These videos audio lectures are especially good for those of you studying for the TOEFL or IELTS exams, since you will get a lot of native speaker speech on topics similar to those found on the tests.  Of course, you want to start with a subject you know something about, and (with luck) a professor who speaks clearly.

For some useful advice on how to use iTunes U, take a look at Warren Ediger’s Successful English website where he has a special section on the TOEFL.

~Jeff

George Gershwin wrote this song to sound like a spiritual. A spiritual is a style of song that was originally developed by African American slaves (people owned by other people and forced to work without pay) to express religious feelings and later, as a part of their protest (expressing disagreement) against slavery. Today, you’ll hear spirituals in churches and other places of religious worship.

This version of “Summertime” is performed by two jazz legends (extremely famous people): Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.

~ Lucy

“Summertime”
written by George Gershwin
performed by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

Summertime,
And the living is easy
Fish are jumping
And the cotton is high

Oh, your daddy’s rich
And your ma’s good looking
So hush (be quiet) little baby
Don’t you cry

One of these mornings
You’re going to rise up (to wake up in the morning) singing
Yes, you’ll spread (open to its fullest) your wings
And you’ll take to (go to) the sky

But (un)til that morning
There’s nothing can harm (hurt) you
Yes, with daddy and mommy standing by (nearby and watching or waiting)

Summertime,
And the living is easy
Fish are jumping
And the cotton is high

Oh, your daddy’s rich
And your ma is good looking
So hush little baby
Baby, don’t you cry

You could say, “I spend so much time in this hotel for my work, it’s my home away from home.”

Do you have a home away from home?  If so, where is it?

~Jeff

The latest trend (fashion; something new that many people are doing) for important people or celebrities is to commission (hire someone to make or create something) someone to create your own custom (specially made; not standard) font.

* Did you know that Barack Obama, who is running for (wanting to be elected to the job of) U.S. president, has his own font?

* Did you know that singers/celebrities, like Beyonce and Bjork, do too?

An article I read reported (gave information) that last year, a movie called Helvetica (the name of a font) became very popular. Helvetica is a documentary (movie based on true events) about the history of this font–yes, an entire movie about one font! In the cities where it played (was shown), there were sold out (all the tickets sold; every seat was filled) audiences.

Typographers, people who arrange or design letters/words for printing, say that fonts can send important and subtle (not bold; not very easy to see or understand) ways, communicating or changing a mood (emotion; how you feel) or a tone (quality; character; feeling). Business and advertisers know this. They use thick fonts to convey (communicate) boldness (having courage and confidence) for products like cigarettes, and they use thiner and lighter fonts for fashion (clothes and other things people wear).

The two fonts I see the most in daily correspondence such as letters and emails in the U.S., both personal and professional (in business), are Arial and Times Roman (see above).

Do you select a special font for your correspondence? What do you think it says about you?

I usually use Arial. It’s simple, so I guess I’m simple*, too.

~ Lucy

* simple = 1) plain, not fancy, 2) easy to understand, or 3) dumb, stupid, not intelligent, when describing a person

In general, I don’t recommend second language speakers use slang words, especially “new” slang, unless they really understand how it should be used and in what contexts. This is often difficult for a non-native to figure out. It is best, in most cases, just to speak in “normal” English, and avoid using slang that you don’t completely understand.

One place to look for definitions of slang is the Urban Dictionary. This is a Wikipedia-type of website, where readers submit definitions and sample sentences. This is a good place for slang that comes from recent songs or movies.

Note: There is also a lot of vulgar or “bad words” on the website, so use it carefully. Also, remember that because this is a site where anyone can submit definitions, not all of the definitions are correct. Look for words/phrases that have at least five or ten definitions to make sure you are getting the right idea. And don’t think that because it appears in Urban Dictionary, it is a common phrase. Most of these words are not common - again, look for words that have lots of definitions to get an idea of just how common it is (or Google the word or phrase and see how many websites have it).

~Jeff

You can find the article (in English) here.

~Jeff

Here’s an example:

A laundromat is a place where people go to wash their dirty clothes. Tanning beds are machines that use light to help people get a tan (darker color to their skin, normally from being out in the sun). I suppose you could tan while your clothes are in the washer (machine to wash clothes) or dryer (machine to dry clothes). I don’t recommend tanning, of course, but this would be an efficient (doing the most with the least amount of time) use of time.

Here’s another one:

When people go fishing, they use bait to catch fish. Live means living, so “live bait” means worms, the small, long animals that live in the dirt, that are still living, not dead. A gameroom is a place where you go…well…to play games, such as pool, pinball, and videogames. If you can think of a way that these two business go together, you have a better imagination than I do.

Have you seen any strange or unusual business combinations in your town or on your travels?

~ Lucy

While I don’t normally publish writings that are submitted (send to us) by listeners, I got a note from Kaz in Poland who said that he, too, had his heart broken recently.  He wrote a short poem about it after listening to this episode.  I put the poem below.  The English is easy to understand, I think, as well as the sentiment (emotion) behind it.  If you enjoy poetry, you may want to read it.

Good luck to Kaz!

~Jeff

——————————–

Have I fallen in love?
They say love is suffering.
I didn’t believe, I didn’t understand.
“Love is a delight, a joy,” I thought.
And I’ve been waiting for love, all my life …
Finally, when I lost hope, I saw her …
The Princess Ag … I recognized her from glamour,
From a glow which highlighted the scene.
At first I covered my eyes. But then we started to talk …
When our souls in two months got close, she disappeared.
Heavy grief has fallen on my heart.
Did I say something wrong?
The last of my words were: “We have no debts.”
Did she understand by this, “We are through?”
I meant only I didn’t expect mail she had forgotten to send …
My heart is broken. It’s more than hankering,
That’s simply suction, day and night.
I haven’t known such a feeling yet.
Is that love?

——————————–
glamour = an exciting quality that makes people appear special
glow = a soft light that comes from a light bulb, a candle, or other source
highlighted = to light or to put special attention on
grief = extreme sadness
hankering = a strong desire to do something

Scientists who study sleep say that people who take naps, especially if they didn’t have enough sleep the night before, are more alert (quick to notice and respond to situations), more creative (able to think of new ideas and use their imagination), and have better memory (able to remember things better).

Napping may be good for your health, too. In one study, researchers found that taking naps at least three days per week helped reduce the chance of dying from coronary (heart) problems.

The experts say that the ideal (best; most suitable) length of a nap is 20 minutes. Sleeping more than 30 minutes puts you in a deeper sleep and you will wake up groggy (weak and tired) and not refreshed (with new strength and energy).

Some large companies are taking note (paying attention). They have designated (assigned for a special purpose) sleep areas in their buildings.

Is it acceptable in your workplace to nap? Do you nap?

~ Lucy

Even though soccer is not all that popular (not very popular), there were stories today in the newspapers about Spain defeating Germany in the European Championship.  One article in the New York Times said that the Spanish team “did what was unthinkable during the long decades of Spanish failure of heart and mind and toe.”  To do the unthinkable is to do something very difficult, almost impossible.  A decade is 10 years.  The expression “heart and mind” refers to both the emotions (heart) and the intellect (mind or brain).  People sometimes talk about “winning the hearts and minds” of another group, which means convincing a group of people of something both emotionally and intellectually.

So by winning the Euro 2008 championship, the Spanish team did something very difficult, something that has not been done in many years - they united the country.

The funny part of this quote is the “and toe.”  This is not part of the original expression, but it is added since we are talking about soccer, which of course uses the feet to kick the ball.

So congratulations to Spain for winning the Euro 2008 - and good luck to all of the other teams next time!

~Jeff