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 Lesson
24 - Yesterday Was Amazing!
In this lesson Anna discovers a festival - the
Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall. What
does she learn there about Basque culture? |
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Lesson Video
Watch the video and then do the activities on this page. |
Video Script
Anna: Yesterday was the most amazing day. I want to tell my friend back home
about it. So, I am writing her a letter!
Anna: Dear Penelope,
Life in Washington, D.C. is interesting. I see something new every day -- like
yesterday. Yesterday started like a usual work day.
Anna: I said, "Yesterday started like a usual work day."
Anna's voice: I was at work. And I wanted a break. So, I walked and walked … and
walked. Then, I saw something! It was a festival -- a big festival!
Anna: It is the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
Anna's voice: Yes. It was the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Every year the
festival shows different cultures. This year one of the cultures was the Basque
culture.
There was dancing and food and games!”
Anna: I am dancing a traditional Basque dance.
Anna's voice: At the festival, I danced a traditional Basque dance!
Anna: They are cooking traditional Basque food.
Anna's voice: They cooked a lot of traditional Basque food.
Anna: They are playing a game. It’s a kind of handball. What do they call it?
They call it pilota!
Anna's voice: They played a game with their hands and a small ball. It’s a kind
of handball. But this game is called pilota.
Anna: This is beautiful! This is traditional Basque art.
Anna: They are making a traditional Basque ship. This festival is a lot of fun!
Anna's voice: The whole day was a lot of fun!
Anna: Who said that? I want to write my friends and tell them about my day!
Anna: … So, I wanted to tell you about my day! Please, my friend, come visit
Washington, D.C. soon. There is a lot to do! Until next time … Anna. |
Listening
Now practice listening to only the audio portion of the conversation. |
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Speaking
Learn to pronounce the new words for this lesson. You also learn about the words
people use in English when they cannot remember a word, or they do not know a
word. |
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Pronunciation
Use this video to learn about three ways to pronounce the past tense ending of
regular verbs. |
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New Words |
- was -
v. past tense of the verb "be" in first or
third person (I was; he/she/it was)
- Basque Country -
n. region of Spain
- culture -
n. the beliefs, customs, or arts of a
particular society
- festival -
n. an organized series of performances
- handball -
n. a game for two or four players who use their
hands to hit a ball against a wall
- interesting -
adj. attracting your attention and making you
want to learn more about something or to be involved in something
- said -
v. past tense of the verb "say"
- traditional -
adj. following the tradition of a certain group
or culture
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Past tense verbs |
- start - started
- want - wanted
- walk - walked
- dance - danced
- play - played
- call - called
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 Activity
Tell about a party or festival in your town. Write about
it in the Facebook Comments section below. Then practice
using the past tense with a friend.
Click
lesson activity to get the printable PDF version. The
page opens to a new window. |
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Source:
Voice of America |
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Additional
Conversation Lessons |
 Conversation
English conversation lessons. 30
lessons focusing mostly on communication and
grammar topics....these
lessons are for intermediate students. |
 Conversation
This is a collection of 30 situational conversations
which focus on a wide variety of communicative and
natural encounters in English....these
lessons are for beginning students. |
 Conversation
This is a collection of 36 situational conversations
which focus on spoken American English in a relatively
natural way....these
lessons are for intermediate students. |
 Conversation
This is a collection of 30
situational conversations. Each conversation is
accompanied by language notes....these lessons are for
advanced students. |
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Conversation Information |
Are You How You Talk?
(Beginner - Listening,
reading)
A video lesson to
help with your understanding of American dialects.
The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page. |
Are You How You Talk?
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your understanding of American dialects. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
Improve Your Pronunciation by Training Your
Ears
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your
pronunciation and English language
reductions. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed. Great English pronunciation tips.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
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More Conversation Information |
Disagreements in Everyday Conversation - Part 1
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your understanding of American
conversation. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
Disagreements in Everyday Conversation - Part 2
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your understanding of American
conversation. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
Giving and Receiving Compliments
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your understanding of American
conversation. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
How to Make a Complaint in English
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your understanding of American
conversation. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
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Search Fun Easy English |
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