2008年ESL之商务英语 04 Showing Disapproval and Sympathy

04 Showing Disapproval and Sympathy

GLOSSARY

long face – an expression of sadness, depression, and/or disappointment* Heidi had a long face for weeks after her dog died.

that’s awful – that’s too bad; a phrase used to show that one sympathizes withanother person and agrees that something is sad or unfortunate* I just heard that you may be losing your job.  That’s awful!

what a rotten thing – what a shame; a phrase used to show that one thinks something is horrible, terrible, very sad, or very bad* Did you hear that Rehman called Nancy a fat pig?  What a rotten thing to say!

I’m so sorry to hear that – a phrase used to show that one sympathizes withanother person’s situation and feels sad that something has happened to thatperson* I’m so sorry to hear that your uncle passed away.  Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.

Who do they think they are? – a phrase used to show that one is angry andupset about something that someone said or did, and that one thinks that persondidn’t have the right to do it or shouldn’t have done it* Did you hear that the city council raised the price of parking again?  Who dothey think they are?

that’s really too bad – what a shame; a phrase used to show that one thinks something is horrible, terrible, very sad, or very bad* Even though they waited in line for three hours, they weren’t able to get tickets to the show.  That’s really too bad.

dead set against – strongly opposed to something; strongly believing thatsomething is wrong and should be changed* Helen was dead set against using disposable diapers until she found out howdifficult it was to wash cloth diapers.

to pull together – to work together; to cooperate; to work as a group* At difficult times like this, we need to pull together and support each other.

the time has come – it is time to do something; it is time for something;something should be done now* Don’t you think the time has come to tell Harry that we don’t have enoughmoney to pay for his college education?

to put (something) on the line – to risk losing something; to do something thatputs something in danger of being lost or taken away* As a firefighter, he puts his life on the line every day.

to take a dim view – to view something negatively; to not approve of something;to think that something is a bad idea* As a very religious family, they take a dim view of people who do not go tochurch.

to speak out – to state one’s opinion against what other people believe; to statesomething that one strongly believes in, especially when other people don’tagree* Amnesty International speaks out against the way that many countries treattheir prisoners.

to lay low – to not draw attention to oneself; to act calmly and quietly so thatother people do not notice oneself* The criminal decided to lay low in jail and quietly look for an opportunity toescape.

to take (something) lying down – to accept something that one doesn’t agreewith without fighting against it* Your landlord just doubled your rent?  You’re not going to take that lying down,are you?  You have to fight against it!

to take it – to accept something without fighting for something better; to acceptwhatever other people do to oneself or give to oneself* The company just cut our vacation time, but we have to take it, because if wecomplain then we’ll probably lose our jobs.

to have got another thing coming – to be surprised by something bad in thefuture; to have something happen that will be unexpected and unwanted* If she thinks she can act that way without any consequences, she’s got anotherthing coming.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1.  How does Maggie feel about management’s decision?

a)  She thinks it was inappropriate.

b)  She thinks it was sad, but necessary.

c)  She thinks jobs should be put on the line.

2.  What does Maggie mean by saying, “I’m not going to take this lying down”?

a)  She’s going to sit down.

b)  She’s going to fight against management.

c)  She’s going to stop laying low.

______________WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

to speak outThe phrase “to speak out,” in this podcast, means to state something that onestrongly believes in, especially when other people don’t agree: “The students arespeaking out against the teacher’s decision.”  The phrase “to speak out of turn”

means to speak when one isn’t supposed to, usually because it is someoneelse’s turn to speak: “Don’t speak out of turn.  If you have something to say, raiseyour hand first.”  The phrase “to speak up” means to speak more loudly: “Couldyou please speak up?  I can’t hear what you’re saying.”  The phrase “to speak upfor (someone or something)” means to say something in support of anotherperson or thing: “When everyone else was saying bad things about Charlie, Hank spoke up for him and told everyone that he thought Charlie was a wonderfulperson.”

to take itIn this podcast, the phrase “to take it” means to accept something without fightingfor something better: “I can’t take it anymore!  I have to ask my neighbor to stopmaking so much noise.”  The phrase “to take it (that)” means to assume,suppose, or understand: “I take it that you won’t be calling Charlotte anymore,since you two broke up.  Is that right?”  The phrase “to take it out of (someone)”

means to make someone very tired: “Working a 12-hour shift at the hospital canreally take it out of you!”  Finally, the phrase “to take it from (someone)” means tobelieve what someone has to say, and it is used to emphasize that what a personis going to say is true: “Take it from me – studying abroad will be one of the bestexperiences of your life.”

CULTURE NOTEMany people have written and spoken about sympathy, and many of theirphrases have become well known “quotes” (phrases that one person said orwrote, and now many people repeat).

