Culips Everyday English Podcast

This episode is all about gaining experience. We look at three different kinds of expressions relating to everything from having no experience to mastering a new skill. As always, we give you lots of explanations and examples, and tell you about the possible origins of the phrases to help your remember the new expressions. HaveRead More

This episode is about fears. No matter where we live or what language we speak, we’re all afraid of something! In this episode, Harp and Maura talk about a few expressions you might use when you feel scared. They also talk about how to get over your fears, and they share some of their own.Read More

Here’s an episode for you about slang that should only be spoken in casual conversations, not spoken or written in more formal situations. These slang expressions replace real words. Blah blah blah and yadda yadda yadda are fun words that people use to fill in information when they are telling a story. In this episode,Read More

Nobody wants to stick out like a sore thumb, but sometimes it happens. In this episode, we look at expressions that describe people and things that are different from the rest, often in a negative way. We also focus on to be out of place and to be the odd one out. Listen to ourRead More

We hope that everyone has some bright ideas in 2012! This episode it about coming up with new ideas and having realizations, and the expressions we can use to talk about this. Of course, we’re always brainstorming at Culips to come up with new ideas for episodes, and now you can learn about expressions likeRead More

Today we’re bringing you an episode where we look back at the past year at Culips and also forward into 2012. (The year 2012 can be said as two thousand and twelve or twenty-twelve.) In this episode, Harp and Maura talk about changes in their lives this year and their plans for the future. It’sRead More

This holiday season, Harp and Maura look at Christmas over the years, talking about their own Christmas traditions and how things change as we grow up. They also talk about what’s new and happening this Christmas. Whether you celebrate this holiday or not, learn more about how it happens in Canada. Expressions included in theRead More

Hello Culips listeners! We recently received a great question from one of our listeners in the United States. Luis’s first language is Spanish, and he was wondering about how native English speakers pronounce the words should’ve, would’ve, must’ve, and could’ve, which are contractions of should have, would have, must have, and could have. It canRead More

Most people feel nervous about public speaking, and it’s a difficult thing to do in any language. Greta, one of our listeners, suggested this idea for an episode and we went with it! Harp and Maura talk about their own experiences with public speaking and also share some advice on how to do it well.Read More

Here’s another Catch Word episode! This one focuses on expressions with the word scratch. We look at to start from scratch, to scratch the surface, and to make something from scratch. Scratch in these expressions talks about starting at the beginning, often when you don’t have much knowledge or many skills. This episode does moreRead More

Here’s an interview with our friend Kelly. She helps out behind the scenes at Culips, so we thought we’d use an episode to introduce her to you! Like all of us at Culips, she’s not originally from Montreal. In this episode, we talk about her hometown, which is in the province of Saskatchewan. We alsoRead More

No one likes to be thought of as cheap, but some of us just don’t like to spend money. Harp and Maura are two of these people! This is an episode about slang terms for people who are always saving their money. Most of these expressions are considered rude, so be careful how you useRead More

No matter where you are in the world, it’s important to be healthy. This episode looks at some expressions that people use to inspire and remind themselves and others to eat healthy food and to exercise. It may be tough, but there are all kinds of things you can do to stay motivated: Get friendsRead More

This is a fun episode about slang for to die! Of course, all these slang terms for dying are not meant to be used about anyone or anything we really care about, because that would be disrespectful. But people do use these terms to talk about things or strangers, and these expressions are very commonlyRead More

When you were young, did your parents give you an allowance? Did you have a curfew? Parents always want the best for their kids, but raising a child is not always easy. In this episode, Harp and Maura talk about parents and everything parents have to do for their kids. We talk about rules, chores,Read More