by Shawn Mendes

a Canadian singer-songwriter who was discovered online by artist manager Andrew Gertler in January 2014, signing him to Island Records.  He released this song as his first single in June 2014.  A month before his 16th birthday, this song debuted in the top 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it to number 24 for the week ending July 12, 2014

I love it when you just don’t care
I love it when you dance like there’s nobody there
So when it gets hard, don’t be afraid
We don’t care what them people say
I love it when you don’t take no
I love it when you do what you want ’cause you just said so
Let them all go home, we out late
We don’t care what them people say

We don’t have to be ordinary
Make your best mistakes
‘Cause we don’t have the time to be sorry
So baby be the life of the party
I’m telling you to take your shot it might be scary
Hearts are gonna break
‘Cause we don’t have the time to be sorry
So baby be the life of the party

Together we can just let go
Pretend like there’s no one else here that we know
Slow dance fall in love as the club track plays
We don’t care what them people say

We don’t have to be ordinary
Make your best mistakes
‘Cause we don’t have the time to be sorry
So baby be the life of the party
I’m telling you to take your shot it might be scary
Hearts are gonna break
‘Cause we don’t have the time to be sorry
So baby be the life of the party

Come out tonight, come out tonight
There’s no one standing in your way
Come out tonight, come out tonight
We don’t care what them people say
We don’t care what them people say

We don’t have to be ordinary
Make your best mistakes
‘Cause we don’t have the time to be sorry
So baby be the life of the party
I’m telling you to take your shot it might be scary
Hearts are gonna break
‘Cause we don’t have the time to be sorry
So baby be the life of the party

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Life of the party
So don’t let them keep you down
Oh you know you can’t give up
We don’t have the time to be sorry
So baby be the life of the party

Vocabulary:

them people:  those people [bad grammar]
don’t take no:  don’t stop when someone says no
’cause:  because [slang]
we out:  we are out [slang]
the life of the party:  someone who has fun
take your shot:  do what you want
gonna:  going to [slang]]
let go:  not care
track:  music
keep you down:  stop you from enjoying yourself
give up:  quit

© 2015 Ambien Malecot for vocabulary lesson only

by Bill Gross

an American businessman who serves as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Idealab, a company that creates companies.   He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the California Institute of Technology.

First, preview the vocabulary below.  Then click the exercise below, read a question and then listen 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. 

Vocabulary:

factors:  reasons
startup:  a new company
human potential:  What’s possible for a person to achieve
systematic:  with a plan so nothing is forgotten
instincts:  feelings
misperceptions:  wrong beliefs
execution:  doing the job
punched:  hit with a fist
adapt:  change in response to something happening
revenues:  money from sales
funding:  money from others to get a company started
timing:  the correct time to start something new
competitors:  other companies selling the same thing
attributes:  good qualities
definitive:  the correct answer
gaining traction:  becoming more successful
recession:  bad economic period
revenues:  money coming in
© 2014 Ambien Malecot

appear: to become visible or real
As we turned the corner, a beautiful moon appeared.
It appears that we’re going to have to wait a little longer.

crawl: to move on hands and knees
We crawled closer to the edge of the cliff and looked down.
You have to crawl before you can walk.

divide: to separate into equal parts
We should divide all the work so we finish by the end of the day.
If you divide 60 by 12, you get 5.

escape: to get free (of someone or something)
The two men escaped from jail last weekend.
The family moved here to escape the violence of their former country.

hope: to want very much
I hope he’ll be happy with his new car.
We hope she gets well soon.

peel: to take the outside off
She always cries when she peels an onion.
You can’t eat a banana unless you peel it first.

remind: to help someone remember something
She reminded me of my appointment this afternoon.
Let me remind you that you got into trouble the last time you tried that.

spill: to cause something to fall out of the top of a container
The children spilled milk all over the kitchen table.
I tried not to spill any salt, but I got some on the floor.

squeeze: to put pressure on the outside, hug
I can’t squeeze hard enough to open this bottle. Can you help me?
When she started crying, he squeezed her tight.

train: to teach, instruct
He trained his dog to roll over and play dead.
They trained their children to be polite at all times.

twist: to move in a circular motion
She twisted her body around to look behind her.
He twisted the thief’s arm until he dropped his wallet.

wrap: to enclose something with paper, cloth, etc.
She wrapped the package in brown paper before mailing it.
Aren’t you going to wrap that present before you give it to her?

