Travel Apps Offer Direction, Fun

When life takes you away from home, take technology to help guide and entertain you. Apps can help make your trip easier and more fun. Travel Guidance Travel apps are very helpful to guide you on your trip. Some apps help you plan your trip and others help you travel. TripIt TripIt is a helpful app to organize travel plans. Sign up for a free account at the TripIt website and download the app to have all of your travel plans handy in one place. After signing up for an account, forward any email confirmations for your travels to plans@tripit.com. Send TripIt all confirmations for hotel, flight, train, theater and other reservations. TripIt will create a travel itinerary that will be shown in the TripIt app on your phone. No need to hunt down emails when it is time to travel. Everything will be in one place, on the TripIt app. There’s a video that shows how TripIt works.     TripIt is free but a paid version is available that keeps track of loyalty programs, gives flight alerts, fare refund notifications and more. TripIt for Android TripIt for iPhone/iPad Google Translate When traveling outside your home country, you may need some language assistance. Google Translate is an app that can help you understand a language other than your native tongue. The Google Translate app translates between 103 different languages. Copy and paste text into the app to see a translation. You can also handwrite text onto the screen. Use your phone’s camera to see a translation of signs. Point the lens at words to see the translation on the phone’s screen. The app works even without an Internet connection. Google Translate is available for free. Google Translate for Android Google Translate for iPhone and iPad OpenTable OpenTable is a restaurant reservation app to help users discover and make reservations at restaurants. Search by location, cuisine, reviews and prices. OpenTable includes 31,000 restaurants around the world. Check the app to see availability and make reservations within the app. Earn Dining Rewards by making your reservations through OpenTable and get a free meal. OpenTable is available free for Android and iPhone and iPad. Photo Editing on the Go Part of the fun of traveling with a smart phone is taking and sharing photos. Fotor The Fotor app lets you edit your photos and add filters for special effects. The app has been updated recently with new editing features so users can edit their photos more easily. Fotor has added a slider to give users greater control of the edits. Editing effects can be saved as favorites to use them easily later. See, Photo Editing App Improves Your Shots to learn more about Fotor. Fotor Photo Editor for Android Fotor for iPhone/iPad     Waterlogue Waterlogue is an app that edits photos to look like watercolor paintings. The app is best used on photos of places instead of people. It can make your photos look like works of art. Choose from 14 different filters to get different colors and effects. Waterlogue is available for iPhone/iPad for under $4. Offline Apps Traveling often means you are offline and away from the Internet. When camping in the wild, flying on a plane, sailing on a boat or riding in the car, you may not have an Internet connection. If you are traveling outside your home country and away from Wi-Fi, you should use apps offline to avoid large bills for using international data. Google Maps Google Maps can be used even when no Internet connection is available. Maps can be downloaded for times when you are away from the Internet. Create your own Google Maps that you can use offline. Customize maps by including directions and points of interest. After creating a custom map, you can share it with others so they can see where you are going or join you on your trip. If you discover favorite restaurants, hotels or museums, you can save them to your maps to revisit them later. How to Download Google Maps for Offline Use To download Google Maps for offline use, open the app when you are connected to the Internet. Search for the place you want Google Maps for, such as Washington, D.C. When the map appears in the app, touch the bottom bar with the name of the place. A page will appear with the option to download the map. Google Maps for Android Google Maps for iPhone/iPad EBooks Load your phone or tablet with Ebooks before you leave home. Download Ebooks over WiFi so you can read them anywhere, even when you are not connected to the Internet. Plenty of Ebooks are available free so you can fill your device before you leave home. Check out ereader apps including Kindle for Android; Kindle for iPhone and iPad; Google Play Books for Android; Google Play Books for iPhone and iPad; and iBooks for iPhone and iPad. I’m Caty Weaver.   Carolyn Mohr wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. Do you use travel apps? Have you tried any of these? Do you have travel apps to suggest? Please share your thoughts in the Comments section, and post on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   alert - n. something (such as a message or loud sound) that tells people there is important information fare refund - n. receiving money back when the price of a ticket drops translate - v. to change words from one language into another language cuisine - n. a style of cooking slider - n. a control that is moved horizontally or vertically to control a variable, such as the volume of a radio offline - adj. not connected to the Internet data - n. information that is produced or stored by a computer download - v. to move or copy (a file, program, etc.) from a usually larger computer system to another computer or device customize - v. to change (something) in order to fit the needs or requirements of a person, business, etc. option - n. something that can be chosen : a choice or possibility

