Vocabulary

Week 1: Day 1
Welcome! In today’s lesson, we’ll learn 14 vocabulary words. Carefully read
the following paragraph:

Environmental Report for the City of Agate, Colorado

2010

Amazing changes have taken place in our city. Despite a huge people
increase, Agate has continued to push forward environmental protection.
There are less cars on the road than ever before. More people have been
moved to take buses and trains. Yet new forms of movement aren’t the only
improvements. Our city has begun trying new ways to keep animal home
areas safe and has helped the growth of an independent organization whose
main purpose is environmental protection. These changes haven’t
happened by themselves; none of these things could have happened
without the work of the city council and neighborhood council.

Ready to improve the paragraph?

This word part will help us:

Word Part: Auto-
Meaning: self (by itself)

Tremendous changes have taken place in our city. Despite an immense people increase,
Agate has continued to push forward environmental protection. There are less
automobiles on the road than ever before. More people have been moved to take buses
and trains. Yet new forms of movement aren’t the only improvements. Our city
has adopted strategies to keep animal habitats safe and has helped the growth of
an autonomous organization whose main purpose is environmental protection. These
changes haven’t been automatic; none of these things could have happened without the
work of the city council and neighborhood council.

As you can see, the paragraph has been improved with seven vocabulary words. To learn
the definition of each underlined word, find the word or expression that has the same
meaning in the original paragraph.

Let’s try an example

Find the first underlined word—“tremendous.” In the original paragraph, the word
was “amazing.”“Tremendous” is a word whose meaning is similar to “amazing.”
We’ve learned one new vocabulary word.

Let’s try another example

Today, we learned one word part—“auto.” Think about the meaning of the word
part. “Auto” means “self” or “by itself.” What does “automatic” mean? In the
paragraph, it replaced the phrase “by themselves.” Do you know things that work “by
themselves,” without extra help? You might have something “automatic” in your
home. My rice cooker is “automatic”; I don’t have to change the temperature, stir the
rice, or press the “off” button. It works by itself. When I open my car door, the light
turns on “automatically,” or “by itself.”
What about “autonomous?” Can an organization be “by itself?” In the original
paragraph, it is an “independent organization.” The meaning is similar, right? The
organization works alone, without influence from other groups. Because you know the
word part “auto,” you won’t forget “autonomous” or “automatic” that easily; it’s the
reason why we are teaching not only words but word parts. Great, right?Now, we know
the meanings of three words. Find definitions for five more examples:

au-to-mat-ic by itself (self)

au-ton-o-mous by itself, independent (self)
hab-i-tats home areas
im-mense huge, large
a-dopt-ed new
strat-e-gies way of doing something in order to achieve a certain result
tre-men-dous amazing

Master accent for higher speaking scores

Words are divided into syllables. These are the parts of the words that have an
individual vowel sound. For example, automatic has four vowels--u, o, a, i--so it has 4
syllables--au-to-mat-ic. When a word has more than one syllable, we say one of those
syllables louder than the others. Au-to-mat-ic. We’ve placed that syllable in bold to
make it easy for you to master. Practice saying each word out loud at least three times.

Let’s look at the paragraph again. With seven more vocabulary words, we
can make it even better.

Another word part will help us

Word Part: mov, mob, mot

Meaning: move
Tremendous changes have taken place in our city. Despite an
immense population increase, Agate has continued to promote environmental
protection. There are less automobiles on the road than ever before. More people have
been motivated to take buses and trains. Yet new forms of mobility aren’t the only
improvements. Our city has adopted strategies to keep animal habitats safe and
has encouraged the growth of an autonomous organization whose chief purpose is
environmental protection. These changes haven’t been automatic; none of these things
could have happened without the work of the city council and neighborhood council.

Again, compare this paragraph to the original paragraph and learn the meaning of each
underlined word. You’ll need to know word parts like “mov, mob,
mot” and “auto.” One example—“automobiles”—combines both of the word parts
that we learned today. We know that “auto” means “self” and “mob”means “move.”
Why does the word “automobiles” use both of these word parts? When we look at the
original paragraph, we learn that “automobiles” means “cars.” Cars are machines that
move themselves. People don’t move them. Find the meanings of some other words
from the paragraph:

au-to-mo-biles cars (self)(move)

mo-bil-i-ty movement (move)
pro-mote (move)
mo-ti-va-ted (move)
chief
en-cour-aged
pop-u-la-tion

Master accent for higher speaking scores

Again, practice saying each word out loud at least three times.

Natural pauses
To master accent and fluency takes many skills, the first is your breathing and word
grouping patterns. This is essential to demonstrate the fluency that will earn a high
score and the speaking that allows for the greatest comphrenesion to the ears of a native
speaker.

