Author Archives: Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Urban Dictionary

Posted on Thursday - July 10, 2008 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

We often get questions about slang words listeners see in the newspaper or (more likely) hear in movies, TV programs, and songs. The problem with slang is that it keeps changing. Words that were slang five years ago may no … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms | 7 Comments

ESL Podcast in Malaysian Newspaper The Sun

Posted on Tuesday - July 8, 2008 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Thanks to Bill from the University of Malaya for mentioning ESL Podcast in a recent article that appeared in the daily national newspaper, The Sun, in Malaysia.  We always appreciate our listeners and supporters mentioning ESL Podcast to their friends, … Continue reading →

Posted in About ESL Podcast | 2 Comments

How Do You Mend a Broken Heart?

Posted on Thursday - July 3, 2008 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Last week we published an episode called Mending a Broken Heart about someone who is sad because their boyfriend or girlfriend has left them.  Most of us have experienced this at some time in our lives (and some of us, … Continue reading →

Posted in Discussing the Episodes | 8 Comments

Heart and Mind and…Toe? Goooooooool for Espana!

Posted on Monday - June 30, 2008 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Americans on average don’t watch much professional soccer on television. However, soccer is popular among Spanish-speakers in the U.S.  If you want to watch a game of soccer on television, you usually have to watch a Spanish language channel in … Continue reading →

Posted in News and Current Events | 17 Comments

Headlines: Drilling for Oil

Posted on Wednesday - June 18, 2008 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Following up on Lucy’s post yesterday about the cost of traveling and oil, there was a headline today in the New York Times (paper edition) which read “Bush to Seek an End to Ban on Oil Drilling.” I want to … Continue reading →

Posted in News and Current Events | 9 Comments

Jury Duty II

Posted on Wednesday - June 11, 2008 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Well, it happened: I got called in for jury duty on my last day (Friday). As I described in my previous post, here in Los Angeles you are on call for jury service for one week. Here’s a little diary … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 6 Comments

ESL Podcast in The China Post Newspaper

Posted on Tuesday - June 10, 2008 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Many thanks to Professor Bill Templar of the University of Malaysia for his letter to The China Post last week. Professor Templar recommends ESL Podcast to those interested in improving their English. You can see his letter published here. ~Jeff

Posted in About ESL Podcast | 5 Comments

Jury Duty

Posted on Wednesday - June 4, 2008 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

This has been an unpredictable (uncertain) week for me so far, mostly because I am on jury duty. A jury is a group of people (usually 12 in the United States) who decide whether someone is guilty or innocent in … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 8 Comments

ESL Podcast on Your iPhone

Posted on Wednesday - May 28, 2008 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

As most of you know, you do not need an iPod or an iPhone to listen to ESL Podcast or any other podcast. But if you do have an iPhone or the new iPod Touch, you may be interested in … Continue reading →

Posted in About ESL Podcast | 11 Comments

21 Accents

Posted on Thursday - May 22, 2008 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

This is a video with a woman who imitates 21 different English accents, including British, Irish, Scottish, Australian, and American accents, as well as several European ESL accents. I think her performance is quite impressive. Notice how she changes her … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms | 19 Comments