In Contact! Did you miss any of our first 10 episodes?

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Hooray! We've reached episode number 10! And we're just looking forward to bring many more episodes and lots of new information for all of you!
Have you just tuned in with our radio show? Are you just getting to know our blog? Or have you been with us from the beginning of the show but have missed any episode? Well, we'd like to share with all of you our first programmes and hear your thoughts about our programme!

• 📻 Episode 1 - Learning
• 📻 Episode 2 - Travel
• 📻 Episode 3 - Technology
• 📻 Episode 4 - Superstitions
• 📻 Episode 5 - Health
• 📻 Episode 6 - Superheroes
• 📻 Episode 7 - Animals
• 📻 Episode 8 - Money
• 📻 Episode 9 - Emotions
• 📻 Episode 10 - The 80's

Don't forget to post your comments and let us know your thoughts about our radio show! Also, if you are listening from Colombia or from any other country and would like to say hello, we'll be delighted to hear from you!

Let's keep in contact with English and with the world!

In Contact! Episode 10: The 80's

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"Old times were good times..." Our tenth episode will certainly bring good memories to many of you: we'll go retro and remember some of the best things from the 80's. For this episode we have a special guest, our colleague and dear friend Eduardo DiRidolfo.

To remember the good old times, we'll teach you three different ways to talk about past routines and habits that don't happen in the present; we'll go back in time and remember some of the most memorable events of the 80's; we'll learn four expressions that were trendy in that decade; in our Top 5, teacher Eduardo will presents us five of the most popular songs of that time (hard job, since you may agree that the 80's were full of great hits!); you'll find out how well our guest did in the Just a Minute challenge; and we'll test people in our university to see how much they remember of the 80's.

As you listen to this episode, you may answer the following questions and post your comments in this section:

• If you experienced the 80's, what are the best memories you have of this decade, and what do you miss most?
• If you weren't born by that time, what do you know about these years? Would you like to have experienced the 80's?
• If you could compare the 80's and our current times, which one do you think is better and why?
• How do you think the 80's are coming back? In which way?

 WANT THE TRANSCRIPT? Click here! 

In Contact! Episode 9: Emotions

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Welcome to a new, very heart-felt emotion of In Contact! In this episode, emotions will be the central topic, as we'll share the importance of state and action verbs to express feelings and thoughts. We'll also learn how some common feelings are conveyed around the world - Yeah! Same feelings, different demonstrations. Idioms to express emotions such as sadness, anger or surprise will be waiting for your, and a choice of five songs, each one for an emotion, will compose the Top 5! Last but not least, there's a new Just A Minute challenge, and in Keeping In Contact, two of our teachers will share with you what makes them feel happy, sad, angry or afraid. 

As you listen to the episode, you can share in the comment section what are those things that move you.

• What makes you feel happy?
• What makes you feel sad?
• What makes you feel furious?
• What makes you feel nervous?
• If you could describe yourself in one emotion, which one would it be?

  WANT THE TRANSCRIPT? Click here! 

In Contact! Episode 8: Money

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Let's tune in for a new episode of In Contact! This time we'll discuss money. Yes, that something that we all want and need but, let's face it, we have to work so hard to get it and it's not always enough!

In order to develop our topic, we'll review the correct use of quantifiers in our grammar spot: also, for people interested in history, we'll have some information about the origins of money; you'll learn a few interesting and useful expressions you can use in conversations when discussing money; we'll give you some learning tips to help you improve your English; we'll enjoy 5 songs that talk about wealth, work and money; we'll ask people in our community what they spend their money on and what they would do with their money if they became millionaires; and we'll play a new game to test our dexterity with the language, Just a Minute!.

Certainly this will be an enriching episode! As you listen to the episode, can you answer the following questions?

• How important is money in your life?
• What do you know about the origins of money?
• What payment methods do you know and which ones do you prefer?
• What do you spend most of your money on?
• If you became millionaire, how would you spend your money? And would you stop working?

