British Food Video

My latest Youtube video introduces traditional British food.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Here's the script of the video:

British food sometimes has a bad reputation abroad, but food in the UK is far from being bland. London is a great place for fine dining and many celebrity chefs, such as Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay are British. While in any city in the UK you can find international restaurants with great food from all over the world, traditional British food is still popular at home and abroad. But what is traditional British food?

Let's start with breakfast. A full English breakfast might not be the healthiest way to start the day, but it certainly is the tastiest. A full English usually includes sausages, bacon, fried tomatoes, baked beans, eggs and buttered toast.

For lunch there is nothing more convenient than a sandwich. My favourite is a BLT, made with bacon, lettuce and tomato. Of course sandwiches are popular throughout the world, but this simple meal was invited by the Earl of... yes, you guessed it... the Earl of Sandwich. Sandwich is a town in the South East of England.

For an afternoon snack there's Westcountry cream tea. Scones with butter, jam and cream with a cup of tea. The British love to drink tea, but always with a little milk.

For dinner I'll introduce the top 5 traditional British meals.
#1. Roast beef. So popular that the French call the English Rosbif. It is served with roasted vegetables, potatoes and Yorkshire pudding, and covered in gravy.
#2. Fish and chips. The fish is usually cod or haddock which is deep fried in batter. Served with chips and mushy peas.
#3. Pie and chips. Popular pies are steak and kidney or steak and ale. Served with chips.
#4. Shephard's pie. My favourite. Made from minced lamb covered with mashed potato with cheese on top. Served with steamed vegetables. A similar dish is cottage pie which is made with beef instead of lamb.
#5. Toad in the hole. Sausages baked in Yorkshire pudding batter, served with gravy and roast vegetables. Umm... delicious.

That's the end of this quick introduction to British food. Tell me about the food from your country in the comments section.

Shopping and Prices Video

My latest Youtube video shows how to talk about prices when shopping.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Here's the script of the video:

In this video we will learn how to talk about prices and some of the language we need when shopping.

To ask the price of singular items we can say:
How much is the t-shirt? It's 60 dollars.

To ask the price of plural items we can say:
How much are the jeans? They're 150 dollars.

To comment on the price, we can say:
It's expensive.
It's reasonable.
It's good value.
It's cheap.

Let's look at some examples.

How much is the dress? It's 500 dollars.
It's expensive.

How much are the gloves? They're 4 dollars and 50 cents.
They're cheap.

Now let's review big numbers.
ten million
one million
one hundred thousand
ten thousand
one thousand
one hundred
ten

Now let's combine these big numbers.
ten million five hundred thousand
one million five hundred and fifty thousand
one hundred and fifty-five thousand
fifteen thousand five hundred
one thousand five hundred and fifty
one hundred and fifty-five
fifteen

Let's practice big numbers in a pet store.

Customer: Do you have goldfish?
Salesclerk: Yes, we do.
Customer: How much are they?
Salesclerk: They're 5,000 Won each.
Customer: I'll take two, please.

Customer: Do you have monkeys?
Salesclerk: No, I'm sorry, we don't.

Customer: Do you have cats?
Salesclerk: Yes, we do.
Customer: How much are they?
Salesclerk: They're 300,000 Won each.
Customer: That's too expensive.

To talk about near items we can use this for singular things and these for plural things.
For far items we can use that for singular things and those for plural things.

How much is this watch? It's 25,000 Yen.
How much is that umbrella? It's 850 Yen.
How much are these earring? They're 4,900 Yen.
How much are those shoes? They're 35,000 Yen.
How much is this belt? It's 10,000 Yen.
How much is that handbag? It's 49,000 Yen.
How much are these high heels? They're 29,000 Yen.
How much are those socks? They're 250 Yen.

Here's a homework assignment. Answer these questions by putting your answers in the comments and I'll check your answers.
1. What was the last piece of clothing you bought?
2. What colour was it?
3. How much did it cost?
4. Where did you buy it?
5. When did you buy it?
Answer in full sentences.

Describing People Video

My latest Youtube video shows how to describe people.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Here's the script of the video:

In this video we will learn how to describe people's appearance and personality.

Here are some adjectives we can use describe someone's personality.
honest
talkative
shy
funny
outgoing
nice
patient
confident

What's she like? She honest and patient.
What's he like? He's funny and kind.

