This video explains the meaning of the American slang term "mid".   Essentially "mid" means mediocre or average.  It can be used in reference to a song or artwork:  "Jason Mraz latest is SO mid."   It can also be used as an insult, to insult a person:  "PlayStation hustling is SO mid.   Get a real job."   

All right?   All right.   And if you are interested at all in ESL or accent reduction lessons for yourself,  give me a call or text--text is fine if you are uncomfortable speaking on the phone--at 732-807-5424.   I look forward to hearing from you.  And remember to check out my David Berlin ESL YouTube channel.  For general info on me and my services and rates, check out my ESL and Accent Reduction Training Webpage.

 

 

This video explains the American Idiom, "Break a Leg", which basically means "good luck!".

But there's another concept addressed in the video--the idea of "jinxing" someone.   A "jinx" is like what some cultures call an "evil eye".   The Italians call it "malocchio" which Italian Americans have turned into, "malooks"--bad luck.   If you "jinx" someone who give them bad luck.   Our superstition--a common one across cultures--is that if you say a good thing, it might not happen.   So you say, "Break a leg!"  its a superstion so you don't "jinx" someone--give them bad luck in whatever they're trying to accomplish.

All right?   All right.   And if you are interested at all in ESL or accent reduction lessons for yourself,  give me a call or text--text is fine if you are uncomfortable speaking on the phone--at 732-807-5424.   I look forward to hearing from you.  And remember to check out my David Berlin ESL YouTube channel.  For general info on me and my services and rates, check out my ESL and Accent Reduction Training Webpage.

 Here is a great explanation of a basic error in verb tense often made by Indian subcontinent language speakers.   Doesn't matter if you speak Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi--speakers of these languages often make this mistake with English verb tense.

Essentially Indian speakers will often say, "This escalatES into a bidding war" when what they mean is this HAS escalatED into a bidding war.    The difference is, the statement "This escalatES into a bidding war is a general statement--it happens now in general, or it might have happened in the past and continues into now.

Saying "This HAS escalatED into a bidding war" (HAS MODIFIER AND -D or -ED ending to verb as opposed to -S or -ES ending) means that it started in the past at a nonspecific time continues into the now.

(And if you use the -ING ending, this WAS escalatING into a bidding war--WAS MODIFIER AND -ING ENDING, it means it started in the past, continued and ended in the past, nonspecific time, but before right now.   So for instance you wouldn't say, "we drink orange juice for breakfast" unless you do it every morning.    You could say he WAS drinkING orange juice with breakfast--in the past, but now he drinks tea.)

(also remember subject verb agreement.   Singular subject gets singular verb HE *WAS*.   But plural subject gets plural verb--WE *WERE*.)

WHO EVER SAID ENGLISH WAS TOO SIMPLE A LANGUAGE TO EXPRESS COMPLEX THOUGHTS!

I look forward to hearing from you.  And remember to check out my David Berlin ESL YouTube channel.  For general info on me and my services and rates, check out my ESL and Accent Reduction Training Webpage.

 Here is a quick explanation of how someone without a social security number can get a bank account in the US.

Some banks are more helpful with this than others.  I know Chase used to extend itself to the immigrant community.  Wells Fargo and Capital One also used to.

Also, Capital One and American Express used to be willing to extend credit to noncitizens living in the US.   What you have to do is go into a branch and talk to someone personally---don't try to apply with a standard online application.

The video goes into more details!

If  you are interested in ESL/accent reduction lessons so you can really LEARN these words and how to use them in a sentence, give me a call for a lesson (or shoot me a text if you are uncomfortable calling) at (732) 807-5424.  or hit me up on Skype at david.berlin.esl is my Skype ID. 

I look forward to hearing from you.  And remember to check out my David Berlin ESL YouTube channel or my American Idiom of the Day Twitter Feed.  For general info on me and my services and rates, check out my ESL and Accent Reduction Training Webpage.

See ya next time!

 Well, I now have both vaccinations, on June 15th I will be fully vaccinated.  I also work as a professional musician, so this is good, I a can work in bars again.

