English @ the Movies: 'Don't Jinx Me'

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James Bond Can Teach You About English Grammar

  In the 1964 action film Goldfinger, actor Sean Connery plays the British secret agent James Bond. Bond, also called agent 007, is well-known for his drink of choice -- a martini. He always wants his martinis prepared just the right way. Let’s listen to a short exchange from the movie:   Can I do something for you, Mr. Bond?  Just a drink. A martini. Shaken, not stirred.   Today, we will show you how this kind of exchange can teach you something about English grammar. Specifically, it shows you how English speakers use sentence fragments in everyday situations.  We will also use fictional conversations to show two common ways in which English speakers use these fragments. But first, let's start with some definitions.   Complete sentences and incomplete sentences  Complete sentences are sentences that have both a subject and a predicate. A predicate tells something about the subject. For example, in the sentence "James Bond likes to order martinis," the subject is James Bond and the predicate is "likes to order martinis." In this case, the predicate gives us information about Bond.   In writing, you should use complete sentences. However, in conversation, you can use partial or incomplete sentences.   Incomplete sentences are not wrong. In other words, English speakers are not breaking rules when they use them. Instead, speakers leave out parts of sentences because the sentence's full meaning is clear from the setting or context.   Today, we will explore two kinds of incomplete sentences: one group called "Minimal Responses," and another called "Short Answers."   #1 Minimal responses   Minimal responses* are simple words or expressions that speakers use to react to what somebody else has said. These are not complete sentences -  they sometimes lack a subject, verb, or other important part of a sentence.  Americans commonly use minimal responses for two purposes: showing approval and giving a polite or respectful answer. We will now look at examples of both types.   Minimal responses can show approval   Imagine you tell your friend that you received a great grade on a difficult test:  I got an A on my test!   Nice!   Here, your friend uses the adjective "nice" as a way to express approval about your statement. The reason your friend does not use a full subject and predicate is because his or her answer is understood in the context of a conversation.   Some other words and expressions that show approval are "good," "good job," "great," "nice," and "nice work."   All of these terms have similar meanings. However, some are more forceful or less official-sounding than others. Think back to the example you just heard:  I got an A on my test!   Nice!   A speaker could replace the word "nice" with almost any of the other terms we provided. They could say "good job" or "great job," for example. "Great job" is a stronger statement than "good job."  Minimal responses can give a polite response  Americans also limit their responses to make points in a respectful way during a conversation. Some of these are polite, yet informal. The most common examples include “no problem,” “no worries,” “sorry,” and “thanks.”   Imagine someone has just given you directions. You want to thank them before going on your way. The exchange might sound like this:  Thanks.  No problem.   The other person could respond in even more informal way by saying "no worries" instead of "no problem."   In both cases, the speaker's response takes the place of a much longer sentence. For example, the speaker could have said, "I was happy to be able to help you out." "No problem" is a short, polite way to express this same idea.   #2 Short answers:   A second type of incomplete sentence is the short answer. In short answers, speakers leave out subjects, verbs, or predicates. In general, the missing words appeared earlier in the conversation. Speakers do not repeat these words because repetition would make the exchanges much longer.   Let's consider an example. Imagine you are looking for the nearest bank. The person you ask might provide a short answer:  Where is the nearest bank?  Right over there.   In the example, the speaker omits the subject and verb of the sentence. The speaker said, "Right over there" instead of the full sentence, "The nearest bank is right over there."   If the speaker says "right over there," he or she means that the bank is very close to you – probably within eyesight. In many situations, speakers will point with their fingers to show the direction of the bank.   Think back to the lines you heard earlier in this report:  Can I do something for you, Mr. Bond?  Just a drink: A martini. Shaken, not stirred.   In the example, James Bond uses the same type of short answer: an answer that omits the subject and verb. Bond could have said, "I would like a drink: A martini. I want you to shake it, but please do not stir it."  This way of speaking is much more detailed, a lot longer, and polite. It does not fit with James Bond's personality. He is not a very polite, talkative man.  That said, you can still learn from how he uses language!    What can you do?  The next time you are watching a film or with an America, try listening for examples of incomplete sentences. When the speaker uses an incomplete sentence, ask yourself if they used it for one of the reasons we talked about today. Does the sentence leave out important words, such as a subject, verb, or predicate?  If it does … no worries! I'm Jill Robbins.  And I'm John Russell.   John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.   *Please see Conrad, Susan, and Biber, Douglas. Real Grammar: A Corpus-Based Approach. Pearson-Longman. 2009 pg. 145  _____________________________________________________________ Words in the Story     stir – v. to mix by making circular movements grammar – n. the study of words and their uses in a sentence fragment – n. Grammar : a group of words that is written out as a sentence but that lacks a subject or verb  fictional – adj. conversation – n. an informal talk involving two people or a small group of people :the act of talking in an informal way  response – n. a reaction to something; something that is said or written in answer to something grade – n. a number or letter that shows how a student performed on a test or in class fit – v. to be suitable or appropriate for (someone or something)​

