On the lighter side of the news...

Many of the late nite shows have been spending time on making fun of the situation on the North Korean peninsula. Do you have any questions?

Jimmy Fallon: Pros and Cons

Jon Stewart: Comedy Central:

Even before Kim Jong Un became the leader in 2010, he was making the news...
David Letterman: Top Ten

The Champions....

The game.
The coach:  Rick Pitino.
The player of the game: Luke Hancock.
How does this Final Four compare to others in history?

A quick and enthusiastic summary by Dick Vitale !

Update on North Korea

The saber rattling continues:

US Delays Missile Test

Foreign Embassy Staff Asked to Leave  

Signs of Nuclear Test

March Madness (but isn't it April?) Updates

1. Good Night Cinderella: The FINAL FOUR teams finished their games tonight. Who won and what are the stories coming out of each game? . Wichita St vs. Louisville  and Michigan vs. Syracuse. 

2. Hopeful Recovery: It's a good sign that Louisville player Kevin Ware can make light of last week's horrific injury. Watch him give the nightly Top Ten List on the David Letterman Show. Read the list or watch the video, the list begins @ 3:50. (QUESTION: What does "it" refer to in Number 6)?

3. Preview of Monday's Championship Game: Comparisons of two teams in key areas at Bleacher Report. Who do YOU predict will win?

What questions do YOU have?  

Baseball's back

Ok, whether you like it or not...the good old American pastime is back. April has begun and baseball season is here. Whether you think baseball is boring or exciting to watch, many baseball idioms are a part of the American landscape. Here are some websites that will give you a good summary of the most common idioms.
1. ecenglish.com
2. Sports idioms
3. 17 baseball idioms
4. You can take a short quiz at English Zone
Question for discussion (or comments) Why do Americans like baseball????

Happy Birthday to the Cellular Phone!

According to the video report on this  CNN page**:

How have the mobile phones changed over the past 40 years?
What's bad about cellular phones? (1:30)
Do you think the concerns mentioned are valid?
**Be sure to click on the CLICK TO PLAY icon to LISTEN to the report!

Threat of War

Tensions are rising on and off the Korean peninsula thanks to increased threats from North Korea. You may be hearing people talking about dictator Kim Jong Un's rhetoric. The US. Secretary of Defense said Kim is being belligerent. Some are talking about war drums or "saber-rattling." Is Kim Jong Un crazy? Is he bluffing? Is it all bark and no bite? What do YOU think?

Whatever is going on, the U.S. and South Korea military forces are on the move. Keep watching and reading to see what happens next...

Here's some interesting background information about North Korea. 

And then there were four...

The men's NCAA Basketball Final Four is set. Did your favorites make it? Are there any Cinderella teams left? How many Big Ten teams made it?  What inspired Louisville on to victory? What adjectives would you use to describe what happened to Kevin Ware?

Can you match the names of the schools (A) with their mascots (B)? Do you understand  what each mascot represents?
A. Louisville        Michigan            Syracuse           Wichita State
B. Shockers        Orange              Cardinals           Wolverines

Tiger Wood's Comeback Controversy

It's been a slow journey back to #1 for Tiger Woods, but he finally made it with a win last weekend. But not everyone is impressed with his new Nike ad. What is Rick Reilly's opinion over at ESPN?  Here's another opinion of sportswriter Christine Brennen via video on CNN?  What does she say about Tiger AND Nike?This report has some more responses AND a statement Nike released in response to the backlash. What do YOU think? (Speaking of Tiger and Nike and controversy, here's the Tiger/Nike commercial from 2010 with analysis FYI).

March Madness Update

It started over a week ago with 68 teams, but after tonight's games all of the Sweet Sixteen matches will be over and, will be down to the Elite Eight. There have been quite a few UPsets including 3 of the top 4 teams being ousted from the tournament prematurely.

Here are a few questions

1. Who are the Cinderella teams?  How many of the teams made it to the Elite Eight?
    Why is the name of a fairytale princess being used here? 

2.How are the individual conferences doing? Here's a quick summary of the main conferences and how they were doing earlier on in the tournament.Which conference had the most teams?

3. What questions do YOU have? 

An Unconventional Pope

Pope Francis has gotten a reputation of breaking with tradition, over and over again.
Here are just a few examples.

Greeting crowds up close and personal
What will he wear?
Where will he live?
Footwashing on Maundy Thursday..

In summary, here's a column that mentions some of the above and more. Do you think the columnist or writer of the article has a favorable opinion of the pope?
...

Understanding Sports Commercials

Here's  a Coke Zero commercial and  Buffalo Wildwings commercial that both focus on March Madness. Do you understand the significance?

Watch this Sprint commercial. The man in the pajams is NBA star Kevin Durant. Do you understand the humor?

