To Fluency Podcast: English with Jack

Latest Episodes:

28: English Phrases You Need to Know to Talk about LOVE and ROMANCE Aug 26, 2021

Show notes

In this English lesson, you're going to learn 43 commonly used phrases related to romance. You're going to do this by watching a video of David and Sarah meeting in a hotel bar.
Get the definitions here: https://www.tofluency.com/53-english-phrases-romance
*** RESOURCES ***
English fluency book:
https://www.tofluency.com/5-step-plan/
To Fluency Program:
https://www.tofluency.com/tfp/
Watch the lesson here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghDWj9VpvRU
*** The 43 Phrases ***
- Sitting on her own at a hotel bar
- Sarah has recently broken up with her long-term boyfriend
- David is, let’s say, a little bit of a player
- He likes to chat up women
- He likes to go out on lots of dates
- At the moment he is single too
- He’s checking the football results on his phone
- He starts to check out Sarah
- He likes what he sees
- He finds her very attractive
- He thinks she’s very beautiful
- She has this special aura about her
- To see if she’s noticing him as well
- He’s starting to get a little frustrated
- He’s trying to build up the courage to go over to her
- Finally, he gets up out of his chair
- Walks over to Sarah at the bar
- And makes his move
- This is the first time that she has seen him
- There is instant chemistry
- They flirt with each other straight away
- Although she’s a little hesitant
- She starts to open up about what she does
- This tattoo caused the breakup of her long-term relationship
- He’s happy she’s single
- They’re glancing at each other and flirting a little bit more
- David orders two shots
- They raise their glasses
- He downs it in one
- She needs to go back to her room soon to prepare for her presentation
- He hands over his phone
- He asks her to put her number in it
- He thinks about when he’s going to text her next

27: The Secret Behind Becoming a Confident English Speaker (Not what You Think) Aug 19, 2021

Show notes

In this lesson, you're going to learn the secret behind why you're not confident when speaking in English as a second language.
(Hint: ego plays a strong role)
Be sure to watch the entire video and answer the questions I ask honestly.
Here's the link to learning English in a non-English speaking country:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_iPrNwL7mA
Here's the playlist on how to learn English effectively:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4w8yAHWDEU&list=PLZOJurmtexYpQYEvWTJaieyehensaC_eU
Thank you for being here!
Get your fluency book here: https://www.tofluency.com/book (it's FREE to download!)

26: Do You Have to Move to an English-Speaking Country to Become Fluent? Aug 13, 2021

Show notes

In this lesson, we discuss if you need to go to an English-speaking country in order to become fluent. This is especially important right now due to the lack of opportunities to go abroad to learn.
Get the free fluency book here:
https://www.tofluency.com/5-step-plan/
Listen to episode 19 on how to improve your speaking.
Use this tool to improve your writing (affiliate link):
https://tofluency.com/grammarly
Learn about shadowing here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHmfinXxu5c
Learn about the sentence method here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7PGRbvJBkQ

25: Listen to this Natural English Conversation about Food and Cooking Aug 05, 2021

