Through, Throughout and Go Through | Voa english

Through, Throughout and Go Through | Voa english
This week, we answer a question about three similar sounding terms. Our listener Suri writes:

Question:

Hi, I want to know the meaning of “through,” “throughout” and “go through.”

Answer:

Hello Suri,

Let me begin by talking about “through” and “throughout.” Both can be used as prepositions or adverbs. Today, I will explain their uses as prepositions.

Both words can relate to space or time, depending on how they are used.

Space: though, throughout

I will talk about space first.

“Through” means moving from one side, or end, to another side, or end of something. For example, you can say, “The train went through the tunnel.” That means it went in one side of the tunnel and out the other side.

“Through” can also mean within a place or within a piece of land, air, or something else. For example, you can say, “I walked through the park.” That means you walked within the park.

“Throughout” means in every part of a place or thing. You can say, “There were pretty flowers throughout the park.” That means every part of the park has pretty flowers. You can also say, “People throughout the United States have wonderful accents.”

An easy way to think of the difference between “through” and “throughout” is this: “Through” generally suggests motion; “throughout” generally describes a place or location.

Time: through, throughout

Now, let's think about how these words relate to time.

“Through” suggests moving toward the completion or end of something. For example, “The sale goes through the end of June” means the sale will continue or last until the end of June.

“Throughout” means during an entire situation or period of time. For example, “We heard birds singing throughout the day” means we heard them all day long.

Go through

And finally, we turn to the term “go through.”

“Go through” is a phrasal verb with several meanings. Yet most are not related to the meanings of “through” and “throughout.”

But there is one meaning that relates in a small way — to examine something carefully. I can say, “I went through all of the papers and found what I was looking for.” This meaning of “go through” suggests moving “through” something: in this case, the papers.

For other meanings of “go through,” you can use an online dictionary, such as The Merriam Webster Learners’ Dictionary.

That’s all for Ask a Teacher this week.

I’m Alice Bryant.

Alice Bryant wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

What questions do you have about English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story
preposition - n. a word that shows direction, location or time, or introduces an object

adverb - n. a word that is often used to show time, manner, place, or degree

tunnel - n. a passage that goes through a hill or under the ground

park - n. a piece of public land in or near a city that can be used for pleasure and exercise

accent - n. a way of pronouncing words that occurs among the people in a region or country

phrasal verb - n. a group of words that functions as a verb and is made up of a verb and a preposition, an adverb, or both

dictionary - n. a reference book that contains words listed in alphabetical order and gives information about the meanings, forms and pronunciations

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Waste Not, Want Not Is Good Advice|| Voa English

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.

Waste. It is something we are often told not to do.

At home, parents tell us not to waste food.

In the classroom, teachers tell us not to waste time.

On a sports team, coaches tell us not to waste energy.

People who do not want to hear our ideas, tell us not to “waste our breath.”

Whether it is food, time, energy or breath -- waste is a loss of something valuable. Waste happens because we use too much of a resource or because we do not use it well.

We often use “waste” in arguments. If we are unhappy with someone, we can say: “Don’t waste my time.” If we are really unhappy with someone, we can say to them, “You are a waste of space!”

And if you are not happy with the result of something you have done, you can say, “Well, that was a complete waste of time.”

There are other ways we use the word “waste.”

If someone is very sick or is losing a lot of weight, we can say they are “wasting away.” And if someone has too much alcohol and cannot control their words and actions, we can say they are “wasted.”

So, those are some ways we use the word “waste.” We also find it in some useful expressions.

Here’s the first one: “Haste makes waste.”

The online dictionary Merriam-Webster says this expression was first recorded in 1678. The full saying was: "Haste makes waste, and waste makes want, and want makes strife between the good-man and his wife."

“Haste” means doing something very quickly. “Haste makes waste” means if you hurry and rush while doing something, you could make mistakes. And it takes more time and effort to fix mistakes. So, if someone says, “Hurry up! It’s taking you forever to cut that wood for the house project.” You can simply say: “Haste makes waste. I want to do it right the first time!”

The other common expression is: “Waste not, want not.”

This means that if a person never wastes things, he or she will have what is needed. We often say this as a response to being very frugal. Frugal people are careful about spending money or using things. They are not wasteful.

Here is one way to use it. Let’s say I am carefully putting paper into a pile. Some of the papers have writing on them, but most do not. And I think I can still use it for something.

If someone sees me and says, “Why don’t you just throw that paper away? We have lots of paper.” I can say to them, “Waste not, want not.” It is a simple way to say, “I don’t want to waste this paper. If I need it for something later, I’ll have it.”

