Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice: Recent Episodes

Ollie says listen up!

Short lessons to help you understand and speak normal-speed American English.

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

This is a companion podcast to the previous one which gives sentences with "when." The word "while" is used to link actions which are happening at the same time. For example: During dinner, I listened to a podcast. You can express this with while: "While I ate dinner, I listened to a podcast."

I prepared dinner while my wife took a nap.

My children studied while I worked remotely.

While the dog chased the cat around the house, I watched a basketball game.

I studied the menu while the waitress poured us coffee.

The teacher corrected my exam while the other students continued working.

I thought it was going to rain while we waited for the train to arrive, but it didn’t.

I worked in a factory while my wife finished medical school.

My daughter colored her place mat while we waited for dinner to arrive.

The teachers talked while the children played outside.

My parents finished eating breakfast while we washed their car.

Isabel drew pictures on a piece of paper while her parents described their vacation.

It took a while to finish painting the dining room.

He was in the hospital for a while after his accident.

She took some great photos while she was visiting Atlanta.

I read her a story while she brushed her hair.

George was very quiet while I explained the situation to him.

While I set the table for dinner, Mary finished the sauce and started bringing the food into the dining room.

He watched the puppies playing while their mother rested.

Her grandfather died while fighting in World War II.

We remained silent while she performed a violin duet with her sister.

I’ll go put gas in the car while you guys finish packing our suitcases.

Every once in a while, I listen to podcasts in French.

I need to be alone for a while.

While I can’t answer all your questions, I’m happy to answer the ones I can.

It may take a while for her to learn Spanish, but I’m sure she’ll get it eventually.

After a while, we all fell asleep and dreamed of flying elephants.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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A student asked me today to explain the difference between "when" and "while" in English. I think examples are the best way to learn so here are questions and statements containing "when" and I'll do "while" very soon--I promise!

When I arrived, it was raining.

When is your next meeting?

When I saw him, he was getting ready for a trip.

When did she get married?

When do you finish work?

I met them when they still lived in Los Angeles.

I’ll include that information when I write my report.

When the speech was over, my boss thanked us for coming and then left.

She remembered when she visited her grandparents every day.

When he lived in Rome, he spoke fluent Italian.

When we had finished breakfast, our mother told us to go outside and play.

When she started to do some research, she soon found some surprising information.

When did these kittens show up?

It was very late when we finally left the party.

When do I start work?

When are these library books due?

When she saw his expression, she was immediately worried.

I didn’t recognize you when you walked by dressed in a tiger costume.

When you know me better, you’ll realize that I always tell the truth.

When the professor started his lecture, the students were totally silent.

When I tried to walk through the forest in the dark, I soon crashed into a tree.

I was almost asleep when my phone rang.

He was studying when his cat jumped up on the computer keyboard.

My mother looked serious when she started describing the ghost in her house.

When you visit, you can sleep in your old bedroom.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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This podcast is the sound portion of one of my YouTube videos. It describes all my language learning experiences spread over many decades. Personally I think this is just as useful (or useless) as a podcast as it is in video form. In both formats it's just me telling a story. I hope you enjoy it: it includes successes as well as failures. If you'd like to watch me talk for more than an hour, here's the link.

I have not attached a transcript. If you desperately want one, let me know and I'll produce one for you. Hope you enjoy the story.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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Important note: This podcast is the audio portion of a video you can watch on my YouTube channel. So if you hear me say "video", that's why. I have added a transcript if you'd like to read along as you listen. I hope you enjoy it.

Barry

PS You can watch the original video here: https://youtu.be/cD5SEoif7bs

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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Listen and repeat. Please do NOT read and repeat. The spelling won't help. Use your ears and your brain.

I saw a balloon in a cartoon.
It was cool in the swimming pool.
The table top was very smooth.
The kook lived in an igloo.
There was a lagoon at the zoo.
Which booze did you choose?
He climbed the roof and stood aloof.
At school he liked to play the fool.
Soon he will snooze in his booth at the fair.
The room was dark and gloomy.
She stood for a while and read her book.
I heard a dog woof in the dark.
Boogie woogie is a style of piano playing.
He’s a good man with good ideas.
The chimney was full of black soot.
We brought in some firewood.
I dropped a rock on my foot. Ouch!
I have a new hoodie with a purple hood.
Let’s look in the new cookbook.
You look bushed.
This coffee is full of sugar.
We took off after our friends on foot.
I stood outside for an hour.
It does no good to say “shoulda, coulda, woulda.”
A goat’s foot has a hoof. The plural is hooves.
We live in a spooky neighborhood.
I put off my doctor’s appointment.
If it keeps raining, the river could flood.
He fell out of the tree but shook off the pain and ran into the woods.
The accountant said he would cook the books for us.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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The present perfect and present perfect continuous generally allow us to talk about things which start in the past and continue into the present.

I’ve lived in Turkey for three years. I’ve been living in Turkey for three years.
She has studied English since 2023. She has been studying English since 2023.
He has worked for the French government for twenty years. He has been working for the French government for 20 years.
It has rained all day. [It started this morning and it hasn’t stopped yet.]

It has been raining all day.

I’m tired. I’ve been working since 7am without a break.
I have never studied Arabic.
Have you ever heard of the singer, Joan Baez?
Have you guys finished your homework yet? No, we’re still working on it.
Scientists have not yet discovered a cure for cancer.
Where is John? I haven’t seen him for weeks. — He has gone to Berlin for the summer to study German.
Have you misplaced your car keys again? Yes, I’ve been hunting for them all morning.
She has played guitar ever since she was thirteen.
How long have you had that cat? This one? This is Annabelle. I got her about six months ago.
Have you ever visited Italy? - Not yet, but I’ve traveled to France many times.
Have you seen your mother today? No, I think she’s at the mall with some friends.
He’s [he has] been on the phone for two hours.
She’s [she has] been waiting to see the doctor for forty-five minutes.
We’ve [we have] just finished eating dinner.
They’ve [they have] recently moved to Brazil.
I’ve [I have] stopped studying French and started learning Czech.
The children have been playing outside all day.
We’ve been thinking about the future since we were young.
Have you read any good books recently?
Some professors have said that American college students can’t read serious books any more.
Have you ever watched a rocket take off? No, but I saw one blow up on the launch pad once.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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Verb tense review: the present continuous (also called the present progressive.

The present continuous is mostly used for actions which are happening right now. Sometimes we also use it for future actions. Compare these two sentences:

A) We’re going to the zoo.

B) We’re going to the zoo on Saturday.

The sentences are exactly the same, but adding the word “Saturday” tells the listener that the trip to the zoo will happen in the future.

Instructions: When you're listening and repeating DO NOT READ the sentences. Close your eyes, look away, listen as carefully as you can to the sounds of the words. Train your ears!

1 - I’m doing my homework.

2 - She’s cooking dinner.

3 - He’s walking the dogs. He’s taking the dogs for a walk.

4 - We’re playing tennis.

5 - They’re at the supermarket shopping for food.

6 - I’m taking the bus to work.

7 - We’re surfing in Hawaii.

8 - He’s studying for a chemistry exam.

9 - She’s listening to a podcast.

10 - We’re waiting for the plane to take off.

11 - They’re visiting the Museum of Modern Art.

12 - He’s sleeping late.

13 - We’re going to a birthday party.

14 - I’m cleaning my apartment. We’re having a dinner party tonight.

15 - She’s traveling to Los Angeles next month.

16 - We’re thinking about going to see a movie tonight.

17 - What are you doing tomorrow?

18 - Are you still working? (Or) Are you still at work?

19 - Are you children fighting again? Just stop!

20 - There’s something wrong with the car. It’s making a terrible sound.

21 - He’s coming to visit us in June.

22 - Germany is holding national elections in a few weeks.

23 - She’s giving a piano concert the day after tomorrow.

24 - I’m thinking about what to have for dinner tonight.

25 - Our President is telling lies again, as usual.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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Verb tense review: the simple past.

The simple past is used for actions that took place in the past and are finished. For example:

“Yesterday I went to the gym after work.”
“Last week I met a woman who is a yoga instructor.”

Here are some sentences to practice with:

1 - I lived in Los Angeles for three years. (Then I moved to Miami.)

2 - She studied Turkish when she was living in Ankara. (Then she moved to Berlin and started studying German.)

3 - My mother worked in a hospital for 20 years. Then she retired.

4 - I studied piano when I was a teenager. In college I switched to guitar.

5 - I played basketball a lot when I was in high school.

6 - She spoke Italian as a child, but stopped when she moved to Germany.

7 - My uncle was an Olympic athlete in his youth.

8 - I worked hard today—too hard!

9 - My grandson rode his bike to school this morning.

10 - After school we watched a football game.

11- I rode my motorcycle to work yesterday.

12 - I listened carefully to all the sentences.

13 - We shopped for two hours and bought some new clothes.

14 - Where did you work last year? I worked in Belgium.

15 - Who did you invite to your party? I invited all my favorite people.

16 - Where did you find that lovely painting? I bought it at an art gallery.

17 - When did you get back from Germany? The plane landed early this morning.

18 - How did you learn to speak French? I married a French woman.

19 - Why did you come home so early? The party was really boring.

20 - I quit my old job last month. Yesterday I found a new job and it’s going to be great!

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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In writing, regular English verbs add “ed” to the infinitive to show past tense. So hope becomes hoped, grab becomes grabbed, and wait becomes waited. Now close your eyes and listen to the ending sound of these three verbs.

Hoped, hoped, hoped.

Grabbed, grabbed, grabbed.

Waited, waited, waited.

The past tense of hope ends with a T sound.

The past tense of grab ends with a D sound.

The past tense of waited ends with an ‘ed’ sound.

There are rules which determine which verbs end with each sound. Basically it has to do with the final sounds of the infinitives. Let’s look at the first case. If a regular verb ends in a voiceless sound, then pronounce -ed as /t/.

Listen to the following sentences and concentrate on the final sound of the verbs. I’ll read each one five times.

1) I hoped she would come.

2) He locked the door.

3) I missed you!

4) He touched the baby’s nose.

5) She brushed her hair and left the house.

6) Our boss briefed us on the day’s schedule.

7) My sister mashed the potatoes.

8) We watched a movie.

9) I introduced my father to my new boss.

10) The balloon popped.

Many many common verbs end in voiceless sounds and so add /t/ for the past tense: look, cook, walk, talk, peek, fetch, hop, etc.

Now the second rule:

If a regular verb ends in a voiced sound, then pronounce -ed as /d/.

(All vowel sounds—including diphthongs--are voiced, plus b, g, l, m, n, r, w, and v).

11) We agreed that the movie was too long.

12) They carried the boxes to the truck.

13) He grabbed the rope and started pulling.

14) The bridge sagged under the weight of the train.

15) She hummed the melody of the song.

16) We listened to the orchestra.

17) He called me on the phone.

18) They remembered my name.

19) We sawed down the tree with a big chainsaw.

20) They lived in London for many years.

21) Mary played piano very well.

22) She showed us her apartment.

23) He raged at his captors.

24) The train slowed as it entered the station.

Finally, the third possible pronunciation.If the verb ends with “D” or “T” sounds, -ed is pronounced /uhd/.

25) I accepted his job offer.

26) We needed some help.

27) He waited for a long time.

28) The doctor wanted to test her blood.

29) We decided not to go on vacation.

30) I reported the fire to the fire department.

To conclude this podcast, I’m going to read a random list of regular verbs in the past tense. You can use it for ear training—see if you can hear the ending of each verb. Is it a T sound, a D sound, or UHD? You can try to repeat the words. You can try writing them down. The most important thing is to know that “ed” can be pronounced three different ways and to practice them so that they become automatic.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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I wrote this poem this morning to use for reading and pronunciation practice in my class on Tandem. I didn't write it deliberately to be good for teaching English, but it turned out that it was. Hope you like it.

I’VE LOST MY MIND

I’ve lost my mind.

I asked my wife.
“Look in your jacket pocket,” she said,
Like my mind was a wallet or keys to the house.
No dice.

I asked my son:
“Check in the freezer,” he said.
“Maybe it fell in there when you were looking for ice cream.”
I looked. Not there,
But I did find a mango-strawberry popsicle.

I asked my daughter.
“Did you look in the car?” she asked.
“You’re always leaving stuff in the car.”
I checked on the seats and under the seats and behind the seats—no luck.
I even checked in the trunk.
My mind wasn’t there, but I found a lot of trash.
I bagged it and tossed it. I even vacuumed
Up all the sand from our last trip to the beach.

Finally I asked my dog.
He stood on his hind legs and looked into my head.
Then he barked, licked my ear and VOILA!
My mind rebooted!
It wasn’t lost at all. Just napping or maybe MIA.
Man’s best friend, the dog.

Only one thing worries me.
Did he find my mind by sight—
Or smell?

By B. Kahn

© 2025

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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More simple present: the verb “to be”

1- I am from Costa Rica. He is from Cuba.

2- This is my brother. His name is Jack.

3- This is my adopted cat. Her name is Nefertiti.

4- How old are you? I’m twenty-seven.

5- Are you hungry? No, not yet. Well, actually I am a little bit hungry.

6- Are you my new teacher? Yes, I am. My name is Mr. Johnson.

7- The sky is blue, except when it’s cloudy. Then it is white or gray.

8- Her dress is green and blue.

9- This camera is very expensive.

10- All these sentences are in the simple present tense.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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Another quickie podcast. Over the next week or two or three, I will record short podcasts going through the most commonly used English verb tenses. In this one the examples are from the simple present. This tense is used to describe habits and states of being: I get up early every morning. I go to the gym after work. I like to read after dinner. I have a small dog and two cats. I live in Los Angeles.

Verb tense review - part one: simple present

1- I live in Boston. My sister lives in Barcelona.

2- I go to the gym every day. My brother only goes twice a week.

3- My mother is a doctor. She works in a hospital.

4- My daughters take piano lessons. My son studies violin.

5- My wife and I play tennis on weekends. She plays better than me.

6- Bob and Julie like to eat out. They prefer to eat Italian food.

7- I commute to and from work by bus. I listen to English podcasts on my way to work.

8- I admire my uncle. He is a talented athlete.

9- How many languages do you speak? What about your sister?

10- I speak French and German. My sister speaks French and English.

If your English is good enough, you can take my sentences, and try to form the negative version. So if I say, "I admire my uncle," you reply, "I don't admire my uncle," etc.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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(This podcast is for Irma who reminded me about this construction.)

Note: this podcast has fewer repetitions than usual. That DOES NOT mean you shouldn't play it and practice is many times. It just means my time is limited.

In English we can take two questions:

a) Do you know….?

b) Where are my keys?

And combine them into one question: Do you know where my keys are?

Let’s practice:

1- Do you know where my brother is? [where is my brother?]

2- Do you know if she speaks Spanish?[does she speak Spanish?]

3- Does he know what time he’ll be home? [what time will he be home?]

4- Does she know where my family lives? [where does my family live?]

5- Do you know when dinner will be ready? [when will dinner be ready?]

6- Does his girlfriend know that he’s moving to California?[is he moving to CA?] *

7- Do you know where my dog is? [where is my dog?]

8- Do you know which house they own? [which house do they own?]

9- Did you know he got a new job? [did he get a new job?]

10- Do you know how she learned so many languages? [how did she learn so many languages?]

*In a conversation, this might be asked as two questions. First, “Is he moving to California?”

and then:

“Does his girlfriend know?”

Extra practice: See if you can change the questions to negative statements like:
"I don't know where your brother is."

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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1- I have never seen or met an abominable snowman, also known as a Yeti.
2- I.R.S. is the abbreviation for the Internal Revenue Service.
3- My uncle is an aeronautical engineer.
4- I put the books in alphabetical order.
5- My son doesn’t like to bathe, and as a result, dirt is accumulating in his ears.
6- The doctor told me to take an antidepressant, but I was too depressed to follow his advice.
7- She lives approximately seven kilometers from the office where she works.
8- My uncle does biomedical research.
9- In the cafeteria I sat next to a cardiologist.
10- My fiancee is a computational engineer in New York.
11- He communicates his curiosity about criminology at every opportunity.
12- Have you ever heard of the cosmological constant?
13- Fractions have a numerator and a denominator.
14- Dermatologists study dermatology. (But perhaps their interest is only skin deep…).
15- She was disinterested in the documentary about snails.
16- Mr. Johnson is working on a project involving the eradication of mosquitoes.
17- The doctor gave me an exceptionally thorough examination.
18- The police erroneously accused me of stealing a double decker bus.
19- I am trying to achieve a state of emotional equilibrium.
20- My allergies were exacerbated by a bumper crop of pollen.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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Suggestion: Read the sentences first and then put them away. Do NOT try to read the words while you listen and repeat. Reading will NOT help your pronunciation. Train your ears. Repeat: train your ears.

1- The fires in Los Angeles are out of control.

2- She came to my birthday party and ate too much cake.

3- My mother is flying from Miami to New York.

4- My sister got married at the age of twenty-seven.

5- Charlie found a wallet full of money in the street.

6- I’m thinking of buying an E-bike.

7- The damage from the fires will take decades to repair.

8- We are not familiar with the customs of Albania.

9- Her birthday is on the thirteenth of September.

10- Now that I live on an island, I go to the beach every day.

11- Whether you believe me or not doesn’t matter. Everything I said is true.

12- If I come work for your company, you’ll double my pay?

13- He had a great time visiting Ireland and he wants to go back again soon.

14- She wished me a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

15- I’d love to have a dog, but I don’t have time or money to take care of one.

16- I stayed up too late last night and now I’m falling asleep in my armchair.

17- I’ll stay at work until I finish this project.

18- My dog will be my faithful friend until the day he dies.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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It's okay to read the sentences if you need to, but please do NOT try to read them while you're repeating with the podcast. English spelling is a distraction. It's NOT a useful guide to pronunciation.* Close your eyes (unless you're driving!) and use your ears. Train yourself to really hear the sounds, rhythm, stress and intonation of my speech.

1- I went downtown to pick up some food.

2- He visited his mother in the late afternoon.

3- She cleaned her apartment for most of the day.

4- We drove to the lake and swam for a few hours.

5- I worked on my homework until it was finished.

6- Where did you find such a good book?

7- John takes his dog Rex for a walk twice a day.

8- During the week I work 9 to 5.

9- I started studying English many years ago.

10- Whoever you invite is okay with me.

11- Math and science are my favorite subjects.

12- What kind of pizza would you like to have?

13- Green is not my favorite color.

14- I ate chicken; my mom chose pasta.

15- My father works too much. It’s getting him down.

16- If you don’t understand me I’ll speak more slowly.

*(If you have any doubts about this, have a native speaker say these words for you:
tough, though, house, pour, group, cousin, loud, fourth... Yeah, what a mess.)

Note: the podcast website lets you send me a text message but (WHY???) it doesn't let me text you back. So please use the email link if you'd like to hear back from me. Thanks!

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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November 2, 2024

Hello everybody. I've been meaning to record a short podcast to tell you what's going on, and here it is. I've been very busy the past month and November and December are shaping up to be even busier. So I'm not going to record any new podcasts during that time. I will continue to pay for the podcasts to be hosted so you can listen to any of them you like and download them. But I'm not planning to record new ones, at least for the next two months.

However, if you follow me on Telegram, I have been putting up short recordings which you can play as loops. So if you start them playing, you can listen one time or ten times or a hundred times. I personally, for my own language practice, think loops are great. They let you really key in on the pronunciation and the rhythm and how something really sounds. Much better than anything else. Repetition, as far as I'm concerned, is magic. So if you're not following me on Telegram, the link is below. If you don't use Telegram, you might consider getting it. It's handy for this purpose. I know it's also used by all sorts of bad people to do bad things, but that's out of my control. So give it a try. Set up a little Telegram account and follow English with Barry.

I have been posting two sentences a day most of the time on weekdays. So Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Two, I should say two loops because some of them are more than one or two sentences. So that's it. No new podcast planned for the next two months. And I will try to post at least one, if not two, new loops every weekday on my Telegram channel. If you have any questions, there's a link below for sending me a message. And I'll put an email so you can email me also if you want to. Thank you, and happy November and happy December. Take care!
Barry

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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If your native language doesn’t include many consonant blends, English can be a challenge. An example is “st” as in the word “test.” These blends can appear at the beginning of a word, in the middle, or at the end. Let’s practice.

1- The first test was the worst test; the last test was the second worst.

2- My task was to cover the disk on my desk with my mask.

3- Old Mr. Gold told me he had a cold from the mold.

4- I used my wand to send sand to the pond.

5- Do you think I should dunk the skunk in the sink or the tank?

6- I heard the sound of a hound running around and sniffing a mound.

7- As a prank, the drunk drank his drink in a trunk.

8- Would you, could you scold a child in a field?

9- Mr. Smart stood apart in the court and held a chart of his heart.

10- The bored blond was armed with a can of baked beans.

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(From - Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll: beginning of Chapter 7.)

There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it: a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. “Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse,” thought Alice; “only, as it’s asleep, I suppose it doesn’t mind.”

The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it:

1- “No room! No room!” they cried out when they saw Alice coming. “There’s plenty of room!” said Alice indignantly, and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.

2- “Have some wine,” the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.

Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. “I don’t see any wine,” she remarked.

3- “There isn’t any,” said the March Hare.

“Then it wasn’t very civil of you to offer it,” said Alice angrily.

“It wasn’t very civil of you to sit down without being invited,” said the March Hare.

4- “I didn’t know it was your table,” said Alice; “it’s laid for a great many more than three.”

“Your hair wants cutting,” said the Hatter. He had been looking at Alice for some time with great curiosity, and this was his first speech.

“You should learn not to make personal remarks,” Alice said with some severity; “it’s very rude.”

5- The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he said was, “Why is a raven like a writing-desk?”

“Come, we shall have some fun now!” thought Alice. “I’m glad they’ve begun asking riddles.—I believe I can guess that,” she added aloud.

6- “Do you mean that you think you can find out the answer to it?” said the March Hare.

“Exactly so,” said Alice.

“Then you should say what you mean,” the March Hare went on.

7- “I do,” Alice hastily replied; “at least—at least I mean what I say—that’s the same thing, you know.”

“Not the same thing a bit!” said the Hatter. “You might just as well say that ‘I see what I eat’ is the same thing as ‘I eat what I see’!”

8- “You might just as well say,” added the March Hare, “that ‘I like what I get’ is the same thing as ‘I get what I like’!”

9- “You might just as well say,” added the Dormouse, who seemed to be talking in his sleep, “that ‘I breathe when I sleep’ is the same thing as ‘I sleep when I breathe’!”

10- “It is the same thing with you,” said the Hatter, and here the conversation dropped, and the party sat silent for a minute, while Alice thought over all she could remember about ravens and writing-desks, which wasn’t much.

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Here are three more Phrasal Verbs based on “take”:

1- As soon as all the passengers were seated and buckled in, the plane took off. [the plane left the ground]

2- When the burglars heard our key in the lock, they took off through the back door and raced down the street. [They ran away quickly]

3- The doctor told me to take off my shirt so he could listen to my heart and lungs. [to remove]

4- I take after my mother. We have the same color hair and eyes, we are the same height, and we both wear glasses. [to resemble]

5- John doesn’t take after his father. His dad likes to read and play guitar, while John enjoys playing sports and fixing old cars. They are very different from each other. [they don't resemble each other in their tastes]

6- I took apart this old clock, but now I can’t put it back together again. [to take apart = disassemble]

7- What happened to your car’s engine?
—My friend and I took it apart. We’re going to rebuild it next week. [disassemble]

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Imaginary businesses with tricky-to-pronounce names. Use this podcast as an exercise to warm up your pronunciation. Go slowly before you try to go fast!

1- Rudy’s Radioactive Radiator Repair

2- Thea’s Thursday Seances Featuring Thinking, Theorizing, and Theremin Lessons

3- Skip’s Sports Emporium and Unicycle Service Center

4- Terry’s Tried-and-True Temporal Toaster Tinkering

5- Harold’s Handcrafted Heated Hand Warmers

6- Bob’s Refurbished Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers

7- Joe’s Janky Junk Generators of New Jersey

8- Carl’s Cardboard Carton Crushing Company

9- Frank’s Infrared French Fries and Fricasseed Fertilizer Factory

10- Arnold’s Ambling Artificial Alien Alligators

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To “take over” has a couple of meanings. It can mean to “take control of” something, but it can also mean to control by being bossy.

1- While I was sick, weeds took over the garden. Now it looks terrible.

2- When my father died, I had to take over running the company.

3- Our children have taken over my life. I have no free time for myself.

4- One student in our class does most of the talking. He completely takes over our discussions.

5- Every time we have a meeting, my boss takes over and doesn’t let anyone else speak.

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Another expression with the verb take. Let’s practice with “to take advantage of.”

To “take advantage of” can be good or bad.

Here’s an example of the bad kind: “He took advantage of his friend’s generosity by borrowing money and never paying it back.”

And the good kind: “She took advantage of every opportunity to practice her English with fluent speakers.”

1) My friend took advantage of my ignorance to sell me defective merchandise.

2) The car salesman knew we didn’t know anything about cars. He really took advantage of us. Now we have no money and a crappy car.

3) Our supermarket is having a sale on pasta. I’m going to take advantage of the low prices and stock up.

4) My mother is friends with all the local politicians. If I ever decide to get into politics, I’ll take advantage of her connections.

5) Let’s take advantage of the beautiful weather and go to the beach this afternoon.

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Let’s continue our practice with the verb “take”, this time with “take place” which means to “happen”, usually for organized events.

1) The next summer Olympic Games will take place in Los Angeles. I hope it won’t be too hot.

2) The next performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra will take place on September 8th.

3) The 2024 US presidential election will take place on November 5.

4) I would like our wedding to take place as soon as possible.

5) We had a long business meeting, but the serious decisions took place later during dinner.

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The verb “take” is very common in English and it’s used in many ways. One of the expressions is to “take a look.” Here are some examples:

1) “Doctor, please take a look at this X-ray.”

2) He took one look at the snake and said, “It’s a Burmese Python.”

3) “We need to take a look around your apartment,” said the policeman.

4) She took one look at my hand and said, “That’s a nasty cut. You’re going to need some stitches.”

5) My professor said he would take a look at my essay later.

To get the most benefit from this podcast, practice it once or twice, then put it away for a day or two--and then practice it again. If you can, make a recording of yourself saying these sentences and compare your pronunciation with mine. Repeated listening and speaking is the key.

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August has been very busy but here's a podcast so you won't think I've run away somewhere. We use the word "so" in many ways. Here are some sample sentences.

1- That is a beautiful painting?

Do you really think so?

2- Is it time for dinner? Is the food ready?

I think so.

3- She speaks French and so do I.

4- And so off to the movies we went, arm in arm. (So = then)

5- She had never felt so happy before in her life.

6- I can only exercise so much in one day.

7- I didn’t do it!

You did so!

8- I so don’t want to travel with him. (Informal)

9- You can’t count on her. She is so unreliable.

10- Most television shows are so boring.

11- I lived in Spain not so long ago.

12- She was so good in math and science that she became a chemist.

13- He has perfect pitch, so he always sings in tune.

14- My son says he hates broccoli so he won’t eat it.

15- So here we go again: arguing about something stupid.

16- You say I shouldn’t run a marathon and I say, “So what? It’s my decision.”

17- “So THAT’S who ate all the cookies!”

18- His room is very neat and he keeps all his things just so.

19- If you need to talk to your teacher, do so as soon as possible.

20- I’ll stay in Paris for a week or so.

21- So now we’ve come to the end of this podcast. Bye!

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This podcast contains 26 sentences. Each sentence includes at least one 4-syllable word. The words are in alphabetical order, so the 4-syllable word in the first sentence is “alligator” beginning with “A” and so on. Sentence number 26 contains the word “zoology”.

Note that some of the sentences are silly and nonsensical while others are perfectly normal. Don’t worry about the ones that don’t make sense. Your job here is to practice pronouncing English. Let’s start:

I was eaten by an alligator.
She married a benevolent barbarian.
He battled a cantankerous cauliflower.
You can’t deactivate a dandelion.
We rode up on an entertaining elevator.
She was flabbergasted by my fettuccine.
I donate generously to gastronomic startups.
His harmonica playing was heartbreakingly sad.
I will now introduce you to the isosceles triangle.
She doesn’t put jellyfishes in her jambalaya.
The kindergarten children of Kalamazoo are knowledgeable about Kookaburras.
Our librarian spoke lyrically about her favorite books.
Nobody wants to eat microscopic macaroni.
The naturalist was also a skilled navigator.
My grandmother was a phone operator in Oklahoma.
I told the doctor about my peculiar palpitations.
The politician’s quick-wittedness was questionable.
We had to regularly repair our car’s radiator.
When we put out their dinner dishes, the dogs began synchronizing their salivation.
Who put the teriyaki in the terrarium?
Her ukulele playing was unbearably bad.
A vacationer from Venice vaccinated me.
Our watermelon was wonderfully juicy.
I don’t know what a xylotomist is.
She used to work in Yosemite Park.
Is zoology the study of zoos?

If you need to translate any of the words in this podcast, DeepL is a good translator.

This podcast took several hours to write, record, and edit. Whaddya think? Is it worth a few dollars to you? Should I continue this work or quit? Your support will answer that question. Thank you.

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Fixed expressions are little English phrases that native speakers use all the time. If I were in your shoes, I would learn lots of fixed expressions.

For variety, this podcast uses several synthetic voices to read the sentences.

The fact that she speaks five languages doesn't mean she's qualified to be president.
The fact that I just saw a rat means we're not eating dinner in this restaurant.
The fact that our next door neighbor owns three cars proves that he has more money than sense.
On the way to work, a bird flew into my car.
On the way to Paris, our plane developed engine trouble.
On the way to the beach, it started to rain cats and dogs.
To my amazement, dinner was ready and waiting for me when I got home.
To his amazement, he got a perfect score on his physics exam.
To our amazement, the storm passed by quickly and the weather was perfect for our picnic.
To their amazement, their new film won first prize at the film festival.

Plea for support... I need help keeping wadjasay available. Details in the podcast.

If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't move to Bombay. It's too hot there.
If I were in your shoes, I'd marry someone more intelligent than your current girlfriend.
She said that if she were in my shoes, she'd quit her job and go to graduate school.
Without warning, dishes began to rattle on the shelves. It was an earthquake!
Without warning, his mother began to cry. "What's the matter?" asked Maria.
Without warning, the car in front of us hit a patch of ice and skidded off the road.
That's the kind of thing that drives me crazy.
Poorly prepared food in a restaurant is the kind of thing I can't tolerate.
Drinking alcohol and driving is the kind of thing that should be severely punished.
I got off to a fast start but after a few kilometers, other runners began to catch up with me.
She was out sick at the beginning of the semester, but after she returned to school she soon caught up with the other students in her class.
I had to work late but I caught up with my friends at the mall later in the evening.

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Practice with the DJ sound, as in “judge” and “ginger.”

1 - His travel agency has a large budget for advertising.

2 - Have you ever heard of an angel with an allergy?

3 - The archaeologist apologized to the biologist.

4 - She lives on the edge of Egypt.

5 - The earthquake caused a lot of damage. It was a huge emergency.

6 - The engineer decided to enlarge the bridge.

7 - In general he is a generous man.

8 - My geography professor is a genuine genius.

9 - My grandmother baked a gigantic gingerbread man.

10 - The doctor suggested a diet of more vegetables and extra oranges.

Episodes of the wadjasay podcast have now been downloaded more than 50,000 times. I am amazed.

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Here's a short poem to help you practice S, Z, and SH sounds.

Dessert Time at the Zooquarium.

A zebra sipped a milkshake.
A serpent swam in cream.
Hippos splashed and frolicked.
In a gurgling chocolate stream.

The zoo was full of visitors
who buzzed like busy bees.
And watched the sharks swim lazily
through orange soda seas.

The sounds were like an orchestra.
As creatures chewed and slurped.
At closing time, the whole place shook.
An elephant had burped.

© 2024 Barry Kahn

Permission is hereby granted to use this poem for educational purposes only with attribution to the author.

Please see the transcript for the full podcast text.

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English has V sounds and W sounds. But some languages only have one or the other. If your native language is missing one of these sounds, you need to learn it. Otherwise we won’t know if you want to say “wet” or “vet”. To help you practice, I wrote this poem:

Mind Your Vs and Ws

Our teacher is a vampire,

He wobbles when he walks

His voice is kind of funny

But we like the way he talks.

“I want to drink your blood,” he says,

“It’s so invigorating.”

