This is an English lesson designed to help you practice and improve your English listening and pronunciation skills. The listening lesson is a short story about something that happened in my life in Canada. There is also a short pronunciation explanation about a word or sound I used in the story.

Story: A dog I encountered on a walk around my neighbourhood!

Pronunciation explanation: When ‘qu’ is pronounced /kw/.

Listen to the podcast:
*Try to listen at least once without looking at the words!

If you have trouble with your listening skills, here’s something that may help:
How to practice listening

Listening Comprehension Questions:

1) Where was I going?

2) Who was I following?

3) What did I smell?

4) Where was the fire?

5) What happened to Thor?

Transcript

The other day I decided to go for a walk around my neighbourhood. My street connects with another street to form a giant oval. It’s a nice 30-minute walk. Before I started my walk, I went into my garage to get something out of my car. Suddenly, a German Shepherd appeared at the garage door and started barking at me!

It’s not normal for a dog to be wandering around a residential neighbourhood by itself. We don’t have stray dogs living outdoors on their own. Obviously the dog was lost and was trying to get home!

When I tried to get closer to him to check if there were any ID tags on his collar … he ran away from me! I wanted to help him, so I followed him. He could be far from home and he could have been wandering for days without food or water. I tried calling him to come back to me … “Here puppy! Come here puppy!”… but he kept walking away.

At one point he stopped halfway up the hill and started barking at me again. I got close enough to pet him. I noticed that his ID tag said his name was Thor and there was also a phone number on it. Unfortunately I didn’t have a cell phone with me, because this was supposed to be a relaxing and stress-free walk! I tried to grab Thor’s collar and lead him back to my house, but he was too quick. He ran away from me again and carried on up the hill.

Once again, I followed him. I saw two people walking down the hill towards me and I thought Thor must have been their dog. “Is this your dog?” I called to them. “No!” they yelled back. This was very strange.

Then, I smelled it. Burning wood is not a common smell in the middle of the day. “Is this your house?” I called to the two people, “because it’s on fire!” There was a fire in someone’s garage! Thor had run all the way down the street trying to find someone and alert them to the fire! This dog is a hero!

The man who was walking towards me sprang into action. He called 911 on his cell phone, and then while his daughter and I stayed with Thor, he ran into the house to see if anyone was inside. Three people ran out – they didn’t even know there was a fire in their own garage!

In all the garages in my neighbourhood, there is a set of wooden stairs leading from the garage into the house. One of the people who lives in that house often smokes cigarettes in the garage [I guess he’s not allowed to smoke in his house!] On this day, he hadn’t fully put out his cigarette and the wooden stairs caught fire.

With all this commotion, no one noticed that Thor had run away again. He had alerted us to the fire and this wasn’t even his house! I caught a glimpse of him running behind a car in the driveway of another house up the street. His work was done, so he headed home.

Discussion Questions:

Do you have any pets?

Do you prefer cats or dogs?

Has your pet done anything heroic?

Pronunciation:

In the story, I used the word ‘quick.’ Can you hear the /kw/ sound in that word?

In English, the letters ‘qu’ together are usually pronounced /kw/ [like k and w] …

question
quarter
quickly
quality
quiet
square
liquid
require
equipment
equation

Vocabulary:

to the rescue
Thor to the rescue
= when someone or something in trouble or in a dangerous situation is helped

A German Shepherd
= a common breed of dog in North American

an ID tag
…to check if there were any ID tags on his collar…
Often dogs and cats wear a collar around their neck with an identification tag. The ID tag may have information such as the animal’s name, address or telephone number.

to spring into action
The man who was walking towards me sprang into action
= to suddenly and quickly move to do something

a cell phone
= a portable phone in American English; in British English a portable phone is called a ‘mobile phone’

a commotion
With all this commotion, no one noticed that Thor had run away again.
= a moment of noise, excitement, confusion

I’ve noticed that many English learners have difficulty talking about how to relax. In this post you can read about how NOT to relax. I will also show you the 4 forms of the word relax to use and how to use them in a sentence!

How NOT to use relax:

1. After a hard day at work, I just want to relax myself
*You cannot ‘relax yourself’. When you use the verb relax the listener already knows from the verb that you are doing it to yourself. You don’t need to say ‘He relaxes himself‘ or ‘I relax myself.’

