Rhythm
Rhythm
pattern of strong and weak stress and short and long pronunciation gives English its rhythm.
Words that have the most stress in English are called content words. Content words are usually the nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns (demonstrative, possessive, reflexive, and interrogative). These words are important to express the main meaning of the sentence.
Nouns: Terry, car, dinner
Verbs: eat, study, drive
Adjectives: blue, large, oval
Adverbs: quietly, smoothly, equally
Pronouns: that, theirs, himself, what
Function words are those words that are weaker and shorter. They include auxiliary verbs, prepositions, conjunctions, determiners, and possessive adjectives. These words are less important in expressing the meaning of the sentence.
Auxiliary verbs: may, do, have (if not the main verb)
Prepositions: under, around, near
Conjunctions: but, not,
Determiners: the, some, each
Possessive adjectives: my, your, our
Note that the content words (in bold) are stressed more (pronounced louder and longer) than the functions words.
1. When are you coming to dinner?
2. I have never liked the color red.
3. Motorcycles can be dangerous to drive or ride on.
4. Last month Carol got a new job in San Francisco.
5. Not everyone likes chocolate ice cream, but I do. chocolate.
6. Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday.
7. Bob ate some corn.
8. Kenny has swam to France and back.
9. The Americans are buying some souvenirs and posters.
More practice sentences.
1. I didn't say he stole the money.
2. I didn't say he stole the money.
3. I didn't say he stole the money.
4. I didn't say he stole the money.
5. I didn't say he stole the money.
6. I didn't say he stole the money.
7. I didn't say he stole the money.
8. I didn't say he stole the money, someone else said it.
9. I didn't say he stole the money, that's not true at all.
10. I didn't say he stole the money, I only suggested the possibility.
11. I didn't say he stole the money, I think someone else took it.
12. I didn't say he stole the money, maybe he just borrowed it.
13. I didn't say he stole the money, but rather some other money.
14. I didn't say he stole the money, he may have taken some jewelry.
15.It's a pot.
16.It's new.
17.It's a new pot.
18.It's brand new.
19.It's a brand new pot.
20.It's a tea pot.
21.It's a new tea pot.
22.It's a brand new tea pot.
23.It's a tea pot lid.
24.It's a new tea pot lid.
25.It's a brand new tea pot lid.
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Article 1
Learning English
According to the 2000 US Census, 39 percent of people who live in California do not speak English at home. In Las Casas, a city in southern California, 79 percent of residents speak little or no English at home or at work. To combat this problem, Las Casas is instituting a program called Love My English. Program funding will come from government grants and corporate donations.
The program has two goals. One is to improve residents’ English so that they can get better jobs. The other is to provide more qualified workers for corporations throughout the county.
“We are desperate for good workers who speak English,” said Sydney Rove of Containers, Ltd. “We have nationwide truck routes for good drivers, and we need salespeople in almost every state.”
“We want everyone in Las Casas to speak English,” said Ivan Libby, administrator of the school district. “They don’t have to speak fluent English, of course, just survival English—how to give and get directions, order food, visit the doctor, read labels on food and medicines—the basic stuff. Once they're able to read and write more English, they’ll be able to get better work and they’ll be more confident. We hope this confidence will inspire some of them to go on to get their high school diploma and perhaps even get a degree from a community college or a university.”
Currently, most Las Casas residents qualify for only low-paying jobs. In fact, the pay is often so low that residents need to work two jobs to make ends meet. This program will help them get better-paying jobs not only in California but also nationwide. The district will mount a huge advertising campaign to alert residents to the free program. Love My English will be offered at various sites and times to reach as many residents as possible.
Article 2
When I retire,We will see the world
It was 10 p.m. Fritz said good night to his wife. She was watching TV. He went to bed. Tomorrow was a big day. It was his last day of work. Thirty years with the federal government. Thirty years of flying out of town for weeks on end. Thirty years of interviews, meetings, and heavy briefcases. Tomorrow it would all be over. Not that he didn’t like it. He had enjoyed his career.
Fritz felt blessed. His father had had a tough life as an unskilled laborer. Whenever Fritz was a bit discouraged or upset, he thought about his overworked and underpaid father. He thanked God for his own good life, and for the fact that he had been able to make his dad’s last years comfortable.
His two children were married and had their own careers. His wife Paige kept busy with, among other things, her bridge club. She had tried to get him interested in bridge, but without success. Fritz was content with his own Friday night poker group.
Friday morning, he went to work for the very last time. Those who knew him well would miss him. Fritz was a genuinely nice guy. He never had a bad word to say about anyone. Some people might have thought he was a little dull, but he was intelligent, a hard worker, and a team player. He had taken only three weeks of sick leave in 30 years.
A small group took him out to lunch. When he returned from lunch, the whole office gathered around for cake, ice cream, a farewell card, and a few short speeches. They presented him with various going-away gifts, including a big, paperback US atlas. It listed all the motels, campgrounds, national parks, tourist spots, and other information to help guide a leisurely traveler throughout the good old USA. He had told his friends that he and Paige were going to spend a couple of years visiting all the places that he never had gotten to explore while there on business. As a final gift, his supervisor told him to take the rest of the day off.
Paige’s car wasn’t in the driveway when he got home. She was probably shopping for some traveling clothes. Maybe she was out arranging a dinner at a restaurant that evening for just the two of them. That would be nice.
But something was wrong. When he hung up his jacket, he saw that the bedroom closet was half empty. Paige’s clothes were gone. Her shoes were not on the closet floor. Confused, he looked around the bedroom.
He saw an envelope on the lamp stand. Inside it were two pieces of paper. One notified him of a divorce proceeding. The other was a hand-written note from Paige. “I’m so sorry,” it began. She said that her lawyer had told her to wait until today. If she had sought divorce a year earlier, like her boyfriend had suggested, she would not have been able to qualify for 50 percent of Fritz’s pension. She hoped that he would find it in his heart to forgive her. She felt terrible about this, she wrote, because “you’ve been so good to me. But I can’t ignore my own heart.”
Fritz sat immobile on the edge of the bed. Her note was in his hand; her words were burning in his brain.
Maybe an hour later, the phone rang. He picked it up on the fifth ring. It was Bob, wondering if Fritz was going to play poker later that night.
In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day one fellow met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?". "Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test.". "Triple filter?". "That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?" "No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and...". "All right," said Socrates. "So you don't know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?" . "No, on the contrary...". "So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?" "No, not really." "Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"
Article 4
What is science? // How did it originate? // How did it developed? // You may
be surprised to learn / that the origin of science / lies in the supernatural.// Several
thousand years ago / man lacked the knowledge necessary / to explain the
universe and its workings / in "scientific" terms.// Many primitive cultures / believed
that events / beneficial to man's welfare / were controlled / by benevolent spirits./
Other spirits / such as those bringing sickness / were evil and malicious.//
Still / others appeared unexceedingly unpredictable;// friendly one moment, / hostile
the next.//
The impulsive character of these beings / explained why a gentle rain / eventually
developed / into a disastrous flood.// Such / is the origin of myths.
Dialogues
Superstitious Susan
Evan: Look, Susan! A ladybug landed on your shirt!
Susan: Cool! Ladybugs are considered to be good luck! I’ll make a wish and gently brush it off.
Evan: Do you really believe that your wish will come true?
Susan: No, but I like to make wishes. Every now and then, one of my wishes does come true.
Evan: I think that wishing for something is a waste of time. I am not superstitious. If I want something, like a high score on my test, I won’t wish for it. I’ll study hard and achieve my goal.
Susan: I realize that I must work hard to achieve my goals. But it’s fun to make wishes about things that we
can’t control. For example, I can only wish that I’ll win the lottery.
Earthquake!
Danny: Hey! Do you feel that?
Chuck: Yeah! The ground is shaking! We are having an earthquake! What should we do?
Danny: Don’t panic! Let’s stand in the doorway. My mother said that the doorway is a safe place.
Chuck: I still feel it. This is a strong earthquake.
Danny: I think it stopped now. Are you scared?
Chuck: Just a little. Earthquakes are scary.
Graduation!
Aunt Mindy: Congratulations, David! I heard that you’ll graduate from elementary school this week.
David: Thank you. I’m happy to finish my elementary school education. Now I’ll begin my junior high education.
Aunt Mindy: You’re not a little child anymore. You are a young adult. Your teachers expect you to be responsible and mature.
David: I know. It’s time for me to stop being childish. I should be serious about studying.
Aunt Mindy: If you study hard and get good grades in junior high school, your parents will be very proud.