Learn English speaking: 2019

Many Americans experience surprise (or disappointment) when they wake up on Christmas Day. They might be surprised or disappointed by a family member's actions. They might be happy or unhappy about a Christmas gift. Imagine a child expects to get an Xbox or PlayStation for Christmas. On Christmas morning, they quickly open their gift …. Inside is an English grammar book. They might feel disappointed. The Everyday Grammar team would prefer the new English grammar book. But if you are like most young people, you would probably rather have a new videogame system. Today, we are going to explore those feelings – feelings of surprise and disappointment. In other words, we are going to explore how speakers show that reality was better or worse than their expectations. Counter expectation Many languages use words to express expectation. Speakers also use words to express how events are not happening as expected. This idea is known as "counter expectation."* Do not worry about the term. Just remember that it means that speakers use words to show that reality is going against (or countering) their expectations. English has many words that serve this purpose. Three of the most common are the words "even," "still," and "actually." You will often hear them in casual, everyday speech. Speakers use these words to show surprise or disappointment. The pitch of their voice tells you what they mean. Let's study examples of each word. #1 Even Speakers often use the word "even" to show disappointment or surprise. Imagine a young child that expects a phone call from a family member – perhaps an uncle or grandparent. The phone call never comes. The child might say the following: "What's wrong with him? He didn't even call me on Christmas day." Here, the child is expressing disappointment. She could have expressed the same idea in a much longer statement, such as: "I was expecting him to call on Christmas Day, but I didn't hear from him. Why didn’t he give me a call?" "Even" highlights the child's disappointment because it emphasizes that the family member did not try to call. "Even" does not always have a sad meaning. It can have a happy meaning too. Imagine a man named Ted. Ted is a forgetful man. He forgets to send letters or gifts to his parents. Ted's parents might have the following talk after they get a Christmas letter from him: "Did you see Ted's letter? Yeah – he even sent us a gift!" Here, the word "even" shows a pleasant surprise. Ted's mother did not expect a gift from him. By saying "he even sent us a gift" she is suggesting that Ted has gone beyond her expectations. #2 Still Americans sometimes use "still" for showing how reality does not quite meet their expectations. Consider this example, from the 1986 film, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. At the end of the film, Ferris says the following lines. A different speaker might say similar lines after a lengthy, tiring, and disagreeable family Christmas party: You're still here? It's over! Go home. Go!" In the film, you can see the surprised look on Ferris' face. When he says, "You're still here," you can tell he did not expect people to still be around. He is a little disappointed. Now, imagine a different situation. A family is having a Christmas dinner. They are looking for one family member, Uncle Bob. They wonder if he left without saying goodbye. "-Have you seen Uncle Bob? -No. Did he leave? Wait! There he is! He's still here!" The way the final speaker says "still" shows that she is surprised to learn he was still at the dinner. She expected otherwise. #3 Actually A third common word that shows surprise or disappointment is "actually." "Actually" suggests something is true – even when it differs from what might have been thought or expected. Remember Uncle Bob? Bob has always been a nice guy. Imagine Uncle Bob sees a Christmas present he likes, and then runs away with it. A speaker might say: "I can't believe it! Uncle Bob actually stole her Christmas gift." Here, the speaker uses “actually” to emphasize the unexpectedness of a happening – Uncle Bob stealing the present. She does not sound very happy! Speakers can use "actually" to show positive feelings, too. Think back to our character Ted – the guy who always forgets to give gifts for Christmas. His parents could have shown their surprise at receiving a gift from Ted by saying the following: "Ted actually gave us a gift!" Here, the word "actually" shows that they are pleasantly surprised at this strange happening: Ted remembered Christmas! What can you do? The next time you are listening to an English speaker, try to find examples of words that show "counter expectation." Is the speaker expressing surprise or disappointment? How does the speaker change the pitch of their voice? By answering these questions, you will start to learn how English speakers communicate emotions in subtle ways. -"Excuse me, John, are you still recording your show?" -"Yes!" -"You're still recording? We have to go to the Christmas party!" -"Oh no! I had actually forgotten about that! And that's Everyday Grammar." I'm John Russell. I'm Anna Mateo. And I'm Ashley Thompson. John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. *John McWhorter. Why English Won't - and Can't - Sit Still (Like, Literally). Picador. 2016 pgs. 37-41 _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story prefer – v. to like (someone or something) better than someone or something else rather – adv. used to indicate what you want or prefer to do, have, etc. pitch – n. the highness or lowness of a sound emphasize – v. to give special attention to (something) : to place emphasis on (something) disappointment – n. a feeling of sadness or displeasure when one's hopes or expectations are not fulfilled casual – adj. not formal positive – adj. thinking about the good qualities of someone or something : thinking that a good result will happen: hopeful or optimistic subtle – adj. hard to notice or see : not obvious

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/everyday-grammar-and-christmas/4172368.html

Grammar and Christmas

Fake or real: What’s the best tree to have at Christmas?

What's the carbon footprint of your Christmas tree? We discuss which trees are best.

source http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07y5b5j

Wednesday, 25 December 2019

American English Listening Comprehension for Absolute Beginners #21 - Talking About a School Trip in USA

Learn American English with EnglishClass101.com! Do you find yourself only understanding bits and pieces of English conversations? Do you spend hours trying to figure out what that person said to you in English? Then this English Listening Comprehension for Absolute Beginners series is for you! In each lesson of this five-part series, you’ll see an [...]

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/american-english-listening-comprehension-for-absolute-beginners-21-talking-about-a-school-trip-in-usa/

British English Listening Comprehension for Absolute Beginners #21 - Talking About a School Trip in U.K

Learn British English with EnglishClass101.com! Do you find yourself only understanding bits and pieces of British English conversations? Do you spend hours trying to figure out what that person said to you in British English? Then this British English Listening Comprehension for Absolute Beginners series is for you! In each lesson of this five-part series, [...]

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/british-english-listening-comprehension-for-absolute-beginners-21-talking-about-a-school-trip-in-uk/

British English Listening Comprehension for Absolute Beginners #24 - Where In U.K Did You Put Your Keys?

