This Sunday, June 14th, is a national holiday (celebration) that even many Americans forget about: Flag Day.

Unlike holidays such as the Fourth of July (Independence Day), Thanksgiving, or Christmas, on which most Americans get the day off of work, Flag Day is typically just a “regular” day of work.

Flag Day marks (honors; remembers) the day when Congress adopted (approved) the stars and stripes (lines) for the new United States flag.

It was John Adams, a leader of the American Revolution against England and our second president, who proposed (recommended) on June 14, 1777, that the flag have thirteen red and white stripes to represent the 13 original American colonies.

He also proposed that there be one white star for each state placed in a blue box located on the corner of the flag.

So the original flag had 13 stars and 13 stripes. A nickname of the U.S. flag is in fact “the Stars and Stripes.”

As the United States grew, more states were added to the country, so more stars were added to the flag’s blue box. But the number of stripes remained the same (13), to remember the first 13 colonies/states at the beginning of our history.

Over the years, the flag has been “updated” or changed 27 times. The last time was on July 4, 1960, changing from 48 stars to 50 (Alaska and Hawai’i became states in 1959).

President Woodrow Wilson decided to honor the flag by officially proclaiming (announcing) June 14th as Flag Day back in 1916. It was a day to celebrate the flag, fly it, and for some towns, to have a parade.

In recent years, there have been fewer celebrations of Flag Day. And there have been many controversies (topics people disagree about) over the flag, especially when used as a symbol of protest against the U.S. government.

Despite these disagreements, I think most Americans still honor (respect) the flag as a symbol of the good things in our history, while recognizing that not every element of America’s past or present is positive.

On Flag Day, many Americans think especially of the men and women who fought and died for their country.

I think of my father, who fought for the freedom of Europe during World War II.

The “Stars and Stripes” is still a symbol of their hope and sacrifice over the past two centuries.

~Jeff

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What Will I Learn in My Free Lesson?

Here is just a small part of what you’re going to learn in this free lesson:

• What “take a rain check” means and how to use it in a conversation . . .
• The difference between a “recluse” and a “busybody” . . .
• Why “to fend OFF” means something from “to fend FOR” . . .
• What it means to “take a rain check,” “keep to yourself,” and “to appoint (someone)” . . .
• What a social secretary is . . .
• The best way to use “to sort out” and “to turn down” . . .
• How to use phrasal verbs like “to settle in” and “to settle down” (they’re not the same!) . . .

Here in Los Angeles, we are still being asked to stay at home this week because of the coronavirus. To get some exercise, I take walks around my neighborhood.

Recently, I’ve been seeing lawn signs like the one in the photo* (lawn is grass either in front of or behind a building).

Traditionally, May and June are the months when students graduate from high school and college.

Graduation (from the verb to graduate) is the official end of a student’s studies and is usually celebrated with a graduation ceremony (a formal event related to some celebration).

A graduation ceremony begins with some speeches (prepared talks to an audience).

Then the seniors (students in their last year of high school/college, who are now graduating) walk on stage one at a time to receive their diplomas (official certificates showing the completion of their studies).

Friends and family are there of course to cheer (to shout loudly to show their happiness).

Well, that’s the way it usually works. No so (not the situation) this year.

With schools closed for the past two months or more, and with large gatherings banned (not allowed), the traditional graduation ceremony won’t be held in most schools.

Instead, some schools will have no graduation ceremonies at all. Students’ diplomas will be mailed to them.

Some schools are postponing (scheduling for a later date) the graduation ceremony until later in the summer, when (we hope!) things will return to normal (go back to the way they used to be).

Other schools are having virtual (via the Internet) graduations.

In these cases, the graduating students and their friends and family are invited to join an online event.

There are live or recorded speeches from the principal (person in charge of the school) and the valedictorian, the student with the best academic record (the best grades).

A few schools with a smaller number of graduating seniors are able to have “live”, in-person graduations.

Each student arrives with their family and friends, and their temperature is taken before they can participate.

Then the students are allowed to walk on stage to receive their diploma. Friends and family can take photos and cheer the graduate.

I feel sorry for high school graduates this year. Not only are they missing out on (will not have) a traditional graduation, they’re also miss out on graduation parties.

When I graduated high school, there was a party at my house for my family and friends. The tradition back then, in the late 19th century, was that each graduate’s family had a party, but your friends from school could also attend (go to the party).

This meant that nearly every weekend for about six weeks, there was a graduation party to go to. For my school, someone even organized a schedule so everyone could see when the parties were.

Good times (it was enjoyable)!

But as the old saying goes (says): “This too shall pass.”

This bad situation won’t last forever. With luck, seniors will soon be able to party to their hearts’ content (as much as they want to).

~ Jeff

* “Samohi” is the nickname or informal name for “Santa Monica High School.” A class, in this case, refers to all of the students in the same grade at the same time. We would refer to the graduates this year as “the graduating class of 2020.”

