Bite-sized English

Matt walks through just a few alternate ways of saying thank you.

There is no assignment for today, but do send questions to [email protected]

Matt talks about a few tips when talking to native English speakers, watching a film, and flashcards.

We finish our week on the conditional with the third and perhaps most complicated of the three. Matt talks about the differences between "could have" "should have" and "would have."

All questions and assignments can be sent to [email protected] or via Twitter @bitesizedengpod.

Matt continues talking about the conditional phrasings, covering the hypothetical or second conditional. Used to talk about unlikely or impossible situations, this is a very common phrasing in English.

All questions and comments can be sent to [email protected].

Matt covers some basic phrases and adverbs we use to determine how likely something is to happen. The phrases he talks about are:

will definitely

will probably

likely to

may well / might

not likely to

probably won't

definitely won't

Send all questions and assignments to [email protected].

Matt goes over six different phrases using the word game.

The phrases:

-fair game

-zero-sum game

-game plan

-waiting game

-I'm game

-a whole new ball game

Matt talks about some (but certainly not all!) of the phrases that we use that contains the word ball. The phrases that he discusses are:

-on the ball

-keep your eye on the ball / take your eye off the ball

-have a ball

-the ball is in your court

-a curve ball

-drop the ball / fumble the ball

Please be sure to send all questions to [email protected]!

Matt goes through some basic tips when we are tackling reading comprehension in our English proficiency tests. He discusses some places to find some extra practice like: BBC News, CNN News, CBC News, The Economist, The New Scientist, and the askhistorians and askscientists subreddits on reddit.com.

If you have any questions, comments, or critiques for Matt, fire him an email at [email protected]

Matt wraps up his short topic on the passive voice with two more tenses, the present perfect and the future form.

Present perfect: have/has + been + past participle

Future form: will + be + past participle

Be sure to practice converting or changing active sentences into the passive voice to develop your skills in the passive voice. Matt is happy to help read and comment on your sentences at [email protected].

Matt sits down with his long time student, Cecelia, for a quick chat about some interesting topics. They discuss the environment, animals, and Beijing's bikes.

Vocabulary:

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apex predators

refraction

rainbows