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The theme of the listening lesson “Shopping at the Mall!” was… shopping! In the vocabulary post I explained some vocabulary used to talk about clothing and shopping. Here are some MORE expressions used to talk about shopping!

There are more idioms WITH shop and store in them, but are not ABOUT shopping. This post tells you different expressions ABOUT shopping!

retail therapy
(noun)
= this occurs when you go shopping and buy yourself things in order to make yourself feel better (when you are sad or unhappy)!

I’m really upset about breaking up with my boyfriend. I need some retail therapy!

to shop till you drop
(verb expression)
= to spend so much time and so much money shopping that you are physically and financially tired – you are ready to drop from exhaustion! You are so tired that you can’t shop anymore!

A lot of stores are putting out their fall clothes now. Are you ready to shop till you drop?

a shopping spree
(noun)
= you spend a lot of money and do a lot of shopping in a short amount of time.

She went on a shopping spree this afternoon! It looks like she bought everything in the store.

to shop around
(phrasal verb)
= before buying an expensive item (like household appliances or a car), you should compare the price and quality of the item in different stores.

We shopped around before buying the kitchen table, and we found that Sears had the best deal.

to shoplift
(verb)
= to steal something from a store (to take something without paying for it).

My son was caught shoplifting. He stole a $100 jacket from The Gap.

Related:
Different Ways to Say that Something is Expensive!

The listening lesson is called ‘Shopping at the Mall!’ is about … well, shopping at the mall! Let’s take a look at some vocabulary used to talk about clothing and shopping.

When you wake up in the morning, the first thing you do (perhaps after you eat breakfast and take a shower) is get dressed. You put your clothes on. At night, before you go to bed, you take your clothes off and put on your pajamas (or put your pajamas on).

Do you like shopping? Let’s go shopping! (NOTE: it is not go to shopping).

Do you have money to spend on clothes? If you not, you can still enjoy window-shopping – it’s free! When you window-shop, you just look at all the things for sale in a store without intending to buy anything.

If you do have money to spend on clothes, do you prefer to wait for a sale or do you shop when you need something? If something is for sale, you can buy it for money. If something is on sale, the price has been reduced from the original price.

When you find a piece of clothing you like in a store, it’s a good idea to try it on first before you buy it. You want to make sure that it fits. If you want to try something on, find a sales associate and ask: Can I try this on? or May I try this on? The sales associate will show you to the change rooms (also called ‘fitting rooms’ or ‘changing rooms’). While you are trying the clothes on, the sales associate sometimes asks: Does it fit? Would you like to try it in another size?

When you have decided to buy something, take all your items to the cash desk (or cashier) to pay for them. In Canada you have three options: you can pay by debit card (your bank card), use your credit card or pay cash. Most places accept a cheque, but almost nobody uses cheques to pay for things in a store anymore.

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In the listening lesson “Shopping at the Mall” I talked about how frustrating it is shopping at the mall when all the stores have the same clothes and all the clothing sizes are different! I said…

In previous grammar posts I explained:

This is the third part of the series.

= to become more familiar with something or doing something
= the act of becoming used to something (or doing something)
= something is not as strange or unfamiliar as it used to be, you have gained more experience

He’s lived with her for many years, so he’s gotten used to her strange behaviour.

I was uncomfortable at first, but I got used to speaking in public.

Compare:
I used to work at clothing store. It was difficult at first because I wasn’t used to meeting a daily target and I wasn’t used to dealing with so many rude people. After awhile, I got used to it.

Important!
*used to is ALWAYS followed by the base form of a verb: I used to work.

*The gerund form of a verb is used after be used to and get used to. The base form of a verb is NEVER used after be used to or get used to.
X: I am used to work late
CORRECT: I am used to working late

*used to can only be used in the simple past tense; be used to and get used to can be use in all tenses.

Example sentences

When he first moved to Scotland, it was difficult to understand what everyone was saying because their accent was so strong. Eventually he got used to it.

Are you fed up with traffic jams downtown? Get used to it! More people moving into Toronto means more cars on the road.

