ESL podcast 891 checking on the status of an application

ESL podcast 900 simplifying information ESL podcast 900 simplifying information ESL podcast 900 simplifying information ESL podcast 900 simplifying information ESL podcast 900 simplifying information ESL podcast 900 simplifying information ESL podcast 900 simplifying information

GLOSSARY

decision letter – a letter stating whether something was approved or denied,

accepted or rejected

* When do most colleges send out their decision letters?

application – one or more documents that are sent to request a document,

certification, award or an opportunity to participate in a program, especially when

it is competitive

* How many applications have you filled out for scholarships so far this year?

to hear – to receive a response or answer that one has been waiting for

* Have you heard from the company yet? They must be getting ready to make a final hiring decision soon

any day now – anytime; very soon; in the near future, but without knowing the

specific date

* We should find out Cramer’s test results any day now

to check on the status – to request an update about the current situation or the

progress of something

* We still haven’t received payment for Invoice 397 Should I call to check on the status?

under review – being considered, but not yet approved or rejected; waiting for a

final decision

* How many resumes are under review for the new job opening?

pending – not yet decided or settled; waiting for a final decision

* Mark was really nervous while the jury’s decision was still pending

to await approval – to wait for acceptance or a favorable decision

ideal candidate – someone who is very well qualified for a job or another

opportunity, having all the desired knowledge, skills, and abilities

* With 10 years of experience in customer service, Pablo is an ideal candidate for the job

sure to – very likely to; guaranteed to; expecting something to happen

* If you keep saving that much money each month, you’re sure to be able to retire early

on pins and needles – very nervous, anxious, and worried about something; full

of anticipation

* Sheila was on pins and needles before her fist date with Kolya

mail carrier – a person whose job is to deliver the mail to businesses and homes

* Mail carriers have to work really hard in December, when many people send Christmas cards and gifts to their friends and relatives

(one’s) heart skips a beat – for one to be very excited, anticipating something

* Whenever Hannah enters the room, Edgar’s heart skips a beat and his face turns red

to keep (something) in perspective – to be realistic, calm, and rational about

something, not getting too excited or worried, realizing that it is not the most important thing in the world

* Mariah was devastated when she lost her job, but she’s trying to keep it in perspective by reminding herself that she still has her savings, her family, and her health

life-or-death situation – a situation that is very serious and important because

people could live or die as a result of one’s decisions or actions

* Brain surgeons have such a stressful job, because they are dealing with life-and-death situations every day

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1 Why does Leo think Denise hasn’t received the decision letter yet?

a) Because the program hasn’t made a decision yet

b) Because it was lost in the mail

c) Because her application was rejected

2 What does Denise means when she says, “I’m on pins and needles”?

a) She is very nervous and anxious

b) She is in a lot of pain

c) She is taking a lot of medicine

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

to hear

The verb “to hear,” in this podcast, means to receive a response or answer that one has been waiting for: “When do you expect to hear whether the deal was successful?” The phrase “you could hear a pin drop” is used to describe a place that is very quiet: “During the ceremony, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.” The phrase “can’t hear (oneself) think” is used to describe a place that is very noisy: “They have three young boys who are so loud that I can’t hear myself think when I go to their house.” Finally, the phrase “to never hear the end of it” means that one expects someone to continue to talk about something for a long time: “If you wreck Dad’s car, you’ll never hear the end of it.”

sure to

In this podcast, the phrase “sure to” means very likely to or guaranteed to, or expecting something to happen: “If you keep meeting your sales goals each

CULTURE NOTE

Expressions about Patience and Waiting

American English has many “expressions” (idioms; phrases) about “patience” (the ability to wait without becoming upset) and waiting For example, “Patience

is a virtue” means that the ability to wait for things without becoming upset or annoyed is a “virtue” (a very good, respected, and admired quality) If someone is becoming impatient, another person might say “Patience is a virtue” to try to tell that person to calm down

The phrase “The squeaky wheel gets the grease” has the opposite meaning and

is used to tell someone to not be too patient and instead make sure that

someone asks for what he or she needs or is waiting for A “squeaky” wheel is a wheel that makes a lot of noise “Grease” is fat or oil, and is put on a squeaky wheel so that it stops making noise The phrase “The squeaky wheel gets the grease” means that sometimes people need to complain or ask about something,

or else nobody will pay attention to their needs

The phrase “A watched pot never boils” describes how waiting can be more difficult when we are focusing on waiting A watched pot, or a pot that we are looking at, seems to take a very long time to make water “boil” (for water to

become very hot, so that large bubbles form on the surface) If we don’t pay attention to the pot and instead become involved in some other activity, the water seems to boil more quickly So the phrase “A watched pot never boils” might be used to advise someone to become involved in some other project or activity as

a distraction while waiting for something else to happen

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – a

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 891: Checking on the Status of an Application

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 891 I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California

Our website is ESLPod.com Why go there? Well, so you can become a member

of ESL Podcast and download the Learning Guide for this episode

This episode is about someone who is waiting to hear some news about an application that she sent to an organization to become a member of some

program Let’s get started

[start of dialog]

Leo: Here’s the mail

Denise: Did I get anything?

Leo: No, sorry Are you expecting something?

Denise: Yeah, I’m waiting for a decision letter about my application to the McQ program I should hear any day now

Leo: Have you thought about calling and checking on the status?

Denise: I called last week and my application was still under review I was told that a decision was still pending

Denise: I am keeping it in perspective If I don’t get into this program, it’s only the end of my career, my dream, and my future – that’s all!

