In this episode, I talk about Donald Trump and the fact that he is now the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party. He has been winning primary after primary, but he remains a controversial figure. Many Americans are shocked that he has garnered so much support. How has he done it? Why are so many Americans voting for him? What are his plans? I address these and other questions in the podcast. This podcast will help you better understand just what is has been happening over the past few months regarding the primary/caucus electoral process. You will learn tons of useful vocabulary and expressions that will help you better understand the news. To get the Lesson Guide with the complete transcript and more, go to www.englishfluencynow.com 

English Fluency Now Podcast

EFN 64: Trump

This year we will elect a new president. Who will it be? On February 1, 2016, the primary elections and party caucuses will begin throughout the 50 States and Territories. In this episode, I explain how this works with regards to the top two parties: Democrats and Republicans. You will learn key vocabulary related to this topic and be able to better understand news commentators when they are discussing the candidates, the leaders, who might be dropping out, etc. You learn what a party delegate is and how one gets to the National Convention. Listening to this podcast helps you improve your listening comprehension and prepares you for the topics that you'll find on the TOEFL or IELTS exams. If you like the podcast, please leave me a 5-star review! I appreciate your support and it helps other English learners find it as well. Thanks and feel free to contact me if you have any questions. 

EFN 63: Party Nominating Process

In episode 62, I talk about my trip to a dude ranch in Mexico. You will learn about what a dude ranch is, what you can do there and a bit about the history of the dude ranch. This episode is full of great descriptive words that you can use in your own conversations when describing places and destination spots. Listen to the podcast to learn more about this beautiful area of Mexico and this fun way to spend your time riding horses and getting to know a rural area. You can also purchase the Lesson Guide for this episode online at my website www.englishfluencynow.com/products. Thanks for listening! If you liked the episode, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes. The more people who leave positive reviews, the easier it is for others to find it and use it to improve their English! Yeah! 

EFN 62: Dude Ranches

In episode 61, I talk about my recent trip to New York City and the four Broadway shows that I saw. I talk about how to get to Broadway, how to purchase tickets, and how to access information about the shows on the show's websites. Going to Broadway is an amazing experience and something every visitor to New York should do at least once, but there are some things you should know to get the best deals. Learn about my tips by listening to this episode. I'd love to hear about your experiences in NYC and/or about your favorite Broadway show, so please leave a comment on the blog page. You can also purchase the Lesson Guide for this episode online at my website www.englishfluencynow.com/products. Thanks for listening! If you liked the episode, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes. The more people who leave positive reviews, the easier it is for others to find it and use it to become fluent in English! Yeah!   

EFN 61: Broadway

Water Parks are a great place to have fun with your family and friends during the summer. This summer I visited a park called Wild Waves here in Washington and it was really fun. In this episode, you will learn what water parks are like here in the U.S. and you will learn a lot of important words that will help you speak fluently about this topic. I'd love to hear about your experiences with water parks, so please leave a comment on the blog page. You can also purchase the Lesson Guide for all episodes online at www.englishfluencynow.com/products. Thanks for listening! If you liked the episode, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes. The more people who leave positive reviews, the easier it is for others to find it and use it to become fluent in English! Yeah! 

EFN 60: Water Parks

Small Town Festivals are taking place all across the U.S. right now. Just this past month we celebrated the Rhody Festival in my town. In this episode, you will learn all about the Rhody Festival and what it's like to participate in a small town celebration. You will learn about the types of parades we have, the carnival rides and the cake picnic! If you ever come to the U.S. in the spring or summer, be sure to find a small town festival to attend. They are really fun and you can learn a lot about the local culture that way. To get the Lesson Guide for this episode, go to my website www.englishfluencynow.com and click on the Products page. 

EFN 59: Small Town Festivals

In this episode I talk about the typical expenses that are included in a household budget: a mortgage, property taxes, utilities and insurance. Beyond these fixed expenses, you will have to spend money on groceries, health insurance, car insurance, entertainment, education, exercise and more. Listen to this episode to learn how to talk about this topic in English and learn what some of the average expenses are here in the United States. If you want to get the Lesson Guide, go to the website www.englishfluencynow.com and go to the products page. Also on the website, you will find other types of free lessons on the blog and my speaking course "Success with Stories". If you like the podcast, please give me a 5-star review on iTunes, so that other people can find out about this podcast. Thanks a bunch! Take care, Lisa

EFN 58: Household Budget

Reading easy chapter books is a great way to improve your understanding of everyday English and help you learn more about the American culture. In this episode, I introduce you to the international bestselling series from American author Barbara Park - Junie B. Jones. Junie B. is a feisty 5-year-old who will crack you up with her unique perception of and commentary on everyday life events: going to school, having a new baby brother, dealing with classmates and the many wonderful experiences that children live. Listen to the episode to learn how reading easy chapter series such as Junie B. Jones will help you improve your English in a fun and entertaining way. To purchase the Lesson Guide, with the complete transcript, comprehension questions and much more, go to my website www.englishfluencynow.com 

EFN 57: Junie B. Jones

In this episode, I talk about three books that I've read recently related to the idea of neuroplasticity. You will learn lots of new vocabulary words related to the brain, improving intelligence and overcoming learning disabilities. You will also learn about brain games: what they are and why you might want to play them. To get the Lesson Guide for this episode, with the complete transcript and additional learning materials, go to my website www.englishfluencynow.com - If you like this podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes and share it with your friends. This helps more people find it and use it to help them improve their English. Thank you! The books that I talk about in this episode are: Smarter: The New Science of Building Brain Power by Dan Hurley; The Brain that Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science by Norma Doidge, MD; and The Woman Who Changed Her Brain: How I Left My Learning Disabiilty Behind and Other Stories of Cognitive Transformation by Barbara Arrowsmith-Young.

