English has borrowed a lot of words from different languages, and sometimes from languages you might not expect!

What languages do you think the following come from?

1. ALCATRAZ (The island prison off the coast of San Francisco)
2. SOIREE (A very elegant evening party)
3. SIESTA ( a short afternoon sleep or nap)
4. KINDERGARTEN (The first year of school for very small children)
5. ALCOHOL (Vodka, wine, whiskey, sake etcetera)
6. UMBRELLA (It’s what you hold above your head when it’s raining.)
7. GESUNDHEIT (Many Americans use this instead of “Bless you!” when someone sneezes.)
8. HIBACHI (A small, portable grill for barbequing)
9. RENDEZVOUS (A romantic meeting)
10. O.K. or OKAY (I think everyone knows what this means, but I bet you can’t guess where it probably comes from! – It was a surprise to me!)

Most of you have found yourselves studying the Passive at one time or another in your CISL classes. Like many other concepts, how you construct it is not as confusing as why or when you should use it. We’re going to mention this month just one common use of the passive, and we’ll add a delicious example of it for you!

Forming the passive is easy – TO BE (present, future, any tense you like) + the PAST PARTICIPLE (speak/spoke/spoken; write/wrote/written, etc.) So we get sentences like “That book was written by Barbara Kingsolver;” and “The water should be boiled before you drink it.” That last sentence gives you an example of that common use of the passive we mentioned: we use it to GIVE INSTRUCTIONS. And what better place to find instructions than in a cookbook! For those of you who enjoy spicy hot Szechwan Chinese dishes, this will be a real bonus, but don’t forget the passive examples throughout!

SZECHWAN ORANGE BEEF

Ingredients:

• 1 pound (1/2 kilo) sliced beef
• 2 chopped green onions (scallions)
• 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• The peel (skin) of ½ fresh orange, chopped
• Dried red chili peppers, chopped into small pieces
• minced garlic and minced ginger
• corn starch mixed with water

First, the beef is sliced into bite-sized pieces. Then it is mixed with the ginger, garlic and soy sauce and covered and left for about 25 minutes. While the meat mixture is being marinated, the green onions and the chili peppers can be chopped and the ½ orange peel needs to be cut up into small pieces.

After the 25 minutes, the beef slices are removed from the marinade and drained (THE MARINADE MUST BE SAVED. IT WILL BE ADDED TO THE SAUCE!)

The beef slices must be cooked in the oil over very high heat; when they are browned, then the green onions, chili peppers and orange peel are added. After about 3 minutes, the soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil should be added to the meat and everything should be stirred and fried rapidly for another minute, then the marinade must be added and stirred in. When the mixture is heated, the toasted sesame seeds are quickly added and the meal is finished and should be served immediately! This is one of my favorite recipes and it should be eaten with plain white rice. Be careful – it is very spicy!

GRAMMAR: In each of the following sentences, there is ONE error. Find it and fix it!

1. The streets are icy, so walk slowly and no fall down!

2. Turn left at the next corner and you don’t forget to signal!

3. The wind is blowing, it snows, and the sky looks very gray.

4. I’m usually shopping after school, but today I’m going swimming.

5. Marcia arrives usually early, but today she’s late.

6. Water is boiling at 212 º Fahrenheit.

7. Those flowers are smelling very sweet!

8. It’s raining so hard that I’m happy I haven’t to go out this afternoon.

ANSWERS:

1. The streets are icy, so walk slowly and don’t fall down!
2. Turn left at the next corner and you don’t forget to signal!
3. The wind is blowing, it’s snowing, and the sky looks very gray.
4. I usually shop after school, but today I’m going swimming.
5. Marcia usually arrives early, but today she’s late.
6. Water boils at 212 º Fahrenheit.
7. Those flowers smell very sweet!
8. It’s raining so hard that I’m happy I don’t have to go out this afternoon.

Here are 3 different ways of making suggestions or invitations. The grammar is a little different in each one, so watch the verb!

Why don’t we go to that new Italian restaurant for lunch today?
Let’s go to that new Italian restaurant for lunch today.
How about going to that new Italian restaurant for lunch today?

Note: With WHY DON’T…you must use a person (we, you…) + simple verb
With LET’S, all you need is the simple verb.
With HOW ABOUT, use the ING form of the verb.

Easy, right? Now for a little practice! Change these statements into suggestions with the expression in parentheses.