I went to Australia during one of the hottest summers ever! I couldn’t get used to the intense heat. It doesn’t get that hot in Canada!

When you move to London, you’ll have to get used to driving on the left-hand side of the road!

She‘s getting used to waking up while it’s still dark out.

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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: Shopping at the local mall!
Pronunciation lesson: How to pronounce the word ‘clothes.’

There are different things you can do with this lesson:

1. Listen – How to practice listening

2. Listen and answer comprehension questions

3. Listen and read the words at the same time (this helps with pronunciation too!)

4. Practice your pronunciation by saying the words with me

5. Read the text and look at sentence structure, vocabulary, punctuation, and capital letters

Listen to the podcast:

Download the podcast in .mp3 from Podbean.com or itunes!

Listening Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened to the local mall?

2. What’s wrong with the stores at the local mall?

3. Do I enjoy shopping?

4. What kind of clothes do I love?

5. What did I enjoy about working in a clothing store?

Transcript:

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

The local mall has expanded greatly in the past few years! There are a lot of great stores now, like Banana Republic, Aritzia and Guess. Before, I had to go to Toronto to shop at those stores, so it’s nice to have them so close. Recently, though, I’ve noticed that even though there are more stores now – all the clothes look the same! I walked into one store and saw shirts with puffed shoulders. Then, I walked into another store and saw more shirts with puffed shoulders…and then in another store, and another store! Why is this?

In the past, each store had a specific look that was different from the others. Now, they all look the same! Has it always been like this, or has my taste in clothes changed?! It’s also impossible to figure out the sizes. A size 12 in one store is a size 8 in another store. A medium in one store is a large in another. I can’t get used to it! It’s so frustrating.

It’s not important to me to look trendy, and I don’t need to make a fashion statement, but it’s important to look nice! I don’t actually enjoy shopping. I love clothes – especially jackets, handbags and shoes, but I don’t enjoy shopping for them. I don’t like being pestered by the sales people. I know many of them are on commission and are just trying to make their quotas, but if I need help I’ll ask for it! I don’t like change rooms with no mirrors, either.

I used to work at a clothing store! I didn’t really enjoy it but it was something I always wanted to try! I liked playing with the cash register and learning about how a store operates. It got tiring, however, dealing with rude customers every day.

Discussion Questions

Do you enjoy shopping? How often do you go shopping?

What are your favourite stores?

What kind of clothes do you like to wear?

Let me know in the comments below!

Pronunciation – How to pronounce ‘clothes’

The ‘-thes’ at the end of ‘clothes’ is often difficult for English learners.

It’s really difficult to move your mouth from the / ð / position to the /z/ position.

Actually, it’s difficult even for native speakers…which is why most native-speakers don’t even bother pronouncing the ‘th’!

Listen carefully: we just say ‘clothes’ /kloʊz/

It sounds exactly like the verb ‘close’ /kloʊz/

Listen to the word used in sentences:

I need some new clothes.

I have nothing to wear! All my clothes are outdated.

My sister and I are the same size so I borrow her clothes all the time!

Vocabulary:

shop vs. store
= In North America, it’s more common to say ‘store.’ In England, it’s more common to say ‘shop.’

a look
In the past, each store had a specific look…
= in the fashion world, ‘a look’ is a specific style. In the past, each store had their own style of clothes.

my taste in clothes
Has it always been like this, or has my taste in clothes changed?!
my taste (uncountable noun)
= what I consider attractive and fashionable

Clothing sizes in North America:
A size 12 in one store is a size 8 in another store.
= regular-sized shirts and pants range from size 0 – size 14

A medium in one store is a large in another store.
= regular-sized shirts often come in extra small, small, medium, large and extra large

trendy
It’s not important to me to look trendy…
= wearing the most popular or most fashionable clothes

make a fashion statement
…and I don’t need to make a fashion statement…
= express your opinion (about fashion, about the world) through what you wear (think: Madonna, Lady Gaga)

on commission
I know many of them are on commission…
= part or most of their salary is a % of how much clothing they sell

quotas
…and are just trying to make their quotas,
= usually sales people have a ‘target’ they need to make, for example they need to sell $200 worth of clothing during their shift

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Actually, the bear that inspired A.A. Milne to write the Winnie-the-Pooh stories was named after the Canadian city of Winnipeg!

