ESL Pod Official - Speak English Fluently by Listening (with Text)

ESLPodcast 55 - A Trip to the Library

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 16:29:35 GMT

I read in the local paper that a new public library had just opened two weeks ago in my neighborhood. I wanted to check it out. But first, I called the library to check the hours of operation. The librarian told me that they were open Monday through Saturday from 10 to 6 so I decided to see the new library for myself. I parked my car in the library parking lot and walked in. There were two library clerks behind the counter and a librarian at the reference desk . I walked around and spotted the non- fiction section and moved onto the fiction stacks. There was a pretty good collection in both of these areas. I wanted to see if they had a book I've been wanting to read so I went over to the computer to check the online catalogue. As it turns out, they had one copy and it had not been checked out. I wrote down the call number and went to the stacks. I found it right away. When I walked in, I also noticed that the library had music CDs, videos, and DVDs that could be checked out. I looked briefly at the collection but decided not to check out any right then. I had my book and I was all set. I stood in line and waited to check my book out. The library clerk said, "Next please," and I stepped up to the counter. I asked her what the loan period was for the book. She told me that the due date was three weeks from today. I gave her my library card. She scanned the bar code on my book and stamped the due date on the back of it. It was quick and easy. I was so glad to have a nice new library so close to home. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 54 - Talking to the Professor

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 16:29:32 GMT

[A knock on the door.] Jeff: Come in. Julie: Hi, Dr. McQuillan, I'm Julie Taylor. I'm in your 2 o'clock class on Thursdays. Jeff: Hi, Julie. Have a seat. What can I do for you? Julie: I wanted to come see you during your office hours because I missed class last week. I had a family emergency . Jeff: I'm sorry to hear that. We went over a lot of material so make sure you get the notes from another student in class. Julie: Thanks, I will. Did you give any assignments ? Jeff: Yes, I assigned an essay on the topics in chapter 3 of your textbook. Julie: Oh, I see. Are there guidelines for the essay? Jeff: Yes, it should be 8-10 pages and it's due in two weeks. Take a look at your syllabus. It has more details. Julie: I will. Thanks a lot. I've also been meaning to talk to you about the trouble I'm having keeping up in class. I'm having trouble understanding the lectures. Is there anything you would suggest? Jeff: Some students tape record the lectures and listen to them afterwards. That seems to help. Julie: That's a great idea. I'll definitely try that. I'm wondering if you give extra credit in your class? Jeff: No, I don't give extra credit assignments. But if you're worried about passing, there are still two more tests to pull up your grade. Julie: Yes, I'll study hard for those. Thanks a lot for your time. Jeff: No problem. See you in class. Julie: Okay, Professor McQuillan, see you Thursday. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 53 - Understanding Men and Women

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 16:29:29 GMT

Lucy: Jeff, here's a question. I was just talking to Dawn. You know, they had their first wedding anniversary last week. Guess what her husband gave her as a present. Jeff: I don't know. What? Lucy: He gave her a vacuum cleaner . Jeff: Didn't she want a vacuum cleaner? Lucy: Yes, the old one was broken, but that's not the point! It was their wedding anniversary, their first one. Dawn was really upset that he wasn't more romantic. He really let her down. Jeff: Oh, great. Women are always saying that men aren't romantic. But we are! Just not in the way that women want. Lucy: What do you mean? Jeff: It's a man's job to protect his wife and family. When something goes wrong, they want to fix it. That's the mark of a good husband. Lucy: I can see that, but that's not romantic in my book. Jeff: That's because you women have this idealized view of romance that you get from a lifetime of watching chick flicks and reading romance novels. Even if a man wanted to, he could never get into the head of a woman and guess what she wanted. That's why women have to just tell us what they want. Lucy: That's the problem. We women think men should just know what we want, without us having to tell them that is, if the man really loved and understood us. That's why we don't want to tell you. But, I see your point, too. Jeff: So, I guess it's really true. Men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Lucy: Yeah, that's what makes life interesting, right? Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 52 - At the Art Exhibit

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 16:29:26 GMT

I really wanted to see the new exhibit at the art museum and invited Lucy to come along. We both like contemporary art and this was an exhibition for an artist that we've both liked, ever since she was an up and coming artist 10 years ago. This was a retrospective so there was going to be a lot of different types of work by the artist. There would be some of the artist's paintings, her early work. There would also be some of her sculptures. Her most recent work is mixed media. This is very versatile and that's one of the reasons I like her work so much. We were going to the opening of the exhibition, with a wine and cheese reception for the artist. When we arrived in the main gallery , there were already a lot of people there. Looking around, I could see that some were artists themselves and some were art critics. I'm sure there were collectors there, too. I knew the curator and looked around for him. I spotted him talking with a group of people in the corner, probably trying to talk up the gallery and the artist. After a little while, the curator said a few words and then introduced the artist. We got a chance to meet her briefly and she was very gracious. I'm glad that someone with her talent has made it in the art world. That's not easy to do. And, I think her best work is still to come. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 51 - Staying In

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 16:29:20 GMT

It's Friday night and my roommate and I feel like staying in. We've both had a tough week at work and decided to have a low-key evening. On my way home, I stopped at the video rental store and rented a couple of movies. I got a new release and a classic. I thought I had left my membership card at home but found it at the last minute. I like going to my local rental store because it doesn't charge late fees. That's handy when I don't have time to return the DVDs the next day. My roommate and I were feeling too tired to go out to eat so we decided to order in. We mulled over the take-out menus from restaurants that had delivery service and couldn't decide which restaurant to order from. The trouble was that we had never eaten at the two restaurants nearby. Ordering from either one would be crapshoot. In the end, we just decided to order a pizza. I called the restaurant and placed our delivery order. About a half hour later, the delivery person came to the door. I asked him if I could pay with a credit card and he said, "Sure." I handed him my card and he wrote down the number. Then, I signed the slip and I added a tip to the total. He gave me a copy of the slip as a receipt and then handed me the pizza. I was really glad to get it. I was starving. With our movies and the pizza, we were all set. There's nothing like a night at home vegging out to get over a hectic week. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 50 - Cashing a Check

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 16:29:17 GMT

The local branch of my bank is located just a few blocks from where I live. It's very convenient, since it has four ATMs open 24/7. Today I had to go in to make a deposit, but since I wanted to cash a check as well, I needed to go inside to talk to a teller. Inside the bank, I got in line for the tellers. All the tellers are behind a large piece of bulletproof glass , so you have to speak up when you are talking to them. Anyway, when I got to the head of the line, the cashier said, "How may I help you?" "Well," I said, "I'd like to deposit this payroll check into my checking account, and cash this cashier's check ." "Certainly," she said, "just endorse the back of both checks and put them in the tray." "Sure. And, I can get that in small bills--10s and 20s?" I waited for her to process my checks. Then she said, "Here you are ," and counted out the cash and put it in an envelope. I said, "Thank you!" and walked away. Now that I have some money burning a hole in my pocket, I guess I better spend it! Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPodcast 49 - Car Trouble

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 12:00:33 GMT

I was driving down the Santa Monica freeway yesterday, headed towards downtown, when all of a sudden I see my engine light come on. Needless to say, that's not the sort of thing one likes to see. So I immediately pull over to the side of the road and park on the shoulder . I pop the hood and look to see what the problem might be. I'm no mechanic. I barely know how to change the oil and the wiper fluid‚ but perhaps something would pop out at me. The car didn't overheat, since there was no steam coming out of the radiator . I checked the battery cables, and the battery was definitely not dead. I didn't know quite what else to do, so I pulled out my cell phone and called AAA for a tow to the nearest repair shop. I started worrying about all the things it could be‚Äîthe fuel pump, the transmission, the electrical system. Who knows? I just had new brakes put in a month ago, so I knew it couldn't be that. The tow truck finally arrived and we went to a nearby mechanic. He checked everything, and then told me that he had found the problem: the engine light sensor was broken! I now had to take it into the dealer to get it fixed. Well, at least it didn't end up costing me an arm and a leg. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 48 - At the Movies

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 12:01:00 GMT

My friend Jim and I decided to see the latest blockbuster this weekend. I like a good action movie once in a while. We decided to meet at the movie theater after work. When I got the theater, I looked around and didn't see Jim. So, I thought I would get in line to buy tickets. There were two different lines so I asked a woman standing in the first one, "Is this the line for Mission Impossible 4?" and she said, "Yes, I'm afraid it is." I turned around and saw why she said that. It was really long and had about 20 people in it already. Oh, well. I went to the back of the line and waited. About 10 minutes later, I saw Jim coming up the escalator. He looked out of breath. He said, "Hey, sorry for being so late. I hit a lot of traffic on the way over." I told him, "Don't worry about it. As you can see, we have a long wait.‚" We finally got up to the head of the line. The clerk behind the ticket window said, "Can I help you?" and I said, "Two tickets for MI-4, please." We weren't children, students, or seniors, so there were no special discounts for us. The clerk handed me two tickets and we headed inside. There was a ticket taker just inside the door and he took our tickets, handing back to us our stubs. Coming straight from work , I was really hungry. Jim and I went to the concession stand and got a couple of Cokes, a tub of popcorn, a hotdog, and a box of candy. We were set. We went into the screening room and it was packed. Lucky for us, we found some seats together that weren't too close to the screen. We sat back and waited for the movie to start. While we watched 10 minutes of previews we wolfed down our food. By the time the movie started, I was feeling pretty good. I don't know which was better: The movie or the great junk food! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 47 - A Trip to New York City

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 09:57:42 GMT

(The phone rings.) Lucy: Hello. Jeff: Hey Lucy, it's Jeff. Lucy: Hey, welcome back. How was your vacation? Jeff: Oh, it was great. The seven days in New York was a blast. Lucy: Oh, yeah? Did you do any sightseeing or just visit with friends? Jeff: I got to do both, actually. First, I saw my friend Edmundo who just moved there. He hadn't seen much of the city himself so we went to all the tourist spots. We got a guidebook and went to the major museums, saw a play, went to a concert in Central Park, and took the Staten Island Ferry. We did all of that in a day and a half. It was a whirlwind, but we got to see a lot. Lucy: A day and a half?! You guys must have been exhausted. Jeff: Yeah, we were. But, the rest of my trip was pretty low key. My friends Pat and Billie rented a car and we took a road trip to Upstate New York to visit some other friends of ours. Lucy: Did you have to stay over in a hotel along the way, or did you drive straight through ? Jeff: We didn't bother with booking hotel rooms so we just drove straight there. It wasn't that far. Lucy: How long did you stay there? Jeff: We were only there two days and we drove back and got back last night. My flight was this morning at 8 a.m. The worst part of the whole trip was that my flight was cancelled. I was rebooked onto another flight that had a three-hour layover in Chicago. That was a major pain. Lucy: It sounds like it. Well, I'm glad you made it back okay. And, you even have the weekend to rest up before work on Monday. Jeff: Yeah, I'll need it. I've got to catch up on my sleep! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 45 - A Visit to the Doctor

