Ten Questions Esl Podcast

LnR 118 (Casual Language) Side Hustle (Replay) Hi, I hope that everyone is doing well. The U.S. is finally getting serious about trying to stop the spread of the coronavirus in the country. We are supposed to stay at home if we can. I'm in a small town, so we aren't very worried about it, though we are being careful. Other places in the country have more cases of the virus and are facing stricter rules about staying inside. I know that my listeners in other countries, particularly in Europe and Asia, have already faced many problems because of the virus. I wish all of you the best. This podcast episode is about having a "side hustle". Right now I am working on several side hustles, mainly involving selling online and writing ebooks. A couple years ago I tried selling bookmarks on Amazon. It was an interesting learning experience, but it was also a failure! I learned how to contact a Chinese company to make the kind of bookmark I wanted. That was good. But losing money because no one bought the bookmarks on Am

LnR 116 (Casual Language) Desert/Dessert  (Replay from 2 1/2 years ago)        A: Teacher, how to pronounce this word? B: This one, with two s's, is pronounced "dessert". It means sweet food after dinner. A: Oh, like ice cream or chocolate cake? B: Exactly. As a matter of fact, that's what we usually had for dessert when I was growing up. Though sometimes Mom made us have fruit instead of cake or ice cream. A: And what about this word? B: It's pronounced "desert". Like the Sahara Desert in northern Africa. Are there any deserts in your country? A: No, but we have lots of hills and mountains. B: That's nice. By the way, please don't call me "Teacher". Use my name, Miss Buswell. But don't call me only "Buswell", because it's not nice to call a lady only by her last name. A: Oh, I didn't know that. In my language, we call our teachers "teacher" or "professor". B: Oh, I see. Also, it's bad grammar to say, "How to pronounce." You should say, "How do you pronounce". A: OK, thanks. I learned a lot with this question

Hi everyone around the world! I love looking at my statistics each night, seeing all the countries where people who download my podcast episodes live. I get a kick out of it! Thanks for listening. I hope you find the podcast useful. Here's an episode I recorded 2 1/2 years ago. You'll learn some new things in it. LnR 114 (Casual Language) Way to go! (Replay) Parents talking to their child after a soccer game. A: Hi, Mom and Dad! Did you see my goal? B: Yeah, honey, it was great! Way to go! C: It was so exciting. The score was tied for a long time, and I thought the game would end in a draw. Then Tracy kicked the ball to Robin, who kicked it to you and you headed it right into the goal between the arms of the keeper. A: Yeah, we really had good teamwork on that play. We had a few chances earlier, but the ball wouldn't go in the net. B: That's how it goes. You have to keep trying. And you did. C: Yeah. Good job today. Really good job. B: Yeah, way to go, Kelly. Are you hungry? A: Yeah, I'm starvin' like Marvin!

TQ 109 Jasmijn from Belgium Finally I am giving you a new podcast episode! I've been using old Listen and Repeat episodes for over a year, but now I have a Ten Questions episode. When I started the podcast, the original idea was to interview people so that my listeners could hear many different types of accents in English. After a few months I realized that there was a need to help people improve their intonation (similar to accent), so I started making Listen and Repeat podcast episodes. Its been almost a year and a half since I posted a new interview, so newer listeners won't realize that I used to post them often. This interview actually was made back in the fall of 2018, when I was still living in China. I have three interviews on my old laptop that I have never edited and used in my podcast. Here is the first one. The others will come later. Jasmijn, 26, is from the town of Hasselt, Belgium. At the time she was staying with me (from couchsurfing.org) she had already been traveling in China for two months

Happy 2019 Everyone! I'm still living in the U.S. with my mother . . . and now my brother is living with us while he's between jobs. He quit a terrible job teaching English at a high school in a very small town. His students weren't respectful and the school administration weren't helpful when he asked for help in disciplining his trouble-making students. I'm so fortunate that I spent the last 19 years teaching in China, with wonderful students. I"m still teaching, but only online now. I do mock IELTS exams on the two Chinese apps PalFish and Kouyuxia, And anyone in the world can find me on Cambly. I do Free Talk and IELTS preparation on Cambly. I use the same name on all three teaching platforms: Miss Buswell. Call me! I would be so excited to talk to one of my podcast listeners! By the way, people from 109 different countries listen to this podcast! The top ten countries in terms of downloads of my podcast episodes are: China, U.S., Japan, Brazil, Germany, Iran, Canada, Russia, Korea, and Spain. And then 99

Here's another episode from 2 1/2 years ago. LnR 110 (Casual Language) What did I do? (Replay) Ten questions starting with the word "what". What did I do? What did he do? What did she want? What did they say? What are you doing? (Whatcha doin'?) What are you talking about? (Whatcha talkin' about?) What are you looking at? (Whatcha lookin' at?) What happened? What's happening? (as a greeting and as a question) What's the matter?

