When to pronounce as '二'? and when to pronounce as '两'? 
Number 2 has different pronunciations in Chinese. Let's learn how to pronounce it correctly. 
数字2的发音。

中文小课堂

2读作二还是两

I invite you to tune in to hear the rest of my conversation with Listening Expert Cara Leopold with Leo Listening. This time, we talk about how to get used to different accents and speaking speeds and motivate yourself to learn a language for work or school even if you don't want to. You'll also learn what to do if your language learning has stalled, bad habits language learners pick up when learning a language in a traditional classroom setting, reductions and linking, and how to improve your English skills by joining a movie club. Here are a couple of excerpts from our conversation: "The irony is that it's usually the words that you already know that cause the most problems." "People resent it (the English language), and I understand that because it's imposed on a lot of people, and obviously, we can't expect everyone to be excited about learning it. So I totally understand those feelings, which are valid. I think then, if you can't get excited about English, what can you get excited about? What interests you, in general?" 

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Original theme music by Lucas Knutter. 

Read the transcript at https://www.express-to-impress.com/english-language/. 

Join the Express to Impress community on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/express-to-impress/.

Express to Impress

Listening Expert Shares How to Understand More of the English Language

Get ready for a special treat! In this episode, I talk with Cara Leopold, an English Teacher known as the Listening Expert. We covered a lot of topics, so this will be the first of two episodes with our conversation. The main theme of our conversation was building great listening skills in another language. In this first episode, we talk about the importance of listening when learning another language, including pronunciation, and what to do when you don’t understand your colleagues in meetings.  Here are some gems from this episode:

“People might think, “I spend most of my time speaking.” But listening is actually the skill that dominates. So by that logic, the foundation for also learning future languages should be listening.”

“So what’s really helped me to get fluent in French is observing what people say, understanding them, and then copying them.”

“Notice the expressions that people keep using and then use them. You will sound more authentic because you'll be using what the people around you actually say, as opposed to what you read in a book or what you got out of a list of 100 idioms.”

Tune in to get more valuable insights from Cara, so you’ll understand more of what people say around you! The second part of our conversation will be released in the next episode. 

Read the transcript here: https://www.express-to-impress.com/listening-skills/.

Original theme music by Lucas Knutter 

How to Improve Your Listening Skills With Movies With Cara Leopold

Want to use more common sayings while speaking in English?  Tune into the latest Express to Impress Podcast episode to learn ten common sayings for everyday conversations. 

This episode is a follow-up to the previous episode, Word Choice in Journalism and Business with Steven Youngblood. If you haven’t checked out that episode yet, you won’t want to miss it! 

When you use these common sayings in everyday conversations, you’ll connect better with native English speakers. 

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Read the transcript here: https://www.express-to-impress.com/common-sayings/
Original theme music by Lucas Knutter


10 Common Sayings in American English

How you tell a story matters. The way you talk about why you lost your job can cost you a potential one. The way you explain the reason for layoffs can cause panic among employees and stakeholders. And the way journalists report the news can incite violence. Framing, including word choice, is one of the most important areas peace journalists discuss and develop. To find out what business professionals could learn from peace journalists about storytelling, I invited Steven Youngblood, Director of the Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park University, for a conversation on The Express to Impress Podcast. Here are some excerpts from our conversation; “The question should never be, do we withhold the information? The question should be, how do we convey the information?” “If you want to be an informed person in 2022, it is going to take an effort. So the first thing I tell my students is not to depend on social media for their news. This, despite the fact that study data shows that's exactly where they get their news from.” Tune in to get more valuable insights from Steven, so you're well prepared to tell stories about challenging events. 
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Episode originally published May 27, 2022 

Original theme music by Lucas Knutter 

Read the transcript at https://www.express-to-impress.com/word-choice/ 

Join the Express to Impress community on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/express-to-impress/

Word Choice in Journalism and Business With Steven Youngblood

Want to use more natural expressions when you speak English? Tune into the latest Express to Impress Podcast episode to learn English sayings for everyday conversations. Specifically, you’ll learn six idioms, phrases, adjectives, and adverbs. 

