by Will Marshall

a space scientist and cofounder of Planet Labs, an American earth imaging private company based in San Francisco.  He was a scientist at NASA Ames Research Center where he helped to formulate the Small Spacecraft Office.

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:

iconic:  famous, well-known
galvanized:  made people excited
fragile:  easily broken or destroyed
static:  not moving, still
scalable:  able to increase production
ultra:  very very
resolution:  quality of the image
humanitarian:  helping people
mission:  reason, goal
launched:  put into space
capability:  ability to do lots of things
bonded:  held together
democratizing:  making democratic
founders:  people who create a company
passionate:  serious and excited
glints:  shines brightly for a moment
data set:  amount of information
rotates:  spins, turns
scan:  take a picture of
crop yield:  amount of food grown
deforestation:  cutting down forests
universal access:  ability for everyone to get

brave:  doing something even though you’re afraid
The brave fireman ran into the burning building and carried the baby to safety.
His mother told him to be a brave boy in the dentist’s chair.

complicated:  difficult to understand or explain
His relationship with his girlfriend is complicated.
The explanation was too complicated for most people to understand.

cute:  pretty in a pleasing way
There were three cute kittens on the bed.
Most people remember the actor when he was a cute little kid.

crazy:  wild, uncontrolled, senseless, not at all normal
John was acting like a crazy person at the party.
It was crazy to go swimming in the lake in winter.

dependable:  able to be trusted to do what is necessary
Although his car is old, it’s still very dependable.
She has been his dependable secretary for many years.

faithful:  always supportive, loyal
He is one of her oldest and most faithful friends.
She remained faithful to her husband during his long illness.

horrible:  terrible, awful
He’ll never forget the skunk’s horrible smell.
There was a horrible five-car accident on the highway.

international:  between countries, of many countries
Global warming is an international problem.
Canada has an international reputation as a peace keeper.

official:  recognized as true by authorities, legal
Canada has two official languages – English and French.
This is an official copy of their marriage certificate.

proud:  having a good feeling for a good result
His father was proud of him for telling the truth.
She was proud of herself for scoring the winning goal.

steep:  at a high angle
The driveway up to his house was very steep.
She likes to ski on steep slopes to test her abilities.

sudden:  fast, without warning
Their picnic was ruined by a sudden rainstorm.
A sudden outbreak of the flu kept many children home from school.

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.

Commas are an important punctuation and are used in a variety of situations.  Here is a list of the situations:

1. Before conjunctions when there’s a following subject:

James is tall, but he doesn’t like to play basketball.
Marie forgot her math textbook, and she has a test today.

BUT: if there’s no subject following, then there’s no comma.
I like to cook but don’t like to clean up afterwards.

2. In a list of 3 or more nouns or verbs:

She bought a skirt, stockings, earrings and a coat.
He got gas, put air in the tires, and changed the oil in the car.

[Note:  the comma before and is optional.]

BUT: if the list only has 2 things, there is no comma:
We need to replace the stove and refrigerator in the kitchen.
John and George like to snowboard and hike together.

3. After introductory words before a main clause: 

Unfortunately, there were many mistakes made.
Furthermore, we have to paint the entire exterior of the house.

4. To separate 2 or more adjectives of equal value: [adjectives that are equal can be reversed or connected with “and”]

He’s a tall, handsome young lad. [handsome and tall can be reversed, but handsome and young cannot]
That man is a sloppy, dirty, ill-mannered person. [all 3 can be reversed]

5. Before question tags:

She’s coming with us, isn’t she?
We can’t use our dictionaries, can we?

6. After introductory dependent clauses:

Because he was repeatedly late, the teacher asked him to withdraw from class.
As I was coming to school, I saw an old friend on the bus.

BUT: When the dependent clause comes after the independent clause, there’s no comma.
He stayed home from school because he was sick.

7. In dates, addresses, and city-countries:

He was born on Sunday, June 25, 1989.
They live on West 22^nd Street, Vancouver, B.C.
They visited their friends in London, England.

BUT: When there’s only a month and year, no comma is used
They got married in June 2005.

8. After long introductory prepositional phrases: [longer than 5 words]

On the morning of her first day of school, Sandra woke up early.
During the snowstorm in January of last year, there were many car accidents.

9. Around extra information adjective clauses:

My last teacher, whom I liked very much, taught us about popular psychology.
Vancouver, which lies on the west coast of Canada, is a major port city.

