Halloween; it is an unofficial holiday that celebrates the frightening and strange. We celebrate with a report about a Nineteenth-century American writer. His stories were some of the most frightening and strange ever written. I'm Shirley Griffith. 

And I'm Doug Johnson. The writer Edgar Allan Poe is our report today on the VOA Special English program THIS IS AMERICA. 

Halloween is mostly a holiday for children, who like to be frightened. Yet many grown people observe Halloween, too. Those who love the writings of Edgar Allan Poe think Halloween is the best time of year to celebrate them. Poe is most famous for his stories and poems of strangeness, mystery, and terror. He wrote about people buried while still alive. About insanity and death. About dreams that become real...or reality that seems like a dream. 

Edgar Allan Poe died in the city of Baltimore in Eighteen-Forty-Nine. Now, in that city, an unusual party takes place every Halloween. In the dark of night, visitors go to the church ground where Poe is buried. Everything is quiet. Then a voice calls out. It is Poe! (pause) No, it is just an actor, reading Poe's work. 

Reading stories was one of the most important forms of enjoyment in Edgar Allan Poe's time. Poe created many of these "short" stories. They appeared in different publications. Horror stories already were popular when Poe began writing. Critics say he wrote the perfect horror story. Poe also wrote detective stories. These were mysteries about crimes, such as murder. The mysteries are solved by an investigator called a detective. He or she is able to find important, hidden meanings in facts. The horror and detective stories Poe created remain extremely popular in books and movies.

Edgar Allan Poe's work is not easy to read. His language is difficult to understand today. And most of his writing describes very unpleasant situations and events. His story "The Pit and the Pendulum," for example, is about the mental torture of a prisoner. Each time the prisoner saves himself from death, a new and more horrible form of death threatens him. Another story is "The Masque of the Red Death." In it, a terrible disease -- the Red Death -- has killed half the population of a country. The ruler of the country shuts his castle against the disease. He and his wealthy friends are inside. They pass the time by having parties. They believe the Red Death will not find them. But it does.

Edgar Poe was born in Eighteen-Oh-Nine. His parents were actors. At that time, actors were not accepted by the best society. Edgar was a baby when his father left the family. He was two years old when his mother died. He was taken into the home of a wealthy businessman, John Allan. He then received his new name -- Edgar Allan Poe. John Allan never officially made Edgar his son. In fact, he came to dislike him strongly. As a young man, Edgar attended the University of Virginia. He was a good student. But he liked to drink alcohol and play card games for money. Edgar was not a good player. He lost money he did not have. John Allan refused to pay Edgar's gambling losses. So, Edgar left the university. He began working as a writer and editor for monthly magazines.

Edgar Allan Poe worked hard. He became a successful editor. Yet he was not well-paid or well-known. His life was difficult. He was poor, and he was troubled by sicknesses of the body and mind. Poe suffered from depression. He feared he was insane. He drank alcohol to escape his fears. The alcohol had a very bad effect on him.

At the age of twenty-seven, he married Virginia Clemm. She was the daughter of his father's sister. She was only thirteen years old. For a time, it seemed that Poe would find some happiness. But his wife was sick for most of their marriage. She died in Eighteen-Forty-Seven. Poe died two years later, at the age of forty. He was found dead in Baltimore after days of heavy drinking. 

Through all his crises, Edgar Allan Poe produced many stories, poems, and works of criticism. Some of his stories won prizes. Yet he did not become famous until Eighteen-Forty-Five. That was when his poem "The Raven" was published. There is no question that Poe suffered from emotional problems in his life. One critic said Poe's spirit was torn. He said Poe's stories were often about his own divided nature. Each person in the story showed a different side of the writer. There is a question, however, about Poe's importance. Some critics say he was one of America's best writers. Others disagree.

Critic Vincent Buranelli says Poe discovered a new artistic universe. It is a universe of dreams. It is a place where the line between reality and unreality is extremely thin. Even those who praise Poe agree that there are many difficulties in his work. These difficulties place Poe's writing outside the main body of American literature. Most American writing is realistic. Poe's interests and way of writing were not realistic at all. Poe's work has been praised most in France. He had a great influence on many French writers, including the poets Charles-Pierre Baudelaire and Stephane Mallarme.

Poe's best-known poem is the "The Raven." Some people love it. They say it is like music. Others hate it. They say it sounds forced and unnatural -- like bad music. "The Raven" is about a man whose great love, Lenore, has died. She is gone forever. But the man cannot accept that all happiness is gone. He sits alone among his books late at night. He hears a noise at the window. Here is the beginning of the poem:

ANNOUNCER: Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary Over many a quaint and curious volume of for- gotten lore -- While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. "Tis some visitor, I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door -- Only this and nothing more."

The man looks out the window and sees only blackness.

ANNOUNCER: Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before: But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token, And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore?" This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore!" Merely this and nothing more. 

But there is something at the window. It is a large black bird -- a raven. It comes into the room like the spirit of death and hopelessness. The raven can speak just one word: 'nevermore' -- meaning 'never again'. We know the raven will never leave the man's room.

