Learning English Podcast - January 10, 2025
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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.

For additional material.

Then, part two of The Blue Hotel on American Stories. But first... This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Ann. Here is part of Ann's question.

Dear teachers, I don't really understand the difference between remaining, remainder, and rest when using these words to describe what is left of something. For example, can I replace the remaining countries by the remain or the rest? Thank you, Ann.

I'm happy to answer this question, Anne. English has many words that share the same meaning or that are close in meaning. So, you might wonder why we usually use one word instead of another that is very similar to it. We often use one word instead of another because of grammar.

Let's look at how this works by considering the last part of your question. You asked, Can I replace the remaining countries by the remain or the rest? The answer is no. That's because the word remain is a verb and the term the rest is a quantifier.

To describe the word countries, we need to use an adjective. The "-ing ending on the word remaining makes it an adjective when we place it before a noun. If you want to use the words the rest to describe a noun, you need to use four words.

These four words are the rest of the. These four words mean the same thing as the two words the remaining. The following example shows this. The rest of the countries use more land for farming. Now let's look at the first part of your question.

I don't really understand the difference between remaining, remainder, and rest when using these words to describe what is left of something. The word remainder is a noun, but when we use it to describe what is left of something, we change it to a quantifier.

To do this, we usually say or write the four words, the remainder of the. In this way, it works the same way as the quantifier, the rest of the. However, we use the quantifier, the rest of the, much more often, especially in spoken English, than the remainder of the.

Also, you should know that as a noun, the remainder is a term used in mathematics. It can mean the decimal fraction that remains when one number is divided by another number that is not one of its factors.

For example, 6 tenths, or 0.6, is the remainder when 33 is divided by 5. It can also be what is left over from the process of subtraction. And that's Ask a Teacher. I'm Andrew Smith.

Many English learners have spent a lot of time studying the parts of speech, adjectives, nouns, and verbs, for example. But sometimes studying the English sentence from a larger perspective is useful. One way to get a bigger view of English is to study common sentence patterns. The English language has many patterns. In the book Rhetorical Grammar,

Author Martha Combe describes seven common sentence patterns. In other writings, she says that 95% of sentences in English fit into basic patterns. Understanding and mastering common patterns will not only help you do better on grammar tests, but improve your writing skills too. For example, here is a passage written by Ernest Hemingway.

a famous American author. It comes from the short story, "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place." The story is one of the most famous ones that Hemingway wrote. This is a clean and pleasant café. It is well-lighted. The light is very good. And also, now, there are shadows of the leaves. Do you notice patterns in these sentences?

If you do not recognize them, you will by the end of this report. In this installment of Everyday Grammar, we are focusing on two of the most common patterns in English. Consider a line from the song Beautiful by Christina Aguilera. I am beautiful. The line shows the foundation of most sentences in English.

A sentence equals a subject or a noun phrase plus a predicate or a verb phrase. A phrase is a group of words that act as a unit. A noun phrase has an important noun, the headword noun, along with words and phrases that give more information about it.

The subject of a sentence is the whole noun phrase, not just the noun. The predicate is a verb phrase with a main verb and the words and phrases that give more information about it. If you take the sentence from the Aguilera song, you can analyze it like this. The subject is I...

and the predicate is "m beautiful." In this sentence, the adjective "beautiful" acts as the subject complement. It describes "I," the subject. So, the song lyric is the first important sentence pattern in English. Pattern number one is subject + b + subject complement.

The subject complement can be either an adjective or a noun phrase. For example, consider this line from the music group Queen. We are the champions. We are the champions. In that line, the subject is we.

The predicate, or the champions, contains the be verb along with a subject complement, the champions. This noun phrase is describing the subject, we. You might find sentences that appear more complicated but use the same basic structure. Consider this song by the Beatles. Baby, you're a rich man. Baby, you're a rich man.

Baby, you're a rich man. At first, the sentence appears complicated, but the basic structure of the sentence remains the same. Subject plus be plus subject complement. The difference is that the sentence has added information, a noun that is the same as the subject of the sentence. Baby, you're a rich man or noun complement.

Subject plus be plus subject complement. The subject plus be plus subject complement pattern is not the only pattern you will find with the verb be. Consider these two sentences. My friends are at the concert. The test was yesterday. In these examples, the subject and the be verb are followed by adverbials.

which are, in this case, words or phrases that tell where or when. In the first sentence, the adverbial structure is the prepositional phrase at the concert. In the second sentence, the adverbial structure is the adverb yesterday. These examples show another common B structure. Subject plus B plus adverbial.

I'm Jonathan Evans. I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm John Russell. The Blue Hotel, Part 2. I think you were tongue-tied. Says Scully, finally to his son, the cowboy, and the Easterner. And at the end of this sentence, he left the room. Upstairs, the suite was closing his bag.

His back was half turned towards the door. And hearing a noise there, he turned and jumped up, uttering a loud cry. Scully's face was frightening in the light of the small lamp he carried. This yellow shine, streaming upward, left his eyes in deep shadows. He looked like a murderer.

