Working on Working

 Click here to go to our website.

Hello, Friends.

Our weather here in Indiana is switching up daily. Precipitation predictions are widely irregular and often incorrect. Just when you think spring is peeking up out of the ground, winter reappears. That was the case this weekend. Surprise snow covered the wet and rainy ground with slush. Click here to take a minute to geek out on slush. 

This week will prove to be super cold again, so be sure to take winterization precautions.

American English Tricks and Techniques

Tongue twisters are a fun way to tweak pronunciation practice. Try them with a friend for giggles and grins. Don't worry if they are tough. These are tough for native speakers.

Practice switching between short i and short e. These two can be easily mistaken and mispronounced. Be careful! In American English, these two letters have a different sound than in many other languages. Short e sounds like "eh" and starts in your throat and stops in the back of your mouth. Short "i" has a higher tone and starts and ends mid-mouth.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?

There are growly r's in this tongue twister as well as popping p's.

Here's a video.

Here is a fun YouTube Video with a few more.

Learning Skills

This week we practiced and drilled on building our stories and through building our personal narrative, we build our American English language and culture knowledge and skills. See what we have been doing. Incorporate the techniques practiced and demonstrated:

• Brainstorming to build vocabulary and grammar skills.
• Open ended questioning (who, what, when, where, why, how) to build sentence structure.
• Applying nonsense and fun to break self-consciousness and self-criticism and increase mouth muscle memory.
• Writing down on paper to communicate with others and open a dialogue.
• Writing to engage more senses in the process (seeing, physical action, speech, hearing).
• Reading and discussing other people's stories for connection and to expand personal knowledge.

International Friends Meeting Notes

Join us! Click here to register.

International Bible Study: Monday, 8-9:00 PM, Zoom

As we read we are continuing to discover that The Bible is not a book that is boring or full of self-righteous people and drivel, contrary to so many opinions. Genesis is definitely a page turner.

Genesis 37 introduces us to Joseph: our next big personality. Joseph (Jacob's favorite son) dreams dreams where his brothers and father bow down to him. Being a 17 year old he happily relates the dreams to his family. They are not happy. Read the story! It's a good one. In thinking about this, Joseph aside from being a normal teenage know it all, he is blessed with insight that is contrary to the family order. And, that gets him in trouble with his brothers.

Genesis 38 tells of the direct lineage from Israel to his oldest son, Judah. Judah is not the most ethical of men, and neither are his sons. God's intention is that Tamara (the wife of Judah's oldest son) be the mother that carries Judah's lineage (and ultimately Jesus'). This story takes some strange twists that include many deaths. When you think the people could not get any worse, Judah sleeps with what he thinks is a "temple prostitute" who is really Tamara. Another great read!

February 17: We continue with Genesis 39 and what happens next in Joseph's saga.

American English and Culture: Thursday, 9-11:00 AM, Zoom

Our discussion was about our resumes and building them. Gaps in your resume could be problematic, but are there really gaps? While you may not be working for money, you might be having other experiences that are valuable and applicable. For example, relocating to a new country and setting up a household, hiring work to be done in your home, volunteering at school events, participating in English and culture classes.

We mused on using the word "sign" followed by a preposition. Sign can mean approval. 

February 20: Bring a list of your personal "professional" words to explore in grammar, context, and pronunciation. Bring your resume and we can look at your specific professional (and personal) history and have conversations and hear about your life.

American English and Culture: Thursday, 7-8:00 PM, CLC, Carmel, room 102

We had a great start up discussion and then conjugated our sentence. When you hear something interesting, write it down and then work out all the different ways (in time) you can say it. Here is our example: 

• I cannot (can't) help myself. I'm eating the entire pie.
• I could not (couldn't) help myself. I ate the entire pie.
• I could not help myself. I have eaten the entire pie.
• I can't not help myself, I have eaten the entire pie.

For extra points: try the following words to connect the sentences as transition words: and, but, so, for. Then, punctuation comes into play to convey the pauses and emphasis. You can see examples on the white board. 

We brainstormed words and sentences off of the "house" words brainstorm generated by one of our students. See it on the Notes and Handouts. How many words do you know and are on your "house" list? How many connections can you make? How many more words can you generate based on this list? What sentences can you make using these words?

