Hi Ao Zhang,
Many thanks for your comment and your kind words about my podcast and website. Your positive feedback is really appreciated. I am really glad that my materials have played a small part in your exciting IT career here in Australia.
Good luck with your studies and your future career in IT. I’m sure you are going to be very successful.
Best regards,
Rob

Hi Abdula,
Many thanks for your comment. I appreciate your feedback.
Have a great day.
Rob

Hi Mina,
Many thanks for your very kind comment. Sounds like you are having an interesting time. I hope you are enjoying your new opportunity in the UK.

All the best from Melbourne.
Regards,
Rob

Hi Rob,

I just wanted to say hello again and thank you once more for your wonderful podcast. I’m still a big fan and continue listening to it.

Since my last message, a lot has changed .I’m now working as a nurse in the UK. Listening to your podcasts for hours really helped strengthen my English.

I truly appreciate the work you do. Thanks again for helping learners like me.

Hi Tara,

Many thanks for your kind words about my podcast. I really appreciate your feedback. It pleases me that you are finding it useful and that it is helping you with your English.

Have a great week.

Best regards,
Rob

I live in Melbourne, and I listen to your podcast every day when I’m on my way to work. It’s become part of my daily routine, and it really helps me practice my listening.

Because of your podcast, I feel more confident when I listen to English and when I try to speak. I also learn many new words and expressions from you.

I really appreciate the time and effort you put into making these episodes. They are very helpful for people like me who want to improve their English.

Thank you so much for your great work, and please keep making more podcasts!

Hi Mabel,
Many thanks for your interesting comment and for your kind words about my podcast. It is great that you are living in Portarlington. My wife and I really enjoyed our ferry ride there, and our walk around the town. I think it would be an excellent place to live – near the water with wonderful views and a relaxed lifestyle.

Have a great day.
Rob

Thank you for helping me understand Australia better. I arrived in Melbourne this June, and I found your podcast through an online recommendation. After work, I often listened to your podcast while walking along Swanston Street. Through your episodes, I learned how to eat Tim Tams and got to know what an Australian breakfast is like.

Today I started listening again, and when I reached Episode 158, I suddenly realised that I’m now living in Portarlington—the very place you talked about in the podcast! What’s even more amazing is that the first time I came to this town was also by ferry.

It feels incredible that we experienced the same place and moments, just in different times and spaces. Thank you for helping me understand English better, and for helping me understand Australia.

Hi Rebecca,
Many thanks for your comment and your kind words. Please feel free to use the podcasts and my associated website with your students. I hope you find them useful and relevant. I produced them in the hope that English learners would find them helpful where ever they may be, including in classes such as yours.
All the best,
Rob.

Hi Annie,
Many thanks for your comment. I really appreciate your kind words about my podcast.
Have fun using the podcasts and good luck with your English studies.
Best regards,
Rob.

I’m really happy to have found Slow English. I came across your website when ChatGPT recommended it to me while I was searching for English learning resources in Australia.

I’ve been living in Australia for more than ten years, and my English is still at a medium level. While I can manage daily conversations, I find it difficult to describe things in detail or speak in longer sentences. I believe your materials will be very helpful for improving these areas.

I also really appreciate your generous sharing of these resources—it means a lot to learners like me. I’ll keep you updated once I’ve spent some time learning with Slow English.

Hi Laura,
Many thanks for your comment and your kind words about my podcast.

All the materials are freely available to use in your classes and support materials. An acknowledgement would be appreciated as well. I am just pleased that people find them useful.

Have a great day.
Rob.

A great collection of podcasts and I love the care you have taken with the vocabulary and quiz at the end!

Hi Maria,
Many thanks for your comment and your kind feedback.
Have a great day.
Rob.

Hi Alexander,
Many thanks for your message and for your kind words. You make an interesting point. I always like to talk about those things which are successful in Australia and it may sound like we have no problems here. Of course, like all other countries on earth, we have our fair share of problems. In fact, there are a number of my podcasts which talk about our problems and how we handle them here in Australia. Just a few examples of podcasts which talk about our problems include 11 – Skin Cancer in Australia, 29 – The Seasons in Melbourne, 54 – What Australians Eat, 56 – Dangerous Animals in Australia, 60 – Multicultural Australia, 89 – The Health of Australians, 121 – Cyclone Tracy – Christmas Day in Darwin 1974, 130 – Rabbits in Australia, 131 – Explorers of Australia – Burke and Wills, 138 – Driving in Australia – Demerit Points. You could try one of those podcasts if you want to learn about some of our difficult problems.
Thanks again for your message.
Have fun learning English.
Best regards,
Rob

Hi Mina,
Many thanks for your comment and for your kind words about my podcast. I hope you get the chance to visit someday. I’m sure you would enjoy it.
Best regards,
Rob.

