English Recordings

I loved the opening scene of that movie where the killer called a girl at home and asked her, “What’s your favorite scary movie?” Drew Barrymore was fantastic in that role: she went from being annoyed to playful to terrified. When she was told to look outside and found her boyfriend tied up, she went into hysterics and it was only a matter of time before they both got killed! Talk about scary!
Can you guess the movie it is from?

The space debris disaster scenes were my favorite moments from that movie which was released in 2013. The silence was absolutely insane. My mouth was wide open, my eyes were teary and my heart was pounding. Oh, and I also liked when Sandra Bullock was floating towards empty space. The backdrop showing billions of stars just captured how immensely massive, beautiful and scary space is. Do you know this movie?

NURSE: (polite) Good morning Jade and Ben. Dr Pillsman will see you soon. Have a seat in the waiting room.
BEN: (ill at ease) Oh my... I hate going to the doctor’s. And I really hate needles!
JADE: Well, guess what, we’re having our immunization shots today.
BEN: (scared) No no no! I don’t want to. I’m too scared.
JADE: Vaccines are pretty important, you know. You don’t want to catch a nasty disease.
BEN: Humph, like what?
JADE: Something really bad. You know, like in that movie last night.
BEN: (pointedly) I didn’t see it. I was doing my homework, remember?
JADE: Well, there was this guy, Jim, who was in hospital in London, England. He was in a coma. And when he woke up, there was nobody around. Poof! It was surreal! And of course, Jim didn’t know what was happening… until zombies attacked him.
BEN: (doubtful) What! Zombies?
JADE: (excited) Yes, bloodthirsty zombies!
BEN: Yikes! And where did they come from?
JADE: It all started when animal activists freed chimpanzees that had a deadly virus. 28 days later, Jim awoke alone in a hospital.
BEN: Wow, scary! What happened next?
JADE: (matter-of-factly) Well… First the chimps attacked people who then turned into zombies. So the authorities finally quarantined the whole United Kingdom.
BEN: (shocked) So, the other countries did nothing while people were turning into zombies?
JADE: Pretty much. Well, they helped the few who escaped. And they sent aircraft to see what was happening.
BEN: I don’t believe it!
JADE: Well, the zombies starve to death in the end.
BEN: I’m actually glad I didn’t see that movie! It’s too scary.
JADE: I was terrified. And it was gross – lots of blood and gore. But I loved it! It made me think too.
BEN: About what?
JADE: Well, about nasty diseases…
NURSE: Ahem. The doctor is ready for you now.
BEN: (eager/scared) I’ll go first!

I ALWAYS recommend to non-native speakers that they do NOT use these technically incorrect pronunciations unless they are perfectly fluent and have a flawless accent. It cuts down on potential miscommunications and keeps you from sounding uneducated

"Oh, what a beautiful morning,
Oh what a beautiful day;
I've got a beautiful feeling
Everything's going my way." Oscar Hammerstein, lyrics from the opening song of the musical "Oklahoma!"

"See the pretty girl in that mirror there:
Who can that attractive girl be?
Such a pretty face,
Such a pretty dress,
Such a pretty smile,
Such a pretty me!" --Stephen Sondheim, lyrics to "I Feel Pretty," from "West Side Story."

For many recent college graduates, procrastination was a way of life for four years. It’s not so much a matter of laziness, but the matter of not wanting to face a huge task before us. Get over it and work on the project for five minutes.

It seems odd, but it helps trick your mind into believing that the task isn’t quite as daunting as it is. Psychology Today explains:

"You pick the task you want to work on, and you vow to work on it for five minutes, and five minutes only. Yes, you must stop after just five minutes. “What can I possibly get done in five minutes?” you might ask. But that is the procrastinator talking—the voice that would at this very moment lobby for doing nothing rather than doing anything at all. Are you going to listen to that voice? Don’t. So let’s ask again: What can you get done in five minutes?

Five minutes’ more work than you would have done otherwise—and often the hardest part of all."

I want to learn French and speak very well with my friends

A．How did my son do at the concert last night?　　　　　　　　
B．He did great. It was nothing short of perfect.　　　　　　　
A．I'm glad to hear that.

A．There's one zero too many.
B．Where?
A．Here, the second line from the bottom.

A．Wait a minute. It says 50,000 yen.
B．50,000 yen? It should be 5,000 yen.
A．Well, there's one zero too many.