English Language Podcast

English Language Podcast goes belly up!

marcosgazzana@gmail.com (Marcos Gazzana) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 18:32:00 +0000

This blog project has been discontinued. I will keep the materials which are online available, so you can still download the mp3 files and listen to the episodes. There will be no further episodes, though.

But if you are interested in reading more about ELT (English Language Teaching) or if you are an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) student, please visit my other blogs at:

http://blog.marcosgazzana.com/ and or http://blog.followenglish.com/

Temporarily unavailable

marcosgazzana@gmail.com (Marcos Gazzana) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:07:00 +0000

As I haven't been posting much lately and I don't feel ok about this, but I haven't had much time recently as I have taken over one more teaching position.

So, unfortunately, because of time constraints I will be discontinuing this project temporarily. I hope to come back to it whenever I find more time. For the time being you can check the old podcast episodes, which will still be availble. Sorry for the inconvenience.

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Used to + ing form - (Level: Intermediate to Advanced)

marcosgazzana@gmail.com (Marcos Gazzana) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 22:01:00 +0000

Download the mp3 file length: 3 min 38 secs file size: 3.33 Mb

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In today's episode we'll be looking how "used to" is used with "-ing" form. There are basically two ways of doing that. Each of these ways carries a distinct meaning. We can form sentences with verb "be" + "used to" + "-ing" or with "get" or "become" + "used to" + "-ing". If you want to know more about "used to", you can also check out the episode called "routine in the past with used to".

Well, let's look at some examples with the first form - which is verb "be" + "used to" + "-ing".

1) I was used to getting up early in the morning, but nowadays I usually stay in bed until 10 o'clock.

2) George is used to working late, he won't mind if you ask him to finish the report today.

3) In a few days, everyone will be used to following the company's new policy on energy saving.

As you can see, verb "be" can be used in different tenses to form sentences with "used to". In these examples the meaning is basically related to "being accostumed" to doing something - which means it is pretty much like a routine, something easy to be done. Now, if the activity you are talking about is already part of the context in the conversation, you might as well omit the "-ing" form and the complement coming afterwards. For instance, in the third example, you might just say.. "In a few days, everyone will be used to it".

Now let's see some examples with the second structure, which is "get" + "used to" + "-ing".

1) John got used to getting up early after a couple of weeks in the army.

2) Julia gets used to taking on new responsibilities very easily, she's very adaptable.

3) Don't worry, I will get used to following the new health and safety recommendations.

In this case, again, verb "be" can be used in different tenses and the meaning here is related to the transition between "not being accostumed" and "being accostumed" - that is, "becoming accostumed". Of course, then, in these three examples we could also use "become" instead of "get". Like in the first form, we can also omit the "-ing" and the complement coming afterwards if the activity you are talking about is already part of the context in the conversation. In this case you would just say.. "I will get used to it soon".

Well, this is it! Thanks for listening!!! I'm Marcos Gazzana and this is English Language Podcast.

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Server maintenance finished

marcosgazzana@gmail.com (Marcos Gazzana) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:18:00 +0000

The server maintenance was finished successfully. All files ready for download again!!

Server maintenance

marcosgazzana@gmail.com (Marcos Gazzana) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:11:00 +0000

I am changing my server, so mp3 files will not be available for the next 48 hours. Hopefully on Tuesday (July 7th 2009) all downloads will be back to normal.

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How does Podcasting work

marcosgazzana@gmail.com (Marcos Gazzana) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:58:00 +0000

Podcasting is an incredible way of getting information about specific topics from the Internet. There are Podcasts just about everything. You can have information about the weather or even news on fincance delivered right to your Reader. You can also make your own show or use it to learn a foreign language!

Check out this interesting video by CommonCraft.com showing how it works..

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Recent visitors

marcosgazzana@gmail.com (Marcos Gazzana) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:56:00 +0000

I am proud to announce that this podcast has been getting visitors from all four corners of the world. Check out this list which includes the country names of the last 30 visitors.

