Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! November 2, 2024 Hello everybody. I've been meaning to record a short podcast to tell you what's going on, and here it is. I've been very busy the past month and November and December are shaping up to be even busier. So I'm not going to record any new podcasts …

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! If your native language doesn’t include many consonant blends, English can be a challenge. An example is “st” as in the word “test.” These blends can appear at the beginning of a word, in the middle, or at the end. Let’s practice. 1- The first test was the worst…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! (From - Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll: beginning of Chapter 7.) There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it: a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Here are three more Phrasal Verbs based on “take”: 1- As soon as all the passengers were seated and buckled in, the plane took off. [the plane left the ground] 2- When the burglars heard our key in the lock, they took off through the back door and raced down the…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Imaginary businesses with tricky-to-pronounce names. Use this podcast as an exercise to warm up your pronunciation. Go slowly before you try to go fast! 1- Rudy’s Radioactive Radiator Repair 2- Thea’s Thursday Seances Featuring Thinking, Theorizing, and Theremin…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! To “take over” has a couple of meanings. It can mean to “take control of” something, but it can also mean to control by being bossy. 1- While I was sick, weeds took over the garden. Now it looks terrible. 2- When my father died, I had to take over running the co…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Another expression with the verb take. Let’s practice with “to take advantage of.” To “take advantage of” can be good or bad. Here’s an example of the bad kind: “He took advantage of his friend’s generosity by borrowing money and never paying it back.” And the g…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Let’s continue our practice with the verb “take”, this time with “take place” which means to “happen”, usually for organized events. 1) The next summer Olympic Games will take place in Los Angeles. I hope it won’t be too hot. 2) The next performance by the Bosto…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! The verb “take” is very common in English and it’s used in many ways. One of the expressions is to “take a look.” Here are some examples: 1) “Doctor, please take a look at this X-ray.” 2) He took one look at the snake and said, “It’s a Burmese Python.” 3) “We ne…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! August has been very busy but here's a podcast so you won't think I've run away somewhere. We use the word "so" in many ways. Here are some sample sentences. 1- That is a beautiful painting? Do you really think so? 2- Is it time for dinner? Is the food ready? I …

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! This podcast contains 26 sentences. Each sentence includes at least one 4-syllable word. The words are in alphabetical order, so the 4-syllable word in the first sentence is “alligator” beginning with “A” and so on. Sentence number 26 contains the word “zoology”…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Fixed expressions are little English phrases that native speakers use all the time. If I were in your shoes, I would learn lots of fixed expressions. For variety, this podcast uses several synthetic voices to read the sentences. 1. The fact that she speaks five …

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Practice with the DJ sound, as in “judge” and “ginger.” 1 - His travel agency has a large budget for advertising. 2 - Have you ever heard of an angel with an allergy? 3 - The archaeologist apologized to the biologist. 4 - She lives on the edge of Egypt. 5 - The …

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Here's a short poem to help you practice S, Z, and SH sounds. Dessert Time at the Zooquarium. A zebra sipped a milkshake. A serpent swam in cream. Hippos splashed and frolicked. In a gurgling chocolate stream. The zoo was full of visitors who buzzed like busy be…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! English has V sounds and W sounds. But some languages only have one or the other. If your native language is missing one of these sounds, you need to learn it. Otherwise we won’t know if you want to say “wet” or “vet”. To help you practice, I wrote this poem: Mi…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Let's continue with English reductions where the pronunciation of the word "and" changes to ’n. Here’s another example: “She’s out and about, shopping at the mall,” changes to …”out ’n about”… 11. Our cat wandered off again but she’ll come home by and by. 12. No…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! English is full of reductions. We write “going to” but we say “gonna” for example. The conjunction “and” is often reduced to an /n/ sound. So “hot and cold” becomes “hot ’n’ cold” and so on. Here are ten sentences to practice with. These phrases are sometimes ca…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Regular verbs in English add “ed” to show past tense. So “walk” becomes “walked”, “cook” becomes “cooked”, etc. There are three ways the “ed” can be pronounced. In this podcast we will—again—practice verbs where the past tense ends with the /t/ sound. So in #1, …

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Final consonant clusters with "r" What's a consonant cluster? Simple: take the "r" sound, combine it with another consonant like "d", as in the word "yard" and you have a small group or cluster of two consonants. In the sentences below you'll find words like the…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! See the transcript for the text of part 2. Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com Support the show Email me: swift.water3883@fastmail.com You can now support my podcasts and classes: Help Barry pay for podcast exp…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Click on the transcript link to read the text as you listen. Enjoy! Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com Support the show Email me: swift.water3883@fastmail.com You can now support my podcasts and classes: Help …

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Syncope (loss of unstressed vowels after a stressed syllable.) Example “chocolate” [CHAWK-uh-luht] becomes [CHAW-kluht] 1- I like to eat chocolate. [CHAW-kluht] 2- She visits her mother every weekend. [EV-ree] 3- He bought a new camera. [KAM-ruh] 4- We go for a …

