2008年ESL之人际交往 07 Putting the Children to Bed

07 Putting the Children to Bed

GLOSSARY 1

turn – the time when one person needs to do something, because anotherperson did it previously 2; the moment when one person does something in asequence with other people* They were playing a long game and took a break for lunch, but when they cameback they couldn’t remember whose turn it was.

to put the kids to bed – to help young children get ready to go to sleep* When you put the kids to bed, did you remind them to brush their teeth?

nope – no; an informal way to make a negative response* - Do you like green beans?  * - Nope, I don’t.

bedtime story – a short story that is told or read to young children while they arelying in bed to make them tired at night when it is time to sleep* When I was a child, my favorite bedtime story was The Giant Jam Sandwich.

pajamas 3 – comfortable clothes worn while sleeping* Mike used to wear pajamas to bed, but now he prefers to wear an old t-shirtinstead.

lights out – the time when the lights in a room must be turned off so that onecan fall asleep* The soldiers are on a strict schedule with lights out at 11:00 p.m.

to watch over (someone or something) – to observe; to monitor; to watch whatsomeone or something is doing to make sure that it is done correctly* Who is going to watch over your daughter while you are at the meeting tonight?

method – a way of doing something; technique* Melissa’s method for making a sale is to be very friendly with the client 4 andalways send a thank-you note after a meeting.

this I’ve got to see – a phrase used to show that one does not think somethingis possible and needs to see it to be able to believe it* When Jimmy said that he could clean his room in just four minutes, his momsaid, “This I’ve got to see!”

cuddle – hugs, caresses 5, and gentle touches to show affection 6 and love

* Peggy Sue 7 cannot fall asleep unless she has time for a cuddle with her favoriteteddy bear.

monster – an imaginary 8 (not real) creature that scares children* When you were a child, did you believe that monsters lived under your bed?

through the night – all night long; during an entire night* Chelsea didn’t sleep well, because she had strange dreams all through thenight.

nonsense 9 – foolishness; silliness; a word used to show that one does notbelieve or agree with what another person has said or done* Keith said that walking under a ladder is bad luck, but I think that’s nonsense.

harm – damage, pain, or injury; negative consequences of doing something* Riding a bicycle without a helmet can cause great physical harm.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1.  Which of these is part of putting the kids to bed?

a)  Forgetting the bedtime story.

b)  Telling the kids to brush their teeth.

c)  Finishing the newspaper.

2.  Why does Andrea think that telling the children about Norman is a bad idea? a)  Because they need to have a cuddle.

b)  Because they will have bad dreams.

c)  Because it will put them to sleep.

______________WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

turnThe word “turn,” in this podcast, means the time when one person needs to dosomething, because another person did it previously: “Paulina and Kristoff taketurns washing the dishes: she does it on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays,and he does it on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.”  As a verb, “to turn”

means to move toward 10 the right or left: “Drive straight for three blocks and thenturn right.”  Or, “When she heard someone call her name, she turned toward thesound of the voice.”  The verb “to turn” can also mean to move an object so thatit is facing a different direction: “The little girl turned the dolls toward each otherand pretended that they were having a conversation.”

lights outIn this podcast, the phrase “lights out” means the time when the lights in a roommust be turned off so that one can fall asleep: “At the children’s summer camp,lights out is always at 9:45 p.m.”  The phrase “to knock (someone’s) lights out”

means to hit someone very hard so that he or she falls down and is notconscious: “Two drunk 11 men got into a fight and the bigger one knocked his friend’s lights out.”  The phrase “to light up (something)” means to illuminatesomething, or to shine light on something: “When are they going to light up theChristmas tree in Rockefeller Center?”  Finally, the phrase “to light up (one’s) life”

means to make one’s life better, happier, and/or more interesting: “Grandchildrenlight up their grandparents’ life.”

CULTURE NOTEMany American families have bedtime “rituals 12” (things that are done the sameway every time) for their children.  These rituals not only help children do all thethings they need to do before going to bed, but also help them “calm down”

(become quiet) at the end of the day so that they can “fall asleep” (begin tosleep) more easily.

Bedtime rituals usually begin in the bathroom, where children use the toilet,brush their teeth, and wash their face and hands.  Parents help young childrendo these things, and often watch older children do them by themselves.  Next,children change into their pajamas.

Once these things are finished, the children get into bed and the parents “tuck 13”

(fold fabric 14 around something) the blankets around them.  Often they tuck in thechild’s favorite “stuffed animal” (a soft toy in the shape of an animal), too.  Thenthey often spend time talking together.

