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ESL Podcast 1013 – Living With a Hoarder

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1

GLOSSARY

to get rid of – to give away or throw away; to make it so that one no longer has
something
* When are you going to get rid of all those baby clothes? Your kids are already
teenagers!

inaccessible – not able to be accessed; impossible to reach
* The earthquake caused rocks to fall, making the back of the cave inaccessible.

stack – a vertical pile; a large number of items placed on top of each other
* Her desk has three stacks: bills, correspondence, and outgoing mail.

pack rat – a person who collects many things and does not like to get rid of
anything; a person who keeps almost everything
* Dmitry is a pack rat who has all the artwork and school papers he has ever
done, dating back to preschool.

to get out of hand – to become uncontrollable; to become too big, challenging,
or extreme to handle
* We were pleased when Bradley first started exercising, but now he’s at the gym
up to six hours each day and it’s getting out of hand.

surface – the outer, usually flat side of something, such as a tabletop or a shelf
* The top surface of the desk has been painted green, but you can still see the
original wood on the other side.

to put (one’s) hands on – to find and touch something; to grab something
* I know my keys are somewhere in my purse, but I can’t quite put my hands on
them.

to collect – to bring together many of the same or similar items, especially when
those items have some value and can be sold
* Carmine collects perfume bottles, and her brother collects matchbooks.

perfectly – entirely; completely; a word used for emphasis
* That was a perfectly good orange! Why did you throw it away?

hoarding – the practice of keeping too many things so that they begin to fill one’s
home and create an uncomfortable and/or dangerous environment
* The police were shocked by the woman’s hoarding, which had filled the entire
home with worthless junk.

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ESL Podcast 1013 – Living With a Hoarder

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2

compulsive – unable to stop doing something, especially as a result of a mental
illness
* Cleo is a compulsive housekeeper who vacuums and mops at least four times
per day.

sterile – very bare, clean, and empty, without any impurities (things that make a
thing not pure) or unnecessary objects
* At the beginning of the school year, the classroom felt sterile, so the teacher
brought in a lot of plants and hung her students’ artwork on the walls.

clutter – objects that take up a lot of space and are not stored in an organized
way; disorder
* The kids’ bedroom is filled with clutter. There’s toys, books, games, and clothes
everywhere.

junk mail – mail that is not requested or wanted, especially advertisements
* Usually we recycle the junk mail without even reading it first.

to come in handy – to be useful or helpful
* These flashlights and candles will come in handy during a power outage.

to store – to keep something in a place until it is needed in the future
* Where do you store flour, sugar, and other ingredients needed for baking
cookies, breads, and cakes?

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ESL Podcast 1013 – Living With a Hoarder

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2014). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

3

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What does Julio mean when he says, “things are getting out of hand”?
a) His mother’s habits are getting out of control.
b) His mother has more things than she can hold.
c) They don’t have enough money to buy anything else.

2. What does Mom mean when she says, “I can put my hands on anything I
want at any time”?
a) She knows exactly where everything is.
b) She is still agile and able to move around freely.
c) She is capable of buying new things and bringing them home.

______________


WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

perfectly
The word “perfectly,” in this podcast, means entirely or completely and is used for
emphasis: “That children’s book was perfectly delightful! I wonder when they’ll
make it into a movie.” The phrase “perfect timing” describes something that
happened at the best possible time, or precisely when it needed to happen: “Are
you home early? That’s perfect timing! Dinner is almost ready.” When one has
been criticized by another person, the phrase “nobody’s perfect” is used to
lessen the severity or seriousness of that criticism: “Sure, she made some
mistakes, but nobody’s perfect. It could have happened to any of us.” Finally, the
phrase “practice makes perfect” is used to remind people that the only way to get
better at something is to try to do it many times: “Wynona spends hours
practicing her violin playing, because practice makes perfect.”

to store
In this podcast, the verb “to store” means to keep something in a place until it is
needed in the future: “How long can you store oil before it becomes rancid?” The
phrase “in store for (someone)” means that something will happen to someone
soon, or something is waiting for someone: “If you think being a parent is easy,
there’s a surprise in store for you!” Or, “The boss has no idea we got a new
client. We sure have some good news is store for her!” Finally, the formal phrase
“to set great store by (something)” means to consider something to be very
important or to have great expectations for something: “Marcus sets great store
by his athletic abilities to help him succeed in life.”

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ESL Podcast 1013 – Living With a Hoarder

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4

CULTURE NOTE

The Collyer Brothers

In 1947, the Collyer brothers “became a household name” (became well-known
and a normal topic of conversation) when they were found dead inside their
home in New York City. The brothers were “obsessive” (cannot stop oneself from
doing something) collectors and hoarders who had filled their home with more
than 140 tons of books, furniture, instruments, and other items. They had created
“tunnels” (passageways through things) that they could “crawl” (move on one’s
hands and knees) through, as well as “booby traps” (a small device that surprises
or harms someone who unknowingly touches it) to catch “intruders” (people who
enter a building or property without permission).

