Grammar and Presidential Elections: Part One

  Political candidates like to use one or more grammatical structures when they speak. They use grammatical structures because they can have a rhetorical effect. In other words, the order of words and the way they are used can direct attention to important ideas and help make points clearer. This clarity, the candidates hope, will influence likely voters to choose them. So, what grammatical structures can you find in political speeches? What can you learn from such speeches? In our report today, we explore one grammatical structure commonly used in the American election campaign. This structure is called the deliberate fragment. Complete sentences and sentence fragments In English, a complete sentence has a subject and a predicate. A predicate is something that expresses what is being said about the subject. Consider the sentence "I am going to the store." The subject is "I" and the predicate is "am going to the store." We say the words “am going to the store” are an incomplete sentence or fragment. When English speakers use a deliberate fragment, they often present a noun or verb phrase as a sentence. The result is that the sentence does not have a subject and predicate. So, a sentence fragment might be: "Going to the store." In this example, the fragment does not have a subject. The Everyday Grammar team avoids sentences like that. We know many of our readers are English language teachers. And we want to give learners a good model of English. However, when used in a careful and intelligent way, sentence fragments can have great effect. Poets, songwriters, politicians and speechwriters have known this for a long time. What do these sentence fragments look like? Let's find some in recent speeches. Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton used them when they officially accepted their party’s nominations three months ago. In their acceptance speeches, both Trump and Clinton used complete sentences before presenting sentence fragments. They use these fragments to highlight or publicize ideas. Consider these examples: "Once again, France is the victim of brutal Islamic terrorism. Men, women and children viciously mowed down. Lives ruined. Families ripped apart. A nation in mourning." "Our military is a national treasure. We entrust our commander-in-chief to make the hardest decisions our nation faces. Decisions about war and peace. Life and death." You may note that both Trump and Clinton begin their statements by using complete sentences. Trump says, "Once again, France is the victim of brutal Islamic terrorism". Clinton says " We entrust our commander-in-chief to make the hardest decisions our nation faces." Both of these statements are complete sentences: they have subjects and predicates. They are not missing any important words. However, after using complete sentences, both candidates presented sentence fragments. They use these fragments for rhetorical effect. Trump's use of fragments Let's listen again to Trump's statement. "Once again, France is the victim of brutal Islamic terrorism. Men, women and children viciously mowed down. Lives ruined. Families ripped apart. A nation in mourning." At the end of the comment, Trump uses a clear sentence fragment: "A nation in mourning." This sentence has no verb -- it is only a noun phrase. This unusual structure directs the listener's attention to it. The fragment "A nation in mourning" notes the results of the terrorist attack. It describes the effect of the violence, and notes the important point Trump wants to make: in his opinion, the world is not a safe place because there have been recent terrorist attacks. What about the other sentences? Men, women and children viciously mowed down. Lives ruined. Families ripped apart. Trump is using a form of parallelism and the passive voice. Parallelism is when something is very similar to something else. In passive voice sentences, the verb acts on the subject, not the other way around. The passive voice does not give information about the person responsible for the violence. Instead, it only gives information about the effects of the violence. You can read about this subject in an earlier Everyday Grammar program. The effect of this grammatical structure – using short, passive sentences and sentence fragments – is to create a strong mental image of the effects of the attack. This grammatical choice – to highlight the effects of the violence – makes sense. Trump wants to persuade voters that Hillary Clinton will not be able to stop violence around the world. Clinton's use of fragments Now, let's listen again to Clinton's statement. "Our military is a national treasure. We entrust our commander-in-chief to make the hardest decisions our nation faces. Decisions about war and peace. Life and death." Clinton also uses sentence fragments after presenting a complete sentence. She follows her first two statements with a fragment, "Decisions about war and peace." This, too, does not have a verb. Clinton could have said "The commander-in chief makes decisions about war and peace."   Or she could have said "The commander-in-chief decides when we go to war and when we remain peaceful." Both of these possible sentences, even if they carry the same meaning, are longer and less direct. By using two fragments – "Decisions about war and peace. Life and Death," Clinton is able to direct our attention to the importance of the decisions that the president makes. She is telling voters that she understands the importance of these decisions. She is also able to keep moving through her sentences without losing her listeners. She knows that if she keeps using the same sentence structure in every sentence, the listeners may soon lose interest in her ideas. Should you use sentence fragments? Both Trump and Clinton used sentence fragments because they have rhetorical effect. When they presented these fragments, they directed listeners’ attention to ideas that they wanted to publicize. They kept the listeners’ attention because they did not keep using the same basic sentence structure again and again! Politics is not the only place you will hear or see sentence fragments. They also appear in songs, poetry, books, newspapers, and daily conversations. Native speakers use sentence fragments because they can be a useful tool when you want to add something special to a long series of sentences. However, in general, fragments are best used only once in a while – and only if you understand what you are doing with them! Instead, you should be working on developing strong, coherent sentences that have a complete subject and predicate. Remember: sentence fragments are like spices. You would probably never eat a meal that only has spices like black pepper or paprika. In the same way, you should not write a story in English that only uses sentence fragments. Such an essay would quickly become unreadable, in the same way that a meal made of pepper would probably be hard to eat! I’m Jill Robbins. And I'm John Russell.  John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story rhetorical – adj. of, relating to, or concerned with the art of speaking or writing formally and effectively especially as a way to persuade or influence people deliberate - adj. done or said on purpose fragment - n. an incomplete part grammatical – adj. following the rules of grammar phrase – n. a group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not usually form a complete sentence conversation – n. an informal talk involving two people or a small group of people coherent – adj. logical and well-organized

