Hello!  And welcome to Chat ENG – a podcast where people chat about how they learn and use English.  My name is Sam, I’m a CELTA teacher and a performer, and I have a particular interest in pronunciation and expression. In each episode, non-native and native speakers will chat about their experiences with English, share their advice and, at the end, I’ll give some pronunciation tips for you to take away and practice. So, ready?  Let’s get Chat ENG! This episode, I’m chatting with Jane.  Jane is an English Language Teacher who currently lives in France!  We met online, as we’re in different countries, so there were some slight delays and overlaps … but we’re all used to this now! We chatted about growing up bilingual, accents, and favourite words, but I started by asking Jane to tell me a little about herself…  INTERVIEWPassion and discipline is needed to learn a language.  Jane’s right, so make sure you find fun stuff, and this helps you to work hard!   Learning words like ‘mmm…yummy!’ or expressions like ‘easy, peasy, lemon squeezy’ are a great way to play with the sounds of English, and you’ll remember them for ever!So – this episode’s pronunciation tip is that tricky change from the ‘th’ = / ð / to / z / in plurals as Jane described with the word /clothes/. We really want the tip of the tongue to do the work, and we want 1 transition – 1 move - and 1 continuous sound!  This is a difficult one, so a little bit of practice!  Start with the / ð / sound (which we practiced in episode 7!) – tip of the tongue between the teeth and a gentle buzz.Next - try the /z/ sound… Zebra.. Zoo.  Notice – where is your tongue now?  It should be just behind your bottom teeth.  Now, what we want is the tongue to move a little bit from between the teeth to behind the teeth – so let’s go slowly = ð – z   Don’t release too much air, and try not to open your mouth too much or your teeth – it’s just movement with the tongue!  Clothes! To practice , I have 3 more examples of words with this ending in the plural. First = 1 mouth, 2 mouths Try this sentence = “How many mouths are we feeding today?”  Next = I bathe, he or she bathes  Try this sentence = “”He bathes in milk, she bathes in water!” Finally = You breathe, he or she breathesTry this sentence = “When she breathes in, he breathes out!” Final practice = let’s put the 3 words together in one sentence: “He breathes, she bathes, our mouths are open.” Over to you to practice! So there we are!  The transcript of this episode is available to read on the podcast’s webpage, so take a look!   Join me next time for more pronunciation and grammar tips, more advice and, most importantly, more chatting! My thanks again to Jane and, for her music, a massive thanks to the wonderful Mara Carlyle.   Bye for now!

Hello!  And welcome to Chat ENG – a podcast where people chat about how they learn and use English.  My name is Sam, I’m a CELTA teacher and a performer, and I have a particular interest in pronunciation and expression.   In each episode, non-native and native speakers will chat about their experiences with English, share their advice and, at the end, I’ll give some pronunciation tips for you to take away and practice.  So – ready?  Let’s get Chat ENG!This episode, I’m chatting with Lars.  Lars is originally from Australia – he’s a Business English coach and a Porsche enthusiast – watch out for his YouTube videos!  We met online and had a few glitches – I think it was either the weather or some building work…not sure – but nothing that got in the way of the chat too much!  We chatted about ‘Nativizing’ your English, switching your brain on, and strategic chit-chat, but I started by asking Lars to tell me a little bit about himself… INTERVIEW Top tips from Lars = Turn the subtitles off when watching TV and switch your brain and tongue on before speaking English.  Professional athletes warm up before an event, so why shouldn’t you warm up before speaking English?  TV, podcasts, chats with colleagues – these are all great ways to prepare!So – this episode’s pronunciation tip is Lars’ tip when making the difference between the ‘s’ and ‘ʃ ' (sh) sounds, or – as Lars says, between a smile and a kiss!  As discussed in Episode 1, English sounds are produced in the front of your face and involve both your lips and your tongue a lot!   Let’s practice the / ʃ / sound first.  Tell some noisy people to “Shhh!”. Notice how your lips come forward, maybe in the shape for a big kiss!.  Now, move to tell the noisy people “Shhh! Silence!”  Notice – what do you lips do? What does your tongue do?   Your lips might not change from a kiss to a big smile, but they should move back to a more neutral position… while, the tip of your tongue should move to be behind your top front teeth for the ‘s’ sound.  To exaggerate this movement, make the ‘s’ longer = “Shhh! Sssssilence!”.    Now we have a feel for the 2 positions, I have 3 sentences for you to practice:First = sure (meaning ‘certain’) and sore (meaning ‘painful’).  