Speak English podcast with teacher Georgiana

#195 Santa Claus – Fun Facts – ESL Get the transcript here: https://Speakenglishpodcast.com Please join me on Telegram:https://t.me/speakenglishpodcastcom/podcast Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. Merry Christmas everyone! Today I would like to share with you five fun facts about Santa Claus. And with a fun mini-story, I will help you improve your English fluency. You just have to answer some simple questions, as if we had an informal English conversation. There are so many things I love about Christmas. I love baking Christmas cookies, watching Christmas movies, buying presents, and decorating the tree. And let’s not forget about Father Christmas, Santa Claus. I hope you’re having a great Christmas this year. 1. Is Santa Claus real? Yes, of course. Santa Claus is real. The real name of Santa Claus was Saint Nicholas, but he was also known as Kris Kringle. Saint Nicholas was born in modern-day Turkey. After donating all his inherited wealth, he became famous for helping the poor and sick. Over the years, he became popular for his deeds and became known as the protector of children. In many countries, on December 6, people still celebrate Saint Nicholas Day. And this day was considered a lucky day to make large purchases or for marriage purposes. 2. Why is Father Christmas known as Santa Claus? St. Nicholas became known as Santa Claus after his Dutch nickname, Sintar Klaas. In the 18th century, a New York Historical Society member distributed woodcuts of St. Nicholas at the society’s annual meeting. On the other hand, Washington Irving, the author of the book The History of New York, further popularized the tales of Sintar Klaas by referring to St. Nicholas as the patron saint of New York in his book. 3. How old is Santa? Santa Claus’ origins go back to a monk named St. Nicholas, born between 260 and 280 AD in a village called Patara, part of modern-day Turkey. So in 2021, Santa Claus is about 1750 years old. That’s amazing! 🙂 4. Who created the image of Santa Claus? One of the first artists to define the modern image of Santa Claus was Thomas Nast. This 19th century American cartoonist immortalized Santa Claus with an illustration for the January 3, 1863 issue of Harper’s Weekly. Santa was dressed in an American flag and riding in a sleigh pulled by reindeer in this drawing. 5. Is it true that Santa traditionally wears red because of Coca‑Cola? Many believe that Santa Claus wears red because of Coca-Cola. Although there is no doubt that the soft drink company has influenced the representation of Santa Claus, the fact is that Saint Nicholas appeared in many illustrations and written descriptions wearing a scarlet coat. Speak English Now Podcast with Georgiana

#194 The History of Coca-Cola - ESL Get the transcript here: https://Speakenglishpodcast.com Please join me on Telegram:https://t.me/speakenglishpodcastcom/podcast Today, I will talk about Coca-Cola. And with a mini-story, you will improve your English fluency while learning some fun facts about Coca-Cola. Do you like Coca-Cola? I used to drink plenty of Coke when I was younger, but I try to drink more water nowadays. However, I admit that Coca-Cola is the perfect drink to complement my popcorn at the cinema. And the good news is that if you want a healthier version, you can choose the sugar-free and even caffeine-free Coke. But when and how was Coca-Cola invented? In 1886, John Pemberton, a pharmacist from Georgia, invented a new kind of syrup. The drink was first sold as a nerve tonic that "relieves exhaustion," but it wasn't very successful. Therefore, he sold his secret formula to another pharmacist,Asa Griggs Candler. Candler was actually the one who invented Coca-Cola, ashe mixed Pemberton's syrup with soda. He started selling Coca-Cola in several drugstores and advertised his new drink, and soon people were going to the drugstores just to get a drink of Coca-Cola. Before long, the drink became very popular, and a couple of entrepreneurs wanted to sell it in bottles. So, Candler sold them a license to bottle the drink, and soon the men were millionaires. Did you know that theCoca-Cola bottleis the most recognizable object in the world? The famous Coca-Cola bottle is more than 100 years old. Although the drink doesn't contain any cocoa, the famous bottle was originally shaped like a cocoa bean. Its unusual shape initially helped Coca-Cola stand out from its competitors. Nowadays, hundreds of millions of people can recognize a Coca-Cola bottle by its shape. Also, the well-knownCoca-Cola logois the most famous in the world, perhaps because it has not changed in more than 100 years. The company still uses the script logo that Frank Robinson crafted in 1891. Coca-Cola became popular in Europe during the First World War. American soldiers in Europe started asking for Coca-Cola, so the company started exporting it, and soon the drink was also being bottled in Europe. Today, Coca-Cola is produced in countries worldwide and is undoubtedly the most popular drink in the world. When it comes to the famous formula, it is probably the most valuable secret in the world. The exact ingredients used to make Coca-Cola are known to only a handful of people. And since Christmas is coming up, I wanted to answer a very common question aboutSantaand Coca-Cola. Did you know that many people think that the Coca-Cola Company invented Santa Claus? Actually, I will talk in more detail about Father Christmas in a future episode, but I can assure you that Coca-Cola did not invent Father Christmas. The company began using Santa Claus in its advertising in the 1920s; however, Santa's story dates back to the third century. That's all about Coca-Cola and Santa for today. Let's continue with a mini-story. Speak English Now Podcast with Georgiana Get the transcript here: https://Speakenglishpodcast.com Please join me on Telegram:https://t.me/speakenglishpodcastcom/podcast

#193 How to express Probability in English? Get the transcript here: https://Speakenglishpodcast.com Please join me on Telegram:https://t.me/speakenglishpodcastcom/podcast Listen to a new episode of Speak English Now Podcast, your favorite material for practicing your spoken and heard English. You will also learn about lifestyle and culture, language, vocabulary, and how to improve your English more effectively. Transcript: Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. – Do you know how to express probability in English? Probably, but just in case, let’s practice with some basic expressions. In the second part, we will practice fluency with a short mini-story of questions and answers. You can get the transcript of this episode and more at Speakenglishpodcast.com. Very good. When we talk, we usually say things that are true, or at least we believe them to be true. For example, “it’s cold today,” but we can also say things that we don’t know one hundred percent if they are true. In today’s episode, we will learn some phrases and words used to express probability. I’m sure you already know some of these expressions, and seeing them with some examples will help you consolidate them. The key is to hear them in context and over time, repeating them several times. Don’t try to learn them all in one day. Since these expressions are used a lot, it will be easy to remember and use them. Imagine the following situation: Someone doesn’t know where the keys are. Example: – Where are the keys? I have to go out, and I can’t find them. They might be in the room. They may be in the room. They could be in the room. See? “They might/may/could be in the room” indicates an assumption, a certain probability. You think they are, with some probability, in the room when you say, “they might/may/could be in the room.” Note that if you say: “They are in the room,” this means that you know for sure that they are there, but if you say “they might/may/could be in the room,” then it is a probability. Let’s learn now how to make guesses about the past. Here we’ll use may have, might have, or could have. Examples: “I didn’t receive your invitation. It may have got lost in the mail.” “It’s late. Your sister might have arrived by now.” “Where is she? She could have got lost.” Note that if you say: “In the summer, it could be very hot here.” This means that sometimes it can be very hot in the summer. Here, we use “could” to make general statements about the past. Get the transcript here: https://Speakenglishpodcast.com Please join me on Telegram:https://t.me/speakenglishpodcastcom/podcast

