Going to the Drugstore

Going to the Drugstore.pdf
Going to the Drugstore.mp3

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 13: Going to the

Drugstore

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 13 I’m your host, Dr

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in

beautiful Los Angeles, California

On this podcast, we’re going to go to the pharmacy or drugstore Let’s get

started!

[start of story]

I stopped by the drugstore last night on my way back home from work I had a

few toiletries to pick up, as well as my prescription Fortunately,

the chain pharmacy where I go has a little bit of everything: food, greeting cards,

magazines – it’s almost as big as a regular supermarket

To begin with, I needed to get some medications for my allergies I've got hay

fever, so I'm sneezing up a storm every morning when I wake up While I was at

it, I also got some antacids and some Band-Aids Now it was time to pick up

my refill

I stood in line for a few minutes before being waited on Since it was not a new

prescription, the pharmacist didn't have to do a consultation with me I just gave

the clerk my insurance card and she rang up the sale Fortunately, I have a

low co-pay, so my HMO foots most of the bill

[end of story]

Now let’s talk about some of the words we used in our discussion of going to the

drugstore Let’s start with that term “drugstore” A “drugstore” is the same as a

“pharmacy” We could say that the word “drugstore” is synonymous with

pharmacy It means the same thing

I said that I “stopped by” the drugstore last night “To stop by” means that you are

going somewhere, but before you go to that place, you go somewhere else first

For example, I was going to my friend’s house over in Beverly Hills, and, on my

way there, I stopped by a store in West Los Angeles to pick up a bottle of wine

“To stop by somewhere, then, means to go somewhere before you go

somewhere else It implies that you may or may not have been planning on doing

that

I said that I was coming back from work I said, “I was on my way home” “To be

on your way” means to be going in that direction I’m on my way to the store, for

example Now, normally we use the preposition “to” after the phrase “on your

way,” but the word “home” is an exception There’s no “to” You just say, “I was

on my way home” For most other places, however, you have to add a “to” after

the phrase “on my way,” such as “I am on my way to the hospital” or “I am on my

way to buy a nice big hamburger” Oh, that sounds good!

I said that I had to pick up some “toiletries” “Toiletries” (toiletries) refers to

anything that you would use in your bathroom The word “toilet” and “bathroom”

are often used to mean the same thing in the United States Technically, of

course, “toilet” is just the thing you use to do, well, what you normally do in a

restroom or bathroom

I said I had to “pick up” some toiletries “To pick up” means to buy, to obtain, to

get It’s a two-word phrasal verb – “to pick up” One of the things I had to get was

my “prescription” A “prescription” (prescription) is what the doctor gives you for

some illness or some sickness A prescription drug is something that you can

only get with the doctor’s note, and that note is called a “prescription” But we

often use the term prescription to indicate both the drug as well as the note or

piece of paper the doctor has to sign, or put his signature on

I said that the pharmacy I went to was a “chain pharmacy” When we talk about a

“chain (chain) store,” we mean that there is more than one of these stores

There’s more than one “branch” (branch) So McDonald’s is a “chain’ restaurant,

because there are thousands of branches, or in this case, restaurants, that are

called McDonald’s They all belong to the same company or group of owners

Here in Southern California, there are many chain grocery stores You can also

have chain bookstores or a chain shoe store, or for any kind of business that

sells things You can even have a chain service business, such as a place that

cleans clothes or cuts your hair

I said that the pharmacy had a little bit of everything, including “greeting cards”

“Greeting cards” is a general term that means any sort of card that you would buy

for someone to give them for some special reason, some special occasion It

could be a birthday card, a Christmas card, an anniversary card, or any type of

special event card A greeting card could also be for someone you love I used to

give my wife greeting cards all the time to say how much I love her I still do,

being the good husband that I am, right? Anyway, all of these are called “greeting

cards”

But I didn’t go to the drugstore to buy greeting cards I went to there to get some

“medications” The term “medications” (medications) simply refers a type of drug

There are two basic kinds of medication you can buy in a drugstore or pharmacy

There are prescription medications, which require permission from your doctor,

and there are “over-the-counter” medications “Over-the-counter medications” are

medications or drugs that you can buy that you do not need a doctor’s

prescription for Examples of over-the-counter drugs include cold medicines,

cough medicine, medicine for your stomach, and certain pain killers, things you

take for when you have a headache Sometimes we call these by their initials,

“OTC,” meaning “over-the-counter”

I said that I needed to get some medications for my “allergies” “Allergies”

(allergies) are when your body reacts to different things it eats or smells or

touches It’s a negative reaction You can have an allergy to animals, like dogs or

cats I, for example, have a cat allergy So, whenever I’m close to a cat, I sneeze

