The Thanksgiving cooking show was chock full of conversations, so we pulled them out for you to make them easier to enjoy! In this conversation Patricia and Teresa discuss NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) because they are both working books!

If you’ve ever written a book or wanted to write a book, tell us about it via email at [email protected] or on our Facebook page!

And if you like the podcast, please tell a friend! Until next time, happy learning!

This episode was recorded on November 17, 2020.

The Thanksgiving cooking show was crammed full of conversations, so we pulled them out for you to make them easier to enjoy! In this conversation Patricia and Teresa discuss a game show that Teresa was on! You can check out Teresa’s performance on the game show by clicking this link!

If you’ve ever appeared on a game show, tell us about it via email at [email protected] or on our Facebook page!

And if you like the podcast, please tell a friend! Until next time, happy learning!

This episode was recorded on November 17, 2020.

It's Thanksgiving and Teresa and Patricia cook one of Teresa's favorite Thanksgiving recipes over Zoom!! 

Check out the blog for the recipe and a couple of Thanksgiving pictures! And if you cook with friends over zoom or have a favorite Thanksgiving memory, please share them with us via email at [email protected] or on our Facebook page!

And if you like the podcast, please tell a friend! Until next time, happy learning!

This episode was recorded on November 17, 2020.

Today Patricia and Teresa talk about storytelling and in particular scary stories for Halloween or told around a campfire. They also talk about Madlibs and demonstrate how Madlibs work from one Patricia made for you to try with a friend.

So check out the blog for a couple of Madlibs! And if you write any scary stories, please share them with us via email at [email protected] or on our Facebook page!

And if you like the podcast, please tell a friend! Until next time, happy learning!

This episode was recorded on October 20, 2020.

Today Teresa talks about the word hiatus. If you want to check out the NPR story that she got the example of guts meaning courage from, click this link.

Remember, share your attempts to use hiatus with us! You can share them with us via email at [email protected] or on our Facebook page! Until next time, happy learning!

This episode was recorded on August 11, 2020.

Today Patricia and Teresa talk about near-homonyms.

If you want to just practice, this is the episode for you!!

Click here for the full list!

This episode was recorded on September 8, 2020.

Today Patricia and Teresa talk about near-homonyms.

Terms used in today’s episode:

Minimal pairs: Minimal pairs are two words that are nearly identical. There is only one aspect of their pronunciation that is different. (Spelling isn’t always a good indicator of the differences between the two words.)

Click here for the full list!

Idiolect: A term used in this episode that might be new to you is idiolect. An idiolect is the language or speech habits/patterns of one person. It is not shared with other people. In this episode we learned about Teresa’s idiolect. For her the words pin and pen are pronounced the same way. She does try to say them differently for other people but not always successfully- as in this episode!

Just as a note, she didn’t get upset when it happened. She knows that this is something she does and while it’s been a source of confusion for her listeners her whole life, it is something she knows about and can talk to people about when she is unable to successfully say them differently. Knowing something is hard for you is half the battle!

This episode was recorded on September 8, 2020.

Today Patricia talks about the phrase: You bet. She compares this response to a previously discussed expression, "I bet." She also gives examples of how and when to use this response.

Please share your English language learning moments with us by emailing [email protected] or by posting on our Facebook page! Until next time, happy learning!

This episode was recorded on September 27, 2020.

Today Patricia and Teresa talk about no, none, and none of. Make sure you listen for Patricia’s suggestions on how to check to see if you’re using them correctly!

Examples from today’s episode are:

• There was cake this morning but none this afternoon. I wonder who ate it all.

Rules:

no+ noun

none of + noun

none (second mention)

no+ noun examples

• I had to walk because no buses were running today.

none of + noun examples

• None of the apples looked good at the grocery store.

none (second mention) examples

• I wanted to get some toilet paper but there was none in the store.

Good expressions used in this episode is:

Two heads are better than one!

Left, right and center

This episode was recorded on September 8, 2020.

Today Teresa talks about the word guts. If you want to check out the book that Teresa mentioned, click this link. If you want to check out the NPR story that she got the example of guts meaning courage from, click this link.

Remember, share your attempts to use guts with us! You can share them with us via email at [email protected] or on our Facebook page! Until next time, happy learning!

This episode was recorded on August 11, 2020.