《ESL Podcast 889 – Taking Up a New Hobby》.pdfVIP

English as a Second Language Podcast ESL Podcast 889 – Taking Up a New Hobby GLOSSARY to commiserate – to sympathize or empathize; to feel pity for someone; to spend time talking with someone about his or her experience of sadness or problems * We all commiserated with Janet for a few weeks after her breakup, but now we’re tired of hearing about it. retirement – the period of time in one’s life when one is older and no longer works, having saved enough money from working earlier in life * Gregorio dreams of traveling to all the national parks during his retirement. to drive (someone) up the wall – to make someone feel crazy; to be very annoying to another person * This kids are making so much noise, they’re driving me up the wall! I can’t wait until they fall asleep tonight! to putter around – to spend time doing unimportant things without a purpose, especially when one is bored and is looking for something interesting to do * When Edgar wants to have some time alone, he putters around in the barn. to take up – to begin doing some activity for the first time * How old were you when you took up playing the violin? hobby – an activity that one does for fun; an activity that one finds interesting and pleasurable * Hannah’s hobbies include cooking, reading, swimming, and photography. to occupy (one’s) time – to keep one busy; to give someone something to do in his or her free time * Sheila’s children occupy most of her time. gardening –making plants grow in the area around one’s home, especially vegetables or flowers * Wendy really enjoys gardening, so she has several varieties of tomatoes and cucumbers in her back yard. woodworking – building things out of wood; carpentry * We’re looking for someone who can build a custom table for our dining room. Do you know any experts in woodworking?