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Colin Heaney is a world renowned glass sculptor.

Today's story is about a glassblower - someone who makes glass objects. Listen to him describing a process.

I started glassblowing in 1982. Just before that, I was making candles and then I switched over to glassblowing in Byron Bay - I set up a studio.

This is called a furnace. This is a big pot full of molten glass where we put the silica and lime and all the chemicals, heat it up very hot and it becomes glass. So then the glass is taken out of the furnace and that's all clear. Then we add coloured glass in the form of powders. We have on the shelves about 150 colours that are made up. We get them from Germany, from New Zealand, from all over the world. Different qualities of glass colours.

And then we add all the colours on and then heat it up in the glory hole here, do the work in the glory hole, basically - you're reheating, cooling, reheating, cooling - and then when it's done, it goes in what's called the lehr, and they're basically like a kiln, like a pottery kiln. It's at 500 degrees all day and then when we're done at the end of the day, it's set on a program that brings it down very gradually overnight.

To describe process, you need sequencing words, passive verbs, and determiners. Sequencing words help tell the order in which things are done.
Listen for sequencing words.

This is called a furnace. This is a big pot full of molten glass where we put the silica and lime and all the chemicals, heat it up very hot and it becomes glass. So then the glass is taken out of the furnace and that's all clear. Then we add coloured glass in the form of powders.

And then we add all the colours on and then heat it up in the glory hole here, do the work in the glory hole, basically - you're reheating, cooling, reheating, cooling - and then when it's done, it goes in what's called the lehr, and they're basically like a kiln, like a pottery kiln. It's at 500 degrees all day and then when we're done at the end of the day, it's set on a program that brings it down very gradually overnight.

The sequencing words were
- and
- then
- when
'And' describes two things that happen at the same time.
'We heat it up very hot and it becomes glass.'
'Then' is another sequencing word. It's used when one thing follows another.
'The glass is taken out, then we add colours.'
'When' is the last sequencing word he uses. It's used when one thing happens after another thing is finished.
'When it's done, it goes in the lehr.'
You'll find all these sequencing words, and explanations on how to use them, on our website.
Now listen for the passive form.

So then the glass is taken out of the furnace and that's all clear. Then we add coloured glass in the form of powders.

The glass is taken out of the furnace. Is taken. The passive form is often used for processes , because the important thing is not who does the action, but what the action is done to - the glass.
The speaker is American. Listen to his accent.

I started glassblowing in 1982. Just before that, I was making candles and then I switched over to glassblowing in Byron Bay - I set up a studio. When I was 18, I started a leather shop in Sydney and then I worked with timber and with metal. I made metal furniture, wood furniture, fabrics - worked with fabrics - and cold glass and candles. And then I would just... Every couple of years I'd move on to something new. I made surfboards... And then a friend suggested glassblowing. I thought, "Oh, that sounds good."

American accents are different in many ways from English or Australian, especially when it comes to vowel sounds. The Australian long 'ah' sometimes becomes short 'a'.
Glass (glarss) - glass
'new' 'noo'.
'R' sounds are lengthened
Timber - timberrrr
Furniture furrrniturrrr
Worked - worrrked
In some words soft 't' becomes hard.
Studio - studio
The English Bites website has got hundreds of different accents. You can discuss them on our forum page.