1. I want to see that new movie with Leonardo DiCaprio (How about)
2. We should drive up the coast to San Francisco. (Let’s)
3. I want to order to pizza tonight. (How about)
4. You and I should take a trip to Las Vegas this summer. (Why don’t)
5. You should get a new car. (Why don’t)
6. We should learn how to ice skate. (Let’s)

ANSWERS:

1. How about seeing that new movie with…?
2. Let’s drive up the coast…
3. How about ordering a pizza…?
4. Why don’t you and I take a trip…? (Or: Why don’t we take…?)
5. Why don’t you get…?
6. Let’s learn how…

One of the most interesting ways to learn vocabulary is by DOMAIN- a group of different words that are associated with the same concept. The words last month were all in the WALK domain. This month, we have a few examples of the big SPEAK domain. See how many of these verbs you already know:

1. YELL: To speak or shout very loudly because you are angry or you are trying to speak to someone at a distance. His father yelled at him because he broke the window.
2. WHISPER: Speak very softly because you don’t want other people to hear you. “Close the door quietly,” Mark whispered, “so we don’t wake the baby.”
3. WHINE: This is the high-pitched, sing-song and very annoying way that children talk when they are complaining about something. Sometimes adults do it too, and then it’s even more annoying. “Why do I always have to watch my baby brother?” the little girl whined.
4. SOB: Talk and cry at the same time. After the car accident, Julia sobbed out her story to the police officer.
5. SCREAM: To shout, but in a very high voice, usually because you are very frightened. When I saw the mouse run across the room, I screamed for help.
6. BABBLE: To talk nonsense. Small children babble before they learn to speak properly. Sometimes adults babble if they are confused or very excited. I know you’re upset, but you need to stop babbling, calm down, and tell me exactly what happened!
7. GRUMBLE: Complain, usually in a low voice. Some people grumble about the weather here in June – it’s usually very cloudy.
8. YAK: To talk a lot, too much, and about things that are of little importance. My children spend hours yakking on the telephone.

Using verbs like this instead of the usual say/tell/speak/talk will give your speaking and your writing more impact and more life!

A. WHICH VERB FITS BEST? Remember, the meaning of the sentence is very important! (Answers at end of page)

1.When I saw the child begin to run out into the street, I __________, “Stop!”
2. Sometimes it’s nice to just sit around the coffee shop and ___________ with your friends.
3. When Michael won the lottery last month, he phoned me, but he was ___________like a crazy person, and it took me a few minutes to understand what he was saying.
4. I know you’re really angry, but please don’t ___________at me like that!
5. “The movie has already started,” I ____________to my friend as we walked down the aisle looking for our seats.
6. The children were hungry and tired and all during the long drive, they ___________, “When are we going to get home!”
7. “My new puppy is lost,” Mary __________to her mother.
8. It doesn’t make much sense to _____________about the cold weather – there’s nothing we can do about it!

ANSWERS: DOMAINS: 1.yelled OR screamed; 2. yak; 3. babbling; 4. yell OR scream
5. whispered ; 6. whined OR were whining; 7. sobbed; 8. grumble OR whine – depends on the tone of voice!

This month we have five pairs of idiomatic expressions – and, to make it interesting, they are pairs of opposites:

1. MORNING, NOON AND NIGHT = Very often, frequently. My sister complains that her husband talks about sports morning, noon and night.
2. ONCE IN A BLUE MOON = Almost never, very rarely. During most of the year in Southern California, it only rains once in a blue moon.

3. TO RUN OFF AT THE MOUTH = Talk too much. You’ll be sorry if you ask Rene about politics – she really runs off at the mouth on that subject!
4. TO CLAM UP = To refuse to talk at all. When the police asked him if he had stolen the car, he just clammed up and stared at the table. (Note: I suggest you look up “clam” in your dictionary – it’s a kind of marine animal and you’ll understand why it is used in this expression!)

5. TO BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL: To stay awake all night working or studying. He’s got an important report due tomorrow, so I guess he’ll be burning the midnight oil tonight.
6. TO HIT THE HAY = TO GO TO BED: To go to bed. I’m too tired to go to the movies; I think I’ll just hit the hay instead. (Note: Think about the use of oil and hay in these expressions. Do you think they originated a long or a short time ago?)

GRAMMAR: What do apostrophes (‘) do?

