Saturday, June 25, 2011

Fourth of July Is Right Around the Corner...

Well, everybody, the Fourth of July is right around the corner. The Fourth of July celebrates America's independence from the British Empire. We declared ourselves independent on July 2nd, 1776 and the news went forth to the original thirteen colonies two days later.

Trivia Question: Can you name all thirteen colonies? First person with the correct answer, emailed to me @ david.berlin.esl@gmail.com gets a $40 discount on the first month of lessons. Love to hear from you.

On Independence Day, Americans tend to do the same things we do on Memorial Day but Independence Day is overwhelmingly a joyous day--we light fireworks, we travel to see firework displays (the one on the Navesink in Red Bank NJ is one of the best in the country), we barbecue.

And in my own family, we have a long standing tradition of making ice cream. That's right, we have an old, circa 1969 ice cream maker, with a dasher (the part that "whips" the cream and puts air into it and makes it thick) a metal container, and a hand crank. It is to *die* for.

(the American expression "to die for" means it is so good you could lay down your life for it.)

I hope you all have a great holiday and remember! I give a free no obligation phone consult and a free trial lesson. All you have to do is make the call. (732) 618-4135. Call today!

Also check out Dave Berlin's American Idiom of the Day twitter page, Dave Berlin's ESL Website or become a fan of Dave Berlin's ESL and Accent Reduction Training Facebook Page.

Take care!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

What kind of stuff do you want to learn?

Hi everybody! I find myself wondering--you guys who read my blog, my readers--what kinds of things in English and Accent Reduction do you most want to learn? What kinds of situations in America give you the most trouble?

Do you have trouble making what Americans call "small talk" with Americans or in America--the social talk that people make at work or at social functions, dinners, parties and so on?

Do you have cultural troubles, where something Americans do mystifies, maybe upsets you a little bit?

Have you ever tried to order dinner and been upset when the server didn't understand what you were asking for? This happened to one of my students.

I'd love to hear from you guys. What are your troubles with American English and accent? How do they show themselves in your daily life in America?