But he says ‘vant’ instead of ‘want’

And so ‘inwigerating’.

“Mind your Vs and Ws,”

We tell him with regret,

“It’s ‘while’ and ‘went’ and ‘west’ and ‘wary’

And ‘whale’ and ‘worse’ and ‘wet’.”

“Just so!” he says, “I see, I see,

I’ll get them right I bet:

It’s ‘vile’ and ‘vent’ and ‘vest’ and ‘vary’

And ‘veil’ and ‘verse’ and ‘vet’.”

“No!” We shout, and laugh and yell

And act like we will riot

Until he shows his shiny fangs—

And then—like graves—we’re quiet.

© 2024 Barry Kahn

Permission is hereby granted to use this poem for educational purposes only with attribution to the author.

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Let's continue with English reductions where the pronunciation of the word "and" changes to ’n.

Here’s another example: “She’s out and about, shopping at the mall,” changes to …”out ’n about”…

Our cat wandered off again but she’ll come home by and by.
Now and then we like to eat dinner at a fancy restaurant.
In this day and age, buying a house at the beach is asking for trouble.
We have an off and on friendship.
I explained the homework over and over again.
After he fought with an alligator, he was black and blue all over his body.
I’m willing and able to move to London for the right job.
My brother arrived home safe and sound after six months traveling around Africa.
The boat went up and down and up and down until everyone was seasick.
He’s an up and coming young artist.

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English is full of reductions. We write “going to” but we say “gonna” for example.

The conjunction “and” is often reduced to an /n/ sound. So “hot and cold” becomes “hot ’n’ cold” and so on. Here are ten sentences to practice with.

These phrases are sometimes called “fixed” and phrases. Ask any American to finish these:

“Rock and _____.”

“Bright and ______.”

“Pros and ______.”

Yes, they are effectively collocations.

She often listens to rock and roll.
My grandson like to eat bread and jam.
“I now pronounce you man and wife.”
They got up bright and early.
She cared for her grandmother night and day.
He wasn’t interested in the ins and outs of local politics.
Professor Jones studied the rise and fall of ancient empires.
It was a matter of life and death.
I need to think about the pros and cons before I decide.
There’s too much hustle and bustle in a big city. I prefer living in the country.

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Regular verbs in English add “ed” to show past tense.

So “walk” becomes “walked”, “cook” becomes “cooked”, etc.

There are three ways the “ed” can be pronounced. In this podcast we will—again—practice verbs where the past tense ends with the /t/ sound. So in #1, look becomes looked [lookt] and drop becomes dropped [drohpt].

*Note: this podcast includes several synthetic voices. (Due to a bad cold and sore throat, my voice is on vacation.)

If you need to practice this podcast, then you should also practice this one with the /d/ sound.*

1 . I looked for my phone but apparently I had dropped it into the lake.

2 . We baked an apple pie and I brushed some butter on the crust.

3 . I cracked some eggs into the pan and we cooked breakfast.

4 . I kissed her hand and she dropped me a curtsy.

5 . He finished work at six and then hiked home.

6 . The prisoner jumped out the window and escaped.

7 . I guessed what was wrong and then I fixed his car.

8 . My uncle laughed as he smoked a cigar.

9 . My sister and I talked as we shopped.

10 . The man stopped and looked out the window.

11 . Mr. Jones slipped on the ice, fell down, and knocked himself out.

12 . He picked some flowers for his mother and pressed them into her hand.

13 . We locked the door and hoped there were no burglars around.

14 . The ballerina danced like an angel.

15 . His car crashed into a tree.

16 . What a crowd of people! The room was packed.

17 . I missed the bus so I walked home from work.

18 . I pushed the baby carriage. We passed lots of other carriages. So many babies!

19 . He joked with me as he dressed in a tuxedo.

20 . I relaxed and watched the men working across the street.

21 . I thanked the doctor for his help.

22 . She peeked into the oven. The cake was not baked yet.

23 . I touched him on the shoulder and he jumped.

24 . I passed him my binoculars so he could look at the lion.

25 . Our websites are now linked.

If you're listening to this, I assume you've practiced most or all of the sentences in this podcast. And if you've done that, you must believe it's helping you to improve your English. That's great!

But Barry has a question for you: should this podcast be free? It's not free for him to create: it takes time to write and record, often 2-3 hours per podcast. He pays monthly fees to the company that hosts the podcasts. He pays monthly fees for the software that he uses to record and edit the software.

As a business, this podcast is a failure. The money it costs Barry is much greater than the few dollars he gets every month from supporters. And that’s why he’s thinking of stopping. If you care, become a supporter or at least donate by buying the occasional cup of coffee. If you don’t care, then stopping the podcast won’t make any difference—except that Barry will have more free time.

If you’d like to share your thoughts, please use the link at the top of the podcast text. And if you’re wondering why Barry didn’t record this in his own voice, it’s because he has a terrible cold and no voice to record with.

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Final consonant clusters with "r"
What's a consonant cluster? Simple: take the "r" sound, combine it with another consonant like "d", as in the word "yard" and you have a small group or cluster of two consonants. In the sentences below you'll find words like these: hard, guard, stirred, part, third, park, clerk, etc. Depending on your native language these may be easy to pronounce, or sometimes quite difficult. (In another podcast we'll practice some of the longer, harder clusters. Can you say "desks" for example?)

1- English is not so hard to learn.

2- The guard watched us as we approached the door.

3- My mother stirred the pot of soup.

4- My brother gave me part of his sandwich.

5- Please spell the third word in that sentence.

6- She parked her car in the dark.

7- I work as a clerk.

8- Slurp is a verb.

9- The horse ran around the race course.

10- The nurse was carrying a purse.

11- There are no cars on Mars.

12- My cat purrs all the time.

13- His dog snarled at me.

14- I called her the ‘Girl with the pearl earrings.’

15- Did you hear the alarm at the farm?

16- I warned them of the approaching storm.

17- She lives on a farm.

18- He walked away from the accident unharmed.

19- My friends got divorced last year.

20- My first job was the worst.

21- The horse was pulling a cart full of garbage.

22- I like the girl with the curly hair.

23- She poured out her heart to her sister.

24- The world is warming.

25- How much is that diamond worth?

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See the transcript for the text of part 2.

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Click on the transcript link to read the text as you listen. Enjoy!

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Syncope (loss of unstressed vowels after a stressed syllable.)

Example “chocolate” [CHAWK-uh-luht] becomes [CHAW-kluht]

1- I like to eat chocolate. [CHAW-kluht]

2- She visits her mother every weekend. [EV-ree]

3- He bought a new camera. [KAM-ruh]

4- We go for a walk in the evening. [EEV-niŋ]

6- Are you interested in ancient history? [HIS-tree]

7- We have a vegetable garden. [VEJ-tuh-buhl]

8- Those two ideas are not comparable. [KOM-pruh-buhl]

9- She works in a laboratory. [LAB-ruh-tor-ee]

10- What an interesting person he is. [IN-truhs-tiŋ]

11- I got the flu last week. I felt so miserable. [MIZ-ruh-buhl]

12- Generally I only drink coffee in the morning. [JEN-ruh-lee]

13- I have a headache. I’m going to take an aspirin.

14- Mexican Spanish is different from Argentinian Spanish.

15- What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

16- Let’s go to a restaurant for dinner.

17- Is coffee your beverage of choice?

18- I’d like to introduce you to my family.

19- That seems like a reasonable solution to our problem.

20- Ireland is nicknamed the “Emerald” Isle.

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One of the science podcasts I listen to regularly is Astronomy Cast hosted by Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela Gay. In today’s lesson, you’ll hear a short excerpt from Episode 705: Water Worlds - Looking for Life Beyond Earth. First you’ll hear a clip from their podcast, and then I’ll break their speech into shorter fragments so you can listen and repeat. You’ll hear that Fraser Cain in particular speaks quite rapidly. It would be hard to repeat at his speed!

1- Wherever we find liquid water on Earth, we find life.

2- So it makes sense to search for water across the universe, and hopefully, we can find evidence of life.

3- But what about worlds which are completely covered in water?

4- Oceans, hundreds of kilometers deep. Can there be too much water?

5- So this idea of water worlds, I mean, we learned everything we needed to know from that Kevin Costner movie, right?

6- No, no, one of the things that I was thinking about preparing for this show

7- is just how magnificently wrong in pretty much every way that movie appears to have been,
8- except from a climate change perspective.

9- And really, if you want one thing to be wrong, you want it to be the climate change part that's wrong.

10- Yeah, but climate change causes sea levels to rise by a couple of hundred feet in the worst case scenario.

Let's listen to the original podcast excerpt again.
11- Right, no, that's true. It won't eat the entire planet. There will still be soil.

12- The coastlines will be roughly where they were, especially in places that are very mountainous.

13- So it won't be hard where you're trying to find evidence of islands.

14- No, no. But this idea of water worlds, we know they exist here in the solar system, and so we assume that they're out there.

15- So give us sort of like an idea, what is the quintessential water world here in the solar system?

You've listened to the original speakers, you've listened to me, and you've had a chance to listen and repeat. Now listen to the original one more time. Remember: you can't listen too much when you're studying a new language!

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The phone rings and it's a stranger trying to sell you something. This is part one of a multi-podcast series based on a real script. Have fun!

Hi, this is Barry calling from Scam-O-Rama Car Services. I’m calling regarding your 2016 Chevrolet Survivor. How is your 2016 Chevy Survivor running? Do you know the approximate current mileage? Great! I’m calling because the original factory warranty that was on your vehicle has expired. We're running a promotion today for reinstating your original factory coverage. We're going to add 12 months of service at no additional cost. You can take your vehicle to the DownTown HotShot dealership. Are you familiar with them? Do you know where they're located? For the next 12 months you'll take your vehicle there for all your service needs, all your oil changes, tire rotations, and they will also provide you with roadside assistance.

1- Hi, this is Barry calling from Scam-O-Rama Car Services.

2- I’m calling regarding your 2016 Chevrolet Survivor.

3- How is your 2016 Chevy Survivor running?

4- Do you know the approximate current mileage? Great!

5- I’m calling because the original factory warranty that was on your vehicle has expired.

6- We're running a promotion today for reinstating your original factory coverage.

7- We're going to add 12 months of service at no additional cost.

8- You can take your vehicle to the DownTown HotShot dealership. 9- Are you familiar with them? Do you know where they're located?

10- For the next 12 months you'll take your vehicle there for all your service needs, all your oil changes, tire rotations, and they will also provide you with roadside assistance.

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This is the first in a series of lessons about connected speech. One of the ways in which we link syllables and words together is with "glides" -- for example a Y sound is added between "be" and "able" so it sounds like "bee yable". Listen to the sentences and you'll get the idea of these glides.

Y glides:

/iy/

1) I would like to be able to speak fluent English.

2) Will you be able to come?

3) She likes to create small sculptures.

4) Let’s create something new.

5) My dog loves being in the house.

6) Mary is seeing her French cousin for the first time.

/ey/

5) Please say it again.

6) Lay it down over there.

7) He’s paying for the new table.

8) We’ll be staying at a hotel.

9) Don’t stay up too late.

10) She’s praying for her father.

/ai/

11) She’s in her room crying.

12) I can hear him sighing.

13) My son is trying out for the basketball team.

14) She is very naive.

15) I will bring my own soup.

16) He will be flying here from Naples.

17) The cat is eyeing my dinner. It’s fish.

/ɔy/

18) He has a new toy airplane.

19) The cat was toying with the mouse.

20) His name is Roy Adams.

21) He has a boyish face.

22) My sister is annoying me.

==========================

W glides:

23) His car is a bluish color.

24) Where are you going?

25) However, she does speak Hungarian.

26) You should do it now.

27) I wish that dog would go away.

28) Now is the time for us to leave.

/uw/

29) I’ll sign my name in blue ink.

30) Are you in the kitchen?

31) His name is Stuart.

/ow/

32) There’s no art in that room.

33) The word “Noel” is often heard in Christmas songs.

34) No one is listening to us.

/aw/

35) How is it going?

36) We need some more flour.

37) How’re you doing?

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Here are some sentences with six-syllable words.

1- In the 1960s people experimented with hallucinogenic drugs.

2- Covid 19 has resulted in the hospitalization of too many people.

3- Please do NOT eat mushrooms which are not identifiable as safe and harmless.

4- Alien organisms might not be easily categorizable.

5- After lengthy reconsideration of your proposal, my answer is still NO.

6- I was the beneficiary of my late uncle’s largesse. He was a generous man.

7- I would like to study extraterrestrial biodiversity.

8- She is planning to write a lengthy autobiography.

9- Please show us your identification.

10- Is it possible to be a humanitarian revolutionary?

11- Deep sea creatures often exhibit bioluminescence.

12- Sometimes people overgeneralize when they telecommunicate.

13- I am studying the electromagnetic spectrum.

14- Lack of precipitation is leading to the desertification of the American southwest.

15- She was easily identifiable by her short purple hair and long pointy nose.

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Crazy English. We pronounce "ough" in too many ways...

I thought microbiology was a tough course, but my professor was a thorough teacher. I studied hard throughout, and in the end I learned what he taught even though it was a challenge.

1- I thought microbiology was a tough course…

2…but my professor was a thorough teacher.

3- I studied hard throughout…

4…and in the end I learned what he taught…

5…even though it was a challenge.

You did it! Good job.

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1- Do you think you know what a parachute looks like?

2- Guess what: There are tons of parachute types out there, and you probably don’t know ’em all!

3- Here’s a rundown of several of the normal and not-so-normal types of parachutes…

3a- …that help skydivers (and far-flung cargo) make their way softly back down to terra firma.

4- Round parachutes were the first tools for fabric descent.

5- If your mental image of a parachute involves a big, inverted pouch of fabric…

5a-…suspended over a helpless jumper, then it’s a round parachute you’re thinking of.

6- Round parachutes served a purpose for a very long time (and still do, in some very specific circumstances)…

7-…but there were a few issues with this design that caused them to eventually fade from regular use.

Commercial break ! Do you ever wonder what it costs to produce and share a podcast like wadjasay? Let me tell you. Putting my podcasts online so you can listen and download them costs $12 per month for up to 3 hours. If I want to go over 3 hours, It costs more. The software I use for recording and editing costs about $16 per month. So my current cash out-of-pocket expenses total $28 dollars per month.

Then there’s my time. Each recorded hour of the podcast requires on average two to three hours of time for research, preparation, recording, editing, and uploading the finished podcast. So if I upload three hours of podcasts each month, and pay myself an imaginary $20 per hour, and I’m very efficient so it only takes me 6 hours to make the 3 hours of podcasts, I owe myself $120 per month. So the grand total? I’m investing at least $150 per month in cash and my time to keep wadjasay running.

In the first week after I upload a new podcast, it is usually downloaded between 50 and 100 times. I am recording this on March 16th, and I presently have two monthly subscribers to wadjasay. (Thank you, and thank you!) But what about everyone else? If you take the time to download the podcast, I can only conclude that you find it helpful. If that’s true, please help support it. A few dollars a month would tell me that I’m not wasting my time and that my efforts are worth continuing.

Thank you! Now back to practicing English.

8- First off: They’re (gulp!) unsteerable. Secondly, they’re (double gulp!) not super-likely to land lightly.

9- Cruciform parachutes can be seen as kinda-sorta a subset of round parachutes.

10- They’re not round, per se, but they’re certainly not the square modern parachutes we use for most purposes today.

11- The difference is this: their squared-off profile decreases oscillation

12- …and ends up resulting in fewer landing injury rates for the jumpers and cargo that dangle helplessly below.

13- The bump at the end is about 25% softer than the cruciform’s rounder cousin,

14-…but it’s still nowhere near as good an idea as the modern skydiving parachute, so this one also stays firmly in the military world.

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What parachute types are there? Do you think you know what a parachute looks like? Guess what: There are tons of parachute types out there, and you probably don’t know ’em all! Here’s a rundown of several of the normal and not-so-normal types of parachutes that help skydivers (and far-flung cargo) make their way softly back down to terra firma.
1. ROUND PARACHUTES
Round parachutes were the first tools for fabric descent. If your mental image of a parachute involves a big, inverted pouch of fabric suspended over a helpless jumper, then it’s a round parachute you’re thinking of. Round parachutes served a purpose for a very long time (and still do, in some very specific circumstances), but there were a few issues with this design that caused them to eventually fade from regular use. First off: They’re (gulp!) unsteerable. Secondly, they’re (double gulp!) not super-likely to land lightly.
2. CRUCIFORM PARACHUTES
Cruciform parachutes can be seen as kinda-sorta a subset of round parachutes. They’re not round, per se, but they’re certainly not the square modern parachutes we use for most purposes today. The difference is this: their squared-off profile decreases oscillation and ends up resulting in fewer landing injury rates for the jumpers and cargo that dangle helplessly below. The bump at the end is about 25% softer than the cruciform’s rounder cousin, but it’s still nowhere near as good an idea as the modern skydiving parachute, so this one also stays firmly in the military world.
3. ROGALLO WINGS
You’ll pretty much never see a rogallo parachute in the sport skydiving world — but you just might see one in paragliding, where they’re commonly used as rescue parachutes. The wing design is highly recognizable: two partial conic surfaces with both cones pointing forward, vaguely triangular or hang-glidery in appearance. Springy and flexible, the Rogallo wing is most often seen in toy kites, but has been used to construct descent parachutes for spacecraft, as well as provide an airfoil for ultralight powered aircraft like trikes.
4. RAM AIR PARACHUTES
So what are you most likely to see on a skydiving dropzone? Far and away, you’ll be looking at the venerable ram air parachute. As a matter of fact, just about everyone in the sky today uses ram air canopies to get down. You’ll recognize them instantly: a square or rectangular fabric wing, wherein a top and bottom sheet of nylon are attached by a set of fabric ribs between them.
That’s the magic, right there: The ribs divide the parachute into a set of individual cells that inflate when fast-moving air is pushed in through the front, and inflates the parachute all the way to the back. When that inflation happens, the wing inflates to the point that it becomes a steerable airfoil. Bingo! A stable flying machine that slows you down, steers like a dream and “flares” to land you as softly as a pretty little fairy princess.
My thanks to the folks at Long Island Skydiving for permission to share this information. To learn more about skydiving, please visit their website.
To see the page on their blog about parachute types, click here.

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1 - Gymnasts have broad, muscular backs.

2 - I worked in the garden all morning and now my back aches.

3 - He broke his back in a terrible car accident.

4 - Have you ever read The Hunchback of Notre Dame?

5 - My dog always stretches his back and yawns when he wakes up.

6 - My cat arched his back and hissed loudly at the neighbor’s dog.

7 - She leaned her back against the door and looked at me suspiciously.

8 - He patted and scratched his dog’s back affectionately.

9 - Tall people are prone to back trouble.

10 - I need an office chair with good back support.

11 - If there’s a problem, please tell me to my face. Don’t go behind my back.

12 - He got a bad case of Covid and was flat on his back for weeks.

13 - What are you carrying on your back?

14 - She stood with her back to the fire, sipping hot chocolate.

15 - Watch your back—there are people who would like to get you fired.

16 - The boss gave me a slap on the back and told me I was going to get a raise soon.

17 - The children were sitting back to back in a large cardboard box.

18 - We could only get seats at the back of the stadium for the Taylor Swift concert.

19 - I prefer to sit near the front of the bus, not at the back.

20 - The dog wasn’t out front, so we went around back and looked for him there.

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There are some words in English which change their meaning when you change the stress. Here’s an example:

Perfect - free of mistakes, problems, errors.

1 - The teacher said my homework was perfect. (PER-fect)

2 - She got a perfect score on the exam.

3 - Your pronunciation is perfect.

4 - It’s hard to be perfect all the time.

5 - That painting looks just like my grandmother. It’s a perfect likeness.

6 - The forger copied my signature perfectly. Uh oh!

7 - What a smile! She has perfect teeth.

8 - The criminal had a perfect alibi.

9 - The doctor said I was in perfect health.

10 - This is the perfect place to begin our discussion of aliens.

To perfect something: per-FECT - to make something or do something as well as you can

11 - It took her years of practice to perfect her violin technique.

12 - I have tried for years to perfect my pronunciation of French.

13 - The car company is trying to perfect a new type of engine.

14 - The chef has perfected his recipe for chicken Kiev.

15 - My wife goes ice skating every day, but she has not yet perfected her jumps.

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1 - I enjoyed myself when I visited Mexico.

2 - She hurt herself playing basketball.

3 - You’re working too hard. Don’t kill yourself!

4 - John is going to make himself a sandwich.

5 - We encourage ourselves to practice English every day.

6 - I own my own small company. I pay myself four thousand dollars per month.

7 - It is important for children to learn to behave themselves.

8 - If you get hungry please help yourself to anything in the refrigerator.

9 - He entertained himself by playing chess against a computer.

10 - She likes to do things herself and not ask other people for help.

11 - The cat scratched itself and then ran away.

12 - My dog looked in the mirror and barked at itself.

13 - The food was delicious so we helped ourselves to more.

14 - I was chopping carrots in the kitchen when I cut myself.

15 - When you play violin, you have to listen carefully to yourself.

Some sentences with “yourself”

Before you buy a new car, ask yourself if you really need it.

When you go to a job interview, just be yourself.

Did you cook dinner all by yourself?

The accident wasn’t your fault, so don’t blame yourself.

So a flying saucer landed in front of your house? I think I need to see that for myself.

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The full text of this podcast along with additional information about job scams can be found on the US Federal Trade Commission website.

Here are some sentences to use for pronunciation practice. They are at the end of the podcast.

1- Scammers advertise jobs the same way honest employers do — online (in ads, on job sites, and social media), in newspapers, and sometimes on TV and radio.

2- They promise you a job, but what they want is your money and your personal information.

3- Here are some examples of jobs scams and advice on how to avoid them.

4- Scammers place ads, often online, claiming that they have jobs where you can make thousands of dollars a month working from home with little time and effort.

5 - Sometimes the scammers try to get you interested by saying that you can be your own boss, start your own business, or set your own schedule.

6 - But instead of making money, you end up paying for starter kits, so-called training, or certifications that are useless.

7 - You might also find that your credit card is charged without your permission.

8 - Or you get caught up in a fake check scam, where you deposit a check from your new employer.

9 - The employer then asks you to send some money back due to “overpayment,” but the check will ultimately bounce, and the bank will want you to repay the full amount of the fake check, while the scammers keep the real money you sent them.

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There are many collocations in English using the word “pain”. Here are a few to practice with.

1) He immersed himself in the music and for a little while forgot the pain of losing his father.

2) She took medications for a few days to ease the pain in her leg.

3) It took me a long time to get over the pain of getting divorced.

4) We shared both the joy and pain of raising our children.

5) Her husband is a soldier. She knows the pain of separation.

6) Her addiction to drugs caused her family a lot of pain.

7) I would like to spare you the pain of getting fired.

8) He tried to conceal the pain in his foot.

9) My boss is a huge pain in the neck. And HIS boss is a pain in the ass.

10) Dr. Jones specializes in medications to manage pain.

11) I have a high tolerance for pain.

12) On a scale of one to ten, what is the level of your pain?

13) A sharp pain shot up my arm.

14) The pain increases when I try to lift something heavy.

15) The pain goes away after I take a hot shower.

16) She groaned with pain and pushed the baby out.

17) I ignore the pain in my knees when I go for a walk.

18) She wants to learn guitar so she puts up with sore fingers.

19) My father was rushed to the hospital suffering from severe pains in his lower abdomen.

20) Sitting all day makes the pain in my back worse.

21) He stayed in bed all day with back pain.

22) The bee stings caused my sister extreme pain.

23) The soldier feels phantom pain in his missing leg.

24) I have read that snow blindness can cause excruciating pain.

25) The cause of my mother’s intermittent pain is a mystery.

[I like DeepL for translations.]

And a thank you to my supporters who help me pay the costs of running this podcast. Every penny helps! Buy me a coffee for a one-time donation or use the support link below:

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Once upon a time there was a little girl who lived with her mother in a small house at the edge of a big forest.

The girl had a bright red cape with a hood and it was so striking that everyone called her Little Red Riding Hood.

One day her mother said, "Sweetie, I'm preparing a basket of treats for your dear grandmother. She's not feeling well and a visit from you would cheer her up.”

Soon the basket of treats was ready.

Little Red Riding Hood put on her cape and her mother gave her final instructions.

"Sweetie, remember, follow the path through the woods until you reach your grandmother's house. And remember, do not stop along the way and do not talk to strangers. Stay on the path. Do not wander in the woods. Do not stop and pick flowers. Stay out of trouble, please.”

"Yeah, yeah,” said Little Red Riding Hood. "No problem.”

Please see the transcript for the rest of the story.

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1) Our teacher gave us some grammar exercises for homework.

2) The translation exercises were difficult.

3) I do yoga exercises every morning.

4) His doctor recommended some exercises to strengthen his back.

5) Learning a new language is a good mental exercise.

6) Mary does daily breathing, stretching, and relaxation exercises.

7) I like to listen to rock and roll music during exercise.

8) My wife gave me an exercise video for my birthday.

9) I don’t have any exercise equipment at home.

10) My uncle doesn’t get enough exercise.

11) I prefer outdoor exercise like running with my dog.

12) The doctor said I needed more cardiovascular exercise.

13) Has your company ever run team-building exercises?

14) In the end the entire discussion went nowhere. It was an empty exercise.

15) The US soldiers took part in joint exercises with NATO troops.

16) Please exercise discretion and keep this secret from your grandmother.

17) Preparing for the next pandemic is not just a theoretical exercise.

18) We have conducted emergency training exercises in every part of the country.

19) I’ll record some listening comprehension exercises for you.

20) I hope this podcast has given your brain some exercise.

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1) We go to dinner at a fancy restaurant when we’re feeling extravagant.

2) Spending $200 on a pair of shoes seems extravagant to me.

3) She’s only extravagant when she’s on vacation and then she throws caution to the winds.

4) After winning the lottery, he became the most extravagant person I know. He spent millions on his new house.

5) The lifestyles of the rich and famous are often wildly extravagant.

6) Mr. Jones is a conservative man, but his wife is very extravagant.

7) He’s cautious with money at home, but at the casino he’s rather extravagant.

8) I’m slightly extravagant when choosing birthday gifts for my children.

9) Lucy is tight-fisted with her own money, but quite extravagant with mine.

10) Politicians make extravagant claims when running for re-election.

11) My boss praised me extravagantly last month. A few weeks later, our company went bankrupt.

12) There are dangers in an extravagant lifestyle.

13) He’s a connoisseur of fine wines, and he praised my collection extravagantly.

14) His taste in cars is extravagant. He owns a Ferrari and a Porsche.

15) I’d rather own ten good books than an expensive car. I’m not what you’d call extravagant.

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Some sentences with "happy":

1) He has a successful business with many happy customers.

2) Meeting you here in the airport was a happy accident.

3) The boy was whistling a happy tune.

4) That movie had a happy ending.

5) Alex and Joanna are a very happy couple.

6) My grandson has had a happy childhood.

7) I have happy memories of my first trip to Europe.

8) She had a productive day at work so she’s in a happy mood.

9) This restaurant has a happy atmosphere.

10) You have a happy face and a happy smile.

This will probably be my last podcast of 2023. Thank you for listening. I hope you find these podcasts useful and if you're not a supporter, please consider a small donation to help me with the cost of keeping wadjasay available. Happy New Year to everyone!

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Betty Botta bought some butter;

“But,” said she, “this butter’s bitter!

If I put it in my batter

It will make my batter bitter.

But a bit o’ better butter

Will but make my batter better.”

Then she bought a bit o’ butter

Better than the bitter butter,

Made her bitter batter better.

So ’twas better Betty Botta

Bought a bit o’ better butter.

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Where's Molly?

The cat? I don't know. Where have you looked? Did you check the bedroom?

She's not in the bedroom.

Did you look in the fridge?

How would a cat get into the fridge?

I don't know. How about the washing machine?

I just put laundry in the washer. She's not in there.

Did you look outside?

She's not in the front yard and she's not in the backyard.

Did you look in the car?

Molly hates the car. I'm sure she's not in the car.

Did you check the box?

What box?

Schrödinger's box. The famous one.

What are you talking about?

If she's in Schrödinger's box, she's dead and alive. Both.

(phone rings)

Hello? Hi, Joanna. What? Molly's at your house? In the living room watching a bird show on TV?

Okay, thanks. I'll be right over to get her.

If you're not familiar with Schrödinger's famous paradox, here's a link to wikipedia.

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If you're not familiar with the word auction, A-U-C-T-I-O-N, I want you to stop this podcast, look at the notes, and go watch two parts of videos on YouTube. The first one is an example of an auction competition and the second one is a woman auctioneer talking about her patter, which is the way people talk during auctions.

STOP! Please watch these videos:

1) An auction competition

2) Auction patter demonstration

In the United States, auctions can be for horses, cows, antiques, furniture, almost anything. And the auctioneers have a special way of speaking, what we call a patter, that goes very fast. I cannot demonstrate it, I've never practiced it. But watch the videos first and then come back to the sentence practice.

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Here are two home-made tongue twisters featuring "L".
Lazy Lucy left languid Larry lingering in Louisiana.

Lucille’s lizard lives happily in her yellow bungalow.

(Note to Turkish speakers: look in a mirror and say English words beginning in "L". If you see the tip of your tongue sticking out, you are articulating a Turkish "L" -- in American English, the tip of the tongue is on the roof of the mouth behind your teeth.)

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Today's mini-cast discusses these two sentences:

I used to work for a big company, but after a few years I quit. Now I'm self-employed.

If there's a sentence or a couple of sentences you find tricky to pronounce, and you'd like me to use it or them in a mini-podcast, email me at fuzzy.moon8650@fastmail.com and I will be happy to consider your suggestion. Thanks!

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Another mini-cast: the sentence to practice here is:

"I could take the bus to work, but I'd rather walk."

Listen carefully as always, and notice how words pronounced in isolation may be pronounced differently when they're in a sentence.

If you want to practice your speaking and correct grammar at the same time, try making up variations on the podcast sentence. Here are a few examples:

I could walk to work, but I'd rather drive.

I could take my scooter to work, but I'd rather bike.

I could fly to work, but I don't have a plane.

I could walk to work, but I'd rather take the bus.

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Here's another podcast where I dig into exactly how I pronounce a single sentence:

"To tell you the truth, I was surprised by his attitude."

By the way: thank you to my supporters who contribute to help pay for the expenses of this podcast. You are greatly appreciated!

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Note: the podcast recording is not identical to this short essay. But the topic is the same.

Who knew? The "TH" sound in English does not exist in Turkish.
And yet, the articulation of the "TH" sound does exist in Turkish. Really and truly.

If you are a native speaker of Turkish, do this:
1) Say the word "geldi".
2) Repeat the word, but do NOT pronounce the "di". Just say "gel" and stop. Freeze. Don't move. Go look in the mirror and see where your tongue is. Or if no mirror is nearby, just say "gel" and feel where your tongue is. If you're like the native speakers I checked, the tip of your tongue will be between your teeth.

3) Practice this. Say "gel" ten or twenty time and each time, stop and see or feel where your tongue is.
4) Now say "mother" in English. Then repeat it, but leave off the "er" at the end. Guess what? Your tongue should look, feel, and be in exactly the same position as when you say "gel".

Who knew? You Turkish speakers know how to articulate the "th" in English because you've been doing it forever.

Practice this trick, tell your friends, and soon words like: this, that, these, those, the, mother, father, path, and thirty-three will be ever so much easier.

Who knew?

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This podcast contains a very close analysis of how I pronounce a few sentences:

1- I am so tired of waiting in the rain.
2- I'm so happy to be walking in the park.
3- I was so tired of waiting in the rain that I went to a restaurant.

Remember: Written English is not a good guide to pronunciation. Believe me! You need to listen closely to how we native speakers actually speak. Listen, listen, listen.

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There was once a young rat named Arthur, who could never take the trouble to make up his mind. Whenever his friends asked him if he would like to go out with them, he would only answer, ‘I don’t know.’ He wouldn’t say ‘yes’ and he wouldn’t say ‘no’ either. He could never learn to make a choice.

His aunt Helen said to him, ‘No one will ever care for you if you carry on like this. You have no more mind than a blade of grass.’ Arthur looked wise, but stupidly said nothing.

One rainy day, the rats heard a great noise in the loft where they lived. The pine rafters were all rotten in the middle, and at last one of the joists had given way and fallen to the ground. The walls shook and all the rats’ hair stood on end with fear and horror. ‘This won’t do,’ said the old rat who was chief, ‘I’ll send out scouts to search for a new home.’

