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Here is a riddle(a question that needs careful thought to figure out the answer) for you: What goes up but never comes down? Your age!

Our age goes up (increases) all the time, but we count the increase in years on our birthday.

Not everyone celebrates their birthday. Some people don't celebrate their birthday for religious or personal reasons. Probably most people in the United States celebrate their birthday.

People started celebrating birthdays in ancient Egypt - in about  3,000 BCE (Before the Common Era , or Before the Current Era or Before Christian Era) or about 5,000 years ago. The Egyptians celebrated their ruler's, the pharaohs, birthday because  they thought of the pharaoh as a god.

The ancient Greeks ( people who lived in Greece) celebrated the birthdays of their gods. Artemis was the goddess of the moon.  The Greeks offered Artemis moon-shaped cakes with candles  to represent the light of the moon. Historians say that is where our tradition of birthday cakes with candles started.  Can you believe it?

Thousands of years later,  in the late 1700's people  in Germany began having children's parties to celebrate childrens birthdays. They celebrated with a cake decorated with a one candle for each year of the child's age.  These parties were only for people who where wealthy (rich) because the ingredients for the cakes were very expensive. Birthday parties became possible for "common people" in the late 1800's after the industrial revolution (the period of time when people started using machines to make products - from about  1760 to 1840).

Today people celebrate their  birthdays in many different ways - some simple and others very elaborate (done with great care or lots of detail).  But most birthday celebrations have some things in common.  There is  usually a cake with frosting or icing (a sweet coating) and candles. For kids there is one candle for each year of their age. For adults, there is maybe one candle for each decade (10 years).  We light (past - lit) the candles, people sing the "Happy birthday to you!" song, the birthday person makes a wish and blows (past - blew) out the candles. There are usually   presents (gifts) wrapped in colorful wrapping paper (gift wrap). Sometimes there are balloons or party hats.

The "Happy Birthday Song" has an interesting history. In 1893 sisters, Patty and Mildred Hill, two teachers who lived in the state of Kentucky, published (to print and make available to the public) a song called "Good Morning to All". It was a song to sing to kindergarten children at the start of the school day.   The tune (melody) of that song was what we now know as the "Birthday Song".  In 1924 a man published another book with a song that had the same melody but with different lyrics (the words to a song) . That song is the "Birthday Song" we sing today!

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you ... 🎶

How about you, dear listener, do you celebrate your birthday? If you do, how did you celebrate your last birthday?

Let us know at talcchats@ gmail.com

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In episode # 17 we shared a Valentine's Day story that had a lot of idioms about love. Today we tell a story with some more idioms  - a lot of the idioms in this story are about $$$$$  - money.

idioms are expressions or groups of words that have a special meaning that cannot be translated word by word. We use a lot of idioms in English.  Here's Tom's story. The idioms are in bold.

                                           In the Market for New Wheels

Tom isn’t a guy who likes to fork over (spend) lots of bacon (money) for expensive bawbles (showy or useless or worthless things)  at the drop of a hat (quickly), but he really needs new wheels (a car). Last week he was stopped at a traffic light and another car rear-ended (to be hit from behind) him. Thank goodness ( an expression of relief) that  no one was hurt!

Now Tom is in the market for (interested in buying)  a new car. He has some dough (money) from the insurance company, but to add insult to injury (to make things worse - an insult is an action that is offensive & an injury is a physical or mental hurt or wound)  his landlord just raised his rent $100 a month. So Tom doesn’t have money to throw away ( discard) . Tom is always careful with his money.  In fact, his friends call him a tightwad ( a person who doesn't like to spend money). He wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth (to be born rich), and he knows that money doesn’t grow on trees (isn't easy to get). He really doesn’t want to fork out (spend) an arm and a leg (a lot of money) for a car. 

He went to a used car dealership and was doing some window shopping (just looking without wanting to buy). Of course, a salesman waltzed over (walked  in a casual & confident way) in a drop of the hat (quickly). The salesman showed him a 2015 BMW and told him it was a steal ( a bargain) for $35,000.  The salesman  twisted Tom’s arm (to try to force or make someone do something) to make a deal (come to an agreement). Tom told the guy he was barking up the wrong tree ( to be completely wrong about something).  Tom was not going to shell out (pay) 35,000 bucks (dollars) for a car. No way! (impossible) Not gonna happen (impossible)!

