ESL 1061

Curran: I like these tennis shoes. I need a new pair.

Beth: Were here to buy you some dress shoes for attending Chelseys
wedding. You cant go wearing those worn out loafers, and you need
time to break them in.
Curran: All right. Just pick whatever you think is suitable and lets go.
Beth: Dont you want to have a say in what you wear? I think
these oxfords are nice. What do you think?
Curran: Great. Im a size 10 and a half. Ill try them on and well go.
Beth: You cant just buy the first pair of shoes you see. How about
these?
Curran: Those patent leather shoes? They have purple laces. Well, if you
think theyre okay...
Beth: No, theyre not. These shoes are totally wrong for the occasion, not
to mention hideous. I was just trying to get a rise out of you so youll
pick the shoes you like.
Curran: But I dont care what I wear. Just pick a pair.
Beth: No, you pick.
Curran: Fine. How about these?
Beth: No, theyre not dressy enough. They look more like sandals than
dress shoes.
Curran: Then how about these?
Beth: Those boots? Definitely not.
Curran: Okay, these then.
Beth: Those shoes fasten with Velcro. Are you kidding me?
Curran: Okay, why dont you just tell me what my taste should be and Ill
buy what you want me to buy?
Beth: And leave you with no say in your own purchase? What kind
of cousin would I be if I did that?

Curran begins our dialog by saying to Beth I like these tennis shoes.
I need a new pair., Beth thinks Currant and Curran are out shopping for
andor looking to buy some shoes for Curran., Curran says he likes the
tennis shoes,these tennis shoes . Tennis shoes, are sometimes called
athletic shoes, or in some parts of the US pumpgym shoes. Basically,
they are comfortable shoes that are worn for playing many different
kinds of sports, thatas well as for running. Beth, however, says Were
here to buy you some dress shoes for attending Chelseys wedding.
You cant go wearing those worn out loafers, and you need time to
break them in. Dress d-r-e-s-s shoes are nice looking shoes, shoes
that, I guess you could say, a womenwoman would wear thewith a
dress. However, we use the term dress shoes for both men and
women to describe thea very nice pair of shoes. Shoes,, shoes you could
wear to a formal event. Beth and Curran are there at the shoes
store to buy CurranCurrant some dress shoes for attending and or going
to a wedding, Chelseys wedding. Beth says youYou cant go wearing
those worn out loafers. When we say something is worn w-o-r-n out
we mean its old and it looks old, often youwe use this, an expression
for thingthings that you can no longer use, or no longer work probably
or are no longer appropriate for certain thing.things, Beth is saying
that Currans loafers are worn out. Loafers l-o-a-f-e-r-s are
leather shoes that have a flat bottom to them, what we would call a
flat heel, just which is the back bottom of the shoes. Thata shoe. They are
considered someonesomewhat informal, usually loafers dont have little
drinkstrings that. You used you use to tidetighten the shoes on in front,
we called call those little dinkstrings shoelaces. Loafers, loafers dont
have shoelaces, that so they're very easy to put on it, and take off.
Beth says that CurranCurrant is going to need time to break them in.
Them, them here refers to the new shoes, but doesnt what does this
mean to break in new shoes. To break in here means to wear
something, especially shoes, for wide fora while so that theyre
comfortable. As you probably know when you buy thea new pair of
shoes, sometime sometimes it takes the widea while for your fitfeet to
get comfortable shoes into itshelfin the shoe itself so that the shoes

feelshoe feels good and is easy to wear. To break in shoes then you is
to wear the shoes usually for a little bit of time every dayeveryday
until you can wear the shoes without any discomfort. To break in are
the phraseas a phrasal verb hadhas a very different meaningsmeaning, in
English as well would be the dealwhich is to steal, to go in, usually to a
house or to a building and to the till thingsteal things, to wrap thing forrob
things from that place. But here isits not used to refer to anyone, still
in stealing anything but rather to wear shoes until they are
comfortable. CurranCurrant says All right. Just pick whatever you
think is suitable and lets go. CurranCurrant is telling Beth that she
should pick something asthat she likes and that Curranthats what Currant
will buy. Beth says Dont you want to have a say in what you wear?
?. To have a say in something is to have an opinion, to express more
importantly yoursyour opinion and be part of the decision. Beth is
surprised Curranthat Currant wants her to pick his shoes. She then
says I think these oxfords are nice... Oxfords o-x-f-o-r-d-s aare
leather shoes that waswith a very simple shape that have shoes leather
shoelaces on top of them. But its but not on all the way down onto the
toes. You may be confused because the word oxford is usually
usesused to describe a famous university in England. But, but here it, it's
used to describe thea kind of shoes.shoe. If you look up oxford would asat
the Oxfords with an s at the end in a dictionary, you youll see the
definition of this kind of shoes.shoe. Beth says what do you think?What
do you think, do you like these shoes? Shes shes asking Curran.
CurranCurrant, Currant says Great. Im a size 10 and a half. Ill try
them on and well go?. Curran, Currant just wants to try on the shoes
and leave., Beth says You cant just buy the first pair of shoes you
see. How about these? ?, Beth wants CurranCurrant to look at more
shoes, different kindkinds of shoes before he may saymakes a decision.
She, she then sawshows him another pair of shoes., Curran says Those
patent leather shoes? patent ?. Patent p-a-t-e-n-t leather is a very
tinyshiny leather that thats often use used for shoes and for purpses. That
purses that women, for example with , would typically wear more days,, a
small bag that a women would have to put all of the thingthings that