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 06:30:13 GMT

Going to the doctor is never particularly pleasant for me. But I couldn't put it off any longer. It was time for my annual physical, and there was no getting around it. So I picked up the phone and called for an appointment. "I'd like to see Dr. Shimoya next week, please, if that's possible," I said. Of course, it wasn't possible. The doctor was booked until next month, the receptionist told me. "Okay," I said, "let's schedule it for next month.‚" When the day arrives, I drive over to the doctor and check-in at the receptionist desk. I have to present my HMO card and pay the co-pay of $15.00. The receptionist instructs me to go to waiting room B, down the hall, first door on the right. So I go there and take a seat to wait. And wait. And wait. Finally, my name is called and I go into see the doctor. The nurse weighs me, takes my temperature and blood pressure, and asks me why I'm there. I tell her it's time for my yearly check- up. She tells me to follow her to the examination room, and then to strip down to my underwear. Now I'm sitting on the exam table, half- freezing, waiting for the doctor to show up . Finally, he walks in, looks at my chart, and begins his examination. "Breathe," he says, as he places the stethoscope on my chest. "Breathe in and out slowly," he says. I do so. Then he checks my throat and has me lay down to check my abdomen. Finally, he orders a blood test and says, "Well, you're good for another year, Mr. McQuillan." Thank goodness, I think to myself, and get dressed to leave. Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPodcast 44 - Making a Good Impression

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 06:30:10 GMT

My interview is today. It is with a marketing company. It is a large corporation with its headquarters in San Francisco, CA. It also has satellite offices across the U.S. and in Europe. I'm not sure if this would be the right fit for me, but I'm keeping an open mind. I got some sound advice from my aunt. She said that I should be confident but not cocky. That means I have to look for opportunities to talk about my qualifications, but don't make the mistake of boasting or worse, making things up. I do that sometimes when I get really nervous. My brain stops working and my mouth takes over. I need to be respectful but not meek. I want to be professional with everyone, my co-workers and my bosses. But, I don't want them to think that I would let my co-workers walk all over me. I should show them that I'm a team- player. Nobody likes a person who tries to grab the limelight all of the time, especially if they're new, like me. Okay, I think I'm ready. I have my resume, my transcript, and the address of the office where I'm going for the interview. Now, all I need are my shoes Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 43 - Getting an Interview

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 06:30:16 GMT

I've finally landed my first interview. Well, actually, that's not really true. I have been on many interviews for part-time jobs. This was my first interview for a full-time job. In less than two months, I will graduate from Arizona University. After a lot of back and forth trying to decide on a major, I finally decided to double major. I would study both political science and marketing. These are not majors that usually go together. In fact, most people thought I was crazy. But, after a lot of soul searching, I decided to combine my two main interests: 1. politics and 2. getting a job! Those are my two priorities. I thought that if I get degrees in these two fields, I could cast a wide net when going job hunting. And, that's what I'm trying to do now. Since I don't know if I want to work in the public or private sector, I've applied for jobs in both. In the public sector, I could work for the government. Maybe one day, I could even be a speech writer for the President! Okay, maybe I should shoot a little lower. In the private sector, I could work for private organizations such as museums, schools, or programs. Some of those are non-profit. Or, I could work for a company. Everybody tells me that that's where the money is. I haven't decided yet. I'm planning to apply for a lot of jobs and will see what happens. What I want now is just to get some job offers. Then, I can start being picky. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 42 - Formal Emails

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 06:30:21 GMT

Dear Dr. Lee: I don't know if you'll remember me, but I introduced myself to you after your keynote at last week's conference. As I mentioned to you, I have read all of your journal papers and I am a great admirer of your research. Your article in the top journal Language Learning was groundbreaking. The reason I am contacting you is that I would like to come to your university to study with you. I met some of your students at the conference and they couldn't stop singing your praises as a professor and as an advisor. I don't know if you are accepting any new students for the next year, but if so, I hope you will consider me. I have included two attachments to this email. I am sending a copy of my CV , and I am also including a research paper I completed this year. I hope that these will give you an idea of my qualifications and experience. Please let me know if you need more information or more samples of my academic work. It was a pleasure and a privilege to meet you at the conference and I hope to hear more about your research at a future conference. Sincerely, Lucy Hocevar Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 41 - Tough Negotiations

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 06:30:11 GMT

I'm not what you would call the world's best negotiator, but sometimes it's necessary to engage in a tough negotiation. Take, for instance, the time I had to renew the lease on my apartment. This was back in college, when I was renting a small studio in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles. When my lease was up , the landlord and I sat down to hammer out the terms of a new lease. "I'll tell you what I'm going to do," he said. "I'm going to give you a break on rent if you sign a two-year lease instead of just a one-year lease." "Well," I said, "I don't know. What sort of break are we talking about here?‚" "I'll give you a 5% rent increase instead of a 10% increase in exchange for you signing a two-year lease. It's win-win situation: you get a cut in rent, and I get the security of a two-year lease.‚" At this point, I decided to make a counter-proposal . "How about this," I said, "You give me a one year lease with a six percent increase.‚" "No, I can't make that sort of deal," he said. "But here's what I can do, and it's my final offer: I'll pay for your electricity for the first 6 months of the lease, along with the other terms I mentioned before.‚" "You drive a hard bargain okay, it's a deal," I said. I guess I could have tried to bargain him down a bit more, but I was happy with our agreement. Now all I had to do was sign on the dotted line . Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPodcast 40 - Homecoming

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 13:20:11 GMT

Fall is once again upon us, and that means that homecoming celebrations are just around the corner. Homecoming is an American tradition each September and October for high schools and colleges where they celebrate their school spirit with a football game and other celebrations. I remember the homecoming events when I was in school. First, there was the election of a homecoming king and queen. Each class had its own representative, one boy and one girl, usually the most popular jock and the cutest cheerleader . Needless to say, I was neither, so I never stood a chance of being elected! The king and queen, though, were always from the senior class. All the events led up to the big game, played on a Friday night or Saturday afternoon, always a home game for the school celebrating their homecoming. In my school, we had a pep rally the day before the game, where the cheerleaders and dance team would do their thing on the stage. We also had a small parade before the game, where all the homecoming royalty and the marching band would go around the track of the stadium where the game was held, cheered on by alumni, parents, and students. Then we would watch the football game, which at my school, we usually lost. Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPodcast 39 - Reality T.V.

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 13:20:09 GMT

It's hard to watch TV these days without seeing reality shows. Some nights, it's hard to find a scripted drama to watch. There are so many different kinds of reality shows, too. The most popular one in the U.S. has been the "American Idol" show. This is a singing competition where amateurs try to impress the judges and the audience calls in to vote off a contestant each week. The last person left standing gets a recording contract. I think many countries now have a reality show like this. This show starts its fourth season this year and I think it'll be more popular then ever. Another popular reality show is "Big Brother." In this show, a group of people live together in the same house for about 15 weeks. They're not allowed to leave and they can't have visitors. The people chosen to live in the house are usually very different. This way, there is sure to be a lot of conflict. Some people form alliances and other people try to go it alone. The contestants compete in games and each week, the other contestants vote off one person from the show. Why would anyone want to be on "Big Brother?" The answer is easy: money. The last person remaining gets a huge prize-in the U.S. show, a half a million dollars. Even I'd live in a house full of strangers for that kind of cash . Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 38 - Food for the Barbecue

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 13:20:10 GMT

I moved into the new apartment last month and decided to invite a few friends over for a house-warming party. I didn't want to spend the day cooking, so I decided to have a barbeque. The food would be easy to prepare and I could cook it when my friends got here. But first, I had to go get a few things at the supermarket. I got to the store and got a cart. I started out in the meat department. It wouldn't be a barbeque without hamburgers so I bought some ground beef. I also picked up some chicken breasts and hot dogs. I skipped the seafood counter since I didn't want to bother with fish. Then, I was off to the produce department. I got some corn on the cob and a lot of vegetables for grilling for my friends who are vegetarians. Then, I was off to the bakery section. I needed buns for the hamburgers and hot dogs, and I also bought some cookies for dessert. Then, I was almost done. I went down each aisle looking for the condiments-- the ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise. And, just before wrapping things up, I went to the liquor department and got some beer, wine, and soda. Nearly everyone I invited asked if they could bring something for the party and but I told them no. I would have plenty of food and drink. That was it. I stood in line at the check-out stand, staring at the magazine rack full of tabloids, until the cashier rang me up. The shopping went off without a hitch. Now, all I have to do is clean my messy apartment. That's the hard part. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 37 - Buying a Pet

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 13:20:09 GMT

My niece is turning 8 next week and I decided to buy her a new pet. She had been asking her parents for a pet for a long time. But, they were worried about taking care of a pet. I told them I would go to the pet store to see if I could find a pet that wouldn't be too much of a bother. I walked into a big pet store and looked around. I saw cages with dogs and cats. There were also bird cages with birds of every color. I even saw some snakes! I saw a sales clerk and asked him for help. I told him that I was looking for a pet that was easy to take care of. He suggested a cat or a kitten. But, I told him that my niece was allergic to cats. Then, he suggested a puppy. I walked over to the rows of dog kennels and asked the clerk how often they needed to be walked. He said that usually, they needed to be taken out three to five times a day. That was much too much work, I told him. He then showed me some birds, including a parrot. Then, I asked him how often the cages had to be cleaned, and when he told me, I nixed that idea. Finally, he took me to the back of the store. I have the perfect pet for you, he said. I looked around and saw acquariums full of fish. There were about 20 different kinds. The clerk said that they were very easy to take care of. With the right equipment, you don't have to clean the tank regulary and all you have to do is feed the fish. That was it! The perfect solution. The next time I visited my niece, she told me she loved her fish. She had named them all. She even named one after me. It was called "Jeffish." Get it? Now, she's happy and so are her parents. Just before I left, my niece asked me: When can we go to Disneyland ? Ah, the work of an uncle is never done. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 36 - Shopping at the Mall