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Young Voters Fearful of Future, More Support Clinton Over Trump

Fifty-one percent of young Americans are “fearful” about the future of their country. Nearly nine in 10 young African-Americans polled by Harvard said people of their racial background are under attack.” Nearly seven in 10 young Hispanics feel the same way, as do 45 percent of young whites. These opinions are from a poll released this week by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics. One young voter told Harvard: “Everything seems out of control, and our politicians care more about themselves than doing the right thing for all Americans. We’re all extremely divided, and very few seem to have any interest in trying to unite us.” Some young adults questioned by Harvard appear to share an important opinion with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump -- that the system is “rigged” against average Americans. Most Young Voters Support Clinton But the Harvard poll found most young Americans, aged 18 to 29, are not supporting Trump for president. Nearly half of likely young voters, or 49 percent, said they will vote for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate for president. The Harvard poll found 21 percent of likely voters support Trump, the Republican candidate for president. While over half of young Americans are fearful about America’s future, many are hopeful about their own financial futures. The young voters were asked by Harvard how they will be doing when they are their parents’ age. Forty-one percent said they expect to be better off financially. Only 14 percent said they would be worse off. Opinions of Clinton and Trump Harvard said 40 percent of young voters have a positive opinion of Clinton and 53 percent a negative opinion. For Trump, 19 percent said they have a positive opinion, while 73 percent have a negative opinion. What Trump and Clinton Supporters Say Two young voters -- one supporting Trump and the other Clinton -- spoke to VOA about the election. Nathaniel White, a recent graduate of the University of North Alabama, is leading Alabama college Republicans for Trump. White said that support for Trump does not mean young Republicans are happy with recorded comments by Trump in 2005 about women. ​ In the recently released recording, Trump talks in an offensive way about women. But White said America is electing a president to move America ahead economically and keep it safe, not someone to be a role model. “We are looking at someone to lead us into a better position,” White said. “We are looking at 2,000 federal appointments, including the Supreme Court, by the next president. That has to be our biggest concern.” Conrad Zbikowski is a senior at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. He is leading college Democratic efforts in Minnesota to elect Hillary Clinton. ​Zbikowski said most young people who supported Bernie Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination are now for Clinton. Many Republicans at his college are undecided or are voting for Clinton, he said. “I think millennials have a lot of stresses -- trying to find a good paying job because we owe so much in student loans,” Zbikowski said. “We are looking for someone who can make college more affordable and reduce the interest on student loans and move the country forward. That person is clearly Hillary Clinton.” Nearly Half Young People Will ‘Definitely” Vote Harvard Institute of Politics Polling Director John Della Volpe said 49 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds said they will “definitely” be voting. That is about the same percentage that told Harvard they would definitely vote in 2012, when Barack Obama won a second term. “Young voters are fearful about the future of America, and that is moving them to action,” Della Volpe said. Here is what one young voter told Harvard: “People are not kind anymore and would rather hurt than help. People are selfish and are only looking out for themselves. The leaders running for election are showing the rest of us what the future will look like. I do not want them as role models for the future of America.” I'm Bruce Alpert.   Bruce Alpert reported this story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter 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 poll - v. to ask people a question or a series of questions in order to get information about what most people think about something background - n. a person’s experiences, knowledge and ethnic background rig - v. to control or affect something in a dishonest way role model - n. someone who another person admires and tries to be like millennial - n. a person, according to Pew Research Center, born after 1980 stress - n. a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work positive - adj. good or useful; thinking about the good qualities of someone or something negative - adj. harm or harmful; thinking about the bad qualities of someone or something  

