Opinions on Health

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Lesson 9: Is It Cold?

Summary Anna wants to know about the weather in Washington, D.C. She asks her phone. The phone tells her about the weather - but is the phone right?   Speaking In this video, learn to say the new words. Learn to talk about weather and how to make your voice go up or down to show feelings with the word, "oh." You can also download the Activity Sheet and practice talking about weather with a friend. Pronunciation ​In this video, you ​learn how Americans say short answers with no break between the words.  Conversation   Anna: Oh, hi, everyone! Here in Washington, DC, the weather changes often. One day is cold and windy. But the next day is warm and sunny!  So, every day I check the forecast. Hello, Phone? What is today’s temperature? Phone: Today it is 18 degrees ... Anna: Eighteen degrees! That is cold! Phone: … eighteen degrees Celsius. Anna: Oh, Celsius. That is 65 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s warm. Phone: Yes, Anna. It is warm. Anna: Excuse me, Phone. Is it windy today? Phone: No, it is not windy today. Anna: Is it sunny today? Phone: Yes, Anna. It is sunny. Anna: Excuse me, Phone? Phone: Yes, Anna. Anna: Is it snowy today? Phone: No, Anna. It is not snowy. Anna: Thank you, Phone! Anna: Today the weather is warm and sunny -- great for seeing Washington, D.C. Anna: Phone! It is not warm and sunny! It is cold and windy and snowy! Phone: Anna, it is not cold, windy, or snowy. It is warm and sunny … in Mexico City, Mexico. Anna: Oh. I see. Mexico. Anna: Washington weather changes often. Remember to check the forecast -- the right forecast. Phone: Yes, Anna. Next time remember to check the right fore… Anna: Okay, thank you Phone. Goodbye, Phone. Anna: Until next time!   Writing What is the weather where you are? You can see some examples in the Activity Sheet. Click on the image below to download it. Send us an email or write to us about your town's weather in the Comments section. Learning Strategy Learning Strategies are the thoughts and actions that help make learning easier or more effective. The learning strategy for this lesson is Look for Ways to Practice. We learn to speak by practicing often. Here is an example. Nina sits on the bus next to a friendly American woman. Looking for a way to practice English, Nina asks, "What is the weather in your city?" The woman tells her about her home town, Tampa, Florida. "It's very warm and sunny." Nina can now practice speaking English with the woman until her bus stop.  How do you find ways to practice English? Write to us in the Comments section or send us an email. Teachers, see the Lesson Plan for more details on teaching this strategy. Listening Quiz Test your understanding by taking this listening quiz. Play the video, then choose the best answer. ​ New Words Celsius - adj. relating to or having a scale for measuring temperature on which the boiling point of water is at 100 degrees and the freezing point of water is at 0 degrees change - v. to become different check -v. to get information by looking at something, asking about something, etc. cold - adj. having a very low temperature​ degree - n. a unit for measuring temperature Fahrenheit - adj. relating to or having a scale for measuring temperature on which the boiling point of water is at 212 degrees above zero and the freezing point is at 32 degrees above zero forecast - n. a statement about what you think is going to happen in the future​ phone - n. a device that is connected to a telephone system and that you use to listen or speak to someone who is somewhere else​ snowy - adj. having falling snow or covered with snow​ sunny - adj. having plenty of bright sunlight​ temperature - n. a measurement that indicates how hot or cold something is; a measurement in degrees showing the heat of something (such as air or water)​ warm - adj. somewhat hot; not cool or cold​ weather - n. the temperature and other outside conditions (such as rain, cloudiness, etc.) at a particular time and place windy - adj. having a lot of wind ______________________________________________________________ Free Materials Download the VOA Learning English Word Book for a dictionary of the words we use on this website. Each Let's Learn English lesson has an Activity Sheet for extra practice on your own or in the classroom. In this lesson, you can use it to practice a conversation about weather in different places. For Teachers See the Lesson Plan for this lesson for ideas and more teaching resources. Send us an email if you have comments on this course or questions. Grammar focus: Short answers;  Topics: Talk about weather; agree and disagree; use Fahrenheit or Celsius Speaking & Pronunciation Focus: Intonation of 'oh;' reduced form of short affirmative answers

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How to teach British and American grammar

New Entry: 'How to teach British and American grammar' has just been added to the Articles area of UsingEnglish.com.

