English Pod 002

M: Hello English learners! Welcome to EnglishPod! My name is Marco.

E: And I’m Erica.

M: And today we’re gonna be bringing you a very useful lesson about being sick.

E: Yeah, um, we’re going to learn, um, how to tell your boss that you can’t go to work, because you’re sick.

M: Exactly! This is really important, because we all get sick and sometimes you just can’t go to work.

E: Yes! Or maybe sometimes you just don’t want to go to work.

M: You just… exactly, maybe you’re lying.

E: Yeah.

M: But we’re gonna be teaching you how to do it anyway, so, before we start with our dialogue, let’s take a look at “vocabulary preview”.

Voice: Vocabulary preview.

E: In this vocabulary preview we have two words for you. Uh, the first one is quite ill.

M: Quite ill.

E: Quite ill.

M: So, quite ill…

E: Very sick.

M: Very sick.

E: Uhu.

M: Quite is a synonym of very.

E: Exactly!

M: Okay.

E: Yeah.

M: And ill…

E: Sick.

M: Sick.

E: Yeah.

M: So, they both mean the same thing, no difference.

E: No difference at all. I just think, uh, ill is more common in British English.

M: Uh, exactly. Alright, let’s take a look at our second word – flu.

E: The flu.

M: The flu.

E: The flu.

M: So, the flu is a virus.

E: Yeah, it’s a sickness.

M: Okay, and, uh…

E: Uhu.

M: It’s very similar to a cold.

E: Yes, but just a lot worse.

M: A lot worse, so, it’s stronger.

E: Yeah, yeah. Um, it’s also called influenza.

M: Influenza.

E: Aha.

M: Exactly. So, the flu.

E: Uhu.

M: Okay, so, let’s listen to our dialogue. What’s gonna happen here today?

E: Well, we’re going to listen as Julie calls her boss to tell him she’s sick.

M: Alright, but is she really sick?

E: I don’t know. Let’s find out.

DIALOGUE, FIRST TIME

M: Alright, so, Julie didn’t really seem to be sick, ha?

E: Yeah, I… I don’t know th… that cough was just a little too much.

M: It seemed like she was acting.

E: Yeah.

M: Alright, so, let’s take a look at some of this vocabulary in “language takeaway”.

Voice: Language takeaway.

E: We have five words for you here and these are all great words to describe a sickness, right?

M: Uhu.

E: Alright, the first one – headache.

M: Headache.

E: Headache.

M: Headache.

E: So, when you have a headache, you have a sore head, right?

M: Right, your head hurts.

E: Uhu.

M: So, it’s pretty simple.

E: Yep.

M: You have a headache.

E: It’s the way you feel after, um, being at a bar too late.

M: Yeah…

E: Yeah.

M: When you drink too much…

E: Yeah.

M: You get a headache.

E: Yeah.

M: Alright, let’s take a look at our next word – sore throat.

E: Sore throat.

M: Sore throat.

E: Sore throat.

M: So, basically, we have two words here, let’s look at the first one – sore.

E: Hurting.

M: It hurts, right?

E: Yeah.

M: And your throat is…

E: Well, it… you know it’s the part right here, at the back… oh, you can’t see me. [Comment: Erica points at her throat, but realizes right away that we can’t see her, because it’s a podcast, not a videocast]

M: Hehe.

E: Well, it’s the part, um, at the back of your mouth that goes down to your stomach.

M: Alright, that’s your throat.

E: Yeah.

M: So, you use your throat to swallow.

E: Uhu.

M: Okay. Now, we can use the word sore with different body parts, right?

E: Yeah, like, um, a sore back.

M: A sore back, right? Or maybe you were playing tennis all weekend, so you have a sore arm.

E: Aha, or even a sore neck.

M: Right.

E: Uhu.

M: So, the word sore. Let’s take a look at our third word – running nose.

E: Running nose.

M: Running nose.

E: Running nose.

M: This is a very strange word.

E: I know.

M: But it doesn’t mean that your nose is running, right?

E: No, but… okay, um, it… no, but when you have a running nose, um, there’s lots of water coming out of your nose, right?

M: Right.

E: So, it’s interesting though, because when you run, you go fast, right?

M: Hehe. So, a lot of water is…

E: Coming fast out of your nose.

M: Out of your nose. Running nose.

E: Yeah.

M: Okay, our forth word today – slightly feverish.

E: Slightly feverish.

M: Slightly feverish.

E: Slightly feverish.

M: So, again, slightly is…

E: A little bit.

M: A little bit…

E: Uhu.

M: Right? A little bit. And feverish?

E: Well, let’s break this word down. Um, we know fever, right?

M: Uhu.

E: Um, so, when you’re… when your body is very, very hot…

M: Right.

E: Because you’re sick. So, feverish is the feeling or your body being very, very hot.

M: Uhu. Okay, so, you have a high temperature.