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 13:20:08 GMT

I needed a new dress for a wedding I was attending next week so I went to the mall during my lunch hour. The mall had a big variety of stores, including two department stores so I was sure to find something that was just right. I found a space in the parking structure and entered the mall through the main entrance. This was right next to the food court. Okay, where to start? I headed to one of the two department stores. On the way there, though, I saw a nice dress in a window display of a women's clothing store. I decided to go in. As I walked in, I saw a sales clerk hanging some shirts on a rack. She said, "Hi, can I help you find something?‚" "Oh, I'm just browsing," I said. "Okay. Let me know if you need any help." I told her "thanks" and started looking around the store. There were some nice sweaters folded on the shelves and some dress pants on the racks. I made my way toward the back of the store and found the same dress I saw in the window display. And, it was on sale! It was 50% off. I started looking for my size. There were plenty of smalls and larges, but no mediums. The sales clerk was walking by just then so I asked her, "Do you have any other sizes in the back?" But, I was out of luck. This was all they had. "But," she said, "I have this dress in a medium and it's been marked down, too. Would you like to try it on?" I said I did and followed her to the dressing room. She said, "My name is Cheryl. Let me know if you need anything else." I tried the dress on and it fit perfectly. I liked the color, too. I took the dress to the register. The sales clerk asked, "Are you ready?" I told her I was and she started ringing me up. The clerk told me the total and asked me, "How would you like to pay for this?‚" "With my MasterCard," I said and handed her my credit card. She processed the card and asked me sign the credit card receipt. She handed me a copy and a bag with my new dress in it. She said, "There you go. I hope you like the dress. Thanks for coming in.‚" I thanked her and left. I couldn't believe I got my shopping done so quickly. There's a first time for everything. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 35 - Working Late at the Office

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 13:20:10 GMT

I was so glad it was Friday afternoon. I've been thinking--TGIF--all day. I was on my way out of the office when I saw Nick sitting at his desk. Even though the office was nearly empty, he didn't look like he was ready to leave. In fact, he looked like he was still swamped with work. Linda: Hi, Nick. You're here late. Nick: Yeah, it looks like this may be an all-nighter. I just got a project dumped in my lap. Linda: You're kidding! On Friday afternoon? What happened? Nick: Well, the person who was put in charge of this project went on maternity leave this week and the person who was supposed to take it over just resigned. Linda: I can't believe that. When is the deadline? I hope you're getting some extra help. Nick: The project is due first thing Monday morning. And, with the lay-offs recently, I think I'm on my own on this one. Linda: Why don't you bring me up to speed? Maybe I can help. Nick: No, it's Friday. You look like you're about to head home. I can't ask you to do that. Linda: I don't have any big plans for tonight. So, I'll tell you what. I'm having some trouble finishing the budget on my proposal and I know you're a whiz at numbers. Why don't I stay and help you with your project for the next few hours and you can give me a hand with my budget next week. Nick: That's really nice of you. It would be a big relief. I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed and I know you've done a project like this before. Okay, you've got a deal! Linda: Good! Now, let's see what we've got. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 34 - Cafe Living

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 13:20:09 GMT

One of my favorite hang-outs is a cafe near where I live called Bolivar in Santa Monica. It's only five minutes away, and its never too busy to find a table. Sometimes it can be bustling, but that's usually just in the morning during rush hour or at lunchtime. The owners are from Venezuela, and always have some cool music playing in the background. Yesterday, I decided to take my New York Times and my laptop and kill a few hours there. I ordered the usual. I'm a regular , the folks there know I want a Vanilla Latte with a double shot of espresso, hold the whipped cream. Sometimes I'll order a coffee cake if I'm feeling a little hungry. The cafe also has soup and sandwich menu you can order off of. Cafes are great for people watching. Sometimes I just sit and watch the people come and go. You get all types at this cafe. Yesterday, for example, a mother comes in with her three daughters, and one of the little girls ordered a latte! This being Los Angeles, you have your typical mix of screenwriters, out-of-work actors, and various Hollywood wannabes. They make for a colorful mix most of the time. Me, I just sit and read my paper. I'm no actor, but someday I would like to direct. Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPodcast 33 - Being Gifted

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 10:30:10 GMT

Would you want to have a special talent in something? Maybe as a musician or an athlete? I'm of two minds about this. Sometimes I watch TV or read about someone who has a special talent. This was true during the Olympics. Some of those athletes I saw were very talented. Whether it was playing soccer, running track, ice skating, or doing gymnastic routines, you could see how gifted they were and how well- trained and focused they were. I get the same feeling when I see musicians who can sing well or play an instrument easily. Watching or listening to them can take your breath away . I sometimes wish I had an special gift like theirs. On the other hand, I also read about stories of children who are singled out as having talent early in life. Some of these kids begin training or practicing at the exclusion of other things kids do, like hanging out with friends or learning things in other subjects. Some of these kids don't go to school but are taught at home with tutors instead. They may be sent away to teachers or trainers in other cities, sometimes even without their parents. And, sometimes they spend so much time developing their talent, they don't have much time to develop other parts of their lives. These kids often live under a lot of pressure to perform. I envy these kids, talent, but I don't envy their lives. I guess maybe it's not so bad being mediocre after all. At least that's what I'll keep telling myself when I practice this week. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 32 - Going to the Post Office

Sun, 14 Sep 2025 13:30:13 GMT

For me, things never go very smoothly at my local post office. I've learned that if you want to mail a letter, you'll have no problems. But if things get more complicated than that, well, watch out! Yesterday I went there to mail a small package and to pick up a book of stamps. I waited my turn in line, and when I get up to the window, the clerk asks me, "What can I do for you?" "Well," I said, "I need a book‚no, make that a roll of stamps. And I need to send this package priority to San Francisco." "You want insurance with that?" he asked me. "Uh, I don't know, what do you recommend?" "Well," he said, "you can send it priority with tracking if you want to see when it gets there, you can send it insured if the contents are valuable, or you can do both." "Okay, I'll take the insurance." "Then step aside to fill out the insurance form," he said, "and bring it back up to me when you're finished." With that, I was waved aside to fill out my form. "Next in line!" the clerk called. When I finished filling out the form, I waited patiently until the gentleman being waited on in front of me was finished, and then stepped back up to the window. "Sorry," the clerk said, "I'm on break now. She can help you at the next window." Maybe it would be quicker just to drive my package to San Francisco. Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPodcast 31 - Reading the Newspaper

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 11:40:09 GMT

I fell into the habit of reading the newspaper every morning when I was a kid. Back then, there used to be two daily newspapers--morning edition and an afternoon edition. Nowadays, of course, many cities in the U.S. have just a morning paper. I'm not too picky about which newspaper I read, although when it comes to national newspapers, I prefer reading the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal over the USA Today. Don't get me wrong: I'm not a news junkie. I just like browsing the different sections, reading the headlines, and checking out the classifieds. I usually skip the sports section and the funnies, and only flip through the food and health sections, but I always read the front page and the editorial page. On the weekends, I'll skim the entertainment section for the movie listings and reviews. I'm sort of old-fashioned in that I still like reading a real, paper newspaper. Sure, I also read some of my news online, but nothing beats lounging around on Sunday morning reading the big, thick paper. Don't worry, though: I always recycle my stack of newspapers. Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPodcast 30 - Going to the Drugstore

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 11:30:14 GMT

I stopped by the drugstore last night on my way back home from work. I had a few toiletries to pick up, as well as my prescription. Fortunately, the chain pharmacy where I go has a little bit of everything: food, greeting cards, magazines--it's almost as big as a regular supermarket. To begin with, I needed to get some medications for my allergies. I've got hay fever, so I'm sneezing up a storm every morning when I wake up. While I was at it, I also got some antacids and some Band-Aids. Now it was time to pick up my refill. I stood in line for a few minutes before being waited on. Since it was not a new prescription, the pharmacist didn't have to do a consultation with me. I just gave the clerk my insurance card and she rang up the sale. Fortunately, I have a low co-pay, so my HMO foots most of the bill. Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPodcast 29 - Unkind Comments

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 11:30:13 GMT

Yesterday, I was talking to an ex-colleague of mine who, quite frankly, has something of a big mouth. I bumped into him at the beach, where he was walking his dog. Anyway, as I was saying, he's the kind of guy that's always bad mouthing his co-workers. So he comes up to me and says, "Hey, Jeff. Long time, no see. What've you been up to?" "Ah, not much, " I said. "Well, guess who I saw yesterday? John Robeson, the guy from accounting at Firth Industries. You remember him, the guy with big ears and and an ego to match." It takes one to know one, I thought, but I kept it so myself. "Oh, really. How interesting," I replied. "Yeah, well, I hate to talk behind someone's back, but ever since he and I had that falling out last year, I've never really cared for the guy." "How come?" I asked. "Well, he's a bit of a backstabber, always trying to outdo the other guy." "I know what you mean," I said. I knew at this point it was time to make my exit, otherwise, this guy would go on about John Robeson for the next 10 minutes. "What time do you have? " I asked him. "It's quarter after five." "Geez, already? Man, I've got to hit the road. I'm supposed to meet my brother at the pier in a few minutes. But, hey, it was sure good to see you again. You take care!" With that, I made my exit. I've got better things to do than to listen to him gripe all day. Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPodcast 28 - Small Talk About the Weather

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 11:30:12 GMT

I admit that I'm not very good at small talk . When I'm with friends, I can just shoot the breeze all day long. But when I talk to a stranger or someone I don't know very well, I'm always casting about, searching for something to talk about. Politics and religion are definitely taboo subjects, at least here in the United States. But you have to chat about something, otherwise there are these uncomfortable silences. So we end up talking about‚ what else?‚ the weather. This usually begins with something like, "So, nice weather we've been having!" or "It sure is a warm one out there today." Of course, we have to comment on the temperature. My favorite is, "It's not the heat that's so bad, it's the humidity!" Actually, I think that's true‚I hate it most when it's muggy outside. Back in my home state of Minnesota, everyone is obsessed with the weather report! Every TV station has it's own meteorologist with a high- tech radar giving you the 5 day forecast. They tell you when the temperature is rising or falling , what kind of clouds are moving in, and how cold the wind chill is. My favorite quote about the weather comes from Mark Twain, who once said, that everybody talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it! Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPodcast 27 - Good Advice

