Podcast transcripts | English Unite

"Alice is a friend, she's American, but she lives in Britain. When she first drove a car in Britain, she found it very difficult because this was her first time driving on the left. In America, people drive on the right side of the road, not on the left. Driving on the left was strange and difficult for Alice because She wasn't used to it. She wasn't used to driving on the left. After a lot of practice, driving on the left became less and less difficult. Less and less strange. That's because Alice got used to it. She got used to driving on the left. Nowadays, this is not a problem for Alice anymore. Now she is used to it. Alice is used to driving on the left.

Let's look at the grammar:

We use "to be used to something" when it isn't new or strange or difficult for me. If I am used to something, it's easy, normal, simple and natural for me.

Look at some more examples:
Harry lives alone. He doesn't mind this because he has lived alone for 15 years. It is not strange to him. He is used to it. He is used to living alone.

Hassan got a new job. Because of his new job he has to wake up much earlier now than before - at 5:00am. He finds this very difficult because he isn't used to it. He's not used to getting up so early" He isn't used to getting up so early".

Notice that after be used to, we need to use a verb with -ing.
"Harry is used to living alone."
"Hassan isn't used to getting up early".

How about you? What are the things you're used to doing? Are you used to getting up early? Are you used to staying home all day? Take a break here. If you're listening to this lesson, pause it and think of two sentences you can write or say using to be used to something / to be used to doing something. Take your time, I'll wait for you.

I was certainly not used to being inside all day long. But now with the pandemic, everybody had to get used to staying in their homes. To get used to something or to get used to doing something is to become familiar with that thing, so that it is easier for us.

Here are a few more examples:
Our new apartment is on a busy street and there's a lot of noise. I hope we will get used to the noise, but at the moment it is very annoying.

Sally is a little girl and she is very sad because she moved to a new school and she can't get used to her new teacher and her new classmates.

Fatma moved to Russia,a new country, but she had to go back to her home country because she didn't get used to living in a city with a lot of snow and low temperatures.

What about you? Is there something you are trying to get used to?
Take a break here, pause this audio and go make a few sentences using this structure so you can remember it better next time.

We hope this lesson was useful! See you next week.

Episode 2 - Still, yet & already

Welcome to Week 2 of our Quick Grammar Tips series.

This week let's focus on how to use the words: still, yet and already correctly in sentences. Do you have a paper and pen with you? If not, go get one because you will be writing (and saying) sentences today.

still

We use still when we want to talk about an action which is continuing. This action hasn't stopped or changed.

Here's a situation:

It's Sunday morning and Tim is at home. He doesn't have to work on Sunday morning because it's his day off. During the work week, Tim gets up at 6:30 every morning, but not today. It's 10am and Tim is still sleeping.

In this sentence the action is sleeping and this action hasn't stopped or changed. Tim is not awake.

Here's another example:

Donna has arranged to meet with her friend at a cafe this week. But it's been a few days since they've spoken and Donna wants to make sure that her friend can still meet her. Donna sends her a message: Hi! Do you still want to go to the cafe today?

Donna uses the word still because she wants to check if the situation has changed.

Now, it's your turn.

Pause the audio to write down a sentence using the word still.

Great job! Now, say your sentence out loud. You can go somewhere private to do this. I'll wait.

Excellent!

yet

Our next word is yet. Yet means until now. We usually use it in negative sentences or in questions. We use yet when we are expecting something to happen.

For example, remember Tim? He was still sleeping in our last example. Well now, Tim's friend has come to Tim's house. He asks Tim's wife: Is Tim home? And Tim's wife says: Yes, but he hasn't gotten up yet.

And now, Donna is arriving at the cafe to meet her friend. When she walks in, she looks for her friend but she doesn't see her. Donna thinks: Well, she hasn't arrived yet.

In both these situations, we talk about actions that we expect to happen. Tim hasn't gotten up yet but he will get up soon. And Donna's friend hasn't arrived yet, but she will arrive soon too.

Back to you now. Is there anything this week that you're expecting but hasn't happened yet? Maybe an important email or a phone call? Write a sentence about it using yet.

Great! Now, just like with your last sentence, say your sentence out loud to yourself.

Wonderful!

already

We use already to talk about something that happened before we expected it to happen. It's almost like we're surprised something happened. Here's an example.

Matt and Megan's daughter April can't play outside until she cleans her room. This is always the rule. One day, April asks her mom and dad: Can I go play outside? They say to her: You have to clean your room first. And April says: I've already cleaned it!

Matt and Megan didn't think April's room was clean. Usually they have to tell her to do this when she asks to play outside. But this time, the situation was different. The room is already clean. Matt and Megan didn't expect this. Almost like a small surprise.

One more example is about David. David had a very big breakfast this morning: an omelette, two pancakes, fruit and coffee. David thought that he wouldn't eat again for a long time. But at 12:00, David was already hungry! He couldn't believe it! But he decided to have only a small meal this time.

You can write and say your sentence with already after this lesson.
Remember that every time you learn some new grammar or vocabulary the best way to remember it is to use it in a situation familiar to you. That's why it's good to write sentences about you and your own experiences. You can practice this more by sharing your sentences with an English-speaking friend or even a teacher.

The more you do this, the more you'll remember new words and phrases and the more fluent you'll become.

I hope you enjoyed this lesson. Thanks for listening and see you next week!

Episode 3 - quite, pretty, rather, fairly

Welcome to Week 3 of our Quick Grammar Tips series.

In this week's lesson, we'll talk about the words quite, pretty, rather and fairly. These words are weaker than using very or really but strong than using a bit or a little. Think of them as "medium" words.

We can use them with adjectives, adverbs or nouns but it's very important to use them in the correct form.

