Anna is starting her work at The News. She goes around the office meeting her co-workers. She learns they are all busy.
In this video, learn to say the new words. Also, learn how to use the Present Continuous tense and ask questions to clarify. You can also download the worksheet and practice with a friend.
In this video, you learn about how Americans shorten verbs in the Present Continuous tense. You will also learn a shorter for of the question phrase, "What are you doing?"
What are you doing now? What are your friends doing? Here is an example: "I am reading and my friends are listening to music." Send us an email or write to us in the Comments section.
You can also download the worksheet. Practice writing the activity words.
Learning Strategies are the thoughts and actions that help make learning easier or more effective. The learning strategy for this lesson is Ask to Clarify.
In the video you see Anna ask Amelia: "What are you doing?" Amelia answers, "I’m reading." Then Anna asks a question to clarify: "Are you reading the news?
Asking a question to clarify is a very useful learning strategy, because it helps you get more information. You can also learn new words when someone explains more about what they said.
Write to us in the Comments section or send us an email about how you ask questions to clarify what you want to know. Teachers, see the Lesson Plan for more details on teaching this strategy.
See how well you understand the lesson by taking this quiz. Each question has a video. Play the video and choose the correct answer.
(If the quiz does not work for you here please see the side column or use this link.)
boss – n. the person whose job is to tell other workers what to do
bother – v. to annoy someone or to cause someone to feel annoyed
busy – adj. actively doing something
excited – adj. very enthusiastic and eager about something
nervous – adj. having or showing feelings of being worried and afraid about what might happen
news – n. information that is reported in a newspaper, magazine, or a television news program
office – n. a building or room in which people work at desks doing business or professional activities
read – v. to look at and understand the meaning of letters, words, symbols, etc.
record – v. to store (something, such as sounds, music, images, etc.) on tape or on a disk so that it can be heard or seen later
show – n. a television or radio program
work – v. to do things as part of your job
write – v. to create (a book, poem, story, etc.) by writing words on paper or on a computer
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Download the VOA Learning English Word Book for a dictionary of the words we use on this website.
Each Let's Learn English lesson has an Activity Sheet for extra practice on your own or in the classroom. In this lesson, you can use it to practice writing and using action verbs in the Present Continuous tense.
See the Lesson Plan for this lesson for ideas and more teaching resources. Send us an email if you have comments on this course or questions.
Grammar focus: Present continuous tense; Questions for clarification
Topics: Everyday activities; Checking understanding
Speaking & Pronunciation Focus: Asking questions to clarify; Shortened form of Present Continuous verbs.
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Now it's your turn. Send us an email or write to us in the Comments section below or on our Facebook page to let us know what you think of this lesson.
Let's Learn English is a new course for English learners. Certified American English teachers designed the course for beginners. The course continues for 52 weeks.
Each week, there will be a new lesson with video showing the lives of young Americans. The lesson includes instruction in speaking, vocabulary and writing.
There are also printable worksheets, assessments and lesson plans for individual learners and English teachers. We encourage you to follow the weekly lessons and share your progress with us through comments and email.
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