ESL Podcast 551 – Scheduling a Medical Appointment

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=8262835


- to be routed : to be sent to the right person/direction
Before I could schedule my appointment, I had to listen to several recorded messages to be routed to the right medical office.
- to stay on the line: not to hand up the phone, to hold the line
The recording said to stay on the line for assistance.
- returning patient : sb already used or met the doctor
Are you a new patient or a returning patient?
- to be booked up : to have full schedule
It looks like Dr. Gupta is booked up for the next three weeks
- opening : free time
She has an opening on March 2nd, at 4:30 p.m
- to put sb down : to schedule sth for sb
You'll need to check in at 10:45 to fill out paperwork. Should I put you down for that?

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1210_how_to_converse/page4.shtml

Language for expressing likes
Subject	Adverb	Verb	Noun	Extra
I	(really)	like love	it them ice cream Chinese food playing football watching TV	a lot

Pronunciation - Consonant to vowel linking

When speaking fluently words link together in different ways. One way is when one word ends in a consonant sound and the following word begins with a vowel sound. For example, look at the following phrase: I like it a lot. The word 'like' ends with the consonant sound /k/. The word 'it' begins with the consonant sound /I/. These two words can link together. Also the word 'it' ends in the consonant sound /t/ and the following word 'a' is a vowel sound by itself. These two words can also link together. To find out more about this and other kinds of linking visit the Connected Speech section of our Pronunciation area.

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Thanks,
Duy Lam

ESL Podcast 548 – Working for an Impossible Boss

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=8213120

- to mile around ~ to hand around : to be around and doing nothing
Why are all these people milling around doing no work
- to be incompetent : to be unable to do sth (not have ability or skill or knowledge)
You're in charge when I'm out of the office and you're incompetent!
- this is a idiom : if you can put up with heat, just go out of kitchen so that you don't suffer the hot
If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.
- constructive criticism : to tell sb things they're doing wrong in order they can do it better and correctly
I would certainly take any constructive criticism, but this is really about your inappropriate behavior.
- to hold your tongue: to not say sth even though you want to
I've held my tongue long enough.
- to go off on sb : to criticize, yell at sb
you go off on me in front of the other employees
- to undermine sb authority : to decrease the amount of power sb has
That undermines my authority and puts me in an impossible position.
- use this expression to show disagreement without making listener angry
With all due respect, this is no way to run a department.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/britain/081028_freshers_week.shtml

- well-respected (n): considered as good
The UK has a well-respected higher education system
- to overwhelm : to cope with difficultly
The UK has a well-respected higher education system and some of the top universities and research institutions in the world. But to those who are new to it all, it can be overwhelming and sometimes confusing.
- academic calendar : a period from one October to the next October when all the lectures, seminars, assignments, exams and extra-curricular activities (i.e. activities which are not part of the usual college course) that a student's life is made up of take place
October is usually the busiest month in the academic calendar.
- to settle into <place> : become familiar with and start feeling comfortable and happy about
It's a great opportunity to make new friends, join lots of clubs and settle into university life.
- to blend in : look or seem the same as people around you, fit in with others
- social etiquette : rules of behaviour that are accepted by a certain group of people
blend in. Make sure you are aware of British social etiquette


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Thanks,
Duy Lam

ESL Podcast 544 – Working from a Home Office

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=8153462

- to be functional : to work properly
So this is your new home office. It's nice. Victor: It's functional, and I like it.
- to decentralize : to spread things out
When my company decided to lower its overhead by decentralizing,
- to think twice : to hesitate
I didn't think twice about making the change.
- would kill to do sth: really want to do that thing
Lots of people would kill to work from home
- to block sth out : to ignore sth, not to pay attention to sth
It's true that there are a lot more distractions at home, but I try to block them out
- drawback : disadvantage , negative aspect
it's getting myself to stop thinking about work all the time! That's one of the drawbacks of working where you live.
- work-centered : focus on your work
I'm more productive, but I'm also more work-centered.
- to take sth1 over sth2 : to prefer sth1
I can see that, though I'd still take working from home over working at the office any day.
- to be conducive to do sth else : to be useful, helpful
I do, but it's not very conducive to getting any work done.
- to double as : to be used for more things
My home office doubles as the guestroom and the kids' playroom!