P.S. To learn more about traditional graduation ceremonies, check out Daily English 374: A Graduation Ceremony.

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What Will I Learn in My Free Lesson?

Here is just a small part of what you’re going to learn in this free lesson:

• What “take a rain check” means and how to use it in a conversation . . .
• The difference between a “recluse” and a “busybody” . . .
• Why “to fend OFF” means something from “to fend FOR” . . .
• What it means to “take a rain check,” “keep to yourself,” and “to appoint (someone)” . . .
• What a social secretary is . . .
• The best way to use “to sort out” and “to turn down” . . .
• How to use phrasal verbs like “to settle in” and “to settle down” (they’re not the same!) . . .

Yesterday was Memorial Day in the United States, a national holiday on which we remember those who have died for our country. (For more on Memorial Day, see our Cultural English 86 lesson).

As in many countries, Americans have a love of cooking outdoors (not inside the house), especially grilling food over a gas or charcoal grill.

Because of this, many U.S. restaurants will advertise their menu items – typically meats such as chicken or steaks – as “grilled” or “barbecued,” which is when the food is cooked directly over a fire or a source of dry heat (see photo of my grilled bratwurst sausages from yesterday).

The food will often be served with grill marks, which are the dark lines made by the grill’s metal surface as the meat cooks.

Some people consider grilling or barbecuing to be an art, or at least something to take pride in (to feel proud of or good about) and to try to perfect (make without faults or flaws).

People can buy barbecue sauces or marinades (liquid to put the meat in for a period of time before cooking) from the store. You will find many different kinds of barbecue sauce in any grocery store.

Many people who grill or barbecue, however, create their own barbecue sauces, which are brushed (placed) onto the meat while it is cooking to give it flavor.

In addition to cooking traditional foods such as hamburgers, bratwursts, and hot dogs on a grill, people put many different kinds of food on skewers to cook.

Skewers are long, thin metal sticks on which you put small pieces of meat, seafood, and vegetables to cook over the grill, without the small pieces falling through the spaces on the grill.

Other people like to add a rotisserie to their grill, which allows them to put an entire chicken or large pieces of meat to cook over the grill, but that can also be turned easily so that all sides get cook evenly.

I prefer keeping things simple: a few sausages or pieces of chicken, grilled without any sauces or marinades. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!

~Jeff

P.S. For more about grilling, see our Daily English 829 – Having a Barbecue

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What Will I Learn in My Free Lesson?

Here is just a small part of what you’re going to learn in this free lesson:

• What “take a rain check” means and how to use it in a conversation . . .
• The difference between a “recluse” and a “busybody” . . .
• Why “to fend OFF” means something from “to fend FOR” . . .
• What it means to “take a rain check,” “keep to yourself,” and “to appoint (someone)” . . .
• What a social secretary is . . .
• The best way to use “to sort out” and “to turn down” . . .
• How to use phrasal verbs like “to settle in” and “to settle down” (they’re not the same!) . . .

You may know that the word “ghost” means the image of a dead person who can be seen by the living.

When I was a kid, people would sometimes tell “ghost stories” about scary (frightening) places, such as haunted houses, where ghosts were said to live.

I didn’t believe in ghosts, really. But some people do, and take that belief very seriously.

An example from American history is the “Ghost Dance,” a religious movement (people working together to create or advance an idea) popular among some Native American (American Indian) tribes (cultural groups) in the late 1800s.

The Ghost Dance was begun in 1890 by a man named Wovoka. He was a Native American religious leader from the Northern Piute tribe, found largely in Nevada, the state next to California (and home of Las Vegas).

Wovoka, also known as Jack Wilson, was said to be a prophet (person who can tell others the meaning of messages from God).

Some tribal members thought Wovoka could interpret (explain the meaning of) mysterious (unknown; strange) visions  (seeing of something not there or related to the future) directly from God.

Wovoka said that he saw visions many times in his life. But it wasn’t until he got older that he learned to interpret them.

On January 1, 1889, when he was 33 years old, Wovoka said he saw an important vision.

He said that God showed him a place where the Native American people lived in peace (without war or conflict) with whites (Caucasian men and women).

God, he said, gave him the Ghost Dance, a religious dance performed in a circle.

Wovoka said God told him to take the dance back to his people. By including the dance in their religious ceremonies, according to Wovoka’s vision, they would help wipe out (eliminate) evil (forces causing bad things to happen) from the world and fill the world with food, love, and faith (belief in God).

As news of Wovoka’s vision spread (became known to many people), many different tribes in the United States sent representatives to find out more about Wovoka and what he claimed (said was true but without proof) to have seen.

Learning about the Ghost Dance, many tribes incorporated it into (started to use it in)  their own religious practices (regular behaviors and actions).

