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

ESL Podcast 223 – A Mistake in the Hotel Bill

#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 their ownhotel rating systems to evaluate hotels. These rating systems give each hotelfrom one to five stars, depending on the quality of the hotel.Most of these rating systems evaluate hotels based on their service, *“decor”*(decoration), comfort, *“facilities”* (buildings and rooms designed for a specialpurpose, such as meeting rooms), safety, and location. The highest rating – fivestars – is used for the best hotels. The lowest rating, one star, is used for theworst hotels. These ratings are *“published”* (put into writing) on websites and intourism information *“brochures”* (small books with pictures and information).Most one- and two-star hotels are called *“budget hotels”* because they aredesigned for travelers who don’t have very much money. Budget hotels areinexpensive, but they offer only the most basic services. In contrast, most four-and five-star hotels are called *“executive hotels,”* because they are designed for*“executives”* (business leaders) who need to travel for their work. Executivehotels can be very expensive, but they offer many services and facilities forbusiness professionals. Common facilities in executive hotels include swimmingpools, exercise centers, beauty salons, conference rooms (for meetings),business centers with Internet access, and nice restaurants.Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – c##COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to number 223: A Mistake inthe Hotel Bill.This is episode 223. I'm your host, Dr.Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.Visit our website at eslpod.com and download the eight to ten page LearningGuide for this episode. You can find all of the vocabulary, definitions, additionaldefinitions, culture notes and a complete transcript of this episode. Remember, ifyou have a question or comment about ESL Podcast, you can email us ateslpod@eslpod.com.This episode is called, *“A Mistake in the Hotel Bill.”* Let's get started.[start of story]Hotel clerk: Here’s the bill for your four-night stay. Would you like the incidentalscharged to your credit card?May: Incidentals? I think there’s some mistake. I didn’t order any pay-per-viewmovies and I never ordered room service. And, I didn’t have any spa services,either.Hotel clerk: Are you sure? We show three movies and two room service orders.May: I’m positive. Could I speak to a supervisor, please?Hotel clerk: He’s not on duty right now, but let me see if I can resolve this foryou. How many of these charges were made in error?May: All of them. Is it possible that my bill was switched with another room’s?As I said, I didn’t order any movies, I haven’t had any room service, and I haven’tvisited the spa since I checked in to the hotel.Hotel clerk: I see. I’ll need to check with each of those departments todetermine whether a mistake has been made.May: How long will this take?Hotel clerk: Not long, I’m sure. If you could take a seat in the lobby...May: I have a plane to catch and I don’t have a lot of time. Is there a generalmanager I can speak to?Hotel clerk: I’m not sure. If you’ll have a seat, I’ll see if I can get Ms. Cardenesfor you.May: Thank you. I’d appreciate it.[end of story]In our dialogue, we heard May and a hotel clerk having a conversation.The hotel clerk says, “Here’s the bill for your four-night stay. Would you like theincidentals charged to your credit card?” The bill is what the person has to pay.A four-night stay, *“stay,”* means that the person slept in the hotel for four nights.You can say a four-night stay, a two-night stay, a one-week stay. Stay, here,means the amount of time you are somewhere or you are visiting somewhere.There are other meanings of that word, stay, and we talk about those in theLearning Guide today.The clerk also asks if the woman, May, would *“like the incidentals charged to”* her*“credit card.”* Incidentals, *“incidentals,”* are extra or additional costs that youhave to pay for. For example, if you stay at an American Hotel and you make aphone call, that might be extra - that might not be included in your overall bill.So, they are going to charge you more money if you make a phone call,especially if you make a long-distance phone call.May says, *“Incidentals? I think there’s some mistake.”* She doesn't think thatshe has any incidental charges or any additional costs that she has to pay. Shethen goes on and says that “I didn’t order any pay-per-view movies and I neverordered room service. And, I didn’t have any spa services, either.” Pay-per-view, which is often hyphenated, *“pay-per-view,”* are movies that you can watchin a hotel room and, in many cities, your own home if you have cable television orsatellite television that you pay extra for. They're not included in the normal priceof, in this case, the hotel room. Normally they charge eight, nine, maybe tendollars a movie in a hotel, so they're not cheap - they're not inexpensive.She says that she didn't watch any of these movies and she “never ordered roomservice.” Room service is food that you would get from the kitchen brought up toyour room. She also says that she didn't go to the spa - she *“didn't have spa,”**“spa,”* *“services.”* And, these are health or beauty treatments - going and gettingyour toenails and fingernails cut, for example, or having a massage. Thesewould be things that you would find at a very fancy or very expensive hotel, andthey would be called spa services or spa services.The hotel clerk questions her, “Are you sure? We show three movies and tworoom service orders.”And May says, *“I’m positive.”* The expression to be positive means that you areabsolutely sure - you have no doubt - you're certain that this is the truth. Maysays, *“I'm positive. Could I speak to a supervisor, please?”* Supervisor would bethe boss or a person at a higher level in the hotel.The hotel clerk says, *“He’s not on duty right now.”* To be on duty, *“duty,”* meansto be working - to be at the hotel, in this case. Well, the hotel clerk says themanager or the supervisor isn't *“on duty, but”* he says, “let me see if I can resolvethis for you.” To resolve, *“resolve,”* means, really, to solve a problem, and that'swhat he's trying to do, to solve this problem - to find a solution for the problem.The clerk then asks May, *“How many of these charges were made in error?”* Inerror means by mistake - someone did something wrong.May says, *“All of the them.”* All of the charges are a mistake - they're in error. “Isit possible,” she asks, *“that my bill was switched with another room's?”* To switchmeans to change, usually when one person or one thing is changed for another,often by accident. She's saying here maybe I have someone else's bill - my billwas switched with someone else's.She continues to go on and say that she *“didn't order any movies”* and she didn'thave *“any room service,”* and she didn't visit the spa during her stay at the hotel.She says, *“I haven't visited the spa since I checked in to the hotel.”* To check inwould mean to register or to sign in. When you first come to the hotel, the firstday you are there, you check in. You get your key; you give them your creditcard and so forth.The hotel clerk says, *“I see”* meaning I understand. “I’ll need to check with eachof those departments to determine whether a mistake has been made.” He'ssaying here that he has to call or talk to the spa and the kitchen for the roomservice and so forth.May says, *“How long will this take?”* How long is this going to be? The hotelclerk says, *“Not long, I’m sure. If you could take a seat in the lobby...”