British English Listening Comprehension for Absolute Beginners #25 - Talking About Your Job in British English

Tuesday, 24 December 2019

English Grammar Made Easy #92 - Expressions for Rules

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/english-grammar-made-easy-92-expressions-for-rules-you-are-not-to-please-do-not-refrain-from/

Monday, 23 December 2019

Must-Know American English Social Media Phrases #8 - Feeling Exhausted

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/mustknow-american-english-social-media-phrases-8-feeling-exhausted/

Opinions on Visual Arts

New Entry: 'Opinions on Visual Arts' has just been added to the Lesson Plans area of UsingEnglish.com.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/lesson-plans/view-opinions-on-visual-arts/

The more the merrier

It’s Christmas and time to party. Learn a phrase that means more people equals more fun!

source http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07y598b

Extensive Reading in English for Absolute Beginners #20 - I Play Music

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/extensive-reading-in-english-for-absolute-beginners-20-i-play-music/

Thursday, 19 December 2019

Soccer and Grammar

In recent weeks, search terms related to European football have been popular on the internet. On Monday, for example, Google Trends identified ‘Champions League’ and ‘Champions League draw’ as the top two search terms on its Daily Search Trends page. In many areas, people continued to search for information about their favorite football team. In Vietnam, for example, Arsenal was one of the top search terms. In Egypt, the most popular search term was Real Madrid. In the spirit of these trends, our Everyday Grammar program this week will explore grammar and football, a game known as soccer in the United States. Specifically, we will talk about how soccer can teach you important points about English. #1 Sentence structure First, short sentences about soccer can teach you about transitive verbs and an important English sentence pattern: Subject + Verb + Object. The pattern often appears like this: Noun phrase (1) + Transitive Verb + Noun Phrase (2) Here is an example. Imagine a person is talking about a soccer match in the past tense. They might describe a series of events. One of those events might be: Ronaldo kicked the ball. Here, the subject is the Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo. The transitive verb is kick. The direct object, the ball, is a noun phrase. The direct object receives the action of the verb, kick. Imagine the story about the game as the play continues: The goalie blocked the shot! In this example, the subject is the goalie, the verb is block, and the direct object is the shot. Finally, imagine a radio announcer was describing the game: Ronaldo scored a goal! Here, the subject is Ronaldo, the verb is score, and the direct object is a goal. All of these sentences follow the same basic pattern. You might be asking yourself why this is an important point. Understanding this pattern can help you tell which kinds of sentences you are dealing with, even if you cannot understand all of the words. Take our first example, Ronaldo kicked the ball. Imagine you are reading about a soccer match and do not know what the word kicked meant. If you remember the sentence pattern, you can probably guess that the word you do not understand is a verb. You can predict that Ronaldo is doing some action. Here is an idea. Ask yourself this: do the subject noun and the object noun relate to different things? If they do, then you are likely dealing with some kind of transitive verb. #2 Exclamatory statements Soccer can also teach you about incomplete sentences, also called fragments. When talking about soccer, speakers often use these fragments to express exclamatory statements. Here is an example. In a recent match, Premier League teams Tottenham and Burnley faced each other. Son Heung-min, a famous player, scored a goal for Tottenham. The announcer said the following words: What a run! What a player! Wonderful, wonderful goal! A joy to watch. You often here these kinds of statements when watching soccer games. They are missing important words needed to make a sentence complete, such as a verb. Listen again: What a run! What a player! The statements you heard begin with the word what. You might be wondering about the difference between exclamatory statements and questions. After all, many questions in English begin with the word what, as in What is your name? But in some cases, often when expressing strong emotions, English speakers make statements that begin with what, as in What a player! Here are two suggestions for telling the difference between questions and statements with what. First, ask yourself if there is a verb. Second, listen to the tone, or sound, of the speaker’s voice. Closing thoughts The next time you are watching a soccer game, try to listen for examples of sentence patterns or sentence fragments. Does the speaker or announcer use the sentence pattern we talked about today, or do they use a different one? What kinds of short, exclamatory statements does the speaker make? Asking yourself these kinds of questions will help you learn important information, such as new words, expressions and even grammatical patterns. And that’s Everyday Grammar. I’m Anne Ball. And I’m John Russell. John Russell wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story page – n. a written or online record trend – n. a general direction or movement transitive – adj. grammar of a verb having or taking a direct object pattern – n. something used or designed as model phrase – n. a brief expression match – n. a game or competition between two or more people score – v. to make a point (or points) in a sporting event fragment – n. an incomplete part exclamatory - adj. describing a word, phrase, or sound that expresses a strong emotion

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/soccer-and-grammar-/5212475.html

Soccer and Grammar

source https://av.voanews.com/clips/VLE/2019/12/19/87f528f5-cd91-4fc8-95d5-d12705066b2a_hq.mp3

Ecotherapy: Can nature make you happy?

Learn how being in the great outdoors is inspiring a particular kind of therapy.

source http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07ydfyd

English Grammar Made Easy S2 #64 - Borrowing and Lending Phrases

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/english-grammar-made-easy-s2-64-borrowing-and-lending-phrases/

Tuesday, 17 December 2019

English Grammar Made Easy S2 #91 - Shall vs Will

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/english-grammar-made-easy-s2-91-shall-vs-will/

Take one for the team

Are you the kind of person who makes sacrifices for others?

source http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07y4svr

Monday, 16 December 2019

Absolute Beginner American English for Every Day #132 - 10 Words for talking about Relationships and Marriage

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/absolute-beginner-american-english-for-every-day-132-10-words-for-talking-about-relationships-and-marriage/

Absolute Beginner American English for Every Day #131 - 10 Words for Persuading People

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/absolute-beginner-american-english-for-every-day-131-10-words-for-persuading-people/

Sunday, 15 December 2019

Everyday Grammar: Phrasal Verbs - Come up

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/5110467.html

English Vocab Builder #179 - Diet

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/english-vocab-builder-179-diet/

Small talk on the news

New Entry: 'Small talk on the news' has just been added to the Lesson Plans area of UsingEnglish.com.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/lesson-plans/view-small-talk-on-the-news/

Saturday, 14 December 2019

How to teach restaurant language

New Entry: 'How to teach restaurant language' has just been added to the Articles area of UsingEnglish.com.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/articles/how-to-teach-restaurant-language.html

Friday, 13 December 2019

News #269 - The Last 4 English Deals of the Countdown Start Now! (Audio Inside)

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/news-269-the-last-4-english-deals-of-the-countdown-start-now-audio-inside/

