Conversations With ALAN

Conversations with native (or near native) English speakers
More on conversations with native speakers
Today I’d like to tell you more on starting conversations with native speakers when you are
travelling to England, or another English speaking country. Also how to make the conversation
more friendly.
Places you can safely start conversations in the country where English is spoken:
Hotel reception areas
Train station platforms
Bus stops
Tourist information offices
In shops
Museums/Art Galleries
Taxis
Airport lounges
Hairdressers
Ice cream kiosks
Newspaper stands
Restaurants/cafes
Car boot sales
On the beach
I don’t recommend talking to people in the street, unless it’s just to ask for the time or
directions.
Of course, speaking with people you don’t know isn’t the ideal way to practice English, but it is
often these places where people who are learning English can have the opportunity to speak it ,
as they maybe don’t know any native speakers.
So, be careful where you speak and to whom. This is just common sense. If you are a woman
alone, then speak to people in public places. It will be surprising that maybe you can start an
interesting conversation and get chance to practice.
1. Decide the reason for speaking to somebody. Maybe to find something about a place or
just get to know more about what the place is like.
2. Ask a small question to start with “Could you tell me?” or “Do you know where/what
time/how etc…?”
3. One the conversation has started, slow down your speech more that you want to, this
will give you some time to think more about what you want to say and also give the
person you are speaking with the chance to get used to your particular accent.
4. Don’t forget to add “please” or “Thank you” where you need to and also nod your head
a bit to show that you understand what the other person is saying.
5. Ask small questions and if they give you a long answer that you can’t remember (for
instance, with directions) say “Oh, thanks, let me just write that down please”
6. If they ask about you, be glad to tell them (but not very personal information)
7. Don’t talk about: money, politics, religion unless you get to know the person quite well
(say if you are staying in the same hotel for some days)
8. Enjoy the conversation – never worry about mistakes – keep the conversation light-
hearted and not too detailed.
9. When the conversations stops, don’t forget to say something like “it was nice talking
with you”
10. If you want to take a photo for any reason, don’t forget to ask first if the other person
minds.
Attitudes to language learning - June 30th
Hello everybody
Today I want to talk about attitude to language learning. Having a good attitude
to learning language helps overcome barriers to learning. These barriers may
be personal barriers, or physical barriers.
Examples of personal barriers
How we personally feel about our progress
Our ability to remember words, phrases, grammar points
Our feelings about how well we pronounce words
What other people tell us about how we learn
Teachers’ comments good or not so good
How much we feel we need to learn a language well
What we think language will give us and what we think it might make harder
Examples of physical barriers
Time or lack of it
Opportunities to speak with other speakers of the language (native speakers in

particular)
The place we learn (class or home)
The things we have to provide us with language “input”: courses, books, DVD,
MP3, Websites
All these things (and many more I am sure) affect us in how we learn. It may be
a positive effect or not.
Some negative effects could be, if we have a bad teacher, this will affect us, if
we don’t have enough good learning material, if we don’t have enough time.
Some positive effects could be having a good teacher, praise that makes us
feel good, remembering more words that we expect, finding we can pronounce
things well.
There are many more things that we can add to this list.
I think our attitude or perhaps a better way of saying it would be our “way of
thinking” is very important and can also affect how we learn and perhaps more
importantly, how we feel about learning and how much we can get from the
language learning experience.
My opinion is that we should think about these things when we feel that we are
not making much progress or when we are making good progress, and she
what we think may be affecting us in a positive or negative way.
Making a list may help. Once we see something written down we can maybe
think about it more and also we then have a record to look back on. Something
that tells us how we felt about language at any particular time.
I have started to call myself a “language explorer” rather than a “language

student” . To me, this feels more appropriate and right for me. Maybe you
prefer the word “student”.
Everyone has to choose his or her own path, although those of you doing
courses must follow the way the course is taught.
I like to find my own way whereever I can, however I do study language

courses and I would always say that these are important, providing they are
good courses and we can learn well from them.
To help us with our attitude to learning and way of thinking about learning, try
saying this to yourself.
Instead of “I wish I could know more” say to yourself, “I am glad I have learned
so much already”
Instead of “I could do better” say to yourself “Perhaps I can find some new
ways to learn”
“Poor language skills” should be “can I improve language skills?”
“pronuciation problems” should be thought of as “what can I do if I am

uncertain to best way to say it?”
“not enough time” should be “can I make us of the time I have?”
“no learning fast enough” should be “is there a way I can speed up?”
What I mean is, instead of making statements “my English is poor”, turn it into
a question “what can I do to improve?”
This will focus our minds on what to do for the future not dwell on what has
gone before
Take care
Be good, be happy
Language Acquistion – Stephen Krashen
Hello everybody
Sorry it has been a long time since my last podcast. I’ve been busy lately so I
haven’t had time to make one. Today’s podcast is a bit scientific as I have just
been reading a book I was given on linguistics. In this book it mentioned the
work of Dr Stephen D. Krashen. http://www.sdkrashen.com/ and I have
become very interested now in his work.
What is interesting for me is that Dr Krashen has published his ideas in 1981 on
language acquisition and learning and I did not know that some of my ideas are
similar to the language learning theories he has written about.
In Linguistics, “acquisition” means “the act or process of achieving mastery of

a language or a linguistic rule or element”:
We talk of “child language acquisition” and “second language acquisition” for

adults.
The interesting ideas he has written about can be read on the website
http://www.sdkrashen.com/SL_Acquisition_and_Learning/index.html
What was interesting for me was that Dr Krashen talks about language
acquisition and language learning as being different.
When I see some of the ideas of successful language acquisition and learning, I
can see the way I have been learning French over the last 17 years, German
over the last 7 years and more recently Chinese and Spanish.
In my case, I had been forming my ideas independently, as I have never heard

of Stephen Krashen until yesterday.
Here are some of the things that make for a successful language acquisition
and learning student.
Some characteristics
good students pay attention to form•
they• monitor their own and others’ speech
they are prepared to guess•
they• always attempt to communicate, to get their message across
they are willing• to appear foolish
they look for practice – initiating conversations•
• they attend to meaning – by attending to context
Important strategies
clarification/verification of language•
• monitoring progress
memorization words and phrases•
guessing the• meaning
deductive reasoning from situations•
practice-learning on their• own
I hope you found this podcast interesting. I am on holiday in Germany for a

week, so I will make a podcast in a week’s time. See you soon – bye
PS. Here is an interesting blog I found:

http://languageinstinct.blogspot.com/2006/10/oral-and-aural-
skills.html
Conversations with native speakers
Hello everyone,
Today I would like to talk about how better to get conversations started.
When we learn languages, we always want so much to speak with native

speakers – but at the same time, we also worry about it. Will they understand
us? Will they find what we say interesting? Will they get frustrated with us, or
bored, or both?
Lots of these sort of thoughts go through our mind. Even if we are lucky enough
to have friends who speak the language we are learning as native speakers, it
doesn’t mean that we don’t still think these things.
Another difficulty when speaking another language is that after we have said
something, it is often difficult for us to remember what we just said! In our own
language, we remember what words we say better than when we say
something in a different language. I think this is because we are busy trying to
think of correct words to use and make sure we are understood, so we only
remember the ideas of what we were talking about, not the actual words we
used to say it.
Often, we have little or no chance to speak with native speakers. We practice in

class, at home, with friends etc, but unless we live in the country or can visit it,
then the opportunities for speaking the languages we are learning with native
speakers can be quite rare. Even when we visit the country, or find a native
speaker to speak with in our country, maybe we don’t know who we will speak
with or how long we will have to speak with them, or what we will need to say.
So, what can we do that gives us a little more confidence to speak with native
speakers when we have the chance?
My opinion is, whenever we have the opportunity, we should take it, but also be
very kind on ourselves and do not try to make it into a “language test” that we
must “pass”.
I also think that we should not expect so much from the people we speak with.
They might be very busy or have other things on their mind.
Negative experiences always make us question why we even want to learn the
language. For example, someone ignores us, or says something we don’t
understand, or doesn’t seem interested. We have to understand that not
everyone is interested in languages and that people have their own lives to get
on with. I’ve had some experiences like this over the years.
This is where a relaxed attitude can be very useful. Enjoying the opportunity to
speak a different language however well we can, should always be a positive
thing. So we must do our best to make sure that any conversations we have
are as positive and pleasant as we can make them. We have a lot to do with
making sure this happens.
So here are some ideas for helping any conversations we have with native
speakers be as pleasant as possible:
1. Don’t expect to have a very interesting conversation, it might be a quite

ordinary even a bit boring conversation. Many people just want to “pass the
time of day” which means they just talk about very ordinary things such as the
weather. So, be prepared to talk about the weather…a few useful phrases can
really set off a conversation well:
“ Oh, isn’t it cold today?” “What a beautiful sunny day!” “Oh, it’s very windy
today isn’t it?”
These sort of friendly openings are called “icebreakers” and nearly everybody
does this. So why shouldn’t we do it also?
2. Remember that many, many people love to talk about themselves and what
they are doing, subjects such as their family, their work and their hobbies. If we
allow people to talk about themselves first, then we can have a perfect
opportunity to listen and it gives us time to get used to the person’s accent,
their preferred speed of speaking and we can get to know more about them
quickly. So, maybe a conversation would go like this:
(you) “Hello, how is it going?”
(other person )“Oh, very well thanks. I’ve been busy and many things are
happening at the moment, I have a new job, a new house. My kids are enjoying
school and very soon we will be going on holiday…..”
(you)“oh, that’s nice, where will you be going to?”
(other person)“we will go to Spain this year, we’ve never been there and we
are really looking forward to it”
Even though you have not said much yourself and you may wish that you were
speaking more, accept that you may need to do this at the beginning of the
conversation.
It shows that you are a good listener and people like knowing that they are
being listened to, and also you will show that you are understanding normal
conversation speed and vocabulary. This is important for you to know as much
as the other person.
3. Always use polite words, even if the person you are speaking with doesn’t.
This will mean everyone will always consider you as a polite, friendly person.
From my experience, I know that this will make people want to speak with you
more – and then you will have chances to say more about what you like, what
you want to do and who knows, maybe you will make friends.
4. Always accept a compliment in a matter of fact way. “Oh, your English is

great!” You should accept and acknowledge, but only a short “thanks, I keep
trying my best to learn more” will be enough. You don’t need to say “oh yes! I
have just passed all my English language exams and I had top marks!” Very
few people would be interested in all this information. Of course, if they asked
you “have you passed any exams in English?” then you could say this then.
5. Give yourself time by starting to speak in short sentences at first. “How’s it

going?” “what’s new?” “I’m doing fine myself” These sort of well known
conversational link phrases are fantastic at giving you chance to say something
and then you should have an answer. When the other person is speaking, you
just need another phrase ready in your mind “oh really?” “I see” “right, ok” –
these are all useful to give yourself more time to form better sentences in your
head when you need to do it – such as when they ask you a question.
So, see how you find it when you next have the chance to speak with a native
speaker. See if my advice works for you as it has for me.
See you next time
Bye for now

Idea of checking your own progress with English
Hello everybody
It’s nice to be here again to talk to you. I’ve been having some nice feedback
about my podcasts recently and it’s always nice to receive it. Thanks to those
of you who sent me messages of encouragement either here or on
Livemocha.com.
I’m always glad to know that you find my podcasts useful and interesting.
Today I want to suggest an idea for those of you who want to know how your
English is progressing and also a small English practice test.
My idea is this. I want to give you a topic here that you can read about and
then you can write a small text in your own words to explain my text. Maybe
between 50 and 100 words will be enough. Copy any words I have written – but
don’t copy out my text word for word – or it will not be useful for the test. You
must create a new text yourself in your own words.
If you have access to recording equipment, make a recording of your voice

saying my words and also read out aloud your written text.
Keep this text and voice recording for a month and then do the same test
again. Do not check your previous work and try to write the best text and
speak as well as you can.
Record your voice again copying my voice recording and also your new writing.
Once you have done this – keep the text and recording safe for a few days.
Then get both recordings and texts together and listen to and read to the first
one and then the second. You will be able to see if you have improved:
Your pronunciation, speed of speaking and confidence

Your reading skills – for how easily you can read and understand my text and
your own
Your listening skills – how well you can understand this podcast
Your writing skills – how your written language has improved from the first
piece of writing to the second – 1 month later
You can see how much progress you have made across all four language skills. I
think this will be useful for you.
Now I will read out the text below at normal speed.
My country
Today I want to talk about my country. Did you know that I live in 4 different
places? Well, I mean that my country has four different names.
My country is called England
Great Britain is the name of the largest island. Eire is the name of the next
biggest island. There are many other smaller islands. Together these islands
are called “The British Isles (Isles also means islands)
United Kingdom means England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This is
the political union of the country. The capital of the United Kingdom is London.
The United Kingdom does not have an official language – but of course, most
people here speak English. Although English is the most common language,
there are other languages in the British Isles. These are: Welsh, Scottish Gaelic,
Irish Gaelic, Manx (Isle of Mann)
There was also a language that used to be called Cornish –this was spoken by
people in the south-west part of England which is now called Cornwall.
There are many different people living in Great Britain. Those people who are
born here are called “British” This is true even when their parents come from
other countries
There are 50,000,000 British people living in the United Kingdom
The flag of the United Kingdom is very well know and is a red cross (for
England) a blue cross for Scotland and “St Patrick’s cross” for Northern Ireland.
There is no part of the flag to represent Wales – which is something that some
people would like to see changed.
So, when I say “I am English” I mean that I live in one country of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain which is called England
I hope you like this idea and I am very interested to know if it helps you judge
your progress
Bye for now

Weekend words April 6th
hello everybody
For my weekend words today, I want to talk about why sometimes it is difficult
to understand native speakers, even when you may have been learning English
a long time.
I discovered a long time ago that the language you hear in class with a teacher,
or normally on sound recordings can be easily understood, and yet when you
go to the country and listen to native speakers - you may not understand so
much.
There are many reasons for this, and firstly I want to say - don’t worry about it.
The more you worry, the more it will either frustrate or annoy you when this
happens. Just accept that this will happen, the moment you set foot in the
country.
Here are some reasons I believe can make listening to native speakers difficult:
1. There is usually some background noise - some examples:street noise, other

people speaking nearby, television is on. This makes it difficult to concentrate
on the person speaking to you.
2. The native speaker will hear you speak first and assume you know much
more than you know - and they make speak quite fast - this makes it difficult to
hear everything they say and make sure you understand it,
3. The native speaker may use dialect words, slang words or common
expressions that you may not be familiar with - or only some. This makes it
harder for you to understand, because you have first to understand the slang
words or expressions and then translate that to normal speech and then
understand it. Don’t be afraid to say “I am not familiar with this word/these
words, what do they mean exactly?”
4. The native speaker can also make mistakes themselves— did you think of
that one? There are few native speakers who speak perfectly!
5. The native speaker may have an accent that you are unfamilar with. In
England for example, there are many different accents and some accents may
clip the words short, use different sounding vowels or even miss out words. In
the north of England where I come from, sometimes we clip words and drop
“h”’s. This is especially done when we speak with family and friends. Here is an
example:
Standard English: ” Are you going to come with me to the cinema?”
Northern accent: “Are yer goin’ t’come wi’ me to th’cinema?”
You can easily hear that the first is easier to understand than the second, but
both are saying the same thing.
Don’t worry.In my experience, the native speaker will not mind changing
his/her speech to make it a little more controlled and easier for you to
understand - providing you ask!
So the key to understanding a native speaker better is to accept that you are
not a native speaker - but a serious non-native learner and don’t be afraid to
tell people you meet this fact. It will not mean they become frustrated with
you, on the contrary - the native speaker will usually be very glad to make sure
you understand everything - and even explain things more precisely to you. So
you end up with good communication and a language lesson for free!
Bye for now
See you next time

Chatcast April 1st (Alan’s tea-time chat)
Hello everybody,
Today I have just decided to talk - no text prepared. So I will listen back to it
later and write down for you what I said - so you can read along with me
speaking.
In the meantime, for those of you who are learning English - see how you find it
listening without text for the time being…
take care everybody…
Alan
Weekend words March 15th Keeping motivated to learn languages
Hello everybody
For my weekend words today I’d like to discuss ways to make language
learning more interesting.
Often, people ask us why we learn one or more languages. We sometimes ask
ourselves why. This question seems particularly interesting sometimes as we
don’t always have easy answers.
Personally speaking, I often answer that I learn languages “as a hobby” like we
do when we take photographs, collect things, read books, watch films.
Is it a good idea to compare learning a language to these activities that we
would usually consider to be hobbies? I am not sure. I suppose learning a
language is something that is interesting to do, keeps our minds occupied and
there is something to be gained by learning - we eventually get to
communicate with other people who speak the language - whether these are
native speakers, or other people learning the language.
If we have no-one to speak the language with, then how do we keep interested
in learning?
We need to find reasons than make us more interested in keeping going to
achieve success.
Language learning is a long “journey” with many difficult aspects to encounter:
remembering the words, understanding grammar, getting the pronunciation
correct. It is easy to become demotivated.
One thing I think we should never do is say “sorry” when we don’t know a
word, or make a mistake when we are speaking with someone who speaks the
language better than us. I believe that if we do make a mistake and feel that
we want to say something about the mistake, then we should say something
like this: ” I enjoy learning the language (English, French, Chinese or whatever)
and I make some mistakes - but I keep trying to learn to speak it better” This is
positive and helps us and the people we are speaking with to understand that
we know we make mistakes, but we don’t want it to stop us speaking the
language.
Keeping going when we have no native speakers to talk to is difficult. I have a
some suggestions to help:
1. A simple idea is to keep a diary and write something each day, or each week
in the language we are learning. This will also tell us over time how much we
are learning when later we read what we have written. This is the easiest way
to keep the language in our heads each time we write something in the diary.
2. Another idea is to have a conversation with yourself. In the car, on the train,
on a bus. Also, we can speak (silently) with ourselves when we are waiting for
something: doctor’s waiting room, hotel room, train station etc. Although it’s
not perhaps a good idea to talk to ourselves out loud in these sorts of situation,
it can work if we quietly “speak” in our heads - we can try to remember the
words for some things that we can see. For example, if we are waiting for a
train, there is these words to think of” train”, “track”, “platform”, ticket etc.
3. A good idea I think is to try using a language learners website, such as this
one: www.livemocha.com - here we can practice our languages with native
speakers in different ways - writing, speaking , reading and listening.
4. Another interesting idea is to write a little about something that interests us.
Then, when we later have the chance to speak with a native speaker - we can
ask them to read it and see what they think about it. Not only will they be able
to correct the text, but they will also learn something themselves from the text
that we have prepared earlier - that is why I suggest making it about an
interesting subject that we know enough about.
I’m always happy to hear your suggestions for subjects or comments on my
podcasts.
See you next time
Bye for now

