ESL Podcast - Previous Episodes

Topics: Ask an American: The value of church services; outbreak versus break out; to pull off versus to pull over versus to pull in; to act silly Words: invest church synagogue to overlook value pastor to commit suicide halo sacred demonstrable impact local outbreak to break out to pull off to pull over to pull in to act silly

Everybody’s working for the weekend – or so I’ve heard. Find out how not to start a new week at work in this episode. Slow dialogue: 1:12 Explanations: 2:34 Fast dialogue: 13:41 Naomi: Wow, you look like you had a rough weekend. A little too much partying, huh? Aaron: You said it. I’m planning to ease into the new workweek. I need time to chill and to recover. Could you take a meeting this morning with our new client? Naomi: What will you do? Aaron: I’ll be sitting here waiting for hump day. The weekend can’t come soon enough! Naomi: It’s Monday and you’re already looking forward to next weekend? Aaron: You got it. Naomi: And you want to slack off, while I take on the lion’s share of your work. Is that what you’re saying? Aaron: Just this once. I’ll return the favor the next time you have a rough weekend. Naomi: What are you planning for next weekend? Aaron: Why do you ask? Naomi: I want to know how long I’ll have to wait for a chance to sit back and watch you work! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Do you have photographers following you around wherever you go? If you do, then this episode will tell you what you need to know to talk about being so famous. Slow dialogue: 1:06 Explanations: 2:39 Fast dialogue: 15:56 Fredo: I feel like a prisoner in my own home! I can’t step outside without the paparazzi snapping pictures of me. They stake out my house 24 hours a day. Amanda: I suppose that’s the price of fame. You do have the most popular podcast in the world. Fredo: But they’re such a pain in the neck! They don’t just take pictures. They chase me in my car and follow me into restrooms, trying to corner me. It’s an invasion of privacy. Amanda: You’re right, but look on the bright side. The paparazzi give you plenty of exposure. They keep your name – and your face – in the spotlight. Fredo: It would be fine if they just took a few candid shots while I’m at dinner or at the store, but they try to take photos when I’m out of town, trying to catch me doing something I shouldn’t. Amanda: At least, that’s good news for your wife. She can call off that private detective she hired to follow you from city to city! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Topics: American Presidents: Theodore Roosevelt; The Folk Tales of Uncle Remus; drug versus pill versus tablet; pronouncing ½; engagement versus commitment Words: sickly disillusioned spoils system to declare rough trust canal at odds with folk tale fictional dialect tar drug pill tablet half (½) engagement commitment

Learn about racial and ethnic slurs in this episode. Slow dialogue: 1:01 Explanations: 2:32 Fast dialogue: 15:47 Mike: Did you hear what Dan said? He called me a mick. What decade is he living in? Patti: He’s just ignorant. I’m sure he wasn’t trying to be offensive. Mike: Well, I take offense. And to add insult to injury, did you hear what else he said? Patti: What? Mike: He said that he was speaking on behalf of the Irish in the community when he said he liked the plan. How dare he speak for other people? It’s presumptuous. Patti: He was trying to make a point and probably just got carried away. I agree that what he said could be insulting, but let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. Mike: You can be magnanimous if you want to be, but I know an ethnic slur when I hear one. Patti: It wasn’t an ethnic slur. It wasn’t the politically correct term, that’s all. He’s a little behind the times. Mike: Behind the times?! He’d have to live to 150 to catch up to the present! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Are you between the ages of 6 and 18? Do you feel hungry? If so, then try eating a school lunch in this episode. Slow dialogue: 1:15 Explanations: 2:56 Fast dialogue: 15:11 Chris: What are you doing? Let’s get into the hot lunch line. Sybil: See this lunchbox? My mom made me brown-bag it today. She says that the lunches served at school aren’t nutritious enough. Chris: That sucks. What did she make you? Sybil: A salad. Chris: Oh, gross. I really feel sorry for you. What else? Sybil: Let me see. There are some carrot sticks, too. Chris: Sucker! You should have thrown a fit. I wouldn’t have taken it lying down. Listen to me. You should ditch that lunch and buy lunch instead, like me. Sybil: I can’t. I don’t have any lunch money. Do you want to trade some of yours for mine? Chris: You’re dreaming. There’s no way I’m trading my pizza for your salad and carrot sticks. Sybil: Not even if I do your math homework? Chris: Math homework? Now you’ve got my attention. Sybil: Only if you give me the entire slice of pizza. Chris: You drive a hard bargain. How about this? I’ll split the pizza with you, if you’ll do my homework. Sybil: You must really think I’m a sucker if you think I’d agree to that! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Topics: McCarthyism and the House Committee on Un-American Activities; Famous Songs: Dixie; to overrate versus to overestimate; that versus so; the stakes are too high Words: McCarthyism Red Scare to play on demagogue hearing to blacklist to change (one’s) story to gauge sense of decency Dixie blackface frost to overrate to overestimate that so the stakes are too high

