Past Unreal Conditionals

This week, we are going to talk about the past unreal conditional. Past unreal conditionals are often used to express wishes about the past. They often show regret, or sad feelings about something that happened in the past. Here's an example: If I had studied, I would have passed the test. In this example, there is an implied wish that the speaker had studied. A conditional sentence has two parts. The first part is the if clause: "If I had studied." The second part is the result clause: "I would have passed the test." To form the past unreal conditional, use the past perfect in the if clause. Use had followed by a past participle verb to form the past perfect. In the result clause, use would have followed by the past participle. Use past unreal conditionals to talk about how you would have acted differently if you had had more information. Basically, if I had known A, I would have done B. Imagine you brought chocolate for a co-worker. You didn't know it at the time, but your co-worker was diabetic. In this situation, you could say, "If I had known you were diabetic, I would not have brought chocolate." Some Americans use the simple past in the if clause of a past unreal conditional. For example, there's an old song called, "If I knew you were coming, I'd have baked a cake." In formal speech or writing the correct form is, "If I had known you were coming, I would have baked a cake." There is often a difference between how grammar is taught and how ordinary people use it in conversation. A conditional sentence can start with the if clause, or the result clause. In the classic American film It's a Wonderful Life, the main character George Bailey is thinking about killing himself. In a moment of sadness, George says that life would have been better if he had never been born. Listen to this dialog between George and his guardian angel, Clarence. Clarence: So you still think killing yourself would make everyone feel happier? George: Well I don't know. I guess you're right. I supposed it would've been better if I'd never been born at all. Clarence: What did you say? George: I said I wish I had never been born. Notice how George puts the result clause first when he says, "I suppose it would have been better if I had never been born." George also shortens "would have" to "would've" and "I had" to "I'd." Native speakers often use contractions with the words "had" and "have." That means a past unreal conditional will often have two contractions in it — an extra challenge for English learners. Sometimes speakers want to express how something that did not happen in the past has an effect in the present. For example, "If I had been born in China, I would speak Chinese." Or "If had quit university, I would not have this job." These are called mixed conditionals. In a mixed conditional, the if clause remains in the past perfect. But the result clause changes to the simple present to emphasis the effect in the present. To emphasize a feeling of regret, add "only" to the if clause. Listen to this sad song by country singer Reba McEntire. "If I had only known it was the last walk in the rain, I'd keep you out for hours in the storm." This song is an example of a mixed conditional. The if clause "If I had only known it was the last walk in the rain" is in the past perfect. But the result clause, "I'd keep you out for hours in the storm" is in the simple present. The singer is emphasizing her present feelings about something that did not happen in the past. Past unreal conditionals are complex grammar structures. Make sure you have mastered the past perfect, the present perfect, and irregular verbs before studying advanced conditionals. For a simpler lesson on conditionals, see our previous episode of Everyday Grammar called "Introducing Conditionals." When you are ready, a good way to practice past unreal conditionals is to ask your English-speaking friends if they have any regrets. You could ask "If you could change something about your past, what would you change?" We'll leave you now with another song of regret by Brook Benton: Darling if I had known I'd miss you like I know since you've gone, things would have been different if only I had known I'm Adam Brock. And I'm Jill Robbins. Adam Brock wrote this story. Hai Do edited it for Learning English. Now it's your turn. Here's a conditional sentence you can apply. If you send us your mailing address in the comments, we will send you a 2016 VOA Calendar. We will not publish your address in the comments, of course. Feel free to add a comment, and we will publish that without the address. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   regret - v. to feel sad or sorry about (something that you did or did not do) imply - v .to express (something) in an indirect way or to suggest (something) without saying or showing it plainly past perfect - gram. the form of the verb that is used in referring to an action that was completed by a particular time in the past participle - gram. a form of a verb that is used to indicate a past or present action and that can also be used like an adjective guardian angel - n. an angel believed to watch and protect someone or a helpful or protective person REFERENCE – Past Unreal and Mixed Conditionals   If clause Result clause Past Unreal If I had studied, Past perfect I would have passed the test        Perfect conditional Would have + past  participle Mixed Conditional If I had studied harder at school, Past perfect I would have a better job now.    Would + simple present   ​

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annual (adjective)

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ASEAN-US Summit May Not See Major Results