2. I get more relaxed when I exercise.
*Relaxed is not something you can get. You can feel it or be it.

How to use relax:

1. Relax (verb)
After a hard day at work, I just want to relax.

I find it difficult to relax when I’m working on a stressful project at work.

I like to relax by watching TV, listening to music, or going to the gym.

When I want to relax, I put on some comfortable clothes and I read a good book.

I relaxed when I realized the plane wasn’t going to crash.

Relax! There’s no reason to get so worked up over such a small problem.

What are you doing right now?
~ I’m just relaxing.

2. Relaxing (Noun – gerund)

We spent our vacation relaxing on the beach in Mexico.

Ways of relaxing include taking a bath, going for a walk or listening to music.

Here’s a picture of my mom and I relaxing on the deck.

Some people like to spend Victoria Day relaxing at home.

3. Relaxed (adjective)

After a day at the spa, I always feel so relaxed!

I just took a bath. I feel so relaxed now!

When I saw her after the exam, she seemed very relaxed.

I love going to that gym. It has such a relaxed atmosphere.

He always looks so relaxed when he’s giving a speech.

Even though the project was over budget and out of time, the project manager always seemed so relaxed.

4. Relaxing (adjective)

A swim in the ocean, a massage and an afternoon nap – what a relaxing way to spend the day!

I find gardening so relaxing.

When I have trouble sleeping, I put on some relaxing music.

After a hard day at work, I like to take a hot bath. It’s so relaxing.

She has a very relaxing way of speaking.

In Canada, Victoria Day is a public holiday. It celebrates Queen Victoria’s birthday. When I was thinking about this day, I remembered that we have a lot of phrases and expressions in English with the words queen and king!

The Queen’s/King’s English
= The English spoken in England.
The British like to remind the rest of the English-speaking world that they invented the language! The Queen’s English [if England is ruled by a queen] or the King’s English [if England is ruled by a king] is considered the purest, most correct English.

A queen-sized bed / a king-sized bed
In North America, we have different sizes of beds and mattresses: single (the smallest), double, queen, king (the largest)

A beauty queen
Someone who competes in and wins a lot of beauty pageants [contests] is called a beauty queen. For example, Miss USA, Miss America, Miss World, and Miss Universe can all be considered beauty queens. When a young woman wins a pageant like Miss USA, a crown is placed on her head.

A drama queen
A drama queen is someone who overreacts and turns small problems into big problems. She [it’s usualy a woman!] has a big reaction to a small problem.

A drag queen
A man who dresses like a woman. This is a specific type of man who tries to look like a woman by wearing make-up and wearing women’s clothing, so that when you look at him, you think you’re looking at an actual woman.

A drag king
A woman who dresses like a man. This does not mean that a woman who puts on pants is a drag king. This is a woman who tries to look exactly like a man by cutting her hair short, flattening her breasts and wearing men’s clothing, so that when you look at her, you think you’re looking at an actual man.

Who are you, the Queen of England?
If you think someone is acting like they are better than you, or smarter than you, or trying to boss you around, you can say to them, “Who are you, the Queen of England?” It’s another way of saying “Who are you to tell me what I can or can’t do?” or “Who do you think you are?“

What do you mean my cooking isn’t very good? Who are you, the Queen of England?

I don’t want to go to that bar tonight. The people who go there are aren’t very cool!
~ Who are you, the Queen of England?

…fit for a king
If something is fit for a king, it means that it is so good, it’s good enough for a king!

This is a meal fit for a king!

You should see their beautiful new house! It’s fit for a king!

Here is a handy list to help you remember when to use go, when to use go to, and when to use go to the.

Often English learners feel more comfortable with rules to memorize [and we have lots of them in English!], but sometimes there is no rule. There is no rule why go is sometimes followed by to or to the – that’s just the way it is!

go …
*No ‘to,’ no ‘the’

go home
go downtown
go there
go away

Did you notice in the listening lesson ‘The Worst Bus Ride. Ever!’ I said:
I like going downtown Toronto, but I don’t like driving there!

We went to Bermuda on vacation last year! We go there every year!

You’re really annoying me. Go away!

Go + gerund
*No ‘to’:

go shopping
go dancing
go sightseeing
go jogging
go hiking
go skiing
go running
go bowling
go camping

I love to go skiing in the Rocky Mountains.