I just had to reach out and say a huge thank you for your website. I’ve learned so much about Australia through it, and now I can understand the Australian accent better. As an Iranian girl in Italy, my love for Australia has only deepened, and I can’t wait to visit someday. Your articles and recordings are absolutely fantastic!

best regards
Mina

Hi Lei,
Many thanks for your comment and for your kind words about my podcast. Your feedback is most appreciated. I am also really pleased that your son likes it.
All the best from Melbourne.
Rob.

My son is 10 years old, we have been to Australia for twice, he start to learn English, and luckily we found your slowenglish, that’s very interesting for us. My son loves your stories. Many Many Thanks for your great and hard work, We hope you can continue to help more and more people to get known about Australia while learn a good English.

We love you Rob.
Thanks.
Lei

Hi Ibrahim,
That’s a good idea. I’ll add that to my list of possibilities for Slow English.
Cheers,
Rob

Hi Aymeric,
Many thanks for your comment.
I hope you are safe and well during the pandemic.
Have a great day.
Rob

Hi Rajendra,
Many thanks for your comment. I’m glad that you like my podcast. I hope you are safe and well during the pandemic.
Have a great day.
Rob

Hi Atsu,
Thanks for your reply and for your suggestions for podcast topics. If you look through my podcasts, you will find some already there on these topics. However, I can always do more. Thanks for your feedback. I am glad that you have been able to visit Australia. Cairns is a wonderful spot. I went there last year with my family for a week and it was wonderful.
Have a great day.
Rob

Hi Rob,
Thank you for your comment.
I’m living in Yokohama close to Tokyo.
Shiga Kogen is very popular to go skiing for us ,too. It’s really nice place.
Also good in summer season. Please try next time.

Australia is special for my wife and me.
We’ve been to there around 20 years ago for honeymoon and that was
the first trip to abroad.
We visited Cairns, Sydney and Melbourne and stayed two days for each city.
It was hectic trip though, we really enjoyed staying there and besides,
even happenings.
Your podcast reminds us its memory.
We’d like to come again with enough time some day.

I look forward to the next distribution.
Hoping the topic would be about the food or ingredients in daily life / festival or special day.

Stay safe!

Best regards,
Atsu

Hi Atsu,
Many thanks for your comment. I am really pleased that my podcast can help you with your English.
I have been to Japan in 2006 to go skiing with my wife. We went to Shiga Kogen in Nagano and it was a wonderful holiday. We really enjoyed it. At the end of our trip we stayed for a few days in Tokyo and we were very impressed with the city and the people. I plan to go back to Japan some day to visit some more of the wonderful sights there.
I hope you are safe during the pandemic.
Have a great day.
Rob

Hi Yaohong,
Many thanks for your comments and for your kind comments about my podcast. You have some good suggestions there for podcast topics. I will add them to my list.
Have a great day.
Rob

Maybe you could introduce us more interesting people or things?
Such as the famous writer in Australia history, the most interest Romatic story which you knew from news, The most popular children bed story and song ( which each Australian knew it)….

Hi Cris,
Many thanks for your comment. Yes, we all need to find our own method for learning a language, one that we feel comfortable with. Thanks for your kind words about my podcasts. I’m glad that they are helpful to you. I too have used Pimsleur German to help me with my listening and speaking. I really liked it and found it very useful. I have also used the Slow German podcast, as the speed is so much easier to handle when you are still learning.
You seem to be going really well with your English. Well done.
Have a great day and have fun learning English (and German).
Einen schönen Tag noch
Rob

I’m glad to write you!
I’m from Brazil (São Paulo city, the largest city of Brazil) and I’m 47 years old.

