Welcome to Speak English Now Podcast. With your host Georgiana. The podcast that will help you to speak English fluently with no grammar and no textbooks. Hi, everybody! I'm Georgiana, your online English teacher, and founder of speakenglishpodcast.com My mission is to help you to speak English fluently. Today I'd like to talk about introverts and extroverts, and at the end of the lesson, you'll be able to determine your personality type. And you'll learn how English grammar changes through a small point of view. We're going to meet Tom, a guy who doesn't like to be around people much. So... how was your week? I hope everything went well. I've already recovered from the effort of decorating my house. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can listen to episode #088. Remember that you can find the text of this episode of my website speakenglishpodcast.com &nbsp; Let's start! &nbsp; What is extroversion? Extroverts are usually the life of the party. With their outgoing and magnetic personality, they easily draw people to them. So, if you want to know if you're an extrovert just think about how much you enjoy being and interacting with other people. Do you enjoy chatting and having long conversations with all kinds of people? Do you get bored when you're home alone? If the answers to most of these questions were "yes," then you are probably an extroverted person. That is, you are a very sociable person. And apparently, there are more extroverts in the world than introverts. Can you guess what Tom Hanks, Oprah, Johnny Depp, Madonna, and Jim Carrey have in common? That's right. They are all extroverts. And... do you know how to tell me the opposite of extraversion? Well, this one is easy. The opposite word is introversion. If you like having your inner space, spending time alone with your stuff, then you are an introverted person. By the way, make sure you don't confuse the term introversion with shyness. A shy person is someone anxious about interacting with people, especially strangers. However, an introverted person simply prefers to spend less time with other people. In my case, I enjoy going out, and I have a lot of friends, though from time to time I need some alone time. If you're an extrovert, you're probably asking yourself just how an introvert survives alone.&nbsp; Well, as an introvert when I'm at home I enjoy cooking something healthy and watch my favorite TV show on Netflix, other days I just read an interesting book. And what do I do when I'm not at home? Well, I usually love going for a long walk as much as possible. It's a great way to relax and I often listen to an audiobook or a podcast. And no. I don't listen to the Speak English Now podcast. :) Although if you want to improve your English, you should definitely give it a try. Anyways, the bottom line is that I consider myself moderately introverted. What about you? What's your personality type? Are you an introvert or an extrovert? I'd really love to know. Famous people who are/were introverts: Michael Jackson,&nbsp; Monroe, Britney Spears, Julia Roberts, and Lady Gaga. &nbsp; READ the TEXT here: speakenglishpod.com

#090 Introvert vs Extrovert what's the difference? ESL

Welcome to Speak English Now Podcast. With your host Georgiana. The podcast that will help you to speak English fluently with no grammar and no textbooks. Hi, everybody! I'm Georgiana, your online English teacher, and founder of speakenglishpodcast.com My mission is to help you to speak English fluently. I have a question for you. What was your first cell phone? I got my first cell phone in 1996, and it was a Motorola. I can’t remember the exact model, but it was very different from what we can find in stores nowadays. And yeah - with this type of cell phone, one could only make phone calls and send text messages. Now I have a smartphone, and I don’t make any phone calls anymore. Like everybody else, I tend to use WhatsApp, Telegram, Messages, FaceTime, or Skype. I must have mentioned before that I love technology. Actually, without it, you could not listen to this podcast because I wouldn’t be able to record it :) Ok, so let’s talk about cell phones and how people used to communicate before they were invented. The smartphone couldn’t exist without the landline telephone. And do you know when it was developed? Yes. A long time ago, in 1876. And the idea of the landline telephone was inspired by the telegraph. We all know that telephones came before cell phones, but have you ever heard of car phones? Yes! The original car phone weighed about 80 pounds, and this piece of technology was created in 1947. Back then there was a limited number of people who used this car phone and there were 5 to 10-year waiting lists. The car phone was a great invention, but luckily for us in 1973, Motorola created the DynaTAC 8000X - the first handheld cell phone. It cost $4000, which would be $10000 today.&nbsp; However, the cell phone wasn’t available on the market until 1983. Many of us complain that our smartphones run out of battery too soon. Do you how long the battery of the first cell phone would last? Only 35 minutes!!! And that’s not all. This cell phone would take 10 hours to charge!!! Can you imagine that? I guess now you’re feeling grateful for having a smartphone. :) As you can see, there is an incredible difference between the first cell phone and the ones available on the market nowadays. So, the first cell phone was expensive, it weighed a lot, and the battery didn’t last much. That’s not something that can be sold to everybody. Therefore, very few people used a cell phone, and they were not for sale. They were leased. And I’m not going to mention all cell phones invented in the last 40 years. Instead, I’m going to mention the first smartphone. Do you know when it was invented? In 1992. And I’m not talking about an Apple cell phone. The first smartphone was the IBM SIMON. This phone was considered the first smartphone, the first touchscreen phone, and the first phone to have software apps. It cost around $1100, which would be $1800 today. Not all affordable! So I guess the only businessman carried this smartphone. Now I’ll mention some cell phones that were extremely popular in early 2000. In 2002 Nokia 1100 became the best-selling cell phone of all time. One of the most wanted cell phones in 2004 was Motorola Razr V3. I loved this cell phone, and I regret I didn’t buy it at the time. The funny thing is that yesterday I found it for sale on Amazon. It’s cheaper than it was in the past, but it can’t beat my current smartphone. You probably know this already but in 2007 something amazing happened.&nbsp; Something that would forever change cell phones, the computer industry, and technology. Yes. I’m taking the original iPhone that was a complete success — selling more than 6 million units. The original iPhone was the first cell phone without any physical keyboard. This led to great controversy, and I’ll tell you all about with a mini-story. For those of you Android users, you may be interested to know that in 2008, the smartphone HTC Dream was the first phone to run Android. Do you know when...

