First Woman Captain Leads Britain’s Changing of the Guard

For the first time, a woman captain led Britain’s Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Canadian officer Megan Couto made history on June 26 by commanding the troops guarding Queen Elizabeth’s London home. Couto, 24, led her Canadian unit in the ceremony, which is witnessed by thousands of visitors to London each year. Her unit is the Second Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, also known as "The Patricia's." "I'm just focusing on doing my job as best I can and staying humble," said Couto about the historic event. She told Reuters news agency just before leading the troops she was feeling “a little bit of healthy stress.” She added: "This is definitely a big deal for us." The Queen’s Guard ceremony usually is led by a soldier from the mostly male British Army’s Household Division. The British Army said Couto was the first ever female infantry officer to lead the ceremony. “We look forward to seeing a British Army female infantry captain of the queen's guard when roles are opened up to women by the end of next year,” a statement read. Women were barred from serving in the British infantry and other combat roles until the military changed the rule last year. The Canadian unit was invited to Britain to mark Canada’s upcoming 150th anniversary. Canada Day is celebrated on July 1. Canada was established on July 1, 1867, when Britain’s parliament approved the British North America Act. The act established the Canadian Confederation out of three British colonies. Canada, along with several other nations, still belongs to the British Commonwealth. Queen Elizabeth still serves as the country’s official head of state. Many celebrations will be held throughout Canada to mark the country’s 150th birthday. Among the activities will be parades, music and cultural performances and fireworks. Britain’s Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are to spend three days visiting Canada to mark the anniversary. In Britain, people plan to gather in London’s Trafalgar Square to take part in a celebration for Canada Day. The event will feature musical performances, Canadian food, sports and other activities. I’m Bryan Lynn.   Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from Reuters and the Associated Press. Caty Weaver 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   focus – v. direct attention to something humble – adj. not proud; not believing you are better than others stress – n. causing strong feelings of worry or mental tension infantry – n. part of an army that has soldiers who fight on foot role – n. job a person holds in a particular situation combat – n. active fighting, especially in war  

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Studying Sentence Patterns to Improve Your Writing: Part Two

