English Fluency MASTERCLASS | Sound More Fluent In 2 Hours☝️

Welcome to this English Fluency Master class.

This master class is perfect for you if you're  a beginner, intermediate, or advanced student.

In this master class, you're going  to improve all areas of your English,  

all the areas that you need  to truly become fluent.

You'll expand your vocabulary,  you'll improve your listening skills,  

improve your reading skills, learn  correct grammar and sentence structure.

You'll improve pronunciation and  you'll improve your speaking skills.

And most importantly, by the  end of this master class,  

you're going to feel more  fluent and more confident.

Welcome back to JForrest English.

Of course, I'm Jennifer.

Now let's get started.

First in this master class, you're  going to expand your vocabulary and  

you're going to learn 7 phrases  to help you sound like a native.

Your first phrase to sound like a  native speaker one you must start using.

How's it going?

How's it going?

How's it going?

If you've been following me for a while and if  you haven't, make sure you subscribe right now.

You'll know that I teach all my  students to use How's it going  

because it will instantly make  you sound like a native speaker.

Of course, this is a replacement to  How are you and it's used in friendly  

professional situations and social contexts.

Yes, you can still use this  in professional situations.

Just make sure that sphere is more friendly.

But to sound like a native speaker, you  must pronounce it like a native speaker.

You cannot say how is it.

Going.

With spaces between, you must say, how's it going?

How's it going?

So notice those sounds.

How zit, zit, you have that  strong zit, How's it going?

How's it going?

Repeat after me.

How's it going?

How's it going?

Keep practicing that until you're  pronouncing it just like me.

Now to answer.

Because you will be asked this by native speakers.

To answer, you would say  it's going plus adjective.

Or you can simply use the adjective it's going.

Notice that it's going.

Make sure you get that contraction.

Don't say it is going.

That will not make you  sound like a native speaker.

It's going great.

Good.

Pretty good, not too bad.

OK, those are the most common options.

How's it, how's it going?

How is Andy?

How's it going?

Don't worry about taking notes because I  summarize everything in a free lesson PDF.

You can find the link in the  description #2 Do you have a sack?

Do you have a sack?

Do.

You have a SEC.

This is used to ask if someone can  give you their attention for a short  

period of time because suck is short for second.

Do you have a second?

Do you have a suck?

Now make sure you pronounce  that it's AK sound at the end.

Suck.

Repeat after me suck suck.

Native speakers will often drop the auxiliary and  

the subject and simply say have  a suck instead of do you have.

We simply say have a suck and more casually,  

informally, we use got instead  of have Got a suck, got a suck.

So you could.

Come in, knock on my door and say,  hey, Jennifer, do you have a suck?

If I'm available for a short  period of time, I can say sure,  

what's up now you can also specify what  you want to talk about in the question.

Hi Jennifer, do you have a sack  to talk about vacation requests?

So the topic of discussion is vacation requests.

So notice it's do you have a SACK  plus infinitive 2 plus base verb?

Common infinitives are to talk about,  to discuss, to review, to go over.

There are many other options,  but those will get you started.

Hey, Jack, do you have a SEC?

Do you have a SEC #3 What's up?

Did you notice that I used  what's up in the last example?

Well, let's talk about what that means.

This is a casual way to inquire  about someone's needs or wants.

In the last example, I said,  hi Jennifer, do you have a SEC?

And then as a reply, sure, what's up, What's up?

Now, first, let's talk about the pronunciation.

What's up, What's up So notice it  sounds like one word and you hear  

that S on what's and Sup we put it in front of up.

What's up repeat after me.

What's up?

What's up?

Work on that pronunciation, because it's extremely  important to sound like a native speaker.

Let's review this example.

What's up with Jacob?

He seems really distracted.

In this case, it's a casual way to  inquire about the status of someone,  

usually based on that person's behavior.

So Jacob seems distracted.

I want to know.

Why?

What's the reason?

What's the status of Jacob?

What's up with Jacob?

He seems really distracted to reply.

You could say, I'm not sure,  maybe he's under pressure.

Or you could provide the reason, the status.

His father's in the hospital, so  that explains what's up with Jacob.

You could also ask what's up with the conference.

Have the speakers been determined yet?

In this case, it's a casual way to inquire  about the status of something the conference.

What's up with her?

What's up with Marshall?

What's up with Ichabod number?

4.

I'm on it.

This is a great expression, and it's  used to accept responsibility for a task.

For the pronunciation.

Notice how those sounds blend together.

I'm on.

It.

So you take the M and you put it on and you  take the north and you put it in front of it.

I'm on it.

Repeat after me.

I'm on it.

I'm on it.

You can also drop the subject  and verb and simply say on it.

Make sure you get knit on it.

Repeat after me on it.

Excellent someone.

Could.

And say, hey Jennifer,  

can you send out the meeting request  and I can reply back and say on it?

In this case, it's a response to a direct request.

Someone asked me directly to do something on it.

Now, if you're in a meeting and the  boss says does anyone have time to  

send out the meeting request, you can  volunteer to accept this task and say on it.

So you can use this as a reply to an open request.

So if you like this lesson, make  sure you share it with your friends.

Now to say that you accept this task that I  just gave you, what can you say on it, on it?

So put that in the comments on it,  

on it, but then make sure you actually  share this lesson with your friends.

I'm on it all right.

I'm on it, I'm on it, I'm on it.

#5 could you give me a hand?

This is used to ask if someone can  help you notice for that pronunciation.

Did you hear that J sound?

Could you ju?

Could you Gimme, give me Gimme,  could you give me a hand?

Repeat after me.

Could you give me a hand?

Could you give me a hand?

Now this is a general request for help so  someone could reply back and say sure what's up.

They're asking about your needs and wants.

Sure, what's up.

So the person can say I need to  bring these boxes to the garage.

Now the other person can say I'm on  it to accept your request for help.

I'm on it.

You can also specify the activity  directly in the question and say,  

could you give me a hand with these boxes?

So notice you use the preposition with  and then you specify what help you need.

You can also use this to offer someone help.

I have 20 boxes to move and  they're all really heavy.

A very nice Co worker could say I can give you a  

hand or I'm happy to give  you a hand with that give.

Me an again, Yeah.

Maybe you could give me a hand.

Could you give me a hand Outback?

Number six, I can't make it.

This is to say that you're not available  to attend something or go somewhere.

In this case, make it means attend or arrive.

Now let's talk about the pronunciation.

I can't notice.

We don't push out that TI  can't just don't push it out.

I can't make it.

The K sound is on the vowel kit make it.

I can't make it repeat after me.

I can't make it.

I can't make it.

Your coworkers could say to you we're grabbing a  bite after we move all all the boxes so they're  

casually inviting you to join them and you can say  sorry I can't make it, I have to pick up my kids.

So you can't go, you can't attend.

Or you could be on your way to a meeting  but there is an accident and you have to  

text your Co worker and say traffic is terrible.

I'm not going to make the  meeting start without me.

So here remember we're just using  the verb make instead of attend.

Or you could say I'll try my best to  make it tonight so it might be the party.

I'll try my best to make the party.

You can also say I'll try my  best to make it to the party.

I can't make it tonight.

Oh, I I can't make your party tomorrow, Deb.

I can't make it.

#7 It's up to you.

This is to say that someone is  responsible for making the decision.

Notice that pronunciation.

It's up to you.

So we take it's up.

We use that S sound.

It's up TA instead of to.

It's up to you.

Repeat after me.

It's up to you.

It's up to you.

So if you're planning to watch a  movie tonight, you could say to  

your friend or partner there are three new  releases, which one do you want to watch?

And your partner can say it's U to you  so you're responsible for deciding.

It's common to add the reason why, for example.

They all look good to me so it's up to you.

This is very commonly used if  you give someone two choices.

Do you want to take the highway or the scenic?

Route.

It's up to you.

You are responsible for deciding.

Again, you can provide the reason why  you're driving, so it's up to you.

It's.

Up to you.

It's up to you.

It's up to you.

Are you?

Enjoying this lesson?

If you are, then I want to tell you  about the finely fluent Academy.

This is my premium training program where  we study native English speakers from TV,  

the movies, YouTube and the news.

So you can improve your listening  skills of fast English, expand your  

vocabulary with natural expressions,  and learn advanced grammar easily.

Plus, you'll have me as your personal coach.

You can look in the description  for the link to learn more,  

or you can go to my website and  click on Finally Fluent Academy.

Now let's continue with our lesson.

Next in this master class, you're going to improve  

your listening skills so you can  understand fast speaking natives.

Here are your instructions for the entire lesson.

First, you're going to see a sentence and you need  to complete the sentence with the missing words.

To do that, you're going to listen to a clip  of real English and complete the sentence.

After you'll learn how to  use the natural expression.

Here we go, our first listening exercise.

Whatever she you need to complete the  sentence, I'll play it three times.

Whatever she dishes out, you  can give it right back double.

Whatever she dishes out,  you can give it right back.

Double.

Whatever she dishes out, you  can give it right back double.

How'd you do it?

This one?

Whatever she dishes.

Out.

Our phrasal verb is to dish out.

Now let's review how to use  this phrasal verb to dish out.

This simply means to criticize.

So when you criticize someone or something,  you say something negative about it.

For example, she really dished  it out to Tom at the meeting.

She really criticized Tom at the meeting.

Now notice I said dished it out.

What's the IT the IT represents the criticism.

She dished out the criticism  she dished it out to Tom.

And we always use this expression with criticism.

So you don't need to specify that it.

I'm sharing this phrasal verb with you because  we have a very common in expression in English.

You can dish it out, but you can't take it.

You can dish it out, which means you  freely give criticism to others, but you  

can't take it, which means if somebody tries  to criticize you, you do not accept that.

You become very upset or very angry.

