Author Archives: Dr. Lucy Tse

Happy Valentine’s Day! “Hey There Delilah”

Posted on Thursday - February 14, 2008 by Dr. Lucy Tse

Happy Valentine’s Day! This is a holiday to celebrate with your sweetheart and loved ones. It’s not a national holiday, which means that workers don’t get the day off from work. Traditionally, on this day, couples (two people in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Karaoke English | 12 Comments

The Onion Reports: Science is Hard

Posted on Monday - February 11, 2008 by Dr. Lucy Tse

The Onion is a well known newspaper published in the U.S., but be careful about getting your news from it. None of the stories are true. The Onion is a parody (imitation; false) newspaper that publishes satirical (using humor to … Continue reading →

“The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” by Alexander McCall Smith

Posted on Monday - February 4, 2008 by Dr. Lucy Tse

I like reading fiction (stories not based on fact or real events) and some of my favorite books are mysteries. Mysteries are fiction stories where a crime–usually murder (killing)–is committed and a detective, such as a police officer or a … Continue reading →

Posted in Recommendations | 6 Comments

Pampering Your Pet (ESL Podcast 343 – Being Alike and Different)

Posted on Friday - February 1, 2008 by Dr. Lucy Tse

In today’s episode, we hear two dog owners talk about their “babies.” Many Americans have pets and they like to pamper (to give every comfort and attention to) those pets. We talk about different ways that American pet owners pamper … Continue reading →

Posted in Discussing the Episodes, Life in the United States | 8 Comments

Your Movie Recommendations for Other Listeners

Posted on Tuesday - January 29, 2008 by Dr. Lucy Tse

Many of our listeners like to watch English-language movies for enjoyment, but also to improve their English. We sometimes get emails asking for our recommendations. We don’t have specific films to recommend, but what is important is that any movie … Continue reading →

Posted in Television and Movies | 78 Comments

Marilyn Monroe Sings! (English Cafe 120)

Posted on Wednesday - January 16, 2008 by Dr. Lucy Tse

In today’s English Cafe 120, Jeff talks about the dumb blond stereotype. When Americans think of dumb blonds, the classic example is Marilyn Monroe, or at least the characters she played in films. Here she is singing a song from … Continue reading →

Posted in Discussing the Episodes, Karaoke English | 15 Comments

Let’s Crash this Party (ESL Podcast 338 – Refusing an Invitation)

Posted on Monday - January 14, 2008 by Dr. Lucy Tse

In today’s ESL Podcast 338 – Refusing an Invitation, we talked about finding an excuse for not attending a party. Sometimes, though, we decide to accept rather than refuse an invitation. In the Culture Note of the Learning Guide, we … Continue reading →

Posted in Discussing the Episodes | 6 Comments

Comix and R. Crumb (ESL Podcast 337 – Reading Comic Books)

Posted on Friday - January 11, 2008 by Dr. Lucy Tse

In the Culture Note of today’s Learning Guide, we talk about the comix movement. A major figure (important person) in the comix movement is R. (Robert) Crumb, who is an American artist and illustrator (a person who draws pictures for … Continue reading →

Posted in Discussing the Episodes, Television and Movies | 7 Comments

What’s in a Name? Maybe A Lot!

Posted on Wednesday - January 2, 2008 by Dr. Lucy Tse

I recently read an article about something called “name-letter preference.” According to several research studies, people are more likely to favor (like better) and choose those things that begin with their initials (the first letter of their first or last … Continue reading →

Posted in News and Current Events | 9 Comments

What Will They Think of Next?

Posted on Wednesday - December 26, 2007 by Dr. Lucy Tse

This is the time of year that newspapers and magazines compile year-end lists. One list that caught my eye (got my attention) was in the New York Times Magazine a couple of weeks ago. This is a list of patents … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 5 Comments