Tom was bummed out (feeling upset or disappointed). He still needed new wheels (a new car). He gave his  (friends) a jingle (a phone call) and put some feelers out ( to ask other people about something). His buddy Mark gave him a ring (called him) the next day and told him his aunt was selling her 2010 Toyota that had only 10,000 miles on it. It ran like a top (was in very good condition)…and she was selling it for a song (for very little money - cheaply). Tom said “That’s a no brainer (didn't have to think about it)! I don’t even need to sleep on it (he could decide immediately). Tell your aunt it’s a done deal (an agreement)!”

Did you hear all those idioms, dear listener? If you didn't, don't be bummed out!  You can always listen again! 

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Latonya and Diana talk about making small talk - those short conversations between people who usually don't know each other very well.   Small talk conversations are usually not about important things, but they are conversations that make connections between people. Small talk "breaks the ice" - it "melts" the cold, awkward silence  between people and makes them feel more comfortable. 

Some situations when we make small talk are:
               At work when we talk with coworkers at the start of the workday or on break

            In our neighborhood or apartment complex; When we meet neighbors on the street, in the parking lot, on the stairs, or at the mailbox

              At the grocery store – When we are waiting in line or chatting with the cashier when we are checking out

 There are some things that  most small talk conversations have in common.
           They are usually short.
          We use informal English: going to becomes “gonna”; going becomes "goin"
         We often  ask for agreement with  “Isn’t it?” or  “wasn’t it?”
         We try to be agreeable with our answers:  “Me too!”, “Same here!”, "That's right!"

Most small talk conversations have  three parts:  Greetings, Subject and Endings.                Greetings are informal: Hi! Hey! (Good) Morning ("Mornin"! How’s it going (goin)? What’s new? It’s good to see you. What’s up? How’s your (morning, afternoon, evening, day) going ("goin")

 The Subject (Topic) is usually safe.
      Weather  The weather is (great/amazing/beautiful/ wonderful/terrible/awful/miser-able), isn’t it?
       Observations: 
        It’s busy/crowded/quiet/crazy) here today, isn't it?                                         The traffic was (great/terrible/slow) today, wasn't it?

         Endings:  It was (nice/great) talking with you.
           Have a good one (day)                      Talk to you later!  or “later!”
           Enjoy the rest of  your day!
           Sorry!  Gotta (got to) run!

       Listen for those "building blocks" as Latonya and Diana make small talk.

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Today we are going to talk about using “going to” to talk about the future. In episode #13 we practiced using "will" + the base verb ( the verb without any endings: eat, work, run) to  talk about the future.  A review:

•       Mary will help me with my homework tomorrow. Offer/promise
•       I will (I’ll) answer the door.  Quick decision       
•       I will (I’ll) have a hamburger with fries, please. Quick decision
•       The sun will rise at 7 am tomorrow. Fact         
•       Will you be in class next week?  

 To make  a ” will sentence” negative we add not after the “will”:  They will not come to your birthday party.To  make a question, put "will" before the subject in the sentence: Will you be home  in the morning?  The  contraction of “will not” is "won’t":  Will I see you this evening?  No, you won’t see me this evening. No, you won’t. 

Can we always use "will" to talk about the future?
     Yes! You can! … and people will understand you!...But  there are other 3 other ways to talk about the future in English.

We are  are going to practice a one of those ways today: “be verb" (am/is/are -present)  + going to” +base verb. This way of talking about the future is very common, especially in spoken English.

          We usually use “be going to” talk about general plans for the future – plans we have made before (we’re not making the plans right now).

•   I am going to work tomorrow. My mom is going to visit next month.
•   We are going to take a walk this afternoon. They are going to get married in June.

Notice the pattern in those sentences?

•     Subject  (I ) + “to be” verb  (am + “going to + main (base) verb (work) tomorrow.
•     My mom + is + going to + visit next month.

Let’s practice!                                             

•  I am going to clean my kitchen on Saturday.      
•  We/they+ are + going to +  clean the kitchen on Saturday.
•  You + are + going to + clean the kitchen on Saturday.
•  He+ is + going to + clean the kitchen on Saturday.

Notice! Only the subject and the “be verb “ change

 To change that sentence to a negative, Add a “not” after the “be verb”.

•   I am (I’m) not going to clean the kitchen on Saturday.
•   You are (you’re) not going to clean the kitchen on Saturday. 
•    She is (she’s) not going to clean the kitchen on Saturday.

Questions? Put the “be verb” (am, is, are) before the subject.