[end of dialog]

Leo says to Denise, “Here's the mail.” Here are the letters and packages we received from the post office Denise says, “Did I get anything?” Did anything arrive or come for me? Leo says “No, sorry Are you expecting something?” Are you waiting for something? Denise says, “Yeah,” meaning yes “I'm waiting for a decision letter about my application to the McQ program.” A “decision letter” would be a letter saying whether you were accepted into the program or not It might be a letter saying whether you were accepted into a university or a college

as a student or not A “decision letter” could be about applying for a job and telling you whether you got the job or not This is a case where Denise is

applying for some program We’re not exactly sure what the program is – McQ program So, it’s probably a good program with that kind of name Denise says she's waiting for a decision letter about her application “Application” is when you submit or you send in certain documents, certain pieces of paper that have

information about you and why you want to, in this case, be part of this program Denise says, “I should hear any day now.” “To hear” (hear) in this case, means to receive a response, to receive an answer We might also say “to hear back.”

“Have you heard back from your sister?” You might say, “No, I wrote her a letter last week,” or “I sent her an e-mail,” more likely “But she hasn't responded to

me I haven’t heard back.” Denise says, “I should hear,” meaning I should get a decision any day now “Any day now” means very soon, in the very near future We’re not sure exactly when, but it will be in a very brief amount of time – “any day now.” Leo says, “Have you thought about calling and checking on the

status?” “To check on something” means to investigate it, to make sure it's okay

“Status” (status) refers to the condition of something, the situation that something

is in So, to call and check on the status would be to call the organization and ask about your application Were you accepted? Were you rejected? – and so forth Denise in fact did call She said, “I called last week and my application was still under review.” “To be under review” means it's being considered They’re

thinking about it They’re looking at it carefully It's under review “Under review”

is normally used for some sort of official process, some sort of official

consideration by a(n) organization, or by someone important Denise was told that a decision – a decision about whether she will be accepted into the program

or not – was still “pending.” Something that is “pending” (pending) is something

“Approval” is when you say “yes” to something “Awaiting” means that it is waiting for In this case, “awaiting approval” means that it's going to be approved Really, they've already decided that They just haven't gone through the formal process

of approving it That's the implication that Leo is trying to give here Leo says,

“There is no chance” – it is not even possible – “it will be rejected” – it will be denied They will say “no.” Leo is saying, “That’s not even possible.” “You're the ideal candidate and you're sure to get good news in a day or two.” “Ideal” (ideal)

in this case means perfect, the best “Candidate” refers to someone who is trying

to get into a program or get into a job You could have a “job candidate.” You could have a “program candidate” – someone trying to get into a program You can also have a candidate for public office We have presidential candidates every four years here in the United States – two men or two women, or a man and a woman It's always been two men up to this point, who want to be

president They are candidates for the presidency They are candidates for that political office

Denise is not a political candidate She's a candidate for this program She's trying to get into the program Leo says she's an ideal candidate and she is sure

to get good news soon “Sure to” means it will happen It will definitely happen There's no doubt about it Denise says, “I hope you're right” – I hope you are correct “In the meantime,” or until I find out, “I'm on pins and needles.” The expression “to be on pins (pins) and needles (needles) means to be very

nervous, to be worried about something “I'm on pins and needles waiting to see whether my girlfriend will say ‘yes’ – “yes,” of course, to marrying me That’s just

an example I'm already married So, I don't have a girlfriend but before I was married, I had a girlfriend and I asked her to marry me, not just marry but marry

me, and after I asked her, I was waiting for her answer I was on pins and

needles She said “yes,” of course That's why she's my wife

Anyway, back to our story Denise says that she's on pins and needles waiting for a decision about whether she will be accepted into the McQ program She says, “Every time the mail carrier walks by, my heart skips a beat.” A “mail

something in perspective” means to be realistic, to be calm, to be rational, not to get too excited about it

Leo says, “It's not a life-or-death situation.” A “life-or-death situation” would be a situation where you are either going to live or die, where you could die if

something goes wrong Leo is saying here that getting into this program is not a life or death situation You won't die if you don't get into it Denise says, “I am keeping it in perspective If I don't get into this program, it's only the end of my career, my dream, and my future That's all.” Denise is making a joke here She’s saying, “Oh, yes I'm not getting too excited but,” she says, “if I don't get into this program, it will be the end of my career,” the end of my work life It will be the end

of my dream and it will be the end of my future So, of course, she really has not kept it in perspective She thinks it is a life-or-death situation, a very serious situation if she doesn't get into the McQ program Well Denise, I wish you luck Not everyone can get into the McQ program

Now let’s listen to the dialog this time at a normal speed

[start of dialog]

Leo: Here’s the mail

Denise: Did I get anything?

Leo: No, sorry Are you expecting something?

Denise: Yeah, I’m waiting for a decision letter about my application to the McQ program I should hear any day now

Leo: Have you thought about calling and checking on the status?

Denise: I called last week and my application was still under review I was told that a decision was still pending

Leo: I’m sure it was just awaiting approval There is no chance it’ll be rejected You’re an ideal candidate and you’re sure to get good news in a day or two Denise: I hope you’re right In the meantime, I’m on pins and needles Every time the mail carrier walks by, my heart skips a beat

Denise: I am keeping it in perspective If I don’t get into this program, it’s only the end of my career, my dream, and my future – that’s all!

[end of dialog]

She is the ideal person to be our scriptwriter I refer, of course, to the wonderful

Dr Lucy Tse

From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan Thank you for listening Come back and listen to us again, right here on ESL Podcast

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Tse, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan Copyright 2013 by the Center or Educational

Development