#0378 – Talking About Time, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF
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English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 378 – Talking About Time
GLOSSARY
a quarter to –
15 minutes before the hour
* My classes start at four o’clock, but I must leave at a quarter to four because it
takes fifteen minutes to walk to the school.
noon, on the dot –
exactly noon; precisely 12:00 p.m.
* My boss said that if I don’t arrive at the meeting at noon, on the dot, I will lose
my job.
past –
after; following; later than
* Licia arrived at the train station at 10 past seven and missed her seven o’clock
train.
knock it off –
an informal phrase used to tell someone to stop doing something;
similar to “stop it!”
* “Knock it off,” the girl finally said to the boy who had hit her five times with his
toy car.
to be on time –
to be somewhere at the correct time; to arrive at the agreed
upon time; the opposite of “late”; to be punctual
* Did you make it to your son’s school on time or were you late again?
to turn up –
to arrive somewhere; to show up to a place, either late or
unexpectedly
* We waited in front of the theater for hours, but AJ never turned up.
‘til –
short for “until”; before
* Meet me at twenty-five ‘til two, so we will have a few minutes to prepare.
you don’t know the half of it –
another way to say,
“You don’t know how bad it
really was.”
* Yes, having my wallet stolen sounds terrible, but you don’t know the half of it! I
had $500 in cash in it!
quarter after –
15 minutes after the hour
* Alejandro will arrive at nine-thirty and give his speech at a quarter after ten.
to show up –
to arrive somewhere; to turn up at a place
* Don’s girlfriend is angry that he didn’t show up at her art show.
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ESL Podcast 378 – Talking About Time
nearly –
almost; not quite; very close to
* Did you hear that Baracka nearly got hit by a car last week?
to add insult to injury –
to make a bad thing worse; to add to an already bad
situation
* I fell down the stairs, and then, to add insult to injury, I broke my shoe!
well after –
a long time after; much later
* The nine o’clock movie was so long that it didn’t end until well after midnight.
to be pissed off –
informal phrase that means “very angry”; impolite way to say
one is annoyed or upset
* I am pissed off at my sister because she forgot my birthday again this year.
charm –
the ability to make others like and admire one; attractiveness; appeal
* Debbie has a happy personality and friendly manner, and everyone agreed that
she has a lot of charm.
to lose track of time –
to forget about the time;
to be so busy that one doesn’t
remember to look at the clock
*
Sorry I didn’t call you earlier. I was playing a computer game and I lost track of
time.
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these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 378 – Talking About Time
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. Why is James pissed off at Juanita?
a) She forgot to buy tickets at the movies.
b) She thinks Chuck is charming.
c) She is often late.
2. What does it mean to add “insult to injury”?
a) To make something worse.
b) To hurt someone.
c) To call someone a mean name.
______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
to turn up
In this podcast, the phrase “to turn up” means to arrive or be somewhere: “Jake
is a terrible father! He didn’t even turn up for his daughter’s piano recital.”
People aren’t the only ones who can “turn up,” though; an item that has been lost
can also “turn up”: “My lost car keys finally turned up under the kitchen table.”
Or, “I thought I had lost my wallet, but it turned up in my office.” “Turn up” can
also mean to shorten or put a hem on a piece of clothing: “My skirt is too long, so
I will take it to the tailor and have it turned up.” You can also “turn up” anything
electronic that makes sound, from a television to a MP3 player: “Turn the radio
up. That’s my favorite song.” “To turn up your nose” at someone or something is
to act like you are better than they are: “Anja loved fashion very much and turned
up her nose at the badly dressed girl.”
to show up
The phrase “to show up,” in this podcast, is to come to or to arrive at a place:
“Monika showed up at the doctor’s office 15 minutes early.” In the U.S., the
phrase “to show up” is often used when referring to courts and trials, or for
another type of official appointment or meeting: “The judge was very angry that
Hans did not show up for his court date.” “To show someone up” is to embarrass
or make another person look stupid, usually by doing something better than that
person or by knowing more than that person: “Henri showed up Pierre by selling
twice as many paintings in the same amount of time.” “To show up” can also
mean to discredit or shame another person: “I showed the salesman up as a liar
when I easily broke his ‘unbreakable’ product.”
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these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 378 – Talking About Time
CULTURE NOTE
In the U.S., it is “critical” (extremely important) to be on time for business
“functions” (events), meetings, classes and trainings, and formal social events.
At most companies, bosses and “colleagues” (co-workers) consider “tardiness”
(lateness) to be unprofessional behavior. In many businesses, tardiness could
even cause a person to lose his or her job. In the “academic world” (school),
professors and teachers will often give late students lower marks in class. There
are a few acceptable excuses for tardiness, such as a previous meeting that has
run late or things beyond anyone’s control like heavy traffic, but it is still polite to
call the host, boss, or teacher on the telephone and “inform them” (let them
know) that you will be late.
“Punctuality” (being on time) is also important in other “aspects” (parts) of
American life. Religious services and social club meetings almost always begin
on time, as do most movies, concerts, and performances. Arrive late and you
may miss the opening act or the first 10 minutes of a movie. When meeting with
a friend, it is expected that you try to arrive at the agreed upon time as it is
considered “insulting” (very rude) to show up late for a dinner or other planned
social event. It is also important to show up on time for any appointment you
make, whether it is with a doctor or a hair stylist. Failure to show up on time can
result in losing your appointment.
While in most cases it is best to be punctual, there are certain “occasions” (times
or events) when it is acceptable, even desirable, to be late. When “attending”
(going to) casual social events like “cocktail parties” (parties in which alcohol is
served) and art gallery openings, it is common to show up “fashionably late.” To
show up fashionably late to an event means that you arrive late so that others
think you are a very busy and important person with many other things to do. A
“good rule of thumb” (standard rule to follow) is to arrive at least thirty minutes
late to such functions. But be careful. Arrive too late and you “run the risk
”
(take
the chance) of missing the best parts of the party!
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – a
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English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 378 – Talking About Time
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 378: Talking About
Time.
This is ESL Podcast episode 378. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to
you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles,
California.
Our website is eslpod.com. You can download a Learning Guide for this
episode. You can also take look at our ESL Podcast Store, which has some
additional courses in business and daily English I think you may be interested in.
On this episode, we’re going to talk about time; common time-telling expressions
will be our focus today. We’ll listen to a dialogue between Juanita and Chuck
about the time. Let’s get started.
[start of dialogue]
Juanita: What time is it?
Chuck: It’s a quarter to 12. Why?
Juanita: At noon, on the dot, I’m supposed to meet James.
Chuck: On the dot? What if you don’t get there until a few minutes past four?
Will you turn into a pumpkin?
Juanita: Knock it off. I have good reason to be on time. I was supposed to meet
him at the movies at 8:30 last Saturday and I didn’t turn up until 10 ‘til 9:00. We
missed the first 10 minutes of the movie.
Chuck: That doesn’t sound too bad.
Juanita: You don’t know the half of it. The week before that, I was supposed to
pick him up from work at a quarter after 5:00, and I didn’t show up until nearly 20
minutes to six. To add insult to injury, James’ boss saw that he was still in the
office and gave him an extra assignment to do that night and he didn’t finish until
well after 10:00.
Chuck: I can see why he’s pissed off at you.
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These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
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