#092 The Evolution of Cell Phones

Hello, everybody! I am Georgiana your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you to speak English fluently. We all know that American and British English sound different most of the time. But did you know there is also a difference in vocabulary?&nbsp; That’s right.&nbsp; There are spelling, vocabulary, and even specific grammar&nbsp;differences&nbsp;between the two. Last week we started with a series of vocabulary differences between American and British English. Today we will continue this series, if you didn't listen to last week's episode, you might want to do so right now. Just go speakenglishpodcast.com and select episode #093. And with a point of view story, you’re gonna compare the different grammar points. It’s the perfect way to learn grammar and new vocabulary without memorizing. I’m going to tell you a word in American English, and I’ll ask you to guess what would be the equivalent word in British English. 1)Truck  In American English with use the word truck when we refer to a large, heavy road vehicle used for carrying goods, materials, or troops. Can you guess the equivalent in British? Yes! In the United Kingdom, people use the word lorry. American-truck British- lorry &nbsp; &nbsp; READ THE TEXT HERE: Speakenglishpod.com

#094 American vs. British Vocabulary Differences #2

Hello, everybody! I am Georgiana your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you to speak English fluently. Two weeks ago, we started with a series of vocabulary differences between American and British English. Today we will continue this series, although we’ll focus on food vocabulary differences. And with a point of view story, you’re gonna compare the different grammar points. It’s the perfect way to learn grammar and new vocabulary without memorizing. &nbsp; Ok! Let’s start! &nbsp; 1)Zucchini Maybe you aren’t familiar with this word. It’s a long,&nbsp;thin&nbsp;vegetable&nbsp;with&nbsp;dark&nbsp;green&nbsp;skin. It looks similar to a cucumber, but it’s larger, and we don’t eat it in a salad. &nbsp; Yes. I’m talking about a vegetable called zucchini. I love zucchini noodles and zucchini soup! You should try that out because it’s simply delicious! &nbsp; In the United Kingdom, people use the word courgette, which comes from French. &nbsp; American-zucchini British- courgette 2)I’m sure you know the meaning of the following word. I’m talking about the word cookie. Everybody loves chocolate cookies! But do you know the meaning of the word biscuit? That’s right. Biscuit has the same meaning as "cookie," though it’s used in the UK. American-cookie British- biscuit 3) There’s a purple vegetable, similar to an egg. Can you guess? Exactly! An eggplant! What do you think? Personally, I don't think eggplants look like an egg. In British it’s called aubergine. It sounds&nbsp;funny because it’s also a word that comes from French. American-eggplant British- aubergine 4) Have you ever heard of jacket potatoes? No. It’s not a potato that’s wearing a jacket. In American English, we call them baked potatoes, but in British it’s called jacket potato. Therefore, baked or jacket&nbsp;potatoes are usually well cooked, so they have a fluffy interior and a crisp skin. American-baked potatoes British- jacket potato. &nbsp; READ the TRANSCRIPT here: speakenglishpod.com