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

agree: have the same opinion
I’m afraid I don’t agree with you.
She finally got him to agree to a small wedding.

belong: be owned
That cell phone belongs to my friend.
Who does this sweater belong to?

cheer: to yell in appreciation
The whole school cheered at the good news.
Everyone cheered when the football team ran on the field.

clap: to hit one’s hands together in appreciation
At the end of his speech, the audience clapped politely.
The children clapped their hands in time to the music.

discover: to find out something new
She discovered that he was seeing another woman.
They hope to discover a cure for this disease.

face: to look at directly
He had to face his fear and talk to his boss.
You need to face the truth that she doesn’t love you anymore.

happen: to occur, take place
What happened to your hand?
Sometimes bad things happen to good people.

pause: to stop for a short time
She paused at the curb before crossing the street.
Pause that video for a moment. I’ve got something to tell you.

search: to look for, try to find
They searched the woods for the missing child.
She searched Google for information about her new boyfriend.

steal: to wrongfully take
Many office workers steal little things from their company, like paperclips.
Someone is always stealing my candy from my desk drawer.

surprise: to experience (something) unexpected
He surprised her with a beautiful engagement ring.
It might surprise you to learn that your uncle is very rich.

taste: to get the flavor of something by putting it in your mouth
That soup smells really good. Can I taste it?
He knew he was hurt when he tasted blood in his mouth.

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

This, that, these and those are called demonstrative adjectives and also demonstrative pronouns.

Demonstrative adjectives are followed by a noun. This and that are used before singular or uncountable nouns. These and those are used before plural nouns.

Examples:
This apple tastes great.
This furniture is lovely.
That man is staring at me.
That advice you gave me proved to be good.
These flowers are beautiful.
Those animals are very strong.

Demonstrative pronouns are used alone with no noun. However, the noun is understood by both the speaker and the listener.

Examples:
This is a wonderful gift.  (This bottle of wine)
I never saw that before.  (that magic trick)
I’ve heard about these.  (these bladeless fans)
I would never eat those.  (those red berries)

Also, those can mean those people.

Examples:
Those who say it can’t be done are wrong.  (Those people …)
The only true citizens are those who vote in every election.  (… those people…)

Use this or these for things that are close in time or space. Use that or those for things that are far in space or time.

Examples:
This neighborhood is much cleaner than the one we used to live in.  (This neighborhood is the one we now live in.) (Close in space)
These opportunities don’t come around very often.  (These opportunities are now.) (Close in time)
If I lived in that country, I would learn the language as fast as I could.  (That country is far away from this country.) (Far in space)
Those days we spent at the beach were wonderful.  (Those days are past.) (Far in time)

Use this to introduce people and that to identify people.

Examples:
Jason, this is June.  June, meet Jason.
That is Paul standing by the window

Use that for things that have just happened or were just mentioned.

Examples:
That movie was quite good, don’t you think?
I know everyone thinks he’s crazy, but I don’t believe that.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

aggressive:  forceful, attacking
Nobody likes an aggressive  salesperson.
He’s very aggressive when he plays poker.

automatic:  able to happen or operate independent of any person.
A machine that saves us a lot of time is our automatic dishwasher.
The loyalty of his team is not automatic; he must earn it.

dedicated:  100% committed to something
I’ve never know someone so dedicated to his family as my father.
Mother Teresa was dedicated to helping the poor and sick.

frequent:  happening often
Because of his business, he’s a frequent flier to China.
The most frequent comment was that the movie was too long.

gloomy:  sad, hopeless, depressing
The prison was a gloomy place where the inmates hardly talked.
The hooting of the owls made the forest seem gloomy.

ingenious:  very smart and creative
The iPhone was an ingenious product that helped Apple get to the top.
He’s had several very good ideas, but this one is ingenious.

possible:  able to be or happen
It’s possible that he got really busy and forgot about our meeting.
Losing our company is one possible result.

racial:  of different kinds of people of different races
The Chinese are a racial minority in North America.
It’s against the law for him to deny you a room for racial reasons.

silly:  not serious, amusingly playful
She knew he had a surprise for her because of the silly grin on his face.
Don’t be silly.  You can’t eat that whole pie by yourself.

transparent:  see- through, clear
This plastic is almost transparent.
She wore a blue transparent blouse to the party.

united:  acting as a single group, all together
There was a united effort by all the neighbors to clean up the park.
The school was united in their support of the principal.

voluntary:  done out of free choice
The job as a teacher’s helper is a voluntary position.
The museum is free on Tuesdays, but you can make a voluntary donation.

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

Conversation:

Omar:  Yesterday I took the stairs up to my office because the elevator wasn’t working.  By the time I reached the fifth floor, I was out of breath.  It was a real wake-up call for me.  I know I need to start doing something about it.

Sydney:  I’m glad to hear that.  Exercise goes hand in hand with good health, so you should start an exercise program.  I have, and I feel great.

Omar:  It’s been a long time since I set foot in a gym.  I spend most of my time sitting, and we all know that’s a recipe for disaster.

Sydney: I’m glad you’ve come to your senses.  You know, if you get in shape, it’s like getting a new lease on life.  All aspects of your life will get better.

