Culips Everyday English Podcast

Meeting new people can be intimidating. It can also be the starting point for the best friendships you’ll ever have. In today’s edition of Real Talk, Andrew and Kassy discuss the different ways to start a conversation with a stranger. In this episode, you’ll hear a variety of conversation starters, personal introductions, and good topics to talk about. You’ll also learn about using a nickname versus your real name and what to say if you are in between jobs. This episode is perfect to help you with real-life situations that happen every day. Fun facts The example dialogue in this episode has two people meeting for the first time at a book club. One of the most famous book clubs in the world is Oprah’s Book Club. Led by talk show host Oprah Winfrey, the club has chosen more than 70 titles since 1996. Oprah’s Book Club has done a lot to popularize many books and authors. Expressions included in the study guide * To strike up a conversation * I’m [name], but you can call me [nickname] * What brings you [somewhere]? * Born and raised * In between jobs * To keep it light Copyright: Culips.com For more information about this episode, visit culips.com. Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Step On by Jahzzar

In this episode, I’m going to talk about a bad study habit. This is something that you should avoid doing when you are studying English.  Do you have any bad study habits? I know that when I first started learning Korean, I had lots of bad study habits.  And also, as I was teaching English in Korea, I noticed that many Korean people also had some bad study habits. Key points covered in this episode Jeremy introduces a bad study habit, which is studying long lists of words.  Studying long lists of words is difficult and ineffective because you can’t use the words when you need them in real life Memorizing words and their meanings doesn’t give you context for how the word is used by native speakers in real life Knowing when to use a word is more important that knowing what it means.  Cramming long lists of words can be helpful if you are going to take a test, but for serious language learners, it is not advisable. Key Expressions * I assure you: what I am saying I believe is the truth * I am/was definitely guilty of ___action____ : Other people have done __action_____ and I have also done ___action____ * That’s all I have: this is the end of what I have prepared to say to you * In other words: I am going to say what I just said in a different way and simplify it Copyright: Culips.com For more information about this episode, visit culips.com. Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Step On by Jahzzar

In this week’s Catch Word episode, Andrew and Jeremy explain three everyday expressions using the word slip: slip up, to slip [one’s] mind, and to slip through [one’s] fingers. If you don’t know what Catch Word is, well, let me explain. It is the series where we teach you interesting English vocabulary that is very useful for your everyday life when you are speaking English or especially when you are listening to English. So in Catch Word, we focus on idioms, phrasal verbs, or expressions that are just a little bit difficult. They’re on the difficult side. Our first expression for today is a phrasal verb, to slip up, to slip up. Now since our episode is related to this word slip, it’s at the centre of each of the expressions that we’ll check out, maybe we should talk about the core meaning of slip. Our second expression for this episode is to slip someone’s mind or that slipped my mind We also look at another expression, which is to slip through someone’s fingers. Usually we use this expression when we’re talking about opportunities, and especially when we miss out or we lose an opportunity. Fun facts There are an estimated 60 different phrases that use the word slip. From slip of the tongue (when you accidentally say something you don’t mean) to slipping one over on someone (when you deceive someone), each phrase has a unique meaning. Expressions included in the study guide * Slip up * To know [something] all too well * Get this * To slip [one’s] mind * To slip through [one’s] fingers * Simple as that Copyright: Culips.com For more information about this episode, visit culips.com. Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Step On by Jahzzar

