Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast, number 553, A Homeowner's Association.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast, episode 553.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Go to our website at eslpodcom and consider supporting this podcast by becoming a member of ESL Podcast and getting our learning guides for these episodes, or by making a small donation.
This episode is called A Homeowner's Association.
It's a dialogue between Kuka and Emiliano, using some information about being in a situation perhaps a difficult situation when you are in an organization of homeowners.
Let's get started.
What possessed you to agree to become the head of the homeowners association?
I'm just tired of all of the waste and not having a say.
Our dues keep going up and there seems to be special assessments every year.
I'm not even sure the association is following the bylaws anymore.
I just felt I had to step up.
Believe me, I'm not looking forward to it, but it's got to be done.
Talk about a thankless job.
Don't I know it.
I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment.
Our dialogue begins with Kuka asking Emiliano, What possessed you to agree to become the head of the homeowners association.
The expression what possessed you to do something is an informal phrase we use to ask why someone did something that seems strange unexpected, even irrational or illogical.
We might also say, why on earth did you do something?
Kuka says, what possessed you to agree to become the head, the leader of the homeowners association?
A homeowners association is an organization of people who all own houses or condominiums in a particular area, and this association enforces some certain rules that everyone has to follow on this property.
Homeowners associations also take care of what are called common areas, places where everyone can use, such as a pool, for example.
Cuca doesn't seem to understand why Emiliano wanted to be head of the homeowners association.
Emiliano said, I'm just tired of all the waste and not having a say.
Waste is using too much of something, using more of something than is necessary, especially when we're talking about money or time or other resources.
Emiliano is tired of all the waste, and not having a say meaning not being able to give your opinion or your ideas.
This is especially true when we're talking about a group or an organization.
You want everyone to have a say, meaning be able to participate, give their opinion.
Emiliano says, our dues keep going up.
Dues, D-U-E-S, as a noun is money that you have to pay to an organization to belong to it.
Due, D-U-E, has several different meanings in English.
However, take a look at the learning guide for those.
Emiliano says there seems to be special assessments every year.
An assessment is money that people in the organization, in the homeowners association, have to pay, usually in what we call a one-time fee, meaning you pay it once.
But it's not something you normally have to pay.
So if the homeowners association was going to put in a brand new pool, it might have a special assessment to pay for the pool.
You would only pay it once.
It wouldn't be part of your regular yearly dues.
That's why we say it's a special assessment.
Sometimes cities will make their homeowners people who own homes in the city pay a special assessment if they are, for example, putting in new light poles or improving the roads.
There are special assessments that property owners, people who own a home, have to pay.
Emiliano says, The bylaws, B-Y-L-A-W-S. are the official rules for an organization usually when you create an organization or a new business organization you create bylaws that tell you what you're going to do how your company is organized and so forth sometimes the state will require you to have bylaws for your organization Emiliano says, I just felt, I just thought or believed I had to step up.
The phrasal verb to step up means to volunteer or agree to do something, especially when nobody else wants to do it because it's unpleasant or it's a difficult job.
So Emiliano wanted to step up.
He wanted to volunteer and do the difficult work.
Kuka says, that's really admirable.
Something that is admirable is something that you can admire.
That is, that you have a good impression of, that you think is very good.
It's admirable, Kuka says, that you are stepping up to be the head of the homeowners association.
But, she says, I hope you know what you're getting into.
Meaning, I hope you understand what this involves, what this requires you to do.
There's been a lot of mismanagement here.
And you'll have to do battle with some entrenched members.
A couple of things there.
There's been a lot of mismanagement.
Management is running an organization.
Mismanagement is doing a very bad job at running an organization or a business or a company.
Mismanagement. not doing it very well, not managing very well.
To do battle means to fight, to argue with, to be in opposition to something or someone usually someone.
I'm going to do battle with my boss. means I'm going to have an argument with my boss.
We're going to disagree with each other about something.
Cuca says Emiliano will have to do battle with some entrenched members.
Entrenched means having a very strong opinion or position about something, especially if you've had that position or opinion for a long time and you don't want to change it.
That would be an entrenched position.
So an entrenched member would be other people in the organization who will not want to change their mind.
Kuka says they're not going to look kindly on the tough questions you'll be asking.
To look kindly on means to understand, appreciate, to think that it is good to like something.
The girl looked kindly on the boys who opened the door for her so she could walk in.
People don't look kindly on a government that is full of waste and mismanagement.
In this case Cuca is saying that these other members are not going to like the tough questions Emiliano will be asking.
Tough means difficult or challenging questions.
So tough questions would be things that may be difficult for the other person to answer, or perhaps embarrassing.
Emiliano says, believe me, meaning trust me.
I'm not looking forward to it, but it's got to be done.
It has to be done.
Kuka says, talk about a thankless job.
The phrase talk about is used to give emphasis on whatever comes next.
It's used to show that this is a particularly good example of something else.
For example, I went to see the new Star Trek movie.
Talk about great science fiction.
I'm saying that this movie is an example of great science fiction.
In the dialogue, Kuka says, talk about a thankless job.
Thankless is when nobody thanks you.
So a thankless job is a job that is difficult, but nobody appreciates it.
Nobody says thank you.
In this case, the thankless job is being head of the homeowners association, what Emiliano is doing.
Emiliano says, don't I know it.
The phrase don't.
I know it is an informal way of saying that you agree with someone, with what someone else has said, because you also have personal experience with it.
Emiliano is saying that he knows it's a thankless job.
He says The expression to be a glutton G-L-U-T-T-O-N for punishment means that you are someone who likes to do things that have a negative consequence, something that you do even though you know it's very difficult or very unpleasant.
The word glutton actually comes from gluttony, which is when you eat too much or drink too much.
Usually, that's what gluttony is.
So a glutton is somebody who normally eats too much or drinks too much.
But here, they're a glutton for punishment, meaning they get too much punishment.
They somehow want to have this extra punishment.
It's meant to be a joke, of course.
Although, I'm sure for Emiliano, it was no joke.
Emiliano should have listened to Cuca, just as all husbands should listen to their wives, like I do.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
What possessed you to agree to become the head of the homeowners association?
I'm just tired of all of the waste and not having a say.
Our dues keep going up and there seems to be special assessments every year.
I'm not even sure the association is following the bylaws anymore.
I just felt I had to step up.
That's really admirable, but I hope you know what you're getting into.
There's been a lot of mismanagement and you'll have to do battle with some entrenched members.
They're not going to look kindly on the tough questions you'll be asking.
Believe me, I'm not looking forward to it, but it's got to be done.
Talk about a thankless job.
Don't I know it.
I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment.
Today's admirable script was written by Dr. Lucy Say.
Talk about a great script writer.
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.