So if someone is being very  critical, you might say,  

well, you can dish it out, but can you take it?

Can you receive the criticism that you're giving?

It's a way to remind someone that  maybe you shouldn't criticize others.

You can dish it out, but you can't take it.

Amazing job.

Now pay close attention because  at the end of this lesson,  

I'm going to quiz you to make sure you  really know how to use these phrasal verbs.

Let's do this listening exercise again.

Here's your sentence, and you  need to complete the sentence.

I'll play it three times.

We're all just muddling through art way.

We're all just muddling through art way.

We're all just muddling through art way.

How'd you do it?

This one?

We're all just.

Muddling through.

Let's learn how.

To use to muddle through.

This is when you do or achieve something  accidentally without a specific plan.

For example, I muddled through making the cake.

So maybe I had no idea how to make this cake.

I didn't know the procedure,  I didn't feel prepared.

I muddled through making the cake,  but it was actually quite delicious.

So sometimes when you muddle through something,  

the result isn't very positive because  you don't actually have a plan.

Other times it can be positive in the end.

Amazing job number three.

Here's your sentence.

You need to complete the sentence.

I'll play it three times.

I'm.

Excited to nerd out on it.

I'm excited to nerd out on it.

Nerd out on it.

He's excited to nerd out on  This is a fun phrasal verb.

Let's learn how to use it to nerd out.

Oh, I love this one.

When you nerd out on something, it  means you discuss it in great detail,  

greater detail than the average  person would normally do.

For example, I can nerd out  on sentence structure all day.

I.

Can discuss sentence structure,  English sentence structure all day.

But my friends who are native English speakers  

have no interest in discussing  English sentence structure.

To them that is boring, but  to me as an English teacher,  

and most likely to you as an English learner,  we can nerd out on the English language all day.

I can also nerd out on  plants, talking about plants,  

different types of plants, looking at plants.

I really love plants as well,  but the average person probably  

doesn't want to discuss it  in as much detail as I do.

What about you?

What's something that you could nerd out on?

Nerd out on this specific topic all day.

Share that in the comments.

Number four, complete the sentence.

I'll play it three times.

Of course he'll stick around.

Of course he'll stick around.

Of course, he'll stick around.

Of course, I'll stick around.

Let's learn how to use this to stick around.

This is a very common phrasal verb, and it simply  means to remain in a place for a period of time.

Let's say you just finished dinner  with a friend at a restaurant.

And you drove, but your friend took the bus.

So you can just get in your car and leave, but  your friend has to wait until the bus comes.

So you could say, oh, don't worry,  I'll stick around until the bus comes.

I'll stay with you at this specific location,  the restaurant or the bus stop until the bus.

Comes.

Or let's say you're in the  mall and it's raining outside.

You might say, well, let's just  stick around until it stops raining.

So let's stay at this specific  location until it stops raining.

You'll absolutely use this in your daily speech  

and hear native speakers using this one  all the time #5 I'll play it three times.

Wash up for dinner, guys, wash up for dinner.

Guys.

Wash up for dinner.

Guys, did you get this one wash up for dinner?

Let's review this phrasal verb to wash up.

This simply means to clean your hands, to  wash your hands and or to wash your face.

So before dinner you could say, oh,  

I just need to wash up and most likely  you're going to wash your hands.

And I commonly say this in the  evening before I watch a movie.

I could say to my husband, oh, just give me 5  minutes to wash up before we start the movie.

And for me, it's to wash my face because I love  taking off my makeup before I watch a movie.

It's a lot more comfortable.

So women might use the wash up  for our face more frequently.

So it can be for both hands and face.

Number six, here's your sentence.

Let's see if you can complete it.

I'll play it three times.

And make sure if you leave you lock up the house.

And make sure if you leave, you lock up the house.

Make sure if you leave you lock up the house.

How did you do with this one?

Now make sure if you leave you lock up the house.

Very good advice.

Let's review this one to lock up.

This is when you.

Securely close your windows and doors  or entrances to your house or building.

So it's another way of simply saying lock.

For example, make sure you lock up before  bed, and in that case it's in your home.

And that's of course good advice.

But if you work in a building,  

someone is likely responsible for  locking up at the end of the work day.

So one person might be responsible for  making sure that all the entrances to  

that building are securely closed or locked.

So, for example, Sally is responsible for locking  

up #7 We're going to review one of  my favorite TV shows, Parks and Rec.

Let's see if you can complete the sentence.

And while he was yammering on about whatever.

And while he was yammering on about whatever.

And while he was yammering on about whatever.

How'd you do it?

This one?

And while he was yammering on,  

let's review this to Yammer on This is when  you talk continuously in an annoying way.

For example, I ran into Kate at  the mall and she yammered on for  

hours and I missed my bus, so I ran into Kate.

I saw Kate, but I wasn't expecting to see her.

I saw her accidentally.

I ran into Kate at the mall and she yammered on,  

oh, hi Jennifer, I'd love to  tell you about my vacation.

And then 10 minutes later, she's  still talking about her vacation  

and she doesn't realize that I'm not  that interested in her vacation or I'm  

just busy and need to leave to Yammer on  #8 They've been let's listen three times.

They've been mounted off to me,  

they've been mouthing off to me,  they've been mouthing off to me.

Did you get this one?

They've been mouthing off to me?

Oh no, let's review this one to mouth off.

When you mouth off to someone, you speak to that  person in a disrespectful way or in an angry way.

So this is something that kids,  especially teenagers, do to their parents.

And when I was a teenager, if I moused  off to my parents, I would be grounded.

When you're grounded, this means that  certain privileges are taken away from you.

So if you're grounded, maybe you can't go to the  movies with your friends, you can't use the car,  

you can't use the computer privileges  you would normally have in the house.

You're grounded.

You're grounded.

And as adults, we also don't want to mouth off  to certain people like our boss or an authority  

figure like a police officer is definitely  not a good idea to mouth off #9 yeah.

But I let's listen three times.

Yeah, but dymaxed out my credit card.

Yeah, but Dymaxed out my credit card.

Yeah, but dymaxed out my credit card.

Did you get this one?

Yeah, but I maxed out my credit card.

Uh oh.

Let's review this to Max out.

When you Max something out, it means  you take that something to a limit.

For example, I maxed out my  credit cards on vacation.

So your credit card has a limit, maybe $10,000.

If you maxed out that credit card,  it means that you spent $10,000,  

the maximum amount the limit  of of that credit card.

Likely not the best idea.

And finally #10 this is a fun one.

I'm let's listen three times.

I'm loading up on cards.

I'm loading up on cards, I'm loading up on carbs.

How'd you do?

I'm loading up on carbs.

Let's learn how to use this to load up on.

When you load up on something, it means  you consume a lot of that something.

Or you.

Purchase a lot of that something  for a specific purpose.

So let's say you're an athlete.

Right before a raise or a competition,  you might load up on carbs.

Carbs are carbohydrates, energy for your  body, so you want to consume a lot of carbs.

Jim loaded up on carbs before the race.

Or you could say we loaded up on  toilet paper because it was on sale.

So we purchased a large amount of  toilet paper because it was on sale.

So now you have 10 new phrasal verbs, plus  you've improved your listening skills of real.

English.

So, Are you ready for your quiz?

Here are the questions.

Hit pause.

Take as much time as you need, and when  you're ready for the answers, hit play.

How would you do with a quiz?

Let's find out.

Here are the answers.

Hit pause, review them, and  when you're ready, hit play.

Next to this master class.

You're going to improve your reading,  

but think of all the different skills that you  need in order to read to help you read better.

In this section, you'll expand your vocabulary,  

you'll learn correct grammar and sentence  structure, and you'll even improve your  

pronunciation because I'm going to read out  loud and you can imitate my pronunciation.

1st I'll read.

The headline locks of Beethoven's hair offer  new clues to the mystery of his deafness.

So let's talk about this.

A lock of hair.

Well, you can see it in the picture right here.

This represents a lock of his hair.

Now a lock is just a section  

of hair, so it would be more than one individual  piece which you can't even see really.

But one piece.

Of hair is called a strand.

A strand of hair and hair doesn't take An S is  uncountable, so you could say you have really.

Thick hair.

Or Oh no, there's some hair  in my food so you can use some  

to say more than one but  you don't add an S to hair.

I wrote that for you and  noticed there is a way to make.

Hair.

Plural.

But you don't make hair plural.

You make the noun strand.

Remember, 1 strand is one single hair,  

but you can say there are some  strands, so you add the S on strand.

There are some strands of hair in my food,  

so that's how you could emphasize  the fact that it's plural.

But this is a more natural thing to say.

Oh no, there's some hair in my food.

We've all experience this and remember a lock is  when you take a piece, but you would cut it off.

So right now it's just hair,  but if you take scissors,  

you cut it, and I think in the past  you might put a decorative ribbon on.

This.

And it would be a keepsake or a  

momentum or something you give to  a loved one or a family member.

I don't think that is a tradition here  anymore, but I believe it was in the past.

So here is plural.

Because there was more than one group of  Beethoven's hair, now these locks of hair.

Because locks is plural, these locks of hair  offer new clues to the mystery of his deafness.

Notice deafness.

This is functioning as a  noun, and it belongs to him.

His.

Deafness To describe someone you would use the  adjective deaf and the verb to be he is deaf.

Now Beethoven is dead, so  you change that to the past.

Simple, he was deaf.

So this is the adjective form  and this is the noun form.

His deafness.

Don't worry about taking notes because I  summarize everything in a free lesson PDF.

You can find the link in the description.

Let's continue using powerful technologies.

Scientists found staggering amounts of lead and  other toxic substances in the composers hair.

So let's pause there and let's  look at staggering amounts.

A staggering amount is a very high amount.

You can use this in an everyday  context, like describing the rain.

There was a staggering amount of rain today.

