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Gosh! It’s sure a beautiful morning!

It is! You just said “Gosh!”  We have learned that sentences have subjects, verbs and objects.  What part of a sentence is “Gosh”?  

“Gosh”  is an  interjection.

An Interjection? What’s an interjection?

An interjection is a word that expresses an emotion. 

It isn’t grammatically part of the sentence.

Right! In fact, you can just use an interjection alone – without a sentence.

We said that interjections express emotions. Let’s talk about some emotions and the common interjections we use to express them.

OK! Listeners, we use interjections a lot when we speak. You will probably recognize some of these interjections and maybe you have used a few of them, too. 

When we write interjections, we often put an exclamation mark (!) after them because we are expressing strong emotions. 

Yes, we use the exclamation mark (!) to show that we are speaking forcefully. 

Shall we start with interjections that express happiness?

Happiness is a great place to start!

“Yippee! I don’t have to work tomorrow!” “Yippee” is one interjection that expresses happiness or excitement. What are some others?

 “Whoohoo!” “Hooray!” “Yay!”  “Hooray! We’re going to the beach today!”

Ok! Let’s change the emotion we are expressing to displeasure. What interjections do we use when we are not happy about something?

“Dang!” or “dang it“ “Dang! I’m going to be late for work!” “Dang it! Where did I put my keys?”

Or …”darn” “darn  it” or “argh”  or “sheesh!” “Sheesh! It’s so hot in here!”   

How about expressing surprise? 

Good surprises: “Wow!” “Wow! I can’t believe Jane is your sister!”  - I’m saying “that’s amazing!”

Unpleasant surprises: “Yikes!” “Yikes! That car almost hit me!”

And disgust?

Ick! -  “Ick! That cheese smells awful!”                … or “yuck!”…Who is  “Mr. Yuck”?

There are some interjections that have different meanings in different contexts.

What are some examples?

“aw”  or “aww!” can have different meanings.

If I say “Aw! What a cute baby!” I mean “how sweet!!

Or “Aw! I’m sorry you are sick!” I want to express regret or sympathy:  “It’s too bad that you are sick.”

Or “Aw! Stop complaining!” I am protesting an action.

There is an interjection that we use when we want to say in kind of a funny way that we think something is very fancy or special  - “ooh – la-la”

”Oo-la-la! Look at that wedding dress!!”  “Ooh-la- la! His new car is so fancy!”   

If we make a small mistake, we can say “Oops!’ or ”whoops!” or “whoopsie” “Oops!  I burned the cookies!”

OK! Those are some of the most common interjections. Maybe we should stop.

Huh uh! We can’t stop yet! 

Very funny! “Huh uh” – that means “no”.

Uh huh! – and that means yes!  

Huh uh – no

And Uh huh – yes! 

Wow! English is sure interesting!

Uh huh! It sure is!

Thanks for listening!

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You look like you don’t feel well this morning. What’s the matter?

Oh, thanks for asking. I didn’t sleep very well, and I have a headache.

You were concerned about me because I looked like I didn’t feel well.  You wanted to know if I had a problem, and you asked me “What’s the matter?” That is one expression we can use when we notice that another person seems to have a problem or difficulty, and we want to show that we are concerned. 

Yes. “What’s the matter? Is an interesting idiom – an expression that can’t be translated word for word.

Right!  “matter” is a word used in the science of physics meaning anything that has mass and occupies space. It also can mean “subject or topic”, for example “I know a lot about that matter.” But today we are going to talk about using the idiom “What’s the matter?”  to ask someone if they have a problem. It can be a physical problem or an interpersonal problem, a life problem or a technical problem.

Yes! If I see my friend at work and they look upset in some way – maybe they look uncomfortable or nervous. I don’t know what the problem is, but they just don’t look the way they usually look.  So, I ask “What’s the matter?” Maybe my friend will answer: “I have a terrible toothache.” or “I lost my phone.” or “The boss just fired me.” 

My response will depend on what they say, but some common answers are: “I’m sorry to hear that.” or  “Can I help?”

“What’s the matter?” is one polite, concerned way of generally asking another person if they have a problem. What are some other ways to ask if someone is OK?

Well, of course, you can also say “Are you OK?”  You can also ask “What’s wrong?” or “Is anything wrong?” “What’s the problem?” is another option, but If I ask you “What’s the problem?”  does that sound a little less friendly?

