Tech, Communication Apps, and Grammar

  Person-to-person communications have changed a lot over the past few months. Stay-at-home orders and travel restrictions have limited travel and face-to-face contact. In place of these, many people now use computer software apps, such as Zoom, Skype and Google Hangouts. This technology will be the subject of our Everyday Grammar story today. Humor and technology The American television show Saturday Night Live has used video calling in its most recent programs. Often, technology is behind the humor in each short sketch. Consider this example. A television show broadcasts a “live” interview with a news reporter. The reporter’s teenage daughter is filming him on her mobile phone. She uses unusual Snapchat filters to film her father. He does not realize what she is doing.   If you are just tuning in, the funny filters on Brian are not us. Yeah, my daughter said the camera looks fine, so...not sure what is going on, guys. These lines give you an example of a common grammatical feature of video calls: linking verbs. What are linking verbs? Linking verbs are verbs that link an adjective or noun with a subject. Let me explain. Imagine you are on a video call. One person might say, “The sound is good.” The verb BE links the adjective good with the subject of the sentence, the sound. Linking verbs are generally used to describe a state of existence or a change of state. So, in the example sentence, by saying “The sound is good,” the speaker is describing the quality of the video’s sound. Other kinds of linking verbs show changes of state or condition. We will explore that issue a little later in the program. Common linking verbs The good news for you is this: There are not too many linking verbs. English speakers use maybe 20 or 30 of them in everyday speech. Examples include verbs such as seem, appear, or become, as well as verbs of the senses – sound, feel, taste and so on. The words go and get are often used as linking verbs. As linking verbs, they generally carry a bad or negative meaning. They suggest a change to a negative state, and usually go with adjectives that have a negative meaning. Imagine you hear someone describe what happened after a failed video call: “He got angry after something went wrong with the video.” In the example, the linking verb got connects the adjective angry with the subject, he. Got shows that the person’s emotional state changed. The sentence also has a second linking verb, went, the past tense of go. It links the word something with the adjective wrong. Any number of sentences with linking verbs could be used in a video call, or to describe a video call. Imagine you are talking to a friend who is beginning to suffer from ‘Zoom fatigue’ - a term that means growing tired of using Zoom too much. Your friend might say, “I have to go now, I’m getting tired.” or “I need to take a break, I’m getting frustrated.” As I said before – and as the examples show - linking verbs are generally followed by an adjective or a noun. In other words, they do not usually end sentences. Keep that point in mind if you try writing sentences with linking verbs! Closing thoughts The next time that you do a video call, try to think of linking verbs that might be useful to describe the state – or change of state – in each call. Over time, you will begin to use common linking verbs and adjectives with ease. We end the report today with a short quiz. At the beginning of the story, we played the following exchange: If you are just tuning in, the funny filters on Brian are not us. Yeah, my daughter said the camera looks fine, so...not sure what is going on, guys. Can you identify the linking verb? What are the important clues for telling you where the linking verb is? Write to us in the Comments Section of our website, learningenglish.voanews.com. And that’s Everyday Grammar. I’m John Russell.   John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________   Words in This Story   application – n. a computer program that performs a particular task (such as word processing) sketch -- n.  a short, funny performance interview -- n. a meeting between a reporter and another person in order to get information for a news story​ mobile -- adj. able to be moved​ filter – n. a device that prevents some kinds of light, sound, electronic noises, etc., from passing through; OR an app that adds some kind of light, sound, electronic noise, etc. feature – n. an interesting or important part, quality, ability, etc. frustrated – adj. discouraged or upset because of being unable to do or complete something quiz -- n. a short spoken or written test that is often taken without preparation clue -- n. something that helps a person find something, understand something, or solve a mystery or puzzle  

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/tech-communication-apps-and-grammar/5397845.html

Tech, Communication Apps, and Grammar

source https://av.voanews.com/clips/VLE/2020/04/29/3fb1c759-1c5d-4887-8821-5fd0cd050fcf_hq.mp3

Tips for parents coping with kids at home

How do you cope with children at home during the lockdown? That's what we discuss.

source http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08bwkpm

Bin off

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

source https://www.usingenglish.com/reference/phrasal-verbs/bin.html#Bin-off

English Grammar Made Easy S1 #110 - Education-Related Expressions

learn useful education-related expressions

source https://www.englishclass101.com/lesson/english-grammar-made-easy-110-educationrelated-expressions

Cabin fever

Some people suffer from this experience.Find out what it means.

source http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08bnz62

Grammar Games at Home: Simon Says

This is Everyday Grammar. And today, I’ll start the program with a question: If I told you to touch your toes, would you know where to find these body parts? A toe is one of the five separate parts at the end of each foot. If you did not know that, you are not alone. Many English learners need practice at learning the names of parts of the body. On recent programs, I talked about grammar games that you can play at home, like Jeopardy and Questions and Answers.  Today’s game is one that will help you remember anatomy words as you also practice using the imperative – the grammatical form used in commands. The game is called Simon Says and you can play it with people at home and on video calls.  Many Americans played Simon Says as children -- but of course we were using our native language. Playing the game in a foreign language is a totally different experience. It makes the game more challenging and turns it into a learning tool. But it is also fun! Simon Says is a physical game and you can play it inside your home or outside in the yard.    In addition to using the imperative and building your vocabulary, Simon Says also helps you practice saying and hearing new words in English. You will even get a little physical exercise – and, hopefully, a few laughs. Playing the game To start the game, you will need three or more players but no more than eight. This way everyone can see the movements of the other players. One player at a time leads the game. The leader calls out commands to the group. If the leader says “Simon says” in ordering the command, the other players must carry out that command. But if the words “Simon says” are not included in the command, the players must remain still. Listen to this example and you’ll hear what I mean: Simon says jump on one foot. Simon says look up. Simon says touch your ears. Simon says run in place. Turn around. If any players turn around on the last command, they lose and leave the game. The last player remaining in the game wins! Then, the winning player can become the leader and everyone plays again. Or if no one wins, the group can choose a new leader. Using the imperative Now that you know how the game works, we can talk a little bit more about the imperative. Did you notice that I used only the imperative form in the commands? I said, for example, “Simon says touch your ears.” The command there is “touch your ears” and the verb is “touch.” English commands begin with a verb and use the shortest verb form with no s- ending. Players giving commands cannot use questions such as “Simon says, can you turn around?” or modal verbs, as in “Simon says you must turn around.” Neither of these are examples of the imperative form. One small piece of advice: Before starting the game, choose a level of difficulty based on the English skills of the players. You can make the game easier or harder by giving commands more quickly or slowly and by choosing vocabulary that is easy or hard. Well, that’s all for today’s program. Simon says try playing the game and let us know how it goes! I’m Alice Bryant.   Alice Bryant wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. Do you have a similar game in your country or native language? Write to us in the comments and tell us about it! ___________________________________________________________________   Words in This Story   anatomy - n. the parts that form a living thing, such as an animal or plant challenging - adj. difficult in a way that is usually interesting or enjoyable yard - n. an outdoor area that is next to a house and is usually covered by grass vocabulary -  n. the words that make up a language practice - v. to do something again and again in order to get better at it modal verb - n. a verb (such as can, must or should) that is usually used with another verb to express ideas such as possibility, necessity, and permission ___________________________________________________________________   Choosing Vocabulary   Before you play, choose the level of difficulty for the game. You can make the game faster and pick harder words for more fluent speakers. Examples of more commonly known words for body parts include eyes, ears, nose, mouth, face, hands and feet. Less known are words including knees, shoulders, elbows, stomach and forehead.   Verbs more widely understood include touch, stand, sit, jump, run, turn, close and move. Less commonly known verbs include wiggle, hop, jog, shake, kick, cross and bend. If you choose harder words, it is a good idea to discuss them with the players before starting the game. You can practice before you play. For help saying new words, visit a website that lets you hear the words as they are spoken, such as Merriam Webster’s Learners Dictionary.

source https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/grammar-games-at-home-simon-says/5382485.html