Show notes

Learn new words and phrases - and practice your listening - by watching this real English conversation about food! We discuss the differences between food in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Spain.
Get all the phrases below!
Listen to more conversations here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZOJurmtexYo8s2UKr--aqOi9UssrOh96
Differences between British and American English:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVbc-Bg32Mo
How to pronounce English counties (Worcestershire sauce):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qfz4ZNSdrhs
Want to improve your English? Join the To Fluency Program here:
https://www.tofluency.com/tfp/
PHRASES FROM THIS LESSON:
Have friends over for dinner
People have different dietary restrictions
A lot of people are gluten-free
Some people have a condition called celiacs
Some people are dairy-free so they don’t eat dairy products
People can be vegan
I was trynna think of a chicken-based dish
A glaze is a rich, thick sauce
We’re cooking a meal tonight
What we’re going to do for sides?
We’re probably wanna do vegetables
They’re most delicious when they’re the least healthy
What immediately comes to mind
You would have beans, toast, bacon, roasted tomatoes, and eggs
I had beans on toast most mornings when I young
Sometimes I like it when different flavors come together
I don’t want my toast to be soggy
You want it to be crunchy and dry
Take your toast and put the right amount of beans on
You either love it or hate it
I feel that way about strong cheese too
Beans are not very popular as a breakfast food at all
We tend to have baked foods - pancakes, waffles, muffins
You have dessert for breakfast
We have pancaked one day a year
It amazes me, you’ll have donuts for breakfast!
Donuts are the ideal breakfast food
They’re the worst!
My perfect breakfast is bacon and eggs
I need a bit of fuel to get me going
When my mum comes to visit, she can’t understand menus here
I was confused at first as well
People come from different countries and cultures
They bring a little bit of their culture
You’ll be able to get Indian food
We haven’t had sandwiches in a while
At school, I used to always have a sandwich
You have to go out of your way to find it
We might have touched on this before
You gave me clues and I finally got it
The average American eats 1,500 PB&J sandwiches by the time they’re 18
That’s usually how averages work
I will fact check this
It’s astonishing if true
My parents packed me sandwiches
If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Can I cheat?
I could eat chili all day every day
I grew up having a Sunday roast every Sunday
Dinner in the UK is usually around 6
You have a small version of Thanksgiving dinner every week
We make a big fuss about it
The pressure affects your cooking time
It kinda has a cult following
The coffee in Spain is unbelievable
Tell us the best way to make coffee
I know coffee’s big there
We bought the least expensive coffee
I never released it
We need to have a snack sampler
We used to share menu of the days
The thing I was excited about the most was the coffee
Did you put sugar in it?
It’s all about omega threes
Why don’t we make paella?
I didn’t quite get the hang of it
What is a dish we should try?
Now you’re just pulling my leg

24: Can You Understand this Natural English Conversation about Pets and Animals? Jul 29, 2021

Show notes

Watch this English conversation (with subtitles!) about pets and animals. Jack and Kate talk about pets they had growing up, how to talk to dogs in English, animals in our neighborhood, and our bear encounters.
Join this channel to get access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC32mYgIHS-e3C3Eyd2tRw6g/join
Get your fluency book here: https://www.tofluency.com/book (it's FREE to download!)
WATCH MORE CONVERSATIONS:
Watch our conversation about jobs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCjPjoolzMs
Watch our conversation about food:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1zzPXXVE4s
Watch our conversation about online shopping:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccTCB6FStEQ
FUN LINKS FROM THE LESSON:
Burmese pythons in Florida (not boa constrictors!):
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/snakes-ate-florida-180972534/
Tiger stat link:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/13/us/tigers-captive-us-wild-trnd/index.html
Man fights kangaroo:
https://youtu.be/OrIS4vTtpig
The Knoxville Tiger:
https://fox17.com/news/local/knoxville-tiger-sighting-was-a-case-of-mistaken-identity-twra-says-wildlife-tennessee
Koala prank:
https://youtu.be/6RzrUOCWjtw
CONTENTS:
01:04 Pets we had growing up
06:05 exotic pets
12:59 how to talk to dogs in English
16:49 animals where we live
19:49 bears getting into cars
28:19 Quick animal Q&A
29:49 Kate's question
KEY PHRASES FROM THIS LESSON:
- what pets did you have growing up?
- The cat was a little feral
- She had a habit of eating spiders
- hauling water
- I put on my boots and mucked out (new to me)
- A hoof pick cleaned out the hooves
- You can leave food for a cat
- People kept boa constrictors as pets
- The country with the most amount of tigers in the world is the U.S.
- It ended up being a false alarm (the tiger in Knoxville)
- Unless you have a significant number of tigers at the same time
- We were used to Lyle being so small
- He developed a lifelong hatred of cats
- He chased it out / chased it away
- Sit, lie down, roll over, speak, shake, leave it, wait
- He'll do anything to get food
- Kangaroo are as common as deer
- It's dangerous to drive at dusk and dawn
- We have some venenous animals
- we see bears all the time
- they'll topple over the trash cans
- I had gotten a text message that there was a bear in our minivan
- they get into the car and they destroy it
- You got me to check the car
- a neighbor sent me a picture
- touch wood
- we both had a bear stand up to us
- the cubs will go into the tree and wait
- we have a healthy respect for bears