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Small Montana City Elects Former Refugee as Mayor

  Voters in Helena, Montana, have elected Wilmot Collins as their new mayor. Collins is a former refugee from Liberia. He is also the first black mayor in the state of Montana. The story of his success in America has created interest around the world. “There are no limits,” Collins told VOA. “I arrived in this country with 25 cents in my pocket. Do you think I was thinking of ever running for mayor? No! But I worked hard and I had the support of my family and my community.” Collins says he tells his children with those things in place, “There is no reason why you can’t succeed at what you attempt to do.” Collins and his wife, Maddie, were part of a large group of Liberians that fled the civil war in that country in the early 1990s. Two of his brothers were killed in the war. The couple escaped to Ghana but were starving there. So, Maddie Collins reached out to an American family she had lived with as an international high school student in Helena. As a result, she was offered a college scholarship in the same town. About two weeks before leaving Ghana for the United States, the Collins learned that they were expecting a baby. They decided that Maddie should still go to the U.S. Wilmot would follow as soon as possible. He tried to get a visa but was denied. After several more failed attempts, Wilmot Collins requested refugee status through the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. “When I was finally allowed to come to America, my little daughter was turning two years old. That was the first time I had ever seen her. That was February 17, 1994.” He was 31 years old when he finally reached America. The mayor-elect Collins says he realized immediately that the “real America” was very different from what he had seen in movies back home. He says when he heard the pilot announce that it was “warm” at one degree Celsius, he thought the man was crazy. Collins laughs at that memory. He says he was even more surprised to learn there were almost no black people in Montana. The state is 92 percent white and five percent Native American. The remaining three percent are listed as “other.” He says the realization gave him a lonely feeling, but that he was happy to be with his family again. Two weeks later, Collins got a job cleaning a local school. He says it is not true when people say refugees do not offer any community service. “I didn’t get anything for free,” he argues. Collins believes he and his wife were among the first refugees ever to settle in the Helena area. And soon, he says, he would try to persuade people in Helena that his family was in the country legally. “Your government accepted us here,” he told local people who did not believe them. Collins has two university degrees and is working on a doctorate. Before his election, he worked as a child protection specialist with Montana’s Department of Health and Human Services. He also told his story in talks at high schools. Collins believes that, generally, when people hear a person’s life story, it can change their mind. Some people realized, “Okay, this guy is just like us,” he said. But, Montana is a traditionally conservative state and not everyone is accepting of Collins or others like him. Collins says this causes him worry, especially considering the state's very permissive gun laws. “It makes me and my family nervous because… there are crazy people out there, and someone may not want me to do this. Everybody in Montana carries a gun.”   Even with those concerns, Collins said he feels ready to begin leading Helena. “The voters spoke and they said, ‘Hey, you know, with your story and with your experience, it’s you we want.’”  As mayor-elect, Collins is excited by the opportunity to “give back" to the community. “If I can just give back half of what this community gave me, my life is complete, just half. I’ll be thankful.” His goals include improvements to the fire department, police department and other emergency services. He also plans to establish low-cost housing for homeless veterans and young people because, he says, years ago, he too was homeless. I’m John Russell. And I’m Alice Bryant.   Adam Phillips wrote this story for VOA News. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   refugee – n. someone who has been forced to leave a country because of war or for religious or political reasons congratulate – v. to tell someone that you are happy because of his or her success or good luck scholarship - n. an amount of money that is given by a school, an organization, etc., to a student to help pay for the student's education status – n. the official position of a person or thing according to the law degree – n. n official document and title that is given to someone who has successfully completed a series of classes at a college or university veteran – n. someone who fought in a war as a soldier, sailor or some other position

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Indian Hindus Attacking Muslims, Stealing Their Cows

