Hear You Go

What in the World are Grandmates and Mommunes? | English Listening Practice

Today's listening practice episode explores the different ways people are choosing to live, and by that I mean where they live and who they live with. In a sense, it's also about the communities we build.
At a time when the cost of buying or renting a home is very expensive, and when many people are suffering from loneliness, should we consider other living arrangements?
Let's explore some new trends and alternative ways that people are choosing to live together. We'll also explore lots of advanced English in the vocabulary and expressions used to discuss this topic.
You’ll hear about grandparents and their adult grandchildren living together and the benefits this offers to both generations. You’ll also hear about mothers living with other mothers to share costs and support each other as they work and raise families. I’ll also explain a concept called co-housing that sounds like a wonderful re-imagining of community to me. 
We often accept that life is supposed to happen in one way, in one direction, and living independently is one of those traditional ideas in North American society. I'm wondering now if we need to re-think this idea. 
We also need to re-think the idea that the only way to learn English is to learn grammar. Grammar is important, but so too listening. That's what Hear You Go is here to help you with: listening to the messiness of spoken English.
 
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You can find all episodes and transcripts on my website.
Follow me on Instagram for more pronunciation and listening tips.
For some great music, follow and listen to Amos the Transparent, the genius band that provides my theme music.
Thank you for your continued support of Hear You Go! Can you do me a favour? Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. It really helps to promote the podcast so that more people can listen. You can do this on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts.
Thanks for listening!

Put a little AWE in your life | English Listening Practice

Hear You Go podcasts are AWESOME, aren't they?
 
We use the adjective "awesome" a lot these days, maybe too much. It comes from the noun awe. 
 
What is awe, and why should we try to put more awe in our lives?
Should we wait for awe, or can we go out and find it? 
 
We'll explore these questions in today's English Listening episode, and learn more about the topic of awe. The study of awe is new, but the more we learn about it, the more scientists and psychologists are discovering that awe has many benefits. It has benefits for our health, and for our communities and societies.
 
And if you want to learn more about awe after you listen to this episode and all the advanced English I use to talk about it, sign up for my newsletter to receive links to extra materials and resources.
 
Here is the link to Dacher Keltner's book: AWE: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. 
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Thanks for listening! 
You can find all episodes and transcripts on my website. Sign up for the newsletter to get all my news and practice your English reading skills too.
Follow me on Instagram too.
 
For some great music, follow and listen to Amos the Transparent, the great band that provides my theme music.

What’s wrong with empathy? | English Listening Practice

Who doesn’t want to be empathetic? Isn't it a good thing to be kind and generous? Don't we all aspire to be more empathetic?
Imagine my surprise when I came across a video that argued against empathy! 
One of the teachers in my Pronunciation for Teachers Course had a similar reaction to mine: she too was surprised by the argument that empathy might not always be a good thing.
So let’s explore this argument in today's English Listening episode, an argument that is actually quite persuasive.
Here's the link if you want to watch it yourself:https://bigthink.com/the-well/why-empathy-is-bad/.
 
I can only touch the surface of this topic in the next 15 minutes, so please sign up for my newsletter where you'll get links to more articles, videos and audios about empathy, and some of the English language I use in this episode. You can also get a link to the transcript.
 
Practice your English listening and reading skills when you follow me on Instagram. 
Thank you for your continued support of Hear You Go! Can you do me a favour? Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. It really helps to promote the podcast so that more people can listen. You can do this on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts. My listeners are the BEST! 
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And as always, please enjoy the music of Amos the Transparent, who provide the theme music to the podcast.
 

A Passion for Flowers with Simegn Mengesha | Intermediate English Conversations

You know I love winter, but it was a very long and snowy one this year, and I've been waiting and waiting to see spring flowers. Today, I talk to a flower farmer!
 
Simegn Mengesha, the owner of King's Creek Blossoms, joins me in this intermediate English conversation. We talk about her journey to become a flower farmer, as well as the challenges she confronts in order to offer her beautiful flowers to customers in the Ottawa area. You don't have to live here to admire her work. Please follow her on Instagram at King's Creek Blossoms.
And if you are local to Ottawa, please stop by and say hello to Simegn at the Parkdale Farmer's Market from May to October, on Wednesday evenings and every Saturday.
You can also order her flowers at the Ottawa Flower Market, and the Open Food Network.
 
