Tue, 27 November 2007 Spoken directions: In this podcast you will first hear a short monolog about a job application and references. References are people who can describe what kind of person you are or what kind of work you have done. After listening to the monolog, you will hear it again, one sentence at a time. Repeat each sentence. We will do the whole monolog this way three times, so that the language can really plant itself in your brain. The idea is that it will still be there when you want to use it sometime in the future. Monolog: I'm filling out an application for a new job. I'm not sure who to give as a reference. They usually get in touch with at least one reference. So you want references to say good things about you. But a reference on an application shouldn't be just a friend. References on applications should be people who know how you work. And the longer a reference has known you, the better. Comments[1] |
Tue, 11 September 2007 Las Vegas is one of the most ridiculous places anywhere. It is a make-believe world for adults. People go there determined to have a good time. There is more than one definition of a good time. Gambling is naturally the big attraction. For some people gambling is an addiction. They are just unable to stop. The ads for Las Vegas show everyone laughing as they win money. The reality is unsmiling people who are losing money. The entertainment is first-class. There are many excellent restaurants. Many of the hotels represent foreign places. France is a couple of blocks from Egypt and across the street from Italy. That's the general idea. Prepare yourself if you are planning to visit Vegas. Calculate the exact amount of money you want to gamble. Don't expect to win. Understand that much of what you experience there is fake. Get ready to empty your mind and have a good time. Las Vegas is one of the most ridiculous places anywhere. Las Vegas has to be among the silliest places on the face of the earth. It is a make-believe world for adults. It is a fantasy-land for grown-ups. People go there determined to have a good time. People travel there intent on enjoying themselves. There is more than one definition of a good time. Of course, the words "good time" don’t meant the same to everybody. Gambling is naturally the big attraction. It goes without saying that gambling is the big attraction. For some people gambling is an addiction. Some people are addicted to gambling. They are just unable to stop. They are simply incapable of stopping. The ads for Las Vegas show everyone laughing as they win money. The ads for Las Vegas are filled with laughing people winning money. The reality is unsmiling people who are losing money. What you see there are somber people losing money. The entertainment is first-class. The entertainment is world-class. There are many excellent restaurants. There is an abundance of good places to eat. Many of the hotels represent foreign places. A lot of the hotels have a foreign theme. France is a couple of blocks from Egypt and across the street from Italy. France is two blocks from Egypt, with Italy right across the street. That's the general idea. That is more or less what it is like. Prepare yourself if you are planning to visit Vegas. Be prepared if you are planning on visiting Vegas. Calculate the exact amount of money you want to gamble. Figure out exactly what your limit is for gambling. Don’t expect to win. Don’t have any expectations about winning. Understand that much of what you experience there is fake. Be aware that much of what you encounter there is not genuine. Get ready to empty your mind and have a good time. Look forward to giving your brain a rest and enjoying yourself. Comments[4] |
Tue, 7 August 2007 Three weeks ago my wife and I went on a trip to Canada. We
rented a house in a town named Canmore, in the province of Alberta. Canmore is
located just outside Banff National Park. We were in the Rocky Mountains of
Canada. The house was spacious. Five members of our family were with us there. So
there were seven of us altogether. My grandson got the largest room. We could
see mountains through the living room window. Wild rabbits ate the grass on the
back lawn. The trash cans were all designed so that bears cannot get into them.
We could walk into town. The town has several nice restaurants. One night we
had dinner in a Chilean restaurant. Canmore
has over 100 kilometers of trails and paths within the town and nearby. A
10-minute drive took us onto mountain roads. There were signs everywhere warning
about bears. The two kinds of bears living there are black bears and grizzly
bears. There are also mountain lions in the area. On one hike we caught sight
of a male deer. We took a gondola ride to the top of a mountain. The view was
fantastic. The food they served in the restaurant up there was not very good. We
split up into different groups depending on the activity. My son and
brother-in-law went white water rafting. I went with my wife and sister-in-law
to a rodeo in Calgary. My grandson spent time with everyone. The eight days we
spent there seemed too short.