23: The Power of Prepositional Verbs and 12 Common Examples Jul 22, 2021

Show notes

In this English lesson, learn about the power of prepositional verbs. This is one of my favorite areas to learn in a foreign language and I'm sure you'll find it useful learning this in English too.
The song I mentioned is by Robbie Williams - Feel.
Use this to practice your writing (affiliate link):
https://www.tofluency.com/grammarly/
Here are the lesson notes and phrases from the lesson:
BELIEVE IN:
It means to have faith in the existence or truth of something. The best examples is:
- Do you believe in ghosts?
- Do you believe in aliens?
It can also mean to have an opinion that something is right or desirable:
- I don’t believe in the way things are being censored at the moment
DEPEND ON:
This is a very good one to know. I use it all the time. For example, if someone says:
- Will I become fluent in English this year? - It depends on what you do with your time and how much time you spend learning English
- How much TV time you get later will depend on how much you tidy today
- Whether we on vacation this year will depend on flight restrictions
LOOK AT:
- Look at this
This is used to bring someone’s attention or gaze to something
- Quick, get outside and look at the moon right now
- That guy’s looking at me in a weird way
It can also be used when thinking about something carefully
- I’ll take a look at what you sent me and make a decision later
- Could you take a quick look at my new lesson plan?
4: APOLOGIZE TO:
- Can you apologize to your sister?
- My boss finally apologized to me for shouting the other day
5: AGREE WITH:
- I don’t agree with a thing you said
- Can you just agree with me for once in your life!
- I agree with the Primer Minister - he’s right
6: DEAL WITH:
- I can’t deal with everything right now
- He’s dealing with his new school really well
- Yes, I’ll deal with it in the morning - don’t worry boss
7: THANK FOR:
- Did you thank grandma for the present?
- I just want to thank you for being here on this channel. Thank you.
8: SUFFER FROM:
- I’m suffering from a lack of sleep at the moment
- I’m suffering from a little lack of self-esteem right now
9: SMELL OF:
- This house smells of tuna - people are coming over in 10 minutes!
- This car smells of wet dog!
10: LAUGH AT:
- You’re laughing at me - do I amuse you?
- What are you laughing at?
- They started laughing at me when I started talking in Spanish
11: THINK ABOUT:
- I’m contemplating thinking about thinking
- Let us think about it for a couple of days and get back to you
- What are you thinking about right now?
12: FORGET ABOUT:
- Did you remember to call Mr Smith? - I forgot about that
- Oh, man. I completely forgot about that holiday!
- I think Susan’s forgotten about the meeting again

22: Ten Ways to Give Your Opinion in English (Common Phrases) Jul 15, 2021

Show notes

In this lesson, you're going to learn 10 ways to express your opinion in English. Learn these phrases (and some bonus ones below) as they're really useful.
Want them as digital flashcards? Join The To Fluency Program here:
https://www.tofluency.com/tfp/
- I couldn’t agree
- I couldn’t disagree more
- It’s amazing
- It’s an amazing show
- It was terrible
- It was a terrible decision
- It’s been so good being here
- It’s been such a good vacation so far
- It’s going to be amazing
- It’s okay
- It’s an okay plan
- What do you think about him?
- What did you think about their presentation?
- He thinks it’s going to work
- Do you think you’re going to like their strategy?
- Do you think he’s going to do well here?
- I think it will be closed by the time we get there
- I’d say so - that sounds good
- I’m not a doctor but I’d say that sounds quite dangerous
- Studies show that random acts of kindness are healthy
- Studies show that wealthy people are more likely to lie
- Studies show that pets in the workplace are good business
- I reckon this will work
- Do you reckon he’ll come?
- I reckon Man Utd will get beat today
- I see what you’re saying but I prefer the other option
- It wasn’t the best movie
- We’re not the best team at the moment
- It wasn’t the best food I’ve ever had
- In my experience, people don’t stick with a goal for long enough
- In my experience, it’s really hard for people to give up smoking

21: Natural English Conversation about Jobs (Can You Understand?) Jul 08, 2021

Show notes

ENGLISH PHRASES USED IN THIS CONVERSATION:
(To REALLY learn these phrases and to be able to speak without thinking about grammar rules, join the To Fluency Program: https://www.tofluency.com/tfp/ )
- What was your first job?
- I had to work my way up to that
- growing up watching American movies
- one thing that I think of when the weather gets summery
- you just deliver them through the mailbox
- how long did it take you?
- I wonder if they still do it in the UK?
- he could duck under the van
- it was quite difficult to keep them in line
- what's your dream job?
- if you weren't doing this...?
- what about you?
- add something into the mix
- I've done some cold calling
- well worth the time
- someone would brew up
- take time off
- paid leave