Both an / ɔː / sound.Try this sentence:  Are you sure you’re not sore? Next = shock (a scare) and socks (covers for your feet!).  Both an / o / sound. Try this sentence: It was a shock to see your socks! Finally = Same (meaning ‘equivalent’) and shame (meaning ‘embarrassment’).  Both an /aI / sound.  Try this sentence:  We feel the same shame… Final practice = how about a tongue twister!   Let’s start slowly:  “She sells sea shells on the sea shore”. We go from = ʃ– s – s –ʃ – on the – s - ʃ!Tricky!! But you can do it!  Don’t make too much of a difference between your / ʃ / and your /s/ faces here.  They’re actually quite small movements.  Repeat the sentence a few times, trying each time to go a little bit faster….  “She sells sea shells on the sea shore”Over to you to practice! So there we are!  The transcript of this episode is available to read on the podcast’s webpage, so take a look!   Join me next time for more pronunciation and grammar tips, more advice and, most importantly, more chatting! My thanks again to Lars and, for her music, a massive thanks to the wonderful Mara Carlyle.   Bye for now!

Hello! And welcome to Chat ENG, a podcast where people chat about how they learn and use English.  My name is Sam, I’m a CELTA teacher and a performer, and I have a particular interest in pronunciation and expression.   In each episode, non-native and native speakers will chat about their experiences with English, share their advice and, at the end, I’ll give some pronunciation tips for you to take away and practice.  So, ready?  Let’s get Chat ENG! This episode, I’m chatting with Fabi.  Fabi is originally from Italy, she’s an English Language Teacher, and she’s also a singer and a singing teacher!   We met online, as we’re in different countries, so there were some slight delays… but hopefully you won’t notice them too much!  We chatted about learning song lyrics, using a student’s 1st language to help them learn English, and sounding natural enough, but I started by asking Fabi to tell me a little about herself. INTERVIEWFabi’s ‘do something everyday for 5 minutes’ advice is key to improving your English.  Listen to something while your brushing you teeth, watch the news in English while you prepare dinner, or have a quick daily chat with a friend in English.  It doesn’t matter what you do, just do something! The Italian idiom Fabi translated as ‘swallow the toad’ is ‘eat the frog’ in English, not just the legs, as they do in France, but the whole thing! Literally, it sounds disgusting to me, but the idiom means that the frog represents a difficult project or some boring homework to do, if you ‘eat the frog’ as soon as possible, you complete the task and then you can progress to more fun things! Fabi also mentioned the Past Perfect. As a grammar structure, this can be difficult to use or understand. I think of it this way: You have 2 actions that take place in the past, and you want to identify which is action 1, the action that happens first.   Take this sentence:  I went to the station but the bus had already left. Here you have 2 actions in the past:  - me going to the station    - the bus leaving the station.  Which is action 1 and which is action 2?  From the grammar structure, we understand that the bus leaving is action no.1 because it had left. The past simple part, I went, is action 2.  In the show notes on my webpage, you can see 2 more examples! Example 2:  I offered Mel some food but she had eaten earlier. Mel eating = action 1, Me offering food = action 2 Example 3:  I hadn’t seen my friends for ages, so we organised a video chat last night! Not seeing my friends = action 1, Organising a video chat = action 2So, this episode’s pronunciation tip is about words elide, how two become one!  Fabi said she learnt about these listening to songs and reading the lyrics.  An elision is when you put two words together to make one word when we speak by leaving out a syllable or sound. A good example is when we elide I and am to make I’m = no need for an ‘a’ sound! It’s pretty informal, so don’t write like this! I have 3 typical elisions for you to practice: First = Let us becomes Let’s. Try this sentence: “Let’s chat later!” Next: Going to often becomes Gonna. Try this sentence: “I’m gonna do it tomorrow!” Finally:  A tricky one to finish! Would have becomes would’ve.  Try this sentence: “You would’ve liked that film!” But, the tricky part is that it can be even shorter if you elide the subject (in this case, you) with would’ve to make you’d’ve. Try this sentence: “You’d’ve liked that film!”  Over to you to practice! So there we are! The transcript of this episode is available to read on the podcast’s webpage, so take a look! Join me next time for more pronunciation and grammar tips, more advice and, most importantly, more chatting! My thanks again to Fabi and, for her music, a massive thanks to the wonderful Mara Carlyle. Bye for now!

