Author Archives: Dr. Lucy Tse

The Clothes Off Their Backs

Posted on Monday - December 17, 2007 by Dr. Lucy Tse

Right now, the U.S. dollar is very low in value, which means that visitors from other countries can buy more and spend less. Canadians know this and are coming across the border (line between two countries or areas) to shop … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 4 Comments

Battle Royal (English Cafe 115)

Posted on Wednesday - December 12, 2007 by Dr. Lucy Tse

In today’s English Cafe 115, Jeff talked about professional wrestling on American television. Sometimes, professional wrestlers will participate in a battle royals, where a large group of fighters enter the ring and the last person standing is the winner. Here … Continue reading →

Posted in Discussing the Episodes, Life in the United States | 6 Comments

Backing Up Your Computer

Posted on Tuesday - December 4, 2007 by Dr. Lucy Tse

In a recent poll (questionnaire of people’s opinions) done by a major technology company, 35% of adult computer users in the U.S. and the U.K. don’t back up their data (stored or saved information). That means that they don’t make … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | 8 Comments

On the Edge of Your Seat (325 – Describing People’s Moods)

Posted on Friday - November 30, 2007 by Dr. Lucy Tse

In today’s podcast, 325 – Describing People’s Moods, we talk about being on edge. In the “What Else Does it Mean?” section of the Learning Guide, we also talk about the different meanings of edge, and what competitive edge and … Continue reading →

Posted in Discussing the Episodes, Language & Terms | 8 Comments

Singer Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwo’ole

Posted on Monday - November 26, 2007 by Dr. Lucy Tse

Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, whose nickname was “Iz” (pronounced “is”), was an American musician from Hawaii. He was a talented singer and ukulele player. (To see what a ukulele looks like and to hear another excellent ukulele player, look at this.) He … Continue reading →

Posted in Karaoke English | 4 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted on Wednesday - November 21, 2007 by Dr. Lucy Tse

November 22 is the Thanksgiving holiday. It is a national holiday and is celebrated each year on the fourth Thursday of November. Most people don’t have to work on Thanksgiving, and many people take Friday off (not work; as vacation), … Continue reading →

Posted in Announcements, Life in the United States | 14 Comments

ESL versus EFL

Posted on Monday - November 19, 2007 by Dr. Lucy Tse

We’ve had a few listeners ask about the acronyms (abbreviations) ESL and EFL, so I thought I would talk about them briefly. Different countries and organizations use these terms differently, but I’ll tell you how they are generally used. First, … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms | 11 Comments

Hollywood Writers Go On Strike

Posted on Tuesday - November 13, 2007 by Dr. Lucy Tse

Last week, the big news was that the Writer’s Guild of American, a union of writers for television and movies, went on strike. To go on strike is to stop working to protest something that you think is wrong, or … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 12 Comments

To Be the Butt of a Joke (320 – Micromanaging the Staff)

Posted on Monday - November 12, 2007 by Dr. Lucy Tse

In today’s podcast, ESL Podcast 320 – Micromanaging the Staff, we talk about the verb “to butt in.” Butt is what we informally call the part of the body that we sit on, so it’s important to use phrases with … Continue reading →

Posted in Discussing the Episodes, Language & Terms | 3 Comments

Frank Sinatra – “Fly Me to the Moon” (318 – Writing a Love Song)

Posted on Monday - November 5, 2007 by Dr. Lucy Tse

Today’s podcast, ESL Podcast 318, is about writing a love song. If you’re like me, you don’t know how to write a love song, but maybe you’re in the mood for (have a feeling of wanting) for love. If so, … Continue reading →

Posted in Discussing the Episodes, Karaoke English | 11 Comments