This is the All Ears English Podcast. Excellent English for home cleanup.
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Are you feeling stuck with your English?
We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection. with your American hosts, Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, coming to you from Colorado and New York City, USA.
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Everyone faces the moment when they need to clean out their home.
How can you articulate that something is worn out and no longer in good shape?
Find out today and learn why this topic is a universal connection moment.
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Offer ends August 10th. allearsenglish.com slash connection Hello, Lindsay.
How are you? I'm doing really well today, Michelle.
How are you? I'm good. I'm happy to be hanging out with you and our listeners on this Saturday episode Saturday Saturday Saturdays.
Yeah. But Lindsay, do you have anything that isn't working so well anymore?
It's not really in great condition or conditioner.
Oh my gosh. Condition tech furniture, maybe clothes, something like that.
Yeah, I would say for sure. Our whole central air conditioning system is not working very well.
Basically, it doesn't reach the upstairs.
It doesn't reach the second floor. It's really cold and chilly like you're in Antarctica downstairs.
But upstairs, it's like you're in, I don't know, the Middle East in the desert or something.
It's crazy. Yeah. I travel the world all over my house.
It's wonderful. That's funny. What about you, Michelle?
Anything not quite working so well? Let's See, I have to think about it.
I just had to get a repair on my car because something, there was a weird clinking noise.
You ever have that? And you're like, what is that noise?
No. Absolutely. Absolutely. I know about that.
Luckily, it was an easy fix. I mean, I had to pay for it, but it wasn't too bad.
But yeah, at first I'm like, oh, is this car on its last legs?
Oh, no. But knock on wood. Yeah. I mean, things age.
How many miles do you have in your car out of curiosity?
I don't, I don't even know. I'd have to check.
Oh, you don't know. Okay. No, it's probably not too much.
I would say the Dan's car has way more because he used to travel, like go like an hour and a half to work each way.
Um, wow. I just kind of use mine for going around town, but I, I certainly use it.
I mean a lot, um, but not many long distances.
Um, yeah. So today we're going to talk about how to express this idea of something is aging, maybe not working so well.
Because recently I heard someone say something was on its way out.
I can't remember what it was, but it was about an object that wasn't in good shape.
So I thought that's a really good way to talk about it.
We're going to talk about that today. Guys, also at the end of this episode, listen up because we are going to do a special poll on Spotify.
Guys, we love doing these special Spotify polls online. um we do them pretty much for every episode i think but the ones that we specifically announce on the show we are going to announce the results in the future episode so if you're listening on spotify it's really a fun way to engage with us so listen to the end to see what the poll is yeah and while you're at it go ahead and hit the follow button guys to make sure you don't miss a single episode of all ears english When I was thinking about your question, I just looked down and I realized the best answer is actually my laptop.
When I look at my laptop right now, Michelle, this was a laptop from 2019, what I'm using right now.
And I'm missing the G key and the enter key.
The keys have fallen off. And it's so bad.
It's on its way out, Michelle. It's so bad that I can't take it to conferences.
I did buy a new laptop, but this is... Yeah, I was going to say, I thought you had a new one.
So this is the one that actually works well, doesn't cut us off the internet.
Something is wrong with the other one. So that's the one I take to conferences because I can't take this out at a conference in front of people.
You're making a business deal. You're like, here's my laptop missing two keys.
Oh no, Lindsay. That's funny. But you know, it's just a better laptop, this older one, but it's really on its way out.
So we got to do something. Yeah, on its way out.
So yeah, let's get into this. So what does that mean when we say on its way out?
Something is on its way out. It's basically saying that something will be totally unusable pretty soon in the not too distant future, right?
Yeah. Maybe it means that it's broken or it's breaking, I-N-G in the progressive form is just breaking down.
Maybe you need to throw it out, that kind of thing.
Right, exactly. So when we say on its way out, It's not like out to dinner.
It's like on its way to the garbage, basically, to being completely broken.
Maybe it's not totally broken. Maybe it's breaking, as Lindsay said, and then it will be broken out.
