English with Ted Pal: Recent Episodes
Ted Pal
What a difference six months make. If you asked me a year ago what my plans were, I probably would have said something along these lines: “Well, considering Covid restrictions seem to finally be easing, and considering the fact that we haven’t really been in the South of France that long, I think we should probably stay at least another year or two or three. Try to put down some roots. Keep trying to build a little community here.”
Then, my partner and I decided to take an impromptu summer trip. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. We were deciding between places in northern Europe, mostly for a change of pace and a change of climate. Little did we know that this trip would, quite literally, be life-changing.
So we took a 6-day trip to Scotland. One night in Edinburgh at the outset, one night in Glasgow, one night in in Fort William, two nights on the Isle of Skye in a tiny little pod, and finally two nights to finish off the trip in Edinburgh.
It wasn’t only the change of scenery. The happy-go-lucky feeling of being on vacation, free from the quotidian, mundane obligations of adulthood. It wasn’t the jaw-dropping expansive landscapes—the heather-covered hills, dotted with sheep. It wasn’t even the accent, novel as it is! (I have to admit, though, during our initial taxi ride from the airport to the inn, the taxi driver spoke with a thick Glaswegian accent. So think that, in reality, I could only catch about 50% of what he was saying. Things improved after that encounter!)
Ultimately, while I was there, I kept thinking to myself, “Why are we in France right now? What’s keeping us there?” And I couldn’t come up with an answer. Because of that, I couldn’t keep myself from thinking: “It’s time to move on.”
Then, because the University of Edinburgh is very centrally located, I began seriously exploring the idea of graduate school. (I will admit that I’ve always kept an open mind when it comes to graduate school, but the timing—and the purpose—never felt quite right.)
So I spent the next couples months laboriously assembling an application. Research proposal after research proposal, personal statement after personal statement: by January, when the deadlines fell, I was barely keeping it together: I wanted to be finished. But then, by late January, everything was submitted. (I have to admit: it was all a rather anticlimactic experience. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I finished. A party? Confetti? Bells and whistle?)
At any rate, I’ve arrived at the end, and I have a place to read. To read, to think, to expand my mind, to write, to study. And probably to experience incredible amounts of self-doubt.
I plan to keep you up-to-date—at least until we move in September. For now, let’s keep going with phrases related to keep.
If you’re buying a loaf of bread and you want to ask how long until it becomes stale/hard, you might ask: How long does bread keep?
Let’s say you have a doctor’s appointment scheduled, but you call to ask to reschedule because you have a conflict. If there is no suitable replacement time, the doctor/secretary might ask: Do you want to keep your appointment?
When somebody threatens to tickle you, you might warn them: Keep away from me! (And robbers sometimes say, “Keep your hands up!” or “Keep your hands where I can see them.”)
You’re running too fast! I can’t keep up—physically, obviously, but also intellectually. Her mind moves so fast. I can’t keep up.
Keep going! Keep at it! It’s just pronunciation. You’ll get it soon enough.
The oven is on. Can you keep an eye on it while I take the dog out?
Keep in mind that I need to sleep tonight. (That is: Shut up so I can get some sleep.)
Keep it down! That noise is keeping me awake! I need to sleep!
Because of the bad economy, our department needs to keep costs down. No more expensive dinners! (Or, keep the spending to a minimum! Or we’ll all be made redundant.)
Let’s keep calm, everybody. Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.
Keep it casual. Don’t dress up too much or you could end up embarrassing the hosts. Also, keep it simple! Keep it classy: there are children present.
I’ll keep you posted! Let’s keep in touch. Keep me up-to-date, please.
Keep me in the loop! (Please cc me on your email to the director.)
I can’t keep talking about this. We just need to make a decision.
Can you keep a secret?
You can’t keep me from telling her! She’s my best friend.
Keep the change—something you might say to a waiter or waitress. But usually, you can also just leave it on the table.
Keeping up with the Joneses: trying to compete with those around you, typically in very traditional ways.
She really keeps to herself. I wish she would share what’s troubling her!
And perhaps my favorite, which is a two-for-one special: to keep on keeping on. I’ve never personally heard this one. And, to finish back in Scotland, a recent citation from the Glaswegian Herald:
“It's a story about endurance... It's about how even though life can set you back quite a lot sometimes, you've got to keep on keeping on.”
So, keep on keeping on.
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Note: Since this is a bit on the longer side, I’ll add the time where I begin reading the article below. ⏱
Hi folks! It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? Well, not that actually long. I thought I would share something a little different today. We’ll look at some English in action, in a news article from The Guardian, a center-left British newspaper. (Fun fact: It was founded in 1821 and, in its early days, opposed slavery in the US.) It’s probably the equivalent of the New York Times or the Washington Post in the US, though with a more international perspective. I find US newspapers to be way too America-centric. Americans: always focused on themselves!
But anyway. An important part of feeling comfortable expressing yourself in another language is stating your opinion on a topic or theme and engaging in conversation with somebody about it.
Discourse markers
⏱ 1:24
Discourse markers—sounds pretty technical, right? For a start, they’re not! And I just used one. That’s right, for a start, is a discourse marker because it tells you a little bit about what kind of content is going to come next. It can help you sound more fluid in another language, since these are the bits that tie phrases and thoughts together. Of course, they’re also a bit tricky to use, so we’ll go over a few examples now. We’ll start with interpersonal discourse markers—ones that you use primarily in conversation.
Interpersonal discourse markers
Compare these two phrases:
What are we doing?
So, what are we doing?
The first phrase could sound a little blunt, a little too direct. It could even be misinterpreted as a little rude. So allows the speaker to transition to a question that might seem a little rude otherwise.
Sometimes you also use so for goodbyes:
So I guess this is it. You’re flying to Tokyo tomorrow and I don’t know the next time I’ll see you.
So we’ll see you tonight? Text me if something comes up.
You can also use well or anyway for goodbyes.
Well, I should probably head out. I have a two-hour train ride ahead of me.
Anyway, it was so nice to run into you. I have to pick up my daughter from school now. Stay in touch!
You can also use discourse markers to change topics.
I can’t believe she said that about you. Well, actually, I can believe it. I guess she really likes talking about people being their backs. Anyway, how are you otherwise?
A: As I was saying (before I got so off topic), we had to cancel our vacation because France is now requiring proof of double vaccination.
B: Oh, yikes! Sorry to hear that.
To let somebody know you are following the conversation, you can use phrases like: ah, I know, yeah, mhm, yup, exactly and so forth. Lots of possibilities here. You get to pick what works for you!
Now can be used to introduce a little bit of caution:
Now, I don’t want you to worry if I’m not home by midnight.
Another use of discourse markers is showing your thought process to your listener:
Thinking: Hm, that’s interesting!
Surprise: Oh! So that’s what he wanted.
Confusion: Uhh, I’m not sure I follow.
Amazement: Wow! Oh my god/gosh/goodness!
Clarification: I mean, I didn’t actually say that! I would never say that to his face.
Argument discourse markers
You can also use discourse markers to structure your conversations.
A pretty typical structure is the following:
First of all, I’m going to need everybody in the meeting room at 10am, so we can discuss what happened yesterday. Then, we’ll meet one-on-one with everybody involved. And finally, we’ll end with a survey.
Some discourse markers are used primarily in writing:
firstly, in addition, moreover, on the other hand, secondly, in conclusion, to begin with, in sum, alternatively, as a consequence, some may argue that, on the other hand, etc.
Guardian Article
⏱Audio starts at 8:23. The article can be found here.
But first, a little vocabulary.
If people “rush for vaccines,” they hurry to get them. “What’s the rush?” is a question to ask people who seem like they are really busy.
“Macron tightens Covid rules”—he is making them more strict.
“after cafes, malls and trains ruled out of bounds for the unvaccinated”—out of bounds means off limits, no longer accessible.
“A total of 926,000 people, most under 35, had booked jabs”—jabs is another word for vaccines.
To extend a requirement is to make that requirement also apply to other situations.
When Angela Merkel rules out making vaccinations obligatory, she is stating that she is eliminating that option.
If vaccines/jabs are mandated, compulsory, or obligatory, they are required.
When people talk about vaccine hesitancy or vaccine skepticism, they are talking about people not wanting to get the vaccine (for a variety of reasons, sometimes very comical).
The leader of a far-right party is calling for supporters to boycott everything, which means to not buy anything or go anywhere the health pass is required.
And now I’ll read this article:
Whatever you might say about the method, it has produced results. More than 2 million people living in France have made appointments to get the vaccine. This is a graph of the number of daily appointments on the most-used site for booking medical appointments in France. Right after Macron’s speech, the rate of appointments was 20,000 appointments per minute. It actually caused the site to crash.
So, I’m curious, what are your thoughts on this piece of news? Do the positives outweigh the negatives? Is it perhaps a slippery slope? Germany has said that it won’t follow suit, but Greece and Italy are already requiring healthcare workers to get vaccinated, and France is going to also.
Are there better ways to encourage people to get vaccinated? What is the role that social media plays in encouraging or discouraging vaccination? If you want to read another article that presents two sides of the mandatory vaccination debate, check out the article Should Covid-19 vaccines be mandatory? Two experts discuss to really dive into the subject.
Overall, what do you think are the benefits of this approach? What are some problems with it? Try to formulate an opinion using discourse markers, as above.
First of all…
As an alternative…
On the one hand… on the other hand…
Some people might consider it a negative to…
To end with, I’ll share a short meme with you all. (Disclosure: it’s from somebody who obviously supports vaccines.)
The text reads:
The French
Top image: Vaccinating themselves to protect their loved ones
Bottom image: Vaccinating themselves to go to the bar
Anyway, that’s it for the week. Today is also Bastille Day in France, which is France’s national holiday. It commemorates the storming of the Bastille, marking the beginning of the French Revolution. So, Happy Bastille Day! Most things are closed today, but I think the beach is still open. Maybe I’ll go check it out. Hopefully it won’t be packed.