E: It’s not that you have a high temperature, but you feel like you have a high temperature.

M: Okay, so, slightly feverish.

E: Uhu.

M: And our last word – to recover.

E: Recover.

M: Recover.

E: Recover.

M: So, this means to get better, right?

E: Exactly.

M: Can you only use it when you’re sick?

E: So, when you recover, you get better and you rest, so, maybe you can say, um, “I was so busy this week, I need to recover at this weekend”.

M: Okay, so, yeah, if you feel tired…

E: Yeah.

M: Or you feel sick, you can recover.

E: Uhu.

M: Okay, let’s listen to our dialogue again and we can listen to these words that we’ve just talked about.

DIALOGUE, SECOND TIME

M: In this dialogue we listened to some really interesting phrases of how you can tell your boss that you’re feeling sick, right?

E: Yeah, some great phrases, so, let’s look at these in “fluency builder”.

Voice: Fluency builder.

M: Okay, let’s take a look at our first phrase on fluency builder – I’m coming down with.

E: I’m coming down with.

M: I’m coming down with.

E: I’m coming down with.

M: Alright, so, let’s listen to some examples and then we’ll come back and explain this interesting phrase.

Voice: Example one.

A: My throat really hurts. I think I’m coming down with a cold.

Voice: Example two.

B: You have a running nose. Are you coming down with the flu?

Voice: Example three.

C: I don’t feel well. I think I’m coming down with something.

M: Okay, so, basically, coming down with means…

E: Starting to get sick.

M: Uh… um, beginning to feel sick.

E: Yes.

M: Okay, so, you can use it with “I’m coming down with the flu”.

E: Aha, I’m coming down with a cold.

M: Uhu. Or I’m coming down with a cough.

E: Yeah, or I’m coming down with something.

M: With something, you don’t what it is.

E: Exactly.

M: Okay, let’s take a look at our second phrase – calling in sick.

E: Calling in sick.

M: Okay, calling in sick.

E: So, this phrase is great! You know, when you say “I’m calling in sick”…

M: Uhu.

E: You’re saying “hey I’m not going to come to work today, because I’m sick”.

M: Okay, so, literally, it means that you call your office…

E: Yeah.

M: And you say you’re not going to work.

E: Yes, um, but it’s great, cause it’s three words that show such a long idea.

M: Right, because otherwise you would have to say “I’m calling, because I don’t feel well, so, I’m not gonna go to work”.

E: Yes!

M: But if you say “I’m calling in sick”, everyone knows…

E: Everyone understands.

M: That you’re not gonna go to work.

E: Yep.

M: Okay, now, let’s take a look at our last phrase – take the day off.

E: Take the day off.

M: Take the day off.

E: Take the day off.

M: Now, this is a great phrase! To take the day off is to…

E: Not go to work.

M: On that day.

E: Yes!

M: Now, you can say “take the… week off”.

E: Uhu, take the month off.

M: Take the month off or…

E: Yeah.

M: Take the year off.

E: Yeah, if you’re so lucky.

M: Hehe. Alright, so, take the day off means to not go to work on that day.

E: Uhu.

M: Alright, let’s listen to our dialogue again now and then we’ll come back and talk a little bit more.

DIALOGUE, THIRD TIME

E: Well, Marco, um, have you ever done what Julie did? Did you ever call your boss to say you’re sick to… when you’re not really?

M: Yeah, of course! I mean, sometimes you just don’t feel very well, but you’re not really sick, you just don’t feel like going to work.

E: Yes.

M: Or sometimes you have something to do.

E: Uh.

M: Right?

E: Yep! You know what we call those in Canada? Um, we call them personal days.

M: Personal days.

E: Yeah! So, you say “oh, I’m gonna take a personal day”…

M: Ouh.

E: Meaning I’m gonna call in sick, but then go shopping.

M: Hehe. We used to do that a lot, because, for example, soccer games are such a big deal.

E: Oh, yeah!

M: And, you know, sometimes you would have, ah, a soccer match between, I don’t know, Brazil… and it would be maybe at 10 a.m. or 11 a.m., so, everyone would call in sick on that day.

E: Yeah, so, the boss at least could plan that he would have an empty office.

M: Yeah, or sometimes you would take half the day off.

E: Uh.

M: So, you would just go… you say “well, I’m not gonna make it in the morning, but I’ll come in the afternoon”.

E: So, you would recover…

M: A l…

E: Very quickly.

M: Yeah, I’m feeling a little bit sick, but I’m going to be better in the afternoon.

E: Yeah.

M: Alright, so, well, if you have any questions or comments, please come to our website and if you have any calling in sick stories, please let us know.

E: Yes, you can visit us at englishpod.com and Marco and I are always there to answer your questions.

M: Alright, folks, so, we’ll see you next time.

E: Thank for listening, good bye!

M: Bye!