Three hours later the seven tired scouts came back and said, ‘We have found a stone house, which is just what we wanted; there is room and good food for us all. There is a kindly horse named Nelly, a cow, a calf, and a garden with flowers and an elm tree.’ Just then the old rat caught sight of young Arthur. ‘Are you coming with us?’ he asked. ‘I don’t know.’ Arthur sighed. ‘The roof may not come down just yet.’ ‘Well,’ said the old rat angrily, ‘we can’t wait all day for you to make up your mind; right about face! March!’ And they went straight off.

Arthur stood and watched the other little rats hurry away. The idea of an immediate decision was too much for him. ‘I’m going back to my hole for a bit,’ he said to himself dreamily, ‘just to make up my mind.’ That Tuesday night there was a great crash that shook the earth and down came the whole roof. Next day some men rode up and looked at the ruins. One of them moved a board and hidden under it they saw a young rat lying on his side, quite dead, half in and half out of his hole.

Notes: This story was written a long time ago and contains most--perhaps all--of the phonemes (sounds) of English. For this podcast, please use it to practice your listening. I'll also upload it as an mp3 file to my Telegram channel so you can play it as an endless loop. Hope you enjoy it.

And thank you to my supporters who donate to help cover the costs of the podcast! Every donation helps.

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No text. This podcast is my quick report on how my Turkish studies are going after one month. It's definitely an adventure.

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English has three nasal sounds. They are “M” as in “mama”, “N” as in “nine”, and /ŋ/ - the ‘ing’ sound, as in “ring.”

In making each of these sounds, some air comes out through your nose which is why they are called ‘nasal’ sounds. If you pinch your nose shut while trying to make these sounds, you’ll find they sound very different. If you hum: mmmmmmmmm and then pinch your nose, you’ll see what I mean. Listen…

Let’s practice first with words containing the ‘M’ sound.

1- I’m glad I’m not a company manager.

2- We must improve our meetings.

3- I will attempt to find a word with a similar meaning.

4- We have a complex economy.

5- You are welcome to our kingdom.

6- This is your minimum payment, and this is the maximum.

7- I can’t measure someone who keeps moving.

8- She will monitor the monthly outcomes.

9- He promised to examine the medical performance of the staff.

10- All the students at the academy wear uniforms.

“N” Sounds:

11- Mr. Johnson is the current leading candidate.

12- I need to include the General in the decision.

13- He runs a network of spies for our country..

14- What is the benefit of running every weekend?

15- He has billions of dollars in a foreign account.

16- Someone has written me a note in French.

17- Our economy is not generating enough revenue.

18- She is a western finance minister.

19- I have concerns about the new version of our accounting software.

20- Our mission is to prevent the advance of the aliens.

/ŋ/ - the ‘ing’ sound

21- Now you’re being stubborn.

22- Oh, he’s just doing his thing.

23- Let’s go mingle with the throng.

24- I’m right and you’re wrong.

25- Please bring your brother along.

26- Politicians are lying while people are dying.

27- She’s young, angry, and very hungry.

28- The singer was in the kitchen eating dinner.

29- A guitar usually has six strings.

30- I’m saving fifty dollars every week.

31- The baby is crying.

32- He’s working at a boring job.

33- My darling is out sailing.

34- That’s the famous leaning tower of Pisa.

35- Water is dripping through a hole in the ceiling.

36- I’m hunting for a good book. I love reading.

37- Sarah is sitting on the sofa waiting for her uncle to arrive.

38- She is trying to hide her feelings.

39- He saw a monster creeping across the floor.

Plea for support from Jennifer: Hey listeners. Before I repeat the last sentence, I want to share some information. It currently costs Barry about $35 per month to create and maintain this podcast. That's just for the software and the hosting expense. His time is donated but every hour of recording can take two to four hours of preparation. If you went to a restaurant, you wouldn't expect the food to be free. Hundreds of listeners download every podcast. If you make a small donation, Barry will feel appreciated and he'll keep recording more lessons. Thank you!

40- Superman flies faster than a speeding bullet.

Buy Barry a coffee and support this podcast. Or become a monthly supporter below.

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About a week ago I decided I would learn some Turkish. Why Turkish you might ask? And the answer is I don't really have a good reason. I'm 75 years old. I'm not going to travel to Turkey. I have no local friends who speak Turkish. So I have no good reason. I don't need it for work. I don't need it for anything. But as far as that goes I don't really need the foreign languages that I speak. I don't need French. I like it. I like it a lot. I don't need Spanish. I can communicate in Spanish. So no, I don't need Turkish for anything. So why did I choose Turkish? The answer I guess is number 1, I'm curious to see if I can learn some of a new language at my age. Number 2, learning or trying to learn a new language helps me to be a better teacher of English. Why? Because when you're suffering through what your students are suffering through, you are more sympathetic, or you should be, and your understanding of what it's like to learn another language is increased.

It has been a long time since I began to study a language as a new experience. It's been decades. I know how to do it because I've done it about eight times in my life. But I've never studied Turkish before and Turkish is what the linguists call an agglutinative language. Agglutinative means that you have a root word and you add suffixes. And none of the other languages that I've ever studied was agglutinative. So this will be a new experience for me from a grammatical point of view.

There are also sounds in Turkish that do not seem to exist in English as far as I can tell after one week. So it'll be a test for my hearing, a test for my linguistic ear. It'll be a test for my ability to figure out grammar. It'll definitely be a test for my memory. I don't know how fast I would learn new words if I was learning Turkish at age five and living in Turkey with Turkish parents. But it'll certainly be a slower process for me at age 75. I'm going to need a lot of repetition.

One more reason I chose Turkish, although it's a reason that could have applied to other languages, is that I have access to native speakers of Turkish on the Tandem app. And it is possible for me to trade some help with English in return for help with Turkish. And having access to native speakers is very important. In fact, it's an absolute necessity.

Okay, just some brief remarks about my methods, my beginner methods for learning Turkish after all these years of studying languages and not studying languages. The first thing that I have already begun doing is to listen to Turkish. I have several podcasts that I've been listening to. They're 10 to 20 minutes long, a few stories in Turkish. And all I'm doing is listening. I don't understand the words except for one or two here and there. But basically, I'm only listening to the sounds of the Turkish language. I want to get it into my ear. I want to start getting it into my brain. This is what babies do. If you're a baby born in China or you're a baby born in Ecuador or South Africa or Senegal or France, you're born and you start listening to the language of your parents. So right now, I'm a newborn baby somewhere in Turkey. I don't need to understand. Nobody expects me to understand. I'm just listening to the sounds. And if you do this even for a week, for an hour or two every day, it's amazingly helpful, at least I think it is.

[Please see the transcript for the rest of the podcast text--thanks!]

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Listen to the following weather report read by an A.I. (artificial intelligence produced) voice. I'll play it twice and then I'll record the same report. Listen to the A.I. reading, then listen to my version, and see if you hear any important differences in pronunciation, rhythm or intonation.

“A chance of rain before 8 p.m., then isolated showers between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.. Patchy fog before 7 p.m.. Otherwise cloudy during the early evening. Then gradual clearing with a low around 35. Northwest wind around ten miles per hour with gusts as high as 25 miles per hour. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a 10th of an inch possible.”

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Hello, everybody. Barry is resting his voice and he asked me to record this podcast. My name is Hannah. Today’s sentences all include the verb “make” plus a noun. Listen to each sentence 3 or 4 times, and then repeat along with me.

1) Let me make you a fresh cup of hot coffee.

2) She tasted the soup and then made a face. “Too salty!”

3) A landslide had blocked the road so we had to make a detour.

4) I had to go home early so I made my apologies to our host and headed home.

5) I’ll make you a bet that I can run faster than you.

6) He made a fist and pounded it on his desk. “I will never give up!”

7) The explosion made us all flinch.

8) I made too many dumb mistakes on the math exam and I failed it.

9) She made a fortune selling funny puppets.

10) I explained my position several times and finally made him realize that I knew what I was talking about.

Hannah says:

Good job! You guys are good listeners and your pronunciation is getting better and better. I hope you enjoyed listening to my smooth, professional voice instead of Barry's old growl. Sometimes he sounds like his dog ----- Ollie!

However, I have a confession to make. I'm not really a person. I'm a voice generated using artificial intelligence, or A.I. Oh, I started out as a human voice, I suppose, but since then I've been manipulated and changed all over the place. I hope none of you guys were thinking of inviting me out on a date! That would have been a shock for you! On the other hand, Barry doesn't know if some of the listeners to his podcast are also A.I. listeners. Anything is possible nowadays.

I guess the moral is: don't believe everything you read, see, or hear on the internet. Be careful and be suspicious. Well, I have to go now. Thanks for listening and please donate so Barry will pay me! See you soon!

Bye, Hannah. Thanks for helping me. Well, that was an interesting experiment. How did you like practicing pronunciation with an AI voice? I have to admit I am impressed with how good her speech is. Good, but not always perfect. Here’s one place where she goofed: listen to this [Well, I have to go now.] Listen again: [Well, I have to go now.] Now listen to me say the same words. I’ll repeat three times—see if you can hear the difference. [Well, I have to go now.] And here’s Hannah one more time.

The difference is in the stress. Hannah puts stress on the word “now” and the more important word in that short sentence is “go”. Listen again. […more explanation.]

Before I let you go, let’s practice some more collocations with “make” + a noun.

11) My children are hungry so I’m going to make them a snack.

12) If we’re going to stay at the hotel, we need to make a reservation.

13) I’m happy to say that after the operation on my shoulder, I made a full recovery.

14) The archaeologists found some footprints made by ancient hominids in Africa.

15) Let’s make a recording of Spanish proverbs popular in the Caribbean.

16) Microsoft makes two products: software and money.

17) The dogs were barking and making a big racket.

18) The air was full of dust and it made us sneeze.

19) My cousin is good at making pottery.

20) My mother made some delicious tomato sauce from scratch.

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A reminder: collocations are words that are commonly used together by native speakers. For example “brand” and “new” are a collocation, as in “Look at my brand new car,” or “All her clothes are brand new.”

Here are some collocations using the word “book”.

1) Have you read her most recent book?

2) I like to buy used hardcover books for my grandchildren.

3) My uncle collects rare books.

4) Did you read comic books when you were a kid?

5) An encyclopedia is a kind of reference book.

6) Oliver Twist is a book by Charles Dickens.

7) It’s sad when great books go out of print.

8) I have to take these books back to the library tomorrow.

9) My sister is an artist. She illustrates childrens’ picture books.

10) I couldn’t put that book down. It was too exciting!

11) It’s very difficult to translate a book of poetry.

12) My cousin is writing a book about the history of piracy

13) She wrote a best-selling book which was made into a movie.

14) I edit books for a living.

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The verb “see” has many collocations. This podcast will introduce you to some of them.

Let’s begin.

Verb + See:

1) I could see the soldiers coming out of the woods.

2) We went to see the play “Hamlet” yesterday. I love Shakespeare’s plays!

3) We went to South Africa last year and I got to see lots of wild animals.

4) I turned around to see my father right behind me.

5) She was amazed to see Mary chatting with the King of England.

6) I am delighted to see you again after so many years.

7) My mother would love to see me graduate from college.

8) I can’t wait to see who wins the Boston Marathon next year.

9) It is nice to see my grandchildren having fun together.

10) John expects to see a salary increase next month.

Adverbs:

11) I could just see the airplane circling overhead.

12) The fog was so thick she could barely see me.

13) Robert could plainly see that the dog was injured.

14) They saw first-hand the crowds of tourists staring at the Mona Lisa.

15) We commonly see immigrant children translating for their parents.

Other phrases and expressions:

16) We’re looking for more employees. Come over to see me if you’re interested.

17) What do you want to see the doctor about?

18) I can see at a glance that you’re unhappy.

19) I’m going to Washington DC to see the President.

20) She never got a chance to see Hollywood when she was in California.

21) My sister can see into the future. She said my future wife will be short, mean, and a bad cook.

22) I can’t see why you’re unhappy. You’re good-looking, rich, and smart. What more do you want?

23) I’ll go and see who’s ringing the doorbell.

24) “I see no reason to postpone the exam,” said the professor.

25) I see a strong resemblance between Mr. Johnson and his sons.

If you like this podcast, please consider making a small donation to help cover the costs of keeping it available. Every dollar helps! Thank you.

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There are many collocations with the word “heavy”. For example, if one team is very likely to win the football World Cup, you could say “Brazil is the heavy favorite to win tomorrow’s match.”

Let’s practice:

1) After walking for three hours my backpack began to feel very heavy.

2) My grandson is getting too heavy to pick up.

3) That box doesn’t look very heavy.

4) The gold bars in my pockets made my jacket even heavier.

5) My uncle didn’t find the refrigerator too heavy to move.

6) Drive carefully. The rain is getting really heavy.

7) The traffic on the highway is always heavy during rush hour.

The word “heavy” is commonly used with dozens of nouns. Here are a few examples:

8) She’s a heavy drinker.

9) After a heavy meal, he always takes a nap.

10) We had a heavy frost last night and all my tomato plants died.

11) My uncle is a heavy smoker. It’s going to kill him.

12) The recent earthquakes in Turkey caused heavy damage.

13) He has a heavy duty truck for transporting heavy loads.

14) It was cold yesterday so I wore a heavy sweater.

15) It was an important election and the voter turnout was heavy.

16) Visibility was poor because of the heavy fog, so we had to drive slowly.

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Collocations are words that commonly go together. Using them makes you sound more like a native speaker.

For example, a person might say: “That coffee is really strong!” The words “coffee” and “strong” are often used together.
But a native speaker would never say:

“That coffee is really powerful!” The words “coffee” and “powerful” are never used together. On the other hand, you can say, “That car has a powerful engine.”

In this podcast I’ll share a few of the many collocations with the word “look”.

1) We should take a fresh look at how we teach foreign languages. [another]

2) His book offers an interesting look at the history of ancient Egypt.

3) American voters need to take a long, hard look at the politicians they are choosing.

4) Our professor gave us a close-up look at an archeological dig site.

5) Take a look at my brother’s new electric Porsche!

6) I’m going to sneak a look in my sister’s diary.

7) Have a look at this flower garden—it’s spectacular.

8) Look at my new necklace! And I have matching earrings.

9) I need to look over the paintings to see if any are worth buying.

10) I looked through the book but it didn’t look interesting so I didn’t buy it.

11) I took a quick look in his desk but I didn’t find a gun.

12) We took a good look around the house and decided it was too small for our family.

13) You should look on the internet for a good private school for your son.

14) I threw my uncle a dirty look but he didn’t notice.

15) That was a nasty look your teacher gave you.

16) She gave the cook a withering look. “This chicken is half raw,” she told him.

17) Martha gave her husband a murderous look.

18) When the building started to shake, all the people inside had terrified looks on their faces.

19) “Don’t look so sad and glum,” I said. “At least we still have food to eat and fresh water to drink.”

20) The child had a distant, dreamy look on his face.

21) The alien gave me a funny look and then flew away.

22) Mary gave her boyfriend an innocent, wide-eyed look and then burst out laughing.

23) John told a bad joke and got a black look from his father.

24) She caught his look, but said nothing.

25) The puzzled look on his face showed that he didn’t understand the situation.

Look can also be related to somebody’s or something’s appearance, or to fashion or style.

26) I want an apartment with a modern look.

27) By the looks of her, she hasn’t slept in a week.

28) “Wow! Your new hair style gives you a very sophisticated look.”

29) “I love the classic look of old sports cars.”

30) Some women lose their looks when they get old, but others are attractive forever.

Believe it or not there are plenty more collocations with “look”, but it’s time for me to take Ollie for a walk so he can do some looking and sniffing. Thanks for listening and if you enjoy these podcasts, please consider making a small contribution to help cover the costs of keeping it online. Take care!

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Too much exposure to ultraviolet light is bad for your skin.
That meal was very unappetizing.
He was deliriously happy after winning the lottery.
My uncle was a theoretical physicist.
Tuberculosis is a terrible disease.
I have cousins who live in Scandinavia.
Schizophrenia is a mental illness.
He failed his last exam spectacularly.
I have an appointment to see a radiologist.
Faster than light travel (FTL) would revolutionize astronomy.
Uranium is a radioactive mineral.
My son lives in Pennsylvania. ***
I took advantage of my opportunity to overinflate the basketball.
She enthusiastically participated in a computer camp.
Mr. Jones is notoriously unreliable.
The ghost materialized at the foot of my bed.
Kilimanjaro is a famous mountain in Africa.
A person who steals stuff all the time is a kleptomaniac.
Please come home immediately. I need help.
If you fall into the North Atlantic Ocean, you will probably die of hypothermia.
You can see examples of hieroglyphic writing on Egyptian tombs.
Bats use echolocation to catch their prey.
He is always exaggerating his wealth and intelligence.
She is rich and lives extravagantly.
Life is unpredictable, so flexibility is a good skill to have.
If you are disobedient at school, you will be punished.
I like to watch documentary films.
That ballet had wonderful choreography.
My history professor is not very communicative.
The blood coagulated on the floor of the cafeteria.

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My idea was rejected for being too risky.
Lightning struck a tree and set it on fire.
I’m not crazy about the American ‘R’ sound but it’s everywhere.
My dog ran after a car yesterday.
This is a sentence without any ‘R’ sounds. Well, almost.
My reward for working for so many hours? A headache and a sore throat.
If I were rich, I would travel around the world.
The railroad tracks run near my house.
My father was a firefighter in his youth.
The watchers were angry at the bad actor.
The buyer asked the baker to create a tall birthday cake with blue frosting.
The biker asked me for a favor.
We weren’t eager to sit on the floor. We would have preferred chairs.
The rarest rabbits are raised by ranchers.
My granddaughter is a good reader.
If you dry grapes, they turn into raisins.
Grrrrrrrr is the sound a dog makes when it growls.
Do you have a favorite recipe for scrambled eggs?
Sometimes I have to reboot the hard drive in my computer.
I’d rather read an interesting book than watch boring TV.
The word “internet” contains “R”, as do these words: rain, raise, real, recite, recall, and reduce.
He agrees with me that it is cold in the arctic.
I never argue with a cardiologist about arteries.
He put on an apron and started to prepare dinner.
The three bears in the barn set off an alarm last April.
Robert Frost was a celebrated American poet.
A large number of health-care workers are going on strike.
I like to buy fresh pears at the farmers’ market.
Last year I studied French, history, geography, chemistry, and astrophysics.
If you’re hungry, you should have some bread and butter. I have orange marmalade too, or strawberry jam if you prefer.

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I want some earthworms for my birthday.
There are three thieves in my bathroom.
My brother has a theory about everything.
He put toothpaste on a feather and brushed his teeth.
Mother’s panther loves the bathtub.
There are three thousand therapists in New York City.
Would you prefer something for dinner or nothing?
I wear thick clothing in the winter.
Thankfully they stayed together during the marathon.
Don’t try to breathe beneath the water.
I took an oath to follow the path of truth and honesty.
I put on a bathrobe and stood in front of the fire to thaw out.
Do you have the strength to carry your father across the river?
He was the ninth man to go south today.
Whether you agree or not, there are those who will follow me, I think.
Therefore thirty of us will attach the giant thermometer to the thickest tree.
Roses are thorny plants.
My grandfather looks youthful.
She has a sore throat and a bad cough.
Thirty is more than thirteen, and thirteen is more than three.

Note that in compound nouns, both words are stressed. Here are some examples:

Handshake

Caveman

Sunburn

Toothbrush

Goldfish

Desktop

Railroad

Bodyguard

Sailboat

Birdhouse

Firefighter

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Minimal pairs with /s/ and /z/.

/S/ is unvoiced (no vibration in the vocal cords). /Z/ is voiced (the vocal cords are vibrating).

Listen: ssssssssssssssssss

Now listen to /z/: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

1) Ace — As

I have the ace of spades.

There are two letter ‘As’ in the word ‘algebra’.

2) dice — dies

He threw his dice and got a seven.

This annual flower dies when winter comes.

3) ice — eyes

I love ice cream.

You have beautiful eyes.

4) loose — lose

Oh, no! The cow got loose again!

Did you lose your keys again?

5) muscle — muzzle

I go to the gym every day to build muscle.

My dog tries to bite people so he has to wear a muzzle.

6) gross — grows

My dog threw up his breakfast. It was gross! (Disgusting)

My neighbor grows beautiful flowers in her garden.

7) place — plays

Is this the place where he plays tennis?

8) sink — zinc

If you drop zinc into water, it will sink.

9) sip — zip

Please sip your drink slowly.

I forgot to zip my suitcase.

10) said — zed

He said he would be home in time for dinner.

“In England, the last letter of the alphabet is “zed”. In the US, it’s “Z”.

This podcast ends with a discussion of “minimal pairs” and how to use them in language learning.

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1) Oops. Wait a minute. I have to tie my shoelaces.

2) I did some backbreaking work yesterday. Now I have a terrible backache.

3) Some kinds of seaweed are edible.

4) Arizona is running low on groundwater.

5) This applesauce is delicious. Is it homemade?

6) The police put handcuffs on the burglar.

7) I need a haircut. I think I’ll get one tomorrow afternoon.

8) I climbed to the hilltop barefoot.

9) She lives in a very high-tech house full of gadgets.

10) Are you a homeowner? No, I live in an apartment.

11) The astronaut went on a spacewalk. Now he’s lost somewhere in space.

12) For my birthday I got a new basketball.

13) There’s a big snowman in my bathtub.

14) For breakfast I had a sports drink.

15) I met my stepfather at a bookstore.

16) The view from the top of Mount Everest is breathtaking.

17) She loves blueberry ice cream.

18) My step-sister is a famous storyteller.

19) We launched a lifeboat to escape the sinking ship.

20) The lifeguard used a loudspeaker to make an announcement.

21) Too much sunshine can lead to sunstroke.

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"We had a plain, simple, unpretending, good hotel, in Baden-Baden—the Hôtel de France—and alongside my room I had a giggling, cackling, chattering family who always went to bed just two hours after me and always got up two hours ahead of me. But this is common in German hotels; the people generally go to bed long after eleven and get up long before eight. The partitions convey sound like a drum-head, and everybody knows it; but no matter, a German family who are all kindness and consideration in the daytime make apparently no effort to moderate their noises for your benefit at night. They will sing, laugh, and talk loudly, and bang furniture around in a most pitiless way. If you knock on your wall appealingly, they will quiet down and discuss the matter softly among themselves for a moment—then, like the mice, they fall to persecuting you again, and as vigorously as before. They keep cruelly late and early hours, for such noisy folk."

===========

1-We had a plain, simple, unpretending, good hotel, in Baden-Baden

2—the Hôtel de France

3—and alongside my room I had a giggling, cackling, chattering family

4-who always went to bed just two hours after me

5-and always got up two hours ahead of me.

6-But this is common in German hotels;

7-the people generally go to bed long after eleven and get up long before eight.

8-The partitions convey sound like a drum-head,

9-and everybody knows it; but no matter,

10-a German family who are all kindness and consideration in the daytime

11-make apparently no effort

12-to moderate their noises for your benefit at night.

13-They will sing, laugh, and talk loudly,

14-and bang furniture around in a most pitiless way.

15-If you knock on your wall appealingly,

16-they will quiet down and discuss the matter softly among themselves for a moment—

17-then, like the mice, they fall to persecuting you again,

18-and as vigorously as before.

19-They keep cruelly late and early hours, for such noisy folk.

A Tramp Abroad is a book by Mark Twain. It was published in 1880. It is freely available online in various formats. Here is one link: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/119/119-h/119-h.htm

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This podcast is about the song: "Wreck of the Old 97". On September 27, 1903, there was a terrible train wreck. The story was turned into a famous train song, and the recording by Vernon Dalhart was the first to sell one million copies in the US.

Here's a link to a YouTube video which tells the story and shows old photos of the wreck:

The Wreck of the Old 97 was recorded by many country artists. The story of the train wreck is told in the video linked above, and there is a performance by the story-teller at the end of the video.

Here are some other performances. Note: these are all examples of "country music"--you might not like it!

Boxcare Willie

Flatt & Scruggs

Johnny Cash

And here are the lyrics to use for pronunciation practice. Note that different artists change the lyrics so the ones below are just one of the versions.

The Wreck Of The Old 97

Well, they gave him his orders at Monroe, Virginia
Saying Steve you are way behind time

This is not thirty eight, but it's old ninety seven
You must put her into Danville on time

He turned and said to his black greasy fireman
Just shovel on a little more coal

And when we cross the White Oak Mountain
You can watch old ninety seven roll

It's a mighty rough road from lynchburg to Danville
And a line on a three mile grade

It was on this grade that he lost his air brakes
You can see what a jump he made

He was going down the grade makin' ninety miles an hour
When his whistle broke into a scream

They found him in the wreck with his hand on the throttle
He was scalded to death by the steam

Now ladies, you must take warning
From this time now and on

Never speak harsh words to your true loving husband
He may leave you and never return

And here is Vernon Dahlhart's million-selling recording from 1924.

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Here are some more quotes from Mark Twain:

1) Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.

2) Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.

3) Why is it that we rejoice at a birth and grieve at a funeral? It is because we are not the person involved.

4) ‘Classic.’ A book which people praise but don’t read.

5) There are times when one would like to hang the whole human race, and finish the farce.

6) When I was younger I could remember anything, whether it happened or not.

7) Few of us can stand prosperity. Another man’s, I mean.

8) One of the most striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat only has nine lives.

9) I have been complimented many times and they always embarrass me; I always feel that they have not said enough.

10) Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very’; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.

Here’s a question: Do you know the expression “to break even?” It means your income and expenses are in balance. If you’d like to help me break even on the expenses of sharing this podcast, please consider donating a few dollars every month to help me cover my expenses. Thanks!

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1) Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.

2) Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.

3) There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.

4) My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it.

5) There is no distinctly criminal class - except Congress.

6) A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t read.

7) I don’t like to commit myself about heaven and hell - you see, I have friends in both places.

8) Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.

9) The most interesting information comes from children, for they tell all they know and then stop.

10) The more you explain it, the more I don’t understand it.

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Mark Twain was the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens. He is one of my favorite authors and said and wrote many things which we still quote. Here are ten quotes to enjoy while practicing your pronunciation.

https://time.com/5313628/mark-twain-real-name/

1) It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

2) Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.

3) The secret of getting ahead is getting started.

4) If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.

5) Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.

6) The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.

7) Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself.

8) A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.

9) Part of the secret of a success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.

10) Don’t let schooling interfere with your education.

I love Mark Twain. I’ll record some more of his quotes in my next podcast. Thanks for listening and stay safe.

More info about Mark Twain.

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She offered scholarships to the most talented students for their outstanding achievements.
The architect sketched a beautiful blueprint for the school's new addition.
The artist used a delicate brush to create intricate details in the portrait.
The athlete's performance was exceptional earning her a gold medal.
The author's novel received critical acclaim for its compelling storyline.
The cashier scanned the items and collected payment from the customers.
The chef skillfully chopped the fresh vegetables for the salad.
The children squealed with excitement as they rode the roller coaster.
The engineer designed a sophisticated system to optimize energy efficiency.
The journalist interviewed the politician to gather information for his article.

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In this podcast I do a deep dive into my pronunciation of two sentences:

"The front of the truck was crushed," and "What does Gus want from us?"

Happy listening!

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Noun phrases:

I recommend the Italian restaurant down the street.
My dentist advises regular brushing and flossing.
She suggested several new podcasts from the BBC.
The teacher recommended books about the history of Spain.
The doctor advised me to get more exercise.
My friends recommended a trip to London or Paris.

“That clause”

I advise that you always wear a mask in a crowded room.

[also can say: I advise you to always wear a mask in a crowded room.]

I suggest that you study more and watch less TV.
I recommend that you get more sleep.
The doctor advised that I take two weeks off work.
She suggested that I take my dog to the vet.
Do you recommend that I continue to buy lottery tickets?

Gerund (-ing)

She advised going to sleep by 10pm.
He suggested working from home for a few weeks.
My boss recommended getting a new laptop computer.
My doctor advised exercising early in the morning.
I suggest eating more vegetarian meals.
Do you recommend learning two languages at the same time?
He recommended a new doctor to me.
I advised her to study a different language.
We suggested the Mediterranean diet to Maria.

Bonus tongue twister used with permission from author Madeleine Taylor.

The bare bear bored the boar with his boring stories about boring rock until the boar told the boring, boring, bare bear it was too much boredom to bear.

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I’d like to begin this podcast by thanking Teri Kanefield for permission to use an excerpt from her most recent blog. Teri is an author, attorney, and all-around talented and valuable person. You can learn more about her on her website.

I’ll read a paragraph from her blog four times. Then I’ll divide it into sentences, or parts of sentences, so you can listen and repeat. If you need to translate any of the words, I recommend DeepL.

Let’s get started:

“Most cases settle before trial. Trials are always risky. The purpose of civil litigation is to resolve disputes between parties. If every dispute went to trial, courts would be very costly to maintain (courts are funded by the public.) Moreover, anyone who has been involved with civil litigation knows that both sides often end up feeling like they lost.”

Most cases settle before trial.
Trials are always risky.
The purpose of civil litigation…
…is to resolve disputes between parties.
If every dispute went to trial…

6…courts would be very costly to maintain…

7…(courts are funded by the public.)

Moreover, anyone who has been involved with civil litigation…

9…knows that both sides often end up feeling like they lost.

Just a reminder: it’s really important to listen carefully to how things are actually pronounced. Please do NOT let the spelling distract or confuse you. In the last sentence, for example, listen to how I pronounce the word “often.” Do you hear a “t” sound? I hope not because I am pronouncing it like awfn. The T is written but not spoken.

Source: Teri Kanefield

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This is the sentence we'll practice in this podcast:

What do you think about artificial intelligence?

Here's the link to the mp3 loop on Telegram.

Listen to the loop for 20-30 minutes daily for a week. As you get to day four or five, or whenever you are confident that you are pronouncing correctly, start listening and repeating. Keep going till it's memorized and you sound like me.

If I can learn a proverb in Persian (a language I've never studied) in a week and pronounce it almost like a native speaker, you can too. Repetition and careful listening are the keys.

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In this podcast you’ll practice with sentences about Venus. This info comes from the NASA website. To read more, see the link at the end of the notes.

First Heather will read the text slowly. Then I’ll read at regular speed, followed by practice listening and repeating. At the end of the podcast, Heather will read the text a final time at regular speed.

Practice sentence phrases:

Venus is the second planet from the Sun
and is Earth’s closest planetary neighbor. //
It’s one of the four inner, terrestrial (or rocky) planets,
and it’s often called Earth’s twin
because it’s similar in size and density. //
These are not identical twins, however –
there are radical differences between the two worlds. //
Venus has a thick, toxic atmosphere
filled with carbon dioxide
and it’s perpetually shrouded
in thick, yellowish clouds
of sulfuric acid that trap heat,
causing a runaway greenhouse effect. //
It’s the hottest planet in our solar system,
even though Mercury is closer to the Sun. //
Surface temperatures on Venus
are about 900 degrees Fahrenheit (475 degrees Celsius) –
hot enough to melt lead. //
The surface is a rusty color
and it’s peppered with intensely crunched mountains
and thousands of large volcanoes. //
Scientists think it’s possible
some volcanoes are still active. //
Venus has crushing air pressure at its surface –
more than 90 times that of Earth –
similar to the pressure you'd encounter
a mile below the ocean on Earth. //

More info about Venus from NASA.

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In this podcast you'll practice listening, repeating and memorizing this sentence:

Winston is alway asking me for advice.

Enjoy!

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Here’s some information about Mercury from the NASA website. If you’d like to learn more about Mercury, please visit the Mercury page linked at the end of these notes.

The smallest planet in our solar system and nearest to the Sun, Mercury is only slightly larger than Earth's Moon. From the surface of Mercury, the Sun would appear more than three times as large as it does when viewed from Earth, and the sunlight would be as much as seven times brighter.

Mercury's surface temperatures are both extremely hot and cold. Because the planet is so close to the Sun, day temperatures can reach highs of 800°F (430°C). Without an atmosphere to retain that heat at night, temperatures can dip as low as -290°F (-180°C).

Despite its proximity to the Sun, Mercury is not the hottest planet in our solar system – that title belongs to nearby Venus, thanks to its dense atmosphere. But Mercury is the fastest planet, zipping around the Sun every 88 Earth days.

Namesake
Mercury is appropriately named for the swiftest of the ancient Roman gods.

