The Outcasts of Poker Flat by Bret Harte

We present “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” by Bret Harte.  Here is Jim Tedder. John Oakhurst was a gambler.  He had lived in the small western town of Poker Flat for only a short time.  He had defeated many people at cards.  He had also won a lot of their money.  For that reason alone, he was not well liked. On the morning of November twenty-third, eighteen fifty, he saw some men talking as he walked down the main street of town. As he came near, they got quiet. He said to himself, “Hmmm, I guess they are talking about me. And that can’t be good.” Oakhurst was right. Some of the town’s leaders had met secretly and decided to force some people to leave. They thought Poker Flat would be a better place to live if those people were gone. Besides Oakhurst, two women of low morals were led to the edge of town. They were the “Duchess” as she was called, and “Mother Shipton.”  A man called “Uncle Billy” was added to the group. He was known to drink too much. Some people thought that he had also stolen some gold. They had no proof. But that did not matter. Uncle Billy was just no good, and he had to go. The “outcasts” were told that if they ever came back, they would be killed. So, the four of them slowly rode out of town. The “Duchess” cried and said she would probably die on the road. Mother Shipton and Uncle Billy cursed. “Mother” said she would like to “cut the heart out” of the people who done this to them. But John Oakhurst rode in silence. He thought all of life was a gamble. He had just run into some bad luck. That was all. The outcasts were headed for Sandy Bar, a camp not too far away. But it was high up in the cold Sierra Mountains, and the path was anything but smooth. Around noon, Mother Shipton became so tired she fell off her horse. She said that was as far as she was going today. Oakhurst tried to make them move on because they had no food or fuel. But the three would not listen. Instead they began to drink alcohol that Uncle Billy had hidden. Soon they were quiet and asleep. Oakhurst did not drink. He stood nearby and watched them. He began to think about his life and about how lonely he was. Yet he was stronger than his three companions. He could have left them there and set off alone. But he did not. Then, he heard someone call “John Oakhurst.” A young man named Tom Simson came riding up. The gambler knew Tom. They had once played cards and Oakhurst had won. But after the game, he told young Tom that he was too easy to beat. And he gave him back his money. Tom said Oakhurst would be his friend for life. Tom was not alone. From behind a tree came his new wife, a girl named Piney Woods. Her father had not wanted her to marry Tom. So they had run away. Tom told Oakhurst that he had a little food. He also showed him an old log house just off the path. Years of harsh weather had nearly ruined it. But it was all they had, and it would have to do. The women could spend the night in there. The men would make a fire and sleep on the ground by the door. The night seemed to pass quickly. But the weather became colder.  The wind increased, and it began to snow. Oakhurst had a bad feeling. He turned to where Uncle Billy had slept, and found him gone. He had left the others and even taken their horses. Oakhurst said Uncle Billy had probably gone for help. But he knew better. The group of five decided to wait for the snow to stop before traveling farther. They no longer had horses. From here on, they would be on foot. By the third day out from Poker Flat, the snow had gotten deep. They could no longer see the path. Food was running low. Everything around them was white and cold. One week later they still had not moved. The snow had continued to fall and was deeper than ever. And it continued to fall. It formed a prison they could not escape. Still, they could see smoke rising from the warm fires in the houses down below in Poker Flat. The site seemed especially cruel. But the little group of outcasts tried to keep up their spirits. They tried to stay as warm as they could. They sat together by their own open-air fire. And Tom Simson pulled a small accordion from his pack. Piney Woods played the instrument. They all sang songs. The music took on a defiant quality, a quality of resistance. But the outcasts had to listen to the sad cries of their mostly empty stomachs. The hunger got worse with each passing day. At midnight on the tenth day, Mother Shipton called Oakhurst to her side.  She said, “Give this to the young ones.” In a bag was all her food. She had not eaten for days. She had saved the food for the others. She turned quietly to the wall of the log house, and died. John Oakhurst began to think that none of them would live out the storm. He gave Tom Simson a pair of snowshoes and asked him to try to walk back to Poker Flat for help. He guessed it would take Tom at least two days, if not more, to get there. Tom kissed his new bride and left on foot. Soon he was out of sight. The Duchess and Piney were surprised, and frightened, when Oakhurst also turned to leave. “You’re not going, too,” they cried. He said, “Only a little way. I need to find us some help.” At that time of year, daylight did not last long. When night came, Oakhurst had not returned. The two women were too hungry, weak, and cold to even add more wood to the fire. They passed the stormy night holding each other close. And that is the way they were found the next morning when help arrived from Poker Flat. They had frozen to death during the night. The rescuers from town said that they had been right to force the outcasts to leave Poker Flat. But they never thought the punishment would end up like this. Justice was one thing, but freezing people to death was not their aim. And then they thought of the gambler. Where was he? What had happened to him? They searched as best they could. And then, they found him. Under a tall tree a playing card was stuck into the wood by a knife. On the card was written: “Beneath this tree lies the body of John Oakhurst, who had some bad luck starting the twenty-third of November, eighteen fifty. He handed in his cards on the seventh of December, the same year.” Oakhurst sat there, cold and still. They said he looked peaceful. A single bullet from a small hand gun nearby had ended his life. John Oakhurst had been both the strongest, and the weakest, of the outcasts of Poker Flat.   “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” by Bret Harte was adapted for VOA Learning English and read by Jim Tedder. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   gambler - n. a person who risks money or other possessions when playing a game prison – n. a place where a person is kept as punishment for a crime cruel - adj. causing or helping to cause suffering; terrible and unfair outcast - n. someone who is not accepted by other people snowshoe - n.  a light, wide frame that is attached to your shoe to make it easier to walk on soft snow without sinking ​