Now let’s hope learning about “waste” in this Words and Their Stories was not a “complete waste of your time.”

Until next time … I’m Anna Matteo!

And there's so much time to make up everywhere you turn

Time we have wasted on the way

So much water moving underneath the bridge

Let the water come and carry us away …

Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. At the end of the program the music group Crosby, Stills & Nash sings “Wasted on the Way.”

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

coach – n. one who instructs players in the fundamentals of a sport and directs team strategy

strife – n. formal : very angry or violent disagreement between two or more people or groups

rush – v. to move or do something very quickly or in a way that shows you are in a hurry

frugal – adj. careful about spending money or using things when you do not need to : using money or supplies in a very careful way

pile – n. a large number of things that are put one on top of another

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How Can I Improve My English Pronunciation|| Part 2|| VOA English

How Can I Improve My English Pronunciation|| Part 2
Many people write to us here at VOA Learning English with this question:

Question:

How can I improve my English pronunciation?

Answer:

Last week on our program, we talked about setting realistic goals. That means, you do not have to sound exactly like a native English speaker. You can keep your accent and still communicate clearly. We also talked about learning the rhythm of English.

Today we will talk about three things you can do to sound more like a native speaker.

Watch and listen to yourself

A good place to start is to watch and listen to videos and other programs recorded in English.

For example, choose a story from our website. Listen to the recording while looking at the words. Make a note of any words you think may be hard to say, and then say them aloud. Play the audio again and read along. Then record yourself reading it slowly and clearly. Listen to your recording. Are you speaking loudly enough? As an English speaker, speaking more slowly than you normally do and speaking loudly with confidence can make it easier for others to understand you.

Take 'Selfie Videos'

You can also learn how to improve your pronunciation by taking selfie videos. Record a few sentences. Watch the video and ask yourself: Is my voice loud enough? Did I say all of the words clearly? Next, ask an English-speaking friend to listen, or try reading the story for a friend.

Listen to your dictionary

Our final piece of advice is to listen to recordings from an online dictionary. Try using a dictionary app, like the Merriam-Webster Learners’ Dictionary, which gives you the correct pronunciation in an audio file.

Click on the small picture (it looks like a speaker) to play the sound of the word.

You can also use a website like Google Translate. Type in a word, then click on the small picture to hear the pronunciation.

If you click it a second time, it will play more slowly so you can hear each part of the word clearly.

What else do you do?

Now you have heard our suggestions for sounding more like a native English speaker. What do you tell your friends about improving your pronunciation? Write to us and tell us your own advice. Our email is learningenglish@voanews.com

And that’s Ask a Teacher!

I’m Jill Robbins.

Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

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Words in This Story
pronunciation – n. the way in which a word is said

accent – n. a way of saying words that is common among the people in an area or country

rhythm – n. a regular, repeated order of sounds or movements

confidence – n. a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something

file – n. a collection of computer data or other information stored in an electronic device

click – v. to press or strike a button on a control device

type – v. to write something on a computer or typewriter

Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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How Can I Improve My English Pronunciation| Part 1| VOA english

How Can I Improve My English
Pronunciation? (Part 1)

Many people want to sound more like native English speakers. So
they send questions about pronunciation to us here at VOA Learning English. We
often get asked:

Question:

“How
can I improve my English pronunciation?”

Answer:

Today
we will look at two simple things you can do to improve your pronunciation.

Speak loudly enough

The
first is to speak loudly enough.

Many
people learning a foreign language worry about having an accent or
saying words differently because of their mother tongue.

Yet
there are plenty of people who have learned English as a second or even third
language. Take, for example, Hollywood actors Antonio Banderas and Jackie Chan.
The two are non-native English speakers. Banderas has a Spanish accent, while
Chan has a Chinese accent. But both men are easy to understand, partly because
they speak loudly and clearly.

When
speaking, the goal should be communicating to be easily understood, not
removing your accent, which is often hard to do.

To
read more on this subject, see our story called Keep Your Identity While
Changing Your Accent.

Listen for patterns

The
second thing you can do to improve pronunciation is to listen for patterns.

English
sentences have a rhythm. In other words, you
will find a kind of systematic arrangement, or order, to the words and expressions.
When you listen to someone speaking English, try humming along with the rhythm
of their sentences. Think of yourself making sounds like that of an insect.

Here
is an example: What are you doing in there?

The
line shows how the voice changes:

Here’s what it sounds like to hum this sentence.

It
is easy to make sounds while keeping your mouth closed.

Some
English learners like to listen to music and sing songs. These exercises will
help you to learn the rhythms of the language.