#154 How to write a business email in English part #2 READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com 0:00 Intro 0:11 Episode 154 5:20 Story Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. Last week we started learning how to write a formal business email in English. Today we will learn how to close an email with a final comment and greeting. I’ll also give you an example of a formal email that you can use in different situations. With a point of view story, you will improve your grammar. Sending a formal or professional email in English can always be challenging, so I decided to dedicate two episodes to this topic. If you haven’t yet listened to last week’s episode, I invite you to do so before listening to today’s lesson. Ok, let’s get started! After giving or asking for information, it’s time to close with a remark. Here are some examples: 5. Closing remarks: This is how you could respond when you are answering a customer query. “If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.” Use this phrase to let the other person know that you are eager to hear from them soon: “I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.” This way, you encourage the other person to contact you if they need to do so. More closing phrases: “Thank you in advance for your reply / your help.” “Please let me know if you have other questions or concerns.” “Please don’t forget to _______________.” “Please get back to me: by Monday/ before Monday / soon. “ “I appreciate your prompt reply.” “I hope to speak with you / hear from / see you soon.” 6. Complimentary Close (followed by your name) We will end our email with a complimentary close. Best Regards, Best wishes, Kind Regards, Regards, Sincerely, Thank you, Enjoy the weekend, Have a good weekend, day, Friday, Have a safe flight, Enjoy your trip, Best wishes, regards, All these can be used interchangeably as a way to pay your respects to the person who is going to read the email. I typically sign my emails with “Best Regards”; however, sometimes I use “Regards” or “Enjoy the weekend.” After “Best regards,” I add my name. 7. Email Samples Here’s an email sample that you can use in different situations: Dear Mr. John, Thank you for your interest in our services. With reference to your request regarding a new SIM card for your cell phone, I would like to inform you that it should be made available to you within the next 24 hours. I would like to inform you that we have already delivered the card to the carrier, and you will receive it during the day. Also, I would really appreciate it if you could respond to this email today confirming your billing information. I am sorry to ask you this on such short notice, but it is in your best interest to do this as soon as possible to avoid any delays. If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. Best Regards, Tom. Speak English Now Podcast with Georgiana

#153 How to write a business email in English – ESL READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com 0:00 Intro 0:13 Episode 153 5:40 Mini-story Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. In today’s episode, I’ll show you how to write a business email in English. I’ll teach you how to structure an email by providing some examples. Then with a fun mini-story, you will improve your English fluency. Nowadays, we need to communicate online both on a personal and professional level. And though sending an email to a friend doesn’t seem to be too challenging, many of you feel intimidated when writing a professional email in English. Whether it’s sending it to a supplier, to your boss, a professor, sign up for a job, etc., this episode will be very useful. 1) Always start with a greeting. For example: If you know the first and last name of the person, say hello like this: “Hello, Mike Adams.” Use only their last name by saying: “Dear Mr./Ms. Adams” If it’s a person you know on a more personal level, you can address them by their name: “Dear Mike” Another way to say hello is to mention the person’s position. “Dear manager, (recruiter, project manager, hiring manager, etc.)” When you are not writing to a specific person use this expression: “To whom it may concern.” 2) Use an opening line. Once you say hello, use an opening line. Examples: “Thank you for your reply.” “I hope this message finds you well.” “Thank you for your message.” “Regarding___, I would like to inform you that___” “Concerning the email, I received___” “I hope you’re enjoying (the great weather, your time in the city, etc.”) “Thank you so much for the quick reply; I really appreciate it.” If you haven’t heard from that person in a while, you can say: “It’s been a while since I heard from you.” If you have not been able to reply to an email for a while, say: “Sorry for the late reply,” 3)Giving Information After a short introduction, you can start providing information. Start with one of these phrases: “I’d like to inform you that… “I am writing to inform you that…” “I am writing to let you know that..” “Regarding (our last conversation) “I’d like to update you on …” “I’d like to confirm our meeting, your order, the business plan, etc. To deliver good news, say: “Fortunately, (we will be able to deliver your goods on time.”) “I am pleased to inform you that (we will be able to deliver your goods on time.”) If you need to give bad news, say: “Unfortunately, (we won’t be able to deliver the goods on time.”) “I regret to inform you that..(we won’t be able to deliver the goods on time.”) Speak English Now Podcast with Georgiana

#152 Asking for directions in English conversation READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com 0:00 Intro 0:14 Episode 152 4:37 Mini-story Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. I’m going to talk about how to ask and give directions in English. For example, when you want to go to a restaurant, and you have to ask for directions. Next, an exclusive mini-story to improve your fluency in English. Remember that you can get the text of the episode at SpeakEnglishpodcast.com. So, let’s get started. As you know, it’s very useful to know how to ask for directions when you go to a place for the first time, and you’re a bit lost. Okay, yes, I know that nowadays with smartphones, you can check the GPS and you don’t need to ask for help anymore, but think about this: Asking for directions is an excellent opportunity to practice English. In this episode, we will see the most common expressions with some examples: All right, the best way to ask for directions is by using this expression: “Excuse me, how do I get to _?” “Could you tell me the best way to get to _?” For example, if you want to ask how to get to Times Square, you say: Excuse me, how do I get to Times Square? You could also say… “What is the quickest way to get to the movies?” “Excuse me. Where’s the nearest (post office) please?” “Excuse me. I’m looking for _.” And if you are very close to your destination, you could simply ask: “Where is the hotel?” If you get lost, just ask this simple question: “Where exactly am I?” Okay, great. Now let’s see how to give directions. Here are some useful phrases for giving directions on the street: TURN LEFT TURN RIGHT GO STRAIGHT AHEAD An example: “Sorry, what is the quickest way to get to the city center? “It is easy. Go straight ahead and then turn right. They can also tell you to TAKE the first, second, or third, street, for example. Let’s look at the same example: “Excuse me, could you tell me the best way to get to the city center?” “It is easy. Go straight ahead and take the second street on the right.” Speak English Now Podcast with Georgiana