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Adele Tells Fan to Stop Filming Her Concert

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Killing of Gorilla at US Zoo Causes Uproar

Critics were outraged after zoo officials shot and killed a gorilla that held a 4-year-old boy at an American zoo this weekend. Harambe, a male western lowland gorilla, was shot and killed Saturday by Cincinnati Zoo officials. The boy had fallen into the gorilla’s exhibit. Officials feared the animal would hurt the four-year-old. The boy climbed over a 3-foot-tall railing, walked through bushes and fell 15 feet into the moat of the gorilla exhibit. Zookeepers called to the gorillas to come out of the exhibit. Two female gorillas complied, but Harambe did not. Instead, he was attracted to the child. At times, he seemed protective. At others, he dragged the boy through the water of the moat violently. Zoo officials say Harambe was visibly agitated by the screams and panic of the crowd around the exhibit. They decided to shoot the gorilla. Zoo Director Thane Maynard said there was no doubt that the boy's life was in danger. He said the gorilla could crush a coconut in one hand.​ Tranquilizing Harambe was not an option, Maynard said. “The impact from the dart could agitate the animal and cause the situation to get much worse,” Maynard said. If they had to make the same decision over again, they would do the same thing, he said. Critics are furious about the killing of Harambe. Many on social media are blaming Michelle Gregg, the mother of the boy. They say she did not watch her son closely enough where there were many dangerous animals. An online petition has been created, called Justice for Harambe, that says “the situation was caused by parental negligence” and that Gregg should be held accountable. The petition already has more than 350,000 signatures.                 People have been active on Twitter and Facebook, too. The hashtags #RIPHarambe and #JusticeForHarambe express their anger.         Others have defended Gregg and the zoo.   ​ ​ Jack Hanna, host of “Jack Hanna's Into the Wild,'' said the zoo was correct by shooting the gorilla. Hanna said he saw video of the gorilla jerking the boy through the water. “I'll bet my life on this, that child would not be here today,'' Hanna told television station WBNS in Columbus, Ohio. I’m Mehrnoush Karimian-Ainsworth.   Mehrnoush Karimian-Ainsworth wrote this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Did you see the video and hear of the gorilla story? Which side did you take? Please leave us a comment below this story, and post to our Facebook page, thank you. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   moat – n. a deep, wide ditch that is usually filled with water and that goes around the walls of a place (such as a castle) to protect it from being attacked​ exhibit – n. an object or a collection of objects that have been put out in a public space for people to look at : something shown in an exhibition​ agitated – v. to disturb, excite, or anger (someone)​ tranquilizing – v. to use a drug to cause (a person or animal) to become very relaxed and calm​ furious – adj. very angry​ negligence – n. failure to take the care that a responsible person usually takes: lack of normal care or attention jerking – v. to push, pull, or twist (something) with a quick movement

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Brazil Corruption Minister Quits Under Suspicion

Brazil Corruption Minister Quits Under Suspicion

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Civilian Deaths Rise in Battle for Fallujah

