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Learn how to talk about heavy traffic and being stuck on the road in English. Dialogue/Story I was on my way to a restaurant to meet my date for dinner when I hit a traffic jam . I saw that the road was congested , but since I had to take the bridge to reach downtown, I had no choice but to stay on that road. The traffic was bumper-to-bumper . One crazy driver even tried to drive on the shoulder to get around the backup . But as it turns out, there wasn't any way to bypass it because the backup wasn't due to an accident, a stalled car or some rubberneckers . It was because of road construction and only one lane was open. After 25 minutes of stop-and-go traffic , I was at my wit's end . My date was sitting at the restaurant waiting for me and I didn't have her cell phone number. What's more, I was really hungry. Finally, I got past the road construction and was on my way again. I drove a little recklessly , but I had to make up for lost time . I really liked this girl. The last thing I wanted was to make her think that I stood her up !

Learn how to talk about crime and the legal system in English. Jeff reads a newspaper story about a student arrested for burglary and assault. Dialogue/Story I was reading the newspaper this morning and saw a story about a university student arrested and charged with burglary and assault . Last Monday, this student hit a security guard over the head, broke into his professor's office and stole the professor's computer. He wasn't doing well in the class and thought that he could steal the exam. When he was arraigned in court , the prosecutor said that the charges were very serious felonies , and not simple misdemeanors . He also said that because the student was a flight risk , the bail should be set at $2 million dollars. The judge agreed. If the student is found guilty of all the charges, he could be sentenced to up to 15 years in jail. When I read this story, I thought, wouldn't it have been easier for him to just study?

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Learn how to talk about going out to a dance club. Andrea and Sabrina wait in line, get in, and run into a friend on the dance floor. Dialogue/Story My friend Sabrina and I decided to go out dancing last weekend. We went to a club called the Fine Line and when we got there, there was a long line outside. That's one thing I hate about L.A. clubs. The hottest ones have long lines and it's hard to get in unless you're on the VIP list . Sometimes, the bouncer will pick cute girls out of line and let them in. Sabrina always gets attention when we go out together and the bouncer noticed her right away. We paid the cover charge and got our wristbands . The first thing we did was to head over to the bar . Andrea: The music is pretty good. Hey, is that Jeff on the dance floor over there? He's so hot. Sabrina: Where? Over there by the stage ? Let's go see. Jeff: Hey, did you guys just get here? Sabrina: Yeah. Who are you here with? Jeff: The DJ is a friend of mine. I came with him and some of his friends. We have a private room in back. Do you guys want to come check it out ? Andrea: Sure. Sabrina: Definitely.

Learn how to talk about shopping for jewelry. Jeff looks for a special birthday gift for his wife and chooses among bracelets, rings, and necklaces. Dialogue/Story My wife's birthday was coming up and I wanted to get her a special present . She always tells me not to splurge on gifts for her, but for once, I decided to pull out all the stops . I went to the jewelry store and began looking at all of the display cases . I started by looking at the bracelets . The sales clerk asked me if I was looking for a bangle or a chain bracelet. I told her that I wasn't sure, and she showed me some in yellow gold , white gold, and platinum . None of them seemed like my wife's style , so I moved on to the rings . The clerk asked me if my wife liked diamonds , and I told her that she did but that she also liked other stones, like emeralds, rubies, or sapphires. I looked at a lot of anniversary bands, but none really fit the bill . Finally, I walked over to the display case with the necklaces . There was a pearl necklace with a really beautiful clasp . I had never seen anything like it before and I was sure my wife was going to like it. I told the clerk that I would take it. The clerk placed the necklace in its box and gift wrapped it. I have to say that when I left the store, I felt pretty proud of myself . I knew my wife would like the present, and I picked it out all by myself. Now, I can't wait to see the look on her face when she opens it!

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Learn how to talk about problems with noisy neighbors. Jeff's quiet street changes when a new renter starts playing loud music late at night. Dialogue/Story I live in a quiet neighborhood. At least that's what I thought until last week. I live in a cul-de-sac in a residential neighborhood in Los Angeles. There is a nice retired couple that lives kitty-corner from me. They have always been very friendly and we have gotten along very well. About three months ago, they decided to renovate their garage and turn it into a guesthouse . Since they don't have a lot of money, they wanted to rent out the unit to help make ends meet . A new renter moved in about three weeks ago, and that's when the trouble began. She was a student at the local university and she liked to invite her friends over. The trouble was they kept very late hours , and they liked to play loud music. My neighbors were at their wits' end . They talked to their tenant several times about the noise, but nothing worked. Finally, they asked her to move out . Fortunately, she was on a month-to-month lease and they didn't have any problems. Now that my neighbors have learned their lesson , their new tenant is a nice widow with two cats. I'm so glad that everything worked out in the end!