Or maybe I have a staggering amount of  work to do this weekend or this week.

Now you can also use this as a reply to someone.

We got 10 inches of rain today.

Wow, that's staggering.

That's a very high amount, so a very  useful adjective to sound advanced.

Staggering amounts of lead  and other toxic substances.

Notice the pronunciation here as  the metal is pronounced lead lead.

Does that sound familiar?

To you because.

That's how you pronounce the past simple of the.

Verb.

To lead which has the same  spelling as the metal lead.

Let's see if you can get the correct  pronunciations based on context.

I always I always lead presentations  because you lead a presentation.

I always lead presentations on  on lead on the metal on lead,  

but yesterday my colleague LED the past simple of  the verb lead is pronounced like the metal lead.

But yesterday my colleague led the  presentation on This is easy on lead.

I'll read this one more time.

I always lead presentations on lead, but yesterday  my colleague led the presentation on lead.

So you can practice that and  maybe quiz your friends too.

Lead and other toxic substances  in the composers hair.

So the composer being Beethoven,  that was his John title.

He was a composer in the composers hair.

That may have come from wine or other sources.

The use of May is important here because  it suggests possibility but not fact.

And notice May is a modal verb.

So what do you notice here?

What do you need grammatically modal?

Plus.

Base verb may have.

Now what if I wanted to take this and make  it sound like a fact, not a possibility?

What would I say in the composer's  hair that came from wine?

So if I use the past simple of the  verb, the main verb here is come.

Have is the auxiliary May is the modal in  the composer's hair that came from wine.

That sounds like a completed pass action.

So it sounds like a fact.

May have come is a possibility.

Let's continue.

These are the highest.

What is this?

What's the pronunciation?

These are the highest lead values.

So the value, the amount of the metal, the metal  being lead, the highest lead values in hair I've.

Ever.

Seen the Mayo Clinic added?

Wow, that's staggering.

This is the perfect time where you could  reply and say wow, that's staggering.

The highest amount that this clinic has ever seen.

Wow, that's staggering.

Beethoven's hair instead of hair.

What could you say?

If you wanted to talk about a group or section  of hair that was cut, Beethoven's locks.

Now you could put it singular  lock of hair, which I have,  

but in the headline it was plural,  so we can say Beethoven's locks.

The's is to show possession that the  hair or the locks belong to Beethoven.

And of course I'm not going to add  the S here because it's uncountable.

Beethoven's hair also had arsenic.

Arsenic.

This is a chemical, poisonous chemical.

Arsenic levels.

13.

Times what is normal?

Wow, that's staggering.

You can use that adjective again.

You could say Beethoven's hair  also had staggering amounts.

Of.

Arsenic or staggering levels?

Because they used.

The word level.

Staggering levels of arsenic and mercury levels.

Mercury is a chemical element.

Mercury levels that were  four times the normal amount.

Also staggering.

But the high amounts of lead in particular  could have caused many of his ailments, Dr.

Janetto said.

Let's review the pronunciation here.

Don't get confused by this beginning.

Don't look at the word, just listen to my voice.

Ale.

Ail ailments, ailments and an ailment  is an illness or health problem,  

but it sounds more permanent and severe.

Generally used with the elderly, but of  course any age group can have ailments.

My grandmother has many ailments.

So this means my grandmother has  many health problems or illnesses,  

and it sounds like they're more permanent.

Let's look at in particular.

Notice how this is between commas,  

because you can remove this and the  sentence would be grammatically correct.

So I could say, but the high amounts of  lead could have caused many of his ailments.

In particular is focusing on lead, is  putting the importance on lead compared  

to the other things that were referenced.

So here they referenced arsenic and mercury.

So these affected Beethoven, but it was led in  particular that caused many of his ailments.

So it's the one that the author wants  you to pay attention to the most.

Notice again, they said.

Could.

Have caused.

This is easy for you now because you  know that we have our modal could  

followed by the base verb could have  and this is also used for possibility.

So same thing we did before.

If you want to state this as  a fact, what would you say?

But the high amounts of lead in particular  

caused you would just take the  past simple of the main verb.

In this case, the verb is cause caused many of  his ailments and that would sound like a fact.

Let's continue the analysis updates  a report from last year when the same  

team said Beethoven did not have lead poisoning.

Now with thorough testing thorough.

Listen to the pronunciation thorough,  

thorough thorough means extensive,  in depth thorough testing.

Practice that pronunciation thorough  thorough Now with thorough testing.

They say that he had enough lead in his system to.

At the very.

Least explain his deafness and illnesses.

So instead of illnesses.

You.

Could.

Say ailments.

Remember that pronunciation.

Ailments, ailments, illnesses.

Because an illness also sounds  like it's more permanent than,  

for example, just saying, oh, I have a cold,  a cold, you get it and then you recover.

But an illness could be more permanent.

Let's look at at the very least, because again,  

this is between two commas  so I can read it without.

They say that he had enough lead in his system  to explain his deafness and illnesses, including  

at the very least it sounds like, well, it could  explain more problems that he had, but it explains  

his deafness and explains his illnesses, and  it's possible it explains other things as well.

What those things are, I have no idea  because the article didn't explain it.

So I could say this.

Lesson will help you improve your  reading skills at the very least.

So it sounds like you could also do other things.

It could also help you expand  your vocabulary, improve your  

pronunciation, fix your common grammar or  grammar mistakes, learn advanced grammar,  

improve your confidence speaking, but it  will improve your reading at the very least.

And if you agree that this.

Lesson could help you improve many areas of  your English or at the very least you're reading  

put that's right put that's right put that's  right in the comments now let's continue one.

Likely source of.

Beethoven's high levels of lead was cheap wine.

Oh, so this is the culprit?

The culprit is what causes the  lead, causes the something.

So one likely source.

This is what caused the lead.

You could say one likely culprit, but  we only use culprit for negative things,  

whereas a source could be  used for positive things.

One likely source of improving  your English, becoming happier.

So those are positive things, but culprit is when  you identify something that causes a negative.

So the.

Source or the culprit of his high?

Levels.

His.

Staggering levels of lead was cheap wine  cheap in this case, meaning inexpensive but.

Cheap is also used for.

Quality and for.

Price.

You could say, oh, wow, that's really cheap.

But it's possible that the quality  of that item is still very high.

It's just maybe there's a sale that  makes the price cheap, inexpensive,  

but we also use cheap to describe the quality.

Oh, this shirt is really cheap,  

which means that the material is not  high quality, which I don't agree.

This is not a cheap shirt,  although it wasn't very expensive.

So I would say the price was cheap,  but the quality is not cheap.

Lead in the form of lead acetate.

I don't know what lead acetate is.

Never heard this before now.

Lead acetate, also called  lead sugar has a sweet taste.

OK, so lead acetate is something that if  you drink it, which you should not do, has.

A sweet taste.

In Beethoven's time, it was  often added to poor quality wine.

So in this case poor quality.

I used the adjective inferior quality,  but you can absolutely say poor quality.

You could also say cheap wine to  mean that the quality is poor.

Poor quality cheap wine to make it taste better.

Oh, in Beethoven's time, this means  in the time period that he was alive,  

and to be honest, I'm not sure when that was.

I'm sure we don't do this anymore with wine,  

but in Beethoven's time it was  probably a common practice.

Let's continue.

Wine was also fermented in  kettles, soldered with lead.

Don't let the spelling  influence your pronunciation.

So don't look at the word.

Listen to my voice.

Soldered.

Aw ordered soldered, soldered with lead.

I only know this word because I've  heard my husband use it talking  

about soldering things together, which I  understand is connecting them together.

So to solder is when you take two pieces of metal  and if you want to form one piece you solder them.

So you basically glue them together.

However, I am not an expert in this but I will  

confirm that the pronunciation is  Otter Solder to solder to solder.

So the kettles soldered with lead.

So the kettles that they used to ferment the  wine were connected together and the glue  

or material that they used to connect it  together contained lead soldered with lead which.

Would leach.

Out as the wine.

Aged.

OK, so to Leech out.

So here we have our kettle.

You two pieces of the kettle.

You connect it.

Together you solder it, so now it's  one piece and then around the seams,  

the points where the metal is connected,  the seams, that is a glue like material.

So if it leeches out, it means it slowly is added.

So it's slowly added to whatever it's in.

And in this case it's wine.

So if this cup was if there was.

Lead.

Paint on this cup.

Let's certainly hope there isn't.

If it leached out, it would  slowly add to my tea in this cup.

Now let's hope that isn't happening.

Let's talk about wood first.

It's a modal verb, so you need  your base verb, Leech out.

This is a phrasal verb, so you  have your verb and preposition.

Notice that pronunciation.

Each Leech Leech out.

In this case, wood is used to  talk about a habitual pass action.

So an action that happened in the past,  but it happened repeatedly, habitually.

For example, in Beethoven's time,  they would add lead to wine.

So they did this repeatedly, but it's in the past.

You can also say in Beethoven's  time they added lead to wine,  

but this is unclear if it just  happened once or if it was a habitual.

So if you want to make it clear.

That it's a habitual.

You can use would add in the past and corks on  

wine bottles were pre soaked in  lead salt to improve the seal.

Aren't we lucky that we didn't  grow up in Beethoven's time?

Pre soaked?

So if you soak something you put  it in water for a period of time.

And they did this before they put  the cork the top on the wine bottle.

Beethoven drank copious amounts of wine.

Listen to the pronunciation.

Copious, so not.

Cop is Co Copious, copious, copious.

Amounts of wine, copious means large  amounts, but it also means more than enough.

So it has more of a negative sound to it  where staggering can be used positively.

Our sales are staggering, so very high and  that's positive of course, in this case I would.

Replace it with the word excessive, which also.

Has that negative sound to it  because it's more than enough.

