US Flag Day

Listen to me read this post

 
Today, June 14 marks a special day in the US.  It is the day we celebrate the US flag.  It was on this day in 1777 that the Founding Fathers passed a resolution saying that the flag of the United States should have 13 stripes and 13 stars to represent the original colonies that became the first states of the newly independent country.  Although we have added a few more stars since then, the design of the flag has stayed pretty much the same. 

When the original resolution was passed it did not say how the 13 stars should appear on the blue field.  Should they be in rows or should they be scattered randomly like stars in the  night sky?  Since the lay out of stars was not stated, flags from that time period have many different patterns.  However, there was one design that was the most popular.  The 13 stars were arranged in a circle and it is what we call the Betsy Ross Flag. 

Betsy Ross was a seamstress and flagmaker.  She was also a friend of George Washington.  As the story goes, Washington asked her to make a flag from a design he had sketched and the US flag was born. 

This is a story many Americans grow up learning.  However, historians have not been able to prove  that the story is true.  They do know that Betsy Ross was a real person who made flags and she did know George Washington. But did she make the first US flag?   We may never know. But it does make an interesting story.  

Thanks for listening.  This has been Cassie Brenn for fastfoodenglish.blogspot.com.

English Central Video - Friends and Fans Honor Steve Jobs

This English Central Video is about the funeral of Apple CEO Steve Jobs.  In it they mention that the flags were at half staff.  This means that the flags were positioned in the middle of the flag pole instead of the top of the flag pole as normal.  This is done when someone of importances dies as a show of respect.  

Pledge of Allegiance

Listen to me read this post.


I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. 

Topic of the Week - US Flag



The new topic of the week is the US Flag.  Americans call it bya many names Old Glory, the Star Spangled Banner and The Stars and Stripes and we proudly display it to show our love and support for our country.  Join me this week as I talk about interesting facts and customs related to the US flag.

Baseball Movies

There are a ton of movies about Baseball.  Here are a few you might want to watch to practice your English.  Click on the title below to read reviews and information about the movie. The Youtube link will take you to videos.   Now all you need is some popcorn!

Moneyball   video link

Bull Durham  video link

A League of Their Own video link

Field of Dreams video link

The Natural video link

Baseball Highlights Videos

Listen to me read this post.


Hello Sports fans.  Want to read, watch and listen to more about baseball? check out the webpage for major league baseball at mlb.com

There you will find lots of information about professional baseball including video highlights of different games. 

English Central Red Bull Moments

This is a video of Professional Baseball Pitcher Tim Lincecum.  He talks about why he started playing baseball while the video shows him pitching a ball in slow motion.  It's very interesting to watch his body movements.  Enjoy!

Baseball Metaphors and Idioms

Baseball Cartoon by Andertoons

Baseball metaphors are a part of our everyday talk in the US.  Even people who have never played baseball use and understand baseball inspired words. 

Baseball Funnies

Baseball Cartoon by Andertoons

Some times knowing the language is not enough. You understand all of the words but it's still doesn't make sense.  You need to understand the culture too.   Things like this cartoon involve cultural references. 

"We want a pitcher, not a belly itcher!" 

This is a silly thing we yell at the pitcher at a baseball game when we are kids.   It's a funny way to tell the pitcher to do a better job.   So, now that you know this piece of American culture does the cartoon make more sense?

Baseball Road Trip

Need a language challenge try listening to this podcast about road trips in the USA.  A road trip is a vacation taken in your car and involving stops along the highway.  Podcast #4 is a baseball themed road trip.  The speaker talks about the Baseball hall of fame, different baseball stadiums and other interesting baseball attractions in the US. 

http://www.learnoutloud.com

English Central - Ichiro Air Mail

Baseball Basics

Listen to me read this post


Today I'm going to explain the basics of Baseball. Baseball is a game played between two teams on a field called a diamond.  Picture in your mind a diamond shape and at each point of the diamond is a base.  At the bottom of the diamond the base is called home plate. 

Baseball Song

Yesterday we talked about how a baseball game is played.  One team bats and the other team plays in the field, then they switch.  After each team takes a turn at bat we call this an inning.  A baseball game is made up of 9 innings.  Nine innings can take a while to play so we have a special tradition called the 7th inning stretch.  After the 7th inning everyone watching the game stands up and sings a special song together called Take Me Out to the Ball Game. 

English Central - Making Plans: Attending a Baseball game

Here is an English Central video called Attending a Baseball Game.  It's a Hard one but give it a try.

Topic of the Week - Baseball

The new Topic of the Week is Baseball.  It's been called the National Sport of America.  Join me this week as we talk about how this game is played and some other interesting things related to this sport.  

Here is a fun video to get you started. 

 

English Central - How to Fry an Egg on the Sidewalk

Listen to me read this post


In the US when it's really hot outside we say it's hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk.  Well, this video actually shows you how!  And as always, with English Central Videos, you will improve your English by practicing listening and pronunciation.  One thing I would like to point out though is at the end of the video there are 2 egg puns.  They say people will think you are EGG - zelent or EGG - zagerating.    They are playing with the words excellent and exagerating.  Puns use words that sound similar to make a fun or silly statement. 

Thanks for listening. This has been Cassie Brenn for fastfoodenglish.blogspot.com.