My friends and I like going shopping after school.

We’re going hiking this weekend. Do you want to come?

go to…
*NO ‘the’

go to work
go to school
go to jail
go to bed

a country, a city
We went to Bermuda on vacation last year!

someone’s house
Let’s go to your parent’s house for dinner tonight.

Do you have to go to work tomorrow or do you have the day off?

go to the…

go to the movies
go to the bank
go to the post office
go to the hospital
go to the airport
go to the train station
go to the doctor
go to the dentist

We went to the movies last night. We saw ‘Iron Man 2.’

I’m going to the hospital this afternoon to visit my grandmother.

I have to go to the airport to pick up my friend. She’s visiting us for the next couple of weeks.

Every English learner knows how to talk about transportation using prepositions. It’s one of the first things people are taught in English, because it’s what’s taught in the preposition section of most grammar books:

by car
by bus
by train
by subway / metro / tube
by plane / by air
by boat
by bicycle
on foot [NOT by foot!]

I go to work by car.

We went on vacation by plane.

I go by bicycle to my friend’s house.

We are going to travel across Canada by train.

I commute to work by bus.

However, there is also another, more common way of talking about transportation – using verbs to describe the action instead of ‘by car’ or ‘by train’:

drive
walk
fly
sail
bike [Yes, it’s a verb AND a noun!]
ride a bike.
take the bus
take the train
take the subway

Did you notice in the listening lesson “The Worst Bus Ride. Ever!” that I said:
I don’t like driving there [downtown Toronto], so I decided to take the bus.

Let’s look at some other ways of talking about transportation without using prepositions:

How do you get to work?
I drive to work.
I take a bus to work.
I ride my bike to work.
I walk to work.
I take the subway to work.

Where are you going on vacation? How are you getting there?
We went to London, England on our last vacation. We flew there.
For our vacation this year we’re driving to Disney World!

On my days off, I like to go for a walk in the park or ride my bike.

When I was young, my friends and I would bike to the local arcade and play video games all day.

Recently, a 16-year-old Australian girl sailed around the world by herself!

Summary: It is not wrong to use ‘by car’ or ‘on foot,’ but there is more than one way to talk about transportation. Using the verb to describe the action is more common and more natural.

In English, we have lots of creative and colourful ways of saying that someone is not very smart! It’s not very nice to call someone ‘dumb’ or ‘stupid’, so in English we have a lot of funny expressions to use instead!

1) He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed!

I used this expression in the listening lesson “The Worst Bus Ride. Ever!”

There are many other versions of this expression:

Someone is …
…not the brightest crayon in the box
…not the brightest bulb in the chandelier
…not the sharpest knife in the drawer
…not the brightest star in the sky.
…not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.
…not the quickest bunny in the forest

Notice that they all have the same form:

[Someone] is not the [superlative] __________ in / on the ____________

These are all different ways of saying: [Someone] is not the smartest person in the world!

2) He’s one fry short of a Happy Meal!

This expression means that the person’s mind it not all there or complete. It means they’re a few brains cells short of a complete, active brain! Their brain is missing something, and therefore, they’re not that smart!

[‘A Happy Meal’ is what children can get at McDonald’s: a hamburger, a drink, french fries and a toy.]

Other versions:

Someone is…
…one crayon short of a box
…two pennies short of a nickel
…a few colors short of a rainbow.
…a few sandwiches short of a picnic
…a few cards short of a full deck
…a few peas short of a casserole
…a few clowns short of a circus
…a few players short of a team.

Similar expressions:

He’s missing a few buttons on his remote control.
He doesn’t have all the chairs at the table.

3) The elevator doesn’t go to the top floor.

This expression is also a way of saying that someone is slighty crazy and lacking common sense, in addition to not being very smart!

4) The light is on but nobody’s home.

This expression is a way of saying that someone is very, very [mentally] slow.

5) Somewhere there’s a village missing its idiot.

The “village idiot” is a very common character in English. It’s an informal expression used to describe someone in a village [group, community, town, city, country, etc.] who is really quite stupid and whose behaviour is quite bizarre!

NOTE: This expression should only be used in extreme circumstances, such as your worst enemy! Calling someone “an idiot” is not very nice.

Do you have any creative expressions in your language to say someone is not very smart?