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Vietnamese-Americans Face a Hard Choice in Presidential Election

  Vietnamese-Americans are the sixth-largest immigrant group in the United States. Many of them take part in political activities and events. In recent years, there has been a split between older and younger Vietnamese-Americans. Old or young, many Vietnamese-Americans say it is difficult to choose which presidential candidate to support. VOA recently spoke with some of these voters in Orange County, California. The area is home to one of the largest Vietnamese communities in the country. Little Saigon is a part of the county where many Vietnamese-Americans live and work. Many people there are talking about the presidential election. Some of them say they will not be voting for the candidate they like. Instead, they say they will be voting for the candidate they dislike the least. Leslie Le says he is voting for the Republican candidate. “Between the two devil(s) I choose the lesser one. That’s Donald Trump.” Le was a colonel in the army of South Vietnam before fleeing to the United States. Like many of those who came to the U.S. after the end of the Vietnam War, he has voted for Republicans in every election since he gained U.S. citizenship. But this year, it took him a long time to decide. “It is very difficult this time because [there are] two bad candidates.” He says Trump “never thinks before speaking about what he’s thinking, and he (has) changed policies a lot. He plans to build a wall between (the) United States and Mexico, and he (says he will force) the Mexican government to pay for it. It’s not reality, so what he said is just his imagination.” Le does not like Trump, but he says the Democratic Party candidate is more dangerous.  “Hillary Clinton, as secretary of state, she must be capable to tell what information is classified, related to national security and which information is OK to transmit over private server email. If she’s not capable to do that, she cannot be a president.” Mike Nguyen says he believes in the Republican Party’s economic policies. He says he votes Republican because of the party’s policies, not because of Donald Trump. He says he wants to “give money back to the people who create jobs.” Dzung Do is the managing editor of the Vietnamese-language newspaper Nguoi Viet. He says he understands why older Vietnamese-Americans have supported Republicans. “During the Vietnam War, the Republicans were very aggressive where the Democrats was anti-war. So [with] that kind of thinking they think Democrat(s) was responsible for the loss of Vietnam.” Do says some older Vietnamese do not believe a woman should lead a country. “How about girl leader? ‘No. No way.’” But, Do says Republican Vietnamese-Americans are reluctant to say they support Trump. He says some older Vietnamese-Americans are changing their support to the Democratic Party. “People live here longer, especially old people,” he says. “They get benefits from social programs. When they first came here, they thought that they might do something to change Vietnam. (But) now they see the relationship between Vietnam and the U.S. (is getting) warmer and warmer.” Younger Vietnamese-Americans hold different views than their parents and grandparents. Many of them support Clinton, including Viet Tran. “Anyone who has served in politics for 20, 30 years will have some skeleton(s) in the closet. I mean, the only things that’s been mentioned about her, nothing is really that outrageous, nothing that hasn’t been done before by other politicians. I mean, I think people are just more harsh on her because she’s female.” Hetty La is also voting for the Democratic Party candidate. “I would say Clinton is the better candidate for president.” Hugh Tra supported Bernie Sanders -- an Independent Senator who competed in the Democratic Party’s primary elections -- until Sanders ended his candidacy. “I will be supporting Hillary. She has adopted a lot of Bernie Sanders’ policies and implemented a lot of progressive platforms into her personal platform.” Leslie Le says “If you don’t vote for anybody, you indirectly vote for the bad one.” But Dzung Do believes that some Vietnamese-Americans will not mark their presidential ballot this year. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise. Correspondent Elizabeth Lee reported this story from Orange County, California. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it into VOA Special English. Mario Ritter 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   reluctant – adj. feeling or showing doubt about something skeletons in the closet – idiom things in a person’s past that they want to be hidden outrageous – adj. very bad or wrong harsh – adj. unpleasant, severe adopt – v. accepted, taken on progressive – adj. characterized by modern or new ideas platform – n. a set of policies that a party says it will support

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Bill Murray or Tom Hanks?

