The World of Dating: Are you seeing anyone?
Jul 25th
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Are you single or dating someone? Are you in a relationship, but remember your days of dating? This is a fun episode with Harp and Maura talking about dating in North America. They talk about dating rules, some of their own experiences, and review from dating vocabulary. Is finding a romantic partner different in your country?
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|  What is a Member? |
| Harp: | …So those are some traditional ways where we find people to date. |
| Maura: | Right, but more and more people take classes, and they work, and of course they have friends, but they still don’t find someone that they want to date or be in a relationship with. |
| Harp: | Exactly. So there are some new ways that are coming out to find people to date. |
| Maura: | Yes, and they’re on the Internet. |
| Harp: | Exactly. There are a lot of dating websites out there now. |
| Maura: | Yeah, there are so many — I don’t think I can even count them. |
| Harp: | No, I agree. |
| Maura: | So more and more it’s become normal for people to use dating websites to find someone to go on a date with. |
Expression included from this episode in Lipservice:
| The Dating World | Set rules | To decide on |
| To come out | Out there | Speed dating |
| To set up/To be set up | To keep an eye out | To break up |
| To date someone | To see someone | To go out with someone |
| Partner | To make up | To get back together |
| The bill | split it 50/50 | every single one |
| The 3-day rule |
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: Rachel Davies
Do you usually try to look on the bright side?
Jul 18th
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When you find yourself in a bad situation, do you try to look on the bright side? If your friend gets some bad news, have you ever said: Every cloud has a silver lining? When life gives you lemons, do you make lemonade? In this episode, we are optimistic and trying to find the good in the bad by looking at all these expressions. Check them out of you want to cheer someone up!
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| What is a Member? |
| Robin: | Let’s do a dialogue. |
| Maura: | I don’t know what to do. |
| Robin: | What’s the matter? |
| Maura: | Well, I’ve been looking for a job for months everyday. I send my resume, but I just can’t get a job. I think I’m going to be unemployed all summer. |
| Robin: | Hey, hey, hey, look on the bright side. At least while we’re in the office, we’re working away, you can sit outside and enjoy that beautiful weather. |
| Maura: | You’re right. The weather has been nice lately. |
| Robin: | Yeah, so look on the bright side. At least you can do that. |
| Maura: | OK, great. So that was a great example of someone who is in a bad situation. |
Expression included from this episode in Lipservice:
| To look on the bright side (of something) | What’s the matter? |
| At least | Cheer up |
| Every cloud has a silver lining (and variations) | Cloud |
| Silver lining | When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. |
| Into a million pieces | Shall |
| Novels and other types of books |
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: Pranav Singh
Talking about the weather with Harp and Maura
Jul 12th
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Harp and Maura love talking about the weather and so they devoted a whole Culips episode to it! They talk about weather-related terms and share memories they have connected to the weather. If you want to make small talk about weather, listen to this episode for some tips!
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| What is a Member? |
| Harp: | I think people like to talk about the weather because it’s an easy, simple topic. So it’s easy to make small talk about it. |
| Maura: | You’re right. So when people are making small talk, when they are talking with someone they don’t know very well or even a complete stranger, they know that they can talk about the weather and that people will have something to say about it. |
| Harp: | Exactly. When I’m in the elevator sometimes and someone gets on, and I don’t know them, but I feel awkward if we’re just in silence, I’ll bring up the weather. I’ll say something like, “Oh, it’s a beautiful day out there,” or “When is the rain going to stop?” or “Oh, it’s so cold.” |
| Maura: | Yeah, yeah. That’s funny ‘cause I thought of an elevator as well. I think the other day someone said something to me about the weather. |
Expression included from this episode in Lipservice:
| Small talk | Apps | you and I v.s. you and me |
| Winter sports | To be bundled up | To make the best of it |
| To cross your fingers | Weather-related expressions | Least favourite |
| To get it out of the way | To dress up | To come to mind |
| The power goes out | Snow day | Canada’s winter |
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: Culips ESL Podcast
Harp is a chip off the old block.
Jul 4th
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Are you a chip off the old block? Are you similar to any relatives that came before you? In this episode we are talking about family, and how often family members look alike and act alike. There are many ways to talk about this, and some especially fun expression like to be a chip off the old block, to be the spitting image of, and the old proverb, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.To learn more about this fun — and long – expressions, listen here!
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| What is a Member? |
| Harp: | Yeah, when I visited my grandma the last time, she kept saying that I looked so similar to my aunt, she kept saying that I was a chip off the old block. |
| Maura: | Yeah, OK, good. So really the meaning is that someone, like you in that example Harp, is made as the same thing as another person, in that case your aunt. So if you think about the old block as your aunt and the chip being you, you’re a chip off the old block, you’re made of the same stuff, you act alike, you look alike. |
| Harp: | Yup, that makes sense to me. |
| Maura: | Yeah, it’s actually a really old expression. It’s been around for a long time. I think since the 1600s. |
| Harp: | Yeah, but we still use this expression. |
| Maura: | Yeah, it’s been around for a long time but you still hear it today. |
| Harp: | Yeah, of course, we use this often. |
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: Anita363
Expression: to have a ball
Jun 27th
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Most people learning English know the word ball. We can use it in a few different ways though, and it is used in many expressions! To have a ball describes a fun time! In this episode we have a ball giving you examples and explanations. We also included similar expressions like, to have a blast, to have a riot, and to have the time of your life!