United States President Barack Obama will host the leaders of the 10 ASEAN members next week in California. ASEAN is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Its 10 member countries are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Last year, ASEAN leaders created the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). The aim is to increase trade, investment and economic ties among the 10 nations. ASEAN leaders will meet with President Obama at the 80-hectare Sunnylands estate in California. The estate was once the home of a billionaire publisher. President Obama hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping there in 2013. President Obama personally invited all the ASEAN leaders to Sunnylands when he attended the ASEAN summit last November in Malaysia. The summit participants will address key regional security and trade issues. They are also expected to discuss climate change and human trafficking. U.S. role in ASEAN Obama administration officials see ASEAN as a key part of America’s foreign policy focus on Asia and the Pacific. The U.S. also wants to increase its economic ties with the region. But observers do not expect any major results or developments from the meeting. Simon Tay is chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. He said that because 2016 is President Obama’s last year in office, he does not believe “a great deal of substance” will come from next week’s meeting. Observers expect a key topic at the meeting to be China’s growing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea.  The Philippines and Vietnam are among the countries involved in territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea. Leaders from both countries want the United States to give them guarantees about security. But other ASEAN member countries do not want to anger Chinese leaders. That divide among member nations could also make it difficult for major developments to result from the meeting in California. Chin Leng Lim is an international law professor at Hong Kong University. He said ASEAN member countries do not agree on several major issues. Because of this, he says, the United States is “firmly in the driving seat of this summit.” In other words, the United States could have control of the meeting. Trans-Pacific Partnership A major topic among ASEAN nations is trade. Last week in New Zealand, 12 countries signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The TPP trade agreement includes four ASEAN members: Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. Two other ASEAN members, Indonesia and Thailand, could also soon join the TPP. ASEAN members have been talking with six other countries about forming another free trade agreement called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Those six countries are Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. Deborah Elms is executive director of the Asian Trade Center in Singapore. She says the signing of the TPP and the RCEP negotiations mean ASEAN is facing more competition. She says ASEAN should “take regional integration seriously” to remain globally important. ASEAN launched its own economic community, the AEC, at the beginning of the year. It creates a single market for goods, services, capital and labor. So far, it has not shown strong results. But its supporters say that it will reach its goal of being a single market and production base by the year 2020. The Asian Development Bank says it has “the potential to become one of the largest economies and markets in the world.” ASEAN nations have a population of over 626 million people, and an economy valued at $2.4 trillion. ASEAN represents the third-largest economy in Asia, behind China and India, and the seventh-largest economy in the world. I’m Mary Gotschall.                    Steve Herman reported on this story for VOANews.com. Mary Gotschall did additional reporting and adapted this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Do you have an opinion about this topic? Let us know what you think in the Comments section below, or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   host – v.  to entertain guests socially or as a job trafficking – n.  the act or business of illegally buying something and selling it especially in another country substance – n. the quality of being meaningful, useful, or important assertiveness – n. aggressiveness territorial – adj.  of or relating to land or water that is owned or controlled by a government in the driving seat – idiom. to be in control of a situation launch –v. to begin (something that requires much effort) integration – n. the act of making (a person or group) part of a larger group or organization launch – v.  to begin (something that requires much effort)

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'Hello,' Can You Pay Me?