Yes, it does!  “What’s the matter?”, “What’s wrong?” or “Are you OK?” are more positive and  more friendly than “What’s the problem?”

We have talked about 4 ways of asking someone if everything is alright. Now let’s talk about how those questions change if we add “with you”.  If I ask “What’s the matter with you?” How does that change my question? How does it make you feel?

It makes me feel like I did something wrong or like I am a disappointment. 

How about “What’s wrong with you?” or “What’s the problem with you?”

Isn’t that interesting? When we add “with you” to those nice polite questions, “What’s wrong?” or “What’s the matter?” they become like accusations.  

Here are a few conversations using the options for asking if someone is alright. 

6 year old Tommy comes into the house crying.

Mom: What’s the matter, Tommy?

Tommy: I fell off my bike and I hurt my knee! 

Mom: I’m so sorry! Let’s take a look at it. 

Two good friends are riding home from work together.

A: You’re very quiet this afternoon. What’s wrong?

B: Oh, I’m thinking about my sister. She’s in the hospital.

A: I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?

Jonelle is working on Saturday. She calls her husband Mike, at lunchtime. His phone rings 10 times before he answers it.

Mike: Uh… hello.

Jonelle: Mike, you don’t sound so great. What’s wrong?

Mike: I’ve been in bed all morning with a fever and a terrible stomachache.

Jonelle: I think you need to go to urgent care. I’ll be right home.

Our same 6 year old Tommy is playing with Lily, his 3-year-old sister.

Lola: Mommy! Tommy took my cookie!! 

Mom: What’s wrong with you, Tommy? Give Lola her cookie! 

Dear listener, we hope everything is OK with you, and that nothing is the matter.

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L: Did you use to walk to school when you were a kid?

D: Yes, I used to walk to school when I was a kid, Latonya. Did you? 

L: No, I didn’t use to walk to school. I took the school bus.

 Those are interesting verbal expressions “use to” and “used to”. When do we use them?

 The verb “to use” (the infinitive form) and “use” (the base form) means to put something into action to achieve a goal or purpose. For example: “I use my cellphone to find out the weather forecast.” 

 But in the question “Did you use to walk to school when you were a kid?” “use to”  means something different. In that question we are asking about an action that you did again and again in the past, but you don’t do now.  In that question the action we are asking about is walk to school.

 And the question follows the pattern for asking past tense questions:  “did” + subject  (you) + base verb  (use to).

 Notice that “use to” is always followed with a base verb of the action we're asking about – “walk” in this question.  

 Here are more examples of questions about actions repeated again and again in the past:

"Did you use to drive to Seattle often?" or… "Did you use to play tennis?" or…"Did you use to drink coffee?" 

 Remember that like all past tense English verbs, “did”  does not change when the subject changes.  "Did she use to walk to school?" "Did they /we/you/ he use to walk to school?" Only the subject changes.

Let’s talk about the answers to those "Did you use to..." questions.

OK! Back to the question: "Did you use to walk to school when you were a kid?"  If I answer with a  “Yes”,   I say “Yes, I used to walk to school when I was a kid.” I added the “d” to “use to” to change it to the regular past tense form. Just like I would say “I washed my windows yesterday.” With “use” I just need to add a “d” because “use” ends in an “e”.

 When we answer with a "No", we say "No, I didn't use to walk to school." For the negative answer we use “did not” or “didn’t” + subject + the base form of the verb.  “didn’t” shows that we are talking about the past so we use the base from of the verb "use to". 

Listen for "used to" and 'use to"  in our conversation about actions or activities that we did again and again (repeatedly) in the past

A: Did you use to study a lot when you were in high school?

B: I didn’t use to study a lot, unfortunately. I used to spend most of my time listening to music and playing my guitar.

A: Well, that’s interesting! I didn’t know that you used to play the guitar. 

B: Yeah! My friends and I used to have a band. We used to practice in my parents’ garage every day after school.

A: You used to practice every day? What did your neighbors think?

B: They weren’t too happy. They used to call us and complain. 

A: What did you use to tell them?

B: Oh, we used to tell them that we would be famous in the future and they were lucky to listen to our great music for free!