Paul Eipper, a German painter and writer, wrote that “Sympathy is a virtueunknown in nature.”  A “virtue” is a very good quality and something that oneadmires in a person.  This quote means that only humans show sympathy towardeach other, but animals do not.  Many people think that this is one of the maindifferences between humans and other creatures.

Another quote, “Next to love, sympathy is the divinest passion of the humanheart,” is “attributed to” (credited, or shown to have been created by anotherperson) Edmund Burke, an Irish author.  Something that is “divine” is holy orGod-like, so he means that sympathy is one of the highest “emotions” (feelings)that humans can have.

Oscar Wilde, an Irish poet, once said, “If there was less sympathy in the world,there would be less trouble in the world.”  He took a more negative view ofsympathy, believing that sometimes sympathy causes too much trouble.  Withoutsympathy, people would “mind their own business” (pay attention to only thosethings that affect them) and not “interfere” (do things to try to change a situation)with other people’s lives or countries’ affairs.

Wilde also said, “I can sympathize with everything, except suffering.”  This quoteseems to show that he believes that sympathy isn’t enough when one sees otherpeople “suffering” (having emotional or physical pain).  Unlike Eipper and Burke,who believe that sympathy is the best thing humans can offer, Wilde seems tobelieve that it is more important to fight against “injustice” (unfairness) than tosimply feel bad about another person’s situation.

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

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 348: ShowingDisapproval and Sympathy.

This is ESL Podcast episode 348.  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 to download a Learning Guide for this episode. The Learning Guide contains all of the vocabulary, definitions, sample sentences,additional definitions, comprehension questions, cultural notes, and a completetranscript of this episode.  This 8 to 10 page guide is available for each newepisode of our podcast.

This podcast is called “Showing Disapproval and Sympathy.”  It’s a dialoguebetween Maggie and Joe about someone who is going to lose their job.  They’regoing to use a lot of vocabulary we might use when you don’t like something – “todisapprove,” as well as to show sympathy to someone.  Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Maggie:  Why the long face?

Joe:  I just heard that I won’t be rehired for next year.

Maggie:  That’s awful!  What a rotten thing for the management to do. Joe:  I’ll be okay, but Monica is losing her job, too. Maggie:  Oh no, not Monica, too.  I’m so sorry to hear that.  Who do they think they are?  How can they treat us this way?

Joe:  They’re management and they can do whatever they want to.  Monica justbought a new house and I’m sure she’s going to have to sell it.

Maggie:  That’s really too bad.  Listen, I know you’ll be dead set against the restof us pulling together to talk to the management, but I think the time has come. Joe:  I won’t let you or anyone else around here put your jobs on the line to try tosave ours.  The management will definitely take a dim view of us workers tryingto speak out.  Just lay low and hope that you won’t lose your job, too.  

Maggie:  I don’t know what the others think, but I’m not going to take this lyingdown.  If they think we’re just going to sit here and take it, then they’ve gotanother thing coming!

[end of dialogue]

Our dialogue begins with Maggie saying to Joe, “Why the long face,” meaningwhy do you have a long face.  The expression “long face” means that you’re sad,or depressed, or perhaps disappointed.  “She had a long face for a week afterher dog died” – she was sad. So, Maggie says, “Why the long face?”  Joe says, “I just heard that I won’t berehired for next year,” meaning the company is not going to continue to “employ”

him, to have him work there.  Maggie says, “That’s awful!”  The expression “that’s awful” means that’s too bad, that’s unfortunate.  When someone says somethingthat is bad news and you want to “show sympathy” to that person, you want toshow that person that you understand their pain or sadness, you may say, “that’s awful.”  “What a rotten thing for the management to do,” Maggie says.  A “rotten(rotten) thing” is a bad thing.  Maggie’s saying what a bad thing for the company to do – “what a rotten thing.”

Joe says, “I’ll be okay, but Monica (another employee) is losing her job, too.” Maggie says, “Oh no, not Monica, too.  I’m so sorry to hear that.”  Whensomeone tells you bad news, and you want, once again, to show your sympathy toward them – to show that you feel badly for them, that you are sorry forsomething that has happened to them – not something you did, but someoneelse – you can say, “I’m so sorry to hear that.”  For example, if someone dies,perhaps the father or mother of a friend of yours, you may say, “I’m so sorry tohear that your father has died.”  We might not even say the word “die” here; wemight use the expression “pass away.”  When someone dies, we say, “he passedaway.”  It’s a nicer way of saying that: “I’m so sorry to hear that your unclepassed away.”  That’s “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

Maggie then says, “Who do they think they are?”  Here, she’s angry; she’s sayingwhat are these people at the company doing, they don’t have a right to do that,that is the wrong thing for them to do: “Who do they think they are?”  You’reshowing that you’re angry about something that someone has said or done, andyou think the person shouldn’t have done it.  For example, you city decides toraise taxes, and you say, “Who do they think they are?”  You’re angry at them,they don’t have a right to do that, you think.