#095  American vs. British  Vocabulary Differences (part 3)

Speaking English is easier than it seems! You just have to use the right material and techniques. Today we are going to be a bit nostalgic, and talk about some communication devices and gadgets that still exist nowadays, but are obsolete.  Let’s start! Fax machine How did we share documents and letters before the email existed? Although many people sent a telegram or a letter, there was another device that we used, particularly in the professional field. Yes. I'm talking about the fax machine.  While some companies still use fax machines, no one has one of those machines at home. I guess we prefer to use an email because it's faster, takes up no space and it's free.  Nowadays, you can still send a fax without a fax machine. You only need to use your computer or a smartphone, because there are websites that offer this service. Telegram And by the way, you'll be surprised to know that people still send telegrams.  No. I'm not referring to the Telegram Messenger app. You can send a telegram the old fashioned way or even online.   Landlines How about landline phones? Do you still have one of those at home? I can’t even remember when was the last time I had one of those. It was definitely a long time ago.  The landlines had no high-definition color display, no camera, and no Internet connection. They had a long cord so people could move it around the house. But that was inconvenient. I remember my landline phone was wireless and had a small black and white screen. I was happy to move around the house without a cord, but it was a bulky phone, and the battery didn't last long. I just know that I’m grateful to have a smartphone now. :) &nbsp; READ the TEXT here: Speakenglishpod.com &nbsp;

#096 Obsolete Communication  Devices and Gadgets

Hello, everybody! I am Georgiana your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. Speaking English is easier than it seems! You just have to use the right material and techniques. In today’s episode, I’ll give you some tips on how to spend your summer vacation, and you'll speak English with a mini-story. Before I go any further, I'd like to thank you for listening. I’m also a language learner, and I can identify with you and your goals, so I want to help you. Do you know how you can help me? It would be great if you could share my podcast with your friends or write a review on iTunes, Youtube, or my Facebook page. OK! Let’s start! Time passes so quickly. I can’t believe it’s already August! And speaking of time, this is the last episode of the season. I'm going to take a short vacation to rest. But don't worry because I'm going to upload a selection of episodes from other seasons so you can continue practicing your English. So I'll be back in September with new, highly refreshing content. But in today’s episode, I thought it might help you think about what activities you can do during the summer vacation. So, let's see what you could do during this vacation: Connecting with nature A very healthy activity that you can do is to go to a natural spot and enjoy nature. The idea is to relax and forget about exams or deadlines. Of course, you can take the opportunity to do a little exercise by going for a walk. Ideally, you should find a place without too many people, especially children. I am sure that in your country there are many places where you can quietly enjoy nature. &nbsp; READ the TEXT here: www.speakenglishpod.com

#097 What to do during  the Summer Vacation  ESL

Hello, everybody! I am Georgiana your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. In this episode, I will be talking about how many times we have to repeat an audio material in English. After that, you practice your conversation skills with a new mini-story. Ok, let’s get started! As you may know, I always recommend you to listen to improve your English speaking. There are many studies, which suggest that there is a correlation between our level of the language and the hours we have been listening. In other words, the more you listen, the better. The more hours you spend listening, the quicker you improve. Here’s an interesting question you might ask: “How many times do I have to listen to every piece of content?” Do I have to listen just one time? Or more than that? What most students do is listen to certain content once or twice and then change to another material. The typical student thinks that the more variety, the better. Well, variety is useful, but what you want is to consolidate what you listen, and the most effective way to achieve this is through repetition. So, let’s say you are starting with English. You're a beginner. This is the situation where you need a lot of repetition. The reason is that you need to create the most common patterns in your head. That’s why you need to repeat many times. For example, let’s say you have a 5 minutes audio adapted to your level. Then, you can repeat the audio twenty, thirty, or even more times. Yes! You heard me well! Twenty, thirty, or more times! I’m not saying that you have to do it in one day. For example, you can repeat the audio three times every day for one week. This is only 15 minutes a day for seven days, which is 21 times. You can read and listen if you need to. Yes, it seems crazy, but I can assure you that this is very effective. You can learn a lot! And the most important thing is that you’re consolidating the phrases, the vocabulary, the pronunciation, and it becomes easier to use all of this in a conversation. READ the TEXT here: www.speakenglishpod.com

#098 How many times do you  need to listen in English? (RE)

