Let’s Master English Podcast Episode 3
Podcast 3 script is dictated by Joyti, Maria, Quy, Sergej
Google+ Community
Hello everybody. You are listening to Let's Master English and my name is
Coach Shane.
Welcome to Podcast no 3 of Let’s Master English. Thank you so much for
listening to my podcast and downloading it, telling your friends, I really
appreciate it. You can get the transcripts to podcast 1 and podcast 2, if you
visit our Google Plus Community which is Lets Master English. We have a
team of people who dictate the podcasts and you can join that team. Join
the community - Let's Master English on Google Plus and leave a
message, you'll be invited.
We are also on iTunes. Yeah ...We are finally on iTunes and I do want to
say thank you very much to the person. I only have one rating actually
there were two ratings but I made the one rating.
This is from Ysaw47, "I always enjoy studying English with your class.
Finally I got your podcast. So I really thank you Mr. Shane." Don't call me
Mr. Shane that makes me sound old. You can call me Coach Shane.
Thank you very much for the rating.
And also you can find our podcast on our website which
is www.letsmasterengilsh.com. And I have two messages there. One from
Jyoti, and one from Ingrid.
Jyoti says "Hi Shane. These Podcasts are really really very good. We are
finding lots of information through these Podcasts about American culture,
we are getting a chance to know current events -current affairs which is
very interesting as well. I am sure these Podcasts will help people to build
their communication skills. Definitely a great initiative. Big thumbs Up
Shane !!!! " Thank you.
And Ingrid said "great podcast and she added some comments to the story
for podcast no 1 about being fit and her final comment "It is important to be
fit when you want to immigrate into another country." And I agree her story
is pretty funny.
So thank you very much Ingrid, and Jyoti, and YSaw for leaving comments
in this public places.
We also have lots of comments on our YouTube channels and on Google
Plus. But this’ the one's I am going to read it. So thank you very much, I
really appreciate it.
Now I also want to talk about some statistics and this is actually very
interesting to me who is listening to my podcast? Well, as of 6:40 pm on
Aug 26th i.e. Monday, 633 people have downloaded our podcast and the
most popular country - Russia. Russia by far followed by the United States,
then Korea then Brazil and then trailing up we have Japan, Thailand,
Vietnam, Italy and Kazakhstan, and in number ten I think is no 10 is
Mexico. Thank you so much everybody for listening to my podcast. Keep
spreading the word. The surprise country for me was Haiti, H-A-I-T-I.
Seven people have listened to my podcast in Haiti. That's really great, I
really appreciate it.
We are all over the world and if I look at the map, we’re doing really good in
North America and South America. In Africa, we’re just in the northern
countries: we have Morocco, Algeria, Egypt. We’re doing good in the
Middle East: Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, Iran. And then Europe, just the
northern countries but Spain, France, Italy. Italy is doing really good. And
then a little bit in Belgium, one person in the Netherlands, two people in the
U.K., Germany, Poland, Belarus, Latvia, one person in Latvia, the Ukraine.
Once again lots in Russia, Kazakhstan is doing great. Four people in
China, and in South East Asia we've got some Malaysia, Vietnam, and
Cambodian. And of course, Thailand again. So once again thank you so
much for listening to my podcast and please tell your friends let’s make this
bigger and better. Okay?
We've got as usual a couple of sections: the news and then we've got
some questions, we have got a fact from country Shane and English
studying tips. So are you ready for the news? Let's get in to it.
If you’re in the US get out your long johns and stock up on apple cider,
you’re in for a long, cold winter. Biting cold that is. The 2013 Farmer’s
Almanac has just come out with this chilling prediction. Published since
1818, it boasts an 80% accuracy rate with regards to what mother nature
plants to do. And that makes it a must when it comes to planting gardens
and planning weddings. It’s also chockfull of home remedies and corny
jokes. Get yours today.
What? What? What? What am I talking about? Let me read it one more
time a little bit slower, a little bit clear.
