Espresso English Podcast

Students often ask me if we can use idioms and slang in professional situations - and the answer is "it depends." Some expressions are not appropriate for the workplace, but there are many that you can use in conversations among co-workers and less formal emails. Today you’ll learn 15 English idioms & phrasal verbs you CAN use at work. There are several more lessons about business idioms inside our Business English Course. This course also teaches you essential words and phrases for professional situations like meetings, interviews, networking, and more. If you’re more interested in idiomatic expressions more generally, we also have a course called 300+ Idioms in 30 Days. 

The words experience and experiment might be the same in some languages... but in English they are different, and I often see students confuse them. Both of these words can be both nouns and verbs. Let’s see how exactly they are used. Want more? Check out my e-book, 600+ Confusing English Words Explained, for lots of lessons that will help make these differences clear to you. Also, if you are confused about some English words, reply to this e-mail and let me know, so that I can create future lessons about them. Thanks for joining me today, and I’ll talk to you next week!

Today I want to answer a question that is important for everyone who is studying English. Many of my students say, "I study grammar a lot and I understand it in theory. But when I speak, I can't think of the grammar in the moment, or it takes too long to remember the rules. So how can I use grammar correctly when speaking English?" This is a great question! It's true that when you're speaking there's really no time to think about grammar rules and to analyze each sentence. But what if the grammar just doesn’t come to mind? What tends to happen is that you either freeze or pause a lot. I hear a lot of students with these long pauses in the middle of their sentences as they’re thinking carefully about their grammar. I don't want that to happen to you! I want you to be able to speak more easily and confidently, using correct grammar. I really hope that you practice your grammar in the way I described in this lesson - trust me, it will come out more naturally with time! If you want to practice with the help

When you're studying English, I recommend focusing on learning phrases and not just individual words. When you only study individual words, it's hard to put them together into a phrase - but when you study phrases, then it's much easier for you to use the whole phrase when speaking. The problem is that sometimes you might hear or see a phrase that doesn't seem to make sense. This often happens with idioms and informal expressions. My students ask me about phrases all the time, and today I’ll explain two expressions – "good grief" and "for goodness' sake." If you’re interested in learning more phrases that native English speakers use in daily life - and especially learning these phrases inside the context of conversations - come check out my Everyday English Speaking Courses. More than 1,000 students have enjoyed these courses, and I hope you will, too!

Today I'll teach you about some common English-learning mistakes that I’ve observed among the hundreds of students whom I’ve worked with. This lesson is going to be a little different because it’s not about fixing specific words or phrases; instead, it’s about correcting typical problems that language learners tend to have in the way they approach studying. In some ways, these are the most important errors, because these habits or thoughts or attitudes are at the foundation of everything you do when you’re working on learning English. So I’d encourage you to reflect and ask yourself if you’ve been making any of these common English-learning mistakes. This lesson covered some of the mistakes / problems you should avoid in English learning... do you also want to know what you SHOULD do? You can watch my free class on Secrets of Successful English Learners! That was a workshop I presented several years ago, but the ideas are still 100% true and relevant, and I'd encourage you to apply those GOOD learning hab

Today’s lesson is all about spelling mistakes involving adding an extra letter to a word, or accidentally removing a letter from a word. There are so many words in English where these errors can happen, but again I’m going to focus on the most common ones. If you are looking for a quick way to check and correct your spelling and grammar, I recommend Grammarly - it's a free online tool! If you want to get personal correction from an English teacher, then I recommend joining our Advanced English Grammar Course or Reading Course, and selecting the option that includes teacher feedback.