BUT:  When the adjective clause has necessary information, there’s no comma.
Would all the students who need bus passes please follow me.

10. Around interrupters (including names): [interrupters are words that are added but aren’t necessary]

Margaret Thatcher was, as they say, a formidable woman.
The decor was excellent.  The food, on the other hand, was poor.
Michael, what do you think of our new kitchen?

11. Around (or after) appositives:

Bermuda, a popular honeymoon destination, is a two-hour plane trip from New York City.
A brilliant young boy, Andrew was admitted into the special school.

BUT:  if the appositive is only a name, no comma is used.
My friend Alice is coming with us.
Her brother Gary will be in charge.

12. Before “which” when the following adjective clause modifies more than just the last word:

The clown slipped on a banana peel, which made all the children laugh.
Jessica left the club and went home early, which is unusual for her.

13. With quotes:

Jonathan said, “I’m seeing a girl in the neighboring town.”
“I was able,” she told me, “to complete all my work.”

14. Before end-of-sentence words that add information:

 She wants to go to the movies, too.
His father is chief of police, you know.

 
© 2014 Ambien Malecot

boring:   not interesting or exciting, full of sameness
The children had a boring time during their field trip to the library.
Some people liked the movie, but I found it very boring.

calm:  relaxed, with good weather
If there’s a fire, the most important thing to do is to stay calm.
They had a calm, sunny day for their wedding.

criminal:  doing illegal activities, very wrong
The boys are members of a criminal organization.
They sell illegal drugs and do other criminal activities.

crowded:  with too many people close together
The bus to school is always very crowded.
When she arrived, the room was crowded with people.

eager:  wanting to do something a lot, excited
She is eager to meet her boyfriend’s parents.
The children are eager for the holidays.

helpless:  not able to do anything to help
The fire was so strong, the firefighters were helpless.
The fishers were helpless against the storm.

legal:  obeying the law, about the law
Everyone has the legal right to defend themselves.
In many places it is now legal to use marijuana for medical purposes.

pale:  without much color
You look pale.  Are you feeling alright?
They painted their house a pale green.

satisfied:  feeling happy with a result
Although he didn’t get an A, he was satisfied with his mark.
The boss was satisfied with the work we had done.

sneaky:  done so no one will see or know, in a secret way
My sneaky son pretends that he’s asleep and then plays video games in bed.
Offering something for free online is a sneaky way to get people’s email addresses.

tense:  not able to relax, nervous
Some students get very tense before a big test.
She felt tense when she walked into her boss’s office.

wise:  intelligent because of experience
You should listen to your grandmother.  She’s a wise person.
The wise thing to do is to wait and see what happens.

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.

by Mike and the Mechanics

an English pop/rock band formed in 1985 by Mike Rutherford from the band “Genesis.”  The band included Scottish singer and songwriter B. A. Robertson, and singer Paul Carrack.  This song, which was written by Rutherford and Robertson after both of their fathers had recently died, is from the band’s second album “Living Years”  It’s sung by Carrack, who had also lost his own father when he was only eleven years old.

Every generation blames the one before
And all of their frustrations come beating on your door
I know that I’m a prisoner to all my Father held so dear
I know that I’m a hostage to all his hopes and fears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years

Oh, crumpled bits of paper filled with imperfect thoughts
Stilted conversations. I’m afraid that’s all we’ve got
You say you just don’t see it; he says it’s perfect sense
You just can’t get agreement in this present tense
We all talk a different language, talking in defense

Say it loud (say it loud), say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
It’s too late (it’s too late) when we die (oh when we die)
To admit we don’t see eye to eye

So we open up a quarrel between the present and the past
We only sacrifice the future; it’s the bitterness that lasts
So don’t yield to the fortunes you sometimes see as fate
It may have a new perspective on a different date
And if you don’t give up, and don’t give in, you may just be okay

Say it, say it, say it loud, say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
Because it’s too late (it’s too late) when we die (oh when we die)
To admit we don’t see eye to eye

I wasn’t there that morning when my father passed away
Didn’t get to tell him all the things I had to say
Think I caught his spirit later that same year
I’m sure I heard his echo in my baby’s new born tears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years

So say it, say it, say it loud, say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
It’s too late (it’s too late) when we die (it’s too late when we die)
To admit we don’t see eye to eye

