TALC Chats Podcast

Send us Fan Mail

Latonya and Diana have a special guest. Janet, a TALC tutor, recently traveled to the Galapagos islands with her husband. She shares the highlights of her trip with us. 

The Galapagos Islands are volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean.   They are located on the Equator and are a province of Ecuador.  

The islands are about 600 miles from land. Over time, some land animals arrived on the islands  - probably on rafts of vegetation like tree trunks floating on the ocean waters.  Because these animals were isolated, they developed in unique ways.  Much of the wildlife found on the Galapagos is found nowhere else on earth. Those animals are unique or endemic to the Islands. Before the 1500's there were no humans on the islands, so the animals lived and developed without human disturbance. Now about 33,000 people live on the Islands. They are called Galapageans  (Galapagüeñas and Galapagüeños - in Spanish).

Here are some of the animals that Janet found fascinating: 

Giant tortoises can weigh as much as 750 pounds and can live over 150 years. 

Marine iguanas are grey-black reptiles about one meter long that spend much of their lives feeding on algae in the ocean and come out of the water to warm up.

Boobies are seabirds that include blue footed, red footed and nazca boobies (they have grey feet) and have very expressive faces.

Penguins  that live the farthest north of any penguins and have no fear of humans.

Janet emphasized that the Galapagos Islands are a protected Ecuadorian National Park. Tourists can visit the islands only with Galapagean guides. The islands are a unique place and must be protected for the future.

Thank you, Janet, for taking us on this journey to the fascinating Galapagos Islands! 

Tacomaliteracy.org

Send us Fan Mail

 It’s August! The last full month of the summer.

Imagine with me:  It’s a sunny Sunday afternoon in August.

OK! That’s easy.

It’s warm – about 75  degrees but not too hot.

I’m with you.

Instead of having lunch at home inside, let’s bring some food from home and go to the park.

Great idea! Should we call some friends and invite them to join us?

Let’s do that! They can bring some food and some drinks, too.

We can all share the food we bring – we‘ll have a potluck.

Sounds great! Friends + potluck food + eating outdoors =

A picnic!

“picnic”  - where does that word come from?

Wikepedia says it comes from 2 French words”Pique” that means “to pick”…

And “nique”  - which means something that isn’t very important

The French used the word for a meal that people ate indoors. 

In the early 1800’s – the beginning of the 19th century the word “picnic” was borrowed by the English

Yes! The English used the word for a meal that was enjoyed outdoors.

What are some typical picnic foods?

In general picnic foods are foods that you can pack up and put in a picnic basket.

Yes! Picnic foods are foods that “travel well”.

Many picnic foods are “finger foods”.

What are “finger foods’?

Finger foods are foods that you can pick up with your fingers – like sandwiches

Or crackers and cheese

Or cold fried chicken….

And raw veggies like carrots , cucumbers and cherry tomatoes

Fruits like grapes, cherries and slices of melos like cantaloupe or watermelon

Sometimes people have their picnics sitting on a blanket on the ground .

Sometimes parks have picnic tables.

How is a picnic table different from a regular table that we have on our home?

Well, a picnic table is usually rustic – kind of rough – not finely finished

And the seats are benches – two pieces or planks of wood attached to each side of the table.

Right! So you don’t need separate chairs with a picnic table.

You know, there is a common idiom that uses the word “picnic”.

 If I say “that trip was “no picnic”,  what do I mean?

You mean that the trip wasn’t easy. 

So, if I am talking about something I need to do in the future and I know it will be difficult to do I can say “That won’t be a picnic, but I have to do it”. 

That’s right. You can also use that idiom to talk about a person. “My boss is no picnic.” 

 Now let’s talk about a real picnic that happens every summer.

Every August, the Tacoma Area Literacy Council  - TALC – the organization that sponsors our TALC Chats podcast has a picnic.

Yes! All TALC learners and tutors are invited to the picnic.

TALC provides grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and condiments.

Condiments?

Condiments are extras like catsup, mustard and mayonnaise.

Everyone brings a dish share – it’s a potluck. Many people bring food that is common in their home country. 

There are games and lots of interesting conversations.

Dear listener, if you listening to this podcast in the month of August…

and you are a TALC learner, ask your tutor about the details of the annual TALC picnic.

