News Review: Scottish government sets minimum price for alcoholic drinks
source: BBC Learning English 2018年5月1日
The story
A minimum unit price for alcohol has come into force in Scotland.
The Scottish government believes it will reduce the harm caused by excessive drinking – leading to fewer hospital admissions and alcohol-related deaths.
Vocabulary
--booze: alcoholic drink
• It was difficult to get up today. There was a lot of booze at last night's party.
• Too much boozing can lead to serious health problems
--calls time on: announces the end of an activity
• Neil's called time on using the internet. He's had enough of it.
• Environmentalists say we have to call time on fossil fuels.
--day of reckoning: a time when you have to deal with a past mistake
• Catherine had a day of reckoning with her garden after the weeds started to take over.
• Some people say social media's day of reckoning will happen soon.
Practice English PHRASAL VERBS with this game
source: JamesESL English Lessons (engVid) 2018年4月30日
If you're learning English, you know how hard it is to learn phrasal verbs. It feels like there are thousands of them to remember! What if I told you I've found a way to incorporate learning phrasal verbs into a little game you can play with your friends? In this video, I will show you how to do it. Not only can my version of the game help you have a bit of fun while learning, but it will also challenge your memory and speed. It's easy to learn, and you can do it with a friend either in person or online. So watch the video, and challenge your friends to a game. You might even learn a few things from them!
Correct use of Verbs Do, Did & Does – Basic English Tenses
source: Learn English with Let's Talk 2018年4月14日
The most common verbs used in English are Do, Did & Does. While learning English tenses these are the most common verbs taught to students. The most common mistakes made in English are with these English verbs. In today’s English grammar lesson clear your doubts with these verbs and speak English confidently. Your English teacher Rachna has simplified the use of these verbs and Tenses and focused on teaching you the use of these verbs in English conversation, and not the old boring textbook English.
A dry January? Learn to talk about giving up alcohol in 6 minutes
source: BBC Learning English 2018年1月18日
After the excesses of Christmas, many people decide to give up booze for the month of January in the hope that it will do them some good. But what are the real benefits of going dry and is just one month long enough?
Rob and Catherine discuss abstaining and sobriety and explain these words and several other drink-related vocabulary in just six minutes.
Learn more here http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/...
# materials below: from http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/fea...
This week's question:
According to data from the World Health Organisation in 2015, which country consumed the most alcohol per person? Was it…
a) Australia
b) Finland
c) The Czech Republic
Listen to the programme to find out the answer.
Vocabulary
resolution: a promise to yourself to do or not do something
to shed: to lose
sobriety: the state of not being drunk
crutch: crutch here is something you depend on for support
abstain: not do something that is enjoyable but bad for you
bed in: to become normal and start working properly
Transcript
Note: This is not a word for word transcript
Rob
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English– the show that brings you an interesting topic, authentic listening practice and vocabulary to help you improve your language skills. I'm Rob…
Catherine
And I'm Catherine. In this programme we'll be discussing quitting drinking and staying dry.
Rob
Right, so when you say ‘quitting’, you mean ‘giving up’ – and when you say ‘drinking’, you're particularly referring to ‘the activity of drinking alcohol’.
Catherine
Exactly Rob.
Rob
But, what about staying dry? It's nothing to do with the weather?
Catherine
No that's true. The adjective ‘dry’ here means ‘no alcohol’. And I, Rob, am currently having a dry January.
Rob
Ah yes, your New Year's resolution is to give up alcohol for one month. Any reason?
Catherine
Yes. I'm doing it in order to improve my health and save some money. And a resolution, by the way, is a promise to yourself to do something or not to do something.
Rob
Well they seem like good reasons. And for now, we must keep up our resolution to always start the programme with a question, so are you ready for it, Catherine?
Catherine
I am, crack on, Rob!
Rob
According to data from the World Health Organisation in 2015, which country consumed the most alcohol per person? Was it…
a) Australia
b) Finland
c) The Czech Republic
Catherine
Well they're sound quite likely, but I did visit Prague once and I had a lovely time, so I'm going to say c) the Czech Republic.
Rob
OK, well as always, we'll find out the answer later on. But let's continue our discussion about drinking – or informally known as boozing – and trying to give it up. We all know that too much drinking can be bad for us and that's why you Catherine, have decided to quit – but only for a month.
Catherine
Yes just a month but it's a start and I might continue into February. But I'm seeing the benefits already. I've managed to shed some weight – most of which I actually put on over Christmas!
Rob
I can see. So to shed here simply means 'lose'. And I bet your sobriety is helping you sleep better. Sobriety, by the way, means ‘the state of not being drunk’.
Catherine
It is actually. And I'm not alone: A study of 857 British adults by Dr Richard de Visser from the University of Sussex found that after going for a month without alcohol, 62% of the people in the study said they had better sleep. So Rob, does that tempt you to become teetotal and stop drinking?
Rob
Not me Catherine. I need a drink to help me relax and be more sociable – you know how shy I am!
Catherine
Yes of course Rob! Well, maybe you should listen to Catherine Gray. She's the author of a book called The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober, which she wrote after she discovered the negative effects of going to too many work-related parties where she was just drinking too much. Here she is speaking on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour programme…
Catherine Gray, author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober
I had a lot of social anxiety and when I quit I had to deal with that. I think I used drinking as a crutch, a confidence crutch - it eased the way to go to big glittering parties and stuff like that and when I quit I had to learn real confidence in a way.
Catherine
So Catherine worked in the magazine business which involved going to lots of boozy parties. Drinking, she says, helped herdeal with a nervous and worried feeling that she had when she met new people - she called it social anxiety.
Rob
Yes, and she used drinking as a crutch. A crutch here is something you depend on for support – and sometimes you rely on it too much.
Catherine
Yes and eventually she decided to abstain from drinking – in other words stop doing something that is enjoyable but bad for you – and she feels much better for it. So come on Rob, haven't you got the willpower to just quit drinking for just 30 days?
Rob
Well according to Catherine Gray, that wouldn't be long enough…
Catherine Gray, author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober
Experts say that it takes 66 days for a new habit to bed in, so I would always recommend trying it for 90 days. 30 days is the hard bit before you get to the rewards. Because after 66 days it starts getting a lot easier and you start feeling better in yourself.
Catherine
Right, so it takes 66 days for doing a regular activity - a habit - to bed in. And ‘bed in’ means to ‘become normal and start working properly’.
Rob
Now, earlier I asked you, according to data from the World Health Organisation in 2015, which country consumed the most alcohol per person? Was it…
a) Australia
b) Finland
c) The Czech Republic
Catherine
And I said the Czech Republic. Was I right?
Rob
You were Catherine. Spot on, well done. Apparently, 14.1 litres of pure alcohol is consumed per person each year.
Catherine
Well like I said, they do make good beer in the Czech Republic – but people, be careful, only drink it in moderation. Now Rob, shall we take a look at the vocabulary we've mentioned today?
Rob
Indeed. The first word we had was resolution – that's a promise to yourself to do or not do something. 'Catherine's New Year's resolution was to give up drinking alcohol for a whole month.'
Catherine
Yes, and I'm still doing it Rob – the plan is to shed a few kilos and get fit. So for example, 'Rob shed lots of weight when he went on a cake-free diet!'
Rob
Really? I'd never give up cake Catherine, but I could be tempted to give up booze as I know sobriety is good for my health – that's the noun word to mean ‘the state of not being drunk’.
Catherine
Now our next word was abstain. That means ‘not do something that is enjoyable but bad for you’. 'Rob needs to abstain from eating cakes if he wants to wear his skinny jeans.'
Rob
Are you dropping a hint there, Catherine? Now, our final word is actually two words – bed in. It means ‘to become normal and start working properly’. 'It took a while for the new computer system to bed in but now it's working perfectly.'
Catherine
That's brilliant because now we can go online and find more BBC Learning English programmes at bbclearningenglish.com. That's all for today's 6 Minute English. We hope you enjoyed it. Bye for now.
Rob
Bye.
Bad Dates: Episode 1 - Mobile phone addict
source: BBC Learning English 2018年1月5日
Our fifth 'Experiment' series, Bad Dates, helps you learn the language you need to survive in the sometimes strange world of dating. Join Daniel as he battles his way through one bad date to another. He'll teach you some useful language along the way!
# materials below: from http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/...
In this episode, Daniel is on a date with a mobile phone addict. What phrases does he use to move the conversation along? Watch the video to discover some key dating language.
Useful Dating Language:
Complimenting someone
I love your hair. That’s gorgeous.
Making small talk
Have you come far?
What is it that you do?
Making a polite (but firm) request
I’d really appreciate it.
Would you mind just putting your phone away?
Changing the subject
Let’s not talk about work.
Telling someone what you're like
You’ll get to know this about me.
# Transcript:
Claudia
Hi, are you Daniel?
Daniel
I am Daniel, are you...
Claudia
Hi, I’m Claudia. Nice to meet you.
Daniel
Lovely to meet you. I love your hair.
Claudia
Oh thanks.
Daniel
That’s gorgeous.
Daniel
She was quirky, you know. A really brilliant sense of style. She seemed very elegant… she was bubbly. You know, really my kind of person, I think.
Daniel
Have you come far?
Claudia
Erm, no no, erm well I was on the Tube for a bit but it was quite good cos I’ve erm, yeah I’ve just been kind of doing stuff online and…my battery’s actually quite low you don’t have a charger with you do you?
Daniel
I actually don't, no.
Claudia
Okay, I might see if they’ve got one behind the bar here.
Daniel
I wouldn’t say that. She was on her phone a lot. And I’m not really that technologically minded, you know? So I felt a little bit like she didn’t care about me… she cared little bit more about her friends.
Claudia
You’ve been working today, right?
Daniel
That’s right. I work in advertising.
Claudia
Cool.
Daniel
Yeah, lots of stuff on the web that kind of thing.
Claudia
Yeah nice, nice. Anything, any campaigns I’d know about?
Daniel
Ooh, I don’t know about that. Er… we’ve got various clients, but it’s boring. Let’s not talk about work. What are you… what are you up to? You’re just on… You got a text?
Claudia
Sorry, I’ve just… I’m just checking something, yeah.
Daniel
Yeah.
Claudia
Erm…
Daniel
Well actually, I tell you what, I’m just gonna put my phone on silent. I don’t like phones, they just bother. You know what I mean?
Claudia
I don’t, I couldn’t do that. I would just get too out of the loop. I would, I’d have to spend I don’t know how long just catching up if I did that.
Daniel
I’d really appreciate it.
Claudia
So, yeah…
Claudia
So yeah, what is it that you do?
Daniel
Oh I told you remember?
Claudia
Oh what, when we were texting? Or…
Daniel
Oh no, just a few seconds ago. I mean you, you were texting. Maybe you weren’t listening.
Claudia
Did you say advertising?
Daniel
Yeah.
Claudia
Yeah, that rings a bell.
Daniel
Yeah, yeah.
Claudia
Sorry, you’ll get to know this about me.
Daniel
Yeah.
Daniel
They got worse. There were phone calls, texts, she was sharing everything. I couldn’t eat my meal because she took a photo of it before… before I could even take a bite.
Claudia
Ooh, like no don’t, don't… err thank you, but like yeah. Just don’t, erm. Don’t eat that just yet. Just I want to…
Daniel
Oh please I’m really hungry.
Claudia
Ha ha.
Daniel
No don’t take a photo.
Claudia
No, no.
Daniel
Oh no, I’ve moved it out of place.
Claudia
No, no listen. Move your like cutlery and that out of the way. Just let me take this photo because it’ll look really cute, and then I can post it and like tag this place.
Daniel
I’ll tell you what, I’m, I’ll pop to the toilet.
Claudia
You don’t need to do that!
Daniel
You can take your photos. When I come back, we’ll put our phones away.
Claudia
Oh, look I’m done. I’m done. I’m done. Look it’s cool. Go to the loo though, that’s fine. I’ve got some stuff I can catch up with.
Daniel
Would you mind just putting your phone away?
Claudia?
Claudia?
Daniel
There will not be a second date. #idontthinkso. Get off your phone Claudia.
News Words: Youthquake
source: VOA Learning English 2018年2月22日
The Oxford Dictionary's word of 2017 is youthquake. Learn the meaning of youthquake with Jonathan and Caty in this week's News Words.
FUN ENGLISH LESSON with Big Bang Theory & Star Wars
source: Learn English With TV Series 2018年3月9日
In this English lesson, you will have fun and improve your listening, vocabulary, and pronunciation with Big Bang Theory & Star Wars!
Our Trip to Dubrovnik - VLOG & VISUAL VOCABULARY
source: Interactive English 2017年6月20日
This is a vocabulary VLOG from our trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia. Follow our fun adventure, or misadventures, as we explore this incredible, amazing, spectacular, and historical seacoast town. Wow...that's a lot of adjectives. :)
We're also teaching English vocabulary related to our trip that you'll hopefully find useful.
How To Find Time To Improve Your English, With Pat Brans
source: Speak English with Christina 2015年10月5日
This video includes subtitles in both English and French. Don't forget to activate them if you need to!
Easy Way to Learn English Grammar through Conversations: Tenses
source: Helena Daily English 2018年4月3日
Learning English grammar can be a challenging experience. Today we look at the basic tenses we need to talk about the present, past and future.
# Present
1. Simple Present
Base verb (+ es/es for third person):
Ex: I watch the news every day.
2. Present Continuous
am/is/are + present participle:
Ex: I am watching the news.
3. Present Perfect
Has/have + past participle:
Ex: I have watched the news already.
4. Present Perfect Continuous
Has/have + been + present participle:
Ex: I have been watching the news since I was a teenager.
# Past
5. Simple Past
Verb+ed or irregular verb:
I watched the news.
6. Past Continuous
Was/were + present participle:
Ex: I was watching the news.
7. Past Perfect
Had + past participle:
Ex: I had watched the news before I went to bed.
8. Past Perfect Continuous
Ex: I had been watching watching the news for 20 minutes before you came home.
# Future
9. Simple Future
Will+verb
Am/is/are + going to + verb
Ex: I will watch the news / I am going to watch the news.
10. Future Continuous
Will be + present participle
Am/is/are + going to be + present participle:
Ex: I will be watching the news at 9pm. / I am going to be watching the news at 9pm.
11. Future Perfect
Will have + past participle
Am/is/are + going to have + past participle
Ex: I will have watched the news before 10pm. / I am going to have watched the news.
12. Future Perfect Continuous
Will have been + present participle
Am/is/are + going to have been + present participle:
Ex: I will have been watching the news for over ten minutes before you join me. / I am going to have been watching the news for over ten minutes before you join me.
Collocations with the Word 'MAKE'
source: Gerry English Expressions 2016年1月19日
There are many collocations in English and in this video, Gerry explains some common verb + noun variations with the word 'make'.
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