How can you do this? We'll talk about that now.

Quite and pretty

Let's start with an example:
Thomas wakes up in the morning and checks the weather on his phone. He see that the high temperature with be 12 C. Thomas thinks: Hmm, it's going to be pretty cold today.

Notice how Thomas uses the word pretty. He doesn't use very or a little because he thinks that this temperature is between very cold and a little cold.

Now, maybe you have a different idea of what is very cold, pretty cold and a little cold, and that's 100% OK. Just remember that whatever your opinion is, pretty is always more than a little and less than very.

You can also use quite in this situation and the meaning is the same. It's going to be quite cold today.

Be very careful! This word is spelled very similar to another word: quiet. I've heard learners make spelling and pronunciation mistakes between quite and quiet before. Make sure you don't!

What's the weather like where you are today? Is it pretty hot or quite cold? Write this sentence down in your notebook and say it out loud to practice your pronunciation.

Rather

rather is similar to quite and pretty but we usually use it to describe negative thoughts.

Like in this example when Maria goes to see a movie but it wasn't very interesting for her. When her sister asks her, "How was the movie?", Maria says, "It was rather boring."

Once again, like pretty and quite, Maria isn't saying the movie was very boring or a little boring, but somewhere in the middle.

If we use rather for positive thoughts, it's because we are surprised by the result.

For instance, John doesn't really like mushrooms. In fact, he almost never eats them. However, John's girlfriend is taking him to her parents' for dinner and her mom is making mushroom risotto. John doesn't want to be rude so he eats the mushroom risotto and actually likes it. Later his girlfriend asks him, "How was the risotto?" and John tells her "It was rather good."

John was surprised because he liked the risotto even with mushrooms in it. So he used "rather" to talk about how he was surprised by the result.

How about you? Have you ever tried some food or a dish that you thought you didn't like but it was actually "rather good"? Write your sentence about it.

Fairly

Fairly is weaker than quite, pretty and rather. So if something is fairly good, it means that it isn't very good and could be better.

For example, the Green family, Charlie, Rachel and their two kids, arrive at a hotel for their vacation. The room has enough beds and enough space for their things but not very comfortable for all four of them. Later, when the receptionist asks Rachel if there's a problem with the room, she tells him, "It's fairly big, but do you have a bigger room?"

In this situation, the room is big enough for four people to sleep in but it's not very comfortable for moving around. The situation could be better for the Green family.

Have you ever been a bit disappointed by a situation that could have been better? Write a sentence about it using fairly.

In all of these situations, we used quite, pretty, rather and fairly with adjectives but we can also use them with adverbs like:

My dad visits me quite often.
She runs pretty fast.

And we can also use them with nouns but we must use an article and an adjective too.

Remember Thomas thinking about the cold day. He thought, "It's going to be pretty cold today." but he could also think "It's going to be a pretty cold day today."

So it's very important to use the article before these words and an adjective and noun after if you want to use the structure accurately.

Remember to review the sentences you wrote and don't forget to say them out loud to practice your pronunciation. And also, if you have an English speaking friend or a teacher to practice them with, it's even better.

Do you need someone to check your sentences? You can always ask us. We're always here to help to.

Enjoy the rest of your week and happy studying.
See you next week!

Episode 4 - Enough vs. Too

Welcome to week 4 of our Quick Grammar Tips series.

In this week's lesson we will learn how to use the words 'enough' and 'too'.

Enough

Let's start with enough, which means as many or as much as required or expected. For example.

Ana has just graduated from University. She studied architecture and she wants to apply for this job which requires 2 years experience. Ana has never worked as an architect before. She has just graduated. She can't apply for the job because she is not experienced enough.

Another example is about my friend Rob. He wanted to run a marathon last year but he didn't do it in the end. He said he wasn't fit or strong enough.

Did you notice that I used enough after the adjective? Strong enough, fit enough, experienced enough.

How about you? Let's write some sentences about yourself. Pause the audio and go get pencil and paper. I'll wait for you.

Are you strong enough to run a marathon?

What's your job? Are you experienced enough to become a manager?

Do you want to start your own business? Are you brave enough to do it?
Write your sentences and say them out loud to practice your pronunciation.
Well done!

Another way to use the word 'enough' is with nouns. We can use it with countable and uncountable nouns. For example:

Dina wants to make an apple pie today. The recipe asks for 6 apples and 2 cups of sugar. Dina has enough sugar, but she only has 2 apples in her kitchen. Dina has enough sugar, but she doesn't have enough apples.

What about you? What are you going to cook today?
Do you have enough ingredients?
What would you like to buy for yourself? A house, a new car, new clothes? Do you have enough money?
Pause the audio, write some sentences and say them out loud.
Very good!

Too

Now let's talk about 'too'.

This word means 'more than what's expected, more than what's desirable".
We use it before much+noun, many and before adjectives. For example:

Remember my friend Rob? He went to a party last week he had a terrible time. There were too many people, too much noise, the music was too loud and the food was too spicy to eat. Poor Rob. We went back home early.

Notice that we say too before adjectives. Too loud. The party was too crowded. There were too many people.
The food was too spicy to eat. This is a common structure that is quite difficult to some students. Too+adjective to do something. "Too spicy to eat".
For example: The suitcase was too full. I couldn't close it. I can say "the suitcase was too full to close".

Another example: "The food was too hot. I couldn't eat it". If I put the sentences together, it will be: 'The food was too hot to eat'.

Now you try:
The box was too heavy. I couldn't carry it. Put the two sentences together.
The answer is: The box was too heavy to carry.

One more try:
The jeans were too expensive. I couldn't buy them.
The answer is: The jeans were too expensive to buy.