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Must-Know American English Slang Words & Phrases #19 - Expressions for Someone Who is Annoying

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English Grammar Made Easy #33 - Taste vs Flavor

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Dumbphone

Learn a new name for old tech

source http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06qwwdp

Use Fewer Words but Say More

  American comedian George Carlin is remembered for telling jokes about politics, religion and even the English language. He used humor to express his dislike of things such as misused words and the overuse of common expressions. One of his pet peeves was when television reporters and program hosts used redundancies. The word “redundancy” has a few meanings. The one we will explore today involves use of a word or phrase that repeats something else and is not needed. Carlin made fun of redundant phrases such as “honest truth” “plan ahead” and “join together” in his stand-up comedy act and books. On this Everyday Grammar program, we will talk about common redundancies and suggest ways to avoid them in writing. Why use redundancy? English speakers often speak in a repetitive style. It is so deeply ingrained in us that we rarely notice it. In fact, I just used a somewhat redundant phrase: deeply ingrained. So why do English speakers use redundancy? Well, we sometimes do it for emphasis. One might say, “Personally, I would rather go to the parade.” The word “personally” is unneeded but makes a stronger statement. Other times, redundancy makes very direct language sound kinder, such as in indirect questions. Redundant language also is used in some forms of writing, such as literature, speech writing and legal writing. But in other kinds of formal writing, redundancy is not a good idea. That includes school-related and business writing. It can weaken statements and make readers lose interest in the subject. “Less is more” is a good rule to follow as one attempts to produce quality written work. So now let’s explore five common redundancies to look out for. Introducing examples The first one is in setting up examples. In formal writing, we use phrases like “for example” “for instance” and “such as” to present examples. So, adding the phrases “and so on” “and more” or the Latin term “et cetera” to a list of examples is redundant. Here is an example of what to avoid: Carlin often joked about redundant phrases such as “honest truth” “plan ahead” and “join together” and more. You can rewrite it by removing the phrases “such as” or “and more.” You don’t need both. Adding information Another problem happens when trying to present additional information on a subject. When starting a sentence with phrases such as “in addition to” “like” or “also,” one should avoid using one of these same phrases in the statement. Here is an example of what not to write: In addition to condemning the violence, they also protested the new policies. You should remove the word “also” in the second part of the sentence since “in addition to” already expresses the idea of “also.” Redundant pairs Another problem is what are called “redundant pairs” -- two words that together suggest each other. This includes a phrase such as “future plans.” We know, for instance, that “plans” are about the future. “End result” and “final outcome” are other examples. Redundant pairs can also involve putting a useless preposition after a verb. Think of the phrase “protest against.” The verb “protest” already expresses the idea of being “against” something. Overusing adverbs Another kind of redundancy is the overuse or misuse of adverbs. The adverbs “very,” “really,” “extremely” and “incredibly” are examples of intensifiers. They make adjectives stronger. Intensifiers are often not a wise choice for formal writing, however. “Very unique” is an example of a misused intensifier. The word “very” is redundant because “unique” means “very special or unusual.” Other adverbs are simply needless. Two such examples are the phrases “shouted loudly” and “completely destroyed.” We know that destruction suggests total ruin and shouting refers to being very loud. Time-related phrases Writers in English are also guilty of wordy time-related phrases. For example, the phrase “period of time” and “time period” are redundant since “period” refers to a measure of time. A few others are “at the present time” (which can be replaced with “at present”); “delay until later” (which can be replaced with “delay”); and “since the time when” (which can be replaced with “since”). Writing sample Now, let’s hear an example of a sentence that uses more words than necessary to express an idea. It comes from the Purdue University Online Writing Lab: Before the travel agent was completely able to finish explaining the various differences among all of the many very unique vacation packages his travel agency was offering, the customer changed her future plans. And here is how Purdue suggests rewriting it: Before the travel agent finished explaining the differences among the unique vacation packages his travel agency was offering, the customer changed her plans. The rewritten sentence is shorter and clearer. Ways to avoid redundancy Here are three things that may help you avoid redundancy in formal written work: First, plan time to write. This will give you space to carefully examine and rewrite your work until you are satisfied with the result. Starting a formal writing task late is never a good idea. Choose your words wisely. As you write, use words that help remove redundant language. Instead of writing “very tired,” for instance, write “exhausted.” Instead of “looked closely,” you might write “examined.” And, finally, avoid fillers – words and phrases that add no meaning but just fill space, such as wordy time phrases. Supervisors and professors usually disapprove of and can easily identify fillers. I’m Alice Bryant.   Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   pet peeve – n. something that annoys or bothers a person very much host – n. a person who talks to guests on a television or radio show phrase – n. a group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not usually form a complete sentence ingrained – adj. deeply rooted: existing for a long time and very difficult to change emphasis – n. a forceful quality in the way something is said or written unique – adj. very special or unusual online – adj. done over the Internet various – adj. referring to several different or many different things, people, etc. task – n. a piece of work that has been given to someone

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/use-fewer-words-but-say-more/4638445.html