ESL Podcast: Here we talk about buying a gift for someone that is really difficult to find a good gift for. Learn great vocabulary for English and learn about a new technology.
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A: What are you getting dad for his birthday?
B: I don’t know yet. He’s really hard to shop for. He seems to already have everything he wants. A: How about we get him a joint gift. I saw these really cool noise cancellation headphones that I think he’ll like for the airplane or to use when mom is cleaning the house. B: A joint gift is a good idea, but isn’t that noise cancellation thing a gimmick? A: No. I tried them on in the store and they really work. I checked into it though and I saw that they had the same ones for much cheaper on amazon. If we order them now they will arrive before dad’s birthday. B: Are they the ear buds or the big ones that cover the whole ear? A: I think we should get the big ones. Dad’s weird about putting things in his ears. B: Sounds good. How about you put them on your credit card and I’ll give you the cash for them. A: Ok.
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Phrases and Vocabulary used:
He’s really hard to shop for: If someone is really hard to shop for it means that you think it is hard to find a gift that you think they would enjoy. They either already have everything, they are really picky, or you don’t really know what kinds of things they like.
Joint gift: A joint gift is a gift that two or more people buy together. Some gifts are too expensive for one person to buy, so a couple people might "pitch in" and buy someone a gift together.
Noise cancellation headphones: This is a relatively new techology where the background or outside noise is greatly reduced, so that you can hear your ipod or mp3 player more clearly.
Gimmick: an advertising trick to try to persuade people to buy a product. Gimmicks seem cool and useful when you first hear about them, which makes people want to buy the product.
Amazon: This is a shortform for the famous online retailer www.amazon.com
Ear buds: A type of earphone that fits directly into the ear. Portable earphones are often ear buds. The kind of earphones that come with an ipod are earbuds for example.
Weird about: If someone is "weird about" something it means they are uncomfortable with or unusually sensitive about something. This is slang spoken English.
Make sure you don’t use his favorite coffee cup. He’s really weird about other people using it for some reason.
I’ll put them on my credit card: We often use the verb "put" when we talk about paying for something with a credit card. "I’ll put it on my credit card" means the same as "I’ll use my credit card to pay for this".
February 12th, 2009 at 2:02 am
hello androw and add
it is pretty good chance to leave the first comment on this podcast
i wanna say great job keep it up and have a good time
good bye
salam
tarek from egypt
February 12th, 2009 at 8:56 am
Dear Andy,
First of all, my name is Weerawong,my nick name is Noi .I live in Asia,in Thailand and I am very sure you know where it is because you had lesson in your podcast about going to Thailand at Phuget Island. I am very glad to know your website jsut week ago by chance by searching through google.It is very wonderful website in terms of pratice English both of listening and speaking like a native speaker.I have to tell you one thing which is I do not believe it that I can do it, so guess what? I realized that what you have done by talking each other with Slang,phases and vocabularies that sound like the actors and actresses speak in the movie alike, so when I listen to your podcast by putting on my MP3 player around 2 hours without a break duing my way back home in my car after I get home then watch the movies through cable TV in Thailand.I can understand completely what they were talking but in the past I could not understand completely due to I think they speak so fast with short forms or contarctions, so I could not understand,but since I listened to your podcast, I can.Actually, I listened to VOA before but it is not 100% of speaking of foreingers like a American,Brithis and Canadian like both of you because of some podcast interviewed to other people not like native speaker, so that can make my accent or pronunciation is not 100% American accent which I like it.
Finally, to be honest, you have done a fantastic learning English method I have never ever seen before, so I will spread your website to my friends and my staffs or who else needs to learn the real leanring English method that I have said earlier above.
Please keep on teaching us more on Business English,lesson which you have already done 12 lessons.
Lastly but not at least, please comments my writing skills that I wrote to you if it is okay or not because, I have never ever been aboard both of studying and working but I do practice by listening to what you have done. is it possible to comment me through my email address as I provided.
Your sincerely,
February 12th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Hello, guys.
I’ve started to listen to your podcast recently, and I think it’s great. It’s absolutely hilarious. So, listening to the podcast became a kind of problem for me. I just want to say that every time when I listen to you I am smiling and laughing. It’s good if you are alone. But I’m listening to the podcasts when I go to the university by bus (oh, I forgot to mention that I’m a student, but actually you’ve known it). Sometimes I laugh so loud that people in a bus turn and look at me. They apparently think “What a freak!” Anyway thanks for your podcast, I very appreciate it. Oh. I’ve almost forget to tell you that it helps me to improve my English! It’s awesome! Your sense of humor is helpful for studying new phrases and words. Also you can teach (actually I don’t sure that this word exactly describe your activities, because it looks like a talking between friends) us the words that we can’t learn in a school or a university. I’ve already told all my friends how to say in English “в хлам” - wasted, i.e. really drunk.