Have a good week! Let’s talk soon.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tedpal.substack.com
Hi everyone. Today is obviously Wednesday. This is not your usual Saturday episode. I’m going to keep it short, really short. We’re going to do two things today:
Apologizing for, among other things, being late
A few English errors to look out for and to practice
I am still actively trying to figure out what makes the most sense for this publication. I did two full months of audio-based, podcast-like posts. Before that, it was a bit of a mishmash of content. Don’t get me wrong, there was nothing haphazard about them. I spend a lot of time thinking and mulling over everything. Perhaps a little too much time.
At any rate, let’s get going, shall we?
Apologies
Apologies are part of life. We all make mistakes, and we must be accountable for our mistakes. But how can we talk about those mistakes?
The simplest and most casual phrase:
Sorry I’m late! which is short for “(I am) sorry (that) I’m late.”
This works well in a variety of contexts and situations. It can work in informal work contexts, in friend contexts, in personal contexts. You should only use it if you know the person reasonably well, since it could seem a little glib, a little shallow and insincere. For instance, you might use it if you’re walking into a meeting that’s just starting with colleagues you have some familiarity with. You might also use it in the context of meeting a friend for a movie. It can sometimes be followed with an explanation—or an excuse, if that’s what you need to convey.
Sorry I’m late. The traffic was just awful.
Sorry I’m late. My train was delayed.
Sorry I’m late. I completely lost track of time.
Another possibility: the construction to be sorry for.
Sorry for being late.
This means the same thing as “Sorry I’m late.”
It can also be used to express sympathy if somebody loses a loved one—i.e., if somebody they are close to dies or passes away.
I’m so sorry for your loss.
I’m sorry for the loss of your grandmother.
Note the “for the loss of” construction. It’s more formal English, and helps to talk about difficult issues.
⚠️ Warning! Be careful with the following phrase: “to feel sorry for somebody”
I feel so sorry for you.
This is okay to say. You’re expressing sympathy with the person.
However, you can also use the expression to express pity and to gossip about people. Note the tone that I use.
I feel sorry for him. I can’t believe his friends treat him that way. It’s just terrible.
You might also need to apologize for not responding to somebody’s text message or email. The “Sorry I…” formula works well:
Sorry I haven’t responded to your email sooner. Things have been really crazy/busy.
Sorry I didn’t respond to your text. I had read it and meant to respond but I didn’t.
Of course, if you’re texting somebody, you can also use the abbreviation sry, but I don’t really like it because sorry is just two extra letters. If you’re actually sorry about something, spell the damn word out!
If somebody is waiting for you, and you are late, you can also say:
Sorry to keep you waiting!
You can also apologize for asking somebody too many questions:
Sorry to keep you busy for so long!
Sorry to keep asking so many questions.
You can also use sorry to preface bad news:
I’m sorry to have to tell you the bad news: The TV series The Simpsons is ending.
You can qualify sorry with a few adverbs:
I’m truly sorry.
I’m genuinely, very sorry.
I’m so sorry.
Please forgive me. I’m extremely sorry.
You can even use sorry to apologize for future wrongs:
Sorry, but I’m going to be late to the meeting. You can go ahead and start without me.
As you can see, sorry is a pretty flexible, pretty common word.
A little bit of additional slang:
I’m sorry, my bad. I didn’t mean to do that.
More formal apologies
If you need to up the formality of your language, you have a few options. As we discussed in “Am I being too direct?”, you can add more words, like “Let me” to the beginning of a phrase.
Let me just say I’m sorry I’m late. I really hope it didn’t mess up your day.
You can also use the word apologize. This is a word that’s often used in written communication, to raise the formality.
Let me first apologize for being late. I know this meeting is important to you.
I want to first apologize to you for my earlier email. I was a little bit too emotional when I sent it, so I definitely overstepped.
Please accept my sincerest apologies. (This is very formal.)
To accept an apology
There are a few ways to accept an apology:
No worries. Thank you for saying that, though.
It’s okay. Things happen. Don't worry about it.
It’s fine, don't worry about it.
I appreciate you saying that. But it’s okay.
Your turn
Here are a few situations. Craft an appropriate apology based on these situations.
You get confused about a meeting time, so you end up missing the meeting entirely. What do you tell your colleague?
You’re late on a deadline that your boss set. What do you say to her?
You are running late to meet a friend for dinner. What’s a quick text message you’d send to them?
You accidentally drop your friend’s phone and the screen cracks. What do you say?
A few English tips to keep in mind
"Everything's okay" vs. "It's okay"
If everything is okay, that means the situation is normal. There’s nothing to worry about. You might ask a friend “Is everything okay?” if they look like they’re upset. If somebody asks you, “Is there a problem?” You might reply: “No, everything’s okay! Everything’s fine!” Everything refers to the general state of things.
When you say “It’s okay,” you relaying a status, or giving somebody approval for something. The it is replacing whatever you’ve talked about.
Would you mind picking me up some bread at the store?
No, it’s okay. I’ll get some. Don’t worry.
Or
Is the project moving along?
Eh, it’s okay. Could be better.
Do you think... question stems are a good way of using colloquial English to ask questions. A lot of people had trouble with this one, so let’s go over a few examples:
Do you think you could help me with this presentation?
Do you think we could leave a little early today?
Do you think he’s really mad at me?
It doesn’t necessarily add a lot of meaning to the phrase.
i.e., e.g.
Finally, a little bit of (mostly written) English.
i.e. is short for id est, which literally means (in Latin) “that is”. You use it to rephrase something. It’s a one-to-one replacement phrase, not an example.
We have to keep the trip short—i.e., two or three days—because we have to be back for the party.
e.g. stands for exempli gratia—for example. You list some but not necessarily all examples.
Make sure you pack things for the beach—e.g., sunscreen, a towel, etc.
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Hi everyone. Summer is in full swing here. How can you tell? We’re almost at the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s tomorrow, June 21—the Summer Solstice. Today is the last day that the curfew is in effect. The weather has been beautiful, and people are going to the beaches and spending more time outdoors. I actually can't believe I haven’t been to the beach yet!
Last night, I went to see another movie. A French tragicomedy called “Adieu les cons”—which translates to “Goodbye, idiots” in English. The movie started at 10 to 7, and finished a quarter past 8.
It’s funny, whenever I leave a movie theater, probably because I’ve been in a dimly lit room for over an hour, I expect it to also be dark outside. Maybe this is because, growing up, I used to go to the movies at night with my friends. Once I went to college, I never really went to the movie theaters. I might see the occasional film, but I definitely didn’t go regularly.
Ever since Covid-19 hit, early last year, I’ve picked up a few new habits. Watching more movies (in French) is one of them. I watch both classic movies and recently-released movies. There’s a lot to learn from watching movies from the past and the present. You get to know a little bit about what people are talking about today. And since making films is cheaper and more accessible than ever, you can see movies filmed by underrepresented voices.
Which reminds me: Nomadland. I saw it last weekend in theaters. In short, it is definitely worth seeing. It’s essentially about a community of seasonal workers who live out of their trucks or RVs. Until today, I actually didn’t know what RV was an abbreviation for, because you only ever say RV in American English. Apparently, it stands for recreational vehicle. Who knew?
Anyway, “Nomadland” tells the story of these “nomads” working seasonally across the US. They drive from place to place, working seasonal jobs—picking sugar beets, working in fast food, working in Amazon warehouses during the holiday rush.
The name is particularly relevant these days, because it contrasts with the idea of “digital nomads,” usually freelancers or people working in technology who are able to work remotely all the time, by choice. For the nomads in “Nomadland,” there are sometimes financial reasons that have pushed them to live on the road.
“Nomadland” is a beautiful film. It’s a portrait of these people who are constantly on the move. And the background for the movie are beautiful landscapes—deserts, mountains, National Parks, and so forth. Even more interestingly, some of the characters in the movie play themselves—which adds a bit of realism to the movie. It’s certainly not entirely fictional. That means, if you get a chance to see the movie, you’ll also hear a whole variety of American English.
And now, let’s get a move on.
Just 30 days
I was watching videos on YouTube the other day, as one does, and I found this relatively quick Ted Talk. It’s just a few minutes, and it might be a little motivational.
In it, Matt Curtis talks about investing 30 days in a new habit you would like to pick up. This is worth a listen, because it’s short.
One small caveat: Not all habits are created equal. This is really important, because it actually relates to psychology and goal-setting. If your habit is too ambitious (either in terms of difficulty or time or energy required), it will take much, much longer to become ingrained as a habit.
A (free) weekly English newsletter that I subscribe to, called Brain Pickings, covers a lot of interesting topics in literature, science, psychology, art, cinema. It’s worth a read.
The author of the blog goes into some research about habit formation. A lot of people pull out magic numbers: 21 days to form a habit. 30 days! 14 days! Whatever it may be, the situation is more complicated.
In a review of a study, in order for habits to become automatic—something that you do without even really having to think about it all that much—the numbers of days depended on the task.
Here is a quote from the study that explains.
The simple answer is that, on average, across the participants who provided enough data, it took 66 days until a habit was formed. As you might imagine, there was considerable variation in how long habits took to form depending on what people tried to do. People who resolved to drink a glass of water after breakfast were up to maximum automaticity after about 20 days, while those trying to eat a piece of fruit with lunch took at least twice as long to turn it into a habit. The exercise habit proved most tricky with “50 sit-ups after morning coffee,” still not a habit after 84 days for one participant. “Walking for 10 minutes after breakfast,” though, was turned into a habit after 50 days for another participant.
