Culips Everyday English Podcast

Talking about learning a language, even one you are not learning yourself, can be a great way to improve your skills. In this Chatterbox episode, Andrew speaks with special guest Matt from the YouTube channel Matt vs Japan. Even though Matt is a learner of Japanese, he shares so much great insight and many interesting techniques on how to learn any language. We can all benefit from this chat! Fun facts Matt vs Japan is a YouTube channel that has been up since 2010. It nearly has 2 million views. Not bad! Expressions included in the study guide * To immerse oneself * To meet in the middle * In the wild * To integrate * A discrepancy * To zone out Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Step On by Jahzzar Photo: Sora Sagano (Unsplash.com)

In this episode, Suzanne and Andrew teach you a pronunciation tip that will make your English sound more natural: the flap! Take a listen and learn how, when, and why you should use the flap in your own speech. Note The audio for the practice exercises is included at the end of the ad-free version of this episode. To download this file, please visit the Culips Dashboard by logging in to your account or clicking the mobile version of the STUDYU GUIDE above. Material included in the study guide * Transcript * Practice exercises * Bonus audio download Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Let It Go by Scott Dugdale

Have you ever heard of K-pop? How about BTS? BTS is the name of a Korean boy band whose popularity is sweeping the globe. In this episode, Andrew and Kassy talk about the ins and outs of K-pop, and even some slang terms related to this music movement.

Sympathy and empathy: these are two words that even native English speakers have difficulty with! In this Catch Word episode, Andrew and Suzanne help you understand these two similar but different words. We hope you’ll learn a lot! Fun facts Sympathy comes from two old Greek words meaning “with” and “feeling.” Even though that was thousands of years ago, the meaning in English still holds up. Expressions included in the study guide * Sympathy * Empathy * To acknowledge * To dump [someone] * A support network Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Step On by Jahzzar

Are you the kind of person who likes to research and buy all of the latest technologies, or do you long for the days before smartphones when the world was full of record players and film cameras? In this Simplified Speech episode, Andrew and Jeremy discuss the differences between digital and analog technology and reminisce about the old school gadgets of the past. Fun facts Emile Berliner invented the first flat disc record in 1888 in France. Vinyl records became extremely popular in the middle of the 20th century, but popularity rapidly declined after the introduction of tape cassettes and CDs. However, since 1993 vinyl sales have actually been increasing yearly due to music lovers’ nostalgia for the unique sound and experience that can only be had by listening to vinyl. Expressions included in the study guide * Gym rat * Old school * Hip * Digital/analog * Out-of-date * To pop into one’s mind Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Step On by Jahzzar Photo: Lee Campbell

Every country has its own unique school system. In this Simplified Speech episode, our hosts Andrew and Morag discuss what it’s like to go to elementary school in Canada. You will hear about children’s daily lives, extracurricular activities, and the differences between private and public schools. There’d so much to talk about! Fun facts Unlike in many Western countries, it is not uncommon in Japan to see elementary schoolchildren riding trains and subways alone. That’s something that would scare a lot of parents in Canada and the United States! Expressions included in the study guide * Suburb * To hallucinate * A buck * Single parent * Extracurricular activities * To brush up on [something] Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Step On by Jahzzar Photo: Nicole Honeywill

In this special Chatterbox episode, Andrew does a behind-the-scenes interview with Kassy, one of Culips’ very own study guide writers. Tune in to learn about one of our newest team members! Fun facts Kassy is from Hershey, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Hershey is not just a name, but the headquarters of the international company Hershey’s Chocolate. Milton Hershey started selling chocolate in 1900 and became so successful that he built a town called Hershey for his factory workers and their families, as well as a theme park for his workers to enjoy and a school to educate orphaned boys in the area. Expressions included in the study guide * Behind the scenes * To spring up * The best of both worlds * To skyrocket * To get your hands on [something] * To peel Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Step On by Jahzzar

Andrew answers more of your questions from the recent Instagram live broadcast in this short, bonus episode! Transcript: Hey everybody. This is Andrew from Culips and I wanted to hop behind the mic here for a special episode because yesterday I did our very first Culips English Podcast live event on Instagram. And it was really fun and a cool way to connect with all of you guys. We’re going to make the transcript for this episode free for everyone and it will be on our website Culips.com. If you’re a Culips member, first of all thank you for supporting Culips and second of all, I’m sorry but there is no study guide for this episode, since it’s a special kind of quick bonus episode, we’re not gonna take the time to make a study guide for it. But don’t worry, we will continue as normal starting with the next episode. Why I hopped behind the mic today, is I wanted to address some of the questions that we got that I didn’t have time to answer in yesterday’s broadcast. You guys asked so many interesting questions and unfortunately, I just didn’t have time to talk about all of them, but I went through again and looked at your questions and there was some really, really interesting ones there. So, I thought I’d take just a couple of minutes to talk about them today. So, let’s take a look at some of these questions that you guys asked. And Surajthulung, I hope I’m pronouncing that right, apologies if it’s a little bit wrong. Surajthulung asked the question, “how can I speak unless I didn’t catch up any good words in my mind, I got my mind blank when it comes to speak English.” OK, so I think what the question is, is how can I speak English when my mind goes blank? OK, great question, I’ve had this situation happen to me before when I speak Korean. So, I think this all boils down to practice, our mind goes blank when the words that we kind of know are just in that kind of know category. We don’t know them strongly enough and why don’t we know them strongly enough? Well we haven’t been exposed to them enough in our listening and we haven’t practiced using them enough in our speaking. So, it all comes down to making things more automatic, more fluent and the best way to do that is to just up your listening practice, up your reading practice and of course also try to speak more. It’s really more of a matter of exposure, I think and repetition and practice, than it is about anything that’s unique to you. I think a lot of people feel like we’re unique and we have memory problems, but it’s really not the case. It’s just that we haven’t had enough reps, enough repetitions of these words and that’s where our mind goes blank. One thing that drives me crazy about learning Korean and maybe you have this situation when you learn English too, is that I know there’s a word for this situation and I wanna use that word, because I’ve seen it before, I’ve heard it before, I know what it is, but I can’t remember it. And that just indicates to me that my knowledge of that word is pretty weak, that’s when my mind goes blank. So how do I get the knowledge of that word stronger? I have to hear Korean people use it more, I have to read it more in sentences, and I should also practice using it in my speech too. Once I’ve solidified that memory and then it will be there in the future and it’s so satisfying actually when you have an experience like this, where your mind goes blank and then you do some work with that word, and in the future, it comes out and you can use it, as a part of your vocabulary. It’s a really satisfying experience.

