ESL Podcast - Previous Episodes

Topics: Ask an American: driving while texting; ground versus soil versus land; as such; pupil versus people Words: eyewitness report to lose control apparent median to clip to flip distraction visual to glance manual cognitive to take (one’s) mind off ground soil land as such pupil people

Hotel rooms are often more expensive when you have a good view. Find out about the different kinds of views and how to talk about them in English in this episode. Slow dialogue: 1:09 Explanations: 3:04 Fast dialogue: 15:05 Andrea: Help me decide on which type of hotel room to book. George: I want the one with a bed. Andrea: Very funny. We have a choice of different views, and each one is a different price. For instance, a room with a city view is $175 a night and a panoramic view is $275 a night. George: $275 a night?! That’s highway robbery! Andrea: If you think that’s too steep, there are a few other options. We can get a courtyard room with no view for $120 a night or a room with an obstructed or peek-a-boo ocean views for $130 a night. George: I don’t really care which type of room we get as long as we don’t end up with a room on the ground floor. I don’t like having people walking back and forth outside my window all night. Andrea: Okay, I can request a room on an upper floor. You really don’t have a preference? George: No, not really. Andrea: There is a penthouse room for $400 a night. George: What?! For that price, I’d better get a view of the Eiffel Tower, the Parthenon, and the Great Wall of China! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Tired of the same nonsense from politicians? Learn how to complain about in English in this episode. Slow dialogue: 1:18 Explanations: 3:12 Fast dialogue: 16:56 Kylie: Can you understand a word he’s saying? Ramis: I doubt if anyone can. He’s talking out of both sides of his mouth. First he says he’s fighting for the little guy, and then he says he’s a champion for businesses. Kylie: I thought he’d be different, but he’s just like any other politician. Ramis: He looks sincere and he sounds sincere, but when you actually listen to what he says, it’s nothing but double-talk. Kylie: You’ve got that right. I wouldn’t trust him any farther than I could throw him. Now what is he saying? Ramis: He says that he can cut taxes and increase government services. Now how do you suppose he could pull that off? Kylie: He can’t. These are just campaign promises. Once he gets into office, he’ll renege on every one of those promises. Ramis: Year after year it’s the same thing – broken promises and the same old same old. Why do we put up with it? Kylie: Why? I have an answer for you. Do you want to run for office? Ramis: Me?! Are you kidding? Not on your life. Kylie: Right. That’s how I feel. I’m willing to sit back and let somebody else do the job. I guess we’ve dug our own graves. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Topics: Movie: 2001: A Space Odyssey; Bozo the Clown; kind of versus so-so versus more or less; firm versus company; to get + participle Words: odyssey concurrently plot extra-terrestrial cryogenically frozen to read lips to sneak to coincide with clown wig comedy sketch kind of so-so more or less firm company

If something isn’t working in any relationship, sometimes the best thing is just to end it. Learn more about how this might work for businesses in this episode. Slow dialogue: 1:22 Explanations: 3:16 Fast dialogue: 18:26 Jerry: Who’s going to break the news to Tech Experts? Camila: You mean about pulling the plug on using their services? Jerry: Yeah, the contract we signed with them last year is almost up, and as we decided last month, we’ll be going with another company. Camila: I think we should hold off on telling them until after all of our current projects are done. We still have two more in the hopper. Jerry: Okay, but I don’t want to drag our feet in telling them, even if we’re not happy with their service. As a professional courtesy, we should let them know soon. Camila: That may be true with other companies, but Tech Experts has really let us down this past year. If we didn’t have an airtight contract with them, we would have switched companies long ago. Jerry: Well, maybe they’ll learn from their mistakes. After all, they’ve been in business a long time. Camila: Yeah, but old habits die hard. And if you ask me, the company is on its last legs. It’s only a matter of time before they lose most of their customers, at the rate they’re going. Jerry: I don’t know about that, but I do know one thing. It’s a good thing you’re not their PR rep! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Televisions are getting bigger and bigger each year. Learn how and why to buy a HUGE TV in this episode. Slow dialogue: 1:09 Explanations: 2:33 Fast dialogue: 13:26 Byung: This is what I’m talking about! It’s time to upgrade to a big-screen TV and this is the perfect place to buy one. Nelly: They certainly have a large selection. These new TVs have pictures that are much sharper than our current one. Byung: There’s no comparison. These new TVs have a much better resolution. Just look at the brightness and the contrast! Our old TV looks washed out by comparison. Nelly: And listen to that sound quality. It’s like being in a movie theater with surround sound. Byung: Yeah, it’s time we moved into the 21st century. Nelly: According to what I’ve read, with a viewing distance of 10 feet, we should look for a screen size of about 40 inches. Byung: I was thinking more like a 60-inch screen. Nelly: A 60-inch TV?! That would take up the entire living room wall. Byung: That’s exactly what I had in mind! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Topics: American Presidents: Abraham Lincoln; to rise versus to raise versus to arise; rather than versus prefer; to tender (one’s) resignation Words: humble origins log cabin itinerant teacher to fall into debt oratorical abolitionist debate to secede reconstruction to rise to raise to arise rather than to prefer to tender (one’s) resignation