This is an English lesson designed to help you improve your English listening and pronunciation. The listening lesson is a short story about something that happened in my life in Canada. There is also a short pronunciation explanation about a word or sound I used in the story.

Story: One of the worst bus rides I’ve ever had in my life!

Pronunciation lesson: How to pronounce the letter ‘x’!

Listen to the podcast:
*Try to listen at least once without looking at the words!

If you have trouble with your listening skills, here’s something that may help:
How to practice listening

Listening Comprehension Questions

1. How did I get downtown Toronto?

2. Why didn’t I drive?

3. Who did I sit next to and what did he do?

4. What did the guy on the floor next to me do?

5. What expression did I use to describe someone who is not very bright?

Transcript

As you know from a previous listening lesson, I went to see ‘Stars on Ice’ downtown Toronto. I like going downtown Toronto, but I don’t like driving there, so I decided to take the bus. The highway into Toronto is always so packed with traffic, and I find driving downtown very stressful. There’s so much traffic and it’s so chaotic. Toronto also has a streetcar system criss-crossing the downtown core, and I find it difficult to drive on roads with streetcar tracks. In addition, parking downtown costs an arm and a leg! I thought taking the bus would be much more relaxing and less stressful. I was wrong!

Southern Ontario has an extensive bus and train network. I can get an express bus from my suburb that will take me straight downtown Toronto without stopping. The buses are really nice. You get a comfortable seat to yourself with armrests and a headrest, and you can even recline the seat if you want to (although this is a bit impolite to the person behind you!)

On that Friday night there were tons of people heading downtown, so the bus was packed. My friend and I couldn’t get 2 seats together, so we had to sit on opposite sides of the aisle. I had the great misfortune to sit next to a complete stranger who insisted on telling me his entire life story … for 45 minutes! I even put my ipod earphones in my ears and turned the music on … but he still kept talking! I don’t think he was the sharpest tool in the shed! I felt sorry for the guy because his life really sucked, but who knows if it was true or not, or whether he was exaggerating. At the end of the bus trip, he asked me to go out with him and then tried to give me his phone number. I said, “no, that’s OK!”

Did I mention that the bus was so packed that people were standing in the aisle or sitting on the aisle floor? There was a guy sitting on the floor next to me who had not showered for days. Then, he started eating the smelliest crackers ever. He ate the entire package. It was disgusting.

You know, I think I would have been better off driving downtown instead of taking the bus!

Discussion Questions:


Do you prefer driving or taking public transportation?


Have you ever had to sit next to someone who wouldn’t stop talking?


You can discuss these questions in the comments below!

Pronunciation:

In the story I used a few words with the letter x:
extensive
express
relaxing
next
exaggerate

Let’s look at how to pronounce the letter x. The general rules are as follows:

a) if there is a consonant after the letter x, then x is pronounced /ks/
extensive
express
next
relaxing

b) if the words ends in the letter x, then it’s pronounced /ks/ as well:
six
box
complex

b) if there is a vowel after the x, then x is pronounced /gz/:
exaggerate
example
exam

Vocabulary

packed (adjective)
…the highway into Toronto is always so packed with traffic
…the bus was packed
= very full (of people, cars, etc.); things are so close together, there is no space between them.

an arm and a leg
…parking downtown costs an arm and a leg!
= it’s very expensive; it costs a lot of money.

Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario has an extensive bus and train network
= Ontario is a province in Canada; a province is similar to a state in the U.S.
= I live in the southern part of the province.

extensive (adjective)
Southern Ontario has an extensive bus and train network
= large and complete, covering a large area;

For many English learners, articles are one of the most difficult things to remember! Even more confusing, it is not ALWAYS necessary to use an article in English. Here are some situations in which you don’t need to use the.

1. When you talk about things in general:
*The main rule to remember is: you don’t need an article when you talk about things in general.  ‘The‘ does NOT = all.

Use plural count nouns:

Cats make great pets!
*You’re not talking about one specific cat or one specific pet; you’re just talking about all cats in general.

Women love it when men send them flowers!

Houses are expensive in that neighbourhood.

People think all Canadians speak English and French, but they’re wrong!

Companies in Canada pay very high taxes.

I love reading books.