The rain was staggering, but  maybe you needed a lot of rain.

The rain was excessive.

Too much rain.

More than you wanted.

Beethoven drank copious amounts  of wine, about a bottle a day,  

so this gives you an example of how much.

And later in his life, even more.

Wow.

Believing it was good for his health.

So he had a reason he thought it was good for him.

And also because he had become addicted to it.

Oh, so not a positive reason here.

He had become addicted to it.

This is our past.

Perfect, because we're talking  about a past before another past  

in the last few days before  his death at age 56 in 1827.

Oh, so this is.

In Beethoven's time in the 1820s.

That's how you could.

Represent it.

You could say 1827, but that's the  specific age he was when he died.

So I guess you would go 50 years.

Early to talk about when he was  born, but you could say in the 1820s.

The early.

1800s you could express it like that.

His friends gave him wine by the  spoonful, so they had a spoon,  

and they gave him wine by the spoonful, likely  because he was too sick to drink it himself.

So before his death at age 56, to say this in a  standard sentence, you would say he died the past.

Simple he died when he was 56.

You can end it there.

Many native speakers will.

Or you can say.

Years.

There's a *** on years years old.

He died when he was 56.

He died when he was 56 years old.

Both are correct.

Over the years, Beethoven consulted many doctors,  trying treatment after treatment for his ailments.

Remember that pronunciation ailments,  illnesses, health problems that are more  

permanent, his ailments and his deafness.

We talked about this, the noun form of to  be deaf, his deafness, but found no relief.

At one point he was using ointments.

An ointment is a medical cream that you apply to  

to your skin and then you  could you could rub it in.

So that would be an an ointment.

So it's just in a cream?

Or gel or or a liquid.

Form using ointments and taking 75 medicines.

Medicines because plural here for 75,  many of which most likely contained lead.

Poor Beethoven.

And thank goodness we didn't grow up in the  

early 1800s for obvious reasons  and for many different reasons.

Let's look at the pronunciation of this ointment.

Oin, oin.

So a very nasal sound, kind  of like a pig makes ointments.

Ointments.

So the end here is more of a mint  mint and then plural ointments.

Ointments.

Now.

I paused at medicines originally and said  it's plural because it sounded a little.

Weird.

To me, and I just searched it,  and previously it was very common  

to say medicines, and likely because  they're talking about Beethoven's time,  

maybe that's why they use medicines,  because in his time it could have been the.

Choice, but today.

I would say medications, and I know that  would be commonly used in North America.

Medicine is used in more of a general sense.

So I might ask my husband,  oh, do we have any medicine?

Do we have any pills with  medical medical ingredients?

Do we have any medicine?

I have a headache.

Do we have any medicine?

But a medication is a specific medicine prescribed  by a doctor to treat a specific illness.

But medicine is just a more general terminology.

The doctor prescribed 2 medications,  so although this was understandable,  

I did pause and read it again because  it sounded a little odd to me.

So in common North American usage, we  use medicine in a more general context  

and medication to talk about something  specific a doctor prescribed to you.

And that is the end of of our article.

So what I'll do now is I'll read the article and  from start to finish, and this time you can focus  

on my pronunciation because we did have a lot  of interesting pronunciation in this article.

So let's do that now.

Logs of Beethoven's hair offer new  clues to the mystery of his deafness.

Using powerful technologies, scientists  found staggering amounts of lead and  

other toxic substances in the composer's hair  that may have come from wine or other sources.

These aren't the highest lead values in  hair I've ever seen, the Mayo Clinic added.

Beethoven's hair also had arsenic  levels 13 times what is normal  

and mercury levels that were  four times the normal amount.

But the high amounts of lead in particular  could have caused many of his ailments, Dr.

Janetto said.

The analysis updates a report from last year,  

when the same team said Beethoven  did not have lead poisoning.

Now, with thorough testing, they say  that he had enough lead in his system  

to at the very least explain  his deafness and illnesses.

One likely source of Beethoven's  high levels of lead was cheap wine.

Lead in the form of lead acetate, also  called lead sugar, has a sweet taste.

In Beethoven's time, it was often added to  poor quality wine to make it taste better.

Wine was also fermented in kettles soldered  with lead which would leach out as the wine  

aged, and corks on wine bottles were pre  soaked in lead salt to improve the seal.

Beethoven drank copious amounts of wine, about  a bottle a day, and later in his life even more,  

believing it was good for his health and  also because he had become addicted to it.

In the last few days before his death at age 56 in  1827, his friends gave him wine by the spoonful.

Over the years, Beethoven consulted many doctors,  

trying treatment after treatment for his  ailments and his deafness, but found no relief.

At one point he was using  ointments and taking 75 medicines,  

many of which most likely contained lead now.

Let's focus on.

Your grammar.

You're going to learn the 5 verb  tenses that make up 96% of speech,  

and you need to master these verb  tenses to truly become affluent.

So to make sure you mastered them,  there's a quiz at the end of this section.

The five verb tenses are the present  simple which makes up 57.51% of speech,  

the past simple which makes up 19.7%, the  future simple at 8.5%, the present perfect  

at 6%, and the present continuous at 5.1  percent of a native speaker's speech, and the.

Total of all 5 verb.

Tenses is 96.81% of speech,  

so let's make sure that you feel very  confident using all 5 verb tenses.

And don't worry because I summarize  everything in a free lesson PDF so  

you can look in the description  for the link to download the PDF.

And at the end of this lesson,  

there's going to be a quiz to make sure  you really understand these verb senses.

So let's start with the present simple  and pay close attention because I  

correct mistakes from my advanced  students in the Fine Link Academy.

They make mistakes with the present simple almost  every time they submit their practice exercises.

So pay close attention.

Let's review the structure for the subjects  I, you, we and they, you add the base verb.

Now for the subjects ** *** it,  you add the base verb plus's or ES.

And this is one of the most common mistakes that  

my advanced students make forgetting  to add that's so don't forget that.

As for ** *** it subjects the present.

Simple is used to describe  routines, habits in your daily life.

For example, I eat breakfast every day at 6:00 AM.

It's also used to describe  general facts and truths.

For example, the sun rises in  the east and sets in the West  

and notice I added those's because the  sun is it, ** *** it, you need those's.

It's also used for feelings,  emotions and states of beings.

We are very excited for the concert tonight now.

Here's.

One that most of my students don't  use correctly and the present simple  

is also used for timetable events, even if  that event is in the future, for example.

The.

Train leaves at 5:00 AM tomorrow.

It's very common to use an adverb of  frequency with the present simple,  

which is one easy way that you can identify it.

The most common adverbs of frequency are  every day or always for seven times a week,  

often, usually, or frequently  for about four to six times.

A week.

Sometimes for three to four times a week,  

rarely or seldom for one to two times a  week, and never for zero times a week.

So let's practice this just for fun.

Share something silly that you never  do or always do in the comments below.

For example, I never brush  my teeth while I'm driving.

So share something silly in the  comments just to have a little fun.

Now let's move.

On to the past simple.

To form the past simple, you  have your subject and then you  

have your base verb plus Ed or  an irregular past simple verb.

And there are many irregular verbs,  so you simply need to memorize them.

The past simple is used for an action that started  and finished at a specific time in the past.

For example, I went to the store yesterday,  

she took a shower at 8:00 AM, but now it  is 11:00 AM, so 8:00 AM is in the past.

They ordered pizza for dinner and now it's  10:00 at night, so dinner is in the past.

We sang all night, but I'm talking about  

maybe yesterday or the night  before, so it's in the past.

Let's review some past simple keywords so you  

can easily identify when you  need to use this verb tense.

Yesterday, last week, month or year?

In 2020 at 3:30 PM four hours ago on Monday  

on July 15th when I graduated or  during the meeting and remember.

All of those.

Keywords The actions started  and finished in the past.

Now let's talk about the future.

Simple Another verb tense.

I see a lot of mistakes with  the structure is very easy.

You have your subject will and base verb.

It's the same for all  subjects which makes it easy.

This verb tense is used to make predictions,  but when it's based on your opinion, not facts.

Argentina will win the World Cup.

This is just my opinion, I  don't know this as a fact.

Someone else could say I think  France will win the World Cup.

Notice.

Here I added.

I think it's very common to use an  opinion word with the future simple.

This ver tense is used for spontaneous  

actions or decisions, which means  they were not planned in advance.

For example, let's say you see a woman struggling  

with her grocery bags and  she has many grocery bags.

You can say I'll help you with those bags.

You didn't plan this in advance,  it was a spontaneous action.

It's also used with promises,  commitments, offers, or refusals.

If you say I'll.

Send you the report.

At 5:00 PM, you are making  a promise or a commitment.

It's like saying, I promise  I'll send you the report at  

5:00 PM so the other person will  expect it if you use the future.

Simple.

Now let's talk about the present.

Perfect.

A verb tense that confuses a lot of students.

But absolutely, you must know how to use it.

The structure is I, you, we, they plus  

have plus the past participle and you simply  need to memorize all the past participles.

Now for the subjects ** *** it you need to use has  as your auxiliary verb and the past participle.

Now, did you know that the present perfect  is also used with the completed past action,  

but one that has a result or  consequence in the present?

For example, I have eaten that  is a completed past action.

Now it's common to use  already, but it's not required.

I have already eaten, so what's  the result in the present?

So now I'm not hungry.

It's also used for life experience  when it's an unfinished timeline.

For example, she's been to Panama twice now  because she is alive, she can go to Panama again.

So it's an unfinished time reference.

Or you could say I haven't seen that movie yet.

Yet is a keyword for the present perfect  and we use it in negative sentences.

And by saying yet you're letting the person know  

that it's still possible for you  to watch that movie in the future.

So it's an unfinished time reference.

Now the present.

Perfect is also used for an action  that started in the past and continues  

until now, but only with three  common verbs, live, work and study.

