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The verb "to do" is very important and very useful. In this podcast we will ask the question: What are you doing? What is he doing? etc. and use the answers to introduce some common verbs.

1. What are you doing? I'm talking to my girlfriend.
2. What are you doing? I'm finishing my homework.
3. What are you doing? I'm taking a test.
4. What are you doing? I'm eating a snack.
5. What are you doing? I'm going for a run.

[What's = What is]
6. What is he doing? He's washing the dishes.
7. What is he doing? He's watching TV.
8. What is he doing? Not much. Sleeping, probably.
9. What is he doing? He's reading a novel.
10. What is he doing? He's taking the dog for a walk.

11. What is she doing? She's studying for an exam.
12. What is she doing? She's playing the guitar.
13. What is she doing? She's studying English.
14. What is she doing? She's practicing piano.
15. What is she doing? She's listening to the radio.

16. What are they doing? They're working in the garden.
17. What are they doing? They're vacationing in Spain.
18. What are they doing? They're visiting their grandchildren.
19. What are they doing? They're driving to California.
20. What are they doing? They're watching a movie on Netflix.

[What are you (plural) doing?]
21. We're cleaning the house.
22. We're going for a bike ride.
23. We're visiting a museum.
24. We're shopping for food.
25. We're painting these chairs.

[All these question include the idea of "right now" — what are you doing (right now)?

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

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Part One: phrasal verbs with leave

1.  Please put the leftovers in the frig when you finish eating. If you leave them out, they’ll go bad. [to leave out = not put away] [frig = refrigerator. “To go bad” = to spoil.”]

2. The pirates left me behind on a desert island with no food or water. Fortunately I was spotted by a passing helicopter and rescued. [to leave behind =  to abandon]

3.  That was a good story, but you left out the part about robbing a bank. [to leave out = to omit, to not include]

4.  The burglar left behind lots of fingerprints so he was captured in a few days. [to leave behind = to leave a trace or record]

5.  “Will you leave off practicing drums when I’m trying to study?!” [to leave off = stop]

6.  Mr. Jones died last week. He left behind his wife, two sons, two daughters, and seven grandchildren. [to leave behind = to be survived by]

7.  We started learning English at the same time but Maria soon left me behind. She has a real gift for languages. And she also studies more than me! [to leave behind = to pass]

Part Two: phrasal verbs with look

8.  “That’s very suspicious,” said the detective. “I’ll look into it.” [to look into = to investigate]

9.  Roberta looked on with interest as the surgeon began the operation. [to look on  = watch, observe]

10.  Peter looked up the meaning of “incompetent” on the internet. [to look up = to get information about something]

11.  “Are you looking forward to your surprise birthday party? Oops! Forget I said that!” [to look forward to = to feel excited about something that is going to happen.]

12.  I’m looking for a new car but they’re all too expensive. [to look for = search for, seek]

13.  Charles looked after my three cats and four dogs while I was on vacation. He’s an angel. [to look after = to care for, to take care of]

14.   I finally got a good job so things are looking up. [to look up = to get better, improve]

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

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Let’s do some more practice with the verb “to be”, and with contractions.
Remember: Listen, listen, listen!

1. We write: “I am hungry,” but we say: “I’m hungry.” [“I’m” is a contraction of “I am”]
2. He’s thirsty. [He is —> he’s]
3. She’s happy. [She is —> she’s]
4. You’re late! [You are —> you’re]
5. We’re tired. [We are —> we’re]
6. They’re at the supermarket. [They are —> they’re]
 
Questions and positive answers:
7. Are you hungry? Yes, I am.
8. Is he thirsty? Yes, he is.
9. Is she happy? Yes, she is.
10. Am I late? Yes, you are!
11. Are you tired? Yes, we are.
12. Are they at the supermarket? Yes, they are.

