#ESL Podcast 219 – Giving Compliments##GLOSSARY**to ask (someone) over –** to invite someone to your home or to the place whereyou are*Benjy asked Julia over to his place to see the changes he made to his house.**to be more than friends –** to date; to be romantically involved*She told Christopher that they couldn’t be more than friends because shealready had a boyfriend.**compliment –** praise; a nice thing said about a person or a thing that is meant tomake the other person feel good*Oscar gave Angelica a compliment about her new hairstyle and she had a smileon her face for the rest of the day.**to make it –** to come; to arrive; to attend*Now that the meeting has moved to Tuesday, I’m not sure the other departmentheads can make it.**to look great on (someone) –** to make someone look good*I wasn’t so sure about that tie when I bought it for my father, but it looks greaton him.**What a fantastic… –** This is a very good…*What a fantastic idea! Let’s call the others to see if they want to join us.**This is a really nice… –** You have a very nice…; This is a good...*This is a really nice car. Can I take it for a test drive?**to decorate –** to add details such as paint, furniture, or decorations to a place tomake it look nice*Will you be able to come over early to help us decorate the house for thesurprise party?**That's nice of (someone) to say. –** Thank you for saying that.; a polite responseto a compliment*He told me that he had never worked with anyone as hard working as I am, andI told him that that was nice of him to say.**cool –** excellent; very nice*We saw a really cool exhibit of modern art at the Los Angeles County Museumof Art.**you know –** an expression used to get someone’s attention, often to a differenttopic; an expression used to emphasis what you are about to say*You know, this is the first time your dog hasn't barked at me when I walked inthe door.**to drink up –** to finish your drink*The bartender said, *“Drink up, everybody. The bar closes in 20 minutes.”***any minute –** very soon; can occur anytime*I know you’re in pain but don't try to move. The doctor should be here anyminute.**cheers –** an expression said before taking a drink; often used after making atoast (a speech in honor of someone)*Congratulations to Elena and Ethan, and may they have a long and happy lifetogether. Cheers!##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why is Sebastian saying nice things to Nia?a) They had a fight and he wants to be her friend again.b) He wants to be her boyfriend.c) He says nice things all the time to everyone he meets.2. How does Nia feel about the compliments?a) She thinks that Sebastian must be drunk.b) She doesn’t want compliments.c) She is confused and doesn’t know why she is getting so many compliments.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?complimentThe word *“compliment”* in this podcast means something nice you say tosomeone to make them feel good or to be kind: “It’s easy to compliment Lisabecause she has a great sense of style.” This word is part of two phrases thatare commonly used: *“to pay (one’s) compliments”* and “to return thecompliment.” *“To pay (one’s) compliments”* means to give someone a formalgreeting: *“The Queen pays her compliments to the people of the village.”* “Toreturn the compliment” means to say or do something similar to what the otherperson has said or done to you: “Jade decided to return Cornelius’ complimentby buying one of his paintings after he bought one of her drawings.”you knowIn this podcast, the phrase *“you know”* is used to bring attention to a differenttopic: *“You know, I don't think the food is supposed to be green.”* Peoplesometimes use *“you know”* to refer to something that they don't want to talk aboutor that they assume the other person probably already knows: “I was walking mydog in the park, and just when we were about to leave, he, you know, on thegrass and I had to clean it up.” Or, “I wanted to come to dinner with you but itwas so late when I left work and I was so tired so, you know...” At the beginningof a question, *“you know”* is usually short for *“Do you know…?”* For example,*“You know that guy's name?”*##CULTURE NOTEWhen flirting or dating someone in the U.S., it is important to use compliments toshow your interest and to make the other person feel comfortable about spendingtime with you. Compliments can make the other person feel like you are payingattention to them, but don’t *“overdo it”* or try to do too much. You don’t want to*“come off”* or appear *“desperate”* or like someone who needs or wants somethingvery, very badly.If you are on a first date, it’s a good idea to find two or three things that you reallylike about the other person. Don’t just *“blurt it out”* (say it aloud quickly andwithout thinking). Instead, save them for later in the date or *“space them out”*(put some time between each one) so that you’ll sound more *“sincere”* or areshowing your true feelings.Here are some acceptable compliments on a date.- *“You look really nice tonight.”*- *“You look great.”*- *“That’s a very pretty dress.”* (women) *“That’s a nice jacket.”