As you listen today, please appreciate that English is not Simegn's first language. She was nervous to speak English with me on the podcast. She was afraid of making mistakes. She was concerned you wouldn't understand her.
Speaking in English is hard.
I think she was amazing!
So, think about your passions, and about how the act of growing plants is similar to growing your English skills. What challenges do you face when listening in English, when speaking English, when writing in English? How do you confront these challenges and keep growing? 
 
As always, thanks for listening!
Catherine 
Sign up to receive all my news in my weekly newsletter.
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P.S. The weather is always a challenge for farmers. What can ya do? We can listen to another song by Amos the Transparent, the band that provides my theme music. Here's one more of their songs, Sure as the Weather. Enjoy!
 

World Book Day | Book Talk

Books: They might be my favourite things to talk about.
Is there really a day to celebrate books?
Yes, there is, and it's coming up on April 23rd. In order to celebrate this day, I thought we'd talk about reading, why it's important in general, but specifially for learning English and boosting our advanced English through vocabulary and other expressions. I'll also ask if it matters whether we read paper books or digital books. 
So if you like books, if you read in English and if they help you improve your English, stay with me for the next 15 minutes, and then I'd love to hear from YOU about why reading matters to you.
Why do you read?
What kind of books do you read?
Do you read fiction or non-fiction?
Do you read e-books or physical books, or both? 
How does reading help you improve your English?
What was the last book you read that had an impact on you?
What will YOU do to celebrate World Book Day?
Sign up for my newsletter to receive more information about the research noted in this episode, and to get notified about when the transcript is available. Also check out the video on my website, made in 2021, about World Book Day in Georgia.
Thanks for listening! 
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If you continue to listen to and love Hear You Go, I would appreciate it if you would subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. It really helps to promote the podcast so that more people can listen. You can do this on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts -- thank you!
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Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram.
And as always, please enjoy the music of Amos the Transparent, who provide the theme music to the podcast.
 
 
 

It’s about time I talked about accents | English Listening Practice

Sorry. Mum. Pasta.
These are three words I don't pronounce in English the same way my New Jersey friends do. My Canadian friends say them like I do, but my French Canadian friends say them a little differently. Accents are everywhere, and they're not something to be ashamed of. Not at all. 
Accents can be a controversial topic, and by that I mean they're related to the issue of native-speakerism. I do not believe that "native" English speakers are better English language teachers, and I don't believe that accents are a problem. In fact, I think accents are fascinating. 
Do you feel badly about speaking your English? 
Are you nervous people will make fun of you when you speak English?
Some people are jerks, but most just want to connect with you, no matter how you speak English.
What do you think? I would love to hear from you about this important topic. 
Here's the link to the Modern Family clip I mention in the episode: all the mispronunciations of Gloria.
Also, here's a link to the book I quote: "Son of Elsewhere", by Elamin Abdelmahmoud. I recommend it.
Thanks for listening! 
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If you continue to listen to and love Hear You Go, I would appreciate it if you would subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. It really helps to promote the podcast so that more people can listen. You can do this on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts -- thank you!
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Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram.
And as always, please enjoy the music of Amos the Transparent, who provide the theme music to the podcast.
 

The Sugar Maple Tree | English Listening Practice

If you open a book about trees or google "maple trees", you will see that there are many varieties of this tree. In fact, there are over 100 different species of maple around the world, and in Canada, we have about 10 of those species.
 
What's the most important one? The most famous one? For us in Canada, I'd say yes, it's the sugar maple, the one that gives us that delicious liquid gold we call maple syrup. How does it do that? Listen to find out.
I worry though that our ability to enjoy this sweet treat is going to disappear one day as climate change affects the weather and the health of these trees. But for today, I hope you will enjoy listening to this advanced English episode, and learning about these trees while keeping in mind that one day, they might be unable to make syrup, or even worse, become endangered or extinct. 
 
