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1. Roger has a red rabbit.

2. My robot is right-handed.

3. I like to read about railroads.

4. I fed my bird a carrot.

5. The doctor wore a white shirt.

6. Have you ever seen a lizard on a giraffe?

7. I’ll pay you a dollar for your green rocket.

8. I live on a ranch with my mother.

9. The rich pirate had a pet turtle.

10. I ran away from the walrus.

11. I brushed my hair with a hair brush. 

12. Dinosaurs never ate kangaroos. 

13. My father ate all the bread.

14. It is dangerous to drink and drive.

15. It took a large crane to lift the dragon onto the truck.

16. In his dream he played a drum.

17. My friend has freckles.

18. Her grandpa greeted the prince.

19. She practiced cartwheels on the grass.

20. I bought some groceries including fruit like grapes.

21. There was some trash around the trunk of the tree.

22. In reality, I forgot to bring my raincoat.

23. I saw a raccoon roasting a rattlesnake. 

24. When I realized what he was reading, I was surprised. 

25. I would like to travel around America.

26. The canary ate a blueberry.

27. I don’t have the authority to open the cafeteria. 

28. My new camera is great!

29. My dictionary is full of vocabulary. 

30. The operation will be necessary. 

R sounds can appear at the beginning of words:

“Run, read, red”

In the middle of words: 

“Pirate, Florida”

At the ends of words:

“Four, doctor”

And combined with other consonants:

“World, bread, pray”

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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1- You said that already. I’m afraid you’re repeating yourself.

2- I think that’s a terrible idea, but you’re the boss so suit yourself. Do what you want.

3- In ten years I see myself running a successful consulting business.

4- My children always behave themselves in public. At home, however, they are monsters!

5- John is quite old but he is still perfectly capable of looking after himself.

6- My sister used to live off our parents, but now she has a good job and can support  herself.

7- I wanted to pay myself a bonus at the end of last year, but sales were terrible so I couldn’t.

8- Our president loves himself more than anyone else in the whole world.

9- Go ahead—give yourself a raise! You’ve earned it.

10- He introduced himself to the audience and then began his speech about black holes.

11- His chauffeur had the flu, so Mr. Richman drove himself to his penthouse office.

12- She baked the cake herself with no help from her mother.

13- We prepared dinner ourselves using stuff we found in the refrigerator.

14- He stared at himself in the mirror and was surprised to see white hair and wrinkles.

15- The children decorated the Christmas tree themselves with ornaments they found in a box.

16- She taught herself English by reading books and watching videos.

17- All the children use ChatGPT to do their homework nowadays. They don’t do the work themselves, so they aren’t learning anything.

18- He slipped while rock climbing and injured himself badly.

19- I don’t recommend doing brain surgery on yourself.

20- The cat gave itself a thorough bath using its tongue.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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This is a companion podcast to the previous one which gives sentences with "when." The word "while" is used to link actions which are happening at the same time. For example: During dinner, I listened to a podcast. You can express this with while: "While I ate dinner, I listened to a podcast." 

I prepared dinner while my wife took a nap.

My children studied while I worked remotely.

While the dog chased the cat around the house, I watched a basketball game.

I studied the menu while the waitress poured us coffee.

The teacher corrected my exam while the other students continued working.

I thought it was going to rain while we waited for the train to arrive, but it didn’t.

I worked in a factory while my wife finished medical school.

My daughter colored her place mat while we waited for dinner to arrive.

The teachers talked while the children played outside.

My parents finished eating breakfast while we washed their car.

Isabel drew pictures on a piece of paper while her parents described their vacation.

It took a while to finish painting the dining room. 

He was in the hospital for a while after his accident. 

She took some great photos while she was visiting Atlanta.

I read her a story while she brushed her hair.

George was very quiet while I explained the situation to him.

While I set the table for dinner, Mary finished the sauce and started bringing the food into the dining room.

He watched the puppies playing while their mother rested.

Her grandfather died while fighting in World War II.

We remained silent while she performed a violin duet with her sister.

I’ll go put gas in the car while you guys finish packing our suitcases.

Every once in a while, I listen to podcasts in French.

I need to be alone for a while.

