#0745 – Welcoming a Houseguest, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF
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English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 745 – Welcoming a Houseguest
GLOSSARY
to rearrange
– to change the position of objects, especially furniture; to change
the layout of where things are placed in a room
* Connie wants to rearrange the office so that her desk faces the window instead
of the door.
houseguest
– a person who stays in someone’s home for a period of time,
sleeping there at night
* Gerardo is a great houseguest, because he always offers the wash the dishes
and he usually takes us out for dinner at least once.
to talk to (oneself)
– to speak quietly without expecting anyone else to listen or
answer one’s questions; to think aloud
* Phiyao often talks to herself at work, because it helps her concentrate.
don’t be like that
– a phrase used to ask someone to stop acting a certain way,
used when one disapproves of his or her attitude or behavior
* I know you’re upset about the presentation, but please don’t be like that. I hate
to see you so depressed.
eccentric
– with unusual or strange behavior that isn’t normal in society
* Reya is quite eccentric, wearing unusual clothing and often singing loudly in
public.
heart of gold
– nice, sincere, and friendly toward other people; a good person
* Walter often looks angry, but once you get to know him, you’ll realize he has a
heart of gold.
vague
– not clear or precise; hazy; undefined or difficult to understand; not exact
* Justin tried to give vague answers about where he had been, but his parents
kept asking more questions.
to play (something) by ear
– to do whatever feels right at the moment,
proceeding without a clear plan; to be spontaneous
* This is a wedding! You can’t play it by ear. We need to pick invitations, music,
food, flowers, and so much more.
open-ended
– without a clear end or answer; not ending at a specific time or in a
specific way
* The meetings are open-ended, so they end whenever we run out of things to
talk about.
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ESL Podcast 745 – Welcoming a Houseguest
to outstay (one’s) welcome
– to stay in someone’s home or office longer than
the host desires
* Frederic brought his kids over to play with our kids, but they stayed for eight
hours and really outstayed their welcome.
speak for yourself
– a phrase used to show that one’s opinion is different from
the opinion another person is expressing
* - This is the cutest sweater ever!
*
- Speak for yourself. I think it’s ugly and I wouldn’t wear it if you paid me a
million dollars.
to hog
– to use something all the time and not let anyone else use it at all; to
fully control the use of something
* Cassie, your brother is complaining that you’re hogging the bathroom in the
morning.
restricted
– unable to move freely; with limitations on one’s movements or
actions
* This area is restricted. Only people with special permission can enter the
building.
small price to pay
– something that is mildly unpleasant or inconvenient, but
must be done in order to obtain greater benefits
* Having your teeth cleaned every six months is a small price to pay to avoid
cavities and other dental work.
company
– the presence of another person; having another person nearby
* Edward really enjoys Katya’s company, but he just isn’t interested in her
romantically.
unwarranted
– without justification; without a good reason or explanation for
doing something
* I understand why Jacques is upset, but his rude behavior is unwarranted.
assumption
– something that one believes is true, but may be wrong because
one does not have any information about it or proof for that belief
* When forecasting profits for the next year, we made an assumption that sales
will increase by seven percent.
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 745 – Welcoming a Houseguest
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. What does Rachel mean when she says, “We’ll just play it by ear”?
a) They’ll wait to see what happens.
b) They’ll listen closely when Susan talks about her plans.
c) They’ll listen to a lot of music during Susan’s visit.
2. What does Yousef mean when he says, “They hog the TV”?
a) Houseguests steal his television set.
b) Houseguests turn up the volume while watching TV.
c) Houseguests don’t let him decide what to watch on TV.