Review the sentences you wrote today. If you have an English teacher or a friend to speak English with, practice saying your sentences to them.
You can always send your sentences to us through Instagram messages. We're here to help you.

I hope you found this lesson useful! See you next week!!

Episode 5 - So, because, but, although

Hi everyone! This is Dan and thanks for joining for another Quick Grammar Tips Lesson.

Welcome to Week 5. Today we'll talk about how to use so, because, but and although in sentences correctly. These words are very tricky because we use them in different situations AND in different parts of sentences. Some are in the middle and some are in the beginning. So let's get started:

because

Let's start with an easy word: because. You probably know this word already. We use because when we want to talk about a reason. We always use it with the question why? We can use it in the middle of a sentence or at the beginning (but only in beginning for spoken English, not written English.)

Let's try some examples:

I was walking into the supermarket yesterday when I saw my friend, Sally. I said hello but she went past me really fast and didn't say anything to me. Then her husband came and I asked him, "Why didn't Sally say hello to me?" He said, "Because she's in a hurry. She has a meeting in 20 minutes and needs to go now."

Sally's husband said "Because she's in a hurry." But this isn't a complete sentence. Why is it ok to say this?

There are two reasons:

1. because spoken English can be more informal, especially with people you know quite well and

2. because we don't need to repeat the question I asked.

Does this sound natural:

"Why didn't Sally say hello to me?"
"Sally didn't say hello to you because she's in a hurry."

It's not necessary to say Sally didn't say hello two times. The speakers already know this information.

In other situations, we need to use because in a complete sentence, usually when someone doesn't ask why. Let's continue with Sally's story.

Sally tried to hurry to her meeting but she was late. When she arrived, she told her manager: "I'm late because there was a long line in the supermarket. I'm sorry." In this case, Sally uses a complete sentence because her manager didn't ask her a question, but he was probably wondering why she was late.

Your turn now! Take a pen and paper and write down some reasons:

Why are you studying English?
What are you doing to study? Are you watching YouTube videos, going to courses, or reading news articles? Why are you doing that?

Take a few minutes to write down your ideas.

We use because to talk about reasons but we use so to talk about results. Remember Sally? She was late for her meeting. Do you remember why? Yeah, that's right, the line at the supermarket was very long. Let's look at an example of Sally's situation using so:

The line at the supermarket was very long, so Sally was late for her meeting.

We use so here because we're saying that the result of the long line at the supermarket was Sally being late for the meeting.

Here's another example:

It was raining on Saturday so we stayed at home.

The result of the rain was staying home and not going outside.

Let's compare this with because. Do you think you can you say it this way?

It was raining on Saturday because we stayed home.

No! You can't say it this way. Think about what this sentence means. When was the last time YOU controlled the weather by staying home?

Instead you can change the sentence around: We stayed at home on Saturday because it was raining. That's better. This sentence talks about a reason. And the sentence with so talks about the result.

Think about your day or your week right now. Did you wake up late? Or was it raining in your city? So what did you do? Write some sentences using so to talk about results. Use some examples from your day or week to help you remember these sentences better.

but and although

We use but and although when we want to contrast two ideas. Contrast means to show how two things are different. With but and although, we normally contrast a negative situation with a positive situation. Like in this example:

Ali is taking his girlfriend to his favorite restaurant. He can't wait to take her there because she's never been there before but when Ali and his girlfriend get there, they see that the restaurant is closed.

To put it simply: Ali wanted to go to his favorite restaurant but it was closed.

The positive situation here is Ali's plan to go to his favorite restaurant and the negative situation is that the restaurant is closed. So we can use but to contrast these two different situations in one sentence.

We can also use the word: although. It means the same as but and we can use it in the same way. Here's the sentence about Ali again with although:

Ali's favorite restaurant was closed although he really wanted to take his girlfriend to it.

We can also use although in the beginning of a sentence like this:

Although Ali wanted to take his girlfriend to his favorite restaurant, it was closed.

Here's another example with but and although:

They're coming to the party but I don't know exactly what time.
They're coming to the party although I don't know exactly what time.

And here's one more pair:

The sun was shining but it was still cold.
It was still cold although the sun was shining.

Go back to your day or your week. Did anything happen to you that was not planned? Maybe you went to a store that was closed or you were going to meet a friend but they had to cancel. Write some examples using but and although now.

Remember that it's a good idea to share your sentences with an English speaking friend or a teacher to make sure that they are correct. And also, we're more than happy to check your sentences for you if you'd like. If you follow us on Instagram, share some of your sentences on Stories and tag us! We will reply and help you with any mistakes.

Thanks for studying this week's lesson and we'll see you back here for Week 6. Have a great week and you'll hear from us soon!

Episode 6 - All and every

Welcome to week 6 of our Quick Grammar Tips series. In this week's lesson I'll help you use the words 'all' and 'every' with more confidence.

Let's start comparing 'all' and 'every'.
We use both words to talk about a total number of something in a group. The total number of people or things in a group, for example. With 'all' we focus more on a complete group and we always use 'all' with a plural noun. With 'every' we focus more on each individual person or thing in a group, and we always use 'every' with a singular noun.

For example:
The email was sent to all employees. (The focus here is on the whole group)
The email was sent to every employee. (The focus in this sentence is on each individual member of the group.)

These two sentences have no difference in meaning. They mean the exact same thing.

Let's practice using every and all. We'll do that through a game. I'll say a sentence with every and you must repeat it using 'all'. Pause this audio if you're listening. Say the sentence out loud or, even better, write it in your notebook.
Remember! I use 'every' with singular nouns and 'all' with plural nouns.

Are you ready? Let's go:

-#1 Every passenger on the plane must switch off their phone.
-#2 Every child deserves attention and love.

