Master English With Tim

There's an easy way to learn lots of verbs at the same time: by using the prefixes OVER and UNDER. Just add OVER to a verb to say that the action is done too much, or UNDER to say that the action is done too little. OVEREAT? Eat too much. UNDEREAT? Eat too little. In Episode #71, Tim explains over a dozen more easy to use and remember verbs and adjectives using these simple prefixes. Cover photo:...

Questions get all the attention , but you have to learn how to make sentences with NOT + VERB if you want to speak correctly and master the verb tenses. Doing this is harder than it sounds because there are two classes of verbs: auxiliary and action. In Episode #70, Tim explains how to negate sentences that have both auxiliary and action verbs, and supplies 100+ real-world examples so you remember...

In Episode 69, Tim explains wh- questions using two complementary methods. The first method is the old-fashioned one, using the rules of grammar. A wh- question is one that starts with a question word such as who, what, where or why. Wh- questions all use the same construction QU + A + S- question word, then auxiliary verb, then subject.  The other method is what Tim calls brute force empiricism ,...

Do you want to improve your fluency and speak more naturally? Then master short answers- these are short, polite responses to subject questions or yes/no questions . In Episode 68, listen to Tim explain how to construct and use short answers with the help of over 100 examples. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

What are the rules for constructing questions in English? Well, first we need to remember that there are different types of questions, for example subject questions . Another common type of question is yes/ no questions, questions that we can answer with "yes" or "no", for example, "Do you like pizza? or "Are you at home?". In this week's episode, Tim explains the rules for making yes/ no question...

Episodes 52 through 59 were Part 1 of Tim's mini-course on the English verb tenses and dealt with auxiliary verbs . In this week's episode, Tim opens Part 2 of his course, which teaches the sentence constructions you need to know to master each verb tense. The first sentence type we will deal with is subject questions , which ask who did an action. (For even more examples of subject questions, lis...

Pronouncing the voiced consonants /b/, /d/, /v/, /g/, /z/and /dʒ/ at the ends of words can be quite challenging, especially for speakers of Russian, German and Spanish. The problem only becomes more difficult when there are two or more voiced consonants at the end of a single word, for example ru bbed or she lves . Improve your pronunciation of these difficult combinations by listening to and repe...

In last week's episode , Tim explained in detail what voiced sounds are and ended the episode saying that certain voiced sounds are especially hard to pronounce at the ends of words. Those sounds are /b/, /d/, /v/, /g/, /z/and /dʒ/ . In this week's episode, Tim gives examples of words ending in these hard sounds and explains step by step how to pronounce the words correctly so others can more easi...

Your vocal cords are like a bell in your throat- they make vibrations which are used in many of the different phonemes, or sounds, in English pronunciation. Sounds which are made with vibrations from the vocal cords are called voiced phonemes . In episode 64, Tim explains everything you need to know about voiced phonemes, starting from anatomy and finishing with practice on how to properly pronoun...

What is mastery anyways, and can you fake it? In Episode 63, Tim explains what it means to master English , and then five techniques to help you sound more like you've mastered the language even if that's not (yet) the case. Make sure to download and use this free bonus PDF to check your understanding of the most used words in English- with all of their important meanings, not just one. The PDF wi...

The NGSL , or New General Service List , contains the 2800 most used words of written English. You can also find lots of NGSL words on the TOEFL and IELTS . If you want to get the maximum impact from knowing the words of the NGSL, then knowing several definitions for each target word is a must . Listen to Episode 62 to learn 21 meanings of words 1341 to 1350 on the NGSL. Earlier episodes in the se...

You need the right words if you want to talk about cities. In Episode 61, Tim explains the meanings of twelve words and expressions for talking about urban areas.  Cover photo credit: By EEJCC - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=128920348 . The original photo has been cropped to fit a square frame. Cincinnati, Ohio skyline at night. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha....

A baker's dozen is a group of thirteen things, for example thirteen donuts. In Episode 60, Tim teaches you thirteen phrasal verbs totaling eighteen meanings. All thirteen verbs contain the particles IN or OUT. The cover image comes from the Lexikon der Gesamten Technik (Comprehensive Dictionary of Technology) from 1904 by Otto Lueger. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more informati...

Starting with Episode 52 , Tim has been talking non-stop about auxiliary verbs . In this week's episode, Tim finishes his discussion of auxiliaries with the auxiliary DO. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Two of the most common verbs in English are have got  (more common in Great Britain) and have  (which is more popular in the US). Tim explains everything you need to know about both verbs: -how to make yes/ no and wh- questions using both verbs -special uses of have that will help you to sound more fluid and native  Bonus : Listen to Tim's friend Christian from Great Britain (who you met in Episod...

In Episode #56 , Tim explained the five meanings of the verb be: description, equality, location in space, location in time and o ther.  The verb BE however also appears in the most common two-word expression in English: there is/ there are. The meaning of there is changes depending on if we use indefinite articles or definite ones after it. That's right- there is a has a rather different meaning...

BE is the most used verb in English, but students frequently forget to use be  or put be in the wrong place. And honestly- these mistakes sound bad! In particular, speakers of Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Korean and Japanese have a tendency to make these mistakes. In Episode #56, Tim shows five meanings of be, and shows how to make yes/ no questions and wh- questions using this essential verb. Don't...

In the fourth part of Tim's mini-course on the English verb tenses, he explains how to talk about probability, frequency, and future and imaginary situations using the modal verbs CAN, COULD, MAY, MIGHT, WILL and WOULD. Tim also explains how to make questions and negative sentences using modal verbs. Don't forget the free PDF to learn how to make yes/ no and wh- questions. Sentence Formulas for Mo...

This week's episode is a mix of stories from Tim's life: a bike ride on a sunny day, and Tim and his dad's experience watching the complete solar eclipse of April 8th. In addition, Tim returns to the topic of modal verbs, this time covering the verbs can, could and would for talking about ability and permission and for making offers and suggestions . This episode is the third part of Tim's mini-co...

Would you like to hear a spot of British English? This episode, Tim’s old friend Christian, a native speaker of British English, is a guest on the show. Tim explains the exact meanings of three verbs typical of British English: ought to , needn’t  and  shall ., while Christian reads example sentences that demonstrate these meanings and make them memorable. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-pol...

What are the differences between these three popular but confusing verbs? Listen to Episode 52 for a deep dive into the concepts that make these verbs make sense: advice, physical necessity, legal obligation and social obligation. To come closer to mastering these concepts and the verbs which express them, do the complete Should, Have to, Must Worksheet . Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-poli...

Do you want to speak C1 or C2 level English? Collocations are words that are often used together, for example “spicy food” or “fast car”. Many collocations require no effort to learn because they’re both common and logical. If you aim to speak C1 or C2 English though, then you will need to use collocations which use less common meanings of words, for example “commit to memory” or “drive someone cr...

Why do English speakers sometimes talk about nothing? Small talk is informal conversation about unimportant topics, and it’s a big part of how English native speakers talk with one another. In Episode 50, Tim explains small talk greetings and opening questions, what they really mean, and how to answer them like a native. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

One of the best ways to make your English more fluent and natural, more like the English of a native speaker, is to speak using more phrasal verbs. In Episode 49, Tim puts the spotlight on 11 phrasal verbs that will help your fluency- and that are fun and positive, too! Don’t forget to check out the free bonus PDF to help you learn these useful verbs faster and for longer. Photo credit: By Fir0002...

Using idioms is one great way to sound more interesting in English. In Episode 48, Tim tells about 13 idioms used to talk about money. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.