Thursday, July 28, 2016

Grab Onto Phrasal Verbs

Welcome back to Everyday Grammar from VOA Learning English. Today we look at a very common verb form in English – phrasal verbs. There are over 5,000 verbs that fall in this category. Do you know how to use them? In this episode, we will introduce this type of verb and help you understand how and why English speakers use them. In future episodes, we will give more information about the different kinds of phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs in history Our story begins back when other languages - French and Old Norse - began to influence Middle English. That period started with the invasion of the British Isles in 1066 by William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy. There were small particles, or prefixes, placed before verbs in Middle English to change their meaning. One that we still use is for as in forlorn. The word lorn in Old English meant lost. Adding the prefix for created forlorn, meaning to be lonely or sad. As time went by, these prefixes started to disappear. Some reappeared as adverbs, separate words that came after the verb. William Shakespeare, who wrote many plays between 1589 and 1613, is a well-known writer of the time. His works, written in Early Middle English, include over 5,744 phrasal verbs. Formal language and phrasal verbs In Modern English, we use phrasal verbs more often in informal language. The reason for that practice goes back to the time when French influenced English. English speakers thought that French words, or words of Latin origin, were polite or cultured. When you want to speak more formally, you can use a single word of Latin or French origin instead of most phrasal verbs. For example, the phrasal verb look over can be replaced by review. As English learners know well, daily conversation in English is almost never formal. So feel free to use phrasal verbs when you speak English in everyday settings. Another general fact about phrasal verbs is that British English uses different ones from American English. At one time, British English speakers used phrasal verbs much less often than American English speakers. Now, the Oxford English Dictionary lists many phrasal verbs in common use in British English. The structure of phrasal verbs Let’s start with the basic structure of phrasal verbs. A phrasal verb is a phrase with two or more words: a verb and a preposition or adverb or both. An example is in this sentence:        “I looked up my cousin’s phone number.” The verb is look, and up is the adverb. The phrasal verb look up means “to research” or “search for”. Some phrasal verbs allow an object to separate the phrase.        “I didn’t know the number so I had to look it up.” Here, the pronoun it stands for the object, number. Other phrasal verbs have to stay together. You can say you care for someone with the phrasal verb look after as in:        “I looked after Andy’s dog while he was on vacation.” But you cannot say, “I looked his dog after while he was on vacation.” The first two kinds of phrasal verbs we looked at have two words. The next kind has three words. For example,        “I put up with the noise of my neighbor’s party because I knew it was his   birthday.” Here, the phrasal verb put up with means tolerate. The verb put is followed by the particle up and the prepositional phrase with + object (the noise). These phrasal verbs must have direct objects. We cannot say, “I put up because I knew it was his birthday.” Let’s look at some examples.        “Carrie asked me to help out with the cooking.” Here, we can substitute a single verb, assist, for the phrasal verb help out. However, we need to keep the preposition with when we paraphrase the sentence, as in:        “Carrie asked me to assist with the cooking.” Another three-part phrasal verb is look up to. It means admire. We can say,        “She looks up to her sister.” Here, sister is the direct object. We cannot move sister to any other place in the sentence, as in “She looks her sister up to.” How to identify a phrasal verb Learners may be confused because there are combinations of verbs and prepositions that look like phrasal verbs. How do you tell the difference? A regular verb + preposition combination has two meanings. Take the sentence,        “I looked up at the sky.” Here look means view and up means in a higher direction. On the other hand, a phrasal verb has a single meaning. We saw look up earlier, meaning “research.” Another test is whether you can move the object. You cannot say, “I looked the sky up,” with the meaning “I gazed upwards at the sky.” So if you want to test whether a combination of words is a phrasal verb, ask these questions:        Can I substitute a single word for a two-word phrase?               The answer should be “yes.”        Can I remove the direct object in a three-word phrase?               The answer should be “no.” In the next Everyday Grammar, we will take a closer look at phrasal verbs that can separate from the adverb. Listen for such a phrasal verb in this song by Beatles. Hint: it means to “solve” our problems. Try to see it my way Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong While you see it your way There's a chance that we may fall apart before too long We can work it out We can work it out For Learning English Everyday Grammar, I’m Jill Robbins.   Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   prefix - grammar. a letter or group of letters that is added at the beginning of a word to change its meaning adverb – grammar. a word that describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a sentence and that is often used to show time, manner, place, or degree informal – adj. (of language) relaxed in tone; not suited for serious or official speech and writing preposition – grammar. 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 object - grammar. a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun that receives the action of a verb or completes the meaning of a preposition tolerate – v. to allow (something that is bad, unpleasant, etc.) to exist, happen, or be done Now it’s your turn. Write a sentence that uses a phrasal verb in the Comments section. ​

