ESL Podcast 290 - Riding the Subway

token - a piece of metal or plastic that looks like a coin and is used to ride subways or buses, or to make a machine work

Let's get some tokens so the kids can play that video game.

subway - metro; underground transportation; trains that move underground to move people from one place to another in a city

Can I use the subway to get to the airport from downtown?

single - one; one and only one; no more than one

A single scoop of ice cream costs $1.50, but two scoops cost only $2.00.

to expire - to no longer be valid; to not be good after a certain date and time

Trey bought a 600-minute calling card, but the minutes expired before he could use them all.

to issue - to make an official document and give it to a person

My driver's license was issued by the state of Arkansas in 2001.

unlimited - without limits; with no minimum or maximum

If you become a member of the museum, you can make an unlimited number of free visits during the year.

otherwise - if not; if what was said earlier isn't true or correct; in any other case; in any other situation

I need to wait until my lease expires for this apartment before renting another one. Otherwise, I'll be paying rent for both apartments.

MetroCard - a document that is like a credit card and can be read by a machine that "sees" how much money a rider has left for riding the subway

There's only 65¢ left on my MetroCard so I need to put some more money on it.

worth - valued at X; with a dollar amount of X

This artist's paintings are worth thousands of dollars.

discount - a reduction in the price of something; a price that is lower than usual

If you open a credit card with our store, you'll get a 10% discount on everything that you buy here today.

transfer - to go from one route to another, or one type of transportation to another without paying extra, because one has already paid for the first ride

I rode the subway one hour ago. Can I still get a free bus transfer?

to deduct - to take something away from something else; to reduce the amount of money on a card or in an account

The bank deducted $17 from my account when I ordered new checks.

turnstile - a small machine that one must walk through while pushing a metal bar, so that the machine can count the number of people walking through it at a time

It's difficult to walk through a turnstile when you're carrying your suitcases.

line - route; one path taken by subway cars, trains, or buses

In Washington, D.C., most tourists ride the red line on the metro because it goes to the most interesting parts of the city.

platform - the area where people sit or stand while waiting for a train to arrive

I told the children that when they're standing on a platform, always stay a few feet away from the train tracks.