Hello All! My name is Larry Stansbury and I am a Learning English Summer Intern for VOA. Many of you will be starting your freshmen year in college soon. You may worry about not fitting in or not making friends. You are moving to a new place where you know no one. You have to […]
Four Challenges of Living in the U.S.
Posted July 9th, 2015 at 2:43 pm (UTC-5)
Hi all, It has been almost one year since I first arrived in the United States in mid-July 2014. Even though this is not the first time I have lived abroad, I have had to deal with some challenges and interesting things while living here. Weather The biggest challenge is adapting myself to the […]
8 Insider Tips for Scholarship Interviews
Posted June 11th, 2015 at 1:36 pm (UTC-5)
Most scholarship programs require in-person interviews to advance to the final selection phase. For two years, I was on a selection panel for a prestigious international scholarship program. I interviewed hundreds of candidates. I would like to share with you how the interview process works from the panelist’s (or interviewer’s) point of view. Before […]
Good Academic Writing Doesn’t Have to Be A Struggle
Posted January 15th, 2015 at 10:23 am (UTC-5)
Now that you’ve heard our Writing Tips story, let’s take a look at a writing templates from They Say, I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. A template is a model or preset format for a document. Here is one of the most basic templates to get your paper started. In discussions of X, […]
#TravelThursday – Thanksgiving Traffic!
Posted November 26th, 2014 at 12:15 pm (UTC-5)
Hello, and happy #TravelThursday! We are in the middle of one of the busiest travel weeks of the year here in the U.S., as people travel to see families and friends for the Thanksgiving holiday. Nearly 44 million people travel during the Thanksgiving holiday, with about 90 percent traveling by car! Here are a few […]
#TravelThursday: Phrasal verbs all about travel!
Posted November 6th, 2014 at 2:44 pm (UTC-5)
Happy #TravelThursday, friends! As you already know from studying English, phrasal verbs are everywhere! Tomorrow on TALK2US, my friend Caty Weaver and I will be discussing phrasal verbs that are related to traveling. I thought I would give you a little preview here. Hopefully you can practice these phrasal verbs with us tomorrow (Friday) on […]
#TravelThursday – Wanderlust
Posted October 29th, 2014 at 5:12 pm (UTC-5)
The word Wanderlust means a strong desire to travel and see the world. The term actually comes from the German words wandern (to hike) and lust (desire). Wanderlust isn’t just about having a desire to travel and see famous landmarks. It goes deeper than that. It’s about wanting to experience, on a daily basis, […]
#TravelThursday — Shenandoah National Park
Posted October 23rd, 2014 at 11:01 am (UTC-5)
One of the things I like most about living in DC is, well, leaving DC. A two-hour drive transports you to places like Shenandoah National Park, which feels a world away. The colors of autumn are on full display in Shenandoah, which is about 120 kilometers southwest of Washington, DC. Every fall season, people flock […]
Eight Writing Tips from Famous Authors
Posted October 20th, 2014 at 1:03 pm (UTC-5)
I’ve been giving quite a bit of writing advice in this blog. But today, you’re going to hear directly from the masters. I’ve compiled what I think is the best writing advice for English learners from famous writers. Notice how similar their advice is. Do great minds think alike? #1. “If it is possible to […]
Can This Marriage Be Saved?
Posted October 17th, 2014 at 11:07 am (UTC-5)
In this week’s installment of American Stories, we present “The Line of Least Resistance” by Edith Wharton. The main character, ‘Mister Mindon,’ finds out his wife is having an affair with his business partner. He plans to divorce her, but something makes him change his mind (read the story to find out!) A common expression is […]