What we all need to find, then, are language habits that are almost as automatic as drinking a glass of water.
Here are a few things that might help you think:
One thing I really like to do is carry around with me something physical, to give myself a reminder of a task I need to complete. This could be a book I’m reading in another language. This could be a little notebook that I phrases or thoughts down in. Physical objects can be motivational, in ways that a smartphone can’t. (For me, smartphones are just too distracting.)
Another thing that you might consider doing is working on the pronunciation of a tricky word or phrase, or a set of words or phrases.
It could be learning a few new bits of vocabulary every day. Maybe looking up usage examples on Youglish, another great language-learning resource.
Or maybe it’s listening to a (free) 15-minute audio book on Blinkist. This week’s selection actually looks pretty good. A lot of you have said that this resource has been helpful, so this is a good reminder to try it again, if you haven’t kept up with it!
Finally, try to think about something you already do, and maybe add an English-language component to that. Taking walks is a relatively easy. Adding a podcast to that is pretty straightforward. You already have to eat breakfast (or drink coffee). Add a quick vocabulary review session to that. And maybe, after 30 or 40 or 50 days, you won’t even have to think about it anymore. It’ll just come naturally.
To wrap up, what are your plans for this month? What’s worth your time? What’s worth doing?
I’d love to hear what you’re thinking. How do you want to kick off summer? The time to improve is always now, even in small ways. What’s one small thing you can integrate into your life to change things up a bit?
Well, it’s time for me to go back to cooking a bit. I was roasting some tomatoes—one of my favorite parts of the summer—mostly because I was a little too greedy and decided to buy a couple kilos’ worth. So I roasted them, and had plans to make a nice, thick, delicious tomato sauce. However, when I took them out of the oven, they had released so much water, they were basically bathing in their own juice.
So I guess I’m having tomato soup instead!
Let’s talk again soon. Until next time.
Ted
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Don’t forget, if you want to get this in your email, please subscribe. This is part 2 of a series about language at work.
Hi everybody. I hope you’ve had a nice week. It’s starting to get hot here. The forecast for today is 34°C and sunny. It’s too hot to stay outside for long periods of time, especially under the full sun. It’s a much better idea to find a shady spot, maybe a tree, or under an umbrella, and just relax.
For me, it’s a good reminder to move a little more slowly. For as long as I can remember, I’ve walked quickly. And even now, I walk quickly. Though most of the time, if I’m going somewhere, I bike. It’s actually my favorite way to get around.
It’s not that I necessarily mind public transit—though, with all of the mask-wearing and Covid restrictions, it’s definitely not my favorite thing right now. I just like the freedom and control you get when you ride a bike. You decide when you want to leave to go somewhere. You decide the route. You can go around cars. You can go as fast as you want. You’re able to spend a little time outside. And you get a little bit of physical exercise and maybe you get the chance to clear your mind.
But now, during summer, if I try to bike too quickly, I’ll end up arriving at my destination drenched in sweat, and that’s not a good look. So I have to remind myself to slow down. Take it easy. You might take a little while to get there, but that’s okay.
And actually, when you walk a little slower, bike a little slower, you have more time to think. To process your day. Maybe you're able to process work, or work through some problems with family or friends.
Slowing down definitely helps me think, and it keeps me cool during this little heat wave.
Today, I’ll go over some phrases in business English and then we’ll talk about ways of describing problems. I hope you enjoy!
Let’s get down to business
So let’s talk a little bit some conversations that happens fairly frequently around the office. One of the first things that people ask each other, especially when you haven’t seen each other in a while, is what you’re doing these days.
In the US, a lot of this chitchat focuses on your job. So what are some ways to see what people are doing? Let’s go over them now.
General status
So what’s on your plate right now? What are you working on currently?
I have a lot on my plate at work right now. I have to do a lot of work when I get home.
So how are things going? How’s your team?
Status beyond the office
You don’t always have to ask about work when you’re talking with friends or acquaintances. If you’re looking for some ways to ask a question and not necessarily only focus on work, here are a few:
What’s keeping you busy these days? This allows the person you’re talking to to respond with anything. It could be work, it could be their family. It could be their hobbies. It could be anything.
What’s going on these days? is a question similar to the previous one.
What is the last thing that you learned how to do? is a fun question that can produce some unexpected conversations!
Progress
What’s the status on the project ?
What’s the timeline of this project?
How’s the the project going?
Can you give me/us/the team an update on the project?
Is the project on schedule? Is it on track to finish by the deadline?
We need to stay focused, we need to stay on track or we’ll never finish this project.
Are we behind on the project? Or are we ahead?
How much work is left on the project? How much work is there left to do?
Deadlines
Deadlines are a part of life—especially life in the office. And for some of us, we need to set our own deadlines if we want to see progress in areas of personal development. (Ahem, English, French, and any other languages!)
When do you want it by? When should it be done by? When should it be finished?
I will get it to you by (the) close of business (COB).
I will get it to you by end of day (this is ambiguous; it could be by the close of business or by midnight local time, the true end of the day).
I will get it to you before the end of the day.
I will get it to you first thing tomorrow.
I will get it to you first thing Monday morning.
Can you do it first thing tomorrow?
Should we think about pushing the deadline a little later? It’s going to be tight. I’m worried we won't get everything done that’s necessary.
Is the deadline realistic? I don’t think it is, unless we pull several all-nighters or work weekends.
Contact
Please reach out to me if you have any questions.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have questions.
I’ll touch base with my team and get back to you with an answer. But please don’t hesitate to reach out in the meantime!
Let me reach out to a member of our team to see if I can get you some help.
What is the best (phone) number to reach you at?
What’s the best way to contact you? Email or phone?
Where should I send updates in the future?
Your Turn
Think about the following scenarios. Think about the questions you want to ask and the information you need.
You know your colleague is working on a project. You are curious about its progress. Ask them about the project.
Your boss asks you to send an email just as you leave the office. What can you say to your boss in reply?
You see a friend for the first time in a long time. You want to know how she’s doing personally and professionally. What do you ask?
For an extra challenge, think about crafting some work-related questions in less direct ways.
Problems and solutions and practice
Sometimes, problems come up. In your personal life, in your professional life. In life in general. So let’s talk about some problems. I’m not going to provide separate definitions of these words. You’ll have to figure them out from context.
Problems are usually a little bit more severe than issues. A problem might be minor or major, slight or serious. If a problem is urgent, it needs to be addressed right away; it needs to be dealt with and resolved right away. An ongoing problem is one that has continued. A recurring or perennial problem is one that continues to surface or arise.
Sometimes, when you tackle a project, problems are likely to arise. We can’t be afraid to confront problems, we must be ready to deal with them. Some people are able to adapt and come to grips with problems more easily than others, this is especially true if you have overcome a similar problem in the past.
One thing you need to be careful about is not to exacerbate an existing problem, because that makes things worse. You should always raise an issue if your coworkers aren’t aware of it, so you can make them aware of it.
Practice
Replace the bolded, italicized words with a synonym. Sometimes, you’ll need a new phrase.
Oh, that’s a small problem. Let’s not worry about it.
We need to deal with that problem right away. Itneeds our immediate attention.
We have been late on a lot of deadlines. We should bring it up at the next meeting.
Ugh, this problem keeps happening! I’m sick of it.
When did this problem first occur?
Fighting only makes the problem worse.
Now, think about some problems in your life or in your area of the world. Pollution, global warming, poverty, bullying in schools. Talk about some of these problems. Describe them. What’s being done? What’s not being done?
Well, I guess that about wraps it up. If you think anything is missing from the above lists, just comment below.
Today, Nick and I are going to see Nomadland at the movies. It’s won a few awards, and I recently read a passage from the book that it’s based on.
I’ll let you know what I think, maybe next week. I’ll include the trailer below. Maybe you’ll decide to watch it at home one of these days. I think there will be a good variety of American accents in it, so it’s a good way to get a little bit of extra practice.
Until next time. Let’s talk again soon!
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Hi everyone. Welcome back! It’s nice to be in conversation once again. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re settling into summer. It’s 27 degrees (Celsius) today, the sky is blue, the sun is beating down, but there’s a light breeze that’s keeping us cool. (It’s around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. I know this because the two temperature scales align, in reverse order, at 16C/61F and 28C/82F, just in case you were wondering.)
What’s on the docket for today?
First, we’ll do some self-reflection and I’ll provide you a link to a personality test, the Enneagram test. Then, we’ll talk little bit about directness and indirectness in English, plus some strategies to be more indirect. Finally, you’ll end with some exercises about being phrasing things indirectly.
Self reflection: How direct are you in your own language?
Communication can be fraught with challenges. Different people have different styles of communication. Some of us are naturally direct. Some of us, not so much. Some people are sensitive to criticism, so it’s important to communicate criticism in ways that don’t offend (other people).
When you combine individual differences of directness with different styles of communication across languages, things get tricky.
Knowing yourself and your own communication styles is really important. Having self-awareness will help you tremendously as you explore ways other people communicate in other languages.
One way of getting to know yourself is through online personality tests. There are lots of them out there, and I’m sure you’ve probably already tried a few. One I did recently is called the Enneagram Test. It’s a series of questions that helps you think about which of the nine personality types you might be, or one of the nine you might mostly be. After all, personalities change over time.
A lot of what these tests actually tell you are probably things you already know. That was the case for me. For example, I know I’m somebody who really tries to avoid conflict with other people. Sometimes, I would rather sacrifice my own personal comfort for the comfort of others. Since I also tend to be optimistic and generally somebody who goes with the flow, this usually isn’t a problem. But as you can imagine, I sometimes avoid sharing my opinions and thoughts, and this can cause me to feel unsatisfied in personal relationships.