We talked briefly about the career track and the goal statement of one of our students.

A super full and productive evening!

February 20: Join us as we continue our discussions. Let's warm up with brainstorms and then move into discussions and conversations about career life from our resumes.

American English for Kids: Thursday, 4:30-5:00 PM, private Zoom

We enjoyed seeing what kind of Valentines are given out in school. Back in the day we only gave cards to each other and had a small party with games and snacks. These days kids exchange small gifts with their cards! Wow!

February 21: Let's talk about our favorite movies: Jurassic Park (the first one) and How to Train Your Dragon (the first one). If you have the chance, watch each other's favorites this week. Friday we can talk about the movies. Here are some questions to think about.

• Who are the characters?
• What is the best part of the movie?
• What is the big problem?
• Why do you like this movie and the people and animals in it?
• When did you see it for the first time?
• When does this story take place?
• Where did you see it for the first time?
• Where does the story take place?
• How do the characters and people work through problems?
• How many times do you jump when watching (even if you know what is about to happen)?

Words and Phrases

applicable: useful in many situations

aside from: besides

big personality: someone who stands out from other people and has no filter

comes into play: is used or is part

drivel: nonsense

for extra points: do something more for credit

if you have the chance: if you have time or an opportunity

know it all: someone who happily has opinions and knowledge and is happy to tell everyone

lineage: ancestry

page turner: a book that is interesting and engaging

problematic: cause trouble or extra work

saga: story

these days: currently

winterization: precautions 

Growing Professional Stories: Logic and Nonsense

Click here to go to our website.

Hello, Friends.

What an exciting week. We began with the Superbowl and we are ending the week with Valentines' Day. Our classes are all up and running with many interesting topics and conversations. 

In our adult American English and Culture meetings we are working on our professional stories. Resumes need to be submitted so we can move forward with sharing and telling our professional stories as well as having professional conversations. 

In our Kids' American English and Culture we had an afternoon conversation where we practiced speaking nonsense. Nonsense is an important language learning strategy. 

We have been doing a lot of talking about AI and using AI to generate words. The Valentines' Day piece below was generated using the prompt "Valentines' Day fun and more". What do you think? Does AI do a good job? What kinds of edits would make this piece more interesting.

Valentines' Day

Valentine's Day is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate love and affection with your significant other, friends, or even yourself! Here are some fun ideas to make the day extra special:

Romantic Ideas:

• Dinner Date: Plan a candlelit dinner at home or make reservations at a cozy restaurant.
• Love Notes: Write heartfelt love letters or notes and hide them in places your partner will find throughout the day.
• Stargazing: Set up a romantic evening under the stars with blankets, pillows, and a telescope or binoculars.

Creative Activities:

• DIY Crafts: Make personalized gifts, such as photo albums, scrapbooks, or handmade cards.
• Cooking Together: Try cooking a new recipe together or bake heart-shaped cookies or a cake.
• Couples' Photoshoot: Have a fun photoshoot with themed outfits and props to capture memorable moments.

Fun with Friends:

• Galentine's Day: Celebrate with your friends by hosting a brunch, movie night, or game night.
• Secret Admirer Exchange: Organize a gift exchange with friends where each person gets a surprise gift.
• Adventure Day: Plan a fun outing with friends, such as hiking, visiting a museum, or going to an escape room.

Self-Care and Pampering:

• Spa Day: Treat yourself to a spa day at home with a relaxing bath, face masks, and soothing music.
• Journal Writing: Reflect on your journey and write down things you're grateful for or love about yourself.
• Favorite Activities: Spend the day doing activities you love, such as reading, painting, or watching your favorite shows.

Thoughtful Gestures:

• Acts of Kindness: Spread love by performing random acts of kindness, such as leaving positive notes for strangers or donating to a charity.
• Memory Jar: Create a memory jar by writing down special moments you’ve shared with your loved ones and reading them together.
• Surprise Delivery: Send a surprise delivery of flowers, chocolates, or a thoughtful gift to someone you care about.

Whatever you choose to do, the most important thing is to make it meaningful and enjoyable for yourself and those you care about. Happy Valentine's Day! 💖

American Culture: Names and Naming

How do you fill out forms? What is the norm for names in the United States? Is your name too hard for anyone else?

America is the land of many names. 

