Sew and Knit, Adverbs, Yellowstone, Open Boat 2

0:03 Welcome to Learning English,

0:06 a daily 30 minute program from The Voice of America.

0:11 I'm Caty Weaver and I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.

0:15 This program is designed for English learners,

0:19 so we speak a little slower and we use words and phrases,

0:24 especially written for people learning English.

0:31 On this program, Andrew Smith answers a listener's

0:36 question about the difference between so and NIT.

0:40 Jill Robins and John Russell tell about ways to intensify or down tone Adverbs.

0:48 Andrew is back to tell us about America's first national Park.

0:53 Then we finish the Open Boat by Stephen Crane on American Stories.

1:00 But first, this week on Ask a Teacher,

1:06 we answer a question from Ruhollah in Afghanistan

1:11 about using the words sew and knit.

1:15 And related terms, dear.

1:19 VOA Learning English.

1:21 I am sending this email to know what the differences

1:25 are between sewing and knitting or so and knit.

1:32 Besides that, I wanted to know what I can

1:35 call a woman or a man that makes clothes.

1:40 Thank you.

1:42 I'm happy to answer this question, Rola.

1:46 An important difference between sewing and knitting is that when we

1:51 So we connect pieces of fabric or cloth that are already made,

1:58 when we knit, we make the cloth itself from strings called yarn.

2:06 Also, the word sewing can describe many

2:10 ways people connect or repair fabric and clothes.

2:16 For example.

2:17 People can so many kinds of clothes such as socks,

2:23 shirts, dresses, hats and gloves.

2:28 People can also sew larger things such as window coverings or tents.

2:36 A person can so using a sewing machine,

2:40 or simply by using their hands with a needle and thread,

2:46 knitting does not generally require use of a machine

2:51 or a needle and thread to knit.

2:54 A person uses thicker strings called yarn

2:59 along with two thin sticks called knitting needles.

3:04 Yarn is usually made of small natural

3:08 pieces called fibers such as wool or cotton.

3:14 While sewing thread is often less than one millimeter thick,

3:19 knitting yarn is generally 2 to 5 millimeters thick.

3:25 Many people who knit make clothing for cold weather,

3:30 such as wool sweaters, hats and scarves.

3:35 They may also knit blankets or other things that can be used in the home.

3:42 More than 50 years ago,

3:45 most Americans who earned money sewing clothes in a factory were women.

3:51 They were called seamstresses.

3:55 Today, we sometimes call any person who sews a soloist,

4:01 or we can simply say a person who sews.

4:07 And a person whose job is to sew or repair

4:12 clothes to make them fit well is called a tailor.

4:17 For our readers and listeners, what are your questions about American English?

4:24 Do you like to knit or sew?

4:27 We want to hear from you.

4:29 Send us an email at.

4:31 Learning English at VOA News.

4:36 And please let us know where you are from too.

4:41 And that's ask a teacher.

4:45 I'm Andrew Smith from VOA Learning English.

4:57 This is every day grammar.

5:00 Imagine you are at a business meeting.

5:04 You have just presented a plan to your business partners.

5:09 They want to give suggestions for how to make your plan better.

5:14 The conversation might sound like this.

5:17 I really like your plan.

5:20 Yes, it's pretty good.

5:23 But it needs a little revising.

5:26 Of course, you did a very good job.

5:30 But you might need to consider a few more points.

5:35 Yes.

5:35 It will probably be more effective if you

5:40 highlight the staffing requirements and expand on the budget.

5:45 Whether you like business or not,

5:48 this conversation gives you important grammar information

5:52 that you can use in just about any situation.

5:57 In particular, the exchange offers examples of some of the most

6:03 important adverbs that you will hear in everyday speech.

6:07 This week we will explore special adverbs

6:11 that increase or decrease the force of a statement.

6:16 These adverbs are sometimes called amplifiers or down toners.

6:23 Adverbs are words that modify or change the meaning of adjectives.

6:31 Verbs and sometimes entire sentences.

6:36 They are often used to show time, a way of doing something or place or degree.

6:45 A measure of something.

6:47 Some kinds of adverbs act as amplifiers.

6:52 The word amplify means to make something stronger.

6:58 So these amplifiers make the meaning of an adjective or sentence stronger.

7:06 In American English, amplifiers have three common uses increasing intensity,

7:14 expressing certainty and showing precision.

7:19 This information comes from Susan Conrad and Douglas Biber,

7:25 two experts on English grammar.

