LISTENING: Tim Ferris - Smash fear, learn anything

Is your heart missing a beat?

Is your heart missing a beat?

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LISTENING: Patrick Chappatte - The power of cartoons

PRONUNCIATION: Suffix -s

Suffix s

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USE OF ENGLISH: Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal Verbs are tricky verbs. They are made up of 2 words, one of them being a verb and the other one not. Interesting enough, the meaning of the verb comes from the word which is not a verb. It is also very difficult to figure out the meaning of the phrasal verb by just adding the parts. Some very common phrasal verbs are:
- Make up
- Figure out
- Work out
- Hang up
- Hang in
- Make out
- Put together
- Sign in
- Drop off
- Drop by
- Swing by
- Come by
- Look up
- Look after

Can you think of any other? A good source of phrasal verbs is the Cambridge Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Click here to find out!

SPEAKING: Your summer vacation

There are lots of things you can do in the summer. Providing you are in the northern hemisphere, you have good weather guaranteed. Today we will talk about your summer. You can always send me an email with a description of how yours went. That is good writing practice!

Below is a list of things I like doing in the summer. But, what did you do last summer?

- Reading
- Watching movies
- Eating out
- Canoeing
- Cookouts
- Biking
- Hiking
- Mushroom hunting
- Geods hunting

WEEKLY SCHEDULE 28-30 September

Weekly schedule 28 30-sept

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LISTENING NO. 11: Aquatic Plants and Algae

LISTENING NO. 11: Earthquakes

PREPARATION

Let's do some prep work before actually listening to the video. Below you will find some definitions for some words that you might not be familiar with. Once you think you have understood all of the meanings, proceed with the listening.

snap verb (BREAK)

/snæp/ (-pp-)

•

[I or T] to cause something which is thin to break suddenly and quickly with a cracking sound

You'll snap that ruler if you bend it too far.

Some vandal's gone and snapped off my car aerial again.

•

[I] to suddenly become unable to control a strong feeling, especially anger

When she asked me to postpone my trip to help her move house, I just snapped (= got angry).

grind verb (RUB)

/graɪnd/ [T] (ground, ground)

to rub something against a hard surface, in order to make it sharper or smoother

She has a set of chef's knives which she grinds every week.

He ground down the sharp metal edges to make them smooth.

The car engine was making a strange grinding noise.

See also: grindstone

grind your teeth

to make a noise by rubbing your teeth together

She grinds her teeth in her sleep

rumble verb (SOUND)

/ˈrʌm.bl ̩/

[I] to make a continuous low sound

Please excuse my stomach rumbling - I haven't eaten all day.

The tanks rumbled (= moved slowly, making a continuous noise)across the battlefield.

rumble noun

[C]

We could hear the rumble of distant guns/thunder.

drain (draining) verb (REMOVE LIQUID)

/dreɪn/

•

[I or T] If you drain something, you remove the liquid from it, usually by pouring it away or allowing it to flow away, and if something drains, liquid flows away or out of it

Drain the pasta thoroughly.

We drained the pond and filled it with fresh water.

Drain (off) any liquid that is left in the rice.

Don't bother drying the pans - just leave them to drain.

•

[T] If you drain a glass or cup, you drink all the liquid in it.

chasm noun

/ˈkæz.əm/

•

a very deep narrow opening in rock, ice or the ground

They leaned over the rails and peered down into the dizzying chasm below.

•

formal a very large difference between two opinions or groups of people

There is still a vast economic chasm between developed and developing countries.

LISTENING NO. 11: Adrenaline Rush

WEEKLY SCHEDULE: 24-25 May

Weekly Schedule 24-25 May

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LISTENING NO. 10: Robin Hood

PRONUNCIATION NO. 10: Connected Speech

English is characterized by an alternation of STRONG and WEAK syllables, making up a rhythmical pattern which, ideally, inserts 1-2 weak syllables between strong ones. This, of course, is not always possible. We have already learned about stress shift and how some words change their original stress position to accommodate to English rhythm.

Another effect weak syllables have is that they, many times, are not even pronounced: they become so weak, they just disappear from the speech. We have already seen this in words such as: ret(i)na, moun(t)ain, int(e)resting, p(o)lice, sim(i)lar, etc.

The reason why these syllables drop is to allow for a more fluent speech, especially because the speaker "does not have time to pronounce everything": strong syllables require a considerable amount of time and energy, and that can only be possible if weak syllables get reduced and compensate for the strong ones.

So it seems obvious that if we want to achieve a good fluency in English, we should remember to stress strong syllables and keep some weak syllables in between. But there are other things we can do to improve our fluency.

