Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

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The present perfect and present perfect continuous  generally allow us to talk about things which start in the past and continue into the present.

1. I’ve lived in Turkey for three years. I’ve been living in Turkey for three years. 

2. She has studied English since 2023. She has been studying English since 2023.

3. He has worked for the French gover...

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Verb tense review: the present continuous (also called the present progressive.

The present continuous is mostly used for actions which are happening right now. Sometimes we also use it for future actions. Compare these two sentences:

A) We’re going to the zoo.

B) We’re going to the zoo on Saturday. 

The sentences are exactly the same, but adding the...

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Verb tense review: the simple past.

The simple past is used for actions that took place in the past and are finished. For example:

“Yesterday I went to the gym after work.”
“Last week I met a woman who is a yoga instructor.”

Here are some sentences to practice with:

1 - I lived in Los Angeles for three years. (Then I moved to Miami.)

2 - She studi...

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In writing, regular English verbs add “ed” to the infinitive to show past tense. So hope becomes hoped, grab becomes grabbed, and wait becomes waited. Now close your eyes and listen to the ending sound of these three verbs.

Hoped, hoped, hoped.

Grabbed, grabbed, grabbed.

Waited, waited, waited.

The past tense of hope ends with a T sound.

The past...

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I wrote this poem this morning to use for reading and pronunciation practice in my class on Tandem. I didn't write it deliberately to be good for teaching English, but it turned out that it was. Hope you like it.

I’VE LOST MY MIND

I’ve lost my mind.

I asked my wife.
“Look in your jacket pocket,” she said,
Like my mind was a wallet or ke...

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More simple present: the verb “to be”

1- I am from Costa Rica. He is from Cuba.

2- This is my brother. His name is Jack.

3- This is my adopted cat. Her name is Nefertiti.

4- How old are you? I’m twenty-seven.

5- Are you hungry? No, not yet. Well, actually I am a little bit hungry.

6- Are you my new teacher? Yes, I am. My name is Mr. Johnson.

7- The sky ...

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Another quickie podcast. Over the next week or two or three, I will record short podcasts going through the most commonly used English verb tenses. In this one the examples are from the simple present. This tense is used to describe habits and states of being: I get up early every morning. I go to the gym after work. I like to read after dinner. ...

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(This podcast is for Irma who reminded me about this construction.)

Note: this podcast has fewer repetitions than usual. That DOES NOT mean you shouldn't play it and practice is many times. It just means my time is limited.

In English we can take two questions:

a) Do you know….?

b) Where are my keys?

And combine them into one question: Do yo...

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1- I have never seen or met an abominable snowman, also known as a Yeti.
2- I.R.S. is the abbreviation for the Internal Revenue Service.
3- My uncle is an aeronautical engineer.
4- I put the books in alphabetical order. 
5- My son doesn’t like to bathe, and as a result, dirt is accumulating in his ears.
6- The doctor told me t...

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Suggestion: Read the sentences first and then put them away. Do NOT try to read the words while you listen and repeat. Reading will NOT help your pronunciation. Train your ears. Repeat: train your ears. 

1- The fires in Los Angeles are out of control. 

2- She came to my birthday party and ate too much cake.

3- My mother is flying from Miam...

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It's okay to read the sentences if you need to, but please do NOT try to read them while you're repeating with the podcast. English spelling is a distraction. It's NOT a useful guide to pronunciation.* Close your eyes (unless you're driving!) and use your ears. Train yourself to really hear the sounds, rhythm, stress and inton...

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November 2, 2024

Hello everybody. I've been meaning to record a short podcast to tell you what's going on, and here it is. I've been very busy the past month and November and December are shaping up to be even busier. So I'm not going to record any new podcasts during that time. I will continue to pay for the podcasts...

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If your native language doesn’t include many consonant blends, English can be a challenge. An example is “st” as in the word “test.” These blends can appear at the beginning of a word, in the middle, or at the end. Let’s practice. 

1- The first test was the worst test; the last test was the second worst.

2- My task was to cover the disk on my desk ...

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(From - Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll: beginning of Chapter 7.)

There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it: a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. “Very un...

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Here are three more Phrasal Verbs based on “take”:

1- As soon as all the passengers were seated and buckled in, the plane took off. [the plane left the ground]

2- When the burglars heard our key in the lock, they took off through the back door and raced down the street. [They ran away quickly]

3- The doctor told me to take off my shirt so he co...

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Imaginary businesses with tricky-to-pronounce names. Use this podcast as an exercise to warm up your pronunciation. Go slowly before you try to go fast!

1- Rudy’s Radioactive Radiator Repair

2- Thea’s Thursday Seances Featuring Thinking, Theorizing, and Theremin Lessons

3- Skip’s Sports Emporium and Unicycle Service Center

4- Terry’s Tried-and-True T...

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To “take over” has a couple of meanings. It can mean to “take control of” something, but it can also mean to control by being bossy.

1- While I was sick, weeds took over the garden. Now it looks terrible.

2- When my father died, I had to take over running the company.

3- Our children have taken over my life. I have no free time for myself.

4- One stu...

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Another expression with the verb take. Let’s practice with “to take advantage of.”

To “take advantage of” can be good or bad. 

Here’s an example of the bad kind: “He took advantage of his friend’s generosity by borrowing money and never paying it back.”

And the good kind: “She took advantage of every opportunity to practice her English with fluent s...

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Let’s continue our practice with the verb “take”, this time with “take place” which means to “happen”, usually for organized events.

1) The next summer Olympic Games will take place in Los Angeles. I hope it won’t be too hot.

2) The next performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra will take place on September 8th.

3) The 2024 US presidential electi...