There are many things we can talk about to describe someone's appearance. Let's look at each one in turn. To talk about someone's attractiveness, height and weight, we can ask one simple question.

What does she look like?
She's cute.
She's pretty.
She's beautiful.

He's handsome.

He's short.
He's average height.
He's tall.

He's thin.
He's slim.
He's average weight.
He's muscular.
He's a little heavy.

She has short hair.
She has medium length hair.
She has long hair.

She has straight hair.
She has wavy hair.
She has curly hair.

She has blond hair.
She has black hair.
She has brown hair.
She has red hair.
She has grey hair.

He is bald.
He has a moustache.
He has a beard.

To talk about someone's age, we can ask: How old is he? There are a number of different ways we can describe someone's age if we don't know their exact age.

He's in his early twenties.
He's in his mid-twenties.
He's in his late twenties.

She's kind of young.
She's kind of old.

She's around 20 years old.
She's around 30 years old.

We use the present continuous to talk about the clothes someone is wearing. What is he wearing? He's wearing a blue t-shirt and blue jeans. Let's review clothing vocabulary.

a blouse
a skirt
a jacket
a sweater
jeans
boots
gloves
a scarf
high heels
a dress

a suit
shoes
a jacket
a shirt
a neck tie
a belt
pants
a t-shirt
flip-flops
shorts
sunglasses
a uniform

There are a few items of clothing that weren't in any of those pictures.
sneakers
socks
a hat
glasses
a raincoat

Now we have all the vocabulary we need, let's look at some examples of questions and answers.
What is she like? She's outgoing.
What does she look like?
She's pretty.
She's average height and slim.
She has long, straight, brown hair.
How old is she? She's in her mid-twenties.
What is she wearing? She's wearing a white blouse and grey skirt.

What is he like? He's honest and kind.
What does he look like?
He's handsome.
He's tall and muscular.
He's bald.
How old is he? He's around 30 years old.
What is he wearing? He's wearing a purple sweater, blue jeans and tan shoes.

What's she like? She's shy.
What does she look like?
She's cute.
She's short and slim.
She has long, curly, brown hair.
How old is she? She's kind of young.
What is she wearing? She's wearing a blue school uniform.

What is he like? He's funny.
What does he look like? He's cute.
He's short and slim.
He has short brown hair.
How old is he? He's kind of young.
What is he wearing? He's wearing a red t-shirt, blue jeans and sneakers.

Here's a homework assignment. Pause the video and describe these two people in the comments in as much detail as you can and I'll check your answers.

Health Problems Video

My latest Youtube video shows how to talk about health problems and solutions.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Here's the script of the video:

In this video we will learn how to talk about health problem and solutions. There are lots of adjectives we can use to describe feeling unwell.
I feel terrible.
I feel horrible.
I feel awful.
I feel unwell.
I feel sick.
I feel sad.
I feel really bad.

Now let's look at some health problems and solutions.
I have a cold. You should eat some chicken soup.
I have a stomach ache. You should lie down.
I have a backache. You should take a hot bath.
I have the flu. You should go to bed.
I have a sore throat. You should drink some hot tea.
I have a headache. You should get some rest.
I have a fever. You should take some medicine.
I have a cough. You should see a doctor.
I have a toothache. You should see a dentist.

Let's review and learn some more language by listening to a conversation.
A: I feel terrible.
B: What's the matter?
A: I have a cough.
B: That's too bad. You should see a doctor.
A: I think you're right.
B: I hope you get better soon.

The Environment Video

My latest Youtube video shows how to talk about the environment.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Here's the script of the video:

In this video we will learn how to talk about the environment. We currently face many environmental challenges. To learn how to talk about these challenges, we will discuss threats to the environment, their causes, and possible solutions. Probably the biggest threat to the environment is global warming. Let's look at the causes and what we can do about it.

Burning fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas, releases carbon dioxide in to the atmosphere. These gases then get trapped in the atmosphere. This layer of gases trap in heat radiating up from the Earth. This causes the planet to get hotter. We call this The Greenhouse Effect, because it is similar to how a greenhouse works by trapping the heat from the sun.

So the Earth is getting hotter. What can we do to solve this problem? We can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that we put into the atmosphere. There are many things we can do to help. Here are a couple. We should use energy saving light bulbs. And we can drive more efficient cars.

So burning fossil fuels leads to global warming, but what are the negative effects of higher temperatures and what should we do to help the environment? The ice caps are melting. As a result, sea levels are rising. We should use renewable energy. Deserts are growing. We should plant more trees.