Blending

When 2 consonants appear across word-boundaries (as in "went to"), only the second consonant is pronounced. This blending process can even happen with different (yet, similar) consonants, such as p-g, t-d, and k-g. Read the following sentences:

Sickness kept Tom home the third week

I have uploaded dozens of files into the server

Keep calm and don't get obsessed about that job

They showed a new implementation of a previous speech system

This can be used to build different systems

He introduced us to his German niece while in Berlin

Are you coming out tonight?

You must tell him the truth

The pharmacist tried to stop the argument

Please, place some of those books on top of the shelf

He has several cars and five yachts

They save very fine jewelry for their children

Very few people like to be alone

Mike couldn't convince Sarah of the opposite

Why don't you help me find a solution for this mess?

They went to the cinema last Tuesday

When did you decide to come here?


Deletion

1) Many English words end with 2 or 3 consonants. When these words are followed by others which also begin with a consonant, the last consonant of the former word is not pronounced. For example: firs(t) three, las(t) plane, can'(t) think, fron(t) building, etc.

Read the following sentences paying attention to those consonants which can get deleted:

It must be 3 o'clock already

He asked you and me to spend a weekend in the mountains

His interest for Shannon disappeared when he met Susan

The Nile is the longest river in the world

The Vatican is the smallest country in the world

The last person to leave can lock the door

IMPORTANT: The last consonant cannot drop if it is a suffix: plural, past, comparative, etc. otherwise the entire sense of the sentence would be truncanted.

2) An important (and very unknown) case of deletion happens with some specific pronouns that begin with /h/: him, her, and also with "have". When these words are preceded by another word that ends with a consonant, native speakers tend to omit the /h/. For example:

I told (h)er about it = tolder
Please, ask (h)im to arrive early today = askim
You shouldn't (h)ave done that horrible thing = shouldn'tav

Read the following sentences:

She bought him a ticket before the concert began

I would have known he was coming

Please, let her go, she is innocent

Tomorrow we'll ask him to tell us about it

You could have warned me!

I like her very much

LISTENING NO. 10: Nose Bleed

GRAMMAR NO. 10: Verbs of movement: go

In our session today, we will look at the different ways we have to express the movement that we can do with our legs to go from one place to another. First, think of as many words as possible that refer to this meaning.

Some of the most common words are: go, come, return, enter, leave, depart, etc. Others are more specific: take off, land (for a plane), drive, run, etc.

Read the sentences below and see how they can be simplified by using a single verb in English:

crawl
It was just a baby and couldn't yet walk

skip

The schoolgirl held the rope at both ends, and swung it repeatedly over her head and under her feet

tip-toe

She wanted to get out of the bedroom without waking her husband

chug

It was an old tractor struggling up a hill

stroll

He was crossing the park slowly in a relaxed mood

march

The soldiers were on the parade ground in front of spectators

storm

He went furiously out of the room

sprint

She was training for the 100 meters race

leap

James Bond was able to reach the other side of the wide abyss

slither

The snake moved quickly through the grass

Could you transform these sentences substituting part of them with the verb of movement?

See below for the words in boldface. These are the words that could be substituted by the verb of movement. Some adjustments need to be made, like adding a preposition or even changing the sentence completely.

crawl
It was just a baby and couldn't yet walk

skip

The schoolgirl held the rope at both ends, and swung it repeatedly over her head and under her feet

tip-toe

She wanted to get out of the bedroom without waking her husband

chug

It was an old tractor struggling up a hill

stroll

He was crossing the park slowly in a relaxed mood

march

The soldiers were on the parade ground in front of spectators

storm

He went furiously out of the room

sprint

She was training for the 100 meters race

leap

James Bond was able to reach the other side of the wide abyss

slither

The snake moved quickly through the grass

LISTENING NO. 10: Steve Jobs: How to live before you die

I chose this listening to start our week because it really touched my heart, the speaker speaks at a moderately slow pace and the vocabulary is not very complicated. You can also choose to see the captions (subtitles) in both English and Spanish, so that's definitely a plus. Hope you enjoy it.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE: 17-18 May

Weekly Schedule 17-18 May

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PRONUNCIATION NO. 9: Long words

English is typically a monosyllabic language. That is, the majority of the words in the lexicon have 1 syllable. This accommodates well to the English rhythm, with strong and weak words. Strong words are those words that bear stress, as the words "boy", "there", "when", "sun", and "rose" in the sentence:

The boy was there when the sun rose

So, when we read this sentence, we emphasize the words in boldface.

