Hear the fascinating story of Arabic, and its relation to the English language, and learn about words in English that come from Arabic. Prepare to be amazed!

English by Eric

Does English come from Arabic?

**Listen to this audio file to learn about Iran's culture and people
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Persian Podcasts / پادکست فارسی 

ایران زیبا / Beautiful Iran

In this podcast for adult, independent English learners we look at the correct pronunciation (in southern British / modern RP) of the following words: chaotic, mindful, fruit, and nature.

Birdsong English Explains

Ep.1 Common pronunciation errors

If you see someone sitting alone in a restaurant, you might assume they're waiting for someone, or perhaps they're grabbing a quick lunch on their break.

But more and more people around the world are purposely dining alone.

Japan has a special word for this: ohitorisama, which refers to people confidently doing things alone without worrying about what others think.

A recent survey found that 23% of Japanese people eat out alone, up from 18% in 2018. And in the US, solo dining reservations have risen 29% over the last two years, according to restaurant reservation site OpenTable.

OpenTable CEO Debby Soo thinks remote work is one reason for the increase, with people looking for a break from their home offices.

The increasing popularity in solo dining comes as more people are living alone. In 2019, the Pew Research Center found that 38% of US adults ages 25 to 54 were living without a partner, up from 29% in 1990. In Japan, single households now make up one-third of the total; that’s expected to increase to 40% by 2040, according to government data.

Growing interest in solo travel — particularly among travelers ages 55 and over — is also leading to more meals alone.

But Soo thinks there could be more to it than that.

"I think there's a broader movement of self-love and self-care and really … enjoying your own company," Soo said.

As a result, many restaurants are redoing their seating, changing their menus and adding other special touches to appeal to solo diners.

But some aren't always happy to seat one diner. A Michelin-starred London restaurant caused a stir last year when it started charging solo diners the same price as two customers. The restaurant, which has 34 seats, offers an eight-course menu costing about $280 per person.

Other restaurants say it's worth seating one person because solo diners will often come back and eat there again.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Party of One: Solo Dining Increasing in Popularity

JOYCE: Should we take a taxi or a bus to the mall?
BILL: Let’s take a bus. It’s impossible to get a taxi during 
rush hour.
JOYCE: Isn’t that a bus stop over there?
BILL: Yes ... Oh! There’s a bus now. We’ll have to run to 
catch it.
JOYCE: Oh, no! We just missed it.
BILL: No problem. There’ll be another one in 10 minutes.


LANGUAGE NOTES
• Should we … or …? Is a way of asking “Which is better?” “Should” is used to ask 
for an opinion. Note that we do not say “Will” here.
• Take a taxi or a bus? The word “or” signals a choice here. Notice the rising 
intonation on taxi (the first choice) and falling intonation on bus (the second choice).
• Let’s (Let us) means “I think we should do this.”
• Rush hour is the time of day when most people are going to or from work. In most 
American cities, rush hour is from about 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. and from about 4:30 to 
6:30 p.m. Notice that “rush hour” is a compound noun, with the main stress on the 
first word.
• Isn’t that This is a negative question. The speaker expects an affirmative answer. It 
is used to check information.
• Bus stop is a compound noun, with the main stress on the first word.
• Oh! is an exclamation used to express alarm or surprise.
• Oh, no! is an expression used to express disappointment.
• We just missed it here means “We arrived a moment too late to get the bus.” 
Notice the emphasis on “just” to show the very recent past.
• No problem here means “It doesn’t matter.

English Conversation practice (30-day challenge)

Day 19: Transportation 

Why good communication with colleagues and bosses matters in the workplace.

English Cup 

 The Importance of Business Communication Skills

Vocabulaire de l'école et anecdote sur l'école, vidéo ci-dessous: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQp6ToEV4j0