Great food, games and conversation! 

The TALC picnic is really a picnic!

It is!  

Tacomaliteracy.org

Send us Fan Mail

Would you mind if I asked you a personal question, Latonya?

No, I wouldn’t mind if you asked me a personal question but remember I don’t have to answer it. 

That’s a perfect answer, Latonya!  You wouldn’t mind if I asked you a personal question, but you may choose not to answer it. Your question and my answer are examples of using the expression “would you mind” when we are asking someone to do something… or if we are asking for a favor. 

We are asking “would it be OK to do something?” or “would it be a problem for you if I did something?”

I used this pattern to ask Latonya that question: would + subject + mind + if +  request (verb in past tense).

Would you mind if I (subject) asked (verb in past tense) you a personal question (request).

Using the verb (ask in our example) in the simple past is the grammatically correct way to ask a “Would you mind if…” question. In spoken English, however, it is common to say “Would you mind if I ask you a personal question.”  - using the verb “ask” in the present tense. 

We will use the past tense form of the verbs in our requests here so that you learn and hear the grammatically correct form. 

Here are a couple more examples:

“Would you mind if I borrowed your pen for a moment?”

“Would you mind if we arrived a little late for class tomorrow?”  

“Would you mind if I brought my daughter to the party?”

What are some ways we can answer “Would you mind if …” questions?

Here are some positive answers: “No, I wouldn’t mind.” 

Or very positive response: “No, I wouldn’t mind at all.”

Or short and positive: “No, not at all.” Or just “Not at all.”

Notice that these positive responses all have “no” or “not” because we are saying that “we don’t mind. It is not a problem”.

Listen to this exchange: “Would you mind if I used your pen for a minute?”

“Yes, I would.”

 You are answering with a “yes”, and saying that you do mind if I use your pen. You don’t want me to use your pen.

Right, we answer “would you mind if  …” questions with a negative if the request is OK with us.

We also frequently use “Would you mind…?” questions with the “ing “ form of the verb.

Here are some examples: 

“Would you mind answering a few questions?”

“Would you mind helping me a minute?”

“Would you mind waiting a short while?” 

“Would you mind speaking a little slower?

Can we answer those “Would you mind…” questions using the “ing” form of the verb the same way  that we answer the “Would you mind if …” questions?

You bet! If the request is something that is OK with us, we can answer “I wouldn’t mind.” Or “Not at all.” to both forms of questions.

How do I answer “Would you mind if…” questions if I do mind? If I want to say “no” to the request in a polite way.

You can say: “I’m sorry but I can’t.” or “I’d (I would ) rather not.” Or “I’m sorry …”(and give a reason). Listen for those polite requests and answers – both positive and negative -  in our short conversation between two friends who are talking on the phone. 

A: Hi. How’s it going?

B: Would you mind turning down your TV. I’m having a hard time hearing you.

A: Oh, sure, no problem. Is that better?

B: Lots better, thanks. Would you mind if I asked you a little favor?

A: Not at all! What do you need? 

B: Well, would you mind lending me your car this afternoon? My car is at the mechanics, and I have a dental appointment at 3:00.

A: Oh, I’m sorry, I can’t lend you my car because I need to take my daughter to soccer at 3:15. But I can pick you up at 2:30 and drop you off at the dentist at 3:00.

B: Great! That will work. One more thing…would you mind stopping at the store on the way to the dentists? I need to pick up a few things.

A: No, I wouldn’t mind. I’ll pick you up a little earlier - at 2:15 then.

B: Thanks! Oh, and would you mind picking me up from the dentist at about 4:00? 

A: No problem. Just call me when you are done.

B: Thanks so much for all your trouble!

A: I don’t mind a bit!

Tacomaliteracy.org

Send us Fan Mail

Latonya and Diana talk with Violetta, a new tutor with the Tacoma Area Literacy Council (TALC), the organization that sponsors this podcast. Violetta is a new tutor  from Ukraine who began learning English 3 years ago when she arrived in the U.S. Violetta shares how she went from having nearly zero knowledge of English a few years ago to having the skills to tutor others who are learning the language.

She emphasizes the importance of practice, consistency  and surrounding oneself with English language resources. Violetta says that she found that listening to podcasts was especially helpful to her because podcasts "put the English into my head".

