American English Podcast

166.2 - English Story: Irregular Verbs with McDonald's

Jun 6, 2024

Listen to this episode as they tell a story about McDonald's founding and expansion, highlighting 10 irregular verbs in Simple Past Tense. The focus is on mastering verbs for high-intermediate learners, with premium content available for deeper learning. Explore childhood memories of fast food, McDonald's reputation, drive-thrus, Ronald McDonald, and charity work.

29:20

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Quick takeaways

McDonald's success stemmed from a limited menu and assembly line efficiency.

Ray Kroc's strategic vision led McDonald's to global expansion and iconic menu items.

Deep dives

Founding of McDonald's and Ray Kroc's Influence

The podcast discusses the entrepreneurial journey behind McDonald's, detailing how in 1940, the McDonald brothers opened a barbecue restaurant that later evolved into the fast-food giant we know today. By focusing on a limited menu, implementing an assembly line for efficiency, and partnering with Ray Kroc, McDonald's transformed into a successful franchise under Kroc's guidance, introducing iconic items like Big Macs and Happy Meals.

Intro

3min

Childhood Memories of Fast Food and McDonald's Reputation

3min

English Story: Irregular Verbs with McDonald's

14min

McDonald's Drive-Thrus, Ronald McDonald, and Ronald McDonald House Charity

7min

Welcome back to the second part of episode 166. In today’s episode, we’re going to talk about Irregular Verbs and McDonald’s. You guys know McDonald’s, right.? Big Macs, Filet-o-Fish, Happy Meals?

In this lesson, you'll hear a short story about the founding and expansion of the world-famous fast food restaurant. In it, you'll hear 10 Irregular Verbs in the Simple Past Tense. Here they are:

1. To begin (began)

2. To make (made)

3. To speed (sped)

4. To eat (ate)

5. To leave (left)

6. To see (saw)

7. To buy (bought)

8. To take (took)

9. To rise (rose)

10. To grow (grew)

The story is shorter than my typical cultural lesson and that’s because the real focus here is mastering verbs. For those of you who have a high intermediate level or higher, you may already know most of these; this lesson will help reinforce the correct past tense forms (they'll be presented in many new contexts!).

Watch the corresponding video here.

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