For example, they've lived  in that house for 20 years.

They still live there now,  and it started in the past.

It started 20 years ago.

Very important point.

You can't use a specific time  reference with the present perfect.

You must use the past.

Simple.

This is a very common mistake  that I see my students make.

So you can't say I've tried  sushi last week because last  

week is a specific past time reference.

So you would have to say I tried sushi last week.

Or you could get rid of last  week and say I've tried sushi.

Let's move on to our last  verb, the present continuous.

The structure is I am plus verb in  your ING form, your gerund verb you we.

They are plus verb in ING or  ** *** it is plus verb in ING.

So don't forget you have to conjugate  the verb to be according to the subject.

The present continuous is used for an action  that is currently taking place right now now.

So I could say my students are  because the subject is they,  

my students are watching  my video right now, right?

You're watching this video right now.

You can also use the present  continuous with the future.

If it's a planned action, a planned  action in the future, For example,  

he's attending the conference next month.

It's in the future, but it's planned,  he's attending the conference next month.

Or she's performing at the World Cup in  2026, so even though it's way in the future,  

you can still use the present  continuous if it's a planned event.

An important note that you should know  because I know it might confuse students.

Native speakers use the present  continuous with always to stress  

the continuation of something negative.

She is always coming to work late.

So instead of saying she always comes  

to work late because always is a  keyword for the present simple.

Native speakers frequently put  this in the present continuous.

I don't recommend that you do  that because it really depends  

on the context if it sounds correct or incorrect.

But grammatically, it's always correct  to use the present simple with always.

So that's what I recommend that you do.

I'm just sharing this so you don't get confused  

when you hear a native speakers say  she is always coming to work late.

Now you know the five verb tenses  that make up 96% of your speech.

So Are you ready for your quiz?

To make sure you really know how to  use them, here are the questions.

Hit pause and take as much time as you need.

And when you're ready to continue, hit play.

Here are the answers.

Hit pause.

Review the answers and when you're  ready to continue, hit play.

You are doing such an amazing  job in this master class.

Now you're going to practice speaking with  me, because in order to speak, you need the.

Words.

The vocabulary.

You need the words in the right order,  the grammar and sentence structure.

And.

You need the correct pronunciation so  you're understood, so you'll practice  

all these areas and have a lot  of fun in this next section.

Let's get started.

So what are we going to talk about today?

Well.

In this English speaking practice class.

You're going to be catching up with.

A friend to.

Catch up with a friend.

This is a great expression, an expression  that native speakers use all the time.

It's absolutely part of my vocabulary.

I use this when I'm sending messages to  arrange social gatherings with my friends.

I'll say, hey, do you want to catch up?

Do you want to catch up over coffee?

We need to catch up.

Let's catch up soon.

So what does it mean to catch up with a friend?

Does anyone know if you know?

Put it in the comments.

What does it mean to catch up with a friend?

This is absolutely an expression you need to have  in your vocabulary to catch up with a friend.

Well, this is when you learn what's.

New with someone?

Since you last.

Spoke.

So let's say I'm catching up with my friend  Paolo, and I haven't seen Paolo in six months.

So when I catch up with Paulo, I'm going to learn  

everything that's new in Paulo's life since the  last time we spoke, which was six months ago.

So of course, it's very important to use  this when you're in social interactions.

Oh, let's catch up.

We need to catch up.

Let's catch up soon.

And that's exactly what we're doing in  our English speaking practice class.

You're catching up with a friend.

And guess what?

I'm your friend.

I'm your friend that you're catching up with.

When was the last time we saw each other?

Well, maybe it was a week ago.

Maybe it was three days ago.

Maybe it was six months ago.

So you can use this expression to catch up with a  

friend if you haven't seen each  other for weeks, months, years.

But you can also use this if  you haven't seen someone even.

For.

Days so we're catching up.

I'm your friend, you're my  friend so let's catch up.

Let's imagine that we're  

having a tea or a coffee water, orange  juice, whatever your drink of choice is.

This is tea for me so we're having a cup of  tea a cup of coffee and we're catching up.

I'm going to ask you questions  to learn what's new with you,  

what's new with your life, and  I want you to speak out loud.

I already see some amazing comments.

Vladimir said, long time no see.

Absolutely.

This is a great expression and actually  it's one that you're going to learn.

So amazing job.

And Vladimir also said, how have you been?

Vladimir, you're doing an amazing job,  

so let's practice this more because you're  already using some of my expressions.

OK, so we're catching up with a friend.

We're friends.

You know what this means to learn what's  new with someone since you last spoke.

So we're catching up with a friend,  and here are your instructions.

I'm going to ask you the questions at first,  and I want you to answer my questions out loud.

Now this is very important because right now let's  see, say that Vladimir says how have you been?

And you just think the answer in your  head, are you practicing your speaking?

What do you think?

Yes or no?

Right now am I practicing my speaking?

Skills.

No, because there are no  words coming out of my mouth.

So right now you might be in a public place.

Even if you are, you can say it very quietly  and still open your mouth and see the words.

If you are in a very public place and you  don't feel comfortable doing that will make  

sure you repeat this exercise when you are  in a private place and you practice that.

OK, but I really want you to open your  mouth and say the answer out loud.

And then, of course, you're going to learn a lot  of expressions and great vocabulary along the way.

So Are you ready for my first question to you?

Let's see.

What's my first question?

OK, so your name is James.

So imagine your name is  James, whatever your name is.

And I say hi.

Long time.

No see.

That is exactly what Vladimir said.

So this is the first thing  I would say to a friend.

If I have.

Not seen them for a long time I would say  hi hi Vladimir hi Mozab hi yuzu hi Ayman,  

hi Anika, hi haprira and I would say long time  no see so now I want you to open your mouth.

Long time no see.

What could you say back as a reply?

Open your mouth and.

Say the answer out loud.

Long time no see.

And what are you going to say?

Well, don't worry, because we're  going to practice this together, OK?

But first of all, here's what you could say.

You could say.

I know I.

Know and notice how I'm  putting some enthusiasm into.

That.

I'm not saying I know, I know.

I.

Know with some enthusiasm.

Everyone.

Repeat that out loud.

Repeat after me.

I know, I know.

With enthusiasm, I know.

I.

Know now you can add on  and say it's been too long.

It's been too long.

And notice you can emphasize that word  too because this is an intensifier.

So you can make the sound of  this longer to intensify it.

So repeat this.

It's been too long.

It's been too long.

And did you get that contraction it?

What do we have here as this  contraction it's What is that?

What is that as a contraction?

Do you know what word that represents it's?

Well, this is.

It has been.

It has been.

Too.

Long because this is in what verb  tense the present perfect it has been.

Notice that pronunciation in been.

It's been.

It has been.

It's been, it's been.

Too.

Long.

So let's try this all together.

So I'm going to do my part.

Long time no see.

And then I want you to.

Repeat this out loud and remember to try to  imitate my pronunciation as closely as possible.

I'll say it one more time  so you have it in your mind.

I know it's been too long.

Here we go.

Hi, long time no see.

Did you open your mouth and say it out loud?

Because remember, you need  to practice your speaking.

So opening your mouth, saying  the words, hearing your voice,  

hearing yourself form that contraction,  hearing yourself elongate those sounds,  

which is very common in English pronunciation.

This is how you're going to feel confident,  

and this is also how you're going  to improve your pronunciation.

All right, so one question here  Yuzu asked, is it different?

It has been too long and it has been a while.

So excellent question.

Remember in spoken English to sound  very advanced, to sound very natural,  

I recommend using that contraction.

It's been, it's been, it's been a while.

It's been too long.

And I'm saying that because this is what I hear.

This is what native speakers use.

So if you want to sound more natural, sound  more fluent, then use the language that we use.

It's been too long, it's been a while.

There is a very subtle difference  between these two yuzu,  

but ultimately you can use one or  the other and it doesn't matter.

It's been a while means that it  has been a period of time because  

all while is not specific now the  subtle difference with too long.

If I say I have too much work, I'm saying the  amount of work I have is more than I want or need.

So if I say it's been too long, I'm really saying  

to you I wish we had seen each other  earlier, whereas it's been a while.

It's just a statement saying  it's been a period of time.

It's not necessarily saying I wish  we had seen each other sooner.

But honestly, they're very similar in meaning.

So that's the subtle difference.

Great question, all right.

And Mozab asked, it has been an ages.

Is this, does this make sense?

OK, So that's what you would  say, does this make sense?

Not an ages, you would say it's been ages.

It's been, it has been as  a contraction, it's been.

And then just the word ages, it's been ages.

And in this case, ages means a period of time.

So this is a substitute for it's been a while,  

it's been ages and ages sounds  like a long period of time.

It's been ages since we last spoke,  which sounds great, very natural.

And remember to use that contraction.

It's been OK so.

Let's move on to our next question.

Are you ready for the next question?

Remember catching up with a friend.

What have you been up to?

So this is the next thing.

Very early on in my conversation,  I would meet my friend.

Hi, long time no see.

What have you been up to?

What have you been up to?

Been up to?

What have you been up to?

Do you know how to answer this?

Try right now.

Whatever comes to your mind, don't  worry if it's right or wrong.

We're just practicing.

So what is the first thing  that you think of as an answer?

What have you been up to?

Say it out loud.

What have you been up to?

You must know how to answer  this question because socially,  

this is one of the first questions  native speakers ask each other.

What have you been up to?

So let's look at this a little closely.

So what have you been up to?

You can add on lately or recently  because this is in the present perfect.

But you don't have to.

You can just use what have  you been up to and end on to.

But if you want, you can add on lately, recently.

They're both keywords for the present perfect.

Now this is an action that started  in the past and continues until now.

Now been up to this is just  a substitute for doing.

So what have you been doing so up to?