Parents of young children usually read a bedtime story, pointing to the picturesand using a soft voice until the children fall asleep.  Parents often ask olderchildren to tell them about their day at school.  Some religious families pray together before falling asleep.  Parents often give their children a kiss on the“forehead” (the skin above one’s eyes and below one’s hair) before they fallasleep.

Even with these bedtime rituals, children often do not want to fall asleep and try to “stall” (do something to cause a delay and make something happen later thanit normally 15 would).  These children often ask their parents for a glass of water, orsay that they have to go to the bathroom again before they can fall asleep.

______________Comprehension Questions Correct Answers:  1 – b; 2 – b

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 365: Putting theChildren to Bed.

This is ESL Podcast number 365.  I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming toyou from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles,California.

Visit our website at eslpod.com and download a Learning 17 Guide for this episode 18. The Learning Guide is an 8 to 10 page PDF file that you can download, print out,and use to improve your English even faster.

This episode is called “Putting the Children to Bed.”  “Putting the children to bed”

means to get the young children ready so that they can go to sleep.  Let’s getstarted.

[start of dialogue]

Andrea:  It’s your turn to put the kids to bed. Marlon:  No, I put them to bed last night, didn’t I?

Andrea:  Nope, I did that.  Don’t forget their bedtime story.

Marlon:  The kids won’t let me forget it.  Okay, time for bed!  Go brush your teethand put on your pajamas.  It’s lights out in 15 minutes.

Andrea:  What are you doing?

Marlon:  I’m finishing my newspaper.

Andrea:  Aren’t you going to watch over them to make sure they’re getting ready for bed?

Marlon:  Nope.  You have your methods and I have mine.

Andrea:  Okay, this I’ve got to see.

Marlon:  I don’t hear anyone brushing their teeth.  If everyone isn’t in bed in fiveminutes, they’re going to get a cuddle from Norman.

Andrea:  Who’s Norman?

Marlon:  Norman is just a little scary monster I told them about.  Norman eats little children who aren’t in bed when they’re supposed to be.  It’s my way ofmaking sure they stay in bed through the night.

Andrea:  That’s terrible!  That’ll give them nightmares 19.

Marlon:  Nonsense.  It won’t do them any harm.  As my father told me, Normanonly eats bad children.

[end of dialogue]

Our dialogue begins with Andrea saying to Marlon, “It’s your turn to put the kids to bed.”  “Turn,” here, is the time when someone needs to do something,because, usually, the other person did it before.  For example, if there are fivechildren and each one has to answer a question, after the first child answers it’s the second child’s turn, and then the third child’s turn, and the fourth child’s turn,and the fifth child’s turn.  Each one has to do something following the otherperson.  “Turn” has several meanings in English; take a look at the LearningGuide for some additional 20 explanations of those.

Andrea says to Marlon, “It’s your turn to put the kids to bed,” to get the childrenready to go to sleep.  Marlon says, “No, I put them to bed last night, didn’t I?” And Andrea says, “Nope (meaning no), I did that.  “Nope” is an informal way ofsaying no, you don’t want to say it to your boss, but it’s okay in a family or amongfriends.  “Nope” is a little stronger way of emphasizing 21 the “no.”

Andrea says, “Don’t forget their bedtime story.”  The “bedtime” is the time thatchildren go to bed; the “bedtime story” is usually a short story, a book perhaps,that is told or read to young children while they are lying in bed to make themtired, to make them relaxed so they can sleep more easily.  That’s the “bedtimestory.”

Marlon says, “The kids won’t let me forget it,” meaning they’ll tell me about thebedtime story because children generally like a bedtime story, at least that’s thetradition here in the United States.  Marlon then shouts at the children, “Okay,time for bed (meaning it’s time for you to go to sleep)!  Go brush your teeth (goclean your teeth) and put on your pajamas.”  “Pajamas” (pajamas) arecomfortable clothes that you wear while you are sleeping.  Not everyone wears pajamas, but many people do, especially children.  Marlon says to them, “It’s lights out in 15 minutes.”  “Lights out” is the time when the lights in a room must be turned off, or will be turned off, so everyone can fall the asleep.  Often in thearmy, or in the military services, there are men and women who are sleepingtogether in a big room, and they turn the lights off at a certain time so everyonecan fall asleep.  That’s “lights out.”  There are a couple of other meanings of this expression; once again, take a look at the Learning Guide for some moreexplanations.

