*; a machine that can give bank services, such as automatically giving you cash from your account *I really needed cash. I drove up and down this street, but I couldn’t find an ATM. **to come right back –** to return immediately *He came right back to the dinner table after making a phone call in the kitchen. **end of the day –** the closing time for business *Even though the deadline was yesterday, we still had not received the order by the end of the day. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. When Peter returns to the store, he’ll pay by a) writing a check. b) using another credit card. c) using cash. 2. Peter thinks that his credit cards were declined because a) the bank made a mistake. b) the bank doesn’t like him. c) he used the ATM. ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? to be declined The phrase *“to be declined,”* in this podcast, means that a bank or company no longer allows a person to use their credit card: “His credit card was declined because he hasn’t paid the bill for two months.” The verb, *“to decline,”* means to politely refuse, to say *“no.”* We often use it with invitations: “He had to decline the invitation to the dinner party because he was going out of town.” Or, “She declined our invitation to become a partner in the company.” *“To decline”* can also mean to get worse slowly over time: “After a certain age, your general health might decline.” Or, “It was after she had children that her interest in playing music started to decline.” right In this podcast, the phrase *“to come right back”* means to return immediately, usually returning after completing something else. The word, *“right,”* can be used generally to mean immediately: “Right after I finish my dinner, I’m going to the movies.” Another way that the word *“right”* is used is at the end of a sentence to informally ask the other person to agree with us or confirm that the information is correct: *“I’ll finish this report and you’ll deliver it, right?”* Or, “There will be people here for the meeting, right?” ##CULTURE NOTE Many businesses in the U.S. accept credit cards. The two most popular types are Visa and MasterCard, but many individual stores will have their own credit card. For example, a department store or electronic store may have their own credit card tha

#ESL Podcast 184 – Running a Meeting ##GLOSSARY **please be seated –** please sit down; a polite and formal expression *When she came into my office for her interview, I said, *“Please be seated.”* **please join me in… –** used to introduce someone to a group, or an invitation for a group to do something together with the person speaking to them *Please join me in congratulating these three students for winning the prize for the best project in the school. **I’m afraid that... –** I’m sorry that; used to tell someone bad news in a polite way *He was here this morning, but I’m afraid that left before you arrived. **can’t be with us –** are unable to join us or unable to be present here *I’m not sure if we should move ahead if Tam can’t be with us today. **I’m pleased to welcome –** used to introduce someone to a group of people *I’m pleased to welcome Ms. Sharon Lombardi, who is joining our company. **representatives –** people who work for a company who have the power to speak for their company with others *The representatives from Chile plan to vote for this proposal. **joint venture –** when two companies or groups work together on a project *Will there ever be a joint venture between Apple and Microsoft? **agenda –** a list of things that a group will talk about or discuss in a meeting *The meeting began with the speaker telling us about his agenda for the meeting. **if there are no objections –** used when you are talking to a group and wish to ask if it is okay with everyone to do something; sometimes used to ask if anyone has any more comments before going on to another topic in a meeting *I will start the meeting by giving a summary of our last meeting, if there are no objections. **in order –** in the correct sequence, one thing following after another *The children came up to the front of the class in order, beginning with the youngest. **to take care of –** to handle; to be responsible for *Do you think Jaime can take care of all of the arrangements by himself? **why don't we move on to... –** used at a meeting to stop discussion on one topic and go to a new topic *Now that we’re done with old business, why don’t we move on to the new items. **to hand it over to –** to give the opportunity to speak to another person in a meeting; to have someone else talk to the group, often as the leader *After I give my introduction, I will hand it over to Damien, who will continue with the meeting. **to take (someone) through (something) –** to explain something to someone; to go through all of the details of something with someone *I don’t really understand this contract. Can you take me through it? **if there are no other issues –** if there are no additional topics or questions *We can end this meeting after lunch, if there are no other issues we need to discuss. **Our next meeting will be… –** used to set up or establish a time for the next meeting *Does anyone know when our next meeting will be? **before we end today –** used right before you are about to end a meeting, usually before the last topic to be discussed; can also mean simply before the meeting ends or finishes *We want everyone to complete their forms before we end today. **productive –** getting a lot of things done in a short amount of time *I’m more productive at work after a good night’s sleep. ##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. Who is attending today’s meeting? a) a representative from Garland Corporation b) a representative from Manatect c) a representative from Liviman 2. The meeting begins with a) Olivia taking everyone through the report b) a discussion of the first item on the agenda c) setting a date for the next meeting ##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? please join me in The phrase *“please join me in,”* in this podcast, is used to introduce someone to a group: *“Please join me in welcoming the president of Mexico.”* The phrase, *“join me,”* can be used in many situations. For example, if you are eating lunch at a restaurant and one of your friends walk in and you want him to eat with you, you can say, *“Join me.”* Or, *“Join me for lunch.”* This is a friendly way of inviting them to sit down and eat with you. We can use this for other types of invitations, such as in this situation, which is a little more formal: “Do you want to join me for a walk around the park?” Informally, you can say, “Do you want to come with me for a walk around the park?” to hand it over In this podcast, the phrase *“to hand it over”* means to allow someone else the chance to speak to a group. We also use this phrase when you are asking someone to give you something: *“You have my pen. Hand it over!”* This use of the phrase is usually for people who have taken something from you that you are demanding back from them. It would not be used in a formal setting, because it is not considered a very polite way to ask for something. A polite way of asking for something to be returned to you would be, “Would you mind returning to me…” or *“Could I get this back from you when you