In a previous Everyday Grammar story, we discussed two common sentence patterns using the word “be.” This week, we are going to give you more information about another common pattern in English: the linking verb pattern.  To get you started with linking verb patterns, consider this passage from a story called “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz,” by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald:  "As he approached the end his sentences became broken, became short and uncertain, and his body seemed tense, seemed strained to catch the slightest pressure or whisper of life in the spaces around him."  By the end of this story, you will be able to recognize one major linking verb pattern that Fitzgerald uses many times in this sentence.   An important point about sentences and clauses  Remember: a sentence has a subject and a predicate. A clause has a subject and a predicate, too. The predicate is the verb phrase. It has a main verb, such as a linking verb, and other words, such as a subject complement, that give more information about it.   When you capitalize the first word of a clause and put a period at the end of it, a clause becomes a sentence. Keep this idea in mind, because it will help you understand sentences that use several clauses.   What is a linking verb?  In the book "Rhetorical Grammar," Martha Kolln says that the term “linking verbs” applies to verbs that are completed by a subject complement – the adjective or noun phrase that describes the subject.  Many grammar experts consider the verb BE to be a linking verb, but Kolln says BE verb patterns are sometimes different from other linking verb patterns. This is because adverbial information often follows BE verbs, such as in the following sentence:  My sister is at the store.   In this case, an adverbial structure, a prepositional phrase, tells about the location of the subject, “my sister.” This BE pattern is one we discussed in a previous Everyday Grammar story. In contrast, the usual linking verb structure is this: Examples of linking verbs 1: verbs of the senses Some of the most common linking verbs are verbs of the senses. They include “taste,” “smell,” “feel,” “look,” and “sound.”   These verbs often link an adjective to a subject.   For example, consider these memorable lines from “Dirty Harry,” a famous American film. Clint Eastwood, the actor who plays the character of Dirty Harry, says: “You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?” In the sentence "Do I feel lucky?", the adjective “lucky” acts as the subject complement. It describes the subject, “I.”  If you were to answer the question, you might say this:   Examples of linking verbs 2: “remain” and “become” Verbs of the senses are not the only linking verbs. Two other common examples of linking verbs are “remain” and “become.” These verbs often link a noun or noun phrase to a subject.  Consider the opening lines from “Casablanca,” another classic American film:  "With the coming of the Second World War, many eyes in imprisoned Europe turned hopefully or desperately toward the freedom of the Americas. Lisbon became the great embarkation point." In the second sentence — “Lisbon became the great embarkation point”— you can see the basic linking verb pattern, even though the subject complement has several words. “Lisbon” is the subject of the sentence. The predicate has the linking verb “became,” as well as the noun phrase “the great embarkation point.   Examples of linking verbs 3: “prove,” “seem” and “appear” Aside from the verbs of the senses and “become” and “remain,” there are three other common linking verbs. They are “prove,” “seem” and “appear.”   Like other linking verbs, these verbs link an adjective or noun phrase to the subject. All these verbs use the same basic pattern: Subject + Linking Verb + Subject Complement. What do linking verbs have to do with F. Scott Fitzgerald?  Think back to this passage from "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz":  "As he approached the end his sentences became broken, became short and uncertain, and his body seemed tense, seemed strained to catch the slightest pressure or whisper of life in the spaces around him. "  Fitzgerald uses some phrases that do not fit into the linking verb pattern. But, if you look closely, you will see that he uses the Subject + Linking Verb + Subject Complement pattern in the sentence.  Consider these clauses:    Fitzgerald then repeats the linking verb pattern, but does not say the subject. The repeated subject is understood:    This sentence contains other structures that are more complicated than the basic linking verb pattern. But you can still see that these basic patterns can serve as the starting point for very long, complicated sentences.   What can you do?  Learning how to use linking verb patterns will help you improve your writing. You can think about creative ways to use them, or you can learn to recognize when you use them too often. To start practicing this pattern, try finding the linking verb in the sentences at the end of this story. Identify the subject of the sentence, the linking verb, and the subject complement. Be careful, because one or more sentences may be tricky!   We will give you the answers next week in the comments section and on our Facebook page.   The lake became a clear pool, pale and quiet. – "Winter Dreams" by F. Scott Fitzgerald Her slight unsteadiness seemed part of an enchanted dream. – "The Jelly Bean" by F. Scott Fitzgerald John T. Unger was on the eve of departure. – "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" by F. Scott Fitzgerald I'm Jonathan Evans. I'm John Russell. And I'm Jill Robbins. John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. Kelly J Kelly was the editor. Do you like learning about sentence patterns? Is there a pattern you'd like us to explain here? ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story strained – adj. feeling or showing the effect of too much work, use, effort, etc. complement – n. a word or group of words added to a sentence to make it complete adverbial – adj. like or relating to an adverb. analyze – v. to learn the nature and relationship of the parts of (something) by a close and careful examination phrase – n. a group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not usually form a complete sentence adjective – n. a word that describes a noun or a pronoun prepositional phrase – n. a phrase that begins with a preposition and ends in a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase embarkation – n. a place where a journey begins tricky – adj. difficult to do or deal with

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Honored Vietnamese Activist Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

