Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Becky: Asking for Help in a Difficult American Business Situation. Becky here.
John: Hi, I'm John.
Becky: In this lesson, you'll learn how to ask for help in a difficult situation.The conversation takes place at an office.
John: It's between Thomas Gray and Linda.
Becky: The speakers are co-workers, therefore, they will speak informal English. Okay, let's listen to the conversation.
DIALOGUE
Thomas Gray: I'm sorry to bother you, but I need your help with something.
Linda: Sure, what is it?
Thomas Gray: The printer is stuck. Do you know how it works?
Linda: Let me see... It seems that you just need to add new paper.
Thomas Gray: Oh! That was easy! Sorry for bothering you! I can handle that.
Linda: No problem, I'm glad to help.
Becky: Listen to the conversation one more time, slowly.
Thomas Gray: I'm sorry to bother you, but I need your help with something.
Linda: Sure, what is it?
Thomas Gray: The printer is stuck. Do you know how it works?
Linda: Let me see... It seems that you just need to add new paper.
Thomas Gray: Oh! That was easy! Sorry for bothering you! I can handle that.
Linda: No problem, I'm glad to help.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Becky: I think that this is a situation that anyone who has ever worked in an office can relate to.
John: Yes, at some point, the printer is going to jam.
Becky: And it’s usually when you don’t have any time and need to print something urgently.
John: Right. If you don’t know how to fix the printer, then you need to ask a colleague for help.
Becky: How do American businesses view employees that ask a lot of questions?
John: I think that’s okay, but in general, there are a few things you should consider before asking a co-worker for help. The first is how busy they are.
Becky: Right, if your co-worker has a big project or a deadline of their own to meet, then you should think twice.
John: If it’s a long task that you need to do, then consider asking multiple people, so that no one person has to devote a lot of time to it. It's also best to be honest at the start and tell your co-worker how long you expect it to take.
Becky: Your co-worker may be able to help you with a task that will take 10 minutes, but not one that will take three hours.
John: That’s true!
Becky: Okay, now onto the vocab.
VOCAB LIST
Becky: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is...
John: sorry [natural native speed]
Becky: word for apology
John: sorry [slowly - broken down by syllable]
John: sorry [natural native speed]
Becky: Next, we have...
John: to bother [natural native speed]
Becky: to annoy, to interrupt
John: to bother [slowly - broken down by syllable]
John: to bother [natural native speed]
Becky: Next, there’s...
John: printer [natural native speed]
Becky: a device that transfers digital images or text onto paper using ink
John: printer [slowly - broken down by syllable]
John: printer [natural native speed]
Becky: Next up is...
John: stuck [natural native speed]
Becky: unable to move
John: stuck [slowly - broken down by syllable]
John: stuck [natural native speed]
Becky: Next, we have..
John: to add [natural native speed]
Becky: to increase
John: to add [slowly - broken down by syllable]
John: to add [natural native speed]
Becky: Next, there’s...
John: paper [natural native speed]
Becky: thin material processed from trees and usually employed as support for writing or printing
John: paper [slowly - broken down by syllable]
John: paper [natural native speed]
Becky: And lastly...
John: to handle [natural native speed]
Becky: to deal with
John: to handle [slowly - broken down by syllable]
John: to handle [natural native speed]
KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES
Becky: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is...
John: printer
Becky: "Printer" is a noun. It’s a machine that prints documents and images onto paper. John, Can you give us an example using this word?
John: Sure. For example, you can say “Can you pick up the documents from the printer?”
Becky: There is also the verb "to print."
John: Printers are also commonly known as "Xerox machines," after the brand Xerox.
Becky: Okay, what's the next word?
John: stuck
Becky: This is an adjective that means that something is being prevented from moving.
John: For example you can say “I can't open the door. It seems to be stuck.”
Becky: As well as saying that paper is "stuck" in a printer, we can also say it is "jammed."
John: We can use "jam" for other blockages, such as a “traffic jam.”
Becky: Okay, now onto the lesson focus.

Lesson focus

Becky: In this lesson, you'll learn how to ask for help in a difficult situation. Let’s see first how to politely get someone’s attention.
John: Sometimes getting someone’s attention may be difficult if they are busy or are having a conversation with someone else.
Becky: In the event of an urgent situation, such as a fire or injury, then you don’t need to worry about being polite and can just quickly shout out a warning or request help. For example if you see a fire, you can just shout “Fire!”
John: If someone is ill or injured and needs the hospital, be sure to shout “Call an ambulance!”
Becky: Listeners, you can find more emergency phrases in the lesson notes, be sure to check them out. What if it’s not an urgent situation?
John: In that case, you just need to be polite. First, you should apologize by saying something like “Excuse me, but…” or “I’m sorry to interrupt, but…”
Becky: Be sure to follow the apology phrase with “but,” and explain briefly why you are interrupting.
John: You don’t need to go into details, you can just say “I need to talk to you.” or “There’s a problem.”
Becky: How does it sound all together?
John: “Excuse me, but I need to talk you” or “I’m sorry, but there’s a problem.”
Becky: Okay, let’s see now how to actually ask for help.
John: It’s simple. You can say “Can you help me with this” and the noun of the thing that is troubling you, for example “Can you help me with this report?”
Becky: The first word of the formula is “can,” so you’re asking your co-worker if they are able to help and not just telling them to help
John: You can make this more polite by using “could” instead of “can.” “Could you help me with this report?”
Becky: If you want to use a verb after “help me with,” be sure to put it in its -ing form. Let’s give an example.
John: “Can you help me with preparing this presentation?”
Becky: You can also drop “with”
John: In that case you don’t need the -ing form, it sounds like ”Can you help me prepare this presentation?”
Becky: Let’s wrap up with another example.
John: Sure, you can say either “Can you help me with moving this desk?” or ”Can you help me move this desk?”

Outro

Becky: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye!
John: See you!

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