Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!November 2, 2024Hello everybody. I've been meaning to record a short podcast to tell you what's going on, and here it is. I've been very busy the past month and November and December are shaping up to be even busier. So I'm not going to record any new podcasts during that time. I will continue to pay for the podcasts to be hosted so you can listen to any of them you like and download them. But I'm not plann...

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 test; the last test was the second worst.2- My task was to cover the disk on my desk with my mask.3- Old Mr. Gold told me he had a cold from t...

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 using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. “Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse,” thought Alice; “only, as it’s a...

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 street. [They ran away quickly]3- The doctor told me to take off my shirt so he could listen to my heart and lungs. [to remove]4- I take after my mot...

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 Repair2- Thea’s Thursday Seances Featuring Thinking, Theorizing, and Theremin Lessons3- Skip’s Sports Emporium and Unicycle Service Center4- Terry’s Tried-and-True Temporal Toaster Tinkering 5- Harold’s Handcrafted Heated ...

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 company.3- Our children have taken over my life. I have no free time for myself.4- One student in our class does most of the talking. He completely take...

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 good kind: “She took advantage of every opportunity to practice her English with fluent speakers.”1) My friend took advantage of my ignorance to s...

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 Boston Symphony Orchestra will take place on September 8th.3) The 2024 US presidential election will take place on November 5.4) I would like our wedding t...

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 need to take a look around your apartment,” said the policeman.4) She took one look at my hand and said, “That’s a nasty cut. You’re going to need some s...

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 think so.3- She speaks French and so do I.4- And so off to the movies we went, arm in arm. (So = then)5- She had never felt so happy before in her life....

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”.Note that some of the sentences are silly and nonsensical while others are perfectly normal. Don’t worry about the ones that don’t make sense. Your...

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 languages doesn't mean she's qualified to be president. 2. The fact that I just saw a rat means we're not eating dinner in this restaurant. 3. The fa...

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 earthquake caused a lot of damage. It was a huge emergency.6 - The engineer decided to enlarge the bridge.7 - In general he is a generous man...

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 bees.And watched the sharks swim lazily through orange soda seas.The sounds were like an orchestra.As creatures chewed and slurped.At closing tim...

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:Mind Your Vs and WsOur teacher is a vampire,He wobbles when he walksHis voice is kind of funnyBut we like the way he talks.“I want to drink your blood,...

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. Now and then we like to eat dinner at a fancy restaurant. 13. In this day and age, buying a house at the beach is asking for trouble.14. We ha...

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 called “fixed” and phrases. Ask any American to finish these:“Rock and _____.”“Bright and ______.”“Pros and ______.”Yes, they are effectively collocatio...

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, look becomes looked [lookt] and drop becomes dropped [drohpt]. Note: this podcast includes several synthetic voices. (Due to a bad cold and sore ...

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 these: hard, guard, stirred, part, third, park, clerk, etc. Depending on your native language these may be easy to pronounce, or sometimes quite d...

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.You can now support my podcasts and classes:Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

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.You can now support my podcasts and classes:Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

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 walk in the evening. [EEV-niŋ]6- Are you interested in ancient history? [HIS-tree]7- We have a vegetable garden. [VEJ-tuh-buhl]8- Those two ideas are not...

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 podcast, and then I’ll break their speech into shorter fragments so you can listen and repeat. You’ll hear that Fraser Cain in particular speaks quite ra...

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 your 2016 Chevy Survivor running? Do you know the approximate current mileage? Great! I’m calling because the original factory warranty that was on...