Learn how to talk about going to the doctor for a check-up. Jeff makes an appointment, waits, and finally sees the doctor for his annual physical. Dialogue/Story Going to the doctor is never particularly pleasant for me. But I couldn't put it off any longer. It was time for my annual physical , and there was no getting around it. So I picked up the phone and called for an appointment. “I'd like to see Dr. Shimoya next week, please, if that's possible,” I said. Of course, it wasn't possible. The doctor was booked until next month, the receptionist told me. “Okay,” I said, “Let's schedule it for next month.” When the day arrived, I drove over to the doctor and checked in at the receptionist's desk. I had to present my HMO card and pay the co-pay of $15.00. The receptionist instructed me to go to waiting room B, down the hall, first door on the right. So I went there and took a seat to wait. And I waited, and waited. Finally, my name was called and I went in to see the doctor. The nurse weighed me, took my temperature and blood pressure , and asked me why I was there. I told her it was time for my yearly checkup . She told me to follow her to the examination room and then to strip down to my underwear. Now I was sitting on the exam table , half-freezing, waiting for the doctor to show up . Finally, he walked in, looked at my chart , and began his examination. “Breathe,” he said, as he placed the stethoscope on my chest. “Breathe in and out slowly,” he said. I did so. Then he checked my throat and had me lie down to check my abdomen . Finally, he ordered a blood test and said, “Well, you're good for another year, Mr. McQuillan.” Thank goodness, I thought to myself, and got dressed to leave.

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Learn how to talk about your paycheck and the money taken out of it. Bill opens his first paycheck and Carol explains the deductions. Dialogue/Story Bill: It's about time ! I've been waiting for my first paycheck and now it's finally here. I'm ready to party this weekend! Whoa! Carol: What's the matter? Bill: What happened to all my money? The amount of this check is a lot less than I expected it to be. Carol: Yeah, my first paycheck was an eye-opener for me, too. Look at the pay stub and you'll see all of the deductions . After federal income taxes , state income taxes, and FICA , you're not left with a lot of money. Bill: You're right, but what's FICA? Carol: Those are taxes for Social Security and Medicare . Did you sign up for a retirement plan? If you did, those retirement contributions are deducted, too. Bill: Thank God, I didn't. But you know what? That still doesn't account for all of the deductions. Carol: Let me take a look. Oh, it looks like your wages are being garnished . Bill: They're garnishing my wages? What for? Carol: Uh, do you have to pay child support or something like that? Bill: Oh, yeah, I guess I do. I'd forgotten about that. I guess I'd better change my weekend plans. Carol: I guess so.

Learn how to talk about watching a soccer game in English. Shandy and Giuseppe watch from the stands as Shandy's boyfriend Fabio scores a goal and then gets hurt. Dialogue/Story Shandy: Oh, that player just hit my boyfriend! Did you see that? That was definitely a penalty . Giuseppe: No, I didn't. I was watching the goalie . The referee isn't doing anything. Shandy: I can't believe it. Why isn't the coach talking to that referee? I'm sure the other player deliberately kicked Fabio with his cleats . Giuseppe: Hey, look! Fabio has the ball and he's taking it all the way down the field . He shoots , he scores ! That's his second goal of the game. He's going to win the game for the team. Shandy: What's he doing now? Why is he on the ground? Is he hurt? Giuseppe: I don't know. The trainer is helping him off the field. It doesn't look serious. Shandy: That's good, but he hates sitting on the bench . He won't want to watch the rest of the match from the sidelines . Giuseppe: Look at the stands over there! Shandy: What's happening? Why are they all standing up? Oh, they're starting a wave . I thought for a minute that the fans were getting into a brawl . Giuseppe: It's coming this way. Shandy: Okay, here we go!