Hey, so say it, say it, say it loud, say it loud, say it clear (oh say it clear)
Say it loud, don’t give up, don’t give in …

Vocabulary:

generation:  people born in the same time period
blames:  says that someone else did something wrong
frustrations:  anger at yourself for not being able to do something
beating:  knocking hard
prisoner:  someone without any freedom to choose
held so dear:  thought was important
hostage:  prisoner
crumpled:  thrown away by making a ball of the paper
stilted:  formal and uncomfortable
see:  understand
in defense:  trying to prove that you’re right
see eye to eye:  agree
quarrel:  argument
sacrifice:  kill
bitterness:  hatefulness
yield:  let someone else win, give up
fortunes:  results
fate:  something that must happen
perspective:  way of seeing something, meaning
give up: stop trying
give in: accept defeat
passed away:  died
caught his spirit:  saw him in a different form
his echo:  part of him

© 2015 Ambien Malecot for vocabulary lesson only

ashamed:  feeling guilty or disapproving for a wrong action
He felt ashamed for not believing her.
She was ashamed of her alcoholic father.

complete:  100%, entire, whole, having all the parts
The kitchen was a complete mess after all the cooking.
Is this list of guests complete, or did you miss someone?

damaged:  a little broken or harmed and no longer perfect.
When the coffee table arrived from the store, it was damaged.
This cell phone is damaged, so you should go get your money back.

embarrassed:  feeling like you or someone close to you has done something wrong
She was embarrassed that she forgot his birthday.
He was embarrassed about his alcoholic father.

frightened:  feeling like you’re in danger, afraid
His little brother is frightened of the dark, so he keeps a night light on.
The frightened cat ran under the sofa.

handy:  easy to use because it’s close by
I always have a handy tissue in my pocket.
Do you have a screwdriver handy so I can replace these batteries?

immediate:  quickly following, instant
His reply to the reporter’s question was immediate.
There was an immediate reaction to the medication.

normal:  usual, regular, natural
She’s a student of normal intelligence.
The normal thing to say when someone does you a favor is “thank-you.”

practical:  useful, best thing for the job
Basic mathematics is a very practical knowledge that you’ll use everyday.
It’s not practical to carry all those heavy books to school and home everyday.

several:  more than a few but not many
There are several things we could do to make this website better.
The Van Gogh paintings are going to be in the art gallery for several weeks.

strange:  unusual, odd, unknown
It felt strange to be the only person in the movie theatre.
They were going to make their home in this new, strange land.

useless:  not able to do what is needed
I find this medicine useless against my headache.
He made a useless attempt to fix the leak in the roof.

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.

What researchers have discovered about left and right brain thinking is not as simple as most people believe.  There’s a general belief that right-brained people are creative and left-brained people are logical, but this is not 100% true.  When the brain is examined in relationship to language, which is both creative and logical, studies have shown that both hemispheres are active.  It’s basically true that the logical parts of language such as grammar, vocabulary and literal meaning are mostly processed in the left brain, and the creative parts of the language such as intonation, emphasis and figurative meaning are processed in the right brain.  However, this is only true for 95% of right-handed people and 81% of left-handed people.  For that 5% of right-handed and 19% of left-handed people, this isn’t true.  Therefore, when you hear or read about the differences between right and left brain activity, you should understand that it’s only a generality and that there are lots of people for whom it’s not true.  Understanding this, however, let’s look at a typical right-handed person’s brain to see where different types of thinking are happening.

In a typical right-handed person, the right hemisphere is used for understanding new experiences and the left is used for routines or things you’ve done many times before.  The right brain is where creativity and imagination take place.  It’s also the center for holistic thinking, intuition, feelings and daydreaming.  The left brain is where logical and analytic thinking take place.  It’s also the center for mathematics, detailed thinking, reading and writing.

Generally, the left and right sides of our brains see the world in different ways, but they work together.  The right brain sees the whole picture and then concentrates on the details while the left brain starts with the details and puts them together to make the whole picture.  The left brain thinks in words and the right brain thinks in pictures.  It’s an interesting fact that the right brain controls the left part of the body, including the left eye, and the left brain controls the right side of the body, including the right eye.

We continue to learn more about the brain as time goes on, and many neuroscientists say that all this right-left brain information is outdated.  However, one thing remains true.  We need both parts of our brains to process the world around us.

Click on the audio recording below to hear the lesson.