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! One of the science podcasts I listen to regularly is Astronomy Cast hosted by Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela Gay. In today’s lesson, you’ll hear a short excerpt from Episode 705: Water Worlds - Looking for Life Beyond Earth. First you’ll hear a clip from their podca…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! The phone rings and it's a stranger trying to sell you something. This is part one of a multi-podcast series based on a real script. Have fun! Hi, this is Barry calling from Scam-O-Rama Car Services. I’m calling regarding your 2016 Chevrolet Survivor. How is you…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! This is the first in a series of lessons about connected speech. One of the ways in which we link syllables and words together is with "glides" -- for example a Y sound is added between "be" and "able" so it sounds like "bee yable". Listen to the sentences and y…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Here are some sentences with six-syllable words. 1- In the 1960s people experimented with hallucinogenic drugs. 2- Covid 19 has resulted in the hospitalization of too many people. 3- Please do NOT eat mushrooms which are not identifiable as safe and harmless. 4-…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Crazy English. We pronounce "ough" in too many ways... I thought microbiology was a tough course, but my professor was a thorough teacher. I studied hard throughout, and in the end I learned what he taught even though it was a challenge. 1- I thought microbiolog…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! 1- Do you think you know what a parachute looks like? 2- Guess what: There are tons of parachute types out there, and you probably don’t know ’em all! 3- Here’s a rundown of several of the normal and not-so-normal types of parachutes… 3a- …that help skydivers (a…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! What parachute types are there? Do you think you know what a parachute looks like? Guess what: There are tons of parachute types out there, and you probably don’t know ’em all! Here’s a rundown of several of the normal and not-so-normal types of parachutes that …

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! 1 - Gymnasts have broad, muscular backs. 2 - I worked in the garden all morning and now my back aches. 3 - He broke his back in a terrible car accident. 4 - Have you ever read The Hunchback of Notre Dame? 5 - My dog always stretches his back and yawns when he wa…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! There are some words in English which change their meaning when you change the stress. Here’s an example: Perfect - free of mistakes, problems, errors. 1 - The teacher said my homework was perfect. (PER-fect) 2 - She got a perfect score on the exam. 3 - Your pro…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! 1 - I enjoyed myself when I visited Mexico. 2 - She hurt herself playing basketball. 3 - You’re working too hard. Don’t kill yourself! 4 - John is going to make himself a sandwich. 5 - We encourage ourselves to practice English every day. 6 - I own my own small …

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! The full text of this podcast along with additional information about job scams can be found on the US Federal Trade Commission website. Here are some sentences to use for pronunciation practice. They are at the end of the podcast. 1- Scammers advertise jobs the…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! There are many collocations in English using the word “pain”. Here are a few to practice with. 1) He immersed himself in the music and for a little while forgot the pain of losing his father. 2) She took medications for a few days to ease the pain in her leg. 3)…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Once upon a time there was a little girl who lived with her mother in a small house at the edge of a big forest. The girl had a bright red cape with a hood and it was so striking that everyone called her Little Red Riding Hood. One day her mother said, "Sweetie,…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! 1) Our teacher gave us some grammar exercises for homework. 2) The translation exercises were difficult. 3) I do yoga exercises every morning. 4) His doctor recommended some exercises to strengthen his back. 5) Learning a new language is a good mental exercise. …

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! 1) We go to dinner at a fancy restaurant when we’re feeling extravagant. 2) Spending $200 on a pair of shoes seems extravagant to me. 3) She’s only extravagant when she’s on vacation and then she throws caution to the winds. 4) After winning the lottery, he beca…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Some sentences with "happy": 1) He has a successful business with many happy customers. 2) Meeting you here in the airport was a happy accident. 3) The boy was whistling a happy tune. 4) That movie had a happy ending. 5) Alex and Joanna are a very happy couple. …

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Betty Botta bought some butter; “But,” said she, “this butter’s bitter! If I put it in my batter It will make my batter bitter. But a bit o’ better butter Will but make my batter better.” Then she bought a bit o’ butter Better than the bitter butter, Made her bi…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Where's Molly? The cat? I don't know. Where have you looked? Did you check the bedroom? She's not in the bedroom. Did you look in the fridge? How would a cat get into the fridge? I don't know. How about the washing machine? I just put laundry in the washer. She'…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! If you're not familiar with the word auction, A-U-C-T-I-O-N, I want you to stop this podcast, look at the notes, and go watch two parts of videos on YouTube. The first one is an example of an auction competition and the second one is a woman auctioneer talking a…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Here are two home-made tongue twisters featuring "L". Lazy Lucy left languid Larry lingering in Louisiana. Lucille’s lizard lives happily in her yellow bungalow. (Note to Turkish speakers: look in a mirror and say English words beginning in "L". If you see the t…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Today's mini-cast discusses these two sentences: I used to work for a big company, but after a few years I quit. Now I'm self-employed. If there's a sentence or a couple of sentences you find tricky to pronounce, and you'd like me to use it or them in a mini-pod…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Another mini-cast: the sentence to practice here is: "I could take the bus to work, but I'd rather walk." Listen carefully as always, and notice how words pronounced in isolation may be pronounced differently when they're in a sentence. If you want to practice y…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Here's another podcast where I dig into exactly how I pronounce a single sentence: "To tell you the truth, I was surprised by his attitude." By the way: thank you to my supporters who contribute to help pay for the expenses of this podcast. You are greatly appre…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Note: the podcast recording is not identical to this short essay. But the topic is the same. Who knew? The "TH" sound in English does not exist in Turkish. And yet, the articulation of the "TH" sound does exist in Turkish. Really and truly. If you are a native s…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! This podcast contains a very close analysis of how I pronounce a few sentences: 1- I am so tired of waiting in the rain. 2- I'm so happy to be walking in the park. 3- I was so tired of waiting in the rain that I went to a restaurant. Remember: Written English is…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! No text. This podcast is my quick report on how my Turkish studies are going after one month. It's definitely an adventure. Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com Support the show Email me: swift.water3883@fastmai…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! There was once a young rat named Arthur, who could never take the trouble to make up his mind. Whenever his friends asked him if he would like to go out with them, he would only answer, ‘I don’t know.’ He wouldn’t say ‘yes’ and he wouldn’t say ‘no’ either. He co…

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! English has three nasal sounds. They are “M” as in “mama”, “N” as in “nine”, and /ŋ/ - the ‘ing’ sound, as in “ring.” In making each of these sounds, some air comes out through your nose which is why they are called ‘nasal’ sounds. If you pinch your nose shut wh…