A: Wow! You used to have high hopes.

B: I still do! But now I study more and I don’t play the guitar. 

How about you, dear listener? What did you use to do that you don't do now? 

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How are you this morning?

I’m fine, thanks! I just finished breakfast!

You said you just finished breakfast. What does that mean?

It means that I very recently finished breakfast - not hours ago, but in the very recent past. Notice that I used just with the simple past form of the verb finished.

You could also say “I have just finished breakfast.” (present perfect tense)

Yes! Both statements mean that in the very recent past I finished breakfast.

Just is one of those little words that we use in a lot of ways in English.

We use just with the past or present perfect tense to talk about something that recently or just happened, but we can also use just to talk about something that will happen in the immediate future. 

Yes! If I  say: "I am just going to call my mom and then I can go." Or “He is just finishing his homework.” I’m talking about something that will happen in the immediate future.

Notice that we use the present continuous tense or  “going to” when we’re using just to talk about the immediate future.

Those are two of the ways we use just to talk about time. There is another way that we use just when we are talking about time.  If we say just before, just after, just as, just when to talk about something that happened at about the same time that something else happened.

Can you give us some examples? 

Sure! “My brother called just after I went to bed.“  

“Just when John thought he was done, his boss told him to do one more thing.”

“Just before we got to the beach, it started to rain.”

“Just as I was starting to cook dinner, the power went off.”

We’ve talked about three ways we use just in relationship to time, are there other ways we use just? 

Yes! We also use just to mean only.  "I just have $5 in my wallet."

"I just have one egg and I need three eggs to make these cookies." " She just wanted to say “hello”."

And we also ;use just to mean exactly. ”My friend told me just what I needed to hear.”  “He is just the right person for that job.”

We have been talking about using just as an adverb.

We also use just as an adjective – a describing word  - to mean fair or honest. 

"The boss was always just. She treated everyone fairly. "

"The judge’s decision was just, although not everyone agreed with him."

It is that use of “just” that is the root of the word justice,  the noun that means fairness or equity.

Listen for the different ways we us  “just” in our phone conversation:

A: Hi! Are you busy ?“

B: Well,  I just got home.

A: Can you talk for just a minute?

B: Sure, but just for a minute. I need to start dinner.

A: I just wanted to tell you that I just heard about a great job. They just started accepting applications.

B: That just what I needed to hear.  I was just going to start applying for a new job. 

A: Well, this might be just the opportunity you have been waiting for.

B: I hope so!

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I wonder if it will rain tomorrow. We want to go for a hike.

Right! And I wonder if it will bed dry enough to walk on the trails.

We use “wonder if” in those sentences... what do we mean to say?

We are curious about what the weather will be tomorrow.

Curious?

When you want to know about something, you are curious.

I see a new car in front of my neighbor John’s house. I am curious. 

 I wonder if John bought a new car. I wonder if he has a visitor.

When we are curious about something, and we don’t know the answer, we use “I wonder if….”

It’s like I am asking myself the question.

I invited my boss to my birthday party. I wonder if she will come.

I’m curious about travel to Mars: ”I wonder if humans will ever land on Mars.”

I had an interview for a new job. I’m very curious. “Will I get the job?” I say “I wonder if I will get that job.

We also use “wonder if” when we want to be very polite when we are asking someone for something or to do something.

If I want to ask Diana/Latonya if she can help me with my homework.  I can say, “Diana, can you help me with my homework?”  or I can be very polite and say “I wonder if you can help me with my homework. “

You can also use the present continuous tense and say, “I’m wondering if you can help me with my homework.”

That is a very polite way of asking for something. You can be very direct and ask “Can we meet tomorrow morning?” or you can very politely say, “I wonder if we can meet tomorrow morning.”  

Notice that the “I wonder if….” way of asking for something is not a question. It is a statement. 

The “I wonder if …” form of the request makes the request softer, not so direct.

Listen for: ”I wonder if…” in our conversation:

D: I wonder if all our neighbors will come to the party.

L: Who knows?  Gosh! I wonder if we have enough food.

D: Me too! I wonder if you can make some more macaroni and cheese. 

L: Sure, I can do that, but I wonder if everyone will like it.

D: No need to wonder about that! Your macaroni and cheese is delicious! 

We wonder if anyone will send us an email to [email protected].

