ESL Podcast 235 - Parking Instructions

kiosk - a small building where food, drinks, and newspapers are sold, or where people can ask for directions or other information

Every morning I buy a newspaper at the kiosk where I wait for the bus.

compound - a group of buildings that are surrounded by a wall

This military compound has stores, a school, and gym, and hundreds of offices and homes.

to find (one's) way around - to be able to find what one is looking for in an area

Marilee has lived in New York City for ten years, but she still can't find her way around some parts of the city without a map.

bend - curve; a gentle turn in a road to the right or left

Our house is the first one on the right after the bend in the road.

a fork in the road - the point where one road becomes two or more roads

When you come to the fork in the road, you can take a right to go to the university, or you can take a left to go to the town.

parking structure - a building with many floors for parking cars

The local government wants to build a parking structure in the center of the city because there isn't enough parking on the streets.

to miss (something) - to not see something; to not find something

My sister will be at the party. You can't miss her. She has red hair and is over six feet tall.

to split - to become two pieces; to divide into two

This river splits into two smaller ones about one mile in that direction.

to veer - to change direction

When she got to the edge of town, she veered north instead of east and got lost for an hour.

parking permit - a small piece of paper that is placed in a car's front window and allows a car to park in a specific area

Franz never drives to school because a university parking permit costs $100 a month, and it's not too inconvenient to just take the bus.

visible - able to be seen

What time is it? The clock isn't visible from where I'm sitting.

dash - dashboard; the long piece of plastic behind a car's front window, normally on top of the radio, heating controls, and the displays showing information about speed and the level of gas in the car

Can you please take that map off the dash? It's hard for me to drive with it there because I can't see out the window.

lot - an area of land

The parking lot next to the office was full, so I had to park five streets away.

level - a floor in a building, especially in a parking structure

Do you remember where we parked the car? I thought it was on this level, but I don't see it.

space - a small area where one car can park, usually marked with painted lines

The president's parking space is next to the front door. All of the other workers have to park further away.

reserved - saved for someone, so that no one else can use it

At the restaurant, we wanted to sit at the table by the window, but they said that it was reserved for another group.

to raise - to make something move up

If you know the answer to the teacher's question, you can raise your hand.

the arm of a gate - the horizontal piece of wood or metal that goes across a road, so that cars cannot pass by until the guard moves it

The arm of the gate is painted yellow and black, but Daniel didn't see it because it was nighttime, and he accidentally drove into it.

one - used for emphasis to mean the important one or the only one

Ezekiel is one big joker. He's never serious and is always trying to make people laugh.