Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 990, Being Socially Popular.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 990.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Visit our website at eslpod.com.
You can also like us on Facebook at facebook.com slash eslpod.
In this episode, Rosa and Grant talk about being popular.
Let's get started.
Has the mail come yet?
We didn't get any mail today.
Damn it!
What's the matter?
I'm waiting for an invitation from Joanna to her birthday party.
I heard that she's having a big bash and it's going to be the party of the seasons.
You're worked up over a party?
It's not just any party.
It's the social event of the year.
Anyone who's anybody will be there.
If I don't get an invitation, it means I've been snubbed.
I'd never be able to live it down.
Who is Joanna, anyway?
She's just another rich girl, right?
No, she's not.
She's the most popular girl at school and the leader of the in crowd.
If she so much as talks to you, you're in.
But if she gives you the cold shoulder, you're out.
You're nobody.
That's ridiculous.
She only has the power to do that because you all worship her.
One of these days, I hope somebody takes her down a peg.
But nobody would dare to go against Joanna.
It would be the end of their social life.
So what?
So what?
I should know better than to talk about it with a clueless guy.
Rosa says to Grant, Has the mail come yet?
Has the mail arrived?
Grant says, We didn't get any mail today.
Rosa says, Damn it.
Damn, D-A-M-N, it, is a vulgar expression that people use informally.
It's not something you should use.
Typically, I never say this, or I only say it if I'm really angry.
You would never want to say it in front of children or your boss or people you don't know very well.
Grant says, what's the matter?
What is the problem?
Rosa says, I'm waiting for an invitation from Joanna to her birthday party.
I heard that she's having a big bash and it's going to be the party of the season.
Rosa is waiting for an invitation, a card or a letter asking someone to do something, usually to go somewhere for some formal event.
This invitation is for a birthday party for Joanna.
Rosa heard that Joanna is having a big bash.
A bash, B-A-S-H, is a large party, a large celebration with many people.
Rosa says it's going to be the party of the season, meaning the most important party of this year or of this time of year.
Grant says you're worked up over a party.
To be worked up means to be excited. possibly worried or anxious about something.
To get worked up over something is to get excited or worried or perhaps even angry about something.
Rosa says it's not just any party.
It's the social event of the year.
Rosa is saying this is a very important party.
It's not just any party.
The social event of the year would be the most important social event, party or celebration that people want to go to.
Normally we associate this expression with people who are powerful, perhaps politically powerful or, more likely, economically powerful.
People who have a lot of money are involved in these kinds of large social events the presidents of companies, and actors and celebrities, at least if you live here in Los Angeles.
In other places, such as Washington DC, the social events are often political, or at least are attended by people with political power.
Rosa says anyone who's anybody will be there.
That phrase, anyone who's anybody, means everyone who is important.
Everyone who is important in a certain social group.
She says, if I don't get an invitation, it means I've been snubbed.
To be snubbed S-N-U-B-B-E-D means is to be treated badly by another person, to be ignored by someone because that person doesn't think you're important enough, perhaps.
Rosa is worried about being snubbed by not being invited to this social event of the year.
She says, I'd never be able to live it down.
The expression to live something down means to survive an embarrassing and difficult situation.
To remain proud and confident, even though something bad happened to you, especially something embarrassing.
A teenage boy who's good at basketball plays a nine-year-old girl and is beaten by the nine-year-old girl.
He might be embarrassed because he should have won.
He may find it difficult to live that down, to not be embarrassed in the future, especially around his friends.
And Grant says who is Joanna anyway.
Grant doesn't even know who this Joanna is.
She's just another rich girl, right?
Rosa says, no, she's not.
She's the most popular girl at school and the leader of the in crowd.
Now we learn that Rosa is a young girl, probably in high school.
She's talking about the most popular girl at school, the girl that everyone admires, that everybody wants to be friends with.
She's the leader, she's the most important person of the in crowd.
