At home in Germany, I don't have a television, so I'm not exposed to much of the craziness that you can see on TV. Right now I'm on vacation in the United States and am quite shocked and amazed at the variety and ridiculousness of reality programs. There are shows about everything: polygamists, gypsies, housewives, people with big families, teen moms, and just about anything else you can imagine. What's your opinion on reality TV? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Is it a guilty pleasure of yours or would you never watch it?
Let us know! Send your answer to us (write as much as you need to!) at tutor@virtualingua.de
Also check out this reading exercise and test on the same topic: http://www.usingenglish.com/comprehension/8.html
Monday, May 21, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Bad things people do
Hello English Learners!
What are sins and how bad are they? Have you ever done anything really terrible? Or are you always completely correct in your actions? By following the link below, you will come to an American radio show called "This American Life". Listen to the episode we linked to below entitled "Mortal Vs. Venial" and complete the tasks below. When you finish, email us your answers at tutor@virtualingua.de
Enjoy!
Visit the This American Life website and listen to the show "Mortal Vs. Venial" here: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/463/mortal-vs-venial
1. What is mortal sin and what is venial sin as described in the show?
2. Please summarize the three acts.
3. Have you ever done anything terrible that could be considered a "sin"? Did it have any effects on your life or did you learn an important lesson from it?
What are sins and how bad are they? Have you ever done anything really terrible? Or are you always completely correct in your actions? By following the link below, you will come to an American radio show called "This American Life". Listen to the episode we linked to below entitled "Mortal Vs. Venial" and complete the tasks below. When you finish, email us your answers at tutor@virtualingua.de
Enjoy!
Visit the This American Life website and listen to the show "Mortal Vs. Venial" here: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/463/mortal-vs-venial
1. What is mortal sin and what is venial sin as described in the show?
2. Please summarize the three acts.
3. Have you ever done anything terrible that could be considered a "sin"? Did it have any effects on your life or did you learn an important lesson from it?
Friday, December 23, 2011
Medical Idioms...because it seems like everyone is getting sick
Hello again!
It's been a long break, because I've been sick, my kids have been sick and things have been very busy. In honor of these unfortunate events, I found an idiom exercise for you online. Finally, a new English exercise!
Please visit this page: http://www.idiomconnection.com/medical.html#BQ
Read through the medical idioms, add them to your own vocabulary list, practice them, and complete the quiz at the bottom of the page.
When you feel comfortable with the idioms, write a story or dialog using 10 of the idioms from the list. Email your story or dialog to tutor@virtualingua.de. If you're already a student with us, you can do this as an additional tutored exercise, otherwise you can send us the exercise and test our tutoring for free! A qualified native speaker who is a tutor for Virtualingua will check your work and reply to you personally with corrections, suggestions and further learning tips.
It's been a long break, because I've been sick, my kids have been sick and things have been very busy. In honor of these unfortunate events, I found an idiom exercise for you online. Finally, a new English exercise!
Please visit this page: http://www.idiomconnection.com/medical.html#BQ
Read through the medical idioms, add them to your own vocabulary list, practice them, and complete the quiz at the bottom of the page.
When you feel comfortable with the idioms, write a story or dialog using 10 of the idioms from the list. Email your story or dialog to tutor@virtualingua.de. If you're already a student with us, you can do this as an additional tutored exercise, otherwise you can send us the exercise and test our tutoring for free! A qualified native speaker who is a tutor for Virtualingua will check your work and reply to you personally with corrections, suggestions and further learning tips.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
British and American English
Learning and using the English language can sometimes be frustrating for learners because of the variations between British and American English. As an American native speaker, I found it quite fascinating to learn about the differences when I came to Europe. How do you feel about the differences between British and American English as an English learner? Below you will find a link to an article about which American words and pronunciations British people living in the United States have adopted. Please read the article and send us your responses to the questions following the link. Send your answers to tutor@virtualingua.de. If you're already a student with us, you can do this as a tutored exercise. If you're new to Virtualingua, test our tutoring for free!http://www.economist.com/blogs/johnson/2011/11/british-and-american-english-0?fsrc=scn%2Ftw%2Fte%2Fbl%2Famericanisationsurvey%3Athe
1. Definitely not all differences between British and American English were mentioned in the article. Do you know some more in vocabulary, pronunciation or grammar?
2. Do you strictly use one form of English in your speaking and writing? Do you use British or American English (or a mix) and why?
3. Are there variations lik this in your native language, either in regions of one country or in different countries where your native language is spoken?
Now here's a little treat for your hard work...a song about "tomaytoes" and "tomahtoes", "potaytoes" and potahtoes". Enjoy!
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
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Thursday, October 20, 2011
A Rhyme
Monday's child is fair of face
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay
Please interpret/describe what you think each child is like and email your description to tutor@virtualingua.de
A tutor will check your writing and send it back to you with comments and learning tips! Do this as tutored exercise or test our tutoring for free today!
Monday's child is fair of face
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay
Please interpret/describe what you think each child is like and email your description to tutor@virtualingua.de
A tutor will check your writing and send it back to you with comments and learning tips! Do this as tutored exercise or test our tutoring for free today!