Yeah. So, for example, this jacket is on its way out.
Look at this big hole. Oh, yeah. We all know this.
I mean, shoes. I tend to wear my shoes down embarrassingly long.
I'll wear them for a long time. But because things are just so comfortable, a nice pair of jeans Michelle, a nice pair of shoes, you just slip into it, so good.
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Or, hey, here, look at this example.
My computer is on its way out. It keeps crashing and it's pretty old.
Yeah, there you go. I mean, these days, how long does a laptop really last?
I don't know, a couple years before it starts to just get slow and that kind of thing, right?
Yeah, I think a lot of it is making sure you clean, well, no, I mean, on my end, I have to delete things.
That's my issue. I'll realize I have all these all ears English audacity, you know, files of me doing with them and titles and I was like, it's like I don't need them for like three years ago.
I think I'm good. Yeah, you're probably good.
You're probably good. It's true. So your hard drive fills up your download folder.
Yeah, it's true. It's true. This one I love, has seen better days.
I think there's a song. Isn't there a song?
Yeah, yeah. I've seen better days, I think.
Yep. So meaning it used to be better. It's not in its heyday right now, right?
It's not in its best moment. It is not in its prime.
Okay. Yeah. And it's prime. Oh my God. Look at all these good vocab words.
Yeah. So, oh man, my nails have seen better days.
Time for a medicare. And I guess this is really a common connection phrase because what people do is they kind of, they're talking, they're connecting, and then maybe there's a lull in the conversation and you kind of look down at your nails and maybe you make a comment like that.
That's a connection moment, right? Yep, definitely.
Or it doesn't have to be about something.
I mean, the nails, it doesn't have to be actually broken.
It doesn't have to be technology, computer, things like that.
It can just be something that's not really doing so great.
So, oh, this kitchen has seen better days.
We need to clean it up, right? It's just...
Gosh, we have like a kitchen island in our kitchen and the house, it looks so nice when there's nothing on it.
Oh, I bet. But it's really pretty. Like we painted around it.
It's this beautiful periwinkle color, but it's just covered in papers and things.
Yeah, that happens. There's got to be like a junk table in every house, right?
And it's usually in the kitchen, I think.
Yeah, we really, yeah. So I might say, all right, this has seen better days.
Let's clean this up. Yeah. Do you try to clear that table off, that island off like every week or do you just kind of keep piling up?
Like when you clean the house, do you try to clean that up or is that just its own disaster?
No, it was... We do try and every few days kind of fix it up a little bit.
The problem is I hate when there's too many papers because then I feel like I have to look at the papers and decide what to do with the papers.
It's another thing if it's just a box of food that needs to be put in a cabinet, right?
When it's something you need to make a decision about, then that's when it stays.
But the other day, so my parents were visiting and I...
I forget where I went. I think I had to do some work or I was just in the other room for a little bit.
When I came back into the room, the island was clean.
My parents had cleaned it. Impressive. Oh my gosh.
Wow. Okay. That's good. So yeah, sometimes you need a place to put those papers that you're not going to act on now, but you don't want to forget about them.
Oh gosh. That's the worst. I think all of our listeners know exactly what I'm talking about.
And now they will have a way to articulate this.
Exactly. All right. We're going to take a quick break and we'll be right back.
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C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-O-N. Okay, Michelle, other ways to say this.
Now, this is specific, more specific. On its last legs.
Now, I don't know if we could say that about the island, right?
Right, because that's not the same thing.
No, no, it's not going to, this is more specific about breaking.
So on its, so let's see, on its way out, you wouldn't say about the island, has seen better days.
That's really, you can use it about, how something looks, right?
Yeah. That, of course, could be a little bit more universal.
But on its last legs, that's about breaking.
And it doesn't have to be about legs. That's not usually about legs.
It doesn't have to have legs. This is coming back to items that are functional, have a function, and they work or they don't, right?
So we could say, oh, no, this watch is on its last legs.
Look at it. So obviously, that watch does not have legs.
But we're saying legs means kind of like power.
It's power. It's self-sufficiency, I guess.