I’m learning English for many years but only recently I could really learn in a proper way. How? Well, using podcasts or any audio and trying to transcribe what I hear in them. Helps me a lot! I can slow down the speed and increasing it when I start to understand better. 😉

So, I’m a big fan of podcasts and last month I’ve found your podcast. I’m really impressed with the quality! I’m learning German too, since last February. Using Pimsleur and Memrise (app) basically but I’m going to use a couple of podcasts (like Slow German, Easy German and Learn German Today). At first, the goal is understand German! Let’s see! 😉

Well, thank you very much for your work! It’s awesome! Keep us helping to understand more and more about Australia and the english language!

Best regards!
Cris

Hi Phil,
Many thanks for your comment. I am glad that you can use my podcast with your TEFL classes. I am interested in your topic suggestion – Australian stereotypes. Would you be able to give me a bit more of an idea as to what you mean by that? You could send me an email at ro*@*********sh.info if you would prefer.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Rob

Hi Jos,
Sorry for taking so long to approve your comment. I have been away on a motorcycle trip. Many thanks for your comment. Your feedback is most appreciated. I am very pleased that you are able to use my podcasts to help with pronunciation. You will be sounding just like an Aussie in no time!
All the best from Melbourne and good luck with your English studies (which seem already to be very successful!)
Regards,
Rob

I was wondering if you could do a short podcast about Australian stereotypes? Sadly, I dont have the time to play my classes all of your podcasts dealing with topics that fit into this theme but it would be nice to question and discuss cultural awareness.

Love your work!

I’ve just found your recordings on the internet. That’s great. I’m mimicking your pronunciation. I set my headphones on, so it’s all closed up in my brain and then I’m repeating your words just a split second after you’ve said them. I enjoy it like that. I’m laying on my back and I even can smell the eucalyptus trees in the far outback at your place (the recording about the eucalyptus trees was the one I’ve just finished) You’ve got a very easy going pronunciation, quiet and temperate. You’re also setting an example of warmth and of humanity by just sharing your world and educational insights for free with people like me who can only benefit from it. Having a meaningful life. That’s the point and you’re showing the way. Best regards and thankful for what you’re doing, Jos from Belgium, Bruges

Hi Fady,
Many thanks for your kind words. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Good luck with your English studies.
Have a great day.
Rob

Hi Alana,
Thanks for your very interesting comment and your kind words about my podcast. Your job as a landscape designer must be great. How wonderful that you have a job that you love. That should be a goal of everyone.
Isn’t Youtube a wonderful resource! I use it all the time to watch historic videos and old music clips. And of course, I use it to listen to German language videos, as that is the language I am learning. They are extremely useful for me, in the same way that you find it useful for your English learning. By the way, I can remember Skippy which I used to watch when I was a child. It was very popular here.
I love travelling around Europe too, except that for me and my wife, it is so far away. Still, we go there as often as we can. I love the mountains in Switzerland, Germany and Austria.
Yes, Australia has plenty of sun, unique animals and unique plants. However, I am sure that Russia also has unique landscapes and animal life. It is such a vast country.
Hopefully the exchange rate will improve for you in the future, so that you can afford to make a visit to Australia. I am sure you would enjoy it.
Thanks again for your comment.
Have a great day.
Rob

My name is Alana, I’m from Moscow, the capital of Russia. There is a lot of snow, a lot of bears, balalaikas and Russian vodka:) I’m a landscape designer. I love nature, gardening and my job of course!
I found your website by chance when I was listening one of your podcasts about Australian Universities. I remembered that many years ago (I’m 28 now) it was my dream – to live and study in Australia. When I was a child I loved to watch Autralian TV-series for children, like these: Thunderstone, Ocean girl, Skippy, Silversun, Parallax, Pirate islands and so on… I watch it in nowadays too! I suppose, few people in Russia knows about these series because a lot of them was never translated in Russian language… So I watch it on Youtube))) In my childhood I believed that Australia is a beautiful far-away country with a lot of sun, a lot of fruits and kind animals))) I dreamed to move to Australia one day. But now it is impossible for Russian citizens if they’re not highly qualified specialists… Now I’m married, my husband is Belarusian (Belarus is a small country between Russia and Ukraine), and we are travelling a lot around Europe. Maybe one day we could visit Australia (but now it is really expensive for us).
I love your podcasts, thank you! It helps me to train my English:)

Hi Mo,
Many thanks for your comment and your kind words. I am really glad that my podcast is helping you. Yes, I have been sick but I am recovering really well. I am back doing all my normal activities so I hope to make a full recovery.
All the best from Melbourne.
Cheers,
Rob

I have came across your podcast just today, while I was search for a podcast that could help me to improve my pronunciation. And I can not thank you enough for this amazing work and effort. This is exactly what I am after.

