Will the Learning Guide help me learn English faster? Yes!
Are Learning Guides expensive? No!
Become a Basic or Premium Member and you’ll get the Learning Guide. We designed them specifically for English learners like you. Get more vocabulary, language explanations, sample sentences, comprehension questions, cultural notes, and more.
Get the Learning Guide and support ESL Podcast by becoming a Basic or Premium Member today!
………
ON MONDAY
ESL Podcast 758 – Showing Off a New Purchase
In the Learning Guide: Get a full transcript (written version of every word you hear), vocabulary list and sample sentences, and comprehension questions.
In “What Else Does it Mean,” learn the other meanings of “baby” and “to whip it out.”
In the “Culture Note,” learn about “Luxury Taxes and Sin Taxes.”
“A “luxury tax” is a “tax” (a way for a government to receive money) on “luxury goods” (products that are very expensive and nice, but “nonessential” (not necessary; optional)) such as…” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide
…
ON WEDNESDAY
English Cafe 330
Topics: American Authors – Toni Morrison; Homeboy/Homegirl Industries & Father Greg Boyle; screw versus bolt versus nut; to kidnap versus to abduct; to sharpen (one’s) ax
In the Learning Guide: Get a full transcript (written version of every word you hear).
In “What Insiders Know,” you will read about “Gang Hand Signs.”
“Belonging to a group sometimes means “adopting” (taking on; accepting) certain types of “identifying” (showing who one is and where one belongs) things…” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide
…
ON FRIDAY
ESL Podcast 759 – Worrying About Your Children
In the Learning Guide: Get a full transcript (written version of every word you hear), vocabulary list and sample sentences, and comprehension questions.
In “What Else Does it Mean,” learn the other meanings of “natural” and “to take after.”
In the “Culture Note,” learn about “GPS Tracking of Children.”
“Parents always worry about their children, “wondering” (wanting to know) where they are, whom they are with, and whether they are safe. In the past, parents had to ask their children to share that information…” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide
“Learning Guide never gets old ”
Being a learning guid member ,Both answers are valid.
I use to be for long time then economy went bad. I got laid off.I got flat broke. I started schooling. I m under OSSAP ( Canadian student loan). So,I can’t afford it right now. I m under a tight budget.
The minute ,I land a job after graduation,the first thing I do is to sing up for learning guid.
I wanna let you in on a secret guys.
Leaning guid is not a supplementary for eslpod. Eslpod is.
By that I mean ,learning guid is so complete and perfectly done that I see eslpod as a subdivision as leaning guide.
Dear Betty ,
You are a member . Please back me up on that.
What is your take ?
Which one do you see as a part of the other one.
Isnt it eslpod a part of leaning guid.
I m not brown nosing here to please Jeff and Lucy.
I m stating a hard fact.
If you don’t believe me , go check for your self
I have the first 500 and so of learning guid lessons
I review them more often than not. Everytime,I come across sth new.
Learning GUide never gets old.
Guys,
Learning guid totally lives up to the hype.
It is above and beyond
I m not hypnotic .
Don’t judge me.
I will resum my affair with learning guid the minute I m out of school which is 3 mounths from now
The most important reason for me to have the Learning Guides is, it saves me thousands of hours trying to make up some sort of written form of what Lucy & Jeff say on the podcasts.
I am the kind of person that everything need to have a hard copy so that I can see them with my eyes if I want to.
Before I subscribed to become a member, I made my own written form of the podcasts from what Jeff & Lucy gave us from this website. The dialogues are here in the website if that’s all you want.
I told myself that when I had time one day, I would try to type out all that Jeff said in the podcast.
One day, and then one day, and then one day. But that particular one day that I would have time to type out all that Jeff said in the podcast had never come.
I would be lucky if I had enough time to listen to all the podcast available. The Learning Guides typed out everything for us already, why wait for that “one day” to come?
Besides, I had to be fair to the website that had truly helped me in improving my English. I had spent a lot more money before and the money was simply down the drain (wasted). I did not start subscription here at the beginning because I did not want to make a mistake like the first experience.
Yes, Peter, you are right to have picked me to back you up on your comment. I totally agree with you. I myself benefited enormously from them, and I have mentioned in this blog some of the ‘good things’ I found in them, not to mention the valuable time that they saved me. I don’t have to dream of make my own ‘Complete transcripts’ anymore.
Frankly speaking, I am not supposed to say too much good thing about the Learning Guides because it may put people off. Sometimes people say if someone is too eager in selling you something you have to be careful – what is the catch? Why do I have to help you when I don’t even know you personally?
Peter, let the learners here find out themselves. If my memory serves me right, I remember that if we subscribe and then do not like it, we can always stop subscribing immediately, no need to give notice to terminate the subscription, no long term obligation at all, $10 is all that you spend if you don’t want to spend any more. Just a click on the “stop payment” box and we are out of the subscription.
Just one final word: I am a great believer in “Education”. Money spend on good education is good money spend on good cause. My English is not good enough to explain why you will have no regret to become a Premium Member, you need to find out yourself.
If you do not want to waste $60, try to be a basic member first for $10. If you are like me who want to have all the past Learning Guides from May 2006, then upgrade to be a Premium member, you will not have to waste $60 if you don’t want to.
All the best.
Betty 🙂
Betty,
Thank betty for the support.
Yup,
You mentioned a good point. There is no long term commitment attached to the subscription. It is not like an agreement holding the parties involved responsible for keeping up their ends.
You sing up for it ,you didn’t like it ,you walk away and call it quits.
There is one thing I can’t understand Betty.
Why is that you feel the need to make a copy if every single lesson. Lucy’s scripts are right there before your eyes.
