Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! This is a companion podcast to the previous one which gives sentences with "when." The word "while" is used to link actions which are happening at the same time. For example: During dinner, I listened to a podcast. You can express this with while: "While I ate dinner, I listened to a podcast." I prepared dinner while my wife took a nap. My children studied while I worked remotely. While the dog chase...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! A student asked me today to explain the difference between "when" and "while" in English. I think examples are the best way to learn so here are questions and statements containing "when" and I'll do "while" very soon--I promise! When I arrived, it was raining. When is your next meeting? When I saw him, he was getting ready for a trip. When did she get married? When do you finish work? I met them when they...

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

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Important note: This podcast is the audio portion of a video you can watch on my YouTube channel. So if you hear me say "video", that's why. I have added a transcript if you'd like to read along as you listen. I hope you enjoy it. Barry PS You can watch the original video here: https://youtu.be/cD5SEoif7bs Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com ...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Listen and repeat. Please do NOT read and repeat. The spelling won't help. Use your ears and your brain. 1. I saw a balloon in a cartoon. 2. It was cool in the swimming pool. 3. The table top was very smooth. 4. The kook lived in an igloo. 5. There was a lagoon at the zoo. 6. Which booze did you choose? 7. He climbed the roof and stood aloof. 8. At school he liked to play the fool. 9. Soon he will sn...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! The present perfect and present perfect continuous generally allow us to talk about things which start in the past and continue into the present. 1. I’ve lived in Turkey for three years. I’ve been living in Turkey for three years. 2. She has studied English since 2023. She has been studying English since 2023. 3. He has worked for the French government for twenty years. He has been working for ...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Verb tense review: the present continuous (also called the present progressive. The present continuous is mostly used for actions which are happening right now. Sometimes we also use it for future actions. Compare these two sentences: A) We’re going to the zoo. B) We’re going to the zoo on Saturday. The sentences are exactly the same, but adding the word “Saturday” tells the listener that the trip to...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Verb tense review: the simple past. The simple past is used for actions that took place in the past and are finished. For example: “Yesterday I went to the gym after work.” “Last week I met a woman who is a yoga instructor.” Here are some sentences to practice with: 1 - I lived in Los Angeles for three years. (Then I moved to Miami.) 2 - She studied Turkish when she was living in Ankara. (Then she moved to...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! In writing, regular English verbs add “ed” to the infinitive to show past tense. So hope becomes hoped, grab becomes grabbed, and wait becomes waited. Now close your eyes and listen to the ending sound of these three verbs. Hoped, hoped, hoped. Grabbed, grabbed, grabbed. Waited, waited, waited. The past tense of hope ends with a T sound. The past tense of grab ends with a D sound. The past tense of waite...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! I wrote this poem this morning to use for reading and pronunciation practice in my class on Tandem. I didn't write it deliberately to be good for teaching English, but it turned out that it was. Hope you like it. I’VE LOST MY MIND I’ve lost my mind. I asked my wife. “Look in your jacket pocket,” she said, Like my mind was a wallet or keys to the house. No dice. I asked my son: “Check in the freezer,” he sa...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! More simple present: the verb “to be” 1- I am from Costa Rica. He is from Cuba. 2- This is my brother. His name is Jack. 3- This is my adopted cat. Her name is Nefertiti. 4- How old are you? I’m twenty-seven. 5- Are you hungry? No, not yet. Well, actually I am a little bit hungry. 6- Are you my new teacher? Yes, I am. My name is Mr. Johnson. 7- The sky is blue, except when it’s cloudy. Then it is white or ...

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

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! (This podcast is for Irma who reminded me about this construction.) Note: this podcast has fewer repetitions than usual. That DOES NOT mean you shouldn't play it and practice is many times. It just means my time is limited. In English we can take two questions: a) Do you know….? b) Where are my keys? And combine them into one question: Do you know where my keys are? Let’s practice: 1- Do you know where m...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!1- I have never seen or met an abominable snowman, also known as a Yeti.2- I.R.S. is the abbreviation for the Internal Revenue Service.3- My uncle is an aeronautical engineer.4- I put the books in alphabetical order. 5- My son doesn’t like to bathe, and as a result, dirt is accumulating in his ears.6- The doctor told me to take an antidepressant, but I was too depressed to follow his advice. 7- Sh...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!Suggestion: Read the sentences first and then put them away. Do NOT try to read the words while you listen and repeat. Reading will NOT help your pronunciation. Train your ears. Repeat: train your ears. 1- The fires in Los Angeles are out of control. 2- She came to my birthday party and ate too much cake.3- My mother is flying from Miami to New York. 4- My sister got married at the age of twe...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!It's okay to read the sentences if you need to, but please do NOT try to read them while you're repeating with the podcast. English spelling is a distraction. It's NOT a useful guide to pronunciation.* Close your eyes (unless you're driving!) and use your ears. Train yourself to really hear the sounds, rhythm, stress and intonation of my speech.1- I went downtown to pick up some food.2- He visited his mothe...

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...