Winnie-the-Pooh is a character in two children’s books – Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner – written by A.A.Milne in the 1920s.

In 1914, Harry Colebourn was a lieutenant in the Canadian army on his way to a training camp when he stopped in the town of White River, Ontario. There, he found an orphaned bear cub whose mother had been shot and killed by a hunter. Lt. Colebourn paid $20 for the cub and named her Winnie, after his hometown Winnipeg. The cub became the unofficial mascot of Lt. Colebourn’s regiment and she travelled with the regiment to England.

Lt. Colebourn had to leave Winnie behind in England when his regiment was sent to France during WWI. Winnie stayed at the London Zoo and became a popular attraction. When Lt. Colebourn finished his service in the war, he donated Winnie to the Zoo, where she lived until she died in 1934.

A.A. Milne often used to take his son Christopher Robin to the zoo, where they saw Winnie. Christopher Robin loved the bear so much he named his teddy bear after her and added ‘pooh’ to the name. A.A. Milne’s two books about Winnie-the-Pooh were inspired by Christopher Robin and his collection of stuffed animals!

This is a big deal in Canada! Not only was this story featured in a commercial (see the video at the top of this post), but the CBC (the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) also made a movie about it called “A Bear Named Winnie.”

Vocabulary:

an orphan
= a child with no parents (the parents have died)

a bear cub
= a baby bear or a young bear

a mascot
= a person, animal or object that is used to represent a team or other group and bring good luck!

a regiment
= a military unit, a very large group of soldiers

a big deal
= very important

Sources:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2010/06/14/man-winnie-the-pooh-plaque-missing.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Colebourn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnie-the-Pooh

In the listening lesson ‘The Licence Plate,’ I was angry that I had to pay for an emissions test for my car even though my car had passed the same test two years ago! I said …

A lean, mean ___________ machine is a popular expression in North America! If someone or something is a lean, mean _________ machine, it is exceptionally good at its purpose. It is impressive, efficient, and excellent at what it does. The noun used in the expression is usually a gerund, but it can be anything.

My car passed the emissions test 2 years ago. I keep my car in good condition, so I doubt that in two years, my car had suddenly turned into a car that was emitting gases and other substances at dangerously and harmfully high levels.

This phrase is believed to have originated in the US Army, where they trained soldiers to be lean, mean fighting machines.

It was later used in the American movie Stripes:

“You’re a lean, mean, fighting machine!”
(Bill Murray as John Winger – Stripes)

Champion boxer George Foreman later introduced an electric grill called the lean, mean fat-reducing grilling machine.

He went from being a lean, mean fighting machine to selling lean, mean grilling machines.

Other uses of the expression:

A lean, mean killing machine.

A lean, mean laugh machine.

A lean, mean research machine.

McAfee AVERT Stinger: A Lean, Mean Virus-Killing Machine.

Lesson #3: Make Your Company a Lean, Mean, Operating Machine.

With Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green, Nicklas Backstom and Alexander Semin, the [Washington] Capitals are a lean, mean scoring machine.

Let’s look at this expression in more detail!

The general definition of mean is, of course, ‘not nice or good.’ In informal American English, it has another meaning = very good, excellent, impressive.

She makes a mean chicken casserole!
(Her chicken casserole is excellent, delicious.)

He plays a mean guitar!
(He plays the guitar very well.)

The same goes for the word machine. If someone or an organization is a machine, it means they are very efficient, very good and very quick at what they do – just like a machine!

Roger Federer [a tennis player] is a machine!

Our company operates like a well-oiled machine.

Do you know anyone or anything thing that is a lean, mean ___________ machine?

In the listening lesson “The Licence Plate!”, I mentioned all the different things you must do if you want to drive and own a car in Ontario (my province). The first thing you need to do is get a driver’s licence! In this post, I explain what you need to do to get a driver’s licence and how to keep your licence!

