at glenelg48

Mark has a Brazilian Neighbour. He asked her how to make feijoada.

Mark: How do you make feijoada?
Brazilian Neighbour: To make a feijoada you need black beans, chorizo…
Mark: That is a kind of sausage, isn’t it?
Brazilian Neighbour: It is. Spanish sausage.
Mark: Uh-huh.
Brazilian Neighbour: You can also get a Portuguese chorizo
Child: Daddy…..!
Brazilian Neighbour: And also you need…you need pork.
Mark: Yeah. Like a piece of pork?
Brazilian Neighbour: A piece of pork. M-hm. And you also need bay leaf.
Mark: Ah!?
Brazilian Neighbour: Put a little bay leaf in there. And you need paprika and you need cumin. And also you need coriander. Coriander..
Mark: Fresh or seeds or …?
Brazilian Neighbour: Fresh. Fresh.
Mark: The leaves?
Brazilian Neighbour: The leaves. Yeah. You put it right in the end.
Mark: Right. OK. Wow!
Brazilian Neighbour: So that is the ingredients. How to make it. First you need to soak the beans overnight.
Mark: Right.
Brazilian Neighbour: Right. And then…Normally I have a pressure cooker.
Mark: Yeah? So it does it quickly?
Brazilian Neighbour: It does it quickly. Yeah. It only takes about a half an hour.
Mark: It is good to soak them though.
Brazilian Neighbour: Yeah.
Mark: Germinate. Grow a little bit.
Brazilian Neighbour: So..Alright then..You put the beans into the pressure cooker, water, then you put the pork meat and you put also the chorizo in it
Mark: Yep.
Brazilian Neighbour: And in another pan you chop up some onion and garlic and you fry it with olive oil and you put it into the beans …
Mark: Yep.
Brazilian Neighbour: And you cook that for about half an hour.
Mark: Right.
Brazilian: And then.
Mark: All in the pressure cooker?
Brazilian Neighbour: All in the pressure cooker…Yeah…

Can you tell us more about Brazilian food?  How do you make feijoada?

Check out the Brazilian Food page or go to the Food Page.

at Swedish National Heritage Board

Mark: Ok so … Okay. Where is Frank? Okay. Where is Frank? Here he comes. Did you find a place to park, Frank?
Frank: Oh No problem. No problem. Have you got the table?
Mark: Yeah. Ok.
Frank: Let’s go and sit down and eat some nice food.

Good Morning!

It is the seventeenth of August 2010. It is Tuesday.

THE WEATHER)

It is fine.
The sky is clear.
It is clear and it is not windy.
The wind has died down.
It is cold.
It is still quite cold but the weather is getting warmer.
Spring is coming.

What is your favourite season? Answer the question aloud. Say your answer now!

What is your favourite season?

Now write your answer in the “comments” section below at the bottom of this post.

Now I want you to tell me about the weather where you are. What is the weather like where you are? Answer this question. Say your answer aloud.

What is the weather like today?

Now write an answer. What is the weather like today in your area? (Post the answer below in the “comments” section)

THE NEWS

Here is a current news headline:

Obama declares US Gulf coast safe.

In “news headline English” we often use present simple tense to replace present perfect tense because it is shorter. Headlines are like short notes.

In this headline:

has declared the Gulf coast safe

has become

declares Gulf coast safe

President Obama has declared the Gulf safe. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill which began on April 20 with an explosion that killed eleven workers was capped on July 15 and the President, after examining the water in the Gulf and swimming in it, has declared the area safe.

“Declare” has two distinct shades of meaning:

Obama has declared the Gulf safe

means

Obama formally announced that the Gulf is safe

We also use “declare” in another situation. When you go through customs, the customs officer will ask you:

Do you have anything to declare?

That means:

Are you carrying any drugs, fruit or weapons?

Listen to this conversation and you will hear the phrase

Do you have anything to declare?

Does the girl in the dialogue have anything to declare? Write your answer in the comments section at the bottom of this page.

Look at these phrases:

an explosion that killed seven workers
an explosion that injured seven workers
an explosion that trapped seven workers

Do you know the difference? What is the difference? Answer the question now.

How are they different? What do they mean?

After you have said your answer, write an answer at the bottom of the post in the “comments” section.

If you have trouble use these words and phrases:

the first one
the second one
the third phrase
means
cannot get out
were hurt
died

Pay attention to punctuation when you write.

Here is another headline:

Storm follows heatwave

Again present simple tense has replaced present perfect tense so

A storm has followed a heatwave

has become

Storm follows heatwave

Russian wildfires have been extinguished by a storm, which ended the heatwave, which has claimed many lives.

Look at these phrases. They have the same meaning:

have been extinguished
have been put out

Mexican television station offices bombed

In this headline a past participle has been used instead of a passive phrase so

A Mexican television station’s offices have been bombed

has become simply

Mexican television station offices bombed

The Monterrey offices of the largest television network in Mexico have been bombed. An explosive device went off in front of the offices. The blast is believed to be related to the war between drug cartels and the government. In Mexico murder and intimidation of journalists by drug cartels has become routine.

There is a story about drug cartels in Monterrey in yesterday’s almanac.

Look at this scale:

the largest television network in Mexico
the second largest television network in Mexico
the third largest television network in Mexico

Let’s look at another headline:

Government critic slandered in Malaysia

This means:

A critic of the government has been slandered in Malaysia.

Again, a past participle has been used in place of a passive phrase.

The liberal opposition leader Anwar bin Ibrahim has again been slandered by critics as his popularity rises in the wake of coming elections. Anwar opposes Malaysia’s racial affirmative action policy of “bumiputera“.

Anwar was falsely accused of crimes against morality during a previous election bid. The prosecution argued that he had committed a crime in a building that had not been constructed at the time. He was later cleared.

In the current case it has been revealed that the main witness for the prosecution is a prosecution lawyer’s lover. The judge has said this does not matter.

Look at these pairs:

in the current case
in the previous case

a prosecution lawyer
a defence lawyer

the main witness
a minor witness

News and weather Summary

Now listen to a summary. If you do not understand everything you hear, go back and read the text again. Look up all the new words in the dictionary.

Download audio file (nw170810.mp3)

That is all for now. See you tomorrow!

Read and listen to more almanac entries.

Good Morning!

It is the sixteenth of August 2010. It is Monday.

THE WEATHER)

It is fine.
The sky is clear.
It is clear and it is quite windy.
Yesterday the wind picked up.
It is cold.
It is quite cold.
It is quite cold but it is getting warmer.

Look at this scale:

It is quite windy.
It is windy.
It is very windy.
It is extremely windy.
The wind is very very strong.
It is blowing a gale.

How does the wind affect your emotional state? Does it un-nerve you? Does it make you feel uneasy? How does it make you feel?

Answer the question orally. Say your answer aloud. Say it now:

How does it make you feel? Does it un-nerve you? How does it make you feel?

If you have trouble, use these words in your answer:

The wind makes me feel…

Write your answer in the “comments section below at the bottom of this post.

Look at these variations:

It is getting hotter.
It is getting warmer.
It is getting cooler.
It is getting colder.

Here is a quick listening test. Look at this phrase:

The wind picked up.

Can you find a phrase which has the opposite meaning? Listen to the first part of this weather report

and find the phrase which means the opposite of:

The wind picked up

If you cannot find the phrase read the text at this link: Almanac – 14 August – 2010

then listen again. Write your answer in the comments section at the bottom of the post.

Now I want you to tell me about the weather where you are. What is the weather like where you are? Answer this question. Say your answer aloud.

What is the weather like today?

Now write an answer. What is the weather like today in your area? (Post the answer below in the “comments” section)

The news is next but first here is a commercial from a sponsor:

THE NEWS

Here is a current news headline:

Flood and fire rock Eurasia

In “news headline English” we use present simple tense to show present continuous tense or present perfect tense. Look at these examples from other current headlines:

UN chief urges aid for Pakistan

which means

The UN chief has urged aid for Pakistan

or

The UN chief is urging aid for Pakistan

and

PKK announces ceasefire in Turkey

could mean

The PKK has announced a ceasefire in Turkey for Ramadan

or

The PKK is announcing a ceasefire in Turkey for Ramadan.

Present perfect tense is used for a completed action (in the past) while present continuous tense is used for a current event or action right now at this moment.

Flood and fire have rocked Eurasia with Himalayan run-off waters causing devastation in the south of the continent and wildfires causing the same thing in the north.

To rock

means

to move in a vigorous manner

or in this context, one of these:

wreak havoc
destroy
cause widespread damage
cause widespread devastation
cause widespread destruction
cause mayhem

Russia is located in the northern part of the Eurasian continent and Pakistan is in the southern part next to China and on the other side of the mountains.

In Pakistan 20 million people have been affected by the devastating floods and in China a national day of mourning has been observed for the more than 1200 victims of mudslides on the other side of the Himalayas.

IELTS tip

Are you doing an IELTS test? When you do the IELTS test, in the written section, you have to write numbers in words like this:

twenty million

not like this:

20 million

The IELTS test is based on British English.

Look at this progression:

a national day of morning has been scheduled
a national day of morning has been announced
a national day of mourning has been observed

Look at these opposites:

on this side of the Himalayas
on the other side of the Himalayas

Russia stretches from Europe to Asia.

In the Russian controlled part of the continent, hundreds of wildfires are burning out of control. The harvest has been severely damaged and the export of wheat has been prohibited to protect the local market. The United States has sent fire-fighting equipment to help fight the fires.

Look at these variants:

bush fires
forest fires
wildfires

Look at these opposites:

the export of wheat
the import of wheat

Look at these variants:

has been prohibited
has been banned
has been made illegal

Look at these terms:

fire-fighting equipment
fire-fighting teams
fire-fighting crews

Let’s look at another headline but first here is a message from our sponsors:

Cartel leader believed shot

In this headline, the past participle is used as an abbreviation for a passive phrase so

is believed shot

or

is believed to have been shot

has become simply:

believed shot

Mexican soldiers said the man was shot.

Cartels have blockaded the streets of the industrial city Monterrey, which is Mexico’s richest city. Gunmen ordered people from their cars, which were then used to make barricades that closed thirteen major roads.

Look at these phrases:

have blocked roads
have blockaded roads
have blocked streets
have blockaded streets

They have pretty much the same meaning but remember a road can be a road from one city to another but a street does not usually lead to another city.

The blockade was a show of force by the cartel after soldiers killed its local leader, El Sonrics, who only replaced Raul Luna Luna recently, after he was killed.

Look at these phrases:

the previous leader (the former leader)
the current leader (the present leader)

the former president (the previous president)
the current president (the incumbent president)

In Mexico the drug cartels have more power than the government. The previous President has recommended legalising drugs and treating addiction as a medical problem in order to break the back of the cartels by destroying their earning power.

Look at these opposites:

have more power
have less power

have more money
have less money

Look at this nest of phrases:

legalising drugs
de-criminalising drugs
outlawing drugs
controling drugs
prescribing drugs

What a mess! Use your dictionary to find out exactly what each term means then write a report and post it in the comments section at the bottom of this page.

To break the back of something

means

to destroy its power

You can hear this idiom in another conversation about OPEC if you click this link.

News and weather Summary

Now listen to a summary. If you do not understand everything you hear, go back and read the text again. Look up all the new words in the dictionary.

Download audio file (nw160810.mp3)

That is all for now. See you tomorrow!

at Library of Congress

Mark: Ok. I am finished work. It is five twenty-five and I am ready to…I am going to go down to Brooklyn with my boss, Frank and he is going to introduce me to some of his friends. He has got some artist friends who live down in that part of town and I might be able to find an apartment down there. Frank! Are you finished?
Frank: Well, I am finished. I am waiting for you.
Mark: Ok. Well.
Frank: The car’s outside.
Mark: Ok mate. Let’s go.
Frank: Yeah. Let’s go.

Use this post to learn English and Flemish at the same time.

Where are you from?

I come from Belgium.

Which language do you speak?

I speak Flemish.

How many languages are there in Belgium?

There are three official languages in Belgium.

One of them is Flemish.

Another is French.

The third one is German.

There are a few German speakers in Belgium.

Where are you going now?

I am going swimming.

Is there a swimming pool here?

Yes, there is.

That sounds like a good idea.

See you later.

at cayusa

Dutch Guy: … employees. I pay fifty two percent tax. Everyone has free health care. Not me. I pay double the price but I don’t have any treatment.
Other Guy: What kind of company?
Dutch Guy: Chartered accountant…Lawyer.
Well I think solidarity… what made Europe what it is…
Other Guy: Solidarnost?
Dutch Guy: No no. Solidarity. I make more money than you and I pay for you when you don’t have a job or need medical treatment.
Other Guy: Family. Family!
Dutch Guy: … has gone too far. I make money. I pay for everyone but I get nothing
Other Guy: Yeah.
Dutch Guy: So there is no benefit left.

at Library of Congress

Mark: Well here I am at work now at the Mosquito Herald and here is my boss, Frank. Hello Frank.
Frank: Mark! Come on in.
Mark: How are you today?
Frank: I feel great.
Mark: Good. Good.
Frank: Fantastic. How about yourself?
Mark: I feel pretty good but I have got a problem. I need a place to stay. I have to move out of the hotel and I need my own place. I am thinking of getting a place down in Brooklyn . That is nice part of town. Do you know a real estate agent or do you know of any apartments that are free?
Frank: Well I actually know of some apartments because I have got some artist friends.
Mark: Right. Ok
Frank: …and musician friends.
Mark: Can you introduce me to your friends and…?
Frank: Yes. Certainly.
Mark: Ok. That would be great . Ok. Thanks mate. Well. After work today?
Frank: After work.
Mark: Ok.
Frank: See you later.
Mark: Lets go down after work. Ok?
Frank: No problem.
Mark: Thanks. See you.
Frank: Bye.

at Cornell University Library

Listen to these three accents: Australian, English and American.

I don’t have any money.

I have to go to the bank.

Where is the bank?

I don’t know.

Do you know?

Yes, I do.

There is a bank over there.

Thanks very much.

at The Library of Congress

Man: So where are the best places to study vedanta like in southern India?
Woman: Well in my opinion, if you can get into Swami Dayananda Sarasvati’s ashrams… He has one in Coimbatore
Man: Say that again.
Woman: Coimbatore.
Man: What state is that in?
Woman: Tamil Nadu.
Man: Uh-huh.
Woman: And one in Rishikesh.
Man: That is where I am going.
Woman: Yes. And one in Pennsylvania and if you go to Rishikesh now, why don’t you just go and look it up?
Man: I will.
Woman: It is called Kailash.
Man: Kailash.
Woman: Kailash Ashram. Write his name. Swami Dayananda Sarasvati. I think all the pundits around Rishikesh will be able to direct you to it because it is not exactly in the main area of Rishikesh.
Man: Swami Daya..?
Woman: It is Daya D A Y A N A N D A
Man: Dayananda.
Woman: Dayananda
Man: Swami Dayananda Sarasvati.
Woman: Yes.
Man: Kailash Ashram, Rishikesh.