20: Learn English through History - Independence Day and 4th July Celebrations Jul 01, 2021

Show notes

Get your fluency book here: https://www.tofluency.com/book (it's FREE to download!)
00:00 Introduction
01:29 Explaining 4th July
02:05 The history of Independence Day
04:03 The Boston Tea Party
05:43 The French Influence
06:20 The most famous passage
08:49 Phrases related to the celebration
12:48 How to learn more
Here is the Thanksgiving podcast:
https://youtu.be/xp--TdCU9GI
Here is a great video by @CrashCourse that explains the American Revolution:
https://youtu.be/HlUiSBXQHCw
Here is a summary of the Boston Tea Party by @TED-Ed :
https://youtu.be/1cT_Z0KGhP8
Here are some visuals of how Americans celebrate the 4th by @Brazidicas :
https://youtu.be/kbGqFJF9Xv8?t=93
Here is a summary from Wikipedia with that quote:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(United_States)
Here's a list of the 13 colonies:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteen_Colonies
Here are the lesson notes:
- 4th July is the national holiday of the United States
- It’s to commemorate (remember and celebrate) the declaration of Independence of the United States from the British monarchy - King George the Third - on July 4th, 1776
- There were 13 colonies of the United States under the rule of King George
- Leading up to this, Great Britain and France had fought a war in various territories, including, North America
- This had been costly - expensive - and new taxes were introduced in the colonies to help pay back these debts
- The Stamp Act was introduced in 1765 and another act in 1767. This led to unrest, especially, in Boston, so the British sent troops (soldiers) to help the situation
- But it only made it worse. People didn’t like British soldiers on the streets and this led to the Boston Massacre
- The Boston Tea Party in 1773 was a key event too. Now, this wasn’t a fun tea party where people had tea and biscuits. Instead, a group called Sons of Liberty protested a new tea tax by dumping tea from three ships into Boston Harbor.
- Tensions kept growing and in 1775 the British planned to capture two colonial leaders. However, American spies got wind of this (which means, they learned about this), and 77 militiamen met British forces and it was here where the American Revolutionary War began.
- Not everyone wanted independence but the Continental Congress decided to vote for this and Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence
- The second sentence is the most famous
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.:
Self-evident = obvious - doesn’t need to be explained
All men are created equal = heavily influenced by French Philosophers such as Voltaire - Thomas Paine from England had a big influence here too
Endowed by their creator = given by God
Unalienable rights = unable to be taken away
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
American won the war (with help from the French and the Spanish) and became an independent nation.
By a remarkable coincidence, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, the only two signatories of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as presidents of the United States, both died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration
———
Celebrations:
National Holiday in the U.S.
- Thanksgiving is the other big holiday. That is a formal family get-together with a sit-down meal of Turkey, Potatoes, Vegetables etc. (listen to the podcast on that)
- Fourth of July is more informal
- Barbecues
- Friends
- Summer - outside parties
- Bring something for the grill and a side or two
- hot dogs and burgers
- Apple pies
- Corn on the cob
- Beer
- Clothing
- Red, white, and blue
- American flags everywhere
- Water slides if weather permits
- Fireworks - downtown when dark

19: You'll Never Speak English Fluently Unless You Do This Jun 24, 2021

Show notes

There are two reasons why you mightn find it difficult to speak English:
1: It's a difficult skill (compare it to reading, for example)
2: You don't practice speaking enough (think about typical language lessons)
Think about it. When speaking, you have to use the right words in the correct order, speak clearly and accurately, and also be able to understand what the other person is saying.
Most learners don't get the practice that they need.
Here is how to improve:
1. Work on your pronunciation - do that through my program: https://www.tofluency.com/tfp/
2. Use the To Fluency Method: also inside my program
3. Shadow native speakers (but be careful about how you do this)
4. Get natural practice
Commit to doing this each day. Try the different methods above and find out which one(s) works best for you.
To learn more about these methods, watch this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7PGRbvJBkQ

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