In 1947, a neighbor called to complain about the smell of “decomposition” (the
process through which a body breaks down after death) coming from the home.
Police officers had trouble getting into the home, because there were so many
things inside it. They began pulling items out of the home and, after five hours,
found the body of one of the brothers, Homer Collyer. Eighteen days later, as
they continued to pull items out of the home, they found the body of Langley
Collyer. “Apparently” (seemingly), Langley had died when he “tripped” (activated)
one of the booby traps and was “buried” (with one’s body covered by something)
under the “debris” (garbage). His older brother, Homer, who was “paralyzed”
(unable to move his body), apparently died of “starvation” (a lack of food to eat).

Most of the items in the home were “deemed” (determined to be) “worthless” (not
able to be sold for money). The structure of the home was unsafe, so it was
destroyed. Today, a “pocket park” (a very small park between buildings in large
cities) stands at the “site” (location) of the “former” (no longer in existence) home.

______________

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – a

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ESL Podcast 1013 – Living With a Hoarder

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5

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 1,013 – Living with
a Hoarder.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 1,013. I’m your host, Dr.
Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in
beautiful Los Angeles, California.

Visit our website at ESLPod.com. Become a member of ESL Podcast and
download the Learning Guide for this episode.

This episode is a dialogue between Julio and his mother, who apparently doesn’t
like to get rid of things – even things she doesn’t need anymore. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Julio: Mom, don’t you think it’s time to get rid of some of the stuff in this house?

Mom: Why? This house is fine the way it is.

Julio: There are parts of this house that are nearly inaccessible. There are stacks
of magazines and bags and boxes everywhere.

Mom: I need all that stuff. You know I’ve always been a pack rat.

Julio: I know, but I think things are getting out of hand. You have stuff on every
surface and you can’t find anything in here.

Mom: You can’t find anything, but I can put my hands on anything I want at any
time. I collect and keep useful things, unlike you young people these days who
throw away perfectly good things just because you don’t need them this minute.

Julio: I think your hoarding is becoming compulsive.

Mom: That’s nonsense. Just because you prefer living in a sterile environment
doesn’t mean I have to. I don’t mind a little clutter.

Julio: A little clutter?! You have junk mail from 15 years ago!

Mom: You never know when something will come in handy. Now, don’t you have
some room in your garage where I can store a few extra boxes?

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ESL Podcast 1013 – Living With a Hoarder

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6

Julio: No, I don’t!

[end of dialogue]

This episode is called “Living with a Hoarder” (hoarder). “To hoard” means to
collect things, usually things that you don’t need anymore but don’t want to throw
out. A “hoarder” is usually someone who collects so much of something that they
don’t have room for anything else. Their house begins to fill up with things. Some
people hoard only certain kinds of objects; other people hoard everything. They
don’t like to throw anything out.

You can also use this verb “to hoard” when you are buying a lot of something
because you think that in the future there perhaps won’t be any of that thing. If I
think, for example, that the price of, say, rice is going to go up in the future,
and/or that perhaps there won’t be any rice available to buy in the stores, I might
decide to go to the store and buy a hundred bags of rice. I would hoard the rice. I
would keep them until I needed them. In this instance, however, we’re talking
about someone who keeps things that they don’t need.

Julio begins by saying, “Mom, don’t you think it’s time to get rid of,” to throw out,
“some of the stuff in this house” – some of the things in this house. His mother
says, “Why?” The house is fine “the way it is.” Everything is fine, she says. Julio,
however, says “There are parts of this house that are nearly inaccessible.” The
prefix “in-” often means “not.” So, “inaccessible” means not accessible.
“Accessible” means you can get there. You can reach a certain place. Something
that is “inaccessible” is something that you cannot get to, you cannot reach.

Julio says, “There are stacks of magazines and bags and boxes everywhere.” A
“stack” is a vertical pile. It’s a lot of things put on top of each other. You could
have a stack of papers, or a stack of newspapers. A stack of newspapers would
be one newspaper on top of another newspaper on top of another newspaper,
and so on. Julio is complaining about the stacks of magazines and bags and
boxes in his mother’s house.

His mother says, “I need all that stuff. You know I’ve always been a pack rat.” A
“pack (pack) rat (rat)” is a person who likes to collect many things and not get rid
of anything. It’s quite similar to a hoarder. Julio says, “I know, but I think things
are getting out of hand.” The expression “to get out of hand” means that the
situation is becoming uncontrollable. It’s becoming so extreme, so difficult, that
we won’t be able to handle it. We won’t be able to manage it.

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ESL Podcast 1013 – Living With a Hoarder

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7

Julio says, “You have stuff on every surface and you can’t find anything in here.”
We use the word “surface” to describe the top of a table or of a shelf or of any flat
object that you can put something on top of. Mom says, “You can’t find anything,
but I can put my hands on anything I want at any time.” Julio’s mother says that
maybe he can’t find things in her house, but she can. She says, “I can put my
hands on anything I want.” “To put your hands on” something here means to
locate something, to find something. She says she can find whatever she wants.

