Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast, number 601, Paying an Unexpected Visit.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast, episode 601.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development at.
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This episode is called Paying an Unexpected Visit.
It's a dialogue between Lorraine and Terrence, using a lot of vocabulary that we might associate with or hear for someone who is visiting someone else.
Let's get started.
Hi, this is a surprise.
To what do I owe this pleasure?
Can't I just drop in on my little sister unannounced to see how she is?
I was just in this neck of the woods and thought I would pay you a visit.
Sure you were.
Of course I'm glad to see you, but this is just a little out of the blue.
What do you mean?
I haven't seen you in over five months, and you just happen to be in the neighborhood?
Well, I wasn't exactly in the neighborhood, but I wanted to see my favorite sister.
Your only sister.
Okay, out with it.
What are you doing here?
Well, I was thinking of taking a year off from school to pursue my art.
I really feel I need to devote some time to my painting to see if I can make it as an artist.
Mom and Dad are not going to like that.
I know, and that's where you come in.
You want me to run interference for you with Mom and Dad.
Yeah, they would take it a lot better coming from you, don't you think?
No, I don't.
You've always been the responsible one.
I'm just saying... And I'm just saying that I'm not going to do your dirty work for you.
Lorraine says at the beginning of our dialogue, Hi, this is a surprise.
To what do I owe this pleasure?
To what do I owe, O-W-E, this pleasure is a very formal expression, meaning, why are you here?
And how can I help you?
Or what are you doing here?
It's usually something you would say if you weren't expecting someone.
And it is often used sarcastically.
That is, the person is making a joke.
They don't really think that you being here is a pleasure.
Terrence says, realizing that Lorraine is joking with him and in some ways saying that she doesn't really want him there.
Can't I just drop in on my little sister unannounced to see how she is?
To drop in is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to come for a short informal visit without letting the person know ahead of time.
So you don't call them on the phone or email them.
You just go over to their house, knock on their door, and visit them.
Many people don't like that, especially in the United States.
You usually don't drop in on people.
Well, that's what Terrence is doing to Lorraine.
The verb drop has several other meanings in English.
You can find those in the learning guide for this episode.
Terrence is dropping in on his little, meaning in this case his younger sister, unannounced.
Unannounced means without letting someone know that you are doing something or that something will happen.
It's another way of saying unexpected.
Terrence says, I was just in this neck of the woods...
The expression neck N-E-C-K of the woods W-O-O-D-S means the general area where that person is living.
We might also say in the neighborhood.
I was just in the neighborhood.
I was just driving near your house, is the idea, and I decided I would come and pay you a visit.
To pay someone a visit means the same as to visit someone, to come and see someone at his or her home or office.
Lorraine doesn't believe Terrence.
She says, sure you were, but she says it in such a way that she is communicating the opposite meaning I don't believe you were.
She says of course I'm glad to see you, but this is just a little out of the blue.
Something that is out of the blue is something that is unexpected, something that you were not warned about, that you didn't realize was going to happen.
Terrence says, what do you mean?
Lorraine responds, I haven't seen you in over five months.
And you just happened to be in the neighborhood?
Happened to be means by chance, accidentally, without planning it ahead of time.
Terrence says well, I wasn't exactly in the neighborhood, meaning I wasn't exactly close to your house.
But I wanted to see my favorite sister.
Lorraine says, your only sister.
Of course, Terrence, since he has only one sister, can only have her as the favorite one.
Then she says, okay, out with it.
What are you doing here?
The expression out with it is used when you are telling someone to say what they are thinking or to give you the answer directly, not to hide anything or to keep delaying the answer.
Tell you right away, out with it.
It's an informal expression.
There are lots of different expressions with out.
Some of them can be found in the learning guide for this episode.
Terrence says well, I was thinking of taking a year off from school, meaning stop studying in college for a year to pursue my art.
To pursue, P-U-R-S-U-E, means to do something for a long time.
Usually when you are trying to achieve something or get something.
People pursue their PhDs, their doctorates.
They go back to college for many years and pursue that degree.
Terrence wants to quit school and pursue his art, whatever that is.
He says, To devote means to spend a lot of time, money, or other resources for a particular purpose.
I devote 40 hours a week to my job.
That's what I commit.
That's what I spend.
Or we're going to devote $100 to buying a present for my brother.
That's what I'm going to commit.
That's what I'm going to promise.
Terrence wants to devote time to his painting to see, to determine, if he can make it as an artist.
To make it means to be successful in a particular job or field or to become famous.
Many people come to Los Angeles to make it in the movie industry or to make it in the music industry, to become a star of the movies or to become a popular singer.
Most of them end up working as waiters and waitresses.
Here in Los Angeles, we have the most talented waiters and waitresses in America.
Lorraine says mom and dad are not going to like that.
They're not going to like the idea that Terrence is quitting school to devote time to painting.
Terrence says, I know, and that's where you come in.
The expression that's where you come in is used to emphasize how another person is involved in something.
When you're explaining something to someone and you are asking for them to help you, You get to the part where you explain what they're going to do.
That's where you come in, Terrence says.
Lorraine says, you want me to run interference for you with mom and dad.
To run interference means to help someone do something by...
Being what we might call a mediator, that is, someone who is in between the two people who are trying to communicate.
You might share information with this other person.
Usually you are trying to avoid conflict.
If the other person would deal with the third party, the third person directly, there might be problems.
So you're in between them and you're trying to prevent those problems.
That's what Terrence wants Lorraine to do.
Terrence then says, yeah, they would take it a lot better coming from you, don't you think?
To take.
It means, or to take something means, to react to something, to deal with something or to accept something.
How did she take the news?
How did she take it?
The idea here is how did she react?
How did she accept it?
Was she upset?
Was she angry?
Was she happy?
And so forth.
Terrence thinks that if Lorraine tells their parents that Terrence wants to become an artist, the parents will take it better hearing it from her.
Lorraine says, I don't.
She doesn't agree the parents will take it better from her.
Terrence says, you've always been the responsible one.
I'm just saying.
This expression is used a lot nowadays in American English.
I'm just saying.
We use it when you want to emphasize something.
© transcript Emily Beynon You're saying that it's just your opinion.
Lorraine then says Dirty work is something that a person does not want to do because it is difficult or unpleasant.
Something you try to get someone else to do, oftentimes when it is something that is perhaps involving some deception or lying to another person.
Here we're not talking about lying to another person, but we are talking about something that Terrence doesn't want to do, so he is trying to get his sister to do it for him.
He's trying to get his sister to do his dirty work.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
Hi, this is a surprise.
To what do I owe this pleasure?
Can't I just drop in on my little sister unannounced to see how she is?
I was just in this neck of the woods and thought I would pay you a visit.
Sure you were.
Of course I'm glad to see you, but this is just a little out of the blue.
What do you mean?
I haven't seen you in over five months, and you just happened to be in the neighborhood?
Well, I wasn't exactly in the neighborhood, but I wanted to see my favorite sister.
Your only sister.
Okay, out with it.
What are you doing here?
Uh, well, I was thinking of taking a year off from school to pursue my art.
I really feel I need to devote some time to my painting to see if I can make it as an artist.
Mom and Dad are not going to like that.
I know, and that's where you come in.
You want me to run interference for you with Mom and Dad?
Yeah, they would take it a lot better coming from you, don't you think?
No, I don't.
You've always been the responsible one.
I'm just saying... And I'm just saying that I'm not going to do your dirty work for you.
Our script writer devoted a lot of time to today's episode.
I'm, of course, referring to Dr. Lucy Say.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Say.
Hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan.
Copyright 2010 by the Center for Educational Development.