7:28 Words such as Really and vary are among

7:33 the most common that increase the intensity of a statement.

7:39 They usually modify an adjective.

7:43 Take the adjective.

7:44 Good.

7:45 For example, imagine you are trying some food that your friends cooked.

7:52 Perhaps you want to tell them this food is good.

7:57 You could increase the intensity of your statement by using the word very.

8:05 This food is very good.

8:08 You could express certainty by using an amplifier.

8:12 Such as?

8:14 Definitely.

8:14 This is definitely the best food I've ever had.

8:20 Or you could use an amplifier to show precision.

8:25 At exactly 5:13 p.m.

8:28 on February 6th.

8:30 I ate the best food I've ever had in my life.

8:35 Other kinds of adverbs act as down toners.

8:40 Down toners are the opposite of amplifiers.

8:46 They reduce the force of a statement or express doubt.

8:51 In other words, they set the tone of a statement.

8:56 You can remember the term down toner by thinking about what it does.

9:03 Toning down a statement down toners

9:08 have three common functions reducing intensity,

9:13 expressing doubt, or showing imprecision.

9:18 Three common down toners in conversational English are pretty maybe,

9:25 and probably say Conrad and Biber.

9:29 How can you use down toners to change the meaning of the statement?

9:35 Take our earlier example.

9:37 This food is good if you want it to reduce the intensity of your statement.

9:44 You could say this food is pretty good.

9:48 You could show doubt,

9:51 even raise questions by saying this is maybe the best food I've

9:56 ever had or this is probably the best food I've ever had.

10:02 These statements express someone's opinion about the food,

10:05 but they are not as strong as the example sentences that use amplifiers.

10:13 In other words, saying this food is pretty good is

10:17 not as forceful as saying this food is really good.

10:23 So what does this discussion of food have to do

10:28 with the exchange we heard at the beginning of this report?

10:33 Let's think back to the business conversation.

10:37 I really like your plan.

10:40 Yes, it's pretty good, but it needs a little revising.

10:46 Of course, you did a very good job,

10:50 but you might need to consider a few more points.

10:55 Yes, it will Probably be more effective if you

11:00 highlight the staffing requirements and expand on the budget.

11:05 You might notice that one of the speakers uses amplifiers such as Really?

11:13 And very.

11:15 She is using these words to give more force to her statement.

11:21 She is probably more excited about the business plan.

11:27 The second speaker uses down toners the words pretty and probably for example.

11:35 So you might suspect that he is more guarded about the plan.

11:42 Maybe he has doubts that the new plan will be better.

11:47 The amplifiers and down toners they use are also among

11:52 the most common ones that you will hear in American English.

11:58 These words are useful in a number of settings.

12:02 They are polite and acceptable in almost any situation.

12:09 Remember this?

12:10 The amplifiers and sound toners we have discussed

12:14 today are common in conversation and different amplifiers,

12:19 and down toners are more common in writing.

12:23 For example, you are more likely to read words such as indeed,

12:28 certainly, or approximately, than you are to hear them in everyday conversation.

12:36 If you use these amplifiers and down toners in conversation,

12:40 your speech will take on a very official sound.

12:44 While that might be a good idea in a formal presentation or speech,

12:49 it might not be the best choice for an everyday conversation.

12:54 I'm Jill Robbins.

12:56 And I'm John Russell.

13:10 Yellowstone National Park in the western United

13:14 States was the world's first national park, established in 1872.

13:24 It is famous for its geothermal activity and wild animals.

13:31 It includes beautiful mountains, deep canyons, lakes and rivers.

13:38 Yellowstone is still one of the largest national parks in the U.S.

13:46 It takes up almost 9000 square kilometers.

13:51 Most of the park lies within the western state of Wyoming.

13:58 The park is unusual because of what lies underneath it.

14:04 It sits on top of an ancient supervolcano known as the Yellowstone Caldera.

14:13 The caldera remains an active volcano.

14:18 A lake of hot liquid rock is about six kilometers under the park.

14:24 Expert say this lake is under huge amounts of pressure.

14:30 The pressure and heat cause geysers to shoot hot

14:35 water out of the ground and mud to boil.

14:39 At Yellowstone, the park is home to more than 300 geysers.

14:46 There are more geysers and hot springs

14:50 in Yellowstone than any other place on earth.

14:55 Old Faithful is the name of the park's most

14:59 famous geyser because it erupts about every 90 minutes.

15:06 Yellowstone is home to the largest group

15:09 of wild animals in the lower 48 United States.

