Sheltering Unhoused, Parrot Invasion, Quantifiers

Welcome to Learning English, a daily 30-minute program from the Voice of America. I'm Ashley Thompson. And I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. This program is designed for English learners, so we speak a little slower and we use words and phrases, especially written, for people learning English. On today's program, you will hear Jill Robbins report on efforts to stop homelessness. Then I'll report on an Argentine town with an unusual problem. After that, our Everyday Grammar program explores quantifiers. Finally, our lesson of the day. But first... Edgar Tapia works on the Homeless Outreach Team of San Francisco, California. He goes to places where people are living in the streets and tells them there is space for them in city shelters. He recently went into one San Francisco neighborhood on that mission. He came to a group of tents, calling out greetings and offers of food and water bottles. He asked if anyone was interested in moving indoors. He had eight available beds in city shelters, he told them. He reminded them that city street cleaners would be coming soon to clear the sidewalk. One woman in a tent asked for health care kits and clothing. Can we get some socks, she asked. Finding people to enter the city shelter is not an easy job. There are more shelter beds than ever before. San Francisco's mayor, London Breed, has said she will no longer permit people living outdoors when they know there is a place to stay indoors. Sometimes a person wants to move inside, but there are no beds. Other times, a bed is open, but the person refuses the offer. Reasons include use of drugs and alcohol. But outreach workers keep trying. Jose Torres is a homeless outreach team manager. He said that people on the street sometimes want to stay with their friends, or dislike the shelter. Sometimes we get lucky, and they accept the one thing we have available. And if that doesn't work, we try something else, he said. It's that try-again, try-again system. Tapia was happy because a man he had been talking to for two months said he may be ready to accept a place in the shelter. The first time they talked, Tapia said, the man asked no questions and showed little interest. But the next time, the man asked what the shelters were like. Tapia said, I want to see these people off the streets. I want to see them do good. The 41-year-old woman who asked for socks said her name was Mellie M. She said her group She wants a secure place to stay because she was raped while homeless. In order for us not to live in tents anymore, she said, they need to give us a place that we can call home. When Torres, the manager, arrived in one neighborhood, he got good news from other outreach workers. They told him that a client was moving into his own small apartment. That client is 71-year-old Larry James Bell. Outreach worker Ventrell Johnson got emotional thinking about Bell. Just eight months ago, Bell was living under a plastic sheet. Johnson had gotten Bell a bed in a homeless shelter. Now Bell was ready for his own place. I'd like to have a house one day, Bell said. When Bell leaves the shelter, another bed becomes available for someone else. Johnson noted that people are a little more likely to accept shelter beds. Now the city is pushing to remove the tents and temporary shelters from the streets. By the end of their workday, outreach workers had found seven people for seven shelter beds. I'm Jill Robbins. The Argentine town of Hilario Ascasubi, near the country's Atlantic coast, has a problem not many places have ever had. It has too many parrots. Biologists say thousands of the green, yellow, and red birds have invaded the town. These experts say deforestation has driven the birds' migration. The problem is that the birds bite the town's electric cables. This is causing electricity outages. People living in the town are also unhappy about the birds' noise-making and the birds' droppings, or waste, that is getting everywhere. Diana Lara is a biologist. She said much of Argentina's forest land has been lost over the years. As a result, the parrots are going into the cities. The hillsides are disappearing, and this is causing them to come closer to the cities to find food, shelter, and water, Lara said. In the past few years, the parrots have started to arrive in the autumn and winter to seek refuge. Local people say, at times, there are up to 10 parrots for each of the town's 5,000 human inhabitants. Only during the summer do the birds migrate south to the cliffs of Patagonia for breeding season. Images show hundreds of birds perched on electric cables, buildings, and churches. Ramon Alvarez is a local reporter for Radio Taxi FM. About the parrots, he said, they bite and damage the cables. Water can get into the wires when it rains. That affects Alvarez directly. It goes without saying that when the power goes out, there is no radio, he said. The locals have tried different methods to scare away the birds, such as noise and even laser light, but nothing has worked. We need to start to restore our natural environment, Lara said, but until that happens, we have to think of strategies that allow us to live together in the most harmonious way possible in our towns. I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. Today, we are going to talk about different ways of expressing quantity in English. A quantifier is a word or number that shows an amount or number. You probably already know how to use common quantifiers like much and many. For example, How many apples would you like? How much fruit would you like? The quantifier many is used before apples, which is a count noun. Much is used before fruit, a non-count noun. Make sure you understand the difference between count nouns and non-count nouns before you study quantifiers. You can learn about count and non-count nouns in last week's episode of Everyday Grammar. Quantifiers are adjectives and adjective phrases that go before nouns. They give information about how much or how many of an item you are talking about. Some quantifiers, like many, go only before count nouns. Others, like much, go only before non-count nouns. And a few quantifiers can go before count or non-count