#151 English Fluency and Mistakes when you speak READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com 0:00 Intro 0:12 Episode 151 6:04 Story Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. I’m going to talk about how to ask and give directions in English. For example, when you want to go to a restaurant, and you have to ask for directions. Next, an exclusive mini-story to improve your fluency in English. Remember that you can get the text of the episode at SpeakEnglishpodcast.com. So, let’s get started. As you know, it’s very useful to know how to ask for directions when you go to a place for the first time, and you’re a bit lost. Okay, yes, I know that nowadays with smartphones, you can check the GPS and you don’t need to ask for help anymore, but think about this: Asking for directions is an excellent opportunity to practice English. In this episode, we will see the most common expressions with some examples: All right, the best way to ask for directions is by using this expression: “Excuse me, how do I get to _?” “Could you tell me the best way to get to _?” For example, if you want to ask how to get to Times Square, you say: Excuse me, how do I get to Times Square? You could also say… “What is the quickest way to get to the movies?” “Excuse me. Where’s the nearest (post office) please?” “Excuse me. I’m looking for _.” And if you are very close to your destination, you could simply ask: “Where is the hotel?” If you get lost, just ask this simple question: “Where exactly am I?” Okay, great. Now let’s see how to give directions. Here are some useful phrases for giving directions on the street: TURN LEFT TURN RIGHT GO STRAIGHT AHEAD An example: “Sorry, what is the quickest way to get to the city center? “It is easy. Go straight ahead and then turn right. They can also tell you to TAKE the first, second, or third, street, for example. Let’s look at the same example: “Excuse me, could you tell me the best way to get to the city center?” “It is easy. Go straight ahead and take the second street on the right.”

#192 How to avoid uncomfortable conversations in English Get the transcript here: https://Speakenglishpodcast.com Please join me on Telegram:https://t.me/speakenglishpodcastcom/podcast Listen to a new episode of Speak English Now Podcast, your favorite material for practicing your spoken and heard English. You will also learn about lifestyle and culture, language, vocabulary, and how to improve your English more effectively. Transcript: Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. Today, in this episode: We’re going to continue to see some bad strategies that I don’t recommend in conversations. Next, you will practice some grammar in an intuitive way with a point of view lesson. Okay, let’s start! If you remember, last week, we saw some unwise ways to interact in a conversation. Today we are going to continue with more things that we should not say or do when you have a conversation in English. This is what we saw in the previous episode: – Talking about the weather. – Not listening to the other person. – Talking too fast, too softly, not articulating well, or not pausing. Talking about negative things. Talking about boring things. And my favorite: messing up. Remember, I told you how easy it is to mess up? That’s why we always have to be careful. If you didn’t listen to the previous episode, I suggest you do it along with this one. Cool! Let’s look at some more bad strategies. This way, you can avoid having uncomfortable conversations in the future. Interrupt others. Interrupting someone always has its risks, especially in more formal settings or with people we don’t know. I don’t like being interrupted at all, especially since I can lose track of what I was saying. This means that sometimes I don’t remember exactly what I was going to say. Of course, the worst thing is when they interrupt you to change the subject. Sometimes you just want to finish what you want to say, but they won’t let you. Imagine you’re telling a joke, and someone interrupts you. That completely ruins the moment. Okay, let’s move on to the next one: Always wanting to be right. It’s a classic. We always want to be right, even with strangers. We always know best. However, it’s better to be diplomatic and not try to impose on others. Sometimes someone says something we know is not true. We have to evaluate whether it is worth correcting that person or simply expressing our disagreement. It all depends on the type of relationship we have with that person and whether different opinions are accepted. Of course, if it is a brainstorming session, different points of view must be expressed. After all, this is the goal of the exercise. Okay, let’s see the next one: Stay away from sensitive or controversial topics. If you don’t know the other person, it’s better not to have a conversation about potentially polemical topics such as politics, diverse ideologies or even sports (in some countries, soccer is almost a religion). So be careful with that topic. Today, we live in an era where any minimal controversy can trigger major conflict. So, it is better to stay away from anything that is potentially controversial. Something you should never do is… Showing off Showing off your car, your country, your economic status, how much weight you can lift at the gym, etc. is not usually a good subject to discuss with someone you hardly know. You are, in a way, making a comparison. I guess it’s better to be humble and avoid taking too many risks. Speak English Now Podcast with Georgiana

#149 Is your personality different in English? READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com 0:00 Intro 0:14 Episode 149 4:37 Mini-story Welcome to the Speak English Now Podcast, your resource for practicing your English speaking and listening. You will also learn about lifestyle and culture, language, vocabulary, and how to learn English more effectively. Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. In this episode: • I’d like to talk about how speaking a different language can change your personality. • Later, a cool mini-story to practice your English speaking. Let’s get started! So, did you know that speaking a different language can change your personality? Yes, you heard me well! Studies show that depending on the language you speak; your personality can be affected. Studies show that speaking two or more languages can lead to a split personality. They say that many speakers have completely unique identities in each of the languages they speak. Apparently, the way you speak impacts the way you think, and it influences everything from how you make decisions to how you perceive color. Therefore, language is much more than just communication. Since the way you speak clearly affects the way you think. I can speak several languages, besides English. When I speak in German, for example, I pay attention to the way I interact with people, the way I organize my ideas and my thoughts, my emotions. All of these become profoundly influenced by the language I’m speaking. For example, whenever I speak in German, I become more rational. On the other hand, if I have a conversation in Spanish, I can observe myself behaving differently. It’s like being a different person. In this case, I feel more relaxed, more easy-going. To acquire a new self, you’ll need to immerse yourself in the culture. You can achieve that by taking a trip abroad, watching movies, interact with a native speaker or, listening to the Speak English Now podcast. Another key factor is how well you know the language. Of course, it’s not the same if your level’s low. The more you dominate the language, the more it influences your personality. My advice is that when you’re learning English, try to adopt a specific personality of the language. This way it’ll get easier and easier, and finally, you’ll speak English fluently and confidently. When you learn a new language, you’re not simply memorizing vocabulary and grammar rules – you also have the opportunity to adopt new elements of your identity. (END OF THE EXTRACT). Speak English Podcast with Georgiana

