English Recordings

it's quarter past twelve
it's quarter past six
it's half past eight
it's half past five
it's half past four
it's eight o'clock
it's ten o'clock
it's nine o'clock
it's twenty-five to three
it's five to three
it's twenty past twelve
it's five past one
it's twenty to six
it's five past five
it's twenty-five past four
it's quarter to ten
it's quarter to six
it's quarter to seven
it's quarter to nine
it's quarter to twelve
it's quarter to one
it's ten to twelve
it's twenty-five to six
it's twenty to nine
it's five to ten

This is silly! Our limit is only from our imagination. Our resources are increasing as long as new technology improves efficiency. For example, new technology helps extract resources from deposits before unavailable. How many species are created every 100 years? Humanity has introduced new plants and animals. Why must every discussion talk about what we've lost, and not about what we have gained? If you truly believe in Darwin, then you must accept change in our flora and fauna, not assume things should be static.

I'm going to speak about my training period which I did in December in a clothes shop named "Kosmod" in the town of Confolens. My work placement lasted five weeks.
I was in charge of dealing with customers and answering clients' requests. I really enjoyed that because I was at ease and it improved my self-confidence. I also had to arrange clothes, which was great as I love fashion. Besides, I was very pleased and satisfied when they asked me to set up a fashion show which required a lot of organisation. At first, I stressed a lot but it has been a success so I finally got happy. My supervisor, the employees and my teacher congratulated me.
What's more, I had nice relationships with my colleagues: my supervisor was really caring and made me feel at ease all the time. The employees were extremely helpful too. The atmosphere was relaxed and I felt happy.
Unfortunately, I didn't earn any money. What a shame! But still, I was very satisfied with my work placement and I really enjoyed that job.

During a discussion with an English learner today, I became aware of possible confusion between a "day off" and an "off day". I think it's an important topic for today's newsletter. Let's look at some examples of how to use these terms.

A "day off" is a day that you don't go to work. Some people take a day off to catch up on lost sleep, or to see a doctor, or to finish a project around the house. With a demanding work schedule, there is often not enough time to do these things unless you take a day off.

An "off day" is a day when things don't go as well as usual. This term is often used when referring to performers. If someone is usually an accomplished pianist, but on a particular day, they can't play anything correctly, no matter how hard they try, they are having an off day. They haven't completely forgotten how to play the piano, they're just having trouble on a particular day for an unknown reason.

After seeing the difference between these two terms, I think it would be more fun to have a day off than an off day. Do you agree?

The U.S. budget deficit will fall to $514 billion US in 2014, the lowest level since President Barack Obama took office, according to a report from the Congressional Budget Office released Tuesday.

The U.S. is seeing higher tax revenues from the recovering economy and has sharply curbed agency spending as part of the budget deal between Democrat and Republican lawmakers.

The 2013 deficit was $680 billion, and that was reduced from the deficit of over $1 trillion the government had in 2010 to 2012. The deficit began rising in 2009, the year Obama took office amid a financial crisis that threatened to bring the world's largest economy to its knees.

Graphic: The U.S. debt limit's steady uphill climb

Obama has been struggling to balance the need for economic stimulus with demands for federal cutbacks ever since.

The CBO expects the deficit to decline further to $478 billion in 2015, but there could be pressure on spending because of high U.S. unemployment.

Even amid an apparent recovery, there are signs that a large number of people have dropped out of the workforce because they’ve been unemployed for so long. That means they are not paying taxes or spending much money, and that could make it difficult to further lower the deficit.

The U.S. currently has a federal debt of $17.3 trillion and will need to raise the debt ceiling by the end of February or the government will be unable to pay its bills.

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew urged Congress on Monday to act quickly to raise the federal debt limit to avoid uncertainty in the markets.

A．So, how are things with your boyfriend lately?
B．Sorry. The battery is about to die. I've got to go.
A．Oh, That's too bad. Bye.

A．The presentation didn't go well.
B．Why?
A．Well, I thought I did my homework, but it wasn't enough, I guess.

A．I'm not sure which model we should be getting...
B．Don't worry. I did my homework. This is the smartest choice.
A．Wow. I'm impressed.

A．Let's play videogames.
B．Hey! It won't start.
A．Oh, no. It's acting up again.

A．My food's still cold.
B．Sorry. My microwave is acting up.
A．You might want to get a new one.