Monthly Archives: January 2018

How Old Are You?

Posted on by

Don’t say: 
– How many years have you?
– I have 34 years.

– How many years has your daughter?
– My daughter has 6 years.

– Her baby has 4 months.

Say this:
– How old are you?
– I am 34. (or – I am 34 years old. or – I’m 34.  )

– How old is your daughter?
– My daughter is 6. (or – My daughter is 6 years old.)

– Her baby is 4 months. (or – Her baby is 4 months old.)

Remember:

  • When talking about how old someone (or something) is, use the verb “to be” – not the verb “to have”
    • My twins are 5. (or – My twins are 5 years old.)
    • My car is 10 years old.
  • Future: Her son will be 5 on Friday.
    • or – Her son will be 5 years old on Friday.
  • The word “turn” is often used when an age changes
    • Her son will turn 5 on Friday.
    • I turned 30 yesterday.
  • Exception: If the person comes after the age in the sentence, then you do use the verb “to have”.
    • My daughter is 6 years old.  I have a 6 year old daughter. (not: I have a 6 years old daughter.)
    • Her son is 7.  She has a 7 year old son.
    • Our cat is 4 years old.  We have a 4 year old cat.

Here’s another YouTube video with more information on talking about age.

Listen a Minute

Posted on by

  Listen a Minute is a free website with hundreds of short listening lessons.  Each recording is less than one minute.

  • Listen to the recording while you read the words
  • If you have time, you can try one or two exercises
  • This website is in England, so the accent and a few words are a little different, but it’s still good practice and will work well on your smartphone

Here’s an example about Eggs:

Eggs are great. Where would we be without them? They are so useful. I can’t imagine life or cooking without them. There are many ways of cooking eggs for breakfast – fried eggs, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, etc. There are even many ways of “cooking” these. You can have a runny or hard fried egg or even have it sunny side up. You can have soft or hard-boiled eggs and fluffy scrambled eggs. There are also many things to put on top of eggs – mayonnaise, ketchup, salt, soy sauce. Each country has something different. I like cooking with eggs. I particularly like breaking them. I can now do it with one hand, without breaking the yolk. Sometimes it gets messy and the egg white starts dripping down your arm.

  • Quiz 1 (Choose the correct words of the story)
  • Quiz 2 (Dictation – write the words you hear)

Martin Luther King

Posted on by

  Monday January 15th, is the Martin Luther King Day holiday.  Martin Luther King spent his life working for equal rights for African Americans, and all Americans. He was an important civil rights leader and minister whose work helped lead to new laws against racial discrimination.

King’s most famous speech was at a protest rally for equal rights – in front of 250,000 people in Washington DC in 1963, which became known as the “I Have a Dream” speech.

Here’s a link to the entire 17 minute speech on YouTube.

Listening Exercises

Posted on by

   Seminole State College in Florida has a web page with many helpful listening exercises. There are three levels of difficulty.

Each activity has 10 questions.  For questions 1-5, listen to the audio and choose the sentence you hear.
Here’s an example:

  • That blue house was great!
  • That new house is great!
  • That new house isn’t great.

For questions 6-10, listen to the audio and choose the best answer that you see.
Here’s an example:

  • She pays every month.
  • He pays every month.
  • They pay every month.

To begin, try this exercise.  If you like it, here are many more.

New Support Organization Opens in Framingham

Posted on by

The Recovery Learning Center (RLC) has opened in Framingham at 855 Worcester Rd (Trolley Square on Route 9).  They want to help support people who are under too much stress, or having other emotional/mental health issues.

There are regular support meetings and classes.  In support meetings people share experiences and together provide hope and support for each other.  Every Thursday in Framingham (4-5pm), there is a support meeting – in Portuguese.
(Uma opprtunidade para compartilhar e ouvrir experiências e juntos fornecer esperança e apoio mútuo)
There is also a morning support group every Thursday morning (10:30-11:30) in Marlborough – in English and Portuguese.

See the RLC Website for more information.

Spring ESL Classes at FAESL – New Student Lottery Information

Posted on by

Framingham Adult ESL will have a limited number of spaces for morning and evening classes for the Spring 2018 semester that begins in February.

  • If you are interested in taking a MORNING English class at Framingham Adult ESL you must come in person to
    St. Tarcisius School (BRACE building)
    560 Waverly Street, Framingham
    Thursday, January 18th, 8:45 – 10:00 AM
  • If you are interested in taking an EVENING English class at Framingham Adult ESL you must come in person to
    Fuller Middle School Cafeteria
    31 Flagg Drive, Framingham
    Thursday, January 18th, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
  1. Come on January 18th to complete an entry form (with your name, address, etc).  Everyone who completes a form will have their name included in the lottery.
  2. The lottery will be on Tuesday, January 23rd.  Don’t come to the school on Jan 23rd.  You can watch the lottery online (live-streamed) on your phone, tablet, or computer.
  3. If you are one of the winners of the lottery, you will be asked to come back on a different day for testing.

Information about this lottery is also available in Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, and French

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  • If I want to participate in the English class lottery, do I have to come to the school?
    YES – You must come to the school on Thursday January 18th to submit an entry form.  BUT, this should not take too long because there will be no lottery or testing on that day.
  • Will there be 2 separate lotteries?
    YES – If you come in the morning of Jan 18th (to St. Tarcisius), your name will be part of the lottery for MORNING classes.  If you come in the evening of Jan 18th (to Fuller School), your name will be part of the lottery for EVENING classes.
  • On January 18th do I need to arrive at the school before 6:30PM (or before 8:45 AM for morning classes)?
    NO – You can come any time between 6:30 and 8:30PM (or between 8:45 and 10:00AM for morning classes).  ALL the names collected during that time will have an equal chance in the lottery.
  • Do I need to watch the live-streamed lottery on January 23rd?
    NO – When you come to the school on January 18th, you will submit an entry form with information (phone, email) on how to contact you.  If your name is selected in the lottery, the school will contact you.
  • If my name is selected in the lottery, what happens next?
    You will be asked to come to the school for testing.  Then you will be assigned to either a regular English class (6 hours each week) or a volunteer-led, once-a-week prep class (2 hours).  If you are placed in a prep class, you are automatically on a priority list for a regular class, and do not need to participate in any more lotteries.
  • When are the classes?
    Regular morning classes are on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings from 8:45 to 10:45.
    Regular evening classes are on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 9:30.
    Prep classes are on one of those mornings, or evenings, each week.
  • I can’t come on January 18th.  Can I come on the 17th (or some other day)?
    NO – Unfortunately, the only day you can come to submit your name for the lottery is on January 18th.

What’s New in Framingham – January 1, 2018

Posted on by

   Today, January 1, 2018, the Framingham government changed and some new rules began…

  • Framingham changed from a town to a city.  One difference between a town and a city is that a city has a mayor – a person elected to lead the city government
  • Also today, the on-street parking rule changed.  Because 2018 is an even number, cars may only park on the even side of streets in Framingham this year, unless there is a sign posted on the street with a different rule.
  • And beginning today, retail and grocery stores in Framingham are not allowed to give you thin plastic bags at checkout.  They can still give you paper bags, and most stores can sell you inexpensive reusable bags.  They encourage you to bring your own reusable bags.