In Canada and America, you need a valid driver’s licence in order to legally drive a car. In North America a driver’s licence is a small, rectangular, plastic card that you must have with you (people usually keep it in their wallet) when you are driving a car.

Each state in the U.S. or province in Canada has a different procedure for obtaining a driver’s licence, but most follow the same pattern. When you turn 16 you can apply for a learner’s permit. Your eyesight is tested and you need to take a written test about the rules of the road. A learner’s permit is not a full driver’s licence. Each state or province has different rules, but usually a learner’s permit allows you to drive a car as long as there is an experienced driver (with a valid driver’s licence) in the car. To get your full driver’s licence you need to pass a road test where you must demonstrate that you know how to drive a car safely.

When you drive a car, you want to avoid getting a ticket or getting in a car accident. You can get a ticket for speeding (driving too fast), running a red light (driving through the intersection when the traffic light is red), not wearing a seat belt, or a variety of other infractions. Most of the time, when you get a ticket you will have to pay a fine. A DUI (you may hear this often in American TV shows and movies) is shorthand for ‘a DUI arrest,’ which means someone has been arrested for ‘driving under the influence’ of drugs or alcohol. This is a serious offence (a crime/illegal act). If you are arrested for DUI, you will most likely lose your licence or go to jail.

There are different types of car accidents: one car crashes into another car; a car crashes into a tree or other non-moving object; a car hits a pedestrian (someone walking across the road or on a sidewalk near the road). A head-on collision is when the front of one car hits the front of another car coming from the opposite direction. A pileup is when multiple cars crash into each other, usually on a highway.

In most states and provinces you will need to renew your licence throughout your lifetime. In Ontario I have to renew my licence every 5 years. I have to go to the Driver and Vehicle Licence Issuing Office, pay a fee, and get a new picture taken.

If you follow the rules of the road, drive safely, avoid getting in an accident, and renew your licence when required, you will be able to keep driving for many years!

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In the listening lesson ‘The Licence Plate,’ I said…

Strange government rules and regulations are not something new to me. Unfortunately, they are a fact of life! They are something I experience regularly.

= something that is familiar to you; it’s not new or unusual
= something that is easy for you to do because you’ve done it so many times or for so long

Jane is used to her teenage son’s strange behaviour.

I just moved to London. I‘m not used to driving on the left-hand side of the road.

Important!

*be used to CANNOT be followed by a verb in the base form:
X: I am used to live alone.

*used in this expression is an adjective, not a verb
– to is a preposition, not part of the infinitive form of the verb (‘to live’)
– When to is a preposition and part of a combination, it’s OK to use a gerund after it

Example Sentences:

A: How can you stand that all that noise from the construction site next door?
B: I’m used to it. They’ve been working on that building for 6 months!

He’s really nervous about making a speech in front of so many people. He‘s not used to speaking to such a large audience!

A: Aren’t you lonely living in that big house by yourself?
B: Not really. I‘m used to living alone. I’ve lived alone for the past 4 years!

Karen is really struggling! She has to get up at 5:30am for her new job and she‘s not used to getting up so early!

How do you like living in Australia? Are you used to the hot weather?

I went to the gym last night for the first time in months. My whole body is sore now! I’m not used to working out.

*NOTE: Be used to is NOT the same as used to!

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: I had to get a new sticker for my car’s licence plate!
Pronunciation explanation: how to pronounce the word ‘convenience.’!

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

Listen to the podcast:

Download the podcast in .mp3 from Podbean.com or itunes!

Listening Comprehension Questions:

1. What do I have to do every year in my province with my licence plate?

2. How much does a new sticker cost?

3. What did I have to do before I could get a new sticker?

4. Where did I go to renew my licence plate and get a new sticker?

5. Why am I so angry about using the service kiosk?

Transcript:

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

*Note in this transcript I use the Canadian / British spelling of licence. The American spelling is license.