So knowing that I prefer to avoid conflict, that means I usually avoid extremely direct, blunt language. Instead of asking directly for something that might inconvenience somebody else, I might try to ask around it. We’ll talk about this in more detail in a few minutes.
Indirectness in language
Recently, I learned about a rule of text-based communication in Russia. In order to sound polite when you’re communicating in Russian, you need to add a close parenthesis to the end of your sentence. It has its origins in the final part of the smiley emoji, and since I came of age in the pre-Apple-emoji world, I’ll remind you: :-). If you take the last character of the emoji, you just have the closed parenthesis.
Apparently, from what I’ve learned, Russian texters are more or less required to add it to the end of sentences, just to maintain a basic level of politeness.
A: Do you mind if we meet tomorrow at 10am instead of Tuesday at 11am?
B: Ok))
And what’s more is that as you increase the number of ), the more positive emotion the texter is conveying.
In English, you might be able to use an exclamation point ! to convey similar level of good vibes, but more often, you just need to use more words.
Because a similar response in English to the same question could be perceived as rude.
A: Do you mind if we meet tomorrow at 10am instead of Tuesday at 11am?
B: Okay
B: Okay.
B: ok
B: ok.
When you respond with a simple okay, it sounds like you’re not so happy. Or that you actually do mind if the meeting is moved. Or, at the very least, you’re not super enthusiastic about it. This is because of the shortness of the phrase “okay,” and the intonation that could come with it.
You can imagine people saying things like, “Okay, whatever.” Or just “okay!” (You’ll need to listen to the audio recording of this to get the intonation right.)
If this were Russian, you could solve the problem by adding a couple parentheses. But in English, you have to use emotion, an exclamation point, or at the very least, use some sort of rising intonation.
A: Can we go eat Indian food today instead?
B: Okay!
B: Okay! That sounds good!
B: Okay! That’s totally fine
B: Okay, sure! That’s fine with me
B: Of course, no problem at all.
I'm including a quick video from BBC Learning English, which gives some “tips,” largely from a British perspective, of softening questions and requests by using the passive voice. This is certainly one way of being indirect, but to my American ears, it can sound a little forced, a little too indirect. Brits are known for being even more indirect than Americans. You’ll see a sample of that in the video.
Being indirect requires more complex language
One of the biggest challenges of using indirect language is that it’s more complex. But being able to express yourself indirectly, when necessary, or when a little bit of sensitivity is required, is essential. And indirect communication is often required when you’re working with English-speaking coworkers or clients.
- A few strategies to go over
Use modal verbs.
Use negative adjectives.
Compare: I’m sure we can’t do that and I’m not sure we can do that.
Ask a question instead.
Avoid saying ‘no’ directly.
Speak hypothetically.
Address a group, not an individual.
Mind your intonation.
We’ll try out some of these methods below, and then you’ll have a go at it on your own.
- Use modal verbs
Saying this plainly can get you into trouble. Using language like might and could help soften difficult statements.
Compare the following
Direct: This is a huge problem.
Indirect: This might be a problem.
Indirect: This could be a problem. We should prepare for possible consequences.
Direct: This whole project is one disaster after another.
Indirect: This whole project is causing a lot of issues, and it could cause more problems in the future.
You’ll notice that the number of words is always more when language is more indirect.
- Use negative adjectives
Instead of saying bad, you might say not so good, or not ideal, as an example. It’s easier to hear these words. Simple adjectives like bad have a lot of negative connotations are can be perceived as judgments.
Direct: This is a terrible situation. We need to improve it.
Indirect: This situation isn’t ideal/great. How could we improve it?
When you use positive adjectives, you have a goal. You want to make something more ideal or great, not just “less bad”. This can matter when you’re working with somebody.
- Ask a question instead, or add a question
Direct: Close the window! (This is direct and doesn’t provide any explanation.)
Indirect: Would anybody mind if I closed the window? I’m freezing.
Indirect: Would it bother you if I closed the window? Would you mind if I closed the window?
Direct: This won’t be good enough for the boss.
Indirect: I don’t think this will work. Is there any way we can make this more acceptable for the boss? She’s looking for x, y, and z.
- Avoid saying “no” directly
It can be hard to say “no” to people. It can even be outright rude. Sometimes, I’ll admit, it’s necessary. If somebody is completely out of line.
For example:
A: Do you wanna go out for drinks tonight?
B: No.
Don’t do this, unless you never want this person to ask you again. Even if it’s true, and you don’t want to go out tonight with this person, there are other ways of saying it.
Instead, say:
A: Do you wanna go out for drinks tonight?
B: Oh, tonight, I can’t, but maybe tomorrow?
B: Oh, I’m really sorry, tonight I already have plans.
B: I wish I could, but I have to work tonight.
If you’re not sure of the response to the question, it’s better to avoid saying yes or no and then having to change your answer after the fact.
Here are a few sentence frames to buy you some time:
You know, I am really not sure. Do you mind if I get back to you in 30 minutes?
Hm, I need a few minutes to think about this. Can we circle back in a few hours?
I don’t have the answer to this. I need to consult my team and get back to you.
I’m not sure I have the time to do this right now. I need to finish this project first. Can we talk about it next week?
- Speak hypothetically (or in question format!)
A few of these strategies employ the use of questions. Questions are powerful because you’re involving other people. They become active agents, and you can turn a difficult situation into something more manageable. In fact, your friends, family, or colleagues can even help you!
Direct: We need to finish the project by Friday, or we’re toast.
Indirect: Does anyone have any ideas on how we can finish the project by Friday? The boss is expecting it to be done.
Direct: We need some new ideas.
Indirect: Does anybody happen to have any ideas?
Direct: I need a ride to school.
Indirect: Would you happen to be driving by school today? If so, I would love a ride.
- Address a group, not a person
In order to soften criticism, it can be better to pose a problem to a group of people, especially in work situations.
Direct: (To the person who is late) You’re always late to the Monday meeting. Why is that?
Indirect: (To the team/group) I’ve noticed that some people are late to the Monday meeting. Is there anything we can do to make it easier for people to attend on time?
Indirect: (To the team/group) Being on time is important because it makes sure our meetings are efficient and fast.
- Mind your intonation
Should we go out to lunch today?
Negatively perceived
Okay. [flat intonation]
No. [flat intonation]
Positively perceived
Okay! [rising intonation]
Yeah, sure! Let’s go. That would be great.
A few grammatical exercises
I’ll include a few exercises that involve communicating ideas in more indirect ways. Fill in the blanks. Use the words in (parentheses) to complete the phrase.
You want to borrow your friend’s camera. What do you say to her?
(think) ________________________
You are at your cousin’s house and you want to use her phone. What do you say?
(all right) ________________________
You’ve written a letter in English. Before sending it, you want a friend to check it for you. What do you ask?
(think) ________________________
You want to leave work a little early. What do you ask your boss?
(mind) ________________________
The man in the next room is playing music, and it’s very loud. You want him to turn it down. What do you say to him?
(think) ________________________
You are calling the owner of an apartment that was advertised in an online ad. You are interested in the apartment and want to see it today. What do you say to the owner? (okay) ________________________
You’re on a train. The woman next to you has finished reading her newspaper, and you’d like to have a look at it. You ask her.
(think) ________________________
Put the verbs in the correct form: simple present, present continuous, simple past, or past continuous.
We can go out now. It ______ (not/rain) anymore.
Catherine ______ (wait) for me when I ______ (arrive)
I ______ (get) hungry. Let’s go and have something to eat.
What ______ (you/do) in your spare time? Do you have any hobbies?
The weather was horrible when we ______ (arrive). It was cold and it ______ (rain) hard.
Louise usually ______ (call) me on Fridays, but she ______ (not/call) last Friday.
A: The last time I saw you, you ______ (think) of moving to a new apartment.
B: That’s right, but in the end, I ______ (decide) to stay where I was.
Why ______ (you/look) at me like that? What’s the matter?
It’s usually dry here at this time of the year. It ______ (not/rain) much.
The phone ______ (ring) three times while we ______ (have) dinner last night.
Linda was busy when we ______ (go) to see her yesterday. She ______ (study) for an exam. We ______ (not/want) to bother her, so we ______ (not/stay) very long.
When I ______ (tell) Tom the news, he ______ (not/believe) me at first. He ______ (think) that I ______ (joke)
Well, that’s about it for the week. I hope you have a nice, peaceful week. Maybe you’re settling into summer? Or maybe you have a lot on the docket this week? If you haven’t yet listened to the free daily book from Blinkist yet, today’s (Sunday’s) is about Forest Bathing, with some strategies and tips for finding balance while immersing yourself in whatever nature is available. Maybe have a go at it. Take a moment for yourself, to just be, to just exist. In a park, by a river, in front of a tree. Wherever you find yourself.
Let’s maybe circle back to it soon and talk about it together. What do you think?
Talk to you soon.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tedpal.substack.com
Hi again. It’s me. I’m keeping today’s episode a little on the shorter side, I hope you don’t mind. It’s been a hectic week and weekend. And I’m recording this from outside, because I need a little bit of fresh air this morning, so please excuse any background noise.
I don’t think I mentioned this last week, but I was able to secure a vaccine appointment a couple weeks ago. And as of this week, all adults over 18 here in France will be able to get vaccinated. But I got vaccinated—I barely felt the needle, and I definitely didn’t feel the microchip at all! Technology has really come a long way. I’m joking here, of course.
But what is crazy is that the Department of Health for the state of Rhode Island, the tiniest state in the United States, is tweeting out information to try to combat against wild conspiracy theories. I can’t really say that I’m surprised, but I still wish people would understand that the Internet is full of false information. You really can’t trust anything!
But anyway, enough of that. On to some thoughts for the week.
Do we become a different person in another language?
There’s a lot to say about language learning and personality. Some languages have a lot of words to describe snow, sea ice, and reindeer, which are all very much part of daily life for people living within the Arctic Circle. Being able to talk precisely about sea ice could mean the difference between staying dry and plunging into frigid waters. (Though, to be honest, I’m not really sure why you would want to be able to describe a male reindeer with a single, large testicle—but a word really exists for that in Sami, the people who live in northern Scandinavia and Russia.)
For some reason, the French language has a ton of ways to describe the sounds birds make. Crows, for instance, have five different verbs to describe their cries. In English, crows simply caw. That’s it. So I suppose if you’re looking to become an avid birdwatcher, then you should probably pick up French.
But I digress. Do you feel like your personality is different in another language? Are you more confident or less confident in another language? Does learning a language represent some sort of freedom for you? Does it represent the chance to create something new?
These are all good questions, and I think their answers vary by individual. Some of us don’t feel that confident in our own language. I also think that we are all capable of creating new experiences for ourselves. Humans are creatures of habit. We like to feel comfortable and confident in what we’re doing. But we can also push ourselves into new situations. The more you try out something new, the less new it becomes.
I think the only way that you might act a little differently when speaking another language is because you don’t have all the same linguistic or emotional baggage you or a native speaker has in their own language.
If I think about a word in English that’s relatively obscure, like sanguine, which means “cheerfully optimistic or hopeful”, I think immediately back to the first time I encountered this word, in David Copperfield, a novel by Charles Dickens. (Sanguine can also mean blood-red, or blood-related, which might make more sense based on the word!) Because of this initial association, I can safely say I’ve never used this word in actual spoken English, and I probably never will. That’s because I have my own set of associations with this word. Another speaker of English might not have these associations and might use the word sanguine quite freely.
So maybe in this way, in speaking a foreign language, we adopt our own way of speaking, a way of speaking which is uniquely ours, and which tells about the person we are when we speak.
I also just watched a TedTalk by Elizabeth Lesser. It’s a bit on the longer side, but she talks about her own experiences with becoming somebody new later in life. She also talks about childbirth and death, but her talk is a helpful reminder that we can, in fact, begin anytime.
But I want to turn it over to you.
Who are you in a foreign language? Give me your opinion. Do you act differently than you do in your native language? Do you think differently? Who are you? Try to think about giving an introduction to yourself. How would you introduce yourself? In your native language? In English? At your job? At a future job? In 5 or 10 years?
Grammar corner
In English, the conditional is used to express unreal conditions. It’s a little complex, since there are degrees of realness and unreal-ness. But let’s take a stab at it, shall we?
Happen to vs. Were to happen
When there’s a real possibility of something occurring, you can use the expression “(should) happen to.” These are most often used when talking about people going places. For example:
If you happen to be in the city, please stop by my apartment. I would love to host you for dinner.
If we should happen to spend the night in Paris, we will definitely give you a call.
However, if you’re talking about a serious and usually negative or perhaps unlikely event, we use “were to (happen)”:
I don’t know what I would do if something were to happen to my kids.
If the company were to suddenly go out of business, we would all be out of a job.
If I were you…
In unreal conditional sentences, we use the past subjunctive: was or were.
If I were your mother, I wouldn’t let you act like that.
If I was your mother, I wouldn’t let you act like that.
If I were you, I would leave for the train station now! You’re going to be late.
More conditionals
A few other ways of using this conditional, which often gets triggered by the words in bold:
I really do enjoy my job, I just wish the commute were shorter. (After wish.)
I wish you weren’t so friendly, I can never get mad at you!
If only I were good at Spanish! (In this case, we wish things were different.)
Suppose we went out to lunch today, how does that sound? (After suppose…, as a suggestion.)
He is acting as if he were still president.
Even if it were snowing, I would still walk to school.
A few exercises
Correct the italicized part if necessary. (Hint: How unlikely or serious is the conditional statement?)
I’d sell the house immediately if it were to belong to me.
If they were to hold an election now, the Democrats would undoubtedly win.
I’d go back to the restaurant if I were to like sushi more.
If I were to doubt his honesty, I wouldn’t employ him.
There would be no cinema in the town if the Odeon were to close.
If I were to understand Chinese, I’d do the translation myself.
Complete the sentences with either as if or even if + an appropriate pronoun and then were:
Muller spoke slowly ______ a great physical effort.
Every day Mrs Demir would walk around the park ______ snowing.
She knew she wouldn’t be able to eat rabbit meat ______ starving.
Theo completely ignored me ______ not standing next to him.
He picked Natasha up ______ no heavier than a two-year-old.
I don’t think I would have gotten the job ______ better qualified.
When Martina saw that I was stuck she laughed out loud ______ a joke.
I wouldn’t accept the job ______ to offer it to me.
Complete the sentences using the following phrases (that need modification) and selecting one item from groups 1 and 2:
I’m very fond of Paul, but I…
Wearing weird shoes to school was embarrassing and I…
I know you haven’t got a lot of time, but…
A: If you’re unhappy with your new convertible, why don’t you ask for your money back?
B: Well, …
I’m not happy about Jess going to Thailand alone. I…
I would be happy to live in the north of Sweden …
Small talk challenge!
This week, I want you to push yourself to start (small) talking. If we have a course this week, I want you to take the initiative. This should last at least 5 minutes.
First, start off with asking something like “How have you been?” “What have you been up to?” “How was your weekend?”
Then, pursue one of these topics a little more deeply. Ask some open-ended questions. These are questions that don’t have a yes or no answer. “What was the last new thing you tried to learn?” “Was there something that surprised you recently?”
If you’re stumped, you can always ask about the weather. The most boring, yet reliable, of small talk topics. “How has the weather been?” “What’s the weather like where you are?”
Then, we’ll have a few scenarios to work through. Think about the following:
You’re at a restaurant with a friend. She’s been to the restaurant before, but you haven’t.
You’re talking to somebody who’s visiting your town for the first time.
You just bumped into an old university classmate. You haven’t seen them for 5 years.
You’re in a business meeting and it’s Monday morning. You’re waiting for the meeting to begin.
You’re waiting for a train to arrive on the platform so you can get on. There was just an announcement saying that the train was delayed, and you’re standing next to an older woman.
So, you have your work cut out for you this week. But you got this. Sometimes, it’s better to imagine a different present or future, and then plan to make it happen. Use the conditional to envision how your life could be, all of the possibilities, and then switch to the future tense to make it happen. Maybe that will soon become the present.
So go for it. And let’s talk again soon.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tedpal.substack.com
Note: This time, you’ll see a few words that have footnotes. The footnotes won’t work in your email, so if you click to view the post on the website, you can click back and forth to see the footnotes. I’m trying to include footnotes as a place to put some phrasal verbs, some expressions, and some challenging vocabulary. These are things you can practice throughout the week.
Hi everyone. We are back. It’s Saturday afternoon here in the South of France. And guess what? I’m only just now creating the content for this week’s assignment. Which can only mean one thing. You guessed it: I’m a big procrastinator.
Let me procrastinate just a little more. Because I love words so much, let’s quickly dive into the etymology of this word, where this word comes from. Most English words are from three major sources: Germanic (Old English and Old Norse, languages spoken before the year 1000 AD), French (which is a Romance language that comes from a spoken Latin), and Latin itself. The oldest words in English are words with Germanic roots. Most of the core grammatical words—like the, a, it, she, he, her, him, his, they, their, am, was, be—these all have Germanic roots. Other words come from French or Latin. Sometimes, a few words in English will originally come from the same word, but entered the English language at different times. These are called doublets, and I’ll link to a much longer list of them. One example of this are the words hospital, hostel, and hotel. These are all places that people stay for one reason or another, but they obviously differ a bit.
Okay, that’s enough of that. But I could go on for days and days about little surprises in the history of English. I won’t, though, at least not today.
All this to say, you’ll be happy to know that the word procrastinate has been happily part of the English language for nearly 500 years!
Here are a few examples, with the dates the word is recorded in written English:
From 1548: The kyng of England..was so sore moued against the Scottysh kyng, that he would not procrastinate nor deferre one houre tyl he were reuenged.
From 1647: To procrastinate in matters clear..may be dangerous.
From 1816, Jane Austen’s Emma: Mr. Weston, always alert when business was to be done, and as incapable of procrastinating any evil that was inevitable, as of foreseeing any that was doubtful, said, "It was time to go;" and the young man, though he might and did sigh, could not but agree, and rise to take leave.
In these examples, we see that the word procrastinate really just means to delay, to put off till later. Of course, with the current meaning of the word procrastinate, we imagine a possibly boring or unpleasant task. Or maybe just a project you need to get done that isn’t due till later. Making this recording is by no means boring or unpleasant. Actually, once I get into the swing of it, the content sort of just writes itself. It’s just a task I know I have to complete on a weekly basis, and I know it has to be done over the weekend, so, naturally, I just wait for the weekend to arrive, and then I do it.
What about a change in behavior?
I usually complain to myself: “Why do I wait until the very last minute? Next week, I am going to start the process earlier.”
But I never do. Sure, I can try to believe that I will. And maybe it is something I should actually try doing, but I haven't been successful thus far so instead of continuing to resist and change behavior, which is really, really hard, sometimes I think it’s better to lean into it. Just accept it and incorporate it into your schedule.
For me, procrastination usually means that I have other priorities in my work, in my day. Not always, but sometimes. So I know that it’s totally fine for me to wait until the weekend to do most of the work.
And when that time comes, I buckle down and get to work. This deadline is incredibly motivating for me, and that both helps me focus and helps me be creative. If I tried to do it on Monday, for instance, I’m sure the end result would be s**t.
But what if you want to up your study of English? What if you want to push yourself to work a little bit more?