Meeting your loved one’s family for the first time? Make sure you know who is who by listening first to this episode. Slow dialogue: 1:07 Explanations: 3:15 Fast dialogue: 18:18 Larissa: I’m really nervous about meeting your family. Vince: You don’t need to be. They’ll love you and you’ll fit right in. Larissa: Okay, but I want to make sure I know everyone I’ll be meeting. Your Grandmother Celine is the matriarch of the family and your Uncle Nick is the black sheep of the family, is that right? Vince: That’s right, but none of us let on that Uncle Nick is considered the prodigal son. He was really rebellious when he was young and left home when he was 17. He came back 15 years later, but nobody really knows what happened during that time. He’s always been a little eccentric. Larissa: I’ll be sure to steer clear of Uncle Nick, in that case. Let’s see, you told me that he is the oldest and your Aunt Sue is the baby of the family. Where does your Aunt Lily come in? Vince: She’s the middle child and is always the scapegoat for anything that goes wrong. At least that’s what my grandfather has told me all these years. Larissa: That’s your Grandfather Albert, the patriarch of the family, right? Vince: Yes, you’ve got it. I’m impressed you remembered so much about my family. Larissa: If I’m walking into the lion’s den, then I want to be prepared. Vince: Don’t think of it that way. They’re all going to love you. Larissa: Famous last words! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Don’t worry if your writing in English isn’t perfect. Learn to understand a teacher’s comments on how to improve it in this episode. Slow dialogue: 1:15 Explanations: 3:08 Fast dialogue: 17:33 Xica: I just got my paper back from Professor Rodriguez and it’s all marked up. Lucas: Let me see. It doesn’t look too bad. This is a draft, right? His note at the top says to make revisions before handing in a final version. He’s trying to help you get a better grade. Xica: Maybe, but there’s nothing he likes about the essay. Look at all of those comments in the margins. He underlined the entire introduction and wrote “run-on sentence” next to it. Lucas: That’s easy to fix, and it is a run-on sentence, you know. Xica: And in the body, he wrote that I had no transitions and that my arguments weren’t well supported. Lucas: Well, transitions are easy to put in and you just need to cite a few more sources – that’s all. Xica: Yeah, but that’s not all. Next to the conclusion, he wrote that I didn’t properly summarize my main points. See what I mean? There’s nothing he likes about this essay. Lucas: I think you should take the constructive criticism as it’s meant – to help you. Xica: It’s easy for you to say. You’re done with college. It’s kind of demoralizing to get your paper back all marked up. Lucas: True, but you forget that I have my own battle wounds – lots of them! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Topics: Famous Americans: Al Capone; The U.S. Military Academy at West Point; to crash versus to shatter versus to smash; how about you? versus what about you?; bite me Words: odd job gang mentor scar to bribe to culminate massacre to lock (someone) up tax evasion notorious nominated cadet to crash to shatter to smash how about you? / what about you? bite me

