AEE 253: Update Your English! 7 Ways to Sound More Natural When You Greet People in English

Come back to our blog and leave a comment. Did you bring up one of these topics on a first date? What happened? Tell us your story: http://www.allearsenglish.com/299 Get our free IELTS Chat Sheet at http://www.allearsenglish.com/evaluation   Jessica is the author of Hopeful Disasters where she explores dating in New York City. She is also an ESL teacher in New York City. Check out her blog here!   When you meet someone for the first time in English, whether it’s a date or just a first-time meeting with a friend or colleague, there are certain topics that you should NEVER discuss. Today you’ll find out what they are with our favorite AEE dating consultant, Jessica Coyle. A few weeks ago we talked about what four things you SHOULD talk about on a first date in English or at a first meeting but today we’ll show you what you should avoid.   4 Topics to AVOID on a first date or first meeting in English: Politics: You can casually mention your political interests but don’t get drawn into a political debate or discussion. Jessica calls this “quicksand” because you can start to sink and you’ll get stuck and you won’t be able to get out of it. It’s better to bring up this topic once you already know someone well and after you know their triggers well. Age: You should definitely avoid asking the person their exact age. Also, this means that you should not ask people about their timeline in terms of when they want to get married or have kids. It’s too direct and too intense for a first date or first conversation. You might terrify the person if start asking these questions too early. Religion: You probably have a rough idea of your date’s religion and it will be important later but it’s too personal to get into during a first date. It’s ok to share your own religion if you want to but don’t ask the person directly what their religion is.  Education: This is tricky. Jessica says that the goal in not asking this question is to avoid coming off as arrogant or judgmental. If you ask the person where they went to school or how many degrees they have, it will be clear that you are fishing for information regarding their intelligence or social status. You might make the other person feel bad if you ask this question. Try to figure out if there is an intellectual connection instead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

7 Huhti 201519min

Come back and tell us how you want to apply this quote in your life: http://www.allearsenglish.com/297 What is the difference between being original and imitating? What will get you further in life? Today is a Deep Thoughts Thursday so we have a quote: “It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” -Herman Melville     What does this mean for English learners? Don’t follow a formula. Be creative with your words. Don’t focus too much on being perfect. Get creative with your tone of voice. Learn different ways to say different things.   Check out this episode about the Zone of Genius.   Where does this quote resonate with you? Let us know in the comments. We want to hear from you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2 Huhti 201514min

Do you feel like you never get a chance to speak English? Even when you attend an English class or work with an English tutor do you leave the class feeling like you haven’t spoken at all? If so, then you are not alone. A lot of students feels this way. Today we have a guest, Jason Newnum, who is an American English teacher. He teaches on the italki platform and he is available for lessons now! Jason has a special class called “Student Speaks, Teacher Listens.”     Why did Jason create this class? Jason created this class because when he took Spanish classes he noticed that he was not getting much speaking practice at all. He felt discouraged and didn’t get much better. He realized that the same problem was happening with English students. Jason wants to solve this problem.   Why is Jason’s class different? He makes sure that students talk more, about 80% of the time He feels comfortable being quiet, he doesn’t get nervous like other teachers do sometimes when they are nervous so he doesn’t fill that space with meaningless chatter   A typical class with Jason: He asks you what’s new with you He gives you a short article or video clip and asks for your opinion He asks great follow-up questions- directly related to YOU and YOUR experiences He writes out your mistakes in the Skype chat box so that you have a record of your mistakes     Jason’s Bio: Jason Newnum teaches English as a second language, in Bariloche, Argentina, and lives there with his family. Although he received his university degree in Spanish and now lives in a Spanish speaking country, his Argentine wife speaks English and Spanish equally. So it’s difficult to force himself to practice Spanish, when it’s easier to speak English with his wife. So he understands the frustrations of having to force ourselves to practice a foreign language everyday.   Do you have this problem with your English class? Are you planning to try Jason’s class? If so, let us know when you are going to get started with Jason. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1 Huhti 201517min