•   Am I going to clean the kitchen on Saturday?
•   Are you going to clean the kitchen on Saturday?
•   Is she going to clean the kitchen on Saturday?

People use both "will" and "going to" to talk a bout weather predictions.

  Listen to our conversation as we use “be going to” to talk about future plans.

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What shall we have for breakfast? We are asking for suggestions or recommendations about what we will fix for breakfast. "Shall" is an old fashioned  word that we don't use very frequently. We still use it  when we ask questions that ask for suggestions or recommendations with "I" or "we": "What shall I do now?" "What time shall we go ?" We also see :"shall "in legal documents and contracts meaning "must" - an obligation  : "The buyer shall pay the seller $1000. "

Back to our question: "What shall we have for breakfast?" "Shall we have scrambled eggs?" "Scrambled" means mixed up or confused, we use it for scrambled eggs because we mix up the eggs. We can also say "My thoughts are scrambled" (mixed up).

What  tools or utensils ( tools or containers usually used for household/kitchen tasks).  We need a bowl, a frying (sauté) pan, a fork or whisk (wire utensil for mixing food) to mix the eggs, a spatula to stir the eggs while they cook, and a grater (a utensil used the shred food like cheese or potatoes).

What ingredients do we need?  The basic ingredients are eggs, cooking oil, salt and pepper.

Other optional ingredients are onions, green peppers, cooked ham or bacon, and other greens like spinach or kale and cheese.

First we need to turn on (opposite: "turn off") the stove element (the part that gets hot) on the stove top to medium temperature. We will put the pan on the element, add the oil and heat it up,  When the oil is heated up, we will add the vegetables and sauté them until they are tender.

While the vegetables are cooking, we will crack the eggs into a bowl. We usually use  two or three eggs for each person. Then we mix or scramble the egg whites and egg yolks (yellow parts) together. We will add a little salt and pepper.

After the eggs are mixed, we add them to the sautéed vegetables in the pan and scramble them with the spatula while they are cooking over medium heat. We will scrape the eggs from the bottom of the pan while they are cooking so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan. We don't  want the eggs to cook too much or they will be dry. 

When the eggs are almost done, we can add some chopped spinach or kale  and some shredded cheddar cheese or crumbled feta cheese if we want.

Some people like to add salsa, or ketchup/catsup to their eggs. Latonya likes to have some left over rice with her eggs. Diana likes a slice of whole wheat toast.

Breakfast is ready!  It smells delicious!  Let's eat!

How do you like to cook your scrambled eggs, dear listener?  What ingredients do you prefer? Please let us know at [email protected].

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In the last episode Latonya and Diana talked about the signs of spring that we see all around us. In this episode they talk about what people do in the spring.

When the bright springtime sun shines through our windows we see lots of things that we didn't see in the dark days of winter. We see that our windows are dirty!  We see smudges on the windows.  We see that we need to dust our furniture and clean our floors.

 We also see things that we don't need or  use anymore. We see clothes that don't fit (too big or too small) or clothes that are worn out  (used so much that they can't be fixed). We see toys that kids don't play with anymore. We see things that are broken.

What do we do with all those things?  We can fix some things that are broken. We can try to get rid of (dispose of) some things.   We can give them to someone who can use them.  We can donate them to a charity like Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Some things are just so worn out that no one can use them  and we have to recycle them or throw them away in the garbage.

Many people like to plant a garden in the spring. If they don't have enough space for a garden, they can plant flowers or vegetables in pots on their patio or balcony. Plant is used as a noun (a tomato plant) or a verb (to plant). We can say "I planted a tomato plant."

Some people sow seeds in the earth (ground).   We use "sow" for planting seeds.  "Sow" has the same pronunciation as  "sew" with needle and thread and "so"   that can mean "very".  Crazy English!

Here's a poem about what people do in the spring:
               Spring in New Hampshire (a state in the Northeastern US)

                                by Claude Mckay

Too green the springing April grass

Too blue the silver speckled (having small dots or specks) sky,

For me to linger (stay) here, alas (unfortunately)

While happy winds go laughing by,

Wasting (not using wisely) the golden hours washing windows and scrubbing (washing with a lot of effort)  floors.

What do you think we should do in the spring, dear listener? Should we wash our windows and scrub our floors?  Or...should we go outside  and enjoy the springing green grass and speckled sky? 

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Tuesday, March 19, was the first day of spring 🌱.  In this episode Latonya and Diana talk about the signs of spring in Western Washington.