- “Achoo!” that’s a sneeze That’s an allergy or an “allergic reaction” You can

have other kinds of allergic reactions Some problem may appear on your skin

You may have red bumps on your skin, red marks on your skin That might also

be a reaction to something that you ate or smelled or touched You can have an

allergy to certain kinds of plants You can have allergies to different foods I also

have an allergy to crab and lobster, which is too bad, because I used to love

eating that kind of food but I can’t anymore I developed an allergy as an adult

Another type of allergy is called “hay fever” “Hay (hay) fever” is an allergy to

different plants and, well, I have that, too My wife thinks I have an allergy to work

as well That’s probably true

Well, when I have hay fever, I sneeze I said I was “sneezing up a storm” “To

sneeze up a storm” means to sneeze a lot A “storm” is normally when you have

a lot of rain or a lot of wind So, “to sneeze up a storm” is a metaphor, an

expression that we use comparing one thing to another

I said that “While I was at it, I also got some antacids and some Band-Aids” This

expression “while I was at it” means since I was doing something at the same

time, that was in the same place, or that was somehow similar, I did something

else For example, you may say, “Could you go to the store and buy me some

milk? And while you’re at it, could you also get me some cereal for breakfast?”

So “while you’re at it” means “while you’re also doing something else, please do

this as well”

I said that, “While I was at it, I also got some Antacids” “Antacids” (antacids) are

to help your stomach when you are not feeling well when you eat something that

makes your stomach feel weird, feel funny, or makes your stomach hurt You

could take an antacid I also mentioned buying “Band-Aids” “Band-Aids” is

technically a brand of bandages in the United States A “brand” (brand) means

one particular company owns and uses the rights to that name “Apple,” for

example, is a brand of computers “Coca-Cola” is a brand of soda pop

There is a brand of bandages is called “Band-Aids” But they’re so popular that

now, many of us call almost all bandages “Band-Aids,” even when they’re made

by a different company There are different companies that make bandages

Bandages are things you would put on your skin For example, if you cut

yourself, you would put a bandage or a Band-Aid on to protect the area where

you cut your skin

I said I had to pick up a “refill” A “refill” (refill) is a prescription that the doctor

says you can get more than once or a drug that you can take multiple times –

many times So, for example, I have a prescription for my allergies, and I have

five “refills” That means I can go back to the pharmacy after I wait a few weeks,

usually, and get a bottle of the allergy medicine I can do that five times I have

five refills After that, I have to go back to the doctor to get another prescription to

get more drugs So, “to refill a prescription” means to get more of a drug that you

have already taken before

I said I stood in line for a few minutes before being “waited on” That expression

“to stand in line” means to be in line “To be waited on” is an expression you

often hear in a restaurant, but we also use the phrase for any sort of service

situation, any place where someone is going to help you, such as in a store or at

the post office

I said that the pharmacist didn’t have to do a consultation with me A

“pharmacist“ is the person who, of course works at a pharmacy We used to have

a term, “druggist” (druggist), to refer to someone who worked at a drugstore, but

now, you normally just hear the word “pharmacist” To become a pharmacist, you

have to go to a special kind of medical school called a “pharmacy school” where

you will get a degree in pharmacy You need that to dispense drugs “To

dispense” (dispense) means to give out, usually to give out a drug or some kind

of medicine When you have a new prescription, when you’re using a drug for the

first time, the pharmacist will have “consultation” with you A “consultation” just

means that they tell you what the drug is, what you should use it for, and how

you should use it In our story, I am not picking up a new prescription drug I’m

picking up a refill so I don’t need a consultation

I said that “I gave the clerk my insurance card and she rang up the sale” The

term “clerk” means anyone who works at a store, usually the person who takes

your money, the person who, as I say in the story, “rings up” your sale “To ring

up a sale” means to process the sale, to take your money, to put the money into

what’s called a “cash register,” which is the place where the store keeps its

money The clerk will also give you a receipt for your purchase, for the things that

you bought, usually a little piece of paper, although nowadays, some stores say

they can email you your receipt I’ve had that happen, at least once or twice

I also said that I had a “low co-pay” “Co-pay” stands for “co-payment” When you

have medical insurance in the United States, usually you have to pay a small

amount of money every time you go to the doctor and every time you pick up a

prescription It’s not the same amount you would pay if you did not have

insurance It’s always less than that The insurance company pays for most of

the cost of the drug or most of the cost of the doctor’s visit But you usually have

to pay maybe five, ten, perhaps twenty dollars of the cost of the drug or of the

visit That’s called a “co-pay”

I said that “My HMO foots most of the bill” “HMO” stands for “Health

Maintenance Organization” In the United States, an “HMO” is a private company

that provides you, that gives you, medical service They have doctors, they have

hospitals, they have pharmacies, and you buy insurance so that you can be a

member of the “HMO” Not everyone is a member of an “HMO” Many people in

the United States can’t afford, do not have money for, the private insurance, so

they have to go to a public clinic or hospital

I said that my HMO “foots most of the bill” “To foot (foot) the bill” means to pay

for, to take care of the expense or the cost “Who’s going to foot the bill for

tonight’s dinner?” That means “Who’s going to pay for tonight’s dinner?” It’s an

informal expression (And, no, I’m not going to foot the bill for dinner tonight!)

