2010年ESL之商务英语 11 Calling in Sick to Work

11 Calling in Sick to Work

GLOSSARY 1

fed up – very frustrated 2 with something; very tired of doing something and notwanting to do it anymore* I’m fed up with hearing you two argue all the time! Why can’t you just befriends?

to call in sick – to call one’s supervisor 3 or boss and let him or her know that oneis ill, so one will stay home and not work that day* Helena called in sick this morning, so Jack 4 is going to go to the meeting for her.

peppered with questions – asked many questions; needing to answer manyquestions that are asked quickly or in a short period of time* The spokesperson was peppered with questions from reporters at the pressconference.

to come in – to go to a particular place where one is expected, especially to goto work* I normally come into the office at 8:15, but yesterday I was late because Ioverslept.

to not feel well – to feel sick; to have a cold or flu; to be ill* After eating an entire box of cookies, Joerg wasn’t feeling well.

to come down with (something) – to catch a cold; to become sick* Ever since Petra started going to daycare, she seems to come down withsomething every week!

to throw up – to vomit 5; for the contents of one’s stomach to come up and exitone’s mouth, usually when one is very sick or when one has had too much to eator drink* Ines is worried that a ride on the roller coaster will make her throw up.

food poisoning – a stomach problem where one vomits 6 and/or has diarrheabecause one has eaten something that had bacteria and/or wasn’t cookedproperly* Have you ever gotten food poisoning from eating undercooked chicken?

24-hour bug 7 – an illness that lasts only one day and is not very serious* Yesterday, I had a runny nose and a cough, but today, I feel much better so Iguess it was just a 24-hour bug.

to take a day off from work – to not come into work one day, usually becauseone is sick or has something else to do* Each December, Ingot takes a day off from work to shop for Christmas presentsand bake Christmas cookies.

death in the family – when one’s relative passes away; when someone in one’sfamily dies* Randy isn’t in the office today because there was a death in the family. Heshould be back tomorrow.

funeral – the ceremony that happens after someone dies and before the body isburied, usually to share memories of the dead person and to say goodbye* Is it important to wear black clothing to a funeral?

in a row – consecutive 8; one after another, without any breaks or gaps* We’ve had 40 sunny days in a row. What a fantastic spring!

miraculous 9 recovery – a very fast, surprising, and unexpected return to healthafter one has been sick or injured, often used sarcastically 10 when one does notreally believe that someone has been sick or injured* Jimmy was complaining that his stomach hurt and he wouldn’t be able to go toschool, but when his father reminded him that it was a Saturday, he had amiraculous recovery and ran outside to play.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What does Peter mean when he says, “I think I’ve come down withsomething”?

a) He feels depressed 11.

b) He’s getting sick.

c) He didn’t finish his work.

2. According to Peter, why didn’t he come into work two weeks ago?

a) Because someone tried to poison him.

b) Because he was learning how to cook poison.

c) Because he ate something that made him sick.

______________WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

to come down with (something)The phrase “to come down with (something),” in this podcast, means to catch acold or to become sick: “You’ll come down with something if you don’t wash yourhands before you eat.” The phrase “to come up with (something)” means to havean idea or answer, and especially to find a solution for a problem: “I’m sure wecan come up with a solution if we work together.” The phrase “to come up with(something)” also means to find enough money to buy or do something: “How arewe going to come up with the $2,000 we need to fix the car?” The phrase “to becoming up” means to happen soon: “Isn’t your birthday coming up next month?”

Finally, the phrase “to come to a decision” means to agree on what should bedone next: “They’ve been arguing for hours and still haven’t come to a decision.”

rowIn this podcast, the phrase “in a row” means consecutive or one after another,without any breaks or gaps: “We’ve spent the last seven Thanksgivings in a rowwith your parents. This year, let’s spend Thanksgiving with my parents.”

Normally a “row” is a group of things that are in a line next to each other: “Thesuburbs are full of boring rows of identical houses.” A “row” is also a group ofseats placed next to each other in a theater: “It hurts my neck to watch a moviewhile sitting in the front row at the theater.” As a verb, “to row” means to make aboat move over the water by using oars 12 (long pieces of wood with a flat end inthe water): “Valery’s arms were really tired after rowing the canoe for hours.”