Friday, September 16, 2011
A Song!
Your English activity today is work with a song--namely, A boy named Sue by Johnny Cash. Listen to and read the song and answer the questions below. Email your answers to us at tutor@virtualingua.de. You can do this exercise as one of your tutored exercises if you are already a student with us, or test our tutoring for free if you're not already a Virtualingua student yet--you'll get corrections and feedback from one of our tutors.
A Boy Named Sue-Johnny Cash
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My daddy left home when I was three
And he didn't leave much to ma and me
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze.
Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid
But the meanest thing that he ever did
Was before he left, he went and named me "Sue."
Well, he must o' thought that is quite a joke
And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk,
It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
Some gal would giggle and I'd get red
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head,
I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named "Sue."
Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean,
My fist got hard and my wits got keen,
I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame.
But I made a vow to the moon and stars
That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars
And kill that man who gave me that awful name.
Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I just hit town and my throat was dry,
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew.
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
There at a table, dealing stud,
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me "Sue."
Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had,
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye.
He was big and bent and gray and old,
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
And I said: "My name is 'Sue!' How do you do!
Now your gonna die!!"
Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
And he went down, but to my surprise,
He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear.
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer.
I tell ya, I've fought tougher men
But I really can't remember when,
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile.
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss,
He went for his gun and I pulled mine first,
He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile.
And he said: "Son, this world is rough
And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
And I knew I wouldn't be there to help ya along.
So I give ya that name and I said goodbye
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
And it's the name that helped to make you strong."
He said: "Now you just fought one hell of a fight
And I know you hate me, and you got the right
To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do.
But ya ought to thank me, before I die,
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you "Sue.'"
I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
And I called him my pa, and he called me his son,
And I came away with a different point of view.
And I think about him, now and then,
Every time I try and every time I win,
And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him
Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!
1. What do the words in bold (booze, bust, brew, cuss, ought to, get all choked up) in the song mean?
2. Are there other words in the song that are new for you? If yes, which ones?
3. What was the worst thing that the singer's father did?
4. What was the singer's plan for revenge (Rache)?
5. Did he carry out his plan? What did he do?
6. Why should he thank his father?
7. Extra Credit: Do some research online about Johnny Cash and send me a short biography.
A Boy Named Sue-Johnny Cash
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My daddy left home when I was three
And he didn't leave much to ma and me
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze.
Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid
But the meanest thing that he ever did
Was before he left, he went and named me "Sue."
Well, he must o' thought that is quite a joke
And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk,
It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
Some gal would giggle and I'd get red
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head,
I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named "Sue."
Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean,
My fist got hard and my wits got keen,
I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame.
But I made a vow to the moon and stars
That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars
And kill that man who gave me that awful name.
Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I just hit town and my throat was dry,
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew.
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
There at a table, dealing stud,
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me "Sue."
Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had,
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye.
He was big and bent and gray and old,
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
And I said: "My name is 'Sue!' How do you do!
Now your gonna die!!"
Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
And he went down, but to my surprise,
He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear.
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer.
I tell ya, I've fought tougher men
But I really can't remember when,
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile.
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss,
He went for his gun and I pulled mine first,
He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile.
And he said: "Son, this world is rough
And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
And I knew I wouldn't be there to help ya along.
So I give ya that name and I said goodbye
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
And it's the name that helped to make you strong."
He said: "Now you just fought one hell of a fight
And I know you hate me, and you got the right
To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do.
But ya ought to thank me, before I die,
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you "Sue.'"
I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
And I called him my pa, and he called me his son,
And I came away with a different point of view.
And I think about him, now and then,
Every time I try and every time I win,
And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him
Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!
1. What do the words in bold (booze, bust, brew, cuss, ought to, get all choked up) in the song mean?
2. Are there other words in the song that are new for you? If yes, which ones?
3. What was the worst thing that the singer's father did?
4. What was the singer's plan for revenge (Rache)?
5. Did he carry out his plan? What did he do?
6. Why should he thank his father?
7. Extra Credit: Do some research online about Johnny Cash and send me a short biography.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Americanisms-what do you think?
Language is a dynamic thing, and whether we like it or not, it changes with the times. American English seems to be wandering around the world changing the way English is spoken, and some are rather annoyed by the Amerianisms that are being picked up by English speakers the world over. You can read more about that here on the BBC News site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/14130942
What's your opinion on changing language? Do you think there should be some kind of regulation or movement to protect a "pure" form of language? Or do you think it is completely normal and maybe even desirable for language to change with the times? Write to us with your opinion (send it to tutor@virtualingua.de) and get feedback from a live tutor! If you're a student with Virtualingua already, do this as one of your tutored exercises, if not, test our tutoring for free!
What's your opinion on changing language? Do you think there should be some kind of regulation or movement to protect a "pure" form of language? Or do you think it is completely normal and maybe even desirable for language to change with the times? Write to us with your opinion (send it to tutor@virtualingua.de) and get feedback from a live tutor! If you're a student with Virtualingua already, do this as one of your tutored exercises, if not, test our tutoring for free!
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