Hello! And welcome to Chat ENG - a podcast where people chat how they learn and use English.In Group 2 of these podcasts, I chat to the wider world... in particular, I speak to lots of English teachers!We chat about our experiences and the challenges of English, and all of my guests have great advice for learners at every level! As before, each episode will end with a pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary tip, so check out the episodes in Group 1 for tips to practice. With music from the wonderful Mara Carlyle, join me as we continue Chat ENG!  

Hello!  And welcome to Chat ENG – a podcast where people chat about how they learn and use English.  My name is Sam, I’m a CELTA teacher and a performer, and I have a particular interest in pronunciation and expression. In each episode, non-native and native speakers will chat about their experiences with English, share their advice and, at the end, I’ll give some pronunciation tips for you to take away and practice. So,ready?  Let’s get Chat ENG!  CHAT So – this episode’s grammar tip is about a tense difference that all learners fear and avoid, the difference between the past simple and the present perfect simple!   “Did you do it?” or “Have you done it?”.  Every learner finds this difference difficult because the perfect tenses are special to English and it’s not always clear when you translate them into your mother tongue.  I’m here to assure you that it’s not that tricky and, with a little practice, you will feel more confident!  First. Let’s talk structure: We make the present perfect simple with the present simple form of Have (I have, you have, he/she/it has, we have , they have) plus a past participle.  Example = They have visited London. Next. How do we know when to use “They visited” or “They have visited”? A simple thing to consider is time.  We use the past simple to talk about actions in the past in a time that is finished, so the information is specific.  So – tip 1, try to use a time reference in a past simple sentence, like yesterday, last week, 3 years ago, then we understand that the time is finished. With the sentence “They visited London”, it becomes more specific with a time reference like “They visited London last month.” Now, to compare with “They have visited”, the present perfect simple is for more general statements. Here, we understand that in the past they visited London, we don’t when, but that’s not important. We also understand that as time continues, it is possible for them to visit London again in the future. So, tip 2, if you want to keep it general and open, then use “They have visited London”. Finally. Let’s look at another example: We often ask friends about films (or movies) at the cinema.  Films at the cinema are usually for a limited time, let’s say 10 weeks.  You know there is a new film, you know it is available for 10 weeks, you want to ask your friend “Did you see the film at the cinema?” or “Have you seen the film at the cinema?” Which is the right question?! Again, it’s a question of time = when are you asking the question? If you are asking the question when the 10 weeks are finished, then ask “Did you see the film at the cinema?” because the 10 weeks are finished and it is not possible to see the film at the cinema anymore. If you are asking the question during the 10 weeks, maybe in week 4 or week 7, then ask “Have you seen the film at the cinema?”. The film started at the cinema in the past, it is at the cinema now, as you ask, and it continues for some weeks into the future, so it’s possible to see it at the cinema. So, tip 3, think about if we can continue the action in the future… if the time is finished and it is not possible to continue the action, then use the past simple.  If the time is not finished and it is possible to continue the action, then use the present perfect simple. This episode’s grammar tip is one of the many, many nuanced ways in which we make the difference between ‘Did + do something’ (past simple) and ‘Have + done something’ (present perfect simple) but I hope this gives you a strong start! Be brave! Over to you to explore! So, there we are! The transcript of this episode is available to read on the podcast’s webpage, so take a look. Join me next time for more pronunciation and grammar tips, more advice and, most importantly, more chatting! Thanks again for listening and, for her music, a special thanks to the wonderful Mara Carlyle. Bye for now!

