Daily English 1239 Sharing an Online Account

Dialogue/Story

Slow Speed begins at: 1:26
Explanation begins at: 4:10
Normal Speed begins at: 19:05

Complete Transcript

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 1,239 – Sharing an Online Account.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 1,239. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

This episode is a dialogue between Sara and Gabriel about having more than one person use your online account. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Sara: Hello, customer service. How may I help you today?

Gabriel: Hello. I noticed some suspicious activity on my account and I want to find out if there’s been unauthorized access.

Sara: Let’s take a look. Your account history shows purchases nearly every day beginning two weeks ago.

Gabriel: That’s the problem. I haven’t made any purchases.

Sara: Do you have a shared account, by any chance?

Gabriel: Yes, I have a household account that’s shared by my entire family. My wife has full access, but my children only have restricted access.

Sara: I’m afraid that’s not showing in your account preferences. Both of your children have full access.

Gabriel: Even so, they know not to abuse their privileges. They wouldn’t buy things without asking my wife or me first.

Sara: Are you sure, sir? I show that both of your children have accessed the account regularly. In fact, they’re both logged on right now.

Gabriel: They are? What are they doing?

Sara: They’re in the process of buying several more items and are checking out.

Gabriel: Stop them! This is an emergency. Shut down my account.

Sara: I’m not sure I can do that, sir. Perhaps you can stop them on your end.

Gabriel: I’ll stop them all right. Just wait till I get my hands on those two!

[end of dialogue]

We’re talking in this episode about sharing, or more than one person using, an online or internet account. An “account” is, in this case, permission to use a certain website, usually one that requires you register – and often, pay – to use. Our dialogue begins with Sara saying, “Hello, customer service. How may I help you?” Sara, then, works for a company, an online company. She is part of their “customer service” – the people who are supposed to help you when you have a problem.

Gabriel says, “Hello. I noticed some suspicious activity on my account.” “Suspicious (suspicious) activity” is something, some activity or action, that you don’t recognize or that you think might be a problem. If you see someone standing by your car and looking as though he might try to steal your car, that would be an example of “suspicious activity.” The person is standing there and you’re not quite sure why. You think there might be some problem in the near future with this person.

In the case of Gabriel, he noticed some suspicious activity on his online account. He noticed things that he perhaps didn’t recognize or should not have been there. He wants to find out if there has been any “unauthorized access.” “Access” (access) is the ability to get into somewhere. It could be a physical place, or in this case it could be an account on a website. “Unauthorized” (unauthorized) is “not authorized,” meaning you don’t have permission to do that.

Sara says, “Let’s take a look. Your account history shows purchases nearly every day beginning two weeks ago.” Your “account history” would be a list on your website account of all the things that have happened on your account – all the things, in this case, that you have purchased or bought. Gabriel says, “That’s the problem. I haven’t made any purchases.” Sara is saying that there have been purchases on Gabriel’s account every day for the past two weeks, but Gabriel is saying he hasn’t bought anything. He didn’t buy anything from this website.

Sara then asks him, “Do you have a shared account, by any chance?” “To share” (share) is to use something with another person or to give something to another person to use as well. A “shared account” would be an account, in this case on a website, that two or more people could use. Sara adds the expression at the end of her question, “by any chance.” “By any chance” is a polite way of asking if something is possible. We might also say “maybe” or “perhaps.” “Do you by any chance have a pen I can borrow?” You are politely asking someone if they have a pen that you could use.

Gabriel says, in answer to Sara’s question, “Yes, I have a household account that’s shared by my entire family.” “Household” (household) refers to the group of people who live in your house or in your home. Usually all of those people are members of your family – a father, a mother, children, perhaps a grandmother, or even an aunt and an uncle. Those are all part of a “household” – people who live in one house or one apartment. Gabriel says he has a “household account” and every member of his family has access to this account.

He says, “My wife has full access but my children only have restricted access.” Gabriel talks about two kinds of access. The first kind is “full” (full). If you have “full access” to something, you have complete access. You have just as much access as the person who owns the account. Gabriel says his wife has “full access,” the same access that Gabriel has, but his children only have “restricted (restricted) access.” “Restricted” means that you aren’t able to do everything someone with full access can do. “Restricted” means partial, or just a part of the larger or whole amount.

Sara says, “I’m afraid that’s not showing in your account preferences.” Sara, the customer service woman, is telling Gabriel that his account is not set up – his account is not, we might say, “configured” – for restricted access for his children. Your “account preferences” are the things that you can turn on and off or change about your account. Sara then tells Gabriel, “Both of your children have full access.”

Gabriel says, “Even so” – meaning “Well, okay, even if that were true” – “they,” meaning his two children, “know not to abuse their privileges. They wouldn’t buy things without asking my wife or me first.” Gabriel is saying that even though his children have full access to his account, they would not “abuse” (abuse) their privileges. “To abuse” something is to use something in a harmful way – either doing too much of something or doing it in a way that could hurt you or someone else.