Civilian deaths are rising as the battle for Fallujah intensifies. The Islamic State terror group has held the Iraqi city for more than two years. Iraqi forces have launched an offensive to retake Fallujah.  Civilians have been killed in heavy shelling or buried alive under the wreckage of their homes, according to reports received by the United Nations refugee agency, or UNHCR. "There are also reports of several hundred families being used as human shields" by Islamic State militants, said agency spokesman William Spindler. Militants are putting those families in or around military targets in hopes of preventing an attack, he said. About 625 families have escaped the fighting since last week. Iraqi forces are separating men they capture from their families to ensure who is IS and who is not. "Approximately 500 men and boys over 12 years old are held for security screening which can take five to seven days," Spindler said. VOA spoke about the process with a refugee named Ayad . IS militants “questioned me, the Hashd al-Shaabi and the Iraqi army,” he said. Hashd al-Shaabi is the name of the group of Shi'ite militias that work with the Iraqi military. Ayad said Islamic State warned that “if we find your name … we will kill you. If you are in the clear, you can live with us in peace.” Hashd al-Shaabi has been a leader in fighting IS. Some observers see the pro-Iran militias as better trained than the Iraqi army. But others worry that a strong Shi'ite presence in the fighting will worsen religious divisions in the country. Many Sunnis in Baghdad say they live in fear of the Shi'ite militias. Human rights organizations have noted abuses by the militias in the past. Iraqi Lawmaker and former National Security Advisor Mowaffaq al-Rubaie defended the Hashd's role in the fight against Islamic State. “I believe the Hashd al-Shaabi should have, and is having, a pivotal role” in the freedom of our occupied territories, Rubaie told VOA. "The Hashd al-Shaabi fight the IS in a guerrilla-war style, not a traditional style, not like the Iraqi army," he said. "But the Iraqi army, the federal police and even the anti-terrorism (forces), they fight in a traditional way. That is why the destruction is huge," he said. The presence of the pro-Iranian Shi'ite militias also feeds into concerns over Iran's growing power in the Middle East. Iranian General Qassim Suleimani visited the Fallujah area over the weekend, raising the concerns of Sunni leaders in Baghdad. Fallujah is traditionally under Sunni control. Kareem Nouri, a spokesman for the Hashd al-Shaabi, defended the presence of Iranian advisors. “We have American security advisors sitting in the Green Zone and we have Iranian security advisors on the front line helping us, but only with advice. Nothing else. The Iranian advisors are more helpful than the Americans," he told VOA. I’m Caty Weaver.   Sharon Behn reported on this story for VOANews.com. George Grow adapted this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Write to us in the Comments section, and post on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   shield – n. something that defends or protects someone or something; a protective device screening – n. the act of examining people or things as a test to decide if they can serve a purpose role – n. a part that someone or something has in an activity or situation pivotal – adj. very important     

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Over 100 Tigers Removed from Buddhist Temple

Officials in Thailand are removing tigers from the grounds of a Buddhist temple. The tigers were popular with travelers, who could pay to walk among them and take photographs. But wildlife groups said the animals suffered from poor treatment. Thai officials said they were reacting to reports that the tigers were kept in small spaces – sometimes in chains. Animal rights groups said some tigers were in bad health. By late Tuesday, the Reuter news service reported that 40 tigers had been taken from the temple, west of Bangkok. Thailand’s Department of National Parks said efforts to remove the remaining 97 tigers would continue in coming days. CNN reported that temple officials tried to slow the process by setting some tigers free. Thai officials said the captured tigers will be taken to three animal sanctuaries in Thailand, according to the Associated Press. The group that operates Tiger Temple said the animals were treated well. “There is nothing illegal and dangerous at all,” the group told CNN. It said removing the tigers will hurt the local economy. According to Reuters, people visiting the temple often used mobile telephones to take pictures of themselves petting tigers. Wildlife groups praised the Thai government’s decision to remove the tigers. “Tourists suckered into Tiger Temple unwittingly supported the torture of tigers,” said People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. It said the animals were drugged and beaten with sticks. Katie Moore of the International Fund for Animal Welfare said tigers do not belong in small spaces. They suffer in such spaces, she said. Adam Roberts is the leader of Born Free USA. He told VOA that he hopes the rescue of the tigers in Thailand will lead to similar actions in China and the United States. He said tigers are held and traded as pets in some parts of the U.S. In China, tigers are held in “tiger farms” for bones and other body parts, Roberts said. On its website, Tiger Temple said some tigers have to be tied down to protect visitors and other tigers because they sometimes wake in a “restless state.” “People’s safety has to be our main concern,” it said. Thai officials said they received reports about visitors to the temple being attacked by tigers. The Thailand temple’s collection of tigers is not unusual, according to Moore of the International Fund for Animal Welfare. “There are many instances around the world of tigers, and other wildlife, being held in poor conditions,” she said. I’m Bruce Alpert.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOANews.com. 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   tourist – n. a person who travels to a place for pleasure chain – n. Metal that is attached to an animal to keep him/her from moving sanctuary – n. a place where animal is protected in a natural setting pet – v. to touch an animal sucker – v. tricked unwittingly – adv. without knowledge pet – n. an animal kept for pleasure, not its usefulness