Remember that mistakes are an opportunity to learn - and today you'll learn from the mistakes of other students like you. Today's lesson focuses on errors that I and my teaching team have found frequently when correcting students’ homework. Maybe you've made some of these errors in the past, and now you know how to avoid them! But maybe you're making different mistakes, and you want someone to check your English to see if anything is incorrect. You can get correction from a teacher inside these Espresso English courses: Advanced English Grammar Course + Feedback on writing Reading Course + Feedback on writing Vocabulary Courses + Feedback on short answers Phrasal Verbs Course + Feedback on short answers Idioms Course + Feedback on short answers Everyday English Speaking Courses + Feedback on recorded speaking Pronunciation Course + Feedback on recorded speaking You can also join our Complete Program to get ALL the courses above (plus many more) at a 50% discount. I'd like to remind you that the most imp

In this lesson we’re going to look at 7 common pronunciation mistakes in words with confusing combinations of letters.. A lot of students ask me about rules, like how do we know when the letter e sounds like ee vs. eh, or when the letter g sounds like juh (general) vs. guh (get). Although there are some trends in English spelling / pronunciation, there are so many complications and exceptions that I’d encourage you NOT to focus on remembering rules. Instead, when you learn new words, always look them up in an audio dictionary - listen to the pronunciation and repeat it. Don’t try to figure it out by analyzing the spelling. I know it’s frustrating! English is very irregular, so it’s best to just learn the correct pronunciation of each word and not try to interpret them based on a logical system. In this episode, you'll learn: How to pronounce OO How to pronounce OU How to pronounce OUGH How to pronounce EA Pronunciation error with "urgent" Pronunciation errors with WOR Pronunciation errors with the "invi

This month I'm going to teach you about some common errors in English. These are mistakes that I've observed and corrected frequently during my years of helping English learners improve their skills. Today's lesson focuses on common errors with adjectives and adverbs. Do you want to get correction on YOUR English? Join one of our courses that includes teacher feedback! Here are the options: Advanced English Grammar Course + Feedback on writing Reading Course + Feedback on writing Vocabulary Courses + Feedback on short answers Phrasal Verbs Course + Feedback on short answers Idioms Course + Feedback on short answers Everyday English Speaking Courses + Feedback on recorded speaking Pronunciation Course + Feedback on recorded speaking Getting direct feedback from a teacher on your writing or speaking is one of the best ways to identify the specific errors you are making, and then correct them so that you can speak and write better in the future.

Here in the U.S., we’re in the middle of summer - the hottest part of the year! Today you’ll learn some English vocabulary related to summer and hot weather, with pictures to help you remember the words. Expanding your vocabulary is so important because the more words you know, the better you can express yourself in English. Inside my Vocabulary Builder Courses, you'll learn and practice 1000+ useful words. The lessons include lots of pictures to help illustrate the words, and there are also quizzes and short-answer exercises to help you review. Hope you're having a great summer... or winter... depending on where you are in the world  :-)

A gerund is a word that looks like a verb, but functions as a noun in the sentence. Gerunds are formed by using the -ING form of the verb - reading, swimming, studying, etc. - but when it comes to grammar, they act as nouns. Here are some common ways to use gerunds in English - and some practice sentences so you can use them yourself! You can study grammar for hours, but can you actually use grammar well? It's very important to create your own sentences with the grammar you are learning - this will help you remember it better, and then you'll be able to use English grammar more naturally when speaking or writing. You can try putting grammar into practice by yourself, but it's easier when you have a ready-made exercise or writing task. You'll find these inside my Advanced English Grammar Course. What if you're not yet advanced? In that case, I'd recommend studying my Basic & Intermediate English Grammar E-Books, or watching my grammar playlist on YouTube - you will learn a lot!

The word spot has a few different meanings in English.The word spot has a few different meanings in English. Here are the three most common: as a noun, a spot is a mark that is a different color.A leopard has spots. as a noun, a spot is a place, location, or area.This is a great spot for camping. as a verb, spot is an informal way to talk about seeing or detecting.He spotted an eagle in the sky. Today we'll focus on definition #2 - spot meaning a place, location, or area. There are many common collocations (word combinations) with "spot." Learning collocations is a great way to help you put words together in ways that sound natural. My 1000 collocations e-book makes studying collocations quick, easy, and fun! It only takes about 10 minutes to read each lesson and take the practice quiz, making this the perfect e-book for you if you don't have much time.

