English Conversation (video teaching): 07/07/17

BBC News Review: A place for love in Cuba

source: BBC Learning English 2017年7月4日
A place for love in Cuba
Cuban lovers looking for some privacy can now rent rooms by the hour. So-called 'love motels' are opening again after 20 years.

The story:
Cuba has decided to reopen its state-run love motels, or “posadas” – which is a place lovers can go to rent a room hourly.
Cuba had many before but they closed in the 90s and were converted into hurricane shelters.
The rooms provide affordable privacy for lovers who cannot find any at home.

Key words and phrases:
comeback: when something or someone becomes popular again
rousing: exciting and inspirational
exorbitant: a price which is too high
Find out more and take our test at http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/...

Short and Long "A" Sounds (American English Pronunciation Practice)

source: English Lessons with Alex 2017年6月5日
Do native speakers have a hard time understanding you? Even if you know grammar and vocabulary, your pronunciation can prevent native speakers from understanding what you're saying. This lesson will help you with the difference between the short and long "a" sounds in American English. You'll have a chance to listen to the difference between these two sounds and to practice your pronunciation with me, using common English words and sentences. If you don't understand the difference between these sounds, it can be confusing to the people you're speaking to. In some cases, it can change the entire meaning of your sentence! Watch and practice with this easy class to master these sounds.
https://www.engvid.com/american-engli...

Basic English Calendar Vocabulary

source: Shaw English Online 2014年1月25日
Follow Shaw English: http://bit.ly/1dTGEpiWatch
Learn the basic English calendar vocabulary. A very important English video to express hours, days, weeks, months, years and so on. Robin gives many helpful examples to help you understand,
WEBSITE: http://www.shawenglish.com
FACEBOOK: http://on.fb.me/1l3Hjsm
GOOGLE+: http://bit.ly/1l3HsMf
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ShawEnglish2014

6 ways to use the word 'run' - Murders in the Rue Morgue pa...

source: BBC Learning English 2016年7月21日
Watch part 2 here: http://bbc.in/2a2vSR8

TRANSCRIPT
Hello, I'm Mariam. I hope you don't scare easily because today I've got a story that will make your blood run cold. It's a story about murder and intrigue and a detective who has to work out who has committed a very serious crime.

The story is set in Paris in the 19th Century. On a dark and foggy night, a terrifying scream echoes around the streets. People nearby hear two voices coming from the apartment above. One of them clearly sounds French but the other one is high-pitched and isn't easy to understand. Then it goes quiet.

Quickly, the people run into the house where the noise came from and run up the stairs. With a great force they burst into the apartment. What a horrific sight they see; there is mess everywhere, there's a woman's body hanging from the chimney and another is on the courtyard below with blood running from a cut in her neck and there are two bags of money left behind – no one has taken them. But strangely, the windows are closed and the doors are locked and no one saw anyone run down the stairs as they came up. What a mystery.

The police have never run up against something like this before so it requires the brains of a super-sleuth to solve it – enter the smart private detective Dupin.

He runs through the evidence – with all the possible scenarios running through his head – the strange voice, someone very cruel, no means of escape. Then he examines the hand prints on the woman's body – they are large and possibly not human. Could it be some kind of animal – an ape perhaps? That would explain the strange voice but what about the other human voice that was heard?

What a mystery indeed - but I'm going to leave it there. Join me again next time to find out what went on that night. Bye for now.

Meanings of "Mean" - English Expressions

source: Learn English with Papa Teach Me 2017年5月27日
Learn some ways we use the word "Mean" in today's new lesson!
"What do you mean?"
"What does this mean?"
"Be meant to..."
"To be mean"
"To mean something special"
"Do you mean it?"

'Drop a Bomb'

source: Maple Leaf ESL 2017年1月24日
In this lesson, we take a look at how to use the expression, to 'drop a bomb'. For instance, 'the magazine article dropped a bomb about the singer's past'.
Visit www.mapleleafesl.com for more free English lessons, and be sure to go like the Maple Leaf ESL page on Facebook.

Car Rental (Native English speaking with subtitles)

source: Crown Academy of English 2017年6月6日
The conversation takes place in the USA and it's between a British English native speaker and an American English speaker.
This exercise is good practice for esl students wanting to learn and improve their English speaking skills.
At the end of the dialogue, I explain some important English vocabulary.
Hotel booking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY0K5...
English speaking | Expressions with GIVE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PafU...
How to improve your English speaking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc4gh...