Apostrophes have two main jobs in English:

• They help nouns show possession or ownership, for example John’s car or my sister’s home. Apostrophes have been doing this job for more than 300 years and they do it very nicely and don’t usually cause anybody any trouble.
• They indicate that there is a letter or letters  missing in the word, that it is a contraction. Apostrophes have been doing this job for a lot less time; things sometimes get a little tricky and people start making mistakes, especially in writing English.

YOUR and YOU’RE: The first of these is the one that shows possession –YOUR car, YOUR brother.  The second is the contraction of YOU ARE  – missing letter A.  jealous of your brother, aren’t you?

THEIR AND THEY’RE: Again, THEIR is possessive:  THEIR house is in Coronado. The second – letter A missing again! – is THEY ARE.  They’re happy in their house in Coronado.

ITS AND IT’S: This is a really nasty one! Considering phrases like “my sister’s house,” you would expect IT’S to show possession, but – ha ha! -it doesn’t!  It always means IT IS. For example: I bought a new car and it’s parked across the street. The one that shows possession is always ITS. I love my new car but I need to have its brakes checked.

WHO’S / WHOSE:

WHO’S = WHO IS: I don’t know who’s hanging out in Coronado today.

WHOSE is a possessive – I don’t know  whose car that is across the street.

HAS AND IS = ‘S too! John’s in class right now.  The Coronado Ferry’s taking off! Both of these = IS.  She’s gone to the Brigantine SeafoodRestaurant.  He’s already spoken to me.  Both of these indicate HAS.  You can tell the difference very easily.  If the apostrophe indicates HAS, a past participle will follow (i.e. gone, spoken etc.)

Fill in the blanks:
Answers at end of lesson!

1. I know __________house is the nicest on the block because __________always fixing it up!  (YOU’RE/YOUR)
2. _________always funny to watch a dog chase ___________tail. (IT’S/ITS)
3. _________ the man ___________car is parked in front of the Hotel Del? (WHOSE/WHO’S)
4. He’s taken a taxi every day this week means ____________(HE IS/HE HAS)
5. The limo’s waiting means _______________(THE LIMO IS/THE LIMO HAS)
6. _____________ angry because __________fish tacos were taking too long. (THEIR/THEY’RE)

ANSWERS:

1. YOUR/YOU’RE; 2. IT’S/ ITS; 3. WHO’S/WHOSE; 4. HE HAS;

5. THE LIMO IS; 6. THEY’RE/THEIR

1.  VOCABULARY: FOOD FOR THOUGHT

“Food for thought” is an expression that means something is very interesting.  There are a lot of expressions using food words.  Here are a few:

• like two peas in a pod = almost identical, the same
• not  worth a hill of beans = worthless, no value
• use your noodle = think carefully
• to have a beef with someone = to have problems, an argument
• big cheese = big boss, important person
• to be small potatoes = to be of little importance
• to stew about = to worry about
• to be in a pickle = to be in trouble
• gravy train = easy way to make money
• to butter up = to flatter someone because you want something from them

Now see which of the above expressions is the best substitute in these sentences.  Watch your verbs!

1. John and Annie are having a lot of financial problems lately.  They’re really worrying about money!
2. I heard he quit because he had a big argument with the boss. Isn’t that interesting?
3. I made a big mistake when I bought that computer at a garage sale – it’s worthless!
4. He got into the stock market for all the wrong reasons – he thought it would be an easy way to make money!
5. You should think carefully before you make this decision!
6. They aren’t twins, but those two sisters really  look alike.
7. I don’t like people flattering me when it’s so insincere.
8. She’s in trouble with her teacher because she was cheating on the test.
9. Don’t worry about what he thinks – he’s not a very important person in the company.
10. I think he has trouble making friends because he considers himself the most important person of the group!

(Answers at the end of lesson)

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2.  GRAMMAR:  Asking “Adjective Questions”

What if  you want to know the height of Mt. Everest?  Or if a new movie is good or just average?  Or someone’s age?  Making a question with adjectives like high, good, old, etc. is really easy – we just use HOW+ADJECTIVE:

How high is Mt. Everest?

How good is “Revenge of the Sith?”

How old is Paul?

How far is it to New York?

This works with any adjective you can think of – How cold, how funny, how angry, how interesting, etc. See if you can turn these sentences into questions using this idea – but be sure you don’t forget the correct question form!

Example:  She drives 20 miles to work every day = How far (or How many miles) does she drive every day?

