Lesson 13: Happy Birthday, William Shakespeare!

Summary It's a Sunday afternoon in Washington, D.C. Anna is bored. She finds something interesting to do when she hears music playing.    Speaking In this video, learn to say the new words. Learn to talk about cause and effect. You can also download the Activity Sheet and practice talking about your usual - and unusual - activities. Pronunciation ​In this video, you ​learn about what happens when two words with same sound come together.​ Conversation   Anna: Hello! In Washington D.C. there are many things to do on a Sunday afternoon. I like to exercise. I like to shop. I like to garden. But today I feel bored. When I feel bored I always look for something unusual to do! I hear music. Let’s go see! What is going on here? Rebecca: It’s a big birthday party for the writer William Shakespeare. Anna: This is a party for William Shakespeare? Rebecca: Yes! Anna: Awesome! Rebecca: Awesome! Anna: This is a drum band. I never listen to a drum band. But today I am listening to a drum band because it’s Shakespeare’s birthday! Anna: This is a puppet show.  I never watch puppet shows. But today I am watching a puppet show because it’s Shakespeare’s birthday! Anna: My clothes are usual. His clothes are unusual. Anna: In Washington, D.C. seeing a politician or even the President is usual. Seeing the Queen of England is very unusual! Your majesty! Anna: This is sword fighting. I never sword fight. But today I am sword fighting because it’s Shakespeare’s birthday! Anna: There are many things to do on a Sunday in Washington, D.C. -- some usual, some unusual. Anna: Today, I am not bored because … it is William Shakespeare’s birthday!   Writing What do you usually do on a Sunday afternoon? (Or on your day off.)​ Send us an email or write about how frequently you do different activities in the Comments section. Click on the image below to download the Activity Sheet and practice with a friend. Learning Strategy Learning Strategies are the thoughts and actions that help make learning easier or more effective. The learning strategy for this lesson is Make an Inference. Learning English is easier when you can make an inference about meaning. Here is an example. Rory is traveling. At the airport, he is looking for his airline when he walks into a woman by mistake. She yells at him, "Hey, don't be so inconsiderate! Watch where you're going!" Rory does not know the word "inconsiderate." But the woman's angry face and loud voice help him to understand that she is angry. He makes the inference that "inconsiderate" means "rude," or "impolite," and he quickly apologizes. "Oh, I'm very sorry! I am looking for the airline desk."  The woman says, "Okay, but be more careful." How do you make inferences in studying 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. ______________________________________________________________ New Words   band – n. a usually small group of musicians who play popular music together because – conj. for the reason that birthday - n. the day when someone was born or the anniversary of that day bored – adj. tired and annoyed by too much of the same thing; not interested drum - n. a musical instrument that is made with a thin layer of skin or plastic stretched over the end of a round frame and that is played by hitting the skin or plastic with sticks or with your hands exercise – v. physical activity that is done in order to become stronger and healthier fight - v. to use weapons or physical force to try to hurt someone, to defeat an enemy, etc. or to struggle in battle or physical combat party - n. a social event in which entertainment, food, and drinks are provided politician - n. someone who is active in government usually as an elected official President - n. the head of the government in some countries puppet - n. a doll that is moved by putting your hand inside it or by pulling strings or wires that are attached to it Queen -  n. a woman who rules a country and who usually inherits her position and rules for life shop – v. to visit places where goods are sold in order to look at and buy things show - n. a performance in a theater that usually includes singing and dancing sword - n. a weapon with a long metal blade that has a sharp point and edge unusual - adj. different or strange in a way that attracts attention usual – adj. done, found, or used most of the time or in most cases, or normal or regular watch -  v. to look at (someone or something) for an amount of time and pay attention to what is happening   ______________________________________________________________ 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 using frequency adverbs to talk about      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: Frequency adverbs, cause and effect phrases Topics: Usual and unusual activities Learning Strategy: Make an Inference Speaking & Pronunciation Focus: Using frequency adverbs to talk about cause and effect; blended sounds ______________________________________________________________ Now it's your turn. Send us an email or write to us in the Comments section below or on our Facebook page to let us know what you think of this lesson.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-lesson-13-happy-birthday-william-shakespeare/3312239.html

Know Your Verbs #15 - Verb: “Stand”

Lesson Video Download Video

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/know-your-verbs-15-verb-stand/

Do You See What I See?