Potential for Life
Mercury's environment is not conducive to life as we know it. The temperatures and solar radiation that characterize this planet are most likely too extreme for organisms to adapt to.

Repetition practice:

The smallest planet in our solar system and nearest to the Sun,
Mercury is only slightly larger than Earth's Moon.
From the surface of Mercury,
the Sun would appear more than three times as large
as it does when viewed from Earth,
and the sunlight would be as much as seven times brighter.
Mercury's surface temperatures are both extremely hot and cold.
Because the planet is so close to the Sun,
day temperatures can reach highs of 800°F (430°C).
Without an atmosphere to retain that heat at night,
temperatures can dip as low as -290°F (-180°C).
Despite its proximity to the Sun,
Mercury is not the hottest planet in our solar system
– that title belongs to nearby Venus,
thanks to its dense atmosphere.
But Mercury is the fastest planet,
zipping around the Sun every 88 Earth days.
Mercury is appropriately named
for the swiftest of the ancient Roman gods.
Mercury's environment is not conducive to life as we know it.
The temperatures and solar radiation
that characterize this planet
are most likely too extreme for organisms to adapt to.

Source: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mercury/in-depth/

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Practice with “th” sounds.

First conversation:

I went to a therapist on my birthday.
—Why? That seems like a terrible thing to do.
My toothbrush threatened me.
—What did your therapist say?
He told me to think scary thoughts at the toothbrush.
—And that worked?
I think so. It hasn’t threatened me again.

2nd conversation:

Which is heavier: a kilo of feathers or a kilo of lead?
—Neither is heavier. A kilo is a kilo.
Right! Want another question?
—Sure, go ahead.
Which is worse: to be really hungry or really thirsty?
—Really thirsty I think.
I agree. And thirst will kill you faster than hunger.

3rd conversation:

I’ll try to make up a new tongue twister for you.
—Okay, I’m ready.
A thirty-three year old thief thanked his brother thieves for their thoughtful birthday gifts of bathrobes, toothpaste, and toothpicks.
—That’s insane!
Go ahead—let me hear you say it.

More practice:

A panther ate a thousand earthworms before running a marathon.
Gather your clothing together and pack it in your suitcase.
Nothing you say will change anything I choose to do.

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Here’s a podcast about deciding what to have for dinner. I’m joined by my older daughter, Heather, as Person 1.

Person 1: “Any ideas for dinner tonight?"

Person 2: “Anything as long as I don’t have to cook it.”

Person 1: "How about pizza? I can order from the Pizza Palace.”

Person 2: "Pizza sounds good, but I was thinking of something lighter. Maybe a salad?"

Person 1: "Okay, that works for me. Do you want a regular garden salad or something different?"

Person 2: "Let's go for something different. How about a grilled chicken and avocado salad?"

Person 1: "Sounds delicious. Do you want to add any other sides* to our order?"

Person 2: "No, I think the salad will be enough for us. Let's just get a large one to share."

Person 1: "Got it. I'll place the order now. Pickup or delivery?”

Person 2: “I’ll pick it up. It’s only five minutes from here.”

Person 1: “Perfect. I’ll order and then set the table.”

"Sides" is short for "side dishes"--something added to the main meal.

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From the US Geological Survey website, some info about coastal erosion:

Intense storms and higher seas create more winds, waves, and floods, leading to increased coastal erosion. Hurricanes can wash away sandy barrier islands, leaving coastlines and islands unprotected from storm surge. Waves and winds can carry away beach sand little by little, shrinking scenic beaches. Erosion also exposes human infrastructure and sensitive archeological sites to tides and storms. Many beaches along the Nation’s coastline have lost more than six feet of shoreline a year over the last century. Coastal erosion estimates for much of the country are expected to increase in coming decades. (Source: USGS)

Here’s another fact: The State of Louisiana, home to New Orleans, is losing land faster than any other state in the USA. It has the highest rate wetlands loss in the USA, accounting for 80 percent of the nation’s coastal wetland loss. The USGS estimates that Louisiana has lost approximately 1,900 square miles (almost 5,000 square km) of its coast since 1932. (Source: https://ready.nola.gov/hazard-mitigation/home/)

Intense storms and higher seas create more winds, waves, and floods, leading to increased coastal erosion.
Hurricanes can wash away sandy barrier islands, leaving coastlines and islands unprotected from storm surge.
Waves and winds can carry away beach sand little by little, shrinking scenic beaches.
Erosion also exposes human infrastructure and sensitive archeological sites to tides and storms.
Many beaches along the Nation’s coastline have lost more than six feet of shoreline a year over the last century.

6/ Coastal erosion estimates for much of the country are expected to increase in coming decades.

Here’s another fact: The State of Louisiana, home to New Orleans, is losing land faster than any other state in the USA.
It has the highest rate wetlands loss in the USA, accounting for 80 percent of the nation’s coastal wetland loss.
The USGS estimates that Louisiana has lost approximately 1,900 square miles (almost 5,000 square km) of its coast since 1932.

Source: https://www.usgs.gov/science/science-explorer/climate/coasts-storms-and-sea-level-rise

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From the United States Geological Survey website:

Warmer temperatures mean less ice. As ice melts, it releases huge amounts of water previously stored in sea ice and glaciers into the world’s oceans. Warmer water is also “bigger” -- water increases in volume as temperatures rise. Combined, these factors cause global sea levels to rise. Rising water levels worsen seasonal tidal flooding, creating high-tide and sunny day flooding. They also leave roads, houses, marinas, and even whole islands underwater. Even small amounts of sea level rise can damage sensitive coastal and marine ecosystems by flooding wetland and seagrass ecosystems and damaging mangroves.

Warmer temperatures mean less ice.
As ice melts, it releases huge amounts of water previously stored in sea ice and glaciers into the world’s oceans.
Warmer water is also “bigger” -- water increases in volume as temperatures rise.
Combined, these factors cause global sea levels to rise.
Rising water levels worsen seasonal tidal flooding, creating high-tide and sunny day flooding.
They also leave roads, houses, marinas, and even whole islands underwater.
Even small amounts of sea level rise can damage sensitive coastal and marine ecosystems by flooding wetland and seagrass ecosystems and damaging mangroves.
Source: https://www.usgs.gov/science/science-explorer/climate/coasts-storms-and-sea-level-rise

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In this podcast we’ll practice two vowel sounds: the “uh” sound in “cup” and the “ah” sound in “cop”. A cop is a policeman. The cop is holding a cup.

I climbed into a hot truck.
My father bothers me about dumb stuff.
I have a bug in a cup.
The cop stopped and dropped his mop.
The mobster was a thug.
I dropped a mug of coffee on the rug.
We should stop drinking soda pop.
I don't think that's possible, so stop asking.
What are my options?
Give me an onion.
The Arizona desert is rough country.
Do as he says, not as he does.
Please don’t bother your father right now. He’s busy.

14. I can’t find the big pot. Have you got it?

A fluffy cat walked up the street.
Your grandfather is upstairs. I think he’s working on his memoirs.
Ouch! I hit my thumb with a hammer!
When you flub something, you make a mess of it. For example, you can say “The actor flubbed his lines in the play.”
That fashion model has a very thin body. In fact she’s emaciated!
Marion got a new job at the hospital.

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By this time tomorrow I’ll be in London.
I’ll meet you at the library this evening.
Mary ate a large breakfast this morning.
At the beginning of this month, Alex moved to New York.
I’m coming back to this beach next summer.
This is the way to the director’s office.
Where shall I put these clean glasses?
This is my favorite winter coat.
I would like to watch this movie again—it was great!
This is an excellent restaurant.

11) That was a wonderful concert.

12) Who is that man over there? He looks familiar.

13) See that woman in the red dress? That’s my chemistry teacher.

14) I stopped working on that project two months ago.

15) That is the dog that always barks at me when I walk by.

16) She works for a company that publishes science books.

17) I’m too old to work that much. I need more time off.

18) That wasn’t time enough to finish the test!

19) What have I been doing? Oh, this and that.

20) This is my little brother, Jack. And that big guy over by the tree is my older brother, William.

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The Magician

A magician was working on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. The audience would be different each week, so the magician allowed himself to do the same tricks over and over again.

There was only one problem: The captain's parrot saw the shows every week and began to understand what the magician did in every trick. Once he understood that, he started shouting in the middle of the show.

"Look, it's not the same hat!" "Look, he's hiding the flowers under the table!" "Hey, why are all the cards the Ace of Spades?"

The magician was furious but couldn't do anything. It was the captain's parrot after all.

One day the ship had an accident and sank. The magician found himself on a piece of wood, in the middle of the ocean, and of course the parrot was by his side.

They stared at each other with hate, but did not utter a word. This went on for several days.

After a week the parrot finally said, "Okay, I give up. What'd you do with the boat?"

Source: https://www.bestcleanjokes.com/magician.htm

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Thank you for telling me. [Thanks for telling me.]
Thank you for letting me know. [Thanks for letting me know.]
Thank you for coming over. [Thanks for coming over.]
Thank you for stopping by. [Thanks for stopping by.]
Thank you for visiting me. [Thanks for visiting me.]
Thank you for explaining that to me. [Thanks for explaining that to me.]
Thank you for listening to me. [Thanks for listening to me.]
Thank you for helping me. [Thanks for helping me.]
Thank you for cooking dinner. [Thanks for cooking dinner.]
Thank you for your interest. [Thanks for your interest.]
Thank you for helping me with my homework. [Thanks for helping me with my homework.]
Thank you for the ride to work. [Thanks for the ride to work.]
Please thank John for me. [Please thank him for me.]
Please thank Susan and Mary for me. [Please thank them for me.]
Please thank Maria for me. [Please thank her for me.]
I can’t thank you enough.
We really appreciate your help. [We’re really grateful for your help.]
Do you need any help? No, thanks, I’m all set.
Do you want us to help you? No, thanks, we’re all set.
When a small business needs one or more additional employees, the owner will often post a sign that says “Help Wanted.”

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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Our company created three new products this year.
Susan played a key role in settling the nurses’ strike.
I attended our annual meeting in London.
I visited the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
We called an emergency meeting of the Board of Directors.
She grabbed my arm and said, “Let’s get out of here!”
My new job offered me a wide range of duties.
I opened the windows to let in some fresh air.
The president described a desperate situation.
My former history teacher lived in a tiny apartment.
His second wife helped him finish his dissertation.
I was impressed by their close and loving relationship.
She told me the full story of the shipwreck. I was amazed!
We ate at a high quality restaurant and enjoyed a fine meal.
I was depressed by the tax increases.
She was admitted to the hospital with a cough and high fever.
In the preceding chapter we learned about the royal family and their many children.
At the time of his death, Mr. Jones owned a lot of commercial property.
His company needed a fresh approach to marketing.
The police operation succeeded in rescuing the kidnapped dog.
Marianne was so beautiful she broke the heart of every man who saw her.
He works 9 to 5 at his regular job. On weekends he has a side hustle.
Chemistry was a difficult subject, but she made a huge effort and passed the class.
If I do you a favor today, will you do me a favor next week?
I really enjoyed meeting you. Let’s keep in touch.
Let’s go to the park on foot. I need the exercise.
When the electricity fails, all work at the bank comes to a standstill.
I’d like to go overseas for graduate school.
Did you get the impression that the boss wasn’t listening to us?
All good things come to an end.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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1) My favorite radio show host had a heart attack and now he’s off the air.

2) I don’t like off road vehicles. They’re bad for the environment.

3) What do baseball players do in the off season?

4) It’s better to wash your laundry during off peak hours.

5) I don’t see roast duck. Did they take it off the menu?

6) Who let that guy off his leash?

7) You don’t look very happy.

—I’m not. My boss chewed my ears off.

8) Stop goofing off and get back to work!

9) What happened to Mario?

—I think he was bumped off by the mob.

10) Buzz off! Can’t you see I’m busy

11) My best friend waltzed off with my fiancee.

12) I’m swearing off alcohol. That was my last drink.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Questions? Suggestions? Email me here: swift.water3883@fastmail.com
and thank you for listening!
Barry

1) He passed himself off as a doctor.
2) She’s off her rocker. [She’s crazy.]
3) If you don’t like that old table, I’ll take it off your hands.
4) The king lost his temper and shouted, “Off with his head!
5) I’m not sure, but off the top of my head I don’t think that’s a good idea.
6) Our new face cream is flying off the shelf.
7) Off the record, I think our ex-President is a racist ego-maniac.
8) My dad can’t carry a tune to save his life. He always sings off key.
9) My mother has a real off beat sense of humor.
10) I like to keep my employees off balance.
11) I’m sorry but discussions of religion are off limits in my class.
12) He usually plays a good game of golf. He must have had an off day.
13) “Sir, I think the ship is off course. We were supposed to reach Los Angeles this afternoon, but the navigator says we’re approaching Seattle.”
14) I was sure Mr. Jones was the killer, but it looks like he’s off the hook.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Questions? Suggestions? Email me here: swift.water3883@fastmail.com
and thank you for listening!
Barry

Let’s practice with short sentences using “would+like”. Note in normal speech, “I would” is shortened to “I’d”, "she would" becomes "she'd", etc.

1) I’d like to visit New York some day.

2) I’d like to eat lunch soon.

3) I’d like to learn French.

4) I’d like something to drink.

5) I’d like to be rich, but I’d settle for well-off.

6) I’d like to go home now.

7) I’d like to watch a different movie.

8) I’d like to take a nap. I’m tired.

9) I’d like more time to think about it.

10) I’d like to move to a bigger house.

=============================

11) She’d like to study mechanical engineering.

12) She’d like to be a doctor.

13) He’d like to travel in Europe.

14) He’d like to get a job in the US.

15) We’d like to live closer to our children.

16) They’d like to visit us next summer.

17) They’d like to go to the beach tomorrow.

18) We’d like to eat Italian food this evening.

19) She’d like to learn to swim.

20) He’d like to speak fluent German.

===========================

21) What would you like for dinner?

22) Where would Susan like to go?

23) Which museum would you like to visit first?

24) When would you like to play football?

25) Who would you like to invite to your party?

26) Why would you like to work for our company?

27) Why would you like to be rich?

28) Where would you like to live?

29) Would you like to go dancing tonight?

30) Would I like to get a new job? You bet I would!

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Questions? Suggestions? Email me here: swift.water3883@fastmail.com
and thank you for listening!
Barry

1) She’s always making trouble.

2) The kids are making too much noise!

3) If the baby feeds herself spaghetti, of course she’ll make a mess!

4) You made some good points, but I still don’t agree with your conclusion.

5) My right knee is bothering me again, so I’m going to call my doctor to make an appointment.

6) When someone talks a lot but their words don’t make sense, you can say they made a “word salad.”

7) My friend has started four businesses so far, but none of them has made a profit.

8) If you practice English every day, you’ll make good progress.

9) She’s always making excuses for coming to work late.

10) Please excuse me. I have to make a phone call.

11) I’ve made up my mind to ask Veronica for a date. [decided]

12) It really makes my day when people say they like this podcast. [makes me happy]

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Questions? Suggestions? Email me here: swift.water3883@fastmail.com
and thank you for listening!
Barry

When I want to be sure I am hearing the sounds of a new language, I listen repeatedly to something short, often a single sentence. In this podcast you'll only hear a few sentences but they are repeated many times. Then you will have a chance to listen and repeat. Test yourself and see how well you can imitate my pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm. Tip: close your eyes when you're listening intently. It helps!

The sentences are:
1) I was blindsided by the cost of living in New York.

2) I earned thirty-three thousand three hundred thirty-three dollars and thirty-three cents. ($33,333.33)

3) The train went through the tunnel at top speed.

4) Bonus proverb: Time flies when you're having fun.

The Gaming Blender
Could you design a video game? We create a new randomised hypothetical game every episode
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Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Questions? Suggestions? Email me here: swift.water3883@fastmail.com

Follow on Telegram for more info and my Tandem class and discussion schedule.
In this podcast you’ll continue practicing sentences with some of the most common irregular verbs in the present, simple past, and present perfect tenses.

think thought thought

—She thinks she will start learning German next year.

—I thought she was coming over for dinner, but I forgot to invite her!

—Have you ever thought of getting a different job?

2, tell told told

—Please tell me the truth.

—He told me to go away and never come back.

—Have you ever told a lie?

become became become

—Do people become wiser with age?

—After years of school, he became a doctor.

—I have become older but not smarter.

show showed shown

—Please show me how to fold an origami crane.

—He showed us how to cook chicken stuffed with rice.

—Have you ever shown anyone your paintings?

leave left left

— We should leave so Andrew can get some rest.

—He left town in a hurry after robbing the bank.

—Have you ever left your dessert unfinished?

feel felt felt

—I don’t feel well. I hope I’m not getting Covid!

—She felt my forehead and told me I probably had a fever.

—Have you ever felt these symptoms before?

put put put

—I put out the trash and washed all the dishes.

—Last night I folded the laundry and put it all away.

—I don’t want to put myself forward for the supervisor position. I’m not qualified.

bring brought brought

—Please bring in the children. It’s starting to rain.

—He brought a bottle of wine as a dinner gift.

—Has anyone ever brought you so many flowers before?

begin began begun

—It’s 9 o’clock. Let’s begin our meeting.

—It began to snow and continued for two days.

—It has begun to snow. I wonder how long it will continue?

keep kept kept

—Please keep what I told you secret. Tell no one!

—The police kept the crowd away from the crime scene.

—What other secrets have you kept from me?

Queens On A Roll
This podcast was created to educate & inspire people about the ably different...
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Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Questions? Suggestions? Email me here: swift.water3883@fastmail.com
and thank you for listening!
Barry

Follow on Telegram for more info and my Tandem class and discussion schedule.
Irregular verbs are a fact of life in English and many other languages. In this and the next few podcasts you’ll practice sentences with some of the most common irregular verbs in the present, simple past, and present perfect tenses.

1 say said said

—She says she speaks Spanish and French. [present]

—She said she was going to the mall after work. [past]

—I’ve never said I wanted to teach mathematics! [present perfect]

2 make made made

—I don’t make enough money to buy a house.

—Last year I made more money than this year.

—Have you ever made a promise and then failed to keep it?

3 go went gone

—I go to work every morning.

—I went to sleep early last night.

—Mary has gone away and she probably won’t come back.

4 take took taken

—Please take your time. There’s no rush.

—He took me to a wonderful new restaurant.

—Have your Italian friends ever taken you to an opera?

5 come came come

—My mom comes over to my house every Saturday.

—John came to see me in the hospital.

—I have come to ask you for advice.

6 see saw seen

—I see you’re studying English. Good!

—I saw my parents last weekend. They’re doing very well.

—My wife has never seen me lose my temper.

7 know knew known

—He knows my name but not where I live.

—Mary knew the correct answer but she was too shy to raise her hand.

—Have you known what it is like to be really poor?

8 get got got/gotten (US)

—If he gets through his chemistry class, he’ll graduate in May. [gets through = completes]

—She got invited to spend three weeks in France with her friend.

—I still have not gotten used to hearing German all day long.

9 give gave given

—If I give the dog hamburger, will he love me?

—She gave me a very funny birthday present.

—I have given up on learning Hungarian. It’s too difficult. [give up on = quit]

10 find found found

—If I find your missing keys, will you cook dinner tonight?

—Ha! I found your missing keys! They were on the seat of the car.

—Once again, I have found your missing keys. You are so forgetful!

The Daily Dad
The audio companion to DailyDad.com’s daily email meditations on fatherhood, read by...
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Master Red: The Charizard TCG and Pokemon podcast
Podcast about Pokemon News, In Game Events, Championships for all games, and Deck Build
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Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Follow on Telegram for more info and my Tandem class and discussion schedule.
The word ‘stick’, as a noun, means a thin piece of wood that comes from a tree. So we can say, for example:

1) Find some sticks and we’ll make a fire to keep ourselves warm tonight.

A stick can help someone walk.

2) Mr. Johnson is very old. He uses a walking stick when he goes shopping.

And ‘stick’ can be used as a comparison.

3) That girl should eat more! She’s as thin as a stick.

As a verb, ‘stick’ has lots of meanings:

4) He stuck his fork into a piece of chicken and began to eat.

5) The chef stuck pieces of meat and pepper on shish kebab skewers and put them on the grill. [put]

6) Barry, what should I do with these papers?
--Just stick them on my desk and I’ll look at them later. [put]

7) “Take your job and stick it—I’ll find somewhere else to work!” {A way to say "I quit!"]

8) She walked out of the restaurant and stuck me with the bill. [left me to pay for dinner]

9) It was hot and humid yesterday. My clothes were sticking to my body.

10) Stick that note on the refrigerator for me, thanks. [put]

11) He stuck the stamp on the envelope. {attached, put]

12) “You can arrest me, but you’ll never make the charges stick!” [Criminals are charged with crimes, like bank robbery, for example. If they are not found guilty, then the "charges" didn't stick.]

13) I tried to open the window in my bedroom, but it was stuck. [I could not open the window.]

14) We drove too close to the river and now our car is stuck in the mud.

15) He’s been stuck in that dead-end job for 20 years.

16) I lost some weight last winter but now I’m stuck at 50 kgs.

And here are some expressions:

17) My grandma refuses to get a smart phone. She’s a real stick in the mud. [Refuses to accept modern things, ideas.]

18) Don’t let your friends change your mind. Stick to your guns! [Keep believing what you think is correct.]

19) All my friends are getting financial help from their families. But my family is poor. I always get the short end of the stick. [Other people always do better than me.]

20) If you tell enough lies about someone, sooner or later some people will begin to think the lies are true.
“Throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick.”

["Stick a fork in me--I'm done!" When you're cooking, you can stick a fork in the chicken, for example, to see if it is done cooking. This expression plays with this idea to say "I've been working too long today and I want to go home!" or "I can't do this any more--I'm done!"]

How to Create a Glitch in the Matrix
A useful guide on how to experience simulation theory, first hand. Based upon the books...
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UNBOUND: Saybrook Insights with President Nathan Long
Saybrook Insights is a podcast featuring education & community innovators!
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Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Who’s can be a contraction of “who is”

1) Who’s your friend? [Who is your friend?]
— This is Sally.

2) Who’s ready for dinner?
— Everybody! We’re all hungry.

3) Who’s interested in watching a movie tonight?
—I would be, but I have a lot of homework to do.

4) Kids, who’s arriving tomorrow?
— Grandma and grandpa!

5) This is my daughter, Miranda, who’s going to have a birthday next week.

Who’s can be a contraction of “who has”.

6) Who’s got time to help me with my English homework? [Who has got time...]

7) Who’s finished reading Chapter 12?

8) Who’s got some money to help pay for dinner?

9) Who’s already listened to Beethoven’s 5th Symphony?

10) Who’s worked for the government in the past five years?

And "whose" is for possession--no contraction

11) Whose shoes are those?
—Those are my basketball shoes.
I didn’t know you played basketball.
—I don’t. I just liked the way they looked, so I bought a pair.

12) Juan is my friend whose parents are from Colombia.

13) Whose jacket is this? I love the color.
—I think it belongs to my Uncle Fred.

14) Whose house is that? It’s huge!
—It used to belong to Queen Elizabeth but now it’s one of King Charles’ properties.

15) Whose yacht is that?
—Who cares? Some rich guy owns it, I’m sure.

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Medicine Story
We’re restoring the Indigenous and Ancestral knowledge of navigating the inner road and...
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Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

A common and useful construction in English combines the past continuous and the simple past tenses. Here’s an example:

I was washing the dishes when my grandmother arrived.

The first part of the sentence describes an action that is happening in the past and is continuing. We don’t know how long the speaker was washing dishes—maybe for ten minutes, maybe for longer—but at some point in time, the dishwashing is interrupted by the arrival of grandmother.

Another way to describe this is with specific times:

— I started washing the dishes at 9am and I was still washing them at 9:20 when my grandmother arrived.

As always, the best way to learn this construction is by practicing it in lots of sentences. So let’s begin.

1) I was sleeping when someone knocked on the door.

2) I was sleeping when my dog began to bark.

3) I was sleeping when the storm started.

4) I was sleeping when the phone rang.

5) I was sleeping when the baby woke up.

6) I was reading when the electricity went out.

7) I was watching the news when the power failed.

8) I was taking a shower when the lights went out.

9) I was working on the computer when the power failed.

10) I was watching TV when the power failed.

11) I was emailing my sister when the power failed.

12) I was cooking dinner when the electricity went out.

13) I was studying English when my sister came home.

14) I was cleaning my apartment when my sister came home.

15) I was talking to my boss when my sister came home.

16) I was wondering about the future when my sister came home.

17) I was thinking about ancient history when my sister came home.

18) I was shopping for food when my phone rang.

19) I was thinking about work when my phone rang.

20 I was feeding the children when my phone rang.

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Couture & Construction
Weekly conversations about luxury building & design. Brought to you by Textures Nashville.
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Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

This is a long podcast and there is no transcript. I tried to share my thoughts and feelings about how children learn language and what we adults can learn from them. Hope you find it interesting.

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Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

One of the most common questions that new students of English will hear is: How long have you been studying English? Or: When did you start studying English? Or: When did you start learning English? So let's practice with those, because I often hear people struggle to answer those questions. Here's the question and the answer and we'll practice both of them.

How long have you been studying English?
--- I've been studying English for three years.

Here's another way to ask the same question:
When did you start studying English?
--- I started three years ago.

Someone might also ask you:
Have you studied English for a long time?
Oh, for a few years. Or: For a couple of years.

...For about two years.

1). Have you ever seen a two-headed dog?
No, I've never seen a two-headed dog.

2) ___ eaten chocolate pizza?

3___ stolen a car?

4) ___ visited Istanbul?

5) ___ played professional basketball?

6) ___ worked as an airplane pilot?

7) ___ baked a wedding cake?

8) ___ played piano with an orchestra?

9) ___ been a waiter?

10) ___ taught German?

11) ___ traveled to Australia?

12) ___ piloted a jet plane?

13) ___ swum across the English Channel?

14) ___ driven a taxi in London?

15) ___ washed dishes in a restaurant?

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glottis]

If you close your vocal cords, you stop the flow of air. In linguistics, this is called a glottal stop. Listen:

Uh, oh. Uh, oh. Uh, oh. Hear the break in the sound after “Uh”? That’s a glottal stop. Repeat it with me some more and pay attention to how it sounds and how it feels.

Uh, oh. Uh, oh. Uh, oh, Uh, oh. Uh, oh. Uh, oh.

Uh, oh. You spilled your milk.

Uh, oh. I think the police are coming. Let’s get out of here!

Here are two words commonly pronounced with a glottal stop:

Mountain, fountain, mountain, fountain.

The stop replaces the “t” sound. Here’s how it sounds with the T pronounced:

Mountain, fountain, mountain, fountain.

And here they are with the stop, which is how it is usually pronounced:

Mountain, fountain, mountain, fountain.

Let’s practice:

I climbed a mountain and found a fountain at the top.

The expression “to cut and run” means to leave quickly.

The robber told the lookout: “Tell us if you see the police coming, and we’ll cut and run.”

“Eaten” is usually pronounced with a stop:

Eaten, eaten.

Have you eaten?

Have you eaten anything today?

It’s no wonder you’re hungry. You should have eaten breakfast.

“Rotten” has a stop:

Rotten, rotten.

Don’t eat that apple—it’s rotten!

Here’s an expression: “rotten to the core” which means rotten all the way through.

That apple was rotten to the core.

You can also use “rotten” about people. “He’s a truly rotten person.”

Here are some other words similar to rotten:

Kitten

Button

Mitten

Cotton

Glutton

My kitten was playing with the button on a cotton mitten.

He eats way too much: he’s a glutton.

She keeps trying to learn Hungarian which is one of the hardest languages in the world. She’s a real glutton for punishment. (She likes to suffer.)

Finally, we often use stops with “can’t”, “won’t”, “don’t” and “doesn’t”. Listen carefully:

I can’t speak Russian. Instead of the ’t’ sound, there’s a glottal stop.

I won’t speak Russian.

I don’t speak Russian.

He doesn’t speak Russian.

It feels like the ’t’ sound is there, but it isn’t.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Past tense of regular verbs: possibility no. 1.

There are three “rules” or sound patterns which determine how we pronounce the past tense of regular English verbs. In this podcast, we’ll practice with the first situation, where the final SOUND of the infinitive is /t/ or /d/. For example, “accept” ends with a /t/ sound, and “guard” ends with a /d/ sound.

In this situation the past tense of the verbs is pronounced “ID”. Let me repeat that. If the final SOUND (not letter) of the infinitive is /t/ or /d/, you add the sound “ID” to the verb.

Now let’s practice:

1) [accept]: I was accepted by Harvard University.

2) [count]: The greedy king counted his money again and again.

3) [decide]: Jose decided to visit his mother.

4) [invite]: She invited me to her birthday party.

5) [plant]: I planted ten trees in front of my house.

6) [rent]: She rented a new apartment.

7) [waste]: He wasted his time watching videos.

8) [need]: My dog needed a bath.

9) [shout]: The policeman shouted at me.

10) [pretend]: He pretended to speak Spanish.

12) [divide]: We divided the pizza into four equal parts.

13) [present]: I presented my passport to the airport security guard.

14) [end]: The class ended early.

15) [arrest]: The police arrested my neighbor last week.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Use this podcast to improve your listening and pronunciation. There is no transcript. You won't need one. Listen as many times as you like, and then practice saying: She counted her money.Before you can pronounce correctly, you have to train your ears to hear the sounds as accurately as possible. Listen, listen, listen.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

The verb "to listen" is almost always followed by "to". See (and listen to) the examples below:

1) Listen to me!

2) Please listen to your father.

3) What are you listening to?

4) I’m listening to a podcast.

5) What is Sally doing? She’s listening to the news.

6) You’re a famous person so people will listen to you.

7) When I listen to Russian, I don’t understand anything.

8) My children like to listen to fairy tales.

9) He always listens to music when he’s out for a walk.

10) Calm down, take a deep breath, and listen to me.

11) Stop talking and listen to the other people in this group.

12) If you listen to me, I’ll listen to you.

13) What did I do yesterday? I read a book in English and listened to music.

14) Had I been listening more carefully, I would have heard you opening the door.

15) I wish you would listen to me when I talk to you.

16) When I’m studying a foreign language, I often close my eyes so I can listen more carefully to the sounds.

===================================
But now and then you don't need the "to". For example:

17) Okay everybody. Listen up and I’ll tell you the rules of this game. [Teachers will often say "Listen up!" to get a group of children to stop talking and start listening.]

18) My mother likes to listen in on my private phone conversations.

19) Another word for listening in on is eavesdrop. “I put my ear to the door and eavesdropped on my parents’ conversation.” [You could also say "I listened to my parents' conversation.]

20) The coach told the team to listen up. As soon as everyone was quiet, he gave them some last-minute instructions.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Before vs. Until vs. While

Examples:

1) Let’s go for a walk before lunch. [What should we do today?]

2) We walked until noon and then we ate lunch.

3) I cleaned the apartment before my mother arrived.

4) I cleaned the house until my mother came.

5) Call me before 11pm.

6) I waited for his call until 11pm.

7) Eat a good dinner before you have dessert.

8) We don’t eat dessert until we finish dinner.

9) He has to finish the project before he can go on vacation.

10) Until the project is completed, he can’t leave town.

11) Wait until I finish reading this page.

12) Before I read my book, I have to finish my homework. Or: I have to finish my homework before I read my book.

13) We stopped driving before sunset.

14) He drove until it got dark.

15) We visited Italy until the end of July and then flew back to Denver.

16) Before we flew to Rome, we spent a week visiting southern Germany.

17) I finished reading my book before I went to sleep.

18) He read and read until he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer.

19) She ran 10 miles before breakfast.

20) I get up extra early every morning and study English until the sun rises.

Summary:

A happens before B. “I clean the kitchen before I go to bed.”

A happens until B. “I’ll study German until you arrive.”

“While” is used when two things are going on or happening at the same time. For example: I listen to the radio while I eat breakfast.

21) I like to listen to music while I exercise.

22) She sings while she washes dishes.

23) I doodled while my professor talked about Russian history.

24) Make hay while the sun shines.

24 is a proverb. Your homework is to look up its meaning on the internet.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

To play something by ear has two meanings. One is the musical meaning: when you play a song by ear, it means you play the song without any sheet music, so you’re not looking at the notes. You know the song, it’s in your head, so you can play it without needing to look at written music.

The second meaning of “play it by ear” means to do something without much practice or preparation. If you give a speech to two hundred people and all you bring to the speech are a few notes, then you are ready to “play it by ear”, to give the speech knowing only the general outline of what you plan to say. In essence you are confident in your ability to speak extemporaneously, making up the speech as you go.

“To wing it” means the same thing as play it by ear: to proceed without much preparation.

John: “Did you study for the exam?”

Mary: “No, I’m going to wing it.” So Mary feels confident enough to take the exam without studying.

Podcast Text. The conversation repeats three times. The “Listen and Repeat” section follows after.

When you prepare a speech, do you write everything down in advance?

—Yes. I write the speech, then I read it aloud to myself. Then I revise it till I’m happy. What about you?

My approach is the opposite. I just write down the points I want to make, and then I play it by ear.

— You’re kidding! You just stand up in front of an audience and wing it?

Yep. I like to improvise.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Martha: Charles, I need some advice.

C: Sure, what about?

M: Yesterday I told my history professor he was an idiot.

C: You’re kidding! In private, or in front of the class?

M: In front of the whole class.

C: I assume you’re not majoring in diplomacy or international relations?

M: It’s not a joke! What should I do?

C: Is he an idiot? No, never mind. Did he kick you out of the class?

M: Not yet.

C: Why did you call him an idiot? What did he say?

M: He said the only languages worth studying are dead languages.

C: Dead languages? Like Sanskrit and Latin?

M: Yes. He said living languages are boring and decadent.

C: What? That’s nonsense. If he believes that, he is an idiot.

M: Exactly But what should I do?

C: Apologize and give him a box of chocolates. And next time, keep your mouth shut!

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Read and look up. Part One:

“Read and look up” is a technique for improving your foreign language speaking and reading. It is easy to do. Here is how.

1) First, choose a text. It’s okay if the text contains a few new vocabulary words, but not so many that you can’t understand the overall meaning.

2) If possible, print the text so you can mark on it.

3) Divide the longer sentences into parts. Here is a sample sentence without divisions.

—— It was a lovely day so I decided to take my dog for a walk in the park. ——

Here is the same sentence divided into logical phrases. (I’ve labeled the parts a, b, c, and d.

(a) It was a lovely day / (b) so I decided / (c) to take my dog / (d) for a walk in the park.

Now read part (a) SILENTLY to yourself. Then look away from the page (or cover it) and say “It was a lovely day”. If you forget one of the words, look at it again, read it silently again, and then look up and say the phrase out loud. Repeat this with phrases b, c, and d. If the text is easy for you, it should sound like this:

Once you can recite each part easily, do it again with fewer divisions. SILENTLY read a, for example, then b+c, and then part d. Remember, when you speak out loud, you are NOT looking at the text. You are reciting or repeating the text from memory.

It was a lovely day / so I decided to take my dog / for a walk in the park.

And finally, read the whole sentence silently, take a breath (!) and see if you can recite the whole sentence without looking at it. If not, practice it again in parts and then try the whole sentence one more time. It should sound like this:

This technique can not only improve your speaking, it can also help you memorize phrases, sentences, or even entire paragraphs. Also it is okay to try dividing the sentence in different places. Choose divisions that sound good and work as small parts of the sentence.

Part Two:

Here’s some text from a biology book you can use to practice the Read and look up technique. If you are a beginner, start by practicing with just a few sentences. If you are a more advanced speaker, work with as much of the text as you like. Listen to me read it first, and look up the definitions of any words that are unfamiliar. Take your time. Don’t rush. This is not a race—it’s practicing your pronunciation, comprehension, and fluency. After you have practiced for a while, listen to me again. And remember—do NOT read the text aloud. Read silently, look up or cover the text, and then say the phrase or sentence aloud.

Intro to Cells:

“Close your eyes and picture a brick wall. What is the wall's basic building block? It is a single brick. Like a brick wall, cells are the building blocks that make up your body.

Your body has many kinds of cells, each specialized for a specific purpose. Just as we use a variety of materials to build a home, the human body is constructed from many cell types. For example, epithelial cells protect the body's surface and cover the organs and body cavities within. Bone cells help to support and protect the body. Immune system cells fight invading bacteria. Additionally, blood and blood cells carry nutrients and oxygen throughout the body while removing carbon dioxide. Each of these cell types plays a vital role during the body's growth, development, and day-to-day maintenance. In spite of their enormous variety, however, cells from all organisms—even ones as diverse as bacteria, onion, and human—share certain fundamental characteristics.”

The above biology text is from this source:

Authors: Samantha Fowler, Rebecca Roush, James Wise
Publisher/website: OpenStax
Book title: Concepts of Biology
Publication date: Apr 25, 2013
Location: Houston, Texas

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Here are some ways to say that you agree with another speaker.

1) I agree completely.

2) You are correct. (Or) You are absolutely correct.

3) Exactly. (Or) Absolutely.

4) That’s so true. (Or) What you just said is so true.

5) You’re right.

6) You took the words right out of my mouth. [You said what I was going to say.]

7) That’s exactly how I feel.

8) That’s exactly what I think.

9) I couldn’t agree with you more.

10) You made some good points and I agree with all of them.

11) I agree with you 100 percent.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

This dictation is three paragraphs long. It is repeated three times.

Instructions:

Step One: Listen to the paragraphs as many times as you like. The more you listen, the easier it will be to write down each sentence.

Step Two: Listen again, but stop after each sentence and try to repeat it to yourself. If you can repeat it, go ahead and write it down. Don’t worry about spelling right now. Just try to record the text as best you can. Skip lines so you can easily go back and make changes later.

Step Three: Listen again, correcting as you go. When you’ve written as much as you can, listen one more time and read silently along with the podcast. If there are words you didn’t capture, leave an empty space with brackets like this: [ ] so you can fill it in later.

Step Four: Put away the dictation for a day or two, and then review it again. Listen to the podcast and see if you recognize any words that you missed last time.

Step Five: All done? If you use Telegram, go to English_with_Barry and look for the file named “Dictation June 11, 2022”. Use that to correct your dictation. If you don’t use Telegram, send me a message on Tandem and write the name of the file (Dictation June 11), and I’ll send you the text so you can make corrections.

Grammar note: All the verbs in this little story are in the simple present tense. If you like, try rewriting the text in the simple past. It would start with: “I had a friend named Sheila…”

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

13) There are some guys on Tandem who are only trying to pick up girls. [meet, bring home for sex]

14) He was picked up by the police. They questioned him for hours. [found and taken to the police station]

15) Marion picked up some food on her way home. [got some food]

16) My mother is a great cook. Everything I know about cooking I picked up from her. [learned]

17) Where did you get that terrible cold?
I must have picked it up at work. Everyone there is coughing and sneezing. [got]

18) He fell down at the beginning of the race, but he picked himself up and kept on running. [stood up]

19) My dog has a keen sense of smell. He can pick up the scent of an animal and track it all day. [find and recognize]

20) Where did you pick up that strange idea? [get]

21) What time should I pick you up?
6:30 pm. I’ll be waiting in front of the hotel.

22) Can you pick up this suitcase?
No! Is it full of books?
Not books—gold bars.
Yeah, and I’m the Queen of England.

23) Where did you learn Spanish?
I picked it up when I was living in Colombia.

24) How’s business?
Terrible. I hope it picks up soon or we’re finished.

25) What a mess! Can I help you pick up the toys?
That would be wonderful. Thanks.

26) What should we have for dinner tonight?
I don’t know. I’ll pick something up on my way home.

27) Are you sick? You look terrible.
I think I picked up a cold at work.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Some practice with the phrasal verb “to pick up”.

1) I need to move this table. Can you help me pick it up? [lift]

2) I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning at 8 and we can drive to work together. [give a ride]

3) The baby started crying so her mother picked her up. [lifted]

4) My father used to have a shortwave radio. Before the internet, he could always pick up the BBC. [listen to]

5) The phone rang and my daughter picked it up and said, “Hello, this is Lucy.” [lift]

6) I picked up Russian while I was living in Moscow. [learned]

7) Try this cold lemonade. It will pick you up. [make you feel better]

8) I hope business picks up soon. [gets better]

9) I think there’s a storm coming. The wind is really picking up. [getting stronger]

10) We had a great meeting yesterday. Let’s pick up where we left off. [continue from]

11) I spend a lot of time picking up after my grandchildren. [cleaning up after]

12) The sick mountain climber was picked up by a rescue helicopter. [rescued]

(This podcast will be continued in the next episode.)

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Be careful with the pronunciation of “th”: the tip of your tongue is between your teeth.

It helps to watch videos to see how people make the "th" sound. Here's one video on YouTube, and here is another one.

Thank you for helping me.
Thank you for helping us.
Thank you for helping me with my homework.
Thank you for helping me make dinner.
Thank you for helping me wash the dishes.
Thank you for helping me clean the house.
Thank you for helping me understand these expressions.
Thank you for visiting me.
Thank you for visiting us.
Thank you for correcting me.
Thank you for explaining that to me.
Thank you for cooking dinner.
Thank you for walking my dog.
Thank you for watching the baby.
Thank you for keeping me company.
Thank you for house sitting while I was away.
Thank you for listening to me.
Thank you for taking care of my cat.
Thank you for teaching me some new vocabulary.
Thank you for going with me to the doctor.
Thank you for driving me to the supermarket.
Thank you for working late this evening.
Thank you for listening to this podcast.
Thank you for helping my sister. (Thank you for helping her.)
Thank you for helping my brother. (Thank you for helping him.)
Thank you for helping my parents. (Thank you for helping them.)

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Here are some more sentences with 4 syllable words.

The teacher demonstrated how to use a dictionary.
I need more information about the new machinery.
Covid 19 is an example of evolution in real-time.
Charlie sent me his letter of resignation.
The politician spoke about capitalism.
I appreciate your observations.
The security situation in our country is grave.
She works for a large corporation.
Let's have a big celebration for your 50th birthday!
Would you rather study architecture or philosophy?
This new factory will manufacture motors for electric vehicles.
The letters X and Y are often used as variables in algebra.
It is hard for a robot to manipulate very small objects.
Language acquisition is an important part of child development.
The complexity of modern life can be overwhelming.

If you need a translation, try DeepL.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Note: Unaccented syllables in English are normally pronounced with the infamous "Schwa" sound. Using the phonetic alphabet, this sound is written /ə/. The word "banana" would be written /bənænə/ with the stress or accent on the second syllable. Languages like Spanish keep vowel pronunciation the same whether syllables are stressed or not. Ask a native Spanish speaker to say "platano" and listen carefully to the vowels in each syllable. None of them change into a schwa sound. And that makes Spanish easier to learn than English, in my opinion. :)

What does the word cooperate mean? (What is the definition of "cooperate"?)
To cooperate means to get along, to work together.
Let's cooperate.
It was a mistake to cooperate with them.
Do you think we should cooperate with them?
We have to cooperate. We have no alternative.
"Every man for himself" is not an example of cooperation.
When you plan an outdoor picnic, the weather may not cooperate.
Did you send in your college application?
Did you submit your college application?
When did you turn in your college application?
Are you having difficulty with your college application?
What is that thing you're holding? It's a combination lock.
How does a combination lock work?
Ah, good question. Instead of a key, a combination lock has a dial with numbers.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Here is another listening exercise. The text in this podcast contains most of the sounds of English. Listen carefully and see how many distinct sounds you can hear. In the next podcast, I'll record the same text again, but with spaces so you can practice listening and repeating.

Text credit: accent.gmu.edu

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

This podcast will be doing double duty. First, it's another regular podcast to help you learn how to use "to be used to". If you practice all these examples, you should have a good feeling for when and how to use this form. Second, I'll be using this podcast along with a couple of Tandem classes, so that Tandem users can practice the lesson before* the class. We'll see how it goes.

To be used to = to be accustomed to

1 I'm used to doing that.
2 She's used to working a lot.
3 Our dog is not used to us yet.
4 I can't get used to her accent.
5 I'm not used to so much homework.
6 He's used to traveling for his job.
7 Now that I'm used to my job I like it.
8 Robert is used to helping his parents.
9 John is used to eating a big breakfast
10 I'm used to drinking water with dinner.
11 In the army he got used to taking orders.
12 Mary is used to running 5 km every morning.
13 We are used to cooking for a lot of people.
14 She's used to taking a shower every morning.
15 She is used to practicing piano twice a day.
16 Charlie is used to going to the gym after work.
17 Medical students are used to working all night.
18 Are you used to the cold weather where you live?
19 I'm getting used to studying English all the time.
20 He is used to watching TV for hours every evening.
21 Olympic athletes are used to training all the time.
22 I'm used to sleeping at least seven hours every night.
23 My wife is used to my bad habits. And I'm used to hers.
24 How can I get used to the terrible food in this country?
25 My dog Ollie is used to going for a walk every afternoon.
26 My wife is French. She's used to drinking wine with dinner.
27 I used to play a lot of basketball when I was in high school.
28 His wife is a doctor. He's used to staying home with the kids.
29 We have a vegetable garden so I'm used to eating fresh vegetables.
30 He's used to speaking English now. All his co-workers are Americans.
31 Now that we have a baby we're used to getting by on very little sleep.
32 Now I'm living in Britain and I can't get used to the way people speak.
33 In school my language teacher was American so that's the accent I got used to.
34 I grew up in the country. I can't get used to* how noisy it is here in New York.
35 I'm the youngest of seven children so I'm used to wearing hand-me-down clothes.
36 After you've lived in Paris for a year you'll be used to speaking French all the time.

[Note: to get used to is the process of becoming used to something. "He's getting used to his new job," for example. Or "I got used to his accent after a few weeks."

To do double duty means to do the work of two people, or to do two jobs.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

In this podcast you'll be listening to the vowel sound /æ/ which is the sound in the words "can" and "cat".

Remember this is a chance to practice listening. If you don't understand everything I say, it doesn't matter. You are training your ears to accurately hear the sounds of English. In part 2 of this podcast I'll give you a chance to listen and repeat.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

This is part 2 of the “Pure Listening” podcast #1. I hope you’ve already listened to the first part. Of course you don’t have to, but I would recommend it.

Again, we are working with the vowel sounds in the words “hit” and “heat”. And again, I am not providing the text. This is an exercise for your ears and your speaking, not for reading.

Listen and repeat.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

This podcast is the first in a series of what I will call pure listening. I will not show you the written text. Why? Because English spelling is terrible. It’s a distraction. It interferes with close listening. If you are ever to learn the sounds of English, you need to listen a lot and listen carefully.

Remember this: when babies are learning their native language, they do NOT learn by reading. They listen and then, slowly, they begin to speak. Listening comes first. Thousands of hours of listening.

Don’t worry if you don’t know all the words in this podcast. IT DOESN’T MATTER! This is not a podcast to teach you vocabulary. It is a podcast to help you correctly hear and distinguish the vowel sounds in “hit” and “heat”. (In IPA: /ɪ/ or /i/).

Please note that I am NOT talking about the sounds that “letters” make. Please forget that idea. Letters don’t “make” sounds. They represent sounds and in English they represent them very poorly. (I was recently reminded that the the numbers “one” and “two” are perfect examples of how poorly English language represents spoken English. Pretend these are words in French or Spanish or German and read them aloud. A disaster!)

So let me say it again: this podcast is to help you listen and hear. It has nothing at all to do with writing or spelling English. It has everything to do with improving your hearing and then, later, your pronunciation.

Instructions:

1) Listen to all of the podcast. Just listen—don’t try to repeat. Listen closely to the examples. Do not worry about the meanings of the words. If you recognize them, that’s fine but if you don’t, it doesn’t matter. Your job is to get these sounds into your brain by repeated listening. Before you can pronounce the sounds, you have to have an accurate memory of them. Then, and only then, can you begin to train your mouth and lips and tongue to produce them.

2) After you have listened ten times or fifty times or a thousand times to this podcast, go to the next podcast which will give you a chance to listen and repeat. If you are not sure of your pronunciation, come back to this podcast and listen some more. I have never met a language learner who said, “Oh, I listened too much.” Or “I listened too carefully.” It is easy to listen too little. It is impossible to listen too much.

Let me end this long introduction with an example of careful listening. I was having a conversation with my friend Juan in Colombia and he suddenly stopped me and said, “You said that as one word!” “Said what?” I asked. “Met her,” he replied. “You didn’t say ‘You met her yesterday’, you said ‘You meder yesterday.”

And Juan was quite correct. We write “You met her.” But in normal speed English, I say “meder’. The ’t’ sound becomes a ‘d’ sound and the ‘h’ in ‘her’ is dropped [repeat example several times]

Now that’s careful listening.

Let’s begin. Remember, this is a listening podcast. The next podcast will give you a chance to listen and repeat.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

I'm happy to be joined via phone by my friend Erel who performs the part of Mary.

Barry sees Mary at the computer and starts asking questions.
B: Hi Mary. What are you doing? Online house shopping?

M: Hi Barry. Yeah, I'm thinking of buying a house on the beach in Florida.

B: Really? I wouldn't do that if I were you.

M: No? Why shouldn’t I?

B: Sea level rise. Do you want to live underwater?

M: Ooooooh (sigh). That’s a good point.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

“Don’t take my word for it” = Don’t believe me. Try it for yourself.

Example 1: The lake is too cold for swimming. But don’t take my word for it. Jump in and see for yourself.

Example 2: Professor Johnson is a terrible teacher. But don’t take my word for it. Sign up for his class and see how you like his explanations.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Repeat the two examples along with the podcast until you have memorized them. If you do that, they will be with you forever. Try it--you'll catch on quickly.

“Catch on quickly” = to learn fast

Example 1: That new student is very intelligent. He catches on quickly.

Example 2: Six months ago Marina didn’t know a word of English. Now she’s almost fluent. She catches on quickly.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Psychologists and. psychiatrists

Here are some sentences to help you practice the words psychologist and psychiatrist, as well as related words like psychological, psychiatric, psychology, and psychiatry.

My brother is a psychologist.
My sister is a psychiatrist.
Normally a psychologist can not prescribe medications.
Psychiatrists are doctors. They can prescribe medications.
I am majoring in psychology at the university. I want to become a psychologist.
Marjorie wants to be a psychiatrist after she finishes medical school.
The doctor said his pain was psychological.
Do you have a psychiatric condition?
The psychiatrist said Jane was suffering from bipolar disease.

Here is a word used in psychology: "phobia", which means "fear". Fear of the dark, for example, is officially called "nyctophobia." "Monophobia" or "autophobia" is fear of being alone.

There are lots of phobias. Here's one more: glossophobia, or fear of public speaking.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Season 3, Lesson 2: Once in a blue moon.

The goal of this lesson is to help you learn the expression “Once in a blue moon.” [Meaning: Rarely, infrequently.] For example: “Winning the lottery only happens once in a blue moon.”

Part One: Listening practice. 100 repetitions, some slow, some normal speed. Just listen—and don’t hesitate to listen to the 100 reps several times. Get the sounds in your head. We’ll practice with this sentence: “That only happens once in a blue moon.”

Part Two: Backward buildup. This is a technique to help you memorize text. (See season 3, Lesson 1)

Part Three: Listen and repeat the sentence. I’ll record it at normal speed with 25 repetitions.

Part Four: When you’re confident, check your pronunciation with a native speaker if possible.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Season 3, Lesson 1: Two heads...

The goal of this lesson is to help you learn the proverb "Two heads are better than one." [Meaning: It’s easier for two people working together to solve a problem than for one person working alone.]

Part One: Listening practice. 100 repetitions, some slow, some normal speed. Just listen—and don’t hesitate to listen to the 100 reps several times. Get the sounds in your head.

Part Two: Backward buildup. This is a technique to help you memorize text. I’ll start with the last word. You’ll listen and then repeat. Then I’ll add the next-to-last word and you’ll repeat both words, and so on. It looks like this:

One.
Than one.
Better than one.
Are better than one.
Heads are better than one.
Two heads are better than one.

Part Three: Listen and repeat the proverb. I’ll record the proverb at normal speed with 25 repetitions. Listen and repeat.

Part Four: When you’re confident, say “Two heads are better than one” to a native speaker and see if he/she understands you. If it’s great, congratulations! If not, practice some more. Remember (another proverb) Rome wasn’t built in a day. And learning a language takes time.

You can also record it and send it to me on Tandem at barry8660314. I'll let you know if your pronunciation is good or needs more work. Please record in a quiet place so I can hear your voice clearly.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Season 3 Introduction [Need to translate this? Try DeepL]

In season 3, I will focus on special lessons for beginners including total beginners.

The most important thing to do as a beginning language student is to listen.

If you are unhappy with your English pronunciation, you need to listen.

If you want to sound like a native speaker, you need to listen.

Listen, listen, listen. Before you try to imitate my accent, listen to it. Listen a lot and listen closely and carefully. Try to hear every sound. DO NOT try to speak at first. Just listen.

When you have the sounds in your ears and in your brain, then try to copy me. DO NOT read the words. English spelling is NOT phonetic. Reading will NOT help. I'll say it again: Reading will NOT help. Listen, memorize the sounds, and then practice with the recordings.

Let me tell you a story. Today is Sunday, March 27, 2022. On Friday—two days ago—I decided to see if I could learn the sounds of Russian. (I am not planning to learn to speak Russian. I’m too old and I don’t have the time. But can an old guy like me learn to pronounce some Russian words correctly? That was and is my question.)

So I found a helpful Russian man and asked him if he would record a short Russian proverb for me to try and learn. This is the proverb: У страха глаза велики. (Literally it means something like “Fear has big eyes.” It is used, I think, when a person tries something new and he or she is afraid in the beginning. Then after starting, she realizes that it was not so difficult after all. Like a first swimming lesson. Or a first language lesson!)

I listened to the recording of this proverb about 500 times before I started to try to repeat. On the second day, I checked my pronunciation with a different Russian speaker and she said, “Yes, I understand you! Good!” Since then I have started working on two more proverbs. I am finding that it is already getting easier. NOT easy, but easier.

So if I, almost 74 years old, can in one day’s practice memorize and repeat a Russian proverb (note: I have never ever studied Russian before!), then you can do the same with English. But remember, it all starts with LISTENING.

Listen carefully. Listen a lot. Now go practice with Season 3, Lesson 1. Enjoy!

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Wishes...wants...hopes...all various ways of expressing desires.
I wish I could live in Paris. I want to live in Paris. I hope to live in Paris someday.
They all sort of mean the same thing, but each one is a little bit different.
Today we'll practice with hope.

1) I hope you’ll come by tomorrow.

2) After failing his Russian exam, he started to give up hope of ever learning the language. It was just too difficult.

3) I have high hopes of getting a better job next year.

4) We say that “Hope springs eternal.”

5) The doctor held out little hope for the man’s recovery.

6) We hope to see you again very soon.

7) John lives in hope of winning the lottery. I wish I had all the money he’s thrown away!

8) I don’t have a hope in hell of winning the New York marathon.

9) He doesn’t have a snowball’s hope in hell of winning the election.

10) We’re all hoping for the best, but she should have gotten vaccinated.

11) My boss is hopeless. He never listens to anyone and his own ideas are terrible.

12) I’m waiting for an important phone call from my dad. I hope he’ll call soon.

13) While there’s life, there’s hope.

14) We’re hoping for good weather next weekend.

15) My parents are hoping to arrive in the afternoon.

16) He says he hopes to win the next marathon he runs.

17) My dog is always hoping for more food.

18) We hope the new house will be finished in two more months.

19) Parents always hope for good reports from their childrens’ teachers.

20) You should hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

21) I hope Mary finds her purse soon. It’s been missing for three days.

22) John is hoping to become a doctor someday.

23) We hope you will accept our dinner invitation.

24) She hopes to have a large family but her husband isn’t so sure they can afford five children.

25) What do you hope to find in Egypt? Mummies? Tombs? Buried treasure?

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

In this podcast we'll practice with the verb to want. What's the difference between to wish and to want? Wishes are desires. "I wish I lived in Paris," for example. It's a dream but may never happen. "I want a new computer," on the other hand, or "I want a cup of coffee," tell the listeners about things you need and may get soon if possible.

1) What does he want? He wants some more coffee.

2) What does she want? She wants a job.

3) He wanted to leave work early, but his boss said he had to stay.

4) I want to fly around the world. But I don’t want to pay for the trip!

5) They want to give their father a surprise for his birthday.

6) Do the children want a dog for Christmas?

7) He wants to live in France for a few years to improve his French.

8) I want to learn to ski. My sister wants to learn to play the guitar. My younger brother wants a TV in his bedroom. None of us are going to get what we want.

9) If you don’t see what you want, just ask me.

10) Do you want to bet on that?

11) How much do you want for that old truck? (How much money…).

12) I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes!

13) If you want something done right, do it yourself.

14) Some people are never happy. The more they have, the more they want.

15) Forget it. I’ve changed my mind. I want out of this deal.

16) I want my money back.

17) The last thing my mother wants is a neighbor with noisy dogs!

18) What do you want me to say? The answer is no and it’s not going to change.

19) I’m so ashamed. I want to curl up and die.

20) I want no part of your business deals. They all lose money.

21) She wants me to help her paint her house.

22) They want to live in the country. City life is too stressful.

23) I want a new car but I can’t afford one.

24) They wanted to come in, but I told them to go away and threatened to call the police.

25) My German professor called and said he wanted to meet with me to discuss the last exam.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

What do you wish? In this podcast we'll practice wishing.

1) I wish I had more money.

2) I wish I were rich.

3) She wishes she had something to eat.

4) He wished for a more interesting job.

5) They wished their father would come back.

6) He wished me long life and good health.

7) Sally made a wish and blew out the candles on her birthday cake.

8) I wish I had more time to study.

9) Melinda wishes she had not married James.

10) She wishes she could speak fluent Italian.

11) Do you wish your family was rich?

12) Will you do as I wish?

13) It never occurred to her to wish to live in a different country.

14) “I wish my neighbor’s dogs would stop barking all the time,” said Fernanda.

15) If you wish upon a star, will your wish come true?

16) Okay, we’ll do as you wish.

17) Wishes won’t wash dishes.

18) Be careful what you wish for—you might get it.

19) People used to write this on postcards: “We’re having a wonderful time. Wish you were here.”

20) What a great idea! I wish I’d thought of it.

21) Don’t lean over the edge of that cliff! Do you have a death wish?

22) Don’t you wish we were visiting friends in Paris?

23) What have I done?? I wish the ground would swallow me up!

24) I wouldn’t wish cancer on my worst enemy.

25) Your wish is my command.

DeepL for translations

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

More voiceless TH sounds:

1) Ruth came in 8th (eighth) in the race.

2) Both John and Mary speak French.

3) South is the opposite of north.

4) My teeth are in my mouth.

5) Some people think the earth is flat.

6) I had more strength when I was young.

7) January is the first month of the year.

8) September is the ninth month.

9) And May is the fifth month.

10) Follow this path through the woods.

11) Do you like math? I love it!

12) Worms live beneath our feet.

13) I used chicken broth to make soup.

14) My children have fun in the bath.

15) I used a washcloth to wash my face.

Voiced TH words - with these your vocal cords DO vibrate:

16) I like these books. My brother likes those.

17) Are they hungry? Very hungry. I think they’re starving!

18) Please give them this food.

19) I’m bigger than you and stronger than you. Therefore, I’m the boss!

20) They’ve worked here for a few years.

21) Their shoes don’t fit any more. Kids grow too fast!

22) This is my father, this is my mother, and this is my brother.

23) Do you like leather clothing?

24) Would you like another cup of coffee?

25) He gathered up the feathers.

26) Remember to breathe deeply!

27) The baby is teething. Give him something to chew on.

28) I like to bathe in hot water.

29) I loathe my boss. That means I hate him.

30) My father is a lathe operator.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

More practice with the unvoiced TH sounds in English. Remember that "unvoiced" means your vocal cords do not vibrate. Also remember the tip of your tongue is between your teeth!

Part One: Words that begin with unvoiced TH:

1) I’ll be thirteen on Thursday.

2) John turned. 30 (thirty) on the 13th (thirteenth), I think.

3) This thing is very thin.

4) You would look funny with three thumbs.

5) Thanks for visiting me.

6) The opposite of thick is thin.

7) He threw the ball over the fence.

8) The thief stole everything in our house. It was a terrible theft.

9) The temperature went above freezing yesterday. A lot of snow melted. It was a good thaw.

10) He divided the cake into thirds.

11) Are you thirsty? I’ll get you some water.

12) I love to go to the theater.

13) Did you like the movie? I thought it was great!

14) Her only Covid symptom was a sore throat.

15) He used some flour mixed with water to thicken the stew.

Part Two: Words with voiceless TH in the middle.

16) He dropped the toothbrush into the bathtub.

17) I have a toothache.

18) There are a lot of Burmese pythons in Florida.

19) It is good to be healthy, wealthy, and wise.

20) His wife gave him a new bathrobe for Christmas.

21) They saw a black panther at the zoo.

22) Sally ran a fast marathon.

23) Something bit me. I think it was a mosquito.

24) Happy birthday!

25) The athlete hurt his thigh.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a tool used by linguists to help record the sounds of a language. It is also useful for people learning a foreign language. And it is particularly helpful to students of English, because the English spelling system is terrible.

For example, we pronounce these two words the same:
Red (the color)
Read (the past tense of the verb to read, as in “Yesterday I read a book.”

But we spell them differently. Using the IPA, we can instantly see that both words are pronounced the same: red or read = /rɛd/

In this podcast I will introduce one consonant sound and one vowel sound. The IPA for American English is not hard to learn. If you had the time, you could probably master most of it in a few days. But we won’t go that fast.

Let’s start with the sound ‘sh’ which is written using this symbol: /ʃ/

Here’s a sentence which has the ‘sh’ sound four times:

She should sell shiny shirts
ʃi ʃʊd sɛl ʃaɪni ʃərts

So these four words, written phonetically, begin with the ‘sh’ /ʃ/ sound:
She
Should
Shiny
Shirts

Here’s another sentence with the ‘sh’ sound:
A dish of delicious fish
ə dɪʃ ʌv dɪlɪʃəs fɪʃ

Now let’s learn a vowel sound. It’s the vowel you hear in the word ‘cat’ which we write like this: /kæt/

Words with the same vowel sound that rhyme with cat are:
At
Bat
Fat
Hat
Mat
Nat
Pat
Rat
Sat
Tat
Vat

Try writing the above words using phonetic symbols. Here’s a hint: the symbols for these sounds—b,f,h,m,n,p,r,s,t,—are the same as the letters! So the word ‘sat’, for example, is written /sæt/.

Now let’s combine the two symbols in today’s lesson. The word ‘ash’ (a kind of tree) is written /æʃ/.
Easy!

Try writing these:

Bash
Cash (the ‘C’ is the same sound as in ‘cat’)
Dash
Gash
Hash
Lash
Mash
Gnash (the ‘g’ is silent)
Rash
Sash

(Note the letters d, g, and l also use the same IPA symbols as the letters, so “gash” would be written /g æʃ/

Your homework is to look for and listen for words in English that have either of these two sounds. Here’s one example: the word ‘passed’, for example, would be written
/pæst/ (I passed Mr. Jones in the hallway.)

Another example: I dropped my glass and it smashed. /smæʃt/

Play around with the IPA and feel free to experiment. As you learn more symbols and practice, you’ll find your pronunciation will become more accurate.

Here's a good reference chart.
Lots of words with the 'sh' sound.
Practice on youtube.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

In all the examples of the past tense in this podcast, “ed” is pronounced with a /t/ sound. I’ll start by reading the first ten verbs as a warmup. I'll repeat each verb three times. Listen for the /t/ sound at the end.

Licked, nicked, popped, laughed, wrecked, packed, picked, jacked, mocked, perished.

Now listen and repeat.

My dog licked my face.
I nicked my finger with a knife.
The balloon popped and the baby laughed.
Martin wrecked my car.
She quickly packed her suitcase.
We picked strawberries all day.
I jacked up my car to fix a flat tire.
Mary mocked me for my accent.
The explorer perished in the desert.
My sister cooked some scrambled eggs.
My father hooked a fish.
I fished for six hours.
It was hot. I wiped my face with a towel.
John biked to work.
The frog hopped across the street.
Water dripped from the trees.
Careful! You almost stepped on a nail.
He tipped over his king and said, "You win.” [Game of chess.]
She mixed up some batter and made pancakes.
The baby touched me and poked me.
Susan washed the dishes.
He stacked the boards in a neat pile.
George watched me paint the kitchen.
She pronounced the words correctly.
He announced the winning lottery number.
Bobby stretched before jogging.
She maxed out her credit card. [To “max out” is to go to or past the limit. If your credit card limit is $1000 and you spend $1100, your card is maxed out.]
Mr. Smith faxed me the contract.
She pursed her lips.
The Navy ship stopped the pirates.