Now let’s listen to the story this time at a normal speed

[start of story]

I stopped by the drugstore last night on my way back home from work I had a

few toiletries to pick up, as well as my prescription Fortunately,

the chain pharmacy where I go has a little bit of everything: food, greeting cards,

magazines – it’s almost as big as a regular supermarket

To begin with, I needed to get some medications for my allergies I've got hay

fever, so I'm sneezing up a storm every morning when I wake up While I was at

it, I also got some antacids and some Band-Aids Now it was time for me to pick

up my refill

I stood in line for a few minutes before being waited on Since it was not a new

prescription, the pharmacist didn't have to do a consultation with me I just gave

the clerk my insurance card and she rang up the sale Fortunately, I have a

low co-pay, so my HMO foots most of the bill

[end of story]

Our scriptwriter writes about a little bit of everything Thank you for that, Dr Lucy

Tse

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan Thank you for listening Come

back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast

ESL Podcast is produced by the Center for Educational Development in Los

Angeles, California

GLOSSARY

drugstore – a store that sells medicine and medical supplies, and often

cosmetics, magazines, greeting cards, and some types of food

Valencia went to the drugstore to buy medicine for her headache*

toiletry – a category of products used to clean oneself

 Desmond needed to buy a few toiletries, such as shampoo and toothpaste*

prescription – a type of medication or treatment that one needs a doctor’s

permission to get

 Juana got a prescription from her doctor for a stronger pain reliever when the*

ones she bought at the drugstore didn’t get rid of her back pain

chain – a store, restaurant, or other business with the same name that is

available in more than one location

 Jin likes to go to this chain restaurant, because no matter where he travels, he*

can always find a location and order his favorite dishes

medication – medicine; legal drugs used to treat medical conditions

Carmelo needed medication to treat his flu symptoms*

allergy – an unusual and negative response that the body has to a substance

that does not usually cause a negative response in most people

 Latrice has an allergy to peanuts, causing her throat to become swollen*

whenever she eats something with peanuts in it

hay fever – seasonal allergy to plants or flowers; a condition that causes one to

have problems with one’s eyes and nose when around certain types of plants or

flowers

When the pollen count is high, many people start to get hay fever*

to sneeze – to rapidly and unintentionally force air out of the nose or mouth

The room was very dusty and anyone who entered it started sneezing*

up a storm - doing something with a lot of energy; doing something with a lot of

interest and enjoyment

 Louisa and Ling had not seen each other in five years, and when they met up*

again, they talked up a storm

antacid – a small tablet or pill used to treat problems caused by stomach acid (a

chemical that causes irritation)

Some of Juan’s favorite foods bothered his stomach, so instead of not eating*

those foods, he took an antacid whenever he had them

Band-Aid – a bandage with a center section of soft material to cover a small cut

and two sides that stick to the skin to protect it while it heals

Alyssa had a small scratch on her finger, so she put a Band-Aid on it*

refill – a supply of medicine that is given to a patient after the first supply has

been used

 When the medicine for Kenneth’s heart condition was gone, he went to the*

store to get a refill

pharmacist – someone who is trained to prepare legal drugs used to treat

medical conditions and who prepares those drugs for a patient’s use

 The pharmacist was able to answer Catherine’s questions about the right way*

to use the medicine she was buying

consultation – a discussion with a professional to get advice or guidance; a

discussion a customers has with a pharmacist on the correct and best use of

medicine

 All of the customer’s questions about the medicine were answered during the*

consultation

co-pay – a small amount of money that one pays for medical services when

another part of the payment is paid by an insurance company (a company that

pays for health and medical expenses)

 The insurance company will pay most of the bill, but Terrance still has to pay a*

co-pay of $10 for each visit with his doctor

HMO – Health Maintenance Organization; personal health insurance; a business

that pays part of the cost or the full cost for certain medical bills of its customers,

in exchange for a monthly or yearly fee

 Debi felt very lucky to be a member of an HMO when she had to have surgery*

because the HMO paid for most of her medical bills

to foot the bill – to pay a bill or fee; to pay money owed

Florencio likes to go out to dinner with friends, but doesn’t like to foot the bill*