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News Words: Reconciliation

In this week's News Words, you will learn what reconciliation means.

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Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Trump ‘Asks’ Russia to Hack Clinton’s Emails

  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump Wednesday appeared to ask Russia to find and make public missing emails from Democrat Hillary Clinton. “I will tell you this, Russia, if you’re listening,” Trump said. “I hope you’re able to find 30,000 emails that are missing.”  Trump was talking about emails from Clinton’s private email server that she deleted before turning over others to the State Department. Clinton said the deleted emails covered private matters. She said they were not related to her work as secretary of state. After Trump made the statement, his vice presidential running-mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, offered a different opinion. Russia faced “serious consequences” if it interfered with the U.S. election, Pence said. It is unusual for a vice presidential candidate to disagree publicly with his running mate. Trump’s unusual request came after WikiLeaks released emails from the Democratic National Committee, or DNC, Sunday. The emails showed that Democratic Party officials supported Clinton over her opponent for the party’s nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Sanders supporters had long suspected this. The party is expected to remain neutral in the competition for its presidential nomination. President Barack Obama told NBC News Wednesday that outside experts blamed Russia for hacking into the DNC computers to get the emails. The release seemed timed to embarrass Clinton as she prepared to accept the party’s nomination at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The four-day convention will end Thursday with Clinton’s acceptance speech. She is the first woman to run as the presidential choice of a major U.S. political party. After his statement about the Clinton emails, Trump was asked whether he really wanted a foreign country to hack into U.S. computers. Trump said: “If Russia or China or any other country has those emails, I mean, to be honest with you. I’d love to see them.” The Clinton campaign said the Trump request is the “first time that a major presidential candidate has actively encouraged a foreign power to conduct espionage against a political opponent.” The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation judged that Clinton had been “extremely careless” in dealing with the emails. But, the FBI said no criminal charges were called for. I’m Mario Ritter. Ken Bredemeier reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted this story for Learning English with information from the Associated Press.  Mario Ritter 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 consequence -- n. something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions suspect -- v. to think that someone or some country did something wrong hack -- v. to secretly get access to the files on a computer or network in order to get information, cause damage embarrass -- v. to make (someone) feel confused and foolish in front of other people encourage -- v. to tell or advise someone to do something espionage -- n. the activity of spying  

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Can Clinton Win a Third Term for Democrats?