Primary and Secondary Stress

When polysyllabic occurs, it may be difficult to know where to place the stress. An important reason for this is that English long words may have 2 stresses: primary and secondary. For example, the word "international" has 2 stresses:

- Primary stress on "na"

- Secondary stress on "in"

Below you will find more examples of stress on English words:

abo'lition

po'lice

se'mester

ma'lignancy

'theater

fan'tastic

These aforementioned words have only one stress. When that happens, that stress is always the "primary stress". The words below have 2 stresses: primary (') and secondary (,)

i,nocu'lation

,engi'neer

,fore'knowledge

par,tici'pation

'passion,flower

par,ticu'larity

Suffixes may attract stress

Sometimes, the stress can be predicted. For example, words ending with suffixes such as -tion, -ic, -ical, -ically, -tial, -atory, -city, -ese, -ee have primary stress on the syllable immediately before the suffix:

abo'lition

po'litically

la'boratory (vs. 'lavatory)

coa'lition

po'lemically

in'formative

fan'tastic

i'nitial

su'perlative

po'lemic

po'tential

,elas'ticity

po'litical

,influ'ential

,elec'tricity

po'lemical

pre'paretory

Chi'nese

,emplo'yee

Notice that when the primary is at the end, preceded by 2 syllables (as in "electricity" and "elasticity") the secondary stress is placed 2 syllables before.

So, suffixes can help us choose primary stress, because this primary stress goes precisely before the suffix. However, suffixes are not always there to help. See:

com'ponent

'category

,trans'parent

'secondary

'enterprise

pa'rameter

Stress in compound words

A compound word is a word made up of 2 words that come together to create a new meaning.

An important thing to remember is that compound words usually have the stress on the first part of the compound. But there may exist exceptions to this rule.

'nut,cracker

'news,paper

'flowerpot

'ladybug

'eyebrow

'bedtime

'handbag

'lipstick

'birthday

'scarecrow

'butterfly

'New York

Adjective + Noun

When we have an adjective and a noun, we stress the noun with the primary stress, the adjective with the secondary stress:

,nice'man

,clean'stress

,black'board

,green'house

This is, in fact, how we distinguish between:

'black,board (in a classroom) from a ,black'board (in a box)

'green,house (to grow flowers in cold wheather) from ,green'house (the house is painted in green)

Stress shift

English is so strict about strong and weak forms, that sometimes, the original stress of a words shifts. Remember the sentence:

The boy was there when the sun rose

We have 5 strong words, more or less distributed across the sentence.

WEAK-STRONG-WEAK-STRONG-STRONG-WEAK-STRONG-STRONG.

This distribution is almost perfect: the sentence sounds slightly like an accordion, with ups and downs. It is usually impossible to have the perfect rhythmical sentence in English, with at least one weak syllable in between strong syllables. However, the language tries hard to respect its rhythm. In fact, when too many strong words go together, stress can be shifted to avoid not having weak syllables in between strong syllables. For example, the word Chinese has 2 different stress positions depending on the context (and the contact with a strong, stressed syllable):

The waiters were all Chinese

We went to the Chinese restaurant

While "Chinese" is stressed on the second syllable in the first sentence (this is the usual position), it is stressed on the first syllable in the second sentence. The reason is that "restaurant" is also stressed on the first syllable, and keeping the last syllable of "Chinese" stressed would break English rhythm.

LISTENING NO. 9: How to make candy apples

INTRODUCTION

Before working on this listening, we are going to review some basic vocabulary: handy, skewers, parchment paper, coating.

handy adjective (USEFUL)

/ˈhæn.di/

useful or convenient

a handy container/tool

First-time visitors to France will find this guide particularly handy.

It's a nice house and it's handy for (= near) the station.

informal Don't throw those bottles away - they'll come in handy (= be useful) for the picnic next Sunday.

skewer noun

/skjʊər//ˈskjuː.ɚ/ [C]

a long thin metal pin used for holding pieces of food, especially meat, together during cooking

Parchment paper, also known as baking parchment paper, is a cellulose-based paper that is used as a disposable non-stick surface intended for use in baking.

coat noun (COVER)

/kəʊt//koʊt/ [C]

(also coating) a layer of a particular substance that covers something

I'll give the walls a quick coat of paint.

two coats of varnish

a thick coating of chocolate

Cheap Recipes:
How To Make Toffee Apples

GRAMMAR NO. 9: Verbs of thinking

EXPLANATION

Verbs of thinking (also called thinking verbs) are those verbs that relate to cognitive actions. The most common verb of all is to think. But, can you "think" of other cognitive verbs?

