Listen carefully…..can you hear it? I have the window open, and I can hear the birds singing. Wait. Now I hear some noise, like construction work is going on. It’s so loud now, I can’t hear my CD. I guess if I put my headphones on, I can listen to my music in peace.

Today we are going to look at two words that are sometimes confusing – “hear” and “listen.” What’s the difference? Well, we usually use “hear” when we talk about what your ears do and “listen” when we talk about what your mind does.

Use “hear” when you want to talk about the physical sense your ears are in charge of. You are not trying to catch the sound, but sound reaches your ears. Here are some examples:

I hear a dog barking.  This means the sound of a dog barking is coming into my ears.

On a summer evening, you can hear the sound of the crickets chirping. This means the sound of the crickets will come to you ears, even if you do not try to receive it.

Use “listen” when you want to talk about trying to catch a sound. You listen to something with the intent to hear it.

I listen to music when I wake up. This means that I deliberately turn on my CD player because I desire to hear the music.

 You need to listen to your teacher. This means you should give attention to what your teacher is speaking.

So, when you pay attention and use your intention, you listen to something. When sound comes to you without your paying attention, you hear it.

Thanks for reading!

Here is the original paragraph

It’s a scorcher out there today. In fact, we would probably say this is one of the dog days of summer. It’s like a hundred degrees in the shade out there and the humidity is through the roof. I think I’m gonna melt. Really. Even my shades aren’t helping. Maybe I’ll put on my flip-flops, a pair of cutt-offs, and head to the beach.

Here is an explaination of the vocabulary

 - it’s a scorcher.  “Scorch” means to burn very much. So we use this expression to mean “it is very, very hot.”
 - dog days of summer.  ”These are the dog days of summer” means, “These are the hottest days of the summer.”
- shade.  This is the area where the direct sunlight is blocked, like under a tree.
 - through the roof.  The roof is the top of the building, which can be very high up. So, when something is “through the roof,” it is very high.
 - shades.  “Shades” is a slang term for “sunglasses.” You can say to someone, ”I like your shades,” which means, “I lke your sunglassses.”
 - flip-flops.  These are a kind of casual shoe, worn without socks.
 - cut-offs.  If you take a pair of jeans, and cut the legs off to make them into a paid of shorts, these are called “cut-offs.” 

Try using these expressions in your everyday comversations, and your English will sound much more like a native.

Click here to send me your thoughts and comments.

It’s a scorcher out there today. In fact, we would probably say this is one of the dog days of summer. It’s like a hundred degrees in the shade out there and the humidity is through the roof. I think I’m gonna melt. Really. Even my shades aren’t helping. Maybe I’ll put on my flip-flops, a pair of cutt-offs, and head to the beach.

Do you know these words and expressions?

 - it’s a scorcher
 - dog days of summer
 - shade
 - through the roof
 - shades
 - flip-flops
 - cut-offs

Click here to send me your thoughts and comments. I’ll show you the answers later this week.

Visit Times Square after your GEOS NYC English Class!

New York City. I love it! Broadway shows, live music every night, shopping, amazing sights, and the restaurants….wow! You do like to eat out, don’t you? I know I do. One of my favorite New York restaurants is Lombardies. Since 1906, they have been serving up the best pizza in NYC, cooked in the oldest coal-fired oven in town. You’ve eaten there too, haven’t you?

Today’s lesson is on Tag Questions, and using them as questions for confirmation. These are interesting, aren’t they? I say that because they are not really questions in the usual sense because they are not used to obtain a reply for something unknown. They are used for gaining agreement, confirmation, or understanding. Let’s look at some examples:

“Do you like pizza?” vs. “You like pizza, don’t you?”

When we ask a direct question, such as “Do you like pizza?” we do so because we are seeking information we do not have. I do not know if you like pizza or not, and so I want to know if you do.

When we ask a Tag Question, such as “You like pizza, don’t you?” we are guessing based on information we have and are seeking confirmation. I think you like pizza, and I’m checking to see if I am correct about that. When you use a Tag Question, you are assuming some information and seeking to confirm if you assumptions are correct. Here are some more examples:

Bob has been to Lincoln Center, hasn’t he? (I think he has been there, and I want to make sure)

They won’t be moving to SOHO, will they? (I think they have changed their plans to move to SOHO, and I am just checking)

So, if you have some knowledge, our you think you do, you can check it by using a Tag Question. The grammar works like this. After your statement  use an auxiliary verb + pronoun:

You  have been to the Statue of Liberty,        haven’t          you?
| —————–statement————————| —auxiliary—|—pronoun—|

For this kind of useage, the intonation of the Tag Question goes up at the end.