Three weeks ago my wife and I went on a trip to Canada. Three weeks ago I went with my wife on a trip to Canada. We rented a house in a town named Canmore, in the province of Alberta. We took a house in a town by the name of Canmore in Alberta. Canmore is located just outside Banff National Park. Canmore lies right outside Banff National Park. We were in the Rocky Mountains of Canada. We were in the Canadian Rockies. The house was spacious. The house was roomy. Five members of our family were with us there. Five family members joined us there. So there were seven of us altogether. So we were seven in total. My grandson got the largest room. My grandson ended up with the largest room. We could see mountains through the living room window. We had a view of mountains from the living room window. Wild rabbits ate the grass on the back lawn. Wild rabbits nibbled on the grass of the back lawn. The trash cans are all designed so that bears cannot get into them. All the trash cans in the area are bear proof. We could walk into town. We could get into town on foot. The town has several nice restaurants. The town has a number of good restaurants. One night we had dinner in a Chilean restaurant. One night we dined in a Chilean restaurant. Canmore has over 100 kilometers of trails and paths. Canmore offers over 100 kilometers of trails and footpaths. A 10-minute drive took us onto mountain roads. It was just 10 minutes to mountain roads. There were signs everywhere warning about bears. Signs warning about bears were posted all over. The two kinds of bears living there are black bears and grizzly bears. The two species of bears there are the black bear and the grizzly bear. There are also mountain lions in the area. There are also mountain lions living in the area. On one hike we caught sight of a male deer. On one hike we saw a stag. We took a gondola ride to the top of a mountain. We rode a gondola up to the top of a mountain. The view was fantastic. The view was superb. The food they served in the restaurant up there was not very good. The food in the restaurant there was nothing to write home about. We split up into different groups depending on the activity. Depending on the activity we divided into different groups. My son and brother-in-law went white water rafting. My son and my wife’s brother went on a white water rafting excursion. I went with my wife and sister-in-law to a rodeo in Calgary. My wife, sister-in-law and I attended a rodeo in Calgary. My grandson spent time with everyone. My grandson did things with everyone. The eight days we spent there seemed too short. Our eight days in Canada was far too short a time. Comments[7] |
Wed, 20 June 2007 This lesson is a kind of experiment. You should do this lesson before and/or after watching the May 1 video podcast of a program called The Daily English Lesson. The video podcast is the creation of Sarah. Sarah is from New Zealand. She lives and works in Japan, where she teaches English. Here is the link to the May 1 edition of The Daily English Show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfzPshMpF1Y
Sarah achieved her dream. Sarah reached one of her highest goals.
She was voted the number one video podcast. Her video podcast was voted number one.
She voted for herself. She cast a vote for herself.
Thank you very much. That's very cool. I can't thank you enough. That's really nice.
Sarah printed out the list. Sarah made a printout of the list.
Some people left some very nice comments. Some people wrote very nice comments.
A woman emailed to ask if she could get broadband service. A woman emailed to see about getting broadband service.
The word gay has several uses. The word gay has a number of different meanings.
The word gay can mean a homosexual person. The word gay can be used to mean a homosexual person.
A woman named Gay received an automated reply email. A woman named Gay got back an automated reply email.
The company apologized. [missing in audio] The company made an apology.
You heard that Gay received an automated reply email. The prefix AUTO- in the word automated means "by oneself" or "by itself" or "self acting."An automated email reply program studies the words in the email you write. It matches your words against a list of words and uses those matches to decide what message you should receive back. In the case Sarah describes, the filter saw the word GAY and decided that it was an inappropriate word for a business email, because it can mean homosexual. Now here are some sentences to help practice words that have the prefix AUTO
ATM stands for Automated Teller Machine. I took out 50 dollars from an ATM. I got 50 bucks at an automated teller machine.
Can you tell me where the nearest ATM is? Can you point me to the nearest ATM?
Some restaurants automatically add a tip to the bill. If you are born in the USA you are automatically a citizen.
If someone writes the story of your life, it is called a biography. If you write your own life story it is called an autobiography.
