Welcome to English as a second language podcast, number twenty-one.
Welcome again to English as a second language podcast.
My name is Dr. Jeff McQuillan, Coming to you from Los Angeles, California.
If this is your first time listening to this podcast, please go to our website at “www.eslpod.com” to find out more information about this podcast and to see the text or script of the first part of our podcast.
Today, we’re going to talk about “talking about yourself.”
I’m going to tell a little bit about my personal history, where I have done, where I am from and then as usual, we’ll talk about the vocabulary and expressions.
Here we go!
Well, I was born and raised in Minnesota, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to be exact. I won’t say how long ago that was, but let’s just say I’m no spring chicken. I grew up there with my rather large family of 8 brothers and 2 sisters. (I was the baby of the family, but I swear I wasn’t spoiled!) We were 13 in all-probably the biggest family in the neighborhood, maybe in the state. I had a mostly happy childhood. My father and mother didn’t have a lot of money, but we were never worried about keeping up with the Joneses. I wasn’t much into sports like my brothers were, but I enjoyed reading and listening to music growing up. I went to grade school near my house and then to a high school about 2 miles from where I lived. After graduating from high school, I went on to the University of Minnesota to get my bachelor’s degree. It took me a while to learn the ropes at the university, but I finally graduated nearly 6 years later. Better late than never, as my father used to say. I then went to Mexico for a couple of years to teach English and to study Spanish. When I returned, I decided to become a teacher. So, I went back to school to get my Master’s degree. After teaching for a few years, I was offered a job in California. So, I moved to Los Angeles in 1991. After working here a few years, I went back to school again To get my Ph.D. I was starting to become a professional student. Well, I finished up my degree in four years and then taught at the university for several years. Now, I work at a small research organization here in L.A. I am happily married and I still enjoy reading and listening to music and of course, hosting ESL Podcast.
Well, I was born and raised in Minnesota, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to be exact. I won’t say how long ago that was, but let’s just say I’m no spring chicken. I grew up there with my rather large family of 8 brothers and 2 sisters. (I was the baby of the family, but I swear I wasn’t spoiled!) We were 13 in all-probably the biggest family in the neighborhood, maybe in the state. I had a mostly happy childhood. My father and mother didn’t have a lot of money, but we were never worried about keeping up with the Joneses. I wasn’t much into sports like my brothers were, but I enjoyed reading and listening to music growing up. I went to grade school near my house and then to a high school about 2 miles from where I lived. After graduating from high school, I went on to the University of Minnesota to get my bachelor’s degree. It took me a while to learn the ropes at the university, but I finally graduated nearly 6 years later. Better late than never, as my father used to say. I then went to Mexico for a couple of years to teach English and to study Spanish. When I returned, I decided to become a teacher. So, I went back to school to get my Master’s degree. After teaching for a few years, I was offered a job in California. So, I moved to Los Angeles in 1991. After working here a few years, I went back to school again To get my Ph.D. I was starting to become a professional student. Well, I finished up my degree in four years and then taught at the university for several years. Now, I work at a small research organization here in L.A. I am happily married and I still enjoy reading and listening to music and of course, hosting ESL Podcast.

Now let’s talk about some of the vocabulary and expressions I used when describing myself.
I said that, “I was born and raised in Minnesota.”
This is a common expression “I was born and raised” meaning, I was born there and grew up there.
Some people say, “I was born in New York, but I was raised in Ohio.”
To be raised is the place you actually spend most of your time growing up.
You can also say, “I’m a native of Minnesota.”
To be a native means to be born there.
“I’m a native of Minnesota.”, “I’m a native of United States.”
You can also simply say, “I’m from.”
“I’m from Minnesota” Can mean I was born there or it could mean that’s where I live right now.
If I were to introduce myself to someone, I would probably say, “I’m from Los Angeles.”
Not I’m from Minnesota, but if they ask me where I was from originally, I might say, “Oh, I’m from Minnesota.”
So, it can be a little confusing.
I said that, “I was no spring chicken.”
This is an old expression.
To be a spring chicken means to be very young.
He is no spring chicken means, he is probably old.
He is not young.
I said that, “Although I was the baby of the family, I swear I wasn’t spoiled.”
To swear something, here means to say truthfully.
To promise that you are telling the truth.
Ironically, to swear also means to use bad language, vulgar language, but here it means to promise.
So, I promise I wasn’t spoiled.
To be spoiled means to get everything you want and not be very appreciative or very nice about it.
We sometimes use the expression “A spoiled brat.”
A spoiled brat is usually a child, who doesn’t behave very well because his parents have given him or her everything that he or she has wanted and have never disciplined the child.
I said that, “I had a mostly happy childhood.”, This is a common expression.
Did you have a happy childhood means, did you have a good childhood? was it mostly happy?
I said that, “My parents were never worried about keeping up with the Joneses.”
This is an old expression. Meaning, trying to be as good as your neighbor or trying to have as much money as someone else.
To keep up with the Joneses means to be competing, To be trying to be as wealthy as rich as someone else.
I said that, “I went to grade school near my house.”
Grade school is depending on where you live in the United states, usually the first six to eight years of your schooling.
Sometimes, we call this “elementary school.”
Sometimes, we call it “primary school.”
All of these are the same: grade school, elementary school, primary school.
After primary school or grade school, you go to high school.
High school is usually the last three or four years of your education.
After high school, I said that, “I went on the university of Minnesota.”
To go on means of course to continue.
Usually, we use that expression in talking about education.
For example, he went to the university of Maryland and then went on to Harvard. Means, He studied at the university of Maryland and then he studied at Harvard.
I said, “It took me a while to learn the ropes at the university.”
To learn the ropes means to get used to, to get accustomed to, to be able to understand what the procedures are.
You can use this expression for almost anything, usually it’s for something that might be a little complicated.
For example, I started a new job yesterday. it’s difficult, but I think eventually I will learn the ropes.
Meaning, I will learn how to do all the things I need to do.
I said that, “I graduated six years after starting my bachelor’s degree.”
and I said, “Better late than never.”
This is a very common expression.
Better late than never means, it’s better that you do something even though it takes you a long time, rather than never accomplishing it.
I said that, “I decided to become a teacher after studying in Mexico.”
To become something of course means to be something, to turn in to something.
I want to become a good basketball player. Means, I want to be in the future a good basketball player.
I said that, “Because I was going to school for so much, I was a professional student.”
This is a somewhat informal expression we use to describe people who go to school for very very long time like me.
I said that, “I finished up my degree in four years(my PHD).”
To finish up means to complete.
It really means here the same as to finish and often in English we add prepositions like up and out and over. Even though they don’t really add much to the meaning, They don’t change the meaning very much.
I finished up my degree is the same as I finished my degree.
I said that, “I now work for a small research organization here in LA.”
— LA of course means Los Angeles and many people just call it LA.
I said, “I was happily married.”
Again, this is a very common expression. To be happily married means that everything is going fine in my marriage.
That’s going to do it for today’s English as a second language podcast. We hope that you enjoyed today’s podcast and that you will email us to tell us who you are and where you are listening from.
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Esl podcast is produced by center for educational development in Los Angeles, California.
This podcast is copyright 2005.