Hi everyone! I’m Georgiana; founder of SpeakEnglishPod.com. My mission is to help YOU speak English fluently.  Today I’ll be teaching you&nbsp;how to&nbsp;rent a car in English. The lesson is simple and to the point, so it’ll save you a lot of time when you really need to&nbsp;rent a vehicle. And in the next section, you’ll practice your&nbsp;English&nbsp;speaking&nbsp;with a funny mini-story. Today’s story is about Brian, a middle-aged man who wants to go out with hot chicks. 🙂  It’s&nbsp;summer&nbsp;again, and many of you are seeking a holiday getaway. So today I’ll be teaching you&nbsp;how to rent a car. First of all, you should start by&nbsp;comparing prices online. Consider doing your research by checking travel websites like Expedia, Kayak, or Hotwire. Some of the most popular&nbsp;car hire agencies&nbsp;are Alamo, Avis, and Hertz. Before deciding on an agency, ask about the&nbsp;additional charges&nbsp;because these charges will help you figure out which is the best deal. Some common rates include: Underage-driver fees: it means that the agency charges an additional fee for a driver under 25. Airport&nbsp;surcharges:&nbsp;This charge will make a big difference in the total amount. Basically, the agency will charge you a supplement for&nbsp;picking up a rental car at the airport. Additional charges per driver: You’ll need to pay extra for having more than one person driving the rental. &nbsp; READ the TEXT here: www.speakenglishpod.com

#099 Renting a car in English – ESL (RE)

I'm Georgiana, founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. And I’m here to help YOU to speak English fluently and with confidence. In this episode, I'll talk about going out at night. I’ll point out the most emblematic places where you can hang out in New York City at night, and I’ll teach you how to order a drink! I’ve also prepared a Point of View story so you can practice your grammar and vocabulary. I’m not sure if you have noticed, but today you’re listening to episode 50 of the Speak English Now Podcast. It may not sound like a big deal to you, but in approximately one year I’ve posted 680 minutes of free material!! And it’s available on iTunes, Spotify, SoundCloud, Youtube, etc Thank you so much for helping me share the podcast with your friends and family. Remember to leave a comment on iTunes about the show. It would mean a lot to me! Let's start the lesson. Today's gonna be fun! It's Friday night, you call your friends and ask them: What are we doing tonight? And they say: Let’s go party! Or Let's go clubbing! The expression “Let’s go party” doesn't mean going to a specific "party", but simply going out. Usually, it means going to clubs or music pubs. People in their 20s and 30s usually have a drink in a bar first and then go to a club. Clubs are often pricey, and you don't just have to pay for the drinks. You’ll also need to pay for the club admission which is also expensive. Now let me tell you where to go out at night in New York. I’ll suggest different locations: For instance, if you wanna party in Manhattan surrounded by fashion models, celebrities, professional athletes and musicians, visit one of the city's exclusive nightclubs. It can be difficult to get into these places, but it's definitely not impossible. &nbsp; READ the TEXT here: www.speakenglishpod.com

#100 Going out in NYC - How to order a drink in English (rep)

Are you a spender? Today I’m gonna talk about the tricks that supermarkets use to make you to buy more than necessary. You’ll also improve your speaking with a funny mini-story.  &nbsp; Ok! Let’s start! &nbsp; When you leave the supermarket, have you ever wondered why you spent more money than you originally planned? &nbsp; I do :) If it happens to you, you may think that you don't know how to manage money, that you are a spender or simply that you don't have enough discipline, but don't worry, because supermarkets follow a whole series of very powerful marketing strategies that induce the buyer to buy, so don't feel too guilty :) &nbsp; By the way, a spender is someone who spends money unnecessarily. And another interesting expression: "overspending," which means spending more than planned or necessary. &nbsp; These supermarket strategies can simply be called tricks. The truth is that supermarkets have more tricks than a magician. &nbsp; Let's take a look at a few of them, and learn some vocabulary on the subject. &nbsp; The size of the cart matters. The shopping cart is the element we push to add the products we want to buy. These trolleys, with time, have been increasing in size. The logic is simple. Psychologically we feel more satisfied if we can fill the cart and, therefore, with a slightly larger cart, we tend to put more products inside. The products they want to sell the most, are placed right at eye level. We are lazy by nature, and therefore, all products that are visually easier to see, but overall easier to access, are also easier to sell. &nbsp; Prices with decimals. This is another classic seller's trick. For some reason, $9.99 seems a lot, much cheaper than 10 dollars. We save 1 cent! Wow! If we do this 100 million times, we'll save a million dollars :) &nbsp; Read the TEXT here: www.speakenglishpod.com