Adele’s song “Hello,” off her latest album, “25,” is one of the top-selling songs of all time. The music publication Billboard reported that it is the first song to reach 1 million downloads in a single week. Adele’s fans around the world have responded with recordings of their own versions of “Hello.” In music, this is called a “cover.” These covers are then posted on streaming services like YouTube. It is a fun thing to do and a way for smaller artists to get notice with a hit song. Adele’s “Hello” is so popular, people will listen to a cover version from just about anyone. Lydia Lee is a high school student from South Korea. Her simple video cover of “Hello” in English has collected over 17 million views on YouTube. A singer named Sara’h received 5 million views with her cover of “Hello” in French. In Kenya, a singer named Dela has posted a version of “Hello” in Swahili. The song has about 500,000 streams. The most–watched cover of "Hello" on YouTube, though, is from Leroy Sanchez. He is a musician from the Basque region of Spain. His cover has over 25 million views. Some followers even commented that it “sounds so much better than the original.” Karen Rodriguez of Miami works in a hotel. But she has dreams of a singing career. She once competed in American Idol, a show for aspiring singers to get notice. Rodriguez made a video of herself singing "Hello" in English and Spanish. As of this week, her version has more than 8.5 million views on YouTube. She thinks the song going “viral” will help her find an audience for her music. She told Billboard, “with these covers, I get to put out music.” The magazine noted that going viral might cost Rodriguez $34,000 if her video reaches 10 million views. That is because it is in another language. That is something Sanchez and Lee do not have to worry about. Lee and Sanchez perform their covers in English, so they do not have to pay a licensing fee to Adele and her publishing company for the rights to put the song online. Word-for-word remakes of songs are allowed, but song translations and adaptations do not have the same freedom. So if you make a video of yourself singing “Hello” in a language other than English, you might owe some money. For those who only want hear the original, you can say “hello” when Adele performs this Monday night at the music awards show called the Grammys. I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.   Does this story make you think twice about covering a song in a new language? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   adaptation – n. something changed to fit some purpose or situation remake – v. to make a different version of something viral – adj. something that becomes well-known as it is passed from person to person license – v. to give official permission through a formal agreement

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Trending Today: Egypt Rolls Out Red Carpet

This is What’s Trending Today. When you see a red carpet outside an event, it often means that the activities taking place inside are important. When movie stars arrive at the opening of a new film, or attend an awards ceremony, they walk on a red carpet. As they enter, they stop for photographers or to answer questions from reporters. Sometimes political leaders are given a chance to walk on a red carpet when they arrive at an important event. In English, if you are getting “the red carpet treatment,” it means you are being treated well. But Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi took the red carpet treatment to the extreme last Saturday. And people are talking about it on social media. One writer for Buzzfeed says Sisi “does things high-end or not at all.” The Egyptian government “rolled out” a four-kilometer-long red carpet for the last leg of Sisi’s visit to a public housing project outside Cairo. One Egyptian made an estimate of how much the carpet might have cost. He thought it probably covered 32,000 square meters, which would have cost about $190,000. An Egyptian military general went on television to explain that the government was using existing carpets, and the government did not purchase the material. But even still, people enjoyed poking fun at the outlandish display. Most people made the point that Sisi was making a speech about the need for all Egyptians to cut costs while using a very high-priced-looking red carpet. And that’s What's Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.   Who do you think of Egypt’s massive red carpet? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   carpet – n. a heavy fabric floor covering celebrity – n. a famous person outlandish – adj. very strange or unusual poke fun – v. to make a joke about something

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Helping Blind People 'See' Great Artwork

An American photographer is making copies of great artwork available for blind individuals and those with very poor eyesight.   At least 285 million people worldwide are either blind or considered visually impaired. They are unable to see or enjoy visual fine art. Romeo Edmead lost his eyesight when he was only two years old. But that has not stopped him from living life to the fullest. He went to college and studied journalism. He now lives in New York and produces a podcast about the city. He depends heavily on his other senses. But he cannot experience the great works of art in New York City. He remembers a visit to an art collection with his grandmother. “So we went to this museum and I just sort of like wandered off somewhere and I started touching something, and all of a sudden alarm went off. And a guard came running over, and my grandmother was all humiliated, ‘Oh I am sorry. You know, he is blind and what have you…’” Romeo is now able to use his fingers to trace art paintings. He can get an idea of the appearance by following the markings. John Olson once worked as a photographer for LIFE magazine. He developed a printing process to make the art of Da Vinci and Van Gogh tangible for visually-impaired individuals. “I began to realize how important images have been to me, what they have allowed me to do. And it caused me to wonder what it was for the blind, not having access to images.” Olson's company is called 3D Photoworks. It produces copies of artwork in three dimensions: height, width and depth. Olson says this is how the process works. First, a painting is scanned, and a 3D computer image is created. Then it is sent to a machine that digitally sculpts it. Then the original image is printed on top of the relief. The whole process can take up to four weeks. Olson says that creating art in this way gives a blind person a new experience. “When a blind person can interact with art and create their own opinions, it’s freedom to them. It represents freedom, independence. People tell us it's a basic civil right." Nihal Erkan lost her eyesight completely when she was 6 years old. Now, for the first time, she is experiencing Leonardo Da Vinci's most famous work, Mona Lisa. “Her bottom lip is a little curved, because her upper lip is a little dented.” A painting called "Washington Crossing the Delaware" shows a major event during America’s Revolutionary War with Britain. Romeo Edmead just experienced the painting for the first time. “This is something that I would have never experienced in the past growing up, you know. This is a completely new experience for me.” Thanks to new technology, 3D art may soon hang in art museums all over the world. It gives the visually-impaired the chance to experience the beauty of visual art. I’m Marsha James.   Victoria Kupchinetsky reported on this story for VOANews.com. Marsha James adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   humiliate – v. to make someone feel very ashamed or foolish podcast – n. a digital radio show tangible – adj. easily seen or recognized dented – n. an area on a surface that is lower than the rest of the surface especially because of being hit or pushed in. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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Cameron: Time for WikiLeaks Leader to Face Rape Charges