Violetta shares three key recommendations for English learners:

    1. Surround yourself with English everywhere.

    2. Think of language learning as a game rather than a heavy challenge.

    3. Don't be afraid of making mistakes

A big thank you to Violetta for sharing her story with us. Her English learning journey inspired us and we hope it will inspire you, dear listener!

Tacomaliteracy.org

Send us Fan Mail

Do you ever think about what you can do to keep your brain healthy?

I listened to an interesting radio program last week about how to keep our brains healthy and I’d like to share what they said with our listeners.

What was the name of the program?

It is one of my favorite programs. It’s called “On Point”. The host of the program is Meghna Chakrabarti. Last week Meghna interviewed a neuroscientist named Jacob Harth. 

What’s a neuroscientist?  

A neuroscientist is a scientist who studies the nervous system  -  the brain, spinal cord and all the nerves in our bodies.

This program was specifically about how to keep our brain healthy. Our brain is located inside the hard bones of the skull.

How much does our brain weigh?

An average brain weighs 2 ½ to 3 ½ pounds.

The neuroscientist, Dr. Harth, used the acronym SWEET to help us remember how to keep our brains healthy.

What’s an acronym? 

An acronym is a word formed by the first letters of other words.  

If “SWEET” is an acronym, every letter s-w-e-e-t is the first letter of something we can do to keep our brain healthy, right?

Right!

Ok! “S “ What does the “S” represent?

Sleep – our brains need enough sleep because during sleep the brain cleans itself and sets the memories of the day.

How much sleep should we get?

Dr. Harth didn’t say a specific number of hours, but he said that we should get as much sleep as we can.

OK  - S is for sleep. What does the  “W” stand for?

Water! Plenty of water! 

How much water is plenty? 

That depends upon a lot of things – how much you exercise, the weather, if you are sick. 

The first “E” is for Eat healthy foods. Eat natural whole foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and healthy fats. 

The second “E” is “Exercise”. Physical exercise that makes us breathe hard and brings oxygen to all of our cells. Anything that is good for our heart is also good for our brain.  

“E” also stands for mental exercise.

Hmmm! Trying something new or learning something new is good mental exercise, right? 

Like learning a new language for example?

That’s a perfect example!

We mentioned physical exercise and mental exercise. There is one more kind of exercise that our brain needs.

What’s that?

Social exercise! Our brain needs interaction with other people. 

Now we have S-W-E-E

We’re missing the “T”

The ‘t” stands for time – It takes time and practice to make changes on our lives.

Yes, just like it takes time and practice to learn a new  language.

You know, when you think about it, when we are SWEET to our brain we are sweet to our whole body. 

So, dear listener, be SWEET to your brain. 

Take a walk with a friend, sip on your water bottle and listen to a podcast while you are walking. Grab an apple for a snack. The exercise and fresh air will make you sleep like a log. 

Your brain will thank you!  

Tacomaliteracy.org

Send us Fan Mail

Hey! How are ya, Latonya?

Pretty good! And you?

I’m okeydokey!

That’s one way that we exchange greetings in English. 

How many ways do you think people say “hello” in English?

According to Berlitz – a language learning organization: 107 !

Today let’s talk about some of the common and some of the interesting ways we greet each other in English and how we can respond to those greetings. What do you think?

Let’s start with some of the most common formal ways to greet someone.

These are the totally safe greetings. You can use them with anybody – your boss and your best friend:

“Time of the day” greetings are always very polite.

Good morning/ afternoon/ evening.

Saying  “Hello” of course is always safe and polite too. 

You can respond with the same greeting, and add “to you too”

Good evening!

Good evening to you too! or “Same to you.”

Now let’s talk about some informal ways to greet someone.

You would not usually greet your doctor or your boss with these greetings.

“Hi!”  and “Hey!” are the most common. You can respond with the same greeting, or you can say “What’s new? “ or “What’s up?” 

Sometimes “What’s up?” will sound like “Wussup”

If someone greets you with “What’s up?” or “Wassup?”, you can say “Nothin’ much.  How about you?” 

 “How about you?’ can sound like “How ‘bout you”?

People can also greet each other by saying “How’s it going” or “How’s it goin’?”

Some responses can be “It’s going OK” or  “(I) can’t complain.”