We are back with Part 2 of Andrew’s interview with Robin MacPherson! In this episode, Robin shares the last two steps of his five-step method to better learn a new language. In this Chatterbox episode, you’ll get to listen to the second part of my interview with YouTuber and language education expert Robin MacPherson. So if you haven’t heard Part 1 yet, make sure to check that episode out first. And then you can come back and listen to the second part of the interview here. In Part 1 of the interview, Robin started to share the five-step method that he has for how to learn a language. And in our situation here, we focused on English by using a podcast. Quiz time: Do you remember what steps 1 to 3 were? Those are the steps we covered in Part 1 of the interview. Well, if you can’t remember, that’s all right. Let me refresh your memory in case you forgot. Step 1: listen for the gist and general meaning. Step 2: study with a transcript. And step 3: listen again, many times. Support Robin by following him on Instagram, subscribing to his Youtube channel, and checking out his website for practicing writing, Journaly. Fun facts In this episode, Andrew and Robin talk about the importance of podcast listening for language learning. There is no shortage of choice. According to the website Podcast Industry Insights, there are more than 1.8 million podcasts to choose from! Expressions included in the study guide * Solid * To roll up [one’s] sleeves * To do heavy lifting * [Something] is getting old * Granular * To keep things fresh Copyright: Culips.com For more information about this episode, visit culips.com. Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Step On by Jahzzar

How many languages can you speak? What are the best ways to improve your language skills? In this Chatterbox episode, Andrew talks with YouTuber, blogger, author, and polyglot Robin MacPherson. Our guest offers several tips to help you learn English with podcasts. Robin and Andrew really got into the nitty-gritty of how you can use a podcast like Culips to improve your English. And Robin gives you some specific tips about how to improve all of your English skills in this interview. So you’ll learn how you can improve your reading, writing, speaking, listening, and pronunciation. So there is a ton of valuable information in this interview, everyone. We’ll get to my chat with Robin in just a moment. Fun facts The given name of this episode’s guest is Robin. There have been many Robins, both real and fictional, such as Robin Williams, Robin Hood, and Batman’s sidekick Robin. Originally, the name was exclusively for males, but now it’s given almost equally to males and females in the United States. Expressions included in the study guide * To exhibit traits * Still in the game * Over [one’s] head * To calibrate * To eat [one’s] words * To internalize [something] Copyright: Culips.com For more information about this episode, visit culips.com. Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Step On by Jahzzar

In this episode, we are going to be talking about taking a break. Now I often get this question from language learners all over the world, and it is, “Is it okay to take a break from studying?” Now I understand why most people ask this question. For those of us who are really serious about learning a language, we sometimes feel like if we stop, we are going to lose what we have gained. In other words, we feel like if we take a break for too long, we might lose all of our language learning progress. Burnout is what happens when you have been working too hard for too long, and your brain is exhausted. I’m sure we have all had this experience at some point in our life. Burnout in language learning can actually be very dangerous in the sense that it might knock you off your language learning journey. It might lead to you quitting or stopping your language learning all together. And of course, this is not what we want. So in order to avoid burnout, I recommend taking a break from time to time, a day, maybe a few days, or even a week is usually enough for you to renew your spirits and come back to your language studies refreshed and ready for more. Key points covered in this episode * Very long breaks can have negative effects on your English ability, but regular study can help you regain your progress quickly. * Burnout is what happens when you work too hard for too long and this can be detrimental to your language learning efforts. * Taking a break can help to avoid burnout and can help us to digest what we learn. * The brain needs time to synthesize and understand linguistic information. * Grammar is especially difficult to digest, so taking breaks from grammar study can be very helpful.  Copyright: Culips.com For more information about this episode, visit culips.com. Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Step On by Jahzzar

Health care is different in every country. In this episode, Andrew and Kassy talk about the differences between the Canadian and American healthcare and health insurance systems. Today we are going to talk about a heavy subject, a serious subject. It’s not as lighthearted as our usual episodes. It is health care and health insurance. First, we will compare and contrast the way that health care is covered in North America and then all of our listeners can compare North American healthcare systems to their own countries and see how it adds up. Fun facts Koreans go to see their doctor the most of everyone in the world, at an average of 17 times per year. The average Japanese citizen goes 13 times per year. In contrast, Canadians go 7 times per year and Americans go only 4 times per year, on average. Expressions included in the study guide * Dark * Hot mess * Lucky duck * Humblebrag * Butt heads * The haves and have-nots Copyright: Culips.com For more information about this episode, visit culips.com. Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Step On by Jahzzar