Argentina

Brazil

Mexico

U.S.

Poland

Norway

U.K.

Spain

Turkey

Tanzania

Taiwan

The Philippines

India

Remember that you can subscribe to this podcast via RSS!!! Simply copy the blog's address (http://englishlanguagepodecast.blogspot.com/) into your reader and enjoy it!

Sometimes, some times, sometime and some time - (Level: Intermediate)

marcosgazzana@gmail.com (Marcos Gazzana) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:11:00 +0000

Download the mp3 file length: 3 min 10 secs file size: 2.90 Mb

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In today's episode we'll be looking at the different spellings and different meanings of 'sometimes' (spelled altogether with an 's'), 'some times' (spelled separately with an 's'), 'sometime' (altogether without an 's') and 'some time' (separate without an 's').

Let's have a look at the following sentences.

1) John sometimes visits his parents on Sundays.

2) George told us he is going to come over sometime next month.

3) Laura needed some time to figure out what she was going to do.

4) Maria told me that her computer didn't work, but after I tried to restart it some times, her computer finally started up normally.

'Sometimes', spelled altogether with an "s", is an adverb of frequency and basically means "on some occasions". So, the first example means that John visits his parents on some occasions on Sundays, or in other words on some Sundays he visits them and on some he doesn't.

'Sometime', spelled altogether without an "s", means "at some indefinite or indeterminate point of time" and is also an adverb. It refers most of the times to an indefinite future time and can be replaced by the expression "one day", so you could say to a friend: "we have to get together sometime to talk about old times" or "we have to get together one day to talk about old times".

'Some time', spelled separately without an "s", basically means "an indefinite amount of time", for instance some days or weeks or so on. So, in the third example above, it means that Laura needed some days to figure out what she was going to do. Time that she could use to reflect and take the right decision.

'Some times', spelled separately with an "s", means "a few times" and is not very common as most of the times speakers prefer to use expressions like "a few times" or "a couple of times".

Well, this is it! Thanks for listening!!! I'm Marcos Gazzana and this is English Language Podcast.

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Alone vs lonely - (Level: Intermediate)

marcosgazzana@gmail.com (Marcos Gazzana) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 03:16:00 +0000

Download the mp3 file length: 2 min 31 secs file size: 2.31 Mb

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In today's episode we'll be looking at the difference between 'alone' and 'lonely'. The basic difference between 'alone' and 'lonely' is that when you 'feel lonely', you feel unhappy about it. The meaning of 'alone', on the other hand, basically refers to having no one else around you. It is also interesting to observe that even though their meanings are very closely related, they are used in distinct contexts. 'Lonely' is generally an adjective while 'alone' can be either an adjective or an adverb.

Let's have a look at the following sentences.

1) Susan is alone in her bedroom.

2) George is a very lonely old man.

So, we can see that in the first example 'alone' simply means that there is no one else there with her. In other words Susan is by herself. In the second example the meaning refers to an unhappy feeling that comes from being deprived of family members and close friends' company - it's like saying: "George is a very 'sad' old man".

Here are some other examples:

3) When her parents got home she was alone in her bedroom.

4) John started feeling lonely after moving to Japan, so he decided to come back home.

5) I like to travel alone, so I can take my own decisions about where to go.

6) Julia was a lonely woman, she never wanted to go anywhere. But now she is studying art and has met a lot of nice people.

Well, this is it! Thanks for listening!!! I'm Marcos Gazzana and this is English Language Podcast.

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Routine in the past with 'used to' - (Level: Intermediate)

marcosgazzana@gmail.com (Marcos Gazzana) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:11:00 +0000

Download the mp3 file length: 3 min 58 secs file size: 3.74 Mb

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Hello, in today's episode we'll be looking at how to talk about routine in the past in English. One of the easiest ways to do that is to use the verb 'used to'. We can describe how things were back when we were younger or how different we were. For instance, "When I was younger I used to get up very early to go to school". In this case I am referring to a routine I had in the past, most of the times this routine isn't true anymore or stopped happening a while ago.

