Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 960, Giving Someone Your Recommendation.
This is English as a Second Language podcast number 960.
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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This episode is called Giving Someone Your Recommendation.
Let's get started.
My cousin Sal said that he put in an application for a job here.
Yeah, that's right.
Well?
Well, what?
Are you going to hire him?
I'm not sure.
He doesn't have any experience and he didn't provide any references.
I can vouch for him.
Sal is solid.
He's a really nice guy.
I appreciate you putting in a good word for him, but I need more assurance than that he's a nice guy.
He needs to have the temperament, work ethic, and skills for this job.
What he doesn't know he'll learn on the job.
He's a quick study.
How can I justify hiring someone with no experience while passing up applicants who are better qualified?
That's exactly what I'm afraid of.
Our dialogue between Jimmy and Suzanne begins by Jimmy saying My cousin Sal said that he put in an application for a job here.
To put in an application means to apply for jobs.
A job or something that you are hoping to get from a company or an organization.
Normally, we use this expression when we're talking about applying for a job.
You want to get a job at a certain company, so you go and you put in an application.
You fill out a form, you give them your name, your address, who you work for now, and so forth.
Suzanne said, yeah, that's right, meaning that is correct.
She knows that Jimmy's cousin, Sal, put in an application.
Jimmy says, well, he's expecting Suzanne to give him some news about this application.
Suzanne however, doesn't want to give him the information, or perhaps doesn't think Jimmy should be asking about it.
She says, well, what?
We use that expression, well, what, when confused about what the other person wants.
Suzanne isn't sure what Jimmy is asking her.
Jimmy says, are you going to hire him?
To hire, H-I-R-E, means to give someone a job.
Suzanne says, I'm not sure.
He doesn't have any experience, and he didn't provide any references.
Suzanne says that Saul doesn't have any experience.
He hasn't worked in this kind of job before, the kind of job he's applying for.
He also didn't provide any references.
R-E-F-E-R-E-N-C-E-S.
A reference is the name, and usually telephone number or email, of someone who can give the company information about you and how good of a worker you are.
Those are what we would call professional references people who can give information about your qualifications.
Sometimes, for example, if you are trying to rent an apartment, you may have to provide what we call personal references.
A personal reference would be a friend or a family member who can tell you the person renting the apartment, whether you are a good person or not, whether you cause problems.
However, in this case, we're talking about professional references.
Suzanne says Sal didn't provide any.
He didn't give any names and telephone numbers.
Jimmy says, I can vouch for him.
Sal is solid.
He's a really nice guy.
To vouch V-O-U-C-H for someone is to indicate that you know this person is a good person and that the person you are talking to can believe you.
It's a way of Indicating to someone that this person is a good person and that you can trust me.
I know.
I know this person.
I will vouch for him or vouch for her.
Jimmy says that Sal is solid.
S-O-L-I-D.
When we say a person is solid...
We mean he is a good person.
He is a reliable person.
He is a trustworthy person.
The word solid is used in this way when we're talking about a person.
It's different when we're talking about a physical object like the table.
That's a different kind of solid.
When you talk about a person being solid, you mean they're a good person.
They're a trustworthy person.
Suzanne says I appreciate you putting in a good word for him, but I need more assurance than that he's a nice guy.
To put in a good word for someone means to say something good about a person or to recommend something person, often in an informal way.
You know someone, for example, who is looking for a job and you know that there's a job at the company where you work.
You might say to this person a friend, perhaps I'll put in a good word for you.
That means I will say nice things about you to the boss, the person responsible for hiring for this particular position.
Notice.
To put in an application and to put in a good word are both uses of the phrasal verb to put in, but in different circumstances and with different meanings.
Suzanne says she needs more assurance.
Assurance.
A S S U R A N C?
E means words or actions that make you feel certain about something, that make you feel that something will happen in a certain way.
I want assurance that you are going to pay me every month.
You need to give me evidence.
You need to give me proof.
You need to do something or say something that shows me that you will pay your bill every month.
That's an example of assurance.
Don't confuse this with insurance.
I N S U R A N C E.
Insurance is something you buy from a company in case you have an accident or a problem.
The company will then pay for your expenses.
We have health insurance and car insurance and home insurance.
All of those are very different than the word we're talking about here, which is assurance.
Suzanne continues, he needs to have the temperament, work ethic, and skills for this job.
Temperament T-E-M-P-E-R-A-M-E-N-T refers to your personality or your personal characteristics that seem to be permanent, that you always have.
Some people have a very happy temperament.
They're always happy.
It doesn't matter what's happening.
They're always smiling and joking and having a good time.
That would be their temperament.
Suzanne says this person has to have the temperament for this job.
Whatever this job is, we don't know.
Work ethic, E-T-H-I-C, is your commitment to work hard.
Someone who has a good work ethic comes to work on time, works hard, never goofs off, doesn't listen to podcasts at work.
That would be someone with a good work ethic, like you.
Skills would be abilities or things that you are able to do for the job.
Jimmy says what he doesn't know, he'll learn on the job.
He's a quick study.
To learn something or do something on the job means after you are hired, after you start working at that position.
Jimmy says, don't worry.
His cousin is a quick study.
The expression quick study means is used to describe a person who can learn things very quickly, who doesn't need a lot of instruction or help.
Suzanne says, To justify J-U-S-T-I-F-Y means to provide a logical reason for something to be able to explain usually to someone higher up in the company why you did what you did.
Suzanne says she cannot justify hiring someone with no experience because, While passing up applicants who are better qualified,
To pass up is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to choose not to do something or, in this case, to choose not to select someone.
To be qualified means to have the skills to do something, to have the experience and ability to accomplish a certain task or do a certain job.
Jimmy says that his cousin has his ringing endorsement.
A ringing R-I-N-G-I-N-G endorsement is very strong praise for someone.
When you say something about a person that suggests that they are wonderful, that they can do whatever you want them to do.
It's often used when we are recommending someone or something to another person.
It's often used when we are talking about recommending someone for a job, as is the case in our dialogue.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
Yeah, that's right.
Well?
Well, what?
Are you going to hire him?
I'm not sure.
He doesn't have any experience and he didn't provide any references.
I can vouch for him.
Sal is solid.
He's a really nice guy.
I appreciate you putting in a good word for him, but I need more assurance in that he's a nice guy.
He needs to have the temperament, work ethic, and skills for this job.
What he doesn't know he'll learn on the job.
He's a quick study.
He has my ringing endorsement.
What else do you need?
He'll work as hard as I do.
That's exactly what I'm afraid of.
There's no one better qualified than our scriptwriter, Dr Lucy Say, for the job she does here at ESL Podcast.
Thank you, Lucy.
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 2013 by the Center for Educational Development.
