Fun Easy English - new american english standard conversation Voice of America VOA learning English for beginners lesson 21 Can You Come to the Party? discourse.

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Home - Conversation - Let's Learn English Lesson 21

Conversation Lesson 21

Lesson 21 - Can You Come to the Party?

In this lesson Anna meets her friend Marsha in a coffee shop. Marsha asks Anna to come to a party. But Anna has to take a driving test. Can Anna come to the party?

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Lesson Video

Watch the video and then do the activities on this page.

Video Script

Anna: Hi there! Washington, D.C. has some great coffee shops. My favorite is this one -- Busboys & Poets.
Anna: Actually it’s more than a coffee shop. It’s also a bookstore, a restaurant and a theater!
Anna: Marsha and I love coming here.
Marsha: Hey, Anna, my friend is having a party on Saturday. Can you come with me?
Anna: Sorry, I can’t come with you. I have to get my driver’s license.
Marsha: Will you be busy all day?
Anna: I don’t know. First, I have to take a test on the computer. Then I have to take a test in the car.
Marsha: But you have to take the test during the day, don't you?
Anna: Yes.
Marsha: The party is at night.
Anna: Oh. Then I can come with you to the party on Saturday night.
Marsha: Great! I have to help my friend with the party. Can you help me?
Anna: Sure. That sounds like fun.
Marsha: Everyone has to bring something or do something. You can bring food, or you can perform.
Anna: Really, I can perform?
Marsha: You can! Can you?
Anna: Yes! I can recite poetry. (Anna is in a club reciting a poem)
    - A poem -
    Light dark
    Light dark
    Darkness
    Dark
Marsha: In this country, nobody recites poetry at parties. Um … can you do anything else?
Anna: Hmm, yes. I can do a card trick. (Anna is doing a card trick)
    Your card is the 10 of diamonds! No?
    Pick a card. Any card.
    Here, just pick this one.
    Great!
Marsha: Anna, maybe you can just bring food.
Anna: No, I can’t cook. And I really want to perform. You know, there is one thing I can do. (Anna plays a song on the ukulele and sings)
    Trouble in mind. I’m blue...
    But I won't be blue always
    The sun's gonna shine in my back door some day.*
Marsha: That’s it! You can sing at the party. Now, I have to go shopping for food.
Anna: Can I help? I’m not busy right now.
Marsha: Sure, let’s go!
Anna: We have to go. I have to help Marsha shop. And I have to practice my song!
    Trouble in mind. I’m blue...
Anna: Until next time!

*The song Trouble in Mind was written by jazz pianist Richard M. Jones.

Listening

Now practice listening to only the audio portion of the conversation.

Speaking

In this video, you can practice saying the new words and learn how to show that one event comes after another event.

Pronunciation

This video teaches about two ways to pronounce have to.

New Words

bookstore - n. a store that sells books
card - n. a small piece of stiff paper that is used for playing games
day - n. the part of the day when light from the sun can be seen
driver’s license - n. an official document or card which shows that you have the legal right to drive a vehicle
else - adv. used to refer to a different or additional person or thing
night - n. the time of darkness between one day and the next
perform - v. to entertain an audience by singing or acting
poetry - n. the writings of a poet
recite - v. to read (something) out loud or say (something) from memory
test - n. a set of questions or problems that are designed to measure a person's knowledge, skills, or abilities
trick - n. a clever and skillful action that someone performs to entertain or amuse people

Activity

In this lesson, Marsha asks Anna to come to a party on Saturday. What do you like to do on the weekends? Write about what you plan to do next weekend. Write about it in the Facebook Comments section below. Use the Activity Sheet to practice talking about your talents and skills. Click lesson activity to get the printable PDF version. The page opens to a new window.

Source: Voice of America

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