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A correction! In our conversation Diana said that words that sound the same, but are spelled differently are homonyms. That isn't correct. Those words are homophones.

Remember that in podcast # 48 we practiced using the possessive adjectives his and her?

Right! We use possessive adjectives to describe something that belongs to a person or people . Remind us please, what is an adjective?

An adjective is a word that describes a noun (and a noun is a person, place or thing). So, in the phrase “a big book”, book is a noun – a thing, and “big” is an adjective that describes the book. A possessive adjective shows possession or ownership. Sometimes you will hear possessive adjectives also called possessive pronouns.

For example, if that cat belongs to Maya, I can say that’s Maya’s cat” or I can say “That’s her cat.” Because Maya is female, I use “her”. Correct! And if that dog belongs to Ben, I can say “That is Ben’s dog” or “That is his dog.” I use “his” because Ben is a male.

Today let’s practice two more possessive adjectives: “our” and “their”. If something belongs to me and at least one other person, I can use “our”.  For example, if I am talking about the house that I live in with my son and my daughter, I can say “Our house is grey.”

Yes! And if something belongs to or more other people – not including me – I can use “their”. For example, if that car belongs to my neighbors, I say “That is their car.”  

Well, that is easy! We use “our” when we talk about me and one or more other person possessing or owning something, And when we talk about two or more other people- not including me, owning something, we use their.

Notice something, dear listener! It doesn’t matter if the people who possess the person place or thing are male or female, we use our and their. Right! Those possessive adjectives do not change, like his and her. The girls lost their homework. The boys lost their homework.

OK!I think we should mention that the possessive “their “is spelled /written t-h-e-i-r

Why is that important? Well, because in English we have two other words that sound the same but have other meanings. That’s crazy! Yup! Two other words that we pronounce like “their”.

The contraction for they are: “they’re” – they + ‘ + re – “they’re”. ..and “t-h-e-r-e” meaning  “at that place” . Put the book there, please. 

Hmmm...Words that sound the same but are spelled/written differently – what is the word for that? Those words that sound the same but are spelled differently are homophones: homo= same;  phone = sound. Just remember, dear listener that the possessive “their” is spelled “t-h-e-i-r”. 

Excuse me, but I think we should add that there is a homophone for “our”, too. Yes! The possessive “our” is written “o-u-r”. And the other “hour” is h – o – u – r, which is 60 minutes or we sometimes use “hour “ for :”time, like ”What is the hour?” or “What time is it?”

 OK, dear listener, let’s get back to the possessive adjectives our and their. Listen for them in our short conversation.

D: Do you remember our neighbors, the Walkers? 

L: Sure, I remember the Walker family.

D: Well, they moved last month, but they couldn’t take their cat. 

L: Why couldn’t they take their cat?

D: Their new apartment doesn’t allow cats.

L: What did they do with their cat?

D: Well, their cat is now our cat!

L: Congratulations!

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 I need to feed my dog, Rosie.  

What does she want to eat?

 She wants to eat tuna fish.

Does she like tuna fish?

Yes! She loves tuna fish, but she doesn’t need to eat tuna fish for breakfast.

That little conversation we just had about Rosie’s breakfast is a good example using “need” “want” and “like” and “love” in English. 

What do you mean?

Well, I said "I need to feed Rosie." And “She needs to eat her breakfast.” But then I said “She wants tuna fish.” Right! When we use those verbs: need, want, like and love and we are talking about an action we usually use the infinitive form of the verb.

The infinitive form of the verb is the “to” form of the verb.

Can you give us some examples? Sure: “to feed”, “to eat”, “to go”, “to work”, “to speak”

Right! We say “I need to go to class not “I need go to class tomorrow. “

 Or “I like to read.” “I want to buy new shoes.” “I need to speak English every day. “

Yes! When like, need, love and want are followed by an action we use the infinitive form of the verb. It is also correct to use the “ing” form of the verb, too. We’ll talk about that in another episode.  

How about when we use want, need, like or love but we are talking about a thing or things – like a a cup of coffee?

 If I say ”I want a new phone”,  I don’t need the ”to” because a new phone is a thing – a noun, not a verb (or action). We just say “I want a new phone”, but "I need to buy a new phone” because “to  buy” is an action.

or.. “I like the beach“…but “I like to go to the  beach.” 