This is What’s Trending Today. Many social media users have a serious question about a photo that went viral.  Is it a picture of Bill Murray or Tom Hanks? The American actors are both in their 60s. They both have thinning grey hair. Hanks is known for his roles in movies like Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, and Castaway. He is also known for surprising couples taking wedding photos.    Murray is known for his appearances on the comedy show Saturday Night Live and the movies Ghostbusters and Lost in Translation. He is also a well-known Chicago Cubs baseball fan.    The photo in question shows Laura DiMichele-Ross and her young son along with a man wearing an orange hat and jacket. It was taken in late 2012 at a golf event in Scotland. The boy, Alexander, was only eight months old. His mother said he started crying as soon as he saw the man. So the man, a famous comedian, made a face just like the crying baby. The man looks a lot like Tom Hanks, many people say. But the man in the photo is Bill Murray. She even had the photo signed by Murray when she saw him again two years later. She said the photo becomes a major topic on social media every once in a while after someone sees it on the Facebook page called: “Reasons My Son Is Crying.” It just proves there is truth to the saying “the internet never forgets.” And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Do you think the photo is of Tom Hanks or Bill Murray? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story viral – adj. spreading very quickly to many people especially through the Internet

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1400 UTC Newscast for October 27, 2016

From Washington, this is VOA News. I’m Ira Mellman. Civilians could be in the line of fire in Mosul. Witnesses report Islamic State fighters taking civilians from outlying villages and using them as human shields as they seek to defend the last major urban area they control in the county. Also far, the Iraqi-led operation has involved retaking villages on a march toward Mosul. The United Nations says more than 10,000 civilians have fled their homes in and around the city, raising concern about their wellbeing and the availability of humanitarian resources. Human Rights Watch (HRW) also expresses concern about Kurdish forces, who are playing a major role in the offensive, and what the group says is their arbitrary detention of men and teenage boys leaving Mosul. HRW says according to others who fled, the men and boys over the age of 15 are separated from their families for extra screening to make sure they are not linked to Islamic State -- a process that could take weeks.  A U.N. (United Nations) humanitarian aid official for Syria says efforts will be renewed to secure the evacuation of nearly 200 wounded and allow medical and food supplies into the besieged rebel-held part of the Syrian city of Aleppo. Jan Egeland says the U.N. team is “not giving up.” He says lack of trust, fear and misunderstandings, as well as unacceptable preconditions, have spoiled the efforts in the past. "We're starting again today to try to do the three things: evacuate those who have very high expectations, had very high expectations, to finally get out to get proper treatment -- to have them evacuated; to get the medical supplies in; and to get the food and the other supplies in.” This is VOA News. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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News Words: Disenchanted

People can become disenchanted with many things. Learn what this news word means with Anne Ball and Jonathan Evans.

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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.    Did this method help you? What other things do you do to improve your pronunciation? Let us know in the Comments section or on our Facebook page.  ________________________________________________________________ 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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L’Oréal Chemist Balanda Atis: Makeup is Personal