* meaning ifyou want to go sit down and wait in the lobby while I make these phone calls.The lobby, *“lobby,”* is the main part of the hotel - the entrance to the hotel, whereyou can sit and people can wait.The word lobby is one that has several different meanings, take a look at theLearning Guide for today for the other meanings of that word, lobby.May isn't too happy. She says, *“I have a plane to catch,”* meaning I have aairplane that I need to get to - I have to go to the airport so I can get on my plane.“I have a plane to catch and I don’t have a lot of time. Is there a generalmanager I can speak” with? Now she's asking to talk, not just with the hotelclerk's supervisor or boss, but with the main boss of the hotel - the generalmanager.The hotel clerk says, “I’m not sure. If you’ll have a seat, I’ll see if I can get Ms.Cardenes for you.” He's going to see if he can get the hotel manager. May says,*“Thank you. I’d appreciate it.”* I'd appreciate it meaning I would be very thankfulif you could do that. It's a polite thing to say when someone is going to dosomething for you.What we're going to do for you is read this dialogue, this time at a regular, ornormal, speed.[start of story]Hotel clerk: Here’s the bill for your four-night stay. Would you like the incidentalscharged to your credit card?May: Incidentals? I think there’s some mistake. I didn’t order any pay-per-viewmovies and I never ordered room service. And, I didn’t have any spa services,either.Hotel clerk: Are you sure? We show three movies and two room service orders.May: I’m positive. Could I speak to a supervisor, please?Hotel clerk: He’s not on duty right now, but let me see if I can resolve this foryou. How many of these charges were made in error?May: All of them. Is it possible that my bill was switched with another room’s?As I said, I didn’t order any movies, I haven’t had any room service, and I haven’tvisited the spa since I checked in to the hotel.Hotel clerk: I see. I’ll need to check with each of those departments todetermine whether a mistake has been made.May: How long will this take?Hotel clerk: Not long, I’m sure. If you could take a seat in the lobby...May: I have a plane to catch and I don’t have a lot of time. Is there a generalmanager I can speak to?Hotel clerk: I’m not sure. If you’ll have a seat, I’ll see if I can get Ms. Cardenesfor you.May: Thank you. I’d appreciate it.[end of story]The script for this podcast episode was written by Dr. Lucy Tse.From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan. Thanks for listening. We'll seeyou next time on ESL Podcast. is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. This podcast is copyright 2006.

ESL Podcast 222 – Alternative Medicine

#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 part of town again without his parents.” In court, peopleoften say: *“I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth”*before they give evidence in front of a judge. *“To swear”* can also mean topromise that you are telling the truth: “I swear I didn’t know he was planning tosteal the painting from the museum.” *“To swear”* can also mean to use bad orrude words: “Please don’t swear when you are near the children. They are tooyoung to hear those words.”##CULTURE NOTEAccording to the U.S. government, 36% of adults in the United States usealternative medicine. Americans spend more than $27 billion on alternativemedicine each year. Most of these people use alternative medicine to treat painbut others use it to treat colds, *“depression”* (feeling sad without a reason),problems with *“digestion”* (absorbing food after it has been eaten), and sleepingproblems.There are four *“categories”* or types of alternative medicine. The first category,*“mind-body techniques,”* uses the power of thought to treat physical pain orillnesses. For example, relaxing thoughts can lower *“blood pressure”* or howmuch force is used to push blood through your body. The second category,*“biologically-based therapy”* uses *“herbs”* (plants), vitamins, and minerals to treathealth. For example, many herbal teas are used to treat coughs and headaches.The third category, *“body-based therapies,”* uses *“touch”* or physical contact totreat pain. Massages are often used to treat *“sore”* (painful) muscles. Finally,the fourth category, *“energy therapies,”* treats pain and illnesses by changing theenergy that some people believe is in and around the human body.Alternative medicine used to be the enemy of traditional medicine and peoplehad to choose which type of medicine they wanted to use to treat their pain andillnesses. Today, however, many people believe that the best treatment is acombination of alternative and traditional medicine. For example, someone withcancer may speak with a traditional doctor and have traditional *“chemotherapy”*or a set of drugs that destroys cancer in the body, but also have weeklymassages, drink herbal teas, and *“meditate”* or to sit quietly and try to emptyone’s mind to feel more peaceful and to control pain.Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – a##COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to number 222: AlternativeMedicine.This is episode 222. I'm your host, Dr.Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.Remember to visit our website at eslpod.com. You'll find there the LearningGuide for this episode, which contains all of the vocabulary, additional samplesentences using the words we're going to talk about today. It also contains acomplete transcript of this entire episode along with additional explanations andculture notes.Our topic in this episode is alternative medicine. Let's get started.[start of story]I have been suffering from back pain for years. I’ve tried several treatmentsprescribed by my doctor, but nothing has had a lasting effect. I finally decided totry alternative medicine.My friend, Amelia, swore by acupuncture. She said that her knee pain wentaway after only a few weeks of therapy. She was skeptical when she firststarted, but she knew after only a few sessions that it was working for her andthat this was no New Age nonsense. She thought it might work for me, too.My co-worker, Ray, suggested that I try some homeopathic treatments. He saidthat taking herbal supplements that are all natural has helped him recover aftergetting injured on the job a couple of months ago. He took these ascomplementary to the traditional medication his doctor gave him. He said thateven though the herbs he takes haven’t undergone clinical trials, his ownexperience told him that they work.I’m a little nervous about trying these unorthodox treatments, but after hearingabout Amelia’s and Ray’s experiences, I’m willing to give them a try. Nothing hasworked so far, so what do I have to lose?[end of story]This episode is called *“Alternative Medicine.”*The word alternative means different or choosing a different kind of something.Someone may say, *“What are my alternatives,”* meaning what are my choices.Here, alternate medicine means a different kind of medicine. It might also becalled nontraditional medicine.The story begins by me saying that I have suffered “from back pain for years.I’ve tried several treatments prescribed by my doctor.” To prescribe, *“prescribe,”*is to give a patient - a doctor giving a patient some medicine to take. You areprescribed, by your doctor, certain medicines. These are things that the doctorsays you should do. Normally, when we say something is prescribed, or that it isa prescription drug, we mean that you can only get those drugs or those types ofmedicine from a doctor - from a medical doctor, not from an applied linguisticsdoctor. I can't give you any drugs. I can give you something better than drugs:ESLPodcast!The story continues that although I've tried these different medicines, “nothinghas had a lasting effect.” Lasting, *“lasting,”* means permanent or continuing for along time. We sometimes say, *“long-lasting,”* which means the same - somethingthat will be continuing for a long period of time. The word lasting has anothermeaning, and we talk about the other meanings of that word in our LearningGuide for this episode.The story continues by saying that “I finally decided to try alternative medicine.My friend, Amelia, swore by acupuncture.” To swear, *“swear,”* by somethingmeans to trust in something - to believe in something or to rely on something. “Iswear by these pills” - *“I swear by this drug.”