British Prime Minister David Cameron says it is time for Julian Assange to leave the Ecuadorean embassy in London. Cameron told the British Parliament Wednesday that Assange should answer rape charges against him in Sweden. “What he should do is come out of that embassy and face the arrest warrant that is against him,” Cameron said. Assange set up the Wikileaks website 10 years ago. The site became world famous for publishing secret government documents and images. Assange entered the Ecuadorean embassy 3 ½ years ago. He went there to avoid deportation to Sweden. Swedish government lawyers say two women have accused him of rape. Assange denies the charges. The United Nation’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled this month that Assange has been unfairly denied his freedom. It said he should be freed and allowed to seek “compensation.” Assange spoke by video from the Ecuadorean embassy. He said “it is settled law” that he has been wrongly detained. Assange also said he plans to leave the embassy, but did not say when. The British government said it is not required to accept the U.N. ruling. I’m Bruce Alpert.   VOA correspondent Luis Ramirez reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted this report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section OR share your views on our Facebook Page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   warrant – n. a document issued by a court that gives the police the power to do something deportation – n. to force a person to leave a country arbitrary – adj. not planned or chosen for a particular reason compensation – n. payment to make up for some problem or damage detention – n.  the act of keeping someone in a prison or similar place  

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Facebook Updates with New Features

