ESL Podcast 168 - The Home Improvement Store

to need work - has to be improved or made better

This house is big, but it is old and really needs work.

to put off - to delay, to wait

I've been putting off washing the car and I think it's time to do it.

garage - where you park or keep a car.

Please move the boxes out of the garage so I can park the car in it.

home improvement store - a store for buying things to fix or improve a home

The home improvement store is very crowded on Saturday morning.

supplies - necessary materials; things that you use to do something

I'm ready to go on the road trip as soon as I buy our food supplies.

huge - large, very big

Last year's tomatoes were big but this year's are huge!

paint department - a place in a store where paint is sold

The clerk in the paint department recommended a lighter color paint.

garden center - a place in a store where plants, trees, and flowers are sold

Go over to the garden center and get me some more plant food.

lumber department - a place in a store where wood is sold

Most of the lumber in the United States comes from the Pacific Northwest.

no one in sight - no one around, no one there

I was so late for my class that by the time I got to the classroom, there was no one in sight.

plumbing - the pipes that bring water to and from a house or building

For us to get hot water in this building, we'll need to replace the plumbing.

aisle - the space you walk in between two other sections; a path between seats in an airplane, theater, or church

I walked up and down the aisle at the grocery store but I couldn't find the bread I normally buy.

swatches - a small color sample, usually for paint or fabric

The paint swatch I brought home matched my furniture perfectly.

to take/call a number - used at places where there are many people waiting for help. You are given a small piece of paper with a number, and you wait until your number is announced or "called."

I took a number in the meat department and my number was called after a few minutes.

in the meantime - meanwhile; the time when you are waiting for something

I'm waiting for my mother to come home. In the meantime, I'll watch some TV.

brush - something you use to put paint on a house or picture

We need some new brushes to paint the house.

rags - small pieces of cloth that are used to clean

Get me a rag so I can clean up the coffee I spilled on the table.

checkout line - the line you wait in at a store to purchase something, such as at a grocery store

The checkout lines at these big food stores are always so long.

after all that - used when someone takes a long time to say or do something, but very little is actually said or done; after waiting for a long time with no real results

You've been talking for 10 minutes. After all that, I thought you would have something important to say.

to be exhausted - to be very tired

I'm exhausted after working two weeks without a day off.