English in Your Face
By Peter Mangiaracina
English in Your FaceFeb 24, 2020
Interview with Yesica Miranda, Neurologist
Today we’re going to do something a little bit different. Instead of doing grammar, we're going to have an interview with one of my students, Yesica Miranda. Yesica has been taking classes from me for about year. I thought it might be interesting to speak to students to get their perspective on learning English.
Head on over to englishinyourface.blog for a transcript of this podcast.
The Ugly Truth About Phrasal Verbs
In this podcast I'm going to talk about:
> * Difficulties that ESL students have when listening to native speakers.
> * The Anatomy of a Phrasal Verb
> * A Bit of Phrasal Verb History
> * The two main types of phrasal verbs, two-word and three-word phrasal verbs
> * What kinds of phrasal verbs take objects, and which don't
> * Where to put the object if it has one. After? Between?
Visit englishinyourface.blog for a transcript of this podcast.
How to Write A Friendly Letter
One of the test questions on the Cambridge tests is writing a friendly letter. Here is the way to write it!
Using Causatives
Head on over to englishinyourface.blog for a transcript of this podcast.
Also see my presentation on causatives
Let me give you a road map of what we are going to talk about today.
* First we will define what a causative is
* How it differs from other languages
* The terminology we’ll use to describe each element of a causative sentence, namely the subject, main verb, the agent, the causative verb, and the object.
* There are three causatives, and today I will talk about:
* The different sentence constructions of causatives.
* How the main verbs and the causative verbs changes for each structure.
News!
How to Use "Make" and "Do"
Today’s podcast is about the uses of make and do.
Follow along with the transcript of this episode at https://englishinyourface.blog.
This drives everyone crazy. In Spanish, for example, you have only one word for both make and do, “hacer,” so it’s difficult to figure out which English word “make” or “do" is correct to use. A lot of my students have learned a rule that I think is completely useless. They learn that you use “make” for things you do with your hands. No, ladies and gentleman, that doesn’t work. The expression “make good time” for example means to arrive at a place quickly.
It usually takes me an hour to get to work but today it only took 30 minutes. I made great time.
Did you walk to work on your hands? No. It’s an absurd rule. Forget that rule. File that rule under stupid.
You have to learn which one to use by learning the context and that’s what I plan to do today. I’m going to go through some of the most common expressions that use make and do, so sit back, MAKE yourself comfortable and let’s DO it right.
The Comma Crisis
I have just finished correcting about eight medical articles. I do medical translations from time to time and also check the English before publication in American and European journals in English. The two most common mistakes when I do corrections are the misuse of the definite article and the overuse of commas. Last time we talked about articles and how to use them, so today I’m going to talk about when you should use a comma.
Follow along with the transcript of this episode at https://englishinyourface.blog.
How to Use Articles
Episode 11. When to use definite and indefinite articles. In depth!
By articles, I mean a (ay) or ah and the (thee) or thuh, the choice is up to you how you want to pronounce them. The longer vowels in thee and ay are sometimes used for emphasis such as in the phrase, "The one and only…"
Follow along with the transcript of this episode at https://englishinyourface.blog.
Using the Password Game in English Class
Episode 9 Using Such and So
Relative Clauses
Common English Mistakes of Native Spanish Speakers
Most of the errors you will see in this short presentation are due to native language interference. This comes about because:
- The student probably learned with the grammar-translation method
- The structure in English is alien to the structure in Spanish, setting up a classic negative learning situation.
Intensive drilling of the correct form, every day at first and then a periodic surprise progress check, is required to correct these very tenacious errors.
Auxiliaries
A discussion of the uses of auxiliaries in the English language.
Auxiliaries are unique to English. Without a clear idea of how to use them, it would be impossible to speak or write English well. They are used for much more than just asking questions. They are also used for negative answers, short answers, tag questions, echo questions, and much more…
Follow along with the transcript of this episode at https://englishinyourface.blog.
Phrases, Clauses and Sentences
Phrases, Clauses and Sentences
There is a certain terminology I use that you should know so we are on the same page when we talk about constructing a proper sentence. Terms such as phrases, clauses and sentences.
Follow along with the transcript of this episode at https://englishinyourface.blog.
Simple Sentence Structure
I discuss the elements of a simple sentence: subject + verb + object.
Follow along with the transcript of this episode at https://englishinyourface.blog.
Important Terms
What you should know before you begin English classes.