Canada is the second largest country in the world but has only about 35 million people, including 1.2 million aboriginals, and 6.8 million immigrants.  Canada opens its doors to about 250,000 immigrants every year.  People mostly live in the most southern part of the country, which isn’t as cold in the winter as the northern part.  Eastern cities like Toronto and Montreal get lots of snow in the winter, but Vancouver and Victoria in the west get very little snow.  There are two official languages, English, spoken by over 24 million people, and French, spoken by about 7 million people.  Canada’s government is a parliamentary democracy, so the leader of the political party that wins the most seats in Parliament becomes the Prime Minister.  Canada’s total area of nearly 10 million square kilometres is divided into ten provinces and three territories.  From east to west it is a developed country with a strong economy and is ranked ninth highest in average income per person.  Canada is among the world’s leaders in manufacturing (automobiles, machinery, equipment,) technology (telecommunications, microelectronics, nanotechnology,) and pharmaceuticals, as well as chemicals, food, tourism, and banking.  It is a country rich in natural resources like lumber, fish, and minerals.  Canada is a major producer of zinc and uranium and is a large exporter of gold, nickel, aluminum and lead.  It has 13% of the oil reserves of the world and 10% of the world’s fresh water.  People from all parts of the world live in this country in peace and respect for each other’s differences.  Every Canadian has government medical insurance, so if someone gets sick or injured, the treatment costs him nothing.  Another government program is the Canadian Student Loan Program.  An immigrant after one year can apply for this money.  A third government program is a pension for workers when they retire, and there are many other programs like these.

Canada’s national sport is hockey, a game played on ice with six skaters on each team.  The heroes of this sport are as well-known as any other famous Canadians, like actors Jim Carey, Michael J. Fox, and Keanu Reeves, singers Celine Dion, Shania Twain, and Justin Bieber, and movie directors James Cameron and David Cronenberg.  Did you know Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, was Canadian?

Canada is a member of many international organizations, such as the G7, and NATO.  It is a good citizen of the world and has helped many other countries in times of need, including India, Japan, Haiti, Pakistan, and Uganda.  Canada accepts over 10% of the refugees of the world and gives over $500 million a year in humanitarian aid to countries that need it.

What a country!   Oh, and the natural beauty of the country is spectacular.

Click on the audio recording below to hear the lesson.

Vocabulary:

aboriginals:  the first people to live in the country
immigrants:  people who come to another country to live
official:  recognized by the government
parliamentary democracy:  a democratic form of government where the party with the greatest representation in the parliament forms the government
Parliament:  all the people who make the laws of Canada
Prime Minister:  the leader of the party in power, and the leader of the country
provinces:  the smaller political divisions of Canada
territories:  land that is controlled by the federal government.
economy:  all the money made by the exchange of goods and services
ranked:  put in order from highest to lowest
income:  the money a person earns per year
per:  for each
manufacturing:  the making of things to sell
technology:  advances in science and electronics
pharmaceuticals:  drugs used to treat illnesses
lumber:  wood from trees
minerals:  natural substances that come from mining
producer:  maker
exporter:  seller to other countries
reserves:  the part that is still underground
respect:  understanding of the worth of someone.
insurance:  money to replace something you lose
treatment:  what a doctor does to make you better
loan:  money that must be paid back
pension:  money paid to a worker for the rest of his life after retirement
heroes:  highly respected people
inventor:  creator, maker
organizations:  groups of countries with a common purpose
G7:  Group of Seven, the seven countries with the highest developed economies
NATO:  North Atlantic Treaty Organization, 12 countries that protect each other
citizen of the world:  a country that cares about the other countries of the world
refugees:  people who have to leave their countries because of war or famine.
humanitarian aid:  money, equipment or food to help people who need it.
spectacular:  beautiful

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

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

The imperative is a verb that has no subject.  The verb is always in the simple form.  You can be talking to one person or more than one person, but the verb doesn’t change.  To make it negative, put don’t or do not before the verb.  If you need to be clear about whether you’re talking to one person or more than one, add you guys, people, you two, you three, etc.

The imperative is used in five ways:

1. To give an order:

•  Wait here for me, you two.

•  Don’t forget to lock the door.

•  Go away, you guys.

You can make orders more polite by adding please.

•  Please don’t make all that noise.  I’m trying to study.

•  Close the window, please.  I’m cold.

•  Please wait for me while I open an account.

2. On signs that give orders:

•  Don’t walk

•  Insert the correct change

•  Do not use this exit

3. To give instructions:

•  Don’t open the test booklet until I say so.

