ESL podcast 898 people of different ages

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ESL Podcast 898 – People of Different Ages

GLOSSARY
-something – approximately; an informal suffix place on words to indicate
vagueness or uncertainly, especially when talking about ages
* William has accomplished a lot in his career, especially for a forty-something.
toddler – a young child who has recently learned how to walk, usually 1-3 years
old
* It’s hard to keep an eye on toddlers because they like to run around.
infant – a baby who is not walking yet, especially less than one year old
*Alan fell in love the moment the nurse placed the infant in his arms.
senior – an old person, especially someone who is retired
* Many restaurants have special menus items at lower prices for seniors.
mid- – in the middle of something, not the biggest or smallest, not the greatest or
least, but somewhere in between
* They want to buy a mid-sized sedan.
late- – toward the end of a range, especially when talking about dates or ages; in
the latter end of a range
* Computer technology developed rapidly in the late 1990s.
spry – with a lot of energy; lively and active, moving around
* I wish the animals at the zoo were a little more spry, but most of the ones we
saw were just sleeping.
middle-aged – in the middle of an average lifespan, usually 45-64 years old, not
young or old
* Middle-aged managers sometimes struggle to communicate clearly with
younger employees.
tween – a person who is between childhood and adolescence, usually 9-12
years old, especially when referring to girls

* The new fashions for tweens try to make them look older than they really are.
teenage – related to a teenager, a person who is 13-19 years old
* The middle school teachers are complaining that their teenage students are
more interested in each other than in their studies.

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ESL Podcast 898 – People of Different Ages

handful – a lot of work; something that is difficult and challenging
* When Hannah walked into the grocery store with her three young children, she
heard someone say, “Shopping with them must be a handful!”
early- – toward the beginning of a range, especially when talking about dates or
ages
* What has been the most important invention in the early-21st century?
-ish – approximately; an informal suffix place on words to indicate vagueness or
uncertainty; somewhat
* That was an insightful-ish comment for someone her age.
to size up – to assess and evaluate someone or something, especially just by
looking at the person or thing and especially when comparing or rating against
others
* Pete spent the first few minutes of the negotiations sizing up the other people
before he chose his approach.
young adult – a person who is no longer a teenager, but not yet middle-aged,

approximately 18-30 years old
* It is so important for young adults to travel and explore the world before they
settle down and get married.
sightseeing – the act of visiting sites in a particular area as a tourist, exploring
them briefly and learning basic information about them
* Anyone who goes sightseeing in New York City has to visit the Empire State
Building and the Statue of Liberty.

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ESL Podcast 898 – People of Different Ages

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1.
a)
b)
c)

Which group of people is the youngest?
Toddlers
Teens
Tweens

2.

a)
b)
c)

What does Gloria mean when she says, “They’ll be a handful”?
The parents won’t be able to hold all the children’s hands at once.
The children are going to create a lot of work for others.
The children will want to touch everything all the time.

______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
-late
The suffix “-late,” in this podcast, means toward the end of a range, especially
when talking about dates or ages: “Yolanda bought her first car in the late-80s.” A
“late bloomer” is a person who develops more slowly than others, especially
physically: “James was a late bloomer and didn’t begin dating until he graduated
college.” The phrase “late-breaking” describes a news story that is changing
rapidly and has information that became available immediately before a
newspaper was printed or immediately before a story was recorded: “We
interrupt the regularly scheduled programming to bring you this late-breaking
news.” Finally, the phrase “late-night” describes something that happens late at
night: “We’re going to see the late-night showing of the new movie.”
to size up
In this podcast, the phrase “to size up” means to assess and evaluate someone
or something, especially just by looking at the person or thing and especially
when comparing or rating against others: “We went to watch the team play, just
so we could size up their players before our match against them.” Something that
is “pint-sized” is very small, especially for children: “Oh, look, this dollhouse
comes with a pint-sized piano.” Or, “Look at those pint-sized six-year-old soccer
players coming on to the field.” Finally, something that is “bite-sized” can be

placed in one’s mouth without cutting or biting it: “Please cut the carrots and
peppers into bite-sized pieces.”

