ESL Podcast 1026 - Marrying Young

to get engaged - to make a promise and plans to marry another person

They got engaged last summer, but they don't plan to get married until they've both finished college.

married - wed; with a husband or wife

They've been married for six years, but they don't have any children yet.

to pose - to present, especially to present a problem; to introduce something into a situation

The drought is posing a major problem to the orange growers.

maturity - the state of having full development and growth, especially the mental development of a responsible adult

Ignacio is very smart, but he doesn't have the maturity to be a decision-maker for this company.

to play house - to pretend to be married and living together, maybe even starting a family, without actually being committed to each other

Horace loves his girlfriend, but he isn't ready to marry her yet, so he's hoping she'll agree to move into his apartment and play house for a few years while they get to know each other better.

matrimony - marriage; the state of having a husband or wife and being fully and legally committed to that person

Do you think it's wrong to raise kids outside of matrimony?

to sell (someone) short - to not give someone the full credit that he or she deserves; to underestimate the good qualities or characteristics of someone

You're too modest! Stop selling yourself short during job interviews.

ideal - perfect; completely and entirely appropriate and an excellent match for something

Brandon just found his ideal job as a professional beer taster!

to doom - to make one's future very dark and negative, full of destruction or even death

If we don't get this new client account, our business is doomed!

regret - a feeling of sadness and disappointment about something that happened or something that one did in the past, as well as a wish that one had done it differently

At the end of her life, Shelly's greatest regret was that she never tried to get her book published.

harsh - severe, mean, and very critical; too strong

Ten years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread? That punishment is too harsh.

to grow old - to age; to experience life as one becomes older

They want to buy a house where they can grow old together.

milestone - an important event or accomplishment that is part of a larger project or process

Turning 16 and getting a driver's license is an important milestone for American teenagers.

legal drinking age - the age at which one is allowed by law to buy and drink alcohol

Many people think it's wrong that Americans can join the Army when they are 18, but can't drink alcohol until they reach the legal drinking age of 21.

facetious - without treating something as seriously as it should be treated; using humor inappropriately in a serious situation

Alicia made a facetious comment about how the people who were being fired wouldn't need to worry anymore about getting to work on time.

stability - an unchanging state; a position or situation where things are not changing unpredictably; solidness; firmness

Justin is looking for a job with stability where he might be able to work until retirement.

to lean on - to depend on another person; to rely on another person for assistance, support, and guidance when one is experiencing problems or weakness

Marco found himself leaning on his children a lot when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.

to beat the odds - to do something better than expected; to win or succeed when statistical data shows that success is improbable or unlikely

Very few people can complete all the training in just one year, but if you work hard enough, you might be able to beat the odds.