Today we celebrate the holiday known as Veterans Day. Last year, I did a podcast about Veterans Day. To learn about the history of this holiday and how it is celebrated, click here. A veteran is a person who has served in the armed forces (e.g. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and others). Veterans Day is […] Read more »
Happy Halloween
Happy Halloween! October 31 Halloween is celebrated throughout the United States. What happens on Halloween? Here are some facts about Halloween, as it is practiced today: 1. Kids enjoy dressing up in costumes. 2. Some adults also enjoy dressing up, too. 3. Some schools and work places allow their students and employees to come to […] Read more »
Podcast Episode 44 – Cultural Differences
In podcast episode 44 I am talking about cultural differences between the U.S. and other countries, such as Brazil. I got the inspiration for this episode from one of my Brazilian students. The other day we were having our lesson and he started to mention some of the differences that he had read about on […] Read more »
Movie Lesson: Plane Scene from Bridesmaids
Here is another movie lesson using the funny plane scene from the movie Bridesmaids. (Note: there is some cussing in this scene.) This is a great way to practice your listening comprehension skills using authentic American English materials. Background Info In the U.S., when you get married, there are bridesmaids for the bride and groomsmen […] Read more »
Podcast Episode 42 – U-Pick Farms
It’s still summer and August is one of my favorite months, because it is Berry Time! In this episode, I tell you about my recent trips to a local U-Pick farm (Finnriver Farm) to pick blueberries. I also explain how it works and why I enjoy it so much. To listen to this episode on the […] Read more »
Podcast Episode 41 – World Domination Summit
In July, I attended a conference in Portland, Oregon called the World Domination Summit. It was a conference dedicated to bringing people from around the world together for the purpose of connecting around the topics of entrepreneurship, small business, blogging, writing, teaching, traveling, adventuring, and making the world a better place. In this episode, I tell […] Read more »
Learning English with TV Series
As readers of this blog know, I am not a big fan of learning English by studying grammar books and attending a class once or twice a week. These days, motivated, self-directed learners have so many better, more effective, more efficient tools at their disposal to learn real, authentic English in a fun way. Three […] Read more »
Podcast Episode 37 – Toastmasters
In episode #37 of the English Fluency Now podcast, I am discussing Toastmasters International. Nicole and I attended our first Toastmasters meeting this week. Our town has a rather new local chapter of Toastmasters International. They call themselves PT Smooth Talkers. PT stands for Port Townsend (our town) and a smooth talker is a person […] Read more »
Podcast Episode 36 – Weddings
One of our English Fluency Now Facebook members requested that I do a podcast on weddings here in the U.S. and so here you have it! In this episode, I talk about some of the most common elements of a wedding ceremony here in the U.S., including the wedding rings, the wedding ceremony, the reception, […] Read more »
Movie Lesson: Scene from Up!
A member of our English Fluency Now community requested that I provide a lesson on this scene (Adventure is Out There!) from the animated movie “Up!” In this cute scene, we see young Carl interacting with the very enthusiastic young Ellie. Listen to the video while reading along with the transcript. Read the vocabulary explanations […] Read more »