One of the biggest stories in financial news these days is what’s happening with meme stocks and Reddit subgroups. Although the story and the English terms used to explain it are difficult to follow, hosts Andrew and Kassy carefully walk you through the ins and outs of this fascinating current event. Hello everyone. Welcome back to Culips. Today, we have a Chatterbox episode planned for you. Now Chatterbox is this series that features realistic, totally natural English conversations that are unedited, and are designed to help you boost your English listening comprehension, and vocabulary skills, and help you become a better English speaker. Now, as you know, getting awesome at English requires a lot of listening practice. And we hope that is exactly what you’ll get with us here today. Fun facts Meme stocks, the subject of this episode, are now very interlinked with the website Reddit. The Reddit community is not to be laughed at. There are over 330 million active users on the site! Expressions included in the study guide * One half of the equation * To recoup [something] * Mind-boggling * Namesake * To see how [something] plays out * To poke [something] with a stick Copyright: Culips.com For more information about this episode, visit culips.com. Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Step On by Jahzzar

Hello there language learning friend. Welcome back to Culips. In this episode, I am going to talk about technology. Specifically, I’ll talk about what kinds of technology I have used to learn Korean and Spanish in the past. Now I should start off by saying when I started learning Korean about 10 years ago, there were very few language learning apps available at the time. I remember the only applications I could find were akin to phrase books. This meant that they had a certain phrase and the translation next to it. First of all, if you have a smartphone, I highly recommend utilising your smartphone for repetitive listening. If you are unfamiliar with repetitive listening, please refer to episode #2 and episode #16 in the Culips series Jeremy’s English Tips to find out more about it. Key points covered in this episode * You can use a smartphone, MP3 or computer to practice listening. * Good headphones and listening to high quality audio gives your brain more audio information. * Language exchange apps like HelloTalk and Tandem can help you find language exchange partners and conduct language exchanges. * You can use online translators to check if your English sentences make sense or not. * You can check to see if a word or phrase is commonly used by native speakers by putting it in quotations and searching for it on Google. Copyright: Culips.com For more information about this episode, visit culips.com.

In this Simplified Speech episode, Andrew and Kassy have a blast talking about their favourite childhood games. Tune in to hear about childhood classics like tag, hide-and-seek, and much more. Hey there, friends, welcome back to Culips. This is a Simplified Speech episode. If you’re wondering what that is, well, Simplified Speech is the Culips series where we have totally natural English conversations but we slow down our speech just a little bit. And we hope that by listening to the series, you can improve your English listening skills and become a fluent English listener. Today, I am joined by my cohost, Kassy. Kassy, hello. We have a fun one today. Our topic for today is childhood games. Games that we played when we were kids. And this episode was actually suggested to us by one of our listeners. Fun facts “Everything in your life is a reflection of a choice you’ve made. If you want a different result, make a different choice.” This anonymous quote helps to show how reflecting on past decisions is a great way to see how you’ve grown as a person and what you can do to reach new goals in the future. Expressions included in the study guide * Right off the bat * That’s all there is to it * To ditch * Rebel * Ingrained * Safe assumption Copyright: Culips.com For more information about this episode, visit culips.com. Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Step On by Jahzzar

Hello everyone, this is Jeremy and you’re listening to Jeremy’s English Tips, a series by the Culips English Podcast where I teach you interesting expressions or share language learning tips.Welcome back to another episode of the Culips English Podcast series called Jeremy’s English Tips. In this episode, I’m going to answer a common question that I get from language learners all over the world. And that question is, how can I know if I’m improving? Have you ever wondered this yourself? I know that I certainly have. And it can be a frustrating question because what if you’re not improving? So in this episode, I’ll tell you about a few things that I have done to check and see if I am improving. Key points covered in this episode * You can check to see if you are improving by keeping a repetitive listening habit for a long time and listening back to audio files you used in the past * You can check on your progress by looking back at old grammar books you used to use to study * You can know that you are improving by looking back at study notes from the past. * You know you have improved when certain tasks are easier to accomplish in your target language. * You can know that you have improved when certain idioms or grammatical forms are easier for you to use now than they used to be. Copyright: Culips.com For more information about this episode, visit culips.com.

Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you had made a couple of different choices along the way? In this interesting Chatterbox episode, Andrew and Kassy reflect on their lives and how things might have turned out differently if they hadn’t started down the path they are on now. Listen in and take a trip down the rabbit hole… Fun facts “Everything in your life is a reflection of a choice you’ve made. If you want a different result, make a different choice.” This anonymous quote helps to show how reflecting on past decisions is a great way to see how you’ve grown as a person and what you can do to reach new goals in the future. Expressions included in the study guide * Down the rabbit hole * A hot minute * Pipe dream * STEM * To rake in [something] * To noodle around Copyright: Culips.com For more information about this episode, visit culips.com. Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Step On by Jahzzar

This is a Real Talk episode. Real Talk is the series where we teach you the English that you need to know for everyday, real-world situations. Occasionally, someone will come to you with bad news. How should you respond? In this Real Talk episode, hosts Andrew and Kassy discuss the different ways you can be a good friend when responding to bad news. We’re going to listen to a conversation between two friends. And, unfortunately, one of the friends has some bad news to share, because he just failed his driver’s licence test. So we’ll listen to that conversation. And then after we do, Kassy and I will break down that conversation and we’ll take a close look at the expressions that you need to know in order to be able to respond to hearing bad news like this in a very natural way. Fun facts The example dialogue in this episode revolves around a driver’s licence test. Although the legal driving age in most countries is 18, there are jurisdictions in Canada and the United States where you can start driving at the age of 14 with parental supervision. Expressions included in the study guide * That’s too bad * I’m sorry to hear that * Don’t beat yourself up over it * [Something] isn’t the end of the world * To be bummed out * What a bummer * Don’t stress it * To kill it Copyright: Culips.com For more information about this episode, visit culips.com. Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Step On by Jahzzar

In this episode, I am going to teach you about the difference between these three words: but, though, and although. These three words technically mean the same thing, but the way that they are used is different. And they have some very subtle differences. Subtle differences are very small, hard to notice differences. So, I will do my best in this episode to explain those to you and then to give you some examples. All right, so let’s start with “but.” Now, the word “but” is a word we use to negate something. “Negate” is a rather difficult word, but it is related to the word “negative.” So, to negate something means to put an X on it, to cancel out that other thing, or to say the opposite. For example, “I like apples, but I don’t eat them often.” Notice in this example, that the word “but” is in the middle of the sentence, and it comes after a verbal pause. “I like apples – pause – but I don’t eat them often.” This verbal pause shows up in writing as a comma.  So if you are a Culips premium member, and you are following along right now with the study guide, you will see the comma on the page there.  So the word “but” we can say means “complete negation”. Key points covered in this episode * “But”, “though”, and “although” are three words that mean something very similar in English but have some subtle differences. * “But” indicates a complete negation and is usually used after a comma, in the middle of a sentence. * “Though” is usually used at the end of a sentence and indicates a partial negation. * “Although” is used at the beginning of the sentences and has the same meaning as “though” * In speech, “but” and “though” can be used at the beginning of a sentence Copyright: Culips.com For more information about this episode, visit culips.com.

What’s the difference between a hike, a trek, and a climb? Andrew and Jeremy answer a listener’s question and explain the nuances between the three words in this episode of Culips. We also share some stories about experiences we’ve had doing these activities. This is a fun episode and I think you’ll find it entertaining and educational. This is Simplified Speech. If you’re unfamiliar with what that is, let me explain. Simplified Speech is our series featuring clear, natural, and easy to understand English conversations. And today, we are going to talk about hiking, trekking, and climbing. Fun facts Hiking, trekking, and climbing aren’t the only words used to describe a walk in the woods. In the United Kingdom, it’s called rambling. In Australia, it’s called bushwhacking. In New Zealand, it’s called tramping. Expressions included in the study guide * Hike [something] up * Trek * Hiked in/out * Bonding * Clue in * Make the rounds Copyright: Culips.com For more information about this episode, visit culips.com. Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free, Step On by Jahzzar