If you said or wrote the following, you're correct:

Answer #1: All passengers on the plane must switch off their phone.
Answer #2: All children deserve attention and love.

Now let's do it the other way around. I'll say a sentence with 'all', and you need to repeat it using 'every'. Careful with the changes in grammar! Are you ready?

-#3 All parents want the best for their children.
-#4 All seats on the bus were taken.

If you said or wrote the following, you're correct:

Answer #3:Every parent wants the best for their children.
Answer #4: Every seat on the bus was taken.

How about 'all' and 'everyone'? We can use both words to talk about a group of people. But how?

We can perfectly say: "Everyone enjoyed the party". But we cannot say "All enjoyed the party".
Instead, you could say "All of us enjoyed the party".
'All of us', 'all of you', 'all of them' and 'all of+ noun phrase' are very common structures in English.
For example: 'all of you reading or listening to me are English learners'.

Another example is: 'I cannot choose which dress I want to buy. The red, the black or the blue one. I'll buy all of them".

Here are a few questions for you. Try to answer these out loud or, better yet, write down your answers in your notebook. Make sure you use 'all' and 'every' in all your sentences.

How many people did you invite to your last birthday party? Did all of your guests come?
How many people are there in your family? Do all of you have the same hair color?

Pause here and get your answers ready. I'll be waiting.

Some possible answers to these questions are:
-All of my guests came to the party. All of my guests come to the party. Not everyone came to the party.
-Everybody in my family has the same hair color. Not all of us have the same hair color.

If you follow us on Instagram, share some of your sentences on stories and tag us! We will reply and help you with any mistakes.

I hope you have enjoyed this lesson. See you next week!

Episode 7 - First and Second conditionals

Hello, dear learners. How is everything going? I hope you're having a beautiful day. Welcome to week 7 of our Quick Grammar Tips series. In this week's lesson I'll help you practice the conditionals in English.

Conditionals are sentences with two parts. One part is a condition and the other is a result.
For example: If I have time, I'll call my friend Karen.
Another example: If I had more money, I'd buy a more modern TV.
One more example: I would have gotten to work in time if I had woken up earlier.

These three conditional sentences, as you can see, have different structures and use different tenses. They also have different meanings.

Let's look at them more closely?

The 1st example is what we call the 1st conditional in English.

"I'll call my friend Karen if I have time."

We use the first conditional to say whether it's possible for things to happen in the future. It's possible that I will call my friend Karen, but for that to happen, there is a condition: I need to have time. So, if I have time, I'll call my friend.

The conditional phrase, or the 'if' phrase, is in the Present Simple: 'If I have time...'
The result or consequence phrase will be in the future simple with WILL: 'I will call my friend.'

Here are two more examples with the first conditional:
'If Sam is late for work, his boss will get angry.'
'My mother will be worried if I don't call her.'

The second conditional is about a hypothetical or imaginary situation. We use it to talk about something that is unlikely to happen in the present or the future.

'I would buy a more modern TV if I had more money.'

Do I have money now? No, I don't.
Can I buy a more modern TV? No, I can't.
But if I had more money, I'd buy a big, modern TV. This is a hypothetical situation.

The 'if' phrase, as you can see, is in the past simple: 'If I had more money'
The result phrase is made by would+verb in the infinitive form without -to: 'I would buy'.

Here are some other examples:
'If Alex had more time, he would go out with his friends more often.'
'Alex would travel the world if he didn't have 3 children and a dog to take care of.'

The third conditional is used to talk about hypothetical or imaginary situations too. But in the past. We use it to imagine how things would have been different in the past if life had happened in a different way.

I would have gotten to work in time if I had woken up earlier.

Did I get to work in time? No, I didn't. I was late for work.
Why not? Because I woke up late.
I'm imagining how things might have been different if I had woken up earlier.
If I'd woken up earlier, I would've gotten to work in time.

As you can see, the 'if' phrase is in the past perfect: 'If I had woken up earlier'
The result phrase is made by would+present perfect: 'I would have gotten to work in time'

And some other examples:
If Tom had locked the door, the robbers wouldn't have gotten into his house.
If I had studied more, I would have passed the exam.

Now it's time to practice. I have 3 questions for you. One for each conditional sentence, which means you'll have to use 3 different structures to answer them. If you're not sure whether you should use the first, second or third conditional, go back and read or listen to this lesson again.
Answer these questions out loud to practice your speaking. Better yet, write down your sentences and then read them out loud.
Are you ready?

1- What will you do if it rains on the weekend?
2 - If you had the opportunity to interview a celebrity, who would you interview?
3 - What would have happened in your life if you hadn't chosen the profession you have now (or the course you're taking now, if you are a student).

I hope you have enjoyed this lesson on conditional sentences, guys.
If you have Instagram, please share your sentences on Stories and tag us. It's @english.unite. We'll send you a message and give you feedback.

Thanks for studying with us today and see you next week!

Episode 8 - Zero and mixed conditionals

Hello! It's Dan here and welcome to Week 8 of our Quick Grammar Tips Lessons. Last week Mari told you all about the 1st, 2nd and 3rd conditionals. This week, I'm going to tell you about two more special conditionals. And I promise, after this, no more conditionals. There are no more after this.

The two conditionals we're going to learn about today are mixed conditionals and the zero conditional.

Mixed Conditionals

You learned about the 2nd and 3rd conditional. The 2nd conditional is about a hypothetical situation in the present or future. The 3rd conditional is about a hypothetical situation in the past. When we combine the 2nd and 3rd conditional together, we get a mixed conditional. Let's look at an example:

Mark is at work this afternoon and he's incredibly tired. Mark loves football. And last night, he watched his favorite football team play. The game ended very late, so he didn't get a lot of sleep. Mark's colleague sees that he's tired and asks, "Hey Mark, why are you so tired today?" Mark tells his colleague about the football game last night. And his colleague says: "Well, If you hadn't stayed up so late last night, you wouldn't be so tired today."

