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ESL Podcast 763 – Dealing with an Apartment Super

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1

GLOSSARY

super – superintendent; a person whose job is to maintain a building, especially
an apartment building, making sure that everything works properly and fixing
things that break
* The super wasn’t able to fix the light by our front door, so he’s going to call a
professional electrician.

to hear back – to receive communication from someone after one has left a
message for that person
* I’ve left seven messages on Alexey’s cell phone in the past 24 hours, but I still
haven’t heard back from him. Do you think he’s avoiding me?

maintenance – the work or actions needed to keep something in good condition,
or at least to avoid letting it fall into worse condition
* They never would have bought a 100-year-old house if they had realized how
much maintenance it would require.

to hide out – to remain hidden, quiet, and secretive; to spend time where one
cannot be seen or observed by other people
* You can’t hide out in the garage all night. At some point you need to go in and
tell everyone what happened.

overworked – with too many things to do, especially in one’s job
* The customer service representatives are overworked. We need to hire more
people to help answer the phones.

unit – one apartment or condo in a large building or complex
* How much do you charge for the two-bedroom units?

conceivable – possible, but not likely; able to be believed
* It’s conceivable that his relatives have died each week for the past month, but I
think it’s more likely that he’s lying about it as an excuse so he doesn’t have to
come to work.

to count on – to rely on; to depend on; to want or need something to exist or
happen a certain way
* We’re counting on you to help us move this weekend. Please don’t forget!

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ESL Podcast 763 – Dealing with an Apartment Super

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2

to give (someone) the benefit of the doubt – to assume the most positive thing
when one does not have full information about which possibility is real or true
* Either the client changed her mind or she was offended by the team’s
presentation. But since she hasn’t complained, let’s give the team the benefit of
the doubt.

all the while – while; simultaneously; at the same time, especially when used to
show a strong contrast
* Olivia spent the evening cooking, feeding the baby, washing the dishes, bathing
the kids, and reading bedtime stories, and all the while her husband was
watching TV. Why doesn’t she ask him to help her?

mark my words – a phrase used to emphasize what one has just said and tell
another person to pay attention, listen carefully, and remember it in the future
* Mark my words, the next World War will be fought over a lack of water.

to catch (someone) – to find or communicate with someone, especially before
he or she leaves a place
* If you go right now, you might be able to catch Mariah in her office before she
leaves for the day.

save your energies – an informal phrase used to tell someone not to do
something, usually because one thinks it is unnecessary and will be a waste of
time
* Jasmina was going to complain to the manager, but everyone told her to save
her energies, because it wouldn’t do any good.

to track down – to find someone, especially if it will be difficult
* Zvonko is determined to track down whoever scratched his new car and make
them pay for the damage.

come hell or high water – in spite of all obstacles; no matter what happens; no
matter how difficult something is
* Come hell or high water, we’re going to make this business a success!

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ESL Podcast 763 – Dealing with an Apartment Super

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

3

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Why does Louise think the super might be overworked?
a) Because the apartment building is very large.
b) Because the apartment building is 25 years old.
c) Because the super has another full-time job.

2. What does George mean when he says, “Mark my words”?
a) He wants Louise to correct his grammar.
b) He wants Louise to pretend to be the super so he can practice his speech.
c) He wants Louise to remember what he’s saying.

______________


WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

super
The word “super,” in this podcast, means a superintendent, or a person whose
job is to maintain a building, making sure that everything works properly and
fixing things that break: “If anything breaks, just let the super know.” As an
adjective, the word “super” usually means very good, nice, or wonderful: “They
made some super suggestions for the report.” Or, “Coming to this restaurant
was a super idea.” Informally, the word “super” can also be used as an adverb to
mean very or extremely: “I’m super hungry. When will dinner be ready?” Or,
“Flying across the country makes him super tired.” Finally, “super-” can describe
something that is bigger, better, or more powerful than something else: “Do you
think the super-rich should pay higher taxes?”

to catch (someone)
In this podcast, the phrase “to catch (someone)” means to find or communicate
with someone, especially before he or she leaves a place: “Professor Daines has
office hours every Tuesday from 10:00 to 11:30 when students can catch him
and ask questions about the course.” The phrase “to catch (someone)” can also
mean to see someone doing something he or she isn’t supposed to do: “What
would you do if you caught someone stealing something from the store?” The
phrase “to catch (something)” can also mean to become infected and get sick:
“Can you catch a cold from a mosquito bite?” Finally, the phrase “to catch
(something)” can mean to see or hear something, especially referring to the news
or an announcement: “Did you catch the report about the earthquake?”

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ESL Podcast 763 – Dealing with an Apartment Super

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4

CULTURE NOTE

Working as a Building Super or Building Manager

A building super is a “jack-of-all-trades” (a person who is fairly good at doing
many different things, but not an expert in any area) who needs to know a little bit
about “carpentry” (working with wood), electricity, “plumbing” (working with pipes
that carry water), and “landscaping” (plants put around buildings for beauty).
When something breaks in an apartment “complex” (a large building or several
buildings, each with many apartments), the “tenants” (the people who pay money
each month to live in a home or apartment) are supposed to “notify” (inform; let
someone know) the super. If the super cannot fix it, he or she should schedule
an appointment for a “professional” (someone who does the work as a full-time
job) to “come in” (visit; come to the place) and do the work.