It is extraordinarily work to find a combination of Slow Aussie English podcast as well as the script.

As I have noticed from the comments, you were sick, I wish and pray for you for a speedy recovery.

I wish to keep on and help all newcomers to Australia to get better spoken english.

Thanks again Rob,

Best wishes,
Mo

Hi Peijun Bao,
Many thanks for your message of support.
Have a great day.
Rob

Wish you a speedy recovery. I love your podcasts.

Hi Rita,
Thanks for your kind words. Yes, my recovery is continuing but still a way to go. I will publish a podcast about my experience shortly. Hope you will find it interesting.
All the best from Melbourne.
Rob

Hi Svenja,
Many thanks for your comment. That’s a great way to listen to podcasts. You are going to really enjoy your time in Australia, meeting new people and seeing things that are unique to our island continent. January is the middle of our summer, so remember to protect your skin from the hot sun. Despite the sun, summer is a wonderful time to be outdoors in Australia. There is so much to see. And as the year progresses, you will find the climate changes too, but almost always still allowing you to enjoy yourself. It also depends on what part of Australia you plan to visit, although by now you must have already chosen what areas you will be visiting. Also remember that the average Australian speaks a lot quicker than I do on my podcasts, and most often not so clearly. But don’t worry, you will improve your listening skills rapidly and soon be using Aussie slang like the rest of us. I think my podcasts would be great preparation for your visit.
Have fun in Australia and all the best!
Viele Grüße,
Rob

I am Svenja from Germany and I listen to your podcast when I lay in bed before I go to sleep.
In January I want to start my Work&Travel in Australia and your podcast is perfect to improve my English.
Right now I listen to Podcast 29, so there are still a lot to listen to.

Thanks Rob and Greetings from Germany
Svenja

Hi Elizabeth,
Many thanks for your comment and your kind words. I appreciate your feedback.
Have a great day.
Rob

This is Elizabeth Shen from Melbourne. Your name is mentioned by one of my Chinese student Tim Wang.

I enjoy your teaching style.

Regards,
Elizabeth Shen

Hi Tim,
Many thanks for your comment. Being retired is a great time to learn a language and to learn about other cultures.
Have a great day.
Rob

Hi Mercedes,
Many thanks for your comment and your best wishes. I am pleased that you find my podcast useful. I have not yet been to Spain but I think Barcelona would be a great place to visit. My wife went there when she was young and says it was beautiful.
Have fun learning English.

Regards,
Rob

Hi Natali,
Many thanks for your comment. Learning a language is a great retirement hobby. Your well written comment shows that you have good skills in English – well done!
Cheers,
Rob

Hi Rosie,
Many thanks for your kind words. I hope you are enjoying Melbourne. No doubt you are learning to speak English very quickly as you go about your daily life in Melbourne.
Have a great day.
Rob

I’d like let you know that you are lovely! I knew your podcast recently and I’m enjoying myself a lot your podcasts.
I’m from Brazil but I’m living in Melbourne. I hope meet you someday.
Thank you very, very much for your help.

Hi Mercedes,
Many thanks for your comment. I wish you every success in your goal to learn English and to come to Australia. You are doing well with your English. Well done.
Have a great day.
Rob

Thank you so much with your podcast, it’s exactly that I needed. I ear it all time that I can.
I want to improve my English skills and go with my family to Australia, for at least one year, to learn the language better and live the experience. I now that it’s complicated but it’s my personal goal. Best regards from a Spanish woman living in Chile.

Hi Natali,
Many thanks for your message. I am glad that you like my podcasts. Your feedback is appreciated. You have written a good message, so you should be pleased with your progress. Keep practising and you will improve your skills every day.
Have a great day.
Rob
PS – you can also get my podcasts on many podcast directories (for example https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/rob-mccormack/slow-english) and also on iTunes. Of course, my website at http://www.slowenglish.info is also a good place to get my podcasts.