Mark's colleague is using a mixed conditional. In this situation, we are talking about the present situation: Mark is very tired. And the past action: Mark stayed up late to watch football.

In this case, we use the structure: If + past perfect, would + infinitive

Look at the sentence one more time: If you hadn't stayed up so late last night, you wouldn't be so tired today.

Now look at a different sentence with the same structure: If I hadn't eaten all that pizza, I wouldn't feel sick right now.

Let's look at one more example about me and Mari:

Do you know what cockroaches are? If not, quickly Google this word to see a picture. I'll wait.

Yup, those things. Nobody really likes them and Mari especially hates cockroaches. Who doesn't? Sometimes we get cockroaches in our house. There are many of them in cities in Brazil. Now, I'll ask you a question. Who do you think kills most of the cockroaches in our house, me or Mari?

If you guessed me, then you're correct. So here's the story: Last night, Mari went into the kitchen to get a drink. When she turned on the lights, she screamed and ran out of the room. She told me, "There's a cockroach in there! Go kill it!" So I did. Problem solved. Mari didn't kill the cockroach because she was afraid of it. If Mari wasn't afraid of cockroaches, she would have killed it.

In this situation, we're talking about how a present situation affects a past action. The present situation is: Mari is afraid of cockroaches. The past action is: She didn't kill the cockroach.

In this case, we use the structure: If + past tense, would + present perfect

Look at the sentence again: If Mari wasn't afraid of cockroaches, she would have killed it.

Now look at another sentence using the same structure: If I knew more English, I would have been able to translate the document for you.

Now, it's time to practice. Can you think of a situation you were in similar to the examples we just talked about? Maybe something you did last night or last week that is affecting you now? Take a few minutes to think about this and then write it as a mixed conditional.

Zero Conditional

We use the Zero Conditional to talk about things that are always true. Here is how we form it: In the first part we use If + present tense and in the second part we just use the present tense.

For example: If you want to stay fit, you need to do exercise. Isn't this situation always true? Or how about: If babies are hungry, they cry.

Let's talk about Mark again. Remember that Mark loves football and he always watches his team play so: If Mark's football team plays, he watches them.

How about an example with me? I love coffee. Maybe I love coffee a bit too much but that's ok. I drink coffee every morning and it really helps me be in a good mood to start the day. Is this true for you too? Maybe it is. So, If I don't drink coffee in the morning, I'm usually in a bad mood.

How about you? What situations in your life are always true? Use the Zero Conditional to write a sentence about it.

Don't forget to have someone check your sentences to make sure you're doing it right. This can be a teacher, an English-speaking friend or even us! If you follow us on Instagram, share some of your sentences on Stories and tag us! We will reply and help you with any mistakes.

How are you feeling about your English? Do you think it's improving? The more you practice every day the more you'll feel big improvement in your skills.

Thank you so much for studying in today's lesson. We look forward to teaching you more next week.

Episode 9 - Mari and Dan's Top Tips to Improve your Grammar

Hi everyone! This is Mari! Thanks for joining us for Week 9. This will be our last week of our Quick Grammar Tips Series. We will continue to run courses like this one in the future and we'll let you know as soon as they are ready. For this last lesson, we've decided to finish with a top grammar tip from each of us.

Let's start with my tip about "journaling". Maybe you already do this in your own language. Every day or every week, take some time to write about the things that happened, write about your feelings or write about your future. You don't have to write a lot. Even a few sentences everyday is fine. Look at my example:

"Today, I had a really fun day. I met with my friends and we played a card game together. We laughed a lot and talked about many things. I love getting together with my friends. It always makes me feel so good. I hope I'll get to see them again soon."

This is a great journal writing, especially if you're trying to practice simple tenses. You can use your journal writings to practice any kind of grammar you'd like. And always remember that writing things down helps you to remember them more. Even better, when you write about yourself or an experience or memory you have, the grammar will be even more memorable.

Not sure if your sentences are correct? Remember what we always say: have an English friend or a teacher check them for you or ask us on IG. We're always happy to help. Keep studying hard guys and try journaling. I think you'll find it's a very good way to practice. Now, let's listen to Dan's tip.

Hello all! It's Dan! I'd first like to thank you for joining us for all 9 lessons of this Quick Grammar Tip Series. I really hope you have found these lessons useful and that you have felt some improvement in your grammar.

My tip is this (and it's very simple): Don't worry. What do I mean by that? I mean, don't worry about how good or not good your grammar is. Remember that grammar is just one skill in English and you've probably spent a lot of time studying it: in school, English courses, online, and in these lessons. You probably know a lot about grammar already. So remember to make time to practice it often in conversation. We know many students who spend too much time worrying about using 100% correct grammar. These students almost never speak because they worry too much. Because they're afraid to use wrong grammar.

Don't worry about making mistakes. If you want to get better at speaking a language then you HAVE to make mistakes. It's how we learn to do better. Don't worry about people not understanding what you're saying. Most of the grammar mistakes that people make don't actually affect understanding.

I have many foreign friends who are not fluent English speakers. Sometimes they say things to me like "I go to work yesterday." Is the grammar wrong? Yes, it should be past simple because they're talking about yesterday. But I still understand, because I know they're talking about yesterday. I don't always need a tense to tell me.

I guess what I'm saying is, don't worry, we'll understand you.