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Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Threatened

Australia’s National Coral Bleaching Task force says the country’s Great Barrier Reef is facing the “worst mass bleaching event in its history.” The reef is a United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage site. It has more than 400 species of coral and 1,500 kinds of fish. It is the only reef that is a Heritage site, a place that is named by UNESCO as having special cultural or physical significance. The reef is along the northeastern coast of Australia. It is three quarters the size of the western American state of California. Bleaching happens when sea temperatures rise. Higher temperatures cause the coral to force out colorful algae. The coral becomes white. If the water temperature falls, the process could reverse. Algae could return to the coral. If it does not, the coral could die. Researchers examined aerial surveys of more than 500 reefs north of the city of Cairns. The researchers said most of the reefs suffered from severe bleaching. Terry Hughes leads the National Coral Bleaching Taskforce. He said “this has been the saddest research trip of my life.” “We flew for 4,000 kilometers in the most pristine parts of the Great Barrier Reef and saw only four reefs that had no bleaching. The severity is much greater than in earlier bleaching events in 2002 or 1998,” he said. Hughes also said “it’s still too early to tell just what the overall outcome will be. We will continue to conduct underwater surveys along the Great Barrier Reef in the coming months as the full impact of this mass bleaching event unfolds.” Hughes said the most of the severe bleaching was in the northern part of the reef. He says the southern part was not as affected because of “cloudy weather that cooled the water temperatures.” He said the bleaching was likely made worse by the strong El Niño event in the Pacific Ocean. The Washington Post reports there have been three recorded mass bleaching events -- in 1998, 2010 and this year. All three took place at the same time as the El Niño event. I’m Ashley Thompson.   VOANews.com reported this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   species – n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants; a group of related animals or plants that is smaller than a genus coral – n. a hard material formed on the bottom of the sea by the skeletons of small creatures algae – n. simple plants that have no leaves or stems and that grow in or near water aerial – adj. taken or seen from an airplane pristine – adj. not changed by people; left in its natural state survey – n. an act of studying something so as to be able to make a judgment about it unfold – v. to happen as time passes  

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VOA English Newscast 1400 UTC April 1, 2016