You can replace that with the word doing.

What have you been doing lately, recently.

What have you been up to lately, recently,  Because remember, we're catching up with a friend.

I'm catching up with you.

I haven't seen you in a week, a month, a year.

So I want to know what have you been doing?

What have you been up to?

Now, here's a hint for you to answer this,  

to make the answer more approachable,  something you can accomplish easily.

Just name one thing, because if  I haven't seen you for one year,  

you have been doing many, many things.

Of course you have.

But just name one either the most  recent or the most interesting.

That's the best way to answer this.

So maybe you could say I started a new job.

What have you been up to lately?

Well, I started a new job.

Notice it's in the past.

Simple because the action started in  the past is a completed past action.

I started a new job, we're remodeling our kitchen.

So notice this is in what verb tense?

We're remodeling our kitchen.

What verb tense is this?

The present continuous because  the action is taking place now.

This is in progress.

If I go to my kitchen right now, it's a disaster.

We're remodeling our kitchen.

To remodel means that you're changing the look of  it, you're making it more modern, you're painting  

it, you're changing the colors, you're getting  new cupboards, new appliances, things like that.

We're remodeling our kitchen.

I'm learning how to play guitar again.

What verb tense is this?

The present continuous because  you're doing it right now.

I'm learning how to play guitar.

Or of course, you might say I've been  focused on improving my speaking skills.

So this is in the present perfect because it's  

an action that started in the  past and continues until now.

So this is what I suggest for the  question, What have you been up to?

So I want you to just name one  thing and remember you can have  

different verb tenses because it could be  a past action, it could be in progress,  

or it could be an action that started  in the past or continues until now.

So think of one thing, I'll give you  a second and let's practice speaking.

Remember, I want you to open your  mouth and say the answer out loud.

One thing.

OK, I'll ask you again.

Hi, long time no see.

So what have you been up to?

Did you say that one thing?

What have you been up to?

Well, Math physics said I have  been working on a new project.

Excellent.

And what verb conjugation is this?

Who knows?

This is the present perfect continuous because it  

started in the past and math physics  is still working on this project now.

And I'm in said just working and focusing  on my relationship with my family.

Yeah, absolutely.

So Simon provided 2 points, but still,  that's great because it's short,  

it's concise, just working, focusing  on my relationship with my family.

That's wonderful, all right?

And Pearl said, I have been preparing my IELTS.

Excellent Pearl.

That is a wonderful thing to be focusing on.

Now, just one thing, does anyone know  there's a little mistake in this Pearl?

I just want to correct it because  if you are preparing your IELTS,  

it's really important that  you fix this one mistake.

What's the one mistake here?

Does anyone know Pearl?

You need to have the preposition for you.

Don't prepare something,  you prepare for something.

I'm I've been because it started in  the past and continues until now.

I've been preparing for my.

IELTS.

So I just wanted to share that with you, Pearl,  

because it is extremely important that  you get prepositions for your IELTS.

But great job, Pearl.

I wish you the best of luck.

I'm sure you're going to do awesome.

So everyone put go.

Pearl go.

Go.

Pearl Go.

In the comments all right, and Annika  and Ancia Ancia says I've been improving  

my English speaking wonderful and  great job getting that contraction.

I've I've been improving.

This is a great way to instantly  sound more advanced sound more  

like a native speakers to use that contraction.

I've been improving my English  speaking great, great initiative.

OK, amazing.

So we know what have you been up to?

This is absolutely a must know  in any social conversation.

You can ask your colleagues this as well.

Oh, So what have you been up to?

And it could be in a work context.

Oh, I've been working on the Jones report.

I've been reorganizing our filing system, so you  can use this in a work context as well, right?

So we talked about just naming one thing  to keep it simple and approachable.

You can use different verb tenses.

So my next question now in  North America, we're in summer.

Technically we're still in spring.

We're going into summer.

But I understand the country you're in.

You might not have our Four Seasons.

Maybe you're going into the rainy.

Season.

Or you're going into winter.

Or you're going into the dry high season.

So whatever season you're approaching,  just think of that season, OK,  

So you can replace summer with  whatever season you're going in.

And let me know in the comments.

I always find it so interesting the  different seasons around the world.

So let me know.

What season are you going  into in North America right  

now we're in spring and we're approaching summer.

So if I'm catching up with a friend, of course  I want to know Any big plans this summer?

Any big plans this winter, rainy season,  dry season, whatever it might be be.

Any big plans this summer?

So again, I want you to answer this out loud.

Don't worry about getting the right answer.

Just say the first thing that comes to your mind  

and I want you to open your  mouth and say the answer.

So I'll ask you again, any big plans this summer?

Any big plans this summer?

All right, well, let's see.

Now notice for the question  I just said any big plans?

This is how we speak in spoken English.

We often drop auxiliary verbs or subjects if  they're not necessary to understand the meaning.

We also do this in informal written English.

So if I'm sending a quick text message to  a friend, even a colleague, even my boss,  

but my boss and I have a close relationship, so I  communicate with my boss in a more informal way.

I would absolutely use this  in informal writing as well.

However, if you are writing  anything formal, academic,  

or for IELTS purposes, you need to  use the full sentence structure.

But let's just practice this.

Any big plans this summer?

I want you to repeat that out loud.

Any big plans this summer?

Awesome.

Now for your answer.

Now again, you can just state one thing to make  

this easy for you to answer because  you might have 20 plans, three plans,  

you might have more than one, you might  have a lot, but you can just answer one.

Now notice how I said yes.

Why did I say yes here?

Yes, because technically  this is a yes or no question.

Do you have any big plans this summer?

Yes, I do.

No, I don't.

So to start my answer, I'll say yes.

We're going on a family vacation to Disney.

World.

So again, you can just choose one thing.

Now most likely that one thing is going to be in.

The.

Future.

It's possible that it could be in the present,  

perfect, because it started in  the past and continues until now.

But most likely it's going to be in the future.

So let's practice this.

I'm going to ask you again and  I want you to answer out loud.

Any big plans this summer?

Let's see what people said.

Forever said.

Hiking with my friends on Sundays.

Yeah, exactly.

Great job forever.

And if you want, it's not a requirement,  

but if you want, you can start with  yes, because it's a yes, no question.

But again, it's not a requirement, just an option.

Yes, hiking with my friends on Sundays.

OK.

And her Priya, her Priya,  very nice name her Priya.

I will go to Scotland on holidays with my family.

OK, very nice, very nice.

This is a great answer.

I haven't decided yet.

And great verb conjugation as well.

I haven't decided yet.

Yet is a keyword for the present.

Perfect.

Excellent, Ghoisam said.

I'm going to visit my family.

Very nice.

Excellent.

Now let's see we have a no answer,  which is absolutely acceptable.

No, I have no plans for the summer, but  I hope I could have plan a short trip.

Exactly.

You can absolutely say no, I have no plans for  the summer, but I hope I can plan a short trip.

But I hope I can plan a short trip.

OK.

And Soha said I'm going to  swimming class this summer.

Exactly.

That sounds fun.

So you can start with yes, you don't have to.

But yes, I'm going to swimming class this summer.

Very nice, Pearl.

Yes, I do.

Exactly.

Do you have so notice?

Pearl answered.

Yes, I do, because I do have big plans.

Yes I do.

I'm going to New Zealand.

That is wonderful, Pearl.

I have never been to New Zealand and I  would love to go, so enjoy, enjoy your time.

All right, Mozav said.

Mozab said.

I'm going to study English with Jennifer.

Well, thank you, Mozab.

I appreciate that.

OK, our next question, everyone,  you are doing so great.

So we're catching up.

Hi, long time Noah, see how have you been?

What have you been up to?

Any big plans this summer?

Now, when you're having a  conversation with someone,  

of course you're going to ask  them about future activities.

What are you doing this summer?

But you can of course, ask them about the past.

So remember I said right now in  North America we're in spring,  

we just finished winter and  we're going into summer.

So it's very common that I could ask my friend.

You.

About the last season, the  season we just finished.

So again, for you, maybe it's  not winter, maybe it's summer,  

maybe it's the rainy season, the  dry season, whatever it is for you.

So I can ask you, did you  travel anywhere this winter?

Remember, I want you to open  your mouth and say the answer.

Did you travel anywhere this winter?

So did you?

Did you Pearl?

Did you Anas?

Did you Stella?

Did you Najib, Boris, Nazir?

Did you travel anywhere this winter?

Tomas, did you travel anywhere this winter?

Remember, open your mouth and say the answer out  loud because I want you to practice your speaking.

Of course you can write  the answer in the comments.

Writing it is absolutely a  wonderful way to practice.

But make sure in addition to writing, you  also open your mouth and say the answer.

Did you travel anywhere this winter?

So let's say you didn't because  in the last one, we answered yes.

We answered positively.

So let's practice answering negatively.

So you could say no.

Now you could provide the reason why.

And then to expand on this to  make it more conversational,  

you could provide one interesting thing you did.

So no, you didn't travel,  but you did something right.

You still did activities,  whatever those activities are.

So choose the one that first comes to your mind,  

the most interesting one,  and then answer that instead.

But remember, no the reason why.

And then one interesting thing you did.

So let's see a potential answer and  then you can practice this yourself.

So no, we didn't notice that contraction  didn't, didn't you can push out that  

T if it's at the end of a sentence  because you're taking a pause anyway.

No, we didn't practice that.

No, we didn't.

Didn't practice that out loud and imitate  my pronunciation, shadow my pronunciation.

No, we didn't.

Now we because it represents you and your family,  but you could of course say, no, I didn't as well.

No, we didn't.

Now the reason why winter  is very busy for me at work,  

that's a potential reason  why whatever your reason is.

And then one interesting thing  or the first thing you think of,  

but because bot is a, it's a connection word.