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 11:30:13 GMT

I came across some good advice while reading this week. If you're like me, you spend most of your time thinking about all of the things that are on your "to-do‚" list and you try to figure out how you're going to do them all. Or, sometimes, I think about things that have already happened. Maybe I messed up my presentation at work or had a fight with my boyfriend. People dwell on these kinds of things all of the time. The book I was reading made a very good point. If you're constantly thinking about the past or the future, how can you enjoy the present? In other words, you're making yourself unhappy by stressing out about things that you can't control. At the same time, you're missing what's happening right now. I know I do this all the time. For instance, I was at the movies this past weekend. I was with my good friend and we were seeing a movie we've had our eye on for weeks. I was looking forward to it and my friend and I were both in a great mood. Then, I saw someone across the theater who looked like my co- worker. It wasn't her but it got me thinking. I thought about the report I had to do on Monday and how much I hated working on it. Then, I thought about my co-worker who wasn't pulling her weight. The more I thought about it, the more angry I got. By the time the movie started, my mood had changed completely. I was stressed out. Where did all of that thinking and worrying get me? Nowhere. My new resolution is to try to stop obsessing about the past and the future so much, and to just enjoy the here and now. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 26 - Daily Errands

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 11:30:16 GMT

I've had a really busy day today. I rolled out of bed at around 7:00 AM, like every morning, and jumped in the shower. After brushing my teeth and shaving, I picked up my morning paper from the front sidewalk and started reading it. I like to eat breakfast when I read the paper, so I poured myself a bowl of cereal. At around 7:30, I went into my office and sat down to go over my to-do list. First, it was off to the post office to check my P.O. box. Then I went to the public library down the street to check out some books I've been meaning to read. Next stop: the supermarket. My wife had given me a grocery list as long as your arm of things to pick up. I grabbed a shopping cart and got down to business. After I checked off everything on my list, I headed to the check out stand to pay for my items.But I wasn't done yet. I zipped over to the bank, where I had to make a deposit and withdraw some money from the ATM. Fortunately, the line wasn't too long and I was able to get in and out quickly. My next stop was the pharmacy, where I needed to pick up my prescriptions. Finally, I headed home again. Now, I have to go to my real job!Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 25 - Problems at the Office

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 08:07:06 GMT

Lucy: Hey Jeff, can I pick your brain for a minute?Jeff: Sure, what's up? Lucy: Well, I have a sticky situation at work and I wanted to get your input. You're always so tactful .Jeff: Thanks. I'm not sure I can help but I'll give you my two cents.Lucy: Well, it's like this. There's this guy I work with who is always making jokes about the boss. Don't get me wrong. I like a good joke now and then, especially about the boss. But, sometimes he goes too far. Jeff. What do you mean? Lucy: Well, just the other day, he got a picture off the Internet and cut and pasted the boss’s head onto it. Let's just say it was a very unflattering picture of him. Jeff: Hmm. That's really unprofessional, but it sounds harmless enough, if he kept it to himself or just showed it to a few friends.Lucy: That's just it. He didn't keep it to himself. He attached the picture to an email and sent it to the entire company, including the top brass. Jeff: You're joking, right?Lucy: No, I'm not. This is what I mean when I said he goes too far. He just doesn't know when to quit.Jeff: Is he a friend of yours?Lucy: No, not really. But, I don't want the guy to get fired. He's actually a good person. He's just clueless, that's all.Jeff: Well, that's a tough one. Let me think about it. Maybe there's a way to get him to cut it out before he gets fired. Lucy: Thanks. I appreciate it. Jeff: Oh, it's no big deal. Let's go get a bite to eat. Lucy: Sure. Sounds good to me. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 024 - Driving on the Freeways

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 11:30:11 GMT

Driving in a big city like L.A. can be so stressful. It sometimes feels like I'm doing battle just to get to the grocery store, much less across town. What is it about getting behind the wheel that brings out people's aggressive side? The most mild-mannered mother of three turns into a race car driver when she gets on the road. In L.A., people rely on the freeway to commute to their jobs or just to get around town. I think driving on the freeway has it's good and bad. On the one hand, there are no stoplights and the speed limit is over 55 miles per hour so you can get somewhere in a flash. But, on the other hand, there are drawbacks, too. People like to gun their engines and cut off other cars to get ahead. The other day, I saw a guy in a Porsche get into the passing lane, race ahead of the Honda that was in front of him, and cut that person off. Then, the guy in the Honda tries to catch up to the Porsche. They're both zipping in and out of traffic, almost causing an accident. They were speeding and changing lanes without looking or signalling. I was sure they were going to cause a big pile up. As an alternate to the freeway, I sometimes take surface streets. Of course, surface streets have their drawbacks, too. If you have a long commute to work or school, it can take you ages to get there. There are stop signs, stop lights, and crosswalks to deal with. And, people sometimes tailgate if they think you're not going fast enough. Now that I think about it, there's sometimes even more congestion on surface streets than on the freeways! There's no getting around it living in L.A. We need better public transportation and more people to walk, bike, or rollerblade to work. But as the famous song goes, "Nobody Walks in L.A." [by the Missing Persons]Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 023 - Spring Cleaning

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 11:30:18 GMT

Spring cleaning is supposed to take place before summer, not after it. But, as usual, I procrastinated and now I have to finally get rid of all the junk I've accumulated over the year. But now there are no if's, and's, or but's about it--the cleaning must be done!I start in my bedroom. I have a king bed, with a sheet on the mattress and a top sheet, with pillow cases on the pillows. At top all that I have a down comforter. Well, they all need to be washed, so into the machine they go. Next I start in on the closet. What a mess! I've got boxes and bins full of stuff that need sorting . Finally, I have to vacuum the carpet and dust. Whew! Quite a job! Good thing I don't have any drapes, just shades on the windows.But I'm not done yet. It's time to move on to the kitchen. I have a combination stove and oven, both of which I need to clean. I start with the fridge, though, which needs the most work. I take out the shelves and rinse them all off. Then I dump anything that has passed its expiration date. Then it’s back to the stove, which I need to scrub clean of the grease and stains , and the same for the oven. Finally, I wash all the dirty dishes and put them in a dish rack next to the sink. Spring cleaning is always a mixed bag for me. It's a lot of work, but I also find things I've been missing for the past year! Maybe next time I'll manage to do my spring cleaning in the spring.Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPodcast 022 - Seeing Old Friends

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 11:30:16 GMT

This is turning out to be a month for seeing old friends. I got an email a couple of weeks ago from an old friend from graduate school. She and her family are visiting L.A. for a week. They plan to see family and to visit old friends. Since she moved out of the country, I hadn't seen her in ages. I'm looking forward to meeting her new kids and seeing her again. Another old friend called this week. She and I were buddies in our undergraduate days. She plans to swing by L.A. on her way to San Francisco. We've made plans to have lunch. She works in Washington D.C. as a political advisor and is usually very busy. I'm glad she could make time for us to get together.When we say good-bye to our friends, we always hope to keep in touch. But, what with this and that, it's sometimes hard to do. With friends that I've fallen out of touch with, it's sometimes hard to meet up again and pick up where we left off. We've both moved on to a different phase in our lives. Some of my old friends have become very successful, are living lives in the fast lane. Other friends are struggling along and are just making ends meet. But, no matter how they're doing, it's always nice to touch base again. I'm really looking forward to seeing these old pals of mine and catching up after all this time.Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 21 - Tell Me About Yourself

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 11:30:13 GMT

Well, I was born and raised in Minnesota, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to be exact. I won't say how long ago that was, but let's just say I'm no spring chicken. I grew up there with my rather large family of 8 brothers and 2 sisters. (I was the baby of the family, but I swear I wasn't spoiled!) We were 13 in all, probably the biggest family in the neighborhood, maybe in the state. I had a mostly happy childhood. My father and mother didn't have a lot of money, but we were never worried about keeping up with the Joneses. I wasn't much into sports like my brothers were, but I enjoyed reading and listening to music growing up. I went to grade school near my house, and then to a high school about 2 miles from where I lived. After graduating from high school, I went on to the University of Minnesota to get my bachelor's degree. It took me a while to learn the ropes at the university, but I finally graduated nearly 6 years later. Better late than never, as my father used to say. I then went to Mexico for a couple of years to teach English and to study Spanish. When I returned, I decided to become a teacher, so I went back to school to get my Master's degree. After teaching for a few years, I was offered a job in California, so I moved to Los Angeles in 1991. After working here a few years, I went back to school (again!) to get my Ph.D. I was starting to become a professional student. Well, I finished up my degree in four years, and then taught at the university for several years. Now, I work at a small research organization here in L.A. I am happily married, and I still enjoy reading and listening to music, and, of course, hosting ESL Podcast.

Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPodcast 020 - Buying a New Computer

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 18:30:12 GMT

My computer has been acting up on me. It's a pretty old model, and I need to replace it. So I decided to call up my friend Kevin to ask for his two cents. Kevin is a computer whiz. He knows PC really well since he worked on them for years, but in his heart of hearts, he is a big Mac fan. So, I thought he would be good person to ask. I have always used a PC. I do mostly word processing so I don't need anything fancy. But, I see people I know doing cool things with photos and video, so I’d like to take a crack at some new programs in the future. Well, I called up Kevin to tell him what I needed. He immediately started throwing out specs: "You need at least a 2 Gigahertz processor and 1 Gig of memory, and make sure it has a writable DVD drive." "Whoa," I said. "All of that is way over my head. Let's back up for a a minute." Then he laughed and said he had gotten carried away . "Okay," he said. "Let's start at the beginning. Now, the processor determines how easily and how fast you can use the programs on your computer. Got that?" I said that I did. Then he continued, "How much RAM memory you have is very important, too. Your computer will go faster the more you have. So, I recommend getting at least 1 Gigabyte of RAM memory." "I think I'm following you so far, " I said. "Great," he said. Another thing you want is a drive that handles both CDs and DVDs. Some drives can just read DVDs and some can record onto blank ones. If you want to burn your own videos, you'll want a writable DVD drive. Remember though, that's just the computer itself. Don't forget that you'll need a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse, and speakers." "OK," I said. "I think I've got all that. Now, here's the burning question: Mac or PC? He said: "Now that's a whole different thing. Do you have a couple of hours?‚"

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPod019 - Going Shopping

Sat, 29 Jul 2023 20:16:13 GMT

ESLPodcast 19 - Going Shopping

Tags: Shopping

Audio Index: 15:33

Believe it or not, I don't own an iPod. I know, I know. I'm really behind the times, but I have an excuse. I've been so busy at my work lately, I haven't had time to take a break. So finally yesterday I went shopping for an iPod down at the mall in Santa Monica.