______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
to talk to (oneself)
The phrase “to talk to (oneself),” in this podcast, means to think aloud, or to
speak quietly without expecting anyone else to listen or answer one’s questions:
“When Jan is upset, she talks to herself.” The phrase “to talk (one’s) ear off”
means to talk too much: “Janice is nice, but she’ll talk your ear off for hours if you
let her.” The informal phrase “to talk trash” means to say bad things about
another person: “Did you hear Marcel talking trash about his cousins?” Finally,
the phrase “to talk some sense into (someone)” means to say something that
changes a person’s behavior and makes him or her act more reasonably or
rationally: “Someone needs to talk some sense into that girl before she drops out
of school.”
hog
In this podcast, the verb “to hog” means to use something all the time and not let
anyone else use it at all, or to fully control the use of something: “Stop hogging
the computer! I need to check my email, too.” The phrase “in hog heaven”
means very happy and having a good time: “Klaus loves to travel, so he was in
hog heaven when he won a free trip to San Antonio, Texas.” The phrase “to live
high on the hog” means to have a lot of money and have a comfortable,
enjoyable lifestyle: “Hermione dreams of winning the lottery and living high on the
hog.” Finally, the phrase “to go hog wild” means to behave in an extreme, wild
way without controlling oneself: “Some people go hog wild and eat way too much
when they go to an all-you-can-eat buffet.”
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 745 – Welcoming a Houseguest
CULTURE NOTE
Houseguest Etiquette
Americans often invite other people to stay in their homes, especially friends or
relatives who are visiting from far away. Although there aren’t any written rules, it
is important for those visitors to be aware of houseguest “etiquette” (expectations
for how someone should behave; polite behavior).
First, it is important for houseguests to “avoid” (not do; not let something happen)
creating additional work for their “hosts” (the people who live in the home). This
means that “common areas” (areas of the home that are shared, such as the
living room, kitchen, and bathroom) should be kept clean. The houseguests’
“belongings” (things that one owns) should not be left anywhere outside of the
bedroom were the houseguests are staying, and those belongings should be
“stored” (put away) “neatly” (in a clean, organized way).
Houseguests should offer to help their hosts prepare and clean up meals. If they
are staying for more than one night, they should offer to pay for “groceries” (food
purchased in a store) or simply bring groceries into the home.
Houseguests also need to respect their hosts’ “right to privacy” (ability to be
alone). Houseguests should never enter the hosts’ personal space, such as a
bedroom or an office without asking or being invited. Houseguests also shouldn’t
“snoop” (read or look at things to learn about another person) by reading the
hosts’ mail, for example.
Finally, houseguests should be “grateful” (thankful) to their hosts. This might
mean writing a nice thank you note and/or leaving a small gift. Many
houseguests prefer to “take their hosts out for dinner” (invite the hosts to a
restaurant and pay for their meal). It is also nice to “reciprocate” (do something
for someone because he or she has done the same thing for you) by inviting the
host to stay in the houseguest’s home in the future.
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – c
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 745 – Welcoming a Houseguest
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 745: Welcoming a
Houseguest.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 745. I’m your host, Dr.
Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development right
here in beautiful Los Angeles, California. Yeah, that’s where we are!
We have a website, it’s eslpod.com. Go there and become a member already,
will ya? You can get our Learning Guide, and help support this podcast. You
can also follow us on Twitter. Wow, yeah, we’re on Twitter! You can go to
@eslpod on Twitter and get all the cool news.
This is an episode about welcoming a “houseguest,” someone who is going to be
staying at your house: a friend, a family member, that sort of thing. Let’s get
started.
[start of dialogue]
Yousef: Why are you rearranging the furniture?
Rachel: My Aunt Susan called and she’s coming for a visit. It’ll be so nice to see
her. It’s been a while since we’ve had a houseguest.
Yousef: Your crazy Aunt Susan? The one who talks to herself all the time and
makes funny noises?
Rachel: Don’t be like that. She’s a little eccentric, but she has a heart of gold.
Yousef: How long is she staying?
Rachel: She was a little vague about that. We’ll just play it by ear.
Yousef: I don’t like the sound of that. Open-ended invitations are a bad idea.
Rachel: She won’t outstay her welcome. As far as I’m concerned, she can stay
for as long as she wants. You don’t mind, do you?
Yousef: Speak for yourself. I don’t like having houseguests. They hog the TV
and I can’t walk around the house in my underwear. I feel restricted.
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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