Beauty comes in many shades. But some women find their shades are underrepresented in the cosmetics industry. Balanda Atis wants an end to that. She is a chemist in Research and Innovation at cosmetics company, L’Oreal USA. She is also the manager of L’Oréal Women of Color Lab in New Jersey. She wants to create makeup that works for all women. “Makeup is personal.  It is what drives each person, but drives each person differently. So it’s your customize look. It’s your customize feel. It’s what you think of yourself. It’s completely personal.” Atis is African American. She knows from her own experience how difficult it is for women of color to find foundation makeup right for their skin tones. L’Oreal launched a product line for women of color to answer the need. Atis says it was a good thing, but something more was needed.   ​   “The head of the makeup division came to us at the time and said oh, are you guys happy now you have a lot more shade offerings that are suited for your skin tone and although we were excited to see the effort being made. We did notice that there was still the concern of the shades either being too ashy, too red and just didn’t cover a large segment of the population. So at the time he basically said, and I’m quoting, ‘If you don’t like it, then fix it.’ So that was our opportunity to take on this project and to figure out how we can create better foundation shades for women of color.” So, Balanda Atis and other L’oreal chemists began to explore. “We had the opportunity to travel across the U.S, to different regions of the U.S., as well as internationally, such as South Africa, to gather skin tone measurements to make sure that the shades that we were creating were suitable for a large range of skin tones. And, in order for us to understand the colors that make up the skin, we had to use, basically, a camera. And this camera, instead of giving us an image, gives us numbers and those numbers translates to the color in the skins. So that information helps us to create the foundation shades.” The information they collected led to breakthrough results. “What we found is that you can use a really special colorant, called ultramarine blue. And ultramarine blue is a truly clean, vivid, bright, rich color that allows you to go deeper, but as you go deeper, you’re still able to have a very natural color to the skin.” Again in the industry it’s quite difficult to get deeper shades and not have them look muddy or dirty or ashy. So with this particular colorant we were able to get deeper, cleaner, natural and beautiful colors. We really felt a sense of satisfaction, we felt complete in a sense, because we knew that we had found something that would allow us to give this natural look that so many women were looking for.” Balanda Atis is of Haitian ancestry.  She says it was exciting when she came to the United States. She had fun learning a culture different from her own, and becoming part of that new culture. Atis says many Haitian families expect their children to become doctors or nurses. But, she knew she didn’t want a career in medicine. The chemist says she always had a passion for science, but was not sure how to make a career in it. “The world of makeup and me meeting was not very, I guess, common. I was super excited once it happened, but it wasn’t something that I wanted or that I knew was going to happen. When I got my degree in biology I knew I wanted to do something in the science field. I was always interested in science but not quite sure what aspect of science I wanted to go into. It was after I graduated from college, and I wanted a job just like any other recent graduate and I was fortunate to join a company that worked on cosmetics and personal care products. And while there, I had a wonderful opportunity to come to L’Oreal and, with that, is how I started my career in beauty. I started off as a chemist working on mascaras, absolutely loved, loved, loved creating mascara and eye products for women around the world so it was a great opportunity to learn and go even further into cosmetics.” Balanda is happy that she married her love of science to cosmetics. She shares her joy with teenagers by giving talks at schools about the importance of science. “Being able to showcase and share with others what STEM is -- Science, Technology, Math and Engineering -- is awesome. Most kids don’t have the opportunity to really have a good understanding of how science is used. Most kids just see science as mixing something in the beaker and then, poof, something explodes. But science is so much more than that. Science is in everything that we do. And being able to relate science and beauty together is just fun.”         Those school visits do not take place on U.S. soil only. Balanda Atis also shares her knowledge and experience to young people in Haiti. “Besides taking care of my two daughters, I really enjoy giving back. And one of the ways that I give back is I go to Haiti and work with school age kids at a school that we have in the south of Haiti and provide them with education and, then, with medical care. So we travel during the year and go to different villages, actually in Haiti and provide medical treatment to the less fortunate. So it’s a wonderful opportunity to be able to go back reconnect with your roots, eat some great food, enjoy the lovely beaches and just be one with people." Balanda Atis will continue to explore and create makeup products for all women.  “I aspire to not only create better foundation products for women of color, but to create better products in general. Whether it’s a foundation, whether it’s a lipstick, an eyeshadow, if its learning how to better customize and personalize products for women, I aspire to go to that next level.  I want to see what is out there that allows me to continue to grow.”   I’m Marsha James.   Marsha James wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. Try this quiz to check your understanding of this article. Next time on People in America, American Actress and Senior Director Melissa Fitzgerald talks about her work for Justice for Vets. ________________________________________________________________ Words In This Story      customize – v. to change something in order to fit the needs of a person cosmetics – n. a substance (such as a cream, powder, lipstick) that you put on your face or lips to improve your appearance foundation – base make-up; a special cream that is the color of your skin and that you spread on your face and neck before putting on other makeup colorant - n. a dye, pigment or other substance that colors something range – n. a group or collection of different things or people that are usually similar in some way vivid – adj. very bright in color ashy -  adj. of a pale grayish color beaker – n. a wide glass with a lip for pouring that is used especially in chemistry for holding and measuring liquids Go even further into - exp. go into=explore Take the bull by the horns – exp. - to deal with a difficult situation in a very direct or confident way One of the great ‘a-ha moments’ – exp. we had a moment of sudden insight or discovery