Some supers also work as “building managers.” A building manager needs to
have good “interpersonal skills” (the ability to communicate and have good
relationships with other people), because he or she is responsible for showing
units to “prospective tenants” (people who may want to live in the unit in the
future), collecting “rent” (money paid each month) from current tenants, and
conducting “move-in and move-out inspections” (assessments of the condition of
a unit before and after people live there). The building manager might also
organize social events, such as holiday parties, for the tenants.

Often the super and/or building manager is a tenant who lives in the building and
receives “free” (does not have to pay) or reduced rent “in exchange for” (in return
for) performing basic maintenance work and interacting with the tenants.

______________

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

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ESL Podcast 763 – Dealing with an Apartment Super

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5

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 763: Dealing with
an Apartment Super.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 763. 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. Download a Learning Guide for this episode.
But first, become a member of ESL Podcast to help us keep going.

This episode is a dialogue between George and Louise. It’s about having
problems in your apartment and calling the person who’s responsible for fixing
things in an apartment building, the super. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

George: Did you call the super about fixing the leaky faucet?

Louise: I called him on Monday, but I haven’t heard back yet.

George: Well, call him again. This window is stuck and it won’t close.

Louise: I’ll call him, but I think he’s avoiding our calls.

George: He’s the worst super we’ve ever had. He’s in charge of the
maintenance around this place, but instead, he hides out in his apartment.
Whenever there’s a problem, he tells us he’s too busy to get to it right away. Too
busy doing what, I’d like to know.

Louise: Maybe he is overworked. There are 25 units in this building, so it’s
conceivable that he’s busy making repairs – somewhere.

George: That’s what he’s counting on, people like you who give him the benefit
of the doubt. All the while he’s drinking coffee and reading the newspaper
somewhere. Mark my words.

Louise: I’ll call him again. Maybe we’ll catch him in his apartment.

George: Save your energies.

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ESL Podcast 763 – Dealing with an Apartment Super

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6

Louise: Where are you going and what are you doing with that baseball bat?

George: I’m going to track down that super and bring him back here. Come hell
or high water, he’s making those repairs – today!

[end of dialogue]

George begins our dialogue by asking Louise, “Did you call the super about fixing
the leaky faucet?” The word “super” is short for “superintendent.” A
“superintendent,” in this case, is a person who is responsible for fixing any
problems that you have in an apartment building. So if you have, as does
George and Louise, a leaky faucet, you would call this person and they would be
responsible for fixing it or bringing someone in to fix it. A “faucet” is where the
water comes out in a sink. If it’s “leaky,” that means water is coming out slowly
even when it’s not supposed to.

Louise says that she called the super on Monday, but that she hasn’t heard back
yet. “To hear back from (someone)” means to receive a message back from
someone that you have tried to contact. Either you sent an email, or you’ve
written a letter, or you called someone. They were supposed to call you back, or
write you back, and you have not yet gotten a response. You haven’t heard back
yet.

George says, “Well, call him again. The window is stuck and it won’t close.” The
window won’t close down all the way, and that’s what George means when he
says it’s stuck. It could be stuck (stuck) open, meaning you can’t close it, or it
could be stuck closed, meaning you can’t open the window. Louise says, “I’ll call
him, but I think he’s avoiding our calls,” meaning he’s not answering his phone on
purpose. He’s doing it intentionally, we might say, because he doesn’t want to
talk to us.

George says, “He’s the worst super we’ve ever had. He’s in charge of the
maintenance around this place, but instead, he hides out in his apartment.”
“Maintenance” is the work that you need to keep something in good condition, or
to make sure it doesn’t get worse than it is right now. So in an apartment
building, you might need to paint the walls every few years, or clean the carpets.
You need to make sure the plumbing is working properly, the heating and/or air
conditioning is working okay. All of these things may require maintenance; you
may have to do something to make sure they’re working correctly. George says
that the super hides out in his apartment. “To hide (hide) out” is a two-word
phrasal verb meaning to spend your time where no one else can see you. It can
mean, also, to be quiet, to remain hidden so that no one can find you. In this

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ESL Podcast 763 – Dealing with an Apartment Super

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7

case, the super is hiding out in his apartment. He’s there and he doesn’t want
anyone to know he’s there perhaps. George says, “Whenever there’s a problem,
he tells us he’s too busy to get to it right away.” If there’s a problem the super
says, “Oh, no. I’m sorry. I’m busy. I can’t do it right now. I can’t get to it,”
meaning I can’t do what I need to do right now for that problem. George says,
“Too busy doing what, I’d like to know,” meaning what is he doing that makes him
so busy.