•  Go three blocks north and then turn left onto Georgia Street.

•  Squeeze the sides of the cap as you unscrew it.

4. To make an invitation:

•  Drop by tomorrow afternoon, and we’ll go for coffee.

•  Please join us for dinner.

•  Make yourself comfortable.

5. To give advice:

•  Go home and be with your family.

•  Get some sleep and we’ll talk tomorrow.

•  Speak to your husband, and tell him how you feel.

There are three ways to use used to: used to, be used to, and get used to.  Used to is the simplest and indicates an action that was continuously or repeatedly done in the past, but has not been done since then.

Used to

After used to use the simple form of the verb.

Examples:

George used to go to this school when he was young.  (George went to this school earlier in his life but hasn’t studied there since he left.)

I used to have a teddy bear named Pooh.  (When I was young, I had a teddy bear named Pooh, but I haven’t had that toy since that time.)

My uncle used to take us to the movies all the time when we were kids.  (My uncle often took us to the movies when we were kids, but he hasn’t done that since we grew up.)

Aaron used to be a taxi driver when he lived in Toronto.  (Aaron was a taxi driver when he lived in Toronto but hasn’t been a taxi driver since he moved away from that city.)

NOTE:  In the negative or interrogative (with did), drop the ‘d’ from used.

Examples:

She didn’t use to be so mean, but now she is.  (She was a nice girl, but now she’s mean.)

Did you use to smoke when you were a teenager?  (You don’t smoke now, but did you when you were a teenager?)

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

Be used to

Be used to indicates that someone is comfortable doing an action because they have done it enough times that it doesn’t seem at all strange now.  It is a description not an action.  Use a noun (or a gerund if it’s a verb) after be used to.  Be used to can be in the simple present (I am used to,) the simple past (I was used to,) or the present perfect (I‘ve been used to.)

Examples:

Peter is used to being a leader.  He’s done it many times before.  (Peter has been a leader so many times before that it is comfortable for him now.)

Julie was used to going shopping on Saturday mornings.  (Saturday mornings were Julie’s most comfortable times to shop.)

Frank has been used to cold weather since he moved to Alaska.  (When Frank moved to Alaska, he was immediately comfortable with the cold weather there.)

In the negative not be used to means that an action is not comfortable.  It still feels strange because the person hasn’t done the action much before.

Examples:

Ryan comes from Australia, so he’s not used to driving on the right side of the road.  (Ryan hasn’t had enough practice driving on the right side of the road, so he’s uncomfortable driving on that side.)

When Maryam first came here, she wasn’t used to all the rain, but now she’s okay with it.  (In the beginning Maryam was uncomfortable with all the rain here, but now it doesn’t bother her anymore.  She’s  comfortable with it.)

Sarah isn’t used to living alone.  (Sarah just started living alone, and she’s not yet comfortable with it.)

Get used to

Get used to indicates the movement from being uncomfortable with something to being okay with it.  It is an action not a description.  Use a noun (or a gerund if it’s a verb) after get used to.  Get used to can be in the simple present (I get used to,) the present continuous (I‘m getting used to,) the simple past (I got used to,) the past continuous (I was getting used to,) the present perfect (I‘ve gotten used to,) and the future (I will get used to.) 

Examples:

Although Marcus already spoke the language, it took him weeks to get used to the new culture.  (Over two weeks Marcus went from being uncomfortable to being comfortable with the new culture.)

Don’t worry.  You’ll get used to the rain in Vancouver.  (Now you don’t like all the rain, but after some time has passed, you’ll be comfortable with it.)

They won the lottery, but they haven’t gotten used to spending large amounts of money.  (Although they’re rich, they are uncomforrtable spending lots of money.  They haven’t yet made that move from being uncomfortable to being comfortable with lots of money.)

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

Sugar is a food people eat all over the world.  About 170 million tonnes of it is produced each year.  The average person eats about 24 kilograms of sugar a year, but in developed countries that number rises to 33 kilograms per person.  It is used as a sweetener in all kinds of food from candy to salad dressing.  The story of sugar starts in India and New Guinea 8000 years ago.  A tall grass called sugar cane grew in these areas, and people chewed it for it’s sweet taste.  In the 6th century BCE, the Persians discovered sugar cane when they invaded India.  The Persians called it  “honey without bees.”  From Persia the food spread to Greece. In India by the 5th century CE, a method was discovered to extract the sugar from the cane juice, so shipping it for trade became a lot easier.  In the early 7th century, envoys from India taught the Emperor of China how to cultivate sugar cane, and he established the first sugar cane plantation in China.  Sugar production was still very low, so it remained expensive and uncommon until the 18th century.  It was so expensive that it was called “white gold.”  In the West Indies and other locations in the Americas, sugar plantations were established, and slaves were brought in, mostly from Africa, to cultivate the crop.   Sugar became plentiful and cheap enough for common people to enjoy it.  In the 19th century in the cooler climates of Europe, sugar beets provided most of the sugar people there needed.  Today this crop provides about 20% of the world’s production of sugar. The world’s sugar mainly comes from the sugar cane, which is the world’s largest crop, providing 80% of the sugar we use today.