Omar: I’m glad to hear that because my business is starting to weigh me down.  Okay, what would you suggest that I do?  I don’t have a lot of free time because I work around the clock.

Sydney: I’m usually pressed for time too, so I go to the gym three times a week in the mornings for half an hour before work.

Omar: That sounds doable.  I’ve been taking my health for granted for too long.

Sydney:  I’m glad you’ve finally come to your senses.

Vocabulary:

aspects:  areas, parts
doable:  something you can do

Idioms:

• out of breath                                                   breathing too fast
• a wake-up call                                                a scary experience that says something is wrong
• go hand in hand                                             go together
• set foot in                                                          enter
• a recipe for disaster                                   something that will cause a very bad result
• come to one’s senses                                 understand what the right thing to do is
• in shape                                                             with a body that is strong and healthy
• a new lease on life                                       a feeling of starting over as a new person
• weigh (someone) down                            make (someone) feel like there’s too much work
• work around the clock                              work all day and night
• pressed for time                                            don’t have enough time
• take (something/one) for granted     think that (something/one) will always be there

Notes:

a wake-up call is the same as an eyeopener

in shape and in good shape are the same.  The opposite is out of shape or in bad shape.  Example:  Because he doesn’t get much exercise, he’s out of shape.

by Bob Marley

a Jamaican singer-songwriter, musician, and guitarist who helped make reggae music popular around the world.  This song was released in 1977 on his album “Exodus.”  It was re-released in 1980 as a single and quickly became one of his most popular songs.

Don’t worry about a thing,
‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Singing don’t worry about a thing,
‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right!

Rise up this morning, smile with the rising sun,
Three little birds, each by my doorstep
Singing sweet songs of melodies pure and true,
Saying this is my message to you-ou-ou

Singing don’t worry about a thing,
‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Singing don’t worry (don’t worry) about a thing,
‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right!

Rise up this morning, smile with the rising sun,
Three little birds, each by my doorstep
Singin’ sweet songs of melodies pure and true,
Saying this is my message to you-ou-ou

Baby, don’t worry about a thing, (worry about a thing, oh)
Every little thing gonna be all right  (Don’t worry)
Singing don’t worry about a thing  (I won’t worry)
‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right.

Baby, don’t worry about a thing,
‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right  (Don’t worry)
Singing don’t worry about a thing  (I won’t worry)
‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right  (gonna be all right)
Baby, don’t worry about a thing  (oh no)
‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right! (gonna be all right)

Vocabulary:

’cause:  because
gonna:  is going to
rise up:  get out of bed, get up
melodies:  groups of musical notes that form a unit of music

© 2015 Ambien Malecot for vocabulary lesson only

amusing:  causing laughter, funny
That was an amusing story he told at the party.
Watching the kittens play was very amusing.

contagious:  able to spread from one person to another
Chickenpox is a contagious disease, so keep your child home.
AIDS is only contagious through body fluids

domestic:  in the home, on the farm, in the country
Pigs, sheep and cows are domestic animals.
She left her husband because of domestic violence.

flammable:  able to catch on fire easily
Natural gas is a highly flammable substance.
Don’t smoke around any flammable liquid.

horizontal:  positioned from side to side, lying
Draw a horizontal line across the middle of the page.
She stayed in a horizontal position until her back pain got better.

intense:  of an extreme kind, strong
They had to find shelter from the intense heat of the sun.
He won the video game with intense concentration.

junior:  with less experience, younger
He is only a junior partner in the law firm.
They met each other in junior high school.

mobile:  able to be carried or moved
Everyone I know has a mobile phone.
The family lives in a mobile home outside the city.

rebellious:  fighting against authority, disobedient
At the age of sixteen, he entered a rebellious stage in his life.
England tried to maintain control over the rebellious colonies in America.

senior:  of an older age or higher rank
He is senior vice president of sales at Microsoft.
That seating is for handicapped people or senior citizens.

typical:  usual, common, normal
It is typical of him to forget his keys.
The typical reader will find this book hard to read.

vertical:  positioned up and down, standing
The spaceship rose vertical to the horizon.
The vertical movements of the needle on the page indicate an earthquake.

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

by Tanniar Leba

an immigrant who came to Canada in 2004 to start a new life in this country.

First, preview the vocabulary below.  Then click the exercise below, read a question and then listen 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:

originally:  at the beginning
refugee:  someone who had to leave their country to be safe
landed:  came to the country
challenging:  difficult to do
housing:  a place to live
shelters:  cheap housing where many people live together
employment:  a job, work
welfare:  money from the government for people with no jobs
orientation session:  introduction talk
volunteer:  work for no money but for the experience
position:  job
opening:  job with no worker yet
background:  history, preparation
give back:  help other people
rights:  the things you have the legal power to do
responsibilities:  the things you should do
patient:  able to wait
benefit:  get help
talent:  skill, easy ability

© 2014 Ambien Malecot