And what season is starting soon....baseball! This ad has a lot of idioms and special vocabulary used for sports!

Any questions?

March Madness 101

Here are a few links if you want to read up more on March Madness. Some of the articles have a lot details, but use your skills to find the information that you are interested in.

1. History of March Madness

2, How March Madness Works  NCAA basics to Final Four

3. March Madness confined to basketball crazy Americans

Are you wearing green today?

According to the United States Census statistics, there are approximately 36.9 million people in the United States who claim to be of  Irish decent (people who have relatives who were born in Ireland). However, there are only 122,000 Irish born currently residing in the country. These numbers may seem pretty small considering that the population of the United States is over 315,500,000.

So then why is this serious religious holiday in Ireland, called St. Patrick's Day, being celebrated  in the United States this weekend? Here is some BASIC information on the day and then some MORE if you are really interested.

Meanwhile, I have some questions for you...

1. How is GOOGLE honoring it on their search page (only viewable on March 17)
2. What do people in Chicago do to their river? And WHY do they do that?
3. What is a shamrock and what does it have to do with the day?AND Where and when was the first St. Patrick's Day Parade?

Awaiting your questions, please post them in the comments below or email AskESLilly@gmail.com

The Madness of March Begins

If you work with Americans or have American friends, I am fairly confident that you will hear much discussion about this next topic. So whether you follow American college basketball or not, here is an opportunity for you to "to get on the train" and start understanding and joining the discussions around you.

Yes, the next exciting sports event that is starting in the U.S is called March Madness, and it's actually the championship tournament for the top college basketball teams in the country. Don't be confused if you are seeing a lot of college basketball games on tv this weekend, those are the individual "conference' or league championships that will help determine some of the teams in the national tournament.

Things get rolling today on Selection Sunday. This is when  the teams are announced. However, actual games won't begin until later in the week.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. For now, let me just share a few links so you can get some background information. First the wikipedia article.  And here is an article predicting where the teams in the Big Ten  will place (i.e. what "seed" they will be). This article was written before the Big Ten tournament began, but it's an introduction, none the less. (Since  the University of Illinois is my alma mater, and they are in the Big Ten, so I must confess my

And here are a few questions to guide your listening and reading over the next few days.
How many teams will be announced on Sunday?
Any surprises? Anyone snubbed?
Who is expected to/ will be the four NUMBER ONE SEEDS?
(and we are not talking about names of plants see definition number 3)
How long does the tournament last?

I will be explaining things as we go but meanwhile...What questions do YOU have?

Followup Question

One of my friends has sent a question about my last post about the new pope and asked me what the white smoke means.Check out the third section in this link about traditions in electing a new pope.  And here is one more question....what is done to make the smoke black or white? Keep those questions coming!

White Smoke Rises

It seems no matter where you look on tv or internet, you can't help but hear about the new Pope. Here are some interesting reports:
ONE  TWO THREE FOUR

Please let me know if you have any specific questions. For now, I have a few...

1.What are all the FIRSTs involved in this selection?
2.What are the key words that are being used to define him, (what is being repeated)?
3. What is unique about his lifestyle?

Gambling and the New Pope?!

Ok, this is interesting and a challenge as the report speaks very fast.
What does 76% refer to, and what is the irony about this, i.e. why is it mentioned in this report?

Voices of Opposition

There are some groups speaking up concerning the selection of the next pope. What is each group protesting?
Pink Smoke;  SNAP; Wardrobe;

Traditionalists vs. Reformers

Here's a straightforward report about the battle between two "camps" among the cardinals gathering @ the Vatican. Suggestion: make a list of the names and issues that define the two groups.

Who will be the next Pope?

Whatever your religious affiliation, following the story about the next Pope is a great opportunity to practice your listening and reading skills in English. There are so many idioms and vocabulary terms  that can be used in other situations. Also, the news is saturated with the stories, so it gives you many opportunities to read and hear the same information in different reports. Great way to practice;

SO, Will the Pope come from Europe, The America's, Asia or Africa?
Here is CBS News list of the Top 16 contenders.
Also, here is chart which shows you which countries have the most Catholics. FYI

Any questions?

Papal Conclave 101

Sometimes people use the term 101 when they want to introduce or talk about basic information about a topic. Here is one such report from CNN about the upcoming papal conclave!
Do you have any questions?  I do. Here are a few....
1 What precautions are being taken  to assure the conclave remains private.
2. What is the "rift" or division that is talked about @ :27?  Who is the rift between? What is it about?
3. What majority is needed to declare a winner?   How many votes can be taken a day?
4. What's the danger if the conclave lasts more than 3-4 days?