  It was beautiful in Washington, DC, this morning! I could see the sun shining and hear birds singing. So, I decided to walk to work. As I walked down 6th Street, I smelled a delicious scent. I followed it and found a lovely French bakery! There, I saw all kinds of baked goods. So, I bought a delicious croissant and it tasted wonderful. Now that I’m here, I can tell you all about sense verbs – verbs related to the five senses: smell, hearing, sight, taste and touch. Some senses have more than one verb. We’ll see examples of many of them today. But first, let’s learn what makes these verbs so special. Why are they special? To start, sense verbs can act as linking verbs or action verbs, giving each verb two or more meanings. Linking verbs connect the subject to a word or group of words that describe or identify it. Take the sentence “My forehead feels hot.” Here, “feels” is a linking verb. It connects the subject (my forehead) to the description of it (hot). But, as action verbs, sense verbs describe a physical or mental action. For example, “I felt my forehead” and “I touched my forehead” use action verbs. They express having put one’s hand on the forehead, which is a physical action. Making sentences Second, linking verbs and action verbs have different sentence structure. For linking verbs, the structure is subject + linking verb + more information about the subject. As linking verbs, sense verbs are often followed by adjectives or the word “like” plus a noun phrase. They are not followed by objects or adverbs. In the sentence, “My forehead feels hot,” the word “hot” is an adjective that describes the subject (my forehead). We do not use adverbs – such as hotly – after linking verbs. And, if I say, “My forehead feels like a frying pan,” I am using the linking verb structure like + a noun phrase. The noun phrase is “a frying pan.” For action verbs, the structure is subject + action verb + the rest of the sentence. As action verbs, sense verbs are often followed by objects. In the sentence, “I touched my forehead,” the words “my forehead” are the object. Happening now? Third, we do not usually use sense linking verbs in continuous forms – the be + -ing verb forms. We would not say, for example, “My forehead is feeling hot” even if it is happening right now.   But, as action verbs, we sometimes do use sense verbs in the continuous form. For example, someone might ask by phone, “Did you taste the food?” And, the other person might answer, “I am tasting it right now.”   A little verb game! Okay, now let’s play a game! I will give you two examples for each sense. Your job is to think about which uses a linking verb and which uses an action verb. Then, write your answers in the comments area. Here’s a hint: If you can replace the verb with “is” and the sentence still makes sense, it is probably a linking verb. For example, if I replace “feel” with “is,” the sentence “My forehead is hot” still makes sense. Touch We will start with the sense of touch. One example is about physical touch. The other is a description of a physical state: Feel my skin. It’s so dry. Your skin does feel dry! Here – use my lotion. Smell Now, let’s try the verb “smell.” One meaning is about using the nose to physically take in a smell. The other is about noticing the smell of something. She leaned over and smelled the food. Your food smells delicious. Can I have some? Taste Next is the verb “taste.” One meaning is to take a small amount of food into the mouth to learn its flavor. The other describes the flavor of something. Can you taste the fish? I added more lemon. I just tried it. It tastes like a big lemon! Sight For the sense of sight, we can use the verb “see” or “look,” depending on what we want to say. It’s really dark in here. I can’t see anything! I just found the lights. Wow, you look frightened. Hearing And, finally, we move to the sense of hearing. We can use the verb “hear” or “sound,” depending on what we want to say. Now for examples. I hear singing outside my window. I wonder who it is. Your voice sounds lovely! Where’d you learn to sing?   Well, we hope you liked what you heard. See you next week! And don’t forget to tell us your answers in the comments area. I’m Alice Bryant. Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.   subject linking verb more about subject  My forehead  feels  hot.  The chocolate croissant  tasted  wonderful.  It  smells  like a flower.   subject action verb object  I  felt  my forehead.  She  tasted  the chocolate croissant.  The woman  smelled  the flowers.   _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story scent – n. a pleasant smell that is produced by something croissant – n. a type of bread roll that has a curved shape and is usually eaten at breakfast  forehead – n. the part of the face above the eyes object – n. a noun, pronoun or noun phrase which indicates the person or thing that receives the action of a verb pan – n. a usually shallow and open metal container that has a handle and that is used for cooking or baking lotion – n. a liquid that is rubbed onto your skin or hair flavor – n. the quality of something that you can taste

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/do-you-see-what-i-see-/4678707.html

Do You See What I See?