#101 English podcast - Shopping at the Supermarket ESL (rep)

Hi, everybody! I'm Georgiana, your online English teacher. My mission is to help you to speak English fluently. Speaking English is way easier when you use the right material and techniques. Since it's September, we're going back to school. At least in this episode, you will remember how exciting it used to be to start a new school year. We're going to check out vocabulary related to the school supplies that kids need when they go back to school, after the summer vacation. And in the second part of this episode, you'll learn English grammar without studying any rules with an exclusive point of view story. Before I go any further, I'd like to thank you for listening. Did you know that there are over 10 million downloads of the Speak English Now podcast? I'm very excited because that means that my method really helps you improve your English speaking and listening skills. Thanks again for listening and remember to share the podcast with your friends and family. &nbsp; All right, let's get started! &nbsp; We could use the expression "back to school" as a metaphor for this episode that kicks off this new season. You will continue to improve your English skills with my mini-stories and point of view lessons. But don't worry because you don't have to study or memorize anything, just listen and learn as children do with their mother tongue. &nbsp; Each year, parents face significant challenges when purchasing school supplies for their children. Since there's a wide range of vocabulary related to this topic, next week, I will continue talking about the same thing, though I’ll introduce more vocabulary. In any case, don't worry if you can't remember everything.&nbsp; You can listen several times to learn new words and expressions. Well, here we go: Notebooks Basically, a notebook is made up of several sheets of paper which are joined together. Notebooks can be handy to use in the classroom. You can write exercises, copy things the teacher writes on the board, etc. In some cases, instead of notebooks, you simply use sheets of paper. The advantage of sheets of paper is that you don't carry so much weight. The disadvantage is that you can easily lose them. I remember that in the first year of high school, I started with notebooks, but in the second year, I only used sheets because the notebooks weighed a lot. &nbsp; Clips But if you want to organize the sheets of paper a little better, you can use some clips. Really a very useful invention. &nbsp; Pens, pencils, and eraser. Obviously, if you want to write, you're not going to do it with your finger. A pen is a good choice. The disadvantage of the pen over the pencil is that you can't erase what you write. On the other hand, if you write something down with a pencil, you can easily wipe it with an eraser. Many students like to use different colors of pens. The most common colors are black, blue, and red. &nbsp; As for pencils, most students use mechanical pencils. If you use classic pencils, you need a sharpener, also called a "pencil sharpener." That's how you sharpen your pencil. &nbsp; Felt-tip pens Felt-tip pens are like pens but are usually available in a variety of colors. They have many uses, from painting to highlighting. We don't generally use them for writing, although some children may like doing that. Teachers use red markers to correct exams. &nbsp; Marker When you study a text and find a relevant phrase, what you want is to remember it. You can use a marker for this. There are markers in several colors, so you can always create categories. In my opinion, you don't have to overuse colors, because otherwise, you leave the text like a rainbow. :) If you don't have markers; what you can do is underline. Underlining is simple. You just have to make a roughly straight line below the text you want to stress. You can do it with a pencil or a "pen." I like to underline more than to mark, and I almost always do it with a pencil. This way, if I have underlined too much, I will...

#104 Back To School part #1

Hi, I am Georgiana, founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. And I've been helping you speak English since 2011. 

My mission is to help you speak English fluently.

I help people develop their fluency in English using effective and proven techniques, such as mini-story and point-of-view techniques. I am also the creator of several programs used by thousands of students and host The Speak English Podcast, with millions of downloads worldwide.

Why is this podcast so different from any other programs?

With the Speak English Now Podcast:
- you'll master English by listening and speaking without memorizing grammar rules. 

- You will acquire knowledge about the English culture and the language itself. 

- And most importantly, you'll discover valuable tips and tricks on how to speak English fluently.

If there's something you can't understand, don't worry about it! Listen to each episode as many times as you need. You can read the TEXT at SpeakEnglishPodcast.com 

Take advantage of all of my Speak English Now Podcast episodes. Every week there's a new episode.

Start practicing your English listening and speaking skills with the Speak English Now podcast.

#098 How many times do you need to listen in English? (RE)

Speak English Now through mini-stories

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