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700 Migrants Feared Dead in Mediterranean

Up to 700 migrants are believed to have died in the past week crossing the Mediterranean Sea, the United Nations said Tuesday. At least three boats sank in the biggest death toll for migrants in more than a year, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said. The boats left Libya and were trying to reach Italy. Most of the migrants came from Africa. About 14,000 people were rescued in calmer seas since Monday, Reuters news agency reported. Survivors who arrived in Italy said one of the boats was carrying many women and children. The migrants pay smugglers to take them on small rubber boats or old fishing vessels. Many do not know how to swim and do not have life jackets.  Giovanna Benedetto is with the humanitarian group, Save the Children. She said the survivors spoke about horrible conditions on the boats. “They lived [in] terrible situations. They told us terrible stories. They saw killing people – only because those people want to have some food. Their stories are really, really terrifying.” The U.N. announced Tuesday that more than 2,500 migrants have died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe so far this year. That is a big increase from 1,855 people who died in the first five months of 2015. The trip from North Africa to Italy is the deadliest way to cross, according to UNHCR spokesman William Spindler. “2,119 of the deaths reported so far this year have been among people making this journey, making the odds of dying as high as one in 23,” he said.   Most migrants traveling this way are from Nigeria and Gambia. Spindler said the migrants are risking everything to make the trips because they face very desperate conditions at home. “The reason why so many people are taking to sea at the moment, and risking their lives, is because they have no option. We have to give them the possibility to travel legally and safely.” I’m Bryan Lynn. VOANews.com reported this story. Additional material came from Reuters and Associated Press. Bryan Lynn adapted it for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   calm – n. a quiet and peaceful state smuggler – n. a person who illegally moves people or things from one country to another   vessel – n. – a large boat of ship journey – n. the act of traveling from one place to another  

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Sharp Rise in Number of Afghans Fleeing Conflict

  The number of Afghans displaced within their country has increased sharply over the past three years, says Amnesty International. The rights group reported on Tuesday that Afghanistan has 1.2 million internally displaced people. That is almost double the number in 2013. The report comes at a time of concerns over increasing violence by the Taliban this year. Champa Patel is Amnesty International’s South Asia Director. She said that growing numbers of displaced Afghans are living in very bad conditions. Afghans are one of the world’s largest refugee populations. The United Nations refugee agency estimates that 2.6 million Afghans are living in neighboring Pakistan and Iran. Champa Patel said, “While the world’s attention seems to have moved on from Afghanistan, we risk forgetting the plight of those left behind by the conflict.” In recent years, Afghanistan’s central government has promised to help internally displaced people. But these Afghans still lack food, water, health care, and chances to seek education and employment, Amnesty said. The report said the situation facing internally displaced Afghans has worsened in recent years. It said less aid and essential things, such as food, are available. Amnesty blamed reported corruption, a lack of ability in the government and decreasing international interest in Afghanistan’s national IDP Policy. The latest policy was launched two years ago. Instead, the report said, forced evictions by both the government and private groups are a daily threat to internally displaced people. Amnesty said the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation has the job of coordinating the IDP policy. But the ministry lacks financial resources and has been accused of corruption, the group said. Most of the internally displaced population is in need of basic health care. Also, schooling for children has been suspended since their families were forced to leave their homes. Champa Patel said, “They have lost the traditional sources of their livelihoods, and only have few opportunities for informal work, creating circumstances where women are excluded, and children are being exploited and not educated.” Amnesty International has called on Afghan officials and the international community to act quickly. It said these groups must work to meet the most urgent needs of displaced Afghans. The Afghan government has yet to comment on the Amnesty International report. I’m Mario Ritter.   Ayaz Gul reported this story for VOANews.com. Mario Ritter adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Send us your thoughts in the comment section below. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   plight – n. a bad or difficult situation essential – adj. absolutely necessary, something that cannot be done without implementation – n. the process of carrying out a plan evictions – n. to force someone to leave a place exploited – adj. used, used in an unfair or improper way

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Study Finds Most Americans Get News from Social Media

