An explanation of when to use "some" or "any" to tell how much/many things there are.

The English Toolbox

Some vs. Any

I interview my friend Sofie and she shares some tips for learning strategies and improving your accent. I'll post the second half of our conversation next week.

In the second half of the episode, I explain the following phrases:

- to level with (someone)
- to chalk (something) up to (something) 
- to brush up on (something) 
- can't (do something) for the life of me

Brentoni's English Podcast

011 - English Advice from a Pro (Part One)

Following this year’s Super Bowl hosted by the city of New Orleans, my mom and I talk about our memories of traveling there, touching on a number of aspects of the city’s identity, especially food and music. We also discuss how the city has recovered from multiple natural disasters over the past few decades.

If you want to learn more about a historic (and delicious) American city and find out which dishes it’s most famous for, be sure to listen!

Full episode transcript⁠ here: https://american-idiom.com/f/what-to-eat-in-new-orleans

***For English learners! – Detailed vocabulary lesson begins at 18:27***
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Episode Outline:
1:20 – Introducing This Week's Topic
2:02 – New Orleans in a Nutshell
5:21 – Creole Food vs. Cajun Food
7:44 – The French Quarter
11:17 – Hurricanes
15:30 – The Resilience of New Orleans
---
Vocabulary and examples (Starts at 18:27)
18:38 – to stand out
19:50 – champing at the bit
21:40 – to bring (something) to its knees

010 Exploring New Orleans

In this episode, I continue my conversation with Bryce about playing guitar.

Bryce shares a story about the moment when he felt most like a rockstar.

If you've ever been curious about what it takes to play guitar and you want to learn some relevant vocabulary, this episode may be for you!

This is just Part Two of our conversation. Part One can be found at 008 WHY DOES EVERYONE LEARN THE SAME FIRST SONG ON GUITAR?

FULL TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE ⁠HERE⁠: https://american-idiom.com/f/009-my-brothers-rockstar-moment

***For English learners! – Detailed vocabulary lesson begins at 23:34***

Episode Outline:

Bryce's most memorable guitar performance (Starts at 1:20)
Adapting complex songs as a solo guitarist (Starts at 4:32)
Funny story - Always rehearse before performing! (Starts at 8:38)
Playing tabs vs. sheet music (Starts at 10:05)
How to continue progressing as a guitarist (14:45)
Final advice for new guitarists (22:54)


Vocabulary and examples (Starts at 23:34)

get your foot in the door (used at 4:46 and explained at 23:38)
hit a wall (used at 14:49 and explained at 26:07)
reach a plateau (used at 14:49 and explained at 26:07)
be stuck in a rut (used at 20:51 and explained at 26:07)
put all your eggs in one basket (used at 21:32 and explained at 29:45)

009 How to Improve Your Guitar Skills

I introduce my brother, Bryce, and we discuss our experiences learning to play guitar as teenagers.
We share some advice for beginners and also talk about our memories.

If you've ever been curious about what it takes to start playing guitar and you want to learn some relevant vocabulary, this episode may be for you!

This is just Part One of our conversation. I'll be posting Part Two next week.

***For English learners! – Detailed vocabulary lesson begins at 23:14***

***Full episode transcript available ⁠here: https://american-idiom.com/f/008-why-does-everyone-learn-the-same-first-song-on-guitar⁠***

Episode Outline:

Bryce introduces himself (Starts at 1:20)
How Bryce started playing guitar (Starts at 1:58)
Taste in music (Starts at 3:12)
The first songs we learned (Starts at 3:39)
Our recommendations for a good 'first song' (Starts at 6:46)
Playing electric guitar vs. acoustic guitar (Starts at 10:00)
How to avoid annoying your neighbors (Starts at 12:50)
What it's like playing in a rock band (Starts at 13:38)
Our memories of being in a band together (Starts at 14:56)
The most difficult part of playing in a band (Starts at 16:25)
Our connection to Greta Van Fleet (Starts at 20:41)