15:15 These include bison, grizzly bear, elk,

15:20 deer, moose, fox, beaver, coyote and wolves.

15:29 In 2024, park officials estimated the bison population to be about 4500 animals.

15:39 That makes it the largest group of wild bison in the world.

15:46 There is still a wild West in America, and its name is Yellowstone.

15:54 I'm Andrew Smith.

16:09 We continue the story of the Open Boat by Steven Crane.

16:15 As we told you last week.

16:17 The story is based on true events in 1896.

16:23 Crane was traveling to Cuba as a newspaper reporter.

16:28 On his way there, his ship sank in the Atlantic Ocean.

16:34 Crane climbed into the last remaining small lifeboat.

16:39 Three men got into the boat with him.

16:43 They were the ship's captain, the cook and a sailor named Billy.

16:49 For three days, the men steered the tiny

16:53 boat through high waves off the coast of Florida.

16:57 At last, they saw land.

17:01 Here is Shep O'Neal with the final part of the story.

17:06 A long stretch of coast lay before the eyes of the man.

17:12 Slowly, the land rose up out of the mountainous sea.

17:18 The man could see a small house against the sky.

17:23 To the south, they could see a lighthouse tide.

17:28 Wind and waves were pushing the lifeboat northward.

17:34 The man thought someone on land would have seen the boat by now.

17:41 Well, said the captain.

17:44 I suppose we'll have to attempt to reach the shore ourselves.

17:48 If we stay out here too long.

17:51 None of us will have the strength left to swim after the boat sings.

17:57 So Billy the Sailor turned the boat straight for the shore.

18:03 If we don't all get ashore, said the captain,

18:08 I suppose you fellows know where to send news of my death.

18:15 The men then exchanged some information.

18:19 There was a great deal of anger in them.

18:23 They thought, if I'm going to be drowned,

18:27 why in the name of the seven man gods who rule the sea.

18:30 Was I permitted to come this far and think about sand and trees?

18:38 The waves grew stronger.

18:43 They seemed always just about to break and roll over the little boat.

18:49 The coast was still far away.

18:53 The sailor said, Boys,

18:56 the boat won't live 3 minutes more and we are too far out to swim.

19:02 Shall I take you to see you again, Captain?

19:05 Yes, go ahead, said the captain.

19:09 The sailor turned the boat and took her safely out to sea again.

19:15 It's funny.

19:16 Those life saving people haven't seen us.

19:19 One of the men said.

19:20 Maybe they think we're out here for sport.

19:24 Maybe they think we're fishing.

19:27 Maybe they think we're fools.

19:29 Once more, the sailor rowed the boat and then the reporter Road.

19:34 Suddenly they saw a man walking along the shore.

19:38 The man stopped walking.

19:41 He moved his hand in the air to wave at them.

19:44 He saw them.

19:45 Now he was running to the house.

19:49 The captain tied a cloth to a stick and waved it.

19:54 Now there was another man on the shore.

19:58 The two men waved their hands in the air as if

20:02 they were saying hello to the men in the boat.

20:06 Now, what was that?

20:08 Moving on the shore.

20:10 It was a boss, a hotel boss.

20:14 A man stood on the steps of the bus and waved his coat over his head.

20:20 The man in the boat wondered what he wanted to say.

20:24 Was he attempting to tell them something?

20:27 Should they wait for help?

20:29 Should they go north?

20:30 Should they go south?

20:33 The man waited and waited.

20:38 But nothing happened.

20:41 The sun began to go down.

20:44 It got dark and cold.

20:49 They could no longer see anyone on the beach.

20:57 The.

20:59 The sailor rode out, and then the reporter rode.

21:09 And then the sailor rode again.

21:12 They rode and rode through the long night.

21:17 The land had disappeared,

21:20 but they could hear the low sound of the waves hitting the shore.

21:25 This was surely a quiet night.

21:30 The cook finally spoke.

21:34 Billy, what kind of pie do you like best?

21:39 Pie, said the sailor and the reporter angrily.

21:43 Don't talk about those things.

21:45 Well, said the cook.

21:47 I was just thinking about ham sandwiches and a night on the sea.

21:55 In an open boat is a long night.

22:00 The sailor continued to roll until

22:03 his head fell forward and sleep overpowered him.

22:09 Then he asked the reporter to roll for a while.

22:13 They exchanged places so the sailor could sleep in the bottom

22:19 of the boat with the cook and the captain.