For
more exercises, see our story Improve Your Pronunciation by Training Your Ears.

Next
time, we will talk about some more things you can do to improve your
pronunciation.

And
that’s Ask
a Teacher!

I’m
Jill Robbins.

Dr.
Jill Robbins wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the
editor.

Do you have a question for the teacher? We want
to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or email us at learningenglish@voanews.com.

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VOA English| How Can I Sound American|| Làm sao để nói được giọng Mỹ

Today on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Igor in Russia. He writes,

Question: I'd like to speak with an American accent. Could you give me advice on how to improve it? Thank you so much.

Yours sincerely,

Igor, Russia

Answer:

Dear Igor,

An accent is more than simply the way one says individual words. It is also the way speakers use three things: intonation, pacing and stress. Intonation is the rise and fall in one’s voice when speaking. Pacing is how fast you are speaking. And stress is the word or words you play up, or emphasize, when you talk.

If you want to sound more like an American when you speak, there are a few sounds that experts say make up the American accent.

American sounds

The thing most people notice is that many Americans pronounce the "r" sound at the end of words, like “butter." And, in American English, the "t" in the middle of a word is often said like the letter "d."

Try making the “r” sound in these three words: better, door, poor.

Another of these sounds is the short “a” sound you hear in words like "cat." To make this sound, pull your lips back as if you are smiling, but keep your mouth open.

Try making this short "a" sound in these words: dad, map, tag.

Another sound you should watch for is the short "o," as heard in the words "bot" and "cod." Your lips do not need to be round to produce this “o” sound.

Try saying this sound in mom, got, and pop.

Practice makes perfect

The most important way to improve your accent is to keep on speaking and listening to American English. Try to hear the rhythm, or "music," of the language as you listen to Americans. The pace, or speed, should be slower than other accents. And it is not necessary to sound exactly like a native speaker. As long as you speak clearly enough to be understood, most Americans enjoy hearing a foreign accent. It makes you sound a little mysterious!

Our website has several Education Tips stories on pronunciation, as well as the new video series "How to Pronounce." To learn more, see Keep Your Identity While Changing Your Accent, our story about a program that helps students change their accents.

Your questions

What question do you have about English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.

And that's Ask a Teacher for this week.

I’m Jill Robbins.

Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

accent – n. a way of saying the words of a given language

emphasize – v. to give special attention to when speaking or writing

lips – n. (pl) the two soft parts that surround the mouth

Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.

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Meditation music| Nhạc thư giản, ngày mới làm việc hiệu quả

Nhạc thư giản, ngày mới làm việc hiệu quả

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What is the difference between "just" and "only"| Voa english

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Ways to Make Studying More Powerful| VOA English| Tự học tiếng anh hiệu quả

Ways to Make Studying More Powerful

Many students ask VOA Learning English about studying. They want to know the best ways to improve their learning.

In this week’s Education Tips, we will explore four methods you can use: focusing, testing yourself, interleaving and teaching.

Focus

One of the best ways to organize your study session is to use the Pomodoro Technique. It is a powerful, but simple method that helps people focus on a task.

The idea is to use a timer. Let’s say, you set the timer for 20 minutes, and focus only on your studies during that time. You cannot check email, send text messages or do anything aside from your task.

When the timer goes off, you can reward yourself by listening to some music or having a drink of tea.

You can repeat the process as many times as needed.

If you would like to learn more details about the Pomodoro Technique, you can read a previous Education Tips story on our website, learningenglish.voanews.com

Test yourself

When you are studying, you should test yourself often. If you are using a textbook, then you can do practice questions from the end of each chapter, as we suggested in an earlier Education Tips. You can also find all kinds of online tests and quizzes for many subjects.

Flash cards are another tool. There are free flash card programs, or you could use pieces of paper. The point is that you make your questions somewhat difficult, and then practice with them regularly.

But, you should be careful about flash cards. Think carefully about making different kinds of questions. Many language learners put a vocabulary word on one side of a flash card, and the definition on the back. Every flash card suggests the same basic question: what does this word mean?

While it is useful to remember what different words mean, be sure to make other kinds of questions – why questions or how questions, for example. So, you might ask, “Why are determiners important?” or “How can I tell the difference between the progressive tense and the simple tense?”

Interleaving

When most people study, they do “blocked” practice. In other words, they only study one topic at a time.

But research suggests that a different kind of practice, interleaved practice, may be better for long-term learning.

Interleaving is a technique that means you mix different topics. So, for example, in one study session you might spend time testing yourself on vocabulary words and then test yourself on grammar. Or, if studying math, you could mix multiplication and division problems.