Words for categories of names on official documents:

• Last [name], surname, family name
• Maiden [name]: a woman's name from birth (prior to legally changing her name in marriage)
• First [name], given name, first name
• Middle [name], middle initial [MI]
• Previous name or names
• Nickname, alias

And then, on the computer or in cyberspace there are more names:

• User name
• Gamer tag

Entity names are proper nouns identify things that 

• Company name
• Website name
• Product

Often, people from another country assume a different name that they feel will be easier for "Americans" to pronounce and help them fit in the community. This is interesting since American names are not ethnically standard. We come from all over the world and our parents often choose names for their sound or meaning regardless of origin. A current trend is to create a new name by combining other names. 

For those of you that love to geek out on grammar, names are classed as proper nouns (as opposed to common nouns). Proper nouns are always capitalized no matter where they occur in a sentence.

International Friends Meeting Notes

Join us! Click here to register.

International Bible Study: Monday, 8-9:00 PM, Zoom

We continue with Genesis 34. Once again our study group was surprised by the violence that occurs in the Bible (a book all about the creator God who is the definition of love). While we could understand the need of the Dinah's brothers to exact revenge, we were astonished at how they carried out their attack. 

Yet life goes on in the next chapter. Chapter 35 tells the names of the sons of Jacob and tell of significant deaths. Jacob's beloved Rebeccah dies in childbirth and Isaac dies at 108 years old and Jacob and Esau bury him. In this sentence, we know that the wounds between the brothers are healed. The brothers move away from the lands of their childhood because they are blessed and needed more space to grow. Chapter 36 lists Esau's descendants.

February 3: We continue with Genesis 37 and a beloved Bible story.

American English and Culture: Thursday, 9-11:00 AM, Zoom

Telling about our first jobs was our main topic. Two important questions to frame our story telling were:

• What was your first job?
• What did you learn?

The first question leads to a solid, factual answer. The second question begs for reflection and opinion.

We listed some words from our professional life. We put them on a whiteboard to share with each other. We used these words to make conversation. We will continue to play with our professional words over the next weeks.

February 6: Bring a list of your personal "professional" words to explore in grammar, context, and pronunciation. Bring your resume and we can look at your specific professional (and personal) history.

American English and Culture: Thursday, 7-8:00 PM, CLC, Carmel, room 102

Try the 16 Personalities Test and see what descriptive words this tool provides to you. Do you agree with the results? Tests like these can be used to screen prospective employees. They may be part of the onboarding process to give workers and idea about how individuals can work to reduce conflict and be more productive in their teams. These tools can inform you about your strengths, they can be shorthand for others to know how best to work with you. While they are interesting, it is most important to be able to demonstrate your attributes through your work. 

We practiced brainstorming words and noticed how our ideas bounced off one another.

February 13: Celebrate Valentine's Day Eve. Warm up with word lists. Send Carolyn your resume so we can learn your work words and phrases.

American English for Kids: Thursday, 4:30-5:00 PM, private Zoom

We talked nonsense. To prime the pump we read Jabberwocky by Lewis Caroll Be prepared to sound clever, but really not say anything. Make up words, facts, associations that lead nowhere. Groundhog Day is a good example of nonsense talk. This is always fun and sparks our imagination.

When its spring and the air is cold and wet,

The fish fly freely across the I can't think of it.

And the universe doughnut space already ate itself.

Donut world barks candy cane cars on fire.

Chocolate swimming freely up and down in shape.

Monster picking flowers off kelp once upon a time the end.

Creating this was a lot harder than you would think. Blabbering random sounds and associations are tough when you are put on the spot and when you spend all your time trying to be reasonable and logical people.

Let go. Have fun. Roll around in some nonsense and see where it doesn't get you! Freely playing like this is good for your skills. Build your fluency, confidence, and creativity. Sentence structure and pronunciation and cadence are still important. Writing and talking nonsense can be surprisingly valuable for language learning.

February 14: Happy Valentine's Day! Let's talk pink and red and lovingly.

Words and Phrases

assume: adopt

begs for: demands

blabbering: talk foolishly, mindlessly or excessively

bounced off: one thing generates another

descendants: sons and daughters 

ethnically: belonging to a specific group of people

fit in: feel that you belong in a community; blend in

in cyberspace: think water, air, space~you in and are surrounded

let go: give up fear (or negativity), relax

on the computer: think desktop or laptop~you are on top

onboarding: training and processes at the beginning of a job

piece: work

prime the pump: get things started

screen: filter

standard: measured in a similar way.