This episode is a follow-up to the previous episode, Less is More: Tips for Effective International Business Communication.

When you use these English sayings in everyday conversations, you’ll connect better with native English speakers. 

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Episode originally published April 22, 2022

Read the transcript at https://www.express-to-impress.com/english-sayings/

Join the Express to Impress community on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/express-to-impress/.

Learn how to use the Shadowing Technique at https://www.express-to-impress.com/english-learning/

Original theme music by Lucas Knutter

English Sayings for Everyday Conversations

Globish, anyone? In this episode, we'll talk about how to communicate effectively in an international business setting. Since most people in an international business environment speak English as a second language, that will be our focus. I'll share tips for native English speakers and English Language Learners, including where to focus your English language-learning efforts, so you're ready to excel in an international business setting. 

To succeed in an international business environment, I suggest going back to the basics. Tune in to find out how you can go back to the basics. 

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Episode originally published March 18, 2022

Original theme music by Lucas Knutter 

Read the transcript at https://www.express-to-impress.com/international-business/

Join the Express to Impress community on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/express-to-impress/.

Please take a minute to rate and review the podcast.

To access my 5-Step Job Interview Preparation Checklist at express-to-impress.com.

Materials cited:

How to speak up when you don't understand something, which can be found at https://www.express-to-impress.com/asking-for-clarification/

Globish.com for 1500 vocabulary words with definitions

Rachel's English 100 Most Common Words in American English 
Youglish for pronunciation, which can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1kBRXkQ6cI&list=PLrqHrGoMJdTR76CbHRqi7uLbpEtTUU7eR

Business English Pod for business vocabulary, which can be found at https://www.businessenglishpod.com/

Anki language app for help memorizing new vocabulary, which can be found at https://www.ankiapp.com/

perfect-english-grammar.com/past-simple.html for grammar practice

Less is More: Tips for Effective International Business Communication

Want to grow your vocabulary? Tune into the latest Express to Impress Podcast episode to learn 5 English expressions for a conversation. 

This episode is a follow-up to the previous episode, How to Prepare for an Internal Job Interview.

Learning to recognize and use phrases and idioms in English will allow you to communicate better with native English speakers. You won’t feel confused when you hear the phrases and idioms and will keep up with the conversation. 

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Episode originally published February 18, 2022

Read the transcript at https://www.express-to-impress.com/english-expressions/

Join the Express to Impress community on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/express-to-impress/.

Learn how to use the Shadowing Technique at https://www.express-to-impress.com/english-learning/

Original theme music by Lucas Knutter

Bring Your A-Game and Other English Expressions

If you’ve found the perfect company to work for, you don’t need to land the perfect job…yet. After all, even if you’re in a less-than-perfect position, you can apply for a more suitable job internally as soon as it opens. By then, you will have had the chance to show your quality of work, work ethic, and commitment to the company, making you an ideal candidate.

While interviewing for an internal position is a wonderful opportunity, it includes unique challenges. One of the biggest mistakes people make when interviewing internally is failing to prepare adequately. They may believe the interview is simply a formality, and they have the job in the bag. Their interviewer may be familiar with their work, so they may not arrive prepared to talk about the specifics of their contributions. And finally, they may have a friendly relationship with the interviewer and treat the interview too casually. 

Tune into the latest Express to Impress Podcast episode to get my tips to prepare for an internal job interview and get the job you want!

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Episode originally published February 4, 2022

Original theme music by Lucas Knutter 

Read the transcript at https://www.express-to-impress.com/internal-interview/

Join the Express to Impress community on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/express-to-impress/.

Please take a minute to rate and review the podcast.

To access my 5-Step Job Interview Preparation Checklist at express-to-impress.com.