#150 Christmas 2020 English Vocabulary (rep) READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com 0:00 Intro 0:17 Episode 150 06:00 Mini-story Speak English Now Podcast with Georgiana Transcript: “Welcome to the Speak English Now podcast. With your host Georgiana. The podcast that will help you to speak English fluently with no grammar and no textbooks.” Hi everyone! I’m your English teacher Georgiana, founder of speakenglishpodcast.com. My mission is to help you to speak English fluently. In this episode, I’ll talk about the Christmas holidays. And after that, you’ll practice your English speaking with an exciting mini-story about a man dressed in red. Alright! Let’s start! Ah! It’s Christmas at last! I don’t know about you, but I love this time of year. I start to think about what presents to give to my family and friends. Normally, I make a list, so I don’t forget anyone. Can you imagine forgetting someone? That would be terrible! That’s why I start very early to plan what presents to give to everyone. Finding the right gift for someone can be difficult, so what I usually do is search online for gift ideas. And buying online helps me avoid holiday crowds. To really feel the Christmas spirit, I like preparing a pot with a delightful scent using orange, cinnamon, apple cider, and clove. I let everything boil throughout the day so that the fragrance spreads throughout the house. At this time of year, I also love to listen to Christmas songs. I can recommend some popular Christmas songs: “All I want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey. “Last Christmas” by Wham! “Let It, Snow! Let It, Snow! Let It Snow!” by Frank Sinatra. “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms. And something from Michael Bublé’s Christmas album. Plus, I enjoy placing Christmas lights and decorations. I sometimes use social media to find unique decorations. Did you know that some Americans use popcorn threaded on a string to help decorate their Christmas Tree? Or that in New England, you can find some shops called “Christmas Shops.” There they sell Christmas decorations and toys throughout the entire year! There are many classic Christmas movies that you can watch on TV at this time of year. Here are some examples: It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) Holiday Inn (1942) A Christmas Story (1983) A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) Elf (2003) Bad Santa (2003) Love Actually (2003) The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) And it wouldn’t be Christmas without a tree! Christmas trees are the symbol of the season. I love having a real tree and decorate it along with my family and friends. The Christmas tree tradition started in Germany in the 16th century. Protestant reformer Martin Luther first added lighted candles to a tree to remind his children of the wonders of God’s creation. Nowadays, many Americans buy a fresh evergreen tree or a plastic model and decorate it with lights and ornaments.

#148 Learn the English Conditionals only by listening (rep) READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com 0:00 Intro 0:13 Episode 148 3:35 Story Hi everyone! I’m Georgiana; founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help YOU speak English fluently. Today, I’ll talk about how we use conditionals in English. After that, we’ll practice them with a Point Of View Story. Ok, let’s get started! I’m going to review the different conditionals in English. I don’t recommend you to memorize them, but to understand them. You need plenty of contexts, and the best way to practice the conditionals is by using the Point of View story technique. Conditionals in English aren’t complicated. I’m going to give you some examples: Zero conditional Here, we talk about things that are always true. For example: If you heat water, it boils. If you heat ice, it melts. If it rains, the grass gets wet. First Conditional We use the first conditional when we talk about a probable result. For example: If you study more, you’ll pass the exam. If I have time, I’ll help you. Second Conditional We use the second conditional in case we want to express less probability. I know you’re busy, but if you went to the cinema, you’d enjoy the new Star Trek movie. If you studied more, you’d pass the exam. As you can see, this is more hypothetical. “If you went to the cinema”, means you won’t probably go, but if you went, then you’d like the movie. In the second example happens the same: If you studied more…it seems that you aren’t currently studying enough. Third Conditional This third conditional is in the past. We talk about an alternative result about something that happened in the past. For example: If you had studied more, you would’ve passed the exam. If I had had more time, I would’ve helped you. If I had visited you, I could’ve helped you. In the third conditional, everything happens in the past, and we just express a different result if things weren’t different in the past. Let’s quickly review the first, second, and third conditional with a common example: If I have enough money, I’ll buy a ticket to travel to New York. If I had enough money, I would buy a ticket to travel to New York. If I had had enough money, I would’ve bought a ticket to travel to New York. Can you see how the tenses change? #148 Learn the English Conditionals only by listening (rep) READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com/podcast

#147 Why is it so difficult to speak English? (rep) READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com 0:00 Intro 0:13 Episode 147 4:11 Mini-Story Welcome to the Speak English Now Podcast, your resource for practicing your English speaking and listening. You will also learn about lifestyle and culture, language, vocabulary, and how to learn English more effectively. Transcript: Hi, Everyone! I’m Georgiana, founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help YOU speak English fluently. In this episode: I’ll talk about passive vocabulary, and I’ll focus on the difference between active and passive vocabulary. After that, we’ll simulate a conversation with the Question & Answer technique. OK, let’s start! Like I’ve just mentioned earlier, in this episode, I’d like to focus on the passive vocabulary. There are two kinds of vocabularies that we all acquire in time, no matter whether it’s your native language or a foreign language. The first and more obvious one is the active vocabulary. These are the words we use when we speak or write. On the other hand, there’s passive vocabulary. And these are all the words we understand when we read or listen. Let me make myself clear: You fully understand the meaning of these words; you don’t just guess their meaning when you read or listen. However, you can’t use them in a conversation. It’s complicated to use passive vocabulary when you speak because understanding the words just isn’t enough. You’ll need to listen and read these words several times before they become part of your active vocabulary. At this point, you may think that using passive vocabulary is only difficult when you’re trying to speak in English, but unfortunately, you’ll find the same difficulty when using your mother tongue. Let me give you an example: Let’s say that you’re reading an article about the economic situation of a country. You fully understand the whole article, but if you had to speak about this topic, I’m convinced that you’d use words that you’re more familiar with. If you had to talk about the economic situation of a country, you’d use the active vocabulary and not the passive one. When it comes to English, it’s the same. You can only use about 20% of all the vocabulary you’ve learned. So, if you know 1000 words, you’ll probably use only 200 words. The best way to activate your passive vocabulary is by repetition. If you listen to the same audios many times, you’ll be able to transform passive vocabulary into active vocabulary. We tend to use the words we listen to more. For example, the verbs to be, to go or objects like car, paper, etc. These words are so common that they have become part of your active vocabulary from the very beginning. #147 Why is it so difficult to speak English? READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com Speak English Now Podcast with Georgiana

