AEE 2479: Relationship Talk in English: Close to or Close With?

Do you ever take a risk when learning English? Or would you rather be ordinary and routine? Today, Lindsay and Michelle discuss how not being a play-it-safer can help your English grow!   Come back to our site for more tips Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

4 Joulu 201417min

Do you want some help with the local English in San Francisco? Today, San Francisco native Sarah Honour talks about how you can go local with your English in the City by the Bay!   Taking IELTS? Get our free IELTS video training course   San Francisco is one of the most unique and amazing cities in the United States. It’s residents are technology-centric due to their proximity to Silicon Valley, as well as health-centric and nature-centric due to the progressive philosophy that has long been part of the spirit of the city. Sarah believes that these traits are found in some of the language that San Franciscans use, and that knowing this terminology can help you fit in just a little better. Here are Sarah’s three top terms for your visit to San Francisco: “Is there an app for that?”: App is short for application, as in for your phone. Because the Bay Area is near the center of a major technological development region, there are apps for almost everything in the city — from calling a taxi to getting your groceries delivered. Organic, Local, Sustainable and Seasonal: Food quality is really important to San Franciscans. Organic means that no pesticides have been used, local means the food was grown nearby, and sustainable means the environment was not harmed to produce it. Seasonal simply means that it is the natural time of year for the food to grow. “Where’s the wiggle?”: San Francisco is a great city for biking, but it is also a city with lots of hills. The ‘wiggle’ is the route for biking with the least amount of hills to go up.   Have you ever been to San Francisco? Would you like to go? Tell us why in the comments section below!   Sarah is a 31 year old American who was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, studied Communications in Seattle, Washington, and worked for almost 10 years as a nanny (or babysitter) in San Francisco, California.  She now splits her time between San Francisco and Sardinia, Italy where her boyfriend lives. She is an English teacher on italki, and is learning Italian and sampling as much of the amazing food and wine from Italy as she can. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

3 Joulu 201416min

How do you clarify information in English? Have you ever met someone on the phone or the internet before you met them in person? Today, Lindsay and Michelle discuss tag questions, and how they can help you confirm what you think you know, but aren’t sure about!   Come back our site for more tips   A tag question helps you to confirm a piece of information that you think is true, but that you want to clarify. Though they are used as a tool for clarity, they can also be a great way to create conversations. Tag questions tend to begin with the statement to be clarified, and then end with the question. There are many possible combinations.   Some common examples of tag questions include: “You’re from Washington, aren’t you?” “You used to live in New York, didn’t you?” “He can play the piano, can’t he?” “Her birthday is in July, right?”   Are You Ready to Practice? Get a Private, Native English Teacher Now! Try italki to learn to speak like a native. You’ll get your English mistakes corrected immediately! For a limited time you’ll get 10UD to use towards private English lessons on italki. Visit italki now to claim your 10USD in free English lessons.   Do you ever use tag questions? What kinds of things do you need to confirm or clarify in others? Let us know in the comments section below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2 Joulu 201420min

Do you want to start a conversation in English? Today, Lindsay introduces and talks about conversations with Michelle Kaplan, the new All Ears English co-host!     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1 Joulu 201421min

How can you improve your English conversations? Is conversation a science? Find out today as Lindsay talks with Travis Wolven about the poetics of conversation! Come back to our site for more info and tips   Taking IELTS? Get our free IELTS video training course now Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

27 Marras 201427min

What should be your focus when learning English? How can you make the most of the time you invest in studying? Today Lindsay talks with Nick Vance about the 80/20 principle, and how it can improve your English conversations!   Taking IELTS? Get our free IELTS video training course now   Nick believes that 80% of the positive benefits of something come from 20% of the input. In business, some customers are more valuable than others. With friends, though you may have many, only a few are truly close. In learning English, most of the grammar mistakes a new learner makes are really the same mistake over and over. Correcting these most common 20% of mistakes would eliminate 80% of all grammar mistakes. The best way to identify these is by working with a teacher who can help point out your mistakes.   Another way to work with the 80/20 principle is to prepare answers to the most common questions you might get from native English speakers. This will help you comfortably get conversations started — which is probably 80% of the work! You might prepare answers to questions like: Where are you from? How long have you lived here? What do you do for a living?   Do you see the 80/20 principle working in your life? How so? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!  Nick Vance is originally from Kentucky and has lived in North Carolina, Washington DC, San Diego and Portland. He has been living in Berlin, Germany for 2.5 years.  Nick’s degree is in math but he left that field when he realized how much he enjoyed helping others learn English.  Nick has been helping people improve their English for 4 years and have been teaching online via Italki for about one year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

26 Marras 201418min

How do you get a job in the United States? What do employers want and expect? Today, Lindsay and Kristy talk about 3 things an employer in the U.S. might look for in a job candidate!   Taking IELTS? Get our free IELTS video training course now   If you’re applying for a job, it’s important to know what your potential employer is looking for. Like any other country, the U.S. has a professional culture which places more value on some individual qualities than others. These qualities may be very different from what employers look for in your home country!   Some qualities American employers seek in employees: Proactive attitude: Show that you are autonomous and energetic – the opposite of passive. It means to show up early, confirm the time you will meet, and say thank you. Positive attitude: Americans like smiles. But it’s also important that you get along with others and not be pessimistic. Communication: When you actively communicate it shows you are engaged. A big part of this is simply that you let the boss know what is going on. Be a “Giver”: Show that you believe in the vision of the company and are personally invested in its success. In other words, it’s more than a job to you.   Are these the same traits that employers look for in your country? Do you have them? Let us know in the comments section below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

25 Marras 201417min

When should you use the word ‘the’ in English? Today, in #1 of the Top 15 Fixes series, we discuss the most common article in the English language, ‘the’! Come back to our site   Taking IELTS? Get our free IELTS video training now   Use if the word ‘the’ can be a confusing. But there are some rules that can help you get it right most of the time.   The first requires that you consider whether the focus is on something specific, or something more general. When focused on specific items, use ‘the’. If you’re sitting at a table, talking about the food that is actually in front of you, you might say: “Do you like the turkey?” “Yes, the turkey is great!” “Could you please pass the salt?” When focused on more general terms, you don’t use ‘the’. If you’re discussing food in general, you might say: “Do you like turkey?” “Have you tried pumpkin pie?” “Cranberries are too tart for me.”   Geographical terms can also be tricky for ‘the’. In most cases, large, well-known geographic places will have ‘the': the content, the Pacific Ocean, the moon. With specific countries, a country’s formal name might require ‘the,’ while a less formal name might not: the United States, the Russian Federation; America, Russia.   Other Entries in the 15 Fixes Series: Episode 165: Listen or Hear? Episode 169: Speak, Talk, Tell and Say? Episode 173: Wish vs. Hope Episode 177: Talking About Age in English Episode 181: Future Tense in English Episode 185: Interested or Interesting? Episode 189: Talking About the Past Episode 193: How to Borrow Money Episode 197: Who Pays for Lunch? Episode 201: Will vs. Going To Episode 205: Talking about People Episode 209: How much versus How many Episode 213: Make vs. Do Episode 217: By Yourself vs. On Your Own   What have you found difficult about ‘the’? Tell us all about it in the comments section below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

18 Marras 201419min