  From Washington, this is VOA News.       I’m Steve Karesh reporting. Indian police said Friday they have detained five officials of IVRCL. That is the construction company that was building the bridge that collapsed Thursday in Kolkata, killing at least 23 people and injuring 80 more.   Earlier on Friday, police said they have opened a case of culpable homicide against the construction firm. Seetha Peddapathi is IVRCL's chief lawyer. "IVRCL and its concerned staff will cooperate with the investigation. We will give the maximum support what we have to give. We are anxious to know why it happened as well. We want to know the reason why it happened." The bridge had been under construction for at least nine years. In a case which has generated international interest as a test of press freedom, the trial of two Turkish journalists has resumed. The defendants are facing charges of espionage and aiding a terrorist organization for their reporting, in which they alleged that the government was smuggling arms into Syria. They could get sentences of life in prison if found guilty. Protesters have gathered at the courthouse in Istanbul chanting, "Free press, free society." Hans-Dietrich Genscher, a long-serving German diplomat at the forefront of the struggle to reunite East and West Germany, has died at the age of 89. Genscher served as foreign minister of West Germany, and later of the unified Germany. He is credited with negotiating Germany's reunification and the withdrawal of Soviet troops in 1990. The French justice minister expects the top suspect in the November terrorist attack in Paris will be extradited from Belgium to France within 10 days. Salah Abdeslam has been jailed in Belgium since his arrest on March 18th. Abdeslam's lawyer said his client wants to cooperate with authorities.   This is VOA News. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Newscast   construction – adj. of or related to the building of something culpable – adj. guilty of doing something wrong homicide – n. the acting of killing another person staff – n. a group of people who work for a business or other organization maximum – adj. the highest number or amount possible anxious – adj. afraid, especially about what may happen; showing fear or nervousness journalist – n. a reporter or writer for a news organization resumed – v. to begin again; re-started espionage – n. the activity of spying alleged – v. claimed smuggling – v. moving someone or something from one country to another, either illegally or secretly chanting – v. saying many times, usually loudly with other people forefront – n. the most important position or part extradited – v. sending someone to another state or country for trial client – n. a person who pays someone else or an organization for services authorities – n. officials   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ​

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At Least 20 Dead in Indian Bridge Collapse

At least 20 people died and hundreds were injured in a bridge collapse in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata Thursday. Witnesses said many people and vehicles, including two buses carrying more than 100 passengers, were under the bridge when it fell. They also said construction workers had set up camps near the bridge site where they would sleep and cook.Before rescue teams arrived, local residents and firefighters used their bare hands to try to rescue people trapped under the debris. The collapsed bridge is in a busy commercial area of Kolkata. Its location has made it difficult for rescue operations. Access to the area is blocked on both sides by buildings, and the streets are blocked with heavy traffic. Reuters reports that the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, rushed to the scene of the collapse. She said that rescuing those trapped is her “top priority.” Banerjee said those responsible for the disaster will be punished. Yet she faces questions about the safety of the construction project. The Telegraph newspaper reported last November that Banerjee wanted the bridge - already five years overdue - to be completed by February. Project engineers said they were concerned over whether this would be possible, the newspaper said at the time. Construction workers had been on a strict schedule to complete the bridge. The disaster could affect the West Bengal election next month. AN Indian company, IVRCL, was building the 2-kilometer bridge, its website said. IVRCL's director of operations said the company was not sure of the cause of the disaster. I'm Anne Ball.    Ashley Thompson adapted this story from VOANews.com and Reuters reports. Kathleen Struck was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story debris - n. the pieces that are left after something has been destroyed rush - v. to move or do something very quickly or in a way that shows you are in a hurry operations - n. an activity of a business or organization — usually plural    

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Security Summit Focuses on N. Korea, Terror Threat

U.S. President Barack Obama opened his final nuclear security summit in Washington on Thursday, expressing concerns over North Korea's nuclear weapons development and the possibility of dirty bombs from terrorists. Ahead of the summit, Obama met with South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss the North Korean nuclear threat in the region. He said, "One of the topics now most on our minds is the issue of North Korea and we are united in our efforts to deter and defend against North Korean provocations" North Korea nuclear threat On Thursday, The Washington Post published an opinion article from President Obama. He wrote, “The international community must remain united in the face of North Korea’s continued provocations, including its recent nuclear test and missile launches. The additional sanctions recently imposed on Pyongyang by the United Nations Security Council show that violations have consequences.” The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution earlier this month to impose tough new sanctions on North Korea. The sanctions are meant to punish North Korea for its recent nuclear and long-range missile tests. The resolution will need China’s cooperation since 90 percent of North Korean trade goes through China. The U.S. has been asking China to use its influence to limit North Korea’s nuclear activities. Rose Gottemoeller is an Under-Secretary of State. She said on Wednesday that the cooperation between the U.S. and China has been "very, very good." "China joins with us in a very strong and intense focus on ensuring good, solid implementation of the U.N. Security Council resolution, which, as many of you know, places strong constraints on North Korea's ability to continue to conduct commerce across its borders, whether by sea, air or land," said Gottemoeller. The U.S. and South Korea have also been discussing the deployment of a missile defense system, called THAAD. It stands for Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense. The missile system is to protect South Korea from the North’s nuclear threat. China has opposed the deployment since it would also give the U.S. radar coverage over Chinese territory. U.S.-China relations U.S.-China relations, however, are complicated with maritime disputes in the South China Sea. China has launched major construction projects in the South China Sea for the past two years. It has claimed sovereignty over a large part of the sea. China has built new artificial islands, airport runways and buildings, ignoring claims from Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. Recently, China has deployed a radar system and an advanced surface-to-air missile system on Woody Island. The island is part of the Paracel Islands, also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. While the U.S. does not claim any territory in the South China Sea, it has been sending warships through the disputed water near the Spratly and Paracel islands. China has called U.S. operations in the South China Sea “provocative behavior.” But both countries have avoided any escalation of tensions. Terror threat Leaders at the summit are especially concerned about the security of nuclear materials and facilities in countries such as Pakistan. On Easter Sunday, a terrorist attack in Lahore killed more than 70 people. The Brussels terrorist attacks on March 22 showed how dangerous terrorist groups like the Islamic State have become. After the attacks, Belgium has put armed guards at its nuclear facilities. Sharon Squassoni is an expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She said while progress has been made to secure nuclear materials, “there is still material out there and the material that we’re talking about is highly enriched uranium.” The U.S. says the world has 2,000 metric tons of highly enriched uranium and separated plutonium in civilian and military programs. Ben Rhodes is the White House Deputy National Security Adviser. He said, “We know that terrorist organizations have the desire to get access to these raw materials and their desire to have a nuclear device.”   Ken Bredemeier and Mary Alice Salinas reported on this story for VOANews.com. Hai Do adapted their reports for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   provocation - n. an action or occurrence that causes someone to become angry or to do something consequence - n. something that happens as a result of a particular action or condition implementation - n. the action of beginning to do or use something

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Some New Words for VOA's Word Book

Some big news today here at VOA Learning English. We are adding new words to our 1,500-word Word Book. The first edition of the Word Book came out in 1962. Every now and then, we update it. Some words are added and some are taken away. We only decided to add these words after careful thought. We think they will be useful as your English improves. Here are the Word Book’s new words. Dadgum Running latte Hangry Have you ever used these words or heard them before? In case you have not, here is what they are and how to use them. Dadgum is a word used to express dissatisfaction or anger. For example, if you are hanging a picture on the wall and hit yourself with the hammer, you could yell: “dadgum it!” Sometimes coffee drinkers are said to be running latte. A latte is a coffee drink made with hot milk. The delicious drink is spelled l-a-t-t-e. Sometimes, you might have to stop for one on your way to work. When the coffee stop delays your arrival you can say “I ran latte.” Hangry is used to describe a person who is hungry and angry because of it. Hangry people are sometimes hard to be around until they get something to eat. You will be hearing these words in our news and feature programs. We urge you to use them also in your expanding English vocabulary. Caty, wait, there’s a new expression to add to the word book. What is it, Dan? It’s APRIL FOOLS! Ugh! Today is April Fools’ Day. It is a day when people in many countries play fun tricks on each other. Some historians think the day goes back thousands of years to ancient Rome. These words we just mentioned, they’re real. But they are informal. They are not yet in the Learning English Word Book. But you can find hangry in the Oxford Dictionaries’ website. We hope you enjoyed our little joke. And that you have a great April Fools’ Day. I’m Dan Friedell. And I’m Caty Weaver.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. Did you play a prank or a joke on someone today? Tell us about it in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. __________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   informal– adj.  having a friendly and relaxed quality delicious– adj.  a very pleasant taste  

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Instagram Launches 60-Second Videos

  This is What’s Trending Today… The media-sharing application Instagram will soon have 60-second videos. Instagram announced its plan to have longer videos earlier this week. Currently, Instagram has a 15-second video time limit. The company said that the time people have spent watching videos on the application increased by more than 40 percent in six months. It also said that the longer video feature will be available to some users immediately. The feature will be available to everyone in the coming months. ​ Instagram again will permit iPhone users to join together clips from different videos on their phones. The feature is similar to Vine videos or Snapchat’s Stories. Snapchat announced a new video-chatting feature on the same day that Instagram announced its plan for longer videos. Experts say that video is the next big step in social media. Instagram’s parent company, Facebook, says its users worldwide watch more than 100 million hours of video each day. Longer Instagram videos will help the company better compete with sites like YouTube. And that’s What’s Trending Today. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   chat - v. to talk over the Internet by sending messages back and forth in a chat room parent company - n. a company that owns or controls another company