146 Towns and villages in English ESL READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com Listen to a new episode of Speak English Now Podcast, your favorite material for practicing your spoken and heard English. You will also learn about lifestyle and culture, language, vocabulary, and how to improve your English more effectively. Transcript: Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. Today I’m going to talk about towns, where no one lives anymore for one reason or another. With a mini-story, we will meet John, a man who, tired of his lifestyle, makes a radical decision. Very good. Thank you for listening once again. We have reached 22 million downloads of this podcast; thank you very much for following me! If you want to help me, please share and recommend my website SpeakEnglishPodcast.com by mentioning my podcast. Thank you very much in advance. Okay, let’s get to today’s topic. In every country in the world, there are villages where no one lives. I find this phenomenon fascinating. There are several words you can use to describe such a town. They all mean the same thing: Abandoned: This means that those who lived in that area have left. Therefore, people abandoned the place at some point in the past. Uninhabited: This word implies that it was previously inhabited. The inhabitants inhabit a place. If those people leave and don’t live there anymore, it becomes uninhabited. Ghost. A ghost town is simply a town without inhabitants, without anyone living there. This word sometimes gives a sinister air to the place. All kinds of legends can arise in certain abandoned places. Some people’s imaginations can be very vivid. –Deserted merely means that there is no one there. For example: “The village was deserted, there was absolutely no one.” Now, let’s use a little imagination. Imagine that you decide to move to a deserted town. Moving means going to live permanently in a new place. So, you would be the only inhabitant. You could put a sign with the name of the village and the number of inhabitants: one.

#191 Super Short Scary Stories in English Get the transcript here: https://Speakenglishpodcast.com Please join me on Telegram:https://t.me/speakenglishpodcastcom/podcast Listen to a new episode of Speak English Now Podcast, your favorite material for practicing your spoken and heard English. You will also learn about lifestyle and culture, language, vocabulary, and how to improve your English more effectively. Transcript: – Well, well… So, you’re going to make a cucumber salad. – Not exactly. You’ll see in a while what I need them for. Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. Today, in this episode… – We’re going to continue to discover some more super short scary stories. – Next, I’m going to do a little mini-story for you to practice fluency. Simple and effective. Remember, you can check out the transcript for today’s episode at www.speakenglishpodcast.com Alright. Last week we looked at some super short scary stories… Well, very short. So short that most of them can be written in a single line. For example, we saw this one: “We know who you are and where you live.” Today we are going to learn some more. As I know you are very brave, you will be able to bear it. I am also going to comment on them one by one. Let’s look at the first one: “Your bank called you.” Phew. Every time the bank calls me, they try to offer me something I don’t need: a mortgage, credit, insurance. But I suppose that, if there is a problem, they also call you. Still, they have never called me to give me any good news. Let’s listen to another super short scary story: “Your mother-in-law invites you to Christmas dinner.” Well, … I have to say that poor mothers-in-law are not so bad. Rather, they are good… At least, I think they have good intentions. However, the myth is that mothers-in-law are always meddling in your life and are very annoying. One thing is true. Mothers-in-law are usually excellent cooks. “I saw a mouse in the office.” A mouse! It’s not a very good sign to see mice anywhere, let alone in the office. Best not to think about it. However, it could be a computer mouse. Then it wouldn’t be so scary. Another scary story: “There is a problem.” Well… Yes, most of the time, this phrase indicates an unpleasant situation that we have to face. The worst thing is that you don’t know the problem until you are given more details. Another one would be: “Did you hear that?” Well, this phrase, depending on the context, can be terrifying. The last super short scary story: “I don’t speak English.” Yes, that’s a problem, especially when you urgently need to say something important in English. Imagine you are eating French fries, and you need salt, but the waiter doesn’t understand you. Okay, we’ll leave it here for now. Let’s continue with a mini-story. Speak English Now Podcast with Georgiana

145 Halloween in the USA English lesson ESL (rep) READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com 0:00 Episode 145 4:07 Mini-story Listen to a new episode of Speak English Podcast, your favorite material for practicing your spoken and heard English. You will also learn about lifestyle and culture, language, vocabulary, and how to improve your English more effectively. Transcript: Hi, everyone! I’m Georgiana, founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help YOU to speak English fluently. In today’s episode: I’ll be talking about one of the most celebrated holidays in the United States: Halloween. After that, you’ll practice your speaking with a new mini-story, while enjoying my new Question & Answer story. Very well. Let’s get started! Halloween is a holiday celebrated on the last day of October. I would say it’s very popular because everybody’s excited about it, especially children. The word Halloween comes from an old English expression, “All Hallows’ Eve,” and it means the day before All Saints’ Day. Children of all ages really love Halloween because they can dress up in funny costumes and knock on their neighborhood doors shouting “Trick or Treat!”. The neighbors usually give them candies. The meaning of the phrase “Trick or Treat” is interesting. In this context, “treat” means getting the candies, and “trick” implies the consequence of not getting the sweets. It’s like an innocent threat children make. Of course, kids get really excited when they knock on stranger’s doors in their neighborhood. Since Halloween originated as a celebration connected with evil spirits, the most common symbols are witches flying on broomsticks, ghosts, skeletons, black cats, etc. The black color is one of the traditional Halloween colors. Of course, pumpkins are also a Halloween symbol. I’m sure you’ve seen them in movies. People empty pumpkin and put a candle inside to make a lamp. How do you make a Halloween pumpkin? · The first step is hollowing out the pumpkin. · After we use a keyhole saw to cut the hole. · When using a candle for illumination, you can cut the hole in the pumpkin’s top. · For electric lights, make a hole in the bottom or side so you can hide the cord. The Halloween pumpkin is called Jack-O’-Lantern. It’s common to see jack-o’-lanterns on doorsteps decorations before and on Halloween. The name comes from an Irish legend about a man named Jack. He was so ungenerous that when he died, he couldn’t enter heaven, but he couldn’t go to hell either because he had told jokes about the devil. As a result, Jack had to walk and walk with a lantern until the Day of Judgment. Speak English Now Podcast with Georgiana #145 Halloween in America 2020 ESL (rep) READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com