“I collect and keep useful things, unlike you young people these days who throw
away perfectly good things just because you don’t need them this minute.” Mom
says she collects and keeps useful things. “To collect” means to get a lot of the
same item, the same thing. She complains that “young people these days” –
meaning nowadays, in the present time – “throw away perfectly good things.”
They get rid of perfectly good things. The use of the word “perfectly” here means
completely, entirely. It’s really used for emphasis: these are really good things.

Why do young people throw them away, according to Julio’s mother? “Just
because they don’t need them this minute.” She’s saying that young people
throw things away whenever they don’t need them, even if they may need them
in the future. That’s the implication of the phrase “this minute.” “This minute”
means right now, at this exact point in time, not in the future – not tomorrow, not
next week – but right now. Sometimes a parent angry at his or her daughter or
son might say, “I want you here this minute.” The parent means immediately.

Although it has other meanings that we explained earlier, “hoarding” nowadays
often describes people who collect so many things, have so many things in their
house, that it becomes perhaps even dangerous to go in the house because it’s
so full of stuff. Julio thinks his mom’s hoarding is becoming compulsive.
“Compulsive” (compulsive) means you are unable to stop doing something, often
because of some psychological or mental problem. The implication of this word is
that perhaps the person isn’t responsible for his own behavior. The person can’t
help, can’t prevent himself, from doing that activity.

Mom says, “That’s nonsense.” She says that’s wrong. That’s incorrect. “Just
because you prefer living in a sterile environment doesn’t mean I have to.”
“Sterile” (sterile) means, in this case, very “bare” (bare) – very clean, very empty,
without anything unnecessary present. “Sterile” is often used in the medical field
at hospitals and clinics to describe an environment where there aren’t any germs
or bacteria or things that could make you sick. We talk about “sterilizing
instruments” before surgery; before a doctor cuts into you with a knife, the knife
is sterilized. It’s made clean so that it doesn’t have anything that might make you
even more sick.

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ESL Podcast 1013 – Living With a Hoarder

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

8

In our dialogue, the mother is describing a place that doesn’t have hardly
anything in it, and because of that wouldn’t be very comfortable. She says, “I
don’t mind a little clutter.” “Clutter” (clutter) refers to things, objects, that take up a
lot of space and are not organized in any way. If you look at my desk, for
example, you’ll see a lot of clutter – papers here and papers there – not very
neat, not very organized. My wife can’t even look at my desk at home. She
doesn’t like it. It bothers her because she likes everything to be very neat, very
organized. Anyway, enough of me and back to our dialogue.

Julio says, “A little clutter? You have junk mail from 15 years ago.” “Junk (junk)
mail” is mail that is sent to you that you don’t really want or didn’t request. Julio’s
mom says, “You never know when something will come in handy.” “To come in
handy” (handy) means to be useful, to be something that might be helpful. “Now,”
Mom says, “don’t you have some room in your garage where I can store a few
extra boxes?” Julio’s mother is asking him if he can take a couple of her boxes of
things and store them in his garage. “To store” as a verb means to keep
something in a place until you need it sometime in the future.

Julio does not want to store any of his mother’s stuff. So, he says, “No, I don’t,”
meaning no, I don’t have any room in my garage to store your boxes. A “garage”
is normally a place where you put your car, but many Americans park their cars
outside and put things in their garage that they want to keep but they don’t need
right away. They store things in their garages.

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

[start of dialogue]

Julio: Mom, don’t you think it’s time to get rid of some of the stuff in this house?

Mom: Why? This house is fine the way it is.

Julio: There are parts of this house that are nearly inaccessible. There are stacks
of magazines and bags and boxes everywhere.

Mom: I need all that stuff. You know I’ve always been a pack rat.

Julio: I know, but I think things are getting out of hand. You have stuff on every
surface and you can’t find anything in here.

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ESL Podcast 1013 – Living With a Hoarder

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2014). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

9

Mom: You can’t find anything, but I can put my hands on anything I want at any
time. I collect and keep useful things, unlike you young people these days who
throw away perfectly good things just because you don’t need them this minute.

Julio: I think your hoarding is becoming compulsive.

Mom: That’s nonsense. Just because you prefer living in a sterile environment
doesn’t mean I have to. I don’t mind a little clutter.

Julio: A little clutter?! You have junk mail from 15 years ago!

Mom: You never know when something will come in handy. Now, don’t you have
some room in your garage where I can store a few extra boxes?

Julio: No, I don’t!

[end of dialogue]

All of our dialogues contain expressions and phrases that will come in handy in
speaking English. Thank you to Dr. Lucy Tse for writing those dialogues.

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 was written and produced by Dr. Lucy
Tse, hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. Copyright 2014 by the Center for Educational
Development.