Welcome February: and six more weeks of Winter!

Click here to go to our website.

Hello, Friends.

The shortest month begins with a really long Update. What a busy and interest week we had. What an exciting week is coming. Keep your eyes open for words this week; we will be talking and building brainstorms.

Groundhog Day came and went. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club (established in 1881) provides the most up to date information on Spring. Other areas of the country may rely on their own groundhogs for local predictions. And the result is.....Phil saw his shadow. This means six more weeks of Winter!

Speaking of funky pronunciations: February. We love this guy and his pronunciations: February. Mirriam Webster has the two common American-style pronunciations. How have you heard it?

We keep coming up with new words or ...? Have you been watching the news? MAHA and MAHA Moms trended this week (probably the RFK Jr. confirmation hearings made this mainstream). Make America Healthy Again is the "mom" movement. Parents want their children to be healthy and live quality lives. 

February is Black History Month

February is African American history month. The president first signed this proclamation in 1976 and continues today. Learn more:

Black History Month: the History Channel

Black History Month: the .gov site

15 ways to celebrate Black History Month in Indy: Mirror Indy

If you live in Indy, you have likely seen the Walker Theater. Madam Walker founded and ran a hair care company at the turn of the 20th Century. Her net worth was greater than a million dollars and she was politically and philanthropically active. Read more about the first female self-made millionaire:

Madam C. J. Walker: Biography.com

Madam C. J. Walker: The National Women's History Museum 

February Fun

February 22: Pro Volleyball at the Fishers Event Center! Find out more and buy tickets.

Devour Indy munch away your winter blahs at a new or favorite restaurant. Try a special menu or dish or special just for Devour through February 2.

She L.E.A.D.S. Conference  is an opportunity to attend a conference and learn more about American culture and meet and practice your networking skills. Let Carolyn know if you are interested...Should we get a table?

Things to Do in Hamilton County offers a list of fun and informative things to do locally.

Superbowl Sunday: one of the greatest holidays in the United States. Watch the game. Watch the commercials (companies pay the big bucks for spots). Get together with friends for snacks or meet at a sports bar. CBS Sports is the place to go to learn more.

American Culture

Valuing Cars and Car Maintenance

Cars play an important part of life in the United States. While we may love the idea of mass transit, it is not practical for most of the United States. So, we drive cars. Many people buy used cars. These are offered from dealers or from private owners. 

Car maintenance, insurance, and value all come into play when deciding to buy (or sell) or repair a used car. Kelly Blue Book and Edmonds are two places to find out what a car is worth and worth the repair. A car is totaled when the cost to repair is greater than the value of a car.

Car Inspections. Some states (and countries) require an annual inspection. An official (government required) car inspection includes emissions, breaks, and lights (including break lights and turn signals). These are  required in some states (and countries), but do not guarantee a car that is foolproof. Your car can still break down. Buying a used car has risks and also rewards (it is broken in) but may have maintenance expenses or repairs (After all, someone does not want it any more).  This article from Edmonds details the advantages and disadvantages of a mechanic inspection. Google "used car inspection" for a list of mechanics. You might rely on a friend or family member that is a car fanatic to help you decide on a car that you find on Next Door or with a For Sale sign. Having a mechanic go over your car before a road trip is a good idea to make sure you don't get stranded.

Buying (or Selling) a Used Car. If you are looking at a used car from a private owner, if you can take the car to your mechanic to see if it is in good running order.

Maintenance can include a big-ticket item since many cars survive well past 100,000 miles. One example is that the timing belt needs to be replaced. This means that the radiator is pulled and the water pump is replaced with a new pump (because they tend to go out now; often when your water pump goes out and your mileage is up, your mechanic will advise you to replace your timing belt). This is pricy maintenance, but worth the bucks if you want to keep your car another 100,000 miles.

An older car with a rough interior or exterior that still runs well enough to get around town is called a "beater". People will get an older car with high mileage for the "kids' car".

On another note, a good number of our Friends have Uber and Amazon and Door Dash side hustles. They strongly recommend these opportunities to see neighborhoods and amenities while making a few bucks.