* What I'm saying is I believe in it - Ithink it is good - I think it is useful.To swear can also mean to say some vulgar words. I won't do any here on theepisode, but that's one meaning of swear. To swear also means to say that youbelieve in something or to say that something is true, and that's the meaning thatwe're using here.*“My friend, Amelia, swore by”* - swore is the past tense of swear, *“swore”* - she*“swore by acupuncture.”* Acupuncture, *“acupuncture,”* is when the person, whowe would call an acupuncturist, uses little pins - little needles - and sticks them inyour body. This is a nontraditional kind of medicine. I have never hadacupuncture; I don't like needles.The story says that my friend Amelia told me that “her knee pain went away afteronly a few weeks of therapy.” Therapy, *“therapy,”* is a set of things or a kind oftreatment that you have to reduce your pain or to make you feel better. You canhave therapy that is physical; you can have therapy that is using drugs; you canalso have psychological therapy. When somebody says, *“I'm in therapy,”* theymean that they are going to see a psychiatrist or a psychologist to help them feelbetter. Here, the word therapy is used to mean the physical or the drugs that thisparticular patient is getting. In this case, the therapy is acupuncture.My friend says that *“She was skeptical when she first started.”* To be skeptical,*“skeptical,”* means to doubt - to question - to not believe something. “I'mskeptical about men from Mars visiting our planet and building the pyramids ofEgypt” - I don't believe that's true - I find it difficult to believe. Actually, I thinkthey came from Mercury, not Mars!The story goes on that my friend was getting better *“after only a few sessions.”* Asession would be the time that she went into see the acupuncturist - hertreatments. She realized that acupuncture *“was no New Age nonsense.”* NewAge, *“New Age,”* is related to a belief - an idea - almost a religious idea abouthealing and health and spirituality that is used to help make people feel better.It's sort of like an alternative religion versus traditional religion, that's New Age.When we use it in the United States, usually it is a negative term. Someonesays, *“Oh, that's too New Age for me,”* they mean that it is not something thatthey believe in - they're skeptical about it - they think it's nonsense - not true.Now, of course, I'm not saying whether these things are true or not; I'm justpresenting my story here - a story. Actually, not my story; my back doesn't hurt.My shoulder hurts, but not my back.Getting back to the story, “My co-worker, Ray, suggested that I try somehomeopathic treatments.” Homeopathic, *“homeopathic,”* is a kind of medicine,again, an alternative kind of medicine that uses small amounts of something totreat an illness. The belief, I think, is that you don't want a lot of a drug or a lot ofsome chemical or some herb, you want only just a little bit to help treat theperson - to make the person better.*“My co-worker, Ray,”* said that he was “taking herbal supplements that are allnatural.” Herbal, *“herbal,”* notice we don't normally pronounced the *“h.”* It ispossible to say herbal, but most people say herbal. The word herbal comes fromherbs, *“herb,”* or *“herbs,”* (plural) which are plants, and they are plants that youcan make food out of; sometimes they are plants that you make medicine out of.Well, these are plants that you make medicine out of. They're calledsupplements, *“supplements,”* because they're additional. The word supplementmeans to add something additional - in addition to the normal or regulartreatment that you may be receiving for your pain or your injury.So, he's taking these herbal supplements, probably tea or some sort of pill thathe takes. He says that they're *“all natural.”* When we say something is allnatural, we mean that there aren't any man made or human made chemicals - noartificial ingredients. Artificial is the opposite of natural.My friend, or rather, my co-worker, Ray, got “injured on the job a couple ofmonths ago.” To be injured, *“injured,”* just means to be hurt - to have someproblem with some part of your body: your arm, your leg, your knee, and so forth.Ray took these herbal supplements *“as complementary to traditional medication”*that *“his doctor gave him.”* To take something complementarily or ascomplementary means to take it in addition to. When we say somethingcomplements something else, *“complement,”* we mean that it matches - that itgoes with something else. There's also a word complimentary, spelled with an*“i,”* which means to say something nice about someone. These are drugs he'staking in addition to - to complement - his *“traditional medication.”* Medication isanother word for the drugs that he is taking.He says that *“even though the herbs”* have not “undergone clinical trials, hisexperience” tells him that they are working. To undergo means to experience orparticipate in. Clinical trials are scientific tests that medical researchers do,usually, to make sure the drug actually works.I end my story by saying that “I’m a little nervous about trying these unorthodoxtreatments.” Unorthodox, *“unorthodox,”* is the opposite of orthodox, which meanstraditional. So, unorthodox would be nontraditional or alternative kinds oftreatments.*“After hearing about”* my friend's and co-worker's *“experiences,”* I say, “I’m willingto give them a try. Nothing has worked” for me *“so far”* - nothing has helped meso far, *“so what do I have to lose?”* That expression, what do I have to lose,means it can't hurt and it might help.Now let's listen to the story, this time at a normal speed.[start of story]I have been suffering from back pain for years. I’ve tried several treatmentsprescribed by my doctor, but nothing has had a lasting effect. I finally decided totry alternative medicine.My friend, Amelia, swore by acupuncture. She said that her knee pain wentaway after only a few weeks of therapy. She was skeptical when she firststarted, but she knew after only a few sessions that it was working for her andthat this was no New Age nonsense. She thought it might work for me, too.My co-worker, Ray, suggested that I try some homeopathic treatments. He saidthat taking herbal supplements that are all natural has helped him recover aftergetting injured on the job a couple of months ago. He took these ascomplementary to the traditional medication his doctor gave him. He said thateven though the herbs he takes haven’t undergone clinical trials, his ownexperience told him that they work.I’m a little nervous about trying these unorthodox treatments, but after hearingabout Amelia’s and Ray’s experiences, I’m willing to give them a try. Nothing hasworked so far, so what do I have to lose?[end of story]The script for today's podcast was written by Dr. Lucy Tse.Remember to visit our website at eslpod.com, where you can get the transcriptfor the story for free. From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan. Thanksfor listening. We'll see you next time on ESL Podcast. is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. This podcast is copyright 2006.