(reads the text again)
So, what is this story about? Well, it's about the publication of a yearly
journal, which is like a magazine. Magazines are usually weekly, biweekly
or monthly. But this magazine is yearly. It's an annual publication and it's
called "The Farmer's Almanac". Farmer is the gay or the women who
plants corn, and potatoes, and beans. Almanac, A_L_M_A_N_A_C, an
almanac.
An almanac is a yearly calendar that tells you important dates and gives
you special information on what you can do. For example: good fishing
times, good planting times. It tells you about astronomical things, like a
lunar eclipse and the full moon. It also tells you about the tide, how the
ocean goes up and down, because of the moon’s gravitational pool. It's
once again a calendar or a year book and it comes out once a year.
Do you have a popular almanac in your country? In America "The Farmer's
Almanac" is very popular.
So, let's look at the first sentence. “If you're in the US”, if you live in the US,
if you're an American, or if you're a student living in the US, or a worker in
the US, “get out your long johns and stock up on apple cider”. What are
long johns? Long johns are long underwear. If you live in a cold area, you
need to have long underwear, not the short underwear - long underwear,
thick underwear, warm underwear. And we called those long johns,
L_O_N_G, J_O_H_N_S, long johns.
Long johns actually got their name in the UK, supposedly they were named
after a boxer, named John L. Sullivan. So, I don't know, maybe he was the
underwear model back in 1800s. Anyway, get out your long johns. The
nuance is you will need your long johns and stock up on apple cider. Now,
in America when we say apple cider, it basically means apple juice, but
sometimes it has alcohol. The apples are allowed to ferment, which means
they become, they develop alcohol after a while. Apple cider is usually
drunk in the fall and in the winter in America. And it’s almost always drunk
warm. So, “get out your long johns and stock up on apple cider”. “To stock
up” means to have a big supply. So the nuance is it's going to be cold.
“You're in for a long cold winter”. Ham, “to be in for something” is a good
expression. You're in for, to be in for means you can expect something.
You're in for an exciting movie that means you can expect an exciting
movie. You're in for a good podcast that means you can expect a good
podcast. Here you're in for a long cold winter. You can expect a long cold
winter, so you will need your long johns and warm apple cider.
The next sentence, “Biting cold that is”. “That is” means to emphasize
biting cold. My name is Coach Shane, coach that is, emphasizing that I'm a
coach. Here biting cold that is, emphasizing biting cold. What is biting cold?
It's so cold out that it feels like the cold weather is biting your skin, it's biting
to your bones, you can feel the cold all the way to your bones. Do you like
biting cold weather? I do actually. As long as I have long johns and a
fireplace, Ham... biting cold weather is good for me.
The next sentence, “The 2013 Farmer’s Almanac has just come out with
this chilling prediction”. So 2013, the two thousand thirteen edition of the
Farmer’s Almanac has just come out, has just been published. Recently it
has published with its chilling prediction. Now usually when we say chilling,
it can mean very scary, but it can also mean very cold, and this is a very
cold prediction. “Published since 1818”, that’s right this almanac was first
published in the year 1818. So it was almost 200 years old, 195 years old.
“Published since 1818, it boasts an 80% accuracy rate with regards to what
mother nature plants to do”. So, mother nature is the personification of
nature. So when we talk about nature, we call it mother nature. Mother
nature, what does she plant to do? Well, it’s hard to predict what she wants
to do, but the Farmer’s Almanac has an 80% accuracy rate in predicting
what mother nature will do. So in another words, this almanac is 80%
correct when they come to weather prediction. 80%, that’s amazing. The
key word was “boasts, B-O-A-S-T-S”, to boasts means to brag about, to be
very proud about something. So if you’re 80% accuracy rate in predicting
something, that’s really good, you can boast about that.
When I was younger, I studied in the MBA program that’s the business
degree for masters, a master in business. So I thought I was very intelligent
because I could boast an MBA, therefore I bought stocks on the stock
market. Because I was intelligent, unfortunately my stocks did terrible, my
accuracy was horrible. I bought 5 different stocks, and only one stock
increased the value. So my accuracy rate was 20%. Can I boast about
that? No. I should hide myself in the embarrassment about that. But once
again, the Farmer’s Almanac is really accuracy, is 80%. Wow!