CULTURE NOTEMany American workers are “entitled to” (allowed to have) sick “leave” (absencefrom work for a short period of time), also known as medical leave, thanks to the“Accrued” (accumulating or building up over time) Sick and Safe Leave “Act”

(law), which was “enacted” (made into law) in 2008. Most workers can “earn”

(receive in exchange for working) between three and seven days of paid sickleave per year, depending on how large a company or organization they work for.

Sick leave is primarily “intended” (meant for) to be used when one is sick andneeds time to “recover” (get better). Sick leave is also intended to protect otheremployees from their “contagious” (able to share a disease with other people) coworkers.

However, employees can use sick leave for several other purposes.

American workers can “request” (ask for) sick leave when they need to “care for”

(take care of) sick family members. For example, if a worker’s child is too sick togo to school, he or she may need to stay at home with the child that day. Sickleave can also be used when one needs time away from work to go to a doctor’soffice or receive medical “treatment” (care).

Some companies are very “laidback” (relaxed) and “grant” (allow; give) medicalleave for their employees without asking for an explanation. They might evenallow employees to take medical leave when they feel “stressed out” (veryanxious and worried) and need time “away from the office” (not at work). Othercompanies are “stricter” (having more rules to follow) and require theiremployees to “present” (show) a “note” (written letter) from their doctor statingthat they were too sick to go to work on a particular day or for a particular periodof time.

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

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 584: Calling in Sickto Work.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 13 584. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Go to our website at eslpod.com to download a Learning Guide for this episode,it will help you improve your English even faster.

This episode is called “Calling in Sick to Work.” It’s a dialogue between Peterand Magda about what happens when someone decides they are too sick to goto work. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

I was fed up with work and wanted the day off. I decided 14 to call in sick. I wasn’tprepared, though, to be peppered with questions.

Peter: Hello, this is Peter. Is this Magda?

Magda: Yes. This is Magda.

Peter: Hi, Magda. I won’t be coming in today. I’m not feeling well. I think I’vecome down with something.

Magda: Hmm, what seems to be the problem?

Peter: The problem? Oh…I’ve been up all night throwing up and I feel terrible.

Magda: Didn’t you have something like this two weeks ago when you called insick?

Peter: Two weeks ago? No, I had food poisoning two weeks ago.

Magda: And what about a month ago when you called in sick?

Peter: That was a 24-hour bug.

Magda: Didn’t you just take a day off from work because of a death in thefamily?

Peter: Yes, I had to go to the funeral.

Magda: I see. That’s one day off from work a week, four weeks in a row. [longsilence]

Peter: Uh, I’ll be in within the hour.

Magda: I’m glad you’ve had a miraculous recovery.

[end of dialogue]

Peter begins our dialogue by saying that he was fed (fed) up with work andwanted the day off. “To be fed up” means to be very frustrated with something,to be very tired of doing something. “I am fed up with this TV show, I don’t wantto watch it anymore.” I’m tired of it; I don’t want to see it again. It’s used toexpress extreme frustration 15 – very frustrated. Well, Peter wants to have the dayoff, meaning he doesn’t want to work today – who does? So, he says he decidesto call in sick. “To call in sick” means to call your boss – your supervisor – andlet him or her know that you are ill, you’re sick. Oh, you can’t go into workbecause you don’t feel well. It always helps to sound very sick when you call insick. Peter says, “I wasn’t prepared, though, to be peppered with questions.”

“To be peppered (peppered) with questions” means to be asked many, manyquestions, usually in a very short period of time – one question, then anotherquestion, then another question.

Peter calls up and he says, “Hello, this is Peter. Is this Magda?” and Magdasays, “Yes. This is Magda.” Peter says, “Hi, Magda. I won’t be coming intoday.” “To come in” means to go to a particular place where they are expectingyou, usually work. “Is John coming in today?” meaning is he going to be here towork – is he coming to the office? Peter says he won’t be coming in today, “I’mnot feeling well,” he says. When someone says they “don’t feel well” they meanthey’re sick. Perhaps they have a cold; perhaps they have a flu or some otherillness. He says, “I think I’ve come down with something.” “To come down withsomething” is a phrasal verb that usually means to catch a cold. You startsneezing, your head hurts; maybe you are running a temperature, meaning thatthe heat of your body is too high. It can generally mean, however, to becomesick, but usually sick with either a cold or a flu, not too serious. There’s actually a couple meaning of this verb, “to come.” Take a look at our Learning Guide forsome additional explanations.