  President Barack Obama is asking voters to elect Democrat Hillary Clinton or risk dangerous policy changes by Republican Donald Trump. But Clinton, who made history as the first woman to win a major party presidential nomination, faces a historical problem. Only once since 1960 has a two-term president been replaced by a candidate from the same party. Democrat Clinton is trying to succeed Democrat Obama, who ends his 2nd term as president on January 20, 2017. Clinton is scheduled to accept the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday at the party’s convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Trump, a wealthy businessman, accepted the Republican nomination in Cleveland, Ohio, last week. Voters want change It is difficult to succeed a two-term president of the same party because voters often want change, said Matthew Kerbel. He is the chair of the political science department at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. “It will be tough for Hillary Clinton to make a credible argument that she will bring a change in direction,” Kerbel said. “What Hillary has going for her is that Donald Trump hasn’t yet sold the nation on the type of change he would bring if elected president.” The one time in the last 56 years a candidate succeeded a two-term president of the same party was in 1988. Republican George H.W. Bush beat Democrat Michael Dukakis to succeed Republican President Ronald Reagan. Bush was Reagan’s vice president and some called his election, “Reagan’s third term.” All other efforts since 1960 failed. In 1960, Republican Richard Nixon lost to Democrat John F. Kennedy, as he tried to succeed two-term Republican President Dwight Eisenhower. In 1968, Democrat Hubert Humphrey lost to Republican Nixon to succeed Democrat Lyndon Johnson. Johnson served the final 14 months of Kennedy’s first term and then four more years after his election in 1964. Nixon won a 2nd term in 1972. Republican Gerald Ford, who became president after Nixon resigned in 1974, lost the 1976 presidential election to Democrat Jimmy Carter. In 2000, Democrat Al Gore lost to Republican George W. Bush. Gore was trying to succeed Democrat Bill Clinton, Hillary’s husband, who served two terms as president. Gore was Clinton’s vice president. In 2008, Obama defeated Republican John McCain. McCain was hoping to replace George W. Bush. McCain asked Bush not to campaign for him. Bush was unpopular because of a major economic collapse in 2008 and an unpopular war in Iraq. At the convention on Tuesday night, all speakers talked about Hillary Clinton’s historical achievement but one – Bill Clinton. The former president had this to say about his wife: "She's the best darn change-maker I've ever met in my whole life." Obama to campaign for Clinton Clinton has said she wants Obama to campaign for her and Obama has said he will do so often between now and the Nov. 8th election. A Washington Post/ABC News poll last month said 56 percent of Americans view Obama favorably, his highest rating in five years. Obama beat Clinton for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. But he said, “there has never been a candidate better prepared for the presidency than Hillary Clinton.” The president also criticized Trump for failing to “spend a lot of time trying to find out about issues,” such as U.S. nuclear defense options, or the difference between Sunni and Shia Muslims. Trump responded Wednesday by saying it is Obama and Clinton who are not prepared to lead the country. On Wednesday, he called Obama “the most ignorant president in our history" and "a disaster." “And I believe Hillary Clinton is even worse,” he said.   Bruce Alpert reported this story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   credible -- adj. reasonable to trust or believe replace -- v. to take over a job for someone poll -- n. an activity in which several or many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to get information about what most people think about something prepared -- v. ready and qualified to do a job option -- n. something that can be chosen respond -- v. to say or write something as an answer to a question, request of charge ignorant -- adj. lacking knowledge or information  

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Vietnam: ‘Serious Lessons’ Learned From Fish Kills

  Vietnam’s Prime Minister says his country has learned “serious lessons” from mass fish kills in four coastal provinces. Large numbers of dead fish and other sea creatures were discovered along the coast in April. The environmental disaster led to nationwide protests. The Taiwan-based Formosa Plastics Corporation admitted a month ago to causing the fish kills. Nguyen Xuan Phuc spoke to the Vietnamese parliament after being re-elected prime minister on Tuesday. He said, “The incident [caused by] Formosa serves as a serious lesson about getting and managing foreign investment projects. It must not recur.” He adds that “we must review large projects as well as closely monitor their environmental commitments.” One month ago, the company “took full responsibility” for causing millions of fish deaths. Its steel factory in the Vietnamese province of Ha Tinh released wastewater filled with poisonous chemicals. He also noted a need for environmental protection measures, saying, “We must not develop at the destruction of (the) environment.” Nguyen Dinh Ha is a former independent candidate for parliament. He said he welcomed the Prime Minister’s statements but also demanded action. He said, “Vietnamese are used to many promises. We now want to see action. Those [Vietnamese] who acted irresponsibly in the case need to be dealt with on legal terms. Many people must be held accountable.” He also urged the newly elected parliamentarians to include the Formosa disaster among their debate issues. Vo Kim Cu is a member of the National Assembly Economic Committee. He has been criticized for “opening the door” for Formosa Plastic to begin operations in Ha Tinh province when he was its party chief. In his speech, the Vietnamese Prime Minister promised to defend Vietnam’s territorial rights over the South China Sea. He also urged all sides with territorial claims in the waterway to respect and obey international laws. I’m Anna Matteo.   VOANews reported this story with help from the VOA Vietnamese service. Caty Weaver adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Post your thoughts in the Comment Section. Or leave a message on our Facebook page. __________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   lesson – n. a single class or part of a training program manage – v. to take care of and make decisions about recur – v. to happen or appear again monitor – v.  to watch, observe, listen to, or check (something) for a special purpose over a period of time commitment – n. a promise to do or give something accountable – required to be responsible for something