Every car in North America – and probably the world – needs a licence plate. It’s the rectangular piece of metal at the front and back of a car with numbers or letters on it that identifies a vehicle. In my province Ontario, every year you have to renew your licence plate and get a new sticker to put on it…for which you must also pay!

First, you need a driver’s licence to drive a car. When you own a car in my province, you’re required by law to buy a permit and a licence plate for your car. You must also buy car insurance. Then, every year, you must pay $74 for a new sticker to put on your licence plate.

I’m used to strange government rules and regulations, but this is just a money grab! Before I could get a new sticker for my licence plate, the government required that my car pass an emissions test to make sure it was not polluting the air – the same test my car had passed two years ago. I doubt my car had become a lean, mean polluting machine since the last test, but I had to spend $35 for the test anyway. My car passed. Again.

I drove down to the Driver and Vehicle Licence Issuing Office, only to find it was temporarily closed, and there was no indication as to when it would reopen. Fortunately, there was a service kiosk at the mall where I could get a new licence plate sticker. If you can believe this, they charged me an extra dollar for using the service kiosk and called it a ‘convenience fee.’ I have been completely inconvenienced by this entire situation, yet the government has the audacity to charge me a ‘convenience fee.’ Unbelievable.

Discussion Questions:

Do you own a car?

If you do, do you have to pay for anything, like permits, insurance, licence plates or licence plate stickers in your country?

Let me know in the comments below!

Pronunciation:

The word convenience has some tricky sounds for English learners.

Many English learners want to pronounce the first syllable /kan/. Remember, however, that this syllable is UNSTRESSED. In most unstressed syllables the vowel is reduced to the schwa / ə / sound. So, the first syllable is pronounced…
/ k ən / not / kan /

The second syllable is the stressed syllable. It’s said louder and longer than the other syllables.
/ vi:n /
/ kən.’vi:n. /

The third syllable is interesting. There are a couple sounds in it that are not represented by letters. Listen carefully:
/ jənts /

The syllable begins with the /j/ sound, like at the beginning of the word ‘you.’ Since this syllable is unstressed, the vowel sound is / ə /. There is a slight /ts/ sound as your tongue moves from the voiced /n/ to the unvoiced /s/:
/ jənts /

Let’s put all these syllables together:
/kən.ˈvi:n.jənts/

Vocabulary:

to renew
…every year you have to renew your licence plate…
= to make something new again, to cause (something) to continue to be effective or valid for an additional period of time (MW)

a money grab
…this is just a money grab!
= when a government, business or other organization unfairly or dishonestly acquires a large sum of money, without having to do a lot to take that money

an emissions test
…the government required that my car pass an emissions test to make sure it was not polluting the air…
= a test performed by a mechanic to make sure the emissions (gas and other substances coming out of my car) are not harmful to the environment

the Driver and Vehicle Licence Issuing Office
I drove down to the Driver and Vehicle Licence Issuing Office…
= the local government office that looks after issuing driver licences, vehicle permits and licence plates

to charge (someone $$$)
…they charged me an extra dollar for using the service kiosk…
= to ask for or demand a sum of money in exchange for goods or services

a kiosk
Here is a picture of the ServiceOntario kiosk:
http://www.ontario.ca/en/services_for_residents/STEL02_155921

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It’s true! Everyone thinks of Canada as a northern country, but Canada extends so far north and so far south that we cover more lines of latitude than any other country on earth!

On the eastern side of Canada, the provinces of Ontario and Quebec are separated from the United States by the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway. One of the Great Lakes is Lake Erie, and the US/Canada border runs through the lake.

Point Pelee National Park, a small piece of Canada’s giant landmass, juts out into Lake Erie. The southernmost point of Point Pelee National Park is south of the 42nd parallel (42° N line of latitude). The 42nd parallel is also the northern Californian border!

The southernmost inhabited place in Canada is Pelee Island in Lake Erie.

The southernmost land in Canada is Middle Island, also in Lake Erie. Nobody lives on the island. It’s just one big park!