I wonder if anyone would read my autobiography? Have your read any good biographies lately? I read the autobiography of Charles Darwin. Reading biographies is a good way to study history. Comments[7] |
Mon, 18 June 2007 I went to the beach with some friends. I bought some tea. She sang some songs in Russian.
Do you have any black markers? Haven't any packages arrived for me? Are there any ripe tomatoes in the garden?
We don't have any instructions yet. They couldn't find any wood to make a fire. Please don't send me any more emails.
Would you like some cookies? Is there some way I can get a ticket to the football game?
Is there any more coffee in the pot? Is there some more coffee in the pot?
Somebody has stolen my wallet. Has anybody called in the last half hour? I don't have anybody I can really trust.
Wasn't there anywhere to go for help? Somewhere there is a girl for me.
He put something in his pocket. Did they say anything about me?
Some of the apples were rotten. Have any of you heard a weather report? I don't like any of his new songs.
He took some shirts to the cleaners. Do you have any shirts for the cleaners? No, I don't have any shirts for the cleaners.
Some of us are going to play tennis today. Are any of your friends playing tennis tomorrow? No, I don't think any of them will be doing that.
Would you like to see some really nice websites? Didn't you like any of those websites? I won't show you any more websites.
Can you think of anything more to add to your presentation? No, I can't think of anything more. Maybe you'll think of something tomorrow.
I'd like to go somewhere warm this winter. Is there anywhere special you might want to go? No, I don't have anywhere special in mind.
I didn't get any of my grades yet. I think some of my grades will be quite good. Did you find out any of your grades yet?
Do you want to download some more songs? Do you want to download any more songs?
Comments[0] |
Wed, 13 June 2007 I talked with my parents last night. They are not very happy. She bought three chairs. They were very expensive. Look at those mountains. They are so beautiful.
They say it's going to rain tonight. They eat a lot of fish in Japan. They don't let you bring food into the theater.
There was a fire at the university. They had a fire at the university.
Smoking is not allowed in that restaurant. They don't allow smoking in that restaurant.
I have heard that airfares are going up. They say that airfares are going up.
The staff in that store are not very pleasant. They are not very pleasant in that store.
People eat dinner very late in Spain. They eat dinner very late in Spain.
The road was closed because of the storm. They closed the road because of the storm.
Outdoor fires are going to be banned. They are going to ban outdoor fires.
Will this bridge ever be repaired? Will they ever repair this bridge?
Someone from the bank will call you. They will call you from the bank.
A terrorist was arrested in Rome. They arrested a terrorist in Rome.
The prices in that store are low. They have low prices in that store.
My car was recalled because of a steering problem. They recalled my car because of a steering problem. Comments[0] |
Tue, 5 June 2007 He forgot how to start the engine. I didn't know where to go. We couldn't decide whether to sell the car. He explained what to do. She asked who to see about the problem. I told her when to come.
Question words that are used in the pattern: who what where when how whether
Most common verbs used in the pattern: know understand remember forget wonder decide ask explain show tell
I explained to him what he should do. I explained to him what he was supposed to do. I explained to him what to do.
They could not decide when they should end the party. They could not decide when to end the party.
How do I know when I am supposed to take the chicken out of the oven? How do I know when to take the chicken out of the oven?
Show me how I am supposed do this problem. Show me how to do this problem.
I wonder where I should put this table. I wonder where to put this table.
Tell me what I should do next. Tell me what to do next.
She asked how high she should raise the window shade. She asked how high to raise the window shade.
Do you understand where you are supposed to go for your next class? Do you understand where to go for your next class?
He couldn't remember who he was supposed call. He couldn't remember who to call.
He couldn't remember whom he was supposed to call. He couldn't remember whom to call.
I think I know what I should tell my girlfriend. I think I know what to tell my girlfriend.
Please show me how I should set the alarm on this clock. Please show me how to set the alarm on this clock.
The recipe told me how much milk I should use. The recipe told me how much milk to use.
Why should we wait any longer? Why wait any longer?