Breaking down. That reminds me in the episode we just did where you were saying a leg of a trip.
It's funny how many times legs can be used in different ways.
So yeah, or this TV is on its last legs.
Want to look for a new one with me? Nice.
Love that. And then you can use the adjective warn, right?
Warn. W-O-R-N. Get the app if you're wondering about how to spell that because in the app you will see direct transcripts, guys.
Allersenglish.com slash app. This is the most direct and succinct way of saying this, right, Michelle?
Right. I would say this is the least fun out of all the ones we're teaching, but it's not a whole fancy expression, but it's one word, gets to the point.
But I would say it's more, to me, I think of it as more about clothing.
I don't know that I would say the laptop is worn.
Yeah, or my car. My car is almost 300,000 miles.
I wouldn't say it's worn. It's a little bit, it's, yeah, it really works for maybe textiles, like things that you wear.
I agree. It's been worn, right? This coat is really worn.
Look at this fraying. Well, is it more fun if we add worn out?
Yeah. Well, worn out, I think of, I feel worn out, but you can also say worn out for, yeah, I mean, yeah, I think, Yeah, you could say worn out.
It's worn out. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. It might be a little more natural sounding, actually.
There's a lot of ways to say this. There's one more we're going to give our listeners.
Guys, I hope you're writing these down. Not in good shape.
What is that? Yeah. So it's not doing well.
But this can be even... I think we may have done an episode about this in the past.
I'm not sure. But you could do, our team is not in good shape.
We really need to figure out what's going on.
So maybe there's... It could be even a sports team, right?
Maybe you're on a losing streak. You could say, oh, we're not in good shape.
So this doesn't have to... This is very versatile.
Yeah. This can be used for... an actual physical set of people, right?
Not being in good shape, something at work. um or it can be used similar to the other one you can come over but i warn you my house is not in good shape it's a mess yeah exactly and then in a more niche way we might use this in terms of you know physicality physical shape like are you in i mean i i would say i'm probably in better shape now than i was in february and that naturally happens in the summer time because we're more active in the summer i am at least Right.
Good physical shape. Like, can you run a mile in 10 minutes or something?
For example, that idea. Right. Yeah. Right.
Your cardiovascular and your muscular strength.
So that's a more niche meaning of being in shape.
And that could be another episode for another day.
Michelle. Yeah. Yes. I think we actually I think that is the one we did do.
But I have to I have to look and go back. into the files anyway so yeah but these are all extremely useful so let's put them together in a role play all right so here we are friends and I'm helping you clean your room very scary okay Sometimes I wish I could pay for one of those professional organizers.
I know, right? Yes. A dream. Yes. Because it's so much more than just the room.
It's about your inner space, your inner peace and your mental state, right?
All right, here we go. Let's see what we can do.
All right. Okay. What about this shirt? I guess it is kind of worn.
Yeah, let's get rid of it. And look at this book.
It's not in good shape. oh i know okay trash it i spilled syrup all over it yikes okay and this is this your laptop yeah it's on its last legs i'm just waiting for a good sale to get a new one got it well these shoes are cute um yeah i guess but they've seen better days maybe i can get them repaired that would be good and this toaster looks like it's on its way out yes i need a new one i'll help you shop Okay.
I'm really, we're just going through it.
Most people only do this really on a deep level when they move, right?
And that's how, if people don't move for, that's what happened to my parents.
They didn't move for like 30 years, right?
They stayed in our childhood home. And then by the time they finally had to move, they had an entire attic just filled with stuff.
Oh, wow. And it's just crazy how that happens.
I don't know. It's piled up over all the years.
Yeah, I know. It's wild. Yeah. Yeah. But anyway, we'll go through it, Michelle.
What did we say here? The shirt. All right.
So you asked me about the shirt and I said, hmm, I guess it is kind of worn, right?
So we said, worn or worn out. We use a lot for textiles, for clothing, things like that.
Yep. I like that. And then I said, yeah, let's get rid of it.
And look at this book. It's not in good shape.