#144 Addiction in English - Being hooked READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com 0:00 Intro 0:14 Episode 144 4:20 Mini-story -I’m hooked on the Thunder Game series. -It’s Game of Thrones. -Ah, yes, that. The fire of Thrones. -Game. -Game of Thorns. Right? Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. Have you ever wondered if you spend too many hours looking at your cell phone? Or maybe the computer. There is an expression in English that I quite like, called being hooked. It means to be excessively attracted to something and almost unable to resist it. For example: - I’m hooked on doing sports. - But I've never seen you exercise. - I have a lot of willpower, and I’m able to resist it. I have to admit that sometimes I spend too much time checking my cell phone. Sometimes it's almost impossible not to. My intentions are good. For example, I start watching the daily news and end up without knowing how, watching videos on Youtube. Maybe it's all a conspiracy of the whole Internet to distract me from doing the podcast episode of the week. Everything is designed to capture your attention. As I'm sure you know, everything you do on the Internet leaves a trace, so a lot of content is matched to your interests. For example, on Facebook, there is a video section. These videos are customized to your interests, and some of them really capture your attention. This creates all kinds of problems, both for teens and adults. Many kids find it difficult concentrating and studying. Every few minutes, they pick up the phone to see if they have new notifications or messages. Many specialists point out that this type of behavior can be classified as an addiction. And it affects everyone, regardless of age. Children imitate their parents, thus normalizing this behavior. Here is a small list of some typical symptoms of being hooked on a cell phone: You check it every two or three minutes. When you wake up, the first thing you do is looking at your cell phone, and the last thing when you go to sleep too. The truth is that it's very common to check your phone just when you wake up. I like doing that. At night I prefer to read a bit. You check your phone when you're with friends or family. It's sad, but in many family gatherings, we all check our cell phones at some point. You eat while looking at your cell phone. If you are alone, you unlock your phone and start moving your finger vertically while disconnecting completely from real life. If you leave your phone at home, it feels like it's the end of the world. And, you cannot know for sure if it’s the end of the world because you can't check it on your phone. After making this list, it seems to me that I'm a little bit hooked, but only a little bit :) I have a friend who uses an old phone with no internet, no touch screen, and no modern phone features. He uses the phone to call and be located. At first, I thought he was crazy, but maybe he's not so mad after all. Well, today, we have seen a current issue that affects us in one way or another. Although sometimes being hooked on something can be beneficial. For example, if you're hooked on my podcast, then it's great because your English is improving a lot. #144 Are you hooked on your cell phone? ESL READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com Speak English Now Podcast with Georgiana

#143 Food and Cooking Vocabulary in English part 2 READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com 0:00 Intro 0:13 Episode 143 6:06 Story Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. Today you'll learn some more cooking vocabulary in English. And with a mini-story, you will improve your speaking. You'll see, it's like having a conversation with another person. Do you remember that I talked about my kitchen appliances in a previous episode and explained some techniques I use when cooking? I talked about using my blender to make a green smoothie, almond milk, soups, flours, batters, dough, nut butter, juices, and dips. I also mentioned how I loved using my instant pot to pressure-cook, steam, boil, and even make yogurt with it. I explained what a pressure cooker was, and how steaming works. Today I'll continue talking about my cooking habits and my favorite appliances and kitchen tools. I must say that I love buying a new kitchen appliance, and during the lockdown, I've purchased a lot of them. For some reason, everyone started baking, so I really felt that it was the best moment to purchase a KitchenAid stand mixer. If you don't know what this is, let me explain. It's a stand mixer; therefore, it's so much more convenient than a hand mixer. One of the reasons why I prefer using a stand mixer is because it allows me to multitask. With this particular mixer, I can make up to 9 dozen cookies in a single batch. #143 Food and Cooking Vocabulary in English part 2 READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com Speak English Now Podcast with Georgiana

#141 Food and Cooking Vocabulary in English ESL READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com 0:00 Intro 0:13 Episode 141 4:45 Story Listen to a new episode of Speak English Podcast, your favorite material for practicing your spoken and heard English. You will also learn about lifestyle and culture, language, vocabulary, and how to improve your English more effectively. Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. In this episode, I’d like to include some food and cooking vocabulary. And with a mini-story, you will improve your English fluency. You’ll see, it’s like having a conversation with another person. You know, when I enter the kitchen, the first thought that I have is… Why am I here? Yeah. I’m hungry. That’s why. Now I remember. 🙂 I open the refrigerator and start scanning for some delicious food. Since I don’t buy ready-made food, I usually stare at the fridge for some minutes until it starts beeping. Then I close it and open it again to continue scanning. And I’m not saying my refrigerator isn’t well organized; it’s just that I’m looking for something that I can prepare in 1 minute, or preferably even less. Many times, I end up making a green smoothie. That’s a fast and easy way of getting all the needed nutrients. And plus, smoothies are delicious. By the way, a smoothie is a thick drink that you can make using fruits, vegetables, greens, seeds, milk, ice, etc. Like I said earlier, I usually end up making a green smoothie. Don’t panic. It’s green but really yummy. I add some water or milk, one avocado, 1/2 cup of pineapple, 1/2 frozen banana, 2 cups of spinach, and 1/2 cup of ice cubes. I put it at speed 10 for 45 seconds, and the smoothie is ready. Delicious! By the way, in case you were wondering, I use a Vitamix blender to prepare my smoothies. And I don’t use it only for that. I also make frozen desserts with it, soups, I can make flours with it, almond milk, batters, dough, nut butter, juices, dips, etc. It’s very versatile. Whenever I’m not in the mood for a smoothie, and I want to eat healthy and fast, I use a pressure cooker or a frying pan. A frying pan is simply a metal pan with a handle that we use for frying foods. A pressure cooker is an airtight pot where the food is cooked quickly under steam pressure. I love using a pressure cooker because whatever I throw into the pot comes out delicious. I’m not here to promote any brands, but I’m really happy with my Instant pot cooker. Speak English Now Podcast with Georgiana #141 Food and Cooking Vocabulary in English ESL READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com