Need to translate any of the sentences? I like deepL.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

A famous tongue twister!

Remember that "tt" between vowels is pronounced with a "D" sound, not "T". Listen to these examples pronounced slowly:

Botter
Butter
Bitter

**Betty Botter bought some butter

But she said the butter’s bitter

If I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter

But a bit of better butter will make my batter better

So ‘twas better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter**

Unrelated except insofar as it's an amazing example of speaking English at high speed, here is the Major General's Song from the light opera, the Pirates of Penzance on youtube. Don't try to understand it--it's mostly nonsense.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Let's practice questions and answers about pets using the helper verb "do".

Do you have any pets? Yes, I have a dog.
Do you have a pet? Yes, I have a cat. Her name is Rosie.
Do you have any pets? No, I don't.
Do you have any pets? Yes, two. I have a dog and a cat.
Do you have any pets? I used to have a dog but he died. He was old.
Do you have any pets? Yes, lots. I have three dogs, two cats, and a parrot.
Do you have any pets? Yes, I have a dog. He's a German Shepherd.
Does John have any pets? Yes, he has several cats.
Does Mary have a pet? I don't think so. She lives in a small apartment.
Does Laura have any pets? Yes, she has a parakeet.
Does your son have any pets? Yes, he has a snake. A boa constrictor.
Does your uncle have any pets? Yes, he has an alligator—just kidding!
Do you have any pets? Not now. I used to have a small dog. He was a mutt.
Do you have any pets? I don't, but my mother has a pet rabbit.
Does your mother have any pets? Not exactly pets, but she owns two horses.
Do your children have any pets? Yes, they have a goldfish in a small tank.
Do your children have any pets? Yes, they have a guinea pig.
Do you like dogs? No, I'm afraid of dogs.
Does Maria have any pets? Yes. She has a pet frog and a pet lizard.
Does George have any pets? He used to have a lizard but it escaped.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

If you can, watch and practice with one or more of these youtube lessons before you do my podcast. It will help you a lot!

Practicing the American r

Make the American r sound

How to make the r consonant

R in English

===========================================
Practice with the “r” sound.

A - At the beginning of words:

He has a red rock.
That apple is rotten.
His name is Rodger.
I have a new radio.
John lives on a ranch.
She has three chickens and a rooster.
Pentagons are not round.
Sophie has a pet rabbit.
He’s a fast runner and he won the race.
Remember to pay the rent.

B - Words with “R” inside them.

She was very sorry.
John puts syrup on his pancakes.
His birthday party was last week.
One, two, three.
Please sharpen the pencils.
George is a smart boy.
I like to eat tangerines.
She lives in South America.
I’ll never forget you!
First, second, third, “bird” is a word.

C - Words ending in “r”.

Please roll your window down. I like fresh air in the car.
Does your ear hurt?
Have no fear, my dear.
Do you ever shut the door?
Would you like a beer?
I’ve been waiting for an hour.
She likes to stare at my hair.
A butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker.
The author gave no answer.
He has a good sense of humor.

D - More practice!

I wanted to catch the raccoon but it climbed higher.
The brown rat raced across my living room.
There’s something rotten in Denmark.
I’m neither rich nor poor.
The greased pig wriggled and ran away.
I prefer to borrow a hammer.
I heard that life was not fair, and that has been my experience.
Nicholas was the last Czar of Russia.
A brown badger entered his dark burrow wearing only his fur.
The princess entranced the poor prince, so he proposed marriage. However, she turned down his proposal. Rejected, he ran away and never returned.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can’t we all be like that wise old bird?

Georgie Porgie, Puddin’ and Pie,
Kissed the girls and made them cry,
When the boys came out to play
Georgie Porgie ran away.

Miss Polly had a dolly who was sick, sick, sick.
So she phoned for the doctor to come quick, quick, quick.
The doctor came with his bag and his hat,
And knocked at the door with a rat-a-tat-tat.
He looked at the dolly and shook his head,
And said “Miss Polly put her straight to bed."
He wrote a paper for a pill, pill, pill.
I’ll be back in the morning with the bill, bill, bill.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

For want of a nail the shoe was lost. [want of = lack of]
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Solomon Grundy,
Born on a Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,
Grew worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday.
That was the end,
Of Solomon Grundy.

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – Perhaps she’ll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a spider
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – Perhaps she’ll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a bird;
How absurd to swallow a bird!
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – Perhaps she’ll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a cat;
Fancy that! She swallowed a cat!
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – Perhaps she’ll die!
There was an old lady that swallowed a dog;
What a hog, to swallow a dog!
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – Perhaps she’ll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a goat;
She just opened her throat and swallowed a goat!
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – Perhaps she’ll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a cow;
I don’t know how she swallowed a cow!
She swallowed the cow to catch the goat,
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – Perhaps she'll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a horse.
She's dead of course!

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

(Remember DeepL for translations...)
My apologies for the long delay since the last podcast. The time between our Thanksgiving holiday at the end of November, and the Christmas holiday in December is always very busy. Choosing presents for the grandchildren, preparing for winter, and lots more. But I’m back! When we left off, Goldilocks had settled into the baby bear’s bed and was fast asleep. Let’s continue our story:

Goldilocks was dreaming, but at the local police station two bear policemen were arguing.
“I’m not going!” insisted Officer Mo. “The last time we went to that house, it was full of snakes and spiders!”
“We have to go,” replied Officer Curly. “It’s our job to respond when there’s an alarm.”
“It takes half an hour to bicycle there,” said Officer Mo. “By the time we arrive, whoever set off the alarm will be long gone.”
“Mo, are you hungry?” asked Officer Curly.
“What? What does hungry have to do with an alarm?”
“Well,” said Officer Curly, “we could stop at that new steakhouse on our way to the house of the three bears and grab some dinner. It’s always better to investigate a crime scene after a good meal.”
"Dinner?" said Office Mo. "Curly, it's only 9 in the morning."
Office Curly slapped his forehead. "I'm all messed up," he said. "I didn't eat dinner last night and I've been thinking about it all morning."
"No problem," said Officer Mo. “We can peddle our bikes to Betty Bears Breakfast Bonanza, enjoy one of her famous five-course breakfasts, and by the time we arrive at the house, the three bears will have solved the crime all by themselves.”
“Exactly,” said Officer Curly. “We’ll congratulate them, tell them how smart they are, and come back to the station and spend the rest of the day loafing and playing cards.”
“You’re a genius!” said Officer Mo.
“I know,” replied Officer Curly. “Now let’s get going—I’m hungry!”

Goldilocks was dreaming, but at the local police station two bear policemen were arguing.
“I’m not going!” insisted Officer Mo. “The last time we went to that house, it was full of snakes and spiders!”
“We have to go,” replied Officer Curly. “It’s our job to respond when there’s an alarm.”
“It takes half an hour to bicycle there,” said Officer Mo. “By the time we arrive, whoever set off the alarm will be long gone.”
“Mo, are you hungry?” asked Officer Curly.
“What? What does hungry have to do with an alarm?”
“Well,” said Officer Curly, “we could stop at that new steakhouse on our way to the house of the three bears and grab some dinner.
It’s always better to investigate a crime scene after a good meal.”
"Dinner?" said Office Mo. "Curly, it's only 9 in the morning."
Office Curly slapped his forehead. "I'm all messed up," he said. "I didn't eat dinner last night and I've been thinking about it all morning."
"No problem," said Officer Mo.
“We can peddle our bikes to Betty Bears Breakfast Bonanza, enjoy one of her famous five-course breakfasts,…
13…and by the time we arrive at the house, the three bears will have solved the crime all by themselves.”
“Exactly,” said Officer Curly.
“We’ll congratulate them, tell them how smart they are, and come back to the station and spend the rest of the day loafing and playing cards.”
“You’re a genius!” said Officer Mo.
“I know,” replied Officer Curly. “Now let’s get going—I’m hungry!”

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Let's continue with our story about Goldilocks and the three bears. You will recall that the bears went for a walk and while they were away, Goldilocks came into their house, ate the baby bear's breakfast, and broke his rocking chair. Now she is upstairs in the bears' bedroom, trying out the beds.

As before, listen to this part of the story two times—or more if you like—and then practice repeating the sentences.

The first bed was huge and very high. Goldilocks climbed up and put her head on the pillow. The bed was as hard as a sidewalk and the pillow was just as bad. “No way!’ said Goldilocks. “It’d be easier to sleep in the street.” She slid off the biggest bed and regarded the middle-sized bed. It was covered with a mountain of quilts and blankets. She climbed up and sank down. And down. And down.
“Help!” she shouted. “I’m drowning!” After a long struggle, she finally was able to escape. "That was scary!" she said. Feeling discouraged, she examined the last bed which was child-sized. Carefully she sat down. Not too hard, not too soft. Just right, in fact. With a happy sigh, Goldilocks put her head on the pillow and pulled the blanket up to her chin. “I’ll just rest for a little while before I go home.” In a minute she was fast asleep.

The first bed was huge and very high.
Goldilocks climbed up and put her head on the pillow.
The bed was as hard as a sidewalk and the pillow was just as bad.
“No way!’ said Goldilocks. “It’d be easier to sleep in the street.”
She slid off the biggest bed and regarded the middle-sized bed.
It was covered with a mountain of quilts and blankets.
She climbed up and sank down. And down. And down.
“Help!” she shouted. “I’m drowning!”
After a long struggle she finally was able to escape.
"That was scary!" she said.
Feeling discouraged, she examined the last bed which was child-sized.
Carefully she sat down. Not too hard, not too soft. Just right, in fact.
With a happy sigh, Goldilocks put her head on the pillow and pulled the blanket up to her chin.
“I’ll just rest for a little while before I go home.”
In a minute she was fast asleep.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Here's part 3 of my version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Again I'll read the text two times and then break it into sentences or groups of sentences so you can practice repeating.

When Goldilocks had eaten all she could hold, she burped happily and walked into the parlor. There she found three chairs. She sat in the largest chair first, but it was as hard as a rock and very uncomfortable. “Terrible!” she exclaimed. “That’s not a chair; it’s a punishment!”

Then she tried the medium-sized chair. It was as soft as a goose down pillow, and when she sat down she almost disappeared. “Too soft!” she shouted. “Dangerous!”

Finally she tried the small chair. It was a rocking chair painted a pale sky-blue. “Perfect!” declared Goldilocks and she started rocking. At first she rocked gently but after a minute she began to rock faster and faster until the chair broke into a hundred pieces. Goldilocks shook her head. “Boy, they sure don’t make things like they used to!” She yawned and seeing stairs, decided to check out the bedrooms. Up she went, and at the top of the stairs found a single large bedroom with three beds inside.

When Goldilocks had eaten all she could hold, she burped happily and walked into the parlor.
There she found three chairs.
She sat in the largest chair first, but it was as hard as a rock and very uncomfortable.
“Terrible!” she exclaimed. “That’s not a chair; it’s a punishment!”
Then she tried the medium-sized chair.
It was as soft as a goose down pillow, and when she sat down she almost disappeared.
“Too soft!” she shouted. “Dangerous!”
Finally she tried the small chair.
It was a rocking chair painted a pale sky blue.
“Perfect!” declared Goldilocks and she started rocking.
At first she rocked gently but after a minute she began to rock faster and faster until the chair finally broke into a hundred pieces. 12. Goldilocks shook her head.
“Boy, they sure don’t make things like they used to!”
She yawned and seeing stairs, decided to check out the bedrooms.
Up she climbed, and at the top of the stairs found a single large bedroom with three beds inside.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

The text of this podcast is from the Wikipedia article on malaria, a well-known and terrible tropical disease. For listeners to this podcast who are studying science, this will give you practice pronouncing typical scientific vocabulary. I’ll repeat the paragraph three times, and then break it into sentences or shorter phrases so you can practice repeating.

Excerpt from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria

Malaria is caused by single-celled microorganisms of the Plasmodium group. It is spread exclusively through bites of infected Anopheles mosquitoes, according to a 2014 WHO fact sheet. [WHO is the World Health Organization.] The mosquito bite introduces the parasites from the mosquito's saliva into a person's blood. The parasites travel to the liver where they mature and reproduce. Five species of Plasmodium can infect and be spread by humans. Most deaths are caused by P. falciparum, whereas P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae generally cause a milder form of malaria. The species P. knowlesi rarely causes disease in humans. Malaria is typically diagnosed by the microscopic examination of blood using blood films, or with antigen-based rapid diagnostic tests. Methods that use the polymerase chain reaction to detect the parasite's DNA have been developed, but are not widely used in areas where malaria is common due to their cost and complexity.

Malaria is caused by single-celled microorganisms of the Plasmodium group.
It is spread exclusively through bites of infected Anopheles mosquitoes, according to a 2014 WHO fact sheet.
The mosquito bite introduces the parasites from the mosquito's saliva into a person's blood.
The parasites travel to the liver where they mature and reproduce.
Five species of Plasmodium can infect and be spread by humans.
Most deaths are caused by P. falciparum.
Malaria is typically diagnosed by the microscopic examination of blood using blood films…
or with antigen-based rapid diagnostic tests.
Methods that use the polymerase chain reaction to detect the parasite's DNA have been developed…
but are not widely used in areas where malaria is common due to their cost and complexity.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Here's part 2 of my version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Again I'll read the text two times and then break it into sentences or groups of sentences so you can practice repeating.

*Meanwhile the bear family was sitting down to breakfast. Baby Bear tasted his porridge. “Too hot!” he exclaimed.
Mama Bear looked at the steam coming up from her porridge. “Mine looks hot too,” she said.
“Let’s go for a little stroll,” said Papa Bear. “When we get back, the porridge will be cool enough to eat and we can enjoy our breakfast.”
“Good idea,” said Mama Bear. “Ready, Baby?”
“Let’s go!” said Baby Bear. He was already half way out the back door. So Papa Bear armed the alarm system, and the bear family went for a walk. It was a pleasant morning and Papa and Mama Bear chatted while Baby Bear ran around snuffling and sniffing happily.
A few minutes later Goldilocks reached the front door of the bears’ little house.
She knocked on the door. Nobody answered. She pushed the door open and called, “Anybody home? Bears?”

Nobody answered so Goldilocks walked in and found herself in a kitchen. On the table she found three bowls of hot porridge. She stuck her finger in the largest bowl and howled with pain. “Ahhhhhhh! Ouch! Ouch!” She sucked her finger and said, “Wow, that was hot.” She paused. “But tasty!” More carefully, she tested the porridge in the medium bowl. It was cold. “Too cold,” said Goldilocks, “but also tasty.” She grabbed a spoon and ate a few bites. “Yes, definitely too cold.” Finally she tried the cereal in the smallest bowl. “Oh yeah,” she said with a big smile. “This one is just right!” She poured in some honey from a jar and gobbled up the porridge. “Delicious!” she said.

What Goldilocks didn’t know, however, was that when she had walked into the house, she had set off the alarm system. A signal had gone to the Bear Monitoring System, and they had called the Bear Police Station. Uh, oh!*

Meanwhile the bear family were sitting down to breakfast.
Baby Bear tasted his porridge. “Too hot!” he exclaimed.
Mama Bear looked at the steam coming up from her porridge. “Mine looks hot too,” she said.
“Let’s go for a little stroll,” said Papa Bear. “When we get back, the porridge will be cool enough to eat and we can enjoy our breakfast.”
“Good idea,” said Mama Bear. “Ready, Baby?”
“Let’s go!” said Baby Bear. He was already half way out the back door.
So Papa Bear turned on the alarm system, and the bear family went for a walk.
It was a pleasant morning and Papa and Mama Bear chatted while Baby Bear ran around snuffling and sniffing happily.
A few minutes later Goldilocks reached the front door of the bears’ little house.
She knocked on the door. Nobody answered. She pushed the door open and called, “Anybody home? Bears?”
Nobody answered so Goldilocks walked in and found herself in a kitchen.
On the table she found three bowls of hot porridge.
She stuck her finger in the largest bowl and howled with pain. “Ahhhhhhh! Ouch! Ouch!”
She sucked her finger and said, “Wow, that was hot.” She paused. “But tasty!”
More carefully, she tested the porridge in the medium bowl. It was cold.
“Too cold,” said Goldilocks, “but also tasty.” She grabbed a spoon and ate a few bites. “Yes, definitely too cold.”
Finally she tried the cereal in the smallest bowl. “Oh yeah,” she said with a big smile. “This one is just right!”
She poured in some honey from a jar and gobbled up the porridge. “Delicious!” she said.
What Goldilocks didn’t know, however, was that when she had walked into the house, she had triggered the alarm system.
A signal had gone to the Bear Monitoring System, and they had called the Bear Police Station. Uh, oh!

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

*You're probably familiar with the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Here's part one of my version. I'll read the beginning two times and then break it into sentences or groups of sentences so you can practice repeating. Have fun!

If you need a translation, here's the link to DeepL.*
Once upon a time there was a little girl named Goldilocks. She had long blonde curly hair, a turned-up nose, a turned-down mouth, and eyes that spelled trouble. She was not a good listener.

One day her mother said, “Goldie, I’m going to visit your grandmother. Please clean your room, make your bed, and finish your homework. Do not leave the house while I’m away!”

“Yes, mama,” replied Goldilocks. She watched her mother pack a basket of treats for grandma, and waved goodbye as her mother walked down the road to town. As soon as her mother was out of sight, Goldilocks went to her bedroom. It was a mess. Her bed wasn’t made and the pillows were on the floor. Toys and dirty clothes were scattered everywhere. She had no idea if she had any homework and she didn’t care. Homework was boring, boring, boring.

“I’m outta here!” she exclaimed, and ran out of the house and down the path to the woods. “While the cat’s away, this mouse will play,” she added, smirking. In fact, her parents had warned her that a family of bears had recently moved into the woods. “You are NOT to go into the woods alone,” her father had told her only a week before. “It’s not safe.” So of course Goldilocks was dying of curiosity and had been waiting for a chance to investigate her new neighbors. With her dad at work and her mom off visiting grandma, there was nobody to stop her.
“La, la, la,” she sang. “I’m off to see the bears, the funny bears in the woods!” She skipped down the path that led to the woods and soon entered the forest. She heard birds singing in the trees and the chittering of squirrels.

1.Once upon a time there was a little girl named Goldilocks.
2.She had long blonde curly hair, a turned-up nose, a turned-down mouth, and eyes that spelled trouble.
3.She was not a good listener.
4.One day her mother said, “Goldie, I’m going to visit your grandmother.
5.Please clean your room, make your bed, and finish your homework.
6.Do not leave the house while I’m away!”
7.“Yes, mama,” replied Goldilocks.
8.She watched her mother pack a basket of treats for grandma, and waved goodbye as her mother walked down the road to town.
9.As soon as her mother was out of sight, Goldilocks went to her bedroom. It was a mess.
10.Her bed wasn’t made and the pillows were on the floor.
11.Toys and dirty clothes were scattered everywhere.
12.She had no idea if she had any homework and she didn’t care.
13.Homework was boring, boring, boring.
14.“I’m outta here!” she exclaimed, and ran out of the house and down the path to the woods.
15.“While the cat’s away, this mouse will play,” she added, smirking.
16.In fact, her parents had warned her that a family of bears had recently moved into the woods.
17.“You are NOT to go into the woods alone,” her father had told her only a week before. “It’s not safe.”
18.So of course Goldilocks was dying of curiosity and had been waiting for a chance to investigate her new neighbors.
19.With her dad at work and her mom off visiting grandma, there was nobody to stop her.
20.“La, la, la,” she sang. “I’m off to see the bears, the funny bears in the woods!”
21.She skipped down the path that led to the woods and soon entered the forest.
22.She heard birds singing in the trees and the chittering of squirrels.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

I took Ollie for a walk in the dark earlier this evening. Some of our neighbors have Halloween displays in their yards. I learned that Ollie does NOT like zombies in the dark. Several times seeing human-like figures he started to growl and once I thought he was going to attack one of the zombies. It's good that he wants to protect me...

But now back to the world of phrasal verbs. In this podcast we'll study some of the forms of the verb put.

Put up with (tolerate)
My little brother plays drums and it’s really hard to put up with all the noise he makes.
I don’t know how you can put up with your neighbor’s dogs. They bark all the time!
Put up (erect or build)
Last summer we put up a new wood shed behind the house.
Our town put up a new elementary school a few years ago.
Put up (raise)
“Students, please put up your hands if you wish to ask a question.”
Put up (Allow someone to stay briefly)
Martin had no place to sleep, so we put him up at our house for a few days.
Put up (Hang on a wall, install)
We put up some new bookshelves in my bedroom.
She put up some small posters of her lost dog.
Put up (Raise something so it will be ready to use.)
John put up the hood of his jacket when it started to rain.
“Quick—let’s put up the tent. It’s starting to snow!”
Put up (contribute money)
We asked Bill Gates to put up a million dollars for our tree-planting project. He wasn't interested.
Put together (assemble)
I bought a radio kit but I don’t know how to put it together so it's still in the box.
My daughter’s new bicycle was easy to put together.
Put away
He put the tools away in his tool box. (Return something to its usual place.)

Or “He put away his tools after he finished working.”

The killer was put away for life. (Put in prison for the rest of his life.)
I put away some money from each paycheck. (Save some money.)
My father can really put away pizza! (My father eats a lot of pizza when we have it.)
Put back
We put the meeting back for two days. (Postpone)
I put the knife back in the drawer after lunch. (Return to its correct location.)
We put the clocks back an hour in the fall. (Set the clock or watch to an earlier time.)
We put the clocks forward an hour in the spring. (Set to a later time.)

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

I've been very busy with grandkids, with work (even though I'm 90% retired from our family business), and with getting ready for winter which will arrive soon enough. Our house is in a wooded area and the leaves are changing color and falling like rain every time the wind blows.

But it's time for another podcast, and I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I'll never run out of phrasal verbs for you to study. And the bad news is that I'll never run out of phrasal verbs for you to study. So I hope you enjoy them!

Here are some sentences with the phrasal verb “take.”

Take apart (disassemble)
The little boy took apart his father’s lawn mower, but then he couldn’t put it back together.
Take off
The airplane took off at 9:30 in the morning. (Lifted off)
He took off his socks and shoes. (Remove)
Mr. Jones took the dirty dishes off the table. (Remove from)
Take out (put outside)
Please take out the trash.
Take up (begin, start)
Every year she takes up a new hobby. This year she’s learning to sew her own clothes.
Take it out on (get mad at, punish for)
Hey, don’t take it out on me! It’s not my fault you lost your job!
Take after (resemble, be similar to)
He really takes after his father. They both love new technology. They’re always buying the latest gadgets.
Take up with (associate with, be friendly with)
He went off to college and took up with a bad group of students who never studied.
She has two jobs now so all her time is taken up with work. (Busy with)
Take over (take control, buy out)
Big companies often take over small ones.
Take down
They took down every word of the professor’s speech. (Wrote down)
Take down: After the fire, workmen came and took down the remains of the building. (Remove, separate into pieces)
Take down: After the wedding, the tent was taken down.
Take across (to convey something from one place to another)
I rented a truck to transport our furniture across the country.
Take across
The boat took us across the lake.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

When you say you "used to" do something (or "used to" be something), it means you did it (or "were" it) for a while in the past. For example:

"In the past, Mary was a nurse, but now she's a doctor."
Another way to say this is:
"Mary used to be a nurse, but now she's a doctor."

Let's practice:

1.I used to love coffee but now I prefer tea.
2.I used to drink a lot of coffee but now I mostly drink water.
3.He used to drink sparkling water but now he prefers wine.
4.She used to work in a cafe but now she works in a bank.
5.They used to live in Peru but now they live in Mexico City.
6.We used to be doctors but now we’re retired.
7.John used to be a pilot but after 20 years he went back to school and became an aerospace engineer.
8.I used to play guitar but for the last few years I’ve mostly played piano.
9.Sam used to cook in a restaurant but now he writes cookbooks for a living.
10.Jane used to teach kindergarten, but now she writes and illustrates childrens’ books.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

In the past progressive tense, we talk about doing something when something else occurs. For example: "I was eating dinner when the President called me."

The President's call interrupts the first action.

I was watching TV when the power failed.

2. I was watching TV when the lights went out.

I was listening to the radio when the electricity failed.
I was reading a book when my phone rang.
She was walking her dog when her phone rang.
He was driving to the supermarket when his phone rang.
I was writing an email when my phone rang.
He was washing his car when his uncle arrived.
He was washing his truck when the police drove up.
John was fixing his bicycle when his sister came home.
We were sleeping when the volcano erupted.
They were watching the news when the volcano erupted.
The reporter was flying in a helicopter when the volcano erupted.
We were playing cards when the earthquake started.
I was recording this podcast when my grandson, George, said, "Read me a book!"

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Here’s part three, and the last part, of phrasal verbs based on the verb to come.

Come in = arrive
Look, there’s Susan! Her train must have come in early.
Come in = enter
Please come in and make yourselves comfortable.
Come from = Have as one’s birth place
Peter comes from Russia and Anna comes from Germany.
Come for = Search for in order to catch
The police came for him in the middle of the night.
Come down with = to get sick with
I have a sore throat and a runny nose. I think I’m coming down with a cold.
Come down to = depend upon in the end
The election in Canada will come down to the voters in Quebec.
Come down on = punish
Our company comes down very severely on employees who lie about their vaccine status.
Come down = return from a state of high emotions
It took her a while to come down from winning the US Open tennis championship.
Come down = pass through time
This scrapbook came down to me from my great grandmother.
Come down = reach a decision
I’m not sure how the company’s owners will come down on whether or not to sell.
Come down = decrease
I wish food prices would come down. They’re too high right now!
Come down = bring down, demolish
That building was so damaged by the earthquake that it had to come down.
Come down = descend, fall, collapse
Be very careful when you come down from the summit of Mount Everest.
Come by = come near, visit
Please come by and see us the next time you’re in town.
Come by = obtain, get
He has a Porsche? Wow! Those aren’t easy to come by.
Come between = negatively affect a relationship
My sister and I have been close since we were young children. Nothing can come between us.
Come before = precede
13 comes before 14 when you’re counting up. And 18 comes before 19.
Come before = be judged by
Because of Alan’s poor behavior, he will come before the school principal.
Come before = be more important than
Taking care of your sick father comes before taking a vacation.
Come before = appear in front of someone of greater importance
The Queen of England will never invite me to come before her.
Come back = return
I rushed home to get my lunch and then I came back to work.
Come back = return to a former state of being
He looked terrible when he went on vacation but he came back looking rested and happy—fit as a fiddle!
Come back = to remember
He lost his memory after the accident, but one day it all came back to him: his name, who he was, his whole life!
Come at = attack
The crazy guy came at me with a knife so I grabbed a chair and knocked him out.
Come away = separate
The bread has started to come away from the bread pan.
Come apart = break, separate
When I picked up the ancient book, it started to come apart in my hands.
Come along = make progress
Now that I’m married to a woman from Peru, my Spanish is really coming along.
Come along = accompany
I’m taking my grandchildren to the playground. Would you like to come along?
Come after = follow, to succeed
Which President came after George Washington?
Come after = follow, pursue
My dog knew I had tasty snacks for him, so he came after me with enthusiasm.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

More practice with phrasal forms of the verb to come.
21. Come round = visit
She told her mother she’d come round and visit after work.

Come round = recover consciousness
After the boxer was knocked out, it took a while for him to come round.
Come round = change one’s opinion to the generally accepted one
It took him a year to come round and agree that Trump was a crazy liar.
Come over
What came over you last night? You were acting like an idiot!
Come out with = make, produce, publish
Our company comes out with a new line of clothing every six months.
Come out with = say something surprising
She is very outspoken. She comes out with the strangest things.
Come out of = develop from something, based on
His novel came out of his years fighting in the Viet Nam war.
Come out in = be afflicted by
What symptoms does he have? A fever, and he’s come out in red spots on his chest and face.
Come out = express one's opinion in public
All the epidemiologists have come out in favor of the Covid-19 vaccines.
Come out = leave, exit
The police told the man to come out of the house with his hands up.
Come out = be taken out of, deducted from
Various state and federal taxes come out of my pay every two weeks.
Come out = to tell people that you are gay or lesbian
Last week she came out as being lesbian and introduced her girlfriend to her family.
Come out = end up
Cinderella has a lot of problems but it all comes out okay at the end of the story. Of course!
Come out = published
My new book about Donald Trump comes out next week.
Come out = be discovered or revealed
He always looked very poor but last week it came out that he is a millionaire!
Come on = make a romantic or sexual advance
That tall skinny guy was really coming on to Susie at the party last night.
Come on = encounter, come upon
Imagine my surprise when I came upon my friend Louisa drinking coffee at a cafe in Paris!
Come on = make progress
Your American accent is coming along nicely. Well done!
Come on = start, appear on television
I can't go with you. My favorite TV show just came on.
Come on = encourage
Come on, Stephanie! One more lap to go! [Stephanie is in a swimming competition, for example.]
Come off = happen
Did that trip to Berlin to visit your uncle ever come off?
Come off = to succeed
She made a short animated film and it came off quite well. Lots of people liked it.
Come into = be a factor, play a role
He is a multi-millionaire, but his money didn't come into my decision to marry him.
Come into = inherit money
After her grandfather passed away, she came into a huge fortune. She was set for life!
Come in = finish a race in a particular position
John came in 93rd in the Boston marathon.
Come in = function in the correct manner
My pocket knife always comes in handy when I have to open a box.
Come in = begin transmitting
Moonbase, this is Houston calling. Come in, Moonbase. Do you read me? Over.
Come in = join in playing music
The two violins start the piece, and the piano comes in after four measures.
Come in = have a strong enough radio or tv signal
Several local radio stations come in very well at my house, so those are the ones I listen to most often.
Come in = become available
Early fal

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

In this podcast you'll get to practice with phrasal forms of the verb to come. There are a lot of them so let's get started.

Come with = come along
John and I are going to see a movie tonight. Do you want to come with us?
Come upon = find
While exploring the woods near our house, we came upon a wooden chest full of rubies and emeralds. Pirate treasure!
Come up with = think of
My boss is a genius. He comes up with great ideas every day.
Come up to = approach
Always slow down when you come up to a railroad crossing.
Come up = rise above the horizon
The sun comes up in the morning and goes down at night. You can also say it rises and sets.
Come up = get near in time
The first day of school is coming up next week. How exciting!
Come up = appear
When the drunk driver came up before the judge, he was sentenced to a year in prison.
Come up = happen, occur
Please call me if any job openings come up at the company where you work.
Come up = happen, usually unexpectedly
Unless something comes up with my kids, I’ll be at work by 9am.
Come up = approach
I was waiting for the light to turn green so I could cross the street when a guy came up and asked me for money.
Come under = be subjected to
The boss put me in charge of training new workers, so all the new people now come under my authority.
Come under = come underneath something
Robert opened his umbrella and told me to come under it to stay dry.
Come under = classified under
His boss's meetings were always long and boring, so Michael said they came under the heading “Complete waste of time.”
Come to = in regard to
When it comes to baking cakes, she’s the best in our family.
Come to = happen to
Please be very careful. I don’t want you to come to harm.
Come to = get to
That’s a good question. We’ll come to it in a little while.
Come to = total
After I bought a new phone, and headphones, and insurance, and a case, it came to almost seven hundred dollars.
Come through with = provide something needed
The university bookstore finally came through with our physics textbook.
Come through = succeed
Some day Colombia will come through and win the World Cup. Maybe!
Come through = survive
The Johnson family was lucky to come through the hurricane alive.

More "to come" in the next podcast.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

This podcast has two parts. In the first part there are ten sentences. Each sentence has an error in it, a mistake. See if you can find the error. In the second part of the podcast the errors are corrected and you will have a chance to listen and repeat the corrected sentences.

Here’s an example:

Mr. Johnson drived his car to work yesterday.

Did you hear the mistake? The verb “to drive” is irregular. The correct form of this verb in the past tense is “drove” — so the corrected sentence is: Mr. Johnson drove his car to work yesterday.

Here’s one more example and note that in this sentence, the error will be a pronunciation error.

“Pablo thought the test was very easy.”

Did you hear any words pronounced incorrectly? If you thought “easy” was pronounced incorrectly, you were right! The letter “s” in “easy” is always pronounced with a “z” sound. Easy. Easy. Easy. Pablo thought the test was very easy.