  A new study suggests a majority of U.S. citizens now get their news from social media websites. The Pew Research Center is an organization that researches issues and trends affecting America and the world. It surveyed 4,654 people in January and February. Pew researchers found 62 percent of the group got their news from social media websites like Facebook, Twitter and Reddit. The new study shows Facebook to be the most popular social media website for news. More registered users of Reddit get their news from Reddit than registered users of Facebook do from Facebook. But the Pew research shows that 44 percent of all U.S. adults get news from Facebook. Only 2 percent of all U.S. adults get news from Reddit, the study suggests. Twitter, Tumblr and Youtube also had high numbers of registered users getting news from these websites. But the number of people using more than one web site to get news was fairly low. Just 26 percent said they use two sites to get news and only 10 percent said they use three or more. A total of 64 percent of people said they only use one web site to get news. Most commonly that site is Facebook. Researchers also found news on each of the five most popular social media websites appeals to different types of people. People looking for news on Instagram are most likely to be young. Female social media users are most likely to seek news on Facebook. More people with some type of college degree look for news on LinkedIn. Information from a total of nine social media websites was part of the study. This includes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Reddit, LinkedIn, YouTube, Snapchat and Vine. The number of visitors to all nine websites grew from a similar study conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2013. Jeffrey Gottfried and Elisa Shearer wrote the report for Pew. They say people who use social media for news still use traditional media like television and newspapers.   Doug Bernard reported and wrote this story for VOA news. Pete Musto adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. Now it’s your turn. Where do you go to get most of your news? Which social media website is most appealing to you? Let us know in the comments section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   social media – n. websites and applications that let users create and share content or to participate in social networking survey(ed) – v. to ask many people a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something user(s) – n. a person or thing that uses something

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1800 UTC Hourly Newscast in English

  From Washington, this is VOA News.      I’m Sarah Williams reporting. Civilian casualties are beginning to mount as the battle for the Islamic State-held city of Fallujah intensifies. Iraqi forces have launched an offensive aimed at retaking the city. The UN refugee agency has received reports of civilians being killed in heavy shelling or buried alive under the rubble of their homes. Some 625 families have managed to escape the fighting since last week. Iraqi forces are separating out and screening the men, out of concern about the loyalties of those who are leaving the city after living under IS rule for more than two years. A report released by the Global Slavery Index on Tuesday says more than 45-million people are subject to some form of modern slavery. India and Uzbekistan are among the countries with both the highest absolute number of slaves and the highest proportion of slaves to their population. Citizens of Uzbekistan are subject to state-sanctioned forced labor picking cotton. North Korea also makes the list for highest proportion of slaves among the population for forced labor in prisons as well as commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage of women in neighboring states. Andrew Forrest is chairman of the Walk Free Foundation: "It's where a person cannot leave their place of existence. Either their passport is taken or there's a threat of violence against them or a member of their family so they're stuck there and probably worse, they're treated akin to a farm animal." The study found that Qatar, Singapore, Kuwait, Brunei, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Japan, and South Korea are among the nations whose governments have taken relatively little action against modern slavery. This is VOA News.   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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Improve Your English By Using Common Objects

