Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 658, Judging a Contest.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 658.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in.
Go there to download a learning guide for this episode that will help you improve your English and make your teeth just a little bit whiter.
This episode is a dialogue between Omar and Adelia about judging a contest or a competition.
Let's get started.
When I created this writing contest, I had no idea that we would get so many entries.
Good thing you have an impartial panel of judges to help you select the winner.
What criteria are we using to score each of the entries?
We're using a ten-point scale.
Each of us will read an entry and give it a score.
When we're all done, we'll average out those scores.
Hopefully, there'll be a clear winner.
And if not?
If there isn't, then we'll take the top scores and vote on which is best.
Majority rules.
Okay, but are there reasons for disqualifying an entry?
For instance, what if somebody didn't follow the entry guidelines?
I've already called the entries for the ones that don't meet the requirements.
These are all eligible.
Okay, let's get started.
We've got our work cut out for us.
You've got that right.
Adelia begins by saying to Omar When I created this writing contest, I had no idea that we would get so many entries.
A contest, as you probably know, is a competition, where you have different people trying to become the winner, to get the top place.
This word can be used in a number of different ways, some of which are found in your learning guide for this episode.
An entry, E-N-T-R-Y, is something that you prepare and then give to someone to be part of a contest.
It's part of the competition.
It can also be called a submission.
When you give something, submit something to someone.
Adelia says that she had no idea, meaning she didn't know.
She was surprised that they got so many entries.
This is, of course, people writing something for this writing contest.
Omar said, good thing you have an impartial panel of judges to help you select the winner.
Good thing is short, for it is a good thing that you have an impartial panel of judges to be impartial.
I-M-P-A-R-T-I-A-L means to be fair, to be objective, not to favor this person over that person.
The opposite of impartial is partial.
I am partial to her and not to him.
You want a judge, someone making the decision about who is best, to be impartial, to be fair.
A panel of judges is a group of people who decide how good something is and then decide who is the best person.
Adelia says, yes, good thing. meaning, yes, it is a good thing.
I'm really grateful to all of you for giving up your time to help.
She's thanking the panel of judges.
Omar says, criteria is the plural of criterion.
Criterion is a factor.
It is one quality or characteristic that you use to judge the quality of something.
Criteria ending in -ia is the plural and it refers to the qualities or characteristics that you use to judge something.
So, for example, your professor at the university might have different criteria for getting an A, a high score, in his or her class.
It might include coming to class every week, writing a paper, doing well on the exam, and so forth.
Score here is used as a verb to score, which in this context means to assign a number or letter to something to evaluate the quality of it.
If you watch the Olympics, you know that they give scores for the performances.
In gymnastics, for example, you could get an 8.5 or a 9.6.
These are scores.
The judges are scoring each of the contestants, each of the athletes.
Adelia says we're using a 10-point scale.
A scale is a range of numbers of values that can be assigned to evaluate the quality of something.
So, for example...
Your teacher might judge you on a five-point scale.
Five is excellent.
Four is very good.
Three is not great.
Two is poor.
And one is very poor.
That would be a scale.
This is a ten-point scale.
Ten being the highest and one being the lowest or zero.
Adelia says each of us will read an entry.
Read one of the essays, whatever was written, and give it a score.
When we're all done, we'll average out each of these scores.
To average out means to add a group of numbers and then divide by the number of items in the group.
So if I give someone an 8 and you give them a 9 and the third judge gives them a 10, you can add those up and get 27.
You divide that by 3 because there are three judges and that gives you the average score of 9.
That's how you average out the scores.
You could here just say to average the scores, but we tend to add prepositions and other words to verbs in order to make it more difficult for other people to learn English.
Hopefully, Adelia says, they'll be a clear winner.
A clear winner is someone who obviously won.
It wasn't even close.
This person got the highest score, and it was much higher than anyone else.
That would be a clear winner.
Adelia hopes they'll have a clear winner.
But Omar says, and if not, meaning if there isn't a clear winner...
Adelia says if there isn't, then we'll take the top scorers, the people who got the highest scores, and vote on which is best.
To vote on means everyone says who they think should be the winner, and the person with the most votes wins.
Adelia says majority rules.
Majority rules means that anyone who gets 50% plus one wins the contest.
Omar says, okay, but are there reasons for disqualifying an entry?
To disqualify is to determine that this person cannot participate in the contest because they perhaps did something wrong.
They didn't follow the rules.
There's some reason why they didn't meet the requirements.
We might say.
They would be disqualified.
If you use certain drugs in I don't know bowling, because you know those bowlers are all taking drugs right.
Then you may be disqualified if you're taking like steroids or something.
That's to disqualify.
Omar says, for instance, what if somebody didn't follow the entry guidelines?
The guidelines are the rules, the instructions.
Adelia says I've already culled the entries, meaning I've already looked through them and got rid of the weak ones or the ones that don't qualify.
I've already called C-U-L-L-E-D the entries for the ones that don't meet the requirements, that are disqualified.
These, the ones that she has, are all eligible.
To be eligible means that you... have met the minimum requirements.
You followed the rules.
You are able to participate in something.
There's an old expression, an eligible bachelor.
A bachelor is an unmarried man.
To be eligible means that he is available to be someone you could marry someone who doesn't have any other romantic relationships, for example.
Omar says, okay, let's get started.
We've got our work cut out for us.
This expression, to have your work cut out for you, means that you have a lot of work.
You have many things you have to do.
It's a big project.
Some girlfriends try to change their boyfriends into, try to change the way they look, dress act and so forth.
We could say they have their work cut out for them.
That's a very long job.
Adelia says, you've got that right.
The expression here said with that particular pronunciation, that intonation, you got that right, is used to show that you agree with someone completely.
You fully agree with that person.
And that's what Adelia is saying to Omar.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
When I created this writing contest, I had no idea that we would get so many entries.
Good thing you have an impartial panel of judges to help you select the winner.
Yes, good thing.
I'm really grateful to all of you for giving up your time to help.
What criteria are we using to score each of the entries?
We're using a 10-point scale.
Each of us will read an entry and give it a score.
When we're all done, we'll average out those scores.
Hopefully, there'll be a clear winner.
And if not?
If there isn't, then we'll take the top scores and vote on which is best.
Majority rules.
Okay, but are there reasons for disqualifying an entry?
For instance, what if somebody didn't follow the entry guidelines?
I've already called the entries for the ones that don't meet the requirements.
These are all eligible.
Okay, let's get started.
We've got our work cut out for us.
You've got that right.
I'm not impartial, but if you asked me who would be the clear winner in a podcast scriptwriting contest, I would say, without a doubt, Dr Lucy Say.
Thank you, Lucy.
I'm Jeff McQuillan from Los Angeles, California.
I thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us again here on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
Copyright 2011 by the Center for Educational Development.
