Yulia joins us in episode 34 to chat about her journey to Korea from Russia. Find out how she survived the first year living in the countryside with the locals, the scary proposition of doing your Master's degree and Ph.D in a third language, and her dreams for sharing knowledge with the world. This will be another solid listening challenge as, despite speaking English as a second language, she blasts through so many ideas as fast as I could keep up. I hope she'll be a great inspiration to you! If you have questions for Yulia, or about the language used in episode 34, please visit to www.eslunscripted.com and leave a comment under Yulia's show notes page. Enjoy!
This new style of Slang Break is all about the language coming straight from Todd in Episode 33. ESL Unscripted has always been as much about language learning as it has been about hearing great stories. In this way, the new format of Slang Break hopes to bring a lot of the language from every episode - and there is a lot! - and make it more digestible, accessible, and usable to you. Not only is each expression explained, you'll hear the audio from the show it appears in. In today's Part 2 of Ep. 33 show, we look at: (Time occurring in episode) | Idiom/Expression/Vocabulary *35:14 -- Hook (me/you/him/her) up with something/Hook up something *38:35 -- To plead the 5th (amendment) *45:23 -- All the rage *47:33 -- Coming alive/Taking off *49:00 -- Once the ball starts rolling/to get the ball rolling *50:27 -- Work around (something) *50:41 -- Go down that road again/Go back down that road
This new style of Slang Break is all about the language coming straight from Todd in Episode 33. ESL Unscripted has always been as much about language learning as it has been about hearing great stories. In this way, the new format of Slang Break hopes to bring a lot of the language from every episode - and there is a lot! - and make it more digestible, accessible, and usable to you. Not only is each expression explained, you'll hear the audio from the show it appears in. In today's show, we look at: (Time occurring in episode) | (Idiom/Expression/Vocabulary) * 8:36: Right off the bat * 12:06: A lot to catch up on * 13:03: Down time * 13:35: (To be) No stranger to something * 14:20: To put all your eggs in one basket * 15:20: Only one shot | Be on your toes | Dealing with curveballs * 16:25: Not on anyone's radar | We're all in the same boat * 22:58: An exaggeration * 32:40: To have no shortage of something * 33:36: Camaraderie Be sure to check out Part 2 of Slang Break for episode 33. If you have any questions about any of the language in Slang Break, or in episode 33, please visit www.eslunscripted.com and leave a comment or voicemail. Enjoy!
Episode 33 is a pretty unique traveler episode. In this chat with Todd, we talk about the world of cruise ship life. Fifteen years ago, both Todd and I worked on cruise ships, a multi-cultural adventure unlike any other. From adjusting to the first few days on board to special cruises and drinking in the crew bar, we cover a lot. When it comes to speaking English and having an unforgettable travel experience, cruise ships offer something difficult to find anywhere else. For more information on this episode, including links to crew hiring pages and life on board a ship, visit www.eslunscripted.com and check out the episode 33 show notes page. Enjoy the show!
David Holmes (Episode 22), the world-touring bicyclist who has ridden through 40+ countries on his bike, returns in episode 32 for a long-awaited question and answer session. Using both questions you submitted via e-mail and my own, we finally get to sit down with this fascinating traveler and talk about his journeys and beginning as a cyclist. For more information on this show, including the original interview questions, please visit www.eslunscripted.com and find episode 32 with David. Enjoy the show!
This episode 31 takes us to Thailand for the first time! James has been living in Bangkok for about 5 weeks now and shares with us his initial impressions of the city as well as the numerous groups he’s joined to help him get started on the right foot (successfully!). He also joins us for our first British version of Slang Break as well as some British Swear Share! James is also a teacher so we dig into his favorite activities in the classroom as well as the challenges and pleasures of teaching children. It’s a fun chat with lots of good information. For more on this and all other episodes, head to www.eslunscripted.com! Enjoy the show!
Episode 30 takes us to Mumbai, India for the first time. Alex joins us to talk about what it's like to live in such an unpredictable and diverse city. We also chat a little bit about English in India and Alex's recommendations for studying English. For more information on this episode, please head to www.eslunscripted.com and find episode 30 with Alex. Enjoy!
Episode 29 is a Random chat with Matt, an expat from the USA who's been living in Busan, South Korea for the past nine years. Along with our random chat, we also discuss his initial decision to live and work abroad as well as a few tips for succeeding in your English interviews. For more details on this show, visit www.eslunscripted.com and find Episode 29 with Matt. Enjoy!
