Join me for a fun, conversational deep dive into one of America’s most playful holidays — Halloween!
In this episode, Keifer shares the history of Halloween, how families across the U.S. celebrate with costumes, candy, and community, and even a funny personal story about his homemade SpongeBob costume.

You’ll learn about trick-or-treating, pumpkins, haunted houses, and hayrides — plus a few spooky English idioms and vocabulary along the way.
Perfect for intermediate English learners who want to improve listening skills while exploring American culture in a fun, relaxed way.

Also you can find me on Spotify under English Umbrella if you'd like to watch there!

The English Umbrella

How Americans Celebrate Halloween

There is actually a small subset of sounds, both consonants and vowels, that make up the Russian accent. Once you learn what these few things are, it will go a long way towards helping you create a more American sound.

English for IT Pros

Accent Reduction for Russian Speakers

This description will really help you with this difficult sound!

How to Pronounce the "ng" in an "ing" word in English

Pronouncing the "ng" sound in "ing" words can be a bit tricky for learners of English, but with practice, it can become second nature. The "ng" sound is a nasal consonant, represented by the phonetic symbol /ŋ/. It is produced by the back of the tongue making contact with the soft part of the roof of the mouth (the velum), while the sound resonates in the nasal cavity.

Here are some tips to help you pronounce the "ng" sound correctly in "ing" words:

1. **Positioning the Tongue**: Start by positioning the back of your tongue against the soft part of your upper mouth, as if you are about to say the sound "k." However, instead of releasing the "k" sound, let the air pass through your nose.

2. **Relax the Tongue**: Keep the tongue relaxed to allow for a smooth nasal sound. Tensing the tongue can make the sound come out more like a "g."

3. **Nasal Resonance**: Focus on directing the airflow through your nose. You should feel a slight vibration in your nasal passages.

4. **Avoid a Hard "g" Sound**: Be careful not to add a hard "g" sound at the end. The "ng" sound is a single, continuous sound rather than a combination of "n" and "g."

Here are ten examples for practice:

1. **Sing**: /sɪŋ/
   - "She loves to sing in the choir."

2. **Ring**: /rɪŋ/
   - "The phone began to ring loudly."

3. **Long**: /lɒŋ/
   - "It's going to be a long day."

4. **King**: /kɪŋ/
   - "The king ruled the land wisely."

5. **Bring**: /brɪŋ/
   - "Please bring your book to class."

6. **Thing**: /θɪŋ/
   - "What's that strange thing over there?"

7. **Going**: /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/
   - "Are you going to the party?"

8. **Swimming**: /ˈswɪmɪŋ/
   - "Swimming is my favorite sport."

9. **Running**: /ˈrʌnɪŋ/
   - "He has been running every morning."

10. **Morning**: /ˈmɔrnɪŋ/
    - "I enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning."



How to Pronounce the ng Consonant in English

Creating conversation is really quite easy. All you have to do is learn how to ask questions and be interested in the answers.

Ask Questions and Create Rapport

A lot of my students make mistakes in the Past Simple when they're having a conversation. I think this is so unnecessary because it really is simple. To be fluent in English, you need to go back to the simple tenses and learn them really well. Build the foundation of your English speaking on a strong Past Simple and Present Simple foundation. Happy listening!

The Past Simple -- Get it Right :)

All levels of English students get this wrong -- a lot! Get it right.

The Present Simple Tense -- Do You Really Know It?

Correct stress points are crucial to proper English speech.

English Pronunciation: Important Facts

If you learn to play with your accent, you can be taken for an American in very little time.

Why Not Speak English Without a Foreign Accent?

This is for C1's and C2's who still make dumb mistakes :)