1.  That book was very interesting.    ________________________________________

2.  Some dinosaurs could run 35 miles per hour!  _______________________________

3.  I feel really thirsty right now! _____________________________________________

4.  This brochure wasn’t very informative. _____________________________________

5.  It’s raining really hard today! _____________________________________________

6. Chimpanzees are almost as smart as humans.________________________________

(Answers at the end of the lesson)

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WHAT’S NEW IN SAN DIEGO:

Teachers’ movie and video/dvd recommendations: MILLION DOLLAR BABY (Clint Eastwood), SUPERSIZE ME (Michael Moore – on video, about overeating in America), and, if you like really scary movies, THE GRUDGE, on video and dvd, an English re-make of the Japanese movie Ju-on by Takeshi Shimizu.

ANSWERS:

Vocabulary:  1. stewing about; 2. had a beef , food for thought; 3. not worth a hill of beans; 4.  a gravy train; 5. use your noodle; 6. are like two peas in a pod; 6. buttering me up; 7. in a pickle; 8. small potatoes; 9. the big cheese

Grammar: 1.  How interesting was that book?  2.  How fast could dinosaurs run?  3. How thirsty do you feel right now?  4.  How informative was that brochure?  5.  How hard is it raining?  6.  How smart are chimpanzees?

MAY is used to express POSSIBILITY; SHOULD is used for SUGGESTIONS and recommendations. Both can be used to refer to the present/future and to the past, although the form changes a little.

• For Present and/or Future, the form is very easy – MAY or SHOULD + VERB (Do NOT use “to!”)
He MAY GO to the movies this afternoon.
That man MAY BE sick; he looks very pale.

You SHOULD FINISH the report before you go to bed.
They SHOULDN’T BOTHER him while he’s working.

• For Past Tense, use MAY HAVE or SHOULD HAVE + PARTICIPLE
I’m not sure where Dan was yesterday. He MAY HAVE GONE to the beach.
I don’t know why she hasn’t called me. She MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN MY NUMBER.

Look how tired you are! You SHOULDN’T HAVE GONE to bed so late last night!
They SHOULD HAVE LISTENED to your advice; now they’re in a lot of trouble.

A. Change these sentences to the Past Tense:

1. You shouldn’t let the children do that!
2. Ilse may be too tired to go shopping.
3. Should she play tennis with that bad knee?
4. They shouldn’t drive the car without checking the oil.
5. I may be wrong.

B. Make a suggestion (More than one answer may be possible but be careful of the tense!)

Example: John stayed up till 2:00 A.M. He shouldn’t have stayed up so late OR He should have gone to bed earlier.

1. I ate too much pizza.
2. He wants to get a good grade on this report.
3. My brother bought a used car without taking it to a mechanic first.
4. You try to pet every strange dog you see on the street.

C. Give a possible explanation for these situations. (Again, more than one answer is possible, but watch the tense!)

Example: My daughter isn’t happy in her school. She may not like her teacher.

1. Mary didn’t come to work yesterday. __________________________________

2. No one likes that restaurant. ________________________________________

3. The dog started barking at 3:00 this morning.____________________________

4. He won’t return my calls! ___________________________________________

5. Look at all the water in the street! _____________________________________

VOCABULARY: ACCIDENTS CAN HAPPEN!

1. slip (V&N) Lose your balance, because of ice, snow, water, or anything slippery (like a banana peel!) on the street or floor. Mikey stepped in the water on the bathroom floor, slipped, and almost fell down.
2. trip (V) To step on something on the floor and almost lose your balance. I tripped over the cat in the dark.
3. stumble (V&N) The same as TRIP. While hiking, I stumbled over a rock and twisted my ankle.
4. walk/run/dance etc. into (V) To bump (or crash!) something by accident. They got too excited and danced right into the wall! .
5. Drop (V) When you are holding something, and you let it fall by accident. Oops! He dropped the Stradivarius violin out of the 10th floor window.