Vocabulary and examples (Starts at 23:14)

get away with something (used at 5:11 and explained at 23:20)
take one for the team (used at 14:20 and explained at 25:18)
be on the same page (used at 18:18 and explained at 27:27)

008 Why Does Everyone Learn the Same First Song on Guitar?

My mom and I finish the quiz about American dialects we started last week to discover whether we speak the same way as other people from our region.
During our conversation, we also discuss regional vocabulary and accents from distinct sociocultural regions across the United States, including the South, the West Coast, New England, Texas, the Midwest and more.
You'll certainly learn a bit more about regional American cultures as well!
This is only the second half of the quiz. Please listen to episode 006 Exploring American Dialects (Part One) for the first half!
And if you'd like to try the quiz yourself, it's available at the following link if you scroll to the bottom and click on 'How Y'all, Youse and You Guys Talk': https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/22/learning/what-does-your-accent-say-about-who-you-are.html
***For English learners! – Detailed vocabulary lesson begins at 23:27***
***Full episode transcript available ⁠here: https://american-idiom.com/f/007-exploring-american-dialects-part-two⁠***

Episode Outline:

Question 14 (Frosting vs. Icing) - (Starts at 1:20)
Question 15 (Service Road, etc.) - (Starts at 3:57)
Question 16 (Devil's Night, etc.) - (Starts at 4:43)
Question 17 (Rubbernecking, etc.) - (Starts at 6:00)
Question 18 (Blow-Off, Easy-A, etc.) - (Starts at 7:45)
Question 19 (Dinner vs. Supper) - (Starts at 9:08)
Question 20 (Drinking Fountain vs. Water Fountain) - (Starts at 10:49)
Question 21 (Highway vs. Expressway) - (Starts at 12:14)
Question 22 (Firefly vs. Lightning Bug) - (Starts at 15:00)
Question 23 (Pronunciation of 'Aunt') - (Starts at 16:44)
Question 24 (Party Barn, etc.) - (Starts at 19:15)
Question 25 (Cot vs. Caught) - (Starts at 21:40)

Vocabulary and examples (Starts at 23:27)

by the way (used at 3:23 explained at 23:40)
the cherry on top (used at 3:31 and 3:47 explained at 26:01)
sure enough (used at 5:16 and 13:00 explained at 27:57)
you're kidding! (used at 5:42 explained at 29:58)
to wrap up (used at 23:12 explained at 32:33)

007 Exploring American Dialects (Part Two)

My mom and I take a quiz about American dialects to discover whether we speak the same way as other people from our region.

FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE HERE⁠⁠: https://american-idiom.com/f/006-exploring-american-dialects-part-one

During our conversation, we also discuss regional vocabulary and accents from distinct sociocultural regions across the United States, including the South, the West Coast, New England, Texas, the Midwest and more.

You'll certainly learn a bit more about regional American cultures as well!

(This is just the first half of the quiz. I'll be posting the rest next week.)

And if you'd like to try the quiz yourself, it's available at the following link if you scroll to the bottom and click on 'How Y'all, Youse and You Guys Talk': ⁠https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/22/learning/what-does-your-accent-say-about-who-you-are.html⁠

***Detailed vocabulary lesson begins at 23:30***

Episode Outline:

 Explanation of 'Dialect' and 'Accent' (Starts at 2:20)
 Question 1 (You All vs. You vs. Y'all) - (Starts at 3:52)
 Question 2 (Pajamas) - (Starts at 4:25)
 Question 3 (Boulevard vs. Traffic Island) - (Starts at 5:25)
 Question 4 (Crayons) - (Starts at 7:32)
 Question 5 (Kitty Corner vs. Kitty Wampus) - (Starts at 11:12)
 Question 6 (Caramel) - (Starts at 12:54)
 Question 7 (Roly Poly, etc.) - (Starts at 13:54)
  Question 8 (Roundabout vs. Traffic Circle) - (Starts at 15:30)
  Question 9 (Sub, etc.) - (Starts at 17:05)
  Question 10 (Soda vs. Pop) - (Starts at 18:05)
  Question 11 (Crayfish vs. Crawfish) - (Starts at 20:18)
  Question 12 (Berm, etc.) - (Starts at 21:18)
  Question 13 (Semi-truck, etc.) - (Starts at 22:24)

