Quora knows best - For English learners and others
Original .
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Original on Quora.com I was standing outside an art supply store on central park, south side. Looking in the window at all the canvases and paint brushes. Wondering whether I should start painting. Gradually, I became aware that someone was standing next to me. A bit too close. I looked at her, a classy looking older lady. Maybe in her sixties or early seventies. She smiled broadly at me and said, you look nice. For a long time. I didn't know what to say. And then I stammered. Thanks. She said, would you like to come to my apartment for dinner? For the next five or six...
info_outline Vocabulary that you like better in your target language than in your own languageQuora knows best - For English learners and others
This episode is related to the following Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/languagelearning/comments/15by64n/are_there_any_words_or_phrases_that_you_like/
info_outline Twittersode 1 Convincingly Awful Advice for Language LearnersQuora knows best - For English learners and others
Kevin Abroad asked this: Share bad language learning advice but make it convincing.
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Jimmy Carter to begin receiving home hospice care. But who is Jimmy Carter? Listen to a brief summary in this podcast.
info_outline ChatGPT: Chatbot interviews an English learner - AI Artificial Intelligence in actionQuora knows best - For English learners and others
Summary: In this interview episode, the host of the language learning podcast , Daniel Goodson, is interviewed by an AI called Peter about his English learning journey. Daniel shares that he has been learning English passively for many years through activities such as reading books and listening to podcasts in English. He also started his own podcast, My Fluent Podcast, to practice speaking with native speakers and improve his skills. Daniel shares that immersing himself in the language and speaking with others, whether native or non-native speakers, has helped him a lot in his learning...
info_outline 37 Why do people read novels?Quora knows best - For English learners and others
Why do people read novels? Transcript: We read novels because we want to live, even vicariously, in a world with meaning. Too many senseless events happen in the real world: children die of starvation at the very gates of the wealthy, innocent and admirable people perish in natural disasters, wars that destroy young lives and entire countries are waged for the pettiest of reasons. A novelist, whether realistic or fantastic, extrapolates meaning onto his or her envisioned world. Sometimes the good guy wins. The sick child recovers. The impoverished orphan has a secret fortune. Even when the...
info_outline 36 I love my wife but she cannot cook. What should I do?Quora knows best - For English learners and others
Never mind if she can’t cook. If she loves you and you love her, that is enough to lead a happy married life. Cooking is not rocket science. Both of you can learn it together. By the way my wife married me in spite of my inability to cook. I married her in spite of her inability to drive. We are a happily married couple. She cooks for me and I drive her around. Don’t let these minor difficulties come in your way. Here is a of us that I haven’t shared before. Vocab: rocket science (something very difficult to understand) Original article on Quoa.com:
info_outline 35 What screams "I have a low IQ"?Quora knows best - For English learners and others
Quora.com (Whis is not an official Quora Podcast) Difficult words: ambiguity (he presence of two or more possible meanings in a single passage.) cliches (Formally, a cliché is “a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse, as sadder but wiser, or strong as an ox.” It can also be defined as “anything that has become trite commonplace through overuse.) monosyllabic (having only one syllable) perception (opinion, perception,...
info_outline 34 Is it rude to flake on someone? Why do people do it?Quora knows best - For English learners and others
Is it rude to flake on someone? Why do people do it? Transcript: Original post on Quora.com Other examples with the expression "to flake on someone": The one time I actually depend on you, and you flake on picking me up from the airport. Marge, don't flake out on me. Don't you flake on me!
info_outlineThis is the video version of episode 31 🎞️
What is your opinion to today's question? Share it with us and we will publish it on this podcast. (use the videoask link below)
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https://www.videoask.com/f5w03f1g8
Link to the article on Quora: https://qr.ae/pGjgCO
Full transcipt further below!
Vocabulary:
wunderkind: a person who is very clever or good at something and achieves success at a young age
JPL: Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) - Robotic Space Exploration.
average guy: ordinary guy, normal guy, average joe
fly - flew - flown
I had no decline in my learning ability in 30 years: drop, decrease, fall.
Some people are still extremely lucid: clearn, plain, understandable
Don’t be prejudiced against older people and sell them short:
an unfair feeling of dislike for a person or group because of race, sex, religion, etc. // or something like making your own mind about sth. before you know the facts.
Don’t be prejudiced against older people and sell them short:
sell (someone, something, or oneself) short To undervalue someone, something, or oneself; to underestimate or underappreciate the good qualities of someone, something, or oneself. Often used in negative constructions.
in the blink of an eye: at a glance. in a flash. in a heartbeat. in a jiffy. In other words, it happens very fast.
Transcript
I’m just about to turn 65. I’ve been employed as an airline pilot for 36 years. I’m reasonably intelligent, but admittedly far from a wunderkind, and with no offers to work for the JPL or NASA. Pretty much an average guy who’s outstanding at being humble. At at age 64, I had to learn how to fly the most complex and advanced airliner currently in service, the Airbus A350. I had flown the relatively simplistic Boeing 767 for the past 25 years, and had never flown an Airbus, which is completely different in almost every way from a Boeing. I was the oldest person to attempt going through the Delta’s A350 Initial Qualification training program. I was warned that even much younger pilots were finding the training to be extremely challenging, and that because of my age, success might not be an option. It was an extremely complex airplane. The training manual is literally 7000 pages long. Countless Training videos, 6 weeks of simulators, extremely difficult electronic and oral exams. “It can’t be done, old guy”, many said.
BULLSHIT! I went through the training and actually had an easy time of it. It was no more challenging than when I went through MD-11 training in 1991, at age 34, even though the A350 was a much more difficult training program. I had no decline in my learning ability in 30 years, and aced the very challenging program without any trouble. If I can maintain my ability to easily learn complex tasks into my mid-60’s, hell, anyone can.
To answer the question: For some it might be age 30, or 40, or 50, etc, etc. However, everyone is different. Some people are still extremely lucid and able to learn well into their 90’s. Don’t assume. Don’t count yourself out at any age. Don’t be prejudiced against older people and sell them short, because many of them are still as sharp or even sharper than you. Treat all people well, especially older people, because in the blink of an eye you’re going to be one of them, and you’re going to love it when someone treats YOU with dignity and a little bit of respect.
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