The most important thing is to keep speaking and building your confidence. You'll soon learn the mistakes you make and you'll fix them. Sometimes your mistakes will correct themselves. I know this. I've learned languages before. Keep speaking and practicing. You'll do great.

Episode 10 - Indefinite pronouns

Hey guys! Welcome to another lesson with English Unite. This is our first audio lesson in 2021 and lesson number 10 in the Quick Grammar Tips Series. I'm Mari and I'll be your teacher today!

For this lesson you'll need to be sitting down at a desk, and you'll also need a pen and paper. Go get them now and come back.
If you're listening to the audio at work or on the bus, that's fine. But make sure you listen to it again and complete the exercises for better practice.

We will start this lesson with a challenge. I'll give you some time to create 9 words from the words some, any, no, body, thing, where. For example, with some and where, I can make the word somewhere. Write down the words I've said and create 9 new words with them.

(stop here if you're reading and write down 9 words you can make with some, any, no, body, thing, where)
...

Let's check?

somebody, somewhere, something
anybody, anywhere, anything
nobody, nothing, nowhere

If you got these 9 words, then congratulations!

These words are called Indefinite Pronouns.
Now here are a few rules to help you use Indefinite Pronouns correctly.

We use anybody, somebody and nobody to talk about people. Something, anything and nothing to talk about things, and anywhere, somewhere and nowhere to talk about places.

Here are a few examples:
'Nobody came to the party yesterday' - It means that no people came to the party.
'I can't find my keys anywhere. Have you seen them?'. - It means that I looked in all places for my keys.
'There's something burning. Can you smell it?'. It means that there's a thing burning, but I don't know what exactly. It might be food, there might be a fire.. I'm not sure'.

Now, when do we use 'some', 'any' and 'no'?

We'll use indefinite pronouns with 'some' when the person, place or thing is not definite or specified. These pronouns are often used in affirmative sentences.

For example:
'Somebody is looking at us'. Meaning that a person, I don't know who, is looking at us.
'I left my bag somewhere, can you help me find it'? Meaning that I don't know exactly where I left my bag. The place is not definite or clear.
'There's something under the chair over there, what is it?' Meaning that there's an object under the chair but it's not clear to me what it is.

We use indefinite pronouns with 'any' in negative, and affirmative sentences.
Let's take this example: 'I can't see anything without my glasses'. (it's true)
Here, 'anything' means zero things. That's because when we use 'anything' in a negative sentence, it means 'nothing'.
I can't see anything = I can see nothing

Here's another example:
Maria didn't go anywhere last weekend.
'anywhere' used in a negative sentence means 'nowhere'. Maria didn't leave her house on the weekend.
Maria didn't go anywhere = Maria went nowhere

As I said before, 'any' can be used in affirmative sentences too, but with a meaning that is close to every: whichever person, whichever place, whichever thing.
For example: "Anybody can learn English'.
'We can go anywhere you'd like on our honeymoon'
'After you do your homework you can do anything you want'.

Indefinite pronouns with any can also be used in questions. Here are a few examples:

Would you like anything to drink?
Has anyone replied to that email?

Finally, we use 'no' in these words to indicate 0. Nothing = zero things. Nobody = zero people. Nowhere = no place.

There was nobody in the office when I got there. Meaning there were no people.
I've had nothing to eat today. I'm starving.
The family lost their house in the fire and had nowhere to go.

Now I have little quiz for you.
But before we start, show us that you're using this lesson to study English. Take a picture of your notebook, your computer or whatever you're using to study right now and share this picture on Instagram stories and tag us. It's @english.unite. We'll repost it on our stories and we'll send you a private message.

Now let's get back to the quiz. I'll read you some incomplete sentences and you'll need to complete them with one indefinite pronoun. Whenever I say 'blank' you need to think of a pronoun to use. Are you ready?

(-) gave me this book. I don't remember who.

My dog loves me very much. He won't go (-) without me.

He would do (-) to get that job.

I'd love to go the party but (-) invited me.

Would you like (-) else? Tea, coffee?

We can go (-) this weekend. You choose.

Homeless people have (-) to go.

Hello! Can (-) hear me?

Answers:

(Someone/somebody) gave me this book. I don't remember who.
My dog loves me very much. He won't go (anywhere) without me.
He would do (anything) to get that job.
I'd love to go the party but (nobody) invited me.
Would you like (anything) else? Tea, coffee?
We can go (anywhere) this weekend. You choose.
Homeless people have (nowhere) to go.
Hello! Can (anybody/anyone) hear me?

Thanks for listening to this audio lesson! Keep practicing every day and I'll see you in class!

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Episode 11 - How to use the gerund

Hey there, this is Dan and I'll be your teacher today.

Have you ever heard the word 'gerund'?

You might be thinking... 'Oh! I know! It's the verb with the -ing, right?'

As in
'The girls are swimming'.
'She is dancing.'
'He is playing.'

Well, the verbs in these sentences are NOT the gerund. This is the continuous form of the verb, in which we also use -ing. I know they look the same, but gerund does not mean continuous....

Today I want to show you 3 ways to use the gerund correctly.

1. Gerunds can be used as the subject of the sentence. For example:

'Exercising is great for our health'.

In this sentence, the subject is 'exercising'. I took the verb 'to exercise', I added the -ing at the end to make it a noun and I used it as the subject of my sentence.

You know that the gerund works as a noun here because we can substitute it with other nouns. For example:

Vegetables are great for our health. We can substitute the noun 'vegetable' with a gerund: 'Eating vegetables is great for our health.'

We don't say 'To eat vegetables is great for our health'.

Let's practice a bit.
I'll give you a sentence and you will take the verb, turn it into a noun by using the gerund. You will create a different sentence using it as the subject.