Come have a conversation with Lindsay and Michelle in the comments section of our blog! Come back to: http://www.allearsenglish.com/295 Get your free IELTS Cheat Sheet: http://www.allearsenglish.com/evaluation   Today you’ll get six ways to check on someone’s progress in a non-pushy way in English! Do you ever want to get the status of someone’s progress on a project or an assignment but do you get confused about how to ask without making the person feel pressured? Today you’ll find out how to do it successfully in English.   Ways to check on progress: “How’s it going? I look forward to receiving the files.” “Any updates? ” How are things progressing?” “How are things moving forward?” “How are things going?” “Do you need any feedback on anything?” “Do you want me to check your work?” Slightly more direct ways to check on progress: “What’s your timeline?” “How’s your timeline looking?” “I just wanted to check in. When do you think you’ll be able to get that done?”   What other phrases do you use when you want to check on someone’s progress? Let us know in the comments below. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

31 Maalis 201514min

Come back to our blog and have a conversation with us! Go to http://www.allearsenglish.com/294 Get your FREE IELTS Cheat Sheet: http://www.allearsenglish.com/evaluation   April Fool’s Day is coming up later this week. Are you ready for it? How do you celebrate April Fool’s Day in your culture? Today you’ll learn what many Americans do on April Fool’s Day and you’ll get a few new vocabulary words for this day. It’s common to play jokes on friends and colleagues at work or at college in the United States. It’s especially common in colleges because students live together with their friends in dormitories.   Vocabulary for April Fool’s Day: Gullible: To trust people and believe things that people say, even if those things are not true. Practical Joke: A joke that you play on someone (not a spoken joke). You act out this kind of joke. A prank: A practical joke, a joke that is acted out Gag gift: A silly gift that is not meant to be serious but is meant to be a joke   What should you do if someone plays a joke on you? Don’t take it too seriously. Laugh at it. Have a good time.     Leave a message in the comments. How do you celebrate April Fool’s Day? Let us know. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

30 Maalis 201514min

Come back to our site and let's have a conversation about this episode in the comments section: http://allearsenglish.com/aee-293-how-to-learn-english-the-way-a-child-learns-to-walk/   Today is a Deep Thoughts Thursday and we have an inspiring quote for you!   Let’s talk about success.       Here is the quote:   “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”   -Winston Churchill     We can apply this quote to a lot of different aspects of our lives like learning English, dating, and our career paths.   We have to keep going and take on new challenges with a positive attitude even if we have failed many times in the past.   Try to avoid feeling bitter when you take on a challenge and try again.       What do you think about this quote?   Do you keep your heart open and stay enthusiastic when you try again with something?   Leave us a comment below and let’s discuss it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

26 Maalis 201514min

Come back to our site and talk about fashion with us! http://allearsenglish.com/how-to-talk-about-fashion-in-english   What is your fashion style?   Would you like to be able to talk about fashion in English in a more sophisticated way?   Today you’ll get to expand your English fashion vocabulary in this episode with Lindsay and Michelle.   Fashion Vocabulary:       1) Umbrella term= Bag   Purse Backpack Satchel Handbag Pocketbook Evening bag Clutch Wristlet 2) Umbrella term= Shoes   Sneakers Tennis shoes Walking shoes Boots Hiking boots Heels Flats Sandals Birkenstocks   3) Umbrella term= Shirt   T-shirt Blouse Tank Top (Spaghetti straps, sleeveless) Sweater Sweatshirt Hoodie (hooded sweatshirt) 4) Umbrella term= Jacket   Coat (heavier than a jacket) Ski jacket Leather jacket Peacoat     What do you think? How do you know when someone is fashionable? What is your fashion style? Share it with us in the comments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

25 Maalis 201521min

Do you use a lot of English slang in your everyday conversations with natives? In today’s episode you’ll find out how to use the words “crazy” and “insane” as slang words in conversations. How to use the word “crazy” in a slang form:   “I know someone who’s totally crazy because he still hitchhikes.” It was crazy for us to hitchhike. Those were my crazy days.” “Are you crazy about your boyfriend?” “What is the craziest thing you have ever done?”   The slang words “crazy” and “insane” mean wild and out of control. They could also mean unexpected or out of control. The words are also used a lot in song lyrics, especially love songs. If you use these words in a literal way to describe someone who is mentally ill it is rude. Instead you could say that they are “mentally disabled” or “mentally handicapped” or “mentally challenged.”   Have you ever tried using these slang words in your English conversations? Share your questions with us in the comments below. Let’s talk! Come back to allearsenglish.com/291 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

24 Maalis 201517min