When we talk about the in crowd, we're talking about the most popular students at a school.
High school usually is a place where you have very popular kids and kids like me who were not very popular, honestly.
I was not in the in crowd.
I was not one of the most popular students in the school.
Joanna is in the in crowd and is very popular at Rosa's school.
Rosa says...
If she so much as talks to you, you're in.
The expression so much as is used here to mean even.
It's a phrase used to emphasize the minimum amount of something.
If you so much as look at me again, I'm going to punch you.
I'm going to hit you. just looking at me, even that small thing will make me want to punch you.
I don't know why.
I think you're a nice person.
I really don't want to punch you.
It's just an example.
Rosa says that if Joanna talks to you, you're in.
All she has to do is talk to you and then people will consider you to be part of the in crowd, part of the popular group of students.
Rosa says, To give someone the cold shoulder means to ignore someone, to pay no attention to someone, not to be friendly or kind to someone.
If Joanna gives you the cold shoulder, according to Rosa, you're out.
You're out is the opposite of you're in.
You're not popular.
You're nobody, Rosa says.
Grant says that's ridiculous.
She only has the power to do that because you all, meaning you other students, worship her.
To worship, W-O-R-S-H-I-P, here means just to give a lot of respect or admiration.
Normally, we use this word in talking about God or some divine power.
Here, we're using it just to mean admire, respect, look up to.
Grant continues, one of these days, I hope somebody takes her down a peg.
One of these days is a phrase meaning someday, eventually.
We use this to talk about something that might happen in the future, even though we don't know when.
Specifically,
Grant hopes somebody takes Joanna down a peg.
To take someone down a peg P-E-G means to do something to make an arrogant person less proud, to humble someone, we might say.
To take someone down a peg is to take somebody who thinks they're better than everyone else and make them realize that they're not.
Rosa says, but nobody would dare go against Joanna.
To dare D-A-R-E is to have the courage to do something that is very difficult or perhaps even dangerous.
To go against someone is to disagree with another person or to oppose another person.
To dare to go against someone would be to have the courage then to disagree or to oppose another person.
Rosa said it would be the end of their social life.
Your social life is the time that you spend outside of work and school enjoying yourself.
If you go against Joanna, Rosa is saying, you will no longer have a good social life.
It will be the end of your social life.
Grant says, so what?
Meaning, why is that important?
Who cares?
Rosa says, so what?
She can't believe what Grant is saying.
I should know better than to talk about it with a clueless guy.
Clueless, C-L-U-E-L-E-S-S, means to be unaware of something, to not understand something or not know very much about something.
It's used as an insulting term.
If you say someone is clueless, you mean they're so stupid they don't realize what is going on.
Rosa is calling Grant a clueless guy.
Here, guy, G-U-Y, is used to mean boy or man.
Probably boy here since we're talking about high school students.
Rosa is calling Grant clueless because he doesn't understand the importance of being part of the in crowd, apparently.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
Has the mail come yet?
We didn't get any mail today.
Damn it.
What's the matter?
I'm waiting for an invitation from Joanna to a birthday party.
I heard that she's having a big bash and it's going to be the party of the season.
You're worked up over a party?
It's not just any party.
It's the social event of the year.
Anyone who's anybody will be there.
If I don't get an invitation, it means I've been snubbed.
I'd never be able to live it down.
Who is Joanna anyway?
She's just another rich girl, right?
No, she's not.
She's the most popular girl at school and the leader of the in crowd.
If she so much as talks to you, you're in.
But if she gives you the cold shoulder, you're out.
You're nobody.
That's ridiculous.
She only has the power to do that because you all worship her.
One of these days, I hope somebody takes her down a peg.
But nobody would dare to go against Joanna.
It would be the end of their social life.
So what?
So what?
I should know better than to talk about it with a clueless guy.
Our thanks to the most popular script writer on the internet for English language learning, Dr Lucy Say.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
Copyright 2014 by the Center for Educational Development.