Thursday, 12 December 2019

Digital Communication: Emojis and Grammar

Writer and actor Larry David is behind some of America’s most popular television shows, including Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm. The shows often discuss the details of everyday life in a funny way. One time on Curb Your Enthusiasm, David criticized the use of emojis -- symbols often used in text messages and internet exchanges. She texted me. She texted you. How adorable. Yeah... smiley face at the end. Oh! Smiley face, see I hate that. I told her about the smiley faces, I can’t stand it! And everybody uses them! On today’s report, we will discuss grammar and digital communication. We will talk about emojis and the kinds of words they replace. We will also talk about the different ways people around the world use emojis. Increased use of emojis Emojis have their roots in Japan. Their name comes from the Japanese words for “picture” and “characters.” They have been common for years in Japanese electronic messages and Web pages. Over time, people in other countries came to adopt them, too. In 2015, Oxford Dictionaries named the “face with tears of joy” emoji as the word of the year. You might be asking yourself about the link between emojis and grammar. The first key point is this: Sometimes emojis act as a kind of language to communicate important information about emotions or attitudes. These emotions or attitudes might be difficult to express in writing, yet they are part of the idea the writer wants to send. For example, when people speak to each other, they often use their faces and voices to give a lot of information. The website emojitracker follows all emojis used on Twitter. It lists the most popular emojis on the social media platform. You might not be surprised to learn that some of the most popular emojis have a face. The most popular emoji is still “the face with tears of joy.” The second most popular emoji, according to emojitracker, is the “grinning face with the smiling eyes.” The limits of emoji and grammar Our second key point is this: Emojis fit into English grammar in certain kinds of ways. And experts think there are limits on how complex emoji grammar can become. A 2019 study by researchers in the Netherlands found that emojis were more likely to replace nouns and adjectives. They were less likely to replace verbs and adverbs. The researchers noted, “No prepositions or determiners were substituted” by emojis. Prepositions refer to words such as “in,” “on,” or “at.” These words often show the location of nouns. Determiners are words such as “the” or “these.” They give information about a noun. The study pointed out that emoji-only communication was very simple. One of the reasons is that users cannot change how they present the emojis. Also, vocabulary depends on existing emojis. Expressing feelings or attitudes outside the available choices is difficult. Emojis and other languages A 2016 report noted differences in how people around the world use emojis. The researchers found that “users from France are more likely to use emojis.” The researchers also found that users in France were “more likely to use emojis related to hearts, while users from other countries prefer emojis related to faces.” While how much these trends may have changed over the past few years is unclear, we bring up this point to get you thinking about how emojis are used in your native language. How do you feel about emojis? Do you give them a frowning mouth with scrunched eyebrows, like Larry David? Or a grinning face with smiling eyes? Write to us in the comments section. That’s Everyday Grammar. I'm Dorothy Gundy. And I’m John Russell. John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. ________________________________________________ Words in This Story adorable – adj. very appealing or attractive; very lovable digital – adj. using or characterized by computer technology trend – n. a general direction of change : a way of behaving, proceeding, etc., that is developing and becoming more common character – n. a symbol (such as a letter or number) that is used in writing or printing attitude – n. the way you think and feel about someone or something grin – v. to smile widely scrunched – adj. with tightened the muscles We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/digital-communication-emojis-and-grammar/5203424.html

Digital Communication: Emojis and Grammar

source https://av.voanews.com/clips/VLE/2019/12/12/ee7eec51-a824-4b46-9b99-be2a00b09aa6_hq.mp3

6 Minute English: Chatting to new people

Many feel uncomfortable about talking to stranger - but it could be good for you.

source http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07xp8gk

Tuesday, 10 December 2019

English Grammar Made Easy #90 - In Time vs on Time

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/english-grammar-made-easy-s2-90-in-time-vs-on-time/

Height of folly

New Entry: 'Height of folly' has just been added to the Idioms area of UsingEnglish.com.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/height+of+folly.html

Mind your Ps and Qs

Learn an English expression about being polite.

source http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07xfy87

Monday, 9 December 2019

Extensive Reading in English for Absolute Beginners #19 - Fur, Feathers, and More

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/extensive-reading-in-english-for-absolute-beginners-19-fur-feathers-and-more/

Present Progressive- Small Talk

New Entry: 'Present Progressive- Small Talk' has just been added to the Lesson Plans area of UsingEnglish.com.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/lesson-plans/view-present-progressive-small-talk/

Hold off on

New Entry: 'Hold off on' has just been added to the Phrasal Verbs area of UsingEnglish.com.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/reference/phrasal-verbs/hold.html#Hold-off-on

Hold off

New Entry: 'Hold off' has just been added to the Phrasal Verbs area of UsingEnglish.com.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/reference/phrasal-verbs/hold.html#Hold-off

How to teach positive and negative connotations

New Entry: 'How to teach positive and negative connotations' has just been added to the Articles area of UsingEnglish.com.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/articles/how-to-teach-positive-negative-connotations.html

Saturday, 7 December 2019

English Kids’ Songs: Easy Videos for Beginners #45 - Cat Can Can

Learn English with EnglishClass101.com! This series is an easy way to improve your child’s English level and discover new music at the same time. Learn the song’s key words and phrases, then add it to your playlist to master it 100%. By listening over and over, your kids will learn English [...]

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/english-kids-songs-easy-videos-for-beginners-45-cat-can-can/

Monthly Review Video #15 - English December 2019 Review - How to Double Your Speaking Time in English

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/monthly-review-video-15-english-december-2019-review-how-to-double-your-speaking-time-in-english/

Friday, 6 December 2019

Know Your Verbs #42 - Verb: “Bite”

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/know-your-verbs-42-verb-bite/

Aptis Speaking Part Two preparation tips

New Entry: 'Aptis Speaking Part Two preparation tips' has just been added to the Articles area of UsingEnglish.com.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/articles/aptis-speaking-part-two-preparation-tips.html