A Vietnamese blogger, honored by the United States for her activism, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Vietnam. Mẹ Nấm, or Mother Mushroom, received the sentence Thursday at the end of a one-day trial in central Vietnam. A court found her guilty of charges related to "conducting propaganda” against the government. Mother Mushroom, whose given name is Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, had been detained since October 2016. The law used against her has drawn international criticism for giving the government power to limit free expression. Her lawyer said her conviction related to several articles on her Facebook page, as well as interviews with foreign news organizations. The lawyer called the sentence “too heavy and unfair.” He said he planned to appeal the decision. Quynh began blogging as Mother Mushroom in 2006. She is also a founding member of the Vietnamese Bloggers Network. It is one of the few independent blogging groups in a nation where the ruling Communist Party tightly controls the media and writers. She was honored with America’s International Women of Courage Award in March. She was not able to attend the award ceremony in Washington led by first lady Melania Trump. A State Department spokeswoman praised Quynh for “exposing corruption, raising awareness about environmental protection and reporting on human rights violations in Vietnam.” Quynh also received awards from the organizations Civil Rights Defenders and Human Rights Watch for speaking out freely against injustices and human rights abuses in Vietnam. The deputy director for Human Rights Watch Asia, Phil Robertson, criticized the trial. He urged the international community to call for her release. He said, “International donors and trade partners should publicly condemn her arrest and urge the Vietnamese government to immediately and unconditionally release her.”  Among her recent campaigns, Mother Mushroom blogged about the government's handling of a chemical spill at Formosa, a Taiwanese-owned steel plant in central Vietnam. The spill killed 80 tons of fish and embarrassed the Vietnamese government. Thousands of protesters demonstrated at the plant and in cities throughout Vietnam. The April 2016 incident is widely seen as having raised environmental awareness and activism in Vietnam. The movement led the steel company to accept full responsibility for the fish kill. It also pledged to pay $500 million in damages for dumping toxic wastewater into the South China Sea. I’m Caty Weaver .   Bryan Lynn adapted this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports by VOA Vietnamese, the Associated Press and Reuters. Hai Do 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   blogger – n. person who writes on the internet about experiences or issues conduct – v. to carry out conviction – n. a finding of guilt by a court of law interview – n. a meeting between a reporter and another person in order to get information for a news story​ expose – adj. cause to be known, especially something secret or dishonest awareness – n. the state of knowing about something plant – n. a factory embarrass – v. make someone look foolish toxic – adj. containing something poisonous  

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Australia Charges Vatican Official with Sex Crimes

  Police in Australia have charged a top Vatican official with "historic sexual offenses." Police officials did not give details of the charges against Cardinal George Pell. But they did say the charges are based on claims by more than one person. Pell has been ordered to appear for a hearing in a Melbourne court on July 18. The cardinal serves as chief financial adviser to Pope Francis. The case increases pressure on the pope to act on promises to fight sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church Pell told reporters in Vatican City that he is innocent of the charges. He said the charges are an attack against his character. He added that “The whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me," and that he is looking forward to having his day in court. A Vatican spokesman expressed respect for the Australian justice system. He also said that Pope Francis has given Pell a leave of absence -- an extended period of time away from his job. The Australian cardinal is the highest Roman Catholic clergyman to face charges of sexual abuse. Sexual abuse in the church first captured the world's attention in 2002. That is when reports about sexually abusive Catholic bishops in the American city of Boston, Massachusetts, began appearing in the news. The reports found that clergymen would move abusers to new positions in the church instead of dismissing them. Thousands of cases of sexual abuse have since been reported worldwide. Investigators have urged victims to go public. The Roman Catholic Church has paid more than $2 billion in compensation to the accusers. I’m Pete Musto.   This story first appeared on VOANews.com. George Grow adapted this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   abhorrent – adj. causing strong dislike or hatred; not agreeable compensation – n. payment; legal judgment for damages We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.  

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Apple iPhone Turns 10 Years Old

This is What’s Trending Today. The iPhone turned 10 years old on Thursday, and many people took a moment to remember the first time they saw the Apple device. When it came out on June 29, 2007, people were lining up outside stores around the world to buy the phone. It was a big success for the computer company that made the Macintosh and the iPod. The hashtag #iPhoneAt10 was trending on Twitter most of the day. One person called it a “revolution,” and others posted about the phone’s “evolution” in the last 10 years. “Massive” is the word CNN used to describe the businesses that grew up around the phone’s popularity. The current version is iPhone 7, but many people expect an iPhone 8 to come out soon. Some technology reporters say the next iPhone will come out in September, and it will be even larger than the ones we see today. The first iPhone’s display was about nine centimeters. The newest one is expected to be about 14 centimeters. The first phone cost close to $500. The current version of the phone costs a little more than $600. According to Entrepreneur magazine, the 2008 version of the iPhone, known as the 3G, was the first to use faster cellular networks, GPS and allowed users to buy apps from the App Store. ​ Small improvements were made along the way. The largest iPhone, the 6 Plus, came out in 2014. By 2016, there were over 2 million apps available. That is also when Apple sold its 1 billionth iPhone. One Twitter user called the iPhone “astonishing” and wrote “hard to imagine going without it now.”  A designer in Minnesota found her old iPhone and plugged it in to see if it would still start up. “It still boots!” she wrote. While many people said the iPhone made their lives easier, others were happy to point out its flaws. Autocorrect is supposed to fix typing mistakes when you write messages on your phone. Many people say it still has problems, even 10 years later. Others complained about the phone’s battery, memory and charger. Even the London, England fire brigade wrote: “don’t use cheap, dodgy chargers. You could have a nasty surprise.”  And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. How many iPhones did you use in 10 years? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ___________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   evolution – n. a process of slow change and development massive – adj. very large timeline – n. a line that includes marks showing when particular events happened in the past app – n. a computer program that performs a special function boot – v. to start a computer dodgy – adj. false, dishonest or risky flaw– n. a small fault or weakness astonishing– adj. causing a feeling of great surprise or wonder