  It was beautiful in Washington, DC, this morning! I could see the sun shining and hear birds singing. So, I decided to walk to work. As I walked down 6th Street, I smelled a delicious scent. I followed it and found a lovely French bakery! There, I saw all kinds of baked goods. So, I bought delicious croissant and it tasted wonderful. Now that I’m here, I can tell you all about sense verbs – verbs related to the five senses: smell, hearing, sight, taste and touch. Some senses have more than one verb. We’ll see examples of many of them today. But first, let’s learn what makes these verbs so special. Why are they special? To start, sense verbs can act as linking verbs or action verbs, giving each verb two or more meanings. Linking verbs connect the subject to a word or group of words that describe or identify it. Take the sentence “My forehead feels hot.” Here, “feels” is a linking verb. It connects the subject (my forehead) to the description of it (hot). But, as action verbs, sense verbs describe a physical or mental action. For example, “I felt my forehead” and “I touched my forehead” use action verbs. They express having put one’s hand on the forehead, which is a physical action. Making sentences Second, linking verbs and action verbs have different sentence structure. For linking verbs, the structure is subject + linking verb + more information about the subject. As linking verbs, sense verbs are often followed by adjectives or the word “like” plus a noun phrase. They are not followed by objects or adverbs. In the sentence, “My forehead feels hot,” the word “hot” is an adjective that describes the subject (my forehead). We do not use adverbs – such as hotly – after linking verbs. And, if I say, “My forehead feels like a frying pan,” I am using the linking verb structure like + a noun phrase. The noun phrase is “a frying pan.” For action verbs, the structure is subject + action verb + the rest of the sentence. As action verbs, sense verbs are often followed by objects. In the sentence, “I touched my forehead,” the words “my forehead” are the object. Happening now? Third, we do not usually use sense linking verbs in continuous forms – the be + -ing verb forms. We would not say, for example, “My forehead is feeling hot” even if it is happening right now.   But, as action verbs, we sometimes do use sense verbs in the continuous form. For example, someone might ask by phone, “Did you taste the food?” And, the other person might answer, “I am tasting it right now.”   A little verb game! Okay, now let’s play a game! I will give you two examples for each sense. Your job is to think about which uses a linking verb and which uses an action verb. Then, write your answers in the comments area. Here’s a hint: If you can replace the verb with “is” and the sentence still makes sense, it is probably a linking verb. For example, if I replace “feel” with “is,” the sentence “My forehead is hot” still makes sense. Touch We will start with the sense of touch. One example is about physical touch. The other is a description of a physical state: Feel my skin. It’s so dry. Your skin does feel dry! Here – use my lotion. Smell Now, let’s try the verb “smell.” One meaning is about using the nose to physically take in a smell. The other is about noticing the smell of something. She leaned over and smelled the food. Your food smells delicious. Can I have some? Taste Next is the verb “taste.” One meaning is to take a small amount of food into the mouth to learn its flavor. The other describes the flavor of something. Can you taste the fish? I added more lemon. I just tried it. It tastes like a big lemon! Sight For the sense of sight, we can use the verb “see” or “look,” depending on what we want to say. It’s really dark in here. I can’t see anything! I just found the lights. Wow, you look frightened. Hearing And, finally, we move to the sense of hearing. We can use the verb “hear” or “sound,” depending on what we want to say. Now for examples. I hear singing outside my window. I wonder who it is. Your voice sounds lovely! Where’d you learn to sing?   Well, we hope you liked what you heard. See you next week! And don’t forget to tell us your answers in the comments area. I’m Alice Bryant. Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.   subject linking verb more about subject  My forehead  feels  hot.  The chocolate croissant  tasted  wonderful.  It  smells  like a flower.   subject action verb object  I  felt  my forehead.  She  tasted  the chocolate croissant.  The woman  smelled  the flowers.   _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   scent – n. a pleasant smell that is produced by something croissant – n. a type of bread roll that has a curved shape and is usually eaten at breakfast  forehead – n. the part of the face above the eyes object – n. a noun, pronoun or noun phrase which indicates the person or thing that receives the action of a verb lotion – n. a liquid that is rubbed onto your skin or hair flavor – n. the quality of something that you can taste

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/do-you-see-what-i-see-/4678707.html

All About American English — Talk Show #20 - English Scary Stories

Learn English with EnglishClass101.com! English is a versatile language, and every speaker has their own favorite words and phrases. This new video lesson will help you boost your English vocab while you listen to our hosts Alisha and Michael chat about some English topics.In this lesson, [...]

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/all-about-american-english-talk-show-20-english-scary-stories/

Do you take photos of your food?

Rob and Neil talk about food photos on social media.

source http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06t5dl1

Guess the Future Time- Predictions Practice

New Entry: 'Guess the Future Time- Predictions Practice' has just been added to the Lesson Plans area of UsingEnglish.com.

source https://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/lesson-plans/view-guess-the-future-time-predictions-practice/