ESL Podcast 221 – Long-distance Relationships

#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 he killed himself by committing suicide.”##CULTURE NOTERelationships are hard enough and long-distance ones are even more difficult.Not seeing the person you love can be difficult and there are a lot of people whofeel that these types of relationships are *“doomed”* (certain to fail) from the start.Many people believe that the biggest problem is *“jealousy”* or being suspiciousthat the other person is not being faithful or is dating other people. But there areothers who believe that if you put some extra work into it, long-distancerelationships can be successful.Relationship *“experts”* (people who know a lot about a subject) have this adviceabout long-distance relationships:1. Be clear about the *“ground rules.”* Ground rules are basic guidelines abouthow to behave. Talking about what is expected is a good idea, such as howoften to call and when you will visit one another.2. Do something together. Try to do some things together, even though youare far apart, such as watching the same television program. This gives you asimilar experience so that you will have more in common to talk about.3. Don’t fight about small things. It’s easy for small problems to get*“magnified”* or seem more important they really are. Make a decision that youwon’t fight about small problems and that it’s okay to *“agree to disagree,”* whereeach of you has your opinion but you can still get along.4. Accept uncertainty about how you feel. It’s not uncommon that when acouple sees each other again after a long time apart, they feel strange ornervous. You may ask yourself, *“Do I still love her?”* or “Is this relationship stillworthwhile?” These feelings are normal and they will most likely *“pass”* (go awayafter a short time).Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – c##COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to number 221, “LongDistance Relationships.”This is episode 221. I am your host, Dr.Jeff McQuillan. I am coming to you from the Center for Educational Developmentin beautiful Los Angeles, California.Remember to visit our website at eslpod.com and look at the Learning Guide forthis episode. It's a 10-page guide to the podcast that gives you the completetranscript, all the vocabulary, additional vocabulary, cultural notes and a free tripto Hawaii. Okay, well, everything except the free trip to Hawaii, I promise!Today's podcast is called *“Long Distance Relationships.”* Sounds like fun, let'sgo![start of story]I met Diana last year when we were both working in New York City for thesummer. I’m finishing college in California and Diana started her first job inFlorida. Talk about a bicoastal relationship! We spent three great monthstogether and we’ve been trying to maintain a long distance relationship eversince. It’s been really hard and I had a talk about it with my friend, Emily, whojust got out of a relationship like this.Enrique: I’m always worried that for her, it’s out of sight, out of mind.Emily: I know what you mean, but is it that way with you?Enrique: No, not at all. I think about her all the time. It’s not that there aren’ttemptations, but I’m committed to Diana.Emily: Don’t you get the same vibe from her?Enrique: Sometimes I do, but a lot of times I don’t. It’s so easy to get into a fighton the phone. We have misunderstandings all the time or I hurt her feelingswithout realizing it. And plus, I’m still in school and she’s already out working,and it seems like we’re growing apart.Emily: That’s what happened with Theo and me. We grew apart and we hadless and less in common. After a year, we called it quits.Enrique: I hope that’s not what Diana wants. I’ve got to have it out with her. Ifshe wants to end this, then I’ll just have to deal with it.Emily: It’s always better to know where you stand. Let me know how it goes.Enrique: Sure. See you later.[end of story]The topic for this podcast is long distance relationships.A relationship is normally when a man and a woman are romantically interestedin each other. It could be that they are dating, they are not married or it could bethat they are married.This relationship in our story today is a long distance one, meaning that the twopeople do not live close to each other. Sometimes we use this expression if weare talking about people who live in different cities or even different countries.Long distance is a term we also use when we are making telephone calls. If youare calling somewhere outside of the city where you live, we say that is a longdistance call, and it costs more money.Well, this is a long distance relationship between Enrique and Emily. Enriqueand Emily met in New York City. They were working there during this summer,probably working as interns, *“interns.”* An intern is someone who works for acompany for a short time to get experience.It turns out that Enrique is going back to California to finish his college and Dianais starting her first job in different state, in Florida, which is on the other side ofthe country. It is what we would call a bicoastal relationship, *“bicoastal.”*Bicoastal comes from the word *“coast,”* which is the part of a country or the partof the land that is next to the ocean. United States, we have two coasts; we havethe West Coast, where the Pacific Ocean is, and the East Coast, where theAtlantic Ocean is. A bicoastal relationship means two coasts. *“Bi,”* bi, as a prefixin English, usually means two. So, you have a bicycle; that is a machine with twowheels.This is a bicoastal relationship - a long distance relationship, and Enrique ishaving some problems. Ah, don't we all? He talks to his friend, Emily. Emily justgot out of a relationship like this. In other words, Emily was in a long distancerelationship and now she is out of the relationship. To get out of a relationshipmeans to end a relationship - to stop it. So, Emily has got out of this longdistance relationship with her boyfriend and she is now going to give advice toEnrique.Enrique starts by saying, “I'm worried about my girlfriend Diana, in Florida. I’mworried that for her, it’s out of sight, out of mind.” That is an expression we use,out of sight, *“sight,”* out of mind, *“mind,”* to mean that you don't think about thingsthat are not to close to you - that you cannot see. *“Sight”* means the same hereas to be able to see, or something that you see. So, if you can't see it, you don'tthink about it - you forget about it. Out of sight, out of mind.Emily says that she understands what Enrique is talking about, and asks if hefeels the same way, that is if it's out of sight, out of mind for him, too. Does heforget about Diana because she is not near him? And, Enrique says, “not at all.I think about her all the time.” You think? I kind of wonder about Enrique, I don'tthink he's thinking about her. But, well, we'll go with the story here - continuewith the story.Enrique says, *“It’s not that there aren’t temptations, but I’m committed to Diana.”