Vocabulary:

researchers:  scientists who are looking for answers
creative:  making new thoughts
logical:  mechanical, truthful thinking
literal:  dictionary meaning
intonation:  the voice going high and low
emphasis:  strong words that are higher and louder
figurative:  what the words really mean, which is different from the dictionary meaning.
processed:  thought about and understood
activity:  action,  thinking
generality:  mostly true but not totally true
typical:  average, normal
hemisphere:  half of the brain
routines:  habits, things you do repeatedly
creativity:  the making of new thoughts
holistic:  the whole picture, not just part of it
intuition:  knowing something without any evidence
analytic:  breaking down a whole thing into its parts
take place:  happen
generally:  it’s mostly true that
concentrates:  looks more closely
details:  little things that seem unimportant
neuroscientists:  people who study the brain
outdated:  no longer true

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

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Nico & Vinz

an African-Norwegian singing and songwriting pair composed of Kahouly Nicolay “Nico” Sereba and Vincent “Vinz” Dery. They formed the group Envy in 2009 in Oslo, Norway, but changed their name to Nico & Vinz in January, 2014, after the international success of this song.

Am I wrong for thinking out the box from where I stay?
Am I wrong for saying that I choose another way?
I ain’t trying to do what everybody else * doing
Just cause everybody * doing what they all do
If one thing I know, I’ll fall but I’ll grow
I’m walking down this road of mine, this road that I call home

So am I wrong?
For thinking that we could be something for real?
Now am I wrong?
For trying to reach the things that I can’t see?
But that’s just how I feel,
That’s just how I feel
That’s just how I feel
Trying to reach the things that I can’t see

Am I tripping for having a vision?
My prediction: I’ma be on the top of the world
Walk your walk and don’t look back, always do what you decide
Don’t let them control your life, that’s just how I feel
Fight for yours and don’t let go, don’t let them compare you, no
Don’t worry, you’re not alone, that’s just how we feel

Am I wrong? (Am I wrong?)
For thinking that we could be something for real?
(Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah oh)
Now am I wrong? (Am I wrong?)
For trying to reach the things that I can’t see?
(Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah)
That’s just how I feel,
That’s just how I feel
That’s just how I feel
Trying to reach the things that I can’t see

If you tell me I’m wrong, wrong
I don’t wanna be right, right
If you tell me I’m wrong, wrong
I don’t wanna be right

Now if you tell me I’m wrong, wrong
I don’t wanna be right, right
If you tell me I’m wrong, wrong
I don’t wanna be right

Am I wrong?
For thinking that we could be something for real?
Now am I wrong?
For trying to reach the things that I can’t see?
But that’s just how I feel,
That’s just how I feel
That’s just how I feel
Trying to reach the things that I can’t see

So am I wrong? (Am I wrong?)
For thinking that we could be something for real?
(Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah oh)
Now am I wrong? (Am I wrong?)
For trying to reach the things that I can’t see?
(Oh yeah yeah yeah)
That’s just how I feel,
That’s just how I feel
That’s just how I feel
Trying to reach the things that I can’t see

Vocabulary:

out the box:  different from what is normal (outside of the box)
ain’t:  am not (slang)
* :    “is” is missing
for real:  that’s true
reach:  get
tripping:  having unreal expectations (slang)
vision:  dream of what could be
prediction:  guess for the future
I’ma:  I’m gonna (I’m going to) (slang)
Walk your walk:  make your own life
compare you:  say you’re worse than others

© 2015 Ambien Malecot for vocabulary lesson only

careful:  doing nothing that could cause a problem
Be careful when you cross the street.
She’s a very careful driver.

confused:  not knowing what to do
I’m confused about what time we should be at the airport.
Two people gave him two different directions, which confused him.

direct:  straight from a source, without turning or stopping
He took a direct flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver.
This plant will die in direct sunlight.

generous:  giving or sharing of money or time
Her generous grandparents gave her a car for her graduation.
He was generous with his time, helping anyone in need.

incredible:  unbelievable, hard to believe, amazing
Making a good website takes an incredible amount of work.
It’s incredible that everyone survived the plane crash.

mild:  gentle, not strong or harsh
I had a mild case of the flu last week.
You should use a mild soap on your face.

physical:  of the body, with a lot of movement
Ice hockey is a very physical sport.
He doesn’t get enough physical exercise.

selfish:  caring only about yourself, not caring about others
Although he seemed generous, he did it for selfish reasons.
Don’t be so selfish.  Share that candy with your sister.

single:  only one, not married
When he finished, there wasn’t a single cookie left in the jar.
She’s thirty-three and still single.

skinny:  very thin, too thin
She likes to wear her skinny jeans whenever she goes out.
In high school he was a skinny little guy.

thick:  wide from one side to the other side, not thin
He put the meat between two thick slices of bread and ate it.
Because the lake had a thick layer of ice, they could go ice skating.

upset:  with an angry, worried or unhappy feeling
Please don’t be upset with me, but I lost your ring.
When you two broke up, it really made her upset.