They love the East Village, don’t they? Use rising intonation for the “don’t they?” Using this kind of intonation gives the meaning that I think they love the East Village, and I want to know for sure.

So there you have it. This was fun, wasn’t it?

English is a language where conversation is driven by questions. Questions are the starting  point of our greetings as well. Please note that we are talking about greetings between people who already know each other, not greetings used when meeting someone for the first time. With that in mind, note that there are two basic types  of questions we greet each other with.  These are “what” and “how.” Let’s take a look at greeting questions with “what.” Here are some examples:

• What’s new?
• What’s up?
• What’s shaking?

All three of these have exactly the same meaning and usage. They are interchangeable when used as a casual greeting. They are conversation starters, and you have a few choices in terms of how you reply. Make sure you reply about something, and not about your feeling (see below). Some general replies are like this:

• What’s new? Not much, how about you?
• What’s up?  Nothing special. What’s up with you?
• What’s shaking? Same old, how about you?

You can also reply by saying something that is new with you, some news you know about or heard, or some point of fact that you will begin a conversation with from this launch pad.

• What’s up? I just finished my TOEFL class….
• What’s shaking? Did you hear? There is an afterschool trip today….
• What’s new? I’m going to sign up for another month of lessons…. 

Now, you have also heard the “how” greeting questions, haven’t you? Here are some common examples:

• How are you?
• How’s it going?
• How’s everything?

When you respond to a “how” question in a greeting, you generally answer something that reflects how you feel.

• How are you? Fine thanks, and you?
• How’s it going? Great! How are you doing?
• How’s everything? Pretty good thanks, and you?

Be Careful! Don’t mix up the replies to the “how” and “what” questions. Doing so is quite common and you can take your English to the next level by listening carefully to the question word and remember this:

The reply to “how” is a feeling. The reply to “what” is news.

So, for example, this sounds strange for a native English speaker….

Brian: Hi Peter! What’s up?
Peter: Fine thanks.

Peter should not reply using a feeling. Instead, he should reply with some news. Here’s an example:

Brian: Hi Peter! What’s up?
Peter: I just finished lunch.

So, spend some time practicing this, and more importantly, pay attention to native English speakers when they greet each other.

GEOS New York One Point English Lesson Blog

I wish she didn’t ask me that! Just kidding… I mean, we all have dreams and hopes for ourselves. For today’s lesson, we will learn how to express our wishes. When we wish for something, it is generally something we wish to have or do in the future. However, in English, we will use the word “wish” + past tense verb .  Here are a few examples…

• I wish I lived  in New York.
• My sister wishes she worked  on a cruise ship.
• Dont you wish you were  rich!

So you see how that works? Even though we are not talking about the past, we need to use the past tense verb with “wish.” I wish I had known that before!

How about you try it? Here are some sentences. Write a response to each one, using the pattern we just talked about above.

1. My apartment is too small. (Example: I wish my apartment was bigger)
2. I am single.
3. I don’t have enough money to buy that boat.
4. I can’t play baseball very well.
5. I am too busy at work.
6. The subway in New York is really hot in the summer.
7. My teacher gives me a lot of homework everyday.

Now, why don’t you practice more by writing about what you wish for in your life?  Please feel free to email us you answers, or leave comments here on the blog. Remember, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future lessons, please let us know. Until next time, have fun studying!

You can say, “It’s been raining since last weekend” or “It’s been raining for 4 days.” Well, what is the difference?

 We use since  when we talk about a specific point in time. Here are some examples:

• I’ve been studying English at GEOS since January.                 
• I haven’t seen Sarah since Monday.
• My mom has been living in the same house since 1965.

 We use for  when we talk about a time period. Here are some examples:

• I’ve been studying TOEFL at GEOS for three months
• I haven’t seen Sarah for 3 days.
• My mom has been living in the same house for 44 years.

 That’s a long time, don’t you think?  Well, that’s all the time we have for today’s one point lesson. Thanks for joining me and please feel free to comment or ask questions.

I woke up late this morning, and I tried to catch the 8:15 bus. I got to the bus stop at 8:20. What should I tell my teacher?
I was late, so I ______________________ .
a. caught the bus    b. lost the bus   c. missed the bus   d. forgot the bus

The correct answer is “c” – I was late, so I missed the bus. When you are not on time for something, you can say that you missed it.
When you say, “I caught the bus,” it means that you rode the bus, so no worries!
When  you say you lost something, it means you misplaced something. My grandmother often says, “I lost my glasses.”