Daily English 1285 Types of Commendations

Dialogue/Story

Slow Speed begins at: 1:03
Explanation begins at: 3:38
Normal Speed begins at: 17:24

Complete Transcript

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 1,285 – Types of Commendations.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 1,285. 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 Marissa and Santiago about types of commendations – rewards you give someone for doing a good job. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Marissa: Can you believe it? We’ve received over 100 entries for the science fair.

Santiago: That’s great! We now need to decide what types of awards to hand out.

Marissa: Everybody likes money. How about a cash prize?

Santiago: We’re working with a very small budget here. We can’t afford a cash prize, and I’m not sure that it would send the right message anyway.

Marissa: The next best thing is a trophy.

Santiago: We don’t have the budget for trophies if we plan to give out more than one commendation.

Marissa: Then how about medals?

Santiago: We can’t afford good ones and nobody wants a cheap plastic medal.

Marissa: So I guess plaques are out, too?

Santiago: I’m afraid so. I was thinking of ribbons, different color ribbons for different prizes. What do you think?

Marissa: I guess ribbons would be okay. After all, it’s the praise and recognition that matters.

Santiago: Exactly. And for those getting honorable mentions, a certificate will do. We’ll also need certificates of participation for the rest.

Marissa: So everybody gets something?

Santiago: That’s right. We don’t want anyone to leave empty-handed.

Marissa: Even if their entry isn’t worthy of recognition?

Santiago: All entries are worthy of recognition – just some more than others.

[end of dialogue]

Marissa begins by saying, “Can you believe it? We’ve received over 100 entries for the science fair.” Marissa starts by saying, “Can you believe it?” We usually use that expression when something surprising happens, something that is unusual. What is unusual, apparently, is that Marissa and her school have received 100 entries for a science fair.

An “entry” (entry) is something usually that is given to someone in a competition so that other people can look at it or evaluate it. Another word for “entry” would be a “submission” (submission). If you are having an art contest, for example, and you want to find the best painter, you might ask each painter “to submit,” or to send in, a painting. That painting would be an entry in the competition.

This is a science fair competition. A “science fair” (fair) is a competition that some schools or organizations have for students, usually young students – students that are in grade school or high school. A “science fair” involves experiments and other things that students put together to show they understand scientific concepts. Marissa is happy that they have more than 100 of these student entries.

Santiago agrees. He says, “That’s great. We now need to decide what type of awards to hand out.” An “award” (award) is something you give the winner of a competition or a game. The phrasal verb “to hand (hand) out” means to give to people, so if you are handing out awards, you are giving people awards. If you’re handing out money, you are giving people money (and you could give me some money if you’re handing out money).

Marissa says, “Everybody likes money,” meaning she thinks perhaps they should give the winners of this science fair cash. She even says, “How about a cash prize?” that is, a prize that is basically money. Santiago says, “We’re working with a very small budget here,” which is another way of saying they don’t have a lot of money. “We can’t afford a cash prize, and I’m not sure that would send the right message anyway.”

The expression “to send the right message” (message) means to communicate to other people what you think is important, or perhaps what you believe in. Giving kids money for doing well in a science fair might not send the right message. We don’t want them to think they should do well in school just because they’ll get money, but of course they want to give the students something.

Marisa suggests that “the next best thing,” meaning the next thing after money that would be good, “is a trophy” (trophy). A “trophy” is an object that you give someone who wins an award – usually it is either a bowl or a cup, but it might also be a figure of a man or a woman that represents victory. Here in Hollywood, the best movies and directors and actors will get an Oscar. It’s a little trophy that represents their victory in a certain category for the Academy Awards, the awards given to the best movies and such every year.

Santiago says, “We don’t have the budget for trophies.” Once again, to say you “don’t have the budget (budget) for” something means you don’t have enough money for something. Santiago says they don’t have the budget for trophies “if we plan to give out,” or hand out, “more than one commendation.” A “commendation” (commendation) is any kind of award or praise that you give to someone who has won a contest or a competition.

Marissa’s says, “Then how about medals?” A “medal” (medal) is a flat, often circular or round piece of metal (metal) that has words or images on it. It often looks like a little coin, and this round metal is typically worn on your shirt or jacket. Sometimes the medal is worn over your neck. If you win a gold medal at the Olympics, you get a large round metal. Once again, you’ve probably seen these. They look like big coins that you wear around your neck with a ribbon, a piece of fabric that is connected to the metal.

Santiago says, “We can’t afford good ones,” meaning good-quality medals, “and nobody wants a cheap” – inexpensive, that is – “plastic medal.” Marisa says, “So I guess plaques are out, too?” A “plaque” (plaque) is usually a square or, in any case, rectangular piece of wood or metal that has the name of the contest and often the name of the winner on it. When Marissa says, “plaques are out,” she means that plaques are not possible either. Santiago says, “I’m afraid so,” meaning yes, plaques are out, too.