Copying down what Jeff said is a learning Aproach; Quite noble , Betty
being a premium member because has multiple fold betty
– members enjoy an intimate ,complete access to the material offered by eslpod.
– members get access to written copies of all said and done at Eslpod
– members provides with a chance to gather a collectable , valuable ebook ,note book if you will ,of the latest terms and expressions in modern English
– members get to familiarize themselves with the rules of writing , sentens structures ,and most importantly punctuation
– members get a better chance of honing their comprehension skills and abilities.
– members get the luxury of increasing their rate of reading by reading through a detailed copy of what they hear in every single entery lesson.
-members can improve their listening skills by matching the audio lessons with the relevant written copy of them
-members get a Better understanding of all the terms and expressions addressed by Jeff and Lucy
-members get some feature on current American culture (my favorit part )
-members get some additional concept on some key words and expressions
I just mentioned a few of many benefits that this literally,exceptional learning tool offering us.
Betty,
Do you care to add more,
We are not exaggerating here ,we are just stating a fact.
We can’t overstate the practicality of learning guid.
It is on the street that you guys have TimHorton’s in U.S. as well.
Seems like ,just recently Tinhorton’s has opened some stores in Bufalo and some other borderline cities.
Probably ,you don’t have it in LA ,but if you go back home you may find some over there.
TimHorton’s is competing with Dunken Donut in U.S.
They are trying to take over the market in U.S.
But,numbers suggest TimHorton’s has not picked up in U.S yet.
Dear Jeff,
Try TimHortn’s once ,it doesn’t harm. They serve tea as well.
I know you are a loyal Starbucks customer.
Still,do it for a change.
Here ,the majority of people can’t live without TimHorton’s.
Literally ,their life depends on it.
I m telling you man
I know you always take my words with a healthy degree of skepticism :))))Well ,this time around ,I m telling it like it is.
TiMHorton’s is an inherent part of their lives
I know you are saying :
Does a one legged duck swim in circle ?:)))) of all the people on the blog ,you know what I mean.
It is obvious ,I know
Dear Lucy ,
Every time I pass a store with ” ‘s ” at the end of the name of the store or I step in a TimHorton’s as I see the ” ‘s” at the end of Timhorton. It reminds me of you,and I remeber you fondly. It almost immediately take me back to my question on this very blog about ” ‘s” at the end of the name of stores. And ,your answer to it on this very blog that you explained in detailed why ” ‘s ” comes at the end.
Lucy ,
I have never taken for granted “the presence of your intimate insight and knowledge in my life.”
You are a mentor to me.
I love you sis
Hope the presence of Eslpod in our lives never become just a passing fancy.
A huge fan
Hello,
I started with ESL my way to improve my English some years ago. I never subscribed to learning guides but even so I totally agree with you both (Peter and Betsy).
Learning guides are good for all the reasons that you and Jeff put here and for another important reason that we don’t have to forget. The reason is that learning guides are important because you can do what is the most important and powerful thing when you want to learn English. To listen and read at the same time what you are listening.
There are languages like Spanish, and Catalan also, that 100% or almost 100% or what you listen is spelt in the same way but this is not, as all of us know, the case of English.
Try to get as much benefit for this practice as you can. You are not wasting your money, you are investing your money and very, very well.
Take care!
Bye,
At the end of ESL Podcast 759 – Worrying About Your Children, Jeff said: It’s natural for you to expect to have good scripts on our episodes, that’s because
they’re written by the wonderful Dr. Lucy Tse.
To be honest, I do not just improve my English from Dr Lucy Tse and Dr Jeff McQuillan, I will improve my speech techniques too.
Many people watch bad TV programmes and films/movies, and they talk like those horrible people in the programmes. I run a mile when I bump into those people.
If Jeff and Lucy produce some TV programme with all the good conversation skills for people to follow, it will be good for everyone.
Thanks a million.
Betty 🙂
Hi Peter
I knew Lucy’s scripts were right there before my eyes, but I felt I had to make a hard copy from every lesson. Just like you would download the MP3 files into your ipod, I copied and pasted the contents into my word document so that even when I was not online I still could see the scripts.
I do not have to do that “copy and paste” any more since I become a Premium Member. The Learning Guides are there all the time, I don’t even have to hurry and download them before they become unavailable for me.
I did not opt for Basic Membership because that option meant that I would have to be quick and download everything before they expire.
It must be cold – I mean freezing – in Toronto where you are.
Please take care.
Betty 🙂
Hi Jeff,
I listened to your “Missing Person” story in your 2005 podcast “English Through Stories”, and the ESLPod.com’s Guide to the TOEFL® Test Podcast last night. [Both are available through the iTunes store.]
I enjoyed both of them, very good work, thanks a lot.
You had been very kind to give us all the fun episodes and good guidance for TOFEL – totally free.
I was very happy to listen to Warren’s useful advice/tips for TOEFL as well. I am also grateful for Warren telling us about the “iTunes U” which I hope to explore later when I have a chance.
Thanks again.
Betty 🙂
Dear Jeff & Lucy
Just want to thank you again for your advices/tips from your “TOEFLPod16_2006-01-23_Writing an Essay: Part 1 of 2 and Part 2 of 2”.
I always thought that I must write more to improve my writing. I think I have improved my writing since last year, but not as much as I had hoped for.
Thanks for your advices/tips, I have found lots of good essay writing material online.
There are a lot of hard work to do (I mean lots of good essays to read).
Best Regards
Betty
P.S. I should be in the Guinness Book of Record for being the oldest good student. Just joking. 🙂
Error in my post above?
“Thanks for your advices/tips, I have found lots of good essay writing material online”.
Should I say: “Thanks to your advices/tips, I have found lots of good essay writing material online”.