Well, you can set yourself some mini-deadlines throughout the week. Something I really enjoy doing in another language is reading opinion pieces in a newspaper that I get every week. It’s not necessarily the most active form of language learning, since I’m reading, looking up a word here or there, and thinking about the topic. But it’s still active learning time, and because I know I receive it every week in my physical mailbox, I feel obligated to read it. And I do. (Most of the time. I got out of the habit once when I was studying for an exam, but now, I’m almost caught up.) So this is a weekly deadline. It’s something that happens regularly, that I enjoy doing, and that is a realistic amount of work, all good things for a deadline to be.
At the same time, I had loosely set another goal of reading more fiction in a foreign language. I’m going a lot slower than I thought, but this doesn’t need to be a weekly goal. For me, it’s okay to change things up a bit and be a little more flexible.
Along the same lines, obviously having scheduled English practice, in the form of a lesson, can be very motivating. This is something that really motivates me, especially when I have something specific to work on before a lesson. I know I have to be present during a lesson, so that’s dedicated practice, and then I review that content later in the week.
You and your teachers can help set practical goals together, and your teacher—maybe that’s me!—can help hold you accountable. Even just saying that goal aloud to somebody else can really help motivate you to keep your goal. Say it out loud, write it down, tell your partner, tell a friend, tell me.
Having that deadline hanging over you can be extremely motivating. But the trick is to consider it an actual deadline. It has to count. You have to stick to it. You have to keep doing it.
Lean in to your procrastination
Use your procrastination of other tasks to do a little language learning. We all procrastinate tasks in our life. I sometimes vacuum, do the dishes, or go for a run, all in order to procrastinate. Good thing that none of these activities prevent me from practicing a foreign language. What I usually do is put on a podcast and listen while I do these tasks. Even 10 minutes of passive language learning—of just listening to something or watching something—is still language learning. I have two go-to podcasts that I switch on whenever I’m in a situation like this.
Don't create extra work for yourself. If you already have things you do in your native language, try to switch one of those things into English. When you spend time reading, listening to music, watching a recipe video, try to do it in English. Or carry a little notebook around with you of phrases to practice during the week when you have a little downtime. All practice is good practice, even just a few minutes here and there, from time to time.
In addition to 2, pair other activities with language learning. There are tons of workout videos, yoga videos, even tutorials on things you might already do. Some of my students have gotten into padel, a tennis-like sport. Watch a tutorial in English about it, and then try to think about it in English when you’re playing. I’ll link to an 11-minute wake-up yoga video, that’s from the channel Yoga with Adriene. Watching yoga videos is a great way to learn some body movement vocabulary and to really coordinate hand and leg motions with the rest of your body. Right hand comes to the left knee, left fingertips can come behind and you want to be careful not to push or force here but keep it nice and easy as we begin to deepen the breath and wake up the spine. And keep the shoulders relaxed as you bring it back to center. Once again, big inhale as you reach for the sky. Spread the fingertips. Find a nice big stretch through the front body, the back body, and the sides of your body here. Reaching up to breathe in. And then exhale, twisting as you breathe out.
Get to know your procrastination a little bit. What do you usually procrastinate? What language learning tasks do you usually avoid doing? Make a list of things that you do regularly and that you would like to do regularly but you don’t. What do you notice about things you are able to keep up? About things that you just don’t do? What activities are more pleasant? Dedicated grammar study maybe isn’t fun for you, but watching a TV show in English might be more fun. And this is something you can adapt and try to extract more value from.
My overall philosophy is that language learning isn’t a 10 kilometer race, or even a marathon. It’s a longer journey, maybe a long walk on a trail, with different stops along the way. Some days, some weeks might be more productive than others. Maybe you go farther, or climb higher, or walk faster. Others, you stop and spend a little bit of time, sitting by a lake, maybe talking to a friend, or somebody new. But the most important thing is that you enjoy the journey.
This week’s work
Think about how you procrastinate, why you procrastinate. What are the tasks you procrastinate? Do you see any opportunities to insert English? Where? When?
Can you think of a deadline to set for yourself this week? A small one?
Can you think of a few phrases you’d like to think about this week?
Write a few sentences about your own procrastination. Or record a few moments talking about it. What are some ways that you can use it to your advantage? To help you focus? To help you progress?
Finally, make a list of all of your language-learning habits and routines. What are all the things you currently do to learn English? These can be large and small. But be specific. Think about the past week, or past month. And then think about what you can do to build off that success.
Some examples:
I looked up words as I read a book in French. I underlined some of the words and put them aside. Maybe your next step here is to revisit those words, look them up on Youglish, and see how else they’re used.
I started listening to a podcast about Simone Schwarz-Bart, a novelist from Guadeloupe, a French overseas territory, while I was doing a light jog yesterday. I want to revisit this podcast and listen again, this time, looking for phrases and ideas that are interesting.
I had a French lesson. I need to review a few phrases and select a few to practice for this week.
See? That wasn’t so hard. Now it’s your turn.
Of course now, I’m quite late! It’s already Sunday morning. I started writing this before I went out to grab a drink yesterday with a few friends, since grabbing a drink is something you can do now that restaurants in France are allowing outdoor dining.
I’m not sure what this week will bring, but every week is a new week, to try something a little different, or just view yourself a little bit differently.
Good luck this week! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on procrastination.
Let’s talk soon.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tedpal.substack.com
Hi everyone. Welcome back to another installment of this, well, sort of podcast. This is week 3 of my experiment, which I hope you’re enjoying! And just what have I cooked upfor you today? You’ll have to listen up to find out. You will probably also have to continue and listen on—or read on—depending on how you’re consuming this content.
Personally, for me, this week has been full of ups and downs. And I can’t even complain that much! Vaccinations are speeding uphere in France—and at the same time, Covid cases are slowing down. The beginning of the week was ridiculously windy and stormy, but it finally cleared up and the sun came out. By the end of the week, things were looking up—things were starting to improve.
Okay, I gotta stop. As you can see, there are a ton of phrasal verbs with up in them. So today I’ll be talking about phrasal verbs using the word up. This is one of the most common words you’ll find in English phrasal verbs. Sometimes, up completely changes the meaning of the base verb (compare wrap and wrap up); some just add a little bit of additional meaning (clean vs. clean up). So for the upcoming week, try to select a few of these phrasal verbs to use in your daily English practice. I’ll include some suggestions later on, and there will also be a little exercise.
Cook up something nice
During the week, I regularly cook up pasta for dinner. As some of you know, I am vegan, which means I don’t eat any animal products—no eggs, no butter, no dairy products, no cheese. I’m vegan for a lot of reasons (mostly having to do with how humans treat animals), but by now, I have been vegan since 2004. That’s almost 17 years, so I’ve been vegan for almost as long as I wasn’t vegan (all of my childhood until high school).
Since I’m vegan, you might think that might limit the kinds of pasta dishes I’m able to eat. But you would be wrong! There’s an almost limitless variety of pasta dishes that just happen to be vegan—even pasta dishes that are authenticand that Italian grandmothers would make. And they do make them!
I recently discovered this amazing YouTube channel called Pasta Grannies. Technically, I must confess, I didn’t discover it. My Italian partner did, so it’s thanks to him that I’m sharing this with you! The YouTube channel features this British woman who travels all over Italy, filming Italian grandmothers making traditional pasta—from scratch! In Italian, “grandmothers” is nonne—that’s the plural of nonna.) 70, 80, and 90-year-old grandmothers making everything in their kitchens. It’s really true, I swear, I’m not making this up! They make pasta of all shapes and sizes. And, as is tradition in Italy, different pasta shapes go with different sauces and toppings. So in the video below, you’ll see the pasta granny making a special type of curly pasta which is traditionally served with pesto.
Take a close look at the video that I’ll include in the transcript. We might use it during our conversation. But in any case, I highly recommend that you subscribe to Pasta Grannies, as a way to spice up your English knowledge, especially if you enjoy Italy and Italian cooking. YouTube is full of amazing content in English. Find something you like, find something you’re interested in, find something with language that you can use in your daily life. Add it to your routine.
Up your English
There are a lot of phrasal verbs that use the word up in English. A lot. At least 50. Some of them don't really have very different meanings from their non-phrasal-verb counterparts. We’ll talk about some of those first, and then I want to make sure to serve you up some essential phrasal verbs, with independent meanings that will help you sound more fluent.
Pick up is an essential phrasal verb.
You can pick up an item at the store, when you buy it and bring it home. “Pick me up some cherries from the market. They’re in season and they looked delicious when I went by yesterday.”
You pick someone up when you go somewhere to bring them to another place. “I need to pick up my kids at school. I’ll be back in 30 minutes.” You can also pick up a friend at the airport.
You pick up the phone when somebody calls you and you answer it. “I never pick up the phone if the number is unlisted. It’s probably a telemarketer!”
You pick up something that’s on the ground or the floor. “Please pick up the trash! It’s illegal to litter.”
You pick up a skill or a language when you learn how to do it, with little effort. “She picked up Arabic when she was living in Lebanon, without any formal instruction. I’m amazed!”
Some non-essential uses of pick up
You can also pick up your room, which means clean your bedroom. The word clean is interchangeable here, so this one isn’t essential.
If work picks up, it’s becoming busier or business increases and you make more money. “Quarter 3 is when my work really picks up, so I won’t be able to go out for drinks after work.”
Straighten up is similar to tidy up and clean up
We really need to straighten up our house before our guests arrive. Otherwise, I’ll be really embarrassed!
When you mess up, you make a mistake. “I really messed up. I shouldn’t have told my mother I was leaving. She’s really upset now.” This is different from making a mess, which means creating disorder and making things unclean. “The kids always make a mess in the yard, but that’s okay, because they’re outside.”
To grow up is to become an adult. People can grow in height. But people only grow up when they become an adult. A very common question that we ask children, at least in the US: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Do any of us actually know the answer to this question?