Instead of responding with “OK”, you can say “Okeydokey”

Yes “Okeydokey” can be used informally instead of “OK” any time you want to agree. 

“Let’s go for a walk.”

 “Okeydokey!”

If someone says ‘How’s it goin’? and it isn’t a great day for you, you can say “I’ve had better days.”

An interesting informal greeting is “Howdy!”  

“Howdy” is what you often hear cowboys saying in western movies.

“Howdy pardner! (partner)”

You will hear people greeting each other saying “howdy” even if they aren’t a cowboy – or should we say “cow person”?

Another greeting you will hear that may sound a little strange is “What’s up, buttercup?”

“Buttercup”? 

Well, a buttercup is a little yellow flower. We sometimes us “buttercup” as a term of endearment – like “sweetie” or “dear”. “You’re my little buttercup!”

We can greet someone with ”What’s up, buttercup?” just to be fun or playful.

So, we can greet someone with “What’s up buttercup ?” even if they aren’t your sweetie? 

Correct, but you should be pretty friendly with them.  They can respond with  “Nothin, much.” Or “Doing fine!”

How about “Doing fine, Clementine.” 

Well, that’s fun! Clementine is a sort of old-fashioned woman’s name.

“old fashioned’?

Something that is old-fashioned is something from the past that is no longer popular. 

Listen for some of these greetings in our short conversations as we greet each other.

 Good morning! Same to you!

What’s up, Latonya?  Nothin much. How about you?

What’s goin’ on? Not much. And you?

Howdy! Hey! 

How’s it goin', Latonya?  Okeydokey. How about you?

It’s goin’ OK. Thanks for asking.

 Hey _________, wussup? Nothin’. You?  Can’t complain.

 What’s up buttercup? I’m doing fine, Clementine.

How are you, today, dear listener?  We hope you’re okeydokey!

Tacomaliteracy.org

Send us Fan Mail

How many books did you read last year? How much time do you spend reading every day?

When do we use “how much” and when do we use “how many??

If we’re asking about something that we can count, we use “how many”. How many eggs are in your fridge? How many sisters do you have? Eggs, sisters  -  nouns that we can count. They are countable nouns. We use “how many” to ask questions about things we can count. We often answer “how many” questions with an exact number. "There are 12 eggs in my fridge." If the answer is zero, I can answer: “I don’t have any eggs in my fridge.” Notice the negative “do not” – (don’t) + any before the noun."How many sisters do you have?" “I don’t have any sisters.” “How many problems do you have?” “I don’t have any problems.”“How many spoons are in the drawer?” Hmm …I’m not sure exactly how many spoons are on the drawer. You can estimate and say “There are a few spoons in the drawer.” Or “There are lots of spoons in the drawer.” 

Takeaway:  To ask about something I can count, I ask “how many…”. If someone asks me a “how many” question, I can answer with an exact number. If the number is zero, I answer with “I don’t have any…” “a lot of” or “lots of” have the same meaning and we can use them interchangeably. 

We use “how much” when we are asking about uncountable nouns -  substances like water, gas, air or food. We also use “how much” when we are asking about abstract things – things that we can’t touch  - “intangibles”  like time, fun, work, sleep, exercise.

We can break some substances into measurable units – like cups sugar or gallons of gas. To answer “how much" questions about measurable units of a substances like sugar or gas, we can answer with a specific number of units. 

“How much sugar do you have?”  “I have 4 cups of sugar.” “How much gas does your tank hold?” “It holds 14 gallons of gas.”

Answering questions about other uncountable, intangible nouns like time, sleep, imagination or money, we usually answer with those “estimate” words: “a little, some, a lot, a lot of”. 

 “Money” is a uncountable noun.  “Money” is a concept. I can’t count “1 money, 2 moneys, 3 moneys”.  But I can count individual units of my money – dollars and cents.  We also can count individual units of time – minutes, hours, days, but we can’t count: 1 time, 2 times -  when we use “time” in the sense of an abstract concept.

We do not use “many” or “few” to answer “how much” questions about uncountable nouns.  I can’t say “I have few money.” Or “She has many work.” 

