Master English With Tim

How to learn advanced English vocabulary more easily? Well, by learning word roots- learn one root's meaning, and you will understand and learn words with that root faster. This week's episode is all about the Latin root ERR, which means two things: "leave a path" and "make a mistake". You can find the root ERR in words like ERROR and ERRATIC. Listen to Episode #96 to learn this root's meaning- it...

With a Swiss Army knife , you can open a bottle, cut your food (or your nails!), take the skin off the fish you just caught, and lots of other things, besides. What if you had one simple verb that was like a Swiss Army knife, one that could express seven very different meanings? In Episode #95, Tim tells you about a verb with seven different meanings or functions. Listen to Episode #95 to find out...

Direct and indirect objects are a key part of English grammar, and one that many learners get wrong. In Episode #94, Tim explains how to identify direct objects and indirect objects so you understand English with less effort and make fewer mistakes yourself. Direct objects specifically also help you to make correct yes/ no questions and wh- questions . Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy...

The New Academic Word List is a list of the 964 most used words in academic English. Learn these words and you will: -Understand academic English texts and lectures much better -Sound smarter when you speak and write -Get a higher score on IELTS or TOEFL In Episode #93, Tim shows you the first eleven words of the NAWL: repertoire, denote, domain, authority and more, with 24 meanings and 72 example...

Okay- I forgot several things. "¡Hi! ¡Happy 2025! I'm Tim, and I don't know how to stop podcasting. I love it! But I've been podcasting for 91 years (oops- I mean 91 episodes!), and I have forgotten to include certain things in some of my episodes. This week, I want to improve those past episodes with information that can help make your English better. Okay, forgetting these things isn't as seriou...

Tim traveled to France with family and friends for the 2024 Christmas season, visiting two regions: Alsace (where French and German culture, cuisine and even language are mixed together- listen here ) and Ile de Paris, where Paris and all that famous stuff like the Eiffel Tower can be found. Listen to Tim's experiences and impressions of Alsace and of Paris- their architecture, cuisine, sights and...

"You are listening, aren't you? " "She does speak English, doesn't she? " Tag questions , also simply called tags, are a great way to sound more natural and more native. They also can make you sound more friendly- and who doesn't want that? In this week's episode, Tim explains to you everything you need to know about tags, and finishes your lesson with a short, fun quiz to test your new knowledge...

Episode 89 will help you speak with impact! For example: Millionaires live in wealth... but billionaires live in opulence , or extreme wealth. And the richest people of all, like Elon Musk (love him or hate him) live not just in opulence, but in utter opulence . Advanced vocabulary like opulence , words that express more extreme ideas,really help you to "spruce up" your speech (make it more intere...

Few people like job interviews- it's often a question of bad, worse and worst, even if you do get the job you want. Okay, there are exceptions, but not many. In Episode 88, Tim tells about a tragicomic (sad and funny) interview he attended earlier this year. Let Tim's pain and disgust become your entertainment and jollification, just by listening to Episode 88. - Cover image: By Edvard Munch - Nat...

People associate the US with hard work- but don't forget that here in the US (but also Canada!), we spend around 15 percent of the year in the holiday season that starts with Halloween and ends with New Year's . The second holiday in this long holiday season is of course Thanksgiving . In this week's episode, Tim tells about his Thanksgiving travels before telling how he shared this special holida...

In this week's episode, Tim focuses on just one phrasal verb, take down , with three different meanings and ten examples. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

English root words and English word histories are an awesome (and sadly underused) tool for learning vocabulary. A word root is a group of letters at the beginning of a word that has a certain meaning. For example, several English words include the Germanic root DR- which is connected with drinking or liquid. This shared meaning across several words makes words more interesting and easier to learn...

Words are like stairs- they take you to beautiful places, but only if you do the work! This week, Tim continues progressing through the 2800 words of the New General Service List , or NGSL- these are the words you need first for a high score on IELTS and TOEFL, and to reach C1 English. This week's five target words are: wind, none, exchange, budget and famous . Five words, twelve meanings. If you...

Learning vocabulary is the biggest task you have when studying English, so it's natural to try to learn more words and expressions... But you also need to know words well, and not stop just at pronunciation, spelling, and one meaning. In Episode 83, Tim explains what it means when you REALLY know your vocabulary, or if your knowledge is too basic and you need to go back and learn more. Hosted on A...

Everyone knows about Halloween costumes and trick or treating... but some Halloween traditions are more personal and secret. In Episode 82, Tim shares some unique personal and family Halloween traditions involving skeletons, pudding and haunted garages. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

How can you master NGSL vocabulary ? Word by word, and with many meanings for each NGSL vocabulary word. In this week's episode, Tim explains 13 meanings of five NGSL vocabulary words: survey, majority, stick, request, rich. These are common words, but they have additional meanings that you need to reach a C1 (or higher!) level of English. Episode 2 : The NGSL- 2800 Words For Better English. Episo...

"Rome wasn't built in a day." The NGSL , or New General Service List, is a list of the 2800 most used words in English. If you know NGSL words well, you will speak and understand better, and also perform better on tests like TOEFL and IELTS . Don't forget this important detail: if you know NGSL words well . When you know words well, that means knowing several definitions for each target word. This...

What's the best way to learn something? Make it interesting . Learn the most used irregular verbs from A to H with 51 fun and amusing micro-stories. Cover photo credit: By Jesus Solana from Madrid, Spain - Black sheep . Do u also feel different? // la Oveja negra. Tambien te sientes diferente?, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5050231 Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy...

In Episode 78, Tim explains with over a hundred examples how to build the most important types of sentences- yes/ no questions, wh- questions, subject questions and negative statements- in the present simple. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

What's a common mistake in English grammar? Forgetting to put -S or -ES on the end of verbs in the present simple. In this week's episode, Tim explains every situation where you need to use this common and often misunderstood verb ending. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

The English verb tenses are like a pyramid. You started at the bottom in Episodes 52 through 59 , where you learned verbs like be, do, can and should. Then you climbed through the middle in Episodes 66 through 70 , when you learned verbs like be, do and can to make questions and other sentence types. You've worked hard, and now you're ready- in Episode 76, Tim talks about the most commonly used ve...

Competition is a big part of our lives, and business is competition. In Episode #75, Tim teaches you eleven words and expressions to talk about competition- in business, in love, and in the Olympic games. Cover photo credit: Horse-racing-4 - Sport hippique — Wikipédia ( wikipedia.org ) The photo has been cropped to fit into a thumbnail. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more informa...

IELTS is a very popular English exam that is used by universities, employers and even immigration authorities to judge a person's level of English. IELTS includes a speaking test with three parts; the complete speaking test lasts around fifteen minutes. In this week's episode, Tim takes the IELTS to show you what a real test sounds like and how it is structured. Returning in the role of examiner i...

You want a high score on IELTS or TOEFL, right? Then learn the words of the NGSL (which Tim first discussed in Episode 2 ). The NGSL, or New General Service List, is a list of the 2809 most used words in English. If you know the words of the NGSL well, then you have a very solid start on learning English vocabulary. In Episode 73, Tim explains 26 meanings of 10 words from the NGSL, starting with w...

In April of 2024, Tim spent one week in Singapore , where he walked through jungles, visited museums , and of course tried all kinds of local food- especially Hainan-style chicken rice . It was a fun and exciting trip, and one you can share in by listening! Tim will update this post later in the week with photos and videos. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.