Cherry trees  bloom 🌸🌸 in clouds of pink and white. The grass turns bright green. We need to mow (cut) the grass in our lawns. Dandelions are often the first flowers we see in the spring 🌼. People think of dandelions as "weeds" (plants we don't want in our yards and gardens), but they are pretty yellow flowers with leaves that are nutritious. Daffodils and tulips 🌷 also start to bloom in the spring. The  Puyallup area was famous for raising daffodils in the last century.  The Daffodil Festival and Parade began  in 1935.  There is still a Daffodil parade  every spring. This year the parade is April 6. Look on the Internet to find out where you can see the parade. It's lots of fun! There are bands from local schools, horses, the Daffodil Queen 👑and princesses, and of course, lots of daffodils!

In the spring we also see a lot of birds. Some birds are migrating through our area, others are returning from the south where they spent the winter. Robins are a sign of spring. Robins are about 8 to 11 inches long and have a reddish brown breast. They like to eat worms. In the spring  birds are looking for a mate (partner) and they start building nests where they will lay their eggs.

Bugs (insects) are also a sign of spring. When the outside temperature reaches about 55 degrees,  bees wake up and come out of their hives or nests, We also see flies and mosquitoes and we start to see some butterflies.

The world wakes up in the spring!

What signs of spring do you see and hear, dear listener?  us know at [email protected].

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We will practice using “to have in the present.

We use “to have” a lot in English. It is the 2nd most used verb. 

We use “to have" in many different ways.

Today we will practice using “to have“ as a main verb.

 “To have” means to own something or possess something: I have a car. (I own a car.)

It can also mean to perform an action: "I have breakfast at 8:00." ( I eat breakfast at 8:00.)

 Here are the forms of “to have" in the present: 

      I have a car.
      We have a car.
      You have a car.
      They have a car.
      She has a car.
      He has a car.
      It (my car) has 4 tires.

 What do you notice about the forms of “to have”?
   All “have” except for “he, she,it” – has

 For questions “to have”, needs the helper “do" or “does”
       Do I have a car?
       Do we have a car?
       Do you have a car?
       Do they have a car?
       Does she have a car?
       Does he have a car?
       Does it (the car) have four tires?

·  What do we notice about have in all of those questions?
           It is in the base form “have”. It does not change when the subject changes.

·  Negative statements using “have”  need the helper “do’ or does”, too.
   I do not (don’t ) have a car.
   We do not (don’t ) have a car.
   You do not (don’t) have a car.
   They do not (don’t) have a car.
    She does not (doesn’t) have a car.
    He does not (doesn’t) have a car.
     It (the car) does not (doesn’t) have for tires.

·We use “to have” for aches, pains and sicknesses:
   I have a headache. She has a cold. You have the flu.

   We use “to have” to describe people, animals, or objects.
    I have brown hair. My dog has big ears. The kitchen has two windows.  

 We also use “have + to” to talk about actions that someone must do. (there is no choice): I have to pay my bills.  We have to go to work. You have to study today.They have to go to school. She has to eat now.  He has to get a job.

Listen for forms of “to have" in our conversation:

 D: Hi Latonya, how are you?
 L:  I’m fine. I’m having my breakfast right now. How are you?
D: Well, I have lots of problems this morning! I have a headache. I need to make cupcakes for my son’s birthday party, and I don’t have enough sugar. I don’t have time to go to the store. Do you have some sugar?
L: Yes, I have plenty of sugar. I have time to bring it to you. I have to go out anyway.
D: Thank you!  Oh, by the way, we have new neighbors, Latonya. 
L: Oh, that’s nice! Do they have children?
D: Yes, they have a daughter and a son.  Their daughter is 12 years old. She has long brown hair. Their son is 3 months old. He doesn’t have much hair yet.  
L: Do they have any pets?
D: Yes, they have a pet goat! 
L: Your neighbors have a goat? Maybe that’s why you have a headache.
D: What does the goat look like?
L: It has long cur

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In TALC Chats episode # 8, Latonya and Diana practiced using that little verb "to do'" in the present. In this episode they practice using "to do" in the past.

A quick review of the forms "to do"in the present:
          I do
         we do
         you do
         they do
         he/she/it does

"to do" has two important jobs:
          1. As a main verb that means to accomplish something
               like "I do my dishes after I eat dinner."
         2. As a helper for most other verbs for
                 questions: "Do you like chocolate?"
                negative statements: "I don't like chocolate"

One very important verb that needs no help from "to do" is "to be".
          (am, is, are - present; was, were - past)
         Examples: You are busy. You are not busy. Are you busy?