Weekend Words 1st March
Hello everybody,
I hope you are all well. It has been a little while since I made a podcast. Thank
you for all you nice messages.
Today I would like to talk about being positive and relaxed about learning
languages and also being willing to take risks with language too.
Learning a language is a difficult thing to do, but as I have said before, we can
always enjoy our language at any level. Young children do this. When we see a
small child start to learn their mother tongue – they maybe don’t say so much
at the beginning, They listen and maybe try some sounds that don’t sound like
words. But later, when they start to say words, their mother or father will be
happy to hear them say things and then they encourage them by speaking
back to them – usually in a kindly way.
That way, a small child learns in a positive place with a friendly teacher
(mother or father) and then the child enjoys using whatever language they
have – they often don’t want to stop talking!
I think that as adults, we should try to copy this method a little. Of course we
can’t act like a child, but we can use some of the attitude of a child: positive
about learning, relaxed when we speak, read, write or listen. We can also not
worry about mistakes – of course, try to correct these mistakes when we can or
when someone helps us – for example if we are in a class.
My belief is that we can learn and at the same time make what we have
already important.
We can also be willing to take some risks too. For example, when we speak with
people we know who speak the language as a native speaker – try to see if we
can push the language level a bit higher when we speak with them. If we make
a mistake or use a wrong word, then maybe our friend will kindly advise us –
without criticising us. It is the same with writing letters – try some things that
are new to us. Of course, in exams this is different, because this is a test of
what we know. But with letters, e-mails, text messages with friends – always try
a little extra and see if you can get things right and learn more. When we listen
– try to listen to language that is a higher level than we have ourselves –
because we always understand more than we can speak.
The same thing with reading. Read short articles, magazines where there is
conversation or interviews written down for reading like a conversation would
be in reality.
So, we can be relaxed and happy to learn and still try hard to become better at
the same time if we think about things carefully and we can keep getting better
and better.
Take care and bye for now
Weekend Words February 15th (speed of speaking in friendly conversations)
Hello everybody.
For my weekend words this week I want to talk about conversation practice and
speed of speaking.
Over the years, I’ve met a lot of people who are learning English as a foreign
language. I’m always surprised how hard they try to learn English and their
level of language, their high ability to handle difficult grammar points and how
much vocabulary they have.
In some cases, maybe it is the first time they have had an opportunity to speak
with a native speaker (me) and they want to be able to have an intelligent
interesting conversation.
This means that very often, in order to develop the conversation, they speak
much faster than they need to, and sometimes forget that a conversation is
two-way - speaker and listener.
I often find myself doing a similar thing when I speak French or German. I speak
faster than I should do. It is like I am in a race against time, to say what I want
to say and hope that I have made myself understood.
As a native speaker of English, what I can tell anyone who speaks English as a
foreign language is that you don’t need to rush when having a friendly
conversation with a native speaker.
It is completely different from speaking exams or making a presentation - when
accuracy and speed is very important. When you are having a conversation it is
a two-way thing. You speak, the other person listens. Then the other person
speaks and you listen.
To make this a more enjoyable experience, try speaking a little slower than you
would normally like to and always allow a small gap for the listener to use
certain phrases that let’s you know that they are listening. Words such as: “I
see…” “really?” , “oh right..” ” do you think so?”, “ehm….well, you have a
point…”
This makes the conversation truly two-way and you can learn much more.
Speaking more slowly allows you time to think of more interesting words, more
appropriate words, develop the conversation and allow the listener to correct
you sometimes.
This way you will develop your language skills even more I believe.
Now you’ve heard my podcast, you might like to listen to it again as I am
speaking at a normal conversational speed - as I would do if I were talking with
my family, to my colleagues at work and people I meet in the street.
If I were to speak with a taxi driver, someone on the telephone when I am busy
and situations like this, then I would of course, speak more quickly.
But this podcast is just to help you to understand that whilst maybe you think
English people speak fast, only a few do in a relaxed conversation - and as I
believe strongly -being relaxed is the best way to learn. Stressful situations
don’t make good language learning situations I think. Such as:
* getting information for catching a bus or a train
* asking someone the time
* answering the telephone when you are busy
So, make use of each informal/friendly conversation you have to learn and
enjoy the conversation!
* meeting someone on a train journey
* meeting someone on holiday
* meeting someone in an online chatroom
* discussing things in another language with friends who also speak the
language
* meeting someone in a social setting, party, church etc
See you next time
Bye for now
Using simple sentences to gain fluency
Hello everybody,
Today I wanted to talk about practicing phrases to make it easier to remember

how to say things and the right words to use
I want to go shopping because my sister is coming and we enjoy going to the
shops together.
It is surprising just what language you can practice with only one sentence:
Because my sister is coming, I want to go shopping and we enjoy going to the

shops together
We enjoy going to the shops my sister and I and my sister is coming, so I want
to go shopping
That is three sentences saying the same thing, more or less - but if you
practice the sentence in different ways - then you can become more fluent.
You can then expand it a bit more:
My sister is coming to see me. We always like to go shopping together because

we like going to the shops together.
It is always nice when my sister comes, because we like going to the shops
together to do some shopping. I want to go shopping anyway - so I will wait
until she comes
This way, you can build up the language practice.
Just keep thinking of different ways to say the same thing and If you make a
mistake, it isn’t such a problem because people will still understand
So, say for example you said
I want to go to the shopping when my sister comes, because we like shopping

together
(saying “shopping” instead of “shops” will still be understood)
You could always simplify it more…
When my sister comes, we like going to the shops together.
We like going shopping together my sister and me
(maybe it should be “my sister and I” but most people in England would say
“my sister and me”
Try making up a sentence, writing it in a few different ways and then saying it.
Or you could just try making a sentence in your head and then say it - you will
become more fluent!
Have you ever tried learning words from a visual dictionary? I like these type of
dictionaries because you can see the picture and read the word. I have just
found a very good one that shows many pictures and photos with the words in
4 languages. This is called “5 Language visual dictionary by Dorling Kindersley.
English, French, German, Spanish & Italian
The ISBN number is ISBN 0-7513-3681-5
You can find it on www.amazon.com
It is quite expensive at around £20/ $27 but I think it would be worth every
penny and a very interesting way to learn new words.
Bye for now and see you next time bye!
Placing emphasis on words when speaking
Hello everybody. This is a continuation of my podcast about difficult sounds in

English.
English often uses stress or emphasis on syllables within a word. Stress is

sometimes used in spoken English as a language technique to change the
meaning of what is being said and emphasise a certain thing or idea. Normally
this doesn’t show in written English unless the word is written differently.
Here’s an example:
1. He wants me to give her the book

2. HE wants me to give her the book
3. He wants ME to give her the book
4. He wants me to GIVE her the book
5. He wants me to give her the BOOK
Easy sentence - but stressed words make a big difference to meaning.
The first sentence just has a basic meaning. There is no extra stress on the first
sentence - so someone listening would just hear it as a statement.
Number 2 is emphasising the person who wants me to give the book
Number 3 is emphasising that the person want me in particular (that is no one

else but me) to give her the book
Number 4 is emphasising that the person wants me to give her the book - that
is, not do something different with the book
Number 5 means the person wants me to give her a book and not something
else instead
So, it’s interesting how English uses this stress on words to change the
meaning of the sentence without changing the words in the sentence. You’ll
notice that all the words are the same in each sentence.
Take care and see you next time

Reading text at two speeds Jan 8th
Julian Beever’s Inspired Pavement Drawings
Ken Wilson, UK
Julian Beever is an English chalk artist, who has been creating anamorphic
pavement art since the mid-1990s. Anamorphic pictures are designed so that
they appear to be three dimensional from certain angles. The drawings must be
seen from one particular angle. If the viewer moves from the position, the
illusion is lost and the drawing becomes an unrecognizable distortion.
Julian also paints murals and is famous for his replicas of well-known works of
art. He has worked in the UK, Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Germany, the
USA and Australia. He has been called “the Pavement Picasso,” because the
importance of three dimensionality in his work is reminiscent of Picasso in his
Cubist period.
This material was spotted by Ken Wilson, a teacher trainer and ELT materials
writer, with more than 20 titles to his name. He writes both coursebook and
supplementary material and his recent course material includes a Senior High
course for China. He also wrote a book to accompany Channel 4 TV’s first-ever
ELT soap series. He was artistic director of the English Teaching Theatre until
2002
Alan’s Weekend Words January 19th
Well, I decided that for all my podcasts, I’ll write a little introduction and then
put the transcript for the voice recording for you. So, welcome to “Alan’s
Weekend Words January 19th”. Today some advice on pronuciation for all you
English learners!
Hello, for my weekend words this week I want to talk about pronunciation
difficulties for learners of English. It seems to me that there are some sounds
that present more difficulties that others. For example the English “th” sound.
think
thought
thank
thesis
therapy
nothing
tether
teeth
are some words starting with or containing the sound ‘th”. For this sound place
the top of your tongue against your top teeth - push some air through without
too much pressure and say the word.
think, thought, thank, thesis,therapy,nothing,tether,teeth
The other ‘th” sound is the same tongue position - but with less air movement
and more voice. See if you can hear the difference between the two different
‘th” sounds
the,there,those,with,feather
Try practicing these “th” sounds slowly then speed up
Make sure that you keep relaxed when you speak and don’t worry if you find it
difficult - just keep practicing when you have a little time.
The other sound I wanted to talk about today is the English “r”
The British version is softer sounding than the American:
run
ready
really
roaring
the american sounds more “strong” - in other words add more sound to your
voice as you speak - with a little more energy.
run
ready
really
roaring
I can’t really speak with an american accent very well - but I just wanted to
show you an example.
Your tongue needs to be curled back about half-way in your mouth - but not
touching any part of your mouth and then curl it back forward again and keep it
quite loose as you do.
“a Rumanian runner was running a revolution around a really rocky racetrack”
Tongue twisters like this can be very useful for pronunciation practice
http://www.englishsecret.com/pages/sound.jsp?pid=12
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Chatcast - more about fluency in languages

January 18th, 2008
Buenos dias, bom dia,hallo, bonjour, jo napot,ni hao, Guten Tag!

So many languages. But of course, as usual, I am speaking in uhm, English my
mother tongue and today, I wanted to speak a little about fluency, but today
I’m trying to do this as a “chatcast” - and my way of doing chatcasts now is to
just…chat without a text.
So, I will produce a text for the “PODOMATIC” site so that you can read what
I’ve said, but I won’t do that until after I’ve finished speaking.
So today, “fluency”. What does it mean? In fact what made me think about it
was, I was speaking with a friend at work today and we were
discussing..uhm..language learning because he said that he would like to learn
French and I was giving him some tips and hints and we were discussing what
fluency was. He said he would like to have a conversation with people (in
French) and he considered that would be fluency. And my opinion is, that
fluency changes the more you learn a language, or your idea, should I say,
about fluency.
Because the more you learn about a language, the more you think you need to
learn. But my point of view is, that we should be able to be fluent… at any
level.
To explain what I mean, if you’re having a very simple conversation - someone

says, “how are you?” and you say, “I’m fine thanks and how (are) is your
family? how are your children?” You say, “my children are well, my family is
well”
You are still speaking a language in a fluent way, because I think fluency means
you can speak the language quite easily. But of course as the language level
rises and the complexity of the sentences you’re saying in your conversation
becomes more difficult, then it affects the level of fluency. So my advice is try
to stay in the level that you have and try and enjoy speaking at that level
whilst trying to develop more language skills - and that way you develop your
fluency.
So, what I’m trying to explain from my point of view is that anyone can have a
“level of fluency” that allows them to speak the language and uhm, I think it’s
worth thinking about because many many people will say to themselves, ” I’m
not very fluent, I’m not as fluent as I’d like to be”. So, take your time, enjoy the
conversations that you have in the language you’re learning and if it is English,
then practice it and say to yourself, “I’m fluent, I just need MORE fluency as I
speak about more complex subjects”.
So that’s my chatcast for Friday evening and I’ll hopefully make a new
“Weekend words” over the weekend. But, we have my son’s girlfriend with us
today so, (we) we’ve got a visitor here. Maybe I will have time but hopefully
you’ll have a nice weekend. Take care and we’ll speak again soon…BYE.
Hola! Chatcast about Spanish learning
hello everybody. Alan here. Buenos dias, ¿Cómo estás? hablo poco espagnol a
hora!
Today I wanted to talk a little about learning Spanish. I’m starting to learn some
Spanish. I wanted to start seriously to learn a few months ago, but for some
reason or another I couldn’t get started properly. It’s always difficult starting a
new language I think. Anyway, recently I started to visit Alba’s podomatic
spanish learning site here in Podomatic and also I borrowed a course “Michel
Thomas” introductory course (2 CD’s) from my local library. I think now I can
get started correctly.
I think that the best way to start learning is to start with some good materials -
and this is what Alba’s site and the Michel Thomas course do. They allow you to
learn without stress. I think too many people learning languages put
themselves under a great deal of stress and strain in pushing themselves too
hard. Trying to learn vocabulary lists, memorise phrases and expressions and
remember as much as they can. Perhaps the easiest and best way is to try to
learn in a relaxed way. I know this isn’t easy if you are learning in a classroom
situation and you have exams looming.. Well, in any case, I think things are a
bit easier if you are easy on yourself - don’t become your most strict teacher!
So, I’m going to see how my Spanish improves over the next few months. I
might even try a small podcast in Spanish if I can.
It’s always interesting to feel a new language developing in one’s head. It

reminds me of trying to complete a very big jigsaw puzzle, or crossword in
some ways. As you find the answer to a clue or find a jigsaw piece that fits so
to speak - so you can tell yourself - I’m learning well!
Some people are natural learners and can pick things up quickly. I wish I were
one of these people, but unfortunately I’m not. Even so, it’s best to keep
interested and that is why my motto is “enjoy what you know and the rest can
only grow” in other words enjoy what level you are and then you’ll always find
that you will learn more. Let’s keep the language learning effort going! With
podcasts, it’s even easier than before because you can transport the recordings
around on your MP3 player. I love downloading some language podcasts and
playing them later when I have time to listen to them carefully - such as when
I’m driving or my lunch break at work.
Reading text at two speeds
Text here: http://www.hltmag.co.uk/mar07/joke.htm
Julian Beever’s Inspired Pavement Drawings

Ken Wilson, UK
Julian Beever is an English chalk artist, who has been creating anamorphic
pavement art since the mid-1990s. Anamorphic pictures are designed so that
they appear to be three dimensional from certain angles. The drawings must be
seen from one particular angle. If the viewer moves from the position, the
illusion is lost and the drawing becomes an unrecognizable distortion.
Julian also paints murals and is famous for his replicas of well-known works of
art. He has worked in the UK, Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Germany, the
USA and Australia. He has been called “the Pavement Picasso,” because the
importance of three dimensionality in his work is reminiscent of Picasso in his
Cubist period.
This material was spotted by Ken Wilson, a teacher trainer and ELT materials
writer, with more than 20 titles to his name. He writes both coursebook and
supplementary material and his recent course material includes a Senior High
course for China. He also wrote a book to accompany Channel 4 TV’s first-ever
ELT soap series. He was artistic director of the English Teaching Theatre until
2002.
Weekend words Jan 6th (2)
Punctuation has been defined in many ways. Some grammarians use the
analogy of stitching: punctuation as the basting that holds the fabric of the
language in shape. Another writer tells us that punctuation marks are the
traffic signals of language:they tell us to slow down, notice this, take a detour,
and stop.
But the best of all, I think, is the simple advice given by the style book of a
national newspaper:that punctuation is “a courtesy designed to help readers to
understand a story without stumbling.”.
Examples:
“What would you do with the king?”

“What? Would you? With the king?”
“A woman, without her man, is nothing.”

