Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 1,285, Types of Commendations.
This is English as a Second Language podcast, episode 1,285.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
This episode is a dialogue between Marissa and Santiago about types of commendations that Rewards you give someone for doing a good job.
Let's get started.
Can you believe it?
We've received over 100 entries for the science fair.
That's great.
Everybody likes money.
How about a cash prize?
We're working with a very small budget here.
We can't afford a cash prize.
And I'm not sure that it would send the right message anyway.
The next best thing is a trophy.
We don't have the budget for trophies if we plan to give out more than one commendation.
Then how about medals?
We can't afford good ones, and nobody wants a cheap plastic medal.
So, I guess plaques are out too.
I'm afraid so.
I was thinking of ribbons, different color ribbons for different prizes.
What do you think?
I guess ribbons would be okay.
After all, it's the praise and recognition that matters.
Exactly.
And for those getting honorable mentions, a certificate will do.
We'll also need certificates of participation for the rest.
So everybody gets something?
That's right.
We don't want anyone to leave empty handed.
Even if their entry isn't worthy of recognition?
All entries are worthy of recognition, just some more than others.
Marissa begins by saying, We've received over 100 entries for the science fair.
Marissa starts by saying We usually use that expression when something surprising happens, something that is unusual.
What is unusual apparently, is that Marissa and her school have received 100 entries for a science fair.
An entry.
E-N-T-R-Y is something usually that is given to someone in a competition and so that other people can look at it or evaluate it.
Another word for entry would be a submission, S-U-B-M-I-S-S-I-O-N.
If you are having an art contest, for example, and you want to find the best painter, you might ask each painter to submit or to send in a painting.
That painting would be an entry to the competition.
This is a science fair competition.
A science fair.
F-A-I-R is a competition that some schools or organizations have for students, usually young students, students that are in grade school or high school.
A science fair involves experiments and other things that students put together to show they understand scientific concepts.
Marissa is happy that they have more than 100 of these student entries.
Santiago agrees.
He says that's great.
We now need to decide what type of awards to hand out.
An award, A-W-A-R-D, is something you give the winner of a competition or a game.
The phrasal verb to hand, H-A-N-D, out, means to give something.
So if you are handing out awards, you are giving people awards.
If you're handing out money, you are giving people money.
And you could give me some money if you're handing out money.
Marissa says everybody likes money, meaning she thinks perhaps they should give the winners of this science fair cash.
She even says, how about a cash prize?
That is, a prize that is basically money.
Santiago says we're working with a very small budget here, which is another way of saying they don't have a lot of money.
We can't afford a cash prize here.
And I'm not sure that would send the right message anyway.
The expression to send the right message.
M-E-S-S-A-G-E means to communicate to other people what you think is important, or perhaps what you believe in.
Giving kids money for doing well in a science fair might not send the right message.
We don't want them to think they should do well in school just because they'll get money.
But, of course, they want to give the students something.
Marissa suggests that the next best thing meaning the next best thing after money that would be good is a trophy t-r-o-p-h-y.
A trophy is an object that you give someone who wins an award.
Usually it is either a bowl or a cup, But it might also be a figure of a man or a woman that represents victory.
Here in Hollywood, the best movies and directors and actors will get an Oscar.
It's a little trophy that represents their victory in a certain category for the Academy Awards, the awards given to the best movies, and such every year.
Santiago says we don't have the budget for trophies.
Once again, to say you don't have the budget B-U-D-G-E-T for something means you don't have enough money for something.
Santiago says they don't have the budget for trophies.
If we plan to give out or hand out more than one commendation.
A commendation C-O-M-M-E-N-D-A-T-I-O-N is any kind of award or praise that you give to someone who has won a, a contest or a competition.
Marissa says, then how about metals?
A metal.
M-E-D-A-L is a flat, often circular or round piece of metal.
M-E-T-A-L that has words or images on it.
It often looks like a little coin.
And this round metal is typically worn on your shirt or jacket.
Sometimes the metal is worn over your neck.