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In this free lesson, you will learn how to talk about seeing old friends again. Lucy tells a short story about a busy month of meeting people from her past. You will learn natural English expressions for making plans and staying in touch, like "swing by," "make time," "keep in touch," and "catch up." Dialogue/Story This has been a month for seeing old friends . I got an email a couple of weeks ago from an old friend from college. She and her family are visiting L.A. for a week. They plan to see family and to visit old friends. Since she moved away, I hadn't seen her in ages . I'm looking forward to meeting her new kids and seeing her again. Another old friend called this week. She and I were buddies when we were young. She plans to swing by L.A. on her way to San Francisco. We've made plans to have lunch. She works in Washington D.C. and is normally very busy. I'm glad she could make time for us to get together. When we say good-bye to our friends, we always hope to keep in touch . But, what with this and that , it's sometimes hard to do. With friends that I've fallen out of touch with , it's sometimes hard to meet again and pick up where we left off . We've both moved on to a different phase in our lives. Some of my old friends have become very successful, and are living lives in the fast lane . Other friends are having a more difficult time and are just making ends meet . But, no matter how they're doing, it's always nice to touch base again. I'm really looking forward to seeing these old pals and catching up after all this time. We just won’t mention how much we’ve aged .

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If you can’t read this, then put on your glasses and listen to this episode on having bad eyes. Slow dialogue: 1:07 Explanations: 2:45 Fast dialogue: 15:19 Sue: This medication I’m taking is messing with my vision. Everything is blurry. Hamed: That’s a good reason for you to stay home from work today. Sue: I can’t. I have to give a presentation this afternoon and I can’t flake out on my coworkers. Hamed: What good are you to them if you’re blind as a bat? Sue: Everybody else will have crystal clear vision, so all I have to do is to put in an appearance. Things may not be as sharp as I’d like them to be, but I can still make out people and objects – as long as they’re really big. Hamed: I don’t think your coworkers are going to want you to blindside them today with your strange behavior. You’re going to do more harm than good. Sue: I can see well enough. I only see double if I move my head like this. Whoa… Hamed: At this point, I don’t care if you have X-ray vision. That medication is affecting more than your vision. It’s impairing your better judgment! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Learn how to take and leave phone messages in this podcast. Slow dialog: 0:57 Explanations: 3:42 Fast dialog: 21:10 I was looking forward to a quiet evening at home. As soon as I walked in the door, though, the phone rang. Paolo: Hello. Evelyn: Hi, could I speak to Tony? Paolo: He’s not here right now. Can I take a message? Evelyn: Do you know when he’ll be back? Paolo: No, I don’t. Evelyn: Okay. I’ll call back later. Thanks. …… Ten minutes later, the phone rang again. Paolo: Hello. Pam: Hi, is Tony there? Paolo: No, he’s out. Pam: Could I leave a message? Paolo: Sure. Give me a second to get something to write with…Okay, I’m ready. Pam: Could you tell him that Pam called and ask him to call me back as soon as he can. Paolo: Does he have your number? Pam: He should, but I’d better give it to you. It’s 279-555-6347. Paolo: Okay, I’ll tell him. Pam: Thanks. ….. As soon as I put down the receiver, the phone rang again. I couldn’t believe it. Paolo: Hello. Susan: Hi, is this Tony? Paolo: No, I’m his roommate, Paolo. Tony’s not here right now. Susan: I need to get a hold of him. Do you have his cell number? Paolo: Uh, yeah, I do, but I’m not sure he wants me to give it out. Susan: Oh, I’m sure he’d want me to have it. Paolo: I tell you what. Why don’t I take your number and have him call you back? Susan: I really need to get a hold of him right away. Paolo: I’ll give him your message as soon as he gets home. Susan: Fine. This is Susan and my number is 742-555-3655. Please make sure he gets it. It’s important. Bye. Paolo: Bye. As soon as she hung up, I took the phone off the hook for the rest of the night. I’d had enough of being Tony’s answering service for one night! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Learn how to ask for clarification in English in this podcast. Slow dialog: 0:54 Explanations: 2:29 Fast dialog: 12:46 I was negotiating a contract with a new business partner, and we had a meeting to clarify the terms. Bill: If I understand the terms correctly, the length of the contract would be one year with a one-year option. Is that correct? Ms. Samuels: Do you mean the contract for equipment rental or the one for training? Bill: I was under the impression that both contracts had the same terms. Ms. Samuels: Yes and no. Let me see if I can clarify that. The terms are the same except that the contract for training has a clause that allows for the cancellation after the first six months. Bill: Could you elaborate on that? Ms. Samuels: Sure. What I mean is that either side could cancel the training contract after the six months as long as it’s in writing. Bill: Let me see if I have that right. This contract is for six months of training, but if it isn’t cancelled, continues for another six months. Is that right? Ms. Samuels: Yes, that’s right. Bill: Okay, that’s clear enough. Let’s move on to the other terms . . . Script by Dr. Lucy Tse