Dialogue/Story
Slow Speed begins at: 1:38
Explanation begins at: 2:50
Normal Speed begins at: 17:59
Complete Transcript
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 1,245 – Measuring Mass and Volume.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 1,245. 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 – a short dialogue – between Andre and Dana about measuring mass and volume. Sounds exciting. Let’s get started.
[start of dialogue]
Andre: Three gallons of water.
Dana: Check.
Andre: A quart of lemon juice.
Dana: Got it.
Andre: A tablespoon of bleach.
Dana: Bleach?
Andre: Bleach. A pint of vinegar.
Dana: It’s in there.
Andre: A cup of baking soda.
Dana: Okay.
Andre: A teaspoon of liquid detergent.
Dana: Done.
Andre: A pound of bath salts.
Dana: A pound?
Andre: A pound. Three tablespoons of chlorine.
Dana: Okay.
Andre: An ounce of perfume.
Dana: Done. Do you really think this is necessary?
Andre: Have you smelled your stinky dog?!
[end of dialogue]
Andre begins our dialogue by saying, “Three gallons of water.” This dialogue is mostly Andre telling Dana about the quantity, mass, or volume of liquid that the two of them are using for something. We’ll find out what that is at the end of the dialogue. The first item, the first thing Andre says, is “Three gallons of water.” A “gallon” (gallon) is a way of measuring what we would describe as “liquid volume.”
Certain substances, such as water, can be either liquid, solid, or gas in form. Water that is solid is called “ice.” Water that is liquid is usually just referred to as “water.” Well, a “gallon” is a way of measuring the amount, or “volume” (volume), of liquid. I said “volume” is the quantity – technically it’s the amount of space that is taken up by a certain substance. That substance could be liquid, but it also could be in the form of a gas. Three gallons of water, then, equals, for the rest of you, 3.78 liters.
A gallon in the U.S. is divided into, or can be divided into, four parts. You could divide a gallon into four what we call “quarts” (quarts). The word “quart” comes from the word “quarter,” which is 25 percent of something. So, one gallon in the U.S. equals four quarts. A quart is a little less than one liter. Now, a quart can be divided into two equal parts called “pints” (pints). A “pint” is about a half a liter. So we have the formula, if you will, two pints equals a quart, four quarts equals a gallon.
Andre starts by saying, “Three gallons of water,” and Dana says, “Check.” “Check” (check) has a couple of different meanings. Here it’s used to show agreement or to indicate to someone else that you have done something that the person has asked you to do. It’s also used in other ways. For example, the verb “to check” can mean to look at or to investigate something, to make sure something is done. The meaning of “check” in our dialogue is somewhat related to that.
Dana is indicating that she has done this, that the task, in this case, of getting three gallons of water has been completed. She’s saying that they have three gallons of water. Andre is obviously reading from a list of things. The second item on his list is “a quart of lemon juice.” Remember a “quart” is about one liter – one quarter of a gallon. “Lemon juice” is the liquid that comes from the fruit lemon, which we use to make things like lemonade. Instead of saying “check,” Dana says something equivalent or about the same, which is “Got it,” meaning she understands.
Andre then says, “A tablespoon of bleach.” Now, we’ve talked about gallons, quarts, and pints. You can also describe the volume of something by using measurements related to “spoons” (spoon). A “spoon” is something that you use to eat food with. You have a “knife,” which is long and sharp. You have a “fork,” which has typically three or more what we call “tines” (tines) – those are those little parts that stick out in a fork that you use to put into the food. And you can have a “spoon,” also to eat food.
You can use “spoons” to measure or to indicate how much there is of something. A “tablespoon” (tablespoon) – all one word – is equal to about a half a fluid ounce – or for those on the metric system, about 15 milliliters of a substance, of a liquid, typically. A smaller unit of measurement, a smaller way of measuring the amount of something, is a “teaspoon” (teaspoon). There are three teaspoons in a tablespoon – or to put it another way, a teaspoon is one third of a tablespoon, about 4.9 milliliters in the metric system, which of course Americans don’t use and don’t understand.
“Bleach” (bleach) is a liquid chemical that is often used to clean things. Technically “bleach” is either sodium hypochlorite or hydrogen peroxide. The chemical formulas for that can be found on the internet. This is English, not chemistry we’re teaching here. Dana questions Andre after he says, “A tablespoon of bleach.” She says, “Bleach?” Notice she seems to be asking a question. Andre, however, confirms that is exactly what he meant. He says, “Bleach.”
Then he says, “A pint of vinegar.” A “pint” is, of course, one half of a quart, which is one quarter of a gallon. “Vinegar” (vinegar) is a “sour” (sour) liquid often used in cooking but sometimes in cleaning. “Sour” is the opposite of “sweet.” Sugar is sweet. Vinegar is sour. People often combine oil with vinegar in order to make what we would call “salad dressing,” something you would put on vegetables or a salad. Dana responds to Andre by saying, “It’s in there,” meaning the pint of vinegar is in whatever combination of liquids Andre and Dana are talking about.