#142 My Student’s Favorite Words in English part#2 READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com 0:00 Intro 0:13 Episode 142 5:18 Story Listen to a new episode of Speak English Podcast, your favorite material for practicing your spoken and heard English. You will also learn about lifestyle and culture, language, vocabulary, and how to improve your English more effectively. Transcript: Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. Today, I will continue to talk about the English words my students love. Later, you will improve your grammar with a point of view lesson, so don’t miss out because it’s worth it! If you haven’t heard the first episode on this topic, I recommend you do so. So, my idea for today is to comment on some of those words. I think it will be fun. Like in the previous episode, I will be commenting on the English words that my students have liked the most. Okay, so, here’s the first one: Faithfully (Jessica Alonso) My students have always been faithful, from the moment I’ve started teaching English. Thank you everyone, for being faithful! Yours faithfully. Skills (Issa Capp) Let me ask you a question. How do you improve your English-speaking skills? This one was easy. Right? You improve your speaking skills by listening to my premium courses and my podcast every day. Peace (Guillermo Navío) Who doesn’t want peace? Peace is the absence of hostility and violence; it’s a concept of friendship and social harmony. If peaceful conditions predominate in a society, all activities take place in their proper form. Energy (Puentes Andres) We all want to have more energy. If you don’t have enough of it, you can’t work or study, so, if we don’t have time to sleep, we choose to drink a lot of coffee. Delightful (Richard Moreno Diaz) Delightful is something or someone who is very pleasant, attractive, or enjoyable. Examples: “What a delightful day!” “What a delightful surprise!” “I wish you a delightful evening.” “What a delightful person!” I’d say that “delightful” is elegant and sophisticated, and you can use it in so many ways. Beautiful (Saga Saint) Beautiful is such an amazing word, but unfortunately, we tend to overuse it. Let’s learn some other ways to say beautiful: Instead of beautiful, say: Appealing Gorgeous Stunning Ravishing Pretty Lovely Dazzling Attractive Good-looking. Amazing (Marcela García) Amazing is something that causes great surprise. Some synonyms are: impressive, excellent, or astonishing. Examples: “What an amazing picture you have here.” “Ann was very impressive in the interview.” “Her facility for languages is astonishing.” “He congratulated me for my excellent exam results.” #142 My Student’s Favorite Words in English part#2 READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com

#140 My students’ favorite words in English READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com 0:00 Intro 0:13 Episode 140 7:05 Mini-Story Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. Today I’m going to do something different. I’m going to comment on my students’ favorite words in English. It will be interesting. Later, you will improve your fluency with a fun mini-story, so don’t miss out because it’s worth it! I want to start by thanking you for your support. I also like your messages, where you describe your experience with the podcast and my premium courses. Well, some time ago, in the Speak English Now student group, I asked the following question: “What is your favorite word in English?” I was expecting a few comments, but in the end, there were more than a hundred. So, my idea for today is to comment on some of those words. I think it will be fun. Okay, so here’s the first one: Ewa Filipina says her favorite word in English is “mesmerize.” I’d like to mention that the word mesmerize is considered by many one of the most beautiful words in English. It means to get someone’s attention completely, so they can’t think about anything else. Let’s continue! Isaac Figueroa says he likes the word famous. Of course, many people want to be famous, or at least they admire a celebrity. I guess it’s human nature. 🙂 Juan Ambrosio said he loves the word love. I guess the word love is one of the most used in English. And we don’t always use it to express our feeling of love for someone. The word love is so overused that I feel it has lost its true meaning. But still, it’s a beautiful word. And if you say it to the right person, it can be very powerful. Pedro Ochoa likes the word apple. I’m not sure why you like this word in particular, but when people hear this word, they think of a fruit or an iPhone. :)) I always admired Steve Jobs, and I believe he was a genius, primarily because of the name he chose for his company. Amanda Gues says her favorite word in English is “improve.” Of course, if you are following my method, then your goal is to improve your English. So, Amanda, let us know how your English is improving. Let’s continue! Jumita Rahmy likes the word Friday. And who doesn’t? On Friday, you eat and even dress differently, it’s the day when things end, and better things start, the day is shorter, and no bad things happen on Fridays. That’s why everyone’s looking forward to Friday. Lucilene Resende likes the word jeopardize. Jeopardize means to put something or someone in danger of being harmed or damaged. For example: “If I quit learning English, I will jeopardize my future.” So, don’t quit learning English. Follow my method. 🙂 Kashif Hussain says his favorite word is gorgeous. Gorgeous is a great word, and I used it in my podcast episodes, mostly when I talked about the most beautiful English words. It’s a word that can be used to compliment someone’s appearance or their accessories, etc. I use it all the time! #140 My students’ favorite words in English READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com Speak English Now Podcast with Georgiana

#139 How to activate your English vocabulary – ESL READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com 0:00 Intro 0:13 Episode 139 5:04 Mini-Story Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. In this episode: – I’m going to talk briefly about how to activate your English vocabulary. – Next, I will comment on the appearance of mysterious islands. Sometimes, on a given day, certain people have seen some structures on the horizon that have caused an element of surprise. What could it be? – Finally, we will practice fluency with a short mini-story of questions and answers—the best exercise to speak without translating mentally. First of all, I want to thank all of you who are writing to me. I read all the emails personally, and I also answer them myself. One question I sometimes get is this: How can I activate my English vocabulary? I’ve covered this topic before, but I think it’s worth remembering. Most of the time, students understand much more than they can talk. That is, they have a lot of passive vocabulary, but no active vocabulary ready to be used in a conversation. An easy way to improve, but sometimes not too obvious, is to listen to the same audio several times. This is one of the techniques I use in my premium courses, although you can also use this podcast. Let’s say you have short audio with some vocabulary and expressions you want to activate. If you listen to it once, even if you understand it, you will forget most things, but if you listen, for example, once a day for a week, you will surely activate an essential part of the vocabulary. Another way to increase the number of repetitions of words is to listen to a specific topic. This way, you are much more likely to hear many times the vocabulary that is characteristic of the topic. Finally, you can listen to the same author, even if they speak about different subjects. A useful resource is this podcast. #139 How to activate your English vocabulary – ESL READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com Speak English Now Podcast with Georgiana