'Used to' is generally used in two different situations. One is when we refer to a fact in the past and the other when we refer to a repeated activity in the past. Look at the following examples:

1) We used to live in Rio when I was a kid.

2) My father used to travel abroad every month for work.

As we can see, in the first example 'used to' is describing a fact while in the second example it is referring to a regular activity in the past - routine in the past.

There are basically three structures to remember. The affirmative, the negative and the interrogative forms. Let's look at the other forms then.

For the negative form we need to add the auxiliary 'did' + 'not' and the infinitive of the verb 'use', like in the following sentences:

3) I didn't use to go to the beach when I was younger.

4) She didn't use to wake up early on weekends.

In these examples we are expressing that the activities did not happen, those habitual actions did not exist. Now, to form questions with 'used to' we have to invert the positions of the auxiliary verb and the subject. Look at the following examples.

5) Did you use to play any instruments when you were younger?

6) What language did you use to speak with your parents?

So, keep in mind that you can express routine in the past with 'used to'. You can describe facts or habitual actions, your routine in the past. Now, think about a few things that were different when you are a child and try to write down a few sentences using these structures. Repeat the sentences to yourself and try to do some exercises in case you still find it difficult.

Here are some more examples. Pay special attention to the pronunciation of 'used to':

7) I used to have very few friends when I lived in England.

8) My brother used to go to a very expensive school.

9) Jack didn't use to like it when we made fun of him.

10) Mary, did you use to look after your younger brother?

Well, thanks for listening!!! I'm Marcos Gazzana and this is English Language Podcast.

Subscribe to this podcast by visiting englishlanguagepodcast.blogspot.com

and send your comments either by e-mail or post them on the blog.

__________

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Using Google Reader to learn English

marcosgazzana@gmail.com (Marcos Gazzana) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:54:00 +0000

Google Reader is a powerful tool that can help you learn English. It allows you to keep in contact with English making content from podcasts, blogs and news sites come to you. This saves you valuable time and makes your learning experience more meaningful as you will be choosing what feeds you want to subscribe to.

Watch the video below to learn more about how to use Google Reader!

Video by CommonCraft.com

How to use RSS feeds

marcosgazzana@gmail.com (Marcos Gazzana) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 16:17:00 +0000

Using RSS technology is very useful for learners of English as a foreign language. It allows us to connect to sites, blogs, podcasts which can help in the learning process. Everything you need to do in order to make use of this great tool is:

1- Sign up for an online reader or download one. If you have a Google account you can use it to access Google Reader. It's free!! The online reader or program will allow you to access all the new posts and updates from your favorite sites in a single place!

2- Set up a connection between you and your favorite sites. In other words, "add subscriptions" to your reader. You can subscribe to different podcasts, news sites, blogs, etc. There are basically two ways of setting up a subscription. One is copying the address of the feed, click on the "add subscription" (or "add feed") button of your reader and copy the feed's address into the field provided. The other way is to search for site feeds by using your readers search forms.

It's very simple! Start using this tool to improve your listening and reading skills!

Watch the video below for more details..

Video by CommonCraft.com

If you want to reader more about it, here is a complete guide by DigitalTrends.com .

To subscribe to do this podcast, click on the rss link at the top of the right column, or simply copy the blog's address (http://englishlanguagepodecast.blogspot.com/) into your reader and enjoy it!

Greetings - (Level: Basic to Intermediate)

marcosgazzana@gmail.com (Marcos Gazzana) — Fri, 15 May 2009 19:03:00 +0000

Download the mp3 file length: 2 min 27 secs file size: 2.21 Mb

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Hello, I'm Marcos Gazzana and this is English Language Podcast.