“To abuse someone’s privileges” (privileges) is to use the authorization or right to do something in a wrong way. “Privileges” refer to things that you are able to do, in this case. So, “to abuse your privileges” would be to use the things that you can use in a way you should not use them. In this case, Gabriel is saying his children would not buy something from this online account without asking him or his wife.

Sara says, “Are you sure, sir? I show that both of your children have access to the account regularly,” meaning “frequently.” “In fact, they’re both logged on right now.” “To be logged (logged) on” means to be registered and using a website at a certain point, at a certain time. If you are “logged on to your account,” you have signed in. You have logged in with your username and password and are using a certain website.

Sara is saying that Gabriel’s two children are using this website right now. Gabriel says, “They are? What are they doing?” Sara says, “They’re in the process of” – meaning “they are right now” – “buying several more items,” several more things, “and are checking out.” “To check (check) out” is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to complete your purchase of something.

Normally on a website, when you buy something, you say you want to buy it by adding it to a “shopping cart.” This is sort of a page where what you want to buy is being kept. Then you “check out.” Then you say, “Okay, I want to buy it,” and you put in your credit card information and you say, “Yes, I want to buy it.” “To check out,” then, means to complete your purchase of something, to buy something by giving a website your payment information – your credit card number or perhaps your PayPal account information.

Gabriel tells Sara to stop his children from checking out. “This is an emergency,” he says. “Shut down my account.” The phrasal verb “to shut (shut) down” means to close something so that it no longer functions or no longer works. If the owner of a company “shuts down” his business, he closes his business. The business stops functioning. Gabriel wants Sara to shut down his online account. But Sara says, “I’m not sure I can do that, sir. Perhaps, you can stop them on your end.” “On your end” means where you are, at your location.

Gabriel says, “I’ll stop them all right. Just wait till I get my hands on those two!” Gabriel is obviously angry. He’s upset. He says, “I’ll stop them,” meaning his two children, “all right.” The expression “all (all) right (right)” means certainly, for sure, without any doubt. Here it’s meant to indicate just how certain – and in a way, angry – Gabriel is. “I’ll stop them all right,” meaning I will definitely stop them. I am certainly going to stop them. Notice that “all right” is two words. It’s often spelled nowadays as one word, (alright), but the more traditional spelling is (all) and then (right) as two words.

Gabriel then ends our dialogue by saying, “Just wait till I get my hands on those two.” “Wait till” means “wait until.” “‘Till” is just a short way of saying “until.” “Wait until I get my hands on” someone means I am very angry and I’m going to hurt someone for doing something wrong. I’m going to punish someone for doing something wrong. It might be something a parent would say about his or her child if the child has done something wrong.

That’s the case here. Gabriel is very angry at his two children. We don’t know if he’s actually going to hurt them physically, but certainly he is going to punish them. He is going to do something to discipline them for buying things on this website without his permission.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Sara: Hello, customer service. How may I help you today?

Gabriel: Hello. I noticed some suspicious activity on my account and I want to find out if there’s been unauthorized access.

Sara: Let’s take a look. Your account history shows purchases nearly every day beginning two weeks ago.

Gabriel: That’s the problem. I haven’t made any purchases.

Sara: Do you have a shared account, by any chance?

Gabriel: Yes, I have a household account that’s shared by my entire family. My wife has full access, but my children only have restricted access.

Sara: I’m afraid that’s not showing in your account preferences. Both of your children have full access.

Gabriel: Even so, they know not to abuse their privileges. They wouldn’t buy things without asking my wife or me first.

Sara: Are you sure, sir? I show that both of your children have accessed the account regularly. In fact, they’re both logged on right now.

Gabriel: They are? What are they doing?

Sara: They’re in the process of buying several more items and are checking out.

Gabriel: Stop them! This is an emergency. Shut down my account.

Sara: I’m not sure I can do that, sir. Perhaps you can stop them on your end.

Gabriel: I’ll stop them all right. Just wait till I get my hands on those two!

[end of dialogue]

If you log on to our website, you can become a member and download our Learning Guides – and when you do, you can read the wonderful scripts written by our wonderful scriptwriter, Dr. Lucy Tse.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thanks for listening. Come back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.