Andre then says, “A cup of baking soda.” A “cup” (cup) is yet another way of measuring something – measuring liquids, measuring volume. I should probably explain that the title of this episode is “Measuring Mass (mass) and Volume.” “Mass” is a term used in physics that is related to volume, but technically I believe it is considered the quantity of substance in a given or certain amount of space. What does that mean? I’m not Einstein. You’ll have to ask a physicist. In conversational English, it’s sometimes used to mean the same as “weight” (weight).
In any case, Andre mentions “a cup of baking soda.” A “cup” is even smaller than a pint. Remember a gallon has four quarts. A quart has two pints. A pint has two cups. So, one half of a pint is one cup – or again, in the metric system, 237 milliliters. I don’t know how you people can understand 237 milliliters. I have no idea what that means, but hey, everyone has their own system, right? “Baking soda” is technically known as “sodium bicarbonate.” It’s a white substance, what we would call a “powder” (powder), that is used in cooking and, again like vinegar, sometimes in cleaning.
Dana indicates she has that. She says, “Okay.” Then Andre says, “A teaspoon of liquid detergent.” A “teaspoon,” again, is one third of a tablespoon. “Liquid detergent” (detergent) is something you use to clean something else. It’s a liquid soap. Dana says, “Done.” Andre then says, “A pound of bath salts.” A “pound” (pound) is a unit of measurement, a way that we indicate how heavy something is, how much it weighs. A pound is equal to a little less than a half a kilo. A pound is .45 kilograms. A pound is equal to 16 ounces.
So just as we can divide a “gallon” into quarts, pints, and cups, we can divide a pound into “ounces” (ounces). A pound has sixteen ounces. That makes one ounce equal to 19.6 milliliters. Got that? Understand that? Great. Let’s move on. Andre is talking about a pound of “bath (bath) salts (salts).” “Bath salts” are things you add to water – warm water, usually – to give it a nice smell. Technically bath salts are what we would call “crystals” (crystals) – a type of substance that, in this case, goes from being solid to liquid once it is put into water.
Dana questions the amount of bath salts that Andre is talking about. She says, “A pound?” Andre says, “A pound,” meaning yes, that’s how much I want. Then he says, “Three tablespoons of chlorine.” “Chlorine” (chlorine) is a liquid that is also commonly used for cleaning. Chlorine is one of the atomic elements. Number 17, for those of you taking notes. Dana says, “Okay.”
Finally, Andre says, “An ounce” – remember an ounce is one sixteenth of a pint – “of perfume” (perfume). Perfume is something you put on your body to make you smell nice. Usually “perfume” is the word we use for a liquid that a woman puts on her body. The liquid a man puts on his body is typically called “cologne” (cologne). It’s the same thing basically except we give it a different name for a man versus for a woman, and yes, the name comes from the city in Germany, also called Cologne, which must be a very nice-smelling place to visit.
Dana (getting back to our dialogue) says, “Done. Do you really think this is necessary?” she asks. Andre says, “Have you smelled your stinky dog?!” A “stinky (stinky) dog” is a dog that has a bad smell, a bad “odor” (odor). Another word we could use for “stinky”
is “smelly.” Apparently Dana and Andre are washing Andre’s dog.
Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
[start of dialogue]
Andre: Three gallons of water.
Dana: Check.
Andre: A quart of lemon juice.
Dana: Got it.
Andre: A tablespoon of bleach.
Dana: Bleach?
Andre: Bleach. A pint of vinegar.
Dana: It’s in there.
Andre: A cup of baking soda.
Dana: Okay.
Andre: A teaspoon of liquid detergent.
Dana: Done.
Andre: A pound of bath salts.
Dana: A pound?
Andre: A pound. Three tablespoons of chlorine.
Dana: Okay.
Andre: An ounce of perfume.
Dana: Done. Do you really think this is necessary?
Andre: Have you smelled your stinky dog?!
[end of dialogue]
If you have even an ounce of common sense, of intelligence, you would listen to the 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.
English as a Second Language Podcast was written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse, hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. Copyright 2016 by the Center for Educational Development.
Glossary
gallon – a unit for measuring liquid volume, equal to 4 quarts or 3.78 liters
* How much does a gallon of gasoline cost where you live?
check – a word used to show agreement, especially to indicate that one has done something or that a task on a list has been completed
* A: Did you remember to pack sunscreen and a hat?
