Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 376, Asking About Business Hours.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 376.
I'm your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development.
© transcript Emily Beynon an 8-10 page guide that contains all of the vocabulary definitions, new sample sentences using the words that we describe and discuss on the podcast.
You'll also find comprehension questions, cultural notes, additional explanations of vocabulary not found on the audio portion of this episode and a complete transcript of everything we say.
This episode is called Asking About Business Hours.
It's a telephone conversation between Karen and a man who owns a store and she asks about their hours of business.
Let's get started.
Hello.
Hello.
Is this Joe's Shoe Repair?
Yes.
How can I help you?
I'm calling to find out your business hours.
We're open 24-7.
Really?
You're open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
Yes, we are.
More often than not.
Of course, we close for major holidays.
Is that all?
We also close the first and third Monday and every other Sunday of each month, except the fourth Sunday, when we're always open 8 am to 5 pm, unless we have extended hours.
Normally, we can have shoes repaired in three or four days, but not this week.
Why?
We're closed Wednesday through Friday for renovation.
Okay.
What if I brought them in next week?
That's no good either.
The exterminators are coming in, and we're closed Monday through Thursday.
Are you pulling my leg?
Of course not.
This is a respectable business.
I never joke about business.
How about the week after next?
When do you actually open 24-7?
With just a few exceptions.
Our phone conversation begins with the store owner answering the phone, saying hello.
Karen says, hello, is this Joe's shoe repair?
The store owner says, yes, how can I help you?
Which is a standard way of answering the phone for business.
Someone calls, you say, how can I help you?
Karen says, I'm calling to find out your business hours, the time that the business is open.
The store owner says, we're open 24-7.
This means 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In other words, they're always open.
They never close.
Karen says, really?
Really?
You're open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every single day of the week, Sunday through Saturday.
The store owner says, yes, we are more often than not.
So already he's beginning to change the message here.
He says they're open 24-7, but then he says more often than not, which means most of the time, almost always.
Of course, he says, we close for major holidays.
Major holidays would be the most celebrated holidays, the most important holidays.
In the United States, the 4th of July, Christmas, Thanksgiving, these are major holidays.
The woman then asks, is that all?
Meaning, are those the only days and times you're closed?
The store owner says we also close the first and third Monday and every other Sunday of each month except the fourth Sunday.
We close.
The first and third Monday means the first and third Monday of the month and every other Sunday.
Every other means every second, every alternate.
He also says that on the fourth Sunday they're always open 8 am to 5 pm, unless we have extended hours.
So on the last Sunday or the fourth Sunday, I should say, of the month, They're only open from 8 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon, unless they have extended hours.
Extended hours are hours a business is open past its normal time for closing.
So if you normally close at 5 pm, in one day you decide to be open until 9 pm.
That's extended hours.
Stores often have extended hours before Christmas to give people more of a chance to spend their money.
It's obvious now that the store owner isn't open 24-7.
Karen says, oh, okay.
If I brought in a pair of shoes to be fixed today, how quickly can you have them ready?
This is a shoe repair question business.
So she wants to have her shoes repaired and in this case she wants to know how quickly the store owner can have them ready.
How long will it take to fix them?
He says normally we can have shoes repaired in three or four days, but not this week.
Karen says why.
Once again, we suspect we think here that there's going to be a problem with this store owner.
The store owner says, we're closed Wednesday through Friday for renovation.
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday would be Wednesday through Friday.
Renovation is repair work.
Often when a building gets old or it needs work, they renovate it.
They have a renovation of the building.
They make it new.
They repair it so it looks better.
Karen says, okay, what if I brought them in next week?
What if I brought them to you next week?
The store owner says, that's no good either.
That's no good means that's not useful.
That is not going to help.
That won't be better.
He says the exterminators are coming in and were closed Monday through Thursday.
An exterminator is someone who gets rid of unwanted insects such as cockroaches termites, mice or other animals that are in your building that you don't want.
Usually, an exterminator uses some deadly chemicals to kill what we would call pests little animals that are in your house or your building that you don't want there.
Like my neighbor's cat.
Karen then asks the owner, are you pulling my leg?
The expression to pull someone's leg means to be joking, to be kidding, to say something just to be funny.
Karen can't believe the store owner is serious that he has closed all of these different days, especially when he started the conversation by saying that he was open 24-7, all the time.
For some additional explanations and definitions of that expression, go to our learning guide for today.
The store owner says, of course not, meaning I'm not joking.
This is a respectable business.
I never joke about business.
Respectable means it is known to be good.
It has a good reputation.
People have a good opinion of this business.
Karen then asks, how about the week after next?
She's asking if she can bring her shoes in the week after next week, which would be two weeks from this week, the week that follows next week.
The store owner says, sorry, but you're out of luck.
You're out of luck means you're You are not lucky.
You are not fortunate.
You will not be successful.
You're out of luck.
The week after next were closed for vacation.
So now he's saying that they are going to be gone an entire week on vacation.
Karen says, when do you actually open 24-7?
The store owner says, An exception is something that is not normal, not typical.
Something that is left out of a group or a list.
Unusual.
Of course, There aren't a few exceptions.
There are many exceptions to his rule of being open 24-7.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
Hello.
Hello.
Is this Joe's Shoe Repair?
Yes.
How can I help you?
I'm calling to find out your business hours.
We're open 24-7.
Really?
You're open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
Yes, we are, more often than not.
Of course, we close for major holidays.
Is that all?
We also close the first and third Monday and every other Sunday of each month, except the fourth Sunday, when we're always open 8 am to 5 pm, unless we have extended hours.
Oh, okay.
If I brought in a pair of shoes to be fixed today, how quickly can you have them ready?
Normally, we can have shoes repaired in three or four days, but not this week.
Why?
We're closed Wednesday through Friday for renovation.
Okay.
What if I brought them in next week?
That's no good either.
The exterminators are coming in, and we're closed Monday through Thursday.
Are you pulling my leg?
Of course not.
This is a respectable business.
I never joke about business.
How about the week after next?
Sorry, but you're out of luck.
The week after next, we're closed for vacation.
When do you actually open 24-7?
We're always open 24-7, with just a few exceptions.
The script for this episode was written by the very respectable Dr. Lucy Say.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us next time here on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
This podcast is copyright 2008.