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ESL Podcast 898 – People of Different Ages

CULTURE NOTE
Ageism and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act
“Ageism” or “age discrimination” is the act of treating people unfairly because of
their age, especially because one believes they are too old to do something well.
Children and teenagers “face” (confront; must deal with) ageism when their
“ideas are not taken seriously” (others do not respect their ideas). Seniors face
ageism when they have trouble finding a job because employers prefer to “hire”
(offer a job to) younger people.
In 1967, the United States “enacted” (made into law) the Age Discrimination in
Employment Act, which “prohibits” (does not allow) age discrimination against
anyone who is at least 40 years old. Specifically, employers cannot state age
preferences or restrictions in “help-wanted ads” (advertisements announcing a
job opening). Employers also cannot use age as a “factor” (something that helps
to determine something else) in hiring, “compensation” (how much is one is
paid), or “termination” (firing) decisions. Since 1986, the law has also restricted
“mandatory retirement” (the practice of forcing people to retire when they reach a
certain age).

However, exceptions are made if age can be shown to be a “bona fide” (made in
good faith, without intent to mislead or trick someone) “occupational qualification”
(something needed to be able to perform a job well). For example, age would be
a bona fide occupational qualification when hiring an actor to “portray” (show; act
as) a young character. In most other cases, however, age itself is not the
restricting factor, but rather it is mental “acuity” (sharpness of thought) or physical
“agility” (gracefulness; ability to move quickly).
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – b

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ESL Podcast 898 – People of Different Ages

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 898 – People of
Different Ages.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 898. I'm your host, Dr.
Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in
beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Our website is ESLPod.com. Become a member by going to our website and
signing up. This episode is a dialog between Gloria and Andy describing different
ages. Let’s get started.
[start of dialog]

Gloria: I’m surprised at the variety of people on this tour.
Andy: Oh, yeah? I hadn’t noticed.
Gloria: Well, we’ll be spending the next two weeks with these people so I
thought I’d get to know some of them.
Andy: That’s nice.
Gloria: Did you see that thirty-something couple with a toddler and an infant?
I’m really surprised they’re on this tour.
Andy: I’m sure they know what they’re doing.
Gloria: And how about that group of seniors? Some of them look like they’re in
the mid- to late-seventies.
Andy: They seem pretty spry to me.
Gloria: But what really surprises me is that group of middle-aged couples with
their tween and teenage children. They’ll be a handful.
Andy: They seemed pretty well behaved to me.
Gloria: And did you notice that woman in her early-forties and the forty-ish man
each traveling alone? She seemed nice, but he didn’t seem too friendly.
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ESL Podcast 898 – People of Different Ages

Andy: Maybe he’s using his time to size up everybody like you are.
Gloria: Well, I wish there were more young adults in this group. I like talking to
young people.
Andy: I think there will be plenty of people for you to talk to these two weeks