Click on the audio recording below to hear the lesson.

Vocabulary:

tonnes:  1000 kilos
developed:  rich
rises:  goes up, increases
sweetener:  something that makes things sweet
salad dressing:  a sauce you put on salad to add flavor
chewed:  ate with their teeth
BCE:  Before Common Era, before the year 1
Persians:  people who lived in Persia, which is modern Iran
invaded:  came in with an army
CE:  Common Era, after the year 1
method:  a way to do something
extract:  get something out of something
shipping:  moving by ship or other method
trade:  exchanging goods rather than using money to buy them
envoys:  people sent by the government to another country
cultivate:  grow and take care of
established:  made for the first time
plantation:  farm
remained:  continued to be
slaves:  people who belong to other people and work for no money
crop:  plants that are grown for food
plentiful:  a lot
climates:  weather
provided:  supplied people with
production:  supply
mainly:  mostly

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

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

ankle:  the connection of your foot to your leg
The man twisted his ankle when he got off the bus.
When she was pregnant, both her ankles swelled up.

blanket:  a heavy cloth that you sleep under in your bed
I think we’ll need an extra blanket tonight.  It’s cold.
When she kissed her son good night, she pulled the blanket up to his chin.

center:  middle
I think we should put the sofa in the center of the living room.
There is a black hole at the center of the galaxy.

customer:  a person who may buy what you’re selling
You should treat every customer with respect.
Her restaurant has lots of steady customers.

emergency:  a situation where something must be done now
Call this number if there’s an emergency, and I’ll come right away.
The doctor had to go to the hospital for an emergency.

immigrant:  a person who comes into the country to live
As an immigrant herself, she knows the challenges of living in a new country.
Canada accepts over 200,000 immigrants yearly.

lipstick:  a substance women put on their lips to add color
She went to the ladie’s room to refresh her lipstick.
Her perfect lipstick is just a shade darker than her natural lips.

perfume:  a nice-smelling liquid women put on their skin
She usually only puts on perfume before she goes out on a date.
The smell of her perfume was so strong he had to open the window.

recipe:  a plan for making delicious food
I’ve been looking for a good chilli recipe for ages.
Let’s go on-line and search for a recipe for antipasto.

scissors:  a tool you use to cut paper or other thin material
The last time he used scissors, he cut his finger.
These scissors need to be sharpened.  They tear the paper.

stomach:   the organ that receives the food that you eat
The bully hit him in the stomach, and he ran away crying.
After eating many slices of birthday cake, his stomach is upset.

village:  a small group of houses
I think there’s a doctor in the neighboring village who can help.
They came from a village on the island of Borneo.

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

Corn flakes are a popular breakfast cereal for many North Americans.  There are many brands of this cereal now, but in the beginning it was the idea of a couple of brothers.  The inventors of this food were Drs. John and Will Kellogg, and the funny thing is they made this cereal by accident.  The story goes like this.  They were both Seventh-day Adventists, a strict religion, and were trying to make vegetarian food for people of their church, who believed that eating meat was wrong.  One day in August, 1884, as they were experimenting with food in their home, they were both called to an emergency at the seminary where they worked.  They had to leave in a hurry and left the corn cooking by mistake.  When they got back home, it had all dried out and become flaky.  Because they didn’t want to waste food, they thought of a way to eat it – with milk and a little sugar.  In fact, this cereal became very popular with the people at the seminary.  Will decided to manufacture the cereal and built a factory called Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company.  He made the cereal sweet by adding sugar, and it became popular all over North America.  It’s interesting to note that the Kellogg company also developed Rice Krispies, another popular breakfast cereal, in 1928.

Click on the audio recording below to hear the lesson.