*The expression, *“it's not that,”* is one we use to introduce something that isn'ttrue, but we want to compare it to something that is true. So, Enrique says, “it'snot true that I don't have temptations.” Temptations, *“temptations,”* are thingsthat cause you to do something that you may not want to do, that your brain saysis a bad idea, but perhaps your heart, or some other part of your body thinks is agood idea. These would be temptations.The verb is to tempt, *“temp,”* to try to get someone to do something that theyshould not do. The world is, of course, full of temptations, that's why I never getanother woman, only my wife!Enrique says he's *“committed to Diana.”* To be committed, *“committed,”* meansthat he is going to stay with Diana. He wants to be in this relationship; he'sdedicated to her. Committed can have other meanings as well, and in theLearning Guide we talk about some additional uses of that verb, committed or tocommit. We also talk about that expression we used earlier, *“get out of,”* thereare some additional meanings, which you can find in our Learning Guide.Well, continuing with the story, Emily says do *“you get the same vibe from her?”*In other words, does she communicate the same idea, that she is committed toyou? The word vibe, *“vibe,”* means the same feeling - the same impression - thesame idea. It's the way someone acts towards you, not necessarily what theysay.Enrique says, *“Sometimes I do, but sometimes I don’t,”* meaning “Sometimes Ithink Diana is committed and sometimes I don't.” He says, “It's easy to get into afight” when you're talking “on the phone. We have misunderstandings all thetime.” A misunderstanding is when people do not understand each other. Here,mis, *“mis,”* at the beginning of the word means not.Enrique says sometimes he hurts his girlfriend's *“feelings without realizing,”* orwithout knowing. To hurt, *“hurt,”* someone's feelings means to make them feelbad - to make them sad, for example. If you say something that is not very niceabout someone, you could hurt their feelings.Enrique is afraid that he and Diana are *“growing apart.”* To *“grow apart”* meansthat as you get older, you aren't as close to another person as you were whenyou were younger. Enrique is afraid that because Diana is in another state faraway, as time goes by, as each month goes by that they are growing apart.Emily says that this is situation that happened to her and her boyfriend, Theo.She says that *“We grew apart and had less in common,”* meaning they had fewerthings that they could talk about or share with each other. *“After a year,”* Emilysays, *“we called it quits.”* To call something quits, *“quits,”* means to endsomething - to end something, to stop something.Enrique says he hopes that doesn't happen to him and Diana. Of course, it will,but you know, Enrique's trying to see the positive side of things. He says that heis going *“to have it out with”* his girlfriend. *“To have it out”* means that you aregoing to have an argument, perhaps, but you speak very honestly with the otherperson.Enrique says that if Diana wants to end, or stop the relationship, he'll “have todeal with it.” This is a very common expression. To deal, *“deal,”* with somethingmeans that you have to adjust to it - you have to make the best situationpossible. *“To deal with,”* means to have to live with and to understand or figureout how to survive - how to continue. Emily says, “It’s always better to knowwhere you stand.” *“To know where you stand,”* in this case, means to know whatyour situation is, to understand the other person's opinion and to know thesituation or condition of your relationship.If you are in a long distance relationship, make sure you see the Learning Guidetoday. It has some advice for those of you who are in a long distancerelationship.Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a native rate of speech.[start of story]I met Diana last year when we were both working in New York City for thesummer. I’m finishing college in California and Diana started her first job inFlorida. Talk about a bicoastal relationship! We spent three great monthstogether and we’ve been trying to maintain a long distance relationship eversince. It’s been really hard and I had a talk about it with my friend, Emily, whojust got out of a relationship like this.Enrique: I’m always worried that for her, it’s out of sight, out of mind.Emily: I know what you mean, but is it that way with you?Enrique: No, not at all. I think about her all the time. It’s not that there aren’ttemptations, but I’m committed to Diana.Emily: Don’t you get the same vibe from her?Enrique: Sometimes I do, but a lot of times I don’t. It’s so easy to get into a fighton the phone. We have misunderstandings all the time or I hurt her feelingswithout realizing it. And plus, I’m still in school and she’s already out working,and it seems like we’re growing apart.Emily: That’s what happened with Theo and me. We grew apart and we hadless and less in common. After a year, we called it quits.Enrique: I hope that’s not what Diana wants. I’ve got to have it out with her. Ifshe wants to end this, then I’ll just have to deal with it.Emily: It’s always better to know where you stand. Let me know how it goes.Enrique: Sure. See you later.[end of story]The script for today's podcast was by Dr. Lucy Tse. Remember to email us if youhave a comment or question about our podcast. Our email address iseslpod@eslpod.com.From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan. Thanks for listening. We willsee you next time on ESL Podcast. is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. This podcast is copyright 2006.

