Some fun

Pronunciation tips - Voiced Consonant Sound 6

A video from the BBC which shows us how to produce this voiced consonant sound.

Practice your listening 24

Super Bowl Sunday
Melissa and Todd talk about America's secret holiday.

ESL Podcast 589 – Having Skin Problems

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Mother: Doctor, this is my son Danny. I brought him in so you could look at his rash. 

Doctor: Okay, Danny. Have a seat on the exam table. How long have you had the rash? 

Mother: My son has had that rash for about two weeks. It started out as a blister, and then it got really itchy and turned red. Could it be an infection? 

First chapter

First chapter from mybest friend on Vimeo.

Pronunciation tips - Voiced Consonant Sound 5

A video from the BBC which shows us how to produce this voiced consonant sound.

Practice your listening 23

Dancer the Dog
Greg talks about his dog and how get him and what makes him special.

ESL Podcast 588 – Hiring Business Consultants

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Erica: So your suggestion is to hire outside consultants to handle the extra work associated with the expansion.

Stefan: I think there are a lot of benefits: we get someone with the right expertise quickly, we can use him or her as needed, and we can save on employment taxes and benefits.What’s not to like?

Erica: I’m just not sure that’s the right move right now. 

False friends - to pretend

to pretend /prɪˈtend/ No significa pretender, sino fingir. 1  to behave in a particular way because you want sb to believe that sth is true when it is not    comportarse de manera que algn crea que es verdad algo que no lo es Synonyms or related words for this meaning of pretend: fake, simulate, assume, make believe, put on 2 to imagine that sth is true when you are playing a game    imaginar que algo es verdad al jugar Synonyms or related words for this meaning of pretend: fake, simulate, assume, make believe, put on

Examples 1. We were never going to make the marriage work, so why pretend? She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. I’m sorry, but I can’t just sit back and pretend it hasn’t happened. I know you hate my haircut, so it’s no good pretending otherwise. It was useless to pretend innocence. She's not really hurt - she's only pretending. 2. They’re pretending they’re astronauts again. The little girl was pretending to be a lion.

Pronunciation tips - Voiced Consonant Sound 4

A video from the BBC which shows us how to produce this voiced consonant sound.

ESL Podcast 587 – Feeling Disillusioned

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Daniela: I did it. I finally met Mandy Timpkin.

Tony: Mandy Timpkin, your idol?

Daniela: Yeah, I stood in line for two days at her book signing and finally met her. It was a big disappointment.

Tony: Really? I thought she could do no wrong, as far as you’re concerned. 

What is the Generation Y? Are you a member of it?

I'm sad to say that I can remember a world in which 'I'll call you en route' meant finding a public telephone box, 'I'll send you a photo' meant popping a 4x6 inch print into an envelope and buying a stamp, and 'I'll need to do some research' meant trudging off to the nearest library. Yes, I am genuinely old. You, however, may barely remember a world without mobile phones, or where the Internet didn't exist to satisfy your every informational or communicative need. And if you're over 14 but under 30, then that makes you a fully paid-up member of Generation Y.

The precise age boundaries of Generation Y are not fixed, but most descriptions seem to agree that the term represents people born between 1979 and 1995

The expression Generation Y is a demographic term referring to a generation of people, particularly those from Western nations, who are characterized by their familiarity and everyday use of digital technology, online communication, new media, etc. The precise age boundaries of Generation Y are not fixed, but most descriptions seem to agree that the term represents people born between 1979 and 1995. The result of an increased number of births during the eighties and nineties, Generation Y is often thought to be the offspring of the large cohort of baby boomers, people born during the post-war baby boom of the 1950s. For this reason Generation Y is sometimes referred to as the Baby Boom Echo, and members of Generation Y, or Gen-Yers, as they are sometimes called, are alternatively referred to as echo boomers.

