Did you ever think you'd live through
a global pandemic? I certainly didn't, yet
here we are. You probably want to be more
familiar with vocabulary and expressions
that English speakers use to describe this situation.
To help you out, I'm going to share some of my thoughts
and experiences with COVID as part of this
listening challenge.
The way the challenge works is that I'll ask you
to repeat sentences that I say, OUT LOUD,
from memory.
Anytime you see this icon, it means it's
a workout sentence, so pay close attention.
I'll give you two tries to repeat the sentence
out loud, and then we'll keep going.
Repeating sentences like this is a great way to force
yourself to use new expressions that you normally
ignore and internalize new
sentence structures. Both will help you sound
more natural when you speak.
With that in mind, let's get started.
Back in January, I was on a trip to Miami.
We had heard there was a mysterious disease
out there, but we didn't think much of it.
We thought it would be a new year just like
any other.
Fast forward a couple months to March, and I
was supposed to travel to Europe for work.
I knew enough, however, to be concerned about
the trip I had coming up.
Ultimately the trip was canceled, which was
slightly disappointing, but looking back now,
I'm really happy it was.
Shortly after the trip was canceled, the government
started to shut down businesses. Sports leagues
canceled their seasons. And, eventually, a full
"stay-at-home" order was issued.
When this happened, everyone and their mother
decided to go out and buy a bunch of  hand sanitizer and toilet paper
like it was going out of style.
We didn't go nuts and buy a bunch of this stuff, but
I did go out and buy a huge bag of rice and beans...
you know, just in case this was the beginning
of the zombie apocalypse.
Over the next few months, I never left my house. I worked from home, my gym was
closed, and I couldn't visit anyone, so I decided to make a bunch of YouTube videos...
As an introvert, I admit that I had an easier
time adjusting to quarantine
life than many people. But, even this introvert has his limits.
By May, I had cabin fever. But thankfully,
this was about the time that we could start to leave our houses
again.
A month later, we spent a weekend with some
friends. Now, to be safe, we had everyone
get a COVID test first.
When I went to get my first COVID test, I
had no idea what to expect. I thought I would
have to wait in line forever and stick a cotton swab up my nose.
Which I was not looking forward to.
Thankfully, Chicago has done a great job of putting together a COVID testing program. You can register
for a free test online, make an appointment,
show up, stay in your car, and all you have to do is
use a cotton swab in your mouth to gather a saliva
sample. That's right; there was no need for me to stick a swab up my nose!
For a while, people were optimistic.
Unfortunately, things started to take a turn
for the worse in the US.
Americans aren't always the best at following
rules, and many don't like it when someone
tells them what they can or can't do.
Of course, a disease like COVID doesn't care
what you like or don't like.
When people stopped following medical experts' advice, refused to wear a facemask, and started
to gather in large groups, the virus began
to spread quickly.
Today it's unclear what the future holds for
the disease in the US. Chances are it'll
be months at best before we have a vaccine and so our number of cases and deaths are likely to rise.
Despite a somewhat scary future, the pandemic
does have a bright side.
I was able to take advantage of all the extra
time at home to start making a bunch of videos to help
you improve your English.
I continue to meet a lot of great people just like
you at DeliberateEnglish.com, and have learned
a lot about their goals and challenges with
English. I continue to be inspired by how
passionate you are about learning the language and want to do everything I can to help you speak more fluently.
My goal in life is to help you get out
of English Intermediate Purgatory.
The way I'll do that, is with my Deliberate
English online course, a course centered on
YOU.
I've designed every lesson to focus on a critical
part of English that will help you
understand native speakers.
Every challenge will force you to use new
expressions so that you speak more fluently.
Everything you do and say will be reviewed
and corrected by a native English speaker so that you
can you can fix your blindspots and common errors.
Of course, you'll also be surrounded by a community of passionate people just like you to help you stay
motivated.
If you're ready to get out of English Intermediate
Purgatory then
go to DeliberateEnglish.com to join the waitlist.
As a gift, I'll send you my FREE 15-Minute
Workout guide. It's full of short but challenging
exercises that will help you speak more fluently,
understand native speakers, and improve your
pronunciation even if you don't have a lot
of time.
I look forward to seeing you there and learning
more about you and your challenges.
Stay safe, and take care!