Facebook has been making changes that may affect the way you use its popular social network service. You may have seen friends use some of the new Facebook features and wondered what they are. Or maybe you have even used them yourself. Collages and Live Video are new ways to share with others what is happening in your life. GIFs are now available in Facebook Messenger without needing an app, or application software program. Your Friends Day video is a collection of your Facebook photographs you can prepare for release and share with others. Photo Collages Sharing photos is easier now with Collages. Facebook’s website uses groups of pictures you took together at the same place and around the same time. It combines them into collages -- images you can then share in your Facebook Timeline. These collages can include photos and videos you took on your phone. You can see which images Facebook has suggested, and remove any you don't want to include. You can also “drag and drop” to change the order of the photos and videos. Facebook is offering Photo Collages first on Apple iPhones and then on Android. If you do not yet have this feature, try looking again in a few weeks. To get started, open the Facebook app on your phone and touch the Photo area. If you see a slideshow at the top of your photos, then you have this feature enabled on your app. If you do not see a collage, take a few pictures to see if one appears. Tap the slideshow to open a collage.   You can choose which photographs to include in the collage. Tap the X icon at the upper right corner to remove any photos you don't want to include. Go to the bottom of the collage and tap the Add More icon to choose any other photos you have on your phone to be added to the collage. If you took a lot of pictures of one subject, you can choose to include one image or all of the images in a slideshow within the collage. You can organize the images in your collage by dragging and dropping them into position. Drop them to change the order in which you want them to appear and to change the size of the images. At the top is the title of the collage. The default title Facebook gives the collage is based on when you took the photos; for example, you might use the term "Saturday Afternoon." You can cancel the default title and add any name you want, such as "My First Dance Lesson." Tap the Next icon, then select who can see the collage. You can choose to make the collage public or share the pictures with only your Facebook friends. You can also include a description above the collage. When you are satisfied with your settings, tap Post in the upper right corner to share your collage. After publishing your collage, you can no longer make changes. So be sure your collage is the way you want it before you tap Post. Viewing the Collage The collage will appear as a slideshow on your Timeline. If you tap on the slideshow, the collage opens with the photos organized in a series of lines. GIFs in Facebook Messenger The Facebook Messenger app got a whole lot more fun, if you like GIFs or the Graphic Interchange Format. Now you can include colorful GIF images in Facebook Messenger without having to use a different app. Facebook Messenger GIFs work both on your computer and within the Facebook Messenger app on your phone. You should be able to add GIFs to your Facebook messages anywhere you are in the world. To add a GIF to a Facebook message, just touch or click on the GIF icon below the message box.   You can see the Trending GIFs that people are using the most. Or you can search for a GIF based on a keyword. Choose the GIF you want and that GIF will appear as a message from you. At the bottom of the GIF you can see where the image came from.           Live Video Facebook also wants you to share your fun with friends as it happens with the site’s new Live Video feature. Live Video lets you broadcast live streaming video to your Facebook friends or other people. There is no need to wait until the activity has ended to post what you were doing. Facebook Live Video lets you share your world with others in “real time”. Like collages, Live Video is not yet available to all Facebook users. As with many new features, Facebook is slowly releasing Live Video. But soon this service will be offered around the world. To get started using Live Video, open the Facebook app on your telephone. Next, click on the Status icon, and tap the antenna icon at the bottom of the screen. Facebook will turn on the front camera of your phone in Live Video. You can use the rear camera by touching the circle icon with two arrows in the upper right corner of your screen. You can add a description of the video to let your friends know what they are watching. When you are ready, press on the Go Live button and start streaming. You can stream for up to 30 minutes. Simply tap on the Finish icon when you are done. During the Live Video streaming, you can see the names of people who are watching and read their comments. You can block anyone showing signs of bad behavior. When you are finished streaming, the video will be saved on your Timeline so your friends who didn't see it can watch later. Watching Live Videos You can subscribe to Live Videos from your friends and from movie stars or others so you will know when they're broadcasting on Facebook. Tap the Subscribe icon when you watch a video if you want to get alerts for future Live Videos from that person. To receive someone's Live Video, you first go to his or her Facebook Page. Then go to the Video section and tap Subscribe. You can watch past Live Videos and get notified when they are broadcasting. Friends Day Videos Facebook has a treat for you. If you have been on Facebook in the past few days, you may have seen friends sharing their Friends Day videos. If you actively posted photos on your Facebook account, you may have your own Friends Day video waiting for you. This is a sample Friends Day video: To see your Friends Day video, go to the Facebook Friends Day page.The Friends Day video is private, unless you decide to share it with others on Facebook. But before you share it, you may want to change the video to include different photos or messages. Just because Facebook thinks someone is a close friend of yours does not mean you have to agree. If you decide to edit your Friends Day video, you must do so before sharing it. After you share your video, you no longer have the chance to make changes. To edit your video, click the Edit icon. You will see the video at the top of the screen with a bar underneath. On this line is a blue dot that you can drag to move the video ahead or back. Below the video is a collection of your Facebook photos. Drag the blue dot to find the photo you want to remove. Then find a photo you want to use instead. Drag the replacement photo on top of the photo you want to remove and the replacement photo will appear in your video. When you are done editing your video you can share it with others in a post and add a message to your post. I'm Pete Musto. Learn more about the Friends Day videos at the Facebook Help page. Your Thoughts Are you excited about Facebook's fun new features? Which ones have you tried? Which ones will you use most? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!   Carolyn Nicander Mohr wrote this story for VOANews.com. George Grow was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   collage - n. a collection of different things GIF - n. a format for image files that supports both animated and static images application - n. a computer program that performs a particular task (such as word processing) slideshow - n. a presentation based on a series of projected images or photographs keyword - n. a word that is used to find information in a piece of writing, in a computer document, or on the Internet streaming - adj. playing continuously as data is sent to a computer over the Internet antenna - n. a device (such as a wire or a metal rod) for sending or receiving radio or television signals icon - n. a small picture on a computer screen that represents a program or function subscribe - v. to get a publication or service regularly edit - v.  to prepare (a film, recording, photo, etc.) to be seen or heard :to change, move, or remove parts of (a film, recording, photo, etc.) drag - v. to move (items on a computer screen) by using a computer mouse  

