It's December 31st - we're at the tail end of the year! (= the very last part) In today's lesson, you'll learn 8 English idioms with the word end. Remember, don't try to translate these idioms literally word by word - if you do, they might not make sense. Instead, learn each one as a whole expression. We're about to start a new year... wouldn't you like to learn some new expressions in English? You can learn 300 Idioms in 30 Days in my course! In 2018 I updated the course with new videos :-) I r...
Dec 31, 2018•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Phrasal verbs are very common in everyday spoken English - and many students ask me about the definitions of phrasal verbs they've heard in conversations, TV shows, or movies. Today I'm going to explain five phrasal verbs that you might not know yet: square away, step up, space out, blow over, and swear off. If you come across (encounter) a phrasal verb that you can't understand, please e-mail me and I'll explain it in a future lesson. Do you want to see how native English speakers use phrasal v...
Dec 19, 2018•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast I've noticed a pronunciation mistake that many students make when they say words like "succeed" and "successful." There are actually 3 different ways to pronounce CC in English! Today we're going to practice saying 26 words with CC. Listen and try to repeat after me. Listening and repeating - like you did in today's lesson - is one of the best ways to improve your pronunciation! With time and practice, your pronunciation will get closer to a native English speaker's. I've created two courses to ...
Dec 12, 2018•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today you can test your knowledge of 10 common business English terms . This quiz only taught you 10 words and expressions... but you can learn hundreds more words and phrases inside my Business English Course! The course will teach you practical English for work. You'll learn day-to-day vocabulary for interacting with clients and co-workers, as well as specific words in the areas of management, marketing, finance, and much more. You can try a free sample lesson here , and register for the cours...
Dec 05, 2018•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast We recently had the holiday of Thanksgiving in the United States. Most people celebrate it with their families, but there's a growing tradition of also celebrating "Friendsgiving" - and that's the topic of this week's lesson. Click here to learn 15 vocabulary words/expressions from the article! I hope you've enjoyed my series of English in the news videos in November! If you want to learn more from me, consider joining one of my courses . I've created courses to help you improve all your skills ...
Nov 28, 2018•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today’s article is about social media and mental health. This one is written in a more casual style, so it has some informal expressions we can learn. I’m going to teach you 15 words and expressions from this news article. I know many of you enjoy listening to my voice as I teach you English - and that's great! But do you have difficulty understanding other English speakers, who may speak faster or with a different accent? It's important to improve your listening comprehension so that you can un...
Nov 21, 2018•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast You might have seen a video on social media about a bear cub (that's a baby bear) trying very hard to scale (climb) a snow-covered mountain and eventually succeeding. A lot of people liked that video... but today's article talks about a potential problem with it. In this lesson I'm going to teach you 24 vocabulary words that are important in understanding the text. Do you want more practice reading and understanding articles in English? My new Reading Course will help you improve your comprehens...
Nov 14, 2018•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast This month, I'm bringing you a very special series of videos in which you can learn English from the news . Every week, I'll choose a current news topic and teach you key vocabulary and phrases in the context of the article. This week's lesson is based on an article about employees of Google protesting their company's policies about sexual harassment. You can read the original news here , and then watch my video explanation of 20 vocabulary words from the article!...
Nov 09, 2018•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast The English language has a lot of regional variations and different accents - and there are some words with two different (but correct) ways to pronounce them!The English language has a lot of regional variations and different accents - and there are some words with two different (but correct) ways to pronounce them! Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/10-english-words-with-alternative-pronunciation/ In today's lesson, you'll learn some of the most common ones - like aunt, caramel, and ...
Oct 17, 2018•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do you know the difference between wait and await, sleep and asleep, and wake and awake? These words seem simple, but there are some small grammatical differences in the way we use them in sentences. Take today's lesson to find out how to use them all correctly. Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/wait-and-await-sleep-and-asleep-wake-and-awake/ Small mistakes like saying "await for" often don't affect communication; however, they show that you're not a native English speaker. This is wh...
Oct 10, 2018•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today you’re going to learn the difference between break in, break out, break down, break up, and break through. Some of these phrasal verbs have multiple meanings. Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/5-phrasal-verbs-with-break/ It can be very hard to remember the meanings of phrasal verbs if you just study lists and definitions. That's why in my lessons, I always try to give you real examples of the phrasal verbs used in sentences! In my Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course , you can l...
Oct 03, 2018•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today I want to clear up some confusion around the words sometime, sometimes, and some time. Are they all the same? No! These words have different meanings and uses. Take today's lesson to find out how to use each one of them correctly. Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/sometimes-sometime-or-some-time/ Can you make your own example sentences with all three? It’s important to put what you’re learning into practice! My English courses can help you do that – many of them have quizzes and...