EFN 56: Neuroplasticity and Brain Games

Talking about your day is a very common thing you need to be able to do in English. Why? Because people ask you all the time things like: What did you do today? What did you do this weekend? What did you have for dinner last night? When do you go to work? Being able to speak with ease and confidence about your daily routine is a great skill. In this episode, I help you learn how to use some of the most common phrasal verbs that are used to describe the actions you do all day long. As you listen to me describe one of my typical days, you will learn how to talk about the things you do throughout the day, in the morning, at work, in the afternoon, and in the evening. If you want to learn more about this topic and be able to read along with the entire transcript, get the Lesson Guide on my website at www.englishfluencynow.com. If you like my podcasts, it'd be great if you could leave me a 5-star review on iTunes and elsewhere, as that helps other English learners find this podcast and use it to improve their English. I really appreciate the love and support that I get from my listeners and students. Thank you!! 

EFN 55: Talking About Your Day

A lot of people think that world-class peformers have special genes, that they are just born with talent, but recent research proves that this isn't true. Certainly some people are born with interests or they develop a passion for something as they grow, such as a passion for music, sports or academics, but in order to become a world-class musician, athlete or scientist, you must put in a lot of time and practice. In fact, you need to put in something called deliberate practice over many, many years. In this episode, you will learn more about this as I talk about Geoff Colvin's book "Talent is Overrated". Once you hear this podcast, you won't be able to complain that you don't have the language gene or the music gene or the sports gene; you will know what it takes to become an expert in anything. If you like this podcast, please leave me a positive review on iTunes. Also, you can get the Lesson Guide on the website at www.englishfluencynow.com -- Thanks and enjoy!

EFN 54: Talent is Overrated

In this episode, I tell you about the importance of working with a coach to achieve success. Successful business people, athletes, scientists, authors and actors all use coaches and mentors to help guide them to success. To achieve high levels of fluency in English, it is beneficial to work with an English coach (tutor, mentor or teacher). However, finding the right coach is just the first step. There are many things that you, as the student/client must do to make sure you use your time (and money) wisely to get the most out of your time with your coach. In this episode, you will learn specific things you must do to work successfully with an English coach. I wish you success in reaching your English fluency goals. To get the Lesson Guide that goes along with this episode, go to the website www.englishfluencynow.com. 

EFN 53: Working with an English Coach

In this episode, I tell you about my recent trip from Seattle (SEATAC) to Oakland (OAK) by plane. By listening to my story, you will learn a lot of useful vocabulary related to traveling by plane, plus you will understand the grammar more intuitively (if you pay attention). You will hear how I use a lot of different phrasal verbs while telling the story. As always, you can get the Lesson Guide for this episode online at the website at www.englishfluencynow.com if you would like to read along with the transcript. Listening is really important for improving your English fluency and listening to EFN podcast episodes is a great way to prepare for English exams, such as IELTS and TOEFL. If you like this podcast, please leave a 5-star review for me on iTunes - this helps the rankings, which helps more people find it. I also appreciate active participation, so make sure you comment on the blog page or on the Facebook page for English Fluency Now. Using your English in a real way is the best way to get you motivated to communicate in English. Finally, repetition is key, so remember to listen to the podcast a few times for deeper learning of vocabulary and expressions. 

EFN 52: Traveling by Plane

In this episode, I talk about "The Rosie Project", the best-selling novel from Australian author Graeme Simsion. I think the book would be a great read for advanced English learners and I highly recommend it. It's the story of Don, a socially awkward, 39-year-old professor of genetics and search for love. He is on a mission to find a wife - the Wife Project - and though he doesn't exactly get what he was hoping for, he does have a lot of fun discovering what true love is. Rosie, the unlikely recipient of his confused affections, is a barmaid and Ph.D. student who he gets involved with while using his skills as a geneticist to help her find her biological father - The Father Project. The book deals with the themes of being different (Don shows signs of having Asperger's Syndrome), human relationships and emotions, and the diversity of the human experience. I hope you enjoy this little synopsis of the book and that you have a look at it for yourself. If you do end up reading it, let me know what you think by writing a comment on the blog post page. I read all comments and respond. To get the Lesson Guide for this episode, go to www.englishfluencynow.com - If you are an English teacher, please feel free to share this podcast with your students, as it provides great listening practice for them outside of class. 

EFN 51: The Rosie Project

A New Year is here and it is a time to make New Year's Resolutions and set some goals for yourself, or is it? Is this a truly effective way to get things done? Is it even necessary? In this episode, I discuss the pros and cons of setting goals. I discuss how goals can help motivate you to get a desired result and discuss Matt Stone's book "Goals Suck: Why the Obsessions with Goal-Setting is a Flawed Approach to Productivity and Life in General". Ultimately, you have to decide for yourself whether or not you will be setting goals for the new year. I hope you enjoy the podcast and find it useful. The Lesson Guide is available at www.englishfluencynow.com. 

EFN 50: Goals or No Goals?

The English Fluency Now Podcast offers interesting, engaging, relevant and timely content for English as a Second Language (ESL) learners and ESL teachers throughout the world. Listening to the podcast on a regular basis is an excellent way to improve your English listening and speaking skills. My name is Lisa Biskup and I am an experienced ESL teacher and language learner myself. I create content that will help you build your understanding of a wide-variety of topics, introducing you to important vocabulary, idiomatic expressions and grammatical structures within a context that is engaging and timely. Build your confidence and skill with the English language with regular listening. Good luck!

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English Fluency Now Podcast

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