Elementary ‐ Calling In Sick (B0002pb) 

M: Hello English learners! Welcome to EnglishPod! My name is Marco.
E: And I’m Erica.
M: And today we’re gonna be bringing you a very useful lesson about being sick.
E: Yeah, um, we’re going to learn, um, how to tell your boss that you can’t go to work,
because you’re sick.
M: Exactly! This is really important, because we all get sick and sometimes you just can’t go
to work.
E: Yes! Or maybe sometimes you just don’t want to go to work.
M: You just… exactly, maybe you’re lying.
E: Yeah.
M: But we’re gonna be teaching you how to do it anyway, so, before we start with our
dialogue, let’s take a look at “vocabulary preview”.
Voice: Vocabulary preview.
E: In this vocabulary preview we have two words for you. Uh, the first one is quite ill.
M: Quite ill.
E: Quite ill.
M: So, quite ill…
E: Very sick.
M: Very sick.
E: Uhu.
M: Quite is a synonym of very.
E: Exactly!
M: Okay.
E: Yeah.
M: And ill…
E: Sick.
M: Sick.
E: Yeah.
M: So, they both mean the same thing, no difference.
E: No difference at all. I just think, uh, ill is more common in British English.
M: Uh, exactly. Alright, let’s take a look at our second word – flu.
E: The flu.
M: The flu.
E: The flu.
M: So, the flu is a virus.
E: Yeah, it’s a sickness.
M: Okay, and, uh…
E: Uhu.
M: It’s very similar to a cold.
E: Yes, but just a lot worse.
M: A lot worse, so, it’s stronger.
E: Yeah, yeah. Um, it’s also called influenza.
M: Influenza.
E: Aha.
M: Exactly. So, the flu.
E: Uhu.
M: Okay, so, let’s listen to our dialogue. What’s gonna happen here today?
E: Well, we’re going to listen as Julie calls her boss to tell him she’s sick.
M: Alright, but is she really sick?
E: I don’t know. Let’s find out.
DIALOGUE, FIRST TIME
M: Alright, so, Julie didn’t really seem to be sick, ha?
E: Yeah, I… I don’t know th… that cough was just a little too much.
M: It seemed like she was acting.
E: Yeah.
M: Alright, so, let’s take a look at some of this vocabulary in “language takeaway”.
Voice: Language takeaway.
E: We have five words for you here and these are all great words to describe a sickness,
right?
M: Uhu.
E: Alright, the first one – headache.
M: Headache.
E: Headache.
M: Headache.
E: So, when you have a headache, you have a sore head, right?
M: Right, your head hurts.
E: Uhu.
M: So, it’s pretty simple.
E: Yep.
M: You have a headache.
E: It’s the way you feel after, um, being at a bar too late.
M: Yeah…
E: Yeah.
M: When you drink too much…
E: Yeah.
M: You get a headache.
E: Yeah.
M: Alright, let’s take a look at our next word – sore throat.
E: Sore throat.
M: Sore throat.
E: Sore throat.
M: So, basically, we have two words here, let’s look at the first one – sore.
E: Hurting.
M: It hurts, right?
E: Yeah.
M: And your throat is…
E: Well, it… you know it’s the part right here, at the back… oh, you can’t see me.
[Comment: Erica points at her throat, but realizes right away that we can’t see her,
because it’s a podcast, not a videocast]
M: Hehe.
E: Well, it’s the part, um, at the back of your mouth that goes down to your stomach.
M: Alright, that’s your throat.
E: Yeah.
M: So, you use your throat to swallow.
E: Uhu.
M: Okay. Now, we can use the word sore with different body parts, right?
E: Yeah, like, um, a sore back.
M: A sore back, right? Or maybe you were playing tennis all weekend, so you have a sore
arm.
E: Aha, or even a sore neck.
M: Right.
E: Uhu.
M: So, the word sore. Let’s take a look at our third word – running nose.
E: Running nose.
M: Running nose.
E: Running nose.
M: This is a very strange word.
E: I know.
M: But it doesn’t mean that your nose is running, right?
E: No, but… okay, um, it… no, but when you have a running nose, um, there’s lots of water
coming out of your nose, right?
M: Right.
E: So, it’s interesting though, because when you run, you go fast, right?
M: Hehe. So, a lot of water is…
E: Coming fast out of your nose.
M: Out of your nose. Running nose.
E: Yeah.
M: Okay, our forth word today – slightly feverish.
E: Slightly feverish.
M: Slightly feverish.
E: Slightly feverish.
M: So, again, slightly is…
E: A little bit.
M: A little bit…
E: Uhu.
M: Right? A little bit. And feverish?
E: Well, let’s break this word down. Um, we know fever, right?
M: Uhu.
E: Um, so, when you’re… when your body is very, very hot…
M: Right.
E: Because you’re sick. So, feverish is the feeling or your body being very, very hot.