Thursday, 5 December 2019

Do These Things to Improve Your Collocations

If you have been studying English even for a short time, chances are you have already heard or read hundreds of collocations. A collocation is a group of two or more words that is almost always used together. Here are a few examples: heavy rain big decision break a habit make a mistake It would sound strange if someone said, “huge rain” “large decision” “finish a habit” or “do a mistake.” Most people would understand the meaning, but native English speakers would never combine words in that way. We would not say, for instance, “I’m hoping to hear about the large decision later today.” The point is that some words go together in English and some do not. There is no grammatical reason why. And that sometimes makes collocations difficult for English learners. If you don’t know, for example, that “big decision” is a collocation, it is not so easy to guess. Another thing that can make these things tricky is that many English words have several collocations. For instance, the word “decision” can be used in “difficult decision,” “final decision” and many others. Today on Everyday Grammar, we will give you three practice exercises on collocations. Improving your use of collocations will help your English sound more natural, which will make you more easily understood. Learn by recognizing One of the best ways to look for collocations is to read and listen to many things in English. This will help you start to recognize them when you see and hear them. In this first exercise, you will hear a short story with several collocations. Most in the story begin with common verbs such as have, get, make and take. But note that collocations can be made of any part of speech, not just verbs, but also nouns, adverbs and adjectives. Now, listen to the story and write down as many collocations as you hear: We had plans to meet some good friends by 11. So this morning, I took a shower by 9. As I was making the bed, I could hear heavy rain outside. I checked the weather and saw it was going to be a cold, wet day. So I got dressed in warm clothes. My husband made breakfast. The pancakes were tasty but whenever he cooks, he makes a mess! But he did wash the dishes so I can’t complain. So anyway, we took the train and met our friends at a holiday market. We had a great time but probably spent too much money! So, what did you find? Here are the verb-noun collocations: have plans, make the bed, take a shower, check the weather, make breakfast, make a mess, wash the dishes, take the train, have a good time and spend money You also heard the adjective-noun collocations “good friends,” “heavy rain” and “warm clothes” and the verb-verb collocations “get dressed” and “can’t complain.” This gives you some idea of just how much we use them. They are everywhere! Learn with a dictionary OK, onto the second exercise: using a collocation dictionary. Earlier, I told you that some English words have many collocations. So let’s take a few words from the story and see what I mean. You can find a few good collocation dictionaries online, such as freecollocation.com.* Now, try looking up the word “make” and find two collocations that were not in the story. Then, look up the word “time” and find two collocations that were not in the story. For “make,” you might for example find “make an effort” and “make money.” For “time,” you might for example find “free time” and “take your time.” Again, there are many possibilities for each word. These are just a few. Using a collocation dictionary can be helpful, but do not attempt to make long lists and memorize them. Instead, note just a few collocations every time and write a sentence or two for each that relates to your own life. For example, for “free time,” you might write “I wish I had more free time during the week” or “I will finally have free time when I go home for the holiday.” Then, try using some of these in your real life conversations. Learn by observation All right. That brings us to the third practice activity. TV, or television programs can teach you a lot about collocations. One way to use them is to observe and note the collocations you find in a few minutes of dialogue on a TV show or movie. Then, just as in the last exercise, write a sentence for each that you might use in real life, and practice using it sometime in conversation. Another fun thing you might try is a little less usual. Some of you may remember the 1990s British TV show Mr. Bean. On the show, Mr. Bean would find humorous solutions to the problems of everyday life, like shopping, going to restaurants, traveling or celebrating holidays. But here is what’s unusual about the show: there is almost no dialogue. So, in this activity, you are testing which collocations you can name without hearing anyone speaking. On our website, you will find a short video of Mr. Bean. Watch the video and try to name a few collocations to describe the place, people, things and actions you see. If you’re unsure whether something is a collocation, you can check it in a collocation dictionary. And don’t forget to tell us what you find! I’m Alice Bryant. Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. *Oxford is a British dictionary but includes American collocations. British and American English share most of the same collocations but be aware of small differences. ________________________________________ Practice 1 Write two or three sentences about your own life using collocations you heard today. You can choose from: have plans, make the bed, take a shower, check the weather, make breakfast, make a mess, wash (the) dishes or any of the others. Then, try using your sentences in real conversations. Practice 2 Note that the Mr. Bean practice exercise is fairly advanced so don't worry if you can't find many collocations. You can still try it for fun! Watch the video carefully a few times and see what collocations you can name from observation. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story habit – n. something that a person does often in a regular and repeated way grammatical – adj. of or relating to grammar guess – v. to form an opinion or give an answer about something when you do not know much or anything about it shower – n. the act of washing your body with a shower check – v. to get information by looking at something or asking about something pancake – n. a thin, flat, round cake that is made by cooking batter on both sides mess – n. a very dirty or untidy state or condition dictionary – n. a book that lists words in alphabetical order and gives the words' meanings, forms and pronunciations conversation – n. an informal talk involving two people or a small group of people dialogue – n. a conversation between two or more people

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/doing-these-things-will-improve-your-collocations/5192719.html

Ask Alisha: Your English Questions Answered #70 - IF I WERE or IF I WAS? Conditional Sentences

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/ask-alisha-your-english-questions-answered-70-if-i-were-or-if-i-was-conditional-sentences-english-grammar/

Do These Things to Improve Your Collocations

source https://av.voanews.com/clips/VLE/2019/12/05/50c8ce33-aaac-45fb-9030-370d04e79e64_hq.mp3

Firehosing

New Entry: 'Firehosing' has just been added to the Slang area of UsingEnglish.com. This entry is only available in our members' area.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/members/idioms/view.php?entry_id=27383

Why take a gap year?

Some delay university to take a year off travelling. Is it a good idea? Find out here!

source http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07x03ch

Wednesday, 4 December 2019

How Questions- Tense Review

New Entry: 'How Questions- Tense Review' has just been added to the Lesson Plans area of UsingEnglish.com.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/lesson-plans/view-how-questions-tense-review/

Tuesday, 3 December 2019

Dad dancing

Swing those arms, shake those hips! Is this the latest dance trend?

source http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07ws7mb

LLE1 Fillable Certificate of Completion

Download the file, then fill in your name and the date you completed the course. Take a picture of yourself and share it on social media, our Facebook page, or send it to learningenglish@voanews.com.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lle1-fillable-certificate-of-completion/5190737.html

English Grammar Made Easy S2 #89 - English Greetings (& Responses)

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/english-grammar-made-easy-s2-89-english-greetings-responses/

Must-Know American English Social Media Phrases #12 - Getting Married

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/mustknow-american-english-social-media-phrases-12-getting-married/

Sunday, 1 December 2019

Everyday Grammar: Verbs and Prepositions - Ask about

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/5110465.html

Car loans are ____ the increase.

New Entry: 'Car loans are ____ the increase.' has just been added to the Language Polls area of UsingEnglish.com.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/poll/1225.html

English Vocab Builder #178 - Immigration

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/english-vocab-builder-178-immigration/

News #267 - You Don’t Want To Miss This Massive Update from EnglishClass101

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/news-267-you-dont-want-to-miss-this-massive-update-from-englishclass101/

Saturday, 30 November 2019

Learn English with EnglishClass101.com! This series is an easy way to improve your child’s English level and discover new music at the same time. Learn the song’s key words and phrases, then add it to your playlist to master it 100%. By listening over and over, your kids will learn English in the most sweet-sounding [...]