This chart shows the cause and effect of global warming. Burning fossil fuels releases gases into the atmosphere. These gases then get trapped in the atmosphere. This layer then traps heat. As a result, the Earth gets hotter. This causes the ice caps to melt. So sea levels begin to rise.

What other environmental problems are there?
Ocean are polluted. We should save water in the home.
Air pollution causes health problems. We should use public transport.
Wildlife is losing its habitat. We should protect the rainforests.
Landfills emit greenhouse gases. We should reduce, reuse, and recycle. The three Rs. These are probably the greatest things we can do to help protect the environment.
Reduce. It would be better for the environment if we reduced the amount of things we buy and use. It would also save us money.
Reuse. We should reuse things when we can. Don't use disposable shopping bags. Instead take a reusable bag.
Recycle. Help the environment by recycling your waste. We can recycle paper, plastic, metal and glass.

Here's a homework assignment. Answer these questions by putting your answers in the comment and I'll check your answers.
1. What do you do to help prevent pollution?
2. What can large cities do to improve their air quality?
3. Are you worried about global warming?
4. What are some things which you recycle?
5. What is the most important issue facing the environment today.
Answer in full sentences.

Past Continuous Video

My latest Youtube video is a story using the past continuous.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Here's the script of the video:

The Haunted House - A past continuous story

I was waking my dog, Max. It was starting to get dark. We were walking past an old, abandoned house when Max ran off and into the house. I called out to him, but he didn't come back. I walked towards the house and went through the open door. I was scared. I was looking for Max when I thought I saw a ghost. But when I walked closer, I saw that it was just a white curtain that was blowing in the wind. I was calling Max's name when I heard a crash from one of the rooms. I was terrified. I was walking into the room when a black cat ran past me. Then I heard Max barking in the backyard. He was digging up bones in the garden! He was digging in a pet cemetery. I grabbed Max's leash and ran home as fast as I could.

Now let's review the grammar used in this story.

The story used the past continuous to describe unfinished actions as they were happening within the story.

The past continuous has three main functions:
1. to describe background in a story
2. to describe actions in progress in the past
3. and to describe longer actions interrupted by shorter actions

This chart shows the grammar we need to make past continuous sentences. Let's look at some examples from the story.

It was starting to get dark. This sentence set the scene for the story.

I was walking my dog. This event was happening for a period of time in the story.

I was calling Max's name when I heard a crash. Here the action of calling his dog's name was interrupted by the scary sound that he heard.

Free-time Activities Video

My latest Youtube video shows how to talk about free-time activities.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Here's the script of the video:

In this video we will learn how to talk about free-time activities. We can use 'like' to talk about the things we do in our free time. 'Like' can be followed by a gerund or to-infinitive. The difference in meaning is often small. The gerund or -ing form places a slight emphasis on the action. So let's start by using gerunds to talk about free-time activities. Let's review some questions and answers.
What do you like doing in your free time? I like listening to music.
Do you like playing video games? Yes, I do.

For sentences in the third person singular in the present tense we add s to the auxiliary verb.
What does Mark like doing in his free time? He likes playing golf.
Does Rachel like riding a bicycle? No, she doesn't.

The degree to which we like or dislike something can be described from love to hate.
Julie loves reading books.
Sarah really likes shopping.
Ben likes playing chess.
Michelle doesn't like ironing shirts.
Claire really doesn't like cooking.
Brian hates snowboarding.

To keep the conversation going we can ask follow up questions.
What do you like doing in your free time? I like doing taekwondo.
What belt are you? I'm a black belt.
What do you like doing in your free time? I like jogging.
How far do you usually run? I usually run for 5 kilometers.

We can also use to-infinitive to talk about likes. Let's review some questions and answers using to-infinitive.
What do you like to do in your free time? I like to play cellphone games.
Do you like to lift weights? Yes, I do.
What do you do to stay in shape? I like to do yoga.
What does Janet like to do in her free time? She likes to watch tv.
Does Emma like to play cards? Yes, she does.
What does Jason do to stay in shape? He likes to play tennis.

Here's a homework assignment. Answer these questions by putting your answers in the comments and I'll check your answers.
1. What do you like doing in your free time?
2. What do you like doing on Saturday night?
3. What do you like doing on Sunday morning?
4. What do you do to stay in shape?
5. Do you like swimming?
Answer in full sentences.