Joe says, “They’re management (meaning they’re the bosses) and they can dowhatever they want to.  Monica just bought a new house and I’m sure she’s going to have to sell it.”  Maggie then uses another expression to express sympathy, she says, “That’s really too bad.”  It means the same as “what ashame,” to show how you think something is very bad or sad. Maggie then says, “Listen, I know you’ll be dead set against the rest of us pullingtogether to talk to the management, but I think the time has come.”  Threeexpressions here of interest.  First, “to be dead set against something” means tobe strongly opposed to something – to believe something is wrong, and to beagainst it.  Maggie is saying that Joe will probably be dead set against she andthe other members of the company – the other employees of the company –pulling together to talk to the management.  To “pull together” is a two-wordphrasal verb meaning to work together, to cooperate, to work as a group.  “Let’s pull together” means let’s work together; let’s try to cooperate.

Maggie wants to talk to the other employees, the ones that weren’t fired, and talk to the bosses.  She thinks that Joe will be against this, that’s why she says, “Iknow you’ll be dead set against” this action.  At the end she says, “I think thetime has come it.”  When someone says, “the time has come,” they mean it’s time to do something; we’ve waited long enough, something needs to be doneright now.  The time has come for ESL Podcast to give Jeff McQuillan a big,brand new car, don’t you think?

Joe then says, “I won’t let you or anyone else around here put your jobs on theline to try to save ours.”  To “put something on the line” means to do somethingthat might cause you to lose something, or to have something taken away.  It’s torisk losing something.  “I’m going to put my reputation on the line for you” – my “reputation” is what other people think, so I’m going to do something that couldhurt me.  It’s a way of expressing that you’re going to do something dangerous orrisky.

Joe says, “I won’t let you (Maggie) or anyone else to put your jobs on the line” –to risk your own jobs in order to try to save my job.  That’s what Joe is saying. “The management will definitely take a dim view of us workers trying to speak out.”  “To take a dim (dim) view of something” means to have a negative opinionabout something – to think something is a bad idea – not to approve ofsomething.  “The management,” the bosses will not like, “will take a dim view of”

the workers “trying to speak out.”  To “speak out” is a two-word phrasal verb tomeaning to express or to say your opinion that is against what other people think;to say something that you believe in, even if other people disagree with you.  To “speak out” has a couple of different meanings in English; take a look at ourLearning Guide for some additional explanations.

Joe says, “Just lay low and hope that you won’t lose your job, too.”  To “lay low”

means to not draw attention to yourself.  It’s a two-word phrasal verb meaning toact calmly, quietly, so that one notices you; you don’t want other people to knowwhat you are doing or where you are.  Joe is telling Maggie that she should nottry to cause problems – she should not “speak out,” she should protect her ownjob.

Maggie says, “I don’t know what the others think (the other employees), but I’mnot going to take this lying down.”  “To take something lying down” means toaccept something that you don’t agree with, without fighting against it.  You don’tlike it, but you say, “Well, too bad.  I have to accept it.”  That’s “to take things lying down.”

Maggie says, “If they think we’re just going to sit here and take it, then they’vegot another thing coming!”  “To take it” means to accept it.  That expression hasa couple of different meanings; once again, take a look at our Learning Guide forsome more explanation.  Maggie says we’re not going to just accept this, if they think we are just going to take it, “they have got another thing coming!”  Theexpression “to have got another thing coming” means they are going to besurprised by something bad in the future, something that we are going to do, inthis case.  “He’s got another thing coming” means something bad is to happen tohim because of what he did.  This bad thing will be a surprise to this person; they don’t realize that it is coming, that it is in their future.

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

[start of dialogue]

Maggie:  Why the long face?

Joe:  I just heard that I won’t be rehired for next year.

Maggie:  That’s awful!  What a rotten thing for the management to do. Joe:  I’ll be okay, but Monica is losing her job, too. Maggie:  Oh no, not Monica, too.  I’m so sorry to hear that.  Who do they think they are?  How can they treat us this way?

Joe:  They’re management and they can do whatever they want to.  Monica justbought a new house and I’m sure she’s going to have to sell it.

Maggie:  That’s really too bad.  Listen, I know you’ll be dead set against the restof us pulling together to talk to the management, but I think the time has come. Joe:  I won’t let you or anyone else around here put your jobs on the line to try tosave ours.  The management will definitely take a dim view of us workers tryingto speak out.  Just lay low and hope that you won’t lose your job, too. Maggie:  I don’t know what the others think, but I’m not going to take this lyingdown.  If they think we’re just going to sit here and take it, then they’ve gotanother thing coming!

[end of dialogue]

The script for this episode was written by Dr. Lucy Tse, who never has a longface! From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan.  Thanks for listening.  We’ll seeyou 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 2008.