In today's episode we'll be looking at different greetings in English. The most basic greetings in English are "Hi" or "Hello". They are usually followed by the question "How are you?". Like in: "Hi Jack! How are you?". But we have to remember that there are other ways to greet people. Depending on the social setting we may greet people more or less formally of course. Some informal greetings include: "How are you?", "How's it going?", "How are you doing?" or even "What's up?".

In a more formal social setting, especially when we meet someone for the first time, we might stick to: "How do you do?", sometimes followed by a title, such as Mr. or Ms. Like in: "How do you do Mr. Johnson?" or "How do you do Ms. Parker?". We can also use "Nice to meet you" in first meetings. Another way of greeting people in English is to say: "Good morning", "Good afternoon" or "Good evening".

Another thing to keep in mind is to greet people in a friendly way, so it is not just "what" you say, but also "how" you say it! So, it's nice to greet people with a smile on your face rather than a grumpy face. This will certainly make the other person greet you back more enthusiastically too.

Stay tuned for the episode on how to respond to greetings.

Well, thanks for listening!!!

Subscribe to this podcast by visiting englishlanguagepodcast.blogspot.com

and send your comments either by e-mail or post them on the blog.

__________

Download the mp3 file

Every day vs everyday - (Level: Basic to Intermediate)

marcosgazzana@gmail.com (Marcos Gazzana) — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:50:00 +0000

Download the mp3 file length: 3 min 13 secs file size: 3.03 Mb

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Hello, I'm Marcos Gazzana and this is English Language Podcast.

In today's episode we'll be looking at the difference between "every day" and "everyday". Yes, that's right! Every day spelled in two separate words and everyday spelled in one word only are often confused. Even though there are no differences in pronunciation, it is incorrect to use them interchangeably in writing. Basically the difference lies on the way we use them. In other words, we use them in different linguistic contexts.

Every day spelled separately is a short time expression which means "each day" - that is, today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow and so on. Everyday spelled in one word, on the other hand, is an adjective meaning "regular" or "ordinary" and therefore comes before nouns. Check out the following examples:

1 - I go to the gym every day.

2 - You shouldn't wear an everyday outfit to the wedding, it's a special occasion!

In the first example, we're talking about our routine and the meaning of "every day" is "each day", so it should be written in separately. However, in the second example "everyday" is modifying "outfit" - it means "ordinary" in this case, so it should be spelled in one single word.

A simple way for checking if you're using the right expression is to look carefully at your sentence and read it out loud substituting "ordinary" in the place of "everyday" (or "every day"). If it sounds ok, you should use the adjective "everyday", but if it doesn't work, try using "each day" or "regularly", then, in this case, the best option should be "every day" spelled separately.

Some other examples of "every day" spelled in two words are:

I see my son every day after work.

Every day Susan takes her children to school.

I drive to work every day.

And some examples of "everyday" spelled in one word are:

My problems at work are affecting my everyday life.

I'm tired of wearing these old everyday clothes - I need to go shopping.

For me, this is just an everyday situation - it happens all the time.

Well, thanks for listening!!!

Subscribe to this podcast by visiting englishlanguagepodcast.blogspot.com

and send your comments either by e-mail or post them on the blog.

__________

Download the mp3 file

Daily routine - (Level: Basic to Intermediate)

marcosgazzana@gmail.com (Marcos Gazzana) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:59:00 +0000

Download the mp3 file length: 7 min 56 secs file size: 7.3 Mb

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Hello, I'm Marcos Gazzana and this is English Language Podcast.

In today's episode we'll be looking at how to talk about your daily routine. We always hear teachers saying that we should use Present Simple to talk about routine, but often times we forget that there are more things involved. For instance, we wouldn't say "we go to the cinema" and not mention how often we do that. We don't normally talk about going to the gym without saying the number of times we do it during the week. So, whenever we are talking about our daily routines, we use either an adverb of frequency or a time adverbial to indicate how often we do an activity. So, let's go over some adverbs of frequency and some time adverbials and see how they are used.