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| What is a Member? |
| Harp: | Robin, how was the concert yesterday? |
| Robin: | Incredible. The music is still in my head. I had such a ball. I had a real good time. |
| Harp: | That’s awesome. So the band was great? |
| Robin: | It was amazing. You would’ve had a good time. |
| Harp: | That’s too bad that I missed it. |
| Robin: | It is. |
| Harp: | Next time. So in that example, Robin went to a concert and had a really fun time. He had a great time so he used the expression to have a ball. |
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: Dom Sagolla
Expression: Over the hill
Jun 20th
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This expression is a funny way of saying that someone is old. To be over the hill means that someone is old, and so not able to do things that they used to do. You might see this expression on birthday cards or hear it in movies. This expression is usually used in a joking way. We also look at the expressions to be no spring chicken and long in the tooth. In a more positive way we also look at the golden years or the golden age. Getting older can have a lot of benefits too!
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| Robin: | Yes, this expression is not really a compliment. You don’t usually say that someone is over the hill. |
| Jessie: | Right, it’s usually used as a joke or to describe yourself in a joking way. |
| Robin: | Can you give us an example of where we might use it in everyday speech? |
| Jessie: | OK, so for example, when someone has a big birthday, like when they turn 30 or 40, they might complain to their friends and say, “Oh, I’m over the hill. I’m so old now.” |
| Robin: | When they do say something like that it’s going to be done in a very joking sort of way. They’re not serious. |
| Jessie: | Exactly. So someone may say it about themselves or you might say it to tease a friend. You might say “Oh, you’re probably not going to come biking with us now that you’re over the hill.” |
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: vsz
Expression: are you on the ball today?
Jun 13th
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In this episode we look at expressions that describe someone who is intelligent, prepared, capable of doing some work! Do you know someone like this? Do you know someone who always seems on the ball? If you know someone who is alert and knows how to get the job done, then you may need to use expressions like, to be on the ball, to be on top of it, and to have it together.
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| Jessie: | So where does this expression come from? Why do we say that? |
| Maura: | Well, it actually does have an origin in baseball, and there are actually a lot of expressions related to baseball. |
| Jessie: | Yeah, there are tons. |
| Maura: | So this expression, to be on the ball, is also related to baseball. So when a pitcher throws the ball in baseball, really well and has good control, they would say that he was on the ball. |
| Jessie: | OK, so originally to be on the ball meant to be in control of the ball but now we mean it to mean, to be in control of your life, to be in control of the situation. |
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: Laura Bittner
Cross-Cultural Relationships: An interview with Melanie
Jun 5th
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Please meet our friend Melanie! She is a native English speaker who learned French from a very young age. She traveled to Lyon, France where she met her partner Christophe, who is a native French speaker. In this episode, Maura and Melanie discuss the fun and the challenges of being in a relationship where the two people don’t speak the same language or come from the same culture!
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| Maura: | So, what do you think are some possible advantages or disadvantages to being in a relationship with someone who’s from a different culture or who speaks a different language from your native language? |
| Melanie: | Well, at the beginning it was hard to express myself in a second language the way you want to express yourself to somebody that close to you. But then over time, as I got more comfortable with the language and more comfortable with Christophe, I found that expressing myself wasn’t as difficult and my French probably improved. Now actually I tend to speak to him only in English, which helps him improve his English, while at the same time allowing me to express myself as I would normally. |
| Maura: | Yeah, so sometimes, and I know from my experience, when you’re dating someone who speaks another language you have a problem being clear sometimes. Like, you have to use really simple words to express yourself or you have to repeat the same thing more than once. |
| Melanie: | Definitely there’s a lot of repetition. |
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: Culips ESL Podcast
We are going to pump you up!
May 30th
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Everyone at Culips is especially pumped because the summer weather has arrived in Montreal. So, we thought we would make an episode all about feeling excited and full of energy! Here we look at the expressions of pumped up, fired up, stoked, and worked up. We are talking about being enthusiastic, energetic, and excited in this episode. Yeah!
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| Harp: | Well I’m going on a holiday very soon so I’m pumped about that. |
| Maura: | When are you going away? |
| Harp: | I’m leaving really soon. I’m leaving in a couple days. |
| Maura: | And where are you going? |
| Harp: | I’m going back home to visit my parents. |
| Maura: | So, is that why you’re pumped? |
| Harp: | That is why I’m pumped. It’s been a long time. |
| Maura: | So what else could someone be pumped about? |
| Harp: | Really, you could be pumped about anything: a hockey game, a competition. |
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: Culips ESL Podcast
The early bird special!
May 24th
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In this episode Maura is again joined by our friend Rita. (If you don’t know who Rita is you can check out her previous episodes with us by clicking here or here.) Maura and Rita discuss a couple expressions to do with time: The early bird catches the worm and Carpe Diem. They also talk about how important being on time is in Canadian culture and what happened to them when they were too late for something!
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| Maura: | So if you’re throwing a party in Canada and you want it to start at 9 o’clock, don’t expect any guests to show up at that time. They’ll probably start showing up closer to 10 o’clock. |
| Rita: | I agree, if you want them there for 9:00, you better say the party starts at 8:00. |
| Maura: | Yup, that’s true. But you made a good distinction Rita, and that was about the dinner party. |
| Rita: | Ah, yes, the dinner party. |
| Maura: | That’s different than just a regular old bash. |
| Rita: | Absolutely, somebody is in the kitchen preparing a meal. They’ve purchased food and they’re making it and timing it, you definitely want to be there on time for dinner. |
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: Eric Kilby
Of all the podcasts with 'real world' English examples, I like yours the best. Maybe its the fun you put into the lessons. The students can here that in your voices. And they also feel your dedication to what you are doing - it's just not a job you do, but a gift you give to everyone who listens. And while the students like the Lipservice PDFs for all the information it contains, as a teacher I am impressed by the professional effort put into making them. I give the Culips podcast and the Culips crew my highest recommendation, both as a teacher, and a listener. 
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