“A woman:without her, man is nothing.”
“Why English is crap”
Have you ever asked yourself…
Why when the stars are out, that can be seen, but when the lights are out, they
cannot be seen?
Why when one gets fit one is healthy, but when one has a fit one is ill?
Why a fast horse runs and fast colours don’t
Why one can ship by truck and send a truck by ship?
Why a seeded loaf of bread has seeds in it, but seeded raisins have them taken
out?
Why one’s house goes up in flames at the same time as it is burning down?
Also, examples of the “double-negative” which is regarded as sub-standard

English where there is no intention of having the two negatives cancel each
other out. In other words it does nothing for language. However some people
who pride themselves on speaking standard English are sometimes caught out
by a no no.
“He can’t make friend with no one”
“She doesn’t never eat since she’s been on that diet”
” I never saw nobody”
“They didn’t know nothing”
Alan’s Weekend Words 6th January
Hello everyone,
Welcome to Alan’s Weekend Words. This week I decided to talk a little bit about
two books I have that help know more about the English language.
The first one has become very well known and has sold many thousands of
copies. It is called “Eats, Shoots and Leaves”, written by Lynne Truss. It is a
book about punctuation. Basically, the title shows the idea behind the book. It
shows that with written English, punctuation can make a big difference to
meaning. The title shows a very good example: the idea is that the sentence
describes the food of a Panda. A panda eats shoots and leaves. When we apply
punctuation, that is a comma it means something different. Eats, shoots and
leaves would mean something like this: a person walks into a restaurant, he
then eats something, then he shoots his gun at someone and then leaves the
restaurant. So, he eats, shoots and leaves. Can you understand the difference?
What has happened is that with the panda sentence the only verb is “eats”
whereas with the comma put in, then the words eats, shoots and leaves are all
verbs (action words)
This books shows more examples and was written by Lynne Truss to show the
importance of punctuation with written English.
The other book I want to mention is called “Eats, Shites and Leaves”
This book is a jokey title which has copied the “Eats Shoots and Leaves” book.
Shite is another word for crap and also sounds a bit like “shoots” Basically this
book is a parody of the first book - as its subtitle is “Crap English and how to
use it” written by “A. Parody”. Even though the idea behind this book is a joke
about the seriousness of the first book - it is actually quite a useful book for
understanding more about how English is sometimes used badly - and where
this can lead to misunderstandings and awkward moments.
So, I recommend both books. They both have their uses when learning more
about English. Next time I’ll discuss some examples from the books. In the
meantime, if you would like to buy or borrow them from a library (if it is
possible where you live) I’ve put the ISBN numbers on the podcast text.
“Eats, Shoots and Leaves” by Lynne Truss ISBN 1-86197-612-7″Eats, Shites and
Leaves” by A.Parody ISBN 1-84317-098-1
more on asking questions
Hello everyone,
I hope you all had a nice Christmas - and to those of you who don’t celebrate
Christmas - I wish you well at the close of 2007.
Today I’d like to talk about using repetition and asking questions to help you
speak in another language.
I believe that when we speak another language that we are learning as an
adult, we tend to worry that we aren’t as good at speaking as we would like to
be - as we are with our mother tongue for instance. It is often the case that we
then think we need to speak faster than we should do - because maybe the
person (or persons) listening to us would perhaps be:
* not understand us so well as we would like them to
* be a little impatient with us as they might be busy
* frustated that we don’t speak as well as a native speaker
When I speak French or German I often try to speak too fast and make it
difficult for myself. I think this comes from frustration that I don’t speak these
languages as well as English and especially when I struggle to find the right
word.
This happened to me in Germany last week. My wife wanted some paper
tissues and I didn’t know the word for “paper tissue” in German. I was
frustrated that I had no dictionary with me, but then I thought “maybe just
speak slowly and politely and then ask for tissues by saying (in German) “I
would like some things please that we use for blowing noses, but I can’t
remember the German word!”
So, this is what I decided to do. I walked into a pharmacy and said that - very
politely with a slightly apologetic smile. The shopkeeper immediately
understood what I wanted - and gave me the tissues and said (in German)
“please have them - f0r free”. Not only did I get some tissues for my wife - but I
got them for nothing! Obviously, I would have paid for them if the lady in the
shop had asked me for money, but I was trying to illustrate how having a polite
and pleasant attitude can help when we are speaking a different language.
This doesn’t always work - I asked for a coffee at a German railway station
kiosk - and then tried talking about the weather being cold - but the lady
serving me was only interested in serving the coffee and getting the money -
so I could only ask for a coffee in this particular situation.
Anyway, to talk a bit more about repetition. When talking in another language,
repetition can help also. For instance,
“Could you tell me the way to the railway station?” you can then add ” do you
know where the station is please? - is it far from here?”
This way, you have asked the question twice, and kept the listener’s attention
whilst they think if they can tell you. The key thing then is to not say anything,
but listen very carefully to their reply - and just nod your head to show that
you understand. Never be afraid to say “did you say, left at the next street? or
should I go right? They can then confirm what they said before. You must then
thank them and hopefully you will feel that you had a successful conversation.
It is always useful to have a few questions ready in your head that basically ask
the same question. For example:
“Where is the nearest post office please?”
“I’ve been looking for a post office for quite a while - perhaps you know where
one is please?”
“I have not been able to find a post office - but maybe you know where there is
one nearby please?”
“Do you know where a local post office is please?”
If they start answering after the first question, then just leave out the extra
questions unless you need them.
Always stay polite - and if someone ignores you - don’t be too worried - they
may just be too busy to speak. Don’t assume they are not interested or dislike
you.
I’m only speaking about my own experiences using my second and third
languages.
Have a great New Year!
Bye for now
A message to all my podcast listeners and blog readers
Hello everybody,
I would like to thank those people who have listened to my podcasts and read
my blog over the past year. It’s fantastic for me to know that people like what I
have prepared and discussed. I am not a teacher - but as a language student
(although quite old now…lol) I can understand the difficulties faced when
learning languages and so, maybe I could consider myself a sort of friendly
language guide.
Please let me know any subjects about English life, culture and language you
might be interested to know more about and I’ll see what I can do in 2008!
One thing I can tell you is that next year the city of Liverpool is to be the
“European Capital of culture 2008″ which is exciting - and after all, this is the
home of “The Beatles” - one of my favourite bands.
Next year I am planning a new podcast site for some guitar-based songs I am
recording. I hope you like them.
I hope next year you can all realise your ambitions and dreams. In 2008 I would
like to improve my Spanish, Dutch and Mandarin Chinese - I hope I can do this.
So to each and everyone of you, a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from
Lancashire, England.
Vielen Dank, merci bien, gracias, obrigado, spasibo, xie xie …….
Here’s a website about my region of England: www.pendle.net
Many thanks once again
Bye for now
Alan
Thankyou to all podcast listeners and blog readers
Hello everybody,
I would like to thank those people who have listened to my podcasts and read
my blog over the past year. It’s fantastic for me to know that people like what I
have prepared and discussed. I am not a teacher - but as a language student
(although quite old now…lol) I can understand the difficulties faced when
learning languages and so, maybe I could consider myself a sort of friendly
language guide.
Please let me know any subjects about English life, culture and language you
might be interested to know more about and I’ll see what I can do in 2008!
One thing I can tell you is that next year the city of Liverpool is to be the “city
of culture 2008″ which is exciting - and after all, this is the home of “The
Beatles” - one of my favourite bands.
Next year I am planning a new podcast site for some guitar-based songs I am
recording. I hope you like them.
I hope next year you can all realise your ambitions and dreams. In 2008 I would
like to improve my Spanish, Dutch and Mandarin Chinese - I hope I can do this.
So to each and everyone of you, a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from
Lancashire, England.
Vielen Dank, merci bien, gracias, obrigado, spasibo, xie xie …….
Here’s a website about my region of England: www.pendle.net
Many thanks once again
Bye for now
Alan
Fluency in languages
This is just a note to wish all of my listeners/readers a Happy Christmas.
Here’s my present for you. It’s a link to an onine book about language learning.
It is in English, written by an american who has attained fluency in French.
http://www.signiform.com/french/
I read this with interest a few years ago. I noticed that the website still has the
book - and you may find it as interesting to read as I did.
Another podcast coming soon - hopefully before Christmas.
In a few days my wife and I will visit the Christmas markets in Cologne - I’ll tell
you a little about them in a podcast.
Just an idea - maybe you would like me to read some stories like a “Talking
book”? Let me know if you like the idea.
Take care
Alan
T’was the night before Christmas
http://www.free-short-stories.org.uk/short-christmas-stories.htm
nice site for short stories in English
you can read this poem on my blog with some word explanations
alanpalmer.blogspot.com
Twas the Night before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore
Hello everyone, welcome to my podcast and today I’m just going to recite a
poem. It’s a christmas poem- very famous in England called: “t’was the night
before Christmas”- and you may have heard it already.
Anyway, you can hear me saying this poem and you can read it on my blog.
Also, I’ve put some of the more difficult words there for those of you who are
learning English, with some explanations for you.
And so, as I said, it’s a rather informal chat just now and then I will go and read
the poem. So, thank you for those of you who have given me some feedback.
It’s always nice to receive it.I do enjoy reading your feedback, I’m glad you’re
enjoying, er, listening to my podcasts. So, here is the poem”t’was the night
before Christmas” and I’ll hopefully do another podcasts before Christmas- so
you can listen to that when I’ve done it.
So, see you next time, bye.
T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there. (T’was = It was. St Nicholas = Santa
Claus)
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap. (nestled all snug= comfortable,
‘kerchief=handkerchief, nap = sleep)
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. (clatter = noise, flew like a flash=quickly,
tore open = opened quickly, sash = type of window slide opening)
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer. (breast (here) = on the top of, lustre =
appearance of the light)
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name! (coursers = (here) the
reindeers)
“Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!” (dash away = move away quickly)
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound. (prancing and pawing = the
movement of reindeers hooves on the roof, with a bound (here) = jumped quickly out of the
chimney)
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack. (peddler = old name for street
trader, flung = swung onto with force)
His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow. (twinkled = sparkled/shone, droll
= amusing)
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly! (stump = short end of
something,encircled = all around, wreath = circular garland, jelly = geletine dessert)
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread. (chubby/plump = quite fat, jolly = happy,
dread= fear)
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose! (straight to = immediately, jerk = quick
movement, finger aside of his nose (here)= a gesture with finger meaning that the other person
should not speak, nod = tip head forward, rose= went up)
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!” (down= soft featherlike part of
thistle, thistle =plant, ‘ere =before)
Alan’s Weekend Words 2nd December
Hello everyone
I hope you like my new guitar tune introduction which I recorded yesterday. I
wanted a new tune for 2008 – but I’m starting early by changing it now.
Today my weekend words is about Christmas traditions in England. It might be
interesting for you to see what we different traditions we have here compared
with where you live.
Firstly, the celebration of Christmas is not just a religious festival here. It has
become the main winter holiday for England and most people now can take
maybe up to 10 days off work to celebrate Christmas and also the New Year. In
the USA for example, there are other celebrations that the whole country can
take part in, such as Thanksgiving and Independence Day. In France, Bastille
Day is very important. However in my country there a very few holidays where
many people take a holiday at the same time. Christmas and New Year
represent our biggest holiday celebration of the year where people give
presents, remember family and friends with presents and cards and also take
some time off work or even have a holiday in another country.
So unless you are particularly religious, for us, Christmas actually begins on the
25th December. Some people do have family parties on the evening of the
24th, but this is quite rare.
Those people who are religious would go to church on evening of the 24th.
Catholics for example have “midnight mass” which is held late in the evening.
For other people, the 24th or “Christmas Eve” is the time to go out to visit
friends, go to pubs or clubs and enjoy the holiday late into the night.
For those with young families, it is the night when Father Christmas (or Santa
Claus) visits and brings presents. When I was young, we used to hang up an old
pillow case or large stocking by the fire which would have presents inside it in
the morning.
Usually the day starts with presents being given to family – especially children.
The most common traditional family lunch is roast turkey (or chicken) with
roast potatoes and mashed potatoes, boiled or steamed brussel sprouts and
carrots for vegetables, a rich meat gravy sauce and stuffing which consists of
breadcrumbs and herbs baked in the oven as a soft dough. Some people prefer
pork and this can be eaten with apple or cranberry sweet sauce. Of course for
those people who are vegetarians, there is the choice of maybe some roast
vegetables with garnish of herbs such as parsley or thyme.
The traditional dessert is “Christmas pudding” which is a steamed pudding
using a mixture of dried fruits and cake mixture to bind it all together. This is
eaten with a white sweet sauce to look like a snow cap. Some people don’t eat
the pudding with sauce or maybe they would eat ice cream with it.
To finish off the meal, there are mince pies which are small pastries filled with
dried fruit sweet sauce called “mincemeat” – which in the past was real meat,
but now is fruit.
For drinks – many people like to drink whisky or brandy (and sometimes some
brandy is added to the christmas pudding and set alight for a few seconds prior
to serving it. This makes the flavour very strong.
The afternoon is usually the time to visit family or invite friends to come and
visit. The day will be quite quiet as many people have eaten a lot by then. Even
meals can be a buffet snack so that people can eat as much or as little as they
prefer to.
Often the children will be tired and maybe ready for bed quite soon as they had
woke up very early to see what presents “Father Christmas” had brought them.
For other people who don’t have children, or young adults – they often go out
to visit people or go to a pub (public house)
So that is “Christmas Eve and Christmas Day” – I’ll tell you about the 26th of
December (known as Boxing day) next time.
Alan’s weekend words November 24th
How to keep motivated when learning languages

Hello again. Sorry it’s been a while since I left a podcast episode. I’ve been very
busy lately.
I’ve decided for this podcast to go back to my “chatcast” idea – where I talk as
a would in a conversation – as much as I can do. It’s funny, but very few people
who listen to these podcasts give me feedback or comments. In fact I just
realised that I rarely give feedback to other podcasters myself - and it’s quite
difficult to know why. So, rather than keep mentioning this, I’ve decided to
make podcast knowing that there are around 1000 views per week – so
obviously people must find them interesting.
I always feel more like making a podcast at weekend – it’s not just because I
may have a little more free time to make one, it’s also a time where I tend to
reflect on things a bit more. You know, when I’m not at work or so busy with
things.
As you know I enjoy learning languages – but just as importantly I find that it is
a way of better understanding other cultures as well.
Recently I started an evening course in Mandarin Chinese. Now this language is
very difficult to learn for westerners I think – at least it is for me. We have a
very enthusiastic lady teacher orginally from China who speaks English very
well indeed and can explain the lessons very well too.
I find that starting a new language is very much like walking through a thick fog
where you can’t see very well at all. As you learn, the fog clears little by little
and it then gets easier to walk along. Another analogy for language learning is
like making a very large jigsaw puzzle with many thousands of individual
pieces. The secret to success with jigsaw puzzles is to look for the correct
pieces and then you can discover the true picture when you start to complete
it.
With Mandarin – there are very few clues to find from English. The only word
I’ve heard so far that sounds a little like an English word is “ka-fei” which is
coffee.
What impressed me is the enthusiasm of the teacher. She tries to link words to
real situations. Also, she tries to make the language and culture join together
not only through the lessons themselves, but last Sunday, she organised a
Chinese meal for her students at a Chinese restaurant in Manchester “China
town” . I found that having some chinese food and discussing language at the
same time – helped me see how language can be made to be more “real” by a
good teacher who wants to keep students’ motivation high.
Motivation and time are the key to learning anything – not just language, but as
languages take some time to master – then keeping motivation as high as
possible – it something that we should strive for.
Personally speaking, I have moments when I lose my motivation to some extent
and I devised a list of things to help to keep interest high. I have to admire my
Chinese teacher who herself must have her own list on how to motivate
students to keep learning well.
My list is as follows:
Realise that motivation goes up and down and that everybody can have
moments when they find language learning difficult. Sometime we also feel a
bit lonely and this is when language classes can help as we can then see
people making similar mistakes to ourselves and also making improvements
too.
One we have realised that motivation can vary – then find ways to take away
the some of the reasons for low motivation. Tiredness for example – if you’re
tired – don’t work too hard!
Look for interesting things about the culture or history that are reflected in the
language for example why do we call the game “Rugby football”? Learning the
history behind this can make us enjoy the language more.
See if you can find someone who speaks the language in your area, or find a
correspondent that speaks the language you’re learning - penfriend or business
contact
Read some magazine articles rather than serious books when you find books
are very difficult or tedious. Reading short articles can make reading more fun
and less tiring.
Keep your “eye on the ball” that is – make sure you are honest with yourself
about progress – many people think that they are not learning so much and
become demotivated – but if they really think about it – they are probably just
not learning as quickly as they would prefer.
When a topic interests you – look up some related words/phrases: e.g.
Christmas:- Yuletide, Christmastime, the season of goodwill etc.
I think that will be enough for today – I don’t want to demotivate you by
making this podcast too long.
Christmas is not far away – I’m looking forward to a trip to the Christmas
markets in Cologne in December – so this should motivate me to keep learning
German – I’ll look at some words relating to Christmas now…
Take care
Until next time
Alan’s Weekend Words October 13th
Using link words and phases in English conversation.
It’s been a while since I posted - sorry about the delay - I was very busy lately.
I hope you enjoy my weekend words for this week
Please send feedback, leave a message or send me an e-mail at

alanpalmer@tboyonline.com
It’s great to hear from you

Link words in English conversation October 13th
Linking words to help you time your english conversation

Hello everyone.
It has been some time since I made a podcast – but I have a little time today
and I have made a short podcast for you.
Please leave me some feedback about my podcasts. It’s nice to receive it – as
it’s not possible to know whether they are interesting or not. Anyway, I’ll leave
it to you to decide. In any case thanks for listening.
In England, there are words we use that help us with keeping our thoughts on
track during a conversation. They give us a little more time to decide what we
want to say. When people learn English, these little words and phrases can also
help to give more time to choose the right words and keep the conversation
going.
Here’s an example. I’ll try to make this seem like a natural conversation as
much as I can.
The first example is without the linking words:
Example 1 (I can say) ” Hello David. How are you? I haven’t seen you for a
while and it’s nice to see you. What are you doing these days? The last time we
spoke you told me that you were working in a bank and that you were enjoying
it – are you still working there?
Example 2 “Well hello David. So, how are you then? You know, I haven’t seen
you for a while and it’s nice to see you you know.
So, what are you doing these days? Let me think… the last time we spoke you
told me that, hmm, you were working in a bank – is that right? Well then, tell
me…I think you said you were enjoying it – so,, are you still working there?
You can see that the second example uses the following extra words:
Well, So, then, Let me think, you know, hmm,is that right, well then, tell me
It could be said that these words aren’t really necessary - and example 1 would
suggest this to be true. But in conversation, many words are often added or
even taken away to make the conversation more informal, more friendly,
simpler. Also, it gives the speaker more time to decide what to say and the
listener more time to think how that want to answer and what they would like
to say.
David says: “Hello there Alan, yes, well – I believe it was, hmmm, about 3 years
ago wasn’t it? Yes, I think that we met up in a pub or something, yes, that’s it.
You asked about my job, well, yes I’m still sort of enjoying it”
David could have said “Hello Alan, yes about 3 years ago? I think we met up in
a pub or something. You asked about my job, well, yes I’m still enjoying it”
So David’s response uses these link words and phrases: there, yes, well, I
believe it was, hmmm, wasn’t it, that’s it, well yes, sort of.
No this might seem to complicate the conversation – and for someone who isn’t
used to English conversations – or doesn’t have a high level of English, it could
seem to make listening more difficult. But this could actually make this easier –
as it takes longer to say and gives you more time. It is also a good way to make
things more friendly.
These extra link words and phrases are very popular in England and there are
many more than those I’ve mentioned today.
So, have fun with link words – find as many as you can and try using them for
conversational English!
meanwhile….
Hello, just a quick note.