* (men)- *“You have beautiful eyes/hair.”*- *“Great car!”*- *“You are really good at that.”* Or, *“You did that really well.”*- *“I bet you get asked out a lot.”* (women) = (Meaning: “I’m sure that many men ask you for dates.”)- *“I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun.”*- *“I’m having a great time with you.”*Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – c##COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to number 219, “GivingCompliments.”This is episode 219. I'm your host, Dr.Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.If you visit our website at eslpod.com, you can pick up the Learning Guide for thisepisode, which has all of the vocabulary, definitions, additional definitions wedon't talk about on the podcast, cultural notes and a complete transcript ofeverything we say.This podcast is called, *“Giving Compliments,”* or saying something nice tosomeone. Let's go![start of story]A friend from work, Nia, asked a few of us over to her apartment to watch thegame this Sunday and I was really nervous. I’ve always liked Nia and I washoping we could be more than friends. My brother, Charlie, said that if I reallyliked her, I should be sure to give her plenty of compliments when I saw her.I arrived on Sunday and knocked on her door.Nia: Hi, I’m glad you could make it. You’re the first one here. Make yourselfcomfortable.Sebastian: Thanks and you look great. Red looks great on you.Nia: Oh, thanks. It’s nice to be out of work clothes. Can I get you something todrink?Sebastian: Sure. What are you having?Nia: I’m just having a beer. Want one?Sebastian: Sure. What a cool place! This is a really nice apartment.Nia: Here you go. Actually, I just moved in last month and I’m still decorating.But, that’s nice of you to say.Sebastian: Wow, nice picture. Did you paint this?Nia: No, I didn’t. Someone named Picasso did. It’s just a copy. You know, Ireally appreciate the compliments, but what’s up?Sebastian: Up? Nothing. I’m just glad to be here.Nia: Well, I’m glad you’re here, too. Now, drink up. The others should be hereany minute.Sebastian: Sure. Cheers![end of story]Our podcast episode is called, *“Giving Compliments,”* and a compliment issomething nice you say to someone. It's spelled *“compliment,”* very importantthat you spell this word with an *“i”* in the middle. There's another word thatsounds the same, complement, spelled with an *“e.”* That word means somethingthat completes or finishes something else. You could say, for example that thesong’s words - the words of the song, the lyrics - complement the music well.They complete it. It's a good match. In our story, we're talking aboutcompliments with an *“i,”* and those are nice things you say to someone. Weusually use the verb to give a compliment, means to say something nice. And,the compliments are not necessarily for someone you are romantically interestedin, like Sebastian in our story, you can also compliment your boss or your friendor the host of ESL Podcast, for example.Well, our story begins by Sebastian saying that, *“A friend from”* his “work, Nia,asked a few of” his friends *“over to her apartment.”* To ask someone over meansto invite them to come to your house or to your apartment. So, I could ask youover to my house means I'm inviting you to come over to my house. Now, if youare in a car and you are with someone outside of their house, then you wouldsay, *“May I invite you in?”* meaning would you like to come into the house. If youlive in an apartment building, you might say, *“Can I invite you up?”* meaning doyou want to go up to my apartment. But here, we're talking about just invitingsomeone in advance, someone for tomorrow or next week or next month, thenyou would ask them over.Nia has invited Sebastian and a few others *“to watch the game this Sunday.”*Now normally, if you say you're going to watch the game, you usually mean theAmerican football game that's on, especially if it's during the football season,from August to, I think, February or March. Sebastian says that he's nervousbecause he likes Nia, and he hopes that they can become *“more than friends.”*When someone says, *“I want to be more than friends,”* they mean I want to beromantically connected to you, and this is what Sebastian, like so many people,want. He mentions that his brother, Charlie, told him that he should give Nia lotsof compliments when he saw her.He goes to her apartment on Sunday, and she answers the door. To answer thedoor means to open the door for someone who is knocking on it. And, she says,*“Hi, I’m glad you could make it.”* To make it here means to be here, to comehere. So, she's saying I'm glad you are here; I'm glad you could come today.*“You’re the first one here. Make yourself comfortable.”* Make yourselfcomfortable means come in, sit down, relax. You may also say, “Make yourselfat home,” it means the same thing.Sebastian says, *“Thanks and you look great.”* You see? He's already sayingnice things to her. Then he says, *“Red looks great on you.”* He is complimenting- and that's a verb as well as a noun, compliment - he is complimenting Nia onher shirt, or perhaps her dress. He says, *“Red looks great on you.”