Natali

Hi Yuri,

Many thanks for your comment and for your kind words.
Have a great day.
Rob

Hi Alexandr,
Many thanks for your comment and your kind words about my podcast. I am glad that you find my podcast useful.
Good luck in your English studies.
Have a great day.
Rob

Hi Oksana,
Many thanks for your comment and for your kind words. I am pleased that you like my podcasts. Have fun learning English.
Have a great day.
Rob

I’m a beginner from Ukraine. I want to thank you for your great work. You are very intersting and optimistic person. I’m glad to hear your podcasts. Keep right on!

Hi Denis,
Many thanks for your comment and for your kind words about my podcast. I also appreciate your suggestion for a podcast topic. It’s a good one. Actually, many of my podcasts talk about Australia’s history, although about only one aspect. For example, try podcasts 39, 44, 21 and 60. They talk about different aspects of Australia’s history. I’m sure you will find interesting information in those podcasts. In the meantime, I will think about other history podcasts I could produce.
Have a great day.
Rob

P.S. Sorry if I made mistakes

Hi Brian. Many thanks for your message. New Zealand is a beautiful place for sure and a great place to study English. I’m glad my podcast is useful to you.
Good luck with your English.
Have a great day.
Rob

I’ve discovered this website from your podcast. I’m studying English in NZ. It is useful for me to listen to your voice because you spoke slowly, so I can understand most things from you. I’d like to more listen to your podcast because I need to be familiar with Australian accent and pronunciation. Thank you a lot!

Hi Eshan,
Many thanks for your comment. What you are doing sounds interesting. Perhaps you could send a few specific questions you might have to my email at ro*@*********sh.info. We could then either correspond via email or perhaps on Skype.
Cheers,
Rob

I really enjoyed your website and I appreciate what you have done so far to promote English for ESL students.
I am an instructor of English in Iran who has been teaching for 17 years. For almost a decade, I also worked as a correspondent for Press TV.
Currently, we are starting an online ESL institute together with an application for mobile phones.
I would be grateful if you let me know how we can benefit from your precious experiences especially for those who are immigrating to Australia.

Hi Maksim,

Many thanks for your message. Congratulations on passing your IELTS. I would be interested to be a guest on your new podcast. I look forward to hearing from you. Cheers, Rob

Thank you for your podcast! I wish I had found it before I passed IELTS!
Anyway it is still very interesting for me to learn about Australia while learning English.
I am planning to launch my own podcast. Would it be possible to have you as a guest or at least ask you several questions regarding podcast production?

Cheers,
Maksim
Sydney

Hi Lisa,
Many thanks for your kind comments. I hope you can visit Melbourne some day. I’m sure you will like it and you will be able to practise you English.
Have a great day.
Rob

I am lucky i find your pod cast occasionally. I like your passages and voice. I think it will help me in studying english. And it also teaches me more knowledge about Melbourne. I hope i will travel to Melbourne as soon as earlier.

Thank you for your hard work.
Have a good day.

Hi Sergey,
Many thanks for your kind comments. You English seems very good. You are doing very well.
I plan to continue my podcasts for a while yet. It pleases me that people such as yourself find them useful.
Have a great day.
Rob

Hi Dmitry,
Many thanks for your comment. I am very pleased that it helps you with your English. Having a penpal is also a great way to improve your writing and grammar skills.
Have a great day.
Rob

I just want to say thank you for your blog, it really helps me to improve my listening skills. Also I have a good penpal from Australia and I think it will be a good way to find out more about your country.

Keep up the good work!

Hi Bernard,

Many thanks for your message. Great name. My older brother is also called Bernard.
You can easily get the podcasts downloaded onto your iPod. All you need do is subscribe to my podcasts in iTunes. Once you subscribe, all the podcasts will download to iTunes on your computer. All you need do is sync your iPod player with iTunes and the podcasts will load onto your iPod. I have not used an iPod and perhaps you will also need a podcast player app for your iPod. There are many podcasts player apps available in the iTunes store, which you can download in order to play the podcasts on your iPod. I hope that helps.
Have a great day.
Rob

I would like to download your nice podcasts to my Ipod in order to listen to them while walking.

How can I do this ?