Louise says, “Maybe he is overworked.” “Overworked” means that you have too
many things to do at your job; the boss has given you too much to do. That’s
how I feel; I feel overworked! Louise says, “There are 25 units in this building, so
it’s conceivable he’s busy making repairs – somewhere.” A “unit” (unit) in this
situation means an apartment or a condominium in a large building. If there are
25 apartments in your building, we’d say there are 25 units; it’s the same thing.
Louise says, “it’s conceivable (meaning it’s possible, it’s not likely but it could be)
that he’s busy making repairs (he’s busy fixing things) somewhere else.”

George says, “That’s what he’s counting on.” That’s what he’s depending on,
that’s what he’s relying on. “He’s counting on people like you who give him the
benefit of the doubt.” The expression “to give (someone) the benefit of the
doubt” means to assume the most positive thing when you don’t have all the
information about what is happening, especially when there’s a problem or you
think there might be a problem. So you call a plumber to come over and fix
something in your bathroom, and the plumber doesn’t call you and they’re late.
They’re supposed to be there at 9:00; it’s 10:00, 11:00, still no plumber. The
plumber doesn’t come; the plumber doesn’t call. Now you could get angry,
saying, “Oh, that terrible plumber. He’s lazy,” or, “He’s not a very good business
person.” But, if you were to give him the benefit of the doubt you would think of
another reason – a better excuse. Maybe he got into a car accident. Maybe
there was a lot of traffic on the freeway, and he forgot his cell phone at home.
Maybe he was appointed ambassador to Zimbabwe and is busy in Washington
meeting with the president. You see there are all sorts of reasons why the
plumber might not come on time. That’s giving someone the benefit of the doubt.

George says, “All the while (meaning at this time, while he is saying the same
thing) he’s drinking coffee and reading the newspaper somewhere.” So he’s not
really busy; he’s just relaxing somewhere reading the newspaper. Then George
says, “Mark my words.” The expression “mark (mark) my words” is used to
emphasize that what you have just said – what you have just told another person
will come true, to remember that in the future. “Mark my words, the plumber
went to a bar and got drunk.” That’s what happened. You’re saying that you

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ESL Podcast 763 – Dealing with an Apartment Super

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

8

don’t know that, probably, but that’s sort of your prediction. You want the person
that you’re talking to to remember what you’re saying.

Louise says, “I’ll call him again. Maybe we’ll catch him in his apartment.” “To
catch (someone)” in this case means to find someone before they leave, calling
someone before they leave their apartment or before they leave their office.
“Catch” has a couple of different meanings in English; take a look at our Learning
Guide for some of those. George, however, says, “Save your energies.” “Save
your energies” or “save your energy” is an informal phrase used to tell someone
not to do something because it won’t be necessary or because it won’t really help
the situation.

Louise says, “Where are you going and what are you going to do with that
baseball bat?” A “baseball bat” is used in the game of baseball, of course, to hit
the ball. Some people keep baseball bats in their houses as a form of defense,
as a weapon to protect themselves, to hit someone who may come in and try to
steal something from your house. It’s cheaper and less dangerous than a gun.

Well, George says that he’s going to track down the super and bring him back
here. “To track (track) (someone) down” means to find them, especially if it is
difficult to find them. Perhaps they’re hiding or they’re lost. George says, “Come
hell or high water, he’s making those repairs – today!” The expression “come
hell or high water” is an old one, which means no matter what happens, no
matter how difficult the situation is I’m going to do this, or, in this case, I’m going
to get the super to come back and fix the problems in the apartment no matter
what – no matter what happens, come hell or high water. George, of course, is
potentially going to use violence here; we might have to have another dialogue
called getting out of jail or prison after beating someone with a baseball bat! I
hope not.

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

[start of dialogue]

George: Did you call the super about fixing the leaky faucet?

Louise: I called him on Monday, but I haven’t heard back yet.

George: Well, call him again. This window is stuck and it won’t close.

Louise: I’ll call him, but I think he’s avoiding our calls.

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ESL Podcast 763 – Dealing with an Apartment Super

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2012). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

9

George: He’s the worst super we’ve ever had. He’s in charge of the
maintenance around this place, but instead, he hides out in his apartment.
Whenever there’s a problem, he tells us he’s too busy to get to it right away. Too
busy doing what, I’d like to know.

Louise: Maybe he is overworked. There are 25 units in this building, so it’s
conceivable that he’s busy making repairs – somewhere.

George: That’s what he’s counting on, people like you who give him the benefit
of the doubt. All the while he’s drinking coffee and reading the newspaper
somewhere. Mark my words.

Louise: I’ll call him again. Maybe we’ll catch him in his apartment.

George: Save your energies.

Louise: Where are you going and what are you doing with that baseball bat?

George: I’m going to track down that super and bring him back here. Come hell
or high water, he’s making those repairs – today!

[end of dialogue]

You can always count on a good script on ESL Podcast, thanks to our
scriptwriter, Dr. Lucy Tse.

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

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,
hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2012 by the Center for Educational
Development.