Below is the paragraph with (***) where every natural pause should be in your speech.
Listen and then record yourself again and again until you match the same word
grouping. Do you notice anything about it? It occurs in every sentence or clause, so
mastering this will improve your grammar and thought process as well because you'll
accustom yourself to speaking in complete thoughts, helping to avoid the disastrous
ummm and uhhhs that affect so many students.

Tremendous changes have taken place in our city. *** Despite an immense population
increase, *** Agate has continued to promote environmental protection. *** There are
less automobiles on the road than ever before. *** More people have been motivated to
take buses and trains. *** Yet new forms of mobility aren’t the only improvements. ***
Our city has adopted strategies to keep animal habitats safe *** and has encouraged the
growth of an autonomous organization *** whose chief purpose is environmental
protection. *** These changes haven’t been automatic; *** none of these things could
have happened without the work of the city council *** and neighborhood council.

Follow along and listen for the natural pausing and intonation patterns--the rise and fall
of pitch.

The recording is 41 seconds long. Set the timer and record yourself with the link below
with your best try. Show us what you go and listen to others as they master the exercise
and their score as well. Good luck!
 Resources

For timing yourself: Stopwatch

For recording yourself: Voxopop

Week 1: Day 2
In today’s lesson, we’ll learn 14 vocabulary words and review what we
learned yesterday.

Yesterday, we learned two new word parts and 14 new words. Not bad for one day,
right? When you think about the word part “auto,” do you remember my rice cooker,
the light in my car, autonomous organizations, and automobiles? Have you forgotten?
Well, you’re not alone. Scientists say that after 24 hours most students have forgotten
62% of what they learned the previous day. However, students who review within 24
hours can remember 98% of what they learned! Therefore, every day we will review the
word parts that you studied in previous lessons. Think about their meanings and review
examples that you already learned. This week, you’ll learn 84 new words. Therefore, it is
important to practice ways to remember them. Here is a list of yesterday’s word parts:

auto- (self)
mov, mob, mot (move)
Ready to move forward? Read today’s paragraph.

Even though that is true, many have disagreed with recent changes in Agate. People who
are against the city’s actions have complained about the lack of traveling options in our
city. We are aware that Agate is in a time that is between two periods; complete change
of a city isn’t possible overnight. For this reason, we want to move a number of
important things that must be done to the recently created Agate Environmental
Protection Organization (AEPO). Next year, they will write a paper that shares their
information about how future transportation plans will change Agate. The city will
create a plan based on the report’s suggestions. We hope that the people of Agate will
help our efforts to improve the beautiful city of Agate.

Let’s improve this paragraph by adding seven vocabulary words.

This word part will help us:

Word Part: Trans

Meaning: across, change
Even though that is true, many have been critical of recent changes in Agate. People who
are against the city’s actions have bemoaned the lack of traveling options in our city. We
are aware that Agate is in a transition period; complete transformation of a city isn’t
possible overnight. For this reason, we want to transfer a number of responsibilities to
the recently created Agate Environmental Protection Organization (AEPO). Next year,
they will write a paper that shares their information about how future transportation
plans will change Agate. The city will formulate a plan based on the report’s suggestions.
We hope that the people of Agate will help our efforts to improve the beautiful city of
Agate.

Compare this paragraph to the original paragraph and learn the meaning of
each word:

tran-si-tion (across, change)

trans-fer (across, change)
trans-for-ma-tion (across, change)
re-spon-si-bil-i-ties
for-mu-late
be-moaned
crit-i-cal

Master accent for higher speaking scores

Words are divided into syllables. These are the parts of the words that have an
individual vowel sound. For example, automatic has four vowels--u, o, a, i--so it has 4
syllables--au-to-mat-ic. When a word has more than one syllable, we say one of those
syllables louder than the others. Au-to-mat-ic. We’ve placed that syllable in bold to
make it easy for you to master. Practice saying each word out loud at least three times.

With seven more vocabulary words, we can make it even better.

Here’s another word part that will help us:

Word Part: Port
Meaning: carry

Nonetheless, many have been critical of recent changes in Agate. Opponents of the city’s
actions have bemoaned the lack of transportation options in our city. We are aware that
Agate is in a transition period; complete transformation of a city isn’t possible overnight.
For this reason, weintend to transfer a number of responsibilities to the recently created
Agate Environmental Protection Organization (AEPO). Next year, they will write
a report about how future transportation plans will affect Agate. The city will
formulate a plan based on the report’s suggestions. We hope that the people of Agate
will support our efforts to improve the beautiful city of Agate.

Again, compare this paragraph to the original paragraph and learn the
meaning of each word. Notice that one of the following words
—“transportation”—uses more than one word part:

trans-por-ta-tion (across, change)(carry)

re-port
(carry)
sup-port
(carry)
in-tend
none-the-less
af-fect
op-po-nents

Master accