to hammer out the terms

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 19: Tough Negotiations.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 19. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

In this episode, we’ll try to negotiate or arrange a good deal or bargain. It’s a story about my experiences renting an apartment here in Los Angeles. Let’s get started!

I'm not what you would call the world's best negotiator, but sometimes it's necessary to engage in a tough negotiation. Take, for instance, the time I had to renew the lease on my apartment. This was back in college, when I was renting a small studio in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles. When my lease was up, the landlord and I sat down to hammer out the terms of a new lease.

"I'll tell you what I'm going to do," he said. "I'm going to give you a break on rent if you sign