  From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report. Pronouncing English can be difficult. One reason is because English has some difficult sounds that are – unfortunately for English learners – very common. But English learners can improve their pronunciation by using simple, everyday objects. These objects include candy, a pencil, and a mirror.   What are some of these common difficult sounds? Well, you have already heard or read them several times in this story. The "th" sounds  In English, two different sounds are spelled with the same pair of letters: "th."  You hear (/ð/) in the word "this," and (/θ/) in the word "thing." When you say "this," your voice box moves. When you say "thing," air moves freely through your throat. Marla Yoshida teaches English as a foreign language at the University of California, Irvine. She notes how strange these sounds are: "Those [sounds] are hard for speakers of a lot of languages, because they are very unusual sounds... Very rare. I don't want to hurt those sounds' feelings by saying that they're strange... but, they're [strange]..." Sometimes, “th” sounds are difficult for English learners to make because saying them seems impolite, or rude.  All cultures have rules about polite ways to speak to each other. When speaking English, learners may need to break some of the rules of politeness they use in their native language.   Tamara Jones, a program coordinator at the English Language Center at Howard Community College, explains. She tells why English learners might feel uncomfortable making the "th" (/ð/)  and "th" (/θ/) sounds:  "This can be really tricky for lots of different speakers because in many languages, it's not polite to stick your tongue out of your mouth when you are speaking. But in English, to make the "th" (/θ/) or "th" (/ð/) sound, you have to put your tongue between your teeth."   So how can English learners teach their tongues to pronounce "th" (/ð/) and "th" (/θ/) correctly? Tamara Jones recommends a tasty, fun way to get in the habit of sticking your tongue between your teeth: using a lollipop.  "I like to give my students lollipops, and they hold the candy right in front of their mouth and they can practice saying words like "thanks" or "there" or "this," and they can practice sticking their tongue out between their teeth far enough so that they can taste the candy. So, this is another fun way to practice saying that tricky sound."   The "-er" sound   Other sounds in English may not be as strange as "th" (/ð/) or "th" (/θ/), but they can still be difficult to pronounce. One example is the "er" (ɚ) sound. English speakers often use “–er” (ɚ) when they make comparisons. Here is an example of an  “–er” (ɚ) sound in a popular song by Britney Spears:  Stronger than yesterday  Now it’s nothing but my way  My loneliness ain’t killing me no more  I’m stronger  Tamara Jones at Howard Community College says many English learners have problems clearly pronouncing the "-er" (ɚ) sound.  Part of the difficulty is finding the right tongue placement. To practice using the tongue correctly, Jones recommends that English learners use a pencil.  "But one little trick that students might find useful is to put a pencil in their mouth lengthwise. So they're biting down on the pencil, and the pencil is sticking out of both sides of their mouth.  "And then saying the sound "-er" (ɚ)​. When they say the "er" (ɚ) sound, their tongue should not touch the pencil. It should be down, under, or around the pencil, but it shouldn't touch the pencil. "So this is a nice way, kind of a fun way, to make sure that they are pronouncing that sound correctly."  Common problems with vowel sounds   Consonant sounds are not the only common difficult sounds for English learners. Vowel sounds are often difficult, too. Marla Yoshida, the teacher at the University of California, Irvine, points out that English has many vowel sounds. She says that English dialects can include between 13 and 15 vowel sounds. By comparison, some languages, such as Japanese and Spanish, have only five vowel sounds.   Two of the hardest challenges for English learners are pronouncing the "i" (ɪ) and "ee" (iː) vowel sounds.   Listen for the difference between the "i" (ɪ) and "ee"  (iː) sounds in popular music, such as in Tom Waits' song "All the World Is Green."  Pretend that you owe me nothing  And all the world is green  We can bring back the old days again  When all the world is green    Tamara Jones at Howard Community College says one way English learners can start improving their pronunciation of the "i" (ɪ) and "ee" (iː) sounds is to use another common object. Look in a mirror, she says, while you say the words “pin” and “green.” "Because to say "i" (ɪ), your face is very relaxed, but to say “ee" (iː), you are pulling the sides of your mouth, almost like you're smiling – it's a bigger mouth movement; it's a tenser sound "ee," “ee” versus "i" (ɪ) that is more relaxed. So, looking in a mirror can help students verify that they are saying the sound correctly because their mouth is moving in the correct position." Using these tips Clearly pronouncing common but difficult sounds can help you communicate better in English. Improving your pronunciation will take time and hard work, but a few basic objects will help.  Touch a lollipop with the tip of your tongue to practice "th" (/ð/) and "th" (/θ/) sounds    Bite a pencil but do not touch it with your tongue when saying the “er” (ɚ) sound    Use a mirror to make sure your face is relaxed when you say "i" (ɪ), and that your face is tense when you say "ee" (iː)  As you learned in the previous Education Tips story, pronouncing individual sounds correctly is only part of the pronunciation puzzle.   Future Education Tips stories will give you more suggestions for how to improve your pronunciation.   I'm John Russell.    John Russell wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Kelly J Kelly was the editor.  ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   pronunciation – n. the way in which a word or name is pronounced candy – n. a sweet food made with sugar or chocolate mirror – n. a piece of glass that reflects images tricky – adj. difficult to do or deal with stick – v. to put something or someone in a specified place lollipop – n. a round piece of hard candy on the end of a stick tongue – n. the soft, movable part in the mouth that is used for tasting and eating food and in human beings for speaking relaxed – adj. not strict or carefully controlled tense – adj. not relaxed but hard and tight

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