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ESLPodcast 66 - A Trip to the Jewelry Store

Learn about how to shop at a jewelry store in this podcast.
Tags: Relationships, Shopping

Part 1

My wife's birthday was coming up and I wanted to get her a special present. She always tells me to not to splurge on gifts for her but for once, I decided to pull out all the stops.

I went to the jewelry store and began looking at all of the display cases. I started by looking at the bracelets. The sales clerk asked me if I was looking for a bangle or a chain bracelet. I told her that I wasn't sure and she showed me some in yellow gold, white gold, and platinum. None of them seemed like my wife's style so I moved onto the rings. The clerk asked if my wife liked diamonds and I told her that she did, but that she also liked other stones, like emeralds, rubies, or sapphires. I looked at a lot of anniversary bands but none really fit the bill.

Finally, I walked over to the display case with the necklaces. There was a pearl necklace with a really beautiful clasp. I had never seen anything like it before and I was sure my wife was going to like it. I told the clerk that I would take it.

The clerk placed the necklace in its box and gift-wrapped it. I have to say that when I left the store, I felt pretty proud of myself. I knew my wife would like the present and I picked it out all by myself. Now, I can't wait to see the look on her face when she opens it!

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 67 - A Family Party

Every family has parties. Find out how to talk about it on this podcast.
Tags: Relationships, Daily Life

Part 1

I visit my hometown about once a year. This year, I was in town for about five days and there was a family get-together. It wasn't a family reunion since it was just my immediate family, but still, there were a total of about 45 people who showed up .

Our family parties are always held at the home of one of my brothers or sisters. It is always a potluck. We never have formal dinner parties and so we never need catering. At the potluck this past weekend, some people brought casseroles , some brought chips and dip, and some brought cookies and cakes for dessert. I usually don't have to bring anything since I'm the guest of honor.

There is always a lot of talking and laughing at our family parties. Someone always brings up old childhood memories or a funny anecdote from the old days. A family get-together as big as ours can be overwhelming for some people. When they ask me what it's like to be part of such a big family I always tell them one thing: It's noisy!

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 68 - Noisy Neighbors

Have you ever had noisy neighbors? Find out how to talk about it in this podcast.
Tags: Daily Life

Part 1

I live in a quiet neighborhood. At least that's what I thought until last week.

I live in a cul de sac in a residential neighborhood in Los Angeles. There is a nice retired couple that lives kitty corner from me. They have always been very friendly and we have gotten along very well.

About three months ago, they decided to renovate their garage and turn it into a guesthouse. Since they didn't have a lot of money, they wanted to rent out the unit to help make ends meet.

A new renter moved in three weeks ago and that's when the trouble began. She was a student at the local university and she liked to invite her friends over. The trouble was, they kept very late hours, and they liked to play loud music. My neighbors were at their wits' end. They talked to their tenant several times about the noise but nothing worked. Finally, they asked her to move out . Fortunately, she was on a month-to- month lease and they didn't have any problems.

Now that my neighbors have learned their lesson, their new tenant is a nice widow with two cats. I'm so glad that everything worked out in the end!

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 69 - Making a Presentation

Learn about making a presentation in English in this podcast.
Tags: Business

Part 1

I don't normally get stage fright, but the thought of getting up in front of my colleagues to give a presentation always gives me butterflies. But I have no choice; my boss asked me to do it, so I will.

I set up my projector and PowerPoint program on my laptop. Clearing my voice , I stood up and addressed the 10 people present at the meeting. I started off by saying, "Good afternoon. I want to thank you for inviting me to talk to you today." I had a clicker in my hand to advance the slides. "Today I'm going to talk to you about our new product, Provasic. Please feel free to ask questions as we go along," I said. I then flipped through the slides showing pictures of our product, and concluded by summarizing the main points of my talk with bullet points.

I finished by saying, "Thank you for your attention today. My contact information is on your handout." Whew! I was glad that was over!

Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPodcast 70 - Having Car Trouble

Learn how to talk about trouble with your car in this podcast.
Tags: Daily Life, Transportation

Part 1

As I was driving home from work, my car started acting up. It was making a strange noise and the engine was running roughly. When I got home, I popped open the hood to see if there was anything wrong. After looking around for a few minutes and not seeing anything, I decided to take my car to the shop.

I took it down to street to Manny's Car Repair. I've never had luck finding a really honest mechanic , but Manny was no worse than most . I explained to Manny the problem and he took a look at it right away. Finally, he narrowed it down to the fan belt . I asked him how much it would set me back and he said $80, with parts and labor. I usually feel like I'm getting ripped off when I go to a repair shop, but for once, I thought Manny was being straight with me. I asked how long he needed to keep the car and he said at least until the end of the day tomorrow. He said he would order the part right away and he’d call me when it was ready.

Oh well. I guess it could have been a lot worse. I better dust off my bike to take to work tomorrow. It's about time I got some exercise!