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Thanks,
Duy Lam

ESL Podcast 541 – Reporting the News

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=8113690

- to be the first taste of sth : to have first experience of sth, to do it first time
- press (new word) ~ media : tv, newspaper, magazine, radio , website ...
the newspaper was just a piece of paper on which I'd written my stories and drew my pictures, but it was my first taste of the power of the press.
- copy (~ text) editor : person whose job is to review what other has written, maybe improve by making small changes
I worked on the university newspaper and started out as a copy editor, editing stories and writing headlines.
- to cover : to research, investigate into particular topic
-  byline : the line in newspaper saying who wrote this story
Then, I began to cover news events, getting my first bylines
- to be in print: to be published in public document like books, magazine, newspaper
I can't tell you how excited I was to see my name in print for the first time!
- to shoot for sth: to try to do / get sth difficult
You never know in the newspaper business, but I'm shooting for a Pulitzer!



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Thanks,
Duy Lam

ESL Podcast 540 – Promoting a New Product

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=8093804

- final touches : final steps
- line : kind, sort
My business partners and I have been putting the final touches on our new line of energy drinks.
- beverage : drink
Really? I didn't even know that you were in the beverage business.
-  to branch out : to expand/grow into different area / field
Yeah, we've branched out into a few other areas.
- to go that route : to do that thing
I don't think we're going to go that route just yet.
- trade show: big, large event for producer to show their products
Are you taking the new products to trade shows
- product placement : TV show or video use a particular product to ad for it and the producer will pay fee for that
We're working on product placement in some music videos and maybe a TV show or two.
- endorsement : recommendation
We're working on a couple of endorsement deals right now.
- to plug : to endorse , to promote
With him plugging your energy drinks, sales will go through the roof.
- to settle for : to accept sth that is not first choice
Yeah, but I think we'd be shooting too high. We might have to settle for someone a little less famous

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2010/07/100723_witn_china_energy_page.shtml

- to be bound to : was very likely to
- to overtake : catch up with and move past something that is moving more slowly
China was bound to overtake the US in terms of total energy consumption sooner or later
- consumer goods: items that that mainly is used for home
One long-term factor behind this development is China's population – more than four times that of the US – with a growing appetite for consumer goods that need energy to use and to manufacture
- relentless efforts : constant attempts
- emissions: substances released into the air, usually pollutants
Chinese officials have said the IEA's data are unreliable, and fail to account for what they call their relentless efforts to cut energy use and emissions.
- legitimate : fair and reasonable
A senior official at the agency described China's growing energy consumption as legitimate, considering its population.


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Thanks,
Duy Lam

ESL Podcast 538 – Finding the Perfect Gift

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=8063975

- to knock sb's socks off : to impress / surprise sb very much in a good way
something that'll really knock her socks off.
- to pick out : to choose, to select
That way, she can pick out her own gift.
-to put thought into sth: to think about sth very carefully, to think all options
She would think that I didn't put any thought into buying her a present at all,
- to rack brain : to spend a lot of time to think about very difficult sth
I've been racking my brain to think of something she'll like.
- to get carried away: to do too much of sth, to take thing very seriously while it should not be
Now, don't get carried away.
- to please sb: to make sb happy
I know you want to please your mothe
- to hold sb against sb : not to forgive sb for sth happening in past, to continue to angry at sb for sth in past
she'll hold it against me for the rest of my life.
- to boggle sb: to confuse sb, to make sb surprising
It boggles my mind
- to work yourself up : to get worried about sth
how you can work yourself up like this every year.



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Thanks,
Duy Lam