Andrea says, “What are you doing?”  Marlon, who is still sitting at the table, says,“I’m finishing my newspaper (I’m finishing reading my newspaper).”  Andreasays, “Aren’t you going to watch over them to make sure they’re getting ready forbed?”  “To watch over someone (or something)” is a phrasal verb meaning tolook and observe something to make sure that it is actually happening, or theperson is doing what they are supposed to be doing; It’s monitoring, orsupervising.

Marlon says, “Nope.  You have your methods and I have mine,” you have yourway of doing something – your technique, and I have mine.  Andrea says, “Okay,this I’ve got to see.”  This expression, “this I’ve got to see,” is a phrase we use toshow that we don’t really think something is possible and need to see it in orderto believe it.  If we don’t see it, we won’t believe it, usually because it’s somethingwe don’t think is true or don’t think is possible.  Andrea doesn’t think it’s possiblefor the children to be put to bed unless Marlon goes and watches over them.

Marlon then shouts to the children, “I don’t hear anyone brushing their teeth,”

meaning the children aren’t doing what he told them to do.  Then he says, “Ifeveryone isn’t in bed in five minutes, they’re going to get a cuddle from Norman.” A “cuddle” (cuddle) is like a hug, when you touch someone else to show themthat you love them or that you like them, that is “to cuddle.”  It’s something that amarried couple, for example, might do in bed; they may “cuddle,” they may holdeach other close to show that they love each other. Marlon says the children will get a cuddle from Norman.  Andrea asks whoNorman is.  Marlon answers, “Norman is just a little scary monster I told themabout.”  Something that is “scary” is something that makes you afraid, somethingthat frightens you.  A “monster” is an imaginary – not real – creature or animalthat is supposed to scare people, especially children.  You’ll often read about amonster in a story or see a monster in some sort of cartoon for children. Monsters are usually bad people – or I should say, bad creatures or animals. Marlon says Norman is a monster he told his children about, “Norman eats littlechildren who aren’t in bed when they’re supposed to.”  So he told his childrenthat if they are not in bed when they’re supposed to be, Norman will come and eat them.  He says, “It’s my way of making sure they stay in bed through thenight.”  He doesn’t want them getting out of bed, so he tells them this story aboutNorman the monster.  The expression “through the night” means during theentire night, or all night long.

Andrea says, “That’s terrible!  That will give them nightmares.”  “Nightmares” arebad dreams.  Marlon says, “Nonsense.”  This is a word to show that you don’tagree with what someone has just said or done, you are expressing a very strongfeeling that the person is wrong, that they are foolish; they are ridiculous,perhaps.  Someone says “nonsense” to you, that means they disagree very strongly with what you just said.  Once again, not something you would say toyour boss or colleague at work. Marlon, then, is disagreeing with Andrea, saying that this idea of Norman comingto eat them will not give them nightmares.  I kind of like this idea that Marlon has,actually!  Marlon says, “It won’t do them any harm.”  “Harm” is damage, pain, orinjury; “harm” is the negative consequence of doing something, something badthat will happen to you if you do something.  Marlon says, “It won’t do them any harm (it won’t cause the children any damage).  As my father told me, Normanonly eats bad children.”  So obviously 22, Marlon got this story from his father and is just using it with his own children, just as his father used it with him.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Andrea:  It’s your turn to put the kids to bed. Marlon:  No, I put them to bed last night, didn’t I?

Andrea:  Nope, I did that.  Don’t forget their bedtime story.

Marlon:  The kids won’t let me forget it.  Okay, time for bed!  Go brush your teethand put on your pajamas.  It’s lights out in 15 minutes.

Andrea:  What are you doing?

Marlon:  I’m finishing my newspaper.

Andrea:  Aren’t you going to watch over them to make sure they’re getting ready for bed?

Marlon:  Nope.  You have your methods and I have mine.

Andrea:  Okay, this I’ve got to see.

Marlon:  I don’t hear anyone brushing their teeth.  If everyone isn’t in bed in fiveminutes, they’re going to get a cuddle from Norman.

Andrea:  Who’s Norman?

Marlon:  Norman is just a little scary monster I told them about.  Norman eats little children who aren’t in bed when they’re supposed to be.  It’s my way ofmaking sure they stay in bed through the night.

Andrea:  That’s terrible!  That’ll give them nightmares.

Marlon:  Nonsense.  It won’t do them any harm.  As my father told me, Normanonly eats bad children.

[end of dialogue]

The script 16 for this episode was written by the never scary Dr. Lucy Tse.  Thank you, Lucy!

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan.  Thanks for listening.  Comeback and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan.  This podcast is copyright 23 2008.