English beginner

Graduation
VOCABULARY
1. Look at yesterday''s lesson . Are these statements about graduation in the US true or false?
2. If you graduate with honors, it means you are an excellent student.
3. If you have a high G.P.A., it means you are doing very well in school.
4. If something is related to learning, it is not related to academics.
5. High school graduates always wear a cap and gown during graduation.
6. Senior year is the third year in high school right before one graduates.

ANSWERS:
1. True - To graduate with honors means that you are a very good student.
2. True - To have a high G.P.A. or grade point average means that your grades are very good.
3. False - Learning and academics are words that mean similar things. Academics is the formal way to talk about learning.
4. True - High school graduates always wear a cap and gown during graduation.
5. False - Senior year is the fourth year of high school. Junior year is the 3rd year.

Graduation
Who do you know who has the most degrees? Herb Pearce, B.A., M.A., LICSW, Ph.D.
Herb has quite a few degrees. He works now as a psychologist but before that he was a social worker. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and an M.A. in Psychology. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, which is a professional title which required passing many courses and taking a big examination. He also went on to get a doctorate in Psychology.

"The most" is one way of showing the superlative form when it is used with nouns:
1. He has the most degrees.
2. She took the most courses of anyone I have ever known.
"The most" can also be used with adjectives with two or more syllables that don''t end with "y":
1. This was the most difficult exam of my college career.
2. That was the most intelligent question I have heard this year.

Retirement (Monday)
Retirement is a time when one no longer works. Or, one could say that one becomes free from a long time job in order to pursue one''s long delayed dreams in the later years of one''s life.
For many years in the United States, the customary [usual] age to retire was 65. There was often a big party given by the employer, and the person retiring would be given a gold watch.
Nowadays it is a lot more flexible and up to the worker''s own desires and plans. There are many people who never want to give up their job. Others find ways to save up their money and retire at an early age. They are free to take up a full time hobby or buy a boat and sail around the world.
Discussion question:
1. At what age do people retire in your country?
2. What do you plan to do when you retire?
3. Are you planning for retirement now?
4. What are you doing to plan for the day when you will no longer work?

Fables and idioms
A fable is a story with talking animals. It is usually a short story with a moral. A moral is advice for living. Here is a fable about a rabbit and a turtle.
Once upon a time, there was a rabbit and a turtle. The rabbit was a very fast runner and the turtle was very slow. The rabbit always said, "I am the fastest animal in the forest." The other animals were tired of listening to the rabbit. One day, a smart fox said to the rabbit, "You are not the fastest animal in the forest. The turtle is faster." The rabbit was very angry. He wanted to race the turtle.
The race began very slowly for the turtle. Soon, the rabbit was very far ahead. He thought, "The turtle is so slow! He will never win the race." He decided to stop. He fell asleep. The turtle kept racing. The rabbit woke up and the turtle had won the race! The rabbit could never again say, "I am the fastest."
What is the "moral" (advice) of the story?

1. You should not sleep in a race
2. You should never race a tortoise
3. Never listen to a fox
4. Go slowly and don''t stop and you will win the race.
The answer is 4. The hare was foolish to stop in a race. The tortoise kept going. He was slow, but he never stopped and he won the race!

Work
Let''s look at more ways to use the word retire . In written English, it is sometimes said that someone who is shy or not very social is "a retiring sort." Retiring in this way means that the person does not always speak with or interact with people very much.
For example:
Sandra is very shy and retiring.
Discussion question:
1. Do you know someone who is "shy and retiring"?
2. How do you get him or her to talk?
3. What does it take to get them to overcome their shyness?

Phrasal verbs, idioms, and slang
Here is a list of idioms. They cannot be translated literally. The meaning comes from outside the words. See if you can guess the meaning of the following idioms from their context:
1. You can''t open the jar? Here, let me have a go at it.
2. Rainy days make me blue. I start feeling down in the dumps.
3. He''s always bothering me. He''s a pain in the neck.
4. Stop bothering me! You''re driving me up the wall!
ANSWERS:
1. let me have a go at it = let me try it.
2. blue, down in the dumps = they both mean sad, or depressed.
3. he''s a pain in the neck = he''s an irritating person
4. you''re driving me up the wall = you''re irritating me!
Question for the week: Are there any English idioms you''ve heard that you don''t understand? Come up with your own answer.

Work
Knowing the meaning of different parts of words will help you to understand the meanings of many words. The suffix are the letters added to the end of words and these letters change the form of words from verbs into nouns and nouns to adjectives, for example.
Let''s take a look at an example:
The suffix "-ment" is what turns a verb into a noun. Some examples are ĂưĂư placement, government, and adornment.
Can you change these verbs into nouns?
1. advertise
2. judge
3. state
4. pay
5. argue
Answers:
advertisement / judgement / statement / payment / argument
How well did you do?

Dreams
Stewart: Last night, I had a strange dream. It felt very real to me.
Norman: What was it?
Stewart: I dreamt about a test. I came to class late and everyone was writing an exam.
Norman: Many people have that dream. Perhaps your dream is telling you something. Are you worried about something?
Stewart: I don''t think so.
Norman: Maybe you are worried about tomorrow''s English test.
Stewart : What test??

READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISE
1. Answer these questions about the dialogue:
2. Why was Stewart''s dream strange?
3. What did Stewart dream about?
4. What does Norman think about Stewart''s dream?
5. Why is Stewart surprised at the end of the dialogue?
ANSWERS:
1. It felt real.
2. He dreamt about a test. He came to class late and everyone 3. was writing an exam.
4. He thinks Stewart is worried about something.
5. There is an English test tomorrow!
Question for the week: Have you ever had an interesting dream? Come up with your own answer.

Grey hair
Ana: Oh my dear! Look at this Linda, I''m turning grey!
Linda: Ana, you have only four strands of grey hair. That''s not exactly turning grey, is it?
Ana: All the women in my family had grey hair by the time they were 35 years old. I suppose that I will become a grey-haired lady too. (sigh)
Ana: I think you''d look great with grey hair. Besides, you''re as young as you feel.
Linda: Thanks, Ana. You always make me feel great about myself, however I look.
It is a common fact that most men get grey hair by the time they are 30 years old and most women turn grey by the time they are 35 years old. Some get grey hair at an earlier age. Why does their hair become grey? The answer to this question will appear in the next lesson.
What do people think about grey hair in your country? Is it positive or negative? Why?

Myths, fairy Tales, and legends
Myth: a very old story told to explain supernatural events
Fairy tale: a story with magic
Legend: an old story possibly based on some truth
Supernatural: something unexplainable (Long ago, earthquakes, fire, etc.)
Which one is a myth? A fairy tale? A legend?
1. Some people say King Arthur lived in Southern England.
2. A woman who bothered a goddess had to repeat everything she heard for the rest of her life. Her name was "Echo."
3. A fairy godmother helped Cinderella with magic.
ANSWERS: 1. legend 2. myth 3. fairy tale
Question of the week: What is your favorite fairy tale, legend, or myth? Come to the Advanced Voice or Text Chat and let''s talk about it.