In this episode, we get into the difficulties of learning English and how you need to see the humour in embarrassing situations. When your student enunciates a word differently, this could result in miscommunication. We provide plenty of examples of how saying a word slightly different can lead to some very awkward situations. But we do it all in stride with plenty of self-deprecating humour.

What are some of your favourite regional English words? In Canada, one of our favourites is a toque. If you need a winter hat, you’ll know who’s the Canadian when they ask for a toque. Share your words with us over email at [email protected]. We can’t wait to learn some new ones! Thanks for sharing!

Key Points From This Episode:

• We talk about being afraid to make mistakes when using English.
• Pronunciation errors and how we mishear.
• Mary tells her favourite story about her Dad.
• Erin shares some of the words her students are scared to say.
  #remembertosmile
• The time one of Erin’s students had a bad cold.
  #itsrudetosniffle
• What is the plural of platypus?
• More pronunciation errors – meanings in multiple languages.
• We talk about how to handle compliments.
• Erin’s Italian student’s most embarrassing story.
  #thatonetimeinmathclass #ownyourmistakes
• The time Mary’s cousin got mad at her.
• What is a spanner?
• Mary gives us a new name for “hoodies”. It’s super cute!
• We discuss prairie terms for mealtimes. Erin gets super confused and doesn’t know when to eat.
• Teeter totter or seesaw? What do you call it? Erin reenacts why they both make sense.
• Find out why Erin’s Italian student wants to put a GoPro in Erin’s car.