The cinema is such a powerful medium. Movies are a good way to pass the time, but they also have the power to change the world! In this Real Talk episode, Andrew and Suzanne will help you with vocabulary and expressions you can use to express yourself in English when talking about the movies you like. Fun facts The longest movie ever made is a Swedish film called Logistics. It’s 857 hours long! It would take you over 35 days to watch it. Do you have the patience to watch it all? Expressions included in the study guide * The total package * Stale * From top to bottom * To be dialled into [something] * Out of this world * To breathe new life into [something] Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Step On by Jahzzar Image: Jake Hills on Unsplash

Do you enjoy watching cooking shows? What’s your favourite show to tune into when you have free time? In this episode, Andrew and Suzanne talk about some of their favourite cooking shows and why they are so enjoyable to watch. Bon appétit! Fun facts There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes of most cooking shows that you would never even consider. For example, one episode of a competition-style cooking show like Chopped can take upwards of 14 hours to film. Also, much of the food that is produced during a cooking program is thrown away—such a waste for such delicious-looking food! Expressions included in the study guide * To treat [someone] * To be conscious of [something] * To play around with [something] * I hear you * Livestream * To gorge on [something] * Nailed it Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Step On by Jahzzar Image: Katie Smith on Unsplash

It seems like technology changes so fast year after year—it’s sometimes pretty hard to keep up! In this Simplified Speech episode, Andrew and Jeremy chat about the technological changes they’ve seen during their lifetimes. Fun facts When we were young, many of us could never have imagined having something like the iPhone in our pockets. Yet, some 12 years after it was first released, Apple Inc. has sold over 2.2 billion of them! That’s a lot. Expressions included in the study guide * Exponential growth * To ride the wave * Tech * Nerd * Multitasking * To disconnect Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Let It Go by Scott Dugdale Image: Samuel Zeller on Unsplash

Have you ever looked across a crowded room, felt an instant connection, and known deep down that you had found the person you would one day marry? Well, then, perhaps you have experienced love at first sight! In this Simplified Speech episode, Andrew and Jeremy act as your Cupid guides, discussing the ins and outs of romance and love at first sight. Fun facts The validity of love at first sight is a much-debated issue: is it truly love, is it lust, or is it simply a strong attraction to another person? Whatever the case, studies have been done on the subject and some common facts have come to light. First, men are more likely to say they have experienced love at first sight compared to women. Second, it is possible for people to have multiple “love at first sight” experiences, and the number increases drastically for those with traditional standards of beauty and attractiveness. Expressions included in the study guide * Jacked up * Love at first sight * Trope * Lust * Happily ever after * At first glance Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Let It Go by Scott Dugdale Image: Tyler Nix on Unsplash

Has there been a real estate development that you approve of but … Just as long as they don’t build it in your neighbourhood? That’s an example of NIMBYism. What is it exactly? Join Andrew and Morag as they tell you all about it! Fun facts There is an interesting phenomenon in China and other places called nail houses. That is when the owner of a house refuses to sell it to a development company, and so the company builds its new project around the house. If ever you see a single house in the middle of a highway or just one house with an entire apartment complex built around it, that’s a nail house! They’re also called holdouts. Expressions included in the study guide * High stakes * NIMBYism * To be for [something] * A demographic * To jam [something] down [someone’s]throat * A leaning Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Let It Go by Scott Dugdale Image: Fancycrave on Unsplash

Andrew and Suzanne are really getting their creative juices flowing in this Catch Word episode! Tune in to learn some useful phrases about creativity and focus. Fun facts Sleep is extremely beneficial for creativity. Therefore, if you are struggling to get those creative juices flowing, take a short nap before tackling your project again. Creativity also hinges on one’s experiences and ability to think outside the box, so make sure to get out of the house, try something new, or meet new people. You’ll be full of great ideas in no time! Expressions included in the study guide * In the zone * To put on one’s thinking cap * Sluggish * To turn [someone] down * To get the juices flowing * To jam out Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Let It Go by Scott Dugdale Image: Júnior Ferreira on Unsplash

In this lighthearted Simplified Speech episode, Andrew and Jeremy discuss hip hop and rap. If you’re interested in hearing the differences between these words, or if you’re simply a hardcore music fan, then plug in some headphones and enjoy. Fun facts Hip hop began in the 1970s as an underground urban movement in the Bronx, New York City. Hip hop is subdivided into a bunch of different music styles, including rap. Expressions included in the study guide * To make do * Hardcore * Lighthearted * By no means * A pickup game * Out of place Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Let It Go by Scott Dugdale, Rapper’s Delight by Sugarhill Gang Image: Ben Wiens on Unsplash