B: Check, but I forgot my sunglasses.
quart – a unit for measuring liquid volume, equal to 2 pints, 4 quarts, or 0.95 liters
* Please buy a quart of buttermilk when you go to the store.
tablespoon – a unit of measurement used in cooking, equal to 0.5 fluid ounces or 15 milliliters
* Stir in one tablespoon or soy sauce and a few drops of peanut oil.
bleach – a liquid chemical used to clean and/or lighten the color of surfaces, typically sodium hypochlorite NaOCl or hydrogen peroxide H2O2
* Leo washed the kitchen floor with a mixture of one cup of bleach in a gallon of water.
pint – a unit for measuring liquid volume, equal to 0.5 quarts or 0.47 liters
* Did you really eat an entire pint of ice cream while watching the movie?
vinegar – a sour liquid often used for seasoning
* If you leave this apple juice out for too long, it will turn into vinegar.
cup – a unit for measuring liquids or volume, equal to 0.5 pint or 237 milliliters
* This recipe calls for three cups of flour and one cup of sugar.
baking soda – sodium bicarbonate NaHCO3; a white powder used for cooking and for cleaning
* Mix some baking soda with a little bit of water and some lemon juice. You can use the mixture to scrub really dirty pots and pans.
teaspoon – a unit of measurement used in cooking, equal to 0.33 tablespoon or 4.9 milliliters
* Try adding a teaspoon of cinnamon the next time you make pancakes. It’s delicious!
liquid detergent – liquid soap (not a bar) used for washing dishes or clothing
* If you use too much liquid detergent in the washing machine, your clothes will still be soapy when the cycle is finished.
pound – a unit for measuring weight, equal to 16 ounces or 0.45 kilos
* Ayako gave birth to a healthy baby boy weighing 7 pounds, 4 ounces.
bath salt – crystals that are added to warm water in a bathtub to make the water softer and to give it a nice scent (smell)
* Dana relaxed by filling the tub with warm water and bath salts and listening to classical music.
chlorine – a liquid used for cleaning, containing Cl
* The public swimming pool irritates my eyes because the water has too much chlorine in it.
ounce – a fluid ounce; a unit for measuring liquid volume, equal to 1/16 of a pint or 29.6 milliliters
* Would you like a 12- or 16-ounce coffee?
perfume – a liquid with a strong, pleasant smell, often applied to a woman’s neck or wrists (the body part connecting the arm to the hand)
* The office discourages employees from wearing strong perfume because some employees have allergies.
stinky – smelly; with a very bad, unpleasant smell
* After soccer practice, Adrian’s feet were really stinky.
Comprehension Questions
1. Which contains the most?
a) A gallon
b) A cup
c) A teaspoon
2. Which of these cleaning supplies can also be used in cooking?
a) Bleach
b) Vinegar
c) Chlorine
Answers at bottom.
What Else Does It Mean?
cup
The word “cup,” in this podcast, means a unit for measuring liquids or volume, equal to 0.5 pint or 237 milliliters: “Some people say it’s important to drink at least eight cups of water each day.” A “cup” can also be a small, round container that is open at the top, used for drinking: “Would you like a cup of tea after dinner?” Or, “The host asked the guests to write their names on the plastic cups.” The phrase “not (one’s) cup of tea” is used to refer to something that one does not enjoy or like: “Golf is not my cup of tea.” Finally, the “cup of one’s hand” refers to the space created in one’s palm when one holds the hand upward and curls the fingers: “The little girl gently held the frog in the cup of her hand.”
pound
In this podcast, the word “pound” means a unit for measuring weight, equal to 16 ounces or 0.45 kilos: “The oranges cost $1.67 per pound.” Or, “Gary is on a diet because he wants to lose 10 pounds.” When talking about animals, “the pound” is an animal shelter or a place where animals are kept temporarily until their owners or a new owners can be found: “When they lost their dog, they called the pound and put up posters in their neighborhood.” On a telephone keypad, the “pound” key is the key with a hashtag (#) symbol: “Please enter the extension you wish to dial, followed by the pound sign.” Finally, as a verb, “to pound” means to hit something many times with one’s fist: “Who could be pounding on the hotel room door in the middle of the night?”
Culture Note
United States Customary Units
In the United States, people use a system of measurements known as “customary units” or the “traditional systems of weights and measures.” Most other countries “prefer” (like more) the “metric system” (the system of measurements based on liters, meters, and grams).
American scientists, doctors, and other technical professionals usually use the metric system, but “laypersons” (ordinary Americans, not technical specialists) are more familiar with customary units. Signs and labels usually use customary units. For example, most products in a grocery store are labeled in pounds and gallons rather that grams and liters.
The U.S. customary units were based on the British system of measurements, so the measurements have a “rich” (with a lot of value and meaning) history, but they are not very “practical” (easy to understand and use). Customary units require a lot of memorization and “converting between units” (expressing a single value in different units, such as gallons versus cups), involving more complex calculations than in the metric system.
In 1988, the United States passed the “Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act” which recognized the metric system as the preferred system for “commerce and trade” (the buying and selling of goods in business). The Act requires the federal government to help “industry” (businesses) adopt the metric system, but only if industry wants to do so “voluntarily” (without being forced to do something). U.S. schools try to teach students both systems of measurement.
Comprehension Answers
1 - a
2 - b