Bite Sized English

This entry is part of a series about fraud! This entry is available as a Adobe Acrobat file for printing or use in a class. This entry includes a listening exercises. You can dowload the MP3 or play it using the button below. (MP3)

I like to teach English that’s happy and positive. Because, well, that’s the way I try to see the world. Unfortunately, though, that’s not always how things are. And so, today we’re going to talk about two words that I hope you never really need.

For today’s recording you’re going to need thevocabulary words honest and dishonest. And, of course, truth and lies. It’s pretty simple, really: truth refers to something that’s a fact, something that’s true, or information that’s real. A lie, on the other hand, is a ‘fake fact.’ A lie is when someone tells you something that they know isn’t true, it’s ‘fake information.’ We all know people we can trust to tell us the truth: these are honest people. And, unfortunately, we know people whom we can’t trust to tell us the truth: these are dishonest people.

Now, you have the vocabulary to listen to today’s recording. The vocabulary you’ll learn in the recording is:

• Deceit – Deception

• Fraud

After You’ve Heard the Recording
I hate to ask this question, because I hope the answer is no, but do you have a story about deceit or fraud? Have you ever deceived anyone? Have you ever been the victim of fraud?

December 2nd, 2009 | Tags: deciet, fraud | Category: English Two, Vocabulary, listening | Leave a comment

This entry is part of a series about shopping. More shopping all week! This entry is available as a Adobe Acrobat file for printing or use in a class. This entry includes a listening exercises. You can dowload the MP3 or play it using the button below. (MP3)

I like to shop online, but how safe is it? A lot of my students would never pay for anything over the Internet, because they’re worried that someone might be able to intercept their credit card or bank information and take all their money.

I don’t have much money to take, so I never really worried about it. To me, being able to buy books in English on Amazon—when there isn’t a single book store in Dresden that has them—is definitely worth the risk. After all, what good is money if you can’t find the things you want to buy?

Even my mother—who I think is the most old-fashioned person in the world—is starting to shop more and more online. She says that the stores near her house just don’t have the things she wants to get, and so she has to shop online.

But, what happens if someone does get your credit card number? Is it possible for someone to take all your money? What about privacy? Are you worried that the government or your neighbors will know where and how you spend your money?

How safe do you think it is to shop online?

December 1st, 2009 | Tags: fraud, internet | Category: English One, Topic, spoken | Leave a comment

This is a post in a series about Thanksgiving. It’s a good week to be thankful! This entry is available as a Adobe Acrobat file for printing or use in a class. This entry includes a listening exercises. You can dowload the MP3 or play it using the button below. (MP3)

It’s black Friday. Are you frightened? No, it’s not Friday the Thirteenth and it’s not the darkest day of the year (that’s in December.) What’s so black about today?

You might know about black Tuesday, and think that you’re supposed to jump out of a building today. You’re not. What are you supposed to do on black Friday? Well, if you’re crazy—and my mother and sister both are—you’ll shop today. Insanity.

Today is black Friday in the U.S., and if you still don’t know what black Friday is, don’t worry. That’s what we’re going to talk about today.

After You’ve Heard the Recording
Is there a similar day to this in your country? Is there a ‘Christmas shopping season?’ When does it start? Do you like shopping during this season? Most people tell me that they hate shopping at Christmas. . . so, why do you think they don’t do their shopping earlier?

November 27th, 2009 | Tags: black friday, thanksgiving | Category: English Three, listening, phrases and idioms | Leave a comment

This is a post in a series about Thanksgiving. It’s a good week to be thankful! This entry is available as a Adobe Acrobat file for printing or use in a class. This entry includes a listening exercises. You can dowload the MP3 or play it using the button below. (MP3)

Today is Thanksgiving in the U.S., and I have to say that this is my favorite of all the American holidays. It has nothing to do with the Thanksgiving story, and everything to do with spending time with my family, and looking at the bright side of life for a weekend.

All but one of my brothers and sisters will be together today with my parents at my parents house, and you can bet we’ll be eating a lot. And we’ll be telling old stories and driving my wife crazy. But none of that is why this is my favorite holiday. To find that out, you’ll just have to listen to the recording.

November 26th, 2009 | Tags: thanksgiving | Category: English Three, listening | Leave a comment

This entry is part of a series about Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite holiday! This entry is available as a Adobe Acrobat file for printing or use in a class. This entry includes a listening exercises. You can dowload the MP3 or play it using the button below. (MP3)

Thanksgiving is this week and, if you’re going to be in the U.S. during this week, you’ll hear some unusual vocabulary. And so, in today’s recording, I want to talk about two of the words that I, personally, associate with Thanksgiving, a short version of the Thanksgiving story, and the answer to the oldest question of all: why is turkey a traditional part of the thanksgiving meal.

The words you’ll be hearing in this recording are:

• Pilgrim

• Mayflower

After You’ve Heard the Recording
Is there a holiday like Thanksgiving in your country? What’s the story behind it?

November 25th, 2009 | Tags: thanksgiving | Category: English Two, Vocabulary, listening | Leave a comment

This entry is part of a series about idioms. There will be more all the time! This entry is available as a Adobe Acrobat file for printing or use in a class. This entry includes a listening exercises. You can dowload the MP3 or play it using the button below. (MP3)

Did you ever have a day, or a week or even a year when everything seemed to go wrong? I’m sure that, if you did and you told a friend, they probably said something like “look on the bright side: you could be dead” or “think positively, at least you have your health.”

I will be honest and admit that, when I’m feeling sorry for myself, I can’t stand those people. I want other people to agree that my life really is the hardest that there ever was. That’s not what this idiom is about, though, it’s about looking on the bright side.

As you listen to this recording, try to catch the ‘original’ meaning of the word ‘blessing.’

After You’ve Heard the Recording
Is there a similar saying in your own language? What do you tell someone who’s having a bad day or week? Are you the kind of person who can count his blessings or do you—like me, sometimes—focus on the negative a lot?

November 24th, 2009 | Category: English Three, listening, phrases and idioms | Leave a comment