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Palmyra May Be in Better Condition Than Expected

When the Islamic State militants blew up the Temple of Bel in the ancient city of Palmyra in August 2015, experts feared they would destroy many important artifacts from the first century. UNESCO considered the 2,000-year-old temple one of the most important buildings of the World Heritage ancient city. The UN called the destruction of the ancient temples and tombs in Palmyra a war crime. Syrian forces, backed by Russian airstrikes, took back control of Palmyra. Now that the city is open, experts say the artifacts are in better shape than many predicted. They say up to 80 percent of the ancient ruins in Palmyra have survived. Maamoun Abdulkarim is the Syrian antiquities director. He was able to investigate the 2,000-year-old ruins for the first time after Syrian forces recaptured the city in late March. The Islamic State militants held the ancient city for about 10 months He said many artifacts, columns, arches and statues have survived. But there is damage to surrounding streets, baths and fences. The faces of some statues were chiseled away. Abdulkarim and a group of experts are looking to restore the ancient structures. He said to Al-Jazeera, "We know the area centimeter-by-centimeter - all we need is the help of the international community." Looking for international help In Italy, a former culture minister, Francesco Rutelli, said the artifacts could be restored using three-dimensional, or 3-D, printing. The technology can help re-create damaged structures. Roger Michel is an American expert from the Institute for Digital Archaeology in Great Britain. Michel promised that he would show a Temple of Bel arch recreated from a 3-D printing in April. ​Michel said to The Guardian, “my intention is to show Islamic State that anything they can blow up we can rebuild exactly as it was before, and rebuild it again and again.” Michel explained that 3-D printing can use the same combination of materials – sand, water and sodium bicarbonate – that ancient builders used to build the temple. It can even use dust left over from buildings destroyed by IS. One problem the experts will face is the lack of detailed source material like 3-D images. But they say some of the information can come from two-dimensional photographs. There is already some video shot by drones and photographs made by satellites. But many of the sites are not yet accessible because of land mines and traps left by IS fighters. Amr Al Azm is a Middle East History and anthropology professor in Ohio and used to work for the antiquities department in Syria. He sees a difficult task ahead. “The Arch of the Triumph — may be repairable because there is more of it left, lying around close by. The Temple of Bel is going to be far more challenging,” he said. I’m Dan Friedell.   This story was first reported by VOANews.com. Dan Friedell adapted the story for Learning English. Additional information came from The Guardian and The New York Times. Hai Do was the editor. Do you think experts will be able to restore Palmyra? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   temple – n. a place for prayer tomb – n. a burial place restoration – n. the act or process of returning something to its original condition by repairing it, cleaning it, etc. drone – n. an aircraft without a pilot on board dimension – n. the length, width, height, or depth of something : a measurement in one direction (such as the distance from the ceiling to the floor in a room) chisel – v. to cut or shape (something) with a chisel

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New Drones Could Improve Weather Predictions