I walked into the Mac store there and was immediately greeted by a salesperson. He asked, "Can I help you find something?" "No," I said, "just looking." I don't like the feeling of high-pressure salespeople. Anyway, I looked around the store some more, and finally made my way to the iPod section. Then I decided to ask the salesman a question. "Excuse me, can I ask you something?" "Sure," he said. "Go right ahead." "I'm thinking of picking up an iPod, but I'm not sure which one is right for me. What do you recommend?" He replied, "Are you going to be using it for running, jogging, working out, in your car?" "Yes," I said, "all of those, except the running, jogging, and working out." He laughed at my somewhat lame joke. "Okay, well, I recommend you get the iPod Mini to start." "How much is that?" I asked. "Well, it just went on sale, so I think we can offer you a good price on it." "I'll take one," I said, and we made our way to the cash register. "Will that be credit or debit?" he asked me. "Credit card," I said, as I swiped the card through the reader. I waited, and nothing happened. "Could you swipe that card again? It didn't go through." "Sure," I said, and swiped it again. Finally, the card processed and he handed me the charge slip to sign. "I'm sure you'll be very happy with your purchase." "Oh," I said. "It's not really for me. It's for my wife! ‚"

Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPod018 - Getting Around (Fast)

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 20:14:58 GMT

ESLPodcast 18 - Getting Around (Fast)

Tags: Daily Life , Transportation

Audio Index: 15:34

Getting around in the United States is sometimes not very easy. Most people own their own cars, but not everyone can foot the bill for the car, plus the insurance, gas, and maintenance. Most big cities have buses, but they are much slower than a car. Several cities in the U.S. have subway systems, but many do not. There are even fewer trains that transport daily commuters. In cities such as Los Angeles, public transportation is much more limited than in other countries.

If you take some form of public transportation, you need to pay a certain fare. In most big cities the fare is anywhere from 1 to 2 dollars. But don't expect the bus driver to change a bill for you. You usually need exact change if you're going to ride a bus, train, or subway. Whatever you take, you always have to pay for it!

My friends here in Los Angeles all have different ways of getting to work. One friend, who lives out in the boonies, rides the train everyday. He takes the train because it's easier for him than driving or taking a bus. Another friend I know who works close to where he lives rides a bike everyday. Still another friend drives his car. I don't know anyone who rides the bus, but I've taken it once or twice when my car was in the shop. Worse comes to worst, you can always hop in a taxi. Taking a taxi is expensive here, though, so be prepared for a big fare‚not including the tip!

Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPod017 - Going to the Movies (Fast)

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 20:13:15 GMT

ESLPodcast 17 - Going to the Movies (Fast)

Tags: Entertainment

Audio Index: 20:00

I love watching movies. I like a lot of different genres. No matter what my mood is, I can always find something that fits the bill. When I'm feeling down, I sometimes like a good comedy. My favorite are romantic comedies. The plot is pretty simple. A boy meets a girl and there are road blocks to them getting together. The lead actors are usually likable people, the supporting cast give comic relief and villains are people we love to hate. In the end, though, there is usually a happy ending. Romantic comedies, or comedies in general, can be predictable but they're also pretty entertaining. I don't go out of my way to see slapstick or physical comedies that much. But, once in a while, I catch a good one on TV.

I like dramas, mysteries, and action and adventure stories, not to mention documentaries. My favorite are movies that have surprise endings that throw you for a loop. Just when you thought you had the whole thing figured out, there's a plot twist. Good screenwriters or directors can pull it off.

One type of movie I don't like that much are horror movies. Scary movies just don't do it for me. But, there is one exception. I like movies by the director Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock was born in England but made most of his films in the U.S. Before he died in 1980, he made a lot of movies that are now considered classics. Most of them are nail- biters; some are mysteries and some are horror stories.

The scariest movie I think he made and that I've ever seen was a movie called Psycho. The movie is set in a seedy motel called Bates Motel. The main character owns the motel and lives there with his mother. Strange things happened at this motel. People check in, but sometimes, they don't check out. One day, a very pretty woman checks in to the motel. We know something bad is going happen to her. Sure enough, we see her get murdered. At the very end, we find out who the murderer is. It's one of those surprise endings. Just when you thought you have it figured out, it turns out to be a shocker. I won't spoil the ending for you if you haven't seen it. I recommend it though and give it a big thumbs up. But, be warned. It's not for the faint-hearted.

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPod016 - Summertime Vacations (Fast)

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 20:11:45 GMT

ESLPodcast 16 - Summertime Vacations (Fast)

Tags: Travel

Audio Index: 18:41

I think the best summer vacation I've ever taken was when I went out East a few years ago. Two of my friends and I went on a two-week road trip. At the time, I was living in St. Paul, Minnesota, in the Midwest of the United States. Anyway, we started off camping every night, but that got real old, real fast. So we started checking in to hotels after about the third day. We were headed for Washington, DC first. Checking in to the hotel was always a bit of a hassle. I wanted to sleep in a double bed, my friends wanted to get a king to share. Lodging is more expensive at a hotel than in a campground, but it is much, much more comfortable!

We went to the major tourist attractions in Washington, D.C. - the Capitol, Lincoln's Memorial, the White House. We then headed north, passing through Boston and headed towards Canada, to Quebec City. When we arrived at the Canadian border, we had to pass through customs and immigration. Customs was easy. We had nothing to declare. Immigration was more of a pain. We were asked the standard questions. How long will you be staying in Canada? What is the nature of your visit? Finally, we were permitted to enter, and we drove on to our destination.

Quebec City is beautiful! Unlike many cities, there are no tourist traps to sidetrack you. We spent two days there, then drove on to Montreal. Of course, we had to pass through customs and immigration again when we re-entered the United States. Our bags were searched in customs, but other than that we got through fairly easily. A few days later, we were back in Minnesota--home sweet home.

Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPod015 - Going to a Concert II (Fast)

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 20:10:35 GMT

ESLPodcast 15 - Going to a Concert II (Fast)

Tags: Entertainment

Audio Index: 14:52

My friend Ben and I have been waiting a month to see our favorite band in concert. This was the night. We were so excited. In a small venue like the Whiskey, there wouldn't be a bad seat in the house.

So, we get to the Whiskey really early to find street parking and snagged a spot about four blocks away. Then, we got in line which was already about 20 deep. There were two bouncers outside of the bar and they weren't letting anybody in yet. We waited and waited in line. Finally, the line started to move. When we got to the head of it, one of the bouncers checked our tickets and one of the other employees of the club put a wrist band on each of us. I guess this was to let the employees in the bar know that we belonged there and we weren't crashing the party.

Anyway, we got inside and tried to get as close to the stage as possible. There were already a bunch of people standing in front of the stage in a special roped-off section. These were probably VIPs or maybe they were groupies. Who knows? Anyway, I just know that security wasn't letting anyone get that close.

Before too long, people started to cheer and I knew that the opening act was about to come on. This was a band I’d never heard of before so I wasn't that excited to hear them. They did come out and they started played a set. I couldn't believe it. They were really horrible. The people standing next to Ben and me started boo-ing the band. Other people started throwing things on the stage, like their drinks and their food. After a little while, the boo-ing got so loud, you could hardly hear the band. Finally, they finished their song and left the stage.

The concert-goers were pretty rowdy by this time. Some were yelling, others were getting up on top of the bar and dancing. Just when I thought there was going to be riot, someone got on the microphone and started to introduced the headlining band . All of a sudden, everybody calmed down and started cheering. The band came on stage and started their first number. Then, the room was full of happy campers. Ben and I were both a little nervous for a second there. We didn't know if things were going to get out of hand. But when the band started playing, we knew that everything would be ok. This was turning out to be a great night, just like we’d imagined.

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPod014 - Going to a Concert I (Fast)

Mon, 24 Jul 2023 20:08:56 GMT

ESLPodcast 14 - Going to a Concert I (Fast)

Tags: Entertainment

Audio Index: 15:47

I heard on the radio this morning that my favorite band was going to be in concert here next month. I was so excited. The first thing I did was to call my friend Ben who is also a big fan of the band. Not only was the band playing in town, they were going to play at a bar called the Whiskey. The Whiskey is known as a small, intimate venue so we’d be able to get close to the band. It's not a big amphitheater where you can't even see the band from the nose-bleed section. This would be the ultimate concert experience if only we can get tickets.

I was sure that the tickets would sell out fast when they went on sale on Saturday morning. So, Ben and I decided to camp out in front of the box office on Friday night. That way, when the box office opened on Saturday morning, we would definitely get tickets. We grabbed a bite to eat on Friday night, then we got dressed in our warmest clothes and took our sleeping bags to the ticket office. This was around 8pm. When we got there, I couldn't believe it! There were already about 15 people in line! And, I was sure we'd be the first ones. Oh well.

Ben and I got into the back of the line and we barely got any sleep all night. We talked to the other people there and we just hung out all night. Nothing got out of hand, though, so we didn't get hassled by the cops. By morning, there were more than 50 die-hard fans in line.

Well, it paid off. When the box office opened at 9 am, we filed up to the window one by one and got our tickets. It was all worth it. I heard afterwards that the concert sold out in less than a half hour! I'm so glad we braved the elements and camped out. I really can't wait until next month!

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPod013 - Dining at a Restaurant II (Fast)

Sun, 23 Jul 2023 20:07:16 GMT

ESLPodcast 13 - Dining at a Restaurant II (Fast)

Tags: Dining

Audio Index: 14:52

I love coming to this Italian restaurant. The appetizers and desserts are to die for. When the waiter came to our table to take our order, my friend ordered a lobster ravioli dish, and I ordered my favorite, lasagna. The waiter then asked us, "Would you like a soup or salad with that?" My friend said yes; I passed on both.

The vibe in the restaurant is pretty laid back, not at all uptight like you find in some of the ritzier restaurants in Beverly Hills. The wait staff is courteous, although sometimes the hostesses can be a bit snooty .

Anyway, when our meals arrived, everything was cooked to perfection. Since I didn't order any appetizers, soup, or salad, I was starved. Even though I was really hungry, I tried not to gobble down my food too quickly. I didn't want my friend to think I was a pig! But even though I tried not to, I still overate. When the waiter asked if we wanted any dessert or after dinner drinks, I just couldn't resist getting the apple-filled crepes. They are the best.

When we got our check, my friend and I split the bill, as we're accustomed to do. I frankly prefer to go Dutch when I eat out with friends. So that was the end of a really great meal. Now I have to hit the gym if I'm going to lose any of this extra weight I gained from eating that lasagna!

Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPod012 - Dining at a Restaurant I (Fast)

Sat, 22 Jul 2023 20:04:35 GMT

ESLPodcast 12 - Dining at a Restaurant I (Fast)

Tags: Dining

Audio Index: 12:13

Well, I love going out to restaurants to eat. One of the best experiences I've had recently was at a place here in Los Angeles called Il Fornaio. It's an Italian restaurant in a very nice part of Beverly Hills. I don't go there very often--I can't really afford it, but every once in a while I'll treat myself.

The last time I went, I walked in with a friend and I was greeted by the hostess. She asked how many people were in my party, and I said, "Just two." "Right this way! I'll show you to your table" she said. She was very polite. When we reached our table by the window, she asked us, "Is this all right?" We said, "Of course!," and then she handed us the menus, along with the wine list. The place setting with the silverware was very complete. There were two forks (one for the salad course, one for the main course), a spoon, a knife, a dinner plate, a dessert spoon on top, a wine glass and a water glass, a cup and saucer for coffee, and a bread basket. I was already getting hungry!

"Your waiter will be with you shortly," the hostess said. So we looked over the menus‚ so many choices, especially for a lover of Italian food like me.

The waiter came up to the table a few minutes later and said, "Good evening. My name is Giorgio, and I'll be your waiter this evening. Is there anything I can get you started with -a cocktail, a glass of wine?" Well, my friend and I are not exactly big drinkers, so we just ordered a couple of iced teas. "Would you like a few minutes to look at the menu?" he said. We nodded our heads, and he went off to get our drinks.

As I was looking at the appetizers, I spotted one of my favorite dishes-crab cakes! I told my friend that the crab cakes were a must. Just then the waiter returned to our table, with our drinks on a large tray. Now, I was ready to order.

Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPod011 - Expressing Emotions

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 20:03:59 GMT

Interview

It would be great if I could always feel happy all the time, day in and day out. But sometimes I feel down. This is one of those days. Sometimes I get depressed if something disappointing happens—like if I interview for a job and I don't get it, or if I have to cancel my vacation after looking forward to it for a long time.

Once in a while, I'll even feel down if I've read a very sad book or have seen a movie with a sad or tragic ending.

Well... None of those things happened today, but I'm still feeling a little blue. I don't know what the cause is, but maybe what I need to do is to try to cheer myself up.

When I've felt this way in the past, I've found that a change of pace helps. Getting out of the house, going to a new restaurant for dinner, or just going for a walk outside can sometimes get me out of this bad mood.

Sometimes, I hate to say it, but going out and buying myself something new sometimes does the trick. Getting something new, especially something I've wanted for a while, can sometimes cheer me up.

Other times, just having a long talk with a good friend helps me put things into perspective, and I feel better.

Okay, I've got it. I'll call my friend Debbie and invite her out to dinner. Debbie is such a good friend, and she has a way of seeing the bright side of things. She's one of those people who always sees the glass half full—not half empty. I bet she'll help me get out of my lousy mood. And, if that doesn't work, I'm heading to the mall.

Vocabulary and Expressions

There were several expressions that we heard that mean the same thing—all of them expressing the idea of feeling sad. You heard the woman say:

I feel down.
I feel depressed.
I'm feeling a little blue.
I'm in a bad mood.

All of these are ways of saying pretty much the same thing: that we don't feel well, that we're not happy.

The expressions I feel down or I get depressed or feel depressed are fairly common. The expression I'm feeling a little blue is a little more old-fashioned—not used quite as often anymore in English—but to feel blue means to feel badly, like the color blue.

A bad mood can sometimes be used when we feel sad, but a bad mood can also be when you are angry or upset over something.

A couple of other expressions that were used:

The woman said that it would be great if I could feel happy all the time, day in and day out. The expression day in and day out means all of the time, constantly. For example:
It rains day in and day out, meaning every day, all the time.

The woman also said that because she was feeling a little blue, she was going to try to cheer herself up. To cheer yourself up means to make yourself happy.

One way she was going to do this was by having a change of pace. Change of pace means a change in the way that you are doing things. Literally, the word pace refers to speed, but here it means doing something different from your usual routine.

For example, in a race: If you are going to run a long race, like a marathon, you want to pace yourself, to keep your pace so that you don't get tired. To change your pace or have a change of pace means, more generally, to do something in a different way—to go in a new direction, to do things to get yourself out of your depression, to cheer yourself up.

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ESLPod010 - Asking Information Politely

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 20:00:38 GMT

Telephone Conversation

Good morning, Roth and Company. Good morning. I'm trying to reach Michael Dobson. I'm sorry, Mr. Dobson is not in the office. Would you know if he will be in today? I'm afraid I don't know Mr. Dobson's schedule. Oh, I see. Well... I wonder if I could leave a message for him. Sure. I can take a message. Please let him know that Susan Kale called, and would you please ask him to call me at his earliest convenience? Would you spell your last name? Sure. It's Kale. That's spelled K-A-L-E. And does Mr. Dobson have your phone number? I believe so, but let me leave it just in case. My office number is 462-555-0306. And my cell number is 462-555-6258. I'll give him the message. Is there anything else I can help you with? No, that's all. Thanks so much. No problem. Have a nice day. Thanks. You too.

Vocabulary and Expressions

In this short phone conversation, there were several expressions that we want to discuss today—some of them dealing with asking for things politely, others used when we use the telephone.

The conversation began with the receptionist answering the phone: Good morning, followed by the name of the company. Then the woman on the phone said: Good morning. I'm trying to reach Michael Dobson.

The expression I'm trying to reach is one we use especially on the telephone when we're asking if someone is there. You can also say:

Is Michael Dobson there? But that's a little less formal. A more formal and polite way would be:
I'm trying to reach [name].

To ask for information politely, she asked:

Would you know if he will be in today? Would you know if, followed by a statement, is a way of asking a question politely. For example:
Excuse me, would you know if this bus goes downtown? That's a polite way of asking a stranger or someone in a business setting.

You can also say:

I wonder if... The expression I wonder if is used when we are asking permission of another person. In this case, we heard the woman say:
I wonder if I could leave a message for him. You could also say:
I wonder if I could borrow your car. I wonder if, followed by any sort of request, is a polite way to ask.

Other telephone expressions:

To take a message means to write down information for someone who is not there.
When leaving a message, you can say:
- Please let him know that Susan Kale called.
- Could you please tell him that Jeff McQuillan called?
- Could you please let him know that I called?

Another expression used was:

At his earliest convenience. The phrase Would you please ask him to call me at his earliest convenience means as soon as he has time, when it is convenient for him. This is a very polite way of asking someone to return a call.

We also heard:

Would you please spell your last name? This is a polite way to ask someone to spell their name so you can write it down correctly.

Finally, the caller said:

I believe so, but let me leave it just in case. The expression just in case means as a precaution, for extra security. For example:
I’m not sure if I locked the door, so I’ll check again—just in case.

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ESLPod009 - Asking for Favor

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 19:58:18 GMT

There have been several times in my work where I had to ask permission or for a favor that was somewhat difficult. And so I wanted to ask very nicely, very politely.

One time I went into my boss's office and asked if I could have some vacation time near one of the big holidays. So I went to her and I said: Excuse me, Ms. Chang, may I ask you a question? And she said: Sure, go ahead. Well, I said: I was wondering if it would be okay for me to take a few days off next week. She then asked me: Could you tell me why you need to take a day off so near a holiday? I said: Well, I was hoping that I could combine my vacation with the holiday to have more time. She said: I'm sorry, but I can't give you any vacation time next week.

Another time I went into my manager's office to ask him for a raise. I wanted more money. Now, I was very nervous, but I thought if I asked politely enough, he might just say yes. So I went to him and I said: Excuse me, Mr. Hilldigger, I wonder if I could ask you a question. Of course, he said. Well, I said: I was interested in what the company's policy was on pay raises. Would you mind telling me how often people get a raise in this division? He looked at me and said: Not very often. Well, even though I asked politely, I did not get a raise.

Another time I was working in a small office here in Santa Monica, California, and there was a girl there that I really liked. Her name was Julie. Anyway, I finally got up the nerve to ask her out to go on a date with me, so I said: Uh, hey, Julie. Could you tell me what you're doing this weekend? She said: Oh, nothing much. Then I said: Well, I was wondering whether you wanted to go to the movies. She said: Hey, that's a great idea. I'm going to call my friend Sam and ask him. Well... I wasn't very successful in asking her out for a date. I forgot to say that I wanted her to go to the movies with me.

Vocabulary Discussion Now let's talk about some of the difficult vocabulary in that last segment. We heard several ways of asking for things politely in a business or formal setting as well as in an informal setting.

When I was talking about asking for vacation, I came up to my boss and I said: May I ask you a question? The expression may I means you're asking for permission to do something. It's a polite way of asking.

Then I said: I was wondering if it would be okay for me... The expression I was wondering if is also an indirect way of politely bringing up a topic, often a somewhat sensitive topic.

My boss replied in that first segment: Could you tell me why you need a day off? Could you tell me again is a polite way of asking for information. For example:

Could you tell me where the restroom is?
Could you tell me how long my appointment will last?

All of these are polite expressions. In talking about asking my boss for a raise, I used some of those same expressions.

I said: Excuse me, Mr. Hilldigger. I wonder if I could ask you a question. This is another way of asking for permission:

I wonder if I could use your car.
I wonder if I could get a new ticket.

All of these are similar in asking politely for permission.

I also said in that segment: I was interested in what the company's policy was on pay raises. To say I was interested in is again an indirect way of trying to find out. It's the same as I was wondering if, and so forth.

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ESLPod008 - Writing an Email to a Friend

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 20:05:37 GMT

Personal Email Hi, Julia. I'm sitting here in front of the computer in our apartment writing this email to you. It feels so weird not to have you here. You were my roommate for four years after all. I really miss having my best friend here. But enough with feeling sorry for myself.

I am so happy to hear that you're getting settled in New York City. I'm trying to imagine what it's like for you—first, getting your dream job, then moving to an amazing city and starting a whole new life. I'm really glad to hear that your cross-country drive to New York was a good one. There were no problems, no breakdowns, and you even made it in good time. I'm very, very happy to hear that the moving van made it there without any major catastrophes. I can't believe they made it there on time and they didn't even break anything. What a miracle!

Well, I hope that everything else goes well this next week while you're getting used to the new city before starting your new job. Are you excited about the job yet? It's so great that you'll be able to do what you've always wanted to—working as a writer for one of the best newspapers in the country. I always knew you could do it. You were always so focused and worked so hard. You really deserve it. I can't wait to start reading your articles in the newspaper.

