What is the key to living long, healthy lives? In todays lesson you are not only going to learn some great English phrases, but you are also going to learn how to live over 100 years.

The way we are going to do this is by looking at a  Ted Talk video called, “How to live to be 100+” by Dan Buettner. The video is real English so those below an intermediate level may struggle with it a little. My advice with these videos is to listen and enjoy without worrying too much about the language.

So, let’s start with the video:

General Overview of the Video

Dan starts by telling us about a study that shows that the most important thing that dictates how long we live is dictated by our lifestyle and that there is a lot of confusion about what we need to do to live longer:

(1:03) Should you be running marathons or doing yoga? Should you eat organic meats or should you be eating tofu? When it comes to supplements, should you be taking them? How about these hormones or resveratrol? And does purpose play into it? Spirituality? And how about how we socialize?

After talking about some of the myths of aging he goes on to talk about how Americans aren’t currently living to their potential age of around 90 years old.

(4:08) So, if there is nothing you can do to slow your aging or stop your aging, what am I doing here? Well, the fact of the matter is the best science tells us that the capacity of the human body, my body, your body, is about 90 years, a little bit more for women. But life expectancy in this country is only 78. So somewhere along the line, we’re leaving about 12 good years on the table. These are years that we could get. And research shows that they would be years largely free of chronic disease, heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

To find out how to live to over 100 years the team behind this talk went to some ‘blue zones’ which are areas where there is a high life expectancy.

Sardinia

The first blue zone was in the highlands of Sardinia near Italy where there are ten times more centenarians than in America. Their diet is mostly plant based but it seems that most important thing is the organization of their society.

(6:28) But the real secret I think lies more in the way that they organize their society. And one of the most salient elements of the Sardinian society is how they treat older people. You ever notice here in America, social equity seems to peak at about age 24? Just look at the advertisements. Here in Sardinia, the older you get the more equity you have, the more wisdom you’re celebrated for. You go into the bars in Sardinia, instead of seeing the Sports Illustrated swimsuit calendar, you see the centenarian of the month calendar.

Okinawa

In the northern part of the main island of Okinawa lies another blue zone. This area again has a high level of centenarians and also has the longest disability-free life expectancy in the world. Disease is low and as like Sardinia their diet is plant based with lots of colorful vegetables. They eat 8 times the amount of tofu as Americans.

(8:26) More significant than what they eat is how they eat it. They have all kinds of little strategies to keep from overeating, which, as you know, is a big problem here in America. A few of the strategies we observed: they eat off of smaller plates, so they tend to eat fewer calories at every sitting. Instead of serving family style, where you can sort of mindlessly eat as you’re talking, they serve at the counter, put the food away, and then bring it to the table.

He again stresses the importance of social structures.

(9:28) Fifteen years ago, the average American had three good friends. We’re down to one and half right now. If you were lucky enough to be born in Okinawa, you were born into a system where you automatically have a half a dozen friends with whom you travel through life.

He then makes the observation that Americans go through two stages in their adult life: A productive working life and then retirement. This group of people go by the word ikigai, which roughly translates to “the reason for which you wake up in the morning.” It seems that each person has their reason and continue to do for their entire lives, whether this is being a fisherman, being in involved in martial arts or being a great grandmother.

Loma Linda, California

The next blue zone takes us to California where a community of Seventh-Day Adventists (a religious community) live in and near to Loma Linda. They have five habits that explains their longevity, including their diet which is taken straight from the Bible. What’s also important is a period of 24 hours where they get away from everything.

(13:21) For 24 hours every week, no matter how busy they are, how stressed out they are at work,where the kids need to be driven, they stop everything and they focus on their God, their social network, and then, hardwired right in the religion, are nature walks.

The Common Features of the Blue Zones

• Exercise is built into their lives and not something that should be done in addition to their daily routine.
• (16:03) Instead, they set up their lives so that they are constantly nudged into physical activity. These 100-year-old Okinawan women are getting up and down off the ground, they sit on the floor, 30 or 40 times a day

Gun control in the USA is a divisive issue. Both sides of the debate (for or against gun control) are very vocal when arguing their case. Those against gun control use the second amendment to support their argument, while those in favor of gun control want stricter laws or a complete ban on the sale of firearms.

