Learning English Podcast - December 20, 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, Ask a Teacher. Andrew Smith answers a question from Anne in Vietnam.

about four words that help describe what group something belongs to. Then, John Russell, Ashley Thompson, and Ana Mateo bring us the Everyday Grammar Report. Today, they have some grammar linked to Christmas. And we close the program with an American Story.

Shep O'Neill narrates The Gift of the Magi, written by O. Henry. Now, here is Andrew Smith. Hello. This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Anne in Vietnam about four words that help describe what group something belongs to. Dear Teacher,

What are the differences among species, kinds, types, and genres? Which case is each word used for? Thank you, Anne. I'm happy to answer this question, Anne. We can use each of the words you ask about to describe what category something belongs in.

A category is a group of things that share similar qualities. For example, apples, bananas, and oranges all belong in the same category, which is fruit. The words kind and type are synonyms. That means they each share the same meaning.

and they have the most general meaning of the four words you ask about. A kind or a type is a group that shares things in common. For example, Electric cars are one kind of car, while gasoline-powered cars are another type or kind of car.

Notice that we commonly put the preposition of after the words kind or type. The phrases a kind of and a type of are both very common in spoken English. We use the phrase a kind of more often than we use the phrase a type of.

The two words species and genre are more specific than the two words kind and type. We use the word species to categorize living things. For example, Elephants, cats, dogs, and mice are different species of animals. Roses and lilies are different species of flowers.

Each species has a Latin scientific name. For example, the name of the species for human beings is Homo sapiens. The word genre comes from the Latin word genus, which means group. We use genre to categorize styles of creative works.

For example, music has many genres, such as rock, hip-hop, classical, and jazz. Genres of painting include impressionism and cubism. Likewise, film, dance, photography, literature, and theater each have their own genres.

The word genre is more formal than kind of. So, in everyday discussions, we might ask someone, What kind of movies do you like? However, in writing or more formal discussions, we might use the word genre. For our readers and listeners, what are your favorite genres of creative works?

And 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.

VOA Learning English has launched a new program for children. It is called Let's Learn English with Anna. The new course aims to teach children American English through asking and answering questions and experiencing fun situations. For more information, visit our website, learningenglish.voanews.com.

Many Americans experience surprise or disappointment when they wake up on Christmas Day. They might be surprised or disappointed by a family member's actions.

They might be happy or unhappy about a Christmas gift. Imagine a child expects to get an Xbox or PlayStation for Christmas. On Christmas morning, they quickly open their gift. Inside is an English grammar book. They might feel disappointed. The Everyday Grammar team would prefer the new English grammar book.

But, if you are like most young people, you would probably rather have a new video game system. Today, we are going to explore those feelings, feelings of surprise and disappointment. In other words, we are going to explore how speakers show that reality was better or worse than their expectations.

Many languages use words to express expectation. Speakers also use words to express how events are not happening as expected. This idea is known as counter expectation. Do not worry about the term.

Just remember that it means that speakers use words to show that reality is going against or countering their expectations. English has many words that serve this purpose. Three of the most common are the words even, still, and actually.

You will often hear them in casual, everyday speech. Speakers use these words to show surprise or disappointment. The pitch of their voice tells you what they mean. Let's study examples of each word. Speakers often use the word "even" to show disappointment or surprise.

Imagine a young child that expects a phone call from a family member, perhaps an uncle or grandparent. The phone call never comes. The child might say the following, What's wrong with him? He didn't even call me on Christmas Day. Here, the child is expressing disappointment.

she could have expressed the same idea in a much longer statement such as i was expecting him to call on christmas day but i didn't hear from him why didn't he give me a call even highlights the child's disappointment because it emphasizes that the family member did not try to call even does not always have a sad meaning it can have a happy meaning too

Imagine a man named Ted. Ted is a forgetful man. He forgets to send letters or gifts to his parents. Ted's parents might have the following talk after they get a Christmas letter from him. Did you see Ted's letter? Yeah, he even sent us a gift. Here, the word even shows a pleasant surprise.

Ted's mother did not expect a gift from him. By saying, "He even sent us a gift," she is suggesting that Ted has gone beyond her expectations. Americans sometimes use "still" for showing how reality does not quite meet their expectations.