Best wishes

Bernard

Thanks Rob…a great help.
I will subscribe today

Hi Peter. Many thanks for your message. It’s great that your wife finds the podcasts useful. You can easily get the podcasts downloaded onto an Android smart phone or an iPhone. All you need do is subscribe to my podcasts in iTunes or on other podcast sites such as Stitcher.com. Once you subscribe, all the podcasts will list on your device or computer and you can play them through that device. You will need a podcast player app for a mobile device. There are many podcasts player apps available in the iTunes store or the Google Play store, which you can download in order to play the podcasts on your iPhone or Android smart phone. You will need to choose the download option in the app to get the actual podcasts loaded onto your device for offline playing. I hope that helps.
Have a great day.
Cheers,
Rob

thanks
Peter

Hi Peterson,
Many thanks for your kind comments. I have many listeners in Brazil and it’s great that my podcasts are useful to you. You have done remarkably well with your English since 2013. Helping to teach children is also a great way to improve your own English too. Regarding the use of Skype, I suggest it would be better if you had conversations with an English speaker who is also learning your language, which I assume is Portugese. There are websites where you can select a ‘tandem partner’ who speaks English and who is also learning Portugese. You can easily contact them and suggest that you have a Skype session. I am learning German and I have done it already with two German speakers from Germany who are learning English. It’s great fun and you both learn a lot. Just do a Google search for ‘tandem language partners’ and you will soon be able to locate other learners with whom you can tandem partner.
Good luck.
Have a great day.
Rob

Hi Magali,
Many thanks for your comment. I hope my podcasts will provide some useful information for you about Australia. No doubt your boyfriend can also add some interesting insights about each of my topics.
Good luck with your learning of German. Slow German is indeed a very useful podcast site.
Have a great day.
Rob

Hi,
Thanks for your comment. Glad you like my song.
Cheers,
Rob

Hi Diana,
I am sorry that you are having a problem with my RSS feed. I think I have a solution for you. I think you are using Google Chrome, which does not allow you to take an RSS feed. However, if you add an extension called RSS Subscription Extension (by Google) to your Google Chrome browser, you will then be able to take the Slow English RSS feed. The extension is free. You can find it at https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/rss-subscription-extensio/nlbjncdgjeocebhnmkbbbdekmmmcbfjd. Once you add this extension to your Google Chrome browser, the RSS button will work for you.
Or, if you prefer, you can change to Firefox or Internet Explorer, which already work with my RSS feed.

Thanks for sending your message. Your English message is very good and I easily understood it. Well done.
Have a great day.
Rob

“This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below.

Slow English

…………..

Could you help me?
(forgive my language mistskes… )
Best regards

Hi Ron,
Many thanks for your message. I’m so pleased that you like my podcast. It is also great to hear from another motorcyclist. I love the Yamaha XJR1300. I rode about 60,000 km in the 3 years that I owned it and enjoyed it so much. I have now sold it and bought a BMW K1300R, which is a fantastic motorcycle. Life is always good on a motorcycle.
Have a great day.
Rob

Greatings from Germany – Ronald

PS: Much fun with your bike. I drive the same model and know the great feeling of motorbiking !!!

Hi Matt,

Great to hear from you. Yes, it’s my own backing track. Thanks for your kind words. I certainly plan to keep on rocking and also riding – my two most cherished pastimes.
Keep well and stay upright.
Cheers,
Rob

Finally just got around to listening to your tune. Love the bluesy licks! Are you playing the lead over your own backing tracks? Great phrasing! Keep on rocking and as always, keep on riding!

With the knees in the breeze,
Matt

Hi Hossein,
Thanks for your comment. I really appreciate it.
Cheers,
Rob

Many thanks!

Hi Corinne,

Many thanks for your comment. I’m glad you like my podcast. Your English seems very good already! I have been to Paris twice and I loved it. My favourite place is the Arc de Triomphe. But I love so many other things in Paris too. I hope you have a great day.

Cheers,
Rob

Corinne.

Hi,

Thanks for your feedback. I am pleased that some good Melbourne people are helping you. I am very happy that your students find my podcasts and website useful. I would be very happy to receive emails from them and I would enjoy replying to each one. I know that it can help to motivate learners when they can communicate in their new language.
Have a great day.
Rob

Many thanks. I love to play my guitar and it’s great when someone else enjoys my song. Cheers.