Glossary

suspicious activity – actions or movements that one does not recognize, but believes might be associated with someone breaking the law or otherwise doing something that is dangerous or damaging

* The city has asked subway riders to report any suspicious activity, such as bags left behind.

unauthorized access – entrance to a website or account, or use of something without the permission of the owners or other authorized user

* This laboratory conducts research on dangerous viruses. Unauthorized access it prohibited.

account history – a list of all the transactions and other activity that have occurred within an account over a certain period of time

* Your bank account history for the past three months shows that you have made 20 withdrawals and only two deposits.

shared account – an account with has two or more owners or users

* When you get married, will you open a shared bank account, or will you continue to keep your finances separate?

by any chance – in any way; perhaps; maybe; a polite phrase used to ask if something is possible

* Did I leave my jacket here last night, by any chance?

household – the group of people who live together in a home, usually the members of a single family

* Our household consists of two adults, three children, and a dog.

full access – authorization to use all the features of an account or a computer program with no restrictions or limitations

* Only the senior executives have full access to the company’s financial system.

restricted access – partial or restricted rights to use certain features of an account or a computer program

* Clerks have restricted access to files. They are allowed to read and print many documents, but they cannot edit or delete them.

account preferences – configurations; features that one is allowed to turn on or off to customize how something works so that it better meets one’s needs

* In the account preferences, you can select whether you prefer to receive notifications by text message or email.

to abuse – to use something in a harmful way, especially to do too much of something so that it becomes a problem

* We trusted you, but you abused that trust by lying to us.

privilege – authorization or the right to have or do something that is very nice to have or do, but is not necessary, always with the possibility that the authorization or right might be taken away as a punishment

* Driving is a privilege. If we find out that you are speeding or otherwise driving irresponsibly, we’ll take away the car.

logged on – inside a computer program or on a website after one has entered a username and password

* How many people can be logged on this system at the same time?

to check out – to complete a purchase on a website; to buy something online by providing payment information

* Once you’ve placed the items in your shopping cart, click here to check out and buy everything with your credit card.

to shut down – to close and end something so that it can no longer continue to function or do business

* The inspector shut down the restaurant for health code violations.

on your end – where one is at, not where another person is; at one’s own location

* The space shuttle was ready to launch on our end, but the astronauts were reporting delays.

all right – certainly; for sure; without any doubt

* That was a terrible storm all right. It almost destroyed the barn.

wait ‘til I get my hands on – an informal phrase used to express anger, meaning that one will hurt another person as a punishment

* Just wait ‘til I get my hands on Keith. He has a lot of explaining to do.

Comprehension Questions

1. Who would have permission to change the account preferences?
a) Someone with unauthorized access
b) Someone with full access
c) Someone with restricted access
2. What are Gabriel’s children doing at the time of the call?
a) They are buying something.
b) They are turning off their computer.
c) They are adding money to the account.

Answers at bottom.

What Else Does It Mean?

by any chance

The phrase “by any chance,” in this podcast, means in any way or maybe, and is a polite phrase used to ask if something is possible: “Did you by any chance remember to buy some stamps at the post office?” The phrase “to take a chance” means to try to do something even though one knows that it might not be successful: “You’re a little underqualified for the job, but take a chance and apply anyway.” A “chance” occurrence is something that was unlikely, but happened anyway: “Getting hit by lightning is a chance occurrence and not very likely.” Finally, the phrase “what are the chances” is used when one wants to express surprise that something very unlikely has happened: “It was Sheila’s first time buying a lottery ticket, and she won! What are the chances?”

all right

In this podcast, the phrase “all right” means certainly, for sure, and without any doubt: “That was a beautiful cake all right. Nobody wanted to cut into it.” The phrase “all right” also means that everything is okay: “Are you all right?” Or, “We thought our house was damaged in the fire, but it was all right.” The phrase “to put (something) right” means to fix something or to correct a problem: “I don’t care why this happened, but right now I want you to put it right!” Finally, the phrase “to be in the right place at the right time” means to be present when an opportunity arises or when something becomes available: “We were walking by the theater just as they were giving out free tickets! I guess we were just in the right place at the right time.”

Culture Note

Parental Controls

“Parental controls” are electronic tools that help parents “control” (place limits or restrictions on) how their children use electronic “devices” (machines) such as TV, video games, “tablets” (small, flat computers that respond to touch), and smartphones. Some parental controls are designed to help parents limit what types of programs and games children have access to. Others help parents limit the amount of time that children spend on electronic devices.

For example, “content filters” allow parents to turn off certain TV channels. These channels can be watched only if someone enters the “password” (a secret code of letters and/or numbers). If the children do not know the code, the channel is “off limits” (not allowed). Other content filters allow children to watch programs, but they “filter out” (do not allow to pass through) “strong language” (bad words) or “violent” (causing harm or death to others) “images” (things that can be seen).

Newer parental controls “take the form of” (are available as) smartphone “apps” (applications; computer programs). Parents can “install” (place on a device) the app and then “program” (set) it to limit the maximum amount of time that can be spent on a device, or “block out” (not allow) certain times of day. Some parents use this so that the entire family eats dinner together without interruptions from electronic devices.

Other parental controls are “monitoring” (being able to watch or observe something) tools. These allow parents to see a report of how their children have used electronic devices, including which website they visited, who they “chatted” (sent electronic messages to) with, how long they spent on the device, and whether they made any purchases.

Comprehension Answers

1 - b

2 - a