The beating that ended Pehlu Khan’s life in April was captured on video. A group of men hit the 55-year-old man, threw him to the ground and stepped on him in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan. He asked them to stop but they refused. As the beating continued, people nearby were stealing Khan’s cows. They took the cows to a nearby Hindu-run shelter that accepts stolen cows and sells them. Cow theft and sales have brought money to needy Hindu communities in rural areas. About 14 percent of the 1.3 billion people living in India are Muslim. Public attacks on the Muslim population have raised concerns about the direction the country is taking. The attackers are mostly nationalistic Hindus who helped Narendra Modi win the office of prime minister in 2014. They are working as private militias in the cow stealing operations. Modi has worked since becoming prime minister to persuade the world that India is a good place for foreign investment. But, the violent crime clashes with this image. His strongest supporters are now seen as shaping India through violence and religious discrimination. But public demands that Modi stop the crime have gone unanswered. Many wonder if Modi has enough influence over his supporters to make them stop. States that Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, governs are reported to have had a notable increase in the stealing of cows from Muslims. There is no official record on the number of cows stolen from Muslims since 2014. But Reuters news service says it spoke to two main northern Indian groups of cow thieves, called cow protectors there. Reuters reports they said they had stolen about 190,000 cows since Modi’s election. Sometimes they stole them in the presence of police, the groups’ leadership reportedly said. Reuters reports the groups also said Muslims were the victims in almost every case. It is difficult to put value on the stolen cows. Prices go as high as $385 for young healthy animals. That is a lot of money in India, where some 270 million people live on less than $2 a day. Hindus view cows as holy animals. The killing of cows for meat is illegal in most of India. Dinesh Patil is a district head of the Bajrang Dal group in the southwestern state of Maharashtra. The group is closely linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS, a major nationalist Hindu organization. Patil told Reuters, “Everyone in this world is born Hindu. They are turned into Muslims when they are circumcised and Christians when they are baptized.” The RSS argues that foreign intervention by Muslims and then Christians has polluted India’s purity for more than one thousand years. The RSS helped create Modi’s political party. The prime minister first attended the group’s meetings as a child. Patil said that the Bajrang Dal took almost every one of the 1,700 cows at the center he manages from, in his words, “Muslim slaughterers.” Sudhanshu Trivedi is a national spokesman for the ruling BJP. He said his party expects anyone with knowledge of illegal acts, such as cow slaughter, to tell the police. He added that in cases where cows were taken, it was because their owners had broken laws. “It is not redistribution of wealth. It is just stopping of illegal activities,” he said. Modi’s office directed Reuters to the Home Ministry for comments on this issue. The ministry said it is “not correct” that cow stealing has risen on Modi’s watch. Also, it said it is “preposterous” to suggest that Hindus are organizing to steal and redistribute cattle. Some people have taken the law into their own hands “in the name of protecting the cows,” the ministry noted in a written statement. But, it said, “the Government is committed to protecting the legal rights of all citizens, including minorities in India.” The Supreme Court has also dealt with the issue. In September, the court ruled that central and state governments must deploy police to prevent cow theft and related violence. Some Hindu activists seem to ignore Modi’s calls to end the attacks. One group of cow protectors, known as Bharatiya Gau Raksha Dal, claims 10,000 members mostly in western and northern Indian states. Pawan Pandit, a part-time computer program engineer, is their leader. He said the prime minister’s condemnation of what he called “anti-social activities” did not move the group to stop. “The cow protection movement totally belonged to the BJP before 2014,” Pandit added. “Now groups like ours have the momentum.” He said militias operating under his cow protection group captured as many as 60,000 cows in the three years before Modi came to office. Since 2014, Pandit noted, the group has taken more than 100,000 cows, often working with police. I’m Pete Musto. And I'm Caty Weaver.   Zeba Siddiqui, Krishna N. Das, Tommy Wilkes and Tom Lasseter reported this for the Reuters news service. Pete Musto adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Is religious conflict a problem in your country? How does your government deal with unfair treatment of minorities? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   theft – n. the act or crime of stealing district – n. an area or section of a country, city, or town circumcise(d) – v. to cut off the skin at the end of the penis of a man or boy, or outer sexual organs of a woman or girl, mainly for religious reasons baptize(d) – v. to officially make someone a member of a specified Christian church through the ceremony in which a small amount of water is placed on a person's head or in which a person's body is briefly placed under water slaughterer(s) - n. someone who kills animals for food redistribution – n. the act of dividing something among a group in a different way preposterous – adj. very foolish or silly cattle – n. cows, bulls, or steers that are kept on a farm or ranch for meat or milk committed – adj. willing to give your time and energy to something momentum – n. the strength or force that allows something to continue or to grow stronger or faster as time passes