Sorry I haven’t uploaded a podcast for a while - I’ve been very busy recently. I’ll
make one soon.
Meanwhile, I know it’s usual for podcasters to not get much feedback - but I’d
really like to hear from any of you there in podcastland just what you would like
to hear about that I could chat about. You know that my interest is languages -
but as you can see most of my podcasts are to help people learning English
and if you can find just a little time to leave me some feedback I’d be very
grateful.
Bye for now, take care and check out the site for a new podcast soon.
Your podcaster chum
Alan
Hommage Georges Brassens

Hello everybody. Here is my “hommage” to Georges Brassens - a French
singer/songwriter - who is fondly remembered and honoured by most French
people. I did some research about his songs and his life for some local French
language and culture clubs in England and I’d like to share the text/photos I
made - if you would like to know about this “icon of French Culture and Music”
CLICK DOWNLOAD TO VIEW THE PRESENTATION (In French with some English
lyrics)
NOTE THAT “PLAY” DOES NOT WORK WITH THIS PODCAST - THANKS
THE FILE IS A PDF…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlmyNpn_mnc to see “Tonton” (Uncle)

Georges
Salut tout le monde! Voici mon hommage personnel de Georges Brassens -

bien apprecie par la plupart des francais. J’ai prepare cette presentation pour
des cercles francais dans la localite de mon coin de l’Angleterre. Je voudrais
bien partager ma recherche que j’ai fait depuis 6 mois pour qu’on puisse
apprendre plus de cette “icone de la culture et musique francaise”
CLIQUES “DOWNLOAD” A VOIR LE PROGRAMME (en francais avec des paroles
en anglais)
NOTEZ-VOUS QUE “PLAY” NE MARCHE PAS POUR CE PODCAST (PAS DE MP3 -
FICHIER C’EST UN PDF)
Les cactus aie! aie!
Le monde entier est un cactusThe entire world is a cactus

Il est impossible de s’asseoirIt’s impossible to sit down
Dans la vie, il y a que des cactus
In my life there are only cactiMoi je me pique de le savoirI sting myself to know
it
Aïe! Aïe! Aïe! Ouille! Aïe! Aïe! Aïe!Dans leur cœur, il y a des cactusIn their
heart, there are cacti
Dans leur portefeuille il y a des cactus
In their wallets there are cactiSous leurs pieds, il y a des cactus
Under their feet, there are cactiDans l’heure qu’il est y a des cactus
At whatever time it is there are cactiAïe! Aïe! Aïe! Ouille! Ouille! Ouille!
Aïe!Pour me défendre de leur cactusTo protect myself from their cacti
A mon tour j’ai pris des cactusFor my part, I took some cacti
Dans mon lit, j’ai mis des cactus
In my bed, I put some cactiDans mon slip, j’ai mis des cactusIn my underpants I
put some cacti
Aïe! Aïe! Aïe! Ouille! Aïe! Aïe! Aïe!
Dans leur sourire il y a des cactus
In their smile there are cactiDans leur ventre il y a des cactusIn their stomachs
there are cacti
Dans leur bonjour, il y a des cactus
In their hello there are cactiDans leurs cactus, il y a des cactusIn their cacti,
there are cacti
Aïe! Aïe! Aïe! Ouille! Aïe!Le monde entier est un cactusThe entire world is a
cactus
Il est impossible de s’asseoirIt’s impossible to sit down
Dans la vie, il y a que des cactus
In my life there are only cactiMoi je me pique de le savoirI sting myself to know
it
Aïe! Aïe! Aïe! Ouille! Aïe! Aïe! Aïe!Aïe! Aïe! Ouille! …
French song - Les Cactus - extraordinary!!
This is a French song I recorded for a French song presentation- it’s a very silly
song…
If you want to see and hear the original by Jacques Dutronc - here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La9fR20jaiM
Here is a website to tell you more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Dutronc
Translation on my blog - but be warned…it is just as silly in English as French -

haha
Informal style conversation
Hello everyone.
It’s nice to know that you enjoy my podcasts, thankyou for your feedback.
Please feel free to leave comments on the podcast site or my blog.
Today, I’m going to make a slightly longer podcast – actually, this time – more
of a “chatcast” as I see it.
Talking with you as I would talk with friends and family. Basically I’m talking
about “everyday” conversational English. What I am talking about is language
people use when they are chatting to family and friends and also to people we
meet in the street, or on a train or on holiday perhaps.
Firstly I have to say that I am talking about a style of speaking with English as it
is spoken in England. As we all know, English is a very widespread language –
and many people around the world can speak my language. I can only talk
about things that I know and my own experience. Although I have not travelled
a great deal, over the years, my family and I have welcomed people from other
countries to stay with us, either through the twin town or language exchanges,
or from friends we have met from holidays or correspondence. When people
visit us, we always try to speak in a conversational way – that is, quite informal.
When people learn English in classes, often they are learning a formal-style of
English. Of course, this is very good in enabling people to learn to make hotel
reservations, or to buy things in shops, ask directions etc, but it isn’t so useful
if you stay with a family and want to chat about things in an informal way and
just enjoy the opportunity to talk in another language.
For an informal chat though, it should always be a less stressful exercise and
more enjoyable for you as there are some differences from speaking in this
style.
It gives you the chance to learn more about how people live, their likes and
dislikes
It gives you an opportunity to make mistakes without worrying and if you do
make mistakes, find some alternative words and phrases that can move the
conversation along.
Allows you to get to know people better and make friends
Gives you a better chance to get to know some slang words or local sayings
Gives you a chance to share jokes and different expressions
Helps you to think more in the language e.g. form and reform sentences before
you say them as a casual listener.
There are drawbacks:
Sometimes native speakers forget you are a learner and speak faster or use
words and expressions that you are unfamiliar with
If you are speaking with a group of native speakers for instance at a table
eating a meal – they will speak normally with each other and you can feel a bit
alone – a bit left out if you don’t understand everything
Here is an example of formal English and informal equivalent:
Scene, in a restaurant
Waiter: Good morning Sir. Can I help you? What could I get you please? Would
you like the menu and would you care to start with some drinks?
You: Oh, Good morning. I would like to have some time to decide. Yes, I would
like the menu please and firstly please bring me a glass of wine and then I can
look at the menu.
Waiter: Of course Sir, here is the menu and I will bring you a wine.
Typical scene, at home with a friend
Friend: So, what would you like to eat? Maybe, I think, you’d like to try some
typically English food such as fish and chips? We could either make them at
here home or go to a fish and chip shop and buy some – what d’you think?
You know, I really like fish and chips and I’m sure you’d like them. Did you know
that we put vinegar on them? It really makes them taste better I think. Maybe
you’d like it? If you don’t like it – it’s ok - just try some salt or mayonnaise.
You: Oh, yes, I think I’d like to try fish and chips – I have never eaten them
before.
Friend: Well, I’d try them if I were you – because now you’re here in England,
you know, they are one of the most well-known meals in England and you can
find fish and chip shops in nearly every town and village in Britain.
You: Really? So they are very popular then?
Friend: Yes, really popular – although I find that some shops sell fish and chips
which taste better that others.
You: I’d love to try them – thanks for the suggestion.
I am trying to show that, with the conversation with a friend, there is more
language used to discuss something like chosing a meal. Also, more
information is usually discussed: what to try, whether to buy or make them at
home, maybe try some vinegar, some information about how popular fish and
chips are and some information about how many fish and chip shops there are.
So the informal conversation would often involve more information being given
without asking for it, and also mean you will need to listen more carefully:
In an informal situation or a friendly conversation:
I’d is often used instead of I would
I’ll is often used instead of I will
Words are added like “you know”, “I think” “maybe” “it’s ok” “well” “so”
More questions are asked to get information back from you to “what about?”
“would you like?” “how about?”
So, you need to listen more, and allow the conversation to develop. You don’t
need to say much more than in the formal situation if you choose not to.
I’ll use some informal language now to tell you something about England.
” well, what can I say about England? It’s a nice place to visit, with many
interesting places I think. You know, we do talk a lot about the weather in
England. People say it rains a lot here – but I think it is often cloudy.
It’s always nice travelling around England to different places. I like the Lake
District – so many lovely hills and mountains – wonderful scenery – it’s
particularly nice in Autumn.
You know, it’s a while since I went there, maybe a few years now. Perhaps we
should have a trip there?
Maybe soon, what do you think?”
More formally would be:
” What can I say about England? It is a nice place to visit, with many interesting
places. We do talk a lot about the weather in England. People say that it rains a
lot here – but I think that it is often cloudy weather that gives this impression.
It is always good to travel around England to visit different places. I very much
like the Lake District – with its many lovely hills and mountains. It has such
wonderful scenery and it is particularly nice to see it in the Autumn.
It has been a while since I went there. I believe it is a few years ago. Perhaps
we should have an excursion to the Lake District?
Perhaps soon, what do you think?”
I hope you can hear and read the differences in style that shows the first
example as more “conversational” to the second example. Both use slightly
different word choices and language “style” However they are both discussing
the same thing.
Everyday phrases
Here’s a chatcast about those “everyday phrases” in common usage in English.

The book I mention is “Red Herrings and White Elephants” by Albert Jack which
is available from Amazon.com ISBN 1-84358-129-9
It’s surprising how much we use these phrases and expressions in English
conversation…
Feedback/comments welcome
Hello everyone,
Today I’d like to talk about “everyday phrases” that we use so often in English.
In fact it’s only when we native speaker start to talk with non-native speakers
that we start to realise just how much we use these sort of expressions and
how much we need them in our everyday speech.
I found a book called “Red Herrings and White Elephants” by Albert Jack (ISBN
1-84358-129-9) which I’m acknowledging as the source of the explanations of
my examples today to introduce some of these common phrases. It is available
on amazon.com should you wish to buy a copy for yourself. The book is really
good as not only does it give us the meaning, but also some of the history
behind why we use each expression.
Here are some typical ones. I’ll start obviously with the two in the title of the
book:
Red Herring. (BOOK)” This is used to describe something that provides a false
of misleading clue”
Example: “That tourist brochure is a bit of a red herring, as the seaside resort it
told us was so good was nothing like that when we went there!”
White Elephant (BOOK)”is an expression used to describe something useless
that has, or will become a huge burden to those who possess it”
Example: “That car you bought is a white elephant, it is always breaking down
and it cost you too much money!”
Here are some more everyday phrases with examples (which are my examples
– you won’t find these in the book) There are many more in the book – but I’ve
chosen some of the phrases I use a lot in conversation.
“Codswallop” is something worthless, rubbish or nonesense. “That’s
codswallop! – you can’t use those scissors to cut wire!” Actually, I also use it to
dismiss something as rubbish ” You can buy a beer for a 50 pence? Codswallop!
Where??
Tarred with the same brush – is to be part of a group regarded as all having the
same faults and weaknesses, often unfairly.
“I’d tar him with the same brush – he can’t draw a picture any better than his
brother”
“Neck of the woods” is used to imply a person’s neighbourhood. ” He’s from
the same neck of the woods as that friend of yours” (same town as your friend)
“Bite off more than you can chew” is an expression we use to indicate someone
has taken on more than they can cope with or manage
” I’m learning French, German, Spanish and now Chinese. Do you think I have
bitten off more than I can chew?”
You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” Is a saying we use to suggest two
people will do each other a favour, or look out for each other so that both
benefit from each others’ actions.
“Can you baby-sit for me next Saturday please? You scratch my back and I’ll
scratch yours – I’ll baby-sit for you next month…”
Take care, let me know if you like these and I’ll record some more for you
See you next time
Everyday phrases in English conversation
Here’s a chatcast about those “everyday phrases” in common usage in English.
The book I mention is “Red Herrings and White Elephants” by Albert Jack which
is available from Amazon.com ISBN 1-84358-129-9
It’s surprising how much we use these phrases and expressions in English
conversation…
Feedback/comments welcome
Yorkshire Coast
Here’s some information about the places I visited last week whilst on holiday
Check out: these websites:

http://www.whitbyonline.co.uk/
http://www.theeventsoffice.co.uk/pter2006_website/pter/index.html
http://www.discoveryorkshirecoast.com/scarborough-welcome-new.asp
As usual the text is on my blog here: www.alanpalmer.blogspot.com
English can be a bit silly sometimes….
I’m on holiday for a week - so here are my weekend words - see you in a week!
Take care!
Alan
Hello,
Today I’d like to talk about how the meaning of what we say in English can vary
or change, either depending on the stress on the words, or sometimes just the
words that we use. This happens in quite simple sentences – not just in
complicated ones.
An example for you:- If I say this sentence:
Take your bag
without accent, it can sound like a simple instruction or invitation
If I say:
Take your BAG. This would mean a bag, not your camera, watch, cup or
anything else you may feel like taking
If I say:
Take YOUR bag - I’m meaning your bag, not someone else’s bag
If I say:
TAKE your bag - this emphasises the word “take” rather than kicking it, or
whatever else…
Even with so simple a sentence, a changed accent can give a different
meaning.
Another example of the way English can be difficult is when the meaning isn’t
so clear. We can emphasise this in two silly examples
I like Ice cream sundaes - I like Ice cream on Sundays
Do you like fruit fool? Do you like fruit you fool?
There are some ways of saying things that sound a bit strange
Hang up the telephone (put the telephone receiver back on the telephone or
press the button to finish the call)
Lay the table (hens lay eggs… why do we say lay the table for meaning put the
knives and forks and crockery onto the table before a meal)
Climb the stairs (we climb mountains as well!) simply means go up the stairs
Mow the lawn – which just means cut the grass
Catch a cold – how do we catch the virus that we can’t see? It just means we
become ill with a cold
I go to bed – but when I get to the bed – I have to get on the bed to sleep I
think….
Fall asleep – which means to go to sleep – Personally I just lie in bed and then
sleep – I don’t fall anywhere…well, hopefully I don’t fall out of bed…
Throw away my old clothes – I don’t ever throw them – I just put them in a
waste bin
Put the kettle on – I just switch on my electric kettle on to heat water. This is an
old saying from when people placed the pot on a fire to heat water.
Take a bath – (have a bath) – My bath is still in the same place it hasn’t moved.
To fire someone – means they lose their job – they don’t get burned – we’ll
unless the boss has other ideas…. It’s no easier in England as we say “to sack
someone” which also means to lose their job – do we put someone in a sack??
Why do we say “I can’t wait for Christmas!” (meaning, “I’m eager for Christmas
to arrive”) when quite obviously we have to wait
So, English is quite a silly language sometimes
Bye for now
See you next time
Isn’t English a bit odd sometimes?
Hello,
Today I’d like to talk about how the meaning of what we say in English can vary
or change, either depending on the stress on the words, or sometimes just the
words that we use. This happens in quite simple sentences – not just in
complicated ones.
An example for you:- If I say this sentence:
Take your bag
without accent, it can sound like a simple instruction or invitation
If I say:
Take your BAG. This would mean a bag, not your camera, watch, cup or
anything else you may feel like taking
If I say:
Take YOUR bag - I’m meaning your bag, not someone else’s bag
If I say:
TAKE your bag - this emphasises the word “take” rather than kicking it, or
whatever else…
Even with so simple a sentence, a changed accent can give a different

meaning.
Another example of the way English can be difficult is when the meaning isn’t
so clear. We can emphasise this in two silly examples
I like Ice cream sundaes - I like Ice cream on Sundays

Do you like fruit fool? Do you like fruit you fool?
There are some ways of saying things that sound a bit strange
Hang up the telephone (put the telephone receiver back on the telephone or
press the button to finish the call)
Lay the table (hens lay eggs… why do we say lay the table for meaning put the
knives and forks and crockery onto the table before a meal)
Climb the stairs (we climb mountains as well!) simply means go up the stairs
Mow the lawn – which just means cut the grass
Catch a cold – how do we catch the virus that we can’t see? It just means we
become ill with a cold
I go to bed – but when I get to the bed – I have to get on the bed to sleep I
think….
Fall asleep – which means to go to sleep – Personally I just lie in bed and then
sleep – I don’t fall anywhere…well, hopefully I don’t fall out of bed…
Throw away my old clothes – I don’t ever throw them – I just put them in a
waste bin
Put the kettle on – I just switch on my electric kettle on to heat water. This is an
old saying from when people placed the pot on a fire to heat water.
Take a bath – (have a bath) – My bath is still in the same place it hasn’t moved.
To fire someone – means they lose their job – they don’t get burned – we’ll
unless the boss has other ideas…. It’s no easier in England as we say “to sack
someone” which also means to lose their job – do we put someone in a sack??
Why do we say “I can’t wait for Christmas!” (meaning, “I’m eager for Christmas
to arrive”) when quite obviously we have to wait
So, English is quite a silly language sometimes
Bye for now
See you next time
French song - Ne me quitte pas (Jacques Brel 1959)
Ne me quitte pas
Il faut oublier
Tout peut s’oublier
Qui s’enfuit déjà
Oublier le temps
Des malentendus
Et le temps perdu
A savoir comment
Oublier ces heures
Qui tuaient parfois
A coups de pourquoi
Le cœur du bonheur
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Do not leave me
It is necessary to forget
All can be forgotten
Who flees already
To forget the time of
Misunderstandings
And wasted time
Namely how
To forget these hours
Who killed sometimes
With blows of why
The heart of happiness
Do not leave me
Do not leave me
Do not leave me
Do not leave me
Moi je t’offrirai
Des perles de pluie
Venues de pays
Où il ne pleut pas
Je creuserai la terre
Jusqu’après ma mort
Pour couvrir ton corps
D’or et de lumière
Je ferai un domaine
Où l’amour sera roi
Où l’amour sera loi
Où tu seras reine
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Me I will offer to you

