Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 365, Putting the Children to Bed.
This is ESL podcast number 365.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in and use to improve your English even faster.
This episode is called Putting the Children to Bed.
Putting the children to bed means to get the young children ready so that they can go to sleep.
Let's get started.
It's your turn to put the kids to bed.
No, I put them to bed last night, didn't I?
Nope, I did that.
Don't forget their bedtime story.
The kids won't let me forget it.
Okay, time for bed.
Go brush your teeth and put on your pajamas.
It's lights out in 15 minutes.
What are you doing?
I'm finishing my newspaper.
Aren't you going to watch over them to make sure they're getting ready for bed?
Nope.
You have your methods and I have mine.
Okay.
This I've got to see.
I don't hear anyone brushing their teeth.
If everyone isn't in bed in five minutes...
They're going to get a cuddle from Norman.
Who's Norman?
Norman is just a little scary monster I told them about.
Norman eats little children who aren't in bed when they're supposed to be.
It's my way of making sure they stay in bed through the night.
That's terrible.
That'll give them nightmares.
Nonsense.
It won't do them any harm.
As my father told me, Norman only eats bad children.
Our dialogue begins with Andrea saying to Marlon Turn here is the time when someone needs to do something, because usually the other person did it before.
For example, if there are five children and each one has to answer a question...
After the first child answers, it's the second child's turn, and then the third child's turn and the fourth child's turn and the fifth child's turn.
Each one has to do something following the other person.
Turn has several meanings in English.
Take a look at the learning guide for some additional explanations of those.
Andrea says to Marlon it's your turn to put the kids to bed.
To get the children ready to go to sleep,
Marlon says, no, I put them to bed last night, didn't I?
And Andrea says, nope, meaning no, I did that.
Nope is an informal way of saying no.
You don't want to say it to your boss, but it's okay in a family or among friends.
Nope is a little stronger way of emphasizing the no.
Andrea says don't forget their bedtime story.
The bedtime is the time that children go to bed.
The bedtime story is usually a short story, a book perhaps, that is told or read to young children while they are lying in bed to make them tired, to make them relaxed, so they can sleep more easily.
That's the bedtime story.
Marlon says the kids won't let me forget it, meaning they'll tell me about the bedtime story, because children generally like a bedtime story.
At least that's the tradition here in the United States.
Marlon then shouts at the children, okay, time for bed, meaning it's time for you to go to sleep.
Go brush your teeth, go clean your teeth, and put on your pajamas.
Pajamas, P-A-J-A-M-A-S, are comfortable clothes that you wear while you are sleeping.
Not everyone wears pajamas, but many people do, especially children.
Marlon says to them, it's lights out in 15 minutes.
Lights out is the time when the lights in a room must be turned off or will be turned off so everyone can fall asleep.
Often in the army or in the military services, there are men and women who are sleeping together in a big room and And they turn the lights off at a certain time so everyone can fall asleep.
That's lights out.
There are a couple of other meanings of this expression.
Once again, take a look at the learning guide for some more explanations.
Andrea says, what are you doing?
Marlon, who is still sitting at the table, says, I'm finishing my newspaper.
I'm finishing reading my newspaper.
Andrea says, aren't you going to watch over them to make sure they're getting ready for bed?
To watch over someone or something is a phrasal verb meaning to look and observe something to make sure that it is actually happening or the person is doing what they are supposed to be doing.
It's monitoring or supervising.
Marlon says nope.
You have your methods and I have mine.
You have your way of doing something, your technique, and I have mine.
Andrea says, okay, this I've got to see.
This expression this I've got to see is a phrase we use to show that We don't really think something is possible and need to see it in order to believe it.
If we don't see it, we won't believe it, usually because it's something we don't think is true or don't think is possible.
Andrea doesn't think it's possible for the children to be put to bed unless Marlon goes and watches over them.
Marlon then shouts to the children I don't hear anyone brushing their teeth, meaning the children aren't doing what he told them to do.
Then he says, if everyone isn't in bed in five minutes, they're going to get a cuddle from Norman.
A cuddle C-U-D-D-L-E is like a hug when you touch someone else to show them that you love them or that you like them.
That is to cuddle.
It's something that a married couple, for example, might do in bed.
They may cuddle.
They may hold each other close to show that they love each other.
Marlon says the children will get a cuddle from Norman Andrea asks who Norman is.
Marlon answers, Norman is just a little scary monster I told them about.
Something that is scary is something that makes you afraid, something that frightens you.
A monster is an imaginary, not real monster, creature or animal that is supposed to scare people, especially children.
You'll often read about a monster in a story or see a monster in some sort of cartoon for children.
Monsters are usually bad people, or I should say bad creatures or animals.
Marlon says So he told his children that if they are not in bed when they're supposed to be, Norman will come and eat them.
He says, He doesn't want them getting out of bed.
So he tells them this story about Norman the monster.
The expression through the night means during the entire night or all night long.
Andrea says that's terrible.
That will give them nightmares.
Nightmares are bad dreams.
Marlin says nonsense.
This is a word to show that you don't agree with what someone has just said or done.
You are expressing a very strong feeling that the person is wrong, that they are foolish, they are ridiculous, perhaps.
Someone says nonsense to you.
That means they disagree very strongly with what you just said.
Once again, not something you would say to your boss or colleague at work.
Marlon then, is disagreeing with Andrea saying that this idea of Norman coming to eat them will not give them nightmares.
I kind of like this idea that Marlon has, actually.
Marlon says it won't do them any harm.
Harm is damage, pain, or injury.
Harm is the negative consequence of doing something, something bad that will happen to you if you do something.
Marlon says it won't do them any harm.
It won't cause the children any damage.
As my father told me, Norman only eats bad children.
So obviously, Marlon got this story from his father and is just using it with his own children, just as his father used it with him.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
It's your turn to put the kids to bed.
No, I put them to bed last night, didn't I?
Nope, I did that.
Don't forget their bedtime story.
The kids won't let me forget it.
Okay, time for bed.
Go brush your teeth and put on your pajamas.
It's lights out in 15 minutes.
What are you doing?
I'm finishing my newspaper.
Aren't you going to watch over them to make sure they're getting ready for bed?
Nope.
You have your methods and I have mine.
Okay, this I've got to see.
I don't hear anyone brushing their teeth.
If everyone isn't in bed in five minutes, they're going to get a cuddle from Norman.
Who's Norman?
Norman is just a little scary monster I told them about.
Norman eats little children who aren't in bed when they're supposed to be.
It's my way of making sure they stay in bed through the night.
That's terrible.
That'll give them nightmares.
Nonsense.
It won't do them any harm.
As my father told me, Norman only eats bad children.
The script for this episode was written by the never scary Dr. Lucy Say.
Thank you, Lucy.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thanks for listening.
Come back and listen to us again next time 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.
