TALC Chats Podcast
Supported by Tacoma Area Literacy Council Volunteers.
This podcast supports American-English language learners by strengthening listening and comprehension skills. In addition, this podcast focuses on pronunciation challenges, idioms, and expressions in the American- English language.
Contact info: https://tacomaliteracy.org/ ph. 253-272-2471
Episodes
65 episodes
#65- Aaah - Autumn! 🍁
I have to say one thing this morning.What’s that?Aaaaah ! Autumn! Yes, it’s officially autumn, isn’t it? The first day of autumn began on the 22nd of September. It was also the fall equinox in the northe...
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12:51
#64 - Yesterday that young man was yelling! - Practice with the beginning "y" sound (slow English)
Yesterday that young man was yelling!” - practice with the beginning “y” soundD: Did you hear about that young man in Yelm, Latonya? L: Yes, yesterday that young man was in his yard yell...
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8:42
#63 - Apples!! 🍎🍏
I have a riddle for you. Shoot! "Shoot” is an expression we use when we want someone to tell us something! So, “shoot”! Tell me! !OK! Here’s the riddle; I’m red or green, a tasty del...
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11:40
#62 - "I'm on the mend, but I'm not on the ball!" - practice with "on the" idioms
D: How are you? L: Well, I haven’t felt well the past few days, but today I feel better. I think I’m on the mend. D: I’m glad to hear that. I heard you use an interesting idiom: “on the mend”. L: You “have an ear” for idioms...
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10:14
#60 - Do I know you? - Practice with Know & Meet (Slow English)
L: Do you know me?D: Yes, of course I know you ,Latonya. L: When did we meet?D: We met about 3 years ago. L: That’s right. 5 years ago, I didn’t know you, and you didn’t know me. We did...
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12:37
#61 - The Eruption of Mt. St. Helens 🌋
May 18th of this year was the 45th anniversary of a big event in southwestern Washington state. This huge geological event happened on May 18th 1980. It reshaped a mountain and the area surrounding that mountain.
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21:21
#59 - Can I borrow $10? 💵
D: Can I borrow $10 from you? L: Sure, I can lend you $10. D: Thanks million! I’ll pay you back next week.“Borrow” and “lend” are two verbs that English learners often find challenging. Let’s pract...
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11:55
#58 - Yikes! Aw! Yuck! Wow! ... and other Interjections!
Gosh! It’s sure a beautiful morning!It is! You just said “Gosh!” We have learned that sentences have subjects, verbs and objects. What part of a sentence is “Gosh”? “Gosh” ...
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12:36
#57 - What's the matter? Is everything OK?
You look like you don’t feel well this morning. What’s the matter?Oh, thanks for asking. I didn’t sleep very well, and I have a headache.You were concerned about me because I looked like I didn’t feel well. You wanted...
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8:33
# 56 Did you use to walk to school? 🏫 Practice with "use to"
L: Did you use to walk to school when you were a kid?D: Yes, I used to walk to school when I was a kid, Latonya. Did you? L: No, I didn’t use to walk to school. I took the school bus. Those ar...
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12:19
#55 - I just have $5 in my wallet. 💵 Practice with the little word "just"
How are you this morning?I’m fine, thanks! I just finished breakfast!You said you just finished breakfast. What does that mean?It means that I very recently finished breakfast - not hours ago, but in the very ...
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10:54
#54 - I wonder if it will rain tomorrow. ☔ Practice with "wonder"
I wonder if it will rain tomorrow. We want to go for a hike.Right! And I wonder if it will bed dry enough to walk on the trails.We use “wonder if” in those sentences... what do we mean to say?We are ...
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7:23
#53 - Their cat is now our cat 😺! - Practice with their and our
A correction! In our conversation Diana said that words that sound the same, but are spelled differently are homonyms. That isn't correct. Those words are homophones.Remember that in podcast # 48 we practi...
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12:09
#51 - I need to feed Rosie. 🐶 Practice using want, need, like & love
I need to feed my dog, Rosie. What does she want to eat? She wants to eat tuna fish.Does she like tuna fish?Yes! She loves tuna fish, but she doesn’t need to eat...
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8:31
#50 - Brrrr! It's cold🥶! Winter Weather
A correction: Diana said, "The boiling point on the Fahrenheit scale is 112 degrees." The boiling point on the Fahrenheit scale is 212 degrees.What’s the weather like this morning? It’s cold, frosty and sunny this mor...
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16:30
# 49 - A conversation with Jaime, a TALC learner.
We talk with Jaime, who has been studying English with a TALC tutor for about four years. We learn that English is not his second, but his third language. He also speaks Japanese! Listen to our conversation and learn what Jaime finds the ...
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13:43
# 38 - Mt. Rainier and the Cascade Mountain Range 🌄
In podcast # 35 we talked about the Puget Sound, a body of water that starts north of us in the Straits of Juan de Fuca and extends to Olympia south of us. We live in the area of Washington State called The Puget Sound. From ...
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17:18
#48 - Is that his phone or her phone? 📱 - Practice with possessive adjectives
If that phone belongs to Mary, I can say “That is Mary’s phone.” If that phone belongs to John, I can say, “That book is John’s phone.” When we are talking about someone owning or possessing something, we can use the person’s name...
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10:16
#47 - The Orcas of Puget Sound
In podcast #35 we talked about the Puget Sound - a body of salt water that is connected to the Pacific Ocean at the Straits of Juan de Fuca north of Seattle and extends 95 miles south to Olympia. Olympia, Tacoma,...
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14:47
#46 - Everyday English - Slow and Easy
Today how about practicing some English phrases that are useful for everyday life situations? That sounds good! Where shall we start?Let’s start with greetings: To greet someone: &n...
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10:26
# 45 - We had a windstorm! Did your lights go out? 💡
On November 20th there was a big windstorm in western Washington. Did you have a lot of wind at your house? Some places escaped the high winds, but many areas in northwestern Washington were hit h...
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12:12
#44 - Happy Holidays
Happy holidays to you!And happy holidays to you, too!We’re right in the middle of the time of the year we call “the holidays”.What is a “holiday?” It comes from an old English word that meant “holy day”...
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12:39