It's a transition word.

It helps you go from a negative.

No, I didn't travel to a positive.

I did something interesting, but I  remodeled our kitchen over winter.

Now notice remodeled is in the Ed  because it's a completed past action.

So right now my kitchen is fully complete.

Everything is done.

It's painted, new cupboards,  new appliances is fully done.

OK, so now your turn to practice.

So no, we didn't.

No, I didn't.

The reason.

And one thing you did instead.

OK, we'll practice this as spoken practice.

Did you travel anywhere this winter?

Did you travel anywhere this winter?

All right, let's see.

What do we have here?

Oh, here's one.

HM said.

No, I didn't.

I was busy with my occupation and my own chores.

Your occupation?

You mean your work?

I would just say I was busy with work.

I was busy with work and my own chores.

You can add that as well.

Now, HM, not a requirement, but you can expand on  

and say one interesting thing you did or  the first thing that comes to your mind.

Just to expand on this because  a lot of students say, Jennifer,  

I, I open my mouth, but just one word  answers, very short answers come out.

I want to expand on my ideas.

Well, this is a great way for  you to expand on your ideas.

No, the reason and one interesting  thing you did OK Ceda said no because  

I am occupied with my job, but I  learned cooking from my mother.

Excellent job, Ceda, very nicely done.

No, I'm now just remember the  contraction is I apostrophe M  

I'm I'm no, because I'm occupied with my job.

I would say busy because I'm busy with.

My work I could say job too, but I  probably more likely just say work.

No I'm busy with work but I learned how to cook  

from my mother or but my mother  taught me how to cook either.

Sentence structure is  correct but very nicely done.

I love that.

OK, Ismail said.

No, I didn't exactly.

Didn't get that contraction.

I'm very happy to see those contractions.

I was studying the whole winter.

Exactly, exactly.

I was studying the whole winter.

Now for you, for the one interesting thing.

Maybe Ismail, you could include one  interesting thing that you learned.

No, I didn't.

I was studying the whole winter, but I  learned how to use 20 new phrasal verbs.

So that could be the interesting thing you  

did because it relates to the  reason why you didn't travel.

So that could be a great strategy.

OK, Alexander, let's of course I  have to choose the Canadian flag.

No, I didn't.

So just remember, not you want just.

No.

Yes.

No, no, I didn't.

Traveling in winter for me is difficult  because of the house's chores.

I didn't want to come back with  a snow mountain in my door.

Exactly.

Very nicely said.

OK.

And Jamie said unfortunately no, that's a great  one as well, Jamie, great job saying that because  

you say oh, unfortunately no, unfortunately  suggest that I wish I had Unfortunately no.

I looked forward to swim in the  river, but it'll be freezing.

I looked forward to what  does Jamie need to do here?

I looked forward to swimming to look  forward to This is a gerund expression.

You look forward to doing something.

I looked forward to swimming in the.

River, but it'll be freezing.

All right, awesome job.

OK, our next question.

Well, when you're talking with friends,  

of course you want to know about  their life, what they're doing.

But of course, everybody  always talks about the weather.

So let's say I'm catching up with my friend you.

But of course we don't live in the same city,  

so maybe we're catching up virtually,  which is very commonly done.

So we're having a virtual catch up.

So I can ask you, how's the weather been lately?

How's the weather been lately?

I want you to repeat this out loud because  it's such an important common question.

You use this all the time in social  situations, work situations, small talk.

So notice that contraction.

How's repeat that?

How's how's, how's the weather?

How's the weather?

How's the weather been in?

How's the weather been lately?

OK, excellent.

So now you know the question.

You know how to pronounce it.

So now I want you to answer this out loud.

We don't live in the same city.

I'm sure our answers are very, very different.

So I want you to answer this out loud.

I'll ask it again.

How's the weather been lately?

Open your mouth, say the  words, practice your speaking.

How's the weather been lately?

OK, so notice here how's with's This could  represent how is, but this is in the present  

perfect, so we know it's how has, but  the pronunciation is exactly the same.

And again, it's the present perfect because  I'm asking about the weather in the past,  

maybe the last few days, the last week until now.

How's the weather?

Been lately, recently.

You can use either one or you can use neither.

You can just say how's the weather  been, how's the weather been?

So that is how to ask the question.

Now here's a potential answer.

And this is quite true for me especially.

It would describe right now  what's going on outside.

It's been, it has been.

So just repeat that.

It's been, it's been, it's been, it's been.

It's been unseasonably cool and rainy.

Cool and rainy now Unseasonably.

Unseasonably.

Does anyone know what this means?

Unseasonably cool and rainy?

Who knows, Who knows?

Let me know in the comments.

It's been unseasonably cool and rainy,  unseasonably, and then an adjective.

This means more of the adjective than normal  based on the normal weather, based on the climate.

So in the beginning of June in  my city is usually sunny and hot.

That is what it usually is, what it normally is.

So if I say unseasonably cool and rainy,  

it means it's not normally like this at this  time of year, but you don't have to use that.

Or you could use a an  adjective that is the opposite.

You could say it's been unseasonably  hot, which means hotter than normal.

It's been unseasonably rainy, unseasonably dry.

If it's unseasonably dry, it means it  should be raining, but it's not raining.

Or maybe you wouldn't use unseasonably  at all because right now the weather is  

exactly what you expect the  weather to be in your city.

So let's practice.

That's just to give you an example to help  

you expand your vocabulary with  some useful weather vocabulary.

But now I'll ask you again, and I want you  to open your mouth and say it out loud.

How's the weather been lately?

It's been it's been.

OK, so let's see some answers, Anne Hale  said it's been horrible lately, to be honest.

Yeah, exactly.

You could use that as an adjective.

Horrible.

It's been horrible.

It's been terrible.

And then maybe you can state why  and you can use the unseasonably.

It's been unseasonably cold or maybe  hot, and that's why it's horrible.

Very good, Yuzu said.

It's been cloudy and rainy as usual.

Exactly as usual.

So this isn't unseasonable.

This is as usual.

It's been cloudy and rainy.

Very good.

As usual in June.

You need the preposition in June in Japan.

Very nice, Alexander asked.

Could I say barely warm?

It's been barely warm.

I mean, you could.

Technically that's grammatically correct,  but I don't think I would personally say  

it and I don't think I would hear  a lot of native speakers use it.

So it hasn't been very warm  or just it's been cool.

Instead of saying barely warm, I would  probably just use the opposite, which is cool.

Oh, it's been really cool.

It's been unseasonably cool.

It hasn't been.

Very warm.

So that's what I would say.

It hasn't been very warm.

All right, Her, her Priya said it's been cloudy.

Exactly.

Very good.

And make sure you practice that out loud.

It's been cloudy outy.

Make sure you get that vowel.

Cloudy.

It's been cloudy.

Very good.

Yuri said it's been cold.

Yeah, it has been in spoken English.

Make sure you use that contraction.

It's been, it's been, it's  been cold in Lima, Peru.

Very nice, OK.

And Vladimir said it's been scorching recently.

Excellent.

Scorching means extremely hot, So  unseasonably hot, hotter than well,  

perhaps no, because maybe it is always  scorching in June where you live, Vladimir.

So not necessarily unseasonably,  but scorching means very, very hot.

And if you add unseasonably, it means  it's unusual for this time of year.

OK, awesome job, everyone.

Great job practicing.

And make sure you're speaking out loud  as well imitating my pronunciation.

Now how about this question?

This is an easy one.

What were you up to earlier today?

Now, we already talked about up to  we saw this in another question.

Native speakers use this all the time.

Up to what were you up to earlier today?

So first I want you to practice and repeat  after me because you can use this as a question.

What were you up to earlier today?

What were you up to earlier today?

All right, so now remember that up.

To means doing.

What were you doing?

Now just know that up to is used in question form  

and it's also used in negative  form, but not positive form.

So often when I ask students  this, oh, what were you up to?

They'll say, oh, I was up to learning English,  

but that's not correct because we  don't use this in the positive form.

So in the negative form you would  say, ah, I wasn't up to much  

because you can use it in the negative form.

I wasn't doing much.

So repeat after me.

I wasn't up to much.

And notice up to you can say that to as a more  unstressed TA, I wasn't up to I wasn't up to much.

Repeat after me.

I wasn't up to much.

Excellent.

I just ran a few errands.

Who knows what this means?

I've already heard some people talk about chores.

Household chores, Chores around the house.

What about errands?

And notice my pronunciation?

Errands.

Errands.

Very different from the spelling.

Errands.

Errands.

Repeat after me.

Errands to run errands.

Notice that verb?

It's run.

You run errands.

You don't do errands.

You run errands to run errands.

This is when you do quick  tasks outside of the house.

So who can name an example of an errand?

Oh, I ran an errand today.

What did you do?

Who can name an example of an errand?

Put that in the comments.

An example of an errand.

Let me know so maybe you could pick up  your dry cleaning, pick up your laundry,  

get groceries, get gas, which means to fill  up your car with gas, we just say get gas.

Maybe you had to drop off a  package at the post office.

Maybe you had to pick up some  lipstick for your next YouTube video.

These are all examples of errands.

OK, so now you know what the question means.

Let's practice this again.

I'm going to ask you, and I  want you to say it out loud.

What were you up to earlier today?

What were you up to earlier today?

Now to answer, you can just state what  you did now because it's earlier today  

and you're no longer doing the action  because we're talking, we're catching up.

You can put it in the past.

Simple.

I went for a bike ride with my family.

So just name one thing.

Always keep it simple.

Name one thing.

So what were you up to earlier today?

You could add on earlier today.

I went.

For a bike ride or you could do  the time reference this morning,  

this afternoon at 10:00 AM, at  3:00 PM, after lunch, before lunch.

So you can absolutely add on  a time reference if you like.