Use non-count nouns:

I love listening to music.
*Here you are just saying that you enjoy music in general – not any specific kind of music or song.

She’s afraid of heights, so we couldn’t go to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

I love chocolate!

Have you eaten lunch yet?

She’s a vegetarian. She doesn’t eat meat.

2. Names – holidays, geography, companies, languages.
[*these are all proper nouns]

a) Holidays
I got a beautiful new dress for Christmas.

I got my mom a movie catalogue for Mother’s Day.

On St. Patrick’s Day everybody wears green.

What are you doing on Valentine’s Day?

b) Geography
*Articles are not used before countries, states, cities, towns, continents, single lakes, single mountains.

I live in Canada.

I’m going to Europe next month on vacation.

Lake Ontario and Lake Huron are 2 of the Great Lakes.

Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan.

Mt. Rosa is part of the Alps mountain range.

*Of course, there is an exception to every rule in English:
the United States
the Czech Republic

c) Companies
Bill Gates founded Microsoft.

Wal-Mart is the largest employer in the U.S.

McDonald’s has restaurants in 119 countries.

I use Twitter and Facebook every day.

d) Languages
I am studying Russian.

I speak French.

In Brazil people speak Portuguese.

I teach people how to speak English.

3. Places, locations, streets
*Streets, some locations and places do not need an article:

I left my book at home.

I have to go to work [the place where I work / the location] early tomorrow.

He was found guilty of murder and sent to jail for life.

I usually go to church on Sundays.

Good night everyone! I’m going to bed.

Did you go to school today?

When I was in high school, everyone had to study French.

She’s studying business at university.
*also note: you don’t need an article for subjects you study at school: math, geography, business, history, science

My office is located on Main street.[a street name is also a proper noun]

*Places that you DO need to use an article:
the bank, the movies, the hospital, the post office, the airport, the train station, the bus stop, the doctor, the dentist.

4. Sports
*Sports and other physical activities do not need an article:

I love to go skiing in the winter.

I play football every day after school.

He loves watching hockey on TV.

She tries to do yoga at least 3 times a week.

My daughter really enjoys dancing.

5. Noun + number
*I add this category because I hear it a lot during lessons, especially when students are doing matching activities.

Picture number 6 matches with ‘window’ [an example of a matching activity in class]

He’s staying at the Hilton hotel in room 221.
[NOT the room 221]

The train to Paris leaves from platform 2.

My English class is in room 6 on the first floor.
*’First’ is an adjective in this sentence, used to describe ‘the floor.’

Can you think of any more words or situations that don’t need ‘the‘?

The verb like is one of the most commonly used verbs in English. However, it is also one of the most commonly misused verbs in English! This post shows you how to use the verb like in a simple sentence structure.

1) What you like:

When you use the verb like, you MUST say what you like, even if you have to use ‘it’ or ‘this.’

I like. is NOT a complete sentence!

Think of Facebook:

When you ‘like’ something on Facebook, it doesn’t say “You like.”  It says “You like this.“

Example sentences:

I like her hair!

My mom liked her Mother’s Day present.

I don’t like the way you treat people.

He likes the new girl in his class!

On the weekends she likes to go shopping with her friends.

I don’t like interrupting her when she’s studying.

2) How much you like something:

The verb like is ALWAYS followed by what you like [the object]. They can’t be separated.

*You can NOT put very much, or a lot, or so much between like and the object.

INCORRECT:
X: I like so much playing football!
*Very much / a lot / so much CANNOT go between like and the object [what you like].

X: I very like playing football!
*Very cannot be used by itself

Example sentences:

He likes her very much.

My husband likes our new house very much!

Have you seen Dan’s new car?
-Yes! I like it a lot!

I like playing football so much, I get up at 6am just to practice!

I like Depeche Mode’s new ablum a lot.

*You can put really before the verb like, but it cannot separate like and the object.

Example sentences:

I really like her new house!

He really likes playing video games. He plays them all day long!

She really likes Paris. It’s her favourite city!

My mom really likes old movies.

I really like Depeche Mode’s new album.

NOTE: You can NOT like something too much. Too much is a negative expression. For example:
I ate too much chocolate and now I feel sick.

3. Like can be followed by a gerund OR an infinitive.

She really likes to swim.

She really likes swimming.

*Some people will say there is a difference between the two, but I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s such a small difference that it’s almost meaningless.