If you win a, A gold medal at the Olympics, you get a large round medal.
Once again, you've probably seen these.
They look like big coins that you wear around your neck with a ribbon, a piece of fabric that is connected to the medal.
Santiago says we can't afford good ones, meaning good quality metals, and nobody wants a cheap inexpensive, that is plastic metal.
Marissa says, so I guess plaques are out too.
A plaque P-L-A-Q-U-E is usually a square or, in any case, rectangular piece of wood or metal that has the name of the contest and often the name of the winner on it.
When Marissa says plaques are out, she means that plaques are not possible either.
Santiago says, I'm afraid so, meaning yes, plaques are out too.
He then continues, I was thinking of ribbons, R-I-B-B-O-N-S.
A ribbon is a small rectangular piece of cloth, often with words on it.
Again, similar to a plaque except it's made out of cloth and is much less expensive, much cheaper.
Marissa says, I guess ribbons would be okay.
After all, it's the praise and recognition that matters.
Marissa is saying the actual prize is not so important.
It's the praise, the saying of good things about you or whoever wins, and recognition that matters.
Recognition is when someone says, yes, you did a good job.
Recognition is any time that someone says publicly you did a good job or, in this case, you won this award.
It's the praise and recognition that is important.
Santiago says, exactly.
Santiago continues and for those, meaning those students getting honorable mentions, a certificate, will do.
If you don't win a prize at a school competition, you will sometimes be given an award that is called an honorable mention.
An honorable mention is given to anyone who does a good job in the contest but doesn't win it.
Not all contests or competitions have honorable mentions, but some do, especially school competitions.
A certificate C-E-R-T-I-F-I-C-A-T-E is a piece of paper that serves as an award or as a document showing that you've completed something or won something.
Santiago also mentions certificates of participation.
Certificates of participation are given to anyone who is part of a competition or a contest.
Again, Not all competitions or contests have certificates of participation given to the people who participate or take part in those contests, but many do, especially school competitions.
Marissa says, Santiago says, We don't want anyone to leave empty-handed.
The phrase empty, E-M-P-T-Y hyphen handed, H-A-N-D-E-D, means without anything.
If you leave empty-handed, you leave with nothing in your hands.
That is, you leave with nothing.
You don't get anything.
I went over to the beautiful woman to get her phone number, but I left empty-handed, meaning I didn't get her phone number.
Santiago doesn't want any of the students to leave empty-handed.
Marissa says, even if their entry isn't worthy of recognition...
To be worthy, W-O-R-T-H-Y, means to be good enough to get something or to be deserving something.
Santiago says all entries are worthy of recognition, just some more than others.
Santiago is saying that anyone who sends in an entry or participates in this science fair deserves something, gets something to recognize or to acknowledge the participation of the student.
Some, however, are more worthy than others, meaning some deserve a prize more than others.
That's why Santiago wants to give all of these different kinds of prizes at different levels.
I guess you could say
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
Can you believe it?
We've received over 100 entries for the science fair.
That's great.
We now need to decide what types of awards to hand out.
Everybody likes money.
How about a cash prize?
We're working with a very small budget here.
We can't afford a cash prize, and I'm not sure that it would send the right message anyway.
The next best thing is a trophy.
We don't have the budget for trophies if we plan to give out more than one commendation.
Then how about medals?
We can't afford good ones, and nobody wants a cheap plastic medal.
So I guess plaques are out too?
I'm afraid so.
I was thinking of ribbons, different color ribbons for different prizes.
What do you think?
I guess ribbons would be okay.
After all, it's the praise and recognition that matters.
Exactly.
And for those getting honorable mentions, a certificate will do.
We'll also need certificates of participation for the rest.
So everybody gets something?
That's right.
We don't want anyone to leave empty-handed.
Even if their entry isn't worthy of recognition.
All entries are worthy of recognition, just some more than others.
I think our scriptwriter deserves an award for her wonderful scripts.
Perhaps a Nobel Prize in Literature.
Thank you, Dr. Lucy Say.
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 2016 by the Center for Educational Development.