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‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ Results in ALS Discovery

  This is What’s Trending Today: Do you remember the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014? Just in case you do not, here is a little history. Two years ago, some people dared friends to pour a bucket filled with ice water over their heads. If the friends refused, they were required to donate money to help finance research into a brain disease. Most of them took the cold water and donated money, too. Many people recorded themselves getting covered with freezing water. They posted the videos on social media websites, such as YouTube. Then they dared others to pass the challenge. As the campaign grew in popularity, sports stars, politicians and media celebrities got involved. Lots of other people did, too. Eventually, the campaign raised over $100 million for an organization called the ALS Association. ALS is short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Doctors first recognized the brain disease in the 1800s. ALS became known across the United States in 1939 when baseball star Lou Gehrig retired from the New York Yankees because of the condition. ALS affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Eventually, patients cannot control their muscles. They become paralyzed. Most patients will die within five years after they develop the disease. Earlier this week, the ALS Association announced that money raised by the Ice Bucket Challenge financed a discovery. Researchers working on a project called MinE announced they identified a gene that is partly responsible for the disease. The gene is called NEK1. The study involved researchers from 11 countries. They looked at the NEK1 gene and found that it was present in ALS patients whose parents also suffered from the disease. One of the doctors involved said “the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge enabled us to secure funding from new sources in new parts of the world.” And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Mehrnoush Karimian-Ainsworth.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. What do you think of the news about ALS? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   dare – v. to tell (someone) to do something especially as a way of showing courage challenge – n.  a difficult task or problem : something that is hard to do paralyze – v. to make (a person or animal) unable to move or feel all or part of the body

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Turkish Government Orders Arrests of More Reporters

  Turkey has approved orders to arrest more reporters suspected of ties to a Muslim clergyman living in the United States. Turkish officials claim the religious leader plotted the attempted overthrow of the government this month. The attempt failed. Officials announced arrest orders for more than 40 former members of the editorial staff of Zaman, the country’s largest newspaper. In March, a Turkish court placed the newspaper under government control. Police officers raided its offices a short time later. Since then, the paper has taken a strongly pro-government position in its reporting. Earlier this week, the government ordered the arrest of 42 other media workers. The actions are part of a wider operation to punish government officials and others after the overthrow attempt. Amnesty International estimates that more than 10,000 people have been detained in Turkey since the July 15 coup failed. The Zaman newspaper was closely connected with the religious movement of clergyman Fethullah Gulen. He now lives in the American state of Pennsylvania. On Tuesday, The New York Times newspaper published an opinion piece Gulen wrote. In the piece, he condemned the coup attempt and denied having any part in it. He denounced Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan for what he called a ‘systematic and dangerous drive toward one-man rule.’ Gulen said Erdogan is threatening to limit his country’s support for the coalition against the Islamic State unless the United States surrenders him to Turkey. The Turkish government says the clergyman must face legal action in Turkey. The religious leader accused Erdogan of ‘blackmailing’ the U.S. government. The U.S. must resist the demands, he said. Jonathan Adelman teaches international studies at the University of Denver in Colorado. He spoke with VOA on Wednesday. He said he thinks Gulen has a point. "What he is saying is what we (Americans) are afraid of: That Turkey, which had really been a model for the Middle East in terms of strong economic growth, doubling their output in a period of 10 years, democracy and trying to end military coups, now seems intent on taking Turkey almost like into the Vladimir Putin way as a kind of one-man dictatorship, and that is something that we’re really very concerned about.” Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told The Wall Street Journal newspaper that the government’s evidence against Fethullah Gulen is clear. He likened the attempted coup to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States. Yildirim criticized what he called a ‘heartbreaking lack of support from the Obama administration’ for Turkey’s extradition request. A U.S. official said on Tuesday that the two countries have an extradition process and said, “We’re going to let that play out.” I’m Ashley Thompson. Joshua Fatick reported on this story for VOANews.com. George Grow adapted his report for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story editorial staff – adj. the leadership or publishers of a newspaper coup – n. a military overthrow of a government blackmailing – v. threatening to take action unless the person or group being threatened does what you want output – n. the amount of something being produced intent – v. showing great attention extradition – n. the surrender of a criminal suspect, usually under the rules of a treaty We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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Prisma App Makes Art Out of Photos