For example: It's important to drink lots of water every day.
Find the verb. What is it? To drink
Make it a gerund 'drinking.'
Finish the sentence: drinking lots of water every day is important.

Your turn:
It's natural to make mistakes when you're learning a new language.

Find the verb.
Make it a gerund.
Finish the sentence.

If you said 'Making mistakes is natural when you're learning a new language', well done!

One more:
It's difficult to stay home all day during this pandemic.

Find the verb.
Make it a gerund.
Finish the sentence.

And the correct answer is: 'Staying home all day during this pandemic is difficult'.

2. Using gerunds as the object of your sentence. For example:

I enjoy dancing.

In this sentence we have two verbs. After the verb 'enjoy', we always use a 'gerund'. That's the grammar rule. So we should never say 'I enjoy to dance'.
There are many verbs that require a gerund after them. Some other examples are recommend, suggest, avoid...

I recommend watching movies in English
I suggest keeping a journal in English
Learners should avoid translating every new English word they learn.

Do you need to memorize all these verbs? No, you don't. You'll learn them as you go. Keep reading, listening, writing and speaking in English every week and we'll learn them naturally. The good thing is that now you're aware of the rule.

Also, don't worry about using them incorrectly. All students make mistakes with this and that's totally ok, because most of the time it doesn't really affect the meaning of the sentence.

3. Use the gerund after a preposition

Prepositions are words such as in, on, at, about, for, to, etc...
Here are some examples:
I'm interested in learning about English grammar.
She's thinking about buying a new car.
He's scared of flying.

Let's try making some sentences? But before we start, show us that you're using this lesson to study English. Take a picture of your notebook, your computer or whatever you're using to study right now and share this picture on Instagram stories and tag us. It's @english.unite. We'll repost it on our stories and we'll send you a private message.

Now... going back to our lesson. You'll practice this grammar by writing some sentences, so get your notebook and a pen.

Think about your best friend or someone from your family.
What is he or she good at?
What are they excited about this week?
What is she/he scared of?

Remember to use a gerund after the preposition. I'll repeat the questions for you.

What is he or she good at?
What are they excited about this week?
What is she/he scared of?

Here are some examples of correct answers to these questions.
He's good at dancing ballet
They're excited about going on a trip.
She's scared of swimming.

I hope you have enjoyed this quick grammar lesson.
Thanks for reading/ listening and see you in class! Bye!

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Episode 12 - Adjectives and adverbs

Hello there everyone. This is Mari and I'll be your teacher today.

We often receive questions from our followers about the use of adjectives and adverbs, so in this lesson we will talk about that.

I will start by saying that we use adjectives and adverbs to describe or modify other words.

Adjectives are used to give more information about nouns or pronouns. We use them to talk about what someone or something is like.

In the sentence 'Can you pass me the red pen please?' I'm not talking about ANY pen. I'm talking about the red one. 'Red' is the adjective I used here to give more information about the noun 'pen'.

Let's talk about you now. How are you feeling today? Are you happy, tired, sad? The adjective you choose will tell me more information about you.

In the sentence 'They live in a big house and they have an expensive car', what are the two adjectives I used? If you answered 'big' and 'expensive' you're correct. These adjectives give more information about the nouns 'house' and 'car'.

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs. They give us more information about how someone does something or the way that something happens.

For example:
Yesterday was a VERY sunny day where I live. 'Very' refers to the adjective 'sunny'. It tells us how sunny it was.

He walked SLOWLY to his car. The adverb slowly gives us information about the verb 'to walk'. It tells us HOW he walked.

He finished his lunch TOO quickly. The adverb 'too' gives us information about the other adverb in the sentence, which is 'quickly'. It tells us how quickly he finished eating his lunch.

Now, how do you recognize that a word is an adjective or an adverb?

Let's start with adjectives:
Most common adjectives have no particular form. There is nothing about their structure that shows they are an adjective. If we look at these adjectives: 'happy, sad, light, green, quick, busy, large'. Can you see any pattern? Any repetition? There isn't any.

However, some adjectives are made by adding a suffix to a noun or verb. Some common suffixes are -ny -ly - ish -ful -able

Fun – funny
Week - weekly
Fool – foolish
Care – careful
Accept – acceptable

Just like with adjectives in English, adverbs also don't follow a particular form.

Soon, well, never, quite, often, already, just... These are all adverbs but can you see any patterns or repetition in these words? There's none.

However, many adverbs can be made by adding the suffix –ly to an adjective.

Sad – sadly
Serious – seriously
Quiet – quietly
Total – totally
Careful - carefully

But be careful, because not all words that end in –ly are adverbs. There are many other word types that end in –ly.

For example:
You have to apply for the job. (Verb)
That was a silly thing to do. (Adjective)
He was a bully at school. (Noun)

Be extra careful with the adjectives that have irregular adverb forms. Sometimes adjectives and adverbs are the exact same word. Other times, we think a word with -ly is an adverb that comes from a adjective, but it isn't. Let's take a look at these:

Good / well

She is a good player. (Adjective)
He played well tonight. (Adverb)
Even though in modern English it's very common to hear "I'm good" when we ask 'How are you'. Grammar books say we should answer "I'm well". But real-life language is very different from grammar books, isn't it?

Late / Late

Sorry I was late. (Adjective)
He arrived late. (Adverb)
We don't say 'He arrived lately'. Even though 'lately' comes from the word 'late', it has no connection with 'being late'. It's an adverb, of course, but it means recently and does not refer to punctuality.
For example: 'I've been watching lots of TV series lately'.

Fast / Fast
I like fast cars. (Adjective)
She likes driving fast. (Adverb)
We don't say 'drive fastly'.

Hard / hard
It was a hard exam. (Adjective)
He works and plays hard. (Adverb)
We don't say he works and plays hardly.