Right! How about some other examples of using “need”, “want”, “like” or “love” when we talk about a thing or things and when we are talking about an action. 

Sure: Donna loves chocolate chip cookies. Donna loves to make chocolate chip cookies.

We need some eggs. We need to buy some eggs.Most kids like bananas. Many kids like to eat bananas for lunch.

Is that clear, dear listener? 

The “take away” – the thing to remember  is when we like, love, need or want a thing or things, we do not need the “to”.

When we like, love, need or want “to do” an action, we need the “to form” of the verb.

How about a conversation with some examples?

That’s a great idea!

D: I need to go to the mall today, Latonya.

L: Why do you need to go to the mall?

D: Well, I want a new phone.

L: Is your phone broken?

D; No, but it’s 5 years old   I want a newer phone. 

L: So…  you don’t need a new phone, but you want a new phone.  

D: Right! I really don’t want to spend the money, but my husband got new iPhone and he loves it…so of course now I want a new phone too.

L: I get it! Sometimes you just want to buy something even if you don’t really need it.

D: You do get it, Latonya. Well, I need to hang up.  I want to go before the traffic gets bad.

L: OK! Bye!

OK, dear listener, do you remember when to use the “to” form or “infinitive”  form of the verb with like, love, need and want? 

Right!  When you, like, love, need or want  “to do” an action.

Well, we need to go! See you soon!

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A correction: Diana said, "The boiling point on the Fahrenheit scale is 112 degrees."  The boiling point on the Fahrenheit scale is 212 degrees.

What’s the weather like this morning? It’s cold, frosty and sunny this morning! Yes!! BRRRR! It is cold!
Was it cold last night?
Yes, it was below freezing.
What do you mean :”below freezing”?The temperature at which water freezes is 32 degrees Fahrenheit.… or 0 degrees Celsius.  If I say it’s below freezing, I mean the temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celsius or Centigrade. Fahrenheit – Celsius – centigrade? There are two different “scales” for measuring temperature. On the Fahrenheit scale water freezes at 32 degrees F and it boils at 212 degrees F.  On the Celsius scale, the temperature at which water freezes in 0 degrees and the temperature that water boils is 100 degrees C.  Centigrade and Celsius are the same scale.Most countries use the Celsius scale. Only a few use the Fahrenheit scale: the U.S., Belize, Palau, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands.  In most places in the world, you will hear the temperature in Celsius or “degrees C.” Here in the U. S. of A., you will hear the temperature in Fahrenheit or degrees F.

 Let’s get back to the temperature today. It’s 40 degrees F. or 4.4 degrees C. Notice that when we talk about the weather, we use “it”. For example, “It is cold today. :” It is correct to say “The weather is cold today.”, but you will most often hear, “It is cold today.” (present) or “It was freezing cold last night.” (past) The same is true when we talk about the temperature: “It is 40 degrees right now.” or “It was 27 degrees last night.” 27 degrees F or –2.7 degrees Celsius! That’s cold! You know, “cold” is kind of a boring word… let’s talk about some other words - more descriptive words we can use to talk about for winter weather.
If it’s just a little cold, and we need to wear a sweater, we can say “It’s chilly!” It sounds the same as the meal with beans and chili powder, chili. In fact, when the weather is chilly, I like to eat chili. When I feel a little cold, I can say “I’m chilly.”
When it’s a little colder than chilly and I need to wear a jacket, and some gloves, I might say ”It’s nippy outside today.” “a nip” means a little bite. We use it often with animals. “The puppy nipped at my heels.” When I say “It’s nippy!”, the cold is “nipping” or taking little bites of my fingers and nose.  We would say “It is nippy. But not “I am nippy.”
If the temperature is below freezing (below 32 degrees F), it’s a little colder that nippy, I can say “ It’s freezing” or “ It’s crisp.”  If it’s crisp, the ground might be frosty or frozen.  When I walk I make a crunchy sound because the ground is hard. If I am feeling very cold, I can say “I’m freezing.”, but I would not say “I’m crisp.”
If I need to wear a heavy coat, mittens and a scarf, the temperature is in the 20’s or lower, and especially if it is windy, “it is bitter cold or biting cold. “Bitter” is like the  unpleasant taste of a lemon peel. Biting cold is a cold that can hurt like the bite of an animal.  When it’s biting cold or bitter cold, it’s not pleasant for most people to be outside for a long time. We use:” biting cold” and “bitter cold” only  to talk about the temperature or the weather being cold, we don’t use those adjectives for people.
How would you describe the weather today, dear listener? Is it chilly, nippy, crisp, or freezing cold?  We hope it’s not biting cold today, so you can go out for a nice long walk.