#139 How to activate your English vocabulary – ESL READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com 0:00 Intro 0:13 Episode 139 5:04 Mini-Story Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. In this episode: – I’m going to talk briefly about how to activate your English vocabulary. – Next, I will comment on the appearance of mysterious islands. Sometimes, on a given day, certain people have seen some structures on the horizon that have caused an element of surprise. What could it be? – Finally, we will practice fluency with a short mini-story of questions and answers—the best exercise to speak without translating mentally. First of all, I want to thank all of you who are writing to me. I read all the emails personally, and I also answer them myself. One question I sometimes get is this: How can I activate my English vocabulary? I’ve covered this topic before, but I think it’s worth remembering. Most of the time, students understand much more than they can talk. That is, they have a lot of passive vocabulary, but no active vocabulary ready to be used in a conversation. An easy way to improve, but sometimes not too obvious, is to listen to the same audio several times. This is one of the techniques I use in my premium courses, although you can also use this podcast. Let’s say you have short audio with some vocabulary and expressions you want to activate. If you listen to it once, even if you understand it, you will forget most things, but if you listen, for example, once a day for a week, you will surely activate an essential part of the vocabulary. Another way to increase the number of repetitions of words is to listen to a specific topic. This way, you are much more likely to hear many times the vocabulary that is characteristic of the topic. Finally, you can listen to the same author, even if they speak about different subjects. A useful resource is this podcast. #139 How to activate your English vocabulary – ESL READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com Speak English Now Podcast with Georgiana

#138 Speak Like an American – Informal English GONNA, WANNA (rep) READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com 0:00 Intro 0:13 Episode 138 9:05 Story Speak English Now Podcast with Georgiana Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently In this episode: • I’d like to help you to understand how to use words like Gonna, Wanna, Gotta, and similar. • Later, a point of view story to practice your English grammar, and consolidate the information that I’ll be teaching in the first part. Let’s get started! Are you confused about how and when to use the words GONNA, WANNA, and GOTTA? We refer to these kinds of words as contractions. What’s a contraction? A contraction is created when two words in a row come together and become one. For example: I am= I’m; It is = It’s; Do not = Don’t; Will not= Won’t. These are some contractions which are accepted as grammatically correct and are taught in all English courses. However, in this lesson, I’ll focus on the informal contractions. These are not taught in grammar books because their use is mostly colloquial. For example: If you say going to really fast, you can shorten it to GONNA by dropping the final sound. If you say want to really fast, it shortens to WANNA. These are informal contractions. You probably noticed that the grammatically correct English we learn in school is not the same as the colloquial English in the street. However, informal contractions are very common in colloquial English. That’s why you should familiarize yourself with them. You don’t need to start using them right away. The most important step is to make sure that you understand how to use these informal contractions. Many conventional teachers sustain that it’s wrong or inappropriate to use these colloquial contractions when speaking English in formal situations. But let me tell you that words like “gonna,” “wanna,” and “gotta” are perfectly OK to use in all spoken situations, both formal and informal. In the US, everyone seems to use “gonna” and “wanna”; even highly educated people use these words several times a day. People in business meetings, professors giving lectures, everyone. So, don’t worry. You can also use them, and you’ll sound just like an American.

#137 How to make listening in English fun (rep) READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. In this episode: I'm going to give you seven ideas you can use when you perform repeated listening. After that, I'm going to read a Point Of View story. It' an excellent technique for improving your grammar. Ok, let's start! As you may know, I always encourage students to listen daily. Listening is the best way to deeply learn the different sounds, words, and expressions you find in English. It's how we learn our mother tongue. Also, it's vital to understand that listening to an audio several times helps you consolidate what you learn. However, some students complain that they get bored. It's normal. Our brain likes new and fresh content. In other words, we like the novelty. Here are some tricks, which will help you to keep your interest while you repeat the same audio material. Try to guess what the speaker will say next: At first, it may seem difficult, but since you repeat the audio many times, it's a stimulating game to play. Focus on the pronunciation of each word, especially the words you find more difficult to pronounce. Try to notice the subtleties of each sound. Concentrate on the intonation of each sentence. As opposed to the pronunciation of individual words, here, you need to pay attention to the "musicality" of the sentence: the rhythm and the "music" of the phrase. If you are listening to a mini-story (with questions and answers), try to answer faster. You can also try to give a longer answer. While you listen to the audio, imitate the narrator. Listen to the material and try your best to talk at the same time as the narrator. It may be hard, but it's fun! This technique is called "shadowing" and requires a lot of concentration. So, it's better if you pick an easy material. Try to move while listening. You can walk, run, wash the dishes, etc. Doing a different activity while listening to the same audio adds some variety. Listen to a friend. It's always more entertaining to share a task and to discuss the main topic with a friend. You will definitely lose track of time. As you can see, repeating the same audio material doesn't need to be a tedious task. Using some of these powerful methods will help you to learn English patterns thoroughly. #137 How to make listening in English fun (rep) READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com

#135 Reading, Writing, Speaking, or Listening in English? (rep) READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com Listen to a new episode of Speak English Podcast, your favorite material for practicing your spoken and heard English. You will also learn about lifestyle and culture, language, vocabulary, and how to improve your English more effectively. Transcript: Hello, everybody! I am Georgiana founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you to speak English fluently. In this episode, I’m going to talk about the relationship between reading, writing, speaking, and listening. After that, I’m going to tell you a Point of View Story. Ok, let’s get started! As a language student, the main activities to learn a new language are: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This is what we naturally do in our mother tongue. One key aspect to keep in mind is that we can categorize these activities as input and output. As you may guess, listening and reading are input activities, and writing and speaking are output activities. In other words, when you’re listening or reading, you are being exposed to the language, and when you’re writing and speaking, you are “producing” the language. The traditional approach tells you that the more you write and speak, the better. That’s why language schools insist on writing a lot and “practicing” your speaking with other students, sometimes in groups. This seems reasonable, but it’s not effective. There’s a lot of research that points out the contrary: Basically, to develop your English, you need to do input activities most of the time. Why is that? Because you can’t produce the language if you haven’t previously learned it, and the only way to learn it is through comprehensible input, as simple as that. But then…is speaking and writing a waste of time? No, I didn’t say that. When you speak in a conversation, you can see what areas of the language you need to improve. Then, when you listen again, you will naturally pay more attention to those areas. For example, if you’re in a conversation, and you have to describe something in the past tense. When you try to do it, you see that you make some mistakes. The next day, when you listen to your materials again, I bet you’ll pay more attention to the past. A good schedule may be listening for one hour a day (a course, a podcast, etc.) and practicing your speaking with a tutor or friend a couple of times a week. You will improve a lot. Last but not least, there’s an interesting consequence when you listen and when you read: Listening will naturally help you with your speaking. Reading will naturally help you with your writing. Speak English Now Podcast with Georgiana #135 Reading, Writing, Speaking, or Listening in English? (rep) READ the TEXT here: https://SpeakEnglishpodcast.com