However, there were other tribes that did not accept and believe in this concept (idea) and dismissed (did not accept) it altogether (completely).

Wovoka’s dream of whites and American Indians living peacefully together was never truly realized (didn’t happen), at least not the way Wovoka thought it would.

Still today, there are some American Indian tribes that use the dance in their ceremonies.

~Jeff

P.S. This story of Wovoka comes in part from our Cultural English lesson 510. To get more lessons about American culture and history, try our Unlimited English Membership.

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What Will I Learn in My Free Lesson?

Here is just a small part of what you’re going to learn in this free lesson:

• What “take a rain check” means and how to use it in a conversation . . .
• The difference between a “recluse” and a “busybody” . . .
• Why “to fend OFF” means something from “to fend FOR” . . .
• What it means to “take a rain check,” “keep to yourself,” and “to appoint (someone)” . . .
• What a social secretary is . . .
• The best way to use “to sort out” and “to turn down” . . .
• How to use phrasal verbs like “to settle in” and “to settle down” (they’re not the same!) . . .

Many of us are feeling stress right now because of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Stress is feeling worried, nervous, and anxious about something.

Aside from the obvious threat of the coronavirus itself, perhaps you’re feeling stressed because your spouse (husband or wife) or children are home with you 24/7 (all the time; 24 hours/7 days a week).

Or perhaps you feel cooped up (forced to be inside).

Maybe, like me, you’re tired of (no longer want) your own cooking.

A lot of people are turning to (deciding to do) exercise to reduce or lower stress.

Here in Los Angeles, gyms (fitness centers) are closed and community sports teams aren’t playing. But some people are still going jogging (running slowly and for a long distance), while maintaining (keeping) social distancing (staying away from other people).

A lot of people, however, are exercising at home.

If you look at popular online stores like Amazon.com, you’ll see that a lot of at-home gym equipment is sold out (there’s no more to sell) or temporarily unavailable.

I’m a member of a gym, but it’s closed right now. Instead, I’ve been trying to exercise by using some old gym equipment in a make-shift (temporary and not perfect) gym in my garage.

I’ve been trying to do weightlifting (lifting heavy objects to build strength) without the proper dumbbells (a short bar with weights on each end that you hold, one in each hand) and barbells (a long bar with flat, round weights attached to the ends).

It’s been only a mild (small) success. But I’m very lucky that I’m healthy enough to even exercise at all.

Maybe the best way to relieve (lessen) your stress is to just focus on improving your English?

Learn how we talk about stress in English by taking a look at Daily English 319: Being Under Stress.

And learn the difference between the terms “stress” and “pressure” in Culture English 239.

Stay healthy!

Jeff

Photo: Yes, that’s me exercising, obviously (not).

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Many of you are probably stuck in (unable to leave) your house, and you may have to do your work from home.

Now, many people think that working from home sounds like a great idea. But the reality (what actually happens) is sometimes far from (very different than) the dream (what one thinks and hopes will happen).

There are many problems with home offices that make it difficult, inconvenient (not easy or nice), or uncomfortable (physically awkward) to work from home.

Many home offices are simply too small. Most large areas in people’s homes are used for living areas (places for the family to spend time together) and bedrooms.

Telecommuters (people who work from home) often have to cram (fit something into a small space) their desk into the corner of a room that is used for one or more other things.

Even when people do have enough space for a home office, the room is often inadequate (not good enough) in some other way.

One thing we have all learned about during this COVID-19 crisis is videoconferencing, using software such as Skype or Zoom.

The fun thing is that you can now see the inside of your co-workers’ houses!

It also means that you don’t really have to wear pants, since you only see the top half of your body on the video screen (see photo).

Most home offices aren’t sound-proof (not allowing sound to cross the walls, ceiling, and floor), either.

That means those working from home hear the sounds of children, television, musical instruments, and (worst of all) . . . cats.

Let’s hope this ends soon!

Jeff

P.S. We talk more about working from home in our Daily English 544 – Working from a Home Office here.

P.P.S. Like this short English lesson? Get a FREE sample lesson (no money needed) – SIGN UP BELOW!

Just fill out the form below and we’ll send a FREE lesson to try!

We hate spam, too! We will never sell, rent, or give your information to anyone – ever!

What Will I Learn in My Free Lesson?

Here is just a small part of what you’re going to learn in this free lesson:

• What “take a rain check” means and how to use it in a conversation . . .
• The difference between a “recluse” and a “busybody” . . .
• Why “to fend OFF” means something from “to fend FOR” . . .
• What it means to “take a rain check,” “keep to yourself,” and “to appoint (someone)” . . .
• What a social secretary is . . .
• The best way to use “to sort out” and “to turn down” . . .
• How to use phrasal verbs like “to settle in” and “to settle down” (they’re not the same!) . . .