Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 1087, Selecting Window Treatments.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 1087.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
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On this episode we're going to listen to a dialogue between Otto and Jean about putting something up in your windows to block out the light or simply to decorate.
Let's get started.
Hi, I'm Otto from Windows R Us.
I'm here to show you the window treatment options we offer and to take measurements for installation if you decide to order from our store.
Hi, Otto.
I'm Jean.
Come on in.
I want to get some new window treatments for the living room.
Can you show me what you have?
Sure.
For the living room, I would recommend these beautiful wooden shutters.
Opening the slats allows light to filter in and closing them blocks light and gives you privacy.
They're nice, but I think they may be a little too expensive for me.
In that case, you might like blinds, mini blinds, or vertical blinds.
Those are still a little bit pricey.
Are there any other options?
Well, you could go with curtains.
You can choose the type of curtain rods that match your decor and any kind of fabric.
With a valance, they would look very nice.
Nice fabric could cost a lot of money.
Any other suggestions?
Do you have a bed sheet?
Yes. nail it over your window and call it a day.
Have a nice day, ma'am.
Our dialogue begins with Otto... saying, hi, I'm Otto from Windows R Us.
Windows R Us is, I guess, the name of the company.
A company that probably sells Windows or things related to Windows.
And that's exactly what Otto is going to talk about here.
He says, I'm here to show you the window treatment options we offer.
Window treatments are the kinds of things that you cover a window with, either because you don't want people to see inside of your house or for decoration, because it looks nice.
Otto says that he's there talking to Jean to show her the window treatment options that his company offers, that his company sells.
He's also there at her house to take measurements for installation, if Gene decides to order from his store.
Measurements.
M-E-A-S-U-R-E, M-E-N-T-S are numbers showing the height, the width and sometimes the depth of something.
Measurements refer to how big something is.
It's 10 inches by 20 inches.
That would be a measurement, say, of a window.
A really, really, really small window.
Installation I-N-S-T-A-L-L-A-T-I-O-N is the act of putting something in place, of setting something up of, in this case, putting something on the windows.
Jean says, Hi Otto, I'm Jean.
Come on in, meaning come into the house.
Our dialogue began with a doorbell ringing, so we know that Otto is outside of the house and Jean opens the door for him and lets him in.
Jean then says, I want to get some new window treatments for the living room.
Can you show me what you have?
Otto says, sure.
For the living room, I would recommend these beautiful wooden shutters.
Shutters S-H-U-T-T-E-R-S are a kind of window treatment that is fixed onto the frame of the window typically, and usually made of wood.
You can have shutters that are vertical, that run from top to bottom, that you open up just like a door in front of your window.
You can also have shutters that are horizontal, that go from side to side, that are again vertical, permanently attached or affixed to the frame of the window.
The frame f-r-a-m-e is the part inside of the house that holds the windows in place.
Typically windows, of course, are made of glass that you can see through.
If the shutters are horizontal, usually they are made of long, flat pieces of wood or some other material that are placed one below the other so that you have a set of these long, narrow pieces of wood.
These long narrow pieces are called slats, S-L-A-T-S.
The slats then are opened or closed, usually with a long stick or long piece of wood that is attached to all of the slats.
So you can open the slats to let light in or close them to keep light out.
That's why Otto says opening the slats allows light to filter in.
To filter, F-I-L-T-E-R, in, means to come in but not completely.
If you have shutters on your windows, not all of the light will come into the room, only the amount of light that can come in when the slats are open.
Closing the slats blocks light.
To block, B-L-O-C-K, means to stop or prevent something from going from one place to another.
In this case, it blocks the light from coming into the room when you have the shutters closed.
This also gives you privacy.
It means that people can't see into your house.
Gene says they're nice, but I think they may be a little expensive for me.
Otto says in that case, you might like blinds, mini blinds, or vertical blinds.
Blinds B-L-I-N-D-S are similar to shutters, but usually they're made of metal or plastic and are attached together, not with a piece of wood, usually with a string or cord.
Blinds are also not fixed permanently to the frame of the window so that you can usually roll the blinds up, meaning you can remove the window treatment, the blinds, so that it's at the very top or bottom or side of the window.
