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Hello, Friends.
Stuff and nonsense.
Fun, Field Trips, Frights:
American English and Culture
It is a little early to be planning for Halloween, or is it. This holiday is a favorite. Basically, it is one big costume party for kids. They go door to door asking for treats. This holiday was brought to the United States by the Scottish and Irish immigrants. Nowadays it is a secular holiday having no meaning although it has roots in the pagan belief in Celtic past that this particular day the dead can return in spirit or otherwise.
Here is the Carmel press release (which is similar to those in any town).
CARMEL, Ind., Oct. 15, 2025 - The City of Carmel's official hours of trick-or-treating will be Friday, Oct. 31 from 5 to 8 p.m. Homes welcoming trick-or-treaters should turn on their porch lights. If you do not wish to participate, or run out of treats, please turn off your porch lights.
While there are many neighborhoods and other organizations that hold their own Halloween events and celebrations, we encourage those who want to trick-or-treat door-to-door to use the City's official hours to do so.
The City would also like to remind its residents of a few guidelines and proper safety procedures to follow for a safer celebration. While preparing for Halloween festivities, there are several important safety tips to keep in mind.
Motorists should drive with extra caution and keep an eye out for “little goblins” roaming the neighborhood.
Adults should always accompany their children and use a flashlight at night, staying within their own neighborhood and known homes. The use of glow sticks or reflective tape on costumes can also help with visibility.
Watch for traffic before crossing any street.
Avoid costumes that are long, which could cause tripping or costumes that have hard plastic or wood props like swords that could be a hazard.
Face paint is often a safer alternative to masks that may obstruct vision.
It is also important to inspect candy before allowing children to have it; dispose of any candy that is unwrapped.
Learning Skills
Cadence or the rhythm of American English came up in our class this week. Listening songs on the radio is a great way to get an ear for the song of English. Compare the singing to the DJ's speaking patterns. Can you hear the song?
International Friends Meeting Notes
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International Bible Study: Monday, 8-9:00 PM, Zoom
We started reading Exodus 20 which is the 10 Commandments. God dictated these commandments or to Moses to help the people know how to live a good life. The first three commandments tell about our relationship with God and what He wants for and from us. We had great discussions about the meaning of the commandments and could understand how our relationship and view of God could impact the future generations by our attitudes and teaching.
These commandments can take center stage in American culture in battles of their display in public buildings.
October 20: We will continue our discussion of the commandments with the fifth commandment.
American English and Culture: Thursday, 9-11:00 AM, Zoom
As we continue to tell our stories, we explored the verbs come and go in various tenses. Sometimes it is difficult to know which of these verbs to use. The secret is to ask:
- Where is the speaker?
- Where is the listener?
- Where is anyone else in the conversation?
Also consider if the movement in the story is toward the speaker or listener or away from the speaker or listener. Notice that English has MANY phrasal verbs and phrases with come and go.
October 23: Continue the momentum we generated this week.
- Narrate the story of your activities this week. Write at least seven sentences about where you come and go each day. HINT: Because you are reflecting on the past, use came and went (the irregular past tense form for you Grammar Geeks) in most sentences. This exercise helps you review a, an, the (articles in Grammar speak). Underline "come and go" in your story.
- Bring at least one question about the homework (or anything on your mind).
- Start keeping a list of phrasal verbs with come and go. Can you find some in the example?
EXAMPLE: On Monday, I went to the gym in the morning and came home for lunch. Then I went to the grocery store, and I came home to make dinner. After my husband came home from work, we ate dinner and watched a movie. Then we went to bed early. On Tuesday, I went to a doctor’s appointment and stopped by the library before I came home. On Wednesday, my sister and I went to lunch. Our niece came with us. On Thursday, my son came home from college to stay for the weekend. On Friday, our family went to a Pacers game and came home late. On the way home we talked about our vacation last year when we went on a cruise. On Saturday we didn’t go anywhere, but our neighbors came over for a cookout. On Sunday, our son went back to college, and my husband and I went out for brunch. When we came home, we both took a nap. It was a busy week!
American English and Culture: Thursday, 7-8:30 PM, CLC, Carmel, room 100
We had a great time talking about many things. Check out our white boards to see our conversation. Several things to take note of:
- Adults are efficient learners. They do learn differently from kids because of their life experiences. Learning American English is not anything different than learning to order from Starbucks or McDonalds. You need to know what you need and then you quickly learn the words and structure to get the job done.
- When you compare the structure of American English and your home language, notice that there are many of the same elements. Many of the words are similar, also. American English is one of those languages that uses other languages' words (with a different accent and Americanized spelling).
- The cadence or song or rhythm of a language makes a big difference in how hard it is to pronounce words. It also makes a difference in how we understand them.
October 23: Everyone in class this week got a list of the 1000 most frequently used words in English. Read through the list and notice how many words you already know. Bring questions and bring your list to spin some conversations about these words. There is another list that I really like: 1000+ Most Common Words.
Pick a podcast and listen in English. Be sure to pick a topic that is interesting to you.
American English for Kids: Thursday, 6:00-6:30 PM, private Zoom
My deepest apologies. I had technical difficulties and was not able to connect to Zoom this Friday. Please check your Email for more information. While I was able to connect later (using the same equipment), I am still sending out a new Zoom link to use from now on.
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