What is the sense in buying so many bananas? Why buy so many bananas?
Why should we walk if we can take the bus? Why walk if we can take the bus?
Let's talk to him tomorrow instead of today. Why not talk to him tomorrow instead of today?
Let's get an order of fried clams and share it. Why not get an order of fried clams and share it?
We should tell him what we really think. Why not tell him what we really think? Comments[1] |
Thu, 24 May 2007 I myself you (singular) yourself you (plural) yourselves he himself she herself it itself we ourselves they themselves
My father cut himself when he was shaving. I blame myself for my son's actions. Mrs. Jones drove herself to the beach. Did you teach yourself how to sew? She told herself that everything would be OK. You did not give yourself enough time to make a decision. The elephants hid themselves among the trees. The graffiti artists got themselves into trouble.
She went to the movies by herself. The child learned how to ride a bike by himself.
We should encourage children to solve their social problems by themselves. Greg cannot do that job by himself. I sat in the room for two hours by myself. Rebecca filled out the form by herself.
He bought a coat for himself. He bought himself a coat.
I found myself a good doctor. We bought ourselves a home in the mountains. They got themselves a lawyer. He always sets himself high standards.
The president himself spoke to the tourists. You yourselves are responsible for your success or failure.
My mother herself had to help fight the fire. I myself do not believe in arranged marriages. The cook himself agreed that the soup was bad. You yourself said I could come to work at 10 a.m.
They wanted to do it themselves. Anton has a pretty high opinion of himself. He hurt himself skateboarding. Maria wrote herself a reminder and put it near the phone. The bus driver himself was not injured in the accident. I think I'll buy myself a new computer. I forced myself to be nice to the customer. We should not fool ourselves about the real dangers. This law itself is not the problem. Do yourself a favor and get more sleep. She herself thought the joke was quite funny. The monkey scratched himself for two minutes. I put the blanket over myself. You should get yourself some new friends. She stood by herself on the beach. He helped himself to some cookies. We have to prepare ourselves for any emergency. Don't trouble yourself about the dishes. God helps those who help themselves. He burned himself making a campfire.
Write to: info@ESL-Aloud.com Comments[5] |
Mon, 21 May 2007 The teacher was very angry. The car was moving very fast. I like to sing very much.
She is walking to the store. She is going to the store.
John is driving to the supermarket. John is going to the supermarket
They are traveling to Canada next year. They are going to Canada next year.
She will wash her dog on Monday. She is going to wash her dog on Monday.
He is becoming mentally ill. He is going crazy.
We walked on the sand without shoes. We went barefoot on the sand.
The baby fell asleep. The baby went to sleep.
He did not use his real name. He went by a false name.
Most of her money is spent on clothes. Most of her money goes for clothes.
Who won the football game? How did the football game go?
Her blue blouse looks nice with her black skirt. Her blue blouse goes well with the black skirt.
Is your new job OK? How is your new job going?
The cookies got eaten quickly. The cookies went fast.
This dead tree must be removed. This dead tree has to go.
The dam can break at anytime. The dam can go at anytime.
People in that family do whatever they want. Anything goes in that family.
You must do what I say. What I say goes.
I would like to have an Italian meal. I could go for some Italian food.
I cannot agree with your plan. I cannot go along with your plan.
He worked hard to get the new job. He really went after the new job.
Time passes. Time goes by.
She always follows the rules. She always goes by the rules.
The stocks decreased in value. The value of the stocks went down.
He is trying to win first prize. He is going for first prize.
I don't like fast dancing. I don't go in for fast dancing.
Let's not discuss the details right now. Let's not go into the details right now.
Comments[1] |
Thu, 1 March 2007 I like bread. I like swimming. Robert was tired of Italian food. Dorothy was tired of eating in restaurants. I like to read in the morning. I like reading in the morning. It is easy to buy books over the Internet. Buying books over the Internet is easy. I think it is a bad idea to go to that girl's house. I think going to that girl's house is a bad idea. After I finished my assignment, I took a little walk. After finishing my assignment, I took a little walk. I hate to shop for clothes. I hate shopping for clothes. I cannot stand it when people smoke. Smoking is something I cannot stand. She didn't want to work on weekends anymore. She was tired of working on weekends. They discussed whether to sell the house immediately. They discussed selling the house immediately. He regretted that he got so angry at the grocery clerk. He regretted getting so angry at the grocery clerk. She won't let anyone help with the dishes. She insists on doing the dishes herself. He wrote about when he was a child and grew up on a farm. He wrote about growing up on a farm. It is hard work to pick tomatoes in the hot sun. Picking tomatoes in the hot sun is hard work. She didn't want to appear to be too strict with the children. She was afraid of appearing to be too strict with the children. I couldn't believe you weren't allowed to race in the swimming pool. I couldn't believe that racing was not allowed in the swimming pool. Comments[2] |
Tue, 6 February 2007 Is he working very hard? Yes he is. Is he working very hard? No, he isn't. Is he working very hard? No, he's not.
Are the police going to close off the road? Yes, they are. Are the police going to close off the road? No, they aren't. Are the police going to close off the road? No, they're not.
Are you taking a long vacation this year? Yes, I am. Are you taking a long vacation this year? No, I'm not.
Do the people in the next house have a swimming pool? Yes, they do. Do the people in the next house have a swimming pool? No, they don't. Does this restaurant have a good reputation? Yes, it does. Does this restaurant have a good reputation? No, it doesn't.
Is my car ready to pick up at the repair shop? Yes, it is. Is my car ready to pick up at the repair shop? No, it isn't. Is my car ready to pick up at the repair shop? No, it's not.
Are your friends from out of town having a good time visiting here? Yes, they are. Are your friends from out of town having a good time visiting here? No, they aren't. Are your friends from out of town having a good time visiting here? No, they're not.
Are you happy with your new television set? Yes, I am. Are you happy with your new television set? No, I'm not.
Does my son have to bring three notebooks on the first day of school? Yes he does. Does my son have to bring three notebooks on the first day of school? No, he doesn't.
Is your teacher giving a test tomorrow? Yes, she is. Is your teacher giving a test tomorrow? No, she isn't. Is your teacher giving a test tomorrow? No, she's not.
Are we supposed to meet in front of the store? Yes, we are. Are we supposed to meet in front of the store? No, we aren't. Are we supposed to meet in front of the store? No, we're not.
Is it going to be as hot today as it was yesterday? Yes, it is. Is it going to be as hot today as it was yesterday? No, it isn't. Is it going to be as hot today as it was yesterday? No, it's not.
Are you afraid to tell your boss what you think? Yes, I am. Are you afraid to tell your boss what you think? No, I'm not.
Does this store stay open late on Mondays? Yes it does. Does this store stay open late on Mondays? No, it doesn't.
Is that your brother standing in front of the restaurant? Yes, it is. Is that your brother standing in front of the restaurant? No, it isn't. Is that your brother standing in front of the restaurant? No, it's not.
Does Jack want to bring his girlfriend to the company picnic? Yes he does. Does Jack want to bring his girlfriend to the company picnic? No, he doesn't.
Are your in-laws enjoying the beach house they rented? Yes, they are. Are your in-laws enjoying the beach house they rented? No, they aren't. Are your in-laws enjoying the beach house they rented? No, they're not.
Do you want to see the new film about King Henry the Eighth? Yes, I do. Do you want to see the new film about King Henry the Eighth? No, I don't.
Are we going to be able to stay three nights in Kyoto? Yes, we are. Are we going to be able to stay three nights in Kyoto? No, we aren't. Are we going to be able to stay three nights in Kyoto? No, we're not.
Comments[1] |
Sat, 20 January 2007 Some people are never satisfied. They just have to find fault. Here is a little story about a person like that. Her name is Maggie. Maggie is always complaining. If she sits near a window in a restaurant, it's too cold. If she is in the center of the restaurant, it's too noisy. Close to the kitchen there's too much activity. If the table is away from the kitchen, the food comes too cold. And so on, and so on, and so on. One time Maggie went to a wedding. Afterward she told her friend that the wedding was a big disappointment. Her friend asked, "Was there something wrong with the ceremony?" Maggie replied, "No, the ceremony was lovely." Her friend asked, "Was the food bad?" Maggie responded, "No, the food was delicious." Her friend asked, "Did the band play poorly?" Maggie replied, "No, the music was excellent." Her friend asked, "Was someone nasty to you." Maggie replied, "No, everyone was very nice to me." Finally her friend said, "Everything sounds so nice. Why were you disappointed?" Maggie replied, "The bride was far too beautiful." If you know someone like my Maggie, you may want to tell your Maggie this story. Or maybe not.
Some people are never satisfied. Some people are never happy with things.
They just have to find fault. They just have to find something to complain about.
Here is a little story about a person like that. Here's an anecdote about a person who is like that.
Her name is Maggie. The name of this person is Maggie.
Maggie is always complaining. Maggie always finds fault with things.
If she sits near a window in a restaurant, it's too cold. If she is at a table near a window in a restaurant, it's too chilly.
If she is in the center of the restaurant, it's too noisy. The center of the restaurant is too noisy for her,
Close to the kitchen there's too much activity. A table near the kitchen means too many people running about.
If the table is away from the kitchen, the food comes too cold. Away from the kitchen, and the food comes too cold.
And so on, and so on, and so on. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
One time Maggie went to a wedding. Once Maggie was a guest at a wedding . Afterward she told her friend that the wedding was a big disappointment. She told her friend that the wedding was a big let down.
Her friend asked, "Was there something wrong with the ceremony?" Her friend asked, "Didn't you like the ceremony?"
Maggie replied, "No, the ceremony was lovely." Maggie answered, "No, the ceremony was quite nice."
Her friend asked, "Was the food bad?" Her friend asked, "Was the food a disappointment?"
Maggie responded, "No, the food was delicious." Maggie answered: "No, the food was grade A."
Her friend asked, "Did the band play poorly?" Her friend asked, "Did the band do a bad job?"
Maggie replied, "No, the music was excellent." Maggie answered, "No, the band played very well." Her friend asked, "Was someone nasty to you." Her friend asked, "Did someone act unfriendly toward you?"
Maggie replied, "No, everyone was very nice to me." Maggie answered, "No, people were really friendly."
Finally her friend said, "Everything sounds so nice. Why were you disappointed?" Her friend finally said, "It all sounds so nice. What made the wedding a disappointment?"
Maggie replied, "The bride was far too beautiful." Maggie answered, "The bride was much too gorgeous."
If you know someone like my Maggie, you may want to tell your Maggie this story. If you know a Maggie, maybe your Maggie should hear this story.
Or maybe not. Or perhaps not. Comments[2] |
Sat, 13 January 2007 She put on her coat. She put her coat on. She put on her coat after she paid the bill.
Don't put me on. She didn't feel like putting out a lot of effort.
She placed the coat on her body. She put on her coat. She put her coat on.
He added the numbers and got a total. He added up the numbers He added the numbers up.
She raised four children all by herself. She brought up four children all by herself. She brought five children up all by herself.
He started talking about the situation in the Middle East. He brought up the topic of the Middle East.
They decided that it was raining too hard to play the game. They called off the game because of rain. They called the game off because of rain.
They continued their work in spite of the difficulties. The carried on in spite of the difficulties.
She just kept on talking about how terrible her family was. She carried on about her terrible family.
Don't be sad. Cheer up.
They postponed the party until July. They put off the party until July. They put the party off until July.
I really did not like her. She really put me off.
I am quite dependable. You can rely on me. You can count on me.
She cleaned the dust from the top of the table. She wiped off the table. She wiped the table off.
Let's review the budget for next year. Let's go over the budget for next year.
We spent too much money this year. We ran over the budget this year.
They said they would not do what I requested. They turned down my request. They turned my request down. Comments[1] |
|
ESL Aloud Guided practice in speaking English
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
