If you can’t read this, then put on your glasses and listen to this episode on having bad eyes.

Slow dialogue: 1:07
Explanations: 2:45
Fast dialogue: 15:19

Sue: This medication I’m taking is messing with my vision. Everything is blurry.

Hamed: That’s a good reason for you to stay home from work today.

Sue: I can’t. I have to give a presentation this afternoon and I can’t flake out on my coworkers.

Hamed: What good are you to them if you’re blind as a bat?

Sue: Everybody else will have crystal clear vision, so all I have to do is to put in an appearance. Things may not be as sharp as I’d like them to be, but I can still make out people and objects – as long as they’re really big.

Hamed: I don’t think your coworkers are going to want you to blindside them today with your strange behavior. You’re going to do more harm than good.

Sue: I can see well enough. I only see double if I move my head like this. Whoa…

Hamed: At this point, I don’t care if you have X-ray vision. That medication is affecting more than your vision. It’s impairing your better judgment!

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Learn how to take and leave phone messages in this podcast.

Slow dialog: 0:57
Explanations: 3:42
Fast dialog: 21:10

I was looking forward to a quiet evening at home. As soon as I walked in the door, though, the phone rang.

Paolo: Hello.

Evelyn: Hi, could I speak to Tony?

Paolo: He’s not here right now. Can I take a message?

Evelyn: Do you know when he’ll be back?

Paolo: No, I don’t.

Evelyn: Okay. I’ll call back later. Thanks.
……
Ten minutes later, the phone rang again.

Paolo: Hello.

Pam: Hi, is Tony there?

Paolo: No, he’s out.

Pam: Could I leave a message?

Paolo: Sure. Give me a second to get something to write with…Okay, I’m ready.

Pam: Could you tell him that Pam called and ask him to call me back as soon as he can.

Paolo: Does he have your number?

Pam: He should, but I’d better give it to you. It’s 279-555-6347.

Paolo: Okay, I’ll tell him.

Pam: Thanks.
…..

As soon as I put down the receiver, the phone rang again. I couldn’t believe it.

Paolo: Hello.

Susan: Hi, is this Tony?

Paolo: No, I’m his roommate, Paolo. Tony’s not here right now.

Susan: I need to get a hold of him. Do you have his cell number?

Paolo: Uh, yeah, I do, but I’m not sure he wants me to give it out.

Susan: Oh, I’m sure he’d want me to have it.

Paolo: I tell you what. Why don’t I take your number and have him call you back?

Susan: I really need to get a hold of him right away.

Paolo: I’ll give him your message as soon as he gets home.

Susan: Fine. This is Susan and my number is 742-555-3655. Please make sure he gets it. It’s important. Bye.

Paolo: Bye.

As soon as she hung up, I took the phone off the hook for the rest of the night. I’d had enough of being Tony’s answering service for one night!

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Learn how to ask for clarification in English in this podcast.

Slow dialog: 0:54
Explanations: 2:29
Fast dialog: 12:46

I was negotiating a contract with a new business partner, and we had a meeting to clarify the terms.

Bill: If I understand the terms correctly, the length of the contract would be one year with a one-year option. Is that correct?

Ms. Samuels: Do you mean the contract for equipment rental or the one for training?

Bill: I was under the impression that both contracts had the same terms.

Ms. Samuels: Yes and no. Let me see if I can clarify that. The terms are the same except that the contract for training has a clause that allows for the cancellation after the first six months.

Bill: Could you elaborate on that?

Ms. Samuels: Sure. What I mean is that either side could cancel the training contract after the six months as long as it’s in writing.

Bill: Let me see if I have that right. This contract is for six months of training, but if it isn’t cancelled, continues for another six months. Is that right?

Ms. Samuels: Yes, that’s right.

Bill: Okay, that’s clear enough. Let’s move on to the other terms . . .

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Topics: American Presidents – Barack Obama; Famous Songs – “Anchors Aweigh”; diffidence versus timidity versus shyness; receipt versus reception; no problem versus not at all versus no big deal

Words:
community organizer
healthcare
candidate
rising star
biracial
campaign slogan
grassroots
polarized
affordable
anchor
ashore
foam
diffidence
timidity
shyness
receipt
reception
no problem
not at all
no big deal

Let’s not talk about the topic of today’s episode right now. So, how’s your day going?

Slow dialog: 1:25
Explanations: 4:00
Fast dialog: 18:29

Lila: Why aren’t you dating? I have so many friends who would love to go out with you.