Scientists are developing unmanned planes -- called drones -- that can gather weather information from the atmosphere. The drones could help weather experts improve their predictions. Meteorologists say their weather forecasts would be more accurate if they had information from many parts of the atmosphere. They already place satellites, drones and balloons at different altitudes. And they use radar and gather information from devices on towers. But that information only helps experts predict weather conditions for the next few days. It does not help predict changes in the next few hours. This is very important where sudden, violent storms happen. So scientists at Oklahoma State University are developing new drones to gather information from more parts of the Earth’s atmosphere. This will help forecasters improve predictions about local weather conditions. Jamey Jacob is an aerospace engineer and a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Oklahoma State University. He leads the university’s Unmanned Systems Research Institute. He and other scientists at the university are developing small drones that do not cost a lot of money but can fly for hours, gathering information from many atmospheric levels. He spoke to VOA on Skype. “Oklahoma is a really good, good example, because even though we're already a very weather-dynamic state, Oklahoma only has two balloon launches a day -- one at dawn and one at dusk -- from a single location in the state, and that's where all the weather forecasting information comes from. So that data is really sparse, and it’s difficult for meteorologists that are developing these forecasting models to get a very good idea about how that weather is changing from these very limited number of data points.” Phillip Chilson is a professor of meteorology at Oklahoma State University. He says the drone program should give researchers a low-cost way of understanding storms better, and improve computer-based forecasting. The scientists have developed a round drone that can fly, hover, roll on the ground and then take off again. These abilities are needed for a drone to fly in storms. Professor Chilson says the drone can measure atmospheric conditions, send live video to forecasters, and help search for people hurt in storms. He spoke to VOA on Skype. “Our real goal is to try to develop systems that really, I don't want to say replace but there may be that possibility of replacing weather balloons, but currently augmenting them -- so, increasing the capabilities.” Researchers say they still have a lot of work to do before the drones are ready. That includes making sure the drones know how to stay away from other planes. They say it could be two years until a drone can safely examine Earth’s lower atmosphere.  I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.   VOA's Science and Technology Correspondent George Putic reported on this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   drone – n. a plane or other vehicle that flies and does not have a pilot in it meteorologist – n. a scientist who studies the atmosphere and weather forecast – n. a statement about what you think is going to happen in the future accurate – adj. free from mistakes or error altitude – n. the height of something (such as an airplane) above the level of the sea dynamic – adj. always active or changing dawn – n. the time of day when sunlight first begins to appear dusk – n. the time when day changes into night and the sky begins to get darker sparse – adj. present only in small amounts; less than necessary or normal data point – n. facts or information used usually to calculate, analyze or plan something (usage note: data is plural in form but is used with both plural and singular verbs) hover – v. to float in the air without moving in any direction scope – n. the area that is included in or dealt with by something capability – n. the ability to do something augment – v. to add something to (something) in order to improve or complete it

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English @ the Movies: 'Pick A Fight'

"Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" is about two action super-heroes. Batman and Superman end up in a fight. Our English @ the Movies phrase we are talking about is "pick a fight." What do you think that means? Listen and find out.

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Changing Prepositions With 'Provide'

English learners know that prepositions can be difficult to master. There are 94 one-word prepositions in English, and about 56 prepositions with two or more words, called “complex prepositions.” This adds up to 150 chances to make mistakes. We cannot, of course, explain the small differences between all 150 prepositions here. We can, however, provide you with a few explanations of different prepositions that use one particular verb: provide. Provide (someone) with: When provide is followed by an indirect object, English speakers use the preposition “with.” Providing (someone) with something means to give something wanted or needed. Here is an example sentence, written by U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama: “Room to Read provides girls with scholarships that cover the cost of housing, food, and books.” In this sentence, “girls” is the indirect object and “scholarships” is the direct object. Provide for:   Another preposition with the same verb is “provide for.” “Provide for,” in general, means to make whatever is necessary for someone available to him or her. We often use this expression when we talk about parents providing for their family.  In a VOA Learning English story about a Cambodian-American filmmaker, we used the preposition in this way: “She says changes such as migration away from rural areas are allowing more women to find work and provide for their families.” This preposition can also be used in other ways. “Provide for” can mean to make it possible for something to happen in the future. For example, in our story about water shortage in California, we wrote, “They say it [California] needs to find a way to provide for the growing need for water.” Provide (something) to/for:   When “provide” is followed by a direct object, English speakers can use the prepositions “to” or “for.” Provide (something) to/for (someone) means that you deliver or give something to someone. For example, “The company provides health insurance to all of its employees.” “Health insurance” is the direct object and “employees” is the indirect object. In this example, we also could have said “The company provides health insurance for all of its employees.”   Both of these sentences are correct, but it is more common to use “provide (something) for” than “provide (something to)” someone. The expression using “to” is rather new to American English, according to the Internet application Google Ngrams. Google Ngrams is an app that shows general changes in English usage by searching all the words in Google’s digital books. The graph on Ngram for “provide (something) to” shows it was hardly ever used before 1960. Compare that to the Ngram graph for “provide (something for).” The expressions appear more often. The expressions also appeared much earlier, around 1920. They were used then almost as often as they are used now. Understanding English prepositions can be difficult, even for native speakers! But we hope that we have been able to provide assistance to all of our listeners and readers. I’m Kelly Jean Kelly. Jill Robbins wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   prepositions - n. a word or group of words that is used with a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, location, or time, or to introduce an object direct object - n. a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase which indicates the person or thing that receives the action of a verb indirect object - n. a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that occurs in addition to a direct object after some verbs and indicates the person or thing that receives what is being given or done      

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