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/english-kids-songs-easy-videos-for-beginners-44-go-to-sleep/

Video News #32 - Free English Gifts of the Month - December 2019

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/video-news-32-free-english-gifts-of-the-month-december-2019/

Thursday, 28 November 2019

Thanksgiving and English Verbs

Every year around the Thanksgiving holiday, a strange ceremony happens in Washington, DC. The president stands outside the White House, gives a brief speech and then officially pardons a turkey. A pardon is a declaration that someone will not be punished. In this ceremony, President Donald Trump Thanksgiving promises not to cook and eat a certain turkey, even though turkeys are the traditional Thanksgiving meal. You might be asking yourself, "What is the connection between turkeys, Thanksgiving and grammar?" In today's report, we explore what turkeys can teach you about English verbs. In particular, we will show you how Thanksgiving can teach you to use stative verbs. We will also show you the difference between stative and progressive verbs. What is a stative verb? The term stative verb refers to a verb that has a stative meaning. In other words, these verbs show or describe conditions or situations that do not do anything but exist. Verbs that commonly have a stative meaning include: verbs that show emotional states, such as love and dislike; verbs that describe sense perceptions, such as smell or taste; verbs that show existence, such as seem or look. In the present tense, a verb with a stative meaning is generally used in its simple form. "I love turkey," or "Americans like turkey" are two examples. Verbs that have stative meanings are generally not used in the progressive tense. So, you will probably not hear a native speaker say, "I am loving turkey," or "Americans are liking turkey." Thanksgiving and stative verbs Do not fear: we can use our Thanksgiving example to make the point clearer. Imagine you are at an American store. You hear a conversation between a customer and a store employee. The customer wants to buy a turkey that weighs 10 pounds, or 4.5 kilograms. Unlike the turkey from the pardoning ceremony, this turkey will have a sad fate: the dinner table. The conversation you hear might go like this: Customer: How much does that turkey weigh? Butcher: It weighs 10 pounds. Customer: How much does it cost? Butcher: It costs 20 dollars. In the dialogue, you can hear two examples of stative verbs: weigh and cost. The butcher said, "The turkey weighs 10 pounds,” and "The turkey costs 20 dollars." In both cases, the verbs have a stative meaning: The butcher is describing a condition or situation that simply exists – the weight and cost of the turkey. Now imagine you are eating Thanksgiving dinner with an American family. You might hear any one of the following sentences: "I love turkey!" "I dislike turkey." "The turkey smells wonderful!" "The food tastes great!" "The turkey seems undercooked." "The turkey looks awful." All these sentences include stative verbs. You might notice that the verbs are also in the simple present form. Why not use a progressive verb? So, why would an English speaker not say, "The turkey is seeming undercooked," or, "I am disliking turkey?" Susan Conrad and Douglas Biber are two English grammar experts. They say that, in general, English speakers use the progressive tense only when the subject of the verb actively controls the state or action. In addition, English speakers generally use the progressive only when the verb describes an action or state that happens over an extended period of time. So, you would not hear an English speaker say, "The turkey is seeming undercooked" because the subject of the verb, the turkey, does not control its state – being undercooked. For the same reason, you would not hear an English speaker say, "I am disliking turkey," because the verb's subject, I, probably does not have control over the action of disliking turkey. Now, some verbs can have stative and progressive meanings. Consider these examples: "The food tastes good." "President Trump is tasting the food." In the first sentence, the food does not control whether it is good or bad. As a result, the verb taste has a stative meaning because it simply describes the condition of the food. In the second sentence, "President Trump is tasting the food," the subject of the verb, President Trump, has control over his action. In addition, the action takes place over an extended period of time: Trump must think about tasting food, then raise the food to his mouth, then consider its quality. So, you could say that the verb "taste" in this example has a progressive meaning. What can you do? The next time you are reading or listening to the news, pay special attention to the verbs. Notice when the progressive form is used, and when the simple form is used. Then ask yourself why. Does the verb's subject control the action? Does the action occur over an extended period of time? Or does the verb simply describe a condition that exists? If you are still confused about whether you should use a simple or progressive verb in your own conversations, Conrad and Biber have one tip that might help you. They say that in conversations, English speakers use simple verbs around 120 times in every 1,000 words. Progressive verbs are much less common: they appear fewer than 20 times in every 1,000 words.* I'm Alice Bryant. And I'm John Russell. John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. * See Conrad, Susan and Biber, Douglas. Real Grammar: A Corpus-Based Approach to English. Pearson-Longman. 2009. Pgs. 4-6 _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story stative – adj. expressing a state, condition, or relation progressive – adj. of or relating to the progressive tense of a verb dislike – v. to not like (something or someone) undercooked – adj. not cooked enough

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/4130262.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 27

“Imagine that you wake up and feel sick. What do you have to do? If it’s a school day, or a work day, do you call or email someone?”

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/5185013.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 26

We saw that Anna learned a new game. Dan ran into her while he was playing the game. Now Anna is walking around the memorials to U.S. Presidents, learning fun facts.”

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/5185007.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 14

In this lesson, learn about describing clothing colors and sizes, making suggestions and giving compliments.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/5184980.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 1

Anna moves to Washington, DC. Learn to say hello in English.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-1/5184882.html

Hall pass

New Entry: 'Hall pass' has just been added to the Slang area of UsingEnglish.com. This entry is only available in our members' area.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/members/idioms/view.php?entry_id=27382

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 40

Anna's New Year’s Resolution is to try something new. You can learn to ask for and give feedback. Also, learn to sound more confident when you speak to a group.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-40/5182977.html

Run off with

New Entry: 'Run off with' has just been added to the Phrasal Verbs area of UsingEnglish.com.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/reference/phrasal-verbs/run.html#Run-off-with

The joy of free diving

We discuss this fascinating sport and teach you related vocabulary.

source http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07wb7zy

Wednesday, 27 November 2019

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 44

Anna goes to the supermarket to buy healthy foods. You can learn how to use “mustn’t” and “don’t have to.”