Get rich slowly by investing your money for your retirement. Find out how in this episode. Slow dialogue: 1:24 Explanations: 3:28 Fast dialogue: 18:39 Karen: My company offers a 401(k) plan. Do you think I should have one? Jimmy: Yes, definitely. I had a 401(k) account when I worked for McQ Corp, and when I started working on my own I converted it to an IRA. Karen: I really don’t understand any of these investment options. I talked to an investment specialist at my bank, but I left her office just as confused as when I went in. Jimmy: Look, you want to have a diversified portfolio of lower-risk and higher-risk investments. On the low-risk end, put money in bonds, CDs, or a money market account. You want to balance that out with some riskier investments that may bring a higher return, such as mutual funds and stocks. Karen: Wow, all of that just went over my head. I don’t know a CD from a bond. Jimmy: It’s really simple. Your choice ranges from a fixed return to a variable return, and the variable investments carry different levels of risk. Karen: My head hurts. Are you sure I really need all of these investments? Jimmy: Not all of them, but it would be smart to invest your money in something. Karen: Not if I spend it all first, right? Jimmy: Right. You know what they say: “A fool and his money are soon parted!” Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

You’re late! You’re late for a very important date! Hurry up and listen to this episode to find out how to talk about being late. Slow dialogue: 1:05 Explanations: 2:24 Fast dialogue: 13:30 Eric: Let’s get a move on or we’ll be late – again! Carmen: Hold your horses. I’m on the verge of being ready. Rome wasn’t built in a day, you know. Eric: A day? I’d settle for a week. Why is it that every time we have someplace to be you’re always running late? Carmen: That’s because I march to the beat of a different drummer. Life isn’t about watching the clock; it’s about living in the moment. Eric: Okay, at this very moment, we’re late. Carmen: Just give me a couple of minutes more and I’ll be ready. After all, none of our friends expect us to be punctual anymore. They all know better. Eric: Yeah, and I should, too. From now on, I’ll start getting ready when you say you’re all set. Then I’ll just have minutes to wait – not hours! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Topics: Famous Americans: Jesse Owens; National Science Foundation; plea versus appeal versus petition; somewhat versus somehow; Is that all? Words: track and field Jim Crow law segregation obstacle world record to boycott autograph ticker-tape parade to snub grant independent merit plea appeal petition somewhat somehow Is that all?