So, Peter is coming down with something; it’s a nice thing to say if you don’t wantto be too specific about what your illness is. Magda says, “Hmm, what seems tobe the problem?” What is wrong with you specifically? Peter says, “Theproblem?” Of course, he’s not prepared to answer medical questions from hisboss. He says, “Oh…I’ve been up all night throwing up and I feel terrible.” “Tobe up all night” means to be awake all night. What has he been awake doing?

He’s been awake throwing up. “To throw up” is a two-word phrasal verb meaningto vomit (vomit), where the contents of your stomach come out and go out yourmouth. I think you understand what I’m saying – not a very pleasant thing!

Peter says he feels terrible; he feels very, very sick. Magda says, “Didn’t youhave something like this two weeks ago when you called in sick?” She’sreminding Peter that he was sick only two weeks ago with a similar illness.

Obviously, she doesn’t believe Peter. Peter says, “Two weeks ago? No, I hadfood poisoning two weeks ago.” So, Peter is saying that he had a different illnesstwo weeks ago; he had food poisoning. “Food poisoning” is when you eat somefood that is bad that makes you sick; that’s food poisoning.

Magda says, “And what about a month ago when you called in sick?” Fourweeks ago Peter was also sick. Peter says, “That was a 24-hour bug” (bug). A“24-hour bug” is an illness that is not very serious that usually only lasts for a dayor so. Again, we’re typically referring to a cold or a flu; flu is probably more likely.

A flu bug usually means that your stomach is upset, you have a headache, andso forth 16.

Magda says, “Didn’t you just take a day off from work because of a death in thefamily?” Magda’s asking Peter if he took a day off from work – meaning a day hedid not go into work, usually because you are sick or you have some otherimportant appointment – because of a death in the family. “A death in thefamily,” as you probably can guess, means when someone close to you in yourfamily dies: your uncle, your aunt, your grandmother. There’s sort of a weird 17 jokein schools if you’re a teacher or a student, the student who doesn’t want to go toschool will say that they went to their grandmother’s funeral, and sometimes theyuse this excuse more than twice. So it’s sometimes not the best one to use,especially if your grandmothers have already died two or three times!

Peter says, “Yes, I had to go to the funeral.” “The funeral” (funeral) is aceremony – an event that happens when someone dies before their body is put into the ground. Peter is saying that he had to go to this funeral. Magda says, “Isee (I understand). That’s one day off from work a week, four times in a row.”

“In a row” (row) means one after the other, consecutively 18, without any breaks orgaps. If the Boston Red Sox win the World Series in baseball – the bigchampionship – this year, next year, and the year after that, we would say theywon three years in a row. I hope they don’t, but in case they do, that’s what wewould say. “Row” has a couple of different meanings in English however; youknow where to find those, in our Learning Guide.

Well, Magda obviously isn’t very happy with Peter. He knows that she doesn’tbelieve him, so Peter says, “Uh, I will be in within the hour,” meaning in less thanan hour. Magda jokes with him somewhat, and says, “I’m glad you’ve had amiraculous recovery.” “Recovery” is when you get better from something;“miraculous” is something that is a miracle, something that is impossiblephysically. Of course, Magda is joking here about the miraculous recovery thatPeter had.

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

[start of dialogue]

I was fed up with work and wanted the day off. I decided to call in sick. I wasn’tprepared, though, to be peppered with questions.

Peter: Hello, this is Peter. Is this Magda?

Magda: Yes. This is Magda.

Peter: Hi, Magda. I won’t be coming in today. I’m not feeling well. I think I’vecome down with something.

Magda: Hmm, what seems to be the problem?

Peter: The problem? Oh…I’ve been up all night throwing up and I feel terrible.

Magda: Didn’t you have something like this two weeks ago when you called insick?

Peter: Two weeks ago? No, I had food poisoning two weeks ago.

Magda: And what about a month ago when you called in sick?

Peter: That was a 24-hour bug.

Magda: Didn’t you just take a day off from work because of a death in thefamily?

Peter: Yes, I had to go to the funeral.

Magda: I see. That’s one day off from work a week, four weeks in a row. [longsilence]

Peter: Uh, I’ll be in within the hour.

Magda: I’m glad you’ve had a miraculous recovery.

[end of dialogue]

Good thing our scriptwriter didn’t call in sick today! That would be the wonderfulDr. Lucy Tse. Thank you, Lucy.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you 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, copyright 2010 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.