Actually, it’s really hard for me to write this message and I’ve just decided to write you little by little. I’ve got a lot of things to tell you and I hope you will be interested in reading them. Anyway it’s a good practice for me, so there is no choice ;).
Oh, I forgot to tell you that my name is Evgeniy and I live in Russia (the Eastern part, not far from China). Maybe someone suppose that I should do it before, but I was so excited!
Ok.
See you later.
February 13th, 2009 at 9:56 am
Hello Andy and Addison,
I always take a break between my paperwork by accessing to China232.com which bring me to the useful web via visiting the recommended links, its very interesting with the listener know of china 232.com around the world, In my office where the coworker have a buffet in most months for greeting birth day and being eager to get the gift that sometimes is so hard to shop for, so we take the join gift on those occasion, this charge put on anyone’s credit card and returned afterwards, all pod cast bring me a lot of funny and gentle feeling like you get a close friend for us, I will count on your pod cast to have a certain chance to move on my English.
Thank you for your likable help
Have a good time on valentine day,
February 14th, 2009 at 2:26 am
Hi,
Just I want to say: Thank you very much Guys, you are helping us a lot.
February 14th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Dear,
I”m so happy you uploaded new podcasts. These are very helpful. I read lots of comments on this website mostly people they want more podcasts. Please keep it continue. You are all professional and your lessons are awesome! Thank you!
Aqeel Ahmed
Pakistan, Lahore.
http://www.alislam.org
February 16th, 2009 at 3:10 am
Great episode . china232 is absolutely best website and it’s going to be most popular in the world. Thanks for all you’re doing for us.
February 16th, 2009 at 11:12 am
Hey guys,
I just wanna say your work is great!
Thanks a million!
February 16th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Hi Guy!
Always lots of fun listening to your Podcasts!! My moto is a podcast before sleeping and it has grown into an habit!! Congratulations! Keep on this way!
Take care,
Marjolaine (From Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa)
February 17th, 2009 at 8:50 am
hello . everyone , this is my first time to write letters to this website . firstly , i am feeling that the wesite is wonderful and useful , we can learn a lot about english and make friends here . secondly , i want to make a short self-intruduction , i am a just-graduated college students , so i don’t have much social experence. thus i hope that i can make some friends here and learn something from them. lastly . wish our website more and more wonderful .
February 18th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
hey boys!! i dont even need to say that but.. Your lessons are great!! thank ya for then!!
can i give you an advice?! a good advice!!
why dont you make a chanal on “YOUTUBE” with your videos… than you could make more and more videos and podcast to help who wants to learn english!!
these things, to make and post a chanal with videos on youtube, have been very used and the people are enjoing it!!
think about!!
bye take care friends!!
February 18th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Hello Guys
Thanks a lot for your great contribution to us.
Please keep do this, until the end of the world.
Kiat, Thailand
February 22nd, 2009 at 8:02 pm
Hello Guys! I really appreciate the help!!! Brasil
February 26th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
hi guys,
thanks for the learning and the fun
you have been realy helpfull keep going, thanks alot
February 28th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
hey man this is awesome. i ‘ve got to tell you guys that if you already may know i’m persian and living in sweden. that with your lessons my english is flying (in the words of Andrew) almost everyone thinks i’m Americam!!!! gosh!! and my friends think that my english is brilliant!(my god such a flattery) but it is all about your guys thx i almost told anyone in our dormitory to see your website right now actually i’m sitting in the kitchen i told one .!
the only problem i face sometimes is the scientific writings and articles.
thx guys
March 11th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
For me it always has been dificult to shop for anyone of my dear ones because I don’t like to think about what to buy… instead of it, for example,when it comes to my teen daughter I rather to give her the dough so she will be able to acquire whatever she wants, that way I don’t take the risk of giving the wrong gift.
April 7th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
hi! men thanks!.. you did not
April 14th, 2009 at 4:38 am
A gift is a token of love.
October 9th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Dear All,
Thank you for your great job. This is real English podcast that I have looked for.
Best regards,
Vanuscha. Thailand