LnR 106 (Casual Language) Wikipedia (Replay) Listen and Repeat: A: Hi there, what are you doing? (Watcha doin'?) B: Oh, hey. I'm working on my paper for World History class. A: Oh, yeah. I finished mine three days ago. It's due tomorrow, you know. B: Yeah, I know. I should've started it last week, but I just kept putting it off. A: You mean you haven't started it yet?! B: Well, I started it an hour ago. I've already written two pages. A: You know we're supposed to write eight to ten pages and use three sources. B: I've already taken notes from my three sources. I'm using two websites about history and also Wikipedia. A: What? Our teacher told us clearly that we can't use Wikipedia as one of our sources! B: What? That must have been the day I slept late and missed class. Oh, shoot, I'm in a lot of trouble. I'll have to stay up all night working on this. A: Good luck! I'll go get you some coffee.  

Hi! Thanks for downloading my podcast! I hope that you will find it useful. If you are new, my name is Nancy Buswell. When I recorded this podcast episode 2 1/2 years ago I was teaching in Nanning, China. This summer I moved home to the US and am now living with my 83-year old mother. She is still in good health, thank goodness. I work online. I give mock IELTS exams on two Chinese apps, and teach on the website/app Cambly Fridays and Saturdays. Most of my students there are from Saudi Arabie, Turkey and Brazil. If you use Cambly, please look me up! I'm Miss Buswell on Cambly, and I prefer giving mock IELTS exams or having interesting conversations. Call me and let's have an interesting conversation! ====== LnR 104 Extracurricular Activities (Replay) Listen and Repeat: A: We had an interesting discussion topic in English class today. B: Oh, yeah? What was it? A: Our teacher told us to talk to our partner about our first jobs. B: That's easy! My first job was working at a KFC when I was 18. It was the summer b

Hello from the U.S. state of Arkansas, where fall weather has finally arrived! Many people like the fall, but I like hot weather, not cold weather. Fortunately, it's only cool now, not cold. Here's another podcast episode from 2 1/2 years ago. I think I talk about my YouTube channel in this. Ignore it. I haven't done anything with my YouTube channel in a couple of years. I started a series called "Ask Miss Buswell", but it only lasted three days! I didn't follow up on it. I tend to procrastinate on some kinds of work. "Procrastinate" means to delay, to do something later. LnR 102 (Casual Language) Fast Food (Replay) Listen and Repeat: A simple dialogue between a customer and a cashier at McDonalds A: Welcome to McDonalds! How may I help you? B: Hi, I'd like a double cheeseburger. A: Would you like the combo or just the burger? B: Pardon? A: The combo includes fries and a drink. B: Oh, OK.  Just the burger. And something to drink. What do you have? A: The drinks are listed right here. We have Coke, Diet Coke,

I made this recording 2 1/2 years ago when I was still teaching in a classroom. Now I'm teaching at home, online. What a change! I miss being in front of my students, though it's nice to work at home, too. I hope you enjoy this podcast episode and that you learning something new about learning vocabulary. LnR 100 (Casual Language) Vocab (Replay) I talk about a good way to study vocabulary so that you will remember it.  Dialogue between two students A: Hi, Jack! How did you do on our vocab quiz this morning? B: Oh, man, I bombed it! A: What do you mean? B: I mean I think I failed it. A: How did that happen? Miss Buswell told us what to study. It was an easy quiz. I think I made a perfect score. Jack: I'm really hacked off at myself. I waited until last night to cram for the quiz. But then I forgot most of the words in the morning. Jill: Well, that's too bad. Maybe next time . . . . Jack: Yeah. Next time I'll remember to start studying earlier. Cramming sure isn't the best way to prepare for a test.  

