Author Archives: Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Peaking at the Right Moment

Posted on Tuesday - October 2, 2012 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

To peak means to reach the highest point of something, usually the highest level of your abilities or capacities. We sometimes talk about sports teams “peaking” at the right time or right moment, meaning that they seem to play best … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 11 Comments

Misheard Lyrics: I Get No Sprouts

Posted on Tuesday - September 25, 2012 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

I got an email from a listener the other day (recently; a few days ago) about listening to song lyrics (words) in English. His question was why, even after listening to English for many years, he was still having problems … Continue reading →

Posted in Karaoke English | 19 Comments

If the Gloves Don’t Fit, You Must Acquit!

Posted on Tuesday - September 18, 2012 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Our Cafe for this week talks about one of the most famous murder cases in the history of my fair (beautiful; nice) city, the O.J. Simpson trial. During the trial, Simpson’s charismatic (charming; appealing; attractive) lawyer, Johnnie Cochran, used every … Continue reading →

Posted in Discussing the Episodes | 16 Comments

Who Wants a Dull and Boring Relationship?

Posted on Tuesday - September 11, 2012 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Dull and boring are synonyms (words with a similar meaning). They both mean uninteresting, not very exciting, or not entertaining. You can use them together in a sentence: “He was a dull, boring speaker who put me to sleep.” As … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 15 Comments

From the Sea of Tranquility to the Edge of the Wave

Posted on Tuesday - August 28, 2012 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

There are only two possible memories you had this weekend upon hearing of the death of the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong: watching footage (a video recording) of the landing in history class at school, or thinking of … Continue reading →

Posted in News and Current Events | 17 Comments

The Original Copycat

Posted on Tuesday - August 14, 2012 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

There’s an old saying (expression) in English, “Imitation is the highest form of flattery.” To imitate means to do what someone else does, to copy them. Flattery is when you compliment someone, when you say something nice about them. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Reading, Life in the United States | 16 Comments

You’re Married. You Can Go.

Posted on Tuesday - August 7, 2012 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

When I first moved to Los Angeles more than 20 years ago, I discovered a writer, actor, and radio show host by the name of Harry Shearer. At the time, Shearer was writing a weekly column (regular series of articles … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 30 Comments

English Through Jokes II: Lost in the Flood

Posted on Tuesday - July 31, 2012 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Since there was an overwhelming (large) majority who voted in favor of (for) including jokes on the blog, I am going to try another one today.  I’ll give the joke, then explain it briefly below. There was an old man … Continue reading →

Posted in Jokes and Humor | 24 Comments

ESL Podcast’s Seventh Anniversary

Posted on Tuesday - July 24, 2012 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

ESL Podcast celebrates its seventh anniversary this month. We started our podcast back in 2005, and since then have produced more than 1,100 episodes, or around 450 hours of English to listen to and learn from. We’ve enjoyed every minute … Continue reading →

Posted in About ESL Podcast | 51 Comments

The Barking Dog

Posted on Tuesday - June 12, 2012 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Today’s post is something of (sort of) an experiment. I’m going to tell you a joke. I’ll explain some of the words in parentheses () just like we usually do. At the end of the joke, I’ll explain a little … Continue reading →

Posted in Jokes and Humor | 37 Comments