Questions and negative answers:
13. Are you hungry? No, I’m not. [I’m = I am]
14. Is he thirsty? No, he isn’t.  [isn’t = is not]
15. Is she happy? No, she isn’t.
16. Am I late? No, you aren’t! [aren’t = are not]
17. Are you tired? No, we aren’t.
18. Are they at the supermarket? No, they aren’t.
19. Are you from Germany? No, I'm not. I'm from Austria.
20. Is she from Ecuador? No, she isn't. She's from Argentina.
21. Are they from Mexico? No, they aren't. They're from Guatemala.
22. Are you from Honduras? No, we're not. We're from Peru.
23. Is he from France? No, he isn't. He's from Belgium.
24. Are they from Japan? No, they aren't. They're from Taiwan.

Need to translate? Paste the text into DeepL.

[Note: He isn't = He's not = He is not. So "He isn't from Mexico" is the same as "He's not from Mexico."]

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

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If you are a total beginner, my advice is simple. Listen and listen and listen. The more you listen, the better your pronunciation and accent will be later. But listening comes first.
And a warning: English spelling is NOT phonetic. If you try to read English before you listen, you will create problems for yourself. You will pronounce words incorrectly and you will probably develop bad habits.

Listen first. Listen a lot. You'll thank me later.

1. Hello. How are you?
2. I’m fine, thanks. How are you?
3. Very well.
4. Hello, how are you doing?
Very well, thanks. And you?
I’m doing great.
5. What’s your name?
6. My name is Martin. What’s your name?
7. My name is Maria. And this is my friend, Carl.
8. Glad to meet you, Carl.
9. Pleased to meet you.
10. A pleasure to meet you.
11. Where are you from?
I’m from Colombia. And you?
I’m from Mexico.
12. I’m from the United States.
13. I’m from France.
14. I’m from Canada.
15. I’m from Spain.
16. I’m from Venezuela.
17. I’m from Costa Rica.
18. What languages do you speak?
19. I speak Spanish and a little bit of English.
20. I speak French and German.
21. I speak English and I’m studying Japanese.
22. I only speak Spanish. I want to learn English.
23. I only speak French. I’d like to learn English.
24. Good luck!
25. Here’s a short conversation. Listen and listen and listen before you try to repeat.

Hello. How are you?
Fine, thanks. And you?
I’m doing very well. Where are you from?
I’m from Spain. I live in Barcelona. And you?
I’m from the USA. I live in Boston.
Do you speak Spanish?
Not yet but I want to learn it. You speak English very well.
Thanks. I’ve studied it for many years. [I’ve = I have]

I recommend DeepL for translation.

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

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So many prepositions, so little time. Today let’s practice sentences with ON and IN.

1. Nobody can live in New York on ten dollars a day.
2. The generals planned their attack on Berlin.
3. Did you see that new science fiction show on television? Not yet. Is it on Netflix too?
4. There are a lot of good science podcasts on the BBC.
5. If the company pays for our hotel rooms, we can say “the rooms are on the company.”
6. The police arrested Jonas Smith on suspicion of murder.
7. Sorry, I’m broke. I don’t have any money on me.
8. Do you have any opinions on the subject of aliens visiting earth?
9. Can you visit us on Tuesday?
10. She was born on the 10th of July.
11. I left my phone on the table but now it’s gone. Do you think the dog ate it?
12. He was walking in the woods and scratched his arm on a branch.
13. We both pushed as hard as we could on the door but it wouldn’t open.
14. On your left you’ll see fishing boats in the harbor.
15. The houses on my street are all painted blue or gray.
16. He always bets on losing horses.
17. Soon the tomatoes will be ripening on the vines.
18. Mrs. Anderson had a small white dog sitting on her lap.

Now let’s practice with in.

1. Maria, you're my best friend in the world. You're one in a million.
2. Joan is in my French class.
3. There are nine eggs left in the egg carton.
4. Does she live in the country? No, in a large city.
5. When Martin reached the airport, his plane was already in the air.
6. Covid has reached a very high level in certain parts of our country.
7. I’ll be able to finish my homework in a few hours.
8. I promise I’ll call you in a few days.
9. He stopped outside the candy store and looked at the chocolates in the window.
10. The knives, forks, and spoons are in the silverware drawer.
11. Some people prefer to be paid in cash and not by check. Personally I like direct deposit. 
12. He writes fluently in German, but he speaks it poorly.
13. After the terrible car accident, the old man was in a coma. He never regained consciousness and after a few days he died.
14. Polly has a terrible temper, but she’s met her match in George. He loves to yell and scream. What a pair!