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'Trump' Hamburger Popular in Tokyo

This is What’s Trending Today… The line of people stretches out the door at Munch’s Burger Shack in Tokyo. The tiny eatery serves American-style hamburgers, among other things. Many of the people who line up have come from far away to try the food. Haruyuki Sano traveled 1.5 hours for a hamburger. Not just any hamburger. Sano and others are eager to try the same hamburger that United States President Donald Trump ate here last week: the 100 percent U.S. Angus beef Colby Jack Cheeseburger. Trump ate a Munch’s burger with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his visit to Japan. “It tasted great, like steak,” Sano said after tasting the burger. Trump’s tough talk on trade and security does not always get positive responses in Japan, which sees the U.S. as its most important partner. But his love for the Japanese version of the American hamburger is popular with many here. “I like Trump,” said Sano. He adds that putting one’s country first makes sense. He thinks Japan should do that, too. While better known for foods like sushi and ramen, Japan has long enjoyed American food. So-called “premium burgers” are growing especially popular. Munch’s Burger Shack now offers the “President Trump Set” on its menu. It includes the burger along with coleslaw and french fries. It sells for 1,400 Japanese yen, or $12. Munch’s co-owner, Yutaka Yanagisawa, shook Trump’s hand last week after the president finished eating his burger. The president said the food was “very good.” “I felt so honored,” Yanagisawa said, adding that all he could say in reply was “thank you.” He says the “President Trump Set” is now one of the most popular options on the menu.  The experience of eating at restaurants in Tokyo is increasingly about fun storytelling, says Jotaro Fujii. He is a Tokyo-based food expert. This storytelling usually includes sharing photos of meals on Instagram. He expects the “Trump effect” for Munch’s Burger Shack to be huge. “Talk of lines brings more lines,” said Fujii. “Rather than mere taste, the value and joy come from being able to say: I had the same burger as Trump.” I'm  Pete Musto.   The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.  _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   hamburger - n. a flat, usually round cake of finely chopped beef that is cooked and served usually in a roll or bun steak - n. a thick, flat piece of meat and especially beef premium- adj . of high or higher than normal quality mere - adj. used to say that something or someone is small, unimportant, etc. joy - n. a feeling of great happiness sushi - n. a Japanese dish of cold cooked rice shaped in small cakes and topped or wrapped with other ingredients (such as pieces of raw fish) ramen - n. very thin, long noodles used in Asian cooking

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November 16, 2017

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

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News Words: Toxic

A new study says environmental pollution is killing more people than war and violence.

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Leonardo da Vinci Painting Sells for Record $450 Million

A painting of Jesus Christ by Leonardo da Vinci has sold for a record $450 million. That is the most money ever paid for an artwork. The painting is called “Salvator Mundi,” Latin for “Savior of the World.” It is one of fewer than 20 works by the Renaissance painter known to exist. It sold at an auction on Wednesday. Before Wednesday, the highest-known sale price for any artwork had been $300 million for Willem de Kooning’s painting “Interchange.” Businessman Kenneth C. Griffin bought it in a private sale in 2015. A Pablo Picasso’s painting “Les femmes D’Alger” held the previous record for artwork sold at auction. It was sold in 2015 for over $179 million. The sale of the da Vinci painting took place at Christie’s auction house in New York City. Bidding for the piece opened at $75 million. The bidding lasted 19 minutes. People inside Christie’s cheered as the hammer came down to mark the end of bidding. The record sale price includes money that the unnamed winner must pay to the auction house. Jussi Pylkkänen was the auctioneer and is Global president of Christie's. He told the Reuters news agency, “It was a moment when all the stars were aligned, and I think Leonardo would be very pleased.” The 66-centimeter-tall painting dates to around 1500. It shows Jesus dressed in Renaissance-style clothing. His right hand is raised in blessing and his left hand holds a crystal ball. The painting was in a private collection of King Charles I of England. It disappeared from view until 1900, when a British collector bought it. At that time, it was thought to have been painted by a student of Leonardo rather than the master himself. In 2005, a group of art dealers paid less than $10,000 for the artwork. It was badly damaged and partly painted over. They restored the work and proved that the painting was done by Leonardo da Vinci himself. Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev bought the restored painting in 2013 for $127.5 million. Christie’s said most experts agree the painting is a work of Leonardo da Vinci. But critics say the restoration of the piece affects the work’s authorship. I'm Caty Weaver.   Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on Reuters and Associated Press news reports. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   bidding - n. the act of offering to pay a particular amount of money for something hammer - n. a tool made of wood and used especially for hitting a surface to make a loud noise conduct - v. direct a performance stars are aligned - idiom - when an unexpected and nearly impossible event takes place crystal - n. a special type of glass that is very clear authorship - n. the identity of the person who has created something

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November 15, 2017

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

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5 Reasons to Try Firefox ‘Quantum’ Browser

  Mozilla has released a new update of its Firefox browser that it says is much faster and provides a better overall user experience. But can the new version – called Firefox Quantum – compete with the world’s current top browser, Google Chrome? Firefox is an open source browser created by the not-for-profit Mozilla Foundation. The foundation says it has different goals than companies like Apple and Google, which must focus on making a profit. Mozilla aims to create new products to keep the internet “a global public resource” that remains open and free to all people. It urges developers to contribute to its technology and use the Firefox source code with other products. Firefox 1.0 launched in 2004 when Microsoft’s Internet Explorer dominated the browser market for personal computers. Firefox also followed the failure of Netscape Navigator, another major browser that did not survive the competition from Internet Explorer. Navigator had also been used in Mac computers. But in 2003, Apple released its Safari browser, which is still used today. The number of Firefox users grew over the years, offering a challenge to Internet Explorer’s global influence. Wired magazine reports Firefox currently has about 90 million users around the world. While this is a big number, the overall browser usage for Firefox worldwide is still quite small, about six percent. Google Chrome is leading with 55 percent browser usage, while Safari has about 15 percent. In launching its new version, Mozilla said Quantum is “by far the biggest update” in Firefox history. The most important message Mozilla is sending is that Quantum is fast – really, really fast. Is this true? And what else can this browser do? Is it worth downloading and taking for a test drive? Major speed upgrade Yes, it is fast. The new Firefox performs today at speeds twice as fast as just six months ago, tests showed on the Speedometer 2.0 system. The Speedometer measures how the browser handles many different web operations at the same time. There have been mostly positive reactions to the speed of Firefox Quantum by technology publications and the public. Digital Trends noted the browser was “faster and even more minimalist.” It added, Firefox Quantum makes Chrome look old.” PC Magazine said Quantum had made major progress with “turbocharged performance, a new look, and better memory usage.” Firefox user Erik Berlin tweeted his results. “In all seriousness, I spent the day using Firefox Quantum and it really is faster than Chrome, with a smaller memory footprint, and less battery drain. Worth a try!” Less memory usage Mozilla says Quantum was built to greatly reduce the amount of computer memory used. In its own tests, Firefox researchers found the new browser used about 30 percent less memory or RAM than Chrome.   Tab, tab away One result of lower memory usage is that more pages can load faster and operate at the same time. Earlier this year, Mozilla developer Dietrich Ayala even reported Quantum was able to open nearly 1,700 separate browser tabs in just 15 seconds.   Quantum also provides private browsing controls that block ads and do not remember the user's history. New User Interface Firefox Quantum comes with a new design featuring blocked tabs along the top, with a wide search box below. In the middle of the browser are links to the top sites you visit, as well as recommended and trending stories. Quantum also includes Mozilla’s Pocket bookmarking service, which works to quickly save web pages and content for later use. A new tool, Firefox Screenshots, makes it easier to cut and save any parts of the browser screen. Mozilla said Quantum’s browser is the result of studies on how people use the web today. “We looked at real world hardware to make Firefox look great on any display, and we made sure that Firefox looks and works like Firefox regardless of the device you’re using,” Mozilla explained in a blog post. Google search built in Firefox has been using Yahoo as its default search engine for the past three years after signing a deal with Yahoo. But that ended with the launch of Quantum. So even though the new browser is a clear competitor to Google Chrome, Mozilla decided to give its users default access to the hugely popular Google search engine. I’m Bryan Lynn. And I'm Jill Robbins. Bryan Lynn wrote 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 visit our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   browser– n. computer program used to find and look at information on the internet apparently – adv. some that appears to be true based on what is known dominate – v. to have control or power over someone or something challenge – v. to question the action or authority of someone or something minimalist – adj. showing as little action or involvement as possible turbocharged – adj. very powerful or exciting hardware – n. collection of physical parts of a computer system default – n. what exists or happens if no changes are made access – n. the right or chance to use or see something

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