Hello! And welcome to Chat ENG – a podcast where people chat about how they learn and use English.  My name is Sam, I’m a CELTA teacher and a performer, and I have a particular interest in pronunciation and expression.  In each episode, non-native and native speakers will chat about their experiences with English, share their advice and, at the end, I’ll give some pronunciation tips for you to take away and practice.  So – ready? Let’s get Chat ENG!This episode, I’m chatting with Tina. Tina is currently studying for her Masters in Intercultural Communication in Helsinki and is the host of the podcast KYKY & Co. We met online for our chat and, for the most part, there were no interferences, but you might hear a ‘ping’ from my phone that was not on silent (amateur!). We chatted about being really Essex, what the word ‘culture’ really means, and the ideas of relearning verses learning from new, but I started by asking Tina to tell me a little bit about herself… INTERVIEWAs Tina said, What’s the worst that can happen if you speak English?  You make a mistake! That’s it! No one minds! Be brave! Intercultural Communication is such an interesting topic! If you want to learn more, check out Tina’s podcast KYKY & Co: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1564613   So – this episode’s pronunciation tip is more about vocabulary – the very informal ways we express negatives. Now, I don’t want to say ‘incorrect ways’ because English is a live language and variations become accepted and you will hear them!  They can be confusing to learners, but they’re easy to understand when you identify them.  So, here are the 2 main ways native speakers use informal negatives in informal conversation…not exclusively these, but these are the ones you’ll hear more often.First, “I ain’t going”.  At first you think ‘ain’t’ is an elision, 2 words become 1, but what is ‘ain’? Ain’t represents ‘I am not’ or ‘he / she is not’ or ‘you / we / they are not’.  So, it could be “he ain’t going” or “we ain’t going…”.  To confuse you even more, “ain’t” can also mean “haven’t” in present perfect sentences.  Examples of this could be “I ain’t taken your book!” (I haven’t taken your book) or “they ain’t seen her” (They haven’t seen her). The important thing to remember is that ‘ain’t’ is a very informal negative used only in informal speech, it is never written down - well, it shouldn’t be! Ain’t = are not, is not, am not, have not.  One to think about. Next, Double Negatives. We learn that  2 negatives make 1 positive, so for example “It’s not unreasonable” (2 negatives) means “it is reasonable” (1 positive) but, when we want simple negative sentences that express a negative point, we only need 1 negative.  Often I hear, and you may hear: “I don’t know nothing!” Which technically means “I know something!”. Confusing, right?  2 negatives = ‘don’t’ and ‘nothing’ = translation ‘something’!  Just remember that English is easy, so if you want to express a negative, use 1 negative per sentence = “I don’t know anything” (option 1) or “I know nothing!” (option 2) Finally, Let’s put them together: “I ain’t got none!” = 1st translation  “I haven’t got none”. How many negatives?  2!  So 2nd translation, consider: do you have none or do you have some?  To express that you have none, change the sentence to “I haven’t got any!” (option 1) or “I have none!” (option 2).  The more you hear these informal negatives, the easier it will become!Over to you to explore! So there we are!  The transcript of this episode is available to read on the podcast’s webpage, so take a look!  Join me next time for more pronunciation and grammar tips, more advice and, most importantly, more chatting!  My thanks again to Tina and, for her music, a massive thanks to the wonderful Mara Carlyle.  Bye for now!

