"Coffee Break English" is a podcast designed to help listeners improve their English. Hosts Josie and Mark introduce the show's format, which involves listening to texts from the English-speaking world and focusing on language points like grammar or vocabulary. The podcast is aimed at A2/pre-intermediate level learners. In this episode, they discuss the present continuous and present simple tenses through Katrina's holiday story in Italy, contrasting her experiences there with her life in Manchester, UK. The episode also promotes additional learning materials available on their website.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. The podcast "Coffee Break English" is designed to help improve English skills for those learning the language.
2. The podcast is hosted by Josie and Mark, who are both Scottish and live in Scotland.
3. The podcast features texts from different parts of the English-speaking world.
4. The level of the podcast is aimed at those with basic to pre-intermediate English skills (A2 level).
5. The first episode features a text from Katrina, a Scottish woman who is on holiday in Italy.
6. Katrina is staying in a small house on the Amalfi Coast with her family.
7. Katrina's hometown is Manchester, which is a busy city in the UK.
8. The weather in Italy is beautiful, with sunshine and heat.
9. In Manchester, the weather is usually rainy and cloudy.
10. Katrina's children are enjoying the sun and playing outside.
11. Back home, Katrina's family often goes swimming in the local pool, but they never swim outside because it's too cold.
12. Katrina is having breakfast in the garden with her family, and they are eating chocolate pastries.
13. At home, Katrina's family hardly ever has pastries for breakfast, and they normally have cereal and toast.
14. Katrina is planning to go to the beach and have lunch at a pizza restaurant.
15. The food in Italy is delicious, especially the ice cream.
16. In the UK, Katrina's family rarely has ice cream, but they are buying it every day while on holiday.
17. The podcast discusses the difference between the present continuous and present simple tenses.
18. The present continuous tense is used to describe actions happening at the time of speaking.
19. The present simple tense is used to describe general truths, routines, and habits.
20. Adverbs of frequency, such as "often" and "never", are used to describe how often something happens.
21. The podcast provides additional materials and resources for listeners on their website, Coffee Break Academy.
22. The podcast has a social media presence on Facebook and Instagram, where they post language challenges and cultural information.
23. The next episode of the podcast will feature a text about cinema.