While I can’t answer all your questions, I’m happy to answer the ones I can.

It may take a while for her to learn Spanish, but I’m sure she’ll get it eventually.

After a while, we all fell asleep and dreamed of flying elephants.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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A student asked me today to explain the difference between "when" and "while" in English. I think examples are the best way to learn so here are questions and statements containing "when" and I'll do "while" very soon--I promise!

When I arrived, it was raining.

When is your next meeting?

When I saw him, he was getting ready for a trip.

When did she get married?

When do you finish work?

I met them when they still lived in Los Angeles.

I’ll include that information when I write my report.

When the speech was over, my boss thanked us for coming and then left.

She remembered when she visited her grandparents every day.

When he lived in Rome, he spoke fluent Italian.

When we had finished breakfast, our mother told us to go outside and play.

When she started to do some research, she soon found some surprising information.

When did these kittens show up?

It was very late when we finally left the party.

When do I start work?

When are these library books due?

When she saw his expression, she was immediately worried.

I didn’t recognize you when you walked by dressed in a tiger costume.

When you know me better, you’ll realize that I always tell the truth.

When the professor started his lecture, the students were totally silent.

When I tried to walk through the forest in the dark, I soon crashed into a tree.

I was almost asleep when my phone rang.

He was studying when his cat jumped up on the computer keyboard.

My mother looked serious when she started describing the ghost in her house.

When you visit, you can sleep in your old bedroom.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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This podcast is the sound portion of one of my YouTube videos. It describes all my language learning experiences spread over many decades. Personally I think this is just as useful (or useless) as a podcast as it is in video form. In both formats it's just me telling a story. I hope you enjoy it: it includes successes as well as failures. If you'd like to watch me talk for more than an hour, here's the link. 

I have not attached a transcript. If you desperately want one, let me know and I'll produce one for you. Hope you enjoy the story.

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Important note: This podcast is the audio portion of a video you can watch on my YouTube channel. So if you hear me say "video", that's why. I have added a transcript if you'd like to read along as you listen. I hope you enjoy it.

Barry

PS You can watch the original video here:  https://youtu.be/cD5SEoif7bs

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Listen and repeat. Please do NOT read and repeat. The spelling won't help. Use your ears and your brain. 

1. I saw a balloon in a cartoon.

2. It was cool in the swimming pool.

3. The table top was very smooth.

4. The kook lived in an igloo.

5. There was a lagoon at the zoo.

6. Which booze did you choose?

7. He climbed the roof and stood aloof.

8. At school he liked to play the fool.

9. Soon he will snooze in his booth at the fair.

10. The room was dark and gloomy.

11. She stood for a while and read her book.

12. I heard a dog woof in the dark.

13. Boogie woogie is a style of piano playing.

14. He’s a good man with good ideas.

15. The chimney was full of black soot.

16. We brought in some firewood.

17. I dropped a rock on my foot. Ouch!

18. I have a new hoodie with a purple hood.

19. Let’s look in the new cookbook. 

20. You look bushed.

21. This coffee is full of sugar.

22. We took off after our friends on foot.

23. I stood outside for an hour.

24. It does no good to say “shoulda, coulda, woulda.”

25. A goat’s foot has a hoof. The plural is hooves.

26. We live in a spooky neighborhood. 

27. I put off my doctor’s appointment. 

28. If it keeps raining, the river could flood.

29. He fell out of the tree but shook off the pain and ran into the woods.

30. The accountant said he would cook the books for us.

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The present perfect and present perfect continuous  generally allow us to talk about things which start in the past and continue into the present.

1. I’ve lived in Turkey for three years. I’ve been living in Turkey for three years. 

2. She has studied English since 2023. She has been studying English since 2023.

3. He has worked for the French government for twenty years. He has been working for the French government for 20 years.

4. It has rained all day. [It started this morning and it hasn’t stopped yet.]

It has been raining all day.