Consider this example from the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off. At the end of the film, Ferris says the following lines. A different speaker might say similar lines after a lengthy, tiring, and disagreeable family Christmas party. You're still here? It's over. Go home. Go. Go.

In the film, you can see the surprised look on Ferris' face when he says, You're still here? You can tell he did not expect people to still be around. He is a little disappointed. Now, imagine a different situation. A family is having a Christmas dinner. They are looking for one family member, Uncle Bob.

They wonder if he left without saying goodbye. Have you seen Uncle Bob? No. Did he leave? Wait, there he is. He's still here. The way the final speaker says still shows that she is surprised to learn he was still at the dinner. She expected otherwise.

A third common word that shows surprise or disappointment is actually. Actually suggests something is true, even when it differs from what might have been thought or expected. Remember Uncle Bob? Bob has always been a nice guy.

Imagine Uncle Bob sees a Christmas present he likes and then runs away with it. A speaker might say, "I can't believe it! Uncle Bob actually stole her Christmas gift!" Here, the speaker uses "actually" to emphasize the unexpectedness of a happening: Uncle Bob stealing the present.

She does not sound very happy. Speakers can use actually to show positive feelings, too. Think back to our character Ted, the guy who always forgets to give gifts for Christmas. His parents could have shown their surprise at receiving a gift from Ted by saying the following, "'Ted actually gave us a gift!'

Here, the word actually shows that they are pleasantly surprised at this strange happening. Ted remembered Christmas. The next time you are listening to an English speaker, try to find examples of words that show counter-expectation. Is the speaker expressing surprise or disappointment? How does the speaker change the pitch of their voice?

By answering these questions, you will start to learn how English speakers communicate emotions in subtle ways. Excuse me, John. Are you still recording your show? Yes. You're still recording? We have to go to the Christmas party! Oh, no! I had actually forgotten about that. And that's everyday grammar. I'm John Russell. I'm Ana Mateo. And I'm Ashley Thompson.

We present a special Christmas story called The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. Here is Shep O'Neill with the story. $1.87, that was all, and 60 cents of it in the smallest pieces of money, pennies.

Penny saved one and two at a time by negotiating with the men at the market who sold vegetables and meat, negotiating until one's face burned with the silent knowledge of being poor. Three times Della counted it, $1.87. And the next day would be Christmas.

There was clearly nothing to do but sit down and cry, so Della cried, which led to the thought that life is made up of little cries and smiles with more little cries than smiles. Della finished her crying and dried her face.

She stood by the window and looked out, unhappily, at a gray cat walking along a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 to buy her husband Jim a gift. She had been saving every penny she could for months with this result.

Jim earned $20 a week, which does not go far. Expenses had been greater than she had expected. They always are. Many a happy hour she had spent planning to buy something nice for him, something fine and rare, something close to being worthy of the honor of belonging to Jim. There was a tall glass mirror between the windows of the room.

Suddenly, Della turned from the window and stood before the glass mirror and looked at herself. Her eyes were shining, but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds. Quickly, she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length. Now, Mr. and Mrs. James Dillingham Young had two possessions which they valued—

One was Jim's gold timepiece, the watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair. Had the Queen of Sheba lived in their building, Della would have let her hair hang out the window to dry just to reduce the value of the Queen's jewels.

So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her, shining like a brown waterfall. It reached below her knees and made itself almost like a covering for her. And then quickly she put it up again. She stood still while a few tears fell on the floor. She put on her coat and her old brown hat.

With a quick motion and brightness still in her eyes, she danced out the door and down the street. Where she stopped, the sign read, Madame Saffronia, hair goods of all kinds. Della ran up the steps to the shop, out of breath. Will you buy my hair? asked Della. I buy hair, said Madame. Take your hat off and let us have a look at it.

Down came the beautiful brown waterfall of hair. "'Twenty dollars,' said Madame, lifting the hair with an experienced hand. "'Give it to me quick,' said Della." The next two hours went by as if they had wings. Della looked in all the stores to choose a gift for Jim. She found it at last.

It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. It was a chain, simple round rings of silver. It was perfect for Jim's gold watch. As soon as she saw it, she knew that it must be for him. It was like him, quiet and with great value. She gave the shopkeeper $21 and she hurried home with the 87 cents that was left.

When Della arrived home, she began to repair what was left of her hair. The hair had been ruined by her love and her desire to give a special gift. Repairing the damage was a very big job. Within 40 minutes, her head was covered with tiny round curls of hair that made her look wonderfully like a schoolboy.

She looked at herself in the glass mirror long and carefully. "'If Jim does not kill me before he takes a second look at me,' she said to herself, "'he'll say I look like a song girl. But what could I do? Oh, what could I do with a dollar and eighty-seven cents?' At seven o'clock that night the coffee was made, and the pan on the back of the stove was hot and ready to cook the meat."

Jim was never late coming home from work. Della held the silver chain in her hand and sat near the door. Then she heard his step, and she turned white for just a minute. She had a way of saying a little silent prayer about the simplest everyday things. And now she whispered, "'Please, God, make him think I am still pretty.'"

The door opened and Jim stepped in. He looked thin and very serious. Poor man, he was only 22 and he had to care for a wife. He needed a new coat and gloves to keep his hands warm. Jim stopped inside the door. As immovable as a dog smelling a bird, his eyes were fixed upon Della.

There was an expression in them that she could not read, and it frightened her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor fear, nor any of the feelings that she had been prepared for. He simply looked at her with a strange expression on his face. Della went to him.

"'Jim, my love,' she cried, "'do not look at me that way. "'I had my hair cut and sold "'because I could not have lived through Christmas "'without giving you a gift. "'My hair will grow out again. "'I just had to do it. "'My hair grows very fast. "'Say Merry Christmas, Jim, and let us be happy. "'You do not know what a nice, "'what a beautiful, nice gift I have for you.'

"'You have cut off your hair,' asked Jim, slowly, as if he had not accepted the information, even after his mind worked very hard. "'Cut it off and sold it,' said Della. "'Do you not like me just as well? I am the same person without my hair, right?' Jim looked about the room as if he were looking for something. "'You say your hair is gone?' he asked."

"'You need not look for it,' said Della. "'It is sold, I tell you, sold and gone too. "'It is Christmas Eve, boy. "'Be good to me, for it was cut for you. "'Maybe the hairs of my head were numbered,' she went on with sudden serious sweetness, "'but nobody could ever count my love for you. "'Shall I put the meat on, Jim?'

Jim seemed to awaken quickly and put his arms around Della. Then he took a package from his coat and threw it on the table. "'Do not make any mistake about me, Del,' he said. "'I do not think there is any haircut that could make me like my girl any less. But if you will open that package, you may see why you had me frightened at first.'

"'White fingers quickly tore at the string and paper. "'There was a scream of joy, "'and then, alas, a change to tears and cries, "'requiring the man of the house "'to use all his skill to calm his wife. "'For there were the combs.'

the special set of objects to hold her hair that Della had wanted ever since she saw them in a shop window. Beautiful combs made of shells with jewels at the edge. Just the color to wear in the beautiful hair that was no longer hers. They cost a lot of money, she knew.

and her heart had wanted them without ever hoping to have them. And now the beautiful combs were hers, but the hair that should have touched them was gone. But she held the combs to herself, and soon she was able to look up with a smile and say, ''My hair grows so fast, Jim.''

Then Della jumped up like a little burned cat and cried, Oh, oh. Jim had not yet seen his beautiful gift. She happily held it out to him in her open hands. The silver chain seemed so bright. Isn't it wonderful, Jim? I looked all over town to find it. You will have to look at the time a hundred times a day now.

"'Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on it.' Instead of obeying, Jim fell on the couch and put his hands under the back of his head and smiled. "'Del,' said he, "'let us put our Christmas gifts away and keep them a while. "'They are too nice to use just right now. "'I sold my gold watch to get the money to buy the set of combs for your hair.'

And now, why not put the meat on? The Magi were wise men, wonderfully wise men, who brought gifts to the baby Jesus. They invented the art of giving Christmas gifts. Being wise, their gifts were wise ones. And here...

I have told you the story of two young people who most unwisely gave for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days, let it be said that of all who give gifts, these two were the wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the Magi.

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 Katie Weaver.