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 Lesson
50 - Back to School
In this lesson Anna has been wanting to go back to
school for a long time. In this lesson, we go to class
with her at Georgetown University, where she is getting
ready to give a report in her class. Did she understand
the directions? |
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Lesson Video
Watch the video and then do the activities on this page. |
Video Script
Anna: Hello, and welcome to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.! I am
going back to school! Georgetown is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in
the United States. The Jesuits are a religious order known worldwide for their
many colleges and universities. Students have been studying here since 1792!
Sarah: Hey, are you finished with your report?
Taylor: Almost. I have been writing and re-writing since last night! The subject
is really interesting to me.
Sarah: Me too! I have been studying this topic* for a long time.
Anna: Am I late?
Sarah: You’re a little late. But don’t worry. The professor isn’t here yet.
Anna: How long has the class been waiting?
Taylor: We’ve only been waiting for about 10 minutes.
Anna: Oh good. Oh, no! I forgot my pencil sharpener. Excuse me, do you have a
pencil sharpener I can borrow?
Taylor: No, sorry.
Anna: Oh wait. I found my extra one! Whew, that was close.
Anna: So, how long have you been studying at Georgetown?
Andrew: I’ve been studying here since 2015.
Anna: Awesome. You know, I've been wanting to go back to school for a long time.
So, here I am!
Andrew: Well, you picked a great school. I’ve been really happy here.
Anna: Awesome. See, I’ve been working for several years now. So, going back to
school makes me a little nervous.
Randall: Don’t be nervous. Just pay attention and do your best!
Anna: That is great advice. You know, I have been paying attention. But
sometimes I still feel like I don’t understand. Like last week …
Anna: What’s that?
Jada: This is my draft.
Anna: What draft?
Jada: The professor told us to bring our drafts.
Anna: I think she said “giraffe.”
Jada: No. She didn’t.
Anna: Here comes the professor.
Dr. Jones: Hello class! Sorry I'm late, but the snow storm made getting here
really difficult. I see you’ve been waiting very patiently. So, let’s get
started! Who wants to give their talk first?
Anna: Oh! Oh! Please, please pick me.
Dr. Jones: Anna?
Anna: Who me? Sure. Thanks.
Anna: Here is my report on “Violins in the City.”
Anna: People have been looking for a solution to the problem of violins in the
city. I say stop! Stop! They are not the problem! In fact, violins are part of
the solution!
Anna: Violins create beautiful music that can fill a city with hope.
Dr. Jones: Anna …
Anna: If we put a violin in the hands of every child …
Dr. Jones: Anna! The topic is “Violence in the city.” Violence. Not violins.
Anna: Until next time …Like I was saying, many people are saying that violence
in the city is a problem. A very big problem.
* topic = subject
Thanks to Georgetown University for allowing us to film on their historic
campus. And a special thanks to the Georgetown students and staff who appeared
in this episode: Andrew Debraggio, Sarah Mucha, Taylor Soergel, Jada Bullen, and
Randall-Grace Johnson. |
Listening
Now practice listening to only the audio portion of the conversation. |
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Speaking
In this video, learn how to say the new words. Then learn about the present
perfect continuous verb tense. |
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Pronunciation
This video teaches about how the word "for" is pronounced quickly in sentences
using the present perfect continuous and a time phrase. |
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New Words |
- Catholic -
adj. of or relating to the Roman Catholic
Church
- class -
n. a group of students who meet regularly to be
taught a subject or activity
- draft -
n. a version of something (such as a report)
that you make before you make the final version
- confused -
adj. unable to understand or think clearly
- giraffe -
n. a very tall African animal that has an
extremely long neck and legs
- Jesuit -
n. a man who is a member of a religious group
called the Roman Catholic Society of Jesus
- order -
n. a religious organization whose members
usually live together and promise to follow special rules and traditions
- patient -
adj. able to remain calm and not become annoyed
when waiting for a long time
- pay attention -
phrase to listen to, watch, or consider
something or someone very carefully
- pencil -
n. an instrument used for writing and drawing
that has a hard outer part and a black or colored center part
- professor -
n. a teacher especially of the highest rank at
a college or university
- religious -
adj. believing
in a god or a group of gods and following the rules of a religion
- report -
n. a written or
spoken description of a situation or event
- sharpener -
n. a tool or
machine that makes something sharp
- since -
prep. in the time
after (a specified time or event in the past) orfrom (a point in the past)
until the present time
- solution -
n. something
that is used or done to deal with and end a problem
- study -
v. to learn about
something by reading, memorizing facts or attending school
- understand -
v. to know
the meaning of something
- violence -
n. the use of
physical force to harm someone or to damage property
- violin -
n. a musical
instrument that has four strings and that you play with a bow
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 Activity
In this lesson, Anna goes back to school. Did you ever
take a special training course or classes? What did you
learn? If you have not gone back to study, do you want
to study something? Write about it in the Facebook
Comments section below. Then practice using the present
perfect continuous tense and monitoring what you hear.
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 |
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English conversation lessons. 30
lessons focusing mostly on communication and
grammar topics....these
lessons are for intermediate students. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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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