Welcome to english as a second language pod cast number five hundred and fifty three. Eight homeowners association all right oh this is english as a second language pod cast episode five fifty three. I'm your host doctor jeff mclellan coming to you from the center for educational development in beautiful or san jealous california. Go to our website at e. s. l. p o would d dot com. And consider supporting this pod cast by becoming a member of d s l pot cast and getting our learning guides for these episodes. Or by making a small donation. This episode is called a home owners association. It's a dialogue between cook uh enemy v i know. Using some information about. Being in a situation perhaps a difficult situation when you are in an organization of homeowners. Let's get started ah ah oh what that's to to agreed to become that had a t home owners association. I'm just tired of all of the waste and not happiness say. Our dues keep going up and there seems to be special assessments every year. I'm not even sure d association is following the by laws anymore. I just felt i had to step up. That's really admirable but i hope you know what you're getting him to there's been a lot of mismanagement and you'll have to do battle with some entrenched numbers. They're not going to look kindly on that tough questions you'll be asking. Believe me i'm not looking forward to it but it's got to be done. Talk about thank let's job. Don't know i know it. I guess i'm just a glut and for punishment oh oh dialogue begins with cook uh asking amelia i know. What possessed you to agreed to become the head of the homeowners association. The expression what possessed you to do something. Is an informal phrase we use to ask why someone did something that seems strange unexpected even irrational or illogical. We might also say why on earth did you do something cook it says what possessed you to agreed to become dot had the leader of the homeowners association. A home owners association is an organization of people who all own houses or condominiums in a particular area. And this association in forces some certain rules that everyone has to follow. On this property homeowners associations also take care of what are called common areas. Places where everyone can use such as a pool for example. Cook it doesn't seem to understand why and me the i know wanted to be ahead of the homeowners association. I mean yeah no said i'm just tired of all vo waste and not having let's say. Waste is using too much of something using more um something than is necessary especially when we're talking about money or time or other resources. I mean the i know is tired of also waste and not having a say meaning not being able to give your opinion or your ideas. This is especially true when we're talking about a group or an organization. You want everyone to have a say meaning be able to participate give their opinion. I mean the n else's our dues keep going up. Dues d u e s. As in now and he is money that you have to pay to an organization to belong to it. Do do you eat has several different meanings in english however take a look at the learning guide for those. You mean the n o says there seems to be a special uh assessments every year. An assessment is. Money that people in the organization in the homeowners association have to pay usually in what we call it one time fee meaning you pay it once. But it's not something you'd normally have to pay so with the homeowners association was going to put in a brand new pool it might have a special assessment to pay for the pool. You would only pay at once it wouldn't be part of your regular yearly dues. That's why we say it's a special assessment. Sometimes cities will make there homeowner's people who own homes in this city pay a special assessment if they are for example. Putting in new light poles or improving the roads there are special assessments that property owners people who owned a home have to pay. I mean the n else's i'm not even sure the association is following the by laws anymore. The by laws b. y. l. a. w. s. Ours the official rules for an organization. Usually when you create an organization or a new business organization you create by laws that tell you what you're going to do how you're cos organized and so forth. Sometimes the state will requires you to have by laws for your organization. Me the i know says i just felt i just thought or believed i had to step up. The phrase over two step up. Means to volunteer or agreed to do something especially when nobody else wants to do what because it's unpleasant or it's a difficult job. So mainly on i wanted to step up he wanted to volunteer and do the difficult work. Cook it says that's really admirable. Something that is admirable is something that you can admire that is that you have a good impression of that you think is a very good. It's admirable cook it says that you are stepping up. To be t ahead of the homeowners association. But she says i hope you'll know what you're getting into meaning i hope you understand what this involves what's this requires you to do. There's been a lot of miss management. And you'll have to do battle with some entrenched members. A couple of things there there's been a lot of miss management. Management is running an organization. Miss management is doing a very bad job at running an organization or a business or a company. Miss management not doing it very well not managing very well. To do battle means to fight to argue with. To be in opposition to something or someone usually someone i'm going to do battle with my boss. Means i'm going to it have an argument with my boss we're going to disagree with each other about something. Cook it says amelia i know we'll have to do battle with some entrenched members. Entrenched. Means having a very strong opinion or position about something. Especially if you've had that position or opinion for a long time and you don't want to change it that would be an entrenched position. So an entrenched remember would be other people in the organization who will not want to change their mind. Cook it says they're not going to look kind dilly on the tough questions you'll be asking. To look kindly on means to understand appreciate. To sync that it is good told like something. The girl look kindly on the boys who opened the door for for so she could walk in. People don't look kindly on a government that is full of waste and mismanagement. In this case cook is saying that these other members are not going til like. The tough questions you me the i know will be asking. Tough means difficult or challenging. So tough questions would be things that may be difficult for the other person to answer or perhaps embarrassing. It means yeah i know says believe me meaning trust me. I'm not looking forward to it but it's got to be done it has to be done. Cook it says talk about a thank list job. The phrase talk about. Is used to give emphasis on whatever comes next it's used to show that this is is a particularly good example all of something else. For example i went to see the new star trek movie talk about great science fiction. I'm saying that this movie is an example of great science fiction in the dialogue cool because says talk about a sync less job. Thank lists is when nobody thanks you so i think was job is a job that is difficult but nobody appreciates it nobody says thank you. In this case they'll say coolest job is being ahead of the homeowner's association but and maybe i know is doing. I mean we i know says don't i know what. The phrase don't i know it is an informal wait of saying that you agree with someone with what someone else has said because you also have personal experience with it. You mean the one it was saying that he knows it's a think was job. He says i guess i'm just a glut ten for punishment. The expression to be a glut ten g l u. t. t. o. n. for punishment. Means that you are someone who likes to do things that have a negative consequence something. That you do even though you know it's very difficult or very on pleasant. The word go out to and actually comes from go out to me. Which is when you eat too much or drinks too much usually that's what what knee is so go out and is somebody who normally eats too much or drinks too much but here. There i go out and for punishment meaning they get too much punishment they somehow want to have this extra punishment it's meant to be a joke of course. Although i'm sure for me of the i know it was no joke you mean the i know should have listens to cook a. Just as all husbands should listen to their wives. Like i do. No let's listen to the dialogue this time at a normal speed ah ah oh with a nest you do agree to become the head of the homeowners association. I'm just tired of all of the waste and not having a say i do just keep going up and there seems to be special assessment every year i'm not even sure the association is following the by laws anymore. I just felt i had to step up that's really admirable but i hope you know what you're getting into there's been a lot of mismanagement and you'll have to do battle of an entrenched members they're not gonna look kindly on the tough questions you'll be asking. Believe me i i'm not looking forward to it but it's gotta be done talk about a franklin's job don't i know what. I guess i just to go out and for punishment ah ah oh today's admirable script was written by doctor loose you say talk about a great script writer. From los angeles california i'm just i'm calling thank you for listening come back and listen to us next time on. Yeah so pot cast. Oh which is like a massage houses resurgence probably doctor the c say host doctor jel alright two thousand ten by the center for educational development
2005