ESL Podcast 220 – Giving Opinions in a Meeting

#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 for work), workschedules, and hiring decisions. Other employee grievances are about “sexualharassment” (unwanted sexual jokes or touching) or *“discrimination”* (treatingpeople differently because of their skin color, religion, or something else).Sometimes employee grievances are against the company, and sometimes theyare against colleagues.In the United States, most companies have grievance *“policies”* (written rules)that describe how employees should present their grievances. The policies alsodescribe the procedures that the company should follow when responding toemployees’ grievances. Employees are usually given a copy of the grievancepolicy when they are hired and they are expected to follow the policy while theyare working for the company.If the employees are members of a *“union”* (an organization for certain types ofworkers), they normally present their grievances to the union, which guides themthrough the process and represents the employees against the company. If theemployees are not members of a union, they need to present their grievances bythemselves.In most cases, employees should first discuss their concerns with the director ofthe department where they work. If this doesn’t solve the problem, employeesneed to put their grievances in writing and present the document to anotherdepartment, which then responds in writing. If this does not solve the employee’sgrievance, it may be presented to a higher management level. In somecompanies, if the employee remains unhappy with the company’s response, thegrievance may be presented to a committee, which then determines thecompany’s final response.Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – a##COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to number 220, “GivingOpinions in a Meeting.”This is episode 220. I'm your host, Dr.Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.Remember to visit our website at eslpod.com. There you can find a transcript ofthe dialogue part of this podcast for free. If you want to get all of the vocabularywords, the definitions, additional cultural notes and explanations, as well as thecomplete transcript of this podcast, you can become an ESL Podcast member.More information is on our website.Today's podcast is called *“Giving Opinions in a Meeting.”* Let's go.[start of story]I was in a department meeting and our manager was asking for our feedback onimproving our product. I had a few ideas and I wanted to get them across, butone of my colleagues was giving me a hard time.Marcelo: In my opinion, I think that we need to look at the question more fromthe customer’s perspective. I really feel we need to do more market research.Ellen: I tend to think that we have enough information already and it’s time tomake some decisions.Marcelo: Well, the way I see it, we’ve only scratched the surface in getting toknow our customers. We need to get inside their heads if we want to offer whatthey want and aren’t getting right now.Ellen: You may be right, but if you ask me, I just don’t think it’s worth it to sinkmore time and money into the type of market research you’re proposing. It’s farmore than what other companies are doing.Marcelo: That’s precisely my point. I’m sure that if we can get information thatother companies don’t have, we’ll be one step ahead.That’s when the manager stepped in and offered her opinion. And, I’m happy tosay, she sided with me.[end of story]The dialogue we just heard is about two people giving their ideas - giving theiropinions or telling other people what they think in a meeting. It included severalcommon expressions that we often use in giving our opinion.The story begins with Marcelo saying that he has a meeting today; the managerhas asked for their feedback on improving their product. Feedback, *“feedback,”*is your opinion or your reaction. So, he's asking for their opinion; he's asking fortheir reaction - their feedback on improving what the company makes - theirproduct.The speaker here, Marcelo, says that he has some ideas and he wants “to getthem across.” *“To get an idea across,”* means to communicate, to express yourideas, to tell someone what you are thinking. That is a common expression, “I'mtrying to get my point across.” *“I'm trying to get my idea across,”* means I'mattempting to communicate my ideas.The problem Marcelo is having is that one of the people that he works with, oneof his colleagues, was giving him a hard time. A colleague, *“colleague,”* is aperson that you work with, not necessarily someone who is your boss, notsomeone above you but someone at the same level - the same type of work orthe same type of job that you have. These would be your colleagues. So, whenI worked at the University, my colleagues were other professors. The adjective iscollegial. When we say something is or someone is collegial we mean that theyget along, they are nice to the people they work with. The colleagues of Marceloare not so nice; they've been giving him a hard time. To give someone a hardtime means to make things difficult for them.Then we go into the meeting. Marcelo says, “In my opinion, I think we need totake a look at the question more from the customer’s perspective.” Theexpression, *“in my opinion,”* is a way that you can start a sentence when you aregoing to give your idea. Notice also that Marcelo talks about “the customer'sperspective.” Perspective, *“perspective,”* means the point of view - the way thatsomeone else sees things - the way they interpret things. That would be thecustomer's perspective, or the customer's view.*“I really feel,”* Marcelo says, *“we need to do more market research.”* Wesometimes use the verb *“to feel”* to express our opinion - to say what we think.So, when someone says, *“I feel that we need to do something,”* they're saying, “Ithink that we need to do something.”Ellen is Marcelo's colleague, and she doesn't agree with Marcelo. She says, “Itend to think that we have enough information already.” I tend, *“tend,”* to think.*“To tend to think”* means that this is the way I think, usually, or in a situation likethis, *“this is my opinion.”* *“I tend to think”* is a somewhat more polite way ofcommunicating your ideas. You are saying to the other person that this is myway of thinking; it may not necessarily be the only way of thinking. So, Ellen istrying to be nice here, and say, *“I tend to think that we have enough information,”*she's disagreeing with Marcelo. For additional explanations and additionalmeanings of this verb, to tend, see today's Learning Guide.Marcelo continues to express his ideas, he says “Well, the way I see it, we’veonly scratched the surface in getting to know our customers.” *“The way I see it”*is another way of saying this is my opinion. It might be a way of expressing youropinion a little less politely. When you are starting to get into a disagreementwith someone and you want to be a little stronger in how you give your opinion,you might use this expression.*“Well, the way I see it”* - my perspective - my opinion is that “we've only scratchedthe surface.” To scratch, *“scratch,”* the surface, *“surface,”* means that we haveonly just begun to do something, that there is a lot more information or a lot morework that we have to do. What we have done so far is just preliminary - it's justthe beginning. To scratch means normally to, for example, take your hand, andyou have a funny feeling on your skin - it bothers you - so you take your hand -your fingers - your fingernails and you scratch. A cat uses his paws - his feet - toscratch the chair. That is the verb *“to scratch.”