Some examples of adverbs of frequency are:

always - usually - often - sometimes - hardly ever - never

There are also words like: generally, normally and basically, which are also used when people talk about their daily routines.

Another important thing to keep in mind is the position of adverbs of frequency in a sentence. We say "I never go to the cinema", but we don't say "I go to the cinema never". In some other cases it's possible to place the adverb in several different positions in the sentence, though. For instance: we can say "Sally sometimes goes shopping after class", or "Sometimes Sally goes shopping after class", or even "Sally goes shopping after class sometimes". So, as you can see, some adverbs may come at the beginning or at the end of your sentences, but in general they come before the verb, for example: "I usually go home after work", unless you are using verb "to be", then the verb comes first, like in the following sentence: "My brother is often late for school".

Time adverbials are basically expressions which answer the question "when". Some good examples of time adverbials are:

every day - every week - twice a day - twice a week - twice a month - once a day - once a week

Words like after and before are also frequently used to talk about time. Check out the following phrases:

after lunch - before dinner - after work - before I go to the gym - after my wife gets home

As you can see, we can use words like every, twice, once, or even phrases like three times, four times and so on combined with words like day, week, month to form a time adverbial. These expressions normally come at the end of a sentence. For example:

Peter goes to the supermarket twice a week.

Peter goes to the supermarket after work twice a week.

or at the beginningof the sentence, for instance:

Every day Mary takes her children to school by car.

Every day Mary takes her children to school by car after lunch.

There are also some other very common expressions used to express frequency or routine, such as:

all the time - from time to time - every once in a while - every other day

So, we can say things like:

I check my e-mail all the time.

From time to time me and my wife go to the beach together.

Also, it's important to say that sometimes we combine adverbs of frequency and time adverbials in the same sentence to form even more complex sentences. Check out these examples:

I usually go to a restaurant every day.

Jack always does his homework before going to bed.

Finally, you can link your sentences with connectors so as to set the chronological order of events. Some good examples of connectors that can help you do that are:

Then - after that - later on - while - as soon as - when

So, when you talk about routine try to use a combination of adverbs of frequency and time adverbials. Remember that your sentences might sound a little funny depending on the way you organize them. In other words, there are some things to keep in mind in order to know the right position of adverbs of frequency or time adverbials. Adverbs of frequency usually come before the verb, unless the verb you are using is verb "be" and time adverbials usually come either at the beginning or at the end of a sentence.

Just a quick recap... When we talk about routine we should use Present Simple combined with adverbs of frequency and time adverbials or both. Also, remember to link your sentences with connectors to make them sound more natural.

Now, to finish this episode I'm going to talk about my routine to set an example for you. The idea is that you can also try to practice doing this either with some other learners or with your group of students if you are a teacher.

"Well, during the week I usually get up early, get dressed and leave home. I'm an English teacher and in the morning I teach private classes in my office. I usually teach 3 or 4 classes in the morning. Then, at lunchtime, I normally go home to eat something. After that I take my 2-year old son to the crèche and go back to my office. As soon as I get back to the office I check my e-mails and prepare my next classes. In the afternoon I generally teach one class in my office, and after that I drive to Canoas where I teach English in-company four times a week. Basically every day, but Friday. I leave Canoas at 7:00 pm and drive back to Porto Alegre where I live to pick up my son at the crèche. We finally get back home at about 8:15. Then, in the evening, I usually have a shower and after that I talk to my wife while she makes dinner. We have dinner together and then either I watch TV with my family or I go to my home office where I use the Internet to read or to prepare materials or even to talk to my friends."

Well, thanks for listening!!!

Subscribe to this podcast by visiting englishlanguagepodcast.blogspot.com

and send your comments either by e-mail or post them on the blog.

__________

Download the mp3 file

Official launch

marcosgazzana@gmail.com (Marcos Gazzana) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:21:00 +0000

Official launch coming soon!!! I'm running the last tests on how to post mp3 files and videos.