ANNOUNCER: But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour. Nothing farther than he uttered -- not a feather then he fluttered -- Till I scarcely more than muttered, "Other friends have flown before -- On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before." Then the bird said, "Nevermore."

This program was written by Carolyn Weaver. It was produced by Lawan Davis. Our poetry reader was Shep O'Neal. I'm Shirley Griffith. 

And I'm Doug Johnson. Join us again next week for another report about life in the United States on the V-O-A Special English program THIS IS AMERICA.

History of Halloween - Part I

Daily English - Conversation: Responding to a preclosing

- How different is your life from the lives of your grandparents?
There are definitely a range of fundamental  distinctions here. However, I supposed the most significant would be the facitilies. What I mean is in my grandparents’ time, people got everything done  without any technological equiptments. Meanwhile, now it seems to me that I as well many other youngsters  are deeply dependent on ,you know, hi-tech gadgets such as washing-machine, smartphone, vaccum cleaner, so on. And the second key contrast would lie on the neighborhood. 50 years ago my grandparents and their next door neighbor were very close to each other. They shared their stories, help each other, whereas, I can’t come to term with my neighbor now since we just focus on our own business.
- What are the responsibilities of husband and wife?
Well, personally speaking I think a marriaged couple shares the same responsibilities. Among them, the most crucial one that springs to my mind is earning money. I reckon both husband and wife should go to work so that they can receive an income to support their family, buying furnitures or paying children’s tutor free, for example. Another responsibility that I can think of is doing housework. Yeap, there is no doubt that in the past , the wife was supposed to do all the chores. However, I am utterly convinced that because the wife also has a tremendous number of duties at her workplace, those chores such as cleaning, cooking should be shared by her spouse .
- Why is the divorce rate increasing in Vietnam?
Well undoutedly, there are a variety of possible reasons behind this. The first one is that the couple is deeply under stress and pressure at work. They are in charged of a myriad of duties and suffer from bullying, for example. Consequently, they are both exhausted when coming home and more seriously, they lose their temper easily. Well then, another factor boosting the divorce rate is the high ego of modern people. I mean, when there is a conflict happening, none of the spouses wants to appologise but blames the other. As the result, the situation becomes too tense that they can’t heal the hurt and eventually they get a divource as the last solution.
----by Emma Le----

Ep20: Sample answer for IELTS Speaking Test Task 3: Family And Marriage

English conversation topics - Airport Check-in
Learn English online using these simple English conversation topics.
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In this episode of the Learning English Essentials Podcast, I share a simple English conversation you can use immediately to help you learn English online quickly and without overwhelm.
 
This English conversation is about checking in at an airport.
 
Use these useful English conversation topics to learn English online and get your speaking and listening practice done quickly and easily. These English conversation topics are designed to be simple, useful and practical so you get more out of your online English learning.
 
Listen to this English conversation to help improve your English. 

I hope you enjoy this episode.
 
Any questions or suggestions for other English conversation topics leave them in the comments below.
 
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Dave Pearl
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Business English
Conversational English
 
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Learning English Essentials Podcast - Airport Check - In

In this episode, I talk with a candidate that wishes to remain anonymous. He managed to score band 7 but feels his IELTS prep institute experience did not play a role in this achievement. Tune in and listen to his position.
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Episode 28 - An anonymous guest scores 7 and thinks IELTS prep schools are useless!

Learn English Conversation Unit 11 Hobbies 14.04.2016

This English Podcast Episode - Exercise Habits

Here is another awesome, important and highly interesting Real English Conversation that will get your heart pumping.We are talking all about exercise and some of the reasons why we think people either love or hate it. Also hear about our experiences in gym class growing up. We would love to hear from you guys about the types of exercise you like and why you think it matters in your life.




Real English Conversation Tip:

We thought we would talk about some of the common expressions that people use to talk about being muscular or needing to lose weight.

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Read an interesting Blog where Amy shares her challenges and experiences she has had learning a second language.

 

English Podcast Transcription Preview:



Curtis:  Hi everybody. It's Curtis and Amy here from Real English Conversations. And today we're going to talk all about exercise.

Amy:  Yeah. So I think that there's definitely two different types of people. And I guess the mindset1 when we talk about exercise. There's people that really enjoy doing exercise, and they do it for almost like entertainment at the same time.  And then there's another group of people that, um, maybe they're a little bit lazier, or they don't like to do exercise.

Curtis:  Yeah.

Amy:  Or they just have a hard time getting going on it2. So... What are we like?

Curtis:  uh, we are kind of like the people that have a hard time getting going on it.  Like we like exercise, and we'll go out for bike rides and stuff like that and, uh, but it's the getting going part that's a little bit difficult for us.

Amy:  Okay, so what are some of the things that we tell ourselves that, you know...you know, like...I guess it depends if you're really focused on...on exercise, and it's a big priority to you in...in your life, you're going to make time for exercise. So what are some of the reasons why we don't get around to exercising every single day?