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Afghan Officials Say Militants Have Killed Hostages

  Officials in Afghanistan said Wednesday that gunmen killed more than 25 people in a rural area in the central province of Ghor. The victims were among a group of 33 people seized by the gunman. Local officials, including the governor of Ghor, say the attackers are former Taliban fighters now loyal to the Islamic State (IS) militant group. The officials expressed special concern because this is the first report of IS activity in the area. They also said they believe the attack was in answer to the killing of two local commanders of the militants. The Taliban denied any involvement in the attack. A Ghor government spokesman told VOA that the victims were collecting wood for winter when IS gunmen captured them. He said the gunmen executed the hostages while Afghan security forces were trying to rescue them with the help of local civilians. Amnesty International called it “a horrendous crime.” They demanded Afghan officials carry out an independent investigation into the violence. Pakistan police killed Hours earlier, Islamic State said it was responsible for a suicide attack in neighboring Pakistan. The raid at the police training center killed at least 62 people. More than 120 others were wounded. The attack took place in Quetta, the capitol of Baluchistan province. The IS launched its extremist activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan in early 2015 after declaring the area the ‘Islamic State of Khorasan’, or IS-K. U.S. general says IS is "very focused." The highest U.S. military official in Afghanistan says that IS is “very focused” on trying to establish its Khorasan caliphate in the region. A caliphate is an area ruled by an Islamic political and religious leader. General John Nicholson said former militants of the Pakistani Taliban are also helping the group. The U.S. general told NBC earlier this week that foreign fighters, particularly Uzbeks, have joined the fight. Pakistani officials said Uzbek militants were involved in Monday night's attack in Quetta. General Nicholson said the U.S. military is helping local security forces drive the militants out of the country. Nicolson said the joint operations have killed or wounded many IS fighters in recent months. Among the dead is IS regional chief, Hafiz Saeed Khan, a former Pakistani militant commander. I’m Anne Ball. This story was written by Ayaz Gul for VOA News.  Anne Ball adapted it for Learning English.  Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit us on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story horrendous - adj. very bad or unpleasant circumstances – n. a condition or fact that affects a situation casualties  - n. a person who is hurt or killed during an accident, or war focus – v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific

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L'Oreal Chemist Balanda Atis: Makeup is Personal

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What to Do When Your Technology Goes Wrong