when you’re not sightseeing.
Gloria: Sightseeing? Oh yeah, sightseeing.
[end of dialog]
Gloria says, “I'm surprised at the variety of people on this tour.” “Variety” just
means many different kinds of people. Andy says, “Oh yeah? I hadn't noticed.” I
didn't realize. Gloria said, “Well, we’ll be spending the next two weeks with these
people so I thought I'd get to know some of them.” Gloria and Andy are on some
sort of tour, probably of a different city or a different state, maybe even a different
country. They're getting to know the people who are in the same tour group.
Gloria says she is getting to know them and Andy says, “That's nice.” Andy
doesn't seem very interested, does he?
Gloria says, “Did you see that thirty-something couple with a toddler and an
infant? I'm really surprised they’re on this tour.” “Thirty-something” spelled (thirtysomething) is an expression meaning someone who's in their thirties. They could
be 30, 31, 32, 33 all the way up to 39. That would be a thirty-something. If you
are in your 20’s, you would be a twenty-something. If you are in your fifties, you
would be a fifty-something and so forth. When you don't know someone's exact
age, but you think they're in their twenties or thirties or forties, you can use this
expression. “Toddler” (toddler) describes a young child, usually one, two, maybe
three years old, who has recently learned to walk. A toddler is a young child but
one who can walk. An “infant” (infant) is the same as a baby. This is someone
who is not able to walk. “Infants” have to be carried from one place to another or
maybe they can crawl on their hands and knees to move themselves back and
forth.
Gloria says she’s surprised to see the thirty-something couple with a toddler and
an infant on the tour. Andy says, “I'm sure they know what they're doing,”
meaning the parents know what they're doing so we shouldn't worry about it. I
think Andy is also kind of saying to Gloria here, if I may interpret the script for
you, that perhaps Gloria is too interested in these other people. Gloria might be
someone who we would describe as “nosy” (nosy). Someone who's nosy is
always trying to find out what's going on in other people's lives, trying to find

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ESL Podcast 898 – People of Different Ages

things that are really not their concern, things that are, we would say, none of
their business.
Gloria says, “And how about that group of seniors?” “Seniors” (seniors) describes
an old person, especially someone who is retired, who is no longer working.
Gloria says, “Some of them look like they're in their mid to late seventies.” When
we use the prefix mid (mid) followed by a hyphen, in front of words like sixties,
seventies or twenties, thirties, forties – any age, we mean they’re in the middle of
that range. To say someone's in their mid-seventies means they're probably 74,
75, or 76. If you're in your mid-thirties, you're probably 34, 35, 36. You can also
describe ages using the prefix “late.” He's in his late eighties. That means he's
probably 87, 88, or 89, and of course, you could also say early. He's in his early
forties. He's 40, 41, 42, maybe 43.
Andy says that these seniors that Gloria is talking about, “seem” or appear,
“pretty” or very, “spry” to him. “To be spry” (spry) means to have a lot of energy.
It’s often used to describe an older person who has perhaps a surprising amount
of energy who’s more energetic than you may expect him to be. Gloria says, “But
what really surprises me” – she continues to make observations – “is that group
of middle-aged couples with their tween and teenage children. They'll be a
handful.” “Middle-aged (middle-aged) means you are in the middle of your
lifespan. Usually, we think of the ages between, say, 45 and 65 maybe 70

nowadays, as being middle-aged or between 50 and 70. I have to say that
because I'm not yet 50 so I don't want to consider myself middle-aged, but I
probably am.
Anyway, middle-aged would be people who are older but not retired – people
who are probably still working in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. Gloria says that she's
surprised that there is a group of middle-aged couples, meaning usually husband
and wife, with their tween and teenage children. “Teenage,” you probably know,
is someone who is between the ages of 13 and 19 years old. We call that person
a teenager. The “teen” comes from the numbers thirteen, fourteen, fifteen and so
forth. A “tween” (tween) is a newer word. It describes someone usually in the age
bracket of nine to 12. Someone who isn't quite yet a teenager but they're not a
child anymore, either. They’re not a young child. They're still children, of course.
Nine to 12 is sometimes described now, in the last maybe 20 years or so as a
tween.
I think one of the reasons that word was invented was for advertising and
marketing reasons. They wanted a term that would cover children who perhaps
had enough influence on their parents to make them buy things so they decided
to target them. They decided to advertise directly to them. That's, in any case,
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ESL Podcast 898 – People of Different Ages

what a tween is – someone between the ages of nine and twelve. It could
describe a boy or a girl but it's more often used to describe girls.