M: Uhu. Okay, so, you have a high temperature.
E: It’s not that you have a high temperature, but you feel like you have a high temperature.
M: Okay, so, slightly feverish.
E: Uhu.
M: And our last word – to recover.
E: Recover.
M: Recover.
E: Recover.
M: So, this means to get better, right?
E: Exactly.
M: Can you only use it when you’re sick?
E: So, when you recover, you get better and you rest, so, maybe you can say, um, “I was
so busy this week, I need to recover at this weekend”.
M: Okay, so, yeah, if you feel tired…
E: Yeah.
M: Or you feel sick, you can recover.
E: Uhu.
M: Okay, let’s listen to our dialogue again and we can listen to these words that we’ve just
talked about.
DIALOGUE, SECOND TIME
M: In this dialogue we listened to some really interesting phrases of how you can tell your
boss that you’re feeling sick, right?
E: Yeah, some great phrases, so, let’s look at these in “fluency builder”.
Voice: Fluency builder.
M: Okay, let’s take a look at our first phrase on fluency builder – I’m coming down with.
E: I’m coming down with.
M: I’m coming down with.
E: I’m coming down with.
M: Alright, so, let’s listen to some examples and then we’ll come back and explain this
interesting phrase.
Voice: Example one.
A: My throat really hurts. I think I’m coming down with a cold.
Voice: Example two.
B: You have a running nose. Are you coming down with the flu?
Voice: Example three.
C: I don’t feel well. I think I’m coming down with something.
M: Okay, so, basically, coming down with means…
E: Starting to get sick.
M: Uh… um, beginning to feel sick.
E: Yes.
M: Okay, so, you can use it with “I’m coming down with the flu”.
E: Aha, I’m coming down with a cold.
M: Uhu. Or I’m coming down with a cough.
E: Yeah, or I’m coming down with something.
M: With something, you don’t what it is.
E: Exactly.
M: Okay, let’s take a look at our second phrase – calling in sick.
E: Calling in sick.
M: Okay, calling in sick.
E: So, this phrase is great! You know, when you say “I’m calling in sick”…
M: Uhu.
E: You’re saying “hey I’m not going to come to work today, because I’m sick”.
M: Okay, so, literally, it means that you call your office…
E: Yeah.
M: And you say you’re not going to work.
E: Yes, um, but it’s great, cause it’s three words that show such a long idea.
M: Right, because otherwise you would have to say “I’m calling, because I don’t feel well,
so, I’m not gonna go to work”.
E: Yes!
M: But if you say “I’m calling in sick”, everyone knows…
E: Everyone understands.
M: That you’re not gonna go to work.
E: Yep.
M: Okay, now, let’s take a look at our last phrase – take the day off.
E: Take the day off.
M: Take the day off.
E: Take the day off.
M: Now, this is a great phrase! To take the day off is to…
E: Not go to work.
M: On that day.
E: Yes!
M: Now, you can say “take the… week off”.
E: Uhu, take the month off.
M: Take the month off or…
E: Yeah.
M: Take the year off.
E: Yeah, if you’re so lucky.
M: Hehe. Alright, so, take the day off means to not go to work on that day.
E: Uhu.
M: Alright, let’s listen to our dialogue again now and then we’ll come back and talk a little
bit more.
DIALOGUE, THIRD TIME
E: Well, Marco, um, have you ever done what Julie did? Did you ever call your boss to say
you’re sick to… when you’re not really?
M: Yeah, of course! I mean, sometimes you just don’t feel very well, but you’re not really
sick, you just don’t feel like going to work.
E: Yes.
M: Or sometimes you have something to do.
E: Uh.
M: Right?
E: Yep! You know what we call those in Canada? Um, we call them personal days.
M: Personal days.
E: Yeah! So, you say “oh, I’m gonna take a personal day”…
M: Ouh.
E: Meaning I’m gonna call in sick, but then go shopping.
M: Hehe. We used to do that a lot, because, for example, soccer games are such a big deal.
E: Oh, yeah!
M: And, you know, sometimes you would have, ah, a soccer match between, I don’t know,
Brazil… and it would be maybe at 10 a.m. or 11 a.m., so, everyone would call in sick on that
day.
E: Yeah, so, the boss at least could plan that he would have an empty office.
M: Yeah, or sometimes you would take half the day off.
E: Uh.
M: So, you would just go… you say “well, I’m not gonna make it in the morning, but I’ll
come in the afternoon”.
E: So, you would recover…
M: A l…
E: Very quickly.
M: Yeah, I’m feeling a little bit sick, but I’m going to be better in the afternoon.
E: Yeah.
M: Alright, so, well, if you have any questions or comments, please come to our website
and if you have any calling in sick stories, please let us know.
E: Yes, you can visit us at englishpod.com and Marco and I are always there to answer
your questions.
M: Alright, folks, so, we’ll see you next time.
E: Thank for listening, good bye!
M: Bye!