"'Man! Man!' exclaimed Scully. "'Have you gone mad?' "'Oh, no! Oh, no!' answered the other. "'There are people in this world who know nearly as much as you do, understand?' For a moment they stood gazing at each other. Then Scully placed the light on the table and sat himself on the edge of the bed. He spoke slowly.'

I never heard of such a thing in my life. It's a complete mystery. I can't think how you ever got this idea into your head. Then Scully lifted his eyes and asked, And did you really think they were going to kill you? The Swede looked at the old man as if he wished to see into his mind. I did, he said at last.

He apparently thought that this answer might cause an attack. As he worked on his bag, his whole arm shook, the elbow trembling like a bit of paper. Having finished with his bag, the Swede straightened himself. "'Mr. Scully,' he said with sudden courage, "'how much do I owe you?' "'You don't owe me anything,' said the old man angrily. "'Yes, I do,' answered the Swede.

He took some money from his pocket and held it out to Scully. But the latter moved his hand away in firm refusal. I won't take your money, said Scully, not after what's been happening here.

Then a plan seemed to come to him. "Here!" he cried, picking up his lamp and moving towards the door. "Here! Come with me a minute!" "No," said the Swede, in great alarm. "Yes," urged the old man. "Come on! I want you to come just across the hall, in my room." The Swede must have decided that the hour of his death had come.

His mouth dropped open, and his teeth showed like a dead man's. He at last followed Scully across the hall, but he had the step of one hung in chains. "'Now,' said the old man. He dropped suddenly to the floor and put his head beneath the bed. The Swede could hear his dulled voice. "'I'd keep it under my pillow if it weren't for that boy Johnny. Where is it now?'

I never put it twice in the same place. There. Now come out. Finally, he came out from under the bed, dragging with him an old coat. I've got it, he whispered. Still on the floor on his knees, he unrolled the coat and took from it a large yellow-brown whiskey bottle. His first act was to hold the bottle up to the light.

satisfied apparently that nobody had touched it. He pushed it with a generous movement toward the Swede. The weak-kneed Swede was about to eagerly grasp this element of strength, but he suddenly pulled his hand away and cast a look of terror upon Scully. "Drink," said the old man in a friendly tone. He had risen to his feet and now stood facing the Swede.

There was a silence. Then again, Scully said, Drink. The Swede laughed wildly. He seized the bottle, put it to mouth, and as his lips curled foolishly around the opening and his throat worked, he kept his glance, burning with hate upon the old man's face.

After the departure of Scully, the three men, still at the table, sat for a long moment in surprised silence. Then Johnny said, That's the worst man I ever saw. Oh, I don't know, replied the Easterner. Well, what do you think makes him act that way? asked the cowboy. He's frightened.

The Easterner knocked his pipe against the stove. He's frightened right out of his senses. At what? Asked Johnny and the cowboy together. I don't know, but it seems to me this man has been reading cheap novels about the West, and he thinks he's in the middle of it. The shooting and killing and all. But, said the cowboy, deeply shocked. This isn't a wild place. This is Nebraska.

"'Yes,' added Johnny. "'And why doesn't he wait until he really gets out west?' The traveled Easterner laughed. "'Things aren't bad even there. Not in these days. But he thinks he's right in the middle of hell.' Johnny and the cowboy thought for a long while. "'It's strange,' remarked Johnny at last.'

Yes, said the cowboy. This is a queer game. I hope we don't get a lot of snow because then we'd have to have this man with us all the time. That wouldn't be any good. Soon they heard a loud noise on the stairs accompanied by jokes in the voice of old Scully and laughter evidently from the Swede. The men around the stove stared in surprise at each other.

The door swung open and Scully and the Swede came into the room. Five chairs were now placed in a circle about the stove. The Swede began to talk loudly and angrily. Johnny, the cowboy, and the Easterner remained silent while old Scully appeared to be eager and full of sympathy.

Finally, the Swede announced that he wanted a drink of water. He moved in his chair and said that he would go and get some. "'I'll get it for you,' said Scully at once. "'No,' refused the Swede roughly. "'I'll get it for myself.' He got up and walked with the manner of an owner into another part of the hotel."

As soon as the Swede was out of the room, Scully jumped to his feet and whispered quickly to the others. Upstairs, he thought I was trying to poison him. This makes me sick, said Johnny. Why don't you throw him out in the snow? He's all right now, declared Scully. He was from the east, and he thought this was a rough place. That's all. He's all right now. The cowboy looked with admiration upon the Easterner.

"You were right," he said. "Well," said Johnny to his father, "he may be all right now, but I don't understand it. Before, he was afraid, but now he's too brave." Scully now spoke to his son. "What do I keep? What do I keep? What do I keep?" he demanded in a voice like thunder.

He struck his knees sharply to indicate he himself was going to make reply and that all should listen. I keep a hotel, he shouted. A hotel, do you hear? A guest under my roof has special privileges. He is not to be threatened. Not one word shall he hear that would make him want to go away. There's no place in this town where they can say they took in a guest of mine because he was afraid to stay here.

He turned suddenly upon the cowboy and the Easterner. Am I right? Yes, Mr. Scully, said the cowboy. I think you're right. Yes, Mr. Scully, said the Easterner. I think you're right. At supper that evening, the Swede burned with energy. He sometimes seemed on the point of bursting into loud song. And in all of his madness, he was encouraged by old Scully.

The Easterner was quiet. The cowboy sat in wide-mouth wonder, forgetting to eat, while Johnny angrily finished great plates of food. The daughters of the house, when they were obliged to bring more bread, approached as carefully as rabbits. Having succeeded in their purpose, they hurried away with poorly hidden fear.

The Swede controlled the whole feast, and he gave it the appearance of a cruel affair. He seemed to have grown suddenly taller. He gazed bitterly into every face. His voice rang through the room. After supper, as the men went toward the other room, the Swede hit Scully hard on the shoulder. "'Well, old boy, that was a good meal.'

Johnny looked hopefully at his father. He knew that the old man's shoulder was still painful from an old hurt. And indeed, it appeared for a moment as if Scully were going to flame out in anger about it. But Scully only smiled a sickly smile and remained silent. The others understood that he was admitting his responsibility for the Swede's new attitude.

When they were gathered about the stove, the Swede insisted on another game of cards. In his voice, there was always a great threat. The cowboy and the Easterner both agreed without interest to play. Scully said that he would soon have to go to meet the evening train. And so the Swede turned to Johnny. For a moment, their glances crossed like swords. And then Johnny smiled and said...

Yes, I'll play. They formed a square around the table. The Easterner and the Swede again played together. As the game continued, it was noticeable that the cowboy was not playing as noisily as before. Scully left to meet the train. In spite of his care, an icy wind blew into the room as he opened the door.

It scattered the cards and froze the players. The Swede cursed frightfully. When Scully returned, his icy entrance interrupted a comfortable and friendly scene. The Swede cursed again, but soon they were once more giving attention to their game, their heads bent forward and their hands moving fast.

Scully took up a newspaper, and as he slowly turned from page to page, it made a comfortable sound. Then suddenly, he heard three awful words. You are cheating! The little room was now filled with terror. After the three words, the first sound in the room was made by Scully's paper as it fell forgotten to his feet.

His eyeglasses had fallen from his nose, but by a grasp he had caught them. He stared at the card players. Probably the silence was only an instant long. Then, if the floor had been suddenly pulled out from under the men, they could not have moved more quickly. The five had thrown themselves at a single point.

Johnny, as he rose to throw himself upon the Swede, almost fell. The loss of the moment allowed time for the arrival of Scully. It also gave the cowboy time to give the Swede a good push which sent him backwards. The men found voices together and shouts of anger, appeal, or fear burst from every throat.

The cowboy pushed and pulled feverishly at the Swede, and the Easterner and Scully held wildly to Johnny. But through the smoky air above the straining bodies of the peace-compellers, the eyes of the enemies steadily warned each other. Scully's voice was loudest. "'Stop now! Stop, I say! Stop now!'

Johnny, as he struggled to break away from Scully and the Easterner, was crying. Well, he says I cheated. He says I cheated. I won't allow any man to say I cheated. If he says I cheated him, he's a... The cowboy was telling the Swede... Stop now. Do you hear? The screams of the Swede never ceased. He did cheat. I saw him. I saw him.

As for the Easterner, he was begging in a voice that was not heard. "Wait a moment, can't you? Oh, wait a moment! What's the use of fighting over a game of cards? Wait a moment!" In this noisy quarrel, no complete sentence was clear. "Cheat! Stop!" he says. These pieces cut the screaming and rang out sharply.

It was remarkable that Scully, who undoubtedly made the most noise, was the least heard. Then suddenly there was a great stillness. It was as if each man had paused for breath. Although the room still filled with the anger of men, it could be seen there was no danger of immediate fighting. At once Johnny pushed forward.

Why did you say I cheated? Why did you say I cheated? I don't cheat, and I won't let any man say I do. The Swede said, I saw you! I saw you! Well, cried Johnny, I'll fight any man who says I cheat. No, you won't, said the cowboy. Not here. Johnny spoke to the Swede again. Did you say I cheated?

The Swede showed his teeth. "Yes." "Then," said Johnny, "we must fight." "Yes, fight!" roared the Swede. He was like a mad devil. "Yes, fight! I'll show you what kind of a man I am. I'll show you who you want to fight. Maybe you think I can't fight."

Maybe you think I can't. I'll show you, you criminal. Yes, you cheated. You cheated. You cheated. Well, let's start then, fella, said Johnny coolly. The cowboy turned in despair to Scully. What are you going to do now? A change had come over the old man.

He now seemed all eagerness. His eyes glowed. We'll let them fight, he answered bravely. I can't watch this any longer. I've endured this cursed Swede till I'm sick. We'll let them fight. 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