Pearls of rain
Arrivals from a country
Where it does not rain
I will dig the ground
Until after my death
To cover your body
Of gold and light
I will make a land
Where the love will be a king
Where the love will be law
Where you will be queen
Do not leave me
Do not leave me
Do not leave me
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
Je t’inventerai
Des mots insensés
Que tu comprendras
Je te parlerai
De ces amants-là
Qui ont vu deux fois
Leurs cœurs s’embraser
Je te raconterai
L’histoire de ce roi
Mort de n’avoir pas
Pu te rencontrer
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Do not leave me
I will invent you
Foolish words
That you will understand
I will speak to you
Of these lovers
Who saw twice
Their hearts ablaze
I will tell you the
History of this king
who died not having met you
Do not leave me
Do not leave me
Do not leave me
Do not leave me
On a vu souvent
Rejaillir le feu
D’un ancien volcan
Qu’on croyait trop vieux
Il est paraît-il
Des terres brûlées
Donnant plus de blé
Qu’un meilleur avril
Et quand vient le soir
Pour qu’un ciel flamboie
Le rouge et le noir
Ne s’épousent-ils pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
One has often seen

The rekindled flame
Of an old volcano
That one believed too old
It is it seems
Burned grounds
Giving more corn
Than the best April
And when comes the evening
with it’s blazing sky
Red and black
don’t they match together
Do not leave me
Do not leave me
Do not leave me
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
Je ne vais plus pleurer
Je ne vais plus parler
Je me cacherai là
A te regarder
Danser et sourire
Et à t’écouter
Chanter et puis rire
Laisse-moi devenir
L’ombre de ton ombre
L’ombre de ta main
L’ombre de ton chien
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas.
Do not leave me
I will not cry any more
I will not speak any more
I will hide there
With you to look at
To dance and smile
And to listen to you
To sing and then to laugh
Let me become the
Shadow of your shadow
Shadow of your hand
Shadow of your dog
Do not leave me
Do not leave me
Do not leave me
Do not leave me.
French song - Ne me quitte pas
Here’s one of my favourite French songs - sung originally by “the master”

himself - Jacques Brel… (this recording is another from my French songs
repertoire…(don’t worry, I do sing English songs too…!)
See a super filmed recording of the man himself here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEAGoLHMMoA
Alan’s Weekend Words 22nd July
Alan’s Weekend Words July 22nd
Sleep
I’ts surprising how many things we can talk about related to sleep in English.
Apparently the Swedes have 95 different words for sleep. I don’t think we have
anything like that many in English, but even so, we talk abou sleep and
sleeping in quite a number of ways.
For instance, we have:
sleep for the noun

to sleep, sleeping – the verb
and other words that describe sleep in different ways> Examples:
A nap or a “catnap” = a short sleep – usually in the daytime
to snooze, or a snooze” same as a “nap”
Often, an alarm clock will have a “snooze” button – so that we can sleep a little
longer and then another alorm will sound.
To doze – where it’s describing someone not sleeping too deeply. “Don’t doze
off when you’re driving!!” an important thing to remember.
There are other slang words or expressions. Here are some I know and quite
like:
“Shut-eye”
“Kip”
“40 winks”
“Nod-off”
“Zonked” (usually after someone has had a lot to drink”
“Slaughtered” (very tired)
“Dead to the world” – when someone can’t wake up very easily – after a late
night
I remember that Americans sometimes say “bushed” – meaning tired – but

maybe they don’t use that so much these days…
We sometimes use the Spanish word “siesta” to talk about sleeping during the
daytime – for a rest, when on holidau or having a sleep when the weather is
very hot.
There are many others I can’t remember just now. Perhaps you’d like to do a bit
of research yourself!
When someone needs to get to sleep, we sometimes “count sheep” in our

heads. The idea is to get so bored counting sheep – you fall asleep! Try it!
See you next time
German/English Deutsch/Englisch post
hallo, wie geht’s. Diesmal ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch. Ich lerne es seit 6
Jahren, aber ich habe Deutsch schon in der Schule gelernt vor vielen Jahren!!.
Heutzutage, wenig Leute lernen Deutsch im Vergleich als ich jung war. Deutsch
ist noch immer eine wichtige Sprache aber ich glaube viel mehr Leute aus
verschiedenen Laendern wollen englisch lernen . Weil ich Engländer bin, ist es
fuer mich sehr interessant, andere Sprachen zu lernen, und ich finde Deutsch
sehr interessant und besonders wenn ich in Deutschland bin, weil ich mit
meinen deutschen Freunden auch deutsch sprechen kann.
Ich kenne gut Hessen, die eine Region in der Mitte von Deutschland ist.
Besonders die Stadt Kassel, wo meine Frau und ich Freunde haben. Ihr könnt
ein Podcast von unseren Besuchen nach Kassel das wir im Mai gemacht haben
hier lesen und hoeren.
Heute habe ich mit einem Freund aus Deutschland im Paltalk gesprochen und
er hat mir gesagt, daß das Wetter in Deutschland schoen ist. Leider ist das
Wetter hier nicht so gut - zu viel Regen. Weil das Wetter nicht so gut ist, habe
ich mich entschieden - dass ich Zeit genug habe, diesen Podcast zu machen.
Vielleicht, ist das nicht so langweilig fuer Sie, ein Podcast ueber das schlechte
Wetter zu hoeren… aber das ist ein sehr wichtiges Thema fuer einen
Englaender!
Bis zum naechsten Mal
(many thanks to Bettina for the corrections)
In English….
Hello, how are you? This time I’m speaking a little German. I’ve been learning it
6 year, but I did learn German when I was at school – a long time ago!
Today, not so many people learn German compared to when I was young.
German is still an important language but I think many more people from other
countries want to learn English.
Because I am English, I’m also interested in other languages. I find German

very interesting and particularly when I’m in Germany as I can speak German
with my friends there.
I know Hessen well, this is a region in the middle of Germany. I know Kassel
especially well, where my wife and I have some friends. You can read and listen
to a podcast about our visit to Kassel which we did in May.
Today I spoke with my friend from Germany in Paltalk and he told me that the
weather in Germany is very nice. Unfortunately here it isn’t so good – too much
rain. Because the weather is bad, I decided I had enough time to make this
podcast. Perhaps it isn’t so boring for you to listen to a podcast about bad
weather – but it’s a very important topic for an English person!
Until next time!
The owl and the pussy cat
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to seaIn a beautiful pea-green boat:
They took some honey, and plenty of money
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
“O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!”
Pussy said to the Owl,

“You elegant fowl,
How charmingly sweet you sing!
Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?”
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the bong-tree grows;
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood,
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
“Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?” Said the Piggy, “I will.”
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand on the edge of the sand
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.
Edward Lear
French podcast #1 Translation in English
Here’s the french language podcast translation
Transcript here: www.alanpalmer.blogspot.com
The owl and the pussycat by Edward Lear (1871)
http://www.the-office.com/bedtime-story/owlpussycat.htm
also on my blog: www.alanpalmer.blogspot.com
Frenchcast #1 en francais
Mon premier chatcast en francais A+
French/English podcast
Hello,
This time I decided to record a podcast in French as well as a translation in

English. I don’t know how many visitors to this site understand French, but I
think it is worth putting a podcast completely in French here.
I have been learning French for 16 years. It is always difficult for me, but
despite this difficulty I continue with my hobby and improve my French. The
French word “pefectionner” is an interesting word, because there isn’t really an
equivalent in English. We say “develop”, “learn” or “improve” when we talk of
language learning.
A few years ago I was an admin for a chatroom with www.about.com. It was
great to have the chance to meet with others who were learning French like me
as well as people who spoke French as a mother tongue.
Thanks to the visitors I got lots of information and other interesting websites.
Amongst this, someone recommended me to read an “online” book which I am
recommending to you. This is a book written by an american whilst working in
Paris. Here’s the site. The book is in English and well written for students of
French – but it could be useful for people learning English too.
I find singing songs very useful for language development. Sometimes I sing
French songs and I’ve put a few on this podcast site for you which I recorded
some months ago following a few concerts at French language learners evening
meetings around my area in the UK.
Bye for now

Podcast français/anglais
Salut.
Cette fois j’ai décidé d’enregister un podcast en français ainsi que une
traduction en anglais. Je ne sais pas combien de visiteurs du site comprennent
cette langue – mais je pense ça vaut la peine de mettre un podcast sur ce site
complètement en français.
Je parle le français depuis 16 ans. C’est toujours difficile pour moi mais en dépit
de ça – je continue perfectionner mon français comme passe-temps. C’est un
mot interessant : « perfectionner » parce qu’en anglais ce mot n’existe pas. On
dit en anglais : « developper », « apprendre plus » or « amelioerer » quand on
parle d’un apprentissage d’une langue.
Il y a quelques années j’étais administrateur pour une salon de bavardage

(chatroom) chez www.about.com. C’étatit très bien d’avoir l’occasion de faire
les rencontres aux autres personnes qui apprennaient le français ainsi que les
francophones. Grace aux visiteurs, j’ai trouvé les informations et d’autres sites
Internet très interessants. Parmi ces visites, quelqu’un m’a conseillé de lire un
livre « en ligne » et je vous propose ce site pour lire ce livre écrit par un
americain pendant son sejour à Paris quand il travaillait la.
Voici le site. Le livre est en anglais et c’est un livre bien écrit pour les étudiant
de la language française en particulière.
Je trouve les chansons bien utiles pour aider le developpement d’une langue.
Moi, je chante de temps en temps les chansons francaises et j’ai laissé
certaines ici sur ce site que j’ai enregistré il y a quelques mois. Je les ai
enregistré après des concerts aux cercles français qui exisitent dans ma region
de l’Angleterre.
A bientôt
Asking questions in English

June 26th, 2007
It’s interesting how many ways we can ask questions in English.

I wanted to explain a little in this podcast about the different ways do this. In
fact I had to think about this a lot before I recorded the podcast – as a lot
depends on the situation and who were are talking to.
Regarding asking people for things. In English we use the “conditional” form a
lot. This is where the question sounds more polite.
For example:
“Could I have a cup of tea please?” sounds more polite that “Can I have a cup
of tea please?”
The reason is that English people usually ( but not always of course) try to be
polite and the word “could” means that the person who is being asked would
feel that the person asking the question was not demanding a cup of tea –
almost that the person being asked has a choice. Of course if you were in a
café asking this question, it would seem a bit silly that they would not want to
give you some tea – but this way of asking questions still stays in our language.
“I would like…” is similar
” Could I trouble you for….?” Is very polite and fomal
Between friends and family, it is less formal:
“Can you lend me a garden rake?” is perfectly acceptable.
“I want a….” is not normally used – as it sounds impolite. However as always,
there are exceptions. ” I want a holiday – I’ve been working too many hours”
could be used as a statement. But, if you were to ask your boss for a holiday,
you would say “Could I have next week off please? I want to go on holiday”
“Have you got some stamps?” is ok to use when asking for stamps in a Post
Office
Also,
“Do you have some(any) stamps?” Would be the right question to see if the
place selling stamps had any e.g. Newsagents
“Do you sell stamps?” would also be ok – if you were in a shop and wanted to
see if they sold stamps
To add emphasis, we often say:
“I really would like…… do you have any? (or “could I have?)
“Do you mind if I take….?” A useful phrase in, say a Tourist Information office
and they offer leaflets and you think that they are being offered for free – but
you are not sure.
“Will you come to my party?” a direct question to a friend – which means that
they should give you an answer “yes” or “no”
An alternative (and more polite) would be ” Would you come to my party?” this
means that the person being asked might say “no thanks – I have to visit my
mother – thanks for asking me”
“Shall we go to the seaside for our holidays?” is more direct than “should we go
to the seaside for our holidays?” and usually you would get a different
response.
The first question would normally mean the person being asked would say “Yes,
it sounds a good idea” or “No, I don’t want to go to the seaside this year”
The second question would normally mean the person being asked would say
“Let me think about it, it might be worth doing” or ” I’m not sure – whether I
like the idea or not”
So, it is worth learning the different ways to ask for things in English and see
what response you get. If you find that the question seems too direct – then try
using:
Could I/you/we?
Should I/you/we?
Would I/you/we?
Might I/you/we?
Another very polite way is “is it ok if?” or “do you mind if?”
More direct ways or asking questions are

Can I/you/we?
Shall I/you/we?
Will I/you/we?
Don’t be worried about using these ways of asking if you need help or are in
trouble or you need a direct “yes” or “no” answer.
Uncategorized 1 Comment »
French song - Petite Marie

June 24th, 2007
Here’s another French song I recorded for my French language group

presentations. It is a song originally recorded by Francis Cabrel:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Cabrel
Here is Francis himself “en chantant”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPjH0pMiITs
Song words (in English and French) are on my blog:
www.alanpalmer.blogspot.com
Weekend Words #3
June 24th, 2007
I haven’t had time to record my voice this weekend - but here’s a web link that
you might find interesting about British dialects.
You will need Realplayer to play the recordings. This is the home page:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/recordings/
and this is my region - so you might be able to hear my accent when you listen
to these ladies from Burnley - which is a town near to where I live.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/recordings/group/lancashire-burnley.shtml
I hope you find it interesting
Bye for now
Alan
Runaway/Vanina
June 19th, 2007
As I walk along I wonder a-what went wrong

With our love , a love that was so strong
And as I still walk on, I think of the things we’ve done
Together , a-while our hearts were young
I’m a-walkin’ in the rain
Tears are fallin’ and I feel the pain
Wishin’ you were here by me
To end this misery
And I wonder
I wa-wa-wa-wa-wonder
Why
Ah-why-why-why-why-why she ran away
And I wonder where she will stay
My little runaway , run-run-run-run-runaway
Loin de toi je me demande

Pouquoi ma vie ressemble
A une terre brûlée
Mais quand l’amour prend ses distances
Un seul être vous manque
Et tout est dépeuplé
Vanina rappelle-toi
Que je ne suis rien sans toi
Vanina si tu m’oublies
Je serais pour la vie
Seul au monde
Oh ! Mon… mon… mon…monde
Toi, toi…… si loin de toi
Et le monde
N’existe pas
Si tu es loin de moi, loin loin loin loin de moi
Original version by Del Shannon

French version by Dave
This version by me!
Runaway/Vanina
June 19th, 2007
Here’s a song that was a hit by Del Shannon as “Runaway” and by Dave in
French as “Vanina”.
I combined the two together - one for american-french relationships perhaps?
as usual - songwords on my blog: alanpalmer.blogspot.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Del_Shannon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_(singer)
Alan’s Weekend Words June 17th

June 17th, 2007
I talk about how we shorten sentences in conversation with friends and family
You can find the transcript here: alanpalmer.blogspot.com
Alan’s Weekend Words 17th June

June 17th, 2007
Hello everyone
Thanks for all your feedback on my podcasts – I really appreciate it.
Today I want to talk some more about the way we speak in normal conversation
as opposed to the language you read in text books or in English language
classes.
Obviously I can only talk about my own experience in England,
When people speak quickly, it happens that some words become harder to
distinguish and this can be difficult for English language learners I think.
For instance, If I asked a friend of mine, “would you like to go to the cinema?” it
can often become “would yer like t’go to the cimema?” You can hear that the
word “you” becomes more like “yer” and “to” becomes more like the letter “t”
This can be considered lazy speaking, but between friends, with work
colleagues etc it is just easier and doesn’t mean that we are lazy.
Another example is “Do you want to?” which often becomes “do yer wanna?”
Here is a list I have made of some common phrases that can often be
shortened.
I have got to go – I’ve gotta go

When I come back – when I’m back
What time is it? = what’s the time? (what time do you make it?)
I need to put some fuel in my car – I need to fill up (my car)
Do you sell sandwiches? Have you any sandwiches (sarnies)
Do you have a pen I can borrow please? Have you a pen please?
Could you pass me the salt please – could I have the salt please?
Did you take any good photographs when you were on holiday? did you take
any good pictures(photos) on your holidays?
I’m trying to show you examples of where we use alternative sentences to

those that would normally be taught in English classes.
I’m also trying to avoid (as much as I can) using examples of dialect – because
some dialects in England shorten words as a feature of the dialect.
I’ll give you an example: Do you have a pen I can borrow please – often
becomes Have you got a pen please? and in my dialect, I could say “d’y’ave a
pen please?”
So I’m not trying to show you dialects in this podcast – I’m simply discussing
how we choose different sentences sometimes – because they seem less
formal, friendlier, easier to say – for quite a number of reasons. Often it may be
simply because of habit. Do y’want a coffee? is much more common to ask as a
question to a friend or member of the family than “would you like a cup of
coffee?”
This type of “everyday speech” is, I think, what can make it more difficult for
English learners to understand when listening to spoken English – it is quite
often not like the written standard forms.
Some other examples:
Hello! it’s very nice to see you, please come in – “Hi, come on in!”
Well, I am really tired so I should go to bed – “I’m off to bed - I’m tired”
Did you enjoy that TV programme that was shown yesterday evening? Did you
like that programme on telly yesterday evening?
Hopefully, you’ll be able to hear and read these differences and it may give you
more understanding of why English may seem more complex – when in fact, it
is often being made simpler to make it easier and quicker to have a
conversation between friends and family.
See you next time
Bye!
Rock Abby Lee

June 17th, 2007
A guitar interlude for you - I hope my playing gets you on your feet!
The title is actually “rockabilly” - but I decided that it looked better as “Rock
Abby Lee”
Poem - I wandered lonely as a cloud - by

Wlliam Wordsworth
June 9th, 2007
I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud by William Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced, but they

Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company!
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils
Weekend Words # 2
May 24th, 2007
Hello again. I’ve often wondered why so many people learning English want to
have “near-native” accents. I discuss this phenomenon a little here… Transcript
at: www.alanpalmer@blogspot.com See you in after the 3rd of June! Keep the
messages coming…
More on accents
May 24th, 2007
Hello everyone
As I’m travelling to Germany this coming weekend, I am recording my chatcast
today.
Today’s chatcast is about language learning and accents.
I think a lot of people who learn English have concerns about their accent. First
and foremost, is it understandable to other people? Does it sound “right”? What
do native speakers think when they hear it? Will it ever become like a “native
speaker”?
Many questions like this come to mind. I have talked to many people over the
years who are learning English and I often hear them say ” I would like to
improve my English” and also ” I would like to improve my accent – to sound
more “British” or “American”
I often wonder why this is. Why does it seem important to have a “near-native”
accent? Maybe it is because it is a personal ambition to speak well, where
people will appreciate the learner’s ability to speak naturally, without the need
to explain “I am from this country or that country”
On the other hand, it can be a desire to lose the accent of the mother tongue,
because maybe the learner don’t like their own language so much and would
prefer to speak English – or even to live in an English-speaking country.
I get a bit concerned that some people would like to “hide” their accent and
work very hard to sound exactly like a native speaker, because which accent
should they copy? For instance in England there are many different accents and
dialects that are not the “standard” accent – which in our country is called
“received pronunciation”
More native speakers speak with a regional accent than speak “received
pronunciation”
The important thing surely is communication? As a native English speaker I
hear a lot of different accents when I travel around the country, on TV and
radio and when I travel to other countries. I’m sure I speak for many of us
native speakers when I say that for us accents matter less than good
communication. In other words, a person speaking with a foreign accent is fine
as long as we can understand what is being said. We are used to hearing many
different English accents – not just across the country but from around the
world. We don’t think it so important when we meet someone from another
country who is learning English and we hear an accent.
In fact, very often many people from foreign countries speak more clearly and
with better grammar than many native speakers.
My advice is to try to improve your accent if you want to or if you can, but don’t
get too concerned about it if you feel you are not making progress.
Having said all this, I can give you some tips and hints for a more natural-
sounding English.
First, relax! Try not to get stressed and anxious about speaking – most people
are friendly and appreciate that you are speaking English. Some mistakes are
acceptable.
Secondly. Take your time speaking – don’t rush to say all you want to say. Many
non-natives try to speak too quickly when they speak English. Try listening to a
few English native speakers and you’ll realise that not many speak very fast.
Thirdly. There is no need to apologise for example “I’m sorry my English isn’t so
good” A better approach would be ” I keep trying to improve my English”
Fourthly. Take note of the stress that is put on words. This is very important in
English for a good pronunciation – irrespective of what accent we have. To show
you an example: the number 42 is pronounced FOURTY -two. If it said without
stress on the first syllable “four-ty-two”, it could sound like “for tea too”
To give you an idea what I mean. See what you think about these words, the
first pronunciation is correct
Confident – conFI-dent – Con-fi- DENT
Solution – SOL – u- tion - SoluTION
I hope you have a nice weekend

Bye for now
Alan’s Weekend Words #1

May 19th, 2007
This is a new idea. I’m calling this “Alan’s Weekend Words”
I’m going to just chat about things I hope you find interesting
You can find the transcript on my blog: www.alanpalmer.blogspot.com
Let me know what you think!
Thanks
Alan
Transcript - Alan’s Weekend Words

May 19th, 2007
Hello everyone
Here is a new chatcast. I’m calling this “Alan’s weekend words”. I usually have
a little time at the weekend to make a podcast and this weekend is no
exception. I’m happy to know that you find my recordings interesting and I
hope to keep on making them and hopefully keep your interest at the same
time.
One of the reasons I decided to make these recordings was to create a small
“language corner” where I can tell you some of the things I think are
interesting and important about language. Also, whilst I think language lesson
podcasts can be very good and helpful, I didn’t want to make mine into
language lessons. Firstly, because I’m not a teacher and secondly (and more
importantly in my opinion) because I think that people who are interested in
languages, or are learning languages seriously need a way to hear that
language spoken in a normal, everyday way. A podcast is one way of these
people getting that opportunity.
I try to make my presentations like a “chat” and hopefully this will mean you
will hear something different to language drills or situational dialogues and
vocabulary or grammar tests in my recordings. I will try to just “chat” (inverted
commas) in that, I will just talk about things that interest me or things that I
have heard about that you might find interesting too.
In a week’s time, next Saturday, me and my wife will be going once more to
Germany. We will be going with the Pendle/Kassel community exchange group.
My wife is the leader of the English side of the group. This is a cultural
exchange where a group of people from Pendle (the region in England where I
live) will travel to Kassel in Germany to stay for a week. We will stay with
families in the town.
This exchange has been in existence for 25 years and started as an educational
exchange between a school in Pendle and a school in Kassel. This originally was
for a group of students from each school to take part and visit their
counterparts in either Germany or in England. The idea of the visit was to stay
for a week with families, enjoying life with a family, and having excursions
through the day to visit interesting places. Each year one school would host the
visit and the other year they would be guests. This means that the visits took
place annually – England one year and Germany the other year.
After a few years of successful student annual visits, some of the students’
parents were interested in taking part and they also enjoyed visiting and
staying with families. These days, anyone can join at any age. We have
members as young as 12 and as old as 78. This is a good opportunity for older
and younger people to do things together, although of course not all the
activities we do are for everyone. For example maybe the adults would visit a
museum and the younger people would go swimming.
I like this exchange visit very much. It also gives me a chance to speak German
and see more of the country and culture. My wife does not speak German, but
she is fine because some people in the group can speak English and often
language problems can be overcome easily by taking a bit of time to speak
slowly. If necessary, we can always use a dictionary or phrase book or even
make a sign of what we want to say.
I think these sort of exchanges between people from different countries can
work very well and I’m looking forward to going and telling you about it
afterwards.
As I am just chatting using my normal way of speaking, if you find some of the
vocabulary difficult, please let me know and I’ll explain it more next time I
make a podcast.
Don’t forget that you can read the transcription at my blog:
www.alanpalmer.blogspot.com
Bye for now

Tschuess
A la prochaine
Zaijian!
Uncategorized 2 Comments »
Podcast #5 songwords
May 19th, 2007
Les Champs-Elysées
Je m’baladais sur l’avenue le cœur ouvert à l’inconnu, J’avais envie de dire

bonjour à n’importe qui
N’importe qui et ce fut toi, je t’ai dit n’importe quoi. Il suffisait de te parler,
pour t’apprivoiser
Aux Champs-Elysées, aux Champs-Elysées Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à

minuit
Il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Elysées
I was strolling down the avenue wondering what I should do. I felt the need to
say “bonjour” to everyone
Then suddenly you came to view. I came right up to talk to you
And everything felt right there on the Champs Elysees
Oh Champs Elysees, Oh Champs Elysees. In the rain or in the sun - from

morning till the day is done - There’s all that you could need there on the
Champs Elysees
Tu m’as dit “J’ai rendez-vous dans un sous-sol avec des fous, qui vivent la
guitare à la main, du soir au matin”
Alors je t’ai accompagnée, on a chanté, on a dansé et l’on n’a même pas pensé
à s’embrasser
You told me that you’d a rendez-vous -at a café bar where there are people who
Like to party through the night - until daylight
So I came along and we danced and sang - to the sweet music of the band
Didn’t even stop to kiss there on the Champs-Elysees

minuit
Hier soir deux inconnus et ce matin sur l’avenue - deux amoureux tout étourdis
par la longue nuit
Et de l’Étoile à la Concorde, un orchestre à mille cordes - tous les oiseaux du
point du jour chantent l’amour
Aux Champs-Elysées, aux Champs-Elysées - yesterday two strangers who, this

morning on the avenue
Are lovers weary from that long and special night. And in this new Parisian
scene
We’ve just begun to live our dream - and sing our song of love there on the
Champs Elysees

minuit
Oh Champs Elysees, Oh Champs Elysees. In the rain or in the sun - from

morning till the day is done - There’s all that you could need there on the
Champs Elysees
French song # 2 with English words

May 19th, 2007
This song is very well known in France. It is called “Les Champs Elysees”. It was
sung by Joe Dassin, who was born in America - but sang many songs in French.
I wrote the English words - which is a translation from the French with my own
style added. So, my version here is in both languages and I hope you like my
version.
Songwords here: www.alanpalmer.blogspot.com
Language "Chatcast"
May 14th, 2007
I’m just “chatting” about language here today
Transcript at my blog: alanpalmer.blogspot.com
Podcast #4 Transcript
May 14th, 2007
Hello
Welcome to my 4th podcast
This time I wanted to carry on the theme of making my podcasts more like a
Chat. When we learn languages, it’s often quite difficult to get the chance to
actually hear someone speaking in a casual way, as we do in a conversation, I
am hoping to do this today a little with my podcast.
I think it’s a good way to see how everyday speech sounds. I know it’s a little
difficult to have a “chat” as I’m speaking on my own, but on the other hand I
am so used to using text chat in Paltalk and other chat programs, that I thought
I could just talk and write down what I said and hopefully it will sound like we
are having a conversation – you and me.
I was very grateful to Alba, from Paltalk for telling me about the Podcast
website, because it means that I can easily post (as it is called) a podcast to
the site when I have made them.
I’ll put the text on my blog.
It is interesting how words are created. Computer and Internet terms are
springing up all the time and the two words “blog” for “weblog” or web diary
and podcast from “I-pod and broadcast” are two quire recent words which are
now well known in Internet circles.
The English language is always expanding. It’s interesting to think how many
words have come into the language since I was a child. Also words become old-
fashioned and disappear from use. This makes English one of the biggest
languages in terms of vocabulary as well as number of people who speak it.
In Britain there are many accents. I speak with a Northern English accent, or
more precisely with a Lancashire accent, but even in Lancashire there are quite
a number of slightly different sounding accents. So I could say that I speak with
a East Lancashire accent. Even then, I could say that some words and vowel
sounds are a little different between the town where I live and the next town
nearby.
These differences are quite small and you would probably have to have been
brought up in the region to hear it. In fact accents are changing quite a lot in
my country. Most people used to speak with a pronounced (or strong) regional
or local accent, and many still do, but a lot of the accents are not as strong as
they used to be and this is because people move around the country more than
they used to in the past. Also, TV and films have a big influence and people
modify their speech to make themselves more understandable to others.
Some of the more noticeable differences are the short open vowels in the North
such as “bath” where in the south it would sound more like “bath” (long a)
In the North people often shorten the word where the “th” in the word “the”
sometimes is shortened to “t” - walking t’dog instead of “walking the dog”. A
recent Northern pronunciation which sounds quite funny is ” t’Internet” instead
of “the Internet”
I’ll talk more about accents another time.
If you find that some of the words or phrases a little difficult to understand,
then please leave me a comment and I’ll try to explain it.
I’ve started to use podcasts myself for learning languages. I love
Chinesepod.com for listening to Mandarin chinese. The podcasts are really
interesting and helpful. I’ve also found some useful French podcasts and Alba’s
Spanish podcasts here in this site are really great.
It’s great that we can listen to interesting presentations so easily these days. I
remember when I was young I used to have a short wave transistor radio and I
used to try an listen to other languages but the quality was always poor and
the radio stations I did find were very faint and the language and country
seemed so far away. Nowadays it is so easy to contact people and speak with
them around the world. I think it is really fantastic that the technology exists
that allows this to happen. It makes you wonder how this will develop in the
future.
I hope you like the guitar tune introduction that I play on my podcasts.
Although I play a few different styles, I thought this folky tune would suit my
style – a relaxed style. Some of you have remarked that you like my style of
presenting and I’m glad about that – as it is my preferred style and I wouldn’t
want you to be bored listening.
If you have any suggestions for my chatcasts (as I prefer to call them) let me
know. For the moment, I am just talking about things that interest me in the
hope that you find it interesting too.
Here are some different ways to say goodbye in English
Bye for now
See you!
Ta ta for now
Byee
See you later
See you in a bit
So long
Cheerio
Toodle-oo
See you next time
Podcast # 3 supplementary (French song)

May 13th, 2007
San Francisco
Paroles et Musique: Maxime Le Forestier 1973
C’est une maison bleue
It’s a blue house
Adossée à la colline
Which backs on to a hill
On y vient à pied, on ne frappe pas
You go there by foot, you don’t knock
Ceux qui vivent là, ont jeté la clé
Those who live there have thrown the key away
On se retrouve ensemble
We meet up together
Après des années de route
After years on the road
Et l’on vient s’asseoir autour du repas
And we all sit together to eat
Tout le monde est là, à cinq heures du soir
Everyone is there until 5am
CHORUS
San Francisco s’embrume
San Francisco is in the haze
San Francisco s’allume
San Francisco is lighting up
San Francisco, où êtes vous
San Francisco, where are you?
Liza et Luc, Sylvia, attendez-moi
Liza and Luc, Sylvia – wait for me
Nageant dans le brouillard

Swimming in the fog
Enlacés, roulant dans l’herbe
Rolling on the grass
On écoutera Tom à la guitare
You can hear Tom on the guitar
Phil à la kena, jusqu’à la nuit noire
Phil on the Ken flute until night falls
Un autre arrivera
Another is coming
Pour nous dire des nouvelles
To tell us the news
D’un qui reviendra dans un an ou deux
Of someone who’s coming in a year or two
Puisqu’il est heureux, on s’endormira
Since he is happy, we’ll sleep easy
CHORUS
San Francisco se lève
San Francisco is rising
San Francisco se lève
San Francisco is rising
San Francisco ! où êtes vous
San Francisco, where are you?
C’est une maison bleue.

It’s a blue house
Accrochée à ma mémoire
Hooked onto my memory
On y vient à pied, on ne frappe pas
You go there by foot, you don’t knock
Ceux qui vivent là, ont jeté la clef
Those who live there have thrown
the key away
Peuplée de cheveux longs
Populated with the long hairs
De grands lits et de musique
Big beds and music
Peuplée de lumière, et peuplée de foules
Populated with light and crowds
Elle sera dernière à rester debout
She will be the last one standing
CHORUS
Si San Francisco s’effondre
If San Francisco falls apart
Si San Francisco s’effondre
If San Francisco falls apart
San Francisco ! Où êtes vous
San Francisco – where are you?
French song
May 13th, 2007
This podcast is my version of the song “San Francisco” in French
I translated the lyrics into English - it’s a difficult but rewarding exercise! These
lyrics, along with the French lyrics are on my blog (Podcast #3 supplementary)
(The original singer was Maxime le Forestier - the song is circa 1973)
You can see Maxime singing here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxCAZ6ZT2qg
Alan’s language learning top 10 tips!

February 13th, 2007
Based on my experiences, here are my Top 10 language learning tips:
1. Keep motivated even when you are frustrated with your progress - which will
sometimes happen - Rome wasn’t built in a day! Don’t expect to become fluent
very quickly, learning a language well takes many years. But always remember
that any level allows communication.
2. Keep interested in new words - they are the key to any progress
3. Enjoy using the language you already have - many people often say that
they are “not yet good enough” - but forget what they have already achieved
and what opportunities it brings.
4. Use the Internet as and when you can. There is a fantastic amount of useful
material, not to mention interesting and useful blogs and chatrooms.
5. Read in the target language as much as you can. But don’t try to read at a
level too high - or you will get frustrated. Try reading for enjoyment sometimes
at the level you are at - or just a little higher. You will find this encouraging.
6. Make as many friends as you can that speak the target language - maybe
you could join a language club where people learn together. I am a member of
3 French language clubs and 2 German language club. If you find it difficult to
find a club, you could try to make some “virtual friends” online.
7. Don’t think of mistakes as failure - this is negative. Think of mistakes as
“feedback” and then you learn to find ways to reduce them by keeping a
postive attitude. When did you see a young child worry about making
mistakes?
8. Take every opportunity to speak the language and engage with people. If
you can’t find anyone to talk with, then talk about things with yourself (out of
earshot or people will start to wonder…) I have some interesting conversations
with myself whilst driving…!
9. Learn about the culture of the country or countries where the language is
spoken when you have some spare time. For example: English culture is
somewhat different to the USA but we have many similarities and we do speak
the same language - or do we? In reality there are quite a few differences
between American English and British English. However these variations in
accent and dialect happen with other languages too.
10. Finally don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t progress as fast as you
would like to. Learning a language isn’t a smooth process - you can learn a lot
quickly sometimes - then sometimes the progress is slow. Always think of
language learning as a long-term project not a short-term project and you’ll
enjoy it more.
Finally, here is my own favourite saying (I wrote it myself)
“Enjoy what you know and the rest will only grow”
February 5th, 2007