* You say ifsomeone has a nice piece of clothing that it looks good on them or it looks greaton them. Nia says thank you and asks Sebastian if he wants “something todrink.” He says, *“Sure,”* I'll have what you're having. What are you drinking? Niasays that she's going to have a beer and asks Sebastian if he wants one. Shesays, *“Want one?”* meaning, do you want one? Sebastian says, *“Sure,”* and thenhe gives her another compliment.He says, *“What a cool place.”* Cool, *“cool,”* means nice or great. Theexpression, what a, is something we use when we want to say something usuallyvery positive about someone or something. If someone says, *“What a movie!”*you mean isn't that a great movie or that was a fantastic movie. Well he iscomplimenting her apartment by saying, “What a cool place! This is a really niceapartment.” Again, *“This is a really nice apartment”* is another type ofcompliment.Nia says that she *“just moved in last month and”* she's *“still decorating.”* Todecorate, *“decorate,”* is a verb that means to try to make your house or yourapartment look better by painting the walls, by getting nice pictures, maybe byputting carpet on the floor - this would be a way of decorating. She says, “that’snice of you to say,” so she's accepting the compliment, and that's a nice way, agood way to accept or thank someone for a compliment. “Oh, that's nice of youto say.” Then Sebastian asks who painted the nice picture that she has.Somewhat stupidly, he asks if Nia painted it and Nia says, “No. Someone namedPicasso did.” Of course, Sebastian is trying to compliment Nia too much, thinksthat she painted a Picasso picture. Nia says that has a copy of this picture, that'swhat they're looking at.And then she says, “You know, I really appreciate the compliments, but what’sup?” Notice the use there of *“you know,”* that is a way of getting someone'sattention, in this case. It would be the same as saying listen. We also use thatexpression, you know, in other instances. Take a look at the Learning Guide fortoday for additional information about how we use that very common expression.So, NIa is asking Sebastian *“what's up?”* meaning what is he trying to do, andSebastian says, *“Up? Nothing,”* meaning I'm not trying to do anything specialhere.Nia says, *“Well, I’m glad you’re here. Now, drink up.”* Drink up means finishwhatever you are drinking. It's one of those two word verbs, those phrasal verbsin English. To drink up means to finish what you are drinking. *“The others,”* Niasays, *“should be here any minute,”* meaning they'll be here very soon. If you say,*“I'm going to be there any minute,”* you mean I'm going to be there very soon.Sebastian says to Nia, *“Cheers!”* Cheers, *“cheers,”* is what you say when youare drinking something, usually alcohol. Most cultures have a word or anexpression that you are wishing good health or are celebrating something youwould raise up your glass, lift up your glass and say, *“Cheers!”* There wasactually a very popular television program in the United States many years agocalled *“Cheers”* about a bar in, I think, Boston, Massachusetts. That was called*“Cheers.”*You notice that Sebastian tries to give lots of compliments to Nia, in our LearningGuide today, we have a very interesting section about what kind of complimentsyou can give to a man or woman that you are interested in. So, if you want somehelp with that, look at the Learning Guide.Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a native rate of speech.[start of story]A friend from work, Nia, asked a few of us over to her apartment to watch thegame this Sunday and I was really nervous. I’ve always liked Nia and I washoping we could be more than friends. My brother, Charlie, said that if I reallyliked her, I should be sure to give her plenty of compliments when I saw her.I arrived on Sunday and knocked on her door.Nia: Hi, I’m glad you could make it. You’re the first one here. Make yourselfcomfortable.Sebastian: Thanks and you look great. Red looks great on you.Nia: Oh, thanks. It’s nice to be out of work clothes. Can I get you something todrink?Sebastian: Sure. What are you having?Nia: I’m just having a beer. Want one?Sebastian: Sure. What a cool place! This is a really nice apartment.Nia: Here you go. Actually, I just moved in last month and I’m still decorating.But, that’s nice of you to say.Sebastian: Wow, nice picture. Did you paint this?Nia: No, I didn’t. Someone named Picasso did. It’s just a copy. You know, Ireally appreciate the compliments, but what’s up?Sebastian: Up? Nothing. I’m just glad to be here.Nia: Well, I’m glad you’re here, too. Now, drink up. The others should be hereany minute.Sebastian: Sure. Cheers![end of story]The podcast episode today was written by Dr. Lucy Tse.Remember, if you have a question or comment about our podcast, you can emailus at [email protected]. From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time on ESL Podcast. is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. This podcast is copyright 2006.

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