ESL Podcast 501 - Buying Glasses
sunglasses - glasses that are worn to protect one's eyes from bright sunshine and other strong lights
Do you know where my sunglasses are? It's really bright outside and I can't see anything.
frames - the metal or plastic part that wraps around one's ears and over one's nose, used to hold clear glass or plastic in front of one's eyes to correct one's vision
Luca liked the purple frames, but she didn't get them because she didn't think they looked very professional.
bifocals - glasses where the clear glass or plastic part has two sections with a small line in between, where the top section helps one see things that are far away and the bottom section helps one see things that are close
If I didn't have bifocals, I'd have to put on a different pair of glasses every time I wanted to read something, and then another pair every time I wanted to look at something further away.
progressives - glasses that have two or three sections, where the top section helps one see things that are far away, the middle section helps one see things at medium distance, and the bottom section helps one see things that are close, but there is no line in between the sections
Meghan wants to get progressives, because she thinks bifocals are only for old people.
metal - a hard, usually heavy material like iron, steel, silver, gold, aluminum, nickel, or copper
Which kind of metal do you want for your wedding ring? Gold or platinum?
plastic - a strong material, either hard or soft, made through a chemical process using petroleum
She doesn't want to buy any plastic toys for her children, because she prefers wooden and cloth toys.
rimless - without rims; without edges; glasses that have very little plastic or metal, so they are not very noticeable
Chuck hopes his new rimless glasses make it look like he isn't wearing glasses at all.
optician - a person whose job is to make glasses and help people see
First, make an appointment with an optometrist to figure out what's wrong with your vision, and then ask an optician to help you find the right pair of glasses.
prescription - a piece of paper where a doctor writes down what kind of medicine, or glasses or contact lenses a person needs
Vanessa's doctor gave her a prescription for antibiotics.
hinge - the small piece of metal that connects two larger pieces of wood, plastic, or metal, letting them move toward and away from each other, such as for a door or lid to close
When the screw fell out of the hinge on his glasses, he temporarily fixed them with tape.
there's no accounting for taste - a phrase used to show that one does not approve of another person's choice in style or fashion, meaning that there is no way to explain why people like certain things while other people dislike them
Our neighbors decided to paint their home bright orange and green. We think it's really ugly, but they love it. There's no accounting for taste.
lens - one of the clear glass or plastic pieces used in glasses or in a camera to change the way in which one's eyes focus on something
Melvin got a headache when he tried to look though his nephew's lenses, because they were too strong for his vision.
glare - the bright light that is reflected off of a piece of glass or plastic
They have a lot of framed photographs on their living room walls, but the glare when the sun is shining makes it almost impossible to see them.
to darken - to become darker; to begin to have a darker color; to have less light
The painter darkened the red color by adding a little more black paint.
anti-scratch coating - a thin, invisible layer that goes on top of a piece of glass or plastic to protect it from getting small lines if something sharp moves against it
I wish this watch had an anti-scratch coating. There are so many scratches and lines on it that it's hard to see what time it is.
backup pair - an extra pair of glasses that one can use if one's regular glasses are broken or lost
Don't forget to pack your backup pair of glasses, because I don't want to spend our vacation time looking for a new pair of glasses if your old pair breaks!
designer - with a well-known, expensive brand name
These designer jeans cost almost 10 times as much as the other jeans in the store.
to tag along - to follow someone somewhere; to go somewhere with another person when one isn't really needed there
Jacques's little brother wants to tag along everywhere he goes.