Episode 28 is a chat with Songhee, a Korean girl who lived, studied, and worked in Australia for a year. In this episode, we briefly discuss her experience abroad as well as her current job as an English Teacher. Also in this episode: new editions of Unscripted News, Slang Break, and the ultra-popular Swear Share, a show which looks at using profanity in English. For more information, please visit www.eslunscripted.com and look for episode 28 with Songhee! Enjoy the show!
ESL Unscripted is bigger and better in 2016! Happy New Year! This is our first episode in 2016 and we've got all new show segments, including Unscripted News, Slang Break, and the very sensitive, not-for-everyone Swear Share (be careful with these!). Episode 27 is our first conversation with Jade, my wonderful wife. Though she is my wife, she is also a language learner. In our chat today, we talk about her early days as an EFL student in middle school, her brief stint as a Japanese language learner, and how travel will boost your confidence in speaking English to anyone! For more information on episode 27, be sure to check out our shows notes page at www.eslunscripted.com. Enjoy the show!
Happy New Year to all of you. In this 27-minute episode, I talk about the future of ESL Unscripted. We went about four weeks without having a show. Find out why and what's happening in 2016.
Episode 26 came up unexpectedly. I was sitting home last night about to record my intro/outro for Ask Session #3 when I got a call from a long-time friend, Joe. He was in my neighborhood and proposed a beer or two and some dinner. While I don’t drink much these days, I jumped at the offer and Joe and I headed off to a local bar called “Some Beer”. After three or four beers, I hit the record button for an impromptu random chat session. If you didn’t catch this style of show with Jeff from New Zealand, random chats are at the mercy of whatever random questions show up on an on-line random question generator. These sessions are great for practicing your quick thinking and, though we stumbled a bit through it, we told lots of fun stories about our lives and times together. It is very raw and basically unedited. If you’ve got a comment/answer for any of the questions we were given in this show, please head to www.eslunscripted.com/blog and choose episode 26. Enjoy!
Episode 25 is our first at-length discussion about relocating abroad. Amel joins us to talk about her journey through 8 countries and almost as many languages. Along the way, she also learned the ins and outs of relocating successfully. But it wasn’t until she met her future husband in Iran that she started to experience what is termed “expat partner” issues. That is, when your husband or wife relocates to a foreign country for work or other purpose and you follow. Perhaps you’re leaving a career behind and your life’s work. What do you do? How do you find purpose in your life? What strains could this create in your relationship? All of these questions Amel seeks to examine through her blog and podcast, Tandem Nomads. Tandem Nomads is a much more upbeat version of the many discomforting names this concept has been referred to in the past. It is an idea which revolves around unification, not disconnect. In our show today, we hear about all of it. Her early days moving around and learning language. Selling encyclopedias door to door in Utah and LA. Her move to New York City. And Tandem Nomads. If you aren’t personally a “Tandem Nomad” with your spouse, that’s okay! We get into lots of tips that will be helpful for any move abroad. This show is full of great information and stories. For more information about this show, including links to Amel’s blog and podcast, please visit www.eslunscripted.com/blog and choose episode 25! Enjoy!
Episode 24 takes us to Argentina and Latin America for the first time. We're chatting with Gonzalo today about life in Argentina, a few places he recommends as "must-see" when we visit next year, the social tea called Mate, and why Buenos Aires is often called the Paris (France) of Argentina. As well, Gonzalo is an English teacher in BA so we get into a bit about his language journey, some tips for more accurate pronunciation and the resources he recommends to his students. It's a fun chat with lots of great travel information. For more on this show, including photos and links to what we talk about in the show, visit www.eslunscripted.com/blog and choose episode 24. Enjoy the show!
Episode 23 welcomes Olena to our Unscripted family. Olena is originally from the Ukraine but has been living in the United States for the past 8+ years. She is the proud mother of four children who have been her inspiration in creating (along with her husband) Bilingual Kids Rock, a blog and podcast devoted to the delicate task of raising bilingual children. In our conversation today, Olena tells us about how she originally came to America, her cultural impressions of life in the USA and the origination of her blog and podcast. As well, she shares her own language learning journey and the new motivations she found for learning English in life. If you’re currently raising a child in a multicultural family, or have plans to raise your child bilingually, you will definitely get some great ideas to take home today. We explore so many helpful hints/strategies for accomplishing these goals more effectively. For links to all of the resources Olena suggests in our chat, including her own website full of user-friendly, informative articles on bilingualism, head to www.eslunscripted.com/blog and choose episode 23. And if there’s any language presented here that is just out of reach, you can leave us a question there as well. Enjoy the show!
Episode 22 is another new format to the ESL Unscripted show. It is a traveler show, but in this episode we listen to a short presentation given by David. David is a world traveler and EFL teacher originally from England. What makes him unique as a traveler is that he’s traveled through most of the countries he’s visited on a bicycle. In this presentation to a class of intermediate-level university students in Vietnam, David shares some of the highlights of his trips, how he began riding, and how he completes his trips. In the real presentation, David asks the students to write some more specific questions about his life and he addresses those questions in a 30-minute question and answer session. This Q&A session is not included here because I want you to think of and write some questions for David. In a future episode, we will sit down with David together and ask your questions about his life, his travels, and anything else you’d like to know. Please visit www.eslunscripted.com/blog and find episode 22. You can leave a written comment or send a voicemail at the bottom of the page. Enjoy the show!
In this second episode of Ask, we get into the challenges of reading in English for fun and for exams. Clare joins us as we look at how to stay motivated when you’re reading for pleasure, what you should consider when reading the news in English, and how you can approach reading in a testing situation (IELTS, TOEIC, TOEFL, etc.). The questions asked in this episode are as follows: One of the hardest thing is reading. I just can't finish one book or even keep reading. reading is so hard for me. is there any way to make reading english books easy? - Lee How can I do better at True/False/Not Given in (academic) reading? I want to know why did my teacher say that we do not need to care about the meaning of words which we do not know in the tests. But i can not understand. If somewords are keywords and i do not know what do they mean how can i know are they sinonym or different to answer. - Suong Is reading news necessary??? I know it is important to catching up what's going on but vocabulary is so hard. But so many students download news app and listening or watch. - David For links to reading tools and additional websites mentioned in this session, please visit www.eslunscripted.com/blog and choose Ask session #2. To ask a question about English, visit www.eslunscripted.com/ask or send an e-mail to todd@eslunscripted.com Thanks for listening and enjoy the show!
Episode 21 is our first traveler episode. I've been wanting to do this kind of show since I started the podcast and I can't think of a better way to start than with Hayden. Hayden is originally from New Zealand but has spent much of the past 15 years on the road. His travels have taken him to more than 90 countries and he has pulled off incredible trips such as driving (in his own car) from Texas to Brazil. He is an avid photographer and traveler who blends the perfect amount of research and planning with carefree spontaneity and has accumulated a wealth of experiences over the years. In our lengthy chat today, Hayden shares a few stories about his travels, the importance of being open to the experience, and how you can plan a successful trip of your own. Though it is long, there isn't a moment worth missing. For more on this show, including links to Hayden's blogs and photography website, visit www.eslunscripted.com/blog and choose episode 21. Enjoy the show!
In the spirit of experimenting and trying new ways of doing this show, episode 20 is the first show where we ask completely random questions to our guest, Jeffrey. Jeffrey lives and works in Christchurch, New Zealand and was kind enough to be the guinea pig (test case!) for this new format. In this episode, we use a random question generator (http://www.conversationstarters.com/generator.php) to produce five questions which we have no control over. Some of the questions are fun and others are pretty standard if you’ve been studying ESL for awhile. Either way, getting comfortable with random topics as they arise is essential. After all, you never know what someone may ask you and being good at thinking “on your feet”, or spontaneously, is a great skill to have. As you listen to this show, be thinking about how you would answer the questions yourself. Think about it for 30 seconds and then answer it out loud! How long can you keep going? As always, I’d love for you to contribute your answers in written form on our website! Please head to www.eslunscripted.com/blog and choose episode 20 with Jeffrey. Jeffrey is our first guest from New Zealand and his accent will be just as much a part of this show as the random questions. How much can you understand? Thank you for listening! I look forward to your comments, answers, and general feedback on this style of show!
This is the kickoff episode for Ask, a weekly discussion about the challenges/questions Unscripted language learners face while studying English. In this debut episode, Anthony (episode 03) joins us to hash out answers to three important questions from our listeners: 1) How can I improve my pronunciation to sound more native? 2) I'm too nervous. How can I build my confidence when speaking English? 3) Is it better to use an English-to-English dictionary or is it okay to use my translator? If you'd like to submit a general or specific question about your frustrations or struggles when learning English, please visit ESL Unscripted on the web at www.eslunscripted.com/ask/ and send a voicemail or leave a comment. You may also send a direct e-mail to todd@eslunscripted.com. Enjoy the show!