Welcome to my multi-language blog!
My experiences learning French

February 5th, 2007
Learning French as an Adult

by Alan R. Palmer Orgininally written May 2000 for french.about.com (updated
for this blog February 2007)
“I’d really like to be fluent in a second language.”
A very easy statement to make, but what would it actually involve? This is what
I had been asking myself for as long as I can remember. I think it all started at
primary school when I was about 8 years old. A temporary teacher had been
recruited for several weeks in order to help out during our usual teacher’s
illness. She was meant to just teach the normal curriculum, but for some
reason offered the class a small amount of French language instruction one
day. This both surprised and really interested me at the time and I still can
remember some of the small amount of vocabulary provided: “La porte,” “la
plume,” etc. I certainly can’t remember actually stringing any sentences
together. The lessons quickly stopped and soon we were back with the usual
arithmetic and English lessons on our teacher’s return. The event had sown a
seed that was to be very slow growing as it turned out.
I started to want to learn another language from that point, but living in a small
rural community in north-west England (I lived on a farm and my parents had
never ventured that far in England let alone somewhere “exotic” like France!) it
wasn’t possible to travel abroad anyway due to the commitments of the farm
and I accepted that this may not be something that I could try until much later.
I did often think about what it would be like to be able to understand the
strange sounds that I used to hear on my transistor radio late at night. French
stations can be heard in England due to the proximity of the countries. Having
waited to be able to have a serious attempt to learn French on entering
secondary school (high school) at the age of 11, I very quickly found out that
“the boys don’t learn French, they learn German.” French was exclusively for
girl students. This inexplicable rule applied and I had to then start to learn “Die
Tur” instead of “la porte.” This disappointed me as I liked the sound of the
French language and had hoped to carry on with this. Unfortunately the
school’s style of teaching for German did not suit me: rote learning from the
blackboard, drills, grammar and more grammar. It did dampen my enthusiasm
a little, but I persevered until I left school.
Having left school to become a farmer and work with my father, I found that I
still hadn’t lost the idea of learning a language and decided that I would start
again during my spare time. I bought a small “Teach yourself Italian” book
which, on trying to work through a few pages, told me that I wouldn’t learn
within a few weeks and this quickly ended up in a bottom drawer.
I left the farm to get married a few years later. I then had another attempt at
German by attending an evening school class. This was quite successful for a
while as I saw it as a way to restart my language learning ambition – but all too
soon it was interrupted by the “patter of tiny feet.” Family and work
commitments then began to narrow down the reasons to learn. My ambition
had been to actually be able to speak the language in a “real” situation by
visiting the country and as this had become unlikely with having little money
and a young family, I again put the idea of learning another language “on the
back-burner.”
Time passed and my family was growing up. It was 1991 and I had reached the
grand old age of 35 and my wife and I were discussing visiting the new
“EuroDisney” park near Paris, which was to be completed in 1992. We decided
to save up to have our first family holiday “abroad” and also see something of
France. This was my opportunity! I said to my wife that I wasn’t going to France
if I couldn’t speak some of the language as I was determined to learn at least
“enough to get by.” I was lying of course, but it was my excuse to start again
and learn French this time. I also wanted to know what I needed to do to be
able to teach myself.
I visited our local library and found a book entitled “How to learn a foreign
language quickly.” I was shocked to find that I would have to (according to the
book): buy lots of language books, French newspapers, magazines and audio
tapes and spend at least 15 hours per week on studying at home. The book
really spelled out the necessary effort that would have to be put into the task. I
didn’t bother borrowing the book and went home a bit disheartened but not put
off. I just needed the right ideas and help.
My wife started the “ball rolling.” She proudly brought home a second-hand
“Complete French course” which comprised of audio tapes and books. I
thanked her for her efforts and began this course that was going to help me
speak “like a native.” Unfortunately it was very old and consisted of learning
sentences such as: “Please ask the maid to enter the room.” I couldn’t see
myself having need for this, not actually having the money to employ a maid!
On the other hand it was quite useful for helping with the difficult task of
starting to learn French pronunciation.
I then decided to opt for the good old BBC. The British television channel was
offering some good beginner’s courses in French and at reasonable prices so
that was my best option. People have asked why I didn’t opt for more evening
classes and I have to say that I really wanted to teach myself. It seemed that I
would be able to decide how fast I learned and what methods were best for me
within reason. Obviously I needed resources and help from somewhere. The
self-instruction BBC courses I started to use seemed good enough to be able to
start to make real progress.
After a year of listening to tapes, reading through the texts and slowly picking
my way through the exercises, we were ready for the trip to France! We had a
marvelous holiday and it was also a great success from a language point of
view, as I actually was able to try out my beginner’s vocabulary and phrases
directly with the natives. Most responses to my feeble attempts went over my
head, but in general I enjoyed the experience and did certainly “get by.” We
also met a French family one evening at our holiday centre and spent the
following day with them on their invitation. This provided me some “real”
language experience and some amusing moments where a dictionary was
called-for in order to sort things out!
On our return to England I was determined to carry on and make this my

“hobby.” I needed to continue to devote quite an amount of time to the venture
and decided I would have to be very patient and take my time in order to
become “fluent.” I had by that time a demanding job as a Production manager
and didn’t want to affect my progress in my career or disrupt my home life
either.
“The main quest had then begun”

We found the money to be able to visit France the following year and again had
a great time. I found that I could do more than just “get by” by that stage – but
I realised my vocabulary was still limited. I felt I needed to expand my level in
the language and I had heard about a new course offered by the Open
University of Great Britain. Although established as a University and offering
many different courses, a language course was a new venture for the OU. All
courses offered by the Open University are basically offered as correspondence
courses, but of a very high quality. This suited me as I knew it would offer me
an academically challenging course that I could do mostly at home. I realised
on taking a preliminary test that I wasn’t at the right level and waited another
year to try again. I managed to start the course “Diploma in French” in 1995
which was to last for three years.
I followed the course through each year which comprised an academic year
from February to October. The course consisted of structured lessons with a
number of assignments marked by either a computer or tutor. Things had really
started to develop now and I became aware of how much I needed to learn and
also excited by the challenge.
The first year went well and I passed the end-of-year exam with a satisfactory
result. This meant that I could carry on to the following year. This second year
was much more demanding, but involved a week “summer school” at the
University of Caen in Normandy. I really enjoyed the chance to meet other adult
students who were doing the same course and we had a really interesting week
with some intensive lessons and trips into town, taking notes and visiting
different parts of the town. The third year saw a much increased workload and
a welcome repeat visit to summer school in Caen . By this time I had realised I
was putting in 15 hours per week (as the library book had suggested!) and I
made the effort to achieve a pass result when the final exam came in October
1998. I had achieved a qualification in French! This was something I had not
expected when I started learning.
Did I feel fluent? Well I could hold a conversation fairly well without many
mistakes and I realised that my initial concept of fluency had now changed.
Where I had hoped to be able to speak just about general topics, I could
discuss more specific things and understood quite a lot more of the French and
Francophone culture.
What was I to do after the end of the diploma course? Well I had already joined
a local French association that organised visits between “Twin towns” - a
European idea where towns are “twinned” for cultural exchange with a
counterpart in another European country. Our local town was twinned with a
town just outside Paris and my family and I were lucky enough to be able to
stay with a French family during a visit in 1998. This was particularly enjoyable
as I could use my improving language skills and help other colleagues who
weren’t French speakers during the visit.
More recently I have had some private lessons at home with a French teacher.
Just one hour per fortnight which I found particularly useful for helping to
improve my conversation skills and pronunciation.
To conclude, I find that Paltalk.com has become an excellent follow-up to all I

have done before concerning learning a second language. I have found, since
starting to visit the site 4 years ago, that my ability to communicate in French
does not now just extend to France only – but thanks to the Internet, to a whole
world community of French learners and native speakers.
I have the blog and my room in Paltalk which now extends to other languages,
where I can share my learning experiences and meet people who feel similar
things about learning French as I do. My 15 years of seriously learning French
has been very enjoyable as well as challenging and I have found it can be a
life-enhancing venture to learn another language. I still am not sure whether
I’m fluent yet or not, but to be honest, I’m more interested now in just using my
existing skills and trying to keep developing. This probably means you never
actually completely “learn” a language - rather you “keep trying to learn.” It is
important that you learn by whichever method suits you best. I also think it’s
important to remember to keep a sense of achievement for what you have
learned.
Alan’s English,francais, Deutsch & Nederlands

Language Blog
July 23rd, 2005
Alan’s English,francais, Deutsch & Nederlands Language Blog
Hello! I am 49-year-old Conformity Manager from Northwest England. I am

married with two grown-up sons. My interest in learning another language
began when I was young and I started learning German at 11 years old, but I
didn’t take up learning French until the age of 35. Since that time I have
pursued the goal of fluency as a serious hobby. I restarted German in 2001 and
I have just started learning Dutch. I have a language room in Paltalk.com with
this name also.
Hallo,
Ik ben een 49 jaar oude Conformitymanager uit Noordwest Engeland.
Ik ben getrouwd en we hebben 2 volwassen zonen. Mijn interesse in het leren
van buitenlandse talen begon al toen ik jong was, ik begon met Duits toen ik 11
was. Maar met Frans begon ik niet eerder dan toen ik 35 jaar oud werd.
Sindsdien werd het mijn doel om vloeiend te worden in deze talen. Ik ben in
2001 opnieuw met Duits begonnen en sinds kort met Nederlands. Ook heb ik in
Paltalk.com een room met deze naam.
Bonjour,
J’ai 49 ans et je suis responsable de conformité de l’Angleterre du nord-ouest.

Je suis marié et nous avons deux fils adultes. Mon interêt sur les langues a
commencé quand j’étais petit et j’ai commencé l’allemand à l’âge de 11 ans,
mais je ne commence pas le français jusqu’à l’âge de 35 ans, Depuis ce temps
la, je continue à suivre mon objectif de parler avec facilité comme passe-
temps. J’ai récommencé d’apprendre l’allemand en 2001 et je viens de
commencer le niérlandais. J’ai une “room” sur Paltalk.com avec ce nom
également.
Hallo!
Ich bin 49 Jahre, Conformitymanager aus Nordwest England. Ich bin verheiratet
und habe 2 erwachsene Söhne. Mein Interesse Sprachen zu lernen begann
bereits in meiner Jugend. Mit 11 Jahren fing ich an Deutsch zu lernen. Erst mit
35 Jahren habe in angefangen Französisch zu lernen. Seit dieser Zeit habe ich
mir zum Ziel gesetzt diese Sprachen zu beherrschen und betreibe es als
ernsthaftes Hobby. Im Jahr 2001 begann ich wieder Deutsch zu lernen. Auch
habe ich jetzt angefangen Holländisch zu lernen. In Paltalk.com habe ich einen
Chatraum mit dem gleichen Namen.
¡Hola! Tengo 49 años de edad y soy Gerente de la Companía Conformity en el

Noroeste de Inglaterra. Estoy casado, y tengo dos hijos, ya adultos. Mi interés
en aprender otro idioma comenzó de joven , y comencé a estudiar Alemán a los
11 años de edad, pero no emprendí el estudio de Francés hasta la edad de 35.
Desde ese entonces, he perseguido la meta de adquirir fluidez como un hobby,
pero con mucha seriedad. Reinicié el aprendizaje de Alemán en el 2001, y
recientemente he iniciado mis estudios de Holandés. Tengo también una sala
de Lengua en Paltalk.con con éste mismo nombre.
After the introductions, this is my first posting of my blog! Well, I’d first like to
thank all the nice people who visit my room in Paltalk and particularly “Happy
to learn Russian” for his help with the Dutch translation. I’ve a long way to go
to be able to write Dutch that well! I’d like to also thank Hipfe for the German
translation - prima!
Well, it’s over 2 years since I opened my Paltalk room and I am so pleased with
how things have progressed. I’m planning to put some interesting information
here for both myself and my chat friends. Time will tell how useful a “blog” is.
My son convinced me to set one up. He’s a web designer and he set the blog
up for me - but to tell the truth it wasn’t that difficult - even I could have done
it
Well that is about it for today. My idea is to post in the four languages - so as
usual I set my sights high!
For today, I’ve left you a lovely picture of Pendle Hill taken from my parents’
farmland by a French friend who visited my region in 2003, Jean-Marie. Thanks
Jean-Marie for one of my favourite photos!
Take care everyone!
Alan
Local Markets
Hello everybody,
I have had some nice feedback from visitors to my site. I have realised that to
help people with English, it is sometimes very useful to talk about cultural
activities.
Today I want to talk about small markets we have in some towns in England.
Today, we went to a town called Skipton, near where I live. We visited a small
market. This was called a “Farmers’ market”. It is where local produce can be
sold. It is an alternative to supermarkets which are the shops where most
people go shopping for groceries.
However, these markets give people the chance to buy some produce made
locally by private business owners and which can be very good – although more
expensive that supermarket equivalents.
The produce we saw today was: cheese, meats, fruit and vegetables, herbal
oils, sweets (called fudge) and not just food, there was also pottery and
jewellery.
Also in the town was a European market. These are sellers from France and
Germany. They sell speciality products also, but prices are more expensive –
because they have to travel from France and Germany and bring their products
with them. With high fuel prices, it perhaps makes their products a little too
expensive.
At the European market we saw: special German beer, French cheese, biscuits
from Brittany (a region in France) many types of olives and special salami
sausages with meat from wildboar and wild deer.
It is interesting to have the chance to visit these markets. They are held in
quite a number of towns around the country, usually on a Saturday or Sunday.
Of course, many towns have weekly markets. Skipton’s weekly market is held
each Saturday and the stallholders put their stalls along the main street. This
market sells food, clothes and many other products.
Take care
Be good be happy
Bye for now

Listening strategies #1
Hello everybody,
I’m back from my holidays in France.
Today I want to talk about when people speak fast and what you can do to help
understand what is spoken.
I think listening is the most difficult skill of the four skills in language learning
For example:
With writing, we have the chance to decide what we want to write and spend
time on this.
With speaking, we have the chance to decide what we say
With reading, we usually have the chance to read the text many times if we
want to.
I don’t mean that the other skills are easy, they are often very difficult. What I
mean is that with listening to conversational speech we often have no control
over it.
To explain more details:
Often the speaker has an accent•

We cannot control the speed of the• words (unless we deliberately ask the
speaker to slow down – and very often we can’t do that)
Maybe the speaker is using slang or expressions – sometimes• dialect words
Maybe more than one person is speaking at the same time, for• example at a
dinner table
Maybe the subjects being discussed are cultural,• social or political – and these
subjects can be difficult even in our own language.
So, what can we do to make it easier to understand spoken language?
I have some ideas that can help sometimes.
Listen for key words (important words that help understand what is being
discussed)
Listen for small pauses when people think a bit more what they want to say
Listen carefully to the stressed words (this is useful in English because English
words have stress on the pronunciation
If you don’t understand something and it is possible to ask for more
information, then ask a question. Instead of “could you say that again please?”
, say “oh, was I correct in thinking you said this…….?”
If you listen to English radio, then be careful not to listen to something very
complex or you will think you understand nothing, when it is mostly because
the radio speaker is using vocabulary that you don’t yet know.
The most important thing to remember is not to worry –keep relaxed. The
reason I say this is because I know from experience that many people can
communicate well with very few words - providing people are relaxed and
friendly.
To demonstrate, I’ll read a text very fast and then show you why it is perhaps
difficult
From today’s “Daily Mail”
Teenager Holly Herdman clearly hadn't heard that it's not a great idea to
mention you're having a party on a social networking site. And it is especially
unwise if you have been left in charge of the house while your parents are
away. What she claimed was intended as a drink with a few friends ended with
a mob of teenage youths running riot through a small market town.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1047373/Couple-say-sorry-neighbours-
newspaper-advert-daughter-holds-party-leaves-street-like-war-zone.html
Key words: Teenager Holly Herdman not a great idea - having a party -social
networking site- unwise left in charge parents away – claimed –drink with a few
friends – ended up – mob of youths – running riot – through town
If you listen again now to a slower version, you can see that the language is
complex and only 70 words.
Many news items use lots of descriptive words and the language puts a lot of
information in a few sentences. This is difficult to understand if it is spoken fast
as much information is there.
So, knowing more about why listening is difficult helps us to think of ways we
can improve our listening skills
Be good, be happy
Culture: Leeds and Liverpool canal
Hello everybody
This podcast is about the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. The
Leeds and Liverpool Canal is the longest canal in Northern
England at 127 miles (204km) long. It passes through 91
locks with a summit level of 487 feet (148 metres)
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/ll/ll48.htm
The canals of Great Britain are a major part of the network of

inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a
colourful history, from use for irrigation and transport, to
becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's
role mainly used by pleasure boaters. Despite a period of
abandonment, today the canal system in Great Britain is
again in good shape, with many abandoned and derelict
canals being reopened, and even the construction of some
new routes under way.
Weekend Words August 2nd "More on Accent"

Hello everybody.
Many people I speak with who learn English would like to

know how to “improve” their English accent.
It’s always difficult for me to advise on this subject.
Every nationality has a certain accent when they speak

English, including the English themselves.
For those of you who are interested in the way we speak in

Britain, here is a good website
http://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/
To help answer the question, I’ve made a list of things to

think about and I’ll discuss them a little here.
What is an accent?
http://www.buzzin.net/english/accent.htm
This website says:
Accent refers to a speaker's style of pronunciation.

It may signal the regional or social identity of the speaker.
Accent does not refer to the content of what is said
So, this means that most of the time accent is not important
for conversation.
Regional Accent
A “Geordie” accent is the regional speech style used by
speakers in the North East of England.
A “Cockney” accent is the speech style used by some people
in the London area. 'Book' might be pronounced as 'Bewk' in
northern England, but 'Back' in southern England.
Similarly, the term 'car' might be pronounced as 'kaar' and
'caw' in these two regions.
Use
Every geographical area has its own characteristic and
recognisable accent which is used by a group.
Everybody speaks with an accent. Those people who speak
with an accent called received pronunciation [RP] are just
using the accent of prestige.
It is quite common for a person to speak Standard English
with a regional accent.
Accent is not the same thing as dialect. The term dialect
refers to grammar and vocabulary as well as pronunciation.
That is, it describes the content of speech.
Fewer than six percent [yes! - 6%] of the UK population

speak Received Pronunciation (RP). Perhaps this statistic is
surprising when we consider what prestige it has held
historically and currently.
RP was once itself a regional accent - that of the East

Midlands. It acquired its status because East Midlands
speakers converged on London as it became a centre for
merchants. In other words, London became the power base
and the financial centre, and the East Midlands accent
became the spoken standard.
This prestige accent developed alongside the regional accent
of the London area. The co-existence of these two accents
still exists today. The “ Cockney” accent is spoken in the East
End of London by many original Londoners, whilst RP is
spoken by many politicians and by upper-class people who
live and work in the same area.
The Cockney accent is a regional accent, and RP is class-
based.
Many regional speakers feel uncomfortable about their
accent. This perpetuates the deference and prestige given to
RP.
Recent studies have shown that RP speakers will often be
chosen for jobs, despite the superior skills of regional-
speaking competitors.
Some presenters on radio and television are employed even
though they have strong regional accents. However, they
tend to be used on programmes which are not very
prestigious, such as weather forecasts, arts programs, and
regional news bulletins.
Accent can still be a very powerful indicator of status, and it
is often an emotive item in social interaction.
Speech varies subtly between individuals using the same
accent. Because of this, a broad description is all that can be
achieved. This applies to the classification of other accents
too.
(more on the website

http://www.buzzin.net/english/accent.htm)
My feeling is that many people from other countries want to

have an “RP” accent. My opinion is that the most important
thing is clarity of speech. In other words, as long as other
speakers understand, then is it so important?
Of course, when a British person speaks English to an

American, the American will know it is an English person
speaking.
Some nationalities are good at disguising accents. Dutch
people often sound a little like an American when they speak
English.
How do we “improve” an English accent?
My feelings are that we should try to:
Speak as clearly as we can when we are talking. Clear

speaking is always appreciated
Speak a little slower than we would want to – it does make a
difference
Speak with clear vowel sounds: A E I O U
Speak with good endings to words: clocK, workinG, gardeN,
studiO, floweR
Speak with the correct stress on words (use a dictionary to
check the intonation) WELcome, frusTRAtion, LANGuage.
Often English people like to hear different accents. They like

the sound of a foreign accent. It often has a charming sound,
an appeal. Even small mistakes are forgiven.
So, now you know a little more about accents, you can visit
the websites I have given you and make your own mind up. I
only write about my own opinions, so you must always form
your own opinion. That is why I prefer to call my podcasts
“guides”
I am on holiday now for two weeks, but when I am back on

the 19th August I will try to make a podcast for you just after
then.
In the meantime, have a great August (summer in the

northern hemisphere, and for those of you in the southern
hemisphere, I hope it is not too cold)
Bye for now

More on fluency and conversations
Hello everybody. Today I want to talk about how to make your

spoken English flow better and to help you with making it a
little easier to talk to people, particularly native speakers.
To have a good conversation you need to start well, enjoy the

conversation and make it a two way thing and to find a good
way to finish. This is useful and has nothing to do with the
length of time you speak for.
To start off a conversation, try to remember some good

opening sentences:
If you know somebody already… (informal)
“How are you today?”

