English Recordings

In order to get a scholarship to study abroad I need to get a high score in a TOEFL (English) test. I am highly confident about my listening and reading skills, but I am not so confident in my productive skills (writing and speaking). But with some effort there is not any goal that can not be achieved, is there?

How would knowing another language positively affect your life?
Learning English will positively affect my life because I will be able to communicate with other people all around the world, so I will be able to learn about their culture and the ways they see and live their lives. It also can give me better tools to be useful in my community and more access to high-quality resources, and then to get more satisfactory and well-paid jobs. Finally, it could allow me to enjoy several cultural expressions like literature, theater, songs and others, coming from the English speaking countries, that will enrich my life.

How would knowing another language positively affect the lives of other people?
My English learning will positively affect the lives of everybody around me who is also trying to learn English, by exemplifying that such a thing is completely possible and because I could give him/her advice about their learning process. It will enrich the lives of the people of other countries I will meet, because I will share with them the way Latins, Colombians and, more specifically, I live our culture. Also, my relatives and friends will benefit from this, since I will grow socially and culturally and share with them my empowerment. Last but not least, since I will have access to more influential jobs, I will be able to give help and support in better ways, to more people around the world.

1. They were all beautiful, but Rita was perhaps the most beautiful of all.
2. My boyfriend is the most handsome man I know.
3. This picture has the most grey in the auction.
4. This boy is worse-tempered than his father.
5. This is the funniest boy in the class.
6. This is the thinnest man in town.
7. This joke is the least amusing of all.
8. This one is less expensive than those.
9. This house is built better than the others.
10. This situation is less common than that one.
11. This street is narrower than those.
12. This desk is the tidiest one in the classroom.
13. These people are freer than those.
14. This person is the least charming.
15. This boy is more quick-witted than his sister.
16. They are all beautiful, but this one is the least beautiful.
17. John is better-looking than his friend.
18. This boy is shyer than his sister.
19. My friend is busier than I am.
20. He has made far fewer mistakes than other times.
21. It was the most worrying moment I have ever experienced.
22. It is more fun to go with somebody than to go alone.
23. I have never met a kinder man.
24. It is truer to say this than the contrary.
25. This film is the least boring of all.
26. This is the lesser of the evils.
27. Most of the wine is imported.
28. This is by far the worst road in the country.
29. It is the oldest trick on earth.
30. I think it is safer to overtake now.
31. She was more than pleased with her new car.
32. He is responsible to a lesser extent.
33. I like both coats. Which one is the longest?
34. Most doctors don't smoke.
35. Driving is less tiring than walking.
36. More food is wasted than eaten in this canteen.
37. Which country produces most wine?
38. You are by far the most careless one in the class.
39. This is the best-looking/most good-looking boy in the class.
40. This is the least comfortable chair of all.

1. The situation was very unfavourable to us.
2. I'm afraid the situation is very irregular.
3. The report was not complete. It was incomplete.
4. Bernard is a rather inconsistent person.
5. My boyfriend is extraordinary. He is superhuman.
6. The meat is not done yet. It is underdone.
7. We are living in a very unreal situation.
8. Your friend has never been formal. He is rather informal.
9. The treatment is not effective. It is rather ineffective.
10. He has no illusions left. He is rather disillusioned.
11. The seam of silver is very impure.
12. This part is not well adjusted. It is maladjusted.
13. My wife is a hypersensitive person.
14. He is an introverted and antisocial man.
15. This book is not well known. In fact it is unknown.
16. They have a non-interference agreement.
17. My father is irreligious.
18. It was something unplanned.
19. I'm very dissatisfied with you.
20. Doing that is illogical.
21. Nobody is indispensable in this world.
22. The draft is already overdue.
23. He has no manners. He is impolite.
24. He is not a loyal person. He is disloyal.
25. The biscuits you made today are inedible.
26. In this country most people are anticommunist.
27. In the accident everyone was unscathed.
28. That friend of yours is very immoral.
29. Smuggling tobacco is, of course, illegal.
30. That young man was an irresponsible person.
31. That accountant is a dishonest person.
32. We couldn't do anything about it. It was inevitable.
33. They were a I ways together. They were inseparable.
34. We spoke about unimportant things.
35. I don't understand it. It is something incomprehensible.
36. All this territory is unexplored.
37. He is not connected with the world. He is disconnected.
38. He is a very insincere person.
39. My book is not finished. It is unfinished.
40. Your son is an inexperienced young man.

The people on the street had to keep back from the accident.
Keep going, Hicham, you're going to break the record!
Ask the kids to keep it down; I'm on the phone.
Matti thought the topic was boring, so he decided to keep out of the conversation.
A great chess player always keeps his opponent guessing.
I asked Yumi to keep us posted, but we haven't heard from her yet.
Mary was grateful to the taxi driver for giving her information about the city, so she told him to keep the change.
I know that you'd prefer to talk about other things, but please keep to the subject.
Keep your shirt on. It's not a very big problem.