women have, that they want to take with them. Patent leather is a
popular material for shoes. Curran,Currant however, its is not quite
sure about of this pair of shoes, that Beth is askingsuggesting, he says
They have purple laces... Laces l-a-c-e-s referrefers to
shoelacesshoes laces, the string or coursecord that we use on the top
front, part of the shoesshoe to tightnesstighten it, to make sure that
putyour foot stays in the patent of shoes. Curran shoe. Currant says Well,
if you think theyre okay? Beth then describesreplies No, theyre
not.; shes testing Curran I guess. Try, trying to get Curran to see
howthat he has to take this decision seriously, so she suggests a pair
of shoes that are clearly not appropriate for a wedding. She says
theseThese shoes are totally wrong means, meaning completely wrong,
for the occasion, for the event. Not, not to mention hideous hideous.
Hideous h-i-d-e-o-u-s means horrible, in this case, horrible looking,
terrible looking, something atthats really ugly would be hideous. Beth
said says these shoes are hideous. She uses the expression not to
mention m-e-n-t-i-o-n, not to mention is a common phrase in the
conversational English. That that is used to phraseplace emphasis on
something. Especially, , especially when we are listing reason reasons for
something. For example, someone asking memay ask you to go out to
dinner at thea restaurant, but you cant go and youreso you start
telling athe person why you cant go. Well you say to the person I
need to do my homework and my brothers brother is coming to visit not
to mention I also have to wash my clothes tonight. Youre. You're
giving athe person the different reasons and then youre emphasizing
one of those reasons. That, thats how youwe would be use not to
mention.. Beth says I was just trying to get a rise out of you so
youll pick the shoes you like. To get a rise r-i-s-e out of someone
is to make someone react, especially in anger or perhaps in annoy at.
Usually annoyance, usually because you think that reaction is going to be
very funny or entertaining. When you try to get a rise out of
something, when you trysomeone youre trying to get the person angry, but
for a funny reasonsreason or a funny purposespurpose, at least you think
its funny. Curran says butBut I dont care what I wear. Just pick a

pair., Curran is telling Beth picksto pick a pair of shoes for him.,
Beth says No, you pick., Curran says Fine. How about these?.,
Beth says No, theyre not dressy enough. Dressy; dressy here means
formal., They look more like sandals than dress shoes. Sandals s-an-d-a-l-s a are shoes are typically worn in warm weather that
completely sandalsare not a complete shoe. Sandals are usually open onin
the back, or at least part of the foot expose,is exposed so you can see
a lot of the skin on your feet. You can wear shortssocks over your
feet with sandals but thetheyre most color warmcommonly worn without
shorts. There socks. Theyre usually found at the beach, for example. Its,
theyre not appropriate for a formal event like thea wedding. Curran
says Then how about these?.? . Beth says Those boots? Definitely
not. . Boots b-o-o-t-s are very taller, tall or high shoes, that come up
high on your length, boots one leg. Boots once again are not considered
formal shoes, that there are and therefore not appropriate for thea
wedding. Curran says Okay, these then. Beth says Those shoes
fasten with Velcro. Are you kidding me?. To fasten f-a-s-t-e-n
means to connect something together, usually with a bottombutton or
some other small devicesdevice on the bottom shelfcloth itself like a snap
s-n-a-p. velcroVelcro v-e-l-c-r-o is a plastic material that you are
able to put together so that is stateit stays, you dont have to tired
at,tie it, the two partparts of the Velcro puthook together and are able
to keep something together, to hold something together or to connect
something together. There are some shoes in that instead of shoelaces
just had velcroshoe laces have Velcro on them. The one but once again,
those shoes are not appropriate for thea wedding. Curran says Okay,
why dont you just tell me what my taste should be and Ill buy what
you want me to buy?. Currans? , Curran is telling Beth that she
needneeds to tell him what his taste should be. Taste t-a-s-t-e here
refers to the kindkinds of thingthings that you like. You, you can talk
about the your taste in food or theyour taste onin clothing. It, it doesnt
refer necessarynecessarily to something you eat. ThatThat's also you
used a use of the verb theto taste, to put something in your mouth and
to get a sense of the flavor of this the food, but its mean it means much

more generally the kindkinds of thingthings that you like, and could
refer to any kind of objectsobject or activitiesactivity that you like.
Curran is telling Beth just tell himme what she likes, you should like, what
you think I should buy orand I'll buy at.it. Beth however says And
leave you with no say in your own purchase? What kind of cousin
would I be if I did that?. That?, Beth, even though she doesnt like
anything that Curran is has selected, justdoes not wantswant to tell
Curran what he buys, thatto buy; thats why she says and leave you
with no say in your own purchase? Think, in the thing that you are
about to buy., What kind of cousin, she asks, would I be if I did
that? . Your cousin c-o-u-n-s-i-n refers to the son or daughter of
either your aunt or your uncle. YourYou aunt is your mother or
fathers sister. Your, your uncle is your mother or fathers brother. So
it tries , so its the child of one of your auntaunts or uncle.uncles. Now
lets listen to the dialog this time at a normal speed.