George: Let’s change the subject. Talking about my love life isn’t very interesting.

Lila: But really, you’re not getting any younger and…

George: Moving on! Have you seen any good movies lately?

Lila: Listen, all of your friends are settling down and you don’t want to go through life alone and lonely…

George: That reminds me, didn’t you say that you were going to get another dog so that Rover isn’t lonely when you’re not home?

Lila: Forget about my dog. You remember Rachel, don’t you? She just broke up with her boyfriend and she’d be perfect for you.

George: Speaking of Rachel, how is her mother? Wasn’t she in the hospital?

Lila: If Rachel isn’t your type, how about Amina? She has great legs and I know you’re a leg man.

George: And now for something completely different…How is your diet coming along? Have you lost any weight yet?

Lila: I don’t really want to talk about my weight.

George: But I think you’re having trouble shedding those pounds, right? I have lots of suggestions on what you can do.

Lila: Anyway, as I said before, I don’t really want to talk about my diet…

George: You need to cut out sweets if you want to lose weight. Are you eating too many sweets?

Lila: That’s none of your business!

George: My sentiments exactly!

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Topics: Movies – Die Hard; American Authors – Emma Lazarus; in front of versus ahead of versus before; as if versus as though versus as for; to take stock

Words:
to be separated
to give (something) another try
to freshen up
hostage
safe
cowboy
to be descend from
to be well received
to dedicate
to persecute
to huddle
to yearn
in front of
ahead of
before
as if
as though
as for
to take stock

Topics: Famous Americans – Muhammad Ali; The Golden Gate Bridge; valuable versus invaluable; north/south versus northern/southern; common ground and universal experience

Words:
to take up
professionally
agile
to reign
nationalist
social activist
to be drafted
to indict
bridge
strait
fog
precaution
dizziness
valuable
invaluable
north / south
northern / southern
common ground
universal

Topics: Famous Americans – Charles Schultz and Peanuts; The Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve; to be pleased to versus to be happy to versus it’s (one’s) pleasure to; to sit versus to seat; willy-nilly

Words:

cartoon
freelance
folks
memoir
tomboy
national park
national preserve
glacier
mine
to designate
volcano
to be pleased to
to be happy to
It’s (one’s) pleasure to
to sit
to seat
willy-nilly

Do you ever go to the supermarket without finding what you’re looking for? Learn more about it in this episode.

Slow dialog: 1:11
Explanations: 3:17
Fast dialog: 16:18

Stocker: Can I help you find something?

Meg: Yes, I’m looking for coffee.

Stocker: That’s on aisle 3. Let me show you where it is.

Meg: Thanks. Hmm, I don’t see the Jitters brand that I normally buy.

Stocker: It looks like we’re out of stock. We should get another shipment next week.

Meg: Okay, I’ll check back. I’m also looking for the Fructose brand soda, but I didn’t see it in the soda aisle.

Stocker: I’m afraid that’s been discontinued. Their parent company no longer makes soda.

Meg: Really? I love Fructose soda. How about the Mushy brand bread? I didn’t see it when I checked the bread aisle.

Stocker: We no longer stock the Mushy brand. There were so quality control issues at the company, so we’ve pulled all of their products from the shelves. Can I help you find anything else?

Meg: No, I guess I’ll just have to try some new brands. Oh, yes, do you carry Worm organic apples?

Stocker: We normally do, but they’re out of season right now. We won’t have any until early summer.

Meg: All of this shopping and I have nothing to show for it. I guess I’m going home empty-handed.

Stocker: We do have chocolate cakes and cookies on sale.

Meg: I’m there!

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

In this free lesson, you will learn how to talk about seeing old friends again. Lucy tells a short story about a busy month of meeting people from her past. You will learn natural English expressions for making plans and staying in touch, like "swing by," "make time," "keep in touch," and "catch up."

Dialogue/Story

This has been a month for seeing old friends. I got an email a couple of weeks ago from an old friend from college. She and her family are visiting L.A. for a week. They plan to see family and to visit old friends. Since she moved away, 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 when we were young. 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. and is normally 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 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, and are living lives in the fast lane. Other friends are having a more difficult time 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 and catching up after all this time. We just won’t mention how much we’ve aged.

Topics

American Movies: The Godfather · Elvis Presley and Graceland · Questions and Answers

Key Terms

godparent
mafia
bribery
corruption
brutal
to legitimize
stillborn
sideburns
the rest is history
mansion
recording studio
artifact
to hinder
to hamper
to impede
the hunt is on
quick and dirty tips