Here's $15. Keep the change.
That's very interesting, but if you don't keep to the subject, we'll never finish this meeting.
Keep back. The workers need room to do their jobs.
Keep it down! I can't hear the movie.
Keep going. You have to turn at the next corner, not this one.
I know you want to help end their argument, but you'd better keep out of it.
Don't say a word in the meeting. Just keep quiet and let me do the talking.
Keep your shirt on! I haven't lost the tickets. They're right here in my bag!
Our boss likes to keep us guessing. We never know what he's going to do next.
Please keep me posted about what's happening while I'm out of the office.
...
don't come any closer = keep back
relax = keep your shirt on
continue to let someone know what's happening = keep someone posted
say nothing = keep quiet
don't let someone know your plans = keep someone guessing
don't be so loud = keep it down
this money is for you = keep the change
stay with the topic = keep to the subject
avoid taking part in something = keep out of something
don't stop = keep going

Dean said, "Be quiet!"
Dean told Jackie to be quiet.
Dean said to be quiet.
He told her to be quiet.
Talia told Amy to call her later.
Talia told Amy to call her the next day.
...
Talia told Nick to be serious.
Jackie told Dean not to interrupt.
Nick said to hurry up.
Talia told Amy to make a reservation for two at Valentino's.
Dean told Jackie to keep her voice down.
Tony told Talia, ''Stay objective''.
Last Monday, Talia asked Amy to call her the next night.
...
Amy told Lynn to look at the menu.
She said not to order an appetizer because the portions are really big.
She told her to be careful because that dish is really spicy.
Lynn told her not to worry because she's used to spicy food.
She told Amy to tell her all about Talia and Nick.
She said not to leave anything out.
Amy told her not to tell anyone about it.
Lynn told Amy to trust her because she can keep a secret.

I was sitting in the student lounge when a woman came up to me.
Amy and I were talking when a friend of hers showed up.
When Jackie arrived at Valentino's, Nick and Talia looked at their menus.
Dean seemed surprised when Jackie asked about Byron Walters.
When class ended this evening, Edie asked me over to her apartment.
I was watching Friends on TV when Amy arrived.
When Josh called, we decided to order a pizza.
We were eating when he arrived.
When he sat down, he told us about a car accident he'd seen.
He was crossing the street when a car hit a truck.
Both drivers got out of their cars when the police arrived.
When we turned on Newsline, John was reporting the accident.
...
Commuters were trying to get home this evening, when another typical cell phone accident occurred downtown at Center Street and First Avenue. One car was traveling east on First Avenue when the light turned red. The car didn’t stop when the light changed. It hit a truck that was entering the intersection. According to a witness, the driver was talking on a cell phone when he hit the truck. When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics treated the drivers. There were no serious injuries.

1. Hemingway, who died in the 50s, came to Spain very often.
2. My father, who is a general, believes in discipline.
3. His latest work, which was published yesterday, will be successful.
4. My neighbour, who is 80, runs a marathon every year.
5. My uncle, who will be 70 tomorrow, never stops working.
6. He has a brother, who works in a London bank.
7. The ship, whose crew was evacuated, is keeling over dangerously.
8. The cliffs of Dover, which are so white, are very famous.
9. Fleet St, which is near the Thames, is home to many newspapers.
10. Spring flowers, which are a delight, cover the countryside.
11. His book, which is a best-seller, is about his adventures in Africa.
12. Last night's meeting, which was about xenophobia, didn't last long.
13. Cars, which were invented last century/ are nowadays indispensable.
14. The car, which was stolen last night, has been found by the river.
15. His father, who is 60, has offered him a partnership.
16. That horse, which was trained in France, has won the race.
17. J. Conrad, who wrote his books in English, was Polish.
18. Water, which is so necessary for life, doesn't exist on the moon.
19. The person, whom you talked to on the phone, is my uncle.
20. This cupboard, in which we keep the glasses, is an antique.
21. Mr Ross, with whom my father had argued, came to see me.
22. Old Frank, who was so good to me, had just died.
23. The Maternity Hospital, which I was in, was enormous.
24. That chassis, which gives it strength, is made of steel.
25. That book of the apes, which you like so much, is sold here.
26. Mr Smith, who was born in 1899, died yesterday.
27. The socialists, who won the last elections, are going to lose now.
28. The talks, which began so badly, will be successful.
29. This scientist, who is so old, has invented many things.
30. Bernard Shaw, who died in 1950, was a great writer.
31. Mr Briggs, who is an atheist, is very interested in your ideas.
32. Your book, which is so difficult to find, has become famous.
33. The speaker, who is an honest man, gave us the news.
34. My grandfather, who is 90, has an excellent memory.
35. These tests, which look so silly, are very important.
36. This man, whose future is so uncertain, makes me feel sorry for him.
37. My tutor, whom you talked to yesterday, wants to see you.
38. That ship, whose name is so strange, is going to be launched today.
39. Mr Brown, whose wife died last year, has just passed away.
40. This word, which doesn't come in the dictionary, is the one I need.

In an effort to get people to look
into each other’s eyes more,
and also to appease the mutes,
the government has decided
to allot each person exactly one hundred
and sixty-seven words, per day.

When the phone rings, I put it to my ear
without saying hello. In the restaurant
I point at chicken noodle soup.
I am adjusting well to the new way.

Late at night, I call my long distance lover,
proudly say I only used fifty-nine today.
I saved the rest for you.

When she doesn’t respond,
I know she’s used up all her words,
so I slowly whisper I love you
thirty-two and a third times.
After that, we just sit on the line
and listen to each other breathe.