Learning English Podcast - December 14, 2024
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Welcome to Learning English, a daily 30-minute program from the Voice of America.

I'm Katie Weaver. And I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. This program is designed for English learners, so we speak a little slower and we use words and phrases especially written for people learning English. Coming up on the show, our Everyday Grammar Report from Jonathan Evans and Jill Robbins.

Andrew Smith presents Ask a Teacher. And we close the show with the learning English program, American Stories. Today, we hear Chicken Little. But first, John Russell brings us this report. The capital city of Kabul, Afghanistan, has seen big changes in its high-end housing market.

peace it seems is driving up property prices omidullah a real estate agent is selling a white and gold house with nine bedrooms and nine bathrooms in the afghan capital

the house is on the market for four hundred fifty thousand dollars a surprising number in a country where more than half of the population depends on humanitarian aid to survive most afghans do not have bank accounts and it is rare to borrow money from banks to buy property yet the offers are coming in

it's a myth that afghans don't have money omidullah said we have very big business men who have big businesses abroad there are houses here worth millions of dollars people who spent years living and working abroad are returning home

they are drawn by the country's much improved security and stability after years of war and destruction those returning include afghan's escaping deportation campaigns in iran and pakistan banks rarely have enough money for lending

so afghans buy properties with their own money or employ what is called it is when someone provides a fixed amount to a property owner in return for living in his place and the person stays until the property owner returns the money

before the taliban takeover people were afraid to invest in kabul said another real estate agent ghulam mohammed haqdust but the taliban have created better conditions for the property market the city is less violent since the taliban changed from an insurgency to a government

Foreign forces left the country, although armored vehicles, checkpoints, and military buildings remain common sites. The Taliban have promised to end corruption and establish order. That means no more dealing with militia chiefs or paying officials for land purchases or building projects.

haqqdust is happy with how easily and quickly things are getting done under the new administration house prices have risen by almost forty per cent he said in the last three years we have sold almost four hundred properties it wasn't like that before business is good for

he employs one thousand two hundred workers including women who only deal with female buyers haqqdust said most purchasers bring their wives along because women often make decisions when it comes to real estate purchases even in a nation that critics say oppresses women they decide whether to buy the house or not he said

afghans often host visiting friends or family in their homes so wealthy buyers want houses with a garden gym swimming pool rooms for visitors and at least one kitchen since most of haqqdust's buyers are from overseas their tastes are influencing the homes

they want houses with central heating double-pane windows and elevators and things like dining tables and beds coble's population was around five hundred thousand in the year two thousand now it is more than five million

To make Kabul more livable, city officials are busy building and repairing roads, putting in streetlights, planting trees, and removing trash. They are also developing plans for less costly housing and increased home ownership.

just outside of cabal arash assad is trying to sell his uncle's property which sits on around four thousand square meters of land he wants to sell the property for eight hundred thousand dollars people think this country has no jobs and no economy assad said

but Afghans have made their money, illegally or legally, over the years. You wouldn't believe it. I'm John Russell. Hello. This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Muhammad in Egypt about using the phonetic alphabet. Dear Teacher,

I want to ask about the most important sources through which I can learn to improve the pronunciation of English letters for trying to master the American accent. Thank you, Muhammad. I'm happy to answer this question, Muhammad. You can use the phonetic alphabet to help you know each sound of American English.

Let's start by looking at what the phonetic alphabet is. Each separate sound we make when we talk is called a phoneme. For example, the word cat has three phonemes. Cat. For every phoneme we say in any language, we can show that phoneme by using a special symbol or sign.

Those symbols are what make the International Phonetic Alphabet, or IPA. Notice that in the example with cat, only the phonetic symbol for the letter T looks the same as the English letter for that sound.

For many phonemes, the phonetic symbol does not look the same as the letters of the English alphabet that make the sound of the phonemes. Consider the word "need," for example. It is spelled N-E-E-D, but the phonetic symbol signifying the vowel looks like the English letter "I."

How can you use the phonetic alphabet? Try to identify the phonemes that are difficult for you. For example, small differences between some vowel sounds in American English may be difficult for some non-native speakers to hear. Consider the following example. bit, bet

Did you clearly hear the difference between the two words? Hearing the sounds more clearly can help you pronounce them. The IPA Pronunciation Guide on the website vocabulary.com has an audio element so you can listen to the sound of each symbol.

It also provides example words that contain the sound of each symbol. So, you can use the guide to practice hearing and saying any phoneme in American English.

The VOA Learning English video series "How to Pronounce" has many lessons that use IPA symbols to help learners practice the sounds of American English. The 21 lessons "Games with Vowel Sounds" and the "Listening Practice" lessons are good places to start.

On the VOA Learning English website, you can play a short piece of audio and listen for phonemes you want to practice. You can hear words pronounced clearly and look at the way English spelling represents the phonemes you hear. For our readers and listeners, what are your questions about American English? We want to hear from you.

Send us an email at learningenglish at voanews.com. And please let us know where you are from, too. And that's Ask a Teacher. I'm Andrew Smith.

For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. This week, we are going to talk about the future tenses. There are several ways to talk about future events in English. Compared to the past and present, future tenses are usually more flexible.

Let's start with will. To form the simple future, use will and then the simple form of the verb. For example, I will go to the store. In everyday conversation, will often gets shortened, which can be difficult for English learners to hear. For example, I'll leave tomorrow or he'll go to the store. You can use will to express a desire to do something.

I'll help you move tomorrow. Or, I'll answer the phone. The second form of the simple future is "be going to." For example, I am going to start a new job tomorrow. Use "be going to" when you already have a plan to do something. When you say, "I'm going to start a new job tomorrow," you made the plan in the past.

If you do not have a plan, use "will." If you are making a prediction about the future, you can use "will" or "be going to." You can say, "She will win the election," or "She is going to win the election." The meaning is the same. In casual conversation, most Americans will change "going to" to "gonna." Be careful with this expression.

You might want to avoid using the reduced form, gonna, in formal situations. You should never use it in professional or academic writing. Another way to express the future is with shall. Shall has the same meaning as will to express the future. Listen to a famous speech by American General Douglas MacArthur.

General MacArthur is talking about his escape from the Philippines during World War II. When I landed on your soil, I said to the people of the Philippines whence I came, I shall return. I shall return is one of the most famous quotes related to World War II.

But these days shall seems very formal and a bit old-fashioned in American English. It is more common in British English. Sometimes a present tense can express the future. Imagine you have a flight to Chicago tomorrow. There are several ways to express the future in this situation. Since you have a plan, you can use be going to. I am going to fly to Chicago tomorrow.

You could also use the present progressive, I am flying to Chicago tomorrow. The meaning is almost the same. The present progressive just emphasizes that the flight is a scheduled event. If you are referring to a fixed schedule or timetable, you can even use the simple present to express the future. For example, the flight to Chicago arrives at 7.00.

The simple present here shows that the flight has a regular set schedule. Let's move on to the future progressive. To form the future progressive, use will be followed by the ing form of the verb. For example, I will be working when you arrive. Use the future progressive to talk about an event that will be in progress or unfinished in the future.

Speakers use the future progressive to talk about more than one future action. For example, don't call me after nine because I will be studying, or I will be sleeping when you get home. There are other ways to express the future, such as the future perfect and future perfect progressive, but they are rare. A native speaker may never use them in an entire lifetime.

Let's look at some common mistakes we see in all of the future tenses we have discussed. First, remember that you cannot use "will" in a time clause. For example, "I am going to visit her when I will arrive." Should be, "I am going to visit her when I arrive."

The when phrase, also known as a time clause, uses the simple form of the verb in a future tense. Another common mistake is with the third person, s. He will meets me tomorrow. Should be, he will meet me tomorrow. There's quite a bit of flexibility with future tenses.

Sometimes there is little or no difference among different forms. If you have a choice, use the simplest tense. I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm Jonathan Evans. And now, an American children's story from VOA Learning English.

Today's story probably had its start long before it was published in Europe long ago. It might have first been known as Henny Penny, but the story has been told to American children at least since the mid-1800s under a title similar to Chicken Little.

Generations have heard and thought about the lessons of the little chicken who causes big problems for a group of well-meaning but not so thoughtful birds. Today's version is based on two examples of the story. One is called Remarkable Story of Chicken Little.

John Green Chandler had it published in the city of Boston, Massachusetts in 1842. Katherine Pyle published her 1918 version in Mother's Nursery Tales.

The story has taken on its own American qualities and is a little like a parable, a story that teaches a moral lesson. Later retellings, including a few movie versions, have made changes to some of the characters or aimed to teach different ideas. Here is the story, Chicken Little.

One day, Chicken Little fell asleep under some flowers. Cow wandered by, reached over the fence, and bit off some flowers. The noise wakened Chicken Little just as a flower petal fell on her tail.

squawk squawk cried chicken little frightened by the petal's landing the sky is falling she continued her call rising louder with her terror squawk squawk and she jumped up and began to run moving as fast as her two legs could carry her she did not stop running until she came to the barnyard

there she found henny penny scratching in the dirt of the barnyard oh henny penny do not scratch run cried chicken little the sky is falling the scratching stopped then hen called out how do you know that chicken little

i saw it with my eyes i heard it with my ears and part of it fell on my tail let us run until we get some place squawk squawk cried hen in return a look of shock on her face then run she did speeding away from the barnyard chicken little followed close behind

they almost ran right past the little lake just as ducky lucky was going in for a swim oh ducky lucky ducky lucky do not try to swim cried henny penny the sky is falling seriously henny penny why do you think that asked ducky lucky chicken little told me

how do you know the sky is falling chicken little i saw it with my eyes i heard it with my ears and part of it fell on my tail oh let us run until we get some place ducky lucky was persuaded yes we had better run he yelled and the three took off

ducky lucky waddling faster than he ever had before the birds ran and ran until they came to a green meadow and there was goosey lucy eating the green grass oh goosey lucy goosey lucy do not eat run cried ducky lucky why should i run asked goosey lucy

because the sky is falling how do you know that ducky lucky henny penny told me how do you know that henny penny chicken little told me how do you know that chicken little because i saw it with my eyes and heard it with my ears and part of it fell on my tail oh let us run some place

"Yes, we had better run!" cried Goosey Lucy. Away they all ran, Goosey Lucy in the lead, and they ran and ran until they came to the turkey-yard, and there was Turkey Lurkey strutting and gobbling. "O Turkey Lurkey, do not strut!" cried Goosey Lucy. "Why should I not strut?"

asked turkey lurkey because the sky is falling how do you know it is ducky lucky told me how do you know ducky lucky henny penny told me how do you know henny penny chicken little told me chicken little how do you know this for a fact

i could not help knowing i saw it with my eyes i heard it with my ears and a part of it fell on my tail oh let us run until we get some place yes it would be best to run said turkey lurkey

so away they all ran first turkey lurkey and then goosey lucy and then ducky lucky and then henny penny and then chicken little they ran and ran until they came to foxy loxy's house foxy loxy was resting spread out across the doorway she kept yawning

opening her mouth wide so that all her sharp teeth showed but her mouth snapped shut at the sudden arrival of the frightened birds turkey lurkey and goosey lucy and ducky lucky and henny penny and chicken little her eyes softened and her ears stood up

she was so very happy to see them all and smiled sweetly well well the fox said what brings you all here foxy loxy prevent yourself from yawning cried the old turkey lurkey indeed the sky is falling how do you know that turkey lurkey asked the fox goosey lucy informed me

how do you know that goosey lucey ducky lucky told me how do you know that ducky lucky henny penny told me how do you know that henny penny chicken little how do you know that chicken little i could not help knowing for i saw it with my eyes and i heard it with my ears and part of it fell on my tail

oh where shall we run we ought to go some place well said the fox you come right into my house and i will protect you and take such good care of you that even if the sky falls you will not know anything about it so in ran turkey lurkey and goosey lucy and ducky

and Henny Penny, and Chicken Little. Foxy Loxy waited for a while, and then shut the door firmly behind her. She would not let the falling sky threaten her guests, you see. She was going to take special care of them all. And maybe she did.

But no one ever saw Chicken Little or her friends again. And that's our show for today. But join us again tomorrow to keep learning English on The Voice of America. I'm Katie Weaver. And I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.

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