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Trump, Sanders Win New Hampshire

Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders easily won the New Hampshire presidential primary election Tuesday night.  Businessman Trump is seeking the Republican Party nomination. Senator Sanders of Vermont wants the Democratic Party nomination. ​The results are not a surprise. Public opinion studies had predicted the two men would win. The real race was who would finish second among Republican candidates. That position went to Ohio Governor John Kasich. Candidate Hillary Clinton, a Democrat, called Sanders to congratulate him on his victory. Sanders remains behind Clinton in most national studies. But he been steadily narrowing the distance between them. Sanders spoke to supporters at a school in Concord, New Hampshire. He thanked Hillary Clinton for her call and praised her “vigorous campaign.” Sanders also praised the “record-breaking voter turnout” in New Hampshire. "Together we have sent a message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California. And that is that the government of our great country belongs to all the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their Super PACS (independent campaign committees)," Sanders said.   Donald Trump opened his victory speech with a simple “Oh wow.” He thanked New Hampshire voters, his family and campaign volunteers. "We are going to make America great again," Trump told supporters. "But we're going to do it the old-fashioned way."  Like Sanders, Trump also talked to his supporters about the money in politics. He said it was very important that he was “self-funding” his campaign. “I see all of this money being poured into commercials, and it’s not their money, it’s special interest money.”   He suggested that he would not be influenced by special interests as a result of funding his own campaign. It is still unclear just how big Sanders' and Trump's leads will get. With about three quarters of the votes counted, Sanders had just under 60 percent, compared to 38 percent for Clinton. On the Republican side, Trump had 34 percent of the vote. Kasich had 16 percent. Close behind him were former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. Florida Senator Marco Rubio had hoped to gather Republican support behind his candidacy after a strong showing in Iowa. It was not to be, as Rubio came in fifth. Frank Luntz is a leading conservative pollster. He says Trump must win New Hampshire by at least 10 percentage points to secure his frontrunner position. Luntz told VOA, "When you consider all the negative comments that are made about him, all the attacks. If he can survive it, and beat all these guys by 10 points or more, then he's clearly the frontrunner." I'm Caty Weaver. Caty Weaver wrote this story for Learning English. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­Hai Do was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story turnout – n. the number of people who go to or participate in something contributor – n. someone who gives (something, such as money, goods, or time) to help a person, group, cause, or organization old-fashioned – adj. typical of the past in a pleasing or desirable way pollster – n. someone who makes questions for a poll, asks questions in a poll, or collects and presents results from a poll negative – adj. expressing dislike or disapproval Are you following the US presidential race? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ​

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VOA English Newscast: 2200 UTC February, 9 2016

  From Washington, this is VOA news… I'm Dave DeForest reporting New Hampshire votes: Residents formed long lines at polling stations to vote in America's first primary election of the 2016 presidential race. Polling stations will be open between now until 0 hour UTC. The U.S. spy chief told Congress Tuesday that North Korea has restarted a plutonium reactor that could provide fuel for nuclear weapons. "Pyongyang continues to produce fissile material and develop a submarine-launched ballistic missile.  It is also committed to developing a long-range nuclear-armed missile that is capable of posing a direct threat to the United States, although the system has not been flight tested." Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, he says the North has been operating the reactor long enough that it could capture the plutonium from the reactor's spent fuel within weeks or months. In his annual assessment of worldwide threats, Clapper also told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Islamic militants will continue to plot against U.S. targets overseas . The World Food Program has begun distributing food to tens of thousands of people fleeing heavy fighting in Allepo and other areas of Syria.  Lisa Schlein reports. "The United Nations reports more than 30-thousand people replaced by the relentless bombing of Allepo, are stranded along the Syrian side of the border with Turkey.  Aid agencies report the civilians, most of whom are women and children, are in dire straits and urgently need shelter and food. The World Food Program reports it has transported food from Turkey into the small town of Azaz in northwest Syria.  More refugees are expected if fighting continues.  Lisa Schlein, Geneva." And for more on the Syria situation check our website voanews.com. This is VOA news. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Newscast assessment –n. an idea or opinion about something relentless –adj. continuing without becoming weaker or less severe strand v. to be left in a place with no way to get out dire straits –idiom to be in a very bad situation

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