And join the newsletter so that you never miss my news and updates. Reading the newsletter and getting the transcript can help you with your English reading skills as well.
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Thank you for continuing to listen to and love Hear You Go.
Do you subscribe to the podcast?  Can you leave a review? I'd really appreciate it! It really helps to promote the podcast so that more people can listen. You can do this on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts -- thank you!
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To learn more about the Sugar Maple, make sure to follow me on Instagram, and on my website. I'll be sharing some pronunciation tips and idioms in the days to follow.
As always, I recommend you follow the band Amos the Transparent. 

Fearless Girl | English Listening Practice

Fearless Girl. Do you know about her?
She's about 4 feet tall and 250 pounds. She's a tiny sculpture who made a huge splash, a big impact, in March of the year 2017. I adore her, and fully endorse and support the message she sends about the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of young women.
Of course, I do! I'm a woman and the mother of a daughter. I'm a feminist because who doesn't support the equal rights of all people?!  I'm worried about the current trend to roll back, to take away, the human rights of women in countries around the world. In my lifetime, there has been great progress, but not enough. 
Let's celebrate International Women's Day with this intermediate English listening episode, where you'll learn about Fearless Girl and some other important public art that is making an impact in New York City. 
You'll also learn some new expressions and advanced English vocabulary. 
Sign up to receive my newsletter and practice your English reading skills too. 
 
I can't wait to hear what YOU think about Fearless Girl! Send me a message and let me know.
Thank you for listening xoxo, Catherine
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If you continue to listen to and love Hear You Go, I would appreciate it if you would subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. It really helps to promote the podcast so that more people can listen. You can do this on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts -- thank you!
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To learn more about Fearless Girl, make sure to follow me on Instagram, and on my website where you can see photos of these sculptures and videos too. I'll be sharing some pronunciation tips and idioms in the days to follow.
As always, I recommend you follow the band Amos the Transparent. 
 

Peace by Chocolate with Emma Waverman | Intermediate English Conversations

Peace by Chocolate is a movie that tells the story of a Syrian family who found community, and re-built their lives and business in Canada. It's a beautiful movie that shows how difficult it is to leave your home country and start all over again. 
It's a great movie to practice your English listening! 
 
My friend Emma, and a group of her friends in Toronto, sponsored a family from Syria in 2017, and she joins me in this intermediate English conversation to share that experience and tell us about how the family is doing today.
 
We recorded this episode before the horrific earthquake in Syria and Turkey earlier this month. Now, as in 2017, there are people who will need to relocate and rebuild their lives. Let's do all we can to help them.
 
I hope today's English conversation and the movie Peace by Chocolate will help you understand better what it's like to be a refugee, and how empathy and community can help.
I dedicate this episode to everyone who has re-built their lives. You are brave and heroic. 
Thank you for listening.
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To learn more about the Hadhad family and Peace by Chocolate, visit their webpage. 
 
You can contact me on my website, and do sign up for the newsletter to receive the transcript, English with Catherine.
 
Follow me on Instagram.
And as always, please enjoy the music of Amos the Transparent, who provide the theme music to the podcast.

What’s your love language? | English Listening Practice

Roses and chocolates?
My Instagram feed is full of ads showing beautiful bouquets of flowers, and delicate, tasty chocolates and desserts. Pink and red everywhere. I like flowers and chocolates, but I don't really like Valentine's Day. 
So let's avoid it, and talk about "love languages" for our English listening practice today instead.
Have you heard of "love languages"?
I hadn't until I read a funny news story about them a year ago. I've included the link to it below, as well as a quiz you can take to figure out your love language.
I wonder if it's easier to learn a love language than to pass the advanced English exam? LOL.
Today's episode is a shorter one, but I encourage you to listen a few times, and think about the topic and the language used.
Practice your English writing by taking some notes on your opinion of "love languages". Do you speak the same love language as your partner?
Whatever your love language is, my wish is that we are all generous with our love, today and every day.
Here are the links: 
My Husband and I Don't Speak the Same Love Language.
The Love Language Quiz.
Do you know the 5 love languages? Here's what they are -- and how to use them.
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Thanks for listening! 
Please subscribe to the podcast on Spotify or Apple, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you like the podcast, please rate it and review it. I really appreciate it.
 
Don't forget to follow me on Instagram, and to visit my website for more information about me. Sign up for my weekly newsletter that includes   a link to the transcript.
You can link to everything from here: Catherine Angus.
 
And please follow my number one band, Amos the Transparent, who provide the music to the podcast.