American English: We are on the same page

Sorry is used to apologize. It is also used as an affirmation. When someone gets something wrong, "Oh, sorry. That's right" means "I was wrong. You are right. Forgive me." Other ways we are saying "right" or agreeing:

• 100 percent!
• Absolutely
• Affirmative
• Alright
• Certainly
• Heck yeah
• Of course
• OK
• Right
• Right on
• Sure
• Totally 
• Uh-huh
• Yeah
• Yep
• Yes
• You bet

International Friends Meeting Notes

Join us! Click here to register.

International Bible Study: Monday, 8-9:00 PM, Zoom

Jacob draws close to where Esau lives in Genesis 32. He sends almost half of his flocks as a gift and divides his family (in case they would be attacked). He prays to God and admits his fear of meeting his brother. In this chapter, he wrestles with God all night and dislocates his hip. God blesses Jacob and renames his Israel.

The reunion between Jacob and Esau is a happy one. Jacob stays behind with his family instead of going ahead with his brother to their home in Genesis 33. Jacob buys property and settles apart from his brother. We talked about why this might happen versus him going to their home. The Torah.com gives a great discussion of the event in light of Jewish customs and history as well as insight into Jacob's character. 

God makes promises to Jacob in Genesis 28:13 including that he would give Jacob the ground he is sleeping on. The story continues to disclose that his promises had absolutely nothing to do with his heritage location. God is faithful in keeping promises (God Affirms His Promises to Jacob). These do not always work out the way people expect and even when their imperfections seem to derail, God is trustworthy.

February 3: We continue with Genesis 34. Things get real.

American English and Culture: Thursday, 9-11:00 AM, Zoom

We listened to each other and then worked on specific instances developing an understanding of phrasing, cadence, grammar, etc. in a variety of specific situations. We brainstormed several specific instances. Class members can review our work in the Zoom Chat (the whiteboards are there). There is a lot of information, so please take advantage of it.

February 6: Bring a list of your personal "professional" words to explore in grammar, context, and pronunciation. Bring your resume and we can look at your specific professional (and personal) history.

American English and Culture: Thursday, 7-8:00 PM, CLC, Carmel, room 102

We never know who will be able to make it. Tonight was "girls night". We burned through four whiteboards. Sorry. We were so caught up in the moment that I only got a picture of the last one. See our Notes and Handouts page. Scroll down.

February 6: Warm up with conversation. We will go from there. Bring a resume as a backup.

American English for Kids: Thursday, 4:30-5:00 PM, private Zoom

Funny animals are the topic of the week. We watched a YouTube of funny animals and then listened to stories about a fictional animal. Our Friend did a great job telling an extemporaneous story! She included humor, repetition, introductions, and conclusions just to mention a few features.

February 7:  We are talking nonsense. Be prepared to sound clever, but really not say anything. Make up words, facts, associations that lead nowhere. Groundhog Day is a good example of nonsense talk. This is always fun and funny. 

Words and Phrases

amenities: desirable features in a place 

backup: something in reserve

break down: break and need repair

big-ticket item: expensive 

broken in or break in: initial period where equipment begins to function efficiently

burned through: use rapidly 

came and went something that occurs or exists and then disappears quickly

caught up in the moment: focused on what was happening to the exclusion of all other distractions

foolproof: guaranteed

funky: odd, unusual

get around town: make short, local trips

gets: understands

go from there: set a course

go out: break

go over: inspect

in: included in

in light of: gain knowledge or information within a particular context

insight into someone's character: provide understanding about how someone behaves and why they 

make it: able to come

movement: cultural or societal trend

RFK: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Not everyone in America gets their initials as their identifier (or name). JFK is RFK's uncle and was the 35th president. Robert Kennedy (senior) was a senator. Both brothers were assonated. 

sorry: an apology (but not really)

think and act they way they do

this means: as an explanation

[things] get real: accept the truth; face reality

turn of the [20th Century]: at the end of one time frame and beginning of another [late eighteen to early nineteen hundreds]

instances: examples or occurrences

pulled: taken out, removed

side hustles: way to earn extra cash

spots: advertising time in a program

take advantage of: use

trustworthy: reliable

well past [well beyond]: very far

work out: happen