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News Words: Troll

Watch this week's News Words to learn about an internet troll.

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New Rules for US Travel Ban to Require Family, Business Ties

The Trump administration has set new visa requirements for people from six mainly Muslim nations and all refugees. The Associated Press (AP) says the new rules require those seeking a visa to have a close relationship with a family or business in the United States. The move came after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to parts of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump. Critics of the order compared it to a ban on Muslims. The State Department released the guidance for U.S. diplomats on Wednesday. The government is not canceling visas that have already been approved. The new rules affect visa applicants from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. It said they must prove a relationship with a parent, husband or wife, child, the husband or wife of an adult child, a brother or sister already in the United States to be considered for a visa. But other family members are not considered close relations under the new guidelines. They include grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, cousins and other extended family members. The same requirement, with a few exceptions, is in effect for would-be refugees who are still awaiting approval for admission to the U.S. The new rules take effect at 0000 Universal Time (UTC) on Friday, the AP report said. The State Department will consider whether visa applicants from the six countries have business ties to the United States. It said an acceptable business relationship has to be “formal, documented,” and not created for the purpose of avoiding the ban. The new guidance said a hotel or rental car agreement would not meet the requirement. The new rules do not affect news reporters, students, workers or speakers who have valid invitations or offers of employment in the U.S. On Monday, the Supreme Court partially lifted lower court rulings against Trump’s executive order, which had temporarily banned visas for citizens of the six countries. The new guidance will remain in place until the Supreme Court makes a final ruling on the issue. The court will not hear arguments in the case until at least October. So the temporary rules will remain in place for at least the next three months. Shortly after taking office, Trump ordered the refugee ban and a travel ban affecting the six countries, as well as Iraq. He said it was needed to protect the United States from terrorists. But opponents said it was unfairly severe and was designed to meet his campaign promise to keep Muslims out of the country. After a federal judge rejected the bans, Trump signed another order designed to overcome legal issues. That was also rejected by lower courts, but the Supreme Court ruled that parts of the order are constitutional. I’m Jonathan Evans.   The Associated Press reported this story. George Grow adapted the report for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   executive – adj. of or relating to the execution of laws applicant – n. someone who asks for something; a candidate formal – adj. following an established form or custom valid – adj. having legal force; justifiable   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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Explainer: Robot Workforce

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The Law of Life by Jack London, Part Two

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Sleep Expert Tells Students All-Night Study Hurts Performance