Now you know how to use the verb like!

It’s better to do something late [or to be late] than to not do something at all.

It’s been 5 years since Madonna’s last album. Better late than never!

My library books are 5 days overdue! I have to return them today. I’ll have to pay the fine, but better late than never.

The city has finally put traffic lights at the intersection. It’s better late than never, but this should have been done years ago.

I’m sorry I’m late for the meeting. I got stuck in traffic on my way to work. Better late than never, right?

In English, sometimes we use a noun like an adjective. A noun can be used before another noun, in order to give more information about the 2nd noun. Here are some examples from the listening lesson “Stars on Ice“:

figure skating
a figure skating tour
world-class figure skaters
a heart attack
four-time world champion

Two (or more) nouns used together are a type of compound noun.

Some more examples:

a bus driver
a paper bag / a plastic bag
chocolate milk ( = a type of milk)
milk chocolate ( = a type of chocolate)
ice cream
a hotel room
a parking lot
a lottery ticket
My 5-year-old son
a computer part
police officer

Let’s look at car accident. The noun car gives more information about what type of accident it was. 

INCORRECT:
an accident of the car
a car’s accident
an accident car

ALWAYS REMEMBER: in English, the adjective comes first [including a noun that acts like an adjective!]

There is no rule to memorize here. These are word combinations [collocations] that need to be memorized. There is no book or list you can look at to memorize them all. You learn them by doing as much reading and listening in English as possible.

NOTES:

*When numbers are used as an adjective, (time, age, etc.), remember to use a hyphen:

My son is 5 years old.
My 5-year-old son starts kindergarten this year.

Kurt Browning won the World Championships four times.
Four-time World Champion Kurt Browning performed a routine in hockey skates.

*A compound noun is very different from a possessive noun:

Cheryl’s car = the car belongs to Cheryl. It is her possession.

Cheryl was in a car accident. = Cheryl was in an accident. Adding ‘car’ gives more information about what kind of accident she was in.

ski

swim

climb

dive / to scuba dive

fish

run

jog

skate / figure skate

Do you scuba dive? Yes! I love scuba diving.

I learned how to ski when I was 9 years old.

She skates at the local community centre.

He runs marathons for fun!

aerobics

karate / martial arts

yoga

gymnastics

She does a lot of yoga – that’s why she looks so great!

My daughter used to take swimming lessons, but now she does gymnastics.

Do you do any sports?

To stay in shape, I jog every morning, I play tennis and I also do aerobics.

• Make is not used in English to talk about sports.

• Practice is rarely used to talk about sports. It is only used to talk about professional athletes who need to practice their skills before a game or an important event. The average person does not practice a sport.

In the listening lesson “Stars on Ice”, I used the metaphor “Kurt Browning is the Wayne Gretzky of figure skating.”

This is a very common way of comparing things in English. I describe Kurt Browning and his importance in the figure skating world by comparing him to someone with similar qualities.

The form of the metaphor is:

A and C are related. A is being compared to B to show how important or how special A is in the field or area of C.

This way of comparing people or things relies on knowledge or information that people already have.

*

Who is Wayne Gretzky? In Canada, Gretzky is extremely popular. He is the greatest hockey player in history. He is loved and respected across Canada, not only because he is a great hockey player but also because he is a good person. In addition to playing and coaching hockey, he also does a lot of charity work.

Wayne Gretzky is not a figure skater, Kurt Browning is. Gretzky has been around longer than Browning, so I used him as the point of reference. Kurt Browning is also the best in his sport. He has achieved great things and done a lot to promote figure skating in Canada. He is popular and well-loved. He also does a lot of good work outside of figure skating. By comparing him to Gretzky, people can understand his importance to figure skating.

*

Let’s look at some other examples:

Amsterdam is the Venice of northern Europe.

Venice is a city in Italy that is well-known for its canals. Most people don’t know that Amsterdam is also made up of canals. Amsterdam is a city in the Netherlands in northern Europe. This comparison tells people that Amsterdam is actually quite similar to Venice.

The Twilight Saga is the Harry Potter of the 2000s.

J.K. Rowling introduced Harry Potter to the world in 1997. The books became wildly popular in the late 1990s and encouraged many young people to start reading. The Twilight Saga was first introduced to the world in 2005. The Twilight books appealed to a smaller audience than the Harry Potter books, but they still became wildly popular and also encouraged young people to read.