The next sentence, “and that makes it a must when it comes to planting
gardens and planning weddings”. “That makes it”, that makes the Farmer’s
Almanac a must, a necessity, something you’re absolutely need. When?
When it comes to planting gardens, so if you want to have a vegetable
garden, you should always check the Farmer’s Almanac to find the best
time to plant the seeds, and the Farmer’s Almanac is a must when it comes
to planning weddings. Lots of people like to have outside weddings, out
door weddings, but if you’re planning your wedding and it rains. Ho …that’s
terrible, so you should check the Farmer’s Almanac first to see if the
weather prediction will be nice.
“It’s also chockfull of home remedies and corny jokes”. The Farmer’s
Almanac is also chockfull of something, completely full of something, of
what? Home remedies. What are home remedies? Home remedies are
things you can do at home to treat illnesses. For example, if you have a
cold, don’t buy cold medicine, eat chicken soup. Chicken soup is really
good for a home remedy; if you have an infection, don’t buy drugs at the
drug’s store, just use a potato. The potato will actually remove the
inflammation and help you get rid of the infection. Isn’t that great? Those
are home remedies.
“It’s also chockfull of home remedies and corny jokes”. Corny jokes are silly
jokes, and if visit my E-cubed YouTube channel, you can find many
examples of great corny jokes that I provided, and also our subscribers
provided.
And the last sentence, “Get yours today”. That means buy your Farmer’s
Almanac today.
So that was the news story, I hope you understand. We have some really
good vocabularies. So let’s listen to the vocabulary and you can repeat:
Long johns, long johns;
To stock up on, to stock up on something, to buy a lot of something;
Apple cider, apple cider, usually we drink it warm in the fall , in the winter,
sometimes it has alcohol, but not always, apple cider is delicious;
To be in for, to be in for something means you can expect something;
Biting cold, super, super cold, biting cold that’s emphasizing biting cold;
Something has just come out, in this case it refers to a magazine, a
publication, maybe a TV show, maybe a podcast. Something has been
recently published;
Chilling prediction, these can have two meanings: a scary prediction or a
very cold prediction;
Boasts, to boast means to brag about something, to be proud about
something;
Mother nature, she is the symbol for nature, for the weather, sometimes
mother nature is very cruel with a hurricane or a typhoon, but sometimes,
mother nature is truly beautiful;
That makes it a must, that makes the Farmer’s Almanac absolutely
necessary;
When it comes to…when it regards to …when it relates to …planting
gardens, to plant seeds for vegetables. Now remember if we say planting
really fast, it sounds like planning;
And that’s the next one - planning weddings. To plan a wedding, especially
in out doors wedding;
Chockfull of, C-H-O-C-K-F-U-L-L, completely full of something;
Home remedies, remedies to cure illnesses and other problems at home
without going to the doctor or using modern technology;
Corny jokes, silly jokes, they’re funny, but sometimes they’re stupid;
So those are the vocabulary. Let’s listen to the story two more time. The
first time, I’ll say it slowly, and the second time, I’ll say it normal speed.
(reads the text again)
It’s Q & A time, Questions and Answers. Today I have a bunch of
questions. So let’s begin.
Cheese from the Future asks how can I say the word “world”?
Properly, oh yes, “world, W-O-R-L-D”, that’s a tough word for lots of
people. My recommendation is, say it in two, maybe even three syllables.
So listen carefully, “were-rawl-d”, “were-rawl-d”, “were-rawl-d”, so the first
syllable would be “were”, “were”, “were”, “were”; the next syllable would be
“rawl”, “rawl”, “rawl”, “rawl”; and, it’s not the third syllable, but then you
need the “d”, the final “d” sound. So you can make a stop “d” sound which
sounds like this, “were-rawl-/”, “were-rawl-/”, “were-rawl-/”, I just stop it. The
perfect pronunciation “were-rawl-d”, “were-rawl-d”; with the stop “d”, “wererawl-/”, “were-rawl-/”, this is very difficult, Cheese from the Future. So
check on my coachshanesesl channel, and I do have a video that
compares “war” and “world”. So you can check that video out and that
might help you. Thank you for your question and I hope I answered a little
bit.