Leave your answers in the comments section!

 WANT THE TRANSCRIPT? Click here! 

In Contact! Episode 7: Animals

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It's time for a new episode of In Contact! And this time we'll amuse ourselves with one of the most wonderful worlds on earth: the animal kingdom.

Apart from many interesting facts about these wonderful creatures, we'll review an essential grammar topic, which is the comparative and superlative form of adjectives; in our idiom dose we'll learn expressions related to animals (very common in English!); we'll have a fun dose of curious animal facts; of course, we cannot miss our Top 5 with wild songs that mention animals; and we'll challenge people to see how much they know about animals. We'll also have some learning tips and one of our favourite vocabulary games, the animal word tango!

We truly hope you enjoy this beautiful episode! As you listen, can you answer these questions?

• Do you know any interesting facts about the animal kingdom? And what new information did you learn in this episode?
• What's your favourite animal, and why? What are its characteristics?
• How much do you know about the animal world?
• If you could be an animal, which one would you be and why?

Time to go wild with this new episode! Also, please don't forget to post your comments for this post!

Have a grrrrrrrrreat week!

  WANT THE TRANSCRIPT? Click here! 

In Contact! Episode 6: Superheroes

We're glad to share with you a new episode of In Contact! How passionate are you about superheroes? Even if you are not a fan, for sure you know more about them than you actually think. In this new episode we'll learn interesting facts about the universe of these exciting characters, and we'll also get to know who your superheroes (fictional and real ones) are. Time to go to infinity and beyond!

In this super-episode we'll review the conditional type II to talk about hypothetical, imaginary situations; we'll also have some interesting information about two of the greatest superhero universes: DC Comics and Marvel (you'll find many of these facts very amusing!); we'll test the knowledge of some of our teachers to find out how much they know about these fictional characters; as usual, we'll have our top five songs, this time about superhero films soundtracks (can you remember any of these films?); and of course, we'll ask people in our community about their favourite superheroes, the superpowers they'd like to have and their real-life heroes.

Can you answer these questions as you listen to this episode? Don't forget to post your answers and your comments!

• How much do you know about the superheroes universe?
• Who's your favourite superhero and why?
• If you had any superpower, which one would you like to have and why?
• In what situations would you use that superpower?
• And who's your real-life superhero and why?

Don't forget to keep in contact and let us know your thoughts about this episode and about the show. Now it's time to use your superpowers to keep on learning English!

 WANT THE TRANSCRIPT? Click here! 

Recommended Website of the Week: English Grammar Online

Grammar is an essential part of every language. Even though it should never be the most important thing in one's learning process, mastering it properly is always necessary to evidence your progress, specially in academic and professional situations. However, it's also a fact that some grammar topics can be a bit troublesome, and it can be rally frustrating when you cannot express your ideas or communicate effectively because of a poor grammar.

You can find excellent websites to check and practise any English grammar topic, depending on your needs and your language level. This week we'll recommend you one site that you will love for sure: www.ego4u.com (English Grammar Online For You). Here you can learn and practise grammar and also work on vocabulary. One of the greatest advantages of this site is that here you can find clear and simple explanations to the topics with their examples and with exercises that provide you with immediate feedback.

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There's much more to explore on ego4u.com: For those interested in improving their writing skills, you'll find useful information about punctuation, structure of different types of texts and expressions you can use; you can also take the tests to check what you understanding of the English grammar is; you can also benefit from the different tips and exercises they provide for you to improve your listening and reading skills, as well as your vocabulary and, of course, your grammar; and you can also enjoy the games and culture facts they have for you!

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Remember that mastering the English grammar is a matter of time, effort and practice. However, if you try your best to improve your level and use everything you learn, all your effort and hard work will be fruitful! 
☺

Have you ever used this website to work on any grammar topic? If so, what was your experience like? What other recommendations can you share to improve one's grammar? Post your comment!