When you speak up, you either increase the volume of your voice or you say something clearly and openly. “Nobody can hear what you’re saying. Please speak up! (Speak louder!)” “If you don’t think you’ll be able to finish the project by the deadline, please speak up during the meeting so we can talk about it together. Please share your thoughts openly and clearly.”
When you show up at work, you appear at work. You go to work. “We’ll have the meeting with whoever shows up. It doesn’t matter if you were invited or not.”
You often have to set up a new piece of technology. “These days, iPhones are really easy to set up. You just turn it on, take a tour, and go!” You can also set somebody up with something. If you’re new at a job, the HR manager might help you get set up at your desk with the necessary equipment.
You can use bread to soak up sauce. You might also spice up a meal with a little bit of extra flavor.
While you can either open or open up a door, with little difference in meaning, when you open up to somebody, you share your emotions with them. “It took 3 months, but John finally opened up to me. He really is very sensitive.”
If you meet up with friends, you go somewhere with friends and spend time together. You might meet friends at a particular place, but this only means that you will first make contact there. Meeting up with friends and hanging out with friends are near synonyms. Meeting friends at a particular place and time is only for where you literally go.
Did you meet up with Sally this weekend?
Did you meet Sally this weekend?
Where did you end up meeting your friends, if the bar was closed?
I met up with a few university friends this weekend. It was fun!
Up goes with a whole bunch of cleaning words, to signify completion, but none of these are essential or require up. Usually, objects will follow the word up.
Please sweep (up) the crumbs after dinner, the floor is a mess.
I have to rake (up) the leaves before I go out.
To fix (up) something is to repair it. I have to fix up the bike before I can ride it.
Mop up, wash up, use up. These all work without up. “I can’t believe you used (up) all the paper! I really needed to print something today.” The up adds emphasis on the aspect of completion.
You top up a drink when you fill it up to the top. “Can I top you up? Oh, oops, my mistake you’ve already finished your second drink. Do you want another?”
You dress up when you wear fancier clothes than usual. “Let’s get dressed up tonight! I want to look fabulous for when we go out.”
Your task for the week
Learning a language is like exercising a muscle. If you always do the same things every week, you probably won’t see much progress. You need to increase the variety and intensity of English workouts you do.
That includes using English in situations that you don’t usually. For this week, I want to hear about a meal you’ve prepared, from start to finish. Be sure to use some of the essential phrasal verbs with up. I’ll be keeping count. The more details, the better.
Start with the ingredients you need to pick up from the grocery store (or market).
Then, talk about how you prepare the food. Do you always eat up everything you prepare? Or do you save some for leftovers?
Finally, end with how you clean up the meal. Do you straighten up the kitchen?
I’m excited to see what you come up with, both in the English you use and the meal you cook up.
So now I’ll wrap up this week’s installment. Dinner is almost ready. Nothing special, we’re just heating upsome leftover pizza. (Friday is pizza night here at home!) ’m actually quite amazed. As I’m recording this, it’s still light outside, even though it’s 8:30pm. I don’t know about you, but I’m really ready for summer.
I just whipped up a little dessert, though. Rhubarb cobbler. If you’re curious, I’ll link to the recipe I used in the transcript. And I will also include a photo of the lovely rhubarb—local and in season. People often eat rhubarb with strawberries, but I love the tartness of rhubarb by itself.
To keep you on your toes, I’ll add a few fill-in-the-blanks. But anyway, keep up the good work. And let’s talk again soon.
Fill in the blanks
Complete the sentences. Each time use a verb + up. Sometimes you will need other words as well. Not all of these phrasal verbs were covered today’s post.
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Don’t wait up for me. I don’t want to _________ .
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I have no idea what this word means. I’ll have to _________ .
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There’s nothing we can do about that problem. We’ll just have to _________ it.
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“Was that really a true story?” “No, I _________ .”
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I think we should follow Tom’s suggestion. Nobody has _________ a better plan.
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I hate this photo of me. I’m going to _________ .
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I’m trying to spend less money these days. I’m _________ a trip to Australia.
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After the party, my place was a mess. Some friends helped me _________ .
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Sammy, if you don’t _________ your spinach, you can’t have any dessert.
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We can _________ the asparagus with a nice lemon dressing.
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The Prime Minister appointed three new ministers in an attempt to _________ his failing administration.
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You’ve just dropped some of your letters. Let me _________ for you.
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I noticed Tim’s bike _________ against a wall outside Joanna’s apartment. He must be inside.
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Your black shirt is a little plain—why don’t you _________ a bit with a colorful scarf?
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I think we should try and _________ the meeting by 4pm. We’re all tired and need to leave work early.
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Can you _________ that plant pot? I need to put a saucer under it to catch the water.
Think somebody might benefit from this? Please send it to a friend or family member!
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tedpal.substack.com
Note: I’m a little later than usual this weekend, but I also added a grammar goody. You’ll see I also improvised a little bit this week, so I go off script a few times. Check out the recording at 5:45 to see some English filler words in action!
And another week’s gone by. How have things been going? What have you been doing this week? How has your English studying been going? Sometimes progress feels slow. And sometimes, you feel like you’ve made quite a bit of progress, especially after a little accomplishment, even a very small one.
Lately, I’ve been feeling like a beginner in all sorts of ways. I often feel overwhelmed when I think of how much more I have to learn in French (or Italian or Spanish or the other languages I haven’t started to learn yet). There’s literally always more of a language to learn.
Some of you might also know that I row. It’s a water sport, where you row (backwards) and usually try to race. Since I’m new to the sport, I’ve had to slowly work my way up to the traditional rowing boats, which are long and narrow and very unstable on the water. A few wrong moves and you’ll flip the boat over and fall into the water. (Luckily, I haven’t yet fallen in!)
Since I’ve gotten the hang of the rowing gestures, I’ve been trying out the more traditional boats, and I get to feel like a beginning all over again. The stress, the nervousness, the anxiety of doing something you’re uncomfortable doing.
In a lot of ways, this is the same feeling you might get when you’re in unfamiliar situations, trying to speak English, especially when you’re trying to communicate something new that you’ve never had to talk about before.
But like any skill, becoming more proficient in a language involves practicing these situations. Practicing, getting feedback, and improving. Finding your balance. Maybe you’ll fall into the water once or twice, get completely wet, and then turn the boat over, so it’s right-side-up (instead of upside-down), and get back in.
Got 15 minutes? Listen to a book summary
I am always looking for new resources to share. Podcasts, videos, music, articles. There seems to be an endless supply of new content on the Internet, all the time.
Sometimes, things can get overwhelming. One new Instagram account to follow this month, another influencer to listen to the next month. But occasionally, there’s an interesting resource that is worth checking out.
This week, I want to share with you something that I listen to once in a while. It’s the free daily sample of Blinkist, which is a tech company that summarizes a lot of self-help books and then records somebody reading the summary, along with the text of the summary. Lots of books, reduced to 10 or 15 minutes in length, about things like productivity, procrastination, exercise, good habits.
Every day of the week, there’s a different free book available. You don’t need to sign up for an account or anything. Just click the link that I’ll put in the text of the newsletter: https://www.blinkist.com/en/nc/daily. Today, for instance, the summary is about humans’ love of flowers. The book talks about the role flowers have played in the lives of humans, dating back 70,000 years.
I definitely don’t love every book they summarize. I’m also not convinced that every book should be summarized. What’s the point of even writing books if eventually it will just end up summarized?
If you sign up for their newsletter (after creating an account), they’ll send you a weekly schedule. Each recorded summary is available for 24 hours. This is what part of the schedule that they email you looks like:
YouGlish: How do you say it?
The more you spend thinking in, reading in, or speaking another language, the more you’ll find little language gems. Little bits of language that make you excited to keep learning. A phrase that you definitely want to try to use in your language practice.
This week, I learned a second meaning of the French word accoucher, which means to give birth. In a conversation, if the person you’re talking with is taking a long time to explain something or tell a story, you can tell them: “Accouche!” Which translates to “Give birth!”
As you get more familiar with a language, you start run into these peculiarities of language. I’m not sure I’ll be using this phrase soon, but it’s something fun to know.
In English, there are a few phrases you could use. I’ll include a few links to YouGlish, a service that searches Youtube video transcripts for words and phrases and then queues up the video to 5 or so seconds before. It allows you to listen to English being used naturally and natively with the just a quick search.
Get to the point!
Spit it out!
Out with it!
YouGlish is especially great when you aren’t sure about how a word is pronounced. But I also find it incredibly useful for seeing how native speakers use words and phrases as part of a larger phrase. A lot of the videos are TedTalks, because they provide really thorough transcripts, and for English-learners, there’s a nice variety of content from different sources, different speakers, and so on.
Grammar: In Review
If you need a little refresher on present simple versus present perfect, click here.
I started out by talking in the present perfect continuous. This tense is absolutely essential for all speakers of English. It helps you talk about things that are in progress, and have been in progress, until recently or even continuing into the present.
When a piece of work, a task, an activity, a habit has been in progress until recently, it’s the best tense to use. It emphasizes progress, especially when you talk about time durations.
I have been learning English seriously for the past 5 years. (And this activity is ongoing in the present.)
I have learned English from my boyfriend. (This sentence isn’t completely natural. It implies that the learning is complete in some way.)
She’s been writing this book since she was in her 20s and only now is it finished.
She’s written 5 books in the last year. (These books are done!)
Compare:
I’ve been working on my presentation all day. I need a break. (In this case, I’m still working on it! The emphasis is on the continuing nature of the activity.)
I’ve worked on my presentation all day, and it’s looking pretty good!