A 2020 study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology found that interleaved study was much better than blocked practice. The study examined 54 7th grade math classes over a period of 4 months. Some classes did interleaved assignments while other classes did blocked assignments.

One month later, students took a surprise test. The results were powerful: “The interleaved group outscored the blocked group, 61% versus 38%,” the researchers wrote.

Teaching

Teaching is also a powerful way to learn. In a study published in Contemporary Education Psychology, researchers compared different groups of students. Some students did not expect to have to teach information, while others did.

Researchers Fiorella and Mayer wrote that when students actually teach a lesson, “they develop a deeper and more persistent understanding of the material than from solely preparing to teach.”

In the Guardian newspaper, David Robson points out ways to teach others, even if you are alone.

“If you don’t have a willing partner, you could imagine describing it to someone, or draft an email setting out what you’ve learned in as much detail as possible,” Robson wrote.

Closing thoughts

You can put all of these techniques together to make a powerful study plan.

For example, you might organize your study sessions with the Pomodoro technique. Then, you can test yourself and interleave different topics. After that, you could take a break, reward yourself and do another Pomodoro session.

There are many options. You can create your own plan based on what you need to learn. But what you will realize is that when you focus and do tasks that are at the right difficulty level, your brain will become tired. Some days, you might only be able to do one 20-minute session, for example. Other days, you might do many 20-minute sessions.

After all of that mental training, you will surely need to rest and recover. We will explore that topic in a future Education Tips story.

I’m John Russell.

John Russell wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

focus – v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific

session – n. a period of time that is used to do a particular activity

technique – n. a way of doing something by using special knowledge or skill

practice – n. the activity of doing something again and again in order to become better at it

determiner – n. grammar : a word (such as “a,” “the,” “some,” “any,” “my,” or “your”) that comes before a noun and is used to show which thing is being referred to

persistent – n. continuing beyond the usual, expected, or normal time : not stopping or going away

reward – n. something good that is given or received for doing a task or job

topic – n. a subject of discussion or thought

draft – v. to write something or make a version of something that may be changed later on

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The difference between "BUY" and "PURCHASE"| Voa english

Buy and Purchase

This week we answer a question from Julio in Peru. He writes: Question: I would like to know the difference between BUY and PURCHASE and when to use each of them. -- Julio, Lima, Peru. Answer: Dear Julio, Thanks for asking about these words. As you know, "buy" and "purchase" can be used in similar sentences. They can both be used either as a noun or a verb. One difference between them is how formal they sound. Compare the following sentences. Put "buy" or "purchase" in the space. I would like to ______ a new home. She wants to _____ a hamburger. Like most English speakers, I would say "purchase" for the home and "buy" for the hamburger. You probably wonder, why does English have two words with exactly the same meaning? History of the words We can understand this better with a little history. English developed from the languages of Germanic tribes of Northern Europe. Words from that time are what we call Anglo-Saxon. In the year 1066, William the Conqueror and his forces began to take over England. William was from Normandy, in France. For the next 300 years, everyone in English courts and in government spoke French. English was a language for everyday use. As a result, French had a great effect on the English language: about 10,000 French words were added to English. We still use many of them today. As you might suspect, English speakers use the French words for more formal situations and the Anglo-Saxon words for common ideas and things. One way you can tell the difference between the French words and the Anglo-Saxon words is their length. Anglo-Saxon words, like “buy,” are often short, while “purchase” and other French words are longer. Buy Julio asked how to use "buy" and "purchase." We usually use "buy" as a verb. For example, I will buy food for the party. It is not so common to see "buy" as a noun, but you do find it in cases like this: The police stopped a drug buy on the street. Purchase We often use the verb "purchase" for when legal documents are involved, such as in: The government purchased a new contract for 1,000 airplanes. And you should use "purchase" when you need a noun form, as in: You made a smart purchase when you bought gas before the price went up. In summary, try to use "buy" for simple actions, and "purchase" for more formal exchanges of money for goods. And now, I will ask you to do something. Please send your questions about English to us by email: learningenglish@voanews.com. And that's Ask a Teacher for this week. I’m Jill Robbins. Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story formal – adj. related to serious or official speech and writing hamburger – n. a flat, usually round piece of ground beef that is cooked and served usually in a roll or bun conqueror – n. a person who takes control of a country or city through the use of force Anglo-Saxon – n. the language of the Anglo-Saxons summary – n. a brief statement of the main points of something  Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or email: learningenglish@voanews.com 

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Vietnam Building Rapid Bus System in Ho Chi Minh City| Voa english

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Many Ways to Say You’re Welcome| VOA English

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