*

Have you ever seen or heard of this kind of metaphor before? Can you think of another example?

This is an English lesson designed to help you practice and improve your English listening and pronunciation skills. The listening lesson is a short story about something that happened in my life in Canada. There is also a short pronunciation explanation about a word or sound I used in the story.

Story: My trip downtown Toronto to see “Stars on Ice”!

Pronunciation lesson: How to pronounce the word ‘figure,’ and how to pronounce adverbs that end in -ally.

Listen to the podcast:
*Try to listen at least once without looking at the words!

If you have trouble with your listening skills, here’s something that may help:
How to practice listening

Listening Comprehension Questions:

1. What did I do on Friday night?

2. Who performed during the show?

3. What medal did Joannie Rochette win at the Vancouver Olympics?

4. Why was Kurt Browning’s routine difficult?

5. Did I have fun?

Transcript

(*Click on the links to learn more about the grammar, vocabulary and expressions used in the story!)

On Friday night I went to see “Stars on Ice” at the Air Canada Centre in the heart of downtown Toronto. Usually, Air Canada Centre is the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors, but on Friday night they were not there. Instead, the rink was alive with some of the best figure skaters that Canada has ever produced! “Stars on Ice” is a figure skating tour that is currently travelling across the country. The performers are all Canadian, including past and present Canadian Champions, World Champions and Olympic Medalists. It was an amazing show!

One of the performers was Joannie Rochette. She won a bronze medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, just days after her mother died of a sudden heart attack. Her grace and courage at such a devastating time in her life inspired the entire country. At “Stars on Ice” she performed a beautiful routine to the Evanescene song ‘My Immortal.’

Four-time World Champion Kurt Browning performed a routine in hockey skates, which is very difficult because hockey skates are not made for jumps and spins and intricate footwork. Kurt Browning is often called the Wayne Gretzky of figure skating, not only for his achievements in figure skating, but because he, too, is a popular and beloved icon in Canada.

I loved to go skating when I was younger. I could never skate backwards, though. It was always so difficult. Yet whenever I watch figure skating live or on TV, they make it look it so easy, like anyone could go out on the ice and do a triple axel. Realistically, I know it’s not easy and that years of hard work and dedication went into making it look so effortless.

I thought the crowd at “Stars on Ice” was really boring. I was expecting a lot more excitement – standing ovations, loud cheers that never ended. I was really surprised the cheering was so short and dull. Other than that, I had a great time. I thought all of the skaters were phenomenal. Canada is a small country in population. There are only 30 million of us, so it’s impressive that Canada has been able to produce so many world-class figure skaters! I always enjoy spending time downtown Toronto, too.

Discussion Questions:

Do you like figure skating? Who’s your favourite skater?

If you don’t like figure skating, what’s your favourite sport? Let me know in the comments below.

Pronunciation:

Part I:
The word figure is two syllables. The first syllable is ‘fig.’ In the second syllable, the e at the end of the word is not pronounced. The syllable begins with a ‘y‘ sound, like the word ‘you,’ and ends with the vowel r sound ‘er.’ The 2nd syllable is pronounced ‘yer,’ and the entire word is pronounced ‘figure.’
figure skating
figure skater

Part II:
In adverbs that end in –ally, like:
realistically
basically
romantically
academically,
the letter ‘a‘ at the end of the word is not pronounced. The last sound in all these words is –ly, not ‘a-ly.’

Listen again and repeat after me:
realistically
basically
romantically
academically

Vocabulary:

the heart of
…in the heart of downtown Toronto
= right in the middle (of something)

the home of
Air Canada Centre is the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors
= where the Maple Leafs and Raptors are usually located

Toronto Maple Leafs
= Toronto’s professional hockey team (part of the NHL)
* The Maple Leaf is the symbol of Canada. It’s a proper noun, so it’s not ‘leaves.’

Toronto Raptors
= Toronto’s professional basketball team (part of the NBA)
= ‘A raptor’ was a type of dinosaur in the movie Jurassic Park.

a triple axel
= a very difficult jump in figure skating; 3 ½ rotations

a standing ovation
= when a crowd stands (on their feet) to applaud at the end of a performance