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.   #58. Places in the Heart (film, 1985) Although this film was produced and released over 40 years ago, I believe it continues to resonate deeply with audiences today.  Set in rural Texas during 1935 – the Great Depression era -, the story follows Edna Spaulding (played by Sally Field), a newly widowed mother struggling to care for her two young children while managing a failing farm with limited financial resources. As she faces hardships such as devastating tornadoes and the growing threat of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), Edna receives support from several unexpected allies: her outspoken beautician sister Margaret, a wise b...

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.   #57. Black Cake (authored by Charmaine Wilkerson) This novel follows two siblings (Byron and Benny) who have grown apart and are forced to confront their shared past after the death of their mother. As they uncover long-buried secrets, their search for the truth takes them from the Caribbean to London and California, ultimately leading them to a treasured family dessert known as black cake. This traditional Caribbean black cake prepared from an old family recipe and a recorded message. Through the recording, Eleanor recounts the dramatic story of a determined young swimmer who fled her island home while under suspicion of...

  What countries contain each of the following four-letter words hidden in their names? Ex. CHIN (5) --> CHINA     1. PAIN (5) 2. NADA (6) 3. RUNE (6) 4. WAND (6) 5. RAIN (7) 6. DIVE (8) 7. HAIL (8) 8. LAYS (8) 9. DONE (9) 10. GENT (9) 11. GLAD (10) 12. PINE (11)   ANSWER KEYS 1.   SPAIN 2.   CANADA 3.   BRUNEI 4.   RWANDA 5.   BAHRAIN or UKRAINE 6.   MALDIVES 7.   THAILAND 8.   MALAYSIA 9.   INDONESIA 10.              ARGENTINA 11.              BANGLADESH 12.              PHILIPPINES

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.   #56. The Moon and Sixpence The Moon and Sixpence is a well-known classic novel by William Somerset Maughm. The background setting of this novel takes us back to the time period of the late 1800s and early 1900s. The story is told by a writer who is remembering events from his past. At the beginning, he describes his early adult life in London, where he spends time with writers and people interested in literature. Through a friend, he gets to know Mrs. Strickland and later meets her husband, Charles Strickland, a stockbroker who becomes the main character of the novel. At first, the narrator sees Strickland as a boring and...

On Mother’s Day, let me present you with some expressions that have “mother/mom” in English today.     <Idioms for Mother – Common Sayings, Meanings, and Examples>     1.   at one’s mother’s knee Meaning: Learned in early childhood E.g., The chef learned all the cooking terms at his mother’s knee. 2. mother hen   Meaning: an overprotective mother E.g., Jean used to be such a mother hen with her kid.        3.   born of the same mother Meaning: very similar in nature E.g., The two new cell phone models seem born of the same mother .       4.   mother’s touch Meaning: comforting care E.g., Evelyne needs a mother’s touch whenever she was under a lot of pressure in life. 5.   Mother’s patience runs deep Meaning: endless tolerance E.g., Only a mother’s patience runs deep. 6. mother-bound Meaning: emotionally dependent E.g., He remained mother-bound . 7. ...

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.   #55. 1984 (authored by George Orwell) 1984 is a novel written by English author George Orwell and first published in 1949. It serves as a powerful warning about the dangers of totalitarian governments. The story takes place in the year of 1984 in the dystopian world called Oceania, one of three constantly fighting superstates, alongside Eurasia and Eastasia. Oceania is ruled by the Party, an authoritarian government that demands complete loyalty to its leader, Big Brother . Through propaganda and strict control, the Party conditions citizens to obey without question.   “Are you guilty?" said Winston. "Of course ...