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-44/5182982.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 43

Anna lost her wallet and needs to go to her class. You can learn about using modal verbs, like "would" and "could," to ask for help politely.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-evel-1-lesson-43/5182981.html

Tuesday, 26 November 2019

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 42

Anna sees a crime and tries to help find the robbers. You can learn how to use reflexrive pronouns like herself, ourselves, and yourself.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-42/5182980.html

Let's Learn English Level 1 - Lesson 40

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 39

Anna sees a television ad, so she buys and uses a new product for her hair. You can learn about how to use prefixes with adjectives.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-39/5182974.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 41

Ms. Weaver gives Anna yearly review. Learn to use sentences that include the words “if” and “will.”

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-41/5182976.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 38

Anna’s friend Penelope visits Washington. You can practice using superlative adjectives.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/let-s-learn-english---level-1-lesson-38/5182965.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 37

Anna meets a new friend, Phil. They do not agree about people in the city. You can learn how to give a reason when you say your opinion.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-37/5182964.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 36

Anna and Marsha are cooking for friends. You can learn to talk about where objects are located and the pronunciation of compound nouns.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-36/5182955.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 35

Anna and Marsha are planning a dinner party. But Anna comes home from the store with some unusual foods for dinner. You can learn about using measure words, like "jar of" and "bag of."

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-35/5182946.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 34

Anna is going to a Halloween party. You can learn to talk about the future, using "might" and "will."

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-34/5182941.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 33

Anna explains how to play baseball. You can also learn about agent nouns and how to pronounce -er endings.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-33/5182938.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 32

Watch part of Anna’s new children’s show. You can learn about direct and indirect objects, as well as how to use interjections.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-32/5182937.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 31

Anna is trying to go to a baseball game. You can learn about comparative adjectives like "faster," and superlative adjectives like "fastest."

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-31/5182928.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 30

Anna goes to a fish market. Pete helps her buy seafood. You can learn to use count and noncount nouns and also talk about pounds and ears.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-30/5182924.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 28

Anna tells her roommate, Marsha, about the problems she had in her driving test. You can learn to use the imperative verb form and how to give bad news using 'well.'

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-28/5182920.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 29

Anna and Marsha have a lot of work to do. An advertisement makes them remember their childhood dreams. Learn to use adjectives and also talk about your own dream for the future.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-29/5182921.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 27

Anna does not feel well. She calls her boss and her doctor. Learn how to talk about being sick and how to give advice when someone is sick.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-27/5182916.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 25

Anna learns about a new game, "Catch Americana." You can see the memorials to U.S. Presidents and learns fun facts about them in this lesson.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-25/5182906.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 26

Anna plays the new video game, "Catch Americana," and learns more about U.S. Presidents. She also learns to watch where she walks! You can learn how to warn someone about dangers.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-26/5182905.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 24

Anna discovers a festival - the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall. You can learn about Basque culture; how to use the past tense, and how to talk about something when you don't know its name.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-24/5182892.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 23

Anna and her friends visit food trucks for lunch. Learn to talk about asking for the time and counting change.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-23/5182883.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 22

Anna and Amelia talk about summer vacations. Learn how to talk about your favorite season and vacation activities.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-22/5182869.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 20

Anna gives Pete advice about finding a job. Learn to talk about jobs and skills.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-20/5182284.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 19

Ms. Weaver talks with Anna about her skills. Learn to talk about what you can do. Also learn to talk about the seasons and months of the year.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-19/5182258.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 18

Anna reads the news for the first time. She learns that there is a right way and a wrong way to read the news. You can learn how to talk about facts and feelings.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-18/5182250.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 17

Anna and Marsha talk about schedules and plan activities together. Learn to talk about the things you like to do with your friends.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-17/5182242.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 16

Anna interviews tourists on the National Mall in Washington, DC. She learns about where they are from and the languages they speak. You can learn how to say your country and nationality. You can also practice talking about countries and nationalities with a friend.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-16/5182233.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 15

Anna and her friends are eating lunch outside on a beautiful day in Washington, DC. They see many different people walking by. Learn how to describe people in this lesson.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-15/5182225.html

How-to Guide: Let's Learn English - Level 1

This document contains the Table of Contents for Let's Learn English and a How-to Guide for using the course.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/5181859.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 14

Anna needs to dress for a party, so Genie helps her. You can learn how to talk about clothing colors and sizes, making suggestions and giving compliments.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-14/5181849.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 13

Anna goes to a birthday party for William Shakespeare. You can learn to talk about usual and unusual activities and how to talk about how often you do something.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-13/5181844.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 12

Anna tells Marsha about her family. Learn to talk about the people in your family.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-evel-1-lesson-12/5181839.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 11

Anna learns about her neighborhood. You can learn to ask questions and say thank you.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-11/5181835.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 10

Anna gives Ashley directions to her place. You can learn to use a picture to give and understand directions.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-10/5181810.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 9

Anna talks about the weather. You can learn to talk about the weather, use short answers, and agree or disagree.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-9/5181785.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 8

Anna learns what her coworkers do every day. You can learn to talk about the times of day and how to say you are sorry.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-08/5181740.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 7

In this lesson, you can learn how to ask questions to learn more about what people are doing.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-07/5180668.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 6

When we learn new information, we can’t always understand it all. Sometimes, we can only understand or remember a small part. When this happens, we can ask a question to get more information.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-06/5180627.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 5

Learn about naming places such as rooms in a house. You can also learn how to ask where to find places.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-05/5180609.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 4

Today you will learn how to say that you have something. You will also learn to say that another person has or does NOT have something.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-04/5180598.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 30

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/let-s-learn-english-level-1---lesson-30---speaking-practice/5180515.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 1

Introducing Let's Learn English, Level 1- Here is the Table of Contents, a How-To Guide and Lesson 1.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-how-to-guide-and-table-of-contents-lesson-1/5180314.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 08

English Grammar Made Easy #88 - Phrasal Verbs with Bring

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/english-grammar-made-easy-s2-88-phrasal-verbs-with-bring/

Big data

‘Big data’ is a hot term these days, but do you know what it means? Learn here.

source http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07vz6pn

Monday, 25 November 2019

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 07

In this lesson, you can learn how to ask questions to learn more about what people are doing.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-07/5180668.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 06

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 05

Learn about naming places such as rooms in a house. You can also learn how to ask where to find places.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-05/5180609.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 04

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 3

When we call someone we know, that person does not always answer the telephone. Sometimes another person answers the phone. Find out how Americans talk on the phone.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-3/5180564.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 2

When we meet new friends, we learn about them by asking questions. Learn about what to say in English when you meet a new person. For example, you may ask, “What is your name?” or “Where are you from?”