This episode I’m chatting with Claire.   As we were online, you might hear a bit of a delay or the ghost of a question, so don’t be scared!We chatted about the link between French and English, the pronunciation of ‘the’ and the idea of a ‘sound bath’, but first, I asked Claire to tell me a little bit about herself…INTERVIEWClaire’s idea of a sound bath is so inviting!  Listen to an English radio station, or a podcast like this one, as often as possible … and just like the lovely warm water of a bath, let the sounds of people speaking English wash over you…  :o)So this episode’s Pronunciation tip is about the two different ‘th’ sounds.. θ (air) and ð (buzz) … tricky, aren’t they?  Well, the best thing to do is to practice the difference in an exaggerated way – you might feel a bit silly doing this but, I promise you, it’ll help!First - find a mirror!  Have a look at what you’re doing.  Next - put the tip of your tongue between your teeth.  You should only be able to see a little bit of tongue in front of your teeth.  Not all of your tongue!   For sound 1 – try to blow air through your teeth but don’t try to produce a sound, just air = θ  Gentle blowing. This is bigger than is necessary but it’s good to understand the sensation.  From this position, try saying = Thanks!Bigger than normal but we're just practicing!For sound 2 – stay in the same tongue position, with your tongue between your teeth, but this time try and make a buzzing sound = ð .  Notice – do you need more air or less air?  If you’re using less air = great!  If you’re using more, try reducing the amount of air. To practice this sound, try saying = There!Finally – Let's practice the two sounds in one sentence:  We'll say the sentence slowly first to emphasise the two differences: “That - thing - there - thanks - this - thing - here!”This sentence helps you to change between the θ (air) and ð (buzz) = try not to move your tongue too much – the trick is the amount of air… more for θ (air), less for ð (buzz).When you're ready, we can do it a little bit faster:“That thing there thanks this thing here!"Over to you to practice!So there we are!  The transcript of this episode is available to read on the podcast’s website, so take a look!  Join me next time for more pronunciation tips, more advice and, most importantly, more chatting!My thanks again to Claire and, for her music, a massive thanks to the wonderful Mara Carlyle.  Bye for now!https://emaileng.com/chat-eng

This episode, I’m chatting with Jochen.  Jochen was born in Romania and raised in Austria.   We met in a café, socially distanced, so you will hear some café sounds… actually, louder sounds than anticipated, so this is a real test of your listening skills!  We chatted about building and giving presentations, the problems with direct translations, and using your emotions when speaking, but I started by asking Jochen to tell me a little about himself… INTERVIEWGreat advice from Jochen – stop watching TV in your original language and just use English!  It’s also useful to think about language, as Jochen said, as a piece of the presentation puzzle. So – this episode’s pronunciation tip is about intonation.  The best thing about speaking English is that it’s not just about the vocabulary you learn… it’s an expressive language – so it’s not a flat language where your ability to use wonderfully exaggerated phrases, impress with intricate nuances and exquisite eloquence shows you are good at English.   It’s an up and down language, an energetic language, so a lot of meaning is lost if your tone is expressionless!   When speaking, it’s best to identify the important words in each sentence and give them as much energy as possible!  A good way to practice this is with the following sentence:I didn’t say now! = 4 words (as didn’t is a contraction of did and not)… but how many different meanings can we hear if we stress the words differently? The answer is 4!First – I didn’t say now!  = meaning ‘it wasn’t me!’Second – I didn’t say now! = meaning ‘I said something else’Third – I didn’t say now! = meaning ‘I only suggested now’Finally – I didn’t say now! = meaning ‘I meant later!’So – find the most important words in each sentence and give that word more energy!  Try saying “I didn’t say now!” and change which word you stress to practice!Over to you to practice!So there we are!  The transcript of this episode is available to read on the podcast’s webpage, so take a look!  Join me next time for more pronunciation tips, more advice and, most importantly, more chatting!My thanks again to Jochen and, for her music, a massive thanks to the wonderful Mara Carlyle.   Bye for now!