The southernmost point of Middle Island is at a latitude of 41°41’17″N. According to Wikipedia, twenty-seven U.S. states lie all or partly north of this point, as does Rome, Italy (Rome, Italy is at 41°54’0”N)

Vocabulary:
to cover
= to spread out over the surface of something or over an area

to jut (out)
= to stick out, to go beyond the border, the edge, or the surface of something

the 42nd parallel
= a line of latitude, an imaginary line that goes around the earth, parallel to the equator
42° N = 42 lines of latitude north of the equator

inhabited
= people live there

southernmost
= as far south as you can go, the furthest to the south

Sources:
http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/on/pelee/index.aspx
http://www.pelee.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelee,_Ontario
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Island_(Lake_Erie)
http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=7165&site_id=1#import

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This week’s listening lesson “53 Years!” is about my parent’s wedding anniversary. They were married 53 years ago!

Here are some expressions you can use to talk about asking someone to marry you, getting married and different types of marriages!

Asking someone to marry you:

to propose (marriage) (to someone)
= to ask someone to marry you
*Usually when a man proposes to a woman, he asks: “Will you marry me?”

My sister is very excited! She thinks her boyfriend is going to propose to her tonight!

to ask for someone’s hand in marriage
= to ask someone to marry you (formal)

It was such a romantic proposal. He got down on one knee and asked for my hand in marriage!

to pop the question
= to ask someone to marry you (informal, slang)

Those two have been dating forever! When is he finally going to pop the question???

Getting married:

to get hitched
= to get married (very informal/slang)

Did you hear? Adam and Betty got hitched in Vegas last weekend!

to say I do
= to get married (informal)
*During a traditional Christian wedding ceremony, the couple says their vows. As part of the vows, the bride and groom say “I do” (they agree to marry each other)

So, when are you two saying ‘I do’?
(When are you getting married?)

to tie the knot
= to get married (informal)

After dating for several years, Ken and Erin have decided to tie the knot!

to walk down the aisle together
= to get married (informal)
*In a traditional Christian wedding in a church, the bride walks down the aisle of the church to meet her groom, and the ceremony begins. After the ceremony, the married couple walks back down the aisle together.

Two days to go until they walk down the aisle together!
(Their wedding is in 2 days.)

to leave (someone) at the altar
= to decide not to marry someone at the last moment (very close to or on the day of the wedding)
*The altar is the area at the front of the church where the bride and groom stand during the ceremony.

He got cold feet and left his fiancé at the altar. She was mortified!

(*to get cold feet = to get nervous)

Marriages:

married to one’s work
If you are married to your work, you spend more time working than you do with your family!

His family rarely sees him. He spends all of his time at the office. He’s married to his work!

a match / marriage made in heaven
= the man and woman are perfect for each other!

They are a match made in heaven!

an arranged marriage
= a marriage where the parents (or other close family member) choose the person their son or daughter will marry

a shotgun wedding
= a wedding that happens quickly and suddenly because the woman is pregnant; the couple wants to be married before the baby is born.

an open marriage
= a marriage in which the husband and wife are free to have sex with other people!

a marriage of convenience
= when two people get married not because they love each other, but because they can gain something, for example when a non-citizen marries a Canadian so that they can stay in Canada.

Related Posts:
Vocabulary Spotlight On: Weddings
Vocabulary Spotlight On: Relationships

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In English, congratulations is usually used as a form of praise when someone achieves something special or unusual, for example when someone:

• gets engaged / gets married
• gets a job promotion / gets a new job
• has a new baby
• passes an exam
• graduates from school
• wins an election
• wins a race or contest

Congratulations on winning the election!

Congratulations on your new baby!

Congratulations on 53 years of marriage!
(*for wedding anniversaries you can also say ‘Happy Anniversary!’)

Since I started teaching English, I have been congratulated for everything! I know that the sentiment is heartfelt, but often English learners say congratulations when they mean simply good job or well done! You may use the word for congratulations in your language differently than it is used in English.

When you want to say someone has done well on a project, taught a class well, given a good speech, or generally done something well, you can say:

Your house looks beautiful! You’ve done a great job decorating it.