Let's practice everything you learned today with a quiz.

I'll say an incomplete sentence and you'll have to complete it with an adjective or an adverb. Write down your sentences and send them to us on Instagram. We'll check them for you.

1. Be _______! The floor is slippery.

2. The road was wet so they drove very __________.

3. He's a _______ drum player. He played really ________ in the concert today.

4. Don't forget to smile! You don't always have to be so ________.

5. Are you ________ thinking about accepting that job? The salary is so low.

6. Math is so _____ for me to understand.

7. The exam is next week, so I must study ______.

8. Why are you so ________? You haven't said a word today.

9. Sara didn't want to wake up her baby, so she _______ opened the door.

That's it for today. If you enjoyed this episode, please send it to your friends and share it on Instagram so other people can benefit from it as well.

Thank you for listening and see you in class!

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Episode 13 - Modal verbs

Hi there, guys. This is Dan and I'll be your teacher today. In this lesson we'll talk about some English modal verbs and how to use them. We'll talk about may, might, should and must. Grab a pencil and some paper to take notes because, as we always do in these short lessons, you'll be writing some examples sentences yourself.

Let's start with may and might.

Both these modal verbs can express possibility. For example, let's imagine the following situation: You're going to your friends' wedding that starts at 6:00. It's 5:50 and you're still in your car, you're driving and you're stuck in traffic. You call your friend and say:
'I might be late for the wedding'. or 'I may be late for the wedding'.

Let's make a list of things that you'll possibly do this month using 'might' and 'may. For example, in my list I'll write 'I might buy flight tickets to the U.S this month', 'I may need to take my cat to the vet'.
I'm note sure if I will do these things, but they might happen. It's possible that I may have to do these things this month. Now, take some time to write your own sentences. Pause this audio, write your sentences and come back.

We can also use the modal verb 'may' for 'requests' or 'permission'.
For example, you want to ask your boss for permission to leave work early. You could say 'May I leave early today?'

We can only use 'may' in a question with the first person 'I' or 'we'.
Another example is: you and your friends are oat the park and you want to stop at a cafe and have some food. You sit at the table but there aren't enough chairs for everyone. The people sitting next to you, have an extra chair. You turn to them and ask: 'May we take this chair'?

Now it's your turn to write some sentences. I'll give you a situation and you write a question with 'may' for permission or request.

1. You arrive at your colleague's house and you want some water.
2. You and your friends are going to celebrate your birthday at a restaurant. You call the restaurant to ask if it's ok to bring a cake.
3. You're at the movies and you want to ask a person if it's ok if you sit next to him or her.

Here's some possible answers:
1. May I have some water, please?
2. May we bring a cake?
3. May I sit here?

Now let's stop for a second. We want more and more learners to receive these audio lessons and you can help us do that. Take a screenshot of this lesson if you're reading or listening to it on your phone or take a picture of your notebook with your sentences. Post this on Instagram and tag us. This way more people will know about these lessons and can benefit from them too.

Now, the next modal verb is 'should.' We use it to make suggestions or give advice. For example, if my friend has a headache, I can say to her: 'You should drink more water and rest'. Pay attention that I didn't say 'You should 'to' drink more water'. 'Should' is followed by an infinitive verb without 'to'.
I could also use 'should' in the negative to give advice. If my friend has a headache, I'll probably say to her: 'You shouldn't spend time on your phone or on your computer. Your eyes need to rest'.

Your turn to practice. I'll give you a problem and you'll write a sentence with a suggestion or advice.

1. 'I have a stomachache.'
2. 'I want to buy a new car but I don't have enough money yet.'
3. 'Alice doesn't love her boyfriend anymore.'
4. 'Mark and Tina will have a baby soon.'

Here are some possible answers:

1. You shouldn't eat anything heavy today. You should drink lots of water.
2. You should wait a bit longer and save more money before you buy your new car.
3. She shouldn't lie to him. She should break up with him soon.
4. They should go shopping for baby clothes.

And finally, let's look at the modal verb 'must'. This modal verb is special because it has different meanings depending on the structure.
In the affirmative, it gives a strong idea of obligation. We use it to talk about something we really have to or something we really need to do.
For example: Mark must finish the report by tomorrow'.

We often use 'must' to talk about laws, rules and regulations. For example: 'People must wear a helmet when they ride a motorbike'.

Can you write a sentence about a rule in your country? Maybe one that is related to Covid-19? I'll give you some time to think and write it down.

Here's my sentence: 'People must wear a face mask in closed spaces'.

Notice that I didn't say 'must to wear'. That's because 'must' is never followed by an infinitive with 'to'.

In the negative, 'must' has a slightly different meaning. It means that something is prohibited or against the law or against the rules. For example: 'In my country people mustn't smoke inside public spaces'. If they light a cigarette inside a bar or a restaurant, they'll be breaking the rules and they'll probably be punished for that. So 'must not' is used to talk about something that you cannot do, and if you do it, there will be negative consequences.

If you see a 'no parking' sign on the street, what's the sentence with 'must not'? You mustn't park your car here.

If you see a 'no smoking' sign, what's the sentence?
You mustn't smoke here is the correct sentence.

Let's finish off by writing about something people are not allowed to do in your city during the pandemic. For example, in my city people mustn't have big parties. What about where you live? Pause this audio and write some sentences.

I hope you've enjoyed this quick lesson on modal verbs. Send us an Instagram message with your sentences if you want us to help you more.

For more lessons with English Unite, visit our website www.english-unite.com/fluencyacademy and learn more our Fluency Academy program, a fluency club with other international students that will for sure help you become a more confident English speaker.

Thanks for being here and see you next time.

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