Hello as usual from Arkansas, a small state in the American South! The weather is still hot, which I like a lot, though I know that fall is around the corner. Here is a dialog about computers that I made 2 1/2 years ago. Since then I had to replace that old computer. A different student helped me buy a much better new one. I really liked it, but couldn't take it with me when I left China because it was a desktop and much too big and delicate to transport to the US. I sold it to a friend when I left. Here at my mother's house I use a nice laptop, though I do miss the big monitor I had with my desktop in China. I hope you like the vocabulary in this dialog and that you find it useful.   LnR 098 (Casual Language) Are you serious? (Replay)   A: Hey, thanks for coming over! B: Sure, no problem. A: Like I told you on the phone, I've got a problem with my desktop computer. B: What's wrong? A: I need a new video card. The old one is finally kaput. My laptop is fine, but I use my desktop for most of my schoolwork. B:

LnR 096 (Casual Language) Chores (Replay) It's still warm and humid in Arkansas, USA now! I like hot weather, so I'm not in a hurry for fall to get here. I'm enjoying living in the US and teaching English online. I specialize in giving mock IELTS exams. If you want a mock exam you can contact me at nancybuswell@yahoo.com. If you are in China you can find me on PalFish or KouYuXia (Language Master). I'm pretty sure that some of my online students have been downloading my podcast episodes, since I recommend them to those who need to improve their intonation. Here's a replay of a podcast episode from 2 1/2 years ago. It's about the kind of chores that children have to do at home. By the way, I talk about my YouTube channel. I haven't done much with my channel in a couple of years. I just lost interest in it.   A: What kind of chores did you have to do when you were a kid? B: I had to wash dishes after dinner, feed the dog twice a day, and take her for a walk.  A: Is that all? B: No, of course not. I also had to

This podcast episode is from 2 1/2 years ago, just before I went on a two-week vacation in the country of Laos. I had a really great time there! Now, if you don't know, I'm living with my mother and working online. I don't live in China anymore. I teach for two Chinese apps, specializing in giving IELTS mock exams.   --------   LnR 092 (Casual Language) Vacation (Replay) A: Hi, Miss Buswell. What are you going to do during the Spring Festival vocation? B: "Vacation", not "vocation". A: Oh, yeah. Sorry, I forgot. B: Happens all the time! Anyways, I'm staying here for the first part, then I'm going to spend two weeks in Laos. A: In Laos? That sounds interesting. B: It should be. I'll stay at a nice place just outside the capital. I want to relax, read a lot, work on projects, and do some sightseeing. A: That sounds great. Me, I'm going home tomorrow. B: Will you travel during the holiday? A: No. Usually we go to my grandparents' town in the countryside, but this year the family is coming to our place in the cit

Hi! I'm back in the US now. I spent two weeks in China, clearing out my apartment. I sold a few things, gave away and threw away a lot of things, and sent some things home by slow boat. It was a busy two weeks, filled with visiting friends and students, and figuring out what to do with my things. I thought that I had one year to prepare to move, but when I found out that I wasn't being rehired (they kept the younger teachers, not me) I had to go to China from the US and clear my apartment quickly. It wasn't fun, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was good to see my friends and students again! I got back from China about ten days ago, had a few days to rest, then went with my mother and brother to a family wedding in another state. My niece (my sister's daughter) got married. We spent a lot of time with family during the weekend and then came back. We had a great time. I hadn't seen my sister for over a year. Yesterday my brother left to go to his home in Georgia. He took his two cats with him.

I'm in my old apartment in Nanning, China now! I came back for about 12 days to clear the apartment of my things because I won't be working here anymore. I have a lot of work to do, figuring out what to do with all my stuff! I taught English in China for 19 1/2 years. I also have a lot of people to say goodbye to, and that will be hard. I'm honored right now to have two of my former students from about 12 years ago come down from Xi'an to spend a couple days with me, to say goodbye and to help me pack. Here's a podcast episode from 2 1/2 years ago: ............................... LnR 088 (Casual Language) Loan, Lend or Borrow 1. Could you loan me your pen for a minute? 2. I'd like to borrow your pen for a minute. 3. She borrowed my laptop last week. 4. I loaned her my laptop last week. 5. I'm going to the bank today to borrow money to start my business. 6. The bank is going to loan me money to start my business. 7. My daughter borrowed money from me. 8. I loaned money to my daughter. 9. Many American students