WHEN Congressmen Won't Stop Talking: Filibuster

Right now, at this very moment there is a senator in Washington D.C who has been talking for over 8 hours on the Senate floor in a filibuster.  He said, "I will speak until I no longer can speak."  Although it started as a "one man stand", it has been gaining supporters.What is he trying to block the Senate from doing? What is he protesting (two different answers)? Is he being successful? Here is a list of some famous filibusters  over the years.  Do you this this would be an effective strategy? Do you have this practice in your country?
UPDATE:  How many hours did he go? Liisten to  the end of the filibuster where he summarizes his main point and also references another historic filibuster noted in the link above.And what was the White House's response? Here Sen Paul shares his thoughts.

Weather + Politics = A new word

Ok, so in the last few days we've been talking about the SEQUESTER that started on March 1st and has led to  federal spending cuts and then the SNOWstorm that hit the midwest yesterday and is hitting the Mid-Atlantic states today.

Sometimes the news likes to combine two stories into one..so now the storm hitting Washington DC is called SNOWQUESTER. Paragraph 4 of the article makes an interesting comparison between the storm and the newly imposed spending cuts. What is it? UPDATE: Interesting...How much snow DID the storm leave in DC?

WHEN Leaders Die

Today there are many headlines about the death of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez. When political leaders die, there is a certain  protocol that is followed, and also certain vocabulary terms and expressions that are used to describe them.

There will be talk of condolences and the funeral preparations. Here's a headline I just saw:
Chavez will lie in state for three days. A state funeral will be held on Friday.
 (here "state" means public)

There will also be debates about his legacy and possible successors (who will succeed him). World leaders will respond, as well as others.

In this case, Chavez was a controversial and divisive leader. You may hear him described as "polarizing", and a "foe" of the U.S. While others have called him a champion of  the oppressed.

He also had cancer, so you will hear words like ailing, how he fought and how he finally succumbed to the disease.

Here's a sample of different reports from around the world. CNN, Fox, AFP; BBC;

What is being said about his passing in your country?

Lion or Lamb?

 As a winter storm approaches the Chicago area during this first week of March, perhaps you have heard the term "March is coming in like a lion." If you haven't, you might soon.  What exactly does this term refer to and what is the connection with a lamb? Here's an article that explain where the term originated. . I knew of the first explanation but not the second one! Let's also take a quick tour around the country and see what is being said.;
Philadelphia, PA;
Minneapolis, MN;
New York, NY (from 2011);

Sinkhole in the News

In the United States, sinkholes are especially common in the state of Florida. Are you aware of them occurring in your country? Here are a few links about the recent sinkhole that swallowed up part of a house and, tragically, took the life of a man.  Do you have any questions?
Search for man ends 
The victim's brother's response
Demolition continues
Pictures of sinkholes from around the world
Background info about sinkholes
Another source...How sinkholes work
LANGUAGE FOCUS: Do you know understand and know how to use and pronounce the following words that are commonly used with such stories:
demolish/demolition; raze/razed/razing; debris; evacuate/evacuation;

MUSH! MUSH!

Have you ever been to Alaska? Do you have any interest in sled dog racing? Ok, even if the answers to both of those questions are NO, I'd like to humbly suggest you follow the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race over the next 8-10 days. Now you may be asking, why would I want to do that if I'm not interested in the sport? Because, it is an opportunity to 1. follow a story in English that will be in the news for an extended period of time. 2. interact with vocabulary and idioms used in most games and competitions. 3. read about/listen to human interest stories about the people in the race, which can provide practice with all your skills in English. Also, we will be doing it together, and I will be here if you have any questions. So let's get started!"The Last Great Race" starts today.

Happy Sequestration Day

As of midnight, the sequestration officially began. THIS article has a brief history and explanation of what happens next. Keep your eyes open for news of how the spending cuts will impact daily life in the US. Are people expecting immediate changes? And what does "hail Mary" here in this article from yesterday? (HINT..it's a term used in football)

The Last Day of Pope Benedict

Watch and Listen for many stories in the news today about the Pope's retirement or resignation. It is unprecedented and historic, two words you will hear a lot today. There are questions. Criticisms. Problems.

Word in the news: SEQUESTRATION

Here's a word that confuses native speakers of English, too. Usually the word sequester refers to isolating a jury that is deciding if someone is guilty or innocent (or to a group of bishops meeting to decide the next pope..more on that in the near future. However, in the context of what is going on in Congress it means something completely different. Read THIS and discover the meaning that applies in Washington DC today. And if you'd like to add even one more definition in the mix, you can discover what the original Latin meaning is for FREE!

Oscars Recaps

WINNERS HOST The Fall

Oscar BUZZ

Besides the nominees and winners and losers, people will also be talking about THE RED CARPET, THE HOST, NOTABLE ACCEPTANCE SPEECHES (LISTEN...what is the implication of this short report) and THE LENGTH OF THE SHOW.

