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Hello Friends.
Love is in the air! In the United States we celebrate Valentines' Day with family and friends as well as our significant others. In schools, kids valentines (cards with hearts and favorite characters. Couples may go out to a romantic dinner and see a show or a movie. Some people decide to stay in and cozy up with a movie and popcorn. Romantic gifts include flowers (red roses), chocolate, jewelry. Stuffed animals and candies are popular to give children and for young couple to give to each other. Girls often create a special card and small gifts while the boys will give their girls a teddy bear or other special stuffed animal. Love is in the air, even if Spring is still holding off.
Listen to "Sorry. What Did You Say?" to learn about Valentine's Day here in the United States as well as Japan and Italy. Pick up some preposition tips as well as cultural tips.
February 13 is Galentine's Day. Girls, spend the day with your friends doing special girly things.
Building Vocabulary by Bits and Pieces
English words are often made up of a root word or the most basic word. Prefixes and suffixes can be added to the root word to create a new word that is further explained by the additions.
Take the root word of "comfort". Add the prefix of "un" that means not and "able" that means doing or being. Comfort becomes uncomfortable. Many English words come from Latin and Greek. Some root words can stand alone, and others are "stem" words that need to have prefixes or suffixes to become a complete word.
300 Commonly Used Greek & Latin Root Words, Prefixes, & Suffixes
Being familiar with the following short lists of prefixes and suffixes can help you speed understanding when listening and reading.
Build your vocabulary and comprehension: explore resources that teach word roots, prefixes, suffixes, and families. Knowing Greek and Latin derivatives can help you figure out the meaning of a word from its parts. Many books and study guides are available:
- Word Clues: The Vocabulary Builder by Amsel Greene
- Speechcraft: Discourse Pronunciation for Advanced Learners by Laura D. Hahn and Wayne B. Dickerson
- English Words from Latin and Greek elements by Donald M. Ayers
The Olympics
We are well into the Olympics. The world is watching as elite athletes compete in winter sports in Italy. Closing ceremonies are February 22.
Curling is the newcomer to the Olympics that has everyone watching and intrigued. Learn more about this sport here: Curling 101
International Friends Meeting Notes
International Bible Study: Monday, 8-9:00 PM, Zoom
We did not get past Exodus 34. God identifies Himself and His attributes. God is
6 compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.
Moses asks that God forgive them for their unfaithfulness and continue to travel with the Israelites. God promises to lavishly bless them (continue to look at them with favor). God then tells them:
14 Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
Jealous is not a word that carries positive connotations in our current society. Definitions include words such as hostile, intolerant, suspicion of infidelity (and is this not what the Israelites have done?), upset that someone you love is interested in another. In addition, when we dig deeper into this lexicon, we find that that particular word includes vigilant in guarding a possession. We discover that the Creator God loves with great passion and emotion. The Creator God is passionate about protecting and preserving His beloved people.
The response of the Israelites follows. They follow God's plans as previously described to create the means that facilitates a good relationship. Amazing love. Amazing fidelity.
American English Language and Culture: Thursday, 9:00AM- 11:00 AM, Zoom
We continue to discuss encoding and decoding messages in various contexts of daily living and within words themselves. Casual conversation or “chit chat” is an important part of communication to show hospitality and to set a friendly tone. In any conversation, it is natural to anticipate the message and prepare to respond appropriately. However, it is easy to predict the outcome and miss the true content. This is when you sudden Try to focus on listening first. Then pause, think, and use a filler (Um, Hmm, Well, Actually) to transition to your reply. Cultural, linguistic, personality, or generational differences require nuance and patience. Introduce yourself, be open, ask questions, and be willing to negotiate meaning in personal and professional settings.
Join us to practice and role play practical conversations, such as networking and interviewing for a job, making phone calls, dealing with difficult people, and communicating and promoting your interests. We love to celebrate your success!
February 19: Because reading builds vocabulary in any language, we invite you to submit reading samples to Carolyn for our group instruction. We still have the following on the table:
Enjoy the journey!
American English for Kids: Thursday, 6:00-6:30 PM, private Zoom
We spent our time drilling on prepositions in both English and in our home language.
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