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

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In this conversation a husband and wife are discussing a problem caused by their cat. Listen three times without reading the text below to see how much you understand. Then look at the notes for explanations of the vocabulary. There are also a few slang expressions in this conversation. After the third repetition I'll break the conversation up into small parts and you'll have a chance to listen and repeat. Here's the first repetition.


John?
Yes?
Did you feed the cat anything strange today?
No. Why do you ask?
Because she just threw up on your side of the couch.
Whaddya mean MY side of the couch? [=What do you mean...]
You always sit on the left side. See? Right where the puddle of barf is. She just likes you better, I guess.
Oh, very funny, honey.
[Dog barks; text message signal]
Oh dear, I gotta run. Mom's here. Can you put the dog out? And make sure you get that barf cleaned up off the couch before it stains the cushion.
Yeah, that's right: leave me high and dry while you go shoppin'.
Bye, dear!
Being married to that woman is no walk in the park. Where's that damn dog?

To throw up = vomit
To barf = vomit
Barf (noun) = "Careful! Don't step in the barf!"
"To leave high and dry" = to abandon

"A walk in the park" = something easy, so "Being married to that woman is no walk in the park" means "It is difficult being married to her."  

English has many synonyms for the verb to vomit. Here are a few more:
To puke
To lose one's lunch. (After eating some bad fish, he lost his lunch.)
To toss one's cookies. (She drank too much cheap wine and then tossed her cookies.)
To upchuck.
To be sick to one's stomach. (The little boy was sick to his stomach.)
To regurgitate.
To spew.

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

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In this podcast you'll practice with the words much and many, and when to use each one. The rules are simple:
If you can count something, use many. For example:
How many children does Mrs. Johnson have? Three, I think. Two boys and a girl.

If it is non-countable, like water, sand, milk, etc., use much. For example:
There isn't much gas left in the car. We'll have to stop soon to get more.

Let's practice.

1. How many stars are in the sky? Too many to count.
2. How much water is there in an Olympic swimming pool?  What a good question. About 660,000 (six hundred sixty thousand) gallons, or 2.5 (two and a half) million liters.
3. We spent many happy days on my uncle's farm.
4. Much of her money is invested in the stock market.
5. Can I borrow some flour?  Sure, how much do you need?
6. Can you spare any sugar? Sure, how much do you need?
7. Can you spare any milk? I need some for this recipe. Probably. How many cups of milk will you need?
8. We had so much fun at the zoo that I didn't want to leave.
9. Many of the animals at the zoo like to watch the people.
10. I'm miserable. I don't have much money and I don't have many friends. Well I'm not surprised. All you do is sit around playing video games. Go get a job—that'll help with your money problems. And take an interest in other people. That'll help with your social life.

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

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Here is some practice with ‘some’ and ‘any’. Note that ‘some’ is in positive statements and ‘any’ is in negative ones, and also usually in questions.

I'll read all the sentences first. Just listen. Then I'll put in repeats. Listen to those and, as you feel comfortable, repeat along with me. Here we go.

1. Lucky Bob has some friends. I don’t have any friends.
2. Lucky Larry has some money. I don’t have any money.
3. Lucky Lucy has some food. I don’t have any food.
4. Lucky Louise has some free time every afternoon. I never have any free time.
5. Would you like some water to drink? 
6. Would Mary like some fruit salad? 
7. I found some books under the bed.
8. Richard needs some new t-shirts.
9. We don’t have any apples.
10. I didn’t see any of your friends at the library.
11. John doesn’t want to watch any football games on TV.
12. Do you have any leftover pizza? I’m starving!
13. Does your sister know any French? I need help with my homework.
14. Let me know if you have any questions.

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

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The “aw” sound in English is usually written with either “aw” or “au”. Here are two examples:

“August” — his birthday is in August.
“Squawk” — the ducks quacked and the chickens squawked.

Let’s practice.