In addition to the tech-savvy nature of Generation Y (which has in turn led to the alternative label Net generation), other key traits include an increased environmental awareness, and a tendency towards liberal politics and cultural tolerance, respecting for instance the concept of same-sex marriage. Another characteristic of Gen-Yers is a tendency to stay living with their parents for much longer than previous generations did, or to return to the parental home after a period away, a trend which has spawned expressions such as Boomerang Generation, or Boomerang kids, in reference to the same social group.

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BuzzWord archive

Background – Generation Y or Gen Y

The expression Generation Y first appeared in the early nineties as a successive term in relation to the earlier expression Generation X.Generation X refers to people born between the early sixties and the late seventies – those of us who witnessed the end of the Cold War, and the inception and rise of technology such as cable television, video gaming, home computers and the Internet (that'll be me then!).

Generation Y is also known as the Millennial Generation, and its members are correspondingly dubbed Millennials. A further lexical alternative which locates this group in relation to its predecessors is the expression Generation Next.

There is already some evidence for use of the expression Generation Z as a logical progression from Generation Y in reference to people born between the mid-nineties and 2009. Since these young people have spent their formative years interacting and communicating via Internet-based media, they are also sometimes dubbed Generation I, the iGeneration, and even the Silent Generation.

Generation Y also Gen Y

noun [uncountable]

the generation of people born from the late seventies to the mid-nineties

Gen-Yer also Y-er

noun [countable]

a person born between the late seventies and the mid-nineties

'Gen Y's green demands for the workplace … The highly educated, mobile and tech-savvy age group that falls within the demographic band known as Generation Y wants a workplace that's like them: urban, flexible, collaborative, environmentally sensitive and unconventional.'

BUSINESSGREEN 20TH MAY 2010

'I proceeded to employ multiple forms of communication like a true Gen-Yer. I called my mom and dad while simultaneously G-chatting with several of my friends, e-mailing my brother, and texting friends …'

BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK 6TH MAY 2010

Practice your listening 22

Organ Donation
Greg discusses the dilemma of organ donation.

Pronunciation tips - Voiced Consonant Sound 3

A video from the BBC which shows us how to produce this voiced consonant sound.

ESL Podcast 586 – Getting a Girlfriend/Boyfriend Back

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Grace: What are you doing?

Yuji: I’m working on a plan to get April back.

Grace: I think that’s a lost cause. You guys broke up three months ago. There’s no way she’ll take you back.

Yuji: Watch me prove you wrong. When I tell April about all of the ways I’m going to change and to make her happy, she’ll let bygones be bygones. 

Chloe Wolfson from Australia

Here's a little interview I made to a friend of mine, Chloe. I hope you can understand it, as she speaks quite quickly. Press the play button to hear it. The script is bellow. 



Chloe_Wolfson

It's now or never - Elvis Presley - The king's alive

There's now doubt, the king is still the best one.

IT'S NOW OR NEVER

It's now or never,
come hold me tight
Kiss me my darling,
be mine tonight
Tomorrow will be too late,
it's now or never
My love won't wait.

When I first saw you
with your smile so tender
My heart was captured,
my soul surrendered
I'd spend a lifetime
waiting for the right time
Now that you're near
the time is here at last.

It's now or never,
come hold me tight
Kiss me my darling,
be mine tonight
Tomorrow will be too late,
it's now or never
My love won't wait.

Just like a willow,
we would cry an ocean
If we lost true love

and sweet devotion
Your lips excite me,
let your arms invite me
For who knows when
we'll meet again this way

It's now or never,
come hold me tight
Kiss me my darling,
be mine tonight
Tomorrow will be too late,
it's now or never

My love won't wait.

Practice your listening 21

Salary Caps
Greg and Todd debate whether there should be limits to salaries.

Pronunciation tips - Voiced Consonant Sound 2

A video from the BBC which shows us how to produce this voiced consonant sound.

ESL Podcast 585 – Being Clear or Confusing

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Laurent: So I’m confused. Who’s David again?

Bethany: David is my roommate’s friend’s brother. Haven’t you been listening?

Laurent: I have, but how am I supposed to keep all of these people straight? Your stories are always so convoluted, with too many twists and turns. Why don’t you try telling astraightforward story for once?