Monthly Archives: September 2009

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

At this time each year, we at ESL Podcast, pause to say, “When is our next vacation?” No, no, no! We stop every year on September 24th to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our own Dr. Jeff McQuillan, a man who … Continue reading

Posted in Announcements | 136 Comments

Rearrange the Letters and This is What You Get

An anagram is a word or phrase that is formed when you rearrange the letters of another word or phrase.  Here are a few words and phrases.  Can you figure out a good anagram? 1.  DORMITORY – This is a … Continue reading

Posted in Language & Terms | 40 Comments

“My English Isn’t as Good as it Once Was.”

QUESTION: Heitor from Brazil had this question: “I studied English a long time ago and when some people speak to me in English I usually say that, “I lost my English.” What I want to say is that my English … Continue reading

Posted in Language & Terms | 17 Comments

Dude, You are so Obama!

An article last month in the New York Times discussed American slang and how quickly it has been changing.  With the Internet, people are able to communicate instantaneously (immediately), sharing new expressions and words much faster than in the past.  … Continue reading

Posted in Language & Terms | 29 Comments

How Americans Spend Money

Last week, Jeff blogged about how much money top athletes make, but what about average (typical; normal) Americans? How people spend their money tells us a lot of about them and a recent article in Time magazine lists how average … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 26 Comments

Sprechen Sie Deutsch? – ESL Podcast on German Radio

We have often said that we both have faces for radio. Here is further proof (evidence) of this. For our German-speaking listeners, there was a radio story about ESL Podcast on Deutschlandfunk.  You can listen to the story here. Look … Continue reading

Posted in About ESL Podcast | 32 Comments

How long does it take to make $100,000?

Americans love their sports, and professional sports is a huge (very big) business here, as it is in some other countries.  The most popular sports are baseball, American football, and basketball, with hockey, tennis, and golf being somewhat less popular.  … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 12 Comments

I Feel Like a Fool…And a Cup of Coffee

QUESTION: Lilin from China wants to know the meanings of the phrase “feel like.” ANSWER: The phrase “feel like” can be confusing because it has two different meanings, both of which are very commonly used. First, “feel like” is used … Continue reading

Posted in Language & Terms | 26 Comments