  Sleep expert David Earnest often tells college students that a good night’s sleep is important for academic success. Not that they listen to him. Earnest is a professor at Texas A&M College of Medicine. He explains that so-called “all nighters,” in which students spend all night studying instead of sleeping, are not effective – or healthy. “The sort of common approach for college students…is to wait until the last minute in terms of preparing or studying for an exam -- do all nighters, especially before final exams. Because that way, you can cram all of your studying into a very short period of time." “But in the process obviously that compromises sleep and unfortunately it’s counterproductive.” Waiting until last minute College students often wait until the last minute to review information and study for an exam. They may stay up all night ahead of the test. Research shows, however, it is not worth it. Earnest explains that people who stay up all night do not remember as much about what they read or studied. There is also some evidence that people even suffer temporary drops in their IQ, or intelligence quotient, he said. If a student must prepare for an exam at the last minute, Earnest suggests studying until about 2 a.m., sleeping for four hours, and then reviewing the material again early in the morning. Four hours is not enough sleep, but it is better than no sleep, Earnest said. Company uses device to measure student sleep Jawbone is a company that sells a small device that people attach to themselves to measure exercise and sleep. The company used information from device users to measure how much time college students sleep. It found that college students slept an average of 7.03 hours during the week and 7.38 hours on weekends. Female students slept more than male students; they get an extra 23 minutes of sleep on week nights and 17 more minutes on weekends. Jawbone’s study seems to suggest that college students are getting enough sleep. The numbers are within the numbers suggested by the National Sleep Foundation. It recommends between seven and nine hours of sleep daily for people aged 18 to 25. But Jawbone said the “average” hours of sleep in its study can be misleading. Its study also found that nearly half of the time, students get less than seven hours of sleep a night. Jawbone also found some other interesting sleep information. Students at America’s military academies, West Point, the Naval Academy and Coast Guard Academy, all require students to get up before 7 a.m. That is the earliest required waking time for college students. As a result, students at the three schools average 6.38 hours of sleep, the lowest among American college students. Other colleges where students average less than seven hours of sleep on weeknights include Columbia University in New York, the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. Students at the University of New Hampshire, the University of Oregon and the University of San Diego got the most sleep, Jawbone said. 2014 report finds sleep problems for many students A 2014 report for the US National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health reported that daytime sleepiness and irregular sleep schedules are common among college students. The report said a lack of sleep can result in lower grade point averages. It also found it can lead to increased risk of academic failure and of emotional distress. The National Sleep Foundation offers suggestions for better sleep: Go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time in the morning. Make sure your bedroom is a quiet, dark, and relaxing environment, and that it is neither too hot nor too cold. Make sure your bed is comfortable, and that you do not use it for other activities such as reading, watching television or listening to music. Remove all TVs, computers, radios, and telephones from the bedroom. Avoid large meals before bedtime. Here’s wishing you a good night’s sleep! I'm Bruce Alpert. And I'm Jill Robbins   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your experiences on our Facebook Page. Do you get enough sleep? If you don’t, how does it affect you? And what’s your “secret” to falling asleep quickly? ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   approach - n. a way of dealing with something especially - adv. more than usually cram - v. to prepare for a test by trying to learn a lot of information quickly counterproductive - adv. not helpful attach - v. to fasten or join one thing to another recommend - v. suggest irregular - adj. not normal distress - n. feeling unhappy or pain comfortable - adj. producing physical comfort

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Five Fun Puzzle Apps to Stretch Your Brain

  Fun puzzle apps are handy to have on your phone. Keep them ready when you need to clear your mind. Maybe you are stuck in the office on a Friday afternoon, or trapped in a car on a long road trip, or waiting on a flight that is delayed. Puzzle apps can help make that time more enjoyable. The apps can also help avoid the oft-repeated question, "Are we there yet?" from your young travelers. But puzzle apps can do more than entertain you. They can also improve your mental skills, to help keep you sharp. While you are having fun, your brain can be solving problems, learning new English words and more. Warning: These games may be addictive! Only start playing them if you have time for fun. 1010! If you are a fan of the classic video game Tetris, you will enjoy 1010! This puzzle game is a lot like Tetris but without the time pressure. 1010! shows a game board of 10 spaces across and 10 spaces down. In each part of the game, you get three shapes to place on the board. The shapes are similar to the Tetris shapes and are made from squares. You must place them on the boards in the free spaces. Like Tetris, in 1010! a row or column is cleared if it is filled with squares. Players earn points when they clear rows and columns. Clearing the board is also important to have enough open spaces to place the shapes. This video shows how 1010! works: As with Tetris, you cannot really "win" at 1010! The game is over once your board is too full to fit another shape. But the higher you score, the better. And you can always try to beat your best score. You can find tips and tricks to master 1010! on the app’s website under “Tips, Tricks and Such.” 1010! Tips, Tricks and Such 1010! is available for free. An in-app purchase is available to remove ads. 1010! for iPhone 1010! for Android 1010! for Amazon Fire tablets Monkey Wrench Monkey Wrench is a word search game with a twist: you have to clear the board by finding words. Each puzzle has categories of words you must find. The categories may be from history, sports, pop culture, music, food, people and more. Instead of letters being in a square, letters in Monkey Wrench are in hexagons. The first letter of each word is darkened. Swipe your finger along the letters when you find the word. The word will be cleared from the puzzle. When you clear all of the words you have solved the puzzle. You can choose from three levels of difficulty: easy, medium and hard. The easy level shows the words you must find. Medium gives you the first letter of the word and shows how many letters are in each word. Hard shows you how many letters are in each word but no letters are given. You have to figure out the words yourself. This video shows how Monkey Wrench works. The puzzle in the video is at the medium level:   ​Monkey Wrench starts off with a free pack of 50 puzzles. Each day a new free puzzle is added. Players can buy puzzle packs or just wait and play a free puzzle each day.   Monkey Wrench for iPhone and iPad Monkey Wrench for Android Monkey Wrench for Amazon Fire tablets Sudoku People who enjoy the number puzzle game Sudoku will be happy to know that now it’s as close as your phone! The Sudoku app means you can play this interesting game wherever you are. Sudoku players fill in numbers on a grid of nine squares. Each square is divided into another nine squares. Each row and column in the grid must have the numbers 1-9 filled in without repeats. Each large square must have the numbers 1-9 within it, again without repeats. Some numbers are provided and it is up to you to fill in the rest. The game can be simple on an easy level where lots of numbers are provided. Or the game can be difficult with very few numbers provided. The Sudoku app from the developer Finger Arts offers different themes so you can make your board look the way that works best for you. You can play at different levels from easy to expert. Try each to find the level best for you. When you fill in the grid with three mistakes or fewer, you win! The goal of this app is to have a string of wins. If you have four or more mistakes, you can continue playing but your string will be broken. This app offers many different settings permitting you to make changes so the game is more enjoyable. Sudoku from Finger Arts is available free for the iPhone and iPad. Sudoku + is from the same developer but removes ads. Sudoku + is available for  just under $5. Many free Sudoku apps are in the app stores. Also check out Sudoku from Branium Studios. Branium Sudoku for iPhone and iPad Branium Sudoku for Android Branium Sudoku for Amazon Fire tablets 7 Little Words 7 Little Words is another word game app from the developer of Monkey Wrench. But instead of trying to find words, you have to put puzzle pieces together to figure out words. To play 7 Little Words, players read clues for seven different words. The clues tell the meanings of the words and how many letters are in each word. Below the clues are puzzle pieces that are groups of letters. Players must put together the groups of letters to form the word. Form all seven words to win the game. Like Monkey Wrench, 7 Little Words is a free app and players are given a puzzle pack with free puzzles. Each day a new free puzzle is added to the game. You can buy additional puzzle packs if you cannot wait for tomorrow's puzzle. 7 Little Words for iPhone and iPad 7 Little Words for Android 7 Little Words for Amazon Fire tablets The game is also available on the 7 Little Words website and in French at 7 Petits Mots. Sembl Sembl is a free puzzle game that shows you a shape with colors and patterns. You then try to match it with the same shape that starts out blank. You can add patterns and colors, spin the shape, and cut it to try to make it look the same as the one above. To make the game more difficult, players must make the changes in the right order to match the shapes. Sembl has Journey setting, an untimed version of the game, or Challenge mode, which is timed and more intense. This video shows how Sembl works: The game starts out easy but gets more difficult as players rise through the levels. The app has 32 levels with 190 total puzzles. Sembl is free for iPhone and iPad. I’m Dan Friedell. And I’m Caty Weaver.   Carolyn Nicander Mohr wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Catherine Kelly Weaver was the editor. Have you played any of these puzzle apps? Do you have any suggestions for fun puzzle apps? Do you like playing games that make you think? Share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   puzzle - n. a question or problem that requires thought, skill, or cleverness to be answered or solved entertain - v. to provide amusement for (someone) addictive- adj. very enjoyable in a way that makes you want to do or have something again fan - n. a person who likes and admires someone (such as a famous person) or something (such as a sport or a sports team) in a very enthusiastic way classic - adj. used to describe something that has been popular for a long time row - n. a horizontal section of a page; items that are next to one another column - n. a vertical section of a page; items that are underneath and above each other category - n. a group of people or things that are similar in some way hexagon - n. a flat shape that has six angles and six sides grid - n. a pattern of lines that cross each other to form squares on a piece of paper, a map, etc. theme - n. the color and style of a website or app  

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