Well, things here are pretty much as you left it. Same old, same old. My schedule at the restaurant is still the same. I'm working weekends. I'm not thrilled about that, as you know. But I do love my job. Being a chef is great. But there's one major drawback. I'm starting to notice that I'm getting fat. I have to stop eating so many of my own dishes. I decided today to do something about it. I joined the gym down the street. It's the one three blocks down near that video store. Do you remember it? I even went out today and got new workout clothes and a pair of new jogging shoes. Now I have absolutely no excuses. All I have to do is to get off my butt and go work out. I am so incredibly lazy. You know what a couch potato I am. But not anymore. I plan to get up each morning and work out before I head off to work. That means actually getting up before 10 a.m. Now that's going to be a challenge.

I'm going to start on Monday. We'll see how that goes. Wish me luck. Okay, that's all for now. Write me back soon. I'm anxious to hear how things are going. Talk to you soon.

One friend was emailing another friend who had just moved to New York City. Lots of expressions here that may be unfamiliar to you.

At the beginning of the message, Jessica—who was writing the email—said that she was “feeling sorry for herself.” To feel sorry for yourself means to pity yourself, to think that your situation is worse than everyone else's. We often, when we hear someone complain, say to them: Stop feeling sorry for yourself, meaning stop thinking that your situation is worse than everyone else's. This is something we would only say, however, to a friend, family member, or someone that you knew well. You wouldn't want to say that to your boss.

Another term was dream job. When we often use the term dream in front of a noun, it means the perfect or the ideal. So:

My dream vacation would be to go to Hawaii.
My dream car would be a Porsche.

Jessica also mentioned that her friend was lucky because she didn't have any breakdowns in her trip. Remember, this is a term we used in a previous ESL podcast. When a car or an automobile has problems and stops running, we say that it breaks down. And the term breakdowns would be the noun of that.

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ESLPod007 - Food and Cooking

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 20:03:57 GMT

Mary's Response I love to eat, but I don't like to cook—not at all. I probably don't like to cook because I'm really bad at it. When I was growing up, my mother did all of the cooking in our house. But I never did learn how to cook any dishes at all. And so when I went to college and I moved into my own apartment, I had to learn how to cook a little bit. Usually what I made were very simple instant things, like ramen noodles. I bought a lot of TV dinners. And I also bought a lot of frozen pizzas. So I didn't have a very good diet when I was in college. But I ate a lot of things that were easy to make and that were in my very small student budget.

Later on, I did try to learn how to cook a little bit. I tried to cook for a boyfriend or two. And each time I tried to cook, I would get some simple recipes that required things like marinating the meat, chopping up the vegetables, getting spices to add to the dish. And I would do all of those things. And I would spend a lot of time—maybe hours and hours—working on cooking a meal. And then in the end, it would always turn out badly. Whether I would cook it too long and it would burn, overcook it, or it would just simply taste terrible. I don't think I'm made out to be a cook.

Jeff's Response I like to cook occasionally—every once in a while. I probably cook now about three, maybe four times a week. By cook, though, I mean prepare a very simple dish. Usually it involves either rice or pasta. I like to boil pasta. And then I buy a bottle of pasta sauce with tomatoes and mushrooms and other spices. And I mix the pasta with the pasta sauce. And so I have my own Italian dish. Then I add chicken to that. And so it's like a hot pasta salad with chicken. That's my easiest dish.

I have a few other dishes that I make. I like to cook fish. I like eating fish. And so I steam the fish and then pour some hot oil over it. But generally speaking, I'm usually pretty busy. I don't have a lot of time to make up a meal. I don't know how to cook from scratch, so I need a recipe to tell me what to do. A lot of my “quote-unquote” cooking usually involves things like opening up a can of soup and putting it into a bowl and then putting it into the microwave oven. So like a lot of busy people, I don't feel like I have a lot of time to cook, and so I end up either eating instant foods, frozen foods, or going out for dinner. Someday, I hope I'll have time enough to learn how to cook properly.

Vocabulary Discussion Let's go over some of the vocabulary and expressions used in these two interviews. In Mary's interview, she started off by saying that she isn't good at cooking. The expression to be good at or to be bad at is what we usually say about how well we can do a certain thing. So, for example:

I am good at writing, but I am bad at sports.

Another term that was somewhat confusing from Mary's interview and from my interview is the term dishes.

Both Mary and I said that we like to cook and we can usually cook some certain dishes. A dish is part of a meal. So a dish, for example, could be pasta salad. A dish could be ramen noodles. And another dish could be a salad. Typically in a meal you have several different dishes.

Now, the confusing part is that we also use the term dish to refer to the physical plate and bowl and cup that we use to eat. People will often say, clean up the dishes, or I need to set down, put the dishes on the table. So, that word dish has two meanings:

It can mean part of the actual meal—the food itself.
Or it can mean the plates, the saucers, the cups that we use to eat the meal.

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ESLPod006 - Bad Dreams

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 20:03:02 GMT

I do have nightmares sometimes. I do have bad dreams. A lot of my bad dreams are things like I'm being chased by someone and I can't get away from them, or I'm hiding from them. Some other of my bad dreams involve not being able to get home. I'm trying to get home and there are a lot of different obstacles that I have to get past before I get home. And I usually wake up before I get there. So I find it very frustrating. These bad dreams make me really tense. And when I wake up, I'm very, very stressed out.

A bad dream that I kept having over and over again—a recurring bad dream I had when I was in high school—was a really horrible one. I dreamt that my mother had a knife, a meat cleaver. And I was a child, and I saw her in the bathroom cutting up a dead body with a meat cleaver. And she saw me watching her, and she started chasing me with her knife. And she never caught me, but I had to hide from her. And she chased me and chased me, and I was really scared. I had this recurring dream, probably, I don't know, for several months. And to this day, it's the scariest, worst bad dream I've ever had.

Boy, that's an interesting question—bad dreams. Well, I would have to say that the worst bad dream I ever had, and this happens a lot to me in my dreams, is that I was trapped inside a building or I'm trapped in another country and I can't get back home. Usually what happens is that I meet someone there from my past—an old friend, an acquaintance, a classmate, someone from high school. And, of course, it seems normal. It seems just natural when I'm having the dream that I meet these people. But it's always in a situation that never actually occurred. But usually my dreams, like most people's bad dreams, I think are related to things that I thought about or happened to me that day or recently.

For example, I had a very difficult time getting my car fixed the other day, and that night when I had a dream, I dreamt that I was broken down on the highway. And I couldn't get home. And it was dark. And it was starting to rain.

I started to get desperate and so forth. So when I woke up, of course, I was sweating and a little bit scared. But fortunately, I was able to calm myself down. And eventually, I actually got my car fixed. I hope I don't have that nightmare again.

You've just heard two people talk about a bad dream, including me. And I want to now talk about some of the vocabulary that they used that you might have had difficulty with. Remember, this section of our podcast is optional. If you want to go back and listen again and again, we recommend that. But if you want some additional help, then stay tuned.

One word that both speakers used is nightmare. A nightmare is another word for a bad dream. When Lucy was talking about her bad dream, she mentioned that she couldn't get home because she had lots of obstacles. An obstacle is something that gets in your way either when you're walking, running, in a car, or just generally in life. We talk about obstacles that get in our way—things that prevent us from going or doing what we want to do. In the Army, they have something called an obstacle course. And sometimes in school, in physical education class, they'll set up a game called an obstacle course. And you have to go through all sorts of different obstacles, different challenges, such as walking through some tires or climbing up a rope and so forth.

Another word that Lucy used was recurring. She said that she had a recurring dream. To recur means to repeat. So she had that dream several times.

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ESLPod005 - Favorite Place to Live

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 20:01:17 GMT

Today we're going to talk about favorite places to live. I'm going to talk a few minutes, and then we'll go back and listen for some particular vocabulary. Let's get started, shall we?

Well, I would say that my favorite place to live is in a big city. I've lived in a medium-sized city, a city of about 500,000 people. And now I live in a city—Los Angeles—of three and a half, four million people. It's difficult in some ways living in a big city. There's lots of traffic and there are lots of people, so it is very crowded. But I really enjoy the good things about living in a big city. For example, there are good restaurants. Just about any type of food that you want to eat, you can find in Los Angeles.

Another good thing about Los Angeles, of course, is its weather. It's always not too hot, not too cold—what we would call temperate—and I really enjoy that. I grew up in a very cold climate in Minnesota, the state of Minnesota, so I am very happy to be in Los Angeles. No more snow for me.

One other thing I like about living in a big city, such as L.A., is that there's a real diversity of people. There are people from probably every country in the world living in Los Angeles, and that's exciting. It can sometimes present a challenge and cause some difficulties in communication, but I enjoy that very much. I speak a little Spanish, and there are a lot of Spanish speakers in Los Angeles, so I get a chance to practice my Spanish as well.

I don't think I would want to live in the country or somewhere in a small town. My sister lives on the outskirts or in the suburbs of a small town—not really suburb, but because she lives almost out in the country, about 10 minutes from her town, which has only 10,000 people. So I would find that difficult. I think it would be a little boring for me, but she really enjoys it, and so do her children. To each his own. Everyone has their own taste in things like where they live.

Now that you've listened to the podcast, you have a couple of options. You can go back and listen again to see if you can understand more. Or, if you would like, you can listen to some explanations of vocabulary. There were four terms that I want to talk about from today's podcast.

The first is temperate climate. When talking about Los Angeles, I said that it has a temperate climate. Climate, of course, refers to the weather, the temperature. Temperate means it's not too hot and it's not too cold. It's right in the middle.

Another term I used in describing Los Angeles was diversity. I said there's a lot of diversity in Los Angeles. Diversity means people or things from different cultures. To be diverse also means to have many different types of interests or whatever you happen to be talking about. It could be cultures, it could be languages, it could be interests.

Another term I used in talking about some of the challenges is I said that things can present a challenge. To present a challenge means to give you some difficulty, to make things a little bit harder for you.

Finally, in talking about my sister, I said she lives in the outskirts of her town. In the outskirts usually means somewhere between the city and the country—not the suburbs, which are communities or places where people live outside of the main city—the last suburb and the place where the country begins, where you don't have a lot of city life.