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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ESLPodcast 71 - Opening a Bank Account

Learn how to talk about opening a bank account in this podcast.
Tags: Daily Life

Part 1

I decided to switch banks recently, and after looking at my options, I went for Mar Vista National Bank. I drove over to the bank, parked next to the drive-through teller lanes, and walked inside. I made my way to the new accounts desk, and was greeted by John, one of the customer service representatives there. I told him I wanted to open a new checking and savings account. He said he’d be happy to help me, and gave me a form to fill out with my personal information, including place of employment, home address, and so forth. I had to show him a government-issued ID and give him my Social Security number.

John asked if I wanted an interest-bearing account with overdraft protection. Technically, he said, the savings account is a money market where I can earn interest daily. The checking was free if I had direct deposit, and my checks were also free. I signed on the dotted line, gave him the minimum deposit to open the account, and thanked him for his help. I'm glad I got that out of the way. Now all I need to do is make some money to put into my accounts!

Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPodcast 72 - Calling Tech Support

Learn how to call technical support in English in this podcast.
Tags: Business, Daily Life

Part 1

I recently signed up for a new ISP for my office, using DSL. I managed to get the modem and the router configured properly, but now my email won't work. I dug out the manual that came with the modem and called the toll-free line for technical support . I'm not a big fan of most IT departments, but if something doesn't work, they're the only game in town.

I explained to the tech support person that I couldn't get my email to send or receive. He asked me if I had checked the Ethernet connection from the modem to the router, and I said I did. Then he asked if I had run any diagnostics on the email software, and if I was able to connect to the web. I said no to both of these questions. He told me he would submit a ticket and have the problem escalated to the next level. Someone should be calling me back, he said.

I won't hold my breath!

Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPodcast 73 - Halloween

Learn all about the customs of Halloween in this podcast.
Tags: Entertainment, Daily Life

Part 1

As a kid, I always liked Halloween. I liked dressing up in a costume that I pick out at the store or, more often, we made out of odds and ends at home. The best part was going trick-or-treating. Some years, I went with my brothers and sisters. When I got a little older, I went with my friends. We would go to the houses in our neighborhood and knock or ring the doorbell. When the door opened, we would yell, "Trick or treat!‚" We never played tricks and always got treats. The neighbor would put some candy and chocolate bars in our bags. We would go home at the end of the night and eat them to our hearts' content.

To get ready for Halloween, my parents would buy pumpkins from the market or from the make-shift pumpkin patches on the side of the road so that we could make jack-o- lanterns. We took each pumpkin and cut off the top, scooped out the seeds from the inside, and carved faces on the front. At night, we would put candles inside the jack-o- lanterns and put them on our doorstep. Sometimes we carved scary faces and sometimes they were funny ones.

I remember that one year, we had a Halloween party. Our friends came over dressed up as witches, ghosts, superheros, cartoon characters, and anything else you can think of. We would play party games like bobbing for apples, and we even created a haunted house in our backyard. It was a blast! Halloween is truly a holiday for kids.

Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

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ESLPodcast 74 - Reserving a Rental Car

Learn how to make a rental car reservation in English in this podcast.
Tags: Travel, Transportation

Part 1

I will be in Chicago next week and needed a rental car. I called up Bargain Rental Cars and made a reservation. After I got through the phone tree, I spoke with a reservation agent.

Agent: Welcome to Bargain Rental Car.

Jeff: I'd like to reserve a rental car.

Agent: What city will you be picking up from?

Jeff: Chicago.

Agent: Which airport location? O’Hare or Midway?

Jeff: Hmm I'm not sure. Is there a downtown location?

Agent: Sure. We have an office at 401 State St.

Jeff: Is that near Prairie State College?

Agent: I really don't know.

Jeff: That's okay. I'll go ahead and make a reservation for that location.

Agent: For what date and time?

Jeff: For November 11, around 7 p.m.

Agent: Returning to the same location?

Jeff: No. I’d like to drop it off at the Chicago O’Hare airport.

Agent: Okay. On what date and time?

Jeff: It'll be that Sunday, November 13, around the same time.

Agent: What size car would you like? A compact, mid-size, or full-size ?

Jeff: I’d like the most economical.

Agent: That would be the compact. The rental fee would be $32.25 a day, giving you a grand total of $62.50 for the two days.

Jeff: Does that include taxes and fees?

Agent: No. With all applicable taxes and fees, you grand total comes to $77.40.

Jeff: Okay, that's fine.

Agent: Your last name?

Jeff: McQuillan. M, C, Q, U, I, L, L, A, N.

Agent: And your first name?

Jeff: Jeff.

Agent: J, E, S, S?

Jeff: No, J, E, F as in Frank , F.

Agent: What credit card will you be using?

Jeff: I'll be using a MasterCard.

Agent: Okay, I have a compact reserved for pick up at our downtown location on November 11 at 7 p.m., returning November 13 at 7 p.m. at Chicago O’Hare. Is there another reservation I can help you with?

Jeff: No, that's all. Thanks.

Agent: It's my pleasure. Have a good afternoon and thank you for calling Bargain Rental Car.

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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