welcome to english as a second
language podcast number 21
welcome again eslpodcast my name
is jeff macquillion coming to from Los Angles California if this is your first
time listening to our podcast please go to our website www.eslpod.com that is
www,eslpod.com to find out more information about this podcast or see the task
and the script for the first part of our podcast today we are going to talk
about talking about yourself. i am going to talk about my personal history what
i have done where i am from and then as usual come back and talk about
expressions here we go .=
Well, I was born and raised in
Minnesota, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to be exact. I won't say how long ago that
was, but let's just say I'm no spring chicken. I grew up there with my rather
large family of 8 brothers and 2 sisters. (I was the baby of the family, but I
swear I wasn't spoiled!) We were 13 in all, probably the biggest family in the
neighborhood, maybe in the state. I had a mostly happy childhood. My father and
mother didn't have a lot of money, but we were never worried about keeping up with the Joneses. I wasn't
much into sports like my brothers were, but I enjoyed reading and listening to
music growing up. I went to grade school near my house, and then to a high
school about 2 miles from where I lived. After graduating from high school, I
went on to the University of Minnesota to get my bachelor's degree. It took me
a while to learn the ropes at the university, but I finally graduated nearly 6
years later. Better late than never, as my father used to say. I then went to
Mexico for a couple of years to teach English and to study Spanish. When I
returned, I decided to become a teacher, so I went back to school to get my
Master's degree. After teaching for a few years, I was offered a job in
California, so I moved to Los Angeles in 1991. After working here a few years,
I went back to school (again!) to get my Ph.D. I was starting to become a
professional student. Well, I finished up my degree in four years, and then
taught at the university for several years. Now, I work at a small research
organization here in L.A. I am happily married, and I still enjoy reading and
listening to music, and, of course, hosting ESL Podcast.
Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan
now let's talk about some of the
expressions that i used when describing myself i said that i was born and
raised in minisota this is a common expression i was born and raised born there
and i grow up there something i was born in new york but i was raised in ohio
to be raised as a place where you spent most of you growing up. and also said
aim native of mini soda i was born
there and native is minidaos i am a
native of united states you can also simply said i am from aim from mini soda
can mean mini soda or it could mean i live right now if i introduce myself to
someone i would probably say i am from Los Angeles not i am from mini soda but if they ask where i
am from originally i might say oh i am from miniosda it can be little
confusing. i said that i was no spring chicken this is a old expression to be a
sorting chicken is to be very young he is no
spring chicken means he is probably old he is not young although i said
i was the baby of my family i swear i wan't spoiled to swear something here
means to say truthfully to promise you are telling the truth ironically to use
vulgar language but here it means promise to promise i wasn't spoiled spoil
means to use that you get everything you want and not be very affreciative or
very nice about it. we sometimes use the expression to spoil the brat spool
brat is a usually child who doesn't behave very well because his parents given
her everything she has want it never disciplined child i said a i had a mostly
happy childhood this is did you have a happy childhood measn did you was it
mostly happy i said that y parents were never worried about keeping up with a
joneses this is an old exression trying to do as good as your neighbor trying
to be as much as money someone has to keep up with the jonese means to be
competing trying tobe as wealth as someone else grade school is depending on
where you study usually first six to eight year of your schooling sometimes we
call it elementary school sometimes primary school all of those meaning same.
grade school elementary school primary school after primary school or grade
school you go to high school high school is last 3 or 4 year of your education
after high school i went on school of university of mini soda course continue
usually contains talking about education for example he went to university of
mere land then went to on harvard means he studied at the university of
merraland and then he studied at
Harward. `
i said it took me a while to
learn the ropes at the university to learn the ropes means to get used to to
get customer to to able to understand what the procedures are you can use this
expression almost anything or something might be little complicated.
it is difficult but i learn i
said that it aaas after starting bachelor better late the never is a common
expression means it is better that you do something even though late never than accomplish that. i
said that i decided to become a teacher after studying in mexico to become
something is to be something to turn into something i want to become good
basketball player means i want to be in the future a basketball player i said
that i am going to school so much i was a professional student this is a
somewhat describe who go to the school for very very long time just like me i
think i finished up my degree in four year in my four year degree complete i
really means here to finish. and often in english we add up and over even
though they don't add the so much meaning they don't change the meaning much i
finished up my degree means i finished my degree i said that now i worked in
here in small research organization LA LA is of course refers Los Angeles many
people call it la. i said i was happily married again this is a very common
expression to be happily marries means everything is going fine in my marriage.
that is going to do it english as a second language podcast. we hope you
enjoyed today's podcast and that you will email us to tell who you are and
where you are listening from our email address is eslpod.eslpod.com. please
email us tell us where you are and if you have suggestions for our future
topics for our suggestions please those as well once again thanks for listening
well see you next time. on eslpodcast.
eslpodcast produced by the center
of educational development in Los Angeles in California. this podcast copyright
in 2005.
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