Vocabulary:
cereal:  grain, seed from grasses such as wheat, oats and corn
brands:  kinds made by different companies
inventors:  people who make something new
Drs.:  Doctors
funny thing:  unusual thing, odd thing
by accident:  unplanned
religion:  a system of beliefs
vegetarian:  made from only plants
experimenting:  trying different ways to see what works
emergency:  something that needs fast action
seminary:  religious school
flaky:  in small, dry, flat pieces
waste:  not use, throw out
popular:  liked by many people
manufacture:  make in a factory in large quantities
factory:  a large building where workers and/or machines make things
to note:  to also know

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

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

Coffee gets its name from the Kingdom of Kaffa in Ethiopia, Africa.  One account is that it was discovered there in the ninth century CE by a goat-herder named Kaldi, who saw his goats eat the berries and then jump around with lots of energy.  Kaldi chewed some berries himself and felt energized, so he brought some of these berries to the nearest monastery and told a monk about them.  The monk disapproved and threw the berries into the fire.  The other monks smelled the burning beans and came to find out what was causing the delicious aroma.  The roasted beans were rescued from the fire, ground up and added to boiling water making the very first cup of coffee.

Trade between Ethiopia and Yemen introduced the berries to southern Arabia.  From there coffee drinking spread to Egypt and North Africa.  By the 16th century it had spread to the Middle East, Persia and Turkey.  Records show that the first coffeehouse opened in Constantinople in 1554.  Italian traders imported coffee beans into Italy and it spread from there to the rest of Europe.  The first European coffee house in Venice, Italy, dates from 1645.  The Dutch took coffee plants to the East Indies and the Americas and started to grow coffee there.  By 1719 the Dutch were able to supply most of Europe’s coffee needs from these coffee plantations.  As international travel increased, people in more and more countries were introduced to this drink, and its popularity slowly spread all over the world.  In the late 20th century new improvements were developed, and instant freeze-dried coffee and canned coffee became commonly used.  These days most of the world’s coffee comes from Brazil and Colombia.  Businesses like Starbucks continue to spread the popularity of this flavorful drink.

Click on the audio recording below to hear the lesson.

Vocabulary:

account:  story
CE: common era from the year 1 to the present
berries:  round-shaped fruit of a plant
energized:  full of energy
monastery:  home for religious people called monks
monk:  a religious person
disapproved:  thought it was wrong
beans:  berries
aroma:  nice smell
rescued:  saved
ground up:  made into tiny pieces
boiling:  100 degrees Celcius
trade:  the exchange of goods
records:  writings
imported:  brought into the country
supply:   deliver and sell
plantations:  farms
popularity:  use by more and more people
late:  end of the
improvements:  Things and ways to make something better
developed:  made
instant:  ready to use, just add hot water
freeze-dried:  a process that quickly takes the water out of food
canned:   in a can
commonly:  by many people

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

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

Conversation:

Alice:  Hi, Stacey.  This is a surprise!  What brings you here?

Stacey:  I haven’t seen your new apartment yet, but you haven’t returned my calls, so I thought I’d drop by.

Alice:  I’m sorry for the mess.  If I had known you were coming, I would have straightened up a little.  Since Alicia was born, I’ve been snowed under with work.  I never realized it would be so hard to take care of a baby.  It takes a lot out of me.  Listen, I’m sorry about not calling you.

Stacey:  That’s okay.  No harm done.  I’m here now.

Alice:  Let me show you around, but be quiet.  The baby’s asleep.

Stacey:  Sure.  Wow!  I love the way you set up the baby’s room.  I see you keep plenty of diapers on hand.  She must go through them quickly.

Alice:  She does.  But on the other hand she’s now sleeping through the night.  She takes after her father in that way.  He’s always been a sound sleeper.

Stacey:  By the way, did I tell you that Joe and I are getting married?  We’d both like you to take part in the ceremony as one of my bridesmaids.

Vocabulary:

diapers:  cloth or paper worn around the baby’s bottom.
sound sleeper:  someone who sleeps the whole night without waking up.
bridesmaid:  a member of the bridal party who stands near the bride during the marriage ceremony.

Idioms:

• straighten up:                                organize, make orderly
• snowed under:                               busy with too much work
• take a lot out of (someone)     drain energy from (someone)
• no harm done:                               no damage done
• show around:                                give a tour
• set up:                                                arrange / establish
• on hand:                                           available
• go through:                                     use completely / experience (something bad
• on the other hand:                     talking about the opposite
• take after :                                      resemble or have the same talent as (a relative)
• by the way:                                     speaking of something else
• take part (in):                              participate

Notes:

Set up has 2 meanings.  The other one is “establish.”  Example:  My brother and I have decided to set up an export business together.