But if I ask you “How much money do you have?”, you can answer talking about the individual units of money: “I have ten dollars.” We also use “How much” when we are asking about the price of something. “How much is that hat?” or “How much does that cost?” “How much does that cost?”questions can be answered with an exact amount : “It’s $10.” Or an estimate: “It costs a lot.” 

Takeaways: 1. We use “how many” to ask questions about countable nouns. 2. We use “how much” to ask about uncountable nouns – and to ask about the price of something. 3.  We can use “some” “ a lot of” or “lots of” to answer both “how many?” and “how much” questions and with uncountable nouns.  4. We can use “a few “ and “many” only  to answer “how many” questions and with countable nouns.

Tacomaliteracy.org

Send us Fan Mail

• Have you ever seen those drive though coffee kiosks called “Bigfoot Java”?

Yeah, they have a big brown footprint on their signs.

First, what’s java?

Right! Java is a word we use for coffee.

Why java?

Because it is a part of Indonesia where coffee is grown.

We should devote an entire podcast to coffee.

We should! But today let’s talk about Bigfoot.

Great idea!

What is Bigfoot?

Bigfoot is a big hairy creature that according to the legend,  lives in the deep forests of the Pacific Northwest.

Legend? What is a legend?

A legend is a story from the past that many people believe but which cannot be proved to be real.

The word legend can also be used to describe a well-known, famous person, 

Yes, like “Beyonce is a legend.”

Right! But here we’re using “legend“ to mean a story from the past that is believed by many people but cannot be proved to be real.

We said that in the Northwest we have the legend of a creature called Bigfoot.

We talked about the word legend, now what is a creature?

A creature is a living thing – like an animal. 

For example, “Elephants are amazing creatures!”

We also use creature for beings that are imaginary  - that exist only in our minds. 

For example, “Unicorns are imaginary creatures.”   

So, in the Northwest we have the legend of a creature called Bigfoot. 

And Bigfoot has another name, doesn’t he?

Yes! Sasquatch!

That's a wonderful name! Where did it come from?

The Indigenous or native people of the Sts'ailes (sta-hay-lis) tribe in southwestern British Columbia call the creature sasq'ets (sas-kets). “Sasquatch” is the anglicized name - the way English speakers changed the name to make it sound more like English. 

The indigenous people believe that Sasquatch is a “shape shifter” and can change into other shapes - like a rock or a tree.  

They believe that Sasquatch protects the land and the people.

What does Bigfoot or Sasquatch look like?

Giant (very big)

Hairy

Brown

Walks on two feet (upright)

Do people have any proof that Bigfoot or Sasquatch is real? 

Some people say they have photos, videos, or footprints of Bigfoot, but….

but … most have been hoaxes.

Hoaxes?

A hoax is a trick to make someone believe something

Is the creature we call Bigfoot or Sasquatch real? a legend? a hoax?

The answer depends on who you ask.

Send us an email at [email protected], dear listener and let us know what you think!

Tacomaliteracy.org

Send us Fan Mail

L: How long have you known me? D: I have known you for four years. L: When did you meet me? D: I met you in 2022. L: You met me 4 years ago. D: That’s right.  I have known you since 2022.

 We used for, since and ago in our conversation. We use each of these prepositions to talk about time, but they are used in different ways. Each preposition looks at time from a different perspective. We use for to talk about a total length or duration of time. We use “for” to talk about a specific amount of time or an estimate. “ I have known you for 4 years.” “I have known you for a few years.” 

Notice that in our sentence we used the present perfect tense (I have known). The “perfect tenses” use a form of the verb “to have” + the past participle of the main verb. All verbs have three forms: present, past and past participle. "to know": know/knew/known. I have known you for the period of time of 4 years and I still know you. We use the present perfect form for an action that has lasted a period of time and continues to the present.

If we’re talking about an action that lasted a period of time in the past and did not continue to the present, we use the simple past.  “I waited (simple past) in the dentist’s office for 2 hours."  I waited. I am not waiting now. We use “for” + a length of time  to answer “for how long?” questions.

Now “since”. I said “I have known you since 2022 – a specific year. We use “since” when we are talking about time from  a  starting time in the past. A specific day, time of the day, time of the year, period of time in the past, 

Again, we used the present perfect tense “have known” with since because the action started in the past and is continuing to the present. Some other examples of using “since”: “We have been here since 3:00 this afternoon." “My parents have lived in Tacoma since last spring.”  Summary: We use since to answer “since when?“ questions. When did this period of time begin? since I was a child; since 7:00 o’clock.