So maybe the cover is tattered or something.
Yeah. And apparently it's because I spilled syrup all over it.
Eating pancakes and reading a book or something.
I guess so. And then you said, and is this your laptop, which is hilarious.
Like, can you actually not tell? It must be in really bad shape.
It's an actual laptop. Yeah, right, right.
Yeah. And then I said, yeah, it's on its last legs, but I'm waiting for a sale.
Yeah. Do you ever say it's on its last leg?
Can we say that singular? I feel like I've heard that and have said that. on your last leg.
We'll have to update our listeners on that another day, but for now go with the plural and we will update our listeners on that.
So for the next one, Michelle, you said, yeah, I guess, but they've, I said, the shoes are cute.
And you said, yeah, I guess, but they've seen better days.
Right. And that's our first one that we opened with today, which is great.
Right, right, right. And then you find a toaster.
Yeah. All in the same room, which I don't know what's going on here.
I know. What is happening? Maybe you live in a studio apartment or something.
Oh, maybe. Yeah. And this toaster looks like it's on its way out.
Oh, my gosh. Big cleanup day over at Michelle's place.
Okay. Actually, it does kind of sound like you are a professional organizer.
You could have been. I could have been one of those people you call in.
Kind of a consultant, right? Love it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, Michelle, shall we drop our poll?
Let our listeners know about the poll for today.
Big question here. Yeah, we want to know, are you good at getting rid of old items?
Yes or no? No. That's a big question because items do have sentimentality.
They feel sentimental. They're part of our lives.
Some people will sit. I'm guessing this is you, Michelle.
This is me. I'll sit and go through each item and remember what it meant to me.
Maybe not a toaster, but other things. I don't know, a shirt.
Oh, I wore that when I went on that date with that person.
So it'll take days to do this kind of clean out for me.
Yeah. Well, once I remember my mom was trying to get help me get rid of some things.
And I said, and I said something like she was making fun of me because I called some shirts, my emotional shirts.
Like you can get rid of the emotional shirt.
It's just I meant shirts that I'm, you know, old, old camp shirts and from when I was a waitress and I don't know.
It's part of your life, right? That's why it's always good to have one impartial person, one person who just is neutral.
They don't care about these items, so they push you to keep moving, putting things in the trash.
Or donation, by the way, also great. Yes, I donate a lot.
I've gotten a little better. Still not with the emotional shirts, but with some other things, I'll take a picture sometimes.
And then I've read that that's a good technique.
That's a good technique. I don't ever look at the picture, but at least I know it's there.
That's kind of the thing. When my parents moved out of their house, my mom was so attached to the furniture.
So I went around and took pictures of all the... Because it was like old furniture from the 40s and all this stuff.
But then now we see the photos and they come up, we're like, meh, okay, that's a picture of a table.
Right. We don't really care. Anyways, Michelle, what's another episode our listeners could go to if they're having fun with All Ears English, they're learning how to connect, they want to keep connecting?
Yeah. Another Saturday episode was, you will be connecting with these phrases before you know it.
I love it. And what is our final thought for our listeners today?
Take away. Oh, man. This is a very universal topic.
Yes. Talking about what is... needs to be purchased maybe, right?
I mean, there's so much that you could do with this.
Something is breaking down, something I need to buy something, but it could also be more about organizing and sentimentality.
So there's just so much that you can do with this because I really think this is something that everyone can relate to.
What do you think, Lindsay? Oh, 100%. That's what we love to do on this show.
We find these global universal human topics and And then we figure out how to articulate this in English and build a stronger connection with people through these topics.
So go for it, guys. Don't be afraid. Open up a little bit.
This does this topic records a little. I opened up a little a few things right now about, you know, my laptop.
That's a little embarrassing, but it's fun, too.
Right. It's fun to open up around this topic.
It's OK to share a little more than maybe you would depending on who you're around.
All right. Yes. Good. Exactly. Oh, my gosh.
All right. We'll talk to you soon. Have a good day.
All right. You too. Bye, guys. Bye. Thanks for listening to All Ears English.
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