Live and Learn English with Jean Lee

LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.   #40. The Prophet (authored by Kahlil Gibran, 1923) This book has grown into one of the most cherished classics of our era. Gibran regarded The Prophet as his finest accomplishment. He once shared, “I believe I have never been without The Prophet since I first imagined it in Mount Lebanon. It has always felt like a part of me… I held onto the manuscript for four years before giving it to my publisher because I wanted to be certain—completely certain—that every word represented the very best I could give.” The Chicago Post remarked, “Anyone who can read this book without quietly embracing the wisdom of a great mind and feelin...

Every answer today is a flavor of ice cream or sorbet . What flavor of ice cream ...   1. ... has a two-word name in which each word starts CH-?   2. ... has a two-word name in which each word starts RO-?   3. ... is hidden in this sentence: That's the caravan I'll announce.   4. ... has the string of letters UTTI in its name twice?   5. ... has a silent P as its fourth letter?   6. ... would spell some men's facial hair if you changed its first two letters from PI to MU?   7. ... consists of the names of two trees starting with M and W?   8. ... is a fruit flavor that would become the name of another fruit flavor if you interchanged its first and third letters?   9. ... is an anagram of TEENAGER (2 wds.)?   Answer Keys 1.   Ch ocolate Ch ip 2.   Ro cky Ro ad 3.   cara Van     I’ll a nnounce => Vanilla 4.   Tutti-frutti 5.   Raspberry 6.   P...

WORDS from last week’s World News       1.    proximate : (adjective) close or very near On April 6, NASA’s Artemis II reached its most proximate point to the moon, offering its four astronauts remarkable views. The spacecraft came within 4,067 miles of the lunar surface before traveling out to a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth. From that proximity, the crew was able to capture detailed images of craters and ancient lava formations.   2.    onus : (noun) a formal or sophisticated way to say "responsibility" or "duty" U.S. officials stated that the negotiations fell apart due to what they described as Iran’s unwillingness to agree to give up its nuclear program, while Iranian officials accused the U.S. of causing the breakdown without detailing the specific disagreements. Neither side clarified what might occur once the 14-day ceasefire ends on April 22. Mediators from Pakistan called on all parties to uphold the truce. Bo...

LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.   #39. Far from Heaven (film, 2002) The narrative of this film — touching on both racial and intimate themes in the setting of American society in 1950s — centers on an affluent suburban family whose routine is shaped by social norms, club gatherings, and a constant effort to go with the flow to match their peers’ lifestyle. Their orderly world is disrupted when the perfect looking couple (played by Dennis Quaid and Julian Moore) confront emotional turmoil and decisions that spark widespread gossip within their conservative and tight-knit community and ultimately transform their lives in lasting ways.   (African Amer...

LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.   #38. Siddhartha (authored by Hermann Hesse, 1951) Siddhartha tel=>ls the story of a spiritual journey in which the main character seeks answers to the deep questions surrounding human purpose, isolation, and dissatisfaction in life. It is the most well-known work of Hermann Hesse, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946. Through the experiences of a young Indian named Siddhartha, Hesse presents a powerful moral allegory about fate and the uncertainties people face throughout life.   (ferryman Vesudeva): “I could see that and I did not expect any payment or gift from you. You will give it to me some ot...

LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it. #37. Another Year (film, 2010) Tom Hepple, a geologist, and his wife Gerri, a counsellor, are an older couple in London with a stable and affectionate marriage. The film follows their lives across the four seasons of a year, as they spend time with family and friends (such as Mary who is Gerri’s colleague at work and living as a middle-aged divorcee) who, in contrast, often experience varying levels of discontent and loneliness.   (The opening scene from the movie: Gerri’s counsels an insomniac patient named Janet at the medical center.) GERRI: What would you say was the happiest moment of your life? PATIENT: What d'y...