Attention: Some verbs can’t be used in continuous tenses. These are stative verbs, verbs that describe unchanging states. Here’s a short list:
agree, approve of, believe, belong to, consider (hold an opinion), consist of, contain, cost, depend, disagree, gather (understand), hate, have (own), know, like, loathe, love, mean, own, need, possess, prefer, realize, regret, remember, resemble, suppose, think (hold an opinion), understand, want, wish, etc.
How long have you known each other? (Not: “Have you been knowing”. This is completely ungrammatical.)
I’ve liked chocolate every since I was little. (Not: “I have been liking…”)
Sometimes, the present perfect continuous and the present perfect can be used interchangeably, when talking about general situations that exist until the present:
I’ve been looking forward to seeing you since the last time we saw each other!
I’ve looked forward to seeing you since the last time we saw each other!
Repeated activities will often require the present perfect continuous, because they are ongoing.
I have been jogging a lot more since the first lockdown.
We also use it when we draw a conclusion or try to criticize something:
Who’s been reading my emails? I see that my mail app is open on my computer and I didn’t open it!
You’ve been studying English a lot, haven’t you? You sound much more confident!
The present perfect focuses on the results:
I’ve made $500 more this month.
He’s used all the sugar to bake a cake, so now I have to buy more.
Again, present perfect continuous emphasizes an ongoing or repeated activity. The present perfect suggests something has finished after happening once or after happening a fixed number of times.
Students have been requesting better teachers (probably every month, every year, and it will continue).
Students have requested better teachers (to help them prepare for a test).
Now, test your knowledge. I’ve included a little quiz for your benefit.
Some words in review:
To be new to something is to start something
I’m new to learning English. How do I begin?
He’s new to the company. Can you show him around?
To get the hang of something is to learn how to do something
I’m finally getting the hang of baking bread. Today, my loaf was delicious!
Stick with it. Eventually, you’ll get the hang of pronouncing your r’s in English.
Upside-down, right-side-up.
Something is upside-down if it’s reversed. Why are the trees upside-down in that painting? I don’t understand. Is it supposed to be like that?
Once in a while means occasionally.
I like to go out to eat once in a while, so I get to not cook some nights.
What’s the point? is a question asking “What’s the meaning? What’s the purpose?”
Really, what’s the point of working more on the presentation? The boss is going to criticize it so much and make you do it over again anyway.
To be not convinced: a polite way of disagreeing with something, of expressing doubt
I’m not convinced that is the best route to take.
She wasn’t convinced getting a dog was a good idea.
The more you… the more… is a useful comparative construction.
The more you study, the more you'll learn.
The more you practice English, the more comfortable you’ll feel when speaking.
Well, I think that about covers it for this week. The wind has really picked up here. I can see the massive plane trees outside my window sway in the wind. And now, I need to start planning my week. Where will I fit in everything I need to do?
If you are looking for some things to do, here are some suggestions.
Review the present perfect continuous and take the quiz: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeMPr7kizEN37FM2PEcjp5x1q90AlVQYgkkjP292n_ZnomntA/viewform
Listen to a book summary one morning this week and take a few notes, write a few of your own thoughts: http://blinkist.com/en/nc/daily
Look up a word or phrase on Youglish. Get some daily practice.
Have a good week, and let’s talk again soon.
Ted
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tedpal.substack.com
Quick note: I’m trying something else out today. This week, I’m including an entire audio version of the post and assignment. Think of it as a conversation, one that you can respond to afterwards. As always, I’m eager to hear your feedback. What do you think? Send me an audio message with your reply. Make sure you’re subscribed to this free newsletter, and make sure your English-learning friends are, too.
Hi everyone. It’s me, Ted, recording from the South of France.
It has been a long, rainy week. Even though the rain hasn’t been that heavy, it has been steady. This particular photo is part of what I see when I look out from my apartment. It’s actually what I see as I’m talking right now. This oak tree, with its newly sprouted leaves, in several shades of green, has been rained on all week, and when the rain is light, the leaves bend and move with the weight of the water.
I don’t really mind the rain. When I used to teach in a school in the United States, I would bike to school every day, rain or shine—and sometimes even snow. (Though, I drew the line when the road was icy.) This week, on Wednesday morning, like I do every Wednesday, I biked across the city to a small, organic farmers market. And since it was raining, I got rained on. Ever since I discovered this market late last fall, I’ve become a regular—at one market stall in particular, called El Patio Bio. (A quick language note: Even though patio is a Spanish word, the French corrupted the pronunciation so it’s pasjo, as if it were like the name Ignacio. I found this very strange—one of the words you can’t know how to pronounce in French by only reading it.)
How did I start going regularly?
Well, for one, obviously, shopping for veggies is important to me—especially since, as you know, I’m vegan and only eat plant-based products. So there’s a clear purpose to going, and it’s one that is relevant to me.
Second, it’s convenient. It takes place on Wednesday mornings, and Wednesdays are one of the two days I take off from teaching English.
Third, it’s an enjoyable experience. I enjoy doing it. I ride my bike there, which is already something I love doing. And when I get there, I chitchat with the farmers. They ask me how I am. I ask how they are. They sometimes mistake me for Dutch or German—which I take as a compliment because it means that even though they can detect an accent, they can’t pinpoint my accent as being American. I take whatever small wins I can get when it comes to learning a language!
And this week, I even braved the rain to go. But that’s because the activity has become habitual. It’s become a habit. It’s an important activity, and it’s convenient and enjoyable. I make it work for me every week.
So this brings us back to last week’s post about Feeling Stuck? in language learning. If you’re still feeling stuck, if you’re still feeling like you aren’t progressing as quickly as you would like, think about non-language habits you have and do on a weekly basis. Are there things you do every week? Every day? Why do you do them? Think about your motivations and think about what you get out of them.
How can you translate and apply these habits to your language learning? There are a thousand ways, and I’ve talked about a few of them already. But it needs to work for you. It can’t just work for polyglots on the internet, it can’t work for only me, it can’t work for your romantic partner or your cousin or your cat.
It has to work for you.
And with that, the rain has finally let up, so it’s time to go for a quick walk.
Key words and phrases
Rainy day words:
Rain can be heavy, if it’s raining hard, if it’s raining a lot.
Light rain is more pleasant to walk in, because you don’t get as wet.
Steady rain is rain that continues for a set amount of time.
The rain lets up when it becomes lighter and maybe even stops.
When you brave unpleasant conditions, like heavy rain, you intentionally and deliberately expose yourself them. Rain, snow, a storm, an angry crowd, criticism, and so on.
Nature has many shades of green—all different hues and colors in the green family. Shade is also what trees provide when they block the sun. It’s nice to find a nice shady spot for a picnic on a summer day.
If I don’t mind the rain, the rain doesn’t bother me. I also don’t mind doing the dishes, because it gives me a chance to listen to a podcast in French.
When you draw the line at something, you’ve reached your limit. You won’t do anything extra or additional. You might be okay going out in light rain, but you probably draw the line when it’s pouring.
I discovered something new this week when I found or saw something for the first time.
A market stall or stand is a vendor at a market. Each vendor usually has their own stall.
Occasionally, it’s good to take a day off from something. To skip a day of activity to get some rest or take a break. You might take a day off from working out, from studying.
When you chitchat with someone, you talk about small things, things that don’t really matter—like small talk.
To detect an accent is to be able to hear an accent in someone’s speech. When you’re learning a foreign language, it can be heard to detect accents. But when you can pinpoint an accent in a language, you can identify it with accuracy. You can also pinpoint a problem.
And last but not least: if you achieve a small win, you accomplish something specific and concrete, but maybe small. It is important to celebrate your small wins when it comes to learning English, because this will help motivate you and keep you on track.
So: what’s one of your small wins for the week?
Exercise your English
Thinking back to last week’s post about good goal-setting, this week you’re going to do the same task twice: describe a picture. You can choose whether to do this in writing or by voice recording. Your choice.
There are some beautiful photos from the award winners from an international food photo competition. I’m most drawn to the first one, the family in the middle of preparing a meal. You’ll want to look closely at the photo. Zoom in. Observe each corner, each nook.
Here’s the task:
First describe the photo from the perspective of one of the people in the photo. What’s happening at the moment, in the present? Use the present simple, the present continuous, the present perfect, and any other tenses you think are necessary. What is the person thinking? What is the person feeling? What does the person see?
Then, switch gears and switch perspectives. You’re going to change tenses. Imagine you’re the photographer and you’re talking about the moments leading up to when you snapped the photo. The description should end with the phrase “And that’s when I snapped the photo and captured the moment.” This will require you to use past tenses: the past simple, the past perfect, the past continuous, the past perfect continuous. I’ve included a few helpful links in a Guide to English Tenses, for reference material.
For the first photo, I’m providing you with a few key words, terms, and phrases to help you get started:
Dumplings are balls of dough stuffed with veggies or meat, which makes up the filling. Dumplings can be steamed, boiled, fried, or baked.
A wood-burning stove is a kitchen stove that uses wood and fire to cook.
Newspaper lines the walls and the windows. (But why?)
Rays of light stream into a room, and they are visible when there is smoke, dust, or something else in the air that allows the light to be seen.
When you take a photo, you want a part of the scene to be in focus. Something that you want to highlight in the photo. Something you want to stand out. Something you want the viewer of the photo to see and notice. What’s in focus in the photo?
The main parts of the photo make up the foreground. Other parts of the photo make up the background.
The edges, or corners, of the photo might hide details that you don’t notice on first glance.
That’s it for this week. Let me know what you think of this audio format. I would love to hear your feedback. Do you want to hear more posts like this? I have mixed audio into posts before, but this was the first time doing 100% audio and creating a transcript to go along with it.
Have good rest of your weekend. Stay dry if it’s raining where you are. As always, keep practicing your English.
Let’s talk soon.
Ted
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