Focus: The Oscars and Foreign Films

1. There are 5 foreign films that are up for Best Foreign Film? What countries are represented? What's the point of this article? 2, THIS was interesting about Chinese films. In paragraph 5, what do "hobbles" and "hamstringing" mean?

On the Eve of the Oscars 2013

1. Check out this link at EW, and read what the predictions are for Sunday evening's Academy Awards ceremony. 2. How do the predictions compare to Yahoo! 3. Watch this Oscar Favorites, Underdogs and Snubs Video 4. Which category has the oldest and youngest nominees? 5. Vocabulary Practice about the Academy Awards. 6. This article has some interesting Oscar history.

Cruise Ship Comedy (and headlines review)

Remember the cruise ship that was stranded in the Gulf of Mexico last week? Watch this video from Saturday Night Live. This sketch or segment takes place on the cruise ship and shows some of the crew trying to cheer up the passengers. ????What FOUR headlines do they attempt to share with the passengers (beginning @ 1.41)and WHY do they decide not to???? To learn more about Saturday Night Live and their use of comedy and satire, click HERE and HERE.

How do you say that: Hair cuts!

Do you ever have problems when you want to get your hair cut, not sure how to explain what you want done? Here are a few helpful resources: 1. Explanation and Expressions in the Barber Shop 2. ESL Podcast: Listen to Conversation and Explanation 3. Conversation in the Hair Salon (for women) 4. BASIC VOCABULARY and INFO ABOUT BEAUTY SALONS AND BARBER SHOPS

Who will be the next Pope?

Following ongoing stories in the news is a great way to practice your English skills and also increase your vocabulary. The selection of the next pope will definitely be in the news the next few weeks. Here are some links to get you started. 1. How are popes chosen? 2. Who are the Candidates? 3. Conservative or Liberal? 4. Insider or Outsider? 5. African? Hispanic? Asian? or European

Oscars Hype Week

There will be a lot of stories about the Oscars this coming week.So keep your eyes open for talk of FRONT RUNNERS, UNDERDOGS as well continued talk of those SNUBBED. Find a website you like and keep up with the stories this week (one possibility is EW). 1. Zero Dark Thirty Former Favorite turned Long Shot What happened? What's the controversy?

Be OK with mistakes

The only way you are going to IMPROVE your English is to USE your English. Some language learners do not want to practice speaking with the English they have, because they know they will be making mistakes. BUT if you don't practice, you will not make much progress. I'd like to encourage you to always be on the look out for opportunities to speak English. If you are in the US, are there free ESL classes available in your community? Can you start or join a group of other language learners and meet once a week for lunch or dinner? Yes, it is ideal to get some native speaker input when learning a language. However, most of the people who are English speakers in this world, are not native speakers. SO it is still helpful to practice English with those who have accents or imperfect grammar. As you practice your English, COMMUNICATING your message is more important than grammatical or phonetic accuracy. Relax and don't worry about being perfect. Progress is the goal.

Saturday AM news

1. Shocking Twist: Blade-Runner arrested 2. Prison LOOMS for former Congressman 3. Horse-Meat Scandal Growing

Focused Friday Headlines

1. Meteor Strike Where? When? Damage? Injuries? Cleanup? 2. Valentine's Day Filibuster What's the fuss about? 3. State of the Union Aftermath Did President Obama really do some Cherry Picking?

Native vs. Second Language Learning

Take a moment to think about this question: Do you remember learning your native language? Probably not. The first language we learn is not really studied in a classroom. But we hear it spoken and modeled around us. We gradually come to understand what things mean and eventually how to communicate what we want. Learning another language is completely different, and completely unnatural. When you are growing as a child, you learn to crawl, walk and speak without really understanding what you are capable of, or how far you have to go to achieve your goal. Most parents and care givers accept your limitations and think it's cute when you reach certain landmarks. Although there may be challenges, it's usually a low stress process that eventually works itself out. With second language learning (or third or fourth for some of you), you are totally aware of your limitations and conscience of how far away your goal is. Now that you are an adult, it's very humbling because you sometimes feel like a child as you try and communicate in your new language. Sometimes you have to rely on the children in your life to make sure you understand or are being understood. I acknowledge the challenges you are facing, especially given the craziness of the English language. I applaud you for the courage to go forward and am here to help as you continue on your journey!

Week of February 11, 2013

1. What is the significance of the 4.9 "earthquake" on the Korean peninsula? 2. What were the "talking points" in President Obama's State of the Union Address? 3. What was the sudden resignation that caused "shock waves" around the world? 4. What's the latest on the ex-cop manhunt in California? 5. What is being referred to a "floating Petri dish" and where did it finally land?