To all of my students and friends. Thank you for a terrific year. 2023. Now let's fly into 2024. And let's do some great things together. Happy. New year to you all. And thank you for all you do.

English My Way

Happy New year.

In today's episode, we talk about Sa'di Shirazi's famous poem on the interconnectedness of human beings from his Golestan, a famous and monumental work of classical Persian poetry.

Persian with Mohsen (Advanced)

Episode (2): The Persian Poetry Podcast: Sa'di Shirazi: Human Beings Are Members of a Whole

En la clase de hoy os enseño uno de los usos de un tiempo verbal que sirven para hablar de los sueños que hemos tenido. Es un uso que se puede extrapolar a las películas que hemos visto y los relatos, cuando queremos comunicarlos con emoción.

Reyes from Spain

Este es el tiempo verbal que usamos en español para contar los sueños

这些都是爱的表达

“喂，我是爸爸。闺女，你过得好吗？没什么事，就是给你打个电话。”
大部分的父母，尤其是与子女相隔千里的父母，跟子女打电话时的开场白好像总是“没什么事，就是给你打个电话。”难道父母真的是因为无聊、没事可做，才拨通了电话？

“没什么事，就是给你打个电话。”其实，这句话里的含义包括：“好长时间没见你了”“这周回家看看吧”“想你了”“我爱你”等等。
父母会对孩子说：“没什么事，就是给你打个电话。”
热恋中的情侣会说：“没什么事，就是想听听你的声音。”
好朋友会说：“没什么事，就是问问你周末有没有时间聚聚。”

“没什么，就是……”这句话好像没什么特别的含义，却又意义深刻。当说出这句话时，“没什么”其实意味着“有什么”。

学习重点——什么
1.这个计划没什么问题，可以发给客户了。
2.有什么不明白的地方，可以给我发邮件。
3.附近没有什么好吃的餐厅。
4.妈妈每次打电话时都会先说，没什么事，其实我知道她想我了。
5.我找你没什么特别的事，就是想请你帮我一个忙。

边听边说 More than Chinese Listening

第七集 这些都是爱的表达

Will this exciting story ever end? It seems not! If you have styaed with me this long, you know you just have to continue to the bitter end! Come on - Roald dahl! Show us what you got!

Stories to Stimulate!

Will and Mary Part 7

About the USA.
Angela reads the basic text from this lesson, (transcript available when you take this lesson).

This topic is also available for intermediate and higher-level learners.


English with Angela -  conversation 

TASK 47 - THE MAKING OF AMERICA 

This week, you’ll hear from the very first guest on the Express to Impress podcast. Allyson Plumberg, Founder of Rooted Accents: Solutions for Accent Modification, joins me to discuss accent modification. 

Allyson provides speech therapy services and accent modification coaching to students and professionals worldwide. She has a Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Arizona State University.

The episode is the first of two with my conversation with Allison. It’s packed full of useful information for English language learners. 

We kick off the conversation with a definition of an accent and have a quick discussion about the General American English accent and micro accents.

Then, we dive into a discussion about common beliefs about accents. Allison debunks common myths that limit people from being able to speak English effectively.

We also talk about speaking speed, word stress, content versus function words, stressed and unstressed syllables, reductions, contractions, and more! 

Episode originally published February 26, 2021.

Original theme music by Lucas Knutter 

Read the transcript at https://www.express-to-impress.com/american-english-accent/

Join the Express to Impress community on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/express-to-impress/.

See infographics for this episode on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/ExpresstoImpress/_created/.

Express to Impress

Want an American English Accent? Allyson Plumberg Debunks Accent Myths

Cafes are a popular meeting place — whether you're meeting a friend, meeting someone for the first time or even having an informal business meeting.

But Shojo Cafe is not the place to go if you're planning to talk to people. The new cafe in Osaka doesn't allow any sound — that means no music or talking, and orders must be made silently.

The cafe opened in April, as a space where people can go to enjoy some peace and quiet in a busy city.

It's run by AB Possible, an organization that supports people with disabilities. Many of the cafe employees are deaf or have hearing difficulties, and a space like this allows them to play an active role in society, the organization said.

Customers are asked to make their orders silently, such as by writing or pointing at the menu.

Sign language is also encouraged — and if you're interested in learning, there are informal sign language classes after the cafe closes. Classes are one hour long and cost 2,000 yen — or about $13 — which also includes a cup of matcha.

The organization said that, unlike a normal cafe where people talk to each other, the silence in Shojo Cafe will help customers focus on other things — like the color and taste of the cafe's tea and sweets. Customers can even try making the matcha themselves.

Cafe owner Haruna Matsumoto told The Asahi Shimbun the idea for the cafe came after she visited a silent cafe in Vietnam, and all she could hear was the sound of rain and people walking.

"I got to know the comfort of silence and the lively way the cafe staff worked," Matsumoto said, adding that she wanted more people to learn about both things.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

No Talking Allowed at Osaka's Silent Cafe

Transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C8-FD5acA8pkGTnmIIMvXeH7emJ7WBCw/view?usp=drivesdk