With shutters, the slats are usually permanent.
You can't move them up or down completely.
You can only open and close them.
With blinds, you're able to not only open and close the slats to let light in or to block light from coming in, but to move the blinds to the top or to the bottom typically.
Now, if you have blinds where the slats are horizontal, we usually call those Venetian blinds, like the city of Venice in Italy.
You can also have what are called vertical blinds.
Those are blinds often used for large windows or doors that go from top to bottom instead of from side to side.
And like horizontal or Venetian blinds, you can also open and close the slats or push them to expose the entire window or door.
Mini blinds are the same as blinds, except the slats are smaller and usually narrower than you would see in regular blinds.
Otto tells Jean that blinds have the same function, that is, they do the same things as shutters at a fraction of the price.
At a fraction, F-R-A-C-T-I-O-N, of the price, means at a much lower price, much less expensive.
But Jean says those are still a bit pricey.
If you describe something as pricey, P-R-I-C-E-Y, you mean it is expensive.
It costs more than what you want to pay, perhaps.
Jean says, are there any other options?
Otto says, well, you could go with curtains.
Curtains C-U-R-T-A-I-N-S are large pieces of fabric, large pieces of cloth that are hung from the top of the window and extend all the way to the bottom of the window typically.
Sometimes there will be two sets of curtains, one on the top of the window and one on the bottom of the window.
Sometimes there'll be one long curtain that covers the entire window.
Usually curtains can be opened or closed just like blinds.
Otto says you can choose the type of curtain rods that match your decor and any kind of fabric.
A curtain rod is a long pole or stick that goes at the top of the window on which you hang the curtain.
The curtain rods can match your decor and Decor.
D-E-C-O-R means the look of a room, the way it is decorated, the way it is furnished.
The style, the color, the type of material in a room are all part of the decor of a room.
Otto says the curtains can be made of any fabric, F-A-B-R-I-C.
Fabric is the same as cloth, large pieces of material, in this case that are used to make curtains.
You can also make clothing out of fabric.
Otto says with a valance, they would look very nice.
A valance V-A-L-A-N-C-E is a short piece of fabric that is put over the top part of the window to hide the curtain rod so you don't actually see it.
Jean says nice fabric could cost a lot of money.
Any other suggestions?
Jean doesn't seem to want to pay very much for her window treatments.
So Otto, I think, making a joke, says, do you have a bed sheet?
A bed sheet is a large piece of fabric that you put on top of your bed.
Jean says yes.
Otto says nail it over your window and call it a day.
A nail N-A-I-L is a short round piece of metal that you use in combination with a hammer in order to put two things together.
The verb is to nail.
Otto is jokingly suggesting to Jean that she just take an old bed sheet and put it over the window and call it a day.
The expression to call it a day means to stop working on something for the rest of the day, especially if you are very tired of working on it.
Even if you haven't finished, you will stop working on it.
That's the meaning of to call it a day.
Otto is joking, but he's also angry.
He says, have a nice day, ma'am.
And then he closes the door very loudly.
Of course he's frustrated with Jean, because Jean seems to think that all of his options are too expensive.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
Hi, I'm Otto from Windows R Us.
I'm here to show you the window treatment options we offer and take measurements for installation if you decide to order from our store.
Hi, Otto.
I'm Jean.
Come on in.
I want to get some new window treatments for the living room.
Can you show me what you have?
Sure.
For the living room, I would recommend these beautiful wooden shutters.
Opening the slats allows light to filter in, and closing them blocks light and gives you privacy.
They're nice, but I think they may be a little too expensive for me.
In that case, you might like blinds, mini blinds, or vertical blinds.
They have the same function as shutters at a fraction of the price.
Those are still a little bit pricey.
Are there any other options?
Well, you could go with curtains.
You can choose the type of curtain rods that match your decor and any kind of fabric.
With a valance, they would look very nice.
Nice fabric could cost a lot of money.
Any other suggestions?
Do you have a bed sheet?
Yes.
Nail it over your window and call it a day.
Have a nice day, ma'am.
We have English for any decor, thanks to our wonderful scriptwriter, 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 2015 by the Center for Educational Development.