In this post we are going to look at the different arguments put forward from both sides and try to understand why guns are such a big part of American culture. We are also going to talk about whether there is a correlation between guns and homicides.

We will use this article from the Guardian to give ourselves an introduction to some of the key issues.

Some Facts

• There are nearly 90 guns for every 100 people in America.
• There are 85 deaths per day and nearly twice the number of injuries caused by guns.
• Firearm homicide is the leading cause of death for African Americans under the age of 44.

The following is taken from the Guardian:

Vocabulary

Confound (v) – to surprise or confuse someone (against expectations).

Embeds - to make something an integral part of something.

Enforce your right through might – to get something or to take power through the use of force.

The right to keep and bear arms – the right to have and carry weapons. This is usually shortened to the right to bear arms, which can mean something completely different (see this picture for a some funny word play)

Discussion

From the article it seems that the nation is roughly divided between those who want want more gun control and those who don’t. It mentions that the discussion is removed from the electoral conversation (i.e. politicians don’t talke about it). Why do you think that is the case?

Many people argue that because the Constitution and the Second Amendment were written over two hundred years ago, that the argument put forward for the right to own guns is outdated. The opposite argument to this is that a tyrannical government could be a future possibility and that the right to having guns is something that is necessary to protect yourself and your family. What do you think about these arguments?

The article talks about how guns are embedded in American culture due to the history of the country. You only need to think about the number of Cowboy movies to see that is clearly the case.

Many people argue that lower gun control leads to higher homicide rates, but there are lots of facts that contradict this claim, including:

• Other countries that have lots of guns, for example Switzerland and Canada, have much lower homicide rates per capita relative to the number of guns in society.
• Guns sales have hit record levels while homicide rates are at their lowest level since the 1960s.

Do you think that more guns in society equals more homicides or crime in general? What other factors affect the crime rate in the United States?

What would you do with $100 billion? Well, Apple have had to make that decision this week. So, let’s find out what it has decided to do by reading an extract from this article in the Guardian:

Vocabulary

Shareholders – An individual or institution that owns part of a share of stock in a corporation.

Dividend – Payments made by a company to its shareholders.

Buyback – This is when a company purchases its own stock from shareholders.

Discussion

From the quote it is obvious that Apple is in an incredible financial situation at the moment. After making investments, it has lots of cash left over that is going to be used to buy its own stock and shared it with its shareholders.

So, what would you do if you had $100bn? To answer this question correctly, it is important to know how to use the second conditional (a full explanation is given by clicking the link provided).

To take a look at what Apple could have done with that money (or more to the point, what $100bn is really like), click this link. If you had to choose one of those to spend $100bn on, which one would you choose?

Do you own an Apple product? If so, what do you like most about it? If you don’t, is there an Apple product that you would like?

Here is a video that uses a lot of business English. The presenter speaks quite fast so you might (and should) listen to it a few times.

In this blog post we are going to discuss a commercial that was shown on television during half-time of Super Bowl XLVI (in February).

The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL), and is usually the most watched television broadcast of the year, where friends and family get together to watch the game.

Because of the high viewing figures, advertising before, during, and after the game is very expensive. This has led to companies producing their best commercials for the broadcast, which in turn has made the commercials a significant  part of watching the event.

The commercials from the latest Super Bowl were not received very positively, but at a cost of $3.5m for 30 seconds of airing, companies spent a lot of money on trying to make an impression.

One of the commercials that stuck out was a Chrysler commercial called, “Half Time in America” which was shown during half-time. Watch the commercial here:

It’s Half Time America

Here is the transcript of the commercial, taken from Chrysler.com:

Discussion

What is obvious from the commercial is that it draws on pride in ones country and patriotism. It uses the Super Bowl game to state that America is at a point in its history where there are lots of problems with the economy and unemployment.

It then uses the example of Detroit (Motor City) as an example of how the car industry is making a comeback, and that this example can be used to help the rest of America. It clearly states that this is the American way: when there are hard times (a bad economy and other social problems) America finds a way of prospering again.

What are your initial thoughts on the commercial?
Do you think it is powerful? Do you think it was motivating?
Do you agree with the message as a whole?
Is the commercial typically American?