“Nice to see you, how’s it going?”
“What’s new? How are things?”
“It’s good to see you”
If you are meeting someone for the first time (formal)
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, my name is…..”

“Nice to meet you, my name is, how are you?”
“Let me introduce myself, I’m……(name)”
The next part is to let the other person do something similar

and then you have names. If they use first names, then you
can also use first names.
The next stage is to give yourself time to think. The small
pauses seem to be a long time, but they will only be a few
seconds.
“I’m learning English and…………. I’m finding it so

interesting”
“It’s great to be able to speak with you in English………………,

I’m enjoying learning it”
“I would like to improve my English…..I do have a few

problems now and then, so forgive me if I am a little slow at
times….”
“What a pleasure it is to be able to speak some English…… I

like learning it and I’m hoping to improve it”
Then you can follow my advice about keeping the

conversation going by letting the other person speak more,
asking questions, saying phrases like:
“ah really?”
“that’s interesting”
“I see”
“hmmm, well you make a good point there”
“I agree with you…” (if you do agree)
“That’s right!”
If you are uncertain, or you don’t understand so well

“Oh, I’m not sure what you mean there…”
“Could you repeat that please?”
“That’s interesting, but I’m not sure what you meant by……”
“Really? Well, it’s certainly something to think about”
Many of these sorts of sentences can be used to keep

conversations going and also give you time to relax and
enjoy the conversation because most of the work will be on
the other person.
The more time you can give yourself in a conversation, the

more time you have to think of the right words you want to
say .
If they ask you what you think about something and you are
not sure what to say, then you can use these sorts of
phrases:
“Oh, I’m not sure about that, tell me what you think again
please?”
“Well, I would think it is something to consider yes,”
“I think it’s not easy to answer that, what’s your opinion?”
All the time, these sentences and pauses give you more time
without the other person realising that you are doing this
because they are also answering your questions.
Enjoy your conversations….

Bye for now
Song Title: "I'll Be Back" by Alan Palmer (Original Artists: The

Beatles from Hard Day's Night)
Hello,
Today I am playing a Beatles song for you - which I like very

much. Here are the songwords:
You know, if you break

my heart I'll go
But I'll be back again
'cause I told you once before goodbye
But I came back again
I love you so, oh

I'm the one who wants you
Yes I'm the one who wants you
oh, ho, oh, ho, oh
You could find better things to do

Than to break my heart again
This time I will try to show that I'm
Not trying to pretend
I thought that you would realize

That if I run away from you
that you would want me to
But I got a big surprise
Oh, ho, oh, ho, oh
You could find better things to do

Than to break my heart again
This time I will try to show that I'm
Not trying to pretend
I want to go
But I hate to leave you
You know I hate to leave you
Oh, ho, Oh, ho
You, if you break my heart I'll go

But I'll be back again
Bye for now

Alan
Speaking with native (or near native) speakers of English

Today I’d like to tell you more on starting conversations with
native speakers when you are travelling to England, or
another English speaking country. Also how to make the
conversation more friendly.
Places you can safely start conversations in the country
where English is spoken:
Hotel reception areas

Train station platforms
Bus stops
Tourist information offices
In shops
Museums/Art Galleries
Taxis
Airport lounges
Hairdressers
Ice cream kiosks
Newspaper stands
Restaurants/cafes
Car boot sales
On the beach
I don’t recommend talking to people in the street, unless it’s

just to ask for the time or directions.
Of course, speaking with people you don’t know isn’t the

ideal way to practice English, but it is often these places
where people who are learning English can have the
opportunity to speak it , as they maybe don’t know any
native speakers.
So, be careful where you speak and to whom. This is just

common sense. If you are a woman alone, then speak to
people in public places. It will be surprising that maybe you
can start an interesting conversation and get chance to
practice.
1. Decide the reason for speaking to somebody. Maybe to

find something about a place or just get to know more about
what the place is like.
2. Ask a small question to start with “Could you tell me?” or
“Do you know where/what time/how etc…?”
3. One the conversation has started, slow down your speech
more that you want to, this will give you some time to think
more about what you want to say and also give the person
you are speaking with the chance to get used to your
particular accent.
4. Don’t forget to add “please” or “Thank you” where you
need to and also nod your head a bit to show that you
understand what the other person is saying.
5. Ask small questions and if they give you a long answer
that you can’t remember (for instance, with directions) say
“Oh, thanks, let me just write that down please”
6. If they ask about you, be glad to tell them (but not very
personal information)
7. Don’t talk about: money, politics, religion unless you get to
know the person quite well (say if you are staying in the
same hotel for some days)
8. Enjoy the conversation – never worry about mistakes –
keep the conversation light-hearted and not too detailed.
9. When the conversations stops, don’t forget to say
something like “it was nice talking with you”
10. If you want to take a photo for any reason, don’t forget to
ask first if the other person minds.
Weekend Words July 13th "Stress on words" #2

Hello everybody,
Some languages use tones or stress sounds (like Chinese)

which shows meaning. Today’s Weekend words is more about
how in English we use tones on different words when we
speak. This is used for emphasis on meaning and also it
makes language more interesting. I have found a nice text for
you and I will read this out loud.
1. The first reading will be without stress on any word (this is

a false way of speaking which we do not do in English, but it
will show you what unstressed English would sound like.
2. The second reading will show you where I place the stress
on words:
• At the end of each sentence there is also a little down
sound to complete the idea.
Listen to the words which have a little more stress to show
that• these words are important (breed, much-lamented,
Christmas time)
Listen to• the words in a list: (cheap tat, reality shows,
makeover shows and news) We can read this with a steady
sound
However, please don’t worry if you can’t decide how to say

the right stress on words. It isn’t so important for people
learning English as a second language – you will still be
understood. The reason I discuss this today is to show you
some of the way native speakers speak.
This text is about two comedians called “Eric Morecambe and

Ernie Wise” who were very popular in England. They became
part of British entertainment culture in the 1960s and
particularly in the 1970s.
Be good, be happy
Bye for now

http://www.ericandern.co.uk/
Welcome to Eric & Ern, the Morecambe & Wise website, a
tribute to Britains best loved and most popular comedy
double act.
Double acts have come and gone, and are somewhat of a
dying breed now. No longer is there the thriving club circuit
to learn the trade or indeed the much-lamented
entertainment shows that gave many comics their early
break.
Even our beloved television has been swamped with
hundreds of useless channels showing nothing but cheap tat,
reality shows, makeover shows and news. The bright spots
used to be the yesteryear channels such as UK Gold which
often showed classic Morecambe & Wise shows from the
golden days. Sadly Eric and Ernie are not on as commonly as
they were in the early years of satellite TV.
Morecambe & Wise are, of course, usually with us at
Christmas time. For fans around the globe, they will always
be with us - in our hearts. Eric once said that he wanted
people to remember and to keep watching the shows, or it
would have all been for nothing. . Well - it wasn't all for
nothing, and if this site goes some way to keeping them in
our minds, then we have achieved something.
English Castles
History of the English Castle
Many English castles were built of stone during the Medieval

era. But the history of the English castle goes back much
further! Exploring the History of the English Castle takes us
as far back to the Neolithic Period - to Stone Age History!
Understanding the History of the word 'castle'
The word 'castle' is derived from the Latin words castellum,

meaning fortress, and castrum meaning a ortified place. The
castle can be defined as the following:
"A safe place against intrusion or invasion"

Another definition is:
"A large fortified (strengthened)building "
The history of the English Castle can date back to the time
when people started to live in settled communities – which
was the Stone Age over 7000 years ago!
The History of the English Castle becomes clearer!

When looking at the History of the English Castle we need to
look for people who worked together to create, or build, a
safe place to live against invasion!
This would apply to the people living in England during the

Neolithic Period, the Stone Age (7000 years ago) then on to
the people of the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Romans and
finally on to the Medieval era.
By the time we reach the history of the Renaissance period

(14th to 17th century)the castle was used as a symbol of
wealth and power rather than a necessary safe place against
invasion! At this point in time and history the castle was
replaced with the 'Palace', a large or splendid residence.
The History of the English Castle - The Stone Age ( 3000 -

1800 BC )
We can travel back in the History of the English Castle to
discover very old buildings like Stonehenge.
The History of the English Castle - The Bronze Age ( 1800 -

600 BC )
We look to Bronze Age period of history to discover the
Hillforts of England, the biggest being Maiden Castle
The History of the English Castle - The Iron Age and the
Romans ( 600 BC - 400 AD )
The Hillforts were developed even further during the history
of the Iron Age and then the Romans invaded England and
made structures such as the massive Hadrian's Wall and the
Roman Forts
The History of the English Castle

The Dark Ages, also know as Anglo-Saxon England ( 400 AD -
1066 AD )
The Fall of the Roman Empire led to a time in the history of
England when the Celts of England were invaded by the
Scots, the Welsh, the Saxons and the Vikings. A new National
Defence system was established by Alfred the Great by the
formation of fortified towns called 'Burhs' (later changed to
Burghs then Boroughs) The Dark Ages - Alfred the Great - the
Burhs.
The History of the English Castle

The Medieval Period also known as the Middle Ages ( 1066 -
1500 )
The Norman Invasion heralded the Medieval period, or the
Middle Ages. The Normans introduced the wooden Motte and
Bailey castles which were immediately followed by the
construction of stone castles and Keeps such as the Tower of
London in the History of the English Castle - . The Medieval
Kings of England went on to build the magnificent Windsor
Castle and Warwick Castle. The English King Edward I
conquered Wales where he constructed massive fortifications
called Concentric castles such as Conwy Castle, Harlech
Castle and Caernarvon Castle.
Here is a website where you can see photos of castles in
England
http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/list-eng.php
http://www.ecastles.co.uk/sitecastle.html
Attitudes to learning June 30th
I am now posting on my new website www.language-

explorer.co.uk - check it out, watch this space! Alan
Hello everybody
Today I want to talk about attitude to language learning.

Having a good attitude to learning language helps overcome
barriers to learning. These barriers may be personal barriers,
or physical barriers.
Examples of personal barriers
How we personally feel about our progress

Our ability to remember words, phrases, grammar points
Our feelings about how well we pronounce words
What other people tell us about how we learn
Teachers’ comments good or not so good
How much we feel we need to learn a language well
What we think language will give us and what we think it
might make harder
Examples of physical barriers
Time or lack of it
Opportunities to speak with other speakers of the language
(native speakers in particular)
The place we learn (class or home)
The things we have to provide us with language “input”:
courses, books, DVD, MP3, Websites
All these things (and many more I am sure) affect us in how

we learn. It may be a positive effect or not.
Some negative effects could be, if we have a bad teacher,

this will affect us, if we don’t have enough good learning
material, if we don’t have enough time.
Some positive effects could be having a good teacher, praise

that makes us feel good, remembering more words that we
expect, finding we can pronounce things well.
There are many more things that we can add to this list.
I think our attitude or perhaps a better way of saying it would

be our “way of thinking” is very important and can also affect
how we learn and perhaps more importantly, how we feel
about learning and how much we can get from the language
learning experience.
My opinion is that we should think about these things when
we feel that we are not making much progress or when we
are making good progress, and she what we think may be
affecting us in a positive or negative way.
Making a list may help. Once we see something written down

we can maybe think about it more and also we then have a
record to look back on. Something that tells us how we felt
about language at any particular time.
I have started to call myself a “language explorer” rather

than a “language student” . To me, this feels more
appropriate and right for me. Maybe you prefer the word
“student”.
Everyone has to choose his or her own path, although those

of you doing courses must follow the way the course is
taught.
I like to find my own way whereever I can, however I do study

language courses and I would always say that these are
important, providing they are good courses and we can learn
well from them.
To help us with our attitude to learning and way of thinking

about learning, try saying this to yourself.
Instead of “I wish I could know more” say to yourself, “I am

glad I have learned so much already”
Instead of “I could do better” say to yourself “Perhaps I can
find some new ways to learn”
“Poor language skills” should be “can I improve language

skills?”
“pronuciation problems” should be thought of as “what can I
do if I am uncertain to best way to say it?”
“not enough time” should be “can I make us of the time I
have?”
“no learning fast enough” should be “is there a way I can
speed up?”
What I mean is, instead of making statements “my English is

poor”, turn it into a question “what can I do to improve?”
This will focus our minds on what to do for the future not
dwell on what has gone before
Take care
Be good, be happy
My questionnaire!
Hello everybody
Today I am just making a small blog entry. I am a bit busy to

make a podcast at the moment, but I am thinking hard about
my new website idea “www.language-explorer.co.uk
My podomatic website/blog is just over a year old! Time goes

fast when you’re having fun as they say…
I’ve decided to make this posting a sort of questionnaire for

you
Do you think “language explorer” is a good alternative word

to “language student”? In time I will make my new site the
most important – but I will keep open “podomatic”
I am inviting all of you who like my podcasts to give me some

ideas on new subjects:
What would you like to know about English language?
How much are you interested in English culture?
Maybe you could make a list of the TOP 10 reasons for you to
learn a language
Do you like podcasts for learning, or for just listening

practice?
Do you agree with me that language learning should always

be relaxed?
What do you find most boring about learning a language?
How much do you practice each skill: Reading, writing,

listening. speaking?
Do you like learning grammar or not?
What has been your favourite podcast over the last year?
Any comments are very welcome
Bye for now
Alan
Mind your words! with "Mind word essays" (slow speech
recording)
Send me any messages/comments to:

alan_r_palmer@hotmail.com
Don't forget that I have a **NEW WEBSITE"" KEEP VISITING

www.language-explorer.co.uk
This recording is the same as the other post, but I have read
this more slowly...
Bye
Alan
Mind your words! with "Mind word essays" (normal speed

speech recording)

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Conversations with native (or near native) English speakers

More on conversations with native speakers

Hotel reception areas

Train station platforms

Tourist information offices

Ice cream kiosks

Car boot sales

Examples of personal barriers

How we personally feel about our progress

Our ability to remember words, phrases, grammar points

Our feelings about how well we pronounce words

What other people tell us about how we learn

Teachers’ comments good or not so good

How much we feel we need to learn a language well

Examples of physical barriers

Opportunities to speak with other speakers of the language (native speakers in

The place we learn (class or home)

I have started to call myself a “language explorer” rather than a “language

I like to find my own way whereever I can, however I do study language

“Poor language skills” should be “can I improve language skills?”

“pronuciation problems” should be thought of as “what can I do if I am

“not enough time” should be “can I make us of the time I have?”

Language Acquistion – Stephen Krashen

In Linguistics, “acquisition” means “the act or process of achieving mastery of

We talk of “child language acquisition” and “second language acquisition” for

In my case, I had been forming my ideas independently, as I have never heard

I hope you found this podcast interesting. I am on holiday in Germany for a

PS. Here is an interesting blog I found:

When we learn languages, we always want so much to speak with native

Often, we have little or no chance to speak with native speakers. We practice in

1. Don’t expect to have a very interesting conversation, it might be a quite

(you) “Hello, how is it going?”

(you)“oh, that’s nice, where will you be going to?”

4. Always accept a compliment in a matter of fact way. “Oh, your English is

5. Give yourself time by starting to speak in short sentences at first. “How’s it

See you next time

Bye for now

If you have access to recording equipment, make a recording of your voice

Your pronunciation, speed of speaking and confidence

Now I will read out the text below at normal speed.

My country is called England

There are 50,000,000 British people living in the United Kingdom

Bye for now

1. There is usually some background noise - some examples:street noise, other

Standard English: ” Are you going to come with me to the cinema?”

Northern accent: “Are yer goin’ t’come wi’ me to th’cinema?”

Bye for now

See you next time

take care everybody…

See you next time

Bye for now

Take care and bye for now

Weekend Words February 15th (speed of speaking in friendly conversations)

Using simple sentences to gain fluency

Today I wanted to talk about practicing phrases to make it easier to remember

Because my sister is coming, I want to go shopping and we enjoy going to the

You can then expand it a bit more:

My sister is coming to see me. We always like to go shopping together because

This way, you can build up the language practice.

So, say for example you said

I want to go to the shopping when my sister comes, because we like shopping

You could always simplify it more…

When my sister comes, we like going to the shops together.