  Pokémon GO is the most popular app in the world right now. But another new app is also getting a lot of attention. And it’s free. Prisma lets users add filters to photos to interesting, beautiful and strange effect. The app is going viral this summer with over 1 million daily users in its first month. Prisma is a free app that adds filters to your photos to turn them into beautiful works of art.The app has 35 filters to use with your photos. All of the filters are included free with the app. Each filter gives a different look to photos. Many of the filters are in the style of famous artists.                 They range from pencil drawings to modern art to classic art with many styles in between. Filters have names such as Coloured Sky, Tokyo, Papered Art, Heisenberg, Mosaic, Illegal Beauty, Dreams, and Running in the Rain. How Prisma Works Using Prisma is about as easy as an app can get. Download the Prisma app to your phone or tablet and give it permission to use your photos and camera. The Prisma app is available free for: Android iPhone and iPad No need to set up an account. Users do not have to log in or link any social media accounts to use the app. The phone must be connected to the Internet for Prisma to work. The app works in the Cloud, not on your phone. Users who have a limited data plan may want to use Prisma when connected to a Wi-Fi network. Filtering a Photo Tap the small square in the lower right corner of the screen to see the photos on your phone.             Choose a photo, then tap Use in the upper right corner of the screen. The next screen has options to crop and rotate photos. Prisma only works with square photos.                       After the photo has been cropped or rotated, tap Next to add filters to the photo. The filters are shown below the photo. Tap a filter and a triangle will appear that becomes solid as Prisma completes the effect.                     When Prisma has finished, the photo will appear and look like a work of art.                 If you are not satisfied with the photo, you can change the intensity of the filter.               Settings Prisma automatically adds a watermark to the photos. But you do not have to keep it. Touch the gear icon to open Settings within the app. Slide the watermark off to remove the Prisma watermark.           The app will remove the watermark on all future photos. Another Settings possibility is to save every photo automatically, although this is a bad idea. You will likely try many filters and if you save every photo you create, you will be filling up your phone fast. Better to manually save the photos you like. If you forget, you can always create the artwork easily again. Saving and Sharing Your Prisma Photos When you have created a piece of art you want to share, tap the sharing icon, then tap Save Image. Your Prisma art will be saved and can be found in your Photos app.                         The app also allows users to share their Prisma art on social media. Examples of Prisma Art Here are some examples of Prisma art.                                 More Prisma art can be found on Twitter: What Else You Need to Know about Prisma Prisma does not work every time. The app gets very busy because it has become popular so quickly. Sometimes you have to wait and try again.               Prisma is free. The app’s only advertising is for an American soap company called Palmolive. The company added its name to the Impression filter. But the name does not appear on photos. Prisma’s privacy policy and terms of use suggest that the app may add advertising in the future. Prisma does not gain ownership of the images users create through the app. But Prisma does get an unlimited license to use those images. Be sure to read the privacy policy and terms of service if these issues concern you. I'm Patrick Merentie.   Carolyn Nicander Mohr wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. Have you used Prisma? Do you like using apps to filter your photos? Share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or on our Facebook page. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   filter – n. a program that changes lighting levels in specific ways to create special effects (photography) range - v. to include everything between specified limits Cloud – n. storage on a computer that is accessed using the Internet data plan – n. a service offered to access the Internet using a cell phone network crop - v. to cut off part of (a picture or photograph) rotate - v. to move or turn in a circle watermark – n. an image added to photos to show a brand automatic - adj. allow something to work or happen without being directly controlled by a person manually - adj. operated or controlled by a person advertise – v. to make the public aware of something (such as a product) that is being sold license – n. the ability to use a work of art  

