Author Archives: Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Note from a Listener in China’s Earthquake Area

Posted on Monday - May 19, 2008 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

I received the following email from Huang, one of our listeners who lives in the area affected by the terrible earthquake in China recently. I thought it would be good to share this note with all of you: —————————————————————— Dear … Continue reading →

Posted in News and Current Events | 16 Comments

What’s the difference between…

Posted on Wednesday - May 14, 2008 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

I’m sure that we could all use (would all benefit from) a little joke. A standard (common) form of a joke begins with the question, “What’s the difference between…” Here’s a joke I found on the Internet that uses this … Continue reading →

Posted in Jokes and Humor | 9 Comments

More Good Resources for Improving Your English

Posted on Wednesday - May 7, 2008 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

As many of you know, California has many immigrants who speak English as a second language. The State of California has developed a special website to help adults learn English online. It is full of short, interesting news stories with … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms, Recommendations, Technology | 9 Comments

A TV Show You Can Understand

Posted on Wednesday - April 30, 2008 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Many of you know that Voice of America has a “Special English” program that helps you improve your English by using a more limited vocabulary and slowing down the rate of speech (how fast someone talks). It is similar to … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms | 10 Comments

Fun Puns

Posted on Tuesday - April 15, 2008 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Puns are jokes that use different meanings of the same or similar sounding words. English spelling allows different words with the same sound to be spelled differently, so there is more opportunity in English for puns. Puns are very difficult … Continue reading →

Posted in Jokes and Humor | 12 Comments

Googleganger, Part II

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

Last October, Lucy posted a note about the concept of a “Googleganger,” who is a person who has your name and whom you discover while searching on Google. For example, I would search for “Jeff McQuillan” and find other people … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | 4 Comments

Jokes: An Irish Toast

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

I thought I would comment on a joke I found, since everyone enjoys a good laugh now and then (occasionally). I put a general explanation on the left side of the page which you can read to give you some … Continue reading →

Posted in Jokes and Humor | 8 Comments

Using English at Work: ESLPod’s New Business English Course

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

There is now a new business English course in our ESL Podcast Store called Using English at Work. This course is designed to teach you basic business English vocabulary related to everyday activities at work, from arriving in the morning … Continue reading →

Posted in About ESL Podcast | 8 Comments

Win One Million Dollars from ESL Podcast!

Posted on Tuesday - April 1, 2008 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

I have an exciting announcement to make: ESL Podcast will be giving away one million dollars this week to one of our lucky listeners. That’s right – $1,000,000! All you have to do to win is post a response to … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 35 Comments

The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers

Posted on Wednesday - March 26, 2008 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

In today’s Cafe, we talk about how to become a lawyer in the United States. Lawyers do not have the best reputation in many countries (including the U.S.). There are many jokes about lawyers and how greedy (wanting to have … Continue reading →

Posted in Discussing the Episodes, Jokes and Humor | 20 Comments