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.

The past perfect is a verb tense that is learned by students at an advanced level.  It is used for an action that happened before another action in the simple past.  Look at these two examples:

Examples:
When I got home, my roommate went to bed.
(My roommate went to bed after I got home.)

When I got home, my roommate had gone to bed.
(My roommate went to bed before I got home.)

The past perfect is most often used in a sentence with a verb in the simple past or a time in the past.  The word already is often used to emphasize that the action in the past perfect tense occurred before the action in the simple past tense.

Examples:
The movie had already started by the time we arrived.
She hadn’t made up her mind until late last night.
Had you read the book before you saw the movie?

Sometimes the past perfect can be the only verb in a sentence, but it refers to an action that is already stated.

Examples:
“Why was Johnny sad?  Did you punish him for something?”
“Yes, he had drawn pictures all over the wall in the living room.”
(Drawing pictures was before being punished.)

“Why didn’t your son run in the race?”
“He had broken a toe the day before.”
(Breaking a toe was before not running in the race.)

Generally speaking, the past perfect is used less and less in today’s English, especially when it’s already clear which action happened before the other.  This is especially true with the words: before, after and until.  With these 3 words and sometimes with the word when, it’s clear which action happened first.  Therefore, it’s not necessary to use the past perfect, and most English speakers use the simple past.

Examples:
He had finished all his homework before he went to bed.
He finished all his homework before he went to bed.  (also correct)
(It’s clear that finishing his homework is before going to bed.)

After he had fallen asleep on the sofa, his wife turned off the light.
After he fell asleep on the sofa, his wife turned off the light.  (also correct)
(It’s clear that his falling asleep is before his wife’s getting into bed.)

She didn’t go to bed until she had done all her chores.
She didn’t go to bed until she did all her chores.  (also correct)
(It’s clear that doing all her chores is before going to bed.)

He started practicing his guitar as soon as he had gotten home.
He started practicing his guitar as soon as he got home.  (also correct)
(It’s clear that getting home is before practicing his guitar.)

When the children had finished their homework, they put their books away.
When the children finished their homework, they put their books away.
(It’s clear that finishing their homework is before putting their books away.)

BUT when it is not clear which action happened first, you must use the past perfect for the first action.

When the movie finished, everyone had left the theatre.  (Leaving the theatre was before the movie finished.)
When the movie finished, everyone left the theatre.  (Leaving the theatre was after the movie finished.)
(It’s not clear which action happened first, so the past perfect is used in the first example.)

When two actions happen at the same time or almost the same time, use the simple past for both actions.

Examples:
When I arrived at work, I turned on the lights.  (Arriving at work and turning on the lights is at almost the same time.)
She screamed when she opened her present.  (Screaming and opening her present are at the same time.)

In reported speech when you add the words showing that a speaker said something, those words become the second action, and if the other action is in the simple past, it is changed to the past perfect because it happened before the person reported it.

Examples:
He said, “I crashed the car into a tree.”
He said that he had crashed the car into a tree.
(Crashing the car is before saying it.)

She told him, “You left the milk out last night.”
She told him that he had left the milk out last night.
(Leaving the milk out is before telling him.)

We asked them, “Did you win the game?”
We asked them if they had won the game.
(Winning the game is before asking them.)

Also in reported speech, if the original verb in quoted speech is in the present perfect, it is changed to the past perfect.

Examples:
He said, “My brother has been home all week with the flu.”  (quoted speech)
He said that his brother had been home all week with the flu.  (reported speech)

She told me, “I’ve seen that movie four times.”  (quoted speech)
She told me that she had seen that movie four times.  (reported speech)

We asked her, “Have you ever gone abroad?”  (quoted speech)
We asked her if she had ever gone abroad.  (reported speech)

© 2013 Ambien Malecot