Do you want to know about the new man or woman at your work? Find out how to ask in this episode. Slow dialogue: 1:29 Explanations: 3:13 Fast dialogue: 17:38 Amina: What’s the lowdown on the new guy? Earl: Which new guy? Amina: You know, the cute one. Fill me in. Is he single? Earl: I don’t know. I have no idea. Amina: You’re working with him side-by-side and you haven’t gleaned any personal information about him? Earl: We talk about work. It’s not my job to pry into his personal life. Amina: I need to get the scoop on Mr. Perfect and you’re my source. Earl: You don’t know anything about him, so how do you know he’s perfect? Maybe when you get to know him, you’ll find out he’s a selfish, self-centered jerk. Amina: Wait, catch me up on what’s going on here. Have other people asked you about him? Earl: Yeah, maybe about a dozen of the women in this office. They’ve been bombarding me with questions. Amina: Oh, sorry. I didn’t know. Earl: Yeah, I’m not the guy’s social secretary. You women have to satisfy your own curiosity elsewhere. Amina: Point taken, but do you know if he’s shown interest in any of the dozen women you’ve talked to? Earl: Ugh! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Now everyone can be famous for 15 minutes. Learn how in this episode. Slow dialogue: 0:58 Explanations: 2:48 Fast dialogue: 16:29 Melissa: You’re looking at the next overnight sensation. I’m uploading my video right now, and by this time tomorrow, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s had over 100,000 views. It’s going to go viral. Frank: You and your amateur videos. Who is going to watch something with such low production value? Melissa: You’d be surprised. I have my own channel on YouGube, with over 5,000 subscribers. Frank: Are you sure that’s not because your username is AngelinaJolie? Melissa: No, it’s because people enjoy my videos, mark them as their favorites, and share them with their friends. Word of mouth – that’s why I’m so popular. Frank: But what about the comments on your videos? How many of those are positive and how many are negative? Melissa: I don’t read the comments. I assume they’re all positive, and my videos have never been flagged. Frank: All right, so is this another video of you dancing with your cat? Melissa: No, my cat and I are dancing and singing. That’s why we’re both going to be the next big thing. Frank: Right, I’ll get in line right now to buy tickets to your upcoming Vegas show. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Topics: Buffalo Soldiers; Famous Songs: Oh My Darling, Clementine; to be concerned about/in/with; to erase versus to delete; “how do you say...” for written English Words: buffalo regiment park ranger prejudice to disband darling miner to drown to excavate alas dreadful to be concerned about to be concerned in to be concerned with to erase to delete

Ouch! If you often hurt yourself, you can learn how to describe all of your injuries in this episode. Slow dialogue: 1:12 Explanations: 3:21 Fast dialogue: 17:12 Cherise: Rise and shine! Isn’t it a lovely day? I love getting back to nature. There’s nothing like going camping. How did you sleep? Evan: That was the most miserable night of my life! Cherise: Really? What happened? Evan: I woke up in the middle of the night and thought I heard a bear. I got up, stubbed my toe, and tripped. I have scratches all over my arms, not to mention these bruises on my legs. See? Cherise: Oh, don’t you know that there aren’t any bears this late in the year? Evan: How should I have known that? This was my first time camping. Cherise: All right. Why are you holding your neck like that? Evan: I couldn’t get comfortable at all sleeping on the ground. I woke up with a crick in my neck. Cherise: Stop moving around like that or you’ll really hurt yourself. Evan: Oh, I have a cramp in my shoulder! It hurts! Cherise: I told you not to twist around like that. Just let it work itself out. Evan: All of this had to happen to me after getting a stitch in my side and a charley horse hiking five miles yesterday. I’ve had it! I’m going back to civilization. Cherise: How are you getting there? Evan: What do you mean? I’m walking. Cherise: Without food or water? You’d better wait for me or you may end up bear bait after all! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Slow dialogue: 0:59 Explanations: 2:32 Fast dialogue: 16:26 Jim: You know that religion is a taboo subject, especially with Paul. Why were you baiting him all through dinner? Tammy: I wasn’t baiting him. We have very different views on spirituality and I wanted to discuss the subject with him. Jim: You were making disparaging remarks about his faith and some of the things he holds most sacred. I think you were trying to be provocative. Tammy: I may have said a few things that were provocative, but I don’t understand how people can believe in superstitions. Jim: There you go again! People’s religious beliefs shouldn’t be called superstitions. Tammy: I’m just calling it like I see it. I didn’t know you were such a fundamentalist. Jim: I’m not a fundamentalist. In fact, I’m an atheist, or at least an agnostic, but I still try to show respect for other people’s beliefs. Tammy: Beliefs are made to be challenged. If you can’t defend your beliefs, you shouldn’t have them. Jim: Ladies and gentlemen, behold the voice of tolerance. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse