Monthly Archives: May 2013

More Than Food and Flowers

Seedfolks, a book by Paul Fleischman, was always a hit (very popular) with my adult ESL students. Here’s how the publisher describes it: A vacant lot (empty property), rat-infested (full of rats) and filled with garbage, looked like no place … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 34 Comments

Your One-Way Trip to Mars

A few weeks ago, a private Dutch company announced a plan to send people to the planet Mars. The plan, called Mars One, will send a group of people to travel to and live on Mars, but this is a … Continue reading

Posted in News and Current Events | 22 Comments

Podcasts This Week (May 27, 2013)

Get the full benefits of ESL Podcast by getting the Learning Guide. We designed the Learning Guide to help you learn English better and faster. Get more vocabulary, language explanations, sample sentences, comprehension questions, cultural notes, and more. Get the … Continue reading

Posted in Announcements | 3 Comments

Five Questions: American Life

In the late ’90s, there was a popular comedy show host who would ask his celebrity (famous) guests (people invited to appear on the show) five questions at the end of his show. The questions were usually funny or related … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 18 Comments

Podcasts This Week (May 20, 2013)

Get the full benefits of ESL Podcast by getting the Learning Guide. We designed the Learning Guide to help you learn English better and faster. Get more vocabulary, language explanations, sample sentences, comprehension questions, cultural notes, and more. Get the … Continue reading

Posted in Announcements | 5 Comments

What Makes Us Happy?

A few weeks ago Jeff asked “What does it mean to be happy?” Today I’d like to ask a related question – what makes us happy? – and find an answer in an unusual source. Seventy-five years ago, in 1938, … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 23 Comments

Who’s Swatting Me Now?

I feel sorry for celebrities. All of that wealth (money), admiration (people liking and respecting you), and influence. What a sad life. And there is now a new reason to pity (feel bad for the suffering of) celebrities. They’re being “swatted.” … Continue reading

Posted in Television and Movies | 10 Comments

Podcasts This Week (May 13, 2013)

Get the full benefits of ESL Podcast by getting the Learning Guide. We designed the Learning Guide to help you learn English better and faster. Get more vocabulary, language explanations, sample sentences, comprehension questions, cultural notes, and more. Get the … Continue reading

Posted in Announcements | 13 Comments

Street Vendors

Every city has people selling things on the street. After all, where can you find more foot traffic (people walking by) than on a city’s sidewalks? New York City would be a very different place if it didn’t have its … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 24 Comments

So Why Is “So” So Popular?

So I wanted to write something about the use of the word “so” to begin a sentence. Traditionally the word “so” in English has served (been used for) a couple of purposes. You can say “so” as a conjunction to … Continue reading

Posted in Language & Terms | 31 Comments