#0744 – Dealing With a Mistake, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF
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English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 744 – Dealing With a Mistake
GLOSSARY
miscommunication
– something that was said or written to mean one thing, but
understood to mean something else; an instance of unsuccessful communication
* Craig thought we were meeting at 7:00, but nobody else showed up until 9:00.
He was upset, but it was just a simple miscommunication.
copier
– a copy machine; a machine that makes copies, reproducing an image
on another piece of paper
* Chantrelle is using the copier to make copies of the homework assignment for
all her students.
wires got crossed
– a mistake that happened due to a misunderstanding or
miscommunication
* Phyong asked for a small cup of soup, but somehow the wires got crossed and
her waiter brought her a small cup of coffee.
to get to the bottom of
– to research or investigate something to find the true
explanation or reason why something happened
* The police officer swore he wouldn’t rest until he got to the bottom of the
mysterious murder.
purchase order
– an official document that a company gives to a vendor (seller)
stating the number, specifications, and price of the items it wants to buy
* We can’t buy the new computer until our manager approves and signs the
purchase order.
on (one’s) end
– one’s responsibility or fault, used to emphasize that it is not the
other person’s responsibility or fault; describing what one party is doing versus
what another party is doing
* We’re working really hard on our end to meet the terms of the contract, but it
seems like the client doesn’t really care.
to figure (something) out
– to work hard to understand something; to analyze
what happened and/or determine why it happened
* How many hours did it take you to figure out what was wrong with Supin’s
computer?
responsible
– having responsibility for something; in charge of something and
needing to accept the consequences of one’s actions or decisions
* The office kitchen is so dirty! Who’s responsible for cleaning it?
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2011). Posting of
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ESL Podcast 744 – Dealing With a Mistake
clerical error
– an unimportant, careless error caused by an office worker,
especially by filling out a form or typing something incorrectly
* Clerical errors in legal contracts can cost the firm thousands of dollars, so
please proofread everything carefully.
no harm, no foul
– a phrase used to recognize that something bad happened,
but indicate that it was not very important because nobody was hurt by it and
there were no serious consequences
* Yes, Randall forgot about the meeting, but no harm, no foul. They can just
reschedule it for next week.
screw up
– a bad mistake with significant consequences; a problem caused by
someone’s mistake
* When Shane forgot his girlfriend’s birthday, it was a major screw up and she
didn’t talk to him for a week.
productivity
– the amount of work that one can complete during a certain period
of time, especially when compared to the amount of work other people can do
* Do you think computers have increased people’s productivity?
to stand corrected
– to recognize that what another person is saying is correct;
to admit that one had been wrong, but now agrees with the other person
* The newspaper originally published the article with a few mistakes, but now the
journalist stands corrected.
honest mistake
– an error that was made by accident or oversight, not
intentionally or on purpose
* I’m so sorry I took your suitcase at the airport, but it was an honest mistake. It
looked exactly like mine!
to make excuses
– to offer a reason or explanation for why something
happened, usually because one wants to avoid punishment or avoid making
another person angry
* Wynona gets really angry when her employees make excuses. She respects
them a lot more if they just admit they made a mistake and then find a way to fix
it.
debacle
– a major failure; a serious problem
* The computer conference was a debacle and I’m sure nobody will register to go
again next year.
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2011). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
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ESL Podcast 744 – Dealing With a Mistake
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. What does Jenny mean when she says, “I’ll try to get to the bottom of this”?
a) She’ll try to move the copiers out of the way.
b) She’ll make an angry call to the copier supplier.
c) She’ll try to determine how and why this happened.
2. Why is the boss so angry?
a) Because the company cannot afford to buy 16 copiers.
b) Because he won’t be able to work in his office that morning.
c) Because the same mistake has happened before.
______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
on (someone’s) end
The phrase “on (one’s) end,” in this podcast, means one’s responsibility or fault,
used to emphasize that it is not the other person’s responsibility or fault, or to
describe what one person is doing compared to what another person is doing:
“We’ll do everything possible on our end to fix the problem.” The phrase “in the
end” is used to describe the final result of something: “It took years to renovate
the home, but in the end, they were really pleased with it.” The phrase “to go to
the ends of the earth” means to do everything possible: “Reno would go to the
ends of the earth to make his daughter happy.” Finally, the phrase “to make
ends meet” means to have just enough money to buy what one needs, but no
more: “With just one salary, they’re able to make ends meet, but they aren’t able
to save.”
to screw up
In this podcast, the phrase “to screw up” means to make a bad mistake with
significant consequences: “Opening a new office was a bad decision. We
screwed up and the company won’t make any money this year.” The phrase “to
screw up (one’s) eyes” means to move the muscles in one’s face so that one’s
eyes are mostly closed: “Carolay screwed up her eyes in disgust.” The phrase
“to screw (someone) up” means to create emotional problems for another
person: “Sheila’s parents divorced when she was just seven years old, and it
really screwed her up.” The phrase “screw (someone)” is a very rude phrase
shouted in anger when one is very upset: “You threw away my baseball card
collection? Screw you!” Finally, the phrase “to screw (someone) out of
something” means to cheat someone out of a certain amount of money: “The
store screwed us out of $100.”
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2011). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
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ESL Podcast 744 – Dealing With a Mistake
CULTURE NOTE
How Companies Place Orders
Large companies can “place” (make) orders and pay for their purchases in many
ways. One of the most common is a “purchase order,” which was described in
today’s episode. A purchase order must be signed and approved by a manager
before it can be “fulfilled” (the vendor or seller provides the desired items). This
allows the manager to control how much of his or her “budget” (the amount of
money that can be spent for a particular purpose) is spent.
Some companies have an “open account,” which is like a credit account that the
“vendor” (seller) provides to the company. The company’s purchases are
“deducted” (subtracted) from the “balance” (amount of money remaining) in the
credit account, and “periodically” (at regular intervals of time), the vendor bills the
company, requesting payment for the total amount “due” (owed).
Other companies “are billed” (receive bills) by vendors for individual purchases.
Each time the company purchases something, the vendor sends an “invoice” (a
document stating what was purchased, when, and how much it cost). The
company usually has 30 days to pay the invoice, after which it may “incur” (have
to pay something extra added to the bill) “late fees” (money that must be paid
when the regular bill is not paid on time) and/or “interest” (a percentage increase
in the amount due).
The company keeps track of the money it owes as “accounts payable,” where
each account represents one vendor. A computerized system allows the
company to “pull up” (retrieve and display data) the current balance due on each
account and see when those amounts must be paid.
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – b
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2011). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
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English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 744 – Dealing With a Mistake
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 744: Dealing With a
Mistake.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 744. I’m your host, Dr.
Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in
beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Go to our website at eslpod.com and become a member of ESL Podcast. Get a
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This episode is a dialogue between Jenny and her boss about making mistakes.
Let’s get started.
[start of dialogue]
Boss: What is going on here?!
Jenny: There was a miscommunication.
Boss: A miscommunication?! There are 16 copiers in this office. Who ordered
16 copiers?
Jenny: No one did. Clearly wires got crossed somewhere. I’ll try to get to the
bottom of this, but the copiers will be removed before lunch.
Boss: I can’t even walk to my office with all of these machines in here. How am I
supposed to get any work done?
Jenny: I’m looking for the purchase order right now to see if the mistake was on
our end or on their end.
Boss: Let me know as soon as you figure it out. I want to know who’s
responsible for this.
Jenny: Right, I’ll let you know. No doubt it was just a clerical error. No harm, no
foul.
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2011). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
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