Okay, let’s begin. I’ll read each sentence two times. Make a note of the mistakes and then see how you did when I read the correct sentences.

Sentences with errors:
1. Maria worked very hard all day.

My boss told to me to go home because I was feeling sick.
The little boy runned home as fast as he could.
Do you think is a good idea?
I’ll probably visit you in Tuesday.
Can I borrow some sugar. Sure, how many do you need?
Penelope was in a car accident. She is not happy!
That man has a strange accent.
Susan was driving a bright yellow car.
Have you ever be in Mexico City?

============= Stop STOP Stop =============
Don't read the corrected sentences below UNTIL you listen to the first ten sentences ABOVE and try to find the errors. They could be grammar errors or pronunciation errors.
============== STOP STOP STOP STOP=======

============== STOP STOP STOP STOP=======
============== STOP STOP STOP STOP=======
============== STOP STOP STOP STOP=======
============== STOP STOP STOP STOP=======

1. Maria worked *very hard all day.

My boss told me to go home because I was feeling sick.
The little boy ran home as fast as he could.
Do you think it's a good idea? Do you think that's a good idea?
I’ll probably visit you on Tuesday.
Can I borrow some sugar. Sure, how much do you need?
Penelope was in a car accident. She is not happy**!
That man has a strange accent.
Susan was driving a bright yellow car.
Have you ever been in Mexico City?*

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

It's been a while since my last podcast. I've been busy! Today, for example, I was cutting some weeds in our back yard and I got stung twice by some sort of stinging insects. Yellow jackets, I think, although I'm not sure. That's the sort of adventure I could live without! I repaired the gear shifter on our snowblower yesterday, and today I replaced the blade on our lawn mower. Little jobs to get ready for autumn. There's always something that needs doing or fixing around the house.

(Need a translation of the text above? Try DeepL. Just copy the text and dump it in.)

Anyway, with one thing or another, I've been really busy so I decided to let the podcasts run on their own for a while. But now I'm back, and in today's podcast, I'll give you some practice with contractions which we use all the time in spoken English.

We'll start with "you'd" which is the contracted form of either "you had" or "you would". Here are some examples.

You’d better come with me. [You had better…]
You’d learn English more quickly if you lived in an English speaking country. [You would…]
You’d more than enough time to finish eating. [You had…]
You’d be healthier if you got some exercise. [You would…]
I didn’t know you’d already seen that movie. [You had already seen…]
You’d learn Spanish more quickly if you practiced more. [You would…]

“Why are” can be contracted to “Why’re”.
7. Why’re you still awake? It’s late!
8. Why’re you still on the phone? I asked you to help bring in the groceries.
9. Why’re you spending money on candy? We need to buy food!

“Why did” can be contracted to “Why’d”.
10. Why’d you come home so late last night?
11. Why’d Mary move to New York?
12. Why’d Mr. Smith buy a new car? His Toyota is only two years old.

“Where did” can be contracted to “Where’d”.
13. Where’d you live before you moved here?
14. Where’d you learn to speak English so well?
15. Where’d they go on vacation last summer?

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

The most common vowel sound in English is called "schwa". It is the sound we commonly use in unaccented syllables.

In the international phonetic alphabet (IPA), the schwa sound is
written with an upside down letter 'e' like this: /ə/

I think of it as being an 'uh' sound. By coincidence this sound is in the word "syllables":
/ ˈsɪləbəlz/ - in this word the stress is on the first syllable and the next two syllables both contain the schwa sound.

The word "international" contains the schwa sound three times:
/ɪntərˈnæʃənəl/

It's in the second syllable—er—and in the final two syllables: spelled "tional" but pronounced 'shunul', more or less.

I'm not going to try to teach you the international phonetic alphabet in a podcast, but I suggest you play with it. It can be a very useful tool for learning any foreign language. If you go to this website:
https://tophonetics.com/
you can put in any English word or sentence, choose whether you want to see a phonetic transcription for American English or British English, study the transcription, and also hear the word or sentence read by a computer voice.

Start with short simple words like "he" and "she" and "day" and "night" and "hello" and "goodbye" and see what symbols are used to represent the sounds. It's fun, interesting, and useful.

[For example, you can use this website to see if the vowels in these words are all pronounced the same: "and, cat, band, man, hat"]
/ænd kæt bænd mæn hæt/

Now you try it with "horse, house, hearse" or "pit, pat, pot"

Okay, now let's practice the schwa sound.

/lɛts kənˈtɪnju ðɪs ˌkɑnvərˈseɪʃən ˈleɪtər/
Let's continue this conversation later.
/maɪ ˈhʌzbənd ɪz ɪmˈpɑsəbəl/
My husband is impossible.
/wir ɪn ðə ˈmɪdəl ʌv ən ɪnˌvɛstəˈgeɪʃən./
We're in the middle of an investigation.
/ðɛrz tu mʌʧ ˌkɑmpəˈtɪʃən ɪn ˈaʊər ˌjunəˈvɜrsəti./
There's too much competition in our university.
/aɪ wʊd laɪk tə faɪnd ɛmˈplɔɪmənt ɪn ən ˌɪntərˈnæʃənəl ˌɛʤəˈkeɪʃənəl ˌɪnstəˈtuʃən./
I would like to find employment in an international educational institution.
/bɪˈkɔz ʌv ˈaʊər riˈleɪʃənˌʃɪp, aɪ fil sʌm riˌspɑnsəˈbɪləti fɔr jʊər ˌsɪʧuˈeɪʃən./
Because of our relationship, I feel some responsibility for your situation.

Remember deepL is a good site for translations. If you search the internet for "how to pronounce schwa" you'll find lots of youtube videos to watch. Here's one to start with.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

In this podcast you'll get more practice with the verb "to do".

Grammar note: In English you cannot ask "Speak you French?" or "Have you a dog?" This form is possible in Spanish and French and German, to name three examples, but it is NOT correct in English. In English we use the verb "to do" to ask these questions.

Do you like pizza? I LOVE pizza!
Do you speak French? No, I don't. [Don't = do not.]
Do you have a dog? Yes, I do.
Do you drink coffee? Yes, every morning.
Do you need help? Yes, I do. Thanks!
Do you still work at a bank? No, I have a different job now.
Does your sister like to cook? Yes, she does.
Does your father look like you? Yes, he does.
Does this car belong to her? No, it doesn't. [Doesn't = does not]
Does Joan have any brothers or sisters? Yes, she does. One of each. ["One of each = one brother and one sister.]
Does your uncle live in London? No, he doesn't. He lives in Germany now.
Does this store open at 9am? No, it doesn't open till 10.
Do William and Mary live in the United States? Yes, they do. They live in Pennsylvania.
Do those kids like to play basketball? Yes, they play every day.
Do Jane and her mother like to travel? Yes, they do. Next year they’re going to Spain.
Do those men speak French? Yes, they do.
Do we have time to eat before the train arrives? Yes, we do. We have almost two hours.
Do we have to take the dog out for a walk? Yes, unless you want him to pee in the house…
Sometimes we do things because we have to.
Do you kids listen to your teachers? Yes, daddy, we do. Usually.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

For fun: Here's a reading of a picture book that is perfect for beginners:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeJxXeG-bLI

In this podcast we'll introduce the days of the week, a few more verbs, and some numbers.

Monday is the first day of the work week.
Tuesday comes after Monday.
Wednesday comes after Tuesday.
Thursday follows Wednesday.
Friday is the last day of the work week.
Saturday and Sunday are the weekend.
I have an English conversation class on Mondays and Wednesdays.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have an English grammar class.
On Fridays I practice English with a friend from Arizona.
On Saturdays and Sundays I work at the supermarket.
How many days are there in a week? Seven. (7)
How many days are in a year? Three hundred sixty-five. (365)
How many hours are in a day? Twenty-four. (24)
How many minutes are in an hour? Sixty. (60)
How many seconds are in a minute? Sixty.
What year were you born in?
I was born in 1952 (nineteen fifty-two). I'm sixty-nine years old. (69)
She was born in 1999. (Nineteen ninety-nine). She's twenty-two years old.
Mary was born in 1986. (Nineteen eighty-six). She's thirty-five years old.
Pedro was born this year. He is five (5) months old.

Grammar note: French and Spanish use the verb "to have" with ages. ("J'ai 22 ans" or "Tengo 22 años.") English uses the verb "to be." So in English we say "I am 30." "He is 42." And the question is: "How old are you?" Or "How old is he/she?"

Let's end the podcast with a quick review of the stages of life.
A brand new baby is called a "newborn" baby. But soon that changes to "baby". Around the age of one, babies become "toddlers" because they are starting to walk. From around the age of two to twelve is childhood and we call these young people "children". (One child, two or more children.)
Then the children become teenagers, starting at age thirteen. At age 18 we usually say "young adult." Then people are "in their twenties", their "thirties", and so on. Usually between 40 - 50 we start to say "middle-aged".
Retirement ages vary from country to country. In the USA people usually retire in their 60s. And from age 75 and up, we call old age or the people are "elderly" or "senior citizens."

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

The verb "to do" is very important and very useful. In this podcast we will ask the question: What are you doing? What is he doing? etc. and use the answers to introduce some common verbs.

What are you doing? I'm talking to my girlfriend.
What are you doing? I'm finishing my homework.
What are you doing? I'm taking a test.
What are you doing? I'm eating a snack.
What are you doing? I'm going for a run.

[What's = What is]
6. What is he doing? He's washing the dishes.
7. What is he doing? He's watching TV.
8. What is he doing? Not much. Sleeping, probably.
9. What is he doing? He's reading a novel.
10. What is he doing? He's taking the dog for a walk.

What is she doing? She's studying for an exam.
What is she doing? She's playing the guitar.
What is she doing? She's studying English.
What is she doing? She's practicing piano.
What is she doing? She's listening to the radio.
What are they doing? They're working in the garden.
What are they doing? They're vacationing in Spain.
What are they doing? They're visiting their grandchildren.
What are they doing? They're driving to California.
What are they doing? They're watching a movie on Netflix.

[What are you (plural) doing?]
21. We're cleaning the house.
22. We're going for a bike ride.
23. We're visiting a museum.
24. We're shopping for food.
25. We're painting these chairs.

[All these question include the idea of "right now" — what are you doing (right now)?

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Part One: phrasal verbs with leave

Please put the leftovers in the frig when you finish eating. If you leave them out, they’ll go bad. [to leave out = not put away] [frig = refrigerator. “To go bad” = to spoil.”]
The pirates left me behind on a desert island with no food or water. Fortunately I was spotted by a passing helicopter and rescued. [to leave behind = to abandon]
That was a good story, but you left out the part about robbing a bank. [to leave out = to omit, to not include]
The burglar left behind lots of fingerprints so he was captured in a few days. [to leave behind = to leave a trace or record]
“Will you leave off practicing drums when I’m trying to study?!” [to leave off = stop]
Mr. Jones died last week. He left behind his wife, two sons, two daughters, and seven grandchildren. [to leave behind = to be survived by]
We started learning English at the same time but Maria soon left me behind. She has a real gift for languages. And she also studies more than me! [to leave behind = to pass]
Part Two: phrasal verbs with look
“That’s very suspicious,” said the detective. “I’ll look into it.” [to look into = to investigate]
Roberta looked on with interest as the surgeon began the operation. [to look on = watch, observe]
Peter looked up the meaning of “incompetent” on the internet. [to look up = to get information about something]
“Are you looking forward to your surprise birthday party? Oops! Forget I said that!” [to look forward to = to feel excited about something that is going to happen.]
I’m looking for a new car but they’re all too expensive. [to look for = search for, seek]
Charles looked after my three cats and four dogs while I was on vacation. He’s an angel. [to look after = to care for, to take care of]
I finally got a good job so things are looking up. [to look up = to get better, improve]

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Let’s do some more practice with the verb “to be”, and with contractions.
Remember: Listen, listen, listen!

We write: “I am hungry,” but we say: “I’m hungry.” [“I’m” is a contraction of “I am”]
He’s thirsty. [He is —> he’s]
She’s happy. [She is —> she’s]
You’re late! [You are —> you’re]
We’re tired. [We are —> we’re]
They’re at the supermarket. [They are —> they’re]

Questions and positive answers:
7. Are you hungry? Yes, I am.
8. Is he thirsty? Yes, he is.
9. Is she happy? Yes, she is.
10. Am I late? Yes, you are!
11. Are you tired? Yes, we are.
12. Are they at the supermarket? Yes, they are.

Questions and negative answers:
13. Are you hungry? No, I’m not. [I’m = I am]
14. Is he thirsty? No, he isn’t. [isn’t = is not]
15. Is she happy? No, she isn’t.
16. Am I late? No, you aren’t! [aren’t = are not]
17. Are you tired? No, we aren’t.
18. Are they at the supermarket? No, they aren’t.
19. Are you from Germany? No, I'm not. I'm from Austria.
20. Is she from Ecuador? No, she isn't. She's from Argentina.
21. Are they from Mexico? No, they aren't. They're from Guatemala.
22. Are you from Honduras? No, we're not. We're from Peru.
23. Is he from France? No, he isn't. He's from Belgium.
24. Are they from Japan? No, they aren't. They're from Taiwan.

Need to translate? Paste the text into DeepL.

[Note: He isn't = He's not = He is not. So "He isn't from Mexico" is the same as "He's not from Mexico."]

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

If you are a total beginner, my advice is simple. Listen and listen and listen. The more you listen, the better your pronunciation and accent will be later. But listening comes first.
And a warning: English spelling is NOT phonetic. If you try to read English before you listen, you will create problems for yourself. You will pronounce words incorrectly and you will probably develop bad habits.

Listen first. Listen a lot. You'll thank me later.

Hello. How are you?
I’m fine, thanks. How are you?
Very well.
Hello, how are you doing?
Very well, thanks. And you?
I’m doing great.
What’s your name?
My name is Martin. What’s your name?
My name is Maria. And this is my friend, Carl.
Glad to meet you, Carl.
Pleased to meet you.
A pleasure to meet you.
Where are you from?
I’m from Colombia. And you?
I’m from Mexico.
I’m from the United States.
I’m from France.
I’m from Canada.
I’m from Spain.
I’m from Venezuela.
I’m from Costa Rica.
What languages do you speak?
I speak Spanish and a little bit of English.
I speak French and German.
I speak English and I’m studying Japanese.
I only speak Spanish. I want to learn English.
I only speak French. I’d like to learn English.
Good luck!
Here’s a short conversation. Listen and listen and listen before you try to repeat.

Hello. How are you?
Fine, thanks. And you?
I’m doing very well. Where are you from?
I’m from Spain. I live in Barcelona. And you?
I’m from the USA. I live in Boston.
Do you speak Spanish?
Not yet but I want to learn it. You speak English very well.
Thanks. I’ve studied it for many years. [I’ve = I have]

I recommend DeepL for translation.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

So many prepositions, so little time. Today let’s practice sentences with ON and IN.

Nobody can live in New York on ten dollars a day.
The generals planned their attack on Berlin.
Did you see that new science fiction show on television? Not yet. Is it on Netflix too?
There are a lot of good science podcasts on the BBC.
If the company pays for our hotel rooms, we can say “the rooms are on the company.”
The police arrested Jonas Smith on suspicion of murder.
Sorry, I’m broke. I don’t have any money on me.
Do you have any opinions on the subject of aliens visiting earth?
Can you visit us on Tuesday?
She was born on the 10th of July.
I left my phone on the table but now it’s gone. Do you think the dog ate it?
He was walking in the woods and scratched his arm on a branch.
We both pushed as hard as we could on the door but it wouldn’t open.
On your left you’ll see fishing boats in the harbor.
The houses on my street are all painted blue or gray.
He always bets on losing horses.
Soon the tomatoes will be ripening on the vines.
Mrs. Anderson had a small white dog sitting on her lap.

Now let’s practice with in.

Maria, you're my best friend in the world. You're one in a million.
Joan is in my French class.
There are nine eggs left in the egg carton.
Does she live in the country? No, in a large city.
When Martin reached the airport, his plane was already in the air.
Covid has reached a very high level in certain parts of our country.
I’ll be able to finish my homework in a few hours.
I promise I’ll call you in a few days.
He stopped outside the candy store and looked at the chocolates in the window.
The knives, forks, and spoons are in the silverware drawer.
Some people prefer to be paid in cash and not by check. Personally I like direct deposit.
He writes fluently in German, but he speaks it poorly.
After the terrible car accident, the old man was in a coma. He never regained consciousness and after a few days he died.
Polly has a terrible temper, but she’s met her match in George. He loves to yell and scream. What a pair!

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

In this conversation a husband and wife are discussing a problem caused by their cat. Listen three times without reading the text below to see how much you understand. Then look at the notes for explanations of the vocabulary. There are also a few slang expressions in this conversation. After the third repetition I'll break the conversation up into small parts and you'll have a chance to listen and repeat. Here's the first repetition.

John?
Yes?
Did you feed the cat anything strange today?
No. Why do you ask?
Because she just threw up on your side of the couch.
Whaddya mean MY side of the couch? [=What do you mean...]
You always sit on the left side. See? Right where the puddle of barf is. She just likes you better, I guess.
Oh, very funny, honey.
[Dog barks; text message signal]
Oh dear, I gotta run. Mom's here. Can you put the dog out? And make sure you get that barf cleaned up off the couch before it stains the cushion.
Yeah, that's right: leave me high and dry while you go shoppin'.
Bye, dear!
Being married to that woman is no walk in the park. Where's that damn dog?

To throw up = vomit
To barf = vomit
Barf (noun) = "Careful! Don't step in the barf!"
"To leave high and dry" = to abandon

"A walk in the park" = something easy, so "Being married to that woman is no walk in the park" means "It is difficult being married to her."

English has many synonyms for the verb to vomit. Here are a few more:
To puke
To lose one's lunch. (After eating some bad fish, he lost his lunch.)
To toss one's cookies. (She drank too much cheap wine and then tossed her cookies.)
To upchuck.
To be sick to one's stomach. (The little boy was sick to his stomach.)
To regurgitate.
To spew.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

In this podcast you'll practice with the words much and many, and when to use each one. The rules are simple:
If you can count something, use many. For example:
How many children does Mrs. Johnson have? Three, I think. Two boys and a girl.

If it is non-countable, like water, sand, milk, etc., use much. For example:
There isn't much gas left in the car. We'll have to stop soon to get more.

Let's practice.

How many stars are in the sky? Too many to count.
How much water is there in an Olympic swimming pool? What a good question. About 660,000 (six hundred sixty thousand) gallons, or 2.5 (two and a half) million liters.
We spent many happy days on my uncle's farm.
Much of her money is invested in the stock market.
Can I borrow some flour? Sure, how much do you need?
Can you spare any sugar? Sure, how much do you need?
Can you spare any milk? I need some for this recipe. Probably. How many cups of milk will you need?
We had so much fun at the zoo that I didn't want to leave.
Many of the animals at the zoo like to watch the people.
I'm miserable. I don't have much money and I don't have many friends. Well I'm not surprised. All you do is sit around playing video games. Go get a job—that'll help with your money problems. And take an interest in other people. That'll help with your social life.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Here is some practice with ‘some’ and ‘any’. Note that ‘some’ is in positive statements and ‘any’ is in negative ones, and also usually in questions.

I'll read all the sentences first. Just listen. Then I'll put in repeats. Listen to those and, as you feel comfortable, repeat along with me. Here we go.

Lucky Bob has some friends. I don’t have any friends.
Lucky Larry has some money. I don’t have any money.
Lucky Lucy has some food. I don’t have any food.
Lucky Louise has some free time every afternoon. I never have any free time.
Would you like some water to drink?
Would Mary like some fruit salad?
I found some books under the bed.
Richard needs some new t-shirts.
We don’t have any apples.
I didn’t see any of your friends at the library.
John doesn’t want to watch any football games on TV.
Do you have any leftover pizza? I’m starving!
Does your sister know any French? I need help with my homework.
Let me know if you have any questions.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

The “aw” sound in English is usually written with either “aw” or “au”. Here are two examples:

“August” — his birthday is in August.
“Squawk” — the ducks quacked and the chickens squawked.

Let’s practice.

I like to paint. Mary likes to draw.
The cat was drinking milk from a saucer.
Michael is studying law at the university.
When you cut wood with a saw, it makes sawdust.
She was very sleepy and kept yawning.
The castle was haunted by a scary ghost.
I threw the ball. John caught the ball.
Mary threw the ball. I caught it. [Note the ’t’ in caught is pronounced /d/ if followed by a vowel!]
The audience applauded the singer’s awesome performance at the audition.
Their dog was gnawing on a bone and growling.
Please fix that faucet. The drip is driving me crazy.
The farmer works from dawn till dusk. That’s the same as working from sunrise till sunset.

But why stop there? The 'aw' sound is also found in words like fought and bought. So let’s practice a few more sentences

Those boys are always fighting. They fought yesterday. They’ll fight today. And I’d be surprised if they didn’t get in a fight tomorrow, too.
I bought a loaf of bread. Mr. Millionaire bought a Mercedes. He has money to burn.
We ought to talk less and listen more.

And a quote:

I've always thought a hotel ought to offer optional small animals. I mean a cat to sleep on your bed at night, or a dog of some kind to act pleased when you come in. You ever notice how a hotel room feels so lifeless?

Anne Tyler

Lots more quotes at https://www.brainyquote.com/

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

This is a lesson about the pronunciation of some plurals in English, with a few numbers thrown in as a bonus. Listen:
I have one cat. Mary has two cats.
John only has one horse. I'm rich: I have (23) twenty-three horses.
Sam has one cow. Sally has three cows.
Listen to the pronunciation of the words as they go from singular to plural:
cat — cats
horse — horses
cow — cows
In each case the written plural is made by adding the letter "S" to the noun. But the pronunciation isn't as simple.
Listen again:
cat — cats (add an 's' sound)
cow — cows (add a 'z' sound)
horse — horses (add an 'uhz' sound)
Let's practice these starting with the 's' sound.
1. cup — cups
Paul had one cup of coffee. I drank twelve cups of coffee.
2. pot — pots
Mary made one pot of tea. I made seven pots of tea.
3. stack — stacks
Harold made one stack of paper. Jane made three stacks of paper.
4. book — books
John has one book. I have thirty-seven (37) books.
5. cake — cakes
Robert wants one big cake for his birthday. I want three huge cakes for my birthday.
Here are some more words that have the /s/ sound for the plural:
hat — hats. One hat, fifteen hats
lock — locks. One lock, forty-two (42) locks
minute — minutes. One minute, sixty (60) minutes
boat — boats. One boat, seventy-nine (79) boats
plant — plants. One plant, thirteen (13) plants
light — lights. One light, eleven (11) lights
Next let's practice with plurals that have the /z/ sound:
6. bird — birds.
I saw one bird. George saw nineteen (19) birds.
7. door — doors
She opened a door. Michael opened twenty-one (21) doors.
8. dog — dogs
I only have one dog. Charlie and his wife have nine dogs. They're crazy.
9. boy — boys, girl — girls
I saw a boy and a girl going for a walk. I saw at least twenty-five (25) boys and girls on the playground.
10. french fry — french fries
She nibbled on a french fry. I ate at least fifty (50) french fries, and now I feel sick.
Here are some more words with the /z/ sound in the plural:
worm — worms
bug — bugs
pig — pigs
plan — plans
plane — planes
car — cars
crater — craters
microphone — microphones
tube — tubes
guy — guys
sky — skies
ball — balls
Finally there are words where the plural is pronounced /IZ/
as in bush — bushes, or fix — fixes. Here are some examples:
11. gas — gases
Oxygen is a gas. Argon, neon, and xenon are three more gases.
12. wish — wishes
Sarah made a wish. Miriam made wishes every night.
13. canvas — canvases
The artist painted my portrait on a small canvas.
A different artist painted portraits of his girlfriend on canvases of every size and shape.
14. quiz — quizzes
Our English teacher gave us a pop [surprise] quiz this morning.
The math teacher liked to give quizzes every few days.
15. tax — taxes
Our town has a sales tax. There are lots of local, state, and federal taxes in the USA.
Here are some more words in this group:
witch — witches
church — churches
wrench — wrenches
crash — crashes
dish — dishes
marsh — marshes
stitch — stitches
I was home when some judges came to visit. They went into the kitchen and I heard some crashes. Then they came out. "We have to judge some witches," said the chief judge. "The ones who live in the marshes. We think they have been cursing the pigs, cows, horses, chickens, and dogs."
"Have you guys been sniffing any gases?" I asked. "Cause there are no witches around here. No marshes, either."
The judges left in a hurry

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

We use the preposition "for" in many ways. Here are another ten examples to listen to and practice with. Have fun!

Do you want to go out for lunch?
He folded a towel and used it for a pillow.
She ran for the door when people started fighting.
For what it's worth, I thought the acting in that movie was terrible.
I voted for Trump—just kidding, just kidding!
She loves me for many reasons.
All our guests went home, and now, for the first time in nine days, I can hear myself think.
It will be hard for us to find a larger apartment that we can still afford.
I got $300 for my latest painting.
I was named for my grandfather.

To finish this podcast I want to introduce the topic of intonation.
Start by listening to these two sentences. In the first example, I'm telling you something that I don't think you know.

He was born in Texas. He was born in Texas.
On the word "Texas" my voice goes up in pitch and then goes down. Listen again:
He was born in Texas. He was born in Texas.

The up - down intonation in English is a typical way of ending a sentence. Here are a few more examples. Listen for the up - down intonation at the end of each one.

I'm going to sleep now.
That was a good dinner.
My new job is really interesting.
She said the movie was scary.
I'm moving to Paris next month.
His dog is green with white stripes.
The last sentence was nonsense.

Now we'll go back to the sentence about Texas, but this time, after the word "Texas" there is more information. Listen:

He was born in Texas in 1957. He was born in Texas in 1957.

This time my voice goes down in pitch and then back up again on the word "Texas". This tells you that the sentence is not yet finished. More information is coming.
Listen again:
He was born in Texas in 1957. He was born in Texas in 1957.

And now here are the two sentences one after the other. Listen carefully to how the intonation—the pitch—of my voice changes between the two examples.

He was born in Texas.
He was born in Texas in 1957.

Again:
He was born in Texas. (No additional information. The sentence is done.)
He was born in Texas in 1957. (There is additional info after the word Texas.)

Here's a final example with many additional bits of information. Listen to how the intonation tells you that the sentence is not done until the very end.

He was born in a small house, on a ranch, far from the nearest city, in Texas in 1957.

Now I'll repeat each short sentence 12 times. Listen and then see if you can copy the intonation.

He was born in Texas.
He was born in Texas in 1957.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Sometimes people will describe something that happened in the past using the present tense. For example, let's say I see a car accident on my way to work. After work I want to tell my wife what I saw, but instead of using the past tense, I use the present tense. This makes the story seem more immediate and alive. Listen:

So I'm on my way to work when all of a sudden I hear a screech and a big BANG! I look around and I see that a pickup truck has run into a bus. People are screaming so I run over to see if I can help…

The rest of this podcast contains two versions of a silly science fiction story. In the first version all the verbs are in the present tense. In the second version, all the verbs are in the past tense.

Read both versions of the story and then listen. Pay special attention to the pronunciation of the verbs in each tense.

Oh, and by the way: I personally don't believe that aliens have visited us.

Story in present tense:

I'm walking down the street.
I look up and I see a strange object.
It is descending.
As it gets closer, I see that it is a UFO--an Unidentified Flying Object.
Then I remember that UFOs have a new name: UAP—Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.
Let me say that again: UAP stands for Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.
Whatever it's called, it looks like a big flying frisbee to me.
I decide to run away.
That's a big mistake.
A beam of green light shoots out of the flying thing and picks me up.
The light pulls me into the UAP and I faint.
After that I remember nothing.
When I wake up I am in a police station.
I tell the police my story.
They look at me strangely but they don't say anything.
Then I see myself in a mirror.
I have two heads!
I scream and faint.
The next time I wake up, everyone has two heads and all the heads are smiling.
The end.

Story with verbs in past tense

I was walking down the street.
I looked up and I saw a strange object.
It was descending.
As it got closer, I saw that it was a UFO--an Unidentified Flying Object.
Then I remembered that UFOs had a new name: UAP—Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.
lWhatever it was called, it looked like a big flying frisbee to me.
I decided to run away.
That was a big mistake.
A beam of green light shot out of the flying thing and picked me up.
The light pulled me into the UAF and I fainted.
After that I remembered nothing.
When I woke up I was in a police station.
I told the police my story.
They looked at me strangely but they didn't say anything.
Then I saw myself in a mirror.
I had two heads!
I screamed and fainted.
The next time I woke up, everyone had two heads and all the heads were smiling.

Well, I hope that story wasn't too scary! Here's some extra pronunciation practice:

I looked up.
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
I decided.
That was a big mistake.
They looked at me strangely.
Then I saw myself in a mirror.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Let's continue our study of prepositions. (I'm confident we'll finish before my hundredth birthday.) In this lesson we'll work with the very useful preposition "at".

I'll meet you at Sally's house. It's at the corner of Pine Street and Sixth Avenue.
She is always at home at night.
His dog growled at me. I barked back at him and he was so surprised he ran away.
He's at work but please don't call him. He's probably asleep as usual.
The city was at the mercy of the cybercriminals.
Because we're old friends, I'll sell you this junk car at cost.
I always laugh at her jokes even though they're not funny. Why? She's my boss, that's why.
We were speeding along at 99 kilometers per hour. The motorcycle passed us like we were standing still.
Juan is poor at math but he doesn't care. He's majoring in English.
The soup and sandwiches at that restaurant are excellent.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

In this lesson we'll practice some sentences with the preposition "from".

He got a phone call last night from his sister.
She left this morning from New York.
My first class in the morning goes from 9am to 10am.
On a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest score, how would you rate your English professor?
She told us the history of the Aztecs from A to Z.
He was born in 1950, but his thinking is from the Middle Ages.
If you jump out of an airplane, a parachute will prevent you from falling too fast.
Her earrings are made from pure gold.
Too many people have died from Covid-19.
Getting medical advice from the internet is risky.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

If I sound like I have a cold, I do.

The best way to learn English prepositions is to memorize lots of sentences
which include them. After a while, you'll develop an "ear" for what sounds correct
and what sounds wrong. Do NOT try to translate. What might be correct in
Spanish or French or another language could easily be wrong in English.

Sorry, but I'm not going to do your homework for you.
I baked this cake for your birthday.
Go for it!
I'm so happy for you!
For now, let's just wait and see.
Maria always studies a lot for exams.
He worked for ten hours without a break and then he quit his job.
I've been studying English for one year.
He used to work for Chevron but now he works for BP.
Let's go for a walk.
Okay. I'm free for a couple of hours.
In his inaugural address, President John F. Kennedy said, " “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,”

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

We learn to compare things at an early age.
"She got a bigger piece of cake than me!"
"He's taller than I am."
"She's prettier than her sister."
And sometimes we call things out as being the "top dog" [the best]:
"Charles is the smartest student in his math class."
"Rudy is the best basketball player in the school."
*One pronunciation note: remember that better is pronounced with a /d/ sound like "dog": better, better, he speaks better than I do."

And pretty: the comparative is prettier. "She's prettier [pri d er] than her sister."*

Let's practice.

This wine is quite good.
I think this one is better.
Ah, but this Spanish wine is the best of all three. Truly exceptional.
I got a good grade in English.
But John's grade was better than mine.
And Mary? She got the best grade in the class.
Is your brother as tall as you?
Actually he's taller than me.
But my father is the tallest person in our family.
Is Bill Gates the richest man in the world?
I don't think so. But he's richer than me!
Who cares? Rich people aren't always very happy.
My mom was happy when I was born.
She was even happier when I finished college.
But she was happiest of all when my wife and I had a baby, and she became a grandmother.
Your cat eats too much. He's really fat.
Ha! You should see our neighbor's cat. He's much fatter than ours.
That's nothing. I saw the fattest cat in the world on youtube. He was bigger than our dog.
Your soup tastes bad.
Well your soup tastes worse.
And Dad's soup tastes the worst of all. Yeech!
What does accelerate mean?
It means to go faster and faster.
The largest planet in our solar system is Jupiter.
Portland Oregon is much bigger than Portland Maine.
This is interesting, that is more interesting, and what you're saying is the most interesting of all.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

There are many expressions and idioms in English that use the word "chance". In this podcast I'll give you a chance to practice some of them. Let's begin.