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-2/5180531.html

Let's Learn English Level 1 - Lesson 30

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/let-s-learn-english-level-1---lesson-30---speaking-practice/5180515.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - How-to-guide and Table of contents

Extensive Reading in English for Absolute Beginners #18 - Trees

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/extensive-reading-in-english-for-absolute-beginners-18-trees/

Sunday, 24 November 2019

Ghost

New Entry: 'Ghost' has just been added to the Slang area of UsingEnglish.com. This entry is only available in our members' area.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/members/idioms/view.php?entry_id=27378

Fleabagging

New Entry: 'Fleabagging' has just been added to the Slang area of UsingEnglish.com. This entry is only available in our members' area.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/members/idioms/view.php?entry_id=27376

Saturday, 23 November 2019

English Kids’ Songs: Easy Videos for Beginners #43 - Pretty Kitty

Learn English with EnglishClass101.com! This series is an easy way to improve your child’s English level and discover new music at the same time. Learn the song’s key words and phrases, then add it to your playlist to master it 100%. By listening over and over, your kids will learn English in the most sweet-sounding [...]

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/english-kids-songs-easy-videos-for-beginners-43-pretty-kitty/

Friday, 22 November 2019

Recommendations with Movie Vocabulary

New Entry: 'Recommendations with Movie Vocabulary' has just been added to the Lesson Plans area of UsingEnglish.com.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/lesson-plans/view-recommendations-with-movie-vocabulary/

Know Your Verbs #41 - Verb: “Put”

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/know-your-verbs-41-verb-put/

Thursday, 21 November 2019

Text Messages and Internet Forums

Today on Everyday Grammar, we will explore two relatively new methods of communicating: text messages and internet forums. We will talk about two common expressions you might see: lol* and I know, right? These expressions carry much more meaning than you might expect, as we will see. Definitions and grammar We start with the term lol. Lol is short for “laughing out loud,” as in “I am laughing out loud.” The subject, I, and the BE verb, am, have been left out. Basically, lol expresses a person’s opinion about something. You might think that is the end of the story, but it is not. The term lol has a much richer meaning than what we just told you. We will talk more about it later. Our second term, I know, right?, seems like a simple statement. The words I know are the subject and verb. The word right? is a kind of tag question – a word that is connected to the expression. But I know, right?, like lol, has a much more interesting story than you might expect. Important use in communication John McWhorter is an expert on languages. In the book Words on the Move, he notes that lol serves an important purpose in written communication: “easing.” By easing, McWhorter means actions that people do to show they are feeling at ease or trying to be nice. For example, in real life, people often laugh or smile. They do this to show they are at ease and that the situation is not too serious. Lol, McWhorter says, serves that same purpose in written communication. English speakers use lol at the beginning, middle or end of a sentence. In many cases, they use lol to soften language or bad news. Here is an example. A person borrowed a friend’s car to run a brief errand. The borrower wrote the friend the following text message: Lol your car started to overheat just as I pulled into the driveway. In this case, the person writing the text “eases” the news of the car overheating by starting the sentence with lol. The writer also could have written the statement with lol at the end of the sentence, as in: Your car started to overheat just as I pulled into the driveway lol A person might use lol in the middle of a statement as in: Bad news lol your car started to overheat! In any case, the basic idea is that lol helps make language gentler. It means far more than “laughing out loud.” In fact, it does not really relate to laughing at all. “Anyone who used LOL to signal actual laughter would now be misunderstood: it would be, quite simply, a mistake,” McWhorter writes. In writing, other acronyms have taken the place of lol to show actual laughter. Agreement Our second expression today, I know, right?, is like lol. It also serves the purpose of “easing.” But, as McWhorter notes, the words I know, right? show agreement in an indirect way. Instead of writing “I agree” or “I know” many times on internet forums or texts, many people use I know, right? It has a casual, pleasant sound. It is a nice way to agree with someone. So, you might see something like the following exchange on an internet discussion board: Wow! That cat looks like Simba from the Lion King! I know, right? It’s incredible! Imagine a change in the wording, as in: Wow! That cat looks like Simba from the Lion King! I know. Such a statement is more abrupt, and far less conversational. The exchange between the two writers probably would not continue for much longer! Closing thoughts The point of our report today was to show you how English speakers use some terms or expressions that have more meaning than you might expect. Understanding details like these will help you when you communicate or read in casual situations. And some of the details we talked about – the placement of lol for example - are true of other kinds of words in English. Adverbs are one example. The next time you read internet forums or send text messages, try to find other examples of words or expressions that native speakers use. We will be back next week with another Everyday Grammar! Lol that was a long report. I know, right? But hopefully it was fun and helpful for the listeners. I’m John Russell. And I’m Alice Bryant. John Russell wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. * You might see lol spelled in lower or upper case letters, or a mix of the two i.e. lol, LOL, Lol _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story errand – n. a short trip that you take to do or get something acronym – n. a word formed from the first letters of each one of the words in a term casual – adj. unstructured or unofficial; everyday incredible – adj. unbelievable; unimaginable abrupt – adj. talking to other people in a very brief and unfriendly way conversational – adj. relating to or suggesting informal talk; relating to or suggesting a discussion adverb – a word that changes the meaning of a verb We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/text-messages-and-internet-forums/5174449.html

Madwife

New Entry: 'Madwife' has just been added to the Slang area of UsingEnglish.com. This entry is only available in our members' area.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/members/idioms/view.php?entry_id=27375

Can robots care for us?

Can technology look after us? We discuss robot carers being introduced into social care.

source http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07vbtdf

Can robots care for us?

We discuss robot carers being introduced into social care, and teach you vocabulary.

source http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07vnjp1

Wednesday, 20 November 2019

Absolute Beginner American English for Every Day #117 - 10 Food and Drink related idioms

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/absolute-beginner-american-english-for-every-day-117-10-food-and-drink-related-idioms/

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 23

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 21

Anna and Marsha are planning a party. You can learn to make plans with friends. Also, learn about using 'then.'