Sep 26, 2018•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Some informal and idiomatic expressions in English just don't seem to make sense. In today’s lesson, I’ll explain four phrases that my students have asked me about: nothing to sneeze at there'll be hell to pay to each his own a far cry from Don’t try to translate or understand these phrases literally – that’s a common mistake among language learners. If you try to understand it word by word, it won’t make sense. Instead, you need to understand each phrase as a whole unit, with a particular meani...
Sep 19, 2018•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are many English words that have similar spellings and pronunciations, and it’s common for English learners to use the wrong one. Today I’m going to teach you three examples of how small differences can change the meaning of the word completely. We're going to practice these: college / collage / colleague message / massage course / curse Pay close attention to make sure you’re saying and writing these words correctly! Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/three-spelling-pronunciatio...
Sep 12, 2018•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast I’ve just gotten back from a road trip with my family, and I’m going to use this opportunity to teach you some vocabulary for driving and traveling by car. Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/english-vocabulary-for-a-road-trip/ To learn more vocabulary that’s organized by topic, you can join my Vocabulary Builder Courses , which will teach you hundreds of useful words. Level 1 of the course covers topics like daily life, work & study, travel & entertainment, people & ideas, and society ...
Sep 05, 2018•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast In today’s lesson I’m going to show you six mistakes that real students of mine have made – and you might be making, too! The purpose of this lesson is not to make you feel bad about those mistakes, but instead to learn from them. Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/six-english-grammar-mistakes-you-might-be-making/ One problem with language learning is that if you make a fairly minor mistake that doesn’t affect communication, native speakers often don’t correct you because they understo...
Aug 29, 2018•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast William Shakespeare was a poet and playwright who lived in the 16th century. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the history of the English language. You might know him as the author of the famous “Romeo and Juliet.” Many of the English idioms we use to this day were invented or popularized by Shakespeare – you’ll learn eight of them in this lesson! Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/eight-english-idioms-from-shakespeare/ To learn more idioms, join my 300+ English Idioms C...
Aug 22, 2018•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today I want to teach you the correct way to say four words that I often hear students mispronouncing or confusing: recipe, receipt, debt, and debit. Listen and repeat to practice your pronunciation, so that you can be confident you're pronouncing these words correctly and not mixing them up! Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/how-to-pronounce-recipe-receipt-debt-debit/ A lot of English learners want to know the “rules” of English pronunciation, but unfortunately it’s hard to teach any...
Aug 15, 2018•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today we’re going to take a closer look at the word TEST – specifically the collocations (common combinations of words) that are often used with “test.” Learning collocations like these can make it easier for you to put together phrases and sentences in English. Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/english-collocations-with-the-word-test/ You can learn a lot more inside my e-book, which will teach you 1000 collocations in 10 minutes a day . It has short lessons and quizzes that you can e...
Aug 08, 2018•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Have you noticed that when you listen to informal English conversations, you hear some expressions that you can't understand? Today I’m going to teach you three casual conversational expressions , what they mean, and how to use them: quite a bit might as well just my luck! Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/informal-english-quite-a-bit-might-as-well-just-my-luck/ To continue learning lots of informal English from conversations, check out my Everyday English Speaking Course Level 2. The...
Aug 01, 2018•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast In today's lesson I want to clarify the difference between the confusing words careless and carefree. It’s easy to mix them up, but they have quite different meanings and connotations. Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/careless-or-carefree/ I hope this lesson has helped you understand the difference! For more explanations of confusing words, check out my e-book, 600+ Confusing English Words Explained. It will teach you the differences between similar – but different – words such as av...
Jul 25, 2018•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today I want to teach you how to use the word “ lack ” correctly. I’ve noticed some of my students making a little mistake with this word, so this lesson will help you learn which one to use – “ lack ” or “ lack of .” It’s a very small detail, but it’s important to learn so that your English grammar is correct. Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/english-grammar-lack-or-lack-of/ These little details of English grammar can be confusing! That’s why I created the Advanced English Grammar C...
Jul 18, 2018•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast OUGH is pronounced at least 5 different ways in English! In today’s lesson, I’m going to teach you how to pronounce OUGH in some common words and example sentences. Remember to practice your pronunciation by repeating after me – because the best way to improve your pronunciation is to practice it actively! Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/how-to-pronounce-ough-in-english/ How can you know which way to pronounce OUGH when you see a new word? Unfortunately, there’s no way to know – you...
Jul 11, 2018•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jun 30, 2018•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jun 29, 2018•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jun 28, 2018•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jun 27, 2018•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jun 26, 2018•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jun 25, 2018•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jun 24, 2018•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
