Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Becky: Leaving Your Office at the End of the Day. Becky here.
John: Hi, I'm John.
Becky: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use expressions for going home. The conversation takes place at an office.
John: It's between Linda and Thomas Gray.
Becky: The speakers are co-workers, therefore, they will speak informal English. Okay, let's listen to the conversation.
DIALOGUE
Linda: That's it. I'm done for today. Do you still have much work to do?
Thomas Gray: Not much... maybe about half an hour.
Linda: Do you need any help?
Thomas Gray: No thank you, it's a one-man job.
Linda: Okay, then I'll see you tomorrow.
Thomas Gray: See you tomorrow! Enjoy the movie!
Becky: Listen to the conversation one more time, slowly.
Linda: That's it. I'm done for today. Do you still have much work to do?
Thomas Gray: Not much... maybe about half an hour.
Linda: Do you need any help?
Thomas Gray: No thank you, it's a one-man job.
Linda: Okay, then I'll see you tomorrow.
Thomas Gray: See you tomorrow! Enjoy the movie!
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Becky: So Linda gets to leave, but Thomas is still there.
John: He sounds like he won’t be there for much longer though.
Becky: I hope not! How many hours a week does the average American work?
John: Traditionally, a work week is eight hours, five days a week.
Becky: So 40 hours a week?
John: Yes, but it’s said that the average number of hours for full time workers is actually 47 hours.
Becky: So what about those extra seven hours?
John: That should be counted as overtime pay.
Becky: Does everyone get overtime pay?
John: Some workers, such as independent contractors and even some administrative roles might not.
Becky: Is there a law stating the maximum number of hours Americans can work?
John: Actually no, there isn’t.
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: done [natural native speed]
Becky: finished
John: done [slowly - broken down by syllable]
John: done [natural native speed]
Becky: Next, we have...
John: today [natural native speed]
Becky: the current day
John: today [slowly - broken down by syllable]
John: today [natural native speed]
Becky: Next up is...
John: still [natural native speed]
Becky: up to and including the present time
John: still [slowly - broken down by syllable]
John: still [natural native speed]
Becky: Next, we have...
John: about [natural native speed]
Becky: concerning a topic
John: about [slowly - broken down by syllable]
John: about [natural native speed]
Becky: Next, there’s...
John: to help [natural native speed]
Becky: to provide support or aid
John: to help [slowly - broken down by syllable]
John: to help [natural native speed]
Becky: Next, we have...
John: myself [natural native speed]
Becky: the speaker themselves
John: myself [slowly - broken down by syllable]
John: myself [natural native speed]
Becky: Next, there’s...
John: work [natural native speed]
Becky: a task or action usually completed for pay
John: work [slowly - broken down by syllable]
John: work [natural native speed]
Becky: And lastly...
John: job [natural native speed]
Becky: a task or action usually completed for pay
John: job [slowly - broken down by syllable]
John: job [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: one-man job
Becky: ...meaning "a task for one person."
Becky: So let’s look at each word in this phrase.
John: The first word is “one,” which is a number meaning a single thing. Next is “man,” a male human.
Becky: And finally is “job,” which means “task.” All together, it means “a task that can be done by one person.”
John: Women can say “one-woman job” or “one-person job.”
Becky: But, it’s also okay for women to say “one-man job.”
John: This is a slightly informal phrase, but it’s fine to use.
Becky: Can you give us an example using this word?
John: Sure. For example, you can say “I asked if he needed help, but he said it was a one man job.”
Becky: ...which is like saying "I asked if he needed help, but he said he didn’t need help."
Becky: Okay, what's the next word?
John: about
Becky: ...meaning "roughly, approximately."
Becky: This is an adverb.
John: You can use it to say that a number isn’t exact, but just approximate.
Becky: You can use it at any time.
John: It can be used for numbers, distances and other similar things.
Becky: Can you give us an example using this word?
John: Sure. For example, you can say “I live about a mile from the train station.”
Becky: Okay, now onto the lesson focus.

Lesson focus

Becky: In this lesson, you'll learn about how to use expressions for going home. If you leave work first, it can mean one of two things. It might be that you’ve worked a full day and it’s time to go home.
John: Someone has to be the first to leave, right?
Becky: Of course! The other meaning is that you might be leaving early, before completing a full day of work.
John: The things that you will say in these two circumstances are different, so let’s look at them in turn.
Becky: First, leaving early after completing a full day. In this case, a simple “goodbye” will do.
John: Yeah, just something like “I’m leaving now. See you tomorrow.”
Becky: Or “I’m done for the day. Have a good weekend.”
John: If you’re leaving early, however, you may be leaving while you still have work left, or you may be giving your co-workers extra work.
Becky: So first, you should say that you are leaving.
John: “I’m sorry, but I need to leave now.”
Becky: Then follow it with “because” and a reason. The reason doesn’t have to be specific or in-depth, but a little explanation is polite. Let’s hear some examples of what you can say.
John: “I’m sorry, but I need to leave now because I have to take care of something personal.”
Becky: That’s a very general explanation.
John: “Excuse me, I’m leaving now because I have a doctor’s appointment.”
Becky: That one is a little more specific. Now, it might be that you’re going to leave because it’s the end of the day and you’re finished, but your co-workers aren’t finished.
John: If you have the time to spare, it’s nice to ask them if they need help before you leave.
Becky: If your co-worker knows you’re leaving they might not ask you for your help unless it’s something small, but it’s good to ask! John, let’s hear some examples of how to offer help.
John: “Before I leave, is there anything I can do to help you?”
Becky: And another example?
John: “I’m finished for the day. Do you need help with anything?”
Becky: And one more, slightly less formal one.
John: “Are you okay, or should I stay and help?”
Becky: It’s good to ask them if they need help, as they’ll be more willing to help you if you need it!

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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