ESL Podcast 923 - Having Bad Credit
to turn down - to deny; to reject; to not allow someone to have or do something
Shane was devastated when Shelby turned down his invitation to the senior dance.
credit report - a written statement of how one has used credit (borrowed money) in the past and an assessment of how likely one is to use credit responsibly in the future
For how many years do unpaid credit card bills appear on your credit report?
negative credit rating - a low number that indicates one has not used credit well in the past and probably will not use it well in the future, making lenders less likely to want to lend money to that person
The most common cause of having a negative credit rating is not paying bills on time, but other causes include having too many credit card accounts and having high balances.
income - the amount of money that one receives, usually from working or investments
When Blake accepted the new job, it almost doubled his family's income.
to verify - to check to see whether something is true; to confirm
We are legally required to verify the social security number of all job applicants.
outstanding debt - money that has not been paid back; money that is owed
Loire has a lot of outstanding debt from college, but she has a plan to pay it all back over the next four years.
payment - money given to a person or business, usually in exchange for a good or service
How much are your monthly payments for electricity and gas?
on time - when something is due; not late
Iago was almost fired for not coming to work on time. He'll never be late again.
payment history - a report of what one has paid to a business over time, including the date and amount of the payment, when each payment was due and any amount that was not paid.
According to the payment history, you sent in a few payments late last fall. What happened?
to miss - to not do something that one should have done, especially when it is one in a series of things
Brandon is going to miss the meeting tomorrow, because he has a doctor's appointment.
a strike against (someone) - something that makes it more difficult for someone to do well; an obstacle to success
Being raised in poverty by uneducated parents was a huge strike against Berta getting into college, but she got in and graduated with good grades.
past tense - an informal phrase used to emphasize that one is talking about something that happened before, but is not happening now
Ryan used to be overweight, past tense, but now he's really healthy and in good physical shape.
to cancel - to end something and make it no longer valid or useable; to no longer provide a service
Nina's phone service was canceled due to nonpayment.
crux - the most important part of a situation, story, or problem
Everyone is talking about the unimportant details, but nobody is focusing on the crux of the matter.