Good job on the report! I think the executives will like it.

That was a great class, teacher. Well done!

Excellent speech! The audience really enjoyed it.

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In a previous grammar post, I explained how to use used to to talk about things you did in the past but you don’t do now.

In the listening lesson “53 Years!”, I talked about things my parents did when they were dating. I said…

In English, the modal verb would can also be used to talk about things that happened regularly or things you did regularly in the past. Specifically, would is used to talk about repeated activities, habits or events in the past.

You can use would the same way you use used to EXCEPT would is NOT used to talk about past states (past truths):

I used to smoke, but I quit last year.
X I would smoke, but I quit last year.

She used to have a cat.
X I would have a cat.

He used to have long hair.
X He would have long hair.

*Don’t worry if you can’t understand the subtle difference between used to and would right now! This is an advanced grammar point and it usually takes English learners awhile and a lot of practice to understand when to use would this way.

Example sentences:

When I was young, I would lock myself in my room and play the guitar for hours.
When I was young, I used to lock myself in my room and play the guitar for hours.

He would go out to bars and drink every weekend when he was in university.
He used to go out to bars and drink every weekend when he was in university.

Before we went to bed on Christmas Eve, my sister and I would put out cookies and milk for Santa!
Before we went to bed on Christmas Eve, my sister and I used to put out cookies and milk for Santa!

Whenever she was sad as a teenager, she would listen to depressing music.
Whenever she was sad as a teenager, she used to listen to depressing music.

Every fall, just after school started, my family would go to the apple farm and pick apples right off the trees!
Every fall, just after school started, my family used to go to the apple farm and pick apples right off the trees!

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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 parents’ wedding anniversary!
Pronunciation lesson: How to pronounce the word ‘anniversary.’

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

Listen to the podcast:

Download the podcast in .mp3 from Podbean.com or itunes!

Listening Comprehension Questions:

1. Where did my parents meet?

2. What happened before my mom could go out on a date with my dad?

3. Who did my parents often have to take on dates with them?

4. What did we do this year for their anniversary?

Transcript:

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

Last week my parents celebrated 53 years of marriage! You heard me correctly: my parents have been married for 53 years. In this day and age, a marriage that lasts for 53 years is quite rare!

My parents met when they worked at the same place as teenagers in the early 1950s. When my dad first asked my mom on a date, my mom had to ask my grandmother for permission to go out with him. Luckily my uncle (my mother’s brother) worked at the same place and knew my father. He told my grandmother that my dad was a good guy and it was OK to let my mother go on a date with him. My uncle often likes to remind my dad of this!

My parents courted for 5 years before they married. They had a lot of fun together. They would go on dates to the movies or they would go out for dinner. My grandmother often made my mother take her two younger sisters with her on dates! My dad told my mother: “stick with me and we’ll go places!” They’ve had a great life together.

My parents are very low-key. They wouldn’t let us throw a big party for them on their 50th anniversary, and they didn’t want to do anything elaborate for their 53rd anniversary either. On the day of their anniversary, we went to a local restaurant for drinks and some appetizers. I bought them a gift card to their favourite coffee store, where they like to sit and do crossword puzzles while they drink their coffee. It was a really nice evening!

Discussion Questions:

How do people celebrate wedding anniversaries in your country?

If you’re married, what do you do to celebrate your wedding anniversary?

Let me know in the comments below!

Pronunciation – How to pronounce ‘anniversary’

The word ‘anniversary’ is 5 syllables:
/æn.Iˈvɝː.sɚ.i/
/æn.əˈvɚ.sɚ.i/

The first syllable is ‘an,’ just like the article ‘an.’ In English, double consonants are only pronounced once, so there is only one ‘n’ sound.

The second syllable is the letter i. In English there are 4 ways to pronounce the letter ‘i.’ In this word, the i is NOT pronounced /i/. You can pronounce it / I / or / ə /.
æn.ə

The third syllable is the stressed syllable. It is said louder and longer than the other syllables.
/ vɝ /
æn.ə.’vɝ

Even though the next syllable is spelled ‘sar,’ the a + r is pronounced /ɚ/, the vowel r sound.
æn.ə.’vɝ.sɚ

Finally, the ‘y’ at the end of the word is pronounced /i/.