This podcast episode is from December 2016. Now my brother Ken has two cats of his own, Lucy and Jackson. When he comes home at Christmas and for a couple weeks in the summer, there are five cats in my mother's house! ---------- LnR 086 I call Ken (Replay) Nancy: Hey, Kenny, when did you (whendidja/whenja) get home? Ken: Oh, about two hours ago. N: Did you (didja) have a good drive? K: Yeah, no problems. I drove through Atlanta before their morning rush hour, so that was OK. The highways through Alabama and Mississippi were fine, too. It rained a little when I hit Arkansas, but not for long. N:That's good. Did you (didja) enjoy Mom's surprise? K: Yeah, that was so funny! I couldn't believe that Mom had gotten a new cat! I was so surprised! N: You've got to (gotta) send me some pictures. K: Yeah, sure will. N: Well, I'd better let you go (letcha) go. K: Yeah, it's getting late here. Almost time for bed. N: Sleep well. Tell Mom I love her. Love you, too. I'll call again on Christmas Eve.

LnR 084 Accent and Dialect (Replay) A: Where are you from? I don't recognize your accent? B: South Africa! What about you? You sound American. A: Close. I'm from Canada, but I don't have a typical Canadian accent. I lived in the U.S. for several years when I was a kid. B: OK, I see. I can't really tell the difference between Canadians and Americans. A: Sometimes there's not a big difference. Unless the person is a French-Canadian. B: I have trouble understanding people from Scotland. I have a friend from Glasgow, but sometimes I think he's speaking another language. It's Greek to me! A: Have you heard that old saying? I think Mark Twain said it: "The U.S. and Britain are two countries separated by a common language."

Hi! Here's a podcast episode I made in December 2016. I hope you find it useful. Nancy Buswell www.missbuswell.com nancy@missbuswell/com --------- LnR 082 15 or 50? (Replay) A: My son is 13 years old. B: Oh, is he married? A: I said, 13, not 30. 1-3. B. Oh, of course! Sorry 'bout that. Say, how many orders did that company place for our new product? A: 14. B: 40! That's great! A: No, 14. 1-4. B: Oh, too bad. We need the business. A: How many orders did you get for our older product? B: 60. A: 16. That's not too good, either. B: No, 60. 6-0. They really like that product. A: Is that the company that's been in business for 90 years? B: No, they've been in business for 19 years. You are thinking of another company. A: Oh, yeah. Right. C: Hey, you two! Why are you late for the meeting? A: We're not late. The boss said yesterday that it would start at 10:50. C: No, he didn't. He told us it would start at 10:15. We are waiting for you two. A: Oh, shoot! We are on our way.

Here's an episode from 2 1/2 years ago. It highlights a common problem: getting "too" and "very" mixed up. Last week I experimented by posting six podcast episodes at the same time. I wanted to see how many people would download all six. Here's the result: As of today, May 18, there have been 322 downloads of the last one uploaded, Gift of the Magi 6; 213 of Gift of the Magi 5; and then down to 157 people who downloaded Gift of the Magi 1, which means that 157 people downloaded all six of the episodes, while twice that amount only got the last one uploaded. That's actually a bit better than I expected. ---------- LnR 080 Too or Very (Replay) A: Let's go out to eat tonight. B: Sounds good. Where do you want to go? (Where d'ya wanna go?) A: How about that place on the corner? It's my favorite. B: Yeah, but there's always too many people there. A: There's a lot of (lotta) people, but I don't think there are too many. B: Their food is also too spicy for me. A: Their food is very spicy, but that's how I like it. B

This is the last episode in this series. I have posted all six episodes tonight. I haven't done this before. I used to try to post three podcast episodes a week, but since I've been at home recovering from surgery I have changed to posting only once a week. For me this is an experiment to see how many people download all six of the episodes! Every night I check my podcast statistics. I love seeing where all of you live! The statistics tell me the country and state/province where each download came from. The top ten countries are: USA, China, Brazil, Iran, Japan, Russia, UK, Poland, Germany, and Korea. (It's very likely that many of the downloads that say they are from the USA are actually made by people using VPNs in China, Iran or other countries.) My statistics show the results from the last three months. In those three months I have had downloads from 109 countries! I love it! Thanks for listening and I hope you find my podcasts useful. ------------ LnR 087 Gift of the Magi 6 For there lay The Combs--the s