Criticism of the Commercial

For further reading, take a look at these articles and thoughts that criticize the commercial in different ways:

Bailouts - Mark Wiberg comments that Detroit isn’t a good example of a city making a comeback because of all the bailouts (loaning or giving money to a company to stop it from failing) they received from the tax-payer to keep the companies from going bankrupt.

Endorsement of Obama – Many conversatives think that half-time in America really means half-time in terms of Barak Obama’s presidency. The divisions of the first half of his presidency have made it difficult for any true reform, but a united America would make it much easier to pass through meaningful reforms.

Today we’re going to talk about making decisions; more specifically we will discuss how long you take to make a decision, so let’s start by asking a few questions:

1. When you want to buy something like a camera, a computer, or a television, do you spend a long time researching the different products, or do you quickly decide what to buy?

2. When you are in a restaurant, do you spend a long time thinking about the different options, or do you quickly scan the menu and make a decision quickly?

3. When you want to book a hotel, do you research all the possible options reading all the reviews, or do you pick one of the first hotels that you find?

The answers to these questions will go some way to working out whether you are a satisficer or a maximiser. Let’s take a look at what a satisficer and a maximiser is (taken from this article):

Satisficers are those who make a decision or take action once their criteria are met. That doesn’t mean they’ll settle for mediocrity; their criteria can be very high; but as soon as they find the car, the hotel, or the pasta sauce that has the qualities they want, they’re satisfied.

So, a satisficer will choose a product or service once their criteria has been met. Looking at the hotel example, if you want a hotel that is in the center of London, has three stars, and is under $200 a night, when you find a hotel that fulfills your requirements, you will book it without doing further research.

Maximizers want to make the optimal decision. So even if they see a bicycle or a photographer that would seem to meet their requirements, they can’t make a decision until after they’ve examined every option, so they know they’re making the best possible choice…

Using the hotel example again, a maximiser will look at all the possible hotels that match their requirements, making sure that they make the best choice possible.

Vocabulary

Mediocrity – The quality of being mediocre – moderate, average.
Optimal – Most desirable.
Examine – In-depth research.

Discussion

Are you a satisficer or a maximiser? Do you maximise certain decisions while satasificing others?

Which out of two do you think is happier? A satisficer who might not maximise their decision but doesn’t worry too much about making the decision, or a maximiser who gets the most out of their research and final decision, but takes a lot longer and potentially has more anxiety over whether they made the right choice or not?

More and more students are choosing to take English lessons online due to a number of different reasons, including improved flexibility and a greater access for students who don’t have many language institutes in their area. But are English lessons online suitable for beginners?

English Lessons Online for Beginners

There are two types of beginners: true beginners and those who have some English knowledge but have never moved on to a pre-intermediate level. Those who have absolutely no knowledge of English really need a tutor who can speak their native language, or to start a structured course that goes through the basics in relation to their own language.

For those who have a little knowledge of English but have never made the progression to a higher level, English lessons online are a perfect way to improve your English. Most learners at this level have a problem with their speaking, which needs more practice than reading and writing.

English lessons online for beginners are done in a different way than lessons for more advanced students. The lessons are more structured and have to include more repetition. But, speaking is still the main focus of the lessons, with lots of time spent communicating verbally about different topics and grammar points.

Pronunciation is really important for beginners, and generally speaking not enough time is spent on this area (usually due to high number of students in each class). With one to one English lessons online, the teacher can easily spot any errors or mistakes and correct them during the class.

So, with English lessons online, beginners can make very good progress in their learning, especially in their speaking skills.

When I mention phrasal verbs to my students the usual response involves a slight sense of panic and the realization that they are difficult to learn.

There are thousands of different phrasal verbs, most of which are idiomatic in meaning. Each phrasal verb needs to be learned as you would learn any other verb or word.

We feel it is best to try and learn the phrasal verbs in context. This is because going through lists and trying to remember them is a difficult task, without any type of association. If, on the other hand, you go through the meaning of the phrasal verb and fully understand it, see it being used in context, and then use it soon after, you will have a much better chance of not only remembering it in the future, but being able to use long after you have learned it.

We have created list of phrasal verbs and examples, which has links to different groups of phrasal verbs in context. Each group of phrasal verbs are related and are included in a conversation. After the conversation, a meaning is given, followed by questions to help you practice.

Phrasal verbs can be daunting; but by splitting them up into different groups, and then learning them in context, you will be able to use them confidently in normal speech.

Forming regular verbs in the past simple can be straightforward once you know the rules and have practiced conjugating them. But how do you pronounce them?

This is something that a lot of English learners have difficulty with as there are three distinct sounds. But after learning the rules, familiarizing yourself with them, and then practicing the examples, you will be able to pronounce them correctly when speaking.

This article will outline the three different sounds of the past simple regular verbs along with ways to practice these sounds.

The 3 sounds are;

1. /id/ e.g., wanted
2. /t/ e.g., worked
3. /d/ e.g., covered

1. /id/

We use this sound when the ‘ed’ is preceded by (t) or (d).

Pronouncing this the ‘e’ changes to an ‘i’. The /id/ sound is added as an extra syllable.

• I started yesterday
• He suggested the restaurant
• I added the water
• We decided to go
• They visited her yesterday

2. /t/

This sound is used when ‘ed’ is preceded by  all unvoiced sounds. (k), (p), (f), (s), (S), (tS)

• I worked on Monday.
• He helped me on Tuesday.
• You laughed all day.
• He faxed the report.
• She washed her hands.
• We watched the game.
• She kissed me!

3. /d/

This is used for all voiced sounds.

• I covered the cake in icing.
• I played football all day.
• He offered me the job.
• I returned the video.

Practice the sounds above and repeat them after the recording. Listen for the ending of each sound and practice saying this out loud. It takes time to familiarize yourself with these sounds and the more you see of them the more natural it will become.

Please take the following quiz that will test your knowledge of the sounds.

Past Simple Pronunciation Test

If you need help forming the past tense simple.

Past Simple Tense

(edited Jan 19th, 2012)

Today we’re going to see a discussion between two people using the following phrasal verbs: break up, bring down, cheer up and get over. Try and work out the meaning of each one by the context:

Today’s Phrasal Verbs – Bring Down, Break Up, Cheer Up, Get Over

Bring Down

If something is bringing you down it means that it is making you unhappy. In the above conversation the song is bringing Mark down because it reminds him of his old girlfriend. Here are more examples:

• Stop talking so negatively, you’re bringing me down.
• The news stories are really bringing me down tonight.

Break Up

To break up with someone means to end the relationship.

Cheer Up

To cheer up means to become happier. It is used in the imperative a lot:

• Cheer up Mark, it’s not too bad.
• You have really cheered me up, thanks!
• Let’s go and cheer Mark up, he’s feeling a little down.

Get Over

This means to recover from a problem, an illness or a loss. Mark needs to get over / recover from the break up. His friends want him to get over it because he is still upset after one year.

• I really want to get over this cold, I’ve had it for weeks now.
• Manchester need to get over their recent loss and win the next game.
• Stop worrying about what happened, you need to get over it.

Discussion

What is the best way to break up with someone?

When you’re down how do your friends cheer you up?

What’s the best way to get over a past relationship?

For more phrasal verbs, visit Phrasal Verbs List

Today we’re going to talk about backpacking. Backpacking means to travel or hike, carrying your belongings in a backpack. It can be for a short trip or a long trip. I went backpacking for eight months in North and South America. I have friends who go backpacking for just a couple of weeks. It involves some kind of movement from place to place – just going for a city break (taking your backpack) is not backpacking.

We’re now going read about two people who have different opinions about backpacking:

Vocabulary

To go backpacking – This is used in the same way as any other “go + gerund” form, for example, to go fishing, to go shopping, to go cycling.

Pack lightly – To pack lightly means to only take a few things with you.

To get kicked out – In this case it is an expression meaning that you had to leave the hotel because of the check out time. In other cases it means that you were asked to leave or physically removed from somewhere. A teacher may kick out students who are misbehaving.

To live in the moment – to live in the moment means to have no worries, where you don’t think about the past or the future and just experience the present moment.

Dorm – When staying at a hostel it is common to share a dorm (a room) with other people. A dorm is a room with many beds.

Cramped – If a bus is cramped it means that it is really full and there isn’t any space to move around.

Discussion

Have you been backpacking before? What did you think about the experience? What tips do you have for those who are thinking about going backpacking?

If you could backpack around any country in the world, which country would you choose?