Vocabulary and examples (Starts at 23:30)

  without further ado (used at 3:31 explained at 23:44)
  it is what it is (used at 8:42 explained at 26:08)
  to go off something (used at 10:08 explained at 28:23)
  to pop up (used at 16:44 explained at 31:11)
  to grow out of something (used at 18:39 explained at 33:19)

006 Exploring American Dialects (Part One)

In this episode, my dad and I recall some of our favorite memories as sports fans.

If you’re a sports fan yourself, that’s great, but even if you’re not, I think you’ll benefit from listening to this one, as many English idioms and other vocabulary were born out of the world of sports.

Otherwise, listening to this episode should give you a sense of what being a sports fan in America is like, because it’s unique compared to sporting culture in most other countries.

***For English learners! – Detailed vocabulary lesson begins at 31:56***

***Full episode transcript available ⁠⁠here: https://american-idiom.com/f/005-sports-memories ⁠⁠***

Episode Outline:

Baseball – the Detroit Tigers win the World Series in 1984 (Starts at 1:35)
Hockey - touching the Stanley Cup in 2001 (Starts at 6:27)
Hockey - meeting Guy Lafleur in New York (Starts at 10:22)
American Football - attending Michigan vs. Notre Dame in 2011 (Starts at 15:27)
American Football - Michigan Football's 2024 national championship (Starts at 20:31)
The Olympics - Attending the 2024 Olympics in Paris (Starts at 22:36)
American Football - Michigan's victory over Ohio State in 2024 (Starts at 24:04)
Association Football (Soccer) - France wins the 2018 World Cup (Starts at 27:21)

Vocabulary and examples (Starts at 30:04)

and so on and so forth (used at 4:08 explained at 32:40)
a stone's throw away from (used at 11:09 and explained at 34:40)
to run into someone (used at 11:35 and explained at 36:37)
to get to do something (used at 6:39, 11:43, 23:13 and 23:32 and explained at 38:35)
to pass away (used at 13:22 and explained at 40:51)
to be grandfathered in (used at 14:00 and explained at 42:55)
to pull something off (used at 17:29 and explained at 44:53)
in a nutshell (used at 26:32 and explained at 47:04)

***A list of specific sports vocabulary (with brief explanations) used during this episode can be found at the bottom of ⁠the following page: https://american-idiom.com/f/005-sports-memories ***

005 Sports Memories

Mona and I discuss an enigmatic concept known as the American Dream. What does it mean and what doesn't it mean? How do Americans and non-Americans view it differently? In our conversation, we attempt to tease out some answers.

(By the way, my apologies for the poor sound quality in this episode. I'll certainly do my best to fix it for the next episode!)

Link to episode transcript: https://american-idiom.com/f/004-the-american-dream

***For English learners! - Detailed Vocabulary Lesson begins at 30:50***

Vocabulary and Examples (Starts at 30:50)

“to make it” (used at 2:10, 4:19, 7:09, 9:48, and explained at 31:17)
"to get ahead” (used at 3:01, 3:11, 3:15 and 3:17 and explained at 33:31)
“to get by” (used at 3:09 and explained at 33:53)
“to throw (one)'s hat in the ring” (used at 4:04 and explained at 37:00)
"to wear (something) on your sleeve" (used at 13:28 and explained at 39:01)
“to sell (someone) short” (used at 21:21 and explained at 41:53)
“to be fed up with (something)” (used at 25:56 and explained at 43:53)