This episode I’m chatting with Heather.   Heather is originally from Scotland, and is a content writer and editor.  We were online, so you might hear some odd sounds and bits that aren’t so clear.  We chatted about becoming Americanised, simplifying language to read online, and tricky grammar points … but I started by asking Heather to tell me a little about herself… INTERVIEWGreat advice from Heather – try children’s book or young adult books to improve your reading skills, and make friends with native English speakers – it’s always nice to make new friends!To Heather’s tricky grammar point – do you have to do something or must you do something?  They are both modal verbs that represent obligation but what’s the difference?  An easy way to think about this is where does the obligation come from?  Is it your personal belief – an interior obligation?  Or is it an obligation from the law, the police, your company, your school, your university – an exterior obligation?  If it’s interior – think MUST.  I must wash my clothes!  If it’s exterior – think HAVE TO.  I have to wear special clothes to work.  So – this episode’s pronunciation tip is linked to the differences between UK and US English.   Sometimes, it’s difficult to know how to pronounce words in English because accents can be so different – Heather’s example of Tomato – Tomato is one of millions!  So, I have 3 more examples of typical words with different pronunciation that tend to stay different:First – a way of announcing or promoting a service or a product:  UK English = Ad – VER – tis – ment US English = AD – ver – tise – ment Next – A herb we typically put on top of a pizza:UK English = o – re – GA – no US English = o – RE – ga – no Finally – something made of glass or ceramics that holds flowers:UK English = vase / a: /UJ English = vase / eI /  You can choose which version is best for you but remember - articulation, making your words clear, is more important than a UK or US accent...  Over to you to practice! So there we are!  The transcript of this episode is available to read on the podcast’s webpage, so take a look!   Join me next time for more pronunciation tips, more advice and, most importantly, more chatting!My thanks again to Heather and, for her music, a massive thanks to the wonderful Mara Carlyle.   Bye for now! 

Hello!  And welcome to Chat Eng – a podcast where people chat about how they learn and use English.  My name is Sam, I’m a CELTA teacher and a performer, and I have a particular interest in pronunciation and expression.    In each episode, non-native and native speakers will chat about their experiences with English, share their advice and, at the end, I’ll give some pronunciation tips for you to take away and practice.  So – ready?  Let’s get Chat ENG! This episode I’m chatting with Anna.   As we were online, you might hear a few glitches or gremlins … which we’ve all had to deal with!   We chatted about learning English at school, ‘small talk’ and words that don’t look like they sound… but I started by asking Anna to tell me a little about herself…  INTERVIEWGood advice from Anna – try and immerse yourself in an English environment.  Getting to an English-speaking country might be even more difficult in 2021 than usual, so think about other ways to immerse yourself … you could put an English-language radio station on when you’re at home, follow English recipes when cooking or you could organise video chats with other English learners … regular contact with English content will definitely help you improve! So, this episode’s Pronunciation tip is about the number of syllables in a word.   When we see vocabulary we don’t know, or we’re not sure about, we try to pronounce all the sounds we see – the consonants and the vowels – but not every vowel sound is necessary! Anna’s excellent example was ‘Worcester” which looks like it should be pronounced – Wor – ces – ter – but, in fact it’s “wors – ter”.   I have 3 more examples of similar words and, to help, let’s think about syllables like beats in music. 1.  First – a food we eat to be healthy = vegetable!  Looking at the word, many people try to pronounce 4 beats = / ve – ge – ta – bel / (BA - be - be - be)In fact, we only need to pronounce 3 beats with the stress on beat 1 = / veg – te – bel / (Ba - be - be)  Also notice that the ‘ta’ of ‘ta-ble’ is a weak sound – what is called the ‘Schwa’ sound. For learners familiar with the phonetic alphabet, this is the upside down ‘e’ – for learners who are not familiar, this means the vowel is a weak ‘eh’ sound, as in ‘mother’. Practice with this sentence:  “what vegetable is this?”2.  Next – when you’re lying in bed with nice socks and pyjamas… comfortable!  Again, we see 4 beats = / com – for – ta – ble / But, like vegetable, we only need 3 beats with the stress on beat 1 = / COMF – te – ble /.  Again, the ‘ta’ of ‘table’ is the ‘Schwa’ sound ‘eh’. Practice with this sentence:  “My bed is very comfortable!” 3.  Finally – a person who works in an office and sends emails and letters for the boss – a secretary! Many people say / se – cre – ta – ry / with 4 beats, and this is ok – but try saying the word with 3 beats = / se – cre – try /  Practice with this sentence: “The new secretary starts today!”  Final practice – try this sentence:  “Is the secretary comfortable with buying vegetables?” Over to you to practice!   So there we are!  The transcript of this episode is available to read on the podcast’s website.   Join me next time for more pronunciation tips, more advice and, most importantly, more chatting!My thanks again to Anna and, for her music, a massive thanks to the wonderful Mara Carlyle.   Bye for now!