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ESLPod004 - Bad Habits

Sun, 09 Jul 2023 20:00:23 GMT

Well, my worst habit that I have ever had is probably smoking. I don't smoke anymore, but when I graduated from college, I went abroad to study in Mexico. And almost everyone around me was a smoker. So it was very difficult for me not to smoke. And I just decided after a couple of months to give in and to start smoking myself. I smoked for probably about two or three years, and then I decided to quit smoking.

I was lucky because I was able to quit cold turkey, whereas other people who try to quit often have to use nicotine patches or nicotine gum or something like that. But I was fortunate. I missed smoking after I stopped it for probably five years. When I would walk by someone who was smoking, I would inhale deeply to smell the smoke because it gave me a certain satisfaction, a certain pleasure. But after about five years, I got sick of the smoke so that now—and this was 10 years ago that I quit smoking—I can't stand the smell of smoke. I try to get away from the smell of smoke in a restaurant or on the street.

The other bad habits that I have include drinking alcohol, although I don't drink very much alcohol. I used to drink when I was in college and after college, but now I don't drink as much, partly because I can't handle my alcohol very well anymore, and I don't have a lot of occasions to drink. I don't go to bars anymore, and I don't hang around a lot of people or friends who are heavy drinkers.

I also like to drink tea. I was a coffee drinker for many years. I drank coffee almost every day, but eventually the coffee started to irritate my stomach, and so I had to stop drinking coffee, and I switched to tea. And now I drink all sorts or all kinds of tea. I drink black tea. I drink oolong tea. I drink jasmine tea. I drink chai tea. My favorite drink with tea is a hot chai tea latte. A latte is a drink, either tea or coffee, that's made with milk and sugar—sometimes a little cream, too. I usually have a cup of tea every morning. It helps me wake up. I like the caffeine in the morning. It gets me going. However, if I drink tea at night, I have problems sleeping. So I try to avoid drinking tea.

As usual on ESL Podcast, we recommend or suggest that you listen to this podcast several times—two, three, four times—in order to understand everything that we say. Now we're going to talk about some vocabulary that you may have had difficulty with or difficulty understanding.

The first expression used at the beginning of the segment was to give in. I said how I gave in when I was in Mexico because everyone else around me was smoking. To give in means to do something because you are pressured somehow or that you receive pressure from other people. For example, I ask my sister to lend me her car and she says no. And then I argue with her. I give her reasons. I beg her. I bribe her. I give her money, and eventually she gives in and allows me to use her car. So to give in means that you are reluctant or you don't want to do something, but eventually you do.

Another expression we used in talking about smoking was cold turkey. I said that I quit smoking cold turkey. To quit cold turkey means to stop completely without ever going back. We often use this expression when talking about bad or nasty habits, such as smoking and drinking. So to quit cold turkey is to stop some vice, some habit, some addiction you have completely.

Two other expressions that we mentioned in our talk: can't stand and can't handle. I mentioned that I can't stand the smell of smoke. Can't stand means you do not allow it, you do not tolerate it, you do not put up with it. For example, I can't stand people who shout, meaning I'm very bothered by people who shout. I try to get away from people who shout. So the expression can't stand means you can't tolerate, you can't put up with.

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ESLPod003 - Interview with Lucy

Sat, 08 Jul 2023 20:56:59 GMT

If you asked me which I like better, the suburbs or the city, I would definitely say the city. I'm a little biased, though. I have only lived in a city, in a medium-sized city and in large cities. I was born in a very large city. Then I grew up in another city, and now I live in what some people think may be a very exciting city—perhaps the best city in the world—and that's Los Angeles.

I like living in L.A. because there is always something to do. If you wake up in the morning and you want to try something new, you can always find something to do that you've never done before. Maybe that's going to a concert or trying a new type of food, or just going to a different part of the city. Even if you've lived in Los Angeles for 10 years, because there's always new people moving into the city, the city is constantly changing, and there is always something new.

It's a place where you can meet people from different countries who speak different languages, with many different kinds of beliefs, and people who do different kinds of jobs. Some people say that you can find anything you want in Los Angeles. I think that in the world there are a few other cities like this—maybe New York City, Paris, Beijing, who knows? But I think that Los Angeles is the best city to live in.

I love eating. I love being able to try new kinds of foods and being able to eat things that I've never thought about eating before. I also like living in Los Angeles because it's close to the ocean—close enough that on the weekends I can get up, drive a little ways, and walk next to the beach and feel the ocean breezes and watch people surf. It's a lot of fun. I like watching the water, seeing the waves, watching people surf.

I also like Los Angeles because of the warm weather. I have always lived in warm weather—well, almost always. For a short time, I lived in Washington, D.C., where the weather is very cold in the wintertime. Some people who lived in very, very cold weather think that Washington, D.C. isn't that cold. But for somebody who grew up in Arizona, it is very, very cold. So I like Los Angeles because the weather is nice, it doesn't rain very much, and even in the wintertime, you don't have to wear heavy jackets.

There are, of course, disadvantages to living in a large city. In big cities, there are so many people that the roads or the streets are often congested. In Los Angeles, it's usually the freeways. It's difficult to get from one place to another without driving on the freeway. But if you drive on the freeway, you will very likely get into a traffic jam, especially at rush hour. So if you live in Los Angeles, get ready to wait in traffic every day.

I want to thank Lucy for talking to us today about where she's lived. As you heard, she's lived in different places here in the United States—in Los Angeles, in Arizona, in Washington, D.C.—so several different cities. There were a few words of vocabulary that you might have had difficulty with, that might have tripped you up, which is to say gave you some difficulties.

One was traffic jam. A traffic jam is when there are too many cars on the road and everyone has to go slowly, either because of an accident or just because of what we call congestion. Congestion in traffic is too many cars on the road. Rush hour is another term that Lucy used in describing the traffic in Los Angeles. Rush hour is that time during the morning and the afternoon when most people are going back and forth to work. People who commute, that is to say, who go from one part of the city to another part of the city, usually have to go during the morning rush hour or the afternoon rush hour.

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ESLPod002 - Family Members

Sat, 08 Jul 2023 20:51:58 GMT

My name is Jeff McQuillan, and let's get started.

Today we're going to talk about family and family members, and in doing so, we're going to go over some idioms and expressions related to expressing likes and dislikes. We focus on two questions today: What family member are you most like, and what family member are you least like?

Well, my family member that I think I have the most similarity to or that I resemble the most would be my sister Therese. There are a couple of reasons why I think that we are most similar. Number one, she likes to read and I like to read. We're both readers. We always have lots of books in our house and are always reading something. My sister also likes to write. She is a writer by profession and I, as a researcher, do a lot of writing myself, so we both share an interest in writing.

More importantly, we are the two members of my family that moved away from where my parents and the rest of our family still lives back in the state of Minnesota. We both live here in California—my sister in Northern California and I in Southern California. I think often in dealing with family members and family tensions and family politics, sometimes it's a good idea to move to another part of the country or sometimes even another part of the world, as I have done, and break away from those family ties to strike out on our own in order to do something different. And that is what both my sister and I did, and I think that's one of the things we have in common.

Now, in terms of my siblings that I have the least similarity with or have the least amount of common interest, that would probably be my brother Mike. Now, Mike is a big sports fan. He was an athlete himself. He taught physical education for a few years. So Mike has a lot of interest in sports, and he spends a lot of time on things connected with sports, both with his own sons as well as his own activities outside of work. I am not a sports person. I don't really like sports that much. I don't watch sports very often. And so this is one reason why we're not very much alike.

Let's start by talking about these terms like, alike, and likes. In English, the word like as a verb, you probably already know, means that you're interested or you enjoy something. For example:

I like to read.
I like to go bowling.
I like watching television.

Like is also used as a preposition to mean that you have a similarity or a resemblance with another person or thing. So, we might say:

Los Angeles is like New York. They're both big cities.
I'm not like my sister Therese in that she likes to drive and I don't.

We use the term like here as a way of describing a phrase or expression that has some similarity with something else.

Another term that sometimes gets confused but is similar in meaning is alike. That's A-L-I-K-E, all one word. Alike is usually used as an adjective. For example:

My sister and I are alike.

This is to express resemblance and similarity.

Finally, there's the term likes. And likes relates back to that first definition we gave of the verb like. Likes as a noun means the things that you enjoy. For example:

Some of my likes are reading, watching television, and surfing the internet.

All of these would be likes, and again, likes serves there as a noun.

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ESL Podcast 1 - Introduction

Sat, 08 Jul 2023 19:59:04 GMT

ESL Podcast 1 - Introduction

Welcome to our first English as a Second Language Podcast!

In this podcast, we are going to introduce you to the format of the podcast, as well as the people who record it.

ESLPodcast is designed especially for people who are intermediate or advanced speakers of English, but want to improve their listening and speaking skills. We plan on providing a new podcast every day, Monday through Friday. The daily podcasts are always free.

There will be many different topics for our podcasts. We try to talk about topics that you will find interesting. All of our podcasts use “real English”—the normal, everyday English you will find among native speakers in the United States. ESLPodcast is not a textbook or a course. It is a way to listen to real native speakers talking as they do everyday in English. ESL Podcast tries to provide you with English you can understand. We speak at a slightly slower rate, but always use normal, native speaker English to help you improve.

There are two parts to evey podcast: After a brief introduction, there is a discussion or dialog of the topic of the day. This usually lasts 3-6 minutes. In part 2, there is an explanation of the vocabulary and expressions used during part 1. We explain how certain words and phrases are used by native speakers, including both formal and informal expressions.

ESLPod cast is currently produced by a team of volunteers. It is a production of the Center for Educational Development, in Los Angeles, California. My name is Dr. Jeff McQuillan, and I’m the host of ESL Podcast. I have been teaching English as a Second Language for many years both here in the United States and in other countries. I received my Ph.D., my doctorate, in applied linguistics from the University of Southern California. I taught as a university professor for several years here in California and in Arizona. I have written many articles and books on the teaching English.

All of the voices you will hear on ESL Podcast will be native speakers. We suggest that you listen to the entire podcast at least once, and then re-listen to Part 1 until you feel you understand most of it. You will find that your listening comprehension will increase after each listening.

The text or script of Part 1 of each podcast can be found on our website, www.e-s-l-p-o-d.com. That’s www.eslpod.com. Click on the “Scripts” link in the upper, right hand corner. We would love to hear from you. Please email us to tell us where you live and what topics you would like to hear on future ESL Podcasts. Our email address is e-s-l-p-o-d@e-s-l-p-o-d.com. That’s eslpod@eslpod.com.

Thank you again for listening. We hope you enjoy these podcasts and that they help you in your goal to improve your English.

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