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We talk with Jaime, who has been studying English with a TALC tutor for about four years. We learn that English is not his second, but his third language. He also speaks Japanese! Listen to our conversation and learn what Jaime finds the  hardest and easiest about learning English. What does he do to improve his English skills? Jaime leaves us with some advice for other English language learners: "Don't give up!" "You've got this!"

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In podcast # 35 we talked about the Puget Sound, a body of water that starts north of us in the Straits of Juan de Fuca and extends to Olympia south of us. We live in the area of  Washington State  called The Puget Sound. From our homes in the Puget Sound we see a lot of mountains. Can you see mountains from where you live?

What mountain we can see from many places in Puget Sound? Mount Rainier of course!  It is our mountain. When we ask each other “Is the mountain out today?”, we mean "can you see Mt. Rainier today? …or are clouds covering it up?".  

Rainier is a mountain. Why don’t we say Mountain Rainier? When we talk about the name of one specific mountain we put “Mount”, a short form of “mountain” before the name of the mountain. When we write, we often abbreviate or shorten “mountain” to “M -t”. So when we talk about one mountain we say “Mount” before the name of the mountain.

 How about when we talk about a range or group of mountains? When we talk about a mountain range we put “Mountains” after the name of the mountain range. So, for example, Mount Rainier is one mountain in the Cascade Mountain Range. 

Where is the Cascade Mountain Range? It starts in southern British Columbia continues south through Western Washington and Oregon to Northern California. The Cascade Range is 700 miles long. We often call the mountain range “the Cascades:” How did the Cascade s get that name? Well, “cascade” is another word for “waterfall”. A waterfall’s meaning is just what is sounds like: an area in a river where the water falls or drops many feet - sometimes hundreds of feet. For short you will hear waterfalls called “falls”.

Early explorers of the northwest found cascades or waterfalls on the Columbia River between Washington and Oregon. The water dropped 40 feet in 150 yards.  From these cascades they saw in the distance very high mountains topped with snow. The explorers called the mountains “the Cascades”. The Native Americans called the mountains “Mountains of the Northern People.”

So, the Cascade Mountain range has lots of very high snowcapped mountains. Is there anything else interesting about the mountain range? Well, yes, there are 15 volcanoes in the Cascade Mountain Range. Those volcanoes are called the Cascade volcanoes.  Have any of those volcanoes erupted in the last 100 years? Yes! Mt. St Helens in southern Washington erupted in 1980. 

How about Mt. Rainier? Yup! It’s a volcano too. When did it last erupt? About 500 years ago. Could it erupt again? Yes, as a matter of fact, it’s considered one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes. Yikes! Do you worry about that?

So, Mt. Rainier is a volcano. It’s also Washington’s highest mountain & the highest mountain in the Cascade Range. It’s almost 14,000 feet high (4,389 m). it has 20 glaciers. It is the most glaciated of any other mountain in the lower 48 states* (the 48 states not including Alaska and Hawaii)Amazing hikes to alpine meadows and lakes. Mt. Rainier National Park was established in 1899. It’s very popular! Sunrise is the- highest point in the park you can drive to. You can see views of other volcanoes in the Cascade Range.  Paradise is another popular area on the mountain that has any many hiking trails.  

 British naval captain George Vancouver who explored the Puget Sound in 1792 named the mountain after his friend Rear Admiral Peter Rainier. Native Puyallup Tribe people call the mountain “Tahoma” or “Tacoma” which means the “mother of waters”, and they want to officially change the name from Mt Rainer to Mt. Tahoma. We can call it Mt. Rainier or Mt. Tahoma, but on a clear day we are fortunate that we can enjoy and appreciate the lovely mountain from almost everywhere in the Puget Sound. 

Have you explored Mt. Rainier, dear listener? Send us an email at TALCCHATS @gmai

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