In any case, Memorial Day weekend was cold and uncomfortable but rthe weather yesterday got progressively (progressively=greater over time) warmer and nicer, and we ended up barbecuing outside my condo, so that was nice.

For those of you interested in seeing me in my "other" life, take a look here:

Also:  here are some great intermediate level English vocabulary words and a video explaaining pronunciation.  You should LISTEN to, REPEAT, and MIMIC what you hear.

In any case if  you are interested in ESL/accent reduction lessons so you can really LEARN these words and how to use them in a sentence, give me a call for a lesson (or shoot me a text if you are uncomfortable calling) at (732) 807-5424.  or hit me up on Skype at david.berlin.esl is my Skype ID. 

I look forward to hearing from you.  And remember to check out my David Berlin ESL YouTube channel or my American Idiom of the Day Twitter Feed.  For general info on me and my services and rates, check out my ESL and Accent Reduction Training Webpage.

See ya next time!

Well, your favorite ESL and accent reduction tutor will be full strength vaccinated on June 15th--I get my second shot on June 1st--and on June 30th I will be able to do in-person lessons again for anyone relatively local to NJ.

(I have actually traveled as far as Delaware for a client willing to pay my Amtrak fare and spend a day or two working a "crash course".)

I hope everybody is getting their shots or has gotten their shots and is enjoying the return of normal life.

Here is a simple video explaining--in general--the word order in American English:  subject-verb-object.   Be aware that this does not apply in every situation or work in every situation with every sentence.  But a lot of them it will.  

(As I say to my students: American English is a mix of so many different languages with so many differed grammatical structures and so many things stolen from other languages that we don't really have hard and fast grammatical "rules" that work every time.  We have rules of thumb--general rules that work sometimes.)

Here's the video.

In any case if  you are interested in ESL/accent reduction lessons so you can more easily do business in America with Americans give me a call (or shoot me a text if you are uncomfortable calling) at (732) 807-5424.  or hit me up on Skype at david.berlin.esl is my Skype ID. 

I look forward to hearing from you.  And remember to check out my David Berlin ESL YouTube channel or my American Idiom of the Day Twitter Feed.  For general info on me and my services and rates, check out my ESL and Accent Reduction Training Webpage.

See ya next time!

 Well, it certainly has been a long year, hasn't it?  The world has changed in a BIG way.

But I'm still going, still teaching, in spite of everything.  Working virtually via ZOOM, WhatsApp, Skype, Google Meet--whatever you like.  And wherever you are  on Earth, if you want help with speaking, writing, and understanding American English or reducing your accent so Americans understand you better and you can do business in America, I am here to help, here to work with you.

In any case.  Just a quick lesson for today.  A couple of slang terms related to coronavirus.

1)  Covidiot:  general term used for someone who believes coronavirus is a hoax, or its no more serious than the seasonal flu, or it has a fatality rate no higher than the seasonal flu, someone who believes people are dying of all kinds of things but "they"--whoever "they" is--claim it was coronavirus that killed them as part of a conspiracy to pump up fatality numbers.  Someone who believes that coronavirus is being used by the government to "force people to give up their freedoms".

2)  The 'rona/the virus:  Short term for coronavirus.  For instance, on the commuter train, a conductor who was in a good mood might get on the PA and announce, "everybody, please wear your masks over your NOSE and MOUTH.  NOT JUST YOUR MOUTH and NOT as a chin strap.  Please also remember to social distance.  Let's keep everybody healthy and not go catching the 'rona."

There's other slang terms in general use, including a vulgar one used to describe people who take pride in refusing to wear masks...but I won't go into that here.  

In any case if  you are interested in ESL/accent reduction lessons so you can more easily do business in America with Americans give me a call (or shoot me a text if you are uncomfortable calling) at (732) 807-5424.  or hit me up on Skype at david.berlin.esl is my Skype ID.  I look forward to hearing from you.  And remember to check out my David Berlin ESL YouTube channel or my American Idiom of the Day Twitter Feed.  For general info on me and my services and rates, check out my ESL and Accent Reduction Training Webpage.

All right?  All right.  'til next time...