* The surface is just the top ofsomething.Well, Marcelo goes on to say that, *“We need to get inside our customers' heads.”*To get inside someone's head, which sounds very painful, actually means tounderstand someone's thinking - to understand their perspective - the way theylook at the world. If you wanted to understand the way I think, you would need toget inside my head. I don't recommend that, however. There's nothing up there- nothing in my head!Ellen says to Marcelo, “You may be right, but if you ask me, I don’t think it isworth sinking more time and money into this market research.” *“If you ask me”* isanother way of expressing your opinion. You are saying, “well, maybe you arenot asking me - my opinion may not be important to you, but I am going to give itto you anyway, even if you don't want to hear it.”So, Ellen says, “if you ask me, I just don’t think it’s worth it to sink more moneyand time.” Sink, *“sink,”* as a verb means to spend. So, “I don't think we shouldspend more time and money on this type of research.” Usually, we use that verbwhen you are spending money for the wrong thing - you are wasting money orthat you have spent too much money already. Ellen goes on to say that it's*“more than what other companies are doing.”*Marcelo then responds, *“That’s precisely my point.”* That's precisely, or exactlymy idea; you are agreeing with me. That is the expression we would use whenyou are having a discussion and someone else says something that you thinkcommunicates the same idea, and maybe they don't realize it so you say, “that'sexactly my point - that's my idea.” The word *“point”* has many different meaningsin English. We talk about those additional meanings in the Learning Guide forthis episode.Marcelo says, “I’m sure that if we can get information other companies don’thave, we will be one step ahead.” *“I'm sure that”* is a way of expressing youropinion that you are very confident in - that you know is correct. “I’m sure that ifwe can get information, we'll be one step ahead,” meaning we will be moreadvanced or we will be in front of the other companies. A step, *“step,”* onemeaning of that word is the distance that you take with your feet when you walk.So, if you move for your feet ten times that would be ten steps. Marcelo issaying. *“we can be one step ahead.”**“The manager then stepped in,”* or stopped the meeting, or stopped thediscussion, *“and offered her opinion. And,”* Marcelo says, *“she sided with”* him.To side, *“side,”* with someone, as a verb, means to agree with someone.Usually, when two people are having an argument - a discussion - you are thethird person, you can side with one of them - you can agree with one of themagainst the other one. Sometimes these disagreements or problems can getmore serious, and so many American companies have a policy - have rules forwhat are called *“grievances.”* And, to find out more about that take a look attoday's Learning Guide.Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a native rate of speech.[start of story]I was in a department meeting and our manager was asking for our feedback onimproving our product. I had a few ideas and I wanted to get them across, butone of my colleagues was giving me a hard time.Marcelo: In my opinion, I think that we need to look at the question more fromthe customer’s perspective. I really feel we need to do more market research.Ellen: I tend to think that we have enough information already and it’s time tomake some decisions.Marcelo: Well, the way I see it, we’ve only scratched the surface in getting toknow our customers. We need to get inside their heads if we want to offer whatthey want and aren’t getting right now.Ellen: You may be right, but if you ask me, I just don’t think it’s worth it to sinkmore time and money into the type of market research you’re proposing. It’s farmore than what other companies are doing.Marcelo: That’s precisely my point. I’m sure that if we can get information thatother companies don’t have, we’ll be one step ahead.That’s when the manager stepped in and offered her opinion. And, I’m happy tosay, she sided with me.[end of story]The script for today's podcast was written by Dr. Lucy Tse. Remember, you canemail us at eslpod@eslpod.com if you have a question or a comment about ourpodcast.From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan. Thanks for listening. We'll seeyou next time on ESL Podcast. is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. This podcast is copyright 2006.

ESL Podcast 219 – Giving Compliments

#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.”*- *“You look great.”*- *“That’s a very pretty dress.”* (women) *“That’s a nice jacket.”* (men)- *“You have beautiful eyes/hair.”*- *“Great car!”*- *“You are really good at that.”* Or, *“You did that really well.”*- *“I bet you get asked out a lot.”* (women) = (Meaning: “I’m sure that many men ask you for dates.”)- *“I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun.”*- *“I’m having a great time with you.”*Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – c##COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to number 219, “GivingCompliments.”This is episode 219. I'm your host, Dr.Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.If you visit our website at eslpod.com, you can pick up the Learning Guide for thisepisode, which has all of the vocabulary, definitions, additional definitions wedon't talk about on the podcast, cultural notes and a complete transcript ofeverything we say.This podcast is called, *“Giving Compliments,”* or saying something nice tosomeone. Let's go![start of story]A friend from work, Nia, asked a few of us over to her apartment to watch thegame this Sunday and I was really nervous. I’ve always liked Nia and I washoping we could be more than friends. My brother, Charlie, said that if I reallyliked her, I should be sure to give her plenty of compliments when I saw her.I arrived on Sunday and knocked on her door.Nia: Hi, I’m glad you could make it. You’re the first one here. Make yourselfcomfortable.Sebastian: Thanks and you look great. Red looks great on you.Nia: Oh, thanks. It’s nice to be out of work clothes. Can I get you something todrink?Sebastian: Sure. What are you having?Nia: I’m just having a beer. Want one?Sebastian: Sure. What a cool place! This is a really nice apartment.Nia: Here you go. Actually, I just moved in last month and I’m still decorating.But, that’s nice of you to say.Sebastian: Wow, nice picture. Did you paint this?Nia: No, I didn’t. Someone named Picasso did. It’s just a copy. You know, Ireally appreciate the compliments, but what’s up?Sebastian: Up? Nothing. I’m just glad to be here.Nia: Well, I’m glad you’re here, too. Now, drink up. The others should be hereany minute.Sebastian: Sure. Cheers![end of story]Our podcast episode is called, *“Giving Compliments,”* and a compliment issomething nice you say to someone. It's spelled *“compliment,”* very importantthat you spell this word with an *“i”* in the middle. There's another word thatsounds the same, complement, spelled with an *“e.”