"to do" in the past:

Using"to do" in the past as a main verb and and as a helper is easy. It's a piece of cake! Like almost all English verbs "to do" has only one past tense form : "did".

To talk about the past just change the "do" or "does" to "did ". 

Practice using "to do " as a main verb in the past:
            I do my laundry on Mondays.  I did my laundry last Monday.
            John always does his homework.  John did his homework last night.

Practice using "to do" as a helper in the past:
            Did you like broccoli when you were a kid? (main  verb "like")
           No, I did not (didn't) like broccoli when I was a kid.  (main  verb "like")
           
           Did John work yesterday? (main verb "work")
           No, John did not (didn't) work yesterday. (main  verb "work")

Notice that the main verb is always in the base form: like, work, eat 

The main verb does not change with the subject

   Listen for “did” “didn’t “ and “do” in Diana and Latonya's conversation. Sometimes “did” will be the main verb and sometimes it will be a helper with a main verb.

L:  Did you have a busy day yesterday?

D: No, I really didn’t have a very busy day yesterday.

L:  Did you work yesterday?

D: No, I didn’t work. It was my day off.

L: Did you make anything special for dinner?

D: No, I didn’t cook. I got a pizza.

L: Did you go to bed early?

D: No, I didn’t go to bed early. I read my book until midnight.

L: Wow! Did you finish the book?

D: Yes, I finished it. Do you want it?

L: Yes, I do, thanks. But I don’t want to stay up until midnight reading it!

D: Don’t worry! You don’t have to read it all in one night like I did.

L: I don’t plan to.

D: Well, I need to say goodbye. I don’t want to be late for my class.

L: OK! See you later!

How about you, dear listener:

Did you have a busy day yesterday? What did you do?

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Latonya and Diana recorded this episode on March 1 , 2024. When we say that date in English we say "March first, twenty twenty-one".   In English we use ordinal numbers  when we talk about the date on the calendar.

When we count (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, 9,10), we use cardinal numbers. Ordinal numbers are numbers "in order": first, second, third, fourth. fifth.  Those are a little tricky, but the other ordinal numbers are easy - just add "th" to  the cardinal number: six+th = sixth, seven+th= seventh, eight +th = eighth, none + th = ninth and so on.  We need to remember that when we come to the ordinal number 21, we need to say "twenty first", 22 - "twenty second", 23 - "twenty third" , twenty fourth, twenty fifth. The same is true, of course, for 31 -35, 41 - 45 and so on (etc).

Here is interesting and important fact:  when we see written dates, usually we don't see them written as ordinal numbers, but we say them as ordinal numbers. For practice here, we will write the dates as ordinal numbers so you can practice saying the dates that way.

The day  before March 1st, was February 29th.  We have a  February 29th only every 4 years. Most years February has 28 days.  We had a February 29th this year because it is a leap year.  A leap year has 366 days instead of the usual 365 days.

Why do we need to have leap years?  A year is the time it takes the earth to revolve (move in a circle) around the sun.

We think of a year as 365 days, but it actually takes the earth 365 days and 6 hours to revolve around the sun.

So... every four years we add an extra day to the calendar to make up for that extra 6 hours a year, and every four years we have an extra day in the year.  That day is added to February. In a leap year February has 29 days instead of 28 days.

The 29th of February is called leap day.

                “Leap” – another word for jump

                “leaping lizards!!!”  is an exclamation we sometimes use when we are very surprised. 

                “leap frog” is a children's game. One child crouches (is on their hands and knees, close to the floor [inside]  or ground [outside]), and another child jumps or leaps over them.  

Why do we use “leap” for years that have an extra day??

On years that are not leap years, the day of the week for a specific date, like December 25th advances (goes forward) one day every year. 

Christmas Day was on Saturday in 2021,  Sunday in 2022 and it was on Monday in 2023.  Because 2024 is a Leap Year, Christmas Day will be on Wednesday, not a Tuesday. So the date “leaps over” “jumps over Tuesday to Wednesday. 

Do you know anyone who was born on February 29? It is the rarest birthday.  Something that is rare doesn’t happen very often.   People born on February 29th are rare. They are called leaplings.

Are you a leapling, dear listener? Do you know anyone who is a  leapling?

Here is a challenge for you, dear listener: tell someone (in English, of course) what we talked about in this episode! 
 

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