1. I like to paint. Mary likes to draw.
2. The cat was drinking milk from a saucer.
3. Michael is studying law at the university.
4. When you cut wood with a saw, it makes sawdust.
5. She was very sleepy and kept yawning.
6. The castle was haunted by a scary ghost.
7. I threw the ball. John caught the ball.
8. Mary threw the ball. I caught it. [Note the ’t’ in caught is pronounced /d/ if followed by a vowel!]
9. The audience applauded the singer’s awesome performance at the audition.
10. Their dog was gnawing on a bone and growling.
11. Please fix that faucet. The drip is driving me crazy.
12. The farmer works from dawn till dusk. That’s the same as working from sunrise till sunset.

But why stop there? The 'aw' sound is also found in words like fought and bought. So let’s practice a few more sentences

13. Those boys are always fighting. They fought yesterday. They’ll fight today. And I’d be surprised if they didn’t get in a fight tomorrow, too.
14. I bought a loaf of bread. Mr. Millionaire bought a Mercedes. He has money to burn.
15. We ought to talk less and listen more.

And a quote:

I've always thought a hotel ought to offer optional small animals. I mean a cat to sleep on your bed at night, or a dog of some kind to act pleased when you come in. You ever notice how a hotel room feels so lifeless? 

Anne Tyler

Lots more quotes at https://www.brainyquote.com/

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

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This is a lesson about the pronunciation of some plurals in English, with a few numbers thrown in as a bonus. Listen:
I have one cat. Mary has two cats.
John only has one horse. I'm rich: I have (23) twenty-three horses.
Sam has one cow. Sally has three cows.
Listen to the pronunciation of the words as they go from singular to plural:
cat — cats
horse — horses
cow — cows
In each case the written plural is made by adding the letter "S" to the noun. But the pronunciation isn't as simple.
Listen again: 
cat — cats (add an 's' sound)
cow — cows (add a 'z' sound)
horse — horses (add an 'uhz' sound)
Let's practice these starting with the 's' sound.
1. cup — cups 
Paul had one cup of coffee. I drank twelve cups of coffee.
2. pot — pots
Mary made one pot of tea. I made seven pots of tea.
3. stack — stacks
Harold made one stack of paper. Jane made three stacks of paper.
4. book — books
John has one book. I have thirty-seven (37) books.
5. cake — cakes
Robert wants one big cake for his birthday. I want three huge cakes for my birthday.
Here are some more words that have the /s/ sound for the plural:
hat — hats. One hat, fifteen hats
lock — locks. One lock, forty-two (42) locks
minute — minutes. One minute, sixty (60) minutes
boat — boats. One boat, seventy-nine (79) boats
plant — plants. One plant, thirteen (13) plants
light — lights. One light, eleven (11) lights
Next let's practice with plurals that have the /z/ sound:
6. bird — birds.
I saw one bird. George saw nineteen (19) birds.
7. door — doors
She opened a door. Michael opened twenty-one (21) doors.
8. dog — dogs
I only have one dog. Charlie and his wife have nine dogs. They're crazy.
9. boy — boys, girl — girls
I saw a boy and a girl going for a walk. I saw at least twenty-five (25) boys and girls on the playground.
10. french fry — french fries
She nibbled on a french fry. I ate at least fifty (50) french fries, and now I feel sick.
Here are some more words with the /z/ sound in the plural:
worm — worms
bug — bugs
pig — pigs
plan — plans
plane — planes
car — cars
crater — craters
microphone — microphones
tube — tubes
guy — guys
sky — skies
ball — balls
Finally there are words where the plural is pronounced /IZ/
as in bush — bushes, or fix — fixes. Here are some examples:
11. gas — gases
Oxygen is a gas. Argon, neon, and xenon are three more gases.
12. wish — wishes
Sarah made a wish. Miriam made wishes every night.
13. canvas — canvases
The artist painted my portrait on a small canvas.
A different artist painted portraits of his girlfriend on canvases of every size and shape.
14. quiz — quizzes
Our English teacher gave us a pop [surprise] quiz this morning.
The math teacher liked to give quizzes every few days.
15. tax — taxes
Our town has a sales tax. There are lots of local, state, and federal taxes in the USA.
Here are some more words in this group:
witch — witches
church — churches
wrench — wrenches
crash — crashes
dish — dishes

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

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