5. I’m tired. I’ve been working since 7am without a break.

6. I have never studied Arabic.

7. Have you ever heard of the singer, Joan Baez?

8. Have you guys finished your homework yet? No, we’re still working on it.

9. Scientists have not yet discovered a cure for cancer.

10. Where is John? I haven’t seen him for weeks. — He has gone to Berlin for the summer to study German.

11. Have you misplaced your car keys again? Yes, I’ve been hunting for them all morning. 

12. She has played guitar ever since she was thirteen.

13. How long have you had that cat? This one? This is Annabelle. I got her about six months ago.

14. Have you ever visited Italy? - Not yet, but I’ve traveled to France many times.

15. Have you seen your mother today? No, I think she’s at the mall with some friends.

16. He’s [he has] been on the phone for two hours.

17. She’s [she has] been waiting to see the doctor for forty-five minutes. 

18. We’ve [we have] just finished eating dinner.

19. They’ve [they have] recently moved to Brazil.

20. I’ve [I have] stopped studying French and started learning Czech.

21. The children have been playing outside all day.

22. We’ve been thinking about the future since we were young.

23. Have you read any good books recently?

24. Some professors have said that American college students can’t read serious books any more.

25. Have you ever watched a rocket take off? No, but I saw one blow up on the launch pad once.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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Verb tense review: the present continuous (also called the present progressive.

The present continuous is mostly used for actions which are happening right now. Sometimes we also use it for future actions. Compare these two sentences:

A) We’re going to the zoo.

B) We’re going to the zoo on Saturday. 

The sentences are exactly the same, but adding the word “Saturday” tells the listener that the trip to the zoo will happen in the future.

Instructions: When you're listening and repeating DO NOT READ the sentences. Close your eyes, look away, listen as carefully as you can to the sounds of the words. Train your ears!

1 - I’m doing my homework.

2 - She’s cooking dinner.

3 - He’s walking the dogs. He’s taking the dogs for a walk.

4 - We’re playing tennis.

5 - They’re at the supermarket shopping for food.

6 - I’m taking the bus to work.

7 - We’re surfing in Hawaii.

8 - He’s studying for a chemistry exam.

9 - She’s listening to a podcast.

10 - We’re waiting for the plane to take off.

11 - They’re visiting the Museum of Modern Art.

12 - He’s sleeping late.

13 - We’re going to a birthday party. 

14 - I’m cleaning my apartment. We’re having a dinner party tonight.

15 - She’s traveling to Los Angeles next month.

16 - We’re thinking about going to see a movie tonight.

17 - What are you doing tomorrow?

18 - Are you still working? (Or) Are you still at work?

19 - Are you children fighting again? Just stop!

20 - There’s something wrong with the car. It’s making a terrible sound. 

21 - He’s coming to visit us in June.

22 - Germany is holding national elections in a few weeks.

23 - She’s giving a piano concert the day after tomorrow.

24 - I’m thinking about what to have for dinner tonight.

25 - Our President is telling lies again, as usual.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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Verb tense review: the simple past.

The simple past is used for actions that took place in the past and are finished. For example:

“Yesterday I went to the gym after work.”
“Last week I met a woman who is a yoga instructor.”

Here are some sentences to practice with:

1 - I lived in Los Angeles for three years. (Then I moved to Miami.)

2 - She studied Turkish when she was living in Ankara. (Then she moved to Berlin and started studying German.)

3 - My mother worked in a hospital for 20 years. Then she retired.

4 - I studied piano when I was a teenager. In college I switched to guitar.

5 - I played basketball a lot when I was in high school.

6 - She spoke Italian as a child, but stopped when she moved to Germany.

7 - My uncle was an Olympic athlete in his youth.

8 - I worked hard today—too hard!

9 - My grandson rode his bike to school this morning. 

10 - After school we watched a football game.                                                                  

11- I rode my motorcycle to work yesterday.

12 -  I listened carefully to all the sentences.

13 - We shopped for two hours and bought some new clothes.

14 - Where did you work last year? I worked in Belgium.                                                  

15 - Who did you invite to your party? I invited all my favorite people.

16 - Where did you find that lovely painting? I bought it at an art gallery.

17 - When did you get back from Germany? The plane landed early this morning. 

18 - How did you learn to speak French? I married a French woman.

19 - Why did you come home so early? The party was really boring.

20 - I quit my old job last month. Yesterday I found a new job and it’s going to be great!

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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