Go through has 2 meanings.  The other one is “experience (something bad)”  Example:  I spent four hours at customs.  I don’t want to go through that again.

© 2004 Ambien Malecot

There is a group of expressions of quantity that can be singular or plural depending on the prepositional phrase that follows.  These words are: plenty, lots, a lot, all, some, most, a great deal, none, (fractions) and (percentages.)  If the noun in the prepositional phrase is a countable word that is plural, then the expression of quantity is plural and the verb is also plural.  If the noun in the prepositional phrase is an uncountable word, which cannot be made plural, then the expression of quantity is singular and the verb is also singular.  Look at these examples:

Plenty of   

Plenty of patience is required for this job..
(‘patience‘ is uncountable, which makes plenty singular, so the verb is singular.)

Plenty of spare parts are kept in the garage.
(‘spare parts‘ is countable, which makes plenty plural, so the verb is plural.)

Plenty of the food I have eaten was unhealthy.
(‘food’ is uncountable, which makes plenty singular, so the verb is singular.)

Plenty of my friends know it’s my birthday.
(‘friends’ is countable, which makes plenty plural, so the verb is plural.)

(WRONG:  Plenty food …)

Lots of / A lot of   

Lots (A lot) of money changes hands at a market.  (‘money’ is uncountable.)

Lots (A lot) of people change their minds.  (‘people’ is countable.)

Lots (A lot) of the information we received was too late.  (‘information is uncountable.)

Lots (A lot) of his jokes were not very funny.  (‘jokes’ is countable.)

(WRONG:  Lots food, A lot food …)

All

All mammals produce milk .  (‘mammals’ is countable.)

All of the work needs to be redone.  (‘work’ is uncountable.)

All of our answers were right.  (‘answers’ is countable)

(WRONG:  All of work …)

Some 

Some students have exams next week.  (‘students’ is countable.)

Some of the time passes quickly.  (‘time’ is uncountable.)

Some of the police cars were parked in the driveway.  (‘police cars’ is countable.)

(WRONG:  Some of vehicles …)

Most

Most people in Europe speak more than one language.  (‘people’ is countable.)

Most of his advice is very good.  (‘advice’ is uncountable.)

Most of the students I know have smart phones.  (‘students’ is countable.)

(WRONG:  Most of people …)

A great deal of 

A great deal of energy gets lost in exercise.  (‘energy’ is uncountable.)

A great deal of hikers get lost in the mountains.  (‘hikers’ is countable.)

A great deal of our time was spent fishing.  (‘time’ is uncountable.)

A great deal of the products we use come from Asia.  (‘products’ is countable.)

None of 

None of the advice is good.  (‘advice’ is uncountable.)

None of his solutions seem to work.  (‘solutions’ is countable.)

(NOTE: In British English, “none” is considered singular no matter what follows.)

(WRONG:  None advice …)  (but “No advice” is correct)

(WRONG:  None of advice …)

Fractions and percentages have the same grammar:

Two thirds of the test was based on the textbook.  (‘test’ is singular.)

Three quarters of the students were prepared for the test.  (‘students’ is plural.)

Sixty percent of the land is desert.  (‘land’ is singular.)

Eighty percent of the towns are located along the coast.  (‘towns’ is plural.)

A way to remember these words is to remember PLASMAN.  This is what the first letters of all these words spell.  P= plenty, L= lots/ a lot, A= all, S= some, M= most, A= a great deal, N= none

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

by Yael Naim

born in Paris, France, this singer-songwriter moved to Israel at age 4.  This song became popular in 2008 when Apple used it to advertise their MacBook Air.

I’m a new soul
I came to this strange world
Hoping I could learn a bit ’bout how to give and take.
But since I came here
Felt the joy and the fear
Finding myself making every possible mistake

La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la…

I’m a young soul in this very strange world
Hoping I could learn a bit ’bout what is true and fake.
But why all this hate?
Try to communicate
Finding trust and love is not always easy to make.

La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la…

This is a happy end
Cause you don’t understand
Everything you have done
Why’s everything so wrong?

This is a happy end
Come and give me your hand
I’ll take your far away.

I’m a new soul
I came to this strange world
Hoping I could learn a bit ’bout how to give and take
But since I came here
Felt the joy and the fear
Finding myself making every possible mistake

La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la…

[Enjoy the rest of the song with no lyrics]

Vocabulary:

soul – spirit
strange – unusual
joy – great happiness
fear – the feeling of being afraid
mistake – wrong choice
fake – not real
trust – an understanding that someone is on your side.
cause – because

© 2015 Ambien Malecot for vocabulary lesson only