OK, and I went for a walk exactly an  awesome job getting 4A walk a walk.

This is the noun form and this is how  native speakers would say when you're  

just going for a leisurely purpose and the  past simple of the verb go is of course went.

I went for a walk.

Excellent job, Soha, And  sorry I can't read your name.

I was preparing for the coming jobs.

Although it's a holiday today in my country.

Oh, it's a holiday that's wonderful.

But I was preparing for the coming jobs.

OK, I'm not sure what the coming jobs mean means  

maybe it's I was preparing for  my my work, my upcoming work.

That could be what you mean.

I went for a stroll earlier today.

Nice job.

Adding earlier today, Tomas, at  the end, I went for a stroll,  

a leisurely walk without a specific destination.

I've been studying since morning.

Yeah, Najeeb, you can absolutely say that.

Oh, I've been studying and that implies that  

you're still studying now I went  to my Pilates class this morning.

Yeah, wake up.

Wake up and do Pilates.

Excellent name.

Very nice.

OK and math physics says I  went to visit my parents.

Exactly excellent job, everyone.

Great job practicing.

OK, And this is our last question and I saved  a fun one for last because hypotheticals.

Hypotheticals are always fun to practice.

So if you had the time to take up a  hobby, which one would you choose?

So remember, this is hypothetical,  

so it doesn't matter if you don't have the  time now you are imagining you have the time.

It's hypothetical.

So it doesn't matter what your  current work situation is,  

your current study schedule is  your current financial situation.

None of that matters.

In this hypothetical situation.

You have the time to take up a hobby.

So which one again, it's always easier  to just say one thing when you answer a  

question and then you can give more  information about that one thing.

If you had the time, if you had our conditional,  

if you had the time to take up a  hobby, which one would you choose?

Oh, get that hobby in your mind.

So to take up a hobby, this  means to begin a new hobby.

So to start to begin a new hobby,  so practices, take up, take up cup.

Notice how those sounds linked  together, take up, repeat, take up,  

take up, take up a hobby, take up a  hobby and again begin a new hobby.

So here's a model that you  can use if I had the time.

So you're using the conditional in your answer.

If I had the time, I'd take up yoga.

I would take up I apostrophe D.

I'd, I'd, I'd, I'd.

Take up.

I'd take up.

So notice that D is almost not pronounced  when you say it in a in spoken English.

So repeat.

After this, I'd take up, I'd  take up, I'd take up yoga.

And then you can state the reason or the fact.

Fact.

So a fact.

What do I mean?

Well, maybe an interesting fact about yoga.

I take up yoga because I  know it's good for my health.

So maybe that's the reason why.

But maybe it's just a fact about yoga as well.

I'd learn how to.

I would.

I'd learn how to so you need your infinitive.

I'd learn how to draw because it's very relaxing.

I'd start.

What would you start?

I'd start taking photos.

I'd start.

What would you start?

I'd start building websites.

I'd start speaking in English because I need  to pass my IELTS or whatever the reason why.

So you don't have to use all three.

Just pick one.

I'd take up.

I'd learn how to.

I'd start.

So let's practice this again.

If I had the time, repeat that.

If I had the time, I'd take up because and then  you can provide your reason or perhaps a fact.

So let's try this again as a well,  let me show you a potential answer.

If I had the time, I'd learn how to draw.

This is true.

I've always wanted to learn how to draw.

If I had the time, I'd learn how to draw.

I love the idea of sitting in nature  and drawing the beauty in front of me.

And this is very true.

This is exactly how I would answer this.

I'd learn how to draw.

So I'll leave this up for you.

If I had the time, I'd take up because.

So I'm going to ask you again, if you had  the time, what hobby would you take up?

All right, make sure you answer and remember  we're practicing your speaking skills.

Open your mouth and say the answer out loud, OK?

Hastyar said.

If I had the time, I would  play exactly as a contraction.

I'd play video games, games  with an S, I'd play video games.

Now.

Maybe you can provide a fact about video games,  

or you can provide a fact could be your favorite  video game, or you could provide the reason why.

OK, Jonathan said if I had the time, perfect.

I'd take up how to shoot a ball.

Very nice.

I'm glad you said this, Jonathan,  because the reason I provided the  

three different examples is because the  choice really depends on what you say.

Now if you say a hobby or  an activity like basketball,  

then you can use take up  because you take up a hobby.

But in your case you're talking about learning.

So you would say I'd learn how,  I'd learn how to shoot a ball,  

I'd take up basketball, I'd start playing  basketball if you wanted to use start.

OK, awesome, Jonathan, I hope  you get to do that, Manuel said.

Where I have enough time when when I have I  have enough time, I would become a farmer.

So farmer is an occupation, it's a profession.

So you would say I would become a farmer.

You could also say I'd learn how to farm.

I'd learn how to farm.

I'd start growing vegetables.

I'd start growing flowers,  whatever you want to farm, OK?

And Sue Young said if I had the  time, I'd learn how to swim.

So you want the infinitive.

I'd learn how to swim because I want  to be good at swimming, how to swim.

I want to be good at swimming.

Very good, Ismael said.

I take up traveling around the world  because I love exploring new cultures.

If you use do, you have to use do to?

But you have to use a noun  due to my love of travel.

But if you use a verb, you have to use because.

Because I love exploring new cultures.

OK, let's let's do one more.

Boris.

If I had time, you can use that.

You don't have to say the time.

If I had time, I'd learn to play guitar.

So not all guitar is just guitar in general.

I'd learn to play guitar.

I learned to play guitar.

All right, we'll do a couple more.

If I had the time, I'd find some more  opportunities to improve English listening skills.

Exactly.

That's wonderful.

Now I have to let you know that I have a whole  

playlist for English listening  skills on my YouTube channel.

So if you just go into the playlist section,  you'll see a playlist for listening exercises.

So if you have the time, when you have the time.

You can use.

That playlist?

OK, let's do one more education says if I had  the time I would take up playing badminton.

So you can for take up is just the hobby.

So the hobby is think of it as the name of the  name of the sport, the name of the activity.

I take up badminton.

Otherwise it's I'd learn how to play  badminton, I'd start playing badminton.

If I had the time, I would take up.

I'd take up badminton because  it's my favorite indoor game.

Exactly.

Wonderful, wonderful, OK?

Ashham said I'd take up watching  my amazing teachers whole videos.

Well, thank you so much.

I appreciate that.

And that is, oh, we have one more question.

OK, we'll do one more question.

What's been the highlight of this month so far?

What's been the highlight of this month so far?

Oh, this is a good question.

It's June, so what's been the  highlight of this month so far?

So the highlight of something  is the most memorable part.

So think what your favorite thing, the favorite,  

your favorite thing you did, you  saw, you experienced in June.

All right, so to answer, you  can say the highlight of my  

month has been and then you can use a gerund verb.

Maybe it's running a marathon  has been running a marathon.

Or you can use a noun.

The marathon.

The highlight of my month has been so  a nice positive way to end our class.

The highlight of my month has been OK, so  maybe you could say the highlight of my  

month has been creating so many amazing lessons  for my wonderful students, which is so true.

This has definitely been the highlight of my month  

has been creating so many amazing  lessons for my wonderful students.

So that's mine now what about yours?

The highlight of my month has  been will end on a positive note,  

so put that in the chat and  I'll ask the question again.

What's been the highlight of this month so far?

Remember, open your mouth and answer out loud.

What's been the highlight of this month so far?

A great question and remember your answer.

The highlight of my month has  been and then a gerund or a noun.

OK, we have yuzu.

The highlight of my month has  been getting new plan for cooking.

Very nice has been getting a new plan for cooking.

A new plan for cooking.

Excellent wake up sent.

The highlight of my month has been  trying to talk with people in English.

Very nice has been trying.

After the verb try.

You just need the infinitive.

I've been trying to improve, to learn to do.

I've been trying to talk with people in English.

Excellent activity.

Wake up.

Tomas says The highlight of my  month has been quitting drinking.

Congratulations, Tomas.

It's always difficult when we  want to make change in our life  

and just the fact that you tried and you did  it, that is something to be congratulated.

Amazing job, Alexander said.

The highlights of this month  has been watching my favorite  

soccer's soccer team qualifying for the finals.

Absolutely.

What a wonderful highlight.

Very nice.

My favorite soccer team.

There's no need for the possessive there.

My favorite soccer team, Gore says.

The highlight of my month has been practicing.

Meditation.

Exactly.

Very good practicing and then  something, a noun, meditation.

Excellent.

The highlight of my month has been having done  a lot of chores at my old house in my hometown.

Very nice highlight.

Instead of having done, you can  just say it has been doing so you  

just want your gerund verb, which is the verb do.

So you can just say the highlight of my  month has been doing a lot of chores.

Very nice.

Najeeb said.

The highlight of this month has been  meeting all one of my soul mates.

Aww if you use one of your  noun needs to be plural.

One of my soul mates with an S But if  you want to sound a little more romantic,  

get rid of the one of and say has been  meeting my soulmate because it sounds  

like there's only one soulmate for  you and you just found that person.

Oh, amazing, that's so cute, Muhammad said.

The highlight of this month has been trying  to pick my father to India for health issues,  

has been trying to pick up my father from India,  or maybe take my father to India, whatever, maybe  

pick up my father, but then it's from India.

OK, well, I wish your father and you all the best.

All right, Maya, the highlight of this  month has been hiking some mountains.

Excellent.

Very nice highlight has Star said the highlight  of my month has been watching all your videos.

That is so sweet.

Thank you so much.

All right, Tiffany, the highlight of my month has  been starting to play Minecraft with my boyfriend.

Wonderful.

I love.

It I hope you have fun.

Did you enjoy this master class?

If you did put master class, put  master class in the comments.

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And you can get this free speaking  guide where I share 6 tips on how  

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