I present some sound clips from my favourite podcasts and examine their presentation. The podcasts are "Betty in The Sky With a Suitcase" and "Alistair Cooke's Letter from America".

Teacher Joseph's Podcast

A Discussion About Two of My Favourite Podcasts

Knowing Everything About Chinese Cultrue

19housewarming

Homophones: each of two or more words having the same pronunciation but different meanings, origins, or spelling, for example new and knew.

“You bare your skin when you wear a bikini.”

Bear: 1) To endure or carry on. 2) A large furry animal

“There is someone in the bear cage! I can’t bear to watch!”

Bored: Having a lack of interest.

“I was so bored during that speech. I almost fell asleep.”

Board: 1) A thin flat piece of material. 2) The decision-makers within an organization.

“The board of directors at the Surf Club have decided which surf board we should use.”

Toe: You have five of them on each foot.

“I stubbed my toe today and it’s still throbbing.”

Tow: To pull another vehicle, possibly by a rope or chains.

“After a car accident a tow truck will come and tow your vehicle away.”

Through: Going in on one side and coming out the other.

“The road is blocked and I can’t get through. There might be an accident.”

Threw: To hurl, or to propel with force (the past tense of ‘throw’).

“He threw the ball really fast.”

Meet: To encounter

“I will meet you tomorrow around 3 PM.”

Meat: The flesh of an animal that’s eaten as food.

“What meat would you like for dinner, chicken or beef?”

Break: 1) To interrupt something. 2) To shatter or fracture.

“We should take a break from dancing before we break our backs.”

Brake: A device for stopping a vehicle.

“I need to get my car checked, I think the brakes are going.”

I hope this clears things up a bit for you. Still confused? Ask questions in your next class, we will be happy to help.

Nit-Picky English with Nika 

Common Homophones (words that sound alike)

Hablemos en muy resumidas palabras (muy resumidas, en serio) de algunos de los mundos mitológicos más importantes de la historia. En este caso repasemos algunos aspectos de la mitología griega como los personajes, el mapa y una corta historia.

Mundos mitológicos

Mitología griega

Everyday English with David

Ep 2

In this episode we are going to learn how to 【Ask questions】. Don't forget to put your answers in comment. 
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As a beginner, there're some vocabularies that you didn't learn before, and native speaker's speed seems too fast to understand. But don't worry, let's do it step by step. 
1st time: listen and catch the words you know alreay, have a guess about the content.
2nd time: look at the text to check if you guessed it right. 
3rd time: listen one more time, repeat after it.
4th time: practise until you can speak as the normal speed without looking at the text. 
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你叫什么名字？
nǐ jiào shén me míng zì ？
What's your name?
你是哪国人？
nǐ shì nǎ guó rén ？
What nationality are you?
你多大了？
nǐ duō dà le ？
How old are you?
你在哪儿上班？
nǐ zài nǎ ér shàng bān ？
Where do you work?
你做什么工作？
nǐ zuò shén me gōng zuò ？
What job do you do?
你家有几口人？
nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén ？
How many people are there in your family?
你的中文怎么样？
nǐ de zhōng wén zěn me yàng ？
How is your Chinese?
你的名字怎么写？
nǐ de míng zì zěn me xiě ？
How do you write your name?
你会写汉字吗？
nǐ huì xiě hàn zì ma ？
Can you write Chinese characters?
星期六你想做什么？
xīng qī liù nǐ xiǎng zuò shén me ？
What do you want to do on Saturday?
一杯可乐多少钱？
yì bēi kě lè duō shǎo qián ？
How much is a cup of coke?
你几点起床？
nǐ jǐ diǎn qǐ chuáng ？
What time do you get up?
你什么时候学中文？
nǐ shén me shí hòu xué zhōng wén ？
When do you study Chinese?
今天几月几号？
jīn tiān jǐ yuè jǐ hào ？
What date is it today？
他们是谁？
tā men shì shéi ？
Who are they?

Yuli's Chinese Channel

问问题 To ask questions（for beginner）

Did you know that ancient Greece had a huge influence on modern thought? Well, here are ten words which come from that time and culture. 
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Chaos: Derived from the Greek word "khaos," meaning "abyss" or "emptiness," chaos refers to a state of disorder or confusion.

Democracy: Rooted in the Greek words "demos" (people) and "kratos" (power), democracy embodies the concept of government by the people.

Philosophy: Stemming from the Greek words "philos" (love) and "sophia" (wisdom), philosophy encompasses the pursuit of knowledge and the exploration of fundamental questions about life and existence.

Marathon: Inspired by the Greek city of Marathon, this word signifies a long-distance race that originated from the historical Battle of Marathon.

Eureka: Popularized by the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes, "eureka" expresses the exhilaration of discovery or a sudden realization.

Drama: Derived from the Greek word "drama," meaning "action" or "deed," drama refers to a form of literature or performance that portrays characters and conflicts.

Acropolis: Originating from the Greek words "akros" (highest) and "polis" (city), the acropolis refers to a fortified hilltop or citadel, often hosting temples or important structures.

Phobia: Rooted in the Greek word "phobos" (fear), phobia is used to describe an irrational or excessive fear of specific objects, situations, or concepts.

Ethos: Derived from the Greek word "ethos" (character), ethos represents the fundamental values, beliefs, and guiding principles of an individual, group, or society.

Hypnosis: Stemming from the Greek word "hypnos" (sleep), hypnosis is a state of altered consciousness characterized by increased suggestibility and relaxation.

English on the Road 

10 Words that come from Ancient Greek

Before you take your IELTS speaking exam don’t you think it would be a a good idea to know what the examiners are looking for? What’s the difference between a band 5 and a band 6 ? What do you have to do to get a band 7 ? Why do some people get band 8? What’s the difference between a 7 and 8, or the difference between 8 and 9? IELTS examiners mark your work according to 4 different skills, or criteria. The first is 'fluency and coherence'. This podcast teaches you the key differences between different band scores when examiners mark your speaking test according to fluency and coherence.


IELTS Speaking Practice

IELTS band scores - Fluency and Coherence

In the audio recording there are 2 questions answered:

1 -  How easy is it to travel around your country?

2 - Which method of travel do you consider the safest? Why?

Let me know some of your ideas how you'd answer these questions.

Tune in regularly for more.

To Your Success!