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TOP THREE MOVIES IN U.S. THIS WEEK (Reviews Compiled by Rottentomatoes.com):

AVATAR
Avatar is nearly a visual masterpiece.
It revels in the archetypal broadness of its story, hoping to become a pre-existing classic, even as it unfolds for the first time. For the most part, it works. Some of the dialog is dull and the attempts at humor are frequently embarrassing…but this is overwhelmed by the film’s emotional impact (the Na’Vi are as expressive as anything put on the screen since the original King Kong rampaged through New York). Avatar is a fine, if flawed, film, one that will remain in memory for its artistic and technical achievements.
PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME
Combine Stephen Sommers’ The Mummy (1999) with Disney’s Aladdin and you have the story, the plot and the action. A sacred object, the Dagger of Time, must be returned to its rightful place or the world will fall to ruin. This is a special dagger which has the ability to rewind time, conveniently enough for only one minute. Does it rewind time everywhere? Never mind. This isn’t the sort of film to inspire even shallow thoughts.
This is a forgettable entertainment that might be worth a matinee if you can’t think of anything else to do… laundry, for example.
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
It’s by some distance director Tim Burton’s most disappointing outing since Planet Of The Apes.
Alice In Wonderland may look fantastic – even if the 3D comes across as disappointingly flat after Avatar’s immersive depth – but there’s little else going for it. A complete lack of story and the lack of key characters and moments from Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland provide little sustenance for heart or brain– it’s emotionally cold, utterly predictable and there’s never any sense of peril.

ANSWERS:

A.
1. You shouldn’t have let the children do that!
2. Ilse may have been too tired to go shopping.
3. Should she have played tennis with that bad knee?
4. They shouldn’t have driven the car without checking the oil.
5. I may have been wrong.

B.
1. You should have eaten less pizza.
2. He should do more research.
3. He should have taken it to a good mechanic.
4. You shouldn’t go near strange dogs!

C.
1. She may have been sick.
2. The service may be bad.
3. The dog may have heard strange noises.
4. He may be angry at you.
5. A pipe may have broken.

The CISL Lesson of the Month is written by Pam Mondragon.

“Scorpio:  You shouldn’t waste your time worrying – today is a new day!  Some new financial opportunities should come your way this week, so you must get organized.  You ought not to make any big new purchases unless you have to.  And you had better pay attention to a friend’s advice!”

“Why do so many people believe in horoscopes and the zodiac?  Can horoscopes really tell us what we should do with our lives? Psychologists say that reading our horoscopes can be fun, but we ought not to use them to try to predict the future.  They say that the language used in most horoscopes is so general that it could fit anyone’s life.  One man was close to buying his dream house but missed his chance because his horoscope said, ‘You had better wait till the full moon passes before you make any big purchases!’  By the time the full moon had passed, it was too late.  Someone else had bought the house.”

Part 1:  GRAMMAR – EXPRESSING NECESSITY and ADVICE

As you can see from the words highlighted in the above reading, we use modal verbs to talk about NECESSITY and ADVICE: should, ought to, have to, must and had better are the most common. You can say something is necessary or advisable in a very soft way by using should or ought to. Have to, must and had better are all much stronger.

• You should check with your doctor before you try that exercise program.
• He ought to* look for another job.
• We have to* finish this report by Friday.
• They must be here by 3:00 or the plane will leave without them!
• You had better clean up that mess right now!

*Note that these two modals need TO.  The others do not.

Note also the negatives: should not, ought not to, must not, had better not. The only one that is different is have to. The negative is don’t / doesn’t /didn’t have to.

• You should not worry so much.
• They ought not to take so much luggage with them.
• You don’t have to go to work if you feel really sick.
• He must not do that again or he’ll lose his job.
• You had better not try to pet that strange dog!

The questions are easy, except that have to is different again:

• Should she try the driving test again?
• Ought he to eat so much?
• Must I pay the traffic ticket this week?
• Had you better keep your passport in a safe place?
• Do you have to leave so soon?

Exercise 1: Use the best modal verb in the following sentences.

1. You probably _________________get 8 hours of sleep each night.
2. She ______________pay that speeding ticket or she could lose her license!
3. I can’t go out tonight; I __________________study for an exam.
4. They ______________not swim during this thunderstorm; they could be struck by lightning!
5. Do you think I _______________try that new restaurant?

Part 2:  VOCABULARY

Exercise 2:  Look in the Astrology and Psychology reading selection and find synonyms for the following words or phrases:

1. perfect, ideal ___________________
2. suggestions ____________________
3. anything you buy________________
4. chance________________________
5. describe something that you believe will happen in the future________________

ANSWERS:

Exercise 1:  1. should, ought to  2. must, had better  3. have to, must  4. had better, must  5. should, ought to

Exercise 2:  1. dream  2. advice  3. purchase  4. opportunity  5. predict