In Contact! Episode 35: The Future

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Time to look forward! Yes, today well be discussing the future and what some possible changes to happen in our society and world can be. Hard task right? How does thinking of the future make you feel? Are you an optimist or a pessimist? It's a fact that the future is one of the most uncertain things there are, yet it is always a part of the human nature to try to predict what will come next. Anyway we'll have a go...

Let's see what the future holds in the next 35 minutes of In Contact!: we'll have a review on the most basic future tenses (you'll find out, for instances, that present tenses are also used to talk about the future!) and give you useful idioms that you may consider using when discussing the future. We'll share with you some predictions we have for society in the future, including in science, family and politics. The songs of the week will also show us what other people think will happen in the coming years (how optimistic or pessimistic do you think our singers will be?). To finish, we'll have lots of fun with Just a Minute, to see if we can change the destiny of the world speaking of the given topic with no deviation, hesitation or repetition.

In Contact! wishes a bright future to all of you! It will be a pleasure for us to hear from you. Let us know what you think of the topic for this episode:

• How do you see yourself in 5, 10 and 30 years? How do you think your life will change?
• How about the world? What positive and negative changes do you think the world will have?
• If you had the chance, would you like to have the power to forsee the future? Why or why not?
• Do you think it is important to think of the future, or is it better to focus on the present?

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In Contact! Episode 34: Urban Myths

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OMG! Have you ever heard a story that is told to be real, even though it's not officially proved, that simply seems to be odd or even preposterous? Or how about those stories about supernatural events that are so hard to believe? And do you believe in any of those theories about unexplained events that occur under the control of influencial organisations? In this episode of In Contact! we'll go into the unknown and the bizarre with some urban myths.

To discuss these strange stories, we'll learn some expressions to report news and rumours, as well as some idioms to express your surprise, disbeliefs or astonishment. We'll give you some examples of the types of urban legends you might have come across, and our Top 5 we'll be about, of course, urban stories that have inspired their lyrics (you'll see if you can believe them or not). We'll play Just a Minute once more to see what crazy stories come with the minute challenge, and you'll also find very important information that will help you debunk common myths about the English language.

Have lots of fun listening to this episode! Also, tell us what you think of the topic in the comment section below:

• Do you believe in any urban story that you've once heard but that you know has never been confirmed?
• What's the craziest urban myth that you have heard in your city or country?
• Do you believe in any conspiracy theory? Why / Why not?
• What's your reaction when you listen to any strange news?

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In Contact! Episode 33: Celebrations

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Hooray, it's time to have fun and celebrate! There are always many good reasons to share with family and friends and to remember the important moments and things of life. This episode of In Contact! will be all about celebrations! Join us to explore some important festivities that take place in different places of the world and discuss what makes these events so special and fun!

Are you ready? Get prepared to learn some expressions to greet new and known people formally and informally. Idioms about fun and excitement will be also on the way, and we'll learn some facts about some of the strangest celebrations around the world (let us know if we missed any other crazy festivity!). In case you are looking for a song for the ocassion, our Top 5 has good recommendations to you. To finish, we'll have fun with our Two-Word Tango about celebrations - how far can we get, and can you mention any other festival, carnival or celebration that was not listed?

We hope you have as much fun as we did when preparing this episode. Let us know your comments and your answers to any of the following questions:

• What is your favourite celebration, and what do you usually do on that special day?
• What's the most important festivity in your city and country? What do people do in these events?
• If you had the chance to create a new celebration, what would it be and why?
• What international festivity or celebration do you find interesting, amusing or even bizarre?

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In Contact! Episode 32: Past and Present

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Time changes, people change. As time goes by, there are so many things that have changed for good, for instance in technology and science; on the other hand, there are other convertions that we may consider not very positive and, therefore, we start longing for the old times. In this episode we'll discuss the past and the present and the way we feel about many of those changes in our lifestyle.

Get ready to travel through time as we make a review on prepositions of time that you can use to talk about the past and the present (these are complementary to the prepositions we had already checked in our episode about the 90's); we'll be in contact with the world and with some interesting facts of the evolution society has had in the last 20 years; our recommended songs will let you know how our invited artists feel about change; and again, we'll have the super mission to talk about the past and the present in Just a Minute.

Did you like the episode? Let us know what you think of it in the comment box below! Also, you can let us know your answer to these questions:

• What's the most difficult change you have had in your life, and how could you deal with it?
• Do you think the past is always better than the present? Why or why not?
• What do you consider have been the most important changes in society in the last years?
• Are you a person who can easily adapt to changes? And, in general, why do you think most people find so hard to deal with changes?

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In Contact! Episode 31: Music

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It's a fact that all of us must have at least a song that brings back good memories, or a song that has the power to change our mood for good or for bad. Also, everyone has at least one favourite type of music, while there are others genres that can annoy some people. In this episode we'll talk about one of the greatest pleasures and most beautiful ways of expression: music!

In this episode, we'll show you some expressions and forms you can use so as to describe what your music preferences are (using verbs different from like). We'll share some nice idioms related to the topic, and we'll tell you some information about the most important music genres to help you identify them. Our Top 5 will be packed with cool songs about the power of music, and our Brainy Challenge will introduce you to some modern songs with bizarre lyrics. This episode will certainly be loads of fun!

As you listen to the show, you may think of your answers to these questions:

• What's your favourite genre of music? And have you got any favourite band or singer? And what type of music don't you like?
• Can you name three songs that have a special meaning to you and say why they are important to you?
• Do you think modern music is better than old music? Why?
• Do you think music has any influence in your mood and personality? Why so?

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