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.   #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 ...

  On a late Spring Day By    Jean J. Lee   Spring Rain brings wild flowers that will stay with you before another showers. How magical is the Mother Nature’s sprezzatura! Painting the earth in vivid colors like the opera singers’ tessitura! Taking a stroll in a treelined park makes you feel grateful for a peaceful day to mark Forget the bitter past and concerns Remind yourself of happy moments for which everybody yearns. As long as you smell the petrichor, You can be fully refreshed evermore.  

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.   #54. The Road (film, 2009) Following a devastating catastrophe, America has become a bleak and lifeless version of its former self. A man and his young son travel through this desolate, post-apocalyptic landscape, striving to preserve what remains of human civilization. Heading toward the coast, they rely on scavenged resources to survive while steering clear of roaming bands of brutal survivors who might enslave them—or something even more horrifying.   (Father says to his young son): “If you break little promises you'll break big ones." ð     Father wants his young son to maintain integrity and h...

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.   #53. Michael (biopic, 2026) This biographical film about the iconic “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson, is directed by Antoine Fuqua and released this year. It looks back at the Jackson family’s humble beginnings in Gary, Indiana, and follows Michael’s remarkable rise—from his early success with the Jackson 5 to his evolution into a visionary artist driven by an unyielding ambition to become the world’s biggest solo performer.   (Joseph Jackson, father said to the sons): “Let me tell you something. In this life, you're either a winner, or you're a loser. Y'all willing to fight for it?” ð       In this ...

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.   #52. Adam (film, 2009) This is a deeply emotional, serious, and moving story of a man named Adam with Asperger's Syndrome. Despite his difficulties with social interaction, Adam— a lonely man with Asperger’s Syndrome, the high-functioning autism — starts a romantic relationship with his neighbor, Beth. After losing both his father and his job, Adam, who is intelligent but socially awkward, tries to rebuild his life by sticking to a strict daily routine filled with repetitive activities. His orderly world is disrupted when he meets Beth, and their initial friendship gradually grows into a romantic connection. As their bon...

Every answer today is a word that comes from German, but that's also commonly used in English. See if you can identify them from their anagrams.   Ex. REGAL / Beer brewed slowly at low temperature --> LAGER   1. GNATS / Feeling of anxiety or dread 2. PILES / Fast-paced sales talk 3. MUTUAL / Diacritical mark made with two dots 4, ELIDES / Kind of engine or the fuel that powers it 5. WE'RE IN / Sausage 6. GET LAST / Something that's more than the sum of its parts 7. POSTAGE / Brutal secret police 8. BENT OVER / Forbidden 9. ADULT WRENS / Innate desire to travel   Answer Keys     1.   ANGST       2.   SPIEL      3.   UMLAUT       4.   DIESEL        5.   WIENER      6.   GESTALT       7.   GESTAPO     8.   VERBOTEN      9.   WANDERLUST