Master English With Tim

CAN and CAN'T often sound a lot alike. This can cause real problems in your life! Listen to Episode 137 to learn four functions of CAN, and how to easily understand if you heard CAN or CAN'T. -If you want to learn more about real world, "chewing gum" English pronunciations used by native speakers, listen to Episode 102: A Fresh Look at Chewing Gum.Note: cover image created by AI.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

👆Learn root words to make surprising connections between words and remember advanced vocabulary better! Did you know that English contains traces of a prehistoric language first spoken 6000 years ago?Linguists call this language Indo-European because its daughter languages are spoken in Europe (for example, Spanish, German and Ukrainian) as well as in South Aisa (for instance Hindi and Bengali). Listen to Episode 136 to explore nine words that all share a piece of ancient Indo-European history: the root BL, found in English words like BLOND and ALBINO, and also in foreign words like Spanish "blanco" and German "bleich".NOTE: Cover image created using AI.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

One person's ghost story can seem unreal... But when two people see the same thing, we have little choice but to believe both of them.In this bonus Halloween episode, listen to a true story about two friends and a ghostly white dog from another world. Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

This week is a special and scary week- it's Halloween! Tim loves Halloween, so this week he brings you a real-life ghost story told by a close friend. This episode has a lot of advanced vocabulary, much of it connected with ghosts. To get the maximum effect from this episode, learn the advanced vocabulary from the list below- and then listen with the lights turned off!1 recollect = remember2 spooky = scary (usually because of ghosts)3, 4 tumultuous, fraught (/frawt/) = chaotic, complicated (relationships)5 peninsula = piece of land with water on three sides (e.g., Florida or Korea)6 desolate = empty and depressing (land, places)7, 8 marsh, swamp = land with lots of water on it9 windswept = affected by heavy wind (land, territory- a windswept beach)10 flanked by = if a road is flanked by trees, there are trees on both sides of the road11 performer = actor or singer12 creep someone out = to make someone afraid13 orchard = land where fruit trees grow, e.g. apple orchard, cherry orchard14 burial grounds = cemetery, graveyard (for Native Americans)15 suffice it to say = it's enough to say16 fraught = complicated, difficult (relationships)17 tangle = chaotic mix of different objects18 garb = clothing19 eyepatch = piece of cloth worn to protect an eye- pirates wear eye patches20 dilapidated = in bad condition, not taken care of (buildings)21 hazy = difficult to see through (for example, some beers are hazy)22 cobwebs = spiderwebs23 barn = building on a farm where animals live or food is kept24 bee = a black and yellow flying insect25 hive of bees = structure built by bees that they live in; hives contain honey26 general store = old-fashioned store that sells food, tools and clothing- common in the US until the 1950s- General store - Wikipedia27 skittering = moving quickly and noisily across a hard surface28 crescendo = climax, most dramatic moment29 vaporize = to disappear30 apparition = a ghost31 taxing = requiring a large effortNote: Episode cover created by AI.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

What if you could speak with greater sophistication and detail WITHOUT learning new words? Well, that really is possible! How? You just need to learn more meanings of words you already know. This technique is even more impactful when you choose words from the NGSL, a list of the 2809 most used words of English. Knowing NGSL vocabulary well can also help you score higher on IELTS and TOEFL. Listen to Episode 134 today to learn 5 NGSL words and 9 meanings. Note: cover image created using AI.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In Episode 133, learn how just one small Latin root can help you learn 12 English words with 17 different meanings. Tim does the hard work for you by explaining what this single root means and how it changes form, and by finding the most interesting and useful words that contain it. What is this mystery root? Listen to Episode 133 to find out, and to help *send* your English vocabulary to the next level!Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Want to break the B2 barrier? Want to move up to C1 level English vocabulary? Then learn the words of the NGSL, or New General Service List. Knowing NGSL vocabulary. NGSL vocabulary will help you understand advanced, academic, formal and business vocabulary in depth and detail so you can express yourself with accuracy and sophistication.In this week's episode, you'll learn 18 meanings of 10 NGSL words, 1856-1865:BORROW, FUNDAMENTAL, DISH, ABROAD, SOUL, CAPABLE, DEFEAT, PRESIDENTIAL, PERFECTLY, and ENHANCE.More episodes with words from the NGSL:Episode 2: The NGSL- 2800 Words For Better English.Episode 11: NGSL 1331-1340. 10 Words, 27 Meanings.Episode 62: NGSL 1341-1350.Episode 73: NGSL 1511-1520.Episode 84: NGSL 1011-105.Cover photo from Wikipedia, Climbing at Hanging Gardens, Bullock Creek - Rock climbing in New Zealand - Wikipedia.Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic - Creative CommonsHosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

If you want to master English vocabulary, then you've got to master the most used words in English. That means learning the NGSL, or New General Service List, a list of the 2800 most used words of English. NGSL vocabulary is the vocabulary you need for higher scores on IELTS and TOEFL. Mastering NGSL vocabulary is also an important part of mastering English listening!Listen to Episode #131 to learn 24 meanings of 10 words of NGSL vocabulary.Note: cover image generated by AI.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