Gloria says that that these children will be a handful. When we say someone or
something is a “handful,” we mean it's a lot of work. It's going to be difficult. It's
going to be challenging. Once again Andy does not agree with Gloria. That's how
you know they're married. He says that the children seem pretty well behaved to
me. “Well-behaved” means that they are not acting inappropriately. They're not
yelling. They’re not screaming. They’re quiet; they’re respectful – that would be
well-behaved. We use that expression when talking about children or perhaps
students.
Andy doesn't agree with Gloria but Gloria continues to go on and make her
observations. She says, “And did you notice that woman in her early forties and
the forty-ish man, each traveling alone?” “Early forties,” we've already described.
“Forty-ish” with the suffix (ish) at the end means approximately. This is an
informal suffix that we put on words to indicate that we’re not exactly sure. We’re
saying it's kind of like that. You may ask, for example, “Is it cold outside?” You
could say, “Well it's cold–ish,” meaning it's sort of cold but it's not really cold or,
“How hungry are you? Are you very hungry?” You can say, “Well I'm hungry-ish.”
I'm not exactly starving, I'm not really hungry but I'm a little hungry. This is very
common now in conversational English - but informal English, to be sure - by
adding “ish,” you are saying that you're not quite sure about something or you’re
giving an approximate age in this case, when we say forty-ish.
Gloria says that “The woman seemed nice but the man didn't seem too friendly.”
She’s describing these two people who are traveling by themselves. Andy says,
“Maybe he's using his time to size up everybody like you are. The verb “to size
(size) up” is a phrasal verb, meaning to evaluate or assess something, usually
just by looking at them. You size up a situation or you size up a person. There's
also an idea here that you're doing it rather quickly and that you're doing it by
comparing them to, perhaps, other people. So a boss might size up the people
who are applying for a job, decide, “Well, I like that person, and that person is
better than that person but not as good as this person.” That would be to size up.
It could also mean to look at someone and decide what you think they’re like.

You think that's a friendly person. You think that's a mean person just by looking
at them. That, of course, is not a very good idea.
Gloria says, “Well, I wish there were more young adults in this group.” A “young
adult” is a very general term to describe someone who's 18 years or older but
usually younger than say, 30. Young adults tend to be 18, 19 – all the way up to
30, maybe even 35. I am no longer a young adult. Gloria says, “I like talking to
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ESL Podcast 898 – People of Different Ages

young people.” Andy says, “I think there will be plenty of people for you to talk to
these two weeks when you're not sightseeing.” “Sightseeing” is what you do on a
tour. You go and you visit famous places – museums and parks and that sort of
thing. Gloria says, “Sightseeing? Oh yeah, sightseeing.” She's forgotten that, of
course, the main reason you go on a tour is not to meet the other people in the
tour but to see the places that you are going to visit.
Now let’s listen to the dialog, this time at a normal speed.
[start of dialog]
Gloria: I’m surprised at the variety of people on this tour.
Andy: Oh, yeah? I hadn’t noticed.
Gloria: Well, we’ll be spending the next two weeks with these people so I
thought I’d get to know some of them.
Andy: That’s nice.
Gloria: Did you see that thirty-something couple with a toddler and an infant?

I’m really surprised they’re on this tour.
Andy: I’m sure they know what they’re doing.
Gloria: And how about that group of seniors? Some of them look like they’re in
the mid- to late-seventies.
Andy: They seem pretty spry to me.
Gloria: But what really surprises me is that group of middle-aged couples with
their tween and teenage children. They’ll be a handful.
Andy: They seemed pretty well behaved to me.
Gloria: And did you notice that woman in her early-forties and the forty-ish man
each traveling alone? She seemed nice, but he didn’t seem too friendly.
Andy: Maybe he’s using his time to size up everybody like you are.
Gloria: Well, I wish there were more young adults in this group. I like talking to
young people.
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ESL Podcast 898 – People of Different Ages

Andy: I think there will be plenty of people for you to talk to these two weeks
when you’re not sightseeing.
Gloria: Sightseeing? Oh yeah, sightseeing.
[end of dialog]
How old is our scriptwriter? Dr. Lucy Tse? Well, she's not a toddler and she's not
an infant, but she is a wonderful scriptwriter and that's all I can tell you.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Come

back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,
hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. Copyright 2013 by the Center for Educational
Development.

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these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.