* That word means somethingthat completes or finishes something else. You could say, for example that thesong’s words - the words of the song, the lyrics - complement the music well.They complete it. It's a good match. In our story, we're talking aboutcompliments with an *“i,”* and those are nice things you say to someone. Weusually use the verb to give a compliment, means to say something nice. And,the compliments are not necessarily for someone you are romantically interestedin, like Sebastian in our story, you can also compliment your boss or your friendor the host of ESL Podcast, for example.Well, our story begins by Sebastian saying that, *“A friend from”* his “work, Nia,asked a few of” his friends *“over to her apartment.”* To ask someone over meansto invite them to come to your house or to your apartment. So, I could ask youover to my house means I'm inviting you to come over to my house. Now, if youare in a car and you are with someone outside of their house, then you wouldsay, *“May I invite you in?”* meaning would you like to come into the house. If youlive in an apartment building, you might say, *“Can I invite you up?”* meaning doyou want to go up to my apartment. But here, we're talking about just invitingsomeone in advance, someone for tomorrow or next week or next month, thenyou would ask them over.Nia has invited Sebastian and a few others *“to watch the game this Sunday.”*Now normally, if you say you're going to watch the game, you usually mean theAmerican football game that's on, especially if it's during the football season,from August to, I think, February or March. Sebastian says that he's nervousbecause he likes Nia, and he hopes that they can become *“more than friends.”*When someone says, *“I want to be more than friends,”* they mean I want to beromantically connected to you, and this is what Sebastian, like so many people,want. He mentions that his brother, Charlie, told him that he should give Nia lotsof compliments when he saw her.He goes to her apartment on Sunday, and she answers the door. To answer thedoor means to open the door for someone who is knocking on it. And, she says,*“Hi, I’m glad you could make it.”* To make it here means to be here, to comehere. So, she's saying I'm glad you are here; I'm glad you could come today.*“You’re the first one here. Make yourself comfortable.”* Make yourselfcomfortable means come in, sit down, relax. You may also say, “Make yourselfat home,” it means the same thing.Sebastian says, *“Thanks and you look great.”* You see? He's already sayingnice things to her. Then he says, *“Red looks great on you.”* He is complimenting- and that's a verb as well as a noun, compliment - he is complimenting Nia onher shirt, or perhaps her dress. He says, *“Red looks great on you.”* You say ifsomeone has a nice piece of clothing that it looks good on them or it looks greaton them. Nia says thank you and asks Sebastian if he wants “something todrink.” He says, *“Sure,”* I'll have what you're having. What are you drinking? Niasays that she's going to have a beer and asks Sebastian if he wants one. Shesays, *“Want one?”* meaning, do you want one? Sebastian says, *“Sure,”* and thenhe gives her another compliment.He says, *“What a cool place.”* Cool, *“cool,”* means nice or great. Theexpression, what a, is something we use when we want to say something usuallyvery positive about someone or something. If someone says, *“What a movie!”*you mean isn't that a great movie or that was a fantastic movie. Well he iscomplimenting her apartment by saying, “What a cool place! This is a really niceapartment.” Again, *“This is a really nice apartment”* is another type ofcompliment.Nia says that she *“just moved in last month and”* she's *“still decorating.”* Todecorate, *“decorate,”* is a verb that means to try to make your house or yourapartment look better by painting the walls, by getting nice pictures, maybe byputting carpet on the floor - this would be a way of decorating. She says, “that’snice of you to say,” so she's accepting the compliment, and that's a nice way, agood way to accept or thank someone for a compliment. “Oh, that's nice of youto say.” Then Sebastian asks who painted the nice picture that she has.Somewhat stupidly, he asks if Nia painted it and Nia says, “No. Someone namedPicasso did.” Of course, Sebastian is trying to compliment Nia too much, thinksthat she painted a Picasso picture. Nia says that has a copy of this picture, that'swhat they're looking at.And then she says, “You know, I really appreciate the compliments, but what’sup?” Notice the use there of *“you know,”* that is a way of getting someone'sattention, in this case. It would be the same as saying listen. We also use thatexpression, you know, in other instances. Take a look at the Learning Guide fortoday for additional information about how we use that very common expression.So, NIa is asking Sebastian *“what's up?”* meaning what is he trying to do, andSebastian says, *“Up? Nothing,”* meaning I'm not trying to do anything specialhere.Nia says, *“Well, I’m glad you’re here. Now, drink up.”* Drink up means finishwhatever you are drinking. It's one of those two word verbs, those phrasal verbsin English. To drink up means to finish what you are drinking. *“The others,”* Niasays, *“should be here any minute,”* meaning they'll be here very soon. If you say,*“I'm going to be there any minute,”* you mean I'm going to be there very soon.Sebastian says to Nia, *“Cheers!”* Cheers, *“cheers,”* is what you say when youare drinking something, usually alcohol. Most cultures have a word or anexpression that you are wishing good health or are celebrating something youwould raise up your glass, lift up your glass and say, *“Cheers!”* There wasactually a very popular television program in the United States many years agocalled *“Cheers”* about a bar in, I think, Boston, Massachusetts. That was called*“Cheers.”*You notice that Sebastian tries to give lots of compliments to Nia, in our LearningGuide today, we have a very interesting section about what kind of complimentsyou can give to a man or woman that you are interested in. So, if you want somehelp with that, look at the Learning Guide.Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a native rate of speech.[start of story]A friend from work, Nia, asked a few of us over to her apartment to watch thegame this Sunday and I was really nervous. I’ve always liked Nia and I washoping we could be more than friends. My brother, Charlie, said that if I reallyliked her, I should be sure to give her plenty of compliments when I saw her.I arrived on Sunday and knocked on her door.Nia: Hi, I’m glad you could make it. You’re the first one here. Make yourselfcomfortable.Sebastian: Thanks and you look great. Red looks great on you.Nia: Oh, thanks. It’s nice to be out of work clothes. Can I get you something todrink?Sebastian: Sure. What are you having?Nia: I’m just having a beer. Want one?Sebastian: Sure. What a cool place! This is a really nice apartment.Nia: Here you go. Actually, I just moved in last month and I’m still decorating.But, that’s nice of you to say.Sebastian: Wow, nice picture. Did you paint this?Nia: No, I didn’t. Someone named Picasso did. It’s just a copy. You know, Ireally appreciate the compliments, but what’s up?Sebastian: Up? Nothing. I’m just glad to be here.Nia: Well, I’m glad you’re here, too. Now, drink up. The others should be hereany minute.Sebastian: Sure. Cheers![end of story]The podcast episode today was written by Dr. Lucy Tse.Remember, if you have a question or comment about our podcast, you can emailus at eslpod@eslpod.com. From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time on ESL Podcast. is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. This podcast is copyright 2006.