 Finally let’s talk about ago: In our conversation you said you met me 4 years ago. You said we met 4 years ago. We use ago to talk about a length of time counting back from the present. When, counting back from the present, did an action happen?  “You met me 4 years ago.” We used the simple past: met is the irregular past of "meet".  We use simple past with ago because the action started and ended in the past. We use ago to answer "Counting back from the present, when did an action happen?”

We use for, since and ago to talk about time in different ways. For to talk about the length of a period of time in total: for three days; for an hour. Since to talk about a period of time that we count from a starting point in the past: since when in the past?”: since 2015; since I was a child: since last night. Ago – to talk about a period of time measuring backward from the present: 1 hour ago; 3 years ago; a long time ago.  Listen for these three prepositions: 

D: Have you ever been to Portland? L: Yes, I went to Portland for 2 weeks about 6 years ago. Have you ever been there? D: Yes, I have a friend who lives in Portland. I haven’t seen her since 2021. L: You haven’t seen her since 2021. Wow! That’s 5 years ago!  You need to visit her! D: I agree!

Dear listener, how long has it been since you sent us a message at [email protected]?

Tacomaliteracy.org

Send us Fan Mail

Do you know any songs by heart?

Interesting question. Let’s make sure our listeners know what “by heart” means.

“By heart” means that a person can recite, say, sing or play something on a musical instrument from their memory. They don’t have to read the words or music. So, back to my question: Do you know any songs by heart?

To sing a song or recite a poem by heart is just one of many English idioms that have something to do with the heart. Idioms are those words or phrases that we can’t translate exactly. We use idioms a lot in English and when you use them correctly, your English sounds more natural. Let’s practice some common “heart” idioms today. First, let’s make sure we are pronouncing “heart” correctly. That “e-a-r” combination in heart is pronounced “ar” : “h-ar-t”. “Hart’ got it? 

Let’s start with some “heart idioms” that we use when we talk about being sincere, truthful or honest.   When I tell you something from the heart, I am telling you something sincerely.  If I tell you something and then I say “Cross my heart” I am promising that I am telling the truth. Sometimes kids are very dramatic and a little gruesome and say, “That’s the truth. Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.” Did you ever say that?

Explanation please! Stick a needle in my eye? A needle that we use to sew with a needle and thread? Yes! That needle that we use with thread to sew. "Stick” can be a noun meaning a piece of wood  - “a stick of wood”. It can also be a verb meaning to push a sharp object into something. That second meaning is what we’re talking about with “stick a needle in my eye”. Yikes!

I know… let’s move on to a heart idiom that isn’t so creepy. “From the bottom of my heart” is another way of saying that you are very sincere. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me move.

If a person has a big heart, a heart of gold,  or is “all heart” they are kind and loving. “My grandma had a heart of gold.” The opposite of a person who has a heart of gold is someone with a heart of stone. If a person has a heart of stone, they are cold and unfeeling. “Her boss never gives her the weekend off.  He has a heart of stone.” 

If your heart sinks, you lose heart or you are sick at heart you are discouraged. “Her heart sunk when the other team made a goal. She lost heart.” If I wear my heart on my sleeve, I show everyone what I am feeling. A person who has their heart set on something wants it very much. “He has his heart set on buying that car.” 

How about  “Eat your heart out!” – that sounds pretty scary, doesn’t? If I tell someone to eat their heart out, I am encouraging them to be jealous or envious of me. We can use eat your heart out in a mean way: “I got that job you wanted.  Eat your heart out.” Or in a lighter, teasing way:  “The handsome man asked Betty to dance. Betty whispered to her friends, ‘Eat your heart out, girls!’”

We have talked about a lot of “heart “ idioms. I think we should have a heart and stop for now. If someone tells you to " have a heart" they are asking you to be kind and merciful. So, we’ll be kind and stop with the heart idioms.

Dear listener, we advise you from the bottom of our hearts to learn these commonly used idioms by heart and your English will sound so natural that all other English learners will eat their hearts out! Check out episode #17 “A Valentine’s Day Love Story with lots of idioms”.

Tacomaliteracy.org