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/5174086.html

Absolute Beginner American English for Every Day #118 - 10 Social Media-related Verbs

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/absolute-beginner-american-english-for-every-day-118-10-social-mediarelated-verbs/

Skunked term

New Entry: 'Skunked term' has just been added to the Slang area of UsingEnglish.com. This entry is only available in our members' area.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/members/idioms/view.php?entry_id=27373

Self-own

New Entry: 'Self-own' has just been added to the Slang area of UsingEnglish.com. This entry is only available in our members' area.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/members/idioms/view.php?entry_id=27374

Tuesday, 19 November 2019

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 19

Anna gives Pete advice about finding a job. Learn to talk about jobs and skills.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-19/5172888.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 31

Anna wants to go to see a baseball game. The question is: what is the fastest way for her to get there? Her friends Jonathan and Ashley give her advice. You can learn about comparing two or more things.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-31/5172885.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 5

Today we will learn about naming places, such as rooms in a house. We will also learn how to ask where to find places.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-5/5172825.html

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 4

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 2

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 3

Let's Learn English - Level 1 - Lesson 34

In this lesson, Anna wants to go to a Halloween party. But she needs a costume. Her friend Genie helps her find the right one. You can learn about using “might” and “will” to talk about the future.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-level-1-lesson-34/5172638.html

English Grammar Made Easy S2 #87 - Barely vs Almost

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/english-grammar-made-easy-s2-87-barely-vs-almost/

Must-Know American English Social Media Phrases #11 - Changing Your Relationship Status

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/mustknow-american-english-social-media-phrases-11-changing-your-relationship-status/

Punch above your weight

It sounds violent, but this phrase might surprise you!

source http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07v9fqd

Monday, 18 November 2019

Business English- Describing Your Company and Job- Longer Speaking Games

New Entry: 'Business English- Describing Your Company and Job- Longer Speaking Games' has just been added to the Lesson Plans area of UsingEnglish.com.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/lesson-plans/view-business-english-describing-your-company-and-job-longer-speaking-games/

Sunday, 17 November 2019

English Vocab Builder #177 - Government

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/english-vocab-builder-177-government/

Saturday, 16 November 2019

English Kids’ Songs: Easy Videos for Beginners #42 - Magic E

Learn English with EnglishClass101.com! This series is an easy way to improve your child’s English level and discover new music at the same time. Learn the song’s key words and phrases, then add it to your playlist to master it 100%. By listening [...]

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/english-kids-songs-easy-videos-for-beginners-42-magic-e/

How to teach advice, recommendations and suggestions

New Entry: 'How to teach advice, recommendations and suggestions' has just been added to the Articles area of UsingEnglish.com.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/articles/how-to-teach-advice-recommendations-suggestions.html

Thursday, 14 November 2019

Cleft Sentences in Speaking, Writing

This is Everyday Grammar. Today, I want to begin by asking you to listen to two sentences and compare their meanings. Are the meanings the same or different? Here are the sentences: Sammy ate the pizza. It was Sammy who ate the pizza. So, what did you decide? This is the answer: The first sentence, “Sammy ate the pizza,” is just a simple statement of fact. The speaker isn’t trying to emphasize – or, call attention to – anything special here. But in the second sentence, “It was Sammy who ate the pizza,” the speaker is emphasizing that Sammy did the action, not some other person. It is an example of a cleft sentence. Cleft sentences are one of many ways English speakers use to emphasize part of a sentence. On today’s program, we will talk about the most common type of cleft sentences: the it-cleft. What is a cleft sentence? The word “cleft” means partially divided or split. Cleft sentences are “divided” into two parts to emphasize something. We use a cleft sentence to add new or important information to what the listener already knows. They are especially useful in written form because, in writing, we can’t show stress with our voices. However, some types of clefts, such as the it-cleft, are also common in speaking. Think about the example again. Suppose you were late to a pizza party. Your friend said she would save you two pieces. But by the time you arrived, all the pizza was gone. You think you know who ate your slices. Listen to a short exchange: Claudia ate the pizza, didn’t she? She loves pizza. No. It was Sammy who ate the pizza. He came late, too, and didn’t know I was saving it for you. In this example, your friend uses a cleft sentence to emphasize that Sammy ate your pizza, not Claudia. It-clefts Now that you have a basic understanding, let’s explore it-clefts. The structure of these sentences tells us exactly what word or words we are supposed to pay attention to. The structure is: It + BE verb + emphasized information + who/that/when + known information Notice that the emphasized information always appears after It + BE verb. Most it-clefts use the past tense of BE and begin with the words “It was.” Listen to a simple sentence and I’ll show you the possible it-clefts. Here’s the simple sentence: The girls won the top science prize yesterday. A few things can be emphasized in this sentence. Here are three possible it-clefts: It was the girls who won the top science prize yesterday. Here, the speaker is noting that the girls, not the boys or some other group, won the top prize. It was yesterday when the girls won the top science prize. Here, the speaker is noting that their win happened yesterday, not some other day. It was the top science prize that the girls won yesterday. And here, the speaker is noting that the girls won the top science prize, not second, third or last prize. A tale of two clauses It-cleft sentences are usually made of two clauses. You may remember that a clause is a part of a sentence that has its own subject and verb. Some clauses can be complete sentences on their own. They are independent clauses. Some cannot be complete sentences. They are dependent clauses. It-cleft sentences have both an independent clause and a dependent clause. It + BE verb is the independent clause. The rest of the sentence is a dependent clause. Sound complex? Not to worry! You can learn more about clauses in other Everyday Grammar programs. The goal today is knowing how to make it-cleft sentences and knowing they have two parts -- the first part with new information; the second with known or old information. For instance, in the sentence “It was the girls who won the top science prize yesterday,” the first part, “It was the girls,” has new information. The second part, “…won the top science prize yesterday,” is information already known to the listener. More about it-clefts Wow, I’ve said a mouthful already! But I want to briefly tell you one more thing: Cleft sentences often take other forms in everyday speech and writing. For example, they can take a question form, like this: Was it the girls who won the top science prize yesterday? They can also take a negative form, like this: It wasn’t the girls who won the top science prize yesterday. That’s all for now. Watch for other programs on cleft sentences in the coming weeks. I’m Alice Bryant. Alice Bryant wrote this story for Everyday Grammar. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story emphasize - n. to give special importance or attention given to something (synonym of stress) type - n. a particular kind or group of things or people stress - n. special importance or attention that is given to something (synonym of emphasis)

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/cleft-sentences-in-speaking-writing/5164836.html

Tuesday, 31 December 2019

Monday, 30 December 2019

Sunday, 29 December 2019

Saturday, 28 December 2019

Thursday, 26 December 2019