He then continues, “I was thinking of ribbons” (ribbons). A “ribbon” is a small rectangular piece of cloth, often with words on it – again, similar to a plaque except it’s made out of cloth and is much less expensive, much cheaper. Marissa says, “I guess ribbons would be okay. After all, it’s the praise and recognition that matters.” Marissa is saying the actual prize is not so important. It’s the “praise” – the saying of good things about you or whoever wins – “and recognition that matters.”

“Recognition” is when someone says, “Yes, you did a good job.” “Recognition” is any time that someone says, publicly, “You did a good job” – or in this case, “You won this award.” It’s the praise and recognition that is important. Santiago says, “Exactly.” Santiago continues, “And for those,” meaning those students, “getting honorable mentions, a certificate will do.”

If you don’t win a prize at a school competition, you will sometimes be given an award that is called an “honorable mention.” An “honorable mention” is given to anyone who does a good job in the contest but doesn’t win it. Not all contests or competitions have honorable mentions, but some do, especially school competitions. A “certificate” (certificate) is a piece of paper that serves as an award or as a document showing that you’ve completed something or won something.

Santiago also mentions “certificates of participation.” “Certificates of participation” are given to anyone who is part of a competition or a contest. Again, not all competitions or contests have certificates of participation given to the people who participate or take part in those contests, but many do, especially school competitions. Marissa says, “So everybody gets something?” Santiago says, “That’s right,” meaning that’s correct. “We don’t want anyone to leave empty-handed.”

The phrase “empty (empty) – handed (handed)” means without anything. If you leave “empty-handed,” you leave with nothing in your hands – that is, you leave with nothing. You don’t get anything. “I went over to the beautiful woman to get her phone number but I left empty-handed,” meaning I didn’t get her phone number. Santiago doesn’t want any of the students to leave empty-handed. Marissa says, “Even if their entry isn’t worthy of recognition?” “To be worthy” (worthy) means to be good enough to get something or to be deserving something.

Santiago says, “All entries are worthy of recognition – just some more than others.” Santiago is saying that anyone who sends in an entry or participates in this science fair deserves something, gets something to recognize or to acknowledge the participation of the student. Some, however, are more worthy than others, meaning some deserve a prize more than others. That’s why Santiago wants to give all of these different kinds of prizes at different levels, I guess you could say.

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

[start of dialogue]

Marissa: Can you believe it? We’ve received over 100 entries for the science fair.

Santiago: That’s great! We now need to decide what types of awards to hand out.

Marissa: Everybody likes money. How about a cash prize?

Santiago: We’re working with a very small budget here. We can’t afford a cash prize, and I’m not sure that it would send the right message anyway.

Marissa: The next best thing is a trophy.

Santiago: We don’t have the budget for trophies if we plan to give out more than one commendation.

Marissa: Then how about medals?

Santiago: We can’t afford good ones and nobody wants a cheap plastic medal.

Marissa: So I guess plaques are out, too?

Santiago: I’m afraid so. I was thinking of ribbons, different color ribbons for different prizes. What do you think?

Marissa: I guess ribbons would be okay. After all, it’s the praise and recognition that matters.

Santiago: Exactly. And for those getting honorable mentions, a certificate will do. We’ll also need certificates of participation for the rest.

Marissa: So everybody gets something?

Santiago: That’s right. We don’t want anyone to leave empty-handed.

Marissa: Even if their entry isn’t worthy of recognition?

Santiago: All entries are worthy of recognition – just some more than others.

[end of dialogue]

I think our scriptwriter deserves an award for her wonderful scripts – perhaps a Nobel Prize in Literature. Thank you, Dr. Lucy Tse.

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

Glossary

entry – a submission; something that is presented in a competition so that it can be evaluated against the others

* If you put your phone number on the back of the receipt and put it in this box, it will become your entry in our prize drawing.

science fair – a competition in which students present the results of their science experiments, showing their ability to follow the scientific method

* The winning exhibit at the science fair involved a balloon that expanded as the temperature of the air increased.

award – something that is given to the winner of a competition or the best performer in a particular group

* Mickey received an award from the school for having perfect attendance.

to hand out – to distribute; to give things to people

* Could you help me hand out these flyers about the election?

cash prize – money that is given to one or more winners of a competition or a chance drawing

* The state lottery has a cash prize of more than $100,000.

to send the right message – to communicate clearly so that others understand what one believes, especially about how one should behave or about what is most important

* Parents can send the right message to their children by using cell phones responsibly and never texting while driving.

trophy – a fancy cup on a stand given to the winner of a competition, often printed with the winner’s name