If you have an accident and need to go to the hospital, you’ll probably go to the emergency room. Learn more in this episode. Slow dialogue: 1:11 Explanations: 3:38 Fast dialogue: 19:19 Saturday, 9:35 p.m. I arrive in the emergency room. I had been at a party earlier in the evening when I accidentally cut my finger. My finger wasn’t severed, but it did have a very deep cut and I thought I might need stitches. I check in at the admissions desk and I’m told to take a seat and wait. Saturday, 10:40 p.m. I’m still waiting to see a doctor. The waiting room is filled to capacity and I expect it to be a long night. Saturday, 11:15 p.m. Several ambulances pull up to the door and EMTs wheel in several people on stretchers. I hear that there had been a pileup on Freeway 215 and these were the victims. I can see a doctor performing triage and the most critical cases are taken into exam rooms and maybe directly into surgery. Sunday, 1:25 p.m. I decide to give up and go home. If I hadn’t bled to death by that time, I could probably wait until Monday to see my regular physician. My evening in the emergency room wasn’t a total loss, though. I learned a valuable lesson: Never voluntarily go to the emergency room! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Sometimes a vacation seems like work. Learn about following rules for dressing in this episode. Slow dialogue: 1:16 Explanations: 3:11 Fast dialogue: 16:39 Tae: What are you doing? Why are you taking all of my clothes out of my suitcase? I just finished packing that. Nicole: You’ve packed all of the wrong things. We’re going on a luxury cruise and all you’ve packed are shorts and t-shirts. Tae: I’m going on vacation and I don’t have to dress to impress. Nicole: You’ve never been on a cruise like this one, but I have, and there’s a dress code. You’ll need formal wear for some of the dinners. Tae: I’m not wearing a suit and tie on vacation. Nicole: No, not a suit and tie. There’ll be a dance the final night of the cruise that’s black tie, so you’ll need your tuxedo. I’m bringing a few cocktail dresses myself. Don’t worry. You can go semi-formal the rest of the evenings. Tae: This is ridiculous. I have to wear business attire 300 days out of the year and you’re making me dress up when I finally go on a vacation. Nicole: You don’t have to dress up the entire time. You can go California casual during the day. I’m just asking that you look presentable a few hours each day. Is that so hard? Tae: I knew there was a catch when you booked this vacation. It’s less a vacation for me than a dress-up party for you! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Topics: The Lewis and Clark Expedition; Famous Authors: Anne Rice; to generate versus to create versus to make; a tad off target; run-on sentence Words: expedition corps to lay claim to navigable fur trapper to split up journal manifest destiny bicentennial vampire off-and-on relationship to renounce to generate to create to make a tad off target run-on sentence

Be careful who you recommend for a job. Learn more in this episode. Slow dialogue: 1:05 Explanations: 2:41 Fast dialogue: 16:26 Harry: I’ve put in a good word for you with my boss. He said to stop by the store at 4:00 today and he’ll interview you for the job. Judy: Okay, I think I can make it around 4:00. Harry: Not around 4:00. You need to be there at 4:00 sharp, got that? I’m sticking my neck out for you by recommending you for this job, so don’t let me down. Judy: All right, I’ll be there. It’s not like it’s my idea to get a job at your store. I didn’t ask you to put your reputation on the line. I don’t think that job is a good fit for me. Harry: You can’t afford to be choosy. You need a job and you need it right now. Judy: I’m not in a hurry. I want to find a job that really suits my talents. Harry: I’m sick of you sleeping on my couch and mooching off me. By the time you find a job that suits your talents, I’ll be in a nursing home – or an insane asylum! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Look out for that crazy driver! Learn how to end your life by driving dangerously on this episode. Slow dialogue: 1:16 Explanations: 3:12 Fast dialogue: 18:01 I do a lot of driving in my job. You would think that driving several hours each way would get old really fast, but I have ways of making an interminable drive seem much more exciting. I like to drive fast on the freeways. I usually pass all of the slower cars by staying in the passing lane. When there’s a slow-moving car in the passing lane, though, I tailgate it until the driver moves over to another lane. If the driver doesn’t move over, I weave back and forth from one lane to another until I get around it. What can I say? I just don’t like anyone to keep me from the open road. Sometimes, I encounter another driver who likes to drive fast and we have a drag race. I know how to bird dog the other car until I see a way to speed up and overtake it. That’s why I almost always win. As you can see, I know how to spice up a boring drive. I hope to see you soon – on the road. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse