by Ace of Base

a Swedish band whose members are Ulf “Buddha” Ekberg, Jonas “Joker” Berggren, Malin “Linn” Berggren, and Jenny Berggren.  This song comes from their 1996 album “The Bridge.”

You can do what you want;  just seize the day
What you’re doing tomorrow’s gonna come your way
Don’t you ever consider giving up,
You will find, oooh

It’s a beautiful life, oooh
It’s a beautiful life, oooh
It’s a beautiful life, oooh
I just wanna be here beside you
And stay until the break of dawn

Take a walk in the park when you feel down
There’s so many things there
That’s gonna lift you up
See the nature in bloom, a laughing child
Such a dream, oooh

It’s a beautiful life, oooh
It’s a beautiful life, oooh
It’s a beautiful life, oooh
I just wanna be here beside you
Oh yeah, all right
I just wanna be here beside you
And stay until the break of dawn

You’re looking for somewhere to belong
You’re standing all alone
For someone to guide you on your way
Now and forever

It’s a beautiful life, oooh
It’s a beautiful life, oooh
It’s a beautiful life, oooh
I just wanna be anybody
Living a different way

It’s a beautiful life
I’m gonna take you to a place I’ve never been before, oh yeah
It’s a beautiful life
I’m gonna take you in my arms and fly away with you tonight
Yeah, alright;  it’s a beautiful life
Yeah, alright;  it’s a beautiful life
It’s a beautiful life, oooh
It’s a beautiful life, oooh
It’s a beautiful life, oooh
It’s a beautiful life
It’s a beautiful life alright, oooh
It’s a beautiful life, oooh
It’s a beautiful life alright, oooh
It’s a beautiful life

Vocabulary:

seize the day:  live the day 100%
gonna:  going to
your way:  to you
consider:  think about
giving up:  quitting
wanna:  want to
break of dawn:  first light in the morning
down:  sad
lift you up:  make you feel happier
in bloom:  with flowers
belong:  feel like it’s home
guide you:  show you the right direction to go

More info about Ace of Base: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ace_of_Base

© 2015 Ambien Malecot for vocabulary lesson only 

Conversation:

Gary:  My computer crashed, and all my work went down the drain.

Victor:  Join the club.  It’s happened to me many times.  Did you call an expert?  There’s bound to be someone who can help you.

Gary:  As a matter of fact, I tried to find someone, but real experts are few and far between.

Victor:  Well maybe my roommate can help.  He’s an old hand at computers.  I’ll give him a call.

Gary:  That would be nice.  Make a point of telling him my computer’s a Mac.

Victor:  That’s not a problem.  He’s got a Mac too.

Gary:  Also, I don’t want him to think I’m trying to take advantage of him, so it goes without saying that I’ll pay for his time.  For the time being, I think I’ll call it a day.

Victor:  Okay, and I’ll see to it that my roommate calls you soon.

Vocabulary:

crashed:  broke down
expert:  someone who knows a lot about computer
Mac:  an Apple computer

Idioms:

• go down the drain                                    be a wasted effort
• join the club                                                I and several others have had that experience
• bound to                                                        certain to
• as a matter of fact                                     actually, in reality
• few and far between                                 infrequent, uncommon
• an old hand (at)                                         very experienced (at)
• make a point of (something)              emphasize (something)
• take advantage of                                      use while (someone/thing) is available
• it goes without saying                              it is obvious
• for the time being                                      for the present
• call it a day                                                    stop working for the day
• see to                                                                do the necessary work

Notes:

Take advantage of, when followed by a person, is a negative idea, meaning that you get something from the person and don’t give equally in return.  Example:  I took advantage of Paul and bought his guitar for only twenty dollars.  When followed by an object, however, it’s a positive idea.  Example: We’re going to take advantage of the sale and get two for the price of one.

© 2004 Ambien Malecot

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

When you have two verbs together, what form should the second verb be?  The first answer to this question is on my page on gerunds and infinitives.  There is more to this grammar, though.  There are also two verbs together with verbs of perception.

Verbs of perception are about your senses of sight, hearing, smell and touch.  After these verbs there is an object and then a verb.  The verb is in the simple form when the second verb is complete and it’s in the present participle form (-ing) when the second verb is not complete.

Examples:

I saw them go into the mall.  (I saw the complete action including the door closing behind them.)

I saw them going into the mall.  (I only saw part of that action, not the complete action.)

I watched the children play soccer.  (I saw the complete game from start to finish.)

I watched the children playing soccer for awhile, and then I left.  (I only saw part of the game.)

She looked at her mother drive away.  (She saw the complete action.)

She looked at her mother washing the dishes.  (She didn’t see the whole action.)

The students observed the teacher leave the classroom.  (They observed the complete action.)

The students observed the teacher marking papers.  (They only observed part of the action.)

She noticed the boy get off his bicycle.  (She noticed the complete action.)

She noticed the boy riding his bike.  (She noticed only part of the action.)

I heard a plane fly overhead.  (I heard the complete action.)

I heard a plane flying overhead.  (I didn’t hear the complete action, only part of it.)

We listened to the professor talk for an hour and a half.  (We listened to the whole talk.)

We listened to the neighbors having a big argument.  (We listened only to part of the argument.)

I smell something burning.  (It’s not possible to smell all of it, so it’s not complete.)

The sleeping child felt his mother kiss his cheek.  (He felt the complete action.)

He felt his wife tossing and turning in bed.  (He fell asleep and didn’t feel all of it.)

I sensed him enter the room.  (I sensed the complete action.)

I sensed him standing behind me.  (I didn’t sense him when he started standing behind me, only later.)

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

Conversation:

Sarah:  Boy, this cafeteria food is a far cry from my mother’s cooking.

Babak:  I know what you mean.  It’s by no means a five-star restaurant.  But what can we expect?  By and large, institutional food is pretty tasteless.

Sarah:  I agree.  Besides the food, how do you like the university?

Babak:  I love it.  My older brother went to UBC, so I’m following in his footsteps.  I’m going to be a civil engineer just like him.  How about you?  Do you like it here?

Sarah:  It’s okay, but it’s very different from high school where I knew everybody.  I feel like a fish out of water.  And tuition is costing my family an arm and a leg, so I need to find a part-time job to make ends meet.

Babak:  I guess I’m lucky that my grandparents are helping to put me through school.  They’re chipping in to help my parents out.  Otherwise, I might have to get a job too.  Was UBC your first choice?

Sarah:  No.  I was accepted at two local colleges, but when I was accepted here, there was no way I was going to pass up coming to one of the best schools in the country.

Babak:  Me neither.  This school is anything but run of the mill.  It stacks up well against the other universities in the country.

Click on the audio recording  below to hear the lesson.

Vocabulary:

five-star:  excellent
institutional:  cooked for large groups of people
civil engineer:  designer of roads, bridges and other things for society
UBC:  University of British Columbia
otherwise:  if this were not true

Idioms:

• a far cry from                                            inferior to, not as good as
• by no means                                               in no way
• by and large                                               mostly, generally, on the whole
• follow in (someone’s) footsteps    do what someone else has done
• a fish out of water                                  someone outside of his/her usual environment
• cost an arm and a leg                           cost a lot of money
• make ends meet                                      have enough money to pay one’s bills
• put (someone) through                      support (someone) financially while attending school /
make (someone) have a bad experience
• chip in (on/for)                                         contribute money or time
• pass up                                                          not choose, not accept
• run of the mill                                           ordinary, common
• stack up against (something)          compare with (something)

Notes:

By no means and not at all have the same meaning

Put (someone) through has 2 meanings.  The other meaning is “make (someone) have a bad experience.”
Example:  Our first cat was declawed, but I won’t put my other cat through that.

Stack up against (something) can also take the word “well.”
Example:  This restaurant stacks up well against the one we went to last week.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

by Hans Rosling

a Swedish medical doctor, academic and public speaker.  He is Professor of International Health at the Karolinska Institute, a medical university just outside Stockholm.

First preview the vocabulary below.  Then do the exercise by first reading a single question and then listening for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Vocabulary:

gap:  distance between two things
aspirations:  things you want to get
the West:  developed countries
mindset:  the way you think
acquired:  bought
emerging:  catching up with the leaders
projection:  an educated guess about the future
invest:  put money into
in process:  already happening
bubble:  circle

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Richard St. John

a researcher, having interviewed over 500 successful people, and inspirational speaker.  He has a black belt in judo, and is a runner, a cyclist, and a mountain climber.

First preview the vocabulary below.  Then do the exercise by first reading a single question and then listening for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Vocabulary:

made it:  became successful
comfort zone:  the place where we feel most comfortable
go downhill:  become unsuccessful
I figured:  I thought
coming up with:  thinking of
hot shot guy:  very important person
ignored:  didn’t focus on
distracted:  not focusing on the right thing
antidepressants:  medicine that makes you feel happy, like Prozac
black cloud:  bad feelings
clients:  people who buy your service
sustain it:  keep it going

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Michael Jackson

an American singer-songwriter and philanthropist who was the most successful entertainer in history.  He started singing in 1965 at the age of six.  He died 44 years later in 2009.  This song was released in 1991 on his album “Dangerous.”

There’s a place in your heart and I know that it is love
And this place could be much brighter than tomorrow
And if you really try, you’ll find there’s no need to cry
In this place you’ll feel there’s no hurt or sorrow
There are ways to get there if you care enough for the living
Make a little space, make a better place

Heal the world, make it a better place
For you and for me and the entire human race
There are people dying; if you care enough for the living
Make a better place for you and for me

If you want to know why there’s a love that cannot lie
Love is strong;  it only cares for joyful giving
If we try we shall see in this bliss we cannot feel
Fear or dread; we stop existing and start living
Then it feels that always love’s enough for us growing
Make a better world, make a better world

Heal the world, make it a better place
For you and for me and the entire human race
There are people dying; if you care enough for the living
Make a better place for you and for me

And the dream we were conceived in will reveal a joyful face
And the world we once believed in will shine again in grace
Then why do we keep strangling life on this earth; crucify its soul?
Though it’s plain to see this world is heavenly;  be God’s glow

We could fly so high; let our spirits never die
In my heart I feel you are all my brothers
Create a world with no fear; together we’ll cry happy tears
See the nations turn their swords into plowshares
We could really get there if you cared enough for the living
Make a little space to make a better place

Heal the world, make it a better place
For you and for me and the entire human race
There are people dying; if you care enough for the living
Make a better place for you and for me

Vocabulary:

sorrow:  deep sadness
heal:  make (something) better or healthier
joyful:  very happy
shall: will
bliss:  feeling of great joy
dread:  great fear
existing:  living with no emotion
entire:  whole
conceived in:  born into
reveal:  show
grace:  goodness
strangling:  killing
crucify:  kill in a very bad way
soul:  spirit
plain:  easy
heavenly:  a wonderful place
glow:  light
spirits:  willingness to do it
create:  make
nations:  countries
swords:  weapons, things that kill
plowshares:  tools for farming

© 2015 Ambien Malecot for vocabulary lesson only  

baggage:  the suitcases and bags you bring on a trip
The airline lost her baggage, but she got it back two days later.
That truck loads and unloads the baggage from airplanes.

business:  the selling of goods and services to make a profit
They started a seafood business in the Florida Keys.
His business takes him to many different countries.

college:  a school of higher learning after high school
Vancouver Community College is well known for its ESL program.
She wants to travel first and go to college next year.

dirt:  the loose top layer of the earth
He wrote his name in the dirt with a stick.
The car sped away leaving a cloud of dirt behind it.

fault:  a wrong action that someone did
The accident was all my fault.
It was no one’s fault that we lost the game.

history:  a record of past events related to people
History is full of bad rulers, both men and women.
I don’t know much of the history of Greece.

label:  the information on the outside of a product
Check the label on that shirt to make sure it’s 100% cotton.
The label on this juice says it’s made from 100% Florida oranges.

market:  a place where people go to buy and sell goods
There’s an excellent meat market on Commercial Street.
Every Friday and Saturday there’s a farmer’s market in this parking lot.

plastic:  a material made from oil that can be shaped
Except for the rubber wheels and the metal frame, the toy truck was all plastic.
The forks, knives and spoons for the picnic were white plastic.

row:  lots of things in a straight line
She liked to sit in the front row of all her classes at school.
There were rows and rows of logs on the public beach.

sleeve:  the part of a shirt or coat that covers the arms
You could see he was a sergeant from the chevron on his sleeve.
She pulled up her sleeves before washing the dishes.

throat:  the connection between the mouth and the stomach
He drank lemon ginger tea for his sore throat.
The man’s throat had been cut and his body left in the alley.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

There are 5 ways to state reasons or purpose.

The 1st way is with because, which can go in the middle or at the beginning of the sentence.  However, because is most often used in the middle of the sentence.

Examples:
We’re going to the store because we need some milk.
ALSO:  Because we need some milk, we’re going to the store.  (less often used)

The police searched his home because they wanted to find the murder weapon.
ALSO:  Because the police wanted to find the murder weapon, they searched his home.  (less often used)

I read late into the night because I wanted to finish the book.
ALSO:  Because I wanted to finish the book, I read late into the night.  (less often used)

Another way to use because is with the preposition of.  After these words you can only use a noun object, not a subject and verb.  Because of can be used at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence.

Examples:
Because of the rain, they had to cancel the game.
ALSO:  They had to cancel the game because of the rain.

Because of cheating on his exam, Johnny was suspended from school.
ALSO:  Johnny was suspended from school because of cheating on his exam.

NOTE:  If the noun object of the preposition (of) is a verb, it must be in the gerund (noun) form (cheating.)

Because of the noise next door, I wasn’t able to study.
ALSO:  I wasn’t able to study because of the noise next door.

The 2nd way is with since, which also can go in the middle or at the beginning.  However, since is most often used at the beginning of the sentence.

Examples:
Since we need some more milk, we’re going to the store.
ALSO:  We’re going to the store since we need some milk.  (less often used)

Since the police wanted to find the murder weapon, they searched his home.
ALSO:  The police searched his home since they wanted to find the murder weapon.  (less often used)

Since I wanted to challenge myself, I went bungee jumping.
ALSO: I went bungee jumping since I wanted to challenge myself.  (less often used)

The 3rd way is with so that, which must be followed by one of the modals: can, could, may, might, will, would, must or have to.  The word that can be dropped.

Examples:
We’re going to the store so that we can get some milk.
We’re going to the store so we can get some milk.

The police searched his home so that they could find the murder weapon.
The police searched his home so they could find the murder weapon.

I went bungee jumping so that I would challenge myself.
I went bungee jumping so I would challenge myself.

The 4th way is with for, which must be followed by a noun.

Examples:
We’re going to the store for some milk.

The police searched his home for the murder weapon.

I went bungee jumping for the personal challenge.

The 5th way is with to, which must be followed by a verb (the infinitive.)

Examples:
We’re going to the store to get some milk.

The police searched is home to find the murder weapon.

I went bungee jumping to challenge myself.

Study this page and when you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

This is the story of how Hollywood turned into the movie capital of the world.  It started in 1853 when there was just a single adobe hut in the area. Slowly the area developed, and by 1870 there were many ranches in the area, which was then called Cahuenga Valley.  One of these ranches, the E.C. Hurd ranch, was sold to a developer named H.J. Whitley, who wanted to build a small town.  By 1900 there was a post office, a newspaper, two stores and a small hotel.  The luxurious Hollywood Hotel was built by Whitney, whose company, Los Pacific Boulevard and Development Company, needed a place where land buyers could stay the night.  This hotel would later become the home for many of the biggest stars in Hollywood.  On the other side of the country, an inventor named Thomas Edison (yes, the same person who invented the light bulb) invented the motion picture camera, which was called a kinetograph.  He had patents on this equipment, which meant that if anyone wanted to use it or even make it themselves, they would have to pay Mr. Edison.  However, his company was located in Menlo Park, New Jersey, far away from the two main cities where films were made, Chicago and New York City.  Filmmakers in these far off cities didn’t want to pay him, so Edison decided to strike back.  He hired criminals to break into movie studios in these two cities, break all the equipment, and burn the film they found.  These men were also ordered to attack the actors.  It became too dangerous for these companies, so they moved west, far away from Edison and his thugs.  They needed a place that was close to Mexico so they could escape if the police came for them, and a place that had good light all year long so they could make films outdoors.  They found such a place in Hollywood.  By 1914, 52 companies were located there, including Paramount Pictures and Warner Brothers Studios.

Click on the audio recording below to hear the lesson.

Vocabulary:

turned into:  became
capital:  most important city
adobe hut:  a one-room house made with mud bricks
developed:  grew bigger and better
ranches:  places where cattle and other animals are raised for food
developer:  a person who builds buildings where there were none before
luxurious:  richly decorated and looking rich
patent:  the ownership of an invention
strike back:  do something to the other person like they did to you
criminals:  people who have done illegal things
break into:  break a door or window so you can enter
studio:  a place where art is done
thugs:  gang of bad men

Pronunciation Exercise:  Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

© 2014 Ambien Malecot