Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 1061.
Shopping for men's shoes.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 1061.
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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On this episode we're going to listen to a dialogue between Curran and Beth Smith about buying shoes for a man.
Let's get started.
I like these tennis shoes.
I need a new pair.
We're here to buy you some dress shoes for attending Chelsea's wedding.
You can't go wearing those worn-out loafers, and you need time to break them in.
Alright, just pick whatever you think is suitable and let's go.
Don't you want to have a say in what you wear?
I think these Oxfords are nice.
What do you think?
Great.
I'm a size ten and a half.
I'll try them on and we'll go.
You can't just buy the first pair of shoes you see.
How about these?
Those patent leather shoes?
They have purple laces.
Well, if you think they're okay...
No, they're not.
These shoes are totally wrong for the occasion.
Not to mention hideous.
I was just trying to get a rise out of you, so you'll pick the shoes you like.
But I don't care what I wear.
Just pick a pair.
No, you pick.
Fine.
How about these?
Then how about these?
Those boots?
Definitely not.
Okay.
These then.
Those shoes fasten with Velcro.
Are you kidding me?
Okay, why don't you just tell me what my taste should be, and I'll buy what you want me to buy and leave you with no say in your own purchase?
What kind of cousin would I be if I did that?
Curran begins our dialogue by saying to Beth, I like these tennis shoes.
I need a new pair.
Beth and Curran are out shopping for or looking to buy some shoes for Curran.
Curran says he likes these tennis shoes.
Tennis shoes are sometimes called athletic shoes or in some parts of the U.S. gym shoes.
Basically, they are comfortable shoes that are worn for playing many different kinds of sports, as well as for running.
Beth, however, says we're here to buy you some dress shoes for attending Chelsea's wedding.
You can't go wearing those worn out loafers.
And you need time to break them in.
Dress, D-R-E-S-S, shoes are nice-looking shoes.
Shoes that, I guess you could say, a woman would wear with a dress.
However, we use the term dress shoes for both men and women to describe a very nice pair of shoes.
Shoes you could wear to a formal event.
Beth and Curran are there at the shoe store to buy Curran some dress shoes for attending or going to a wedding.
Chelsea's wedding.
Beth says you can't go wearing those worn-out loafers.
When we say something is worn, W-O-R-N, out...
We mean it's old and it looks old.
Often we use this expression for things that you can no longer use or no longer work properly or are no longer appropriate for certain things.
Beth is saying that Curran's loafers are worn out.
Loafers L-O-A-F-E-R-S are leather shoes that have a flat bottom to them, what we would call a flat heel, which is the back bottom of a shoe that are considered somewhat informal.
Usually loafers don't have little strings that you use to tighten the shoe in front.
We call those little strings shoelaces.
Loafers don't have shoelaces, so they're very easy to put on and take off.
Beth says that Curran is going to need time to break them in.
Them here refers to the new shoes.
But what does it mean to break in new shoes?
To break in here means to wear something, especially shoes, for a while so that they're comfortable.
As you probably know, when you buy a new pair of shoes, sometimes it takes a while for your feet to get comfortable in the shoe itself, so that the shoe feels good and is easy to wear.
To break in shoes then, is to wear these shoes usually for a little bit of time every day until you can wear the shoes without any discomfort.
To break in as a phrasal verb has a very different meaning in English as well, which is to steal, to go in, usually to a house or to a building, and to steal things, to rob things from that place.
But here it's not used to refer to anyone stealing anything, but rather to wear shoes until they are comfortable.
Curran says, all right, just pick whatever you think is suitable and let's go.
Curran is telling Beth that she should pick something that she likes, and that's what Curran will buy.
Beth says, don't you want to have a say in what you wear?
To have a say in something is to have an opinion.
To express, more importantly, your opinion and be part of the decision.
Beth is surprised that Curran wants her to pick his shoes.
She then says, I think these Oxfords are nice.
Oxford's OXFORDS are leather shoes with a very simple shape that have shoelaces on top of them but not all the way down to the toes.
You may be confused, because the word Oxford is usually used to describe a famous university in England.
But here, it's used to describe a kind of shoe.
If you look up Oxford's with an S at the end in a dictionary, you'll see the definition of this kind of shoe.
Beth says, what do you think?
Do you like these shoes?
She's asking Curran.
Curran says, great.
I'm a size ten and a half.
I'll try them on and we'll go.
Curran just wants to try on the shoes and leave.
Beth says, you can't just buy the first pair of shoes you see.
How about these?
Beth wants Curran to look at more shoes, different kinds of shoes, before he makes a decision.
She then shows him another pair of shoes.
Curran says those patent leather shoes patent P-A-T-E-N-T leather is a very shiny leather that's often used for shoes and for purses that women, for example, would typically wear small bags that a woman would have to put all of the things that women have that they want to take with them.
Patent leather is a popular material for shoes.
Curran, however, is not quite sure about this pair of shoes that Beth is suggesting.
He says they have purple laces.
Laces.
L-A-C-E-S refers to shoelaces, the string or cord that we use to on the top front part of the shoe to tighten it, to make sure that your foot stays in the shoe.
Curran says, well, if you think they're okay.
Beth then replies, no, they're not.
She's testing Curran, I guess, trying to get Curran to see that he has to take this decision seriously.
Seriously, so she suggests a pair of shoes that are clearly not appropriate for a wedding.
She says these shoes are totally wrong, meaning completely wrong, for the occasion, for the event.
Not to mention hideous.
Hideous, H-I-D-E-O-U-S, means horrible.
In this case, horrible looking, terrible looking.
Something that's really ugly would be hideous.
Beth says these shoes are hideous.
She uses the expression not to mention, M-E-N-T-I-O-N.
Not to mention is a common phrase in conversational English that is used to place emphasis on something, especially when we are listing reasons for something.
For example, someone may ask you to go out to dinner at a restaurant, but you can't go, and so you start telling the person why you can't go.
Well, you say to the person I need to do my homework and my brother is coming to visit.
Not to mention, I also have to wash my clothes tonight.
You're giving the person different reasons, and then you're emphasizing one of those reasons.
That's how we would use not to mention.
Beth says, I was just trying to get a rise out of you, so you'll pick the shoes you like.
To get a rise R-I-S-E out of someone is to make someone react, especially in anger or perhaps in annoyance.
Usually because you think that reaction is going to be funny or entertaining.
When you try to get a rise out of someone, you're trying to get the person angry, but for a funny reason or a funny purpose.
At least you think it's funny.
Curran says, but I don't care what I wear.
Just pick a pair.
Curran is telling Beth to pick a pair of shoes for him.
Beth says, no, you pick.
Curran says, fine, how about these?
Beth says, no, they're not dressy enough.
Dressy here means formal.
They look more like sandals than dress shoes.
Sandals, S-A-N-D-A-L-S, are shoes typically worn in warm weather. that are not a complete shoe.
Sandals are usually open in the back, or at least part of the foot is exposed, so you can see a lot of the skin on your feet.
You can wear socks over your feet with sandals, but they're most commonly worn without socks.
They're usually found...
At the beach, for example.
They're not appropriate for a formal event like a wedding.
Curran says, then how about these?
Beth says, those boots?
Definitely not.
Boots, B-O-O-T-S, are very tall or high shoes that come up high on your leg.
Boots, once again, are not considered formal shoes and therefore not appropriate for a wedding.
Curran says, okay, these then.
Beth says, those shoes fasten with Velcro.
Are you kidding me?
To fasten F-A-S-T-E-N means to connect something together, usually with a button or some other small device on the cloth itself, like a snap S-N-A-P.
Velcro, V-E-L-C-R-O, is a plastic material that you are able to put together so that it stays.
You don't have to tie it.
The two parts of the Velcro hook together and are able to keep something together, to hold something together or to connect something together.
There are some shoes that instead of shoelaces have Velcro on them.
But once again, Those shoes are not appropriate for a wedding.
Curran says okay, why don't you just tell me what my taste should be, and I'll buy what you want me to buy?
Curran is telling Beth that she needs to tell him what his taste should be.
Taste, T-A-S-T-E, here refers to the kinds of things that you like.
You can talk about your taste in food or your taste in clothing.
It doesn't refer necessarily to something you eat.
That's also a use of the verb to taste, to put something in your mouth and to get a sense of the flavor of the food.
But it means much more generally the kinds of things that you like and could refer to any kind of object or activity that you like.
Curran is telling Beth, just tell me what you like, what you think I should buy and I'll buy it.
Beth, however, says... and leave you with no say in your own purchase?
What kind of cousin would I be if I did that?
Beth, even though she doesn't like anything that Curran has selected, does not want to tell Curran what to buy.
That's why she says and leave you with no say in your own purchase and the thing that you are about to buy.
What kind of cousin, she asks, would I be if I did that?
Your cousin, C-O-U-S-I-N, refers to the son or daughter of either your aunt or your uncle.
Your aunt is your mother or father's sister.
Your uncle is your mother or father's brother.
So it's the child of one of your aunts or uncles.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
I like these tennis shoes.
I need a new pair.
We're here to buy you some dress shoes for attending Chelsea's wedding.
You can't go wearing those worn-out loafers, and you need time to break them in.
Alright, just pick whatever you think is suitable and let's go.
Don't you want to have a say in what you wear?
I think these Oxfords are nice.
What do you think?
Great.
I'm a size ten and a half.
I'll try them on and we'll go.
You can't just buy the first pair of shoes you see.
How about these?
Those patent leather shoes?
They have purple laces.
Well, if you think they're okay...
No, they're not.
These shoes are totally wrong for the occasion, not to mention hideous.
I was just trying to get a rise out of you, so you'll pick the shoes you like.
But I don't care what I wear.
Just pick a pair.
No, you pick.
Fine.
How about these?
No, they're not dressy enough.
They look more like sandals than dress shoes.
Then how about these?
Those boots?
Definitely not.
Okay, these then.
Those shoes fasten with Velcro.
Are you kidding me?
Okay, why don't you just tell me what my taste should be and I'll buy what you want me to buy.
And leave you with no say in your own purchase?
What kind of cousin would I be if I did that?
Our scriptwriter, Dr. Lucy Say, is a wonderful writer, not to mention a wonderful person.
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 Podcasts.
English as a Second Language podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
Copyright 2014 by the Center for Educational Development.