Curtis:  We tend to make excuses, like, uh, we've really got to work, or I've...I've really got to study Spanish.

Amy:  Um-hum. Like we either have our responsibilities at our other job, which is a delivery driving job. Or we're working on the project, or we're studying.

Curtis:  Yeah.

Amy:  And it seems that exercise doesn't have as high of a priority as these other responsibilities in our life.

Curtis:  Right.

Amy:  However, that has an effect on your health. What can happen if you don't exercise? Or maybe what are some of the...the physical benefits to your body of exercising on a regular basis?

Curtis:  Exercising on a regular basis can help you lose weight.

Amy:  Um-hum. If you have weight to lose.

Curtis:  If you have weight to lose, it can improve your blood flow.

Amy:  Your circulation.

Curtis:  Your circulation.

Amy:  Prevent heart attacks.

Curtis:  Yes.

Amy:  And strokes.



End of the English podcast transcription preview to get the full transcription visit this page .

Real English Podcast Conversations Podcast

REC 24: Exercise - Real English Podcast

Exercise - Real English Podcast

Exercise - Real English Conversations Podcast

Oxford English Daily Conversation Episode 1

2. Learning English Words with Cnn Student News: Topic 2 – The Price of Crude Oil (Global Economy)

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Lesson 10. In this episode, you’re going to hear dialogue containing the vocabulary words that your teacher Eliot defined in Vocabulary Lesson 5. These are 4 words all related to travel: Accommodation, Transport, Attractions, and High Rise. If you haven’t listened to episode 5 yet, you might want to listen to that first, so that you know the definitions of these words.&nbsp;Listen here.&nbsp; You'll see this vocabulary in the reading passages on your IELTS exam.&nbsp;These words will also be useful as you’re writing responses to your task one and task two questions. If you like this lesson, please subscribe for more IELTS Vocabulary lessons! Download the&nbsp;complete list of IELTS Vocabulary words. Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh!&nbsp;Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20%!&nbsp; Show Transcript Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Lesson 10. In this episode, you’re going to hear dialogue containing the vocabulary words that your teacher Eliot defined in Vocabulary Lesson 5. These are 4 words all related to travel: Accommodation, Transport, Attractions, and High Rise. If you haven’t listened to episode 5 yet, you might want to listen to that first, so that you know the definitions of these words. I’ll put a link in the show notes. Also, check out the show notes to get your free download: the IELTS vocabulary list, which contains these words and others that you’ll find on the test. Plus visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep! Okay let’s get started! Listen to this dialogue between Miryam and Torres as they talk about their past travels. See if you can pick out the 4 IELTS vocabulary words as you listen. Dialogue Part 1 Miryam: Hello, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Miryam, the new subletter. I’ll be staying in Carolla’s room this month while she’s away. Torres: Hi Miryam, I’m Torres. My room is the one down the hall, right before the stairs. Miryam: Nice to meet you Torres. So how did you end up living here? Torres: I am also from Argentina, like Carolla. We both grew up in the same high rise in Buenos Aires. But she moved here many years ago with her family. And I arrived just six months ago. Miryam: Did you come here to work, or just to visit the attractions? Torres: I came to study English. I am on a student visa. But I was a carpenter back in Argentina, so I also work doing construction as often as I can. Miryam: Ah. I see. Torres: And yourself? How long have you been here in Manchester? Miryam: I just arrived in the UK a few weeks ago. I was staying in a hostel here in the city, but I wanted to find some accommodations with a little more privacy...I saw Carolla’s advertisement. And now I’m here. But I think I will leave England after Carolla comes back. Torres: I see. And what brought you to England? Miryam: I’m just traveling. I am from Australia originally, but I’ve been on the road for about nine months now. I’ve traveled all over the world. After England I plan to go to Borneo, but I need to save up a little money first. The exchange rate is good in Asia for someone like me who has Australian dollars, but flights are still very expensive. So here in England I am hoping to find some work. But I would also like to have some fun and see the attractions, of course. Torres: What kind of job are you looking for? Miryam: In Australia I was a social worker, but I am here on a Working Holiday visa, which means I can only do casual work. During my travels I have been mostly working on farms. But I don’t think it is very likely that I’ll be able to find that sort of work here in the city. So maybe I will bartend, or nanny, or work as a receptionist or cleaner in one of the high rises around here. Torres: Carolla is a cook at a restaurant nearby, maybe we could call her and see if they...

IELTS English Dialogue 10: Travel - IELTS English Vocabulary | IELTS Listening | IELTS Speaking | IELTS Reading | IELTS Test Prep

The English language is not a phonetic language, meaning that English is not spoken the way it is spelled.  In this video, you will learn how to properly pronounce some of the most common words that have silent letters. Make sure to repeat aloud what you hear me saying so you are practicing your spoken English pronunciation.



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Words With Silent Letters

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Episode 28 - An anonymous guest scores 7 and thinks IELTS prep schools are useless!

Ryan Higgins IELTS

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