USED TO and WOULD are essential constructions for talking about repeated actions in the past- and you need to know them if you want to master English grammar at level B1 and higher. Be careful, though- there are important differences between these constructions!Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Want to master English grammar? Then master the details!🤔How do you change a verb into a noun? 😕Or a noun into a verb? One unusual way is to change a word's pronunciation ☑️:Verb: perFECT Noun: PERfectVerb: perMIT Noun: PERmitVerb: obJECT Noun: OBjectVerb: reFUSE Noun: REfuseVerb: deSERT Noun: DEsert⚠️Be careful though! ❗Sometimes words' meanings completely change with the pronunciation!Listen to Episode 129 to learn over a dozen verb-noun pairs with changes in meaning.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Have you been stuck at B2 level English for a long time? Do you want to move up to C1? Then you need to master English vocabulary, specifically the words of the NGSL, or New General Service List. The NGSL includes the top 2800 most used words of English.I'm not going to lie- REALLY learning these words is not fast and easy. That's because you MUST know more than one meaning or function for these words. For instance, words 1846 to 1855 have 27 meanings. Listen to Episode 129 to learn these words and the meanings you need for C1 English vocabulary to score higher on IELTS and TOEFL- and for life in general!Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Want to master English vocabulary, especially B2 and higher English vocabulary?Well, we have good news: learning just one Latin root, -JECT, could help you learn 16 new words of intermediate English vocabulary or advanced English vocabulary. -JECT means "throw" and is found in 16 words that you can find in academic English- for example eject, projectile, conjecture and more.Listen to Episode 127 now and learn more about the root JECT, and for deep explanations of over a dozen words with this root. Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Want to master English listening? Then you need to learn how English native speakers say words and phrases in real life. Sounds in the most used words change, get mixed up and even disappear. These real-world pronunciations are called CHEWING GUM pronunciations- and native speakers use them all the time.Chewing gum pronunciation is not the only difficulty, though! You also must know the grammar of the most used words, for example if you use a verb with a gerund or an infinitive.Listen to Episode 126 now to learn 6 surprising ways to pronounce the verb NEED. You'll also learn useful rules about sound changes that can help you to understand many chewing gum and strengthen your English listening today.More episodes on chewing gum pronunciation:Episode #125: How to Say "I": Eye, ɑː, ʌ, ə, ∅Episode 7: The Chewing Gum AccentEpisode 18: More Chewing Gum, Please!Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Wanna master English listening? Then start by learning how native and expert speakers REALLY pronounce the most common words like the pronoun "I". Did you know that "I" in fact has several alternative, or "chewing gum" pronunciations? Even more interesting, these alternative pronunciations blend and mix with common verbs like AM and WILL. Listen to Episode #125 to master these chewing gum pronunciations and grow your intermediate English listening or advanced English listening skills.Note: the cover image was created with the help of AI.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

NGSL vocabulary is the intermediate and advanced English vocabulary you need to score higher on IELTS or TOEFL, and to speak and understand formal English, business English and academic English. If you want to master English, you need to master English vocabulary- and if you already have intermediate English vocabulary, then the NGSL is a great place to start.So how do you master NGSL vocabulary? By exploring the many different meanings or functions of words from the NGSL. Learn many meanings for each word, and you will understand advanced English texts better, and express yourself with greater interest and accuracy.In Episode 123, Tim helps you learn ten words with 29 meanings to help you can take one step forward in your IELTS or TOEFL journey.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Learn NGSL vocabulary to score higher on IELTS and TOEFL, and use business English and academic English with more confidence and greater fluency. There's good news: learning NGSL vocabulary and the different meanings of each NGSL word is a lot of fun! You really can master the New General Service List!In Episode 122, Tim explains 20 meanings of 5 important words from the NGSL: BOTHER, INITIATIVE, DIET, MOTION and GRAY.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Students need to focus more on past participles!Past participles are found in six different grammatical constructions: perfect verb tenses, the passive voice, reduced relative clauses, past participial phrases, the modal perfect, and as adjectives. Understand these six uses and you will more easily decode long and complex sentences, especially in advanced texts.Episode 121 reviews and consolidates our work in four of these six constructions, and gives an introductory explanation of two new ones- past participles in the modal perfect and as adjectives. Listen to Episode 121 to finally get a complete picture of how to use this important and underestimated verb form.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

This week, Tim continues and completes his deep analysis of the passive voice, identifying and clarifying six unusual and advanced passive constructions.Three of these constructions (for example, replacing BE with GET) are typical of conversational English, so learning them can help you understand and use everyday language with better accuracy and confidence. The other three constructions are common in written and formal English, and will help you understand the news and intelligent conversation in greater detail.Note: Cover image created with AI.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In English, we have two ways of constructing sentences- the active voice and the passive voice. The active voice is the standard, common way to build sentences, while we use the passive voice most commonly in written and academic English. In other words- if you want to understand and use English at an advanced level- then you need the passive voice!Every passive voice sentence includes a past participle. So now is a great time to listen to Episode #115 on irregular past participles, and also Episode #116 on common pronunciation difficulties with regular past participles.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

The internet and textbooks typically use the EXTENSIVE method to explain grammar. This means they use lots of situations and examples to explain each construction. But we also have the rarely used INTENSIVE method, where you learn one construction with deep, intense focus on one example. If you're learning a new construction, the intensive method gives you a single deeply understood sentence to use as a model for understanding other sentences. If you're reviewing or checking, the intensive way makes sure you understand everything in detail, and fixes mistakes in your understanding. Listen to Episode 118, where Tim uses the intensive method with slightly different versions of the same sentence to learn or review an important meaning of the present perfect verb tense in depth and detail.If you have not listened to episodes 115, 116, and 117 on past participles and the present perfect already- now is the perfect time to do that!Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.