Our next question is from L…. L… asks when do we pronounce the “s” like
a “z” and when do we pronounce the “s” like an “s”?
So he’s talking about at the ends of the word. For example, “E-N-D-S,
ends”. Is the “s” a “z” sound or an “s” sound? What about “K-I-C-K-S,
kicks”? Is that an “s” sound or a “z” sound? Well, the rule is actually not that
confusing. If the final consonant has vibration, like “b b b” or “m m m” or “ng
ng ng“, then it’s a “z” sound. So “P-U-B-S, pubs” it’s a “z” sound; “rooms, RO-O-M-S” it’s a “z” sound. There is vibration, “S-I-N-G-S, sings” it’s a “z”
sound. So if the final consonant has vibration, then the final “s” for plural or
the verb, we have a “z” sound. But if the final consonant is an aspirate
sound, it sounds like an “s”, for example: “kicks, kicks”, “hits, hits”, “cents,
cents”, “skips, skips” so “p t k” those are aspirate sound, that means the
final “s” sound like an “s”; “ng m b” are vibrated sounds, so the final sounds
has a “z” sound. Okay?
We have another question from Z. Barcelona, “Hi, Coach Shane, how do
we pronounce I got you?”
It sounds like there is a “ch” sound. Yes. Z…, that’s right. “I got you”, if we
have a “t” next to a “y”, we can make it into a “ch” sound. So perfect
pronunciation, “I got you”, a little bit faster, “I go-/yoo”, “I go/-yoo”, that’s a
stop “t” sound. But many Americans combine the “t” and the “y” to make a
“ch”. “I go-ch-yoo”, “I go-ch-yoo”; another example, don’t you like me?
“don-ch-you like me?, don-ch-you like me?”
I’m going to hate you, “I’m going to hei-ch-yoo, hei-ch-yoo”, t+y=ch, and
d+y=j.
Did you study? “di-j-yoo study? , di-j-yoo study?”
Would you pick me up? “wu-j-yoo pick me up?” “wu-j-yoo pick me up?”
So those are good rules to remember. Okay? Z…
Gen 5 to 5 Boy has a question, what does one shot my coffee mean?
Oh, yes, I had a video on coachshanesesl called “get out of here” and in
that video, I said do you want me to one shot my coffee? So in this case, I
used one shot as a verb, and what that means? Drink my coffee in one go.
Take my coffee and swallow all of my coffee in one go, in one shot, in one
drink, in one gawp. Oh, yes, now drinking whiskey in one shot is common,
drinking coffee in one shot is crazy.
And I have one more question, and I don’t know how to pronounce the
name. Qu… I’m guessing this young person is from Vietnam, could be an
old person. Probably young, thank you so much please make a video
teaching us how to pronounce the word “asked”?
Do we really need the “k” sound? Or can we just keep the “t” sound? Well,
maybe I’ll make a video, but let me answer your question. Anyway, “A-S-KE-D”. Perfect pronunciation “askt”, “askt” but if we say it fast, we drop the
“k” and we say “ast”, “I-ast-yoo a question”,. Ham, t+y=ch, “I-as-ch-yoo a
question, I-as-ch-yoo a question”. “I askt Tim a question”, “I askt David a
question”, “I askt Christine”. Now some Americans have a different
pronunciation and actually sounds like “A-X-E-D” “I axed-yoo a question, I
ax-ch-yoo a question”. Believe or not, some people axed questions.
Haha…so my recommendation, perfect pronunciation, of course “askt”, but
you can mimic most Americans, they just say, “axed”. “Who-ast-you?”, “Iast-yoo.”
Thank you for those questions. And keep asking.
How are you doing, everybody? Here is country Shane and I’m here to
bring you to the Facts. Winston Churchill, Premier Minister of the United
Kingdom liked to have a whiskey and a cigar for lunch and dinner and
breakfast. Haha…This’ been country Shane bringing you to the Facts.