* His bookshelves display many trophies that he won playing hockey in high school and college.

commendation – praise, or an award that offers praise to a competitor or entrant

* The Purple Heart is an important commendation for people who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.

medal – a flat, circular piece of metal engraved with images and words, hung from a colored ribbon and placed around the winner’s neck

* Hector dreams of winning a gold medal at the Olympics.

plaque – a piece of wood, metal, or plastic that is hung from the wall with with the names of winners or honorees

* The school entrance is lined with plaques listing the top students from each graduating class.

ribbon – a small, rectangular piece of cloth with words indicating the name of the competition and what place or ranking a person received in that competition

* The blue ribbons are for first place and the red ribbons are for second place.

praise – words of admiration; statements that another person has done a good thing or has done something well; warm approval

* The review in the newspaper was full of praise for the new musical.

recognition – acknowledgement; identification of someone’s existence, performance, contributions, or validity

* This survey found that most employees value recognition more than salary increases.

honorable mention – an honor or award given to someone who did well in a competition, but did not receive one of the main awards

* The competition gives awards to only the top three competitors, but the next two receive an honorable mention.

certificate – a piece of paper that documents one’s accomplishment or qualification

* This certificate shows that Jamison has been trained as a teacher of English as a foreign language.

certificate of participation – an official document that shows someone was involved in a program or competition without indicating how well he or she performed in it

* All of the children receive a certificate of participation if they play in at least eight of the baseball games.

empty-handed – without anything; without receiving money or an award

* We spent the day at the river, trying to find gold, but we came home disappointed and empty-handed.

worthy – deserving something; good enough to receive some kind of acknowledgement, recognition, or award

* How do you decide which charitable organizations are worthy of your donations?

Comprehension Questions

1. Which of these awards can be worn?
a) A trophy
b) A medal
c) A plaque

2. What does Santiago mean when he says, “We don’t want anyone to leave empty-handed”?
a) He doesn’t want anyone to steal the awards.
b) He wants the awards to be valuable and meaningful.
c) He wants all of the participants to receive something.

Answers at bottom.

What Else Does It Mean?

entry

The word “entry,” in this podcast, means a submission or something that is presented in a competition so that it can be evaluated against the others: “All entries in the baking competition will be evaluated based on taste and appearance.” The phrase “to force an entry” means to go into a building by breaking a window or a door: “Someone forced an entry into our apartment and stole my computer.” The phrase “to gain entry” means to get into a building: “If you have the right password, you can gain entry into top-secret laboratories.” Finally, the phrase “to refuse entry” means to not allow someone into a building: “The theater refuses entry to anyone not wearing shirts and shoes.”

ribbon

In this podcast, the phrase “ribbon” means a small, rectangular piece of cloth with words indicating the name of the competition and what place or ranking a person received in that competition: “These ribbons will be given to each of the race winners.” A “ribbon” is also a colored piece of fabric tied in a girl’s hair or used to tie items together in a decorative way: “Jeanette sells gift cards in groups of 10, tied with a pretty pink ribbon.” A “ribbon” can also be a colored strip used to wrap and decorate presents or other packages: “That wrapping paper would look really nice with a blue ribbon.” Finally, when talking about a typewriter, cassette, or other equipment, a “ribbon” is a long, thin piece of plastic covered in ink or recorded information: “When the typewriter key hits the ribbon, it leaves a mark on the paper.”

Culture Note

Common Elementary and Secondary School Academic Awards

In the United States, schools often have “assemblies” (times when all students and teachers come into the same room for announcements, performances, and awards) in which they give awards to students. Here is a list of some of the most common “academic” (related to school, not sports or other activities) awards.

Perfect attendance – Students with “perfect attendance” have attended school every day with no “absences” (times when someone is not at school or work as expected).
Curricular awards – Students who “excel” (perform very well) in a particular “subject area” (one topic of learning) might receive a curricular award such as “excellence in math” or “excellence in English.”
Honor roll – Students who perform well in all of their classes and have a high “GPA” (grade point average; a number up to 4.0 that indicates what grades the student has received in all of his or her classes) might be placed “on the honor roll,” or a list of the school’s top-performing students.
Most improved – Some students perform poorly at the beginning of the year but improve significantly over time. These students might receive a “most improved” award recognizing improvements in their behavior and/or academic performance.
Character awards – Students who have “exhibited” (shown) “traits” (characteristics) that the school “values” (likes and appreciates) might receive “character awards.” “Best friend” would be awarded to someone who is kind to others. “Most responsible” would be awarded to someone who does what needs to be done. And “best manners” would be awarded to the student who is most “polite” (using nice words like “please” and “thank you”).

Comprehension Answers

1 - b

2 - c