Technology sometimes goes wrong. And the more you use technology, the more you know it can go wrong. A connection drops. A printer will not print. An app crashes or a cell phone battery drains too fast. Tech troubles can frustrate users quickly. First reactions may be to scream, throw the device against the wall, or cry. Instead, you may be able to solve the problem by yourself. Really. By following these steps, you could solve some of the most common tech problems on your own. Search the web Learn about your tech problem on a search website, such as Google. See what others have experienced. Find expert articles about solving the problem. If your issue is with recent tech, such as a software update, be sure to look for the most recent articles. Tech tips from years ago may not work now.   Check connection speed Maybe you find that streaming, downloading and updating is moving slowly. First, be sure to check your Internet connection speed. You may think something is wrong with your device when, really, your network is just slow. A website such as speedtest.net can check your connection speed. Updates Check for updates to make sure you have the most recent version of apps and software. You might be experiencing a problem from a bug that has been fixed in an update. But if you have not yet updated to the latest version you may miss the solution. Restart When your computer, phone or tablet is having issues, simply turn it off. Sometimes, software or app updates need your device turned off and restarted to work properly.               Install again If an app or software program is causing issues, try deleting it and installing it again. Be sure to back up anything you need to have saved before you delete. Ask the developer Contact the developer of the app or software. If they do not have the answer, they still will be glad to know the problem exists. They cannot fix what they do not know is a problem. You can communicate with developers over email, Twitter or a contact form on their website. Explain the issue giving as much detail as possible, including the device you are using and the problem you are having. Also check troubleshooting and FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) on developers’ websites. The answer you need might be right there waiting to rescue you! ​Forums Read online forums to see if you can find information about your issue. Even if the issue is not exactly the same, you may get ideas about how to solve the problem you have. YouTube Check YouTube to see whether there is a video with the answer to your problem. A video can show you what the problem is and how to solve it. Twitter Twitter can help you learn whether others are having a problem. For example, last week when hackers crashed websites, Twitter alerted people to what was wrong. Many businesses have Twitter accounts that will answer your questions about their products. Apple recently started the @applesupport account to offer tech tips and help solve issues. Search for keywords on Twitter especially for issues about recent changes to software or apps. Other social media sites can also help. Search Facebook and Google Plus for groups that might be able to answer your questions. Many groups discuss tech issues. If you find one that is helpful, you may want to join the group for future tips. Check cables A loose cable can be the cause of many tech issues. Check to make sure everything is plugged in where it should be. Unplug and replug cables to guarantee a secure connection. Be sure that your cables are not broken, frayed or damaged. Replacing a cable might solve a problem for a lot less money than buying a new device.       Close Apps If you are having a problem with an app, close it to see if restarting it solves the problem. 'Settings' check Is your cell phone battery draining too quickly? Are you are using too much cellular data each month? Check the settings on your phone to see which apps are using the most battery or cellular data. Turn off location and alerts for any apps that use these services. Simple restart Many tech troubles can be solved by powering off your phone and turning it back on. On the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus and earlier models, press and hold the power and home buttons until the phone powers off and back on again. On the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, hold down the power and volume down buttons until the phone restarts. On many Android phones, you can restart the phone by holding down the power and volume down buttons at the same time. Android Some Android phones have removable batteries. Try removing the battery and putting it back in to restart your phone. iPhone For connection issues with an iPhone, try “Reset Network Settings.” Go to “Settings,” then to “General,” then to “Reset Network Settings.” Note that you may have to reconnect and log into networks after you reset network settings. Look for the simple answer Sometimes tech problems are not worth solving. Is there a different way to do something with a simple solution? For example, if an app keeps crashing you may want to look for a different app that performs the same task. Maybe there is a new app that is even better than the one you are trying to fix. Step back and think if there is another way to solve the issue, at least temporarily. Go to the professionals If you have tried everything you know to try and are still having problems, perhaps it is time to ask an expert. Take your device to a pro, such as the Apple Genius Bar, Microsoft store or other local tech shops to get help. Time for new technology? If your tech is not from the 21st Century, you may want to consider getting new tech. Software updates may not work on much older devices. Your tech may not be powerful enough to run today's software or apps. You do not need to upgrade to the latest and greatest every year, but once every ten years might be a good start. I’m Pete Musto. And I’m Alice Bryant.   Carolyn Nicander Mohr wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. Have you ever struggled when tech went wrong? Where do you turn when you have tech troubles? Do you have any tips for fixing tech? Share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   connection - n. something that allows you to become connected to a system, network, etc., through a telephone, computer, or other device frustrate - v. to cause (someone) to feel angry, discouraged, or upset because of not being able to do something update - n. to change (something) by including the most recent information developer - n.  a person or company that creates computer software troubleshoot - v. finding and fixing problems in machinery and technical equipment forum - n. a website for discussing a topic alert - v. to give (someone) important information about a possible problem, danger, etc. keyword - n. a word that is used to find information in a piece of writing, in a computer document, or on the Internet cable - n. a group of wires, glass fibers, etc., covered in plastic or rubber and used to carry electricity or electrical signals plug - v.  to fill or cover (a hole, space, etc.) with something fray - v.  to cause (a cloth or other material) to become worn down at the end or edge : to separate the threads of (a material)​ task - n. a piece of work that has to be done: a job for someone to do pro - n.  someone who has a lot of experience or skill in a particular job or activity

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