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Student Film Contest to Fight Against Drugs

Billy Shreve was surprised by the talent and imagination of the student films he watched at a Maryland Film Festival last year. The festival inspired him to start a competitive film project for children of all ages. Shreve named the film competition Classmates4Life. The contest called for elementary, middle, and high school aged students to create a film against drug use. The Classmates4Life competition was held in Frederick County, Maryland. Ninety-five students submitted films this year for Classmates4Life. Shreve explained that he kept the topic of the contest simple this year. “‘How have drugs wrecked your world’ for middle school and high school students. And ‘why are drugs bad’ for elementary school students." Although it was a small contest, over 50,000 people have already viewed the students' videos on the Classmates4Life YouTube channel. Shreve said parents use the videos as a teaching tool for their children. "The parents love it because they can sit down at home, watch a few videos with their kids, [and] talk about what the video content was.” The high school winner of the Classmates4Life competition was Alex Ismael. Alex is a 10th grader at Linganore High School. He made a film called “Lights Out.” In the film, he used lightbulbs as a metaphor. “Our friends and family around us each represent a different light and we need to keep those lights on, and, just the brighter the better. Doing drugs really is going to stop you from being there for those people.” The principal of Linganore High School, Dave Kehne, says the school workers were excited that one of the students from their school won first prize. “We were also very excited to hear about the program in general because we know that students can use their peer pressure for positive things.” Kehne added that any effort to include kids in a discussion about drugs are greatly needed. Alexandra Kish’s video was the top winner at the middle school level. Her film had a simple message: “I wanted to make it straightforward: don’t do drugs.” Alexandra’s personal experience motivated her to make the film. “I know someone who was very severely affected by drugs. And if someone does drugs, that affects other people. This person kind of affected me, although I don’t see this person much. But my position could be anyone else’s position and I just don’t want that to happen.” The first place winner in the elementary school level was 4th grader Liam Timpane from Centerville Elementary School. He made his film, called “Drugs Can Make Your Life Explode,” because he wanted to make his father, who is a filmmaker, proud of him. Liam also wanted to have a positive effect on his peers. “In our health lessons, we’re talking about how bad drugs are for you. And, actually, one of the kids in my class mentioned, for that part of the health lesson, he said, ’It’s kind of like what Liam’s video is talking about.'” Because the Classmates4Life contest was successful, it will be a statewide program next year. That means more students will have an opportunity to creatively fight drug abuse. I’m Mehrnoush Karimian-Ainsworth. Faiza Elmasry reported this story for VOA News. Mehrnoush Karimian-Ainsworth adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor ______________________________________________________ Words in This Story inspire – v. to make (someone) want to do something : to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create contest – n. an event in which people try to win by doing something better than others submit – v. to give (a document, video, proposal, piece of writing, etc.) to someone so that it can be considered or approved metaphor – n. an object, activity, or idea that is used as a symbol of something else peer pressure – n. when a person feels pressure to do something so that a group likes them or accepts them motivate – n. to give (someone) a reason for doing something : to be a reason for (something) We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.  

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The Furnished Room by O. Henry



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July 27, 2016

A look at the best news photos from around the world.

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