اضافه کاری

Working Overtime

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 240: Working Overtime.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 240. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

Remember to visit our website at eslpod.com. There you will find the Learning Guide for this episode that contains all the vocabulary, definitions, additional definitions, culture notes and a complete transcript of this episode. You’ll also find, at our website, our new ESL Podcast Store, where you can download special courses as well as our new “English Through Stories Mystery.” This episode is called “Working Overtime.” Let’s get started.

[start of story]

Jeremy: Hello.

Miranda: Hi, it’s me. I can’t make it home for dinner tonight. I’m working overtime.

Jeremy: Again? That’s the third time this week. I can’t believe your boss is making you do this.

Miranda: Don’t get mad, but I actually told him that I didn’t mind. I know I’ve been working long hours, but I don’t want to turn down the work. You know that I’m getting paid time and a half, and we need the money.

Jeremy: I know we do, but we’re getting by. What happened to a 40-hour workweek? You’ve been working at least 60. It’s not worth it for you to work your fingers to the bone no matter how strapped we are.

Miranda: I know. I know. It’s just that morale around this place is pretty low and I’m just trying to do my part. Just don’t gripe. Okay?

Jeremy: I’m not griping. I’m just worried about you. You come home after a long day, and you’re overworked and emotionally drained. That’s not fair to the kids.

Miranda: You’re right, but could we talk about it this weekend? I’ve really got to go. I promise we’ll work it all out then.

Jeremy: Okay, but what time are you coming home tonight?

Miranda: I’m not sure, but I’ll try to make it home in time to tuck the kids in.

Jeremy: All right. I’ll see you then.

Miranda: Bye.

[end of story]

Our dialogue was a telephone conversation between Jeremy and Miranda; they are husband and wife. You can tell by how nice they talk to each other that they must be married!

Jeremy answers the phone, “Hello.” Miranda says, “Hi, it’s me.” “It’s me” is what you would say when you expect the other person to recognize your voice - to know who you are. Miranda says that she “can’t make it home,” or she can’t be at home, “for dinner” because she’s “working overtime.” To work overtime, “overtime,” (one word) means to work longer than your normal hours. Normally you work between, say, nine in the morning ‘til 5 in the afternoon. To work overtime would be to work later than that five o’clock, to six o’clock or eight o’clock, or to work on the weekends. That would be working overtime.

Jeremy is not happy with his wife, Miranda. He says, “Again,” meaning you’re doing this again. “That’s the third time this week.” Jeremy thinks the boss of Miranda is making her or forcing her to work overtime.” Miranda says, “Don’t get mad,” that’s what you say when you are about to tell someone something that will probably make them mad. I say this a lot to my wife! “Don’t get mad, but I actually told him that I didn’t mind.” The expression to not mind or I don’t mind - I didn’t (past tense) mind - means that you are not bothered by or annoyed by - you’re not upset, mad or angry about something.

For example, you may say, “I don’t mind if you use my car, but I want you to put gas in it.” We’d probably say, “as long as,” meaning under the condition of you putting gas in it. So, that’s “I don’t mind.”

Miranda says she has “been working long hours.” Long, “long,” hours means a lot of hours - a lot of time. “But,” she says, “I don’t want to turn down the work.” To turn down something is to say no to something - to not accept something.

There are a couple of meetings of this expression; you’ll want to look at the Learning Guide for today for more information about it.

Miranda continues, “You know that I’m getting paid time and a half, and we need the money.” To be paid time and a half, “half,” means that you are being paid additional money for working more time. So, instead of getting ten dollars an hour, you’re getting 15 dollars an hour. That would be time and a half - 50 percent more. That’s a common policy in some companies. If you work overtime you get paid more money.

Jeremy says that he understands they need the money. “But,” he says, “we’re getting by.” To get by means to have enough money to pay for the basic things in life - your food, transportation, a place to live and so forth. If you’re not making much more than that, you could say that “I’m getting by,” means I have enough money but not a lot of money.

So, Jeremy says that they are getting by. “What happened to a 40-hour workweek,” he asks. Workweek, “workweek,” (one word) means the number of days that you normally work. The typical workweek in the United States is Monday through Friday. The number of hours a typical person works is 40 hours, so a 40-hour workweek.

Jeremy says, “It’s not worth it for” Miranda “to work” her “fingers to the bone.” This expression, to work your fingers to the bone, “bone,” means to work very hard - many hours each day - to work too much. Jeremy says it doesn’t “matter how strapped we are.” To be strapped, “strapped,” means to need money or not having very much money. You might say, “I’m strapped for cash,” meaning I don’t have enough money - enough cash.

Miranda says that the morale at her workplace is very low. Morale, “morale,” means the way that a group people feel. It’s the positive or negative feelings that a group of people might have, usually people who work together or who are associated with each other somehow.

Miranda tells Jeremy that she’s “just trying to do” her “part,” meaning she’s trying to do what she is responsible for - what she should do. Then she tells him “Just don’t gripe.” To gripe, “gripe,” means to complain - to say negative things about something or someone.

Well, Jeremy says, “I’m not griping” - gripe is usually something of a criticism, in this particular case it is. Jeremy says, “I’m just worried about you.” Like the loving husband that he is, he’s worried about his poor wife working too many hours while he is at home watching television! “You come home after a long day,” Jeremy says, “and you’re overworked and emotionally drained.” To be overworked means to work too much - to be very tired. Emotionally drained, “drained,” means that you are very tired - without any energy. Jeremy says this is “not fair to the kids” - to their children.

Miranda says, “You’re right, but can we talk about” this on the “weekend?” She says that they will be able to “work it all out then.” To work something all out to means to talk to someone about a problem, and to find a way to fix the problem.

Jeremy says, “Okay, what time are you coming home tonight,” and Miranda says she’s not sure, but that she’ll be “home in time to tuck the kids in,” meaning she’ll be home before the hour that the children - the kids - have to go to bed. To tuck your children in means to go to their bed and maybe kiss them or hug them, tell them goodnight, put the blankets on top of them so they can fall asleep.

Jeremy says okay, “All right. I’ll see you then.” We might wonder whether Jeremy should get a job so that his wife didn’t have to work so much. But that’s between Jeremy and Miranda, they need to work that all out!

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

[start of story]

Jeremy: Hello.

Miranda: Hi, it’s me. I can’t make it home for dinner tonight. I’m working overtime.

Jeremy: Again? That’s the third time this week. I can’t believe your boss is making you do this.

Miranda: Don’t get mad, but I actually told him that I didn’t mind. I know I’ve been working long hours, but I don’t want to turn down the work. You know that I’m getting paid time and a half, and we need the money.

Jeremy: I know we do, but we’re getting by. What happened to a 40-hour workweek? You’ve been working at least 60. It’s not worth it for you to work your fingers to the bone no matter how strapped we are.

Miranda: I know. I know. It’s just that morale around this place is pretty low and I’m just trying to do my part. Just don’t gripe. Okay?

Jeremy: I’m not griping. I’m just worried about you. You come home after a long day, and you’re overworked and emotionally drained. That’s not fair to the kids.

Miranda: You’re right, but could we talk about it this weekend? I’ve really got to go. I promise we’ll work it all out then.

Jeremy: Okay, but what time are you coming home tonight?

Miranda: I’m not sure, but I’ll try to make it home in time to tuck the kids in.

Jeremy: All right. I’ll see you then.

Miranda: Bye.

[end of story]

The script for today’s podcast was written by Dr. Lucy Tse.

That’s all we have time for. From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan.

Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next time on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast was written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse, hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. This podcast is copyright 2007, by the Center for Educational Development.