22:23 The reporter thought that he was the one

22:25 man afloat on all the oceans in the world.

22:31 The wind had a sad voice as it came over the waves.

22:38 Suddenly there was a long, loud,

22:41 swishing sound behind the boat and a shining trail of silvery blue.

22:49 It might have been made by a huge knife.

22:54 Then there was another swish and another long flash of bluish light,

23:00 this time alongside the boat.

23:04 The reporter saw a huge fin speed,

23:07 like a shadow through the water, leaving a long, glowing trail.

23:13 The thing kept swimming near the boat.

23:16 He noted its speed and power.

23:20 The reporter wished the man would wake up.

23:23 He did not want to be alone with the shark.

23:27 The reporter thought as he rode.

23:30 He was angry that they had come so close to land and yet might still die at sea.

23:37 Then he remembered a poem that he had learned as a child.

23:42 It was a poem about a soldier of the French Foreign Legion.

23:48 The soldier lay dying in Algiers.

23:52 Just before he died, he cried out.

23:56 I shall never see my own.

23:58 My native land.

24:01 And now, many years after he had learned this poem.

24:07 The reporter for the first time understood the sadness of the dying soldier.

24:15 Hours passed.

24:18 The reporter asked the sailor to take the orders so that he could rest.

24:23 It seemed like only a brief period, but it was more than an hour later.

24:29 When the sailor returned the words to the reporter.

24:34 They both knew that only they could keep the boat from sinking.

24:38 And so they rode hour after hour through the night.

24:59 When they came, the four men saw land again.

25:07 But there were no people on the shore.

25:11 A conference was held on the boat.

25:14 Well, said the captain.

25:17 If no help is coming, we might better try to reach the shore right away.

25:23 If we stay out here much longer,

25:25 we will be too weak to do anything for ourselves at all.

25:31 The others agreed.

25:33 They began to turn the boat toward the beach.

25:36 The captain told them to be careful that when the boat came near the beach,

25:42 the waves would sink it.

25:45 Then everyone should jump out of the boat and swim to the shore.

25:51 As the boat came closer to land, the waves got bigger and more violent.

25:59 At last, a large wave climbed into the air

26:03 and fell on the small boat with great force.

26:08 The boat turned over as the men jumped into the sea.

26:12 The water was like ice.

26:14 The reporter was tired, but he swam toward the beach.

26:18 He looked for his friends.

26:21 He saw Billy the Sailor in front of him, swimming strongly and quickly.

26:27 The cook was near him.

26:29 Behind the captain held on to the overturned boat with his one good hand.

26:35 Soon, the reporter could swim no longer.

26:38 A current was carrying him back out to sea.

26:42 He thought, Am I going to drown?

26:44 Can it be possible?

26:47 But the current suddenly changed and he was able to swim toward the shore.

26:53 The captain called to him to swim to the boat and hold on.

26:57 The reporter started to swim toward the boat.

27:00 Then he saw a man running along the shore.

27:04 He was quickly taking off his shoes and clothes

27:09 as the reporter got close to the boat.

27:12 A large wave hit him and threw him into the air over the boat and far from it.

27:19 When he tried to get up,

27:20 he found that the water was not over his head, only halfway up his body.

27:26 But he was so tired that he could not stand up.

27:32 Each wave threw him down and the current kept pulling him back to sea.

27:39 Then he saw the man again jumping into the water.

27:43 The man pulled the cook to the shore.

27:47 Then he ran back into the water for the captain.

27:51 But the captain waved him away and sent him to the reporter.

27:57 The man seized the reporter's hand and pulled him to the beach.

28:03 Then the man pointed to the water and cried.

28:07 What's that?

28:09 In the shallow water?

28:12 Face down.

28:14 Lay Billy the Sailor.

28:33 The reporter did not know all that happened after that.

28:37 He fell on the sand as if dropped from a housetop.

28:41 It seems that immediately the beach was filled with men with blankets,

28:48 clothes and whiskey.

28:51 Women brought hot coffee.

28:53 The people welcomed the men from the sea to the land.

28:59 But still and dripping shape was carried.

29:06 Slowly up the beach and the lands.

29:10 Welcome for the sailors body could only be its final resting place.

29:18 When night came, the light waves moved in the moonlight.

29:27 The wind brought the sound of the Great Sea's voice to the men on the shore.

29:43 And that's our show for today.

29:46 But join us again tomorrow to keep learning English on the Voice of America.

29:53 I'm Caty Weaver.

29:55 And I'm Mario Ritter, Junior.