Okay, everybody. It’s time for Let’s Master English’s studying tips. So last
podcast I asked you to choose your English goal. Did you choose an
English goal? Was it to make friends? To travel? To learn about
technology? To watch movies? To listen the songs? For business? To
study? I hope you picture your goal.
So today I’m going to start some specific advice. And today we’re going to
focus on making friends. If your goal is to make English speaking friends,
how can you start? You can start right now. First of all, don’t be picky,
accept anyone as an English friend, not just the Americans or the British
people, or the Australians, there are many native English speaking
countries. And so many people around the world speak great English, so if
your first English speaking friend is not an American, that’s fine. No
problem. Don’t worry about it. As you make more and more friends, maybe
one day you meet an American or a British person or an Australian or
whatever you want.
So how do you meet these English speakers? Of course, there are many
English pen pal, English pal sites, but my recommendations go by your
interests or your hobbies. So for example, if you’re interested in soccer,
then find other people around the world who are interested in soccer; if
your hobby is hiking, then find other people around the world whose
hobbies are hiking. And start talking to them about your interests or your
hobby. People like to talk about thing they love, some people want just to
make friends, but that’s a weak friendship. If you can build a friendship on
interest or hobby, your success will be much stronger.
So where can you find these people who share your interest, or share your
hobby? The best thing to do is to look for blogs, B-L-O-G-S, internet blogs.
And remember the smaller the blog, the better. If it’s a small blog, and you
leave a message, there is a very good chance, that people, the author will
respond and then maybe over time you can become friends.
Another great place is YouTube. The latest popular the video, the better. If
you leave a comment on somebody’s video about hiking, that person, and
that’s, you know, that is not popular. That person will probably answer you
back. And you might be able to build a friendship. Once you’re able to build
the friendship with a couple of people. Another great place to start practise,
practising your speaking is Google Plus. Google Plus allows you to have
hangouts, so you can actually see the person and hear the person, you can
speak to the person. Now some people don’t want to use the camera,
that’s fine. In Google Plus hangouts, you can turn off your camera, you can
just be a voice conversation.
Of course, Skype is a great tool, too. But I’d like to tell people to be careful
with personal information: your address, too much personal information is
sometimes not a good thing, and you can keep it private. If people keep
asking you, “give me your phone number, give me your phone number,
give me your address, give me your address”. Ham, maybe it’s best not to
have that relationship with that person. Of course, it all depends on the
situation. But be careful with personal information, especially kids. Kids, be
careful.
More advice, don’t be an English freak, don’t put pressure on your friend to
correct your English. “Please if I make an English mistake, please correct
me, tell me every time I make an English mistake”. Okay? Some people
don’t mind, but most people they don’t care about your English mistakes,
they’re more interested in building the relationship. And the longer you
have an English speaking relationship, the better your English will be.
And finally, don’t be a troll and don’t get trolled. What’s that mean?
Basically that means don’t be mine. So if you leave a mine message to
somebody, somebody else might be able to see that message, and they
might think you are not a very nice person. So be careful with your Twitter
and your Facebook and places that you leave messages. Don’t be a troll,
don’t be a monster, don’t be a mine person. And if somebody says
something mine to you, just ignore them. Don’t be a troll and don’t get
trolled. So these are my advice to people whose English goal is to make
friends. Give it a try, and tell me how it works.
Well, that’s gonna do it for me today. Everybody, I hope you enjoy this
edition of Let’s Master English. Please subscribe on the iTunes store and
give me a good rating, I’ll read what you said. You can also get our podcast
on our homepage www.letsmasterenglish.com. Tell everybody. Please
share the podcast, let’s make this a great way to practise your English,
practise your listening and to master your English. That’s the whole goal.
And also give me some good constructive criticism. I want to make the
podcast better. Did I speak too fast? Did I speak too slow? Was the
podcast to long? Was the podcast too short? Tell me those things. And I’ll
do my best to fix it.
Okay. Take care, everyone, and Let’s Master English.