Are you ready to practice your pronunciation? Today we’re going to work on three very common words in English: where, were, and we’re - individually and in sentences. To get the most benefit out of this lesson, don’t just watch... instead, actually repeat everything after me! When it comes to pronunciation, practice makes perfect! If you keep working on it - especially by listening to a native speaker and trying to imitate - your pronunciation will get better and better. I can help you practice more if you join my Pronunciation and Shadowing Courses, which include lots of listen-and-repeat exercises. You can try some free samples here: Lesson 1 - American English Pronunciation Course Lesson 1 - Shadowing with Shayna

Today I'll teach you 10 English expressions with the words "easy" and "hard." These individual words have simple definitions, but when they are used in idioms, the expression might have a different meaning than you expect. You'll learn what it means when we say "easy does it" and "hard pass," as well as "he got off easy" and "that's hard to swallow." Take the lesson to find out what these idioms mean! How can you learn idioms like these more effectively? My 300+ English Idioms Course can help you! Each lesson follows this format: First, you’ll see an example of the idiom in context and you’ll try to guess what it means. Then, you’ll learn the correct meaning of each idiom from my explanation and examples. Finally, you can practice using the idioms with quizzes and short answer exercises. The best part is that you can send in your answers to the exercises - I and my assistant teacher will check them to make sure you understand the idioms and are using them correctly. You can sign up and start learning today

Do you know when to use "of" vs. "from" in English?  Using the wrong preposition is a very common mistake. Many other languages have just one word for both "of" and "from," but in English we use these two words in several different ways. Learning English grammar can seem like an impossible task... but I want to help you do it step by step! That's why I have grammar products for all levels of English learners: Basic & Intermediate English Grammar E-Books Advanced English Grammar Course My students who have these e-books and courses love the easy-to-understand lessons and practical examples and exercises. If you're having difficulty with grammar, or if you want to build your confidence in using English correctly, check out the e-books and course.

Phrasal verbs are combinations of a verb + preposition, like get up and find out. Phrasal verbs often have specific meanings that may not be obvious from the words themselves. In today's lesson, I'll explain four phrasal verbs that students have asked me about recently: hook up, plug away, ward off, and whip up. These are just a few of the THOUSANDS of phrasal verbs we have in the English language - and we use them every day! You can learn more than 500 phrasal verbs in the Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course. This is an easy and fun way to learn phrasal verbs in context and put them into practice in your own English.

Spoken English has a lot of little expressions that are used frequently by native speakers - and some of these expressions are so similar that you might accidentally mix them up. Two such expressions are "give you peace of mind" and "give someone a piece of your mind" - they sound almost the same, but they are in fact very different. I hope this lesson has helped make these expressions clear! As always, try to put the phrases into practice by creating your own examples. If you want to learn hundreds more phrases that native English speakers use in everyday life, you can join my Everyday English Speaking Courses. They are based on dialogues, and very useful for improving your spoken English.

A lot of English learners get confused about the words food, dish, meal, and cuisine. These all refer to the general topic of eating, but there are some important differences in how we use each one. In today’s lesson, I’ll explain when to use these words so that you’ll understand them clearly. If you enjoy my explanations and you want to learn more, then you'll love my e-book, 600+ Confusing English Words Explained! This e-book will teach you the distinctions among "families" of words (like ache, pain, and hurt; critic, critical, criticism, and critique) as well as words that look or seem similar, but are actually different (explore and exploit, interfere and intervene, raise and rise).

Are you ready for some pronunciation practice? In today's lesson we're going to work on pronouncing English words starting with DR-. There are two small but important details that you need to know in order for your pronunciation of these words to sound good - click on the lesson to learn, listen, and repeat! If you want to train all the different sounds in English and improve your pronunciation, you can sign up for my pronunciation and shadowing courses. There's a discount if you join both courses together.

Today's question comes from a student who was watching a movie. In this movie, one character said to another, "Get lost," so the student is asking what this expression means in context. Today, I'll explain this phrase and also teach you some other informal expressions with the word "get," such as get a grip, get off my case, get bent out of shape, and more. That's just a small sampling of the many colorful informal expressions that we have in the English language using the word "get." In order to remember these phrases better, I suggest trying to write your own sentences with them! If you want to add more interesting expressions to your own English, join my 300+ English Idioms Course. Not only will you learn a lot of common idioms, but you'll also practice them with quizzes and short-answer exercises that you can send in for correction and feedback.