Let’s put all these syllables together:
/æn.Iˈvɝː.sɚ.i/
/æn.əˈvɚ.sɚ.i/

Vocabulary

to court
*this is an old-fashioned word that is rarely used today, but it was common when my parents first met!
My parents courted for 5 years before they married.
= to date and be in a romantic relationship with someone that you hope or intend to marry.

in this day and age
In this day and age, a marriage that lasts for 53 years is quite rare!
= in the present time, nowadays

to last
In this day and age, a marriage that lasts for 53 years is quite rare!
= to continue for a period of time

to ask (for) permission
…my mom had to ask my grandmother for permission to go out with him.
= to ask to be allowed/permitted to do something

Stick with me and we’ll go places
My dad told my mother: “stick with me and we’ll go places!”
= This is the punchline of a cute joke:
Q: What did the envelope say to the stamp?
A: Stick with me and we’ll go places!
My dad was joking with my mother and saying that if she spends her life with him, they will ‘go places’ – they will be successful and have a happy life together.

low-key
My parents are very low-key.
= My parents didn’t want people to make a fuss about their anniversary. They wanted something quiet, relaxed and without a lot of excitement.

to throw a party
They wouldn’t let us throw a big party for them on their 50th anniversary…
= to have a party, to host or prepare a party

appetizers
…we went to a local restaurant for drinks and some appetizers.
= not a full meal, small amounts of food before the main course.

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In the listening lesson “Let’s Go to The Ex!” I talked about the rides at the Canadian National Exhibition. I said…

The word crazy is an adjective. It has two general definitions, and it is used in a wide variety of expressions!

You’re crazy!

1. mentally ill
The old definition of crazy was someone who had a serious mental illness and was not sane. Nowadays it is considered offensive to call someone who has a mental illness ‘crazy.’ At the same, if you want to insult someone by implying that they have a mental illness, you call that person ‘crazy.’

Have you met her new boyfriend? He’s crazy! He’s got serious mental problems. I wouldn’t go anywhere near him.

2. something or someone that is stupid, not sensible, uncontrolled, wild, foolish, unreasonable, strange, unusual

She always wears the craziest outfits!

Is this another of your crazy ideas?

You went skydiving?! Are you crazy?

Go crazy
= to become any of the about definitions of crazy!
= to become mentally ill, out of control, etc.

I think I’m going crazy!

The crowd at the baseball game went absolutely crazy when the batter hit a homerun!

We were sitting quietly watching TV when all of a sudden the dog went crazy! He just started barking at the TV and running around the room.

Stir-crazy (adjective)
= You become stir-crazy when you become bored, impatient, restless, upset, and uncomfortable from being stuck inside or stuck in one place for a long time, from being inactive, or because you are prevented from doing something for a long time.

Her doctor has restricted her to bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy. She is going stir-crazy.

His car is being repaired so he’s been stuck in his house for the past couple of days. He’s starting to go stir-crazy!

to be crazy about (something)
= to be interested in or like something/someone intensely
= to be very enthusiastic about something/someone

My daughter is crazy about the Jonas Brothers! She listens to their music all the time and has pictures of them all over her bedroom walls.

Jane and Matt are completely crazy about each other. They love each other so much!

I’m not so crazy about the rides anymore at the CNE, but I am crazy about the food!

to drive (someone) crazy
= to make someone angry by annoying, irritating or bothering them

We get so many phone calls from telemarketers, it drives me crazy!

His wife’s constant nagging is driving him crazy!

Our neighbour’s dog is always outside. His loud barking drives us crazy!

(do something) like crazy
= to do something very quickly, very energetically, and to do a lot of it!

She has been cleaning her house like crazy!

The project deadline is in 4 days so the whole team is working like crazy to get it done on time.

Rihanna’s new album is selling like crazy!

*This is expression is similar to doing something as if / like it’s going out of style.