nouns. One, each, and every are examples of count noun quantifiers. Here are some examples. One movie that I enjoy is The Godfather. Each child is special. Every member of the country club is rich. With plural count nouns, just add of the between the quantifier and the noun it describes. One of the boys is from China. Each of the cars has air conditioning. Every one of the students is smart. Notice that boys, cars, and students are plural nouns, but the verbs that follow them are singular. In most situations, one, each, and every make the subject singular, even if the subject contains a plural noun. This tricky rule confuses native speakers and English learners alike. There are a few quantifiers related to the number two. You can say, I have two shoes, I have a couple of shoes, I have both shoes, and I have a pair of shoes. If you have more than two countable items, you can use several, a few, many, and a number of. I have several assignments due this week. There are a few Thai restaurants in my town. There are many ways to practice English. A number of the cars are imported. Now, let's move on to quantifiers that only work with non-count nouns, a little, much, and a great deal of. Here are some examples. Could you loan me a little money? The old woman has much wisdom to share. There is a great deal of oil in Saudi Arabia. Little can go before a count noun if it is used as an adjective. For example, the little boy is playing. In this example, little does not refer to a number or quantity. It refers to the size of the boy. There are several safe quantifiers that can go with both count and non-count nouns. Some is the most popular. Most, plenty of, all, and any are other options. Listen for the quantifiers in these examples. He cuts some wood. Non-count noun. Most Americans speak English. Count noun. I have plenty of money. Non-count noun. All children are special. Count noun. Do you have any coffee? Non-count noun. To refer to the absence or lack of something, simply use no before a count or non-count noun. There was no rice left. Non-count noun. There were no books in the library. Count noun. She had no love for her ex-husband. Non-count noun. No, when used as a quantifier, has the same meaning as zero. Lots and a lot of are very popular quantifiers. Maybe too popular. Some English teachers do not like them. They think that lots and a lot of are overused and unsophisticated. You should avoid lots and a lot of in formal writing. Native speakers usually shorten a lot of to a lotta in casual speech. Listen carefully to these two sentences. I have a few friends. I have few friends. What is the difference? The first sentence contains the article a. This little word makes a big difference in meaning. I have a few friends. Focuses on a positive idea. The speaker is satisfied with the number of friends he has. The second sentence. I have few friends. Focuses on a negative idea. His lack of friends. The speaker wishes he had more friends. It might help to think of few as a half-empty glass of water. A few is like a half-filled glass of water. The amount of water is the same, but the speaker's attitude about the amount of water is different. Few and a few are only used before count nouns. The same positive-negative distinction applies to a little and little. Use little and a little before non-count nouns. I have a little money. Means the speaker has some money. I have little money. Means the speaker does not have enough money. Speaking of little, we have little time left for today's program. We hope you learned a few tips about how to use quantifiers. I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm John Russell. You just heard Everyday Grammar on the VOA Learning English podcast. We have John here with us to tell us more about today's subject. Welcome, John. Thank you. It's great to be here. Today's subject is quantifiers. Quantifiers show the amount or number of a noun. They give information about how much or how many. John, this particular Everyday Grammar is from some time back. Is that right? That's right, Mario. And while Jill and I read it, we did not write the report. Well, that gives us a chance to revisit it a little. You're right. I think our listeners would probably like to know more about the advice about the quantifier a lot of. Could you tell us more? Sure. A lot of is a quantifier meaning a fairly large amount or number. It is actually in the VOA Learning English wordbook. The noun lot has deep roots in Old English. As a noun, it can describe a specific piece of land or a shipment of a product. But it can also be used to quantify almost anything. It is really useful in a lot of situations. It can be used in formal language sometimes when describing an amount that is definite but not easily quantified with numbers. Well, that brings me to another word that our listeners might not know or use. Sophisticated. Could you explain that word? It sounds complicated. No problem, Mario. Well, sophisticated is an adjective that means complex, fashionable, or having a lot of knowledge. People who describe themselves as sophisticated usually have a positive feeling about the word. But words linked to it are less positive. For example, a sophist is a person who makes complex arguments aiming to sound highly educated and wise. The word sophism describes an argument that sounds smart and believable but that is, in fact, false and possibly meant to deceive. Wow. I never knew that about the adjective sophisticated. Well, that's all the time we have. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us today, John. Anytime, Mario. I'm happy to help. Hello. My name is Anna Mateo. My name is Jill Robbins. And I'm Andrew Smith. You're listening to the Lesson of the Day on the Learning English Podcast. Welcome to the part of the show where we help you do more with our series, Let's Learn English. The series shows Anna Mateo in her work and life in Washington, D.C. Butterflies in your stomach. Sweat on the palms of your hands. What do these make you think of? Well, butterflies are not something you want to eat. And sweaty palms? Most people don't want that either. I know what they make me think of. But what do they have to do with Anna? Well, our listeners may remember that in Lesson 21 of Let's Learn English, Anna tells her friend, Marcia, that she has to take a test to get her driver's license. Sorry, I can't come with you. I have to get my driver's license. Will you be busy all day? I don't know. First, I have to take a test on the computer. Then, I have to take a test in the car. And now, in Lesson 28, we get to watch Anna take that test. Anna, did you get your driver's license? I did, but it was not easy. Why? What happened? Well, you know, I can drive farm equipment really well. But I was really nervous driving in Washington, D.C. traffic. Did you pass the test the first time? Well, no. But I did pass the second time. What happened during the first test? It started fine. OK. Anna, is your seat belt buckled? Yes, sir. Great. Please start the car. OK, Anna. Start the car. I started the car. Good job, Anna. Why are you talking to yourself? I am a little nervous. When I'm nervous, I talk to myself. I'm sure our listeners can understand the feeling of being nervous. When Anna feels nervous, she talks to herself. But some people react in other ways when they are nervous. They might get those butterflies in the stomach. For our listeners, maybe it's now clear what we mean when we say butterflies in the stomach. It's just an expression to describe the feeling of being nervous. Some people do feel it in their stomach. But there are lots of other things that can happen in your body when you are nervous. Like you might find it hard to sit still, so you keep moving your hands or some other part of your body. And when people feel really nervous, they might notice their heart starting to beat faster and stronger. That's because the body releases a hormone called adrenaline when we're nervous. That excitement of the nerves is also called the fight-or-flight response. And flight, in this case, does not mean flying on an airplane. Flight is a noun that means running away from danger. So Jill, how about you? What's it like for you when you feel nervous? When I'm nervous about something, I start cleaning. You know, like wiping the dust off my table or picking up clutter or running the vacuum on the carpet. It's like if I can get my house in order, my life will be in order too. How about you? I have to say, that's pretty funny. But it makes sense. Um, for me, sometimes my hands get cold, and sometimes I start to sweat a little bit under my arms. And I'm sure our listeners have some other ways they react. You can write us at learningenglish at voanews.com and let us know what makes you nervous and how your body reacts. I'm Jill Robbins, and you're listening to the Lesson of the Day on the Learning English Podcast. Andrew, what kind of situations tend to make you nervous? Um, sometimes if I have to speak to a large group of people, I can feel some nerves. But because I've been a teacher, speaking to groups doesn't bother me too much. But sometimes when I perform music for other people, I can get nervous. How about you, Jill? I get nervous when I'm going to do a webinar or an online meeting. I try to prepare everything in advance and practice so I know exactly what I'm going to do. And you probably have a very clean desk before you do that. You bet. In general, I think people tend to get nervous when they worry that other people might judge them and that they might not perform well. Unfortunately, this can happen when we are trying to speak a foreign language. How do you think learners should deal with this? I think some good advice is to simply keep trying and to know that most people listening to you, they understand that you are trying and they won't think bad things about you. Yeah, most people are nice, at least most of the time. Now, let's go back to Anna's driving test. Her driving instructor is not nervous at the beginning. But during the test, he also probably feels a rush of adrenaline. But in his case, it's because of fear. He's probably having the flight response we mentioned. I think so. Let's listen to Anna's driving test. Why are you talking to yourself? I am a little nervous. When I'm nervous, I talk to myself. You don't need to be nervous. Listen to that engine. Please, stop pushing the gas pedal. Sorry. Okay, when you are ready, turn. Great. Not now. You almost hit that car. You said turn. Look first. There were cars in the street. Please don't yell at me. I'm sorry. I was afraid. You were yelling. Look out for that car. Brake, brake. Why is everyone honking at us? You were driving too slow. Anna, stay on the street. Hands on the wheel, Anna. What's that sound? That, Anna, is the police. Well, it can be difficult to drive in Washington, D.C., especially if you are a new driver. I think both Anna and her instructor were having an adrenaline rush. The expressions an adrenaline rush and a rush of adrenaline can have a positive or negative meaning. In the positive sense, an adrenaline rush is a feeling of excitement, like if you are doing a physical activity, such as downhill skiing, surfing, or riding a bicycle down a steep hill. And the negative sense means an unwanted or uncomfortable response to nerves or fear. It might be adrenaline that made Anna and her driving instructor yell or speak very loudly. Look first. There were cars in the street. Please don't yell at me. I'm sorry. I was afraid. You were yelling. Look out for that car. Brake, brake. I think nervousness is an interesting subject because almost everyone can relate to it. We'll have more to say about dealing with nerves in another lesson of the day. But first, we want to remind you of our question for today. What activities make you nervous? And how does your body react? And you can send that to us by email, learningenglish at voanews.com, or in the comments on our YouTube channel. Remember, you can always learn more on our website, learningenglish.voanews.com. You can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. Thanks for listening to the lesson of the day on the Learning English Podcast. I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm Andrew Smith. And that's our program for today. Join us again tomorrow to keep learning English through stories from around the world. I'm Ashley Thompson. And I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.