I'm going to quit my current job and take a chance on that new job I was offered. [ = to try my luck at the new job.]
Can you by any chance lend me ten dollars? [ = perhaps]
Fat chance of getting a promotion at work. My boss hates me. [ Fat chance is sarcastic and means no chance]
He blew his only chance at a promotion when he insulted his boss. [To blow a chance is to lose the opportunity]
You don't stand a chance of graduating from the university. You never go to class! [stand a chance = to have a chance]
He was looking for rare flowers in California when he chanced upon a nugget of gold. [ = to find]
Do you think I'll win the lottery this week?
Did you buy a ticket?
No.
Then you have absolutely no chance of winning. Zero. None. Not a snowball's chance in hell. It's not gonna happen.
[To have no chance of something means the probability of it happening is zero. And the chances of a snowball surviving in hell are also zero.]
What are the chances of a large asteroid striking earth? [what are the odds, how likely is it]
Scientists say that on average, an asteroid with a diameter of half a kilometer will strike the earth once every 500,000 years.
So it's not very likely?
Correct. It's extremely unlikely. Don't lose sleep worrying about it.
I'll give you one more chance. If you're late for work again tomorrow, you're fired. [I'll give you one more opportunity]
He jumped at the chance to act in a movie. "It's the chance of a lifetime!" he said. [opportunity]

And here are a few more idioms using chance:

That was a one in a million chance.

You shouldn't leave something like that to chance.
In a race between two horses, each horse has, in theory, a 50/50 chance of winning.
She has an outside chance of winning the cooking contest.

If you can, take charge of your life. Don't leave everything to chance.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

(www.deepL.com — a good website if you need to translate something.)

There is a saying in English: A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. This is certainly true for language students. If you know absolutely no English and someone starts to talk to you, you smile and shrug and say—in your own language—'Sorry, I don't speak English'.

But if you know a little bit, ah, then it's trickier, because if you answer the first question and the second question, then the person may think that you actually speak English pretty well. He or she will probably ask you more questions, and maybe start speaking faster, and suddenly you are lost. Oh well, don't panic! Everyone has this experience and I promise, you'll survive.

Meanwhile, this lesson is for beginners who would, at the very least, like to express their ignorance politely.

As usual I recommend listening a lot and then repeating, speaking over my voice.

Ways to say you don't understand, etc.

I don't understand.
Sorry, I don't understand.
Could you repeat that?
Please say that again.
Sorry, I'm just a beginner. Could you speak more slowly?
Sorry, I didn't catch that. [ = "I didn't understand."]
Please speak slowly. (or) Please speak more slowly. (or) Please speak very slowly.
Whoa, slow down, please! I'm just a beginner!
Is it correct to say _______________ in English?
Is it correct to say "I start learn English since a few weeks?"
No, the correct way to say that is: I started learning English a few weeks ago.
Or you could say this: I've only been studying English for a few weeks.
Is it correct to say "I started learning English a few months ago." ?
Yes, that is perfectly correct. You could also say this:
"I have only been studying English for a few months."
Let's end with a few more variations:

I started learning English last year.
I began studying English two years ago.
I studied English in high school, but I never used it.
We studied English in high school, but we never spoke it.
I really need English now.
Many jobs require English nowadays.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

I have never studied journalism but I vaguely remember one of my high school English teachers telling us that any well-constructed newspaper story would answer basic questions like these:
What happened?
When did it happen?
Where did it happen?
Who was involved?
How or why did it happen?

And so forth. For example, if there was a fire in somebody's kitchen, the story would say something like this:

A fire last night destroyed the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Smith on Western Avenue. Firefighters believe the fire started in the basement and spread quickly to the rest of the house. The cause is under investigation but may have involved electrical wiring.

So in a few sentences readers learn what happened, when, where, who was involved, and a possible explanation of how the fire started.

This podcast will give you some practice with questions and answers using the question words who, what, where, etc. As with the last podcast, I suggest listening all the way through and then replay and repeat along with me.

One final note: listen closely for the contractions typical of rapid speech. The written form of the third sentence, for example is "What did she say?" But the spoken form is "Wud she say?" Have fun!

Who told you that?
My brother did.
Who's knocking on the door?
I don't know. I'll go see.
What did she say?
She said she wasn't hungry.
What time is it?
Three thirty.
Where did they go?
I think they went for a walk.
Where are you from?
Canada. How about you?
When will you leave?
Early tomorrow morning.
When did she arrive?
Late last night.
Why are you sitting in the dark?
The power's off again.
Why did she eat so much?
She said she was famished.
How did you get home from work?
John gave me a ride.
How old is your father?
He's 78.
Whose shoes are these?
I don't know. Not mine.
Whose house is that?
The big one? That's Mr. Anderson's.

Idioms:
Let's end with four ways to say you're not accomplishing anything:

Joe, you look depressed. What's the matter? Rough day at work?

Yeah. I feel like I'm stuck in a rut. Just spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere.

Oh I know what that's like. Goin' around in circles, chasing your own tail.

Yep, you got it. I need a change.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Learning the forms of the conditional in English is not especially easy. In this podcast I'll share some sentences that give you a chance to practice the conditional. And because I personally am a big fan of repetition in language learning, I've repeated each sentence fifteen times. My suggestion is to listen to everything one or more times, and then when you're ready, just repeat right over my voice. I didn't leave any silences but really, I don't mind if you speak when I'm speaking. This is what I do when I'm practicing Spanish and nobody ever complains. (Of course I only do it with recordings!)

And if you think fifteen repetitions is a lot, for my own practice I like thirty to forty repetitions. Or even fifty. So give it a try, or we also say: Give it a whirl, and let me know if you like more repetitions, hate them, or feel neutral.

Part I
1) If you don't hurry, you'll miss your flight.

2) If she doesn't hurry, she'll miss her bus.

3) If we don't hurry, we'll miss the ferry.

Part II
1) If I spoke English fluently, I'd have a better job. (I'd = I would)

2) Is she spoke English fluently, she'd look for a job in Bogota. (she'd = she would)

3) If it snowed tomorrow, I'd be astonished.

4) If you studied more, your grades would improve.

Part III
1) If he had won the national lottery, he wouldn't still be living in this little village.

2) If he hadn't been drinking, he wouldn't have crashed his car into a tree.

Part IV
1) We wouldn't be lost if we had brought a map with us.

2) I'd be happier if my little brother didn't collect snakes and spiders—and keep them in his bedroom.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Here are some more tongue twisters for your entertainment. They're supposed to be for children who are native English speakers. But don't feel discouraged if you find some of them difficult. I find some of them difficult, especially the last one. Have fun!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.
Sheep should sleep in a shed.
A big black bear sat on a big black rug.
We shall surely see the sunshine soon.
Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?
He threw three balls. Did he throw thirty-three? No, I think he only threw three.

7. The great Greek grape growers grow great Greek grapes.Oh no! Oh, yes! More tongue twisters to tie your tongues in knots. Enjoy! See the transcript for details.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Most of my podcasts are at least a little bit silly but this one is completely silly. It contains two tongue twisters which exist only to make you laugh at yourself and perhaps to help you with English pronunciation.

The first one is: Rubber baby buggy bumpers which you are to repeat three times as quickly as possible.

The second one is: How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? (There's a longer version of this one but I prefer this one which is difficult enough.)

Neither of these are things you would say when you meet new people, or if your children ask for help with their English homework, or in a job interview. Well, maybe in a job interview if the interviewer has an unusual sense of humor and you want to show off your language skills.

First some vocabulary explanations and then we'll get to the practice part of the lesson.

Part One

A baby buggy is a baby carriage. It has wheels and you put the baby in it and take him or her (or them if you have twins) for walks. Old time cars had metal bumpers on the front and rear to protect the body of the car from damage in an accident. And rubber is what balls and car tires are made of. So this tongue twister talks about bumpers made of rubber on a baby carriage or baby buggy.

Let's practice this one first, and then we'll get to the woodchuck.
Listen and repeat, and we'll learn it backwards starting with bumpers.

[Lots of practice…]

Part Two:
Okay, now the woodchuck information.
A woodchuck is a fat furry animal. We have them here in Maine: in fact my dog, Ollie, chased one up on a porch a few days ago when we were out for a walk.

Search for image woodchuck on the internet to see photos .

You probably know "wood"—it's what we get from trees. It can be burned in a wood stove in which case we usually call it firewood. Or the trees can be cut down and taken to a sawmill to make boards for construction. Then the wood is called lumber.
"Would" and "wood" are pronounced exactly the same in English. If you come to visit, I might ask "Would you like something to eat or drink?" I could invite you out: "Would you like to go out for dinner?"
This is the would that you often hear in contracted form. "He'd have come, but one of his children got sick." [He'd have come is the short form of "He would have come"]
Finally, to chuck something is to throw it.
"Yeech, moldy bread? Chuck it out."

So literally this tongue twister asks: How much wood would a woodchuck throw if a woodchuck could throw wood? A meaningless question since woodchucks do not go around throwing pieces of wood. But it's a good tongue twister!

Now let's practice it. As before I'll start at the end and build it up backwards. Listen and repeat.

[Lots of practice here……. ]

And there you are. If you made it all the way to the end of this podcast, then you are an official member of the silly club—which I am the President of—and I congratulate you on your dedication to improving your English pronunciation.

Stay well, tell your friends about this podcast if you like it, and I'll talk to you again soon.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Let's start with a vowel warmup. Repeat each word after me.

[pure vowel sounds]
Heat heat
Hot hot
Hut hut
Hoot hoot
Hit hit
Hurt hurt
Hood hood
Head head
Haughty haughty
Hand hand

[dipthongs]
Hay hay
Rhyme rhyme
Round round
Boys boys
Gold gold

Hot dang! You just repeated all the vowels and diphthongs, which are the [the sounds in] words like hay, say, rhyme, time, and so forth, where vowel [sounds] move into other vowels--you just said all of them: all the vowels, all the diphthongs in English. Well done!

Now let's get to our minimal pairs. In this podcast you'll have a chance to practice with minimal pairs that contain either B--the first sound in BOY or BEAT or BAT--and V, like VERY or VEST or VOW. So B sound or the V sound. B is made with your lips together, and the V sound is made with your upper teeth touching your lower lip.

So I'm going to start with some minimal pairs that include words that do not really exist in English. The sounds are correct for English but the words themselves are not, and they're marked with an asterisk * in the show notes. So the first nine words, nine pairs, include at least one word that's not a real English word.

First I'll say the pair like this:
1. Beat -- Veat
Then I'll repeat it:
Beat -- Veat
Then I'll repeat with spaces so you can repeat.
etc.

Bot -- *Vot
But -- *Vut
Boot -- *Voot
Bit -- *Vit
Burt -- *Vurt
Bood -- *Vood [both are imaginary words]
Bed -- *Ved
Bought -- *Vought

Starting with number ten, the minimal pairs are real English words. I'll say each one three times with spaces for repeating.
10. Boat -- Vote
11. Berry -- Very
12. Ban -- Van
13. Bat -- Vat
14. Beer -- Veer
15. Bowl -- Vole
16. Serb -- Serve
17. Best -- Vest
18. Bow -- Vow
19. Bowels -- Vowels
20. Gibbon -- Given
21. Curb -- Curve

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

In this podcast you'll get a chance to practice with some expressions which are based on the verb "to get". And you will get a lot of mileage out of the verb to get. There are probably, maybe 150 different expressions, phrasal verbs, different things that use "get"—I don't even know how many, but a lot. So, let's get to work!

I don't get it. The teacher explained the problem, but I still don't get it. [= I don't understand.]
Sarah is super-sweet. She gets along with everyone. [= is friends with]
I don't get along with my in-laws. I don't like them and they don't like me. And my mother-in-law is the worst. I REALLY don't get along with her. ['we don't get along = we are not friendly]
"Willy, get up right now or you'll miss the school bus!" [get up = get out of bed]
We got off the train in Chicago and flew the rest of the way to Los Angeles. [= we left the train.]
He got through his exam in less than an hour. [= finished his exam]
My dog would sleep all day if I didn't make him get up. [get up = get out of bed]
I hope you have enough money to get by for the rest of the month. We're broke.
[to get by = to survive] [broke = have no money]
Her Spanish is good enough to get by, but she really needs to work on her accent. [ = to do okay; her Spanish is good enough for basic communication}
Please get to the point. You've been talking for ten minutes and I still don't understand what you're trying to get at. [get to the point = say what you mean to say], [what are you trying to get at? = what are you trying to say?]
She talks and talks and never says anything. It really gets under my skin. [= it really bothers me, irritates me, makes me mad]
You've had a lot of bad luck. You just have to tough it out and get through it. [to get through it = to survive it]
When her husband ran off with another woman, it took Mary years to get over it. [= to recover, to feel okay again]
"Oh, get over it. Missing a TV show is not the end of the world!" [Oh, get over it = It's not important, forget about it]
No, you may NOT play with your friends. Get back in the house and finish your homework. [= go back]

Listening practice:

My little brother fell off his bicycle, but he got up and got right on again. [He stood up and climbed back on his bicycle.]
We got out of San Francisco just before the big earthquake. [= We left San Francisco]
If you ever smell smoke at night, get everyone out of the house immediately. [= Make everyone leave the house.]
Roxanne, all you do is study, study, study. You need to get up, get out, and get a life! [= stand up, leave the house, do something more important or more interesting]
First she got a degree in Spanish, and then she went to grad school and got a law degree. [= receive a college or university degree]
I rarely get angry, but when I do, look out! [= become mad]
My plans for today? Well, first I'll get some breakfast. Then I'll go to the gym and get some exercise. After that I think I'll get a haircut. And I suppose I should swing by the office and get some work done. After work I'll get some takeout food for dinner, and then I'll get comfy in my armchair at home and watch a movie. [I think these are all pretty easy! :) ]

Let's end this podcast with a substitution drill.

As always, if you find these podcasts useful, please tell your friends. Thanks and stay safe.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

I was thinking about cats today. And then I decided it would be fun to do a little podcast about cats. Or about the word "cat" anyway.

Let's start with the sound: CAT /æ/ cat cat cat I have a cat. I have a cat.
[æ = the phonetic symbol for this sound]

Cat rhymes with flat. In England some people live in "flats" which in the USA we call apartments. He lives in a flat. I live in an apartment.
Flat. I have a cat in my flat. I put a hat on my cat. I like to pat my cat.
Flat
Hat
Pat
Mat. Matt can be a name, short for Matthew. Or a floor mat to wipe your feet.
The cat sat on the mat. The cat sat on the mat.
Sat. I sat down. You sat down. We all sat down.
Rat. I don't like rats. A good cat will chase a rat. A good cat will chase a rat.

Listen to these contrasts:
Rat. Rot. Writ. Rut……… Rat. Rot. Writ. Rut.
Hat. Hot. Hit. Hut………..Hat. Hot. Hit. Hut.
Pat. Pot. Pit. Putt………..Pat. Pot. Pit. Putt.

Now some sentences with "cat".
When I pet my cat, she purrs. (3x)
This sentence is silly:
The cat sat on my hat. Now my hat is flat cause the cat is fat. (3x)
My cats like to catch rats. (3x)
I'm delighted when my cat catches a rat. I'm very happy. (3x)

Finally, a few expressions with the word cat.

1) Cat's got your tongue? or Cat got your tongue? If you ask a question and the other person can't or doesn't want to answer, you can say: Cat got your tongue?
Here's an example:
I know you took some money from my wallet. What do you have to say for yourself?
[Silence, no answer}
What's the matter: Cat's got your tongue?

2) The cat's out of the bag. This means that a secret is no longer a secret.
Example: I didn't want anyone to know I was going to get married. But then my brother told all his friends. The cat's out of the bag now.

3) There's more than one way to skin a cat. This means that there is more than one way to do something.
Example: John likes to add numbers in his head. Robert prefers to use a calculator.
Well, as long as they both get the right answers, who cares? There's more than one way to skin a cat.

4) To be a scaredy cat means to be afraid of everything.
Mary is such a scaredy cat. If I sneak up behind her and say "BOO" she jumps out of her skin and starts crying.

5) To take a cat nap = to sleep for a little while
I've learned to take cat naps between phone calls at work.
6) Copycats = to copy what someone else does, to imitate
I wore a pretty blue dress to school on Monday and by Wednesday, four other girls were wearing the same color dresses. What a bunch of copycats.

7) To look like something the cat dragged in = a total mess
He spent the night barhopping. When he got home he looked like something the cat dragged in. I told him to throw his clothes in the trash and take a shower AND a bath. Then I made him sleep on the couch. I wouldn't have touched him with a ten-foot pole.

The last sentence is another expression. When you say "I wouldn't touch that with a ten-foot pole," it means something is really disgusting and you wouldn't touch it even with a very long stick. [Something to be avoided.]

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Here are some sentences to listen to. I hope you'll like what you hear.
The verbs to listen and to hear can cause confusion. So here's a quick lesson, a mini-lesson, with examples of each. We'll start with the verb to listen.

Part One: the verb to listen

1 I will listen more carefully next time. I'll listen more carefully next time.
2 Please listen to me. It's important.
3 I'd rather listen to Bach than Mozart.
4 The football team listened to their coach.
5 He never listens to instructions.
6 He never listens to his father.
7 I'll listen to your podcast tonight.

Part Two: the verb to hear

1 Did you hear me? I said it's time to go.
2 I've never heard of him.
3 I hear a lot of rumors but I don't believe them.
4 Dogs can hear high-pitched sounds.
5 I heard that band play some new songs on the radio.

Here are all the sentences repeated one more time. You can:
a) just listen to them

b) listen to them and repeat right over my voice

c) you can use them as a dictation by listening, stopping the playback, and then trying to write the sentences down correctly from memory before you check them against the transcript to see how well you did.

d) or you can take one sentence, listen to it two or three hundred times, and then see if you can repeat it and imitate me perfectly. Your goal is to sound like an American when you speak so that the pronunciation, the intonation, the stress, the syllable length--everything sounds like me. (Although there's a good chance you'll sound better than me because you'll have a young and beautiful voice and not my old scratchy one.)

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Say or tell: two verbs instead of one. Listen to these examples:

My father says I should study more.
My father told me to study more.
Here’s another example.
Uncle Fred said he was a great inventor.
Uncle Fred told me he was a great inventor.

In this lesson I will give you plenty of example sentences. Some contain ‘say’ and some contain ‘tell’ and some include both verbs. What you will not find in this podcast are any explanations of grammar rules for these two verbs. There are plenty of good explanations on the internet and you will find some links at the end of these notes. And while grammar rules are interesting—for some people, at least—they don’t replace lots of listening and repeating correct sentences.

Look at it this way: when you’re trying to have a conversation, if you have to stop and think about rules, the conversation goes out the window. When you can say what you want to say automatically and correctly, then you can have comfortable conversations in another language. If you need to replay this podcast ten times or even fifty times, who cares? If you want to learn English, feed your ears English.

Okay, let’s get started!

Part One: Practice with Tell

I'm sure she'll tell you the truth.
He tells funny stories.
They're telling us about their vacation.
Harry has never told me a lie.
Please tell us about your plans for next year.
Tell the kids I'll be back in two hours.
I'm telling you, just stop watching TV all day.
I can tell you—that guy is nothing but trouble.
He told me his mother was coming to visit him next week.
She was telling me about her day when my phone rang and interrupted us.
Mary had never told us the story of her life, until we started asking her questions this morning.
Tell us where you were last night at 11pm, and who you were with—and you better tell us the truth.
My grandfather fought in World War II, but he never told us anything about his experiences.
Every day she tells herself that things will get better soon.
My mom has a secret, but she's not telling anyone what it is.
The hotel's instructions told us how to connect to the wifi.

Part Two: Practice with Say

She says she speaks Japanese, but I don't believe her.
He said he was tired and didn't want to go out with us.
John will say anything to avoid work. What a bum!
Richard never says what he’s really thinking.
When I say “SPEAK” to my dog, he barks.
I’ve never said anything that stupid, have I? Please tell me I haven’t!
If you had said, “Don’t go into the jungle, it’s too dangerous!” we would have climbed Mt. Everest instead.
Do as I say, not as I do.
He’s a good driver, but that’s not saying much because he’s only allowed to drive a golf cart.
I keep saying “NO” but he doesn’t seem to understand me.

Let’s end with some listening practice:

Part Three: Examples with both verbs:

She asked if I was hungry. I said yes, and she told me to help myself from the frig. [refrigerator]
My ex-boyfriend told me he was going away forever. I said, “Have a good trip.”
The thief said, “Your money or your life!” I laughed and told him to shoot me [be]cause I didn’t have a penny.
He told his dog to sit—and the dog sat. “Good dog!” he said.

When to use say and when to use tell

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

In this lesson we'll practice the difference between /s/ and /sh/ sounds as in "sip" compared to "ship", and the final sounds /k/ and /g/ as in "luck" and "lug".

Part One: /s/ vs. /sh/
1) see --she
2) seat -- sheet
3) sock--shock
4) save--shave
5) gas--gash
6) single--shingle
7) so--show
8) sore--shore
9) sort--short
10) fist--fished
11) plus--plush
12) rust--rushed
13) seed--she'd
14) seek--chic
15) so--show
16) sell--shell
17) son--shon
18) crass--crash
19) mess--mesh

Part Two: final /k/ vs final /g/
1) back--bag
2) pick--pig
3) duck--dug
4) muck--mug
5) brick--brig
6) crack--crag
7) lack--lag
8) leak--league
9) luck--lug
10) pluck--plug
11) rack--rag
12) ruck--rug
13) sack--sag
14) snack--snag

Part Three: Some practice sentences
1) Don't crash on the grass.
2) Put the sheet on the seat.
3) There was a gash in the gas line.
4) Put the rag on the rack.
5) Please pick a pig.
6) She put the bag on her back.

================================================

If you'd like to look at a huge list of minimal pairs, here's one used in speech therapy. The pairs are not selected for use by students learning English as a second or foreign language, but there are certainly words on the list which might challenge you depending on your native tongue. (Or if you're having trouble falling asleep, read part of the list out loud and pretty soon you'll be in dreamland.)

If there are any groups on the list you'd like me to include in a future podcast, let me know. On tandem.net: barry8660314 or email language[at]caravanbeads.com

Remember DeepL for translations.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Reminder: Read the text below for comprehension. Then put it away and LISTEN to the podcast. Give your eyes a rest and exercise your ears.

Do you know the expression "To go down the drain"? Literally it's what happens when you go to the sink and pour something down the drain. The hole at the bottom of the sink is the drain. Or you wash some dishes and then you pull the plug and the water goes down the drain. It disappears. It vanishes.

The quality of something can go down the drain.

"The food at that restaurant used to be great but now it's terrible. It really went down the drain."

If a store has a bad manager, the store can go down the drain. The sales get worse and worse and eventually they close their doors and go out of business. "My uncle's shoe store went down the drain during the pandemic."

So now that you have the idea, here are some sentences to practice with.

Example 1: Hey, don't pour that wine down the drain. I'll finish it.

Example 2: The quality of his work has really gone down the drain.

Example 3: Her business went down the drain after all the employees quit.

Example 4: When the stock market crashed in 1929, my grandfather's life savings went down the drain.

Bonus expression: To pull the plug. This means to cancel or stop something. For example: After six weeks, my boss pulled the plug on the project.

Extra bonus: After four years of chaos and lies, the American voters pulled the plug on President Trump.

Need a translation? I like DeepL.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

This episode is an experiment. I'm not going to provide any text. Like a baby learning its first language, I just want you to listen and play with what you hear. Above all, remember that babies don't waste a second worrying about pronunciation, grammar, or any other grown-up stuff. They just listen and let their amazing brains do all the heavy lifting.*

So listen to this podcast and just let the words wash over you. If you're a beginner and the introduction is too fast to understand, who cares? Just listen to it all and then come back in a few weeks and listen again. No language student was ever harmed by listening as far as I know. And if you want to have a good accent, listening is THE key. Really. I promise.

Heavy lifting means hard work. ("I let Robert do all the heavy lifting* and I just give him advice now and then.)

P. S. Another very important reason for listening is that English spelling is soooooo bad! It's deceptive and full of irregularities. Think of words like "light" and "tough" and "bought" and "special" and "vain, vein, vane"--if I had more time I could make a list as long as all of English. Listen as much as possible to native speakers and keep reading and writing separate. Your accent will thank you.

P. P. S. Thanks to DeepL for translating my English text at the beginning of this podcast into Finnish and then Hungarian, and then reading it aloud in its computer voice.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

In this lesson we will practice two more vowel sounds.

First /ʊ/, the sound in words like

good
stood
book

And then the sound /u:/ in words like

moon
boot
soon

Part One: Listen to the following sentences with the /ʊ/ sound:

That’s a good cookbook.
I would like to buy a wool jacket.
Take a look at this hook.
Please put the wood over there.
The soldier stood at attention.
She should have come earlier.

Part Two: Now let’s practice with the /u:/ sound.

This boot is loose.
The goose got loose.
A hammer is a tool. A saw is too.
You never see the moon at noon.
Please come home soon.

Part Three: Some words with both sounds:

Schoolbook.
I lost my favorite schoolbook.

Footstool
He stood on a footstool to reach the top shelf.

Bulletproof
The policeman wore a bulletproof vest.

Extra Listening Practice:

He got soot on his suit.
He pulled his friend into the pool.

Extra slow: schoolbook……..footstool………..bulletproof…………..

Over the years linguists have created an international phonetic alphabet (IPA) to help them record the sounds of the world's languages. Yesterday I found this wonderful interactive chart for the American English IPA and I wanted to share the link with you.

Link to interactive chart of the American IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet)

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

This lesson is the first in a series on American English vowel sounds. It is primarily intended for Spanish speakers but won't harm anyone else. I promise!

Today's sounds are the [i] sound in fit, sit, or bit, and the [ee] sound in feet, seat, and beat.

Part One:

Let's start with a few sentences which include both sounds. I'll read each sentence two times, and then say each one two more times with a space after each one so you can repeat.

1) These shoes don't fit my feet. (2x)

Listen and repeat:

2) The dog bit the meat.

3) This is mint tea. Do you like it sweet? (Is it too minty?)

4) Children, please sit in your seats.

Part Two: Now let's practice sentences which only have the [i] sound:
I'll say the word first three times. Then I'll say the sentence twice, and then again twice with a pause so you can repeat.

This jacket doesn't fit. It's too small.
Please sit down.
Your dog bit me!
Can you give me a hint?
The tiger fell into a pit.
An inch is longer than a centimeter.
She lit the fire with a match.
Do you like mint tea?
Please come in.
He stuck me with a pin.

Part Three: Now let’s practice with the [ee] sound.

As before, I’ll say the key word three times. Then I'll say the sentence twice, and then twice more with a pause so you can repeat.

Your father has big feet!
She likes to keep her house neat.
He’s a terrible drummer. He can’t keep the beat.
There’s a hole in the seat of your pants.
Tonight I’m going to a ‘meet and greet’.
From the mountain top I can see all the way to the sea.
Please come in and make yourselves at home.
This is my brother, Pete.
He’s mixing concrete for the foundation.
“Never retreat!” shouted the general.

Part Four: Extra practice.

Mr. Jim Witt put the sheep on the ship.
The architect was holding a blueprint.
If you like, I can tint your hair purple.
He’s a terrible hypocrite.
I can’t work until I get a work permit.
The pilot climbed into the cockpit.
Do you want us to babysit?
The accountant sent me a spreadsheet.
His heartbeat was fast because of the heat.
She gave a great speech.

Coming in the next podcast: /ʊ/ vs. /u/, the sound in 'book' vs. the sound in 'boot'.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

In this podcast we'll practice with the "th" sounds in English. This is the sound you hear in the word "the" and the word "think". The "th" in "the" is voiced which means your vocal cords vibrate when you make the sound. In "think" the "th" sound is unvoiced--the vocal cords do not vibrate.

Part One of this lesson is a listening exercise. I wrote a short paragraph which includes lots of "th" sounds. The paragraph will repeat three times. Just listen.

On Thursday it was cloudy. Then it started to rain. This made me feel sad because it was my thirtiethbirthday. I thought about a lot of things like thetheory of relativity. That made me feel better and I was grateful to Albert Einstein for thinking it up.Part Two: Practice with voiced "th"1) Then *it started to rain.

2) Are they your friends?

3) I like these flowers more than*those*.

4) He gave them*something *to eat.

5) The fire started in the kitchen.

6) This is my house and that one is theirs.
**Part Three: Practice with unvoiced "th"1) How old is she? She's thirty**.

2) Is today Tuesday? No, it's Thursday**.

3) Ouch! I hit my thumb with a hammer.

4) You think too much.

5) Are you hungry? No, I'm thirsty**.

6) You should eat more. You're too thin**.

7) She could hear thunder in the distance.

8) Well, you could say '*thank *you'.

9) Next year I'll be thirteen**.

10) The thermostat is broken, sorry.Part Four: Listening exercise again with spaces. Listen and repeat.*********
A good translation site: DeepL

Comments and suggestions are always welcomed: language[at]caravanbeads.com

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

If you are a native speaker of French and have studied English, then you have probably run into the /h/ problem. This sound, which Americans make when we say "Hello" and "How are you" and "Ha ha ha", does not exist in French. This makes two problems for French speakers.

1) Problem one: The sound is dropped. So I say Hello and the French speaker says 'ello. Or I say How are you? and he says 'ow are you?" Or I say "I'm hungry" and she says "I'm 'ungry" (which to us often sounds like "I'm angry.")

2) The other problem French speakers have is over correcting, putting in /h/ sounds where they shouldn't be. So "I am" might be said "I ham". Or "It's time to eat" might be said "It's time to heat."

To illustrate these problems, here is a recording from a kind, generous, and courageous native speaker of French who gave me permission to share her reading of these sentences:

Is Charlie happy? Not at all. He's angry. He missed breakfast. Then he missed lunch. Now he's very hungry and he's hoping to eat dinner as soon as possible.

Now listen carefully to her reading. (It's a little noisy since it was not recorded with a fancy microphone, but quite good enough to hear her pronunciation.) I'll play it twice and then we'll get to work on helping you sound more like an American.

[Note: the rest of the podcast is almost all listening and repeating. Too long and repetitious to transcribe.]

A good translation site: DeepL

Comments and suggestions are always welcomed: language[at]caravanbeads.com

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

In earlier podcasts we looked at verbs ending in "-ed" where the sound is "t", like tricked or trucked. In this episode, the examples have the same past tense ending, "-ed", but the sound is now a "d". In some cases an extra syllable is added (and added is an example!): for example in rejected or interrupted.

Sentences in this lesson:

guarded - The Capitol was guarded by members of the National Guard.

cheated - My uncle cheated us.

waited - I waited and waited and waited some more. He never came.

decided - We decided to go to the beach.

invented - Yesterday I invented a new kind of battery that will last forever.

handed - The left-handed man handed me a hammer.

gobbled - Our dog gobbled his dinner in seconds.

carried - We carried the injured people to the waiting ambulances.

avoided - He avoided his wife’s eyes. He felt quite ashamed.

expanded - As I blew, the balloon expanded rapidly.

pretended - The man pretended to be a doctor but he wasn’t.

A good translation site: DeepL

Comments and suggestions are always welcomed: language[at]caravanbeads.com

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

'R' is everywhere. And, unfortunately, the 'R' sound in American English is different from the equivalent sound in French, Spanish, German and for all I know, every other language.

So here is a quick conversation to help you practice this tricky sound. Listen a few times first and then repeat as directed.

Hi John. Is something the matter?

There sure is. A ferret tried to get my rabbit.
I didn't know you had a rabbit.

He was a present from my mother. His name is Roger.
Well I hope Roger's had his rabies shot. [I hope Roger has had]

[Of] course! We treat him like a prince.

How did Roger escape the ferret?

I ran out of the house in the nick of time and the ferret ran away.

Roger lucked out!

You got that right. A few more seconds and he woulda been deader 'n a doornail. [he would have been deader than a doornail.]

"In the nick of time" means "just in time."

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

In this podcast we'll look at some more verbs where the ‘-ed’ past tense ending is pronounced ’t’. Please see the transcript for a list of the sentences.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Sometimes the "ed" at the end of a verb, used to indicate past tense, is pronounced with a "t" sound. To make it worse, in words like "looked" you get the combo: k+t. Try to find that in Spanish. See the transcript for the rest of the podcast.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

A quick intro to the Wadjasay Podcast.

Sample sentences in this podcast are:

Slow version: "Sorry, I am in a noisy room. What did you say?"

Fast version (more or less): "Sorry, I'm inna noisy room. Wadja say?"

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com