Below you will find a short list with some of those verbs together with their definitions:

think verb (CONSIDER)

/θɪŋk/ (thought, thought)

[I or T] to believe something or have an opinion or idea

[+ (that)] I think (that) I've met you before.

I don't think Emma will get the job.

"Do you think (that) you could get me some stamps while you're in town?"

[+ noun or adjective] Salmon used to be thought expensive/thought a luxury.

[+ to infinitive] He was thought to have boarded the plane in New York.

What did you think of the film?

What do you think about this latest government scheme?

I think it is important to learn English.

consider verb (OPINION)

/kənˈsɪd.ər //-ɚ/

[T often + object + (to be) + noun or adjective] to believe someone or something to be, or think of them as

He is currently considered (to be) the best British athlete.

We don't consider her suitable for the job.

[passive + object + to infinitive] It is considered bad manners in some cultures to speak with your mouth full of food.

[R] I consider myself lucky that I only hurt my arm in the accident.

Do you consider him a friend of yours?

[+ (that)] She considers (that) she has done enough to help already.

contemplate verb

/ˈkɒn.təm.pleɪt//ˈkɑːn.t ̬əm-/ [Ior T]

to spend time considering a possible future action, or to consider one particular thing for a long time in a serious and quiet way

[+ -ing verb] I'm contemplating going abroad for a year.

You're not contemplating a change of job, are you?

It's too awful/horrific/dangerous to contemplate.

brood verb

/bruːd/ [I]

to think for a long time about things that make you sad, worried or angry

I wish she wouldn't sit brooding in her room all day.

reflect verb (THINK)

/rɪˈflekt/

[I] formal to think carefully, especially about possibilities and opinions

The manager demanded time to reflect (on what to do).

[+ that] She reflected that this was probably the last time she would see him.

deem verb

/diːm/ [T not continuous] formal

to consider or judge something in a particular way

[+ object + noun or adjective] The area has now been deemed safe.

[+ noun or adjective] We will provide help whenever you deem it appropriate.

[+ object + to infinitive] Anyone not paying the registration fee by 31 March will be deemed to have withdrawn from the scheme.

ponder verb

/ˈpɒn.dər//ˈpɑːn.dɚ/ [I or T] formal

to think carefully about something, especially for a noticeable length of time

She sat back for a minute to ponder her next move in the game.

muse verb

/mjuːz/ [I] formal

to think about something carefully and for a long time

I began to muse about/on the possibility of starting my own business.

believe verb

/bɪˈliːv/ [T]

to think that something is true, correct or real

Strangely, no one believed us when we told them we'd been visited by a creature from Mars.

[+ that ] He believes that all children are born with equal intelligence.

She's arriving tomorrow, I believe.

"Is she coming alone?" "We believe not/so (= We think she is not/is)."

[+ object + to infinitive] I believe her to be the finest violinist in the world.

[+ object + adjective] All the crew are missing, believed dead.

not believe a word of it

to not believe that something is true

He told me she was just a friend, but I don't believe a word of it!

believe it or not (also would you believe it?)

said when telling someone about something that is true, although it seems unlikely

He's upstairs doing his homework, believe it or not.

if you believe that, you'll believe anything!

informal something that you say to emphasize that something is obviously not true

He said the car in front backed into him, and if you believe that, you'll believe anything!

make believe

to pretend or imagine

Let's make believe (that) we're pirates.

imagine verb

/ɪˈmædʒ.ɪn/ [T]

•

to form or have a mental picture or idea of something

Imagine Robert Redford when he was young - that's what John looks like.

[+ (that)] Imagine (that) you're eating an ice cream - try to feel how cold it is.

[+ question word] Can you imagine how it feels to be blind?

[+ -ing verb] She imagined herself sitting in her favourite armchair back home.

They hadn't imagined (= expected) (that) it would be so difficult.

I can't imagine (= I really don't know) what he wants from us.

•

to believe that something is probably true

[+ (that)] I imagine (that) he's under a lot of pressure at the moment.

I don't imagine (that) they have much money.

"Will they change it?" "I imagine so."

•

to think that something exists or is true, although in fact it is not real or true

"Did you hear a noise?" "No, you're imagining things/No, you must have imagined it."

I've never heard her criticize you - I think you imagine it.

•

used to express shock or surprise, often at someone else's behaviour

She got married at 16! Imagine that!

[+ -ing verb] Imagine spending all that money on a coat!

guess verb

/ges/ [I or T]

•

to give an answer to a particular question when you do not have all the facts and so cannot be certain if you are correct

I didn't know the answer, so I had to guess.

On the last question, she guessed right/wrong.

[+ question word] Guess when this was built.

[+ (that)] I guessed (that) she was your sister.

She asked me to guess her age.

I guessed the total amount to be about £50,000.

•

to give the correct answer or make the correct judgment

[+ question word] I bet you can't guess how old he is.

She guessed the answer first time.

"You've got a new job, haven't you?" "Yes, how did you guess?"

Guess what? informal

used before telling someone something interesting or surprising

Guess what? We won the match 4-0.

I guess

informal used when you believe something is true or likely but are not certain

[+ (that)] I guess (that) things are pretty hard for you now.

hope verb

/həʊp//hoʊp/ [I or T]

to want something to happen or to be true, and usually have a good reason to think that it might

I'm hoping for an interview next week.

[+ (that)] She's hoping (that) she won't be away too long.

I hope (that) she'll win.

We have to hope and pray (that) the operation will go well.

[+ to infinitive] They hope to visit us next year.

It's good news, I hope.

"Will you be at the meeting tomorrow?" "I hope not/so".

suppose verb (THINK LIKELY)

/səˈpəʊz//-ˈpoʊz/

•

[T] to think that something is likely to be true

[+ (that)] I couldn't get any reply when I called Dan, so I suppose(that) he's gone out.

He found it a lot more difficult to get a job than he supposed it would be.

[+ (that)] Do you suppose (that) Gillian will marry him?

It is widely supposed (that) the minister will be forced to resign.

[+ to infinitive] We all supposed him to be German, but in fact he was Swiss.

Her new book is supposed to be (= generally people think it is) very good.

•

[+ (that)] used in making polite requests

I don't suppose (that) you could/I suppose you couldn't lend me £5 till tomorrow, could you?

•

[+ (that)] used to show that you think something is so, although you wish that it were not

I suppose (that) all the tickets will be sold by now.

•

[+ (that)] used when you are annoyed

I suppose (that) you're going to be late again.

I suppose (that) you think that's funny. Well, I certainly don't.

•

used to show unwillingness to agree

"Can I go out tonight?" "Oh, I suppose so."

[+ (that)] I don't agree with it, but I suppose (that) it's for the best.

PHRASAL VERBS

figure out sth/sb or figure sth/sb out

to understand something or someone, or to find the answer to something by thinking carefully
I can't figure out why he did it. [often + question word]
I've never been able to figure Sue out.

think over sth or think sth over

to think carefully about an idea or plan before making a decision
She said she'd think it over and give me an answer next week.
I need to think the matter over carefully.

come up with sth

to think of or to suggest a plan or idea, a solution to a problem, or an answer to a question
A team of advertisers is hard at work trying to come up with a slogan for the product.
Experts have failed to come up with an explanation of why the explosion happened.

to get or produce something which someone needs or which they have asked you for
Each member of the expedition needs to come up with £3,000 to fund their trip.
We need someone to create a new software program. Can Bob come up with the goods? (= create what we want)

go over sth

to talk or think about something in order to explain it or make sure that it is correct
We don't have much time so I'll quickly go over the main points of the document.
I'd like to go over your essay with you when you've half an hour to spare.

to think about something that has happened or something that was said
You can go over the same old things again and again in your head.
In bed last night I kept going over what you'd said to me at lunch.

to examine a building
The police had been over his apartment looking for drugs.

think up sth or think sth up

to create an idea or plan by using your imagination and intelligence
I really don't want to go tonight and I'm trying to think up an excuse.
It's one of those competitions where you have to think up a slogan for a product.

think out/through sth or think sth out/through

to think carefully about something you are planning to do and to consider the possible results of it
He obviously hadn't thought it out properly.
It sounds like a good idea but we need to spend some time thinking it through.

shut out sth or shut sth out

to prevent a sound or light from being heard or seen
Could you close the curtains and shut out some light?
These windows shut out most of the traffic noise.

to stop yourself from thinking about something or from feeling an emotion, usually because it causes you to suffer
You've got to deal with these feelings - you can't just shut them out.
There are memories so painful that you have to shut them out.

dream up sth or dream sth up

to think of an idea or plan, especially one that is very imaginative or not really possible
They've asked a marketing company to dream up a name for their latest product.
She's always dreaming up crazy schemes to get rich quick.

toy with sth

to think about an idea in a way that is not very serious, often not making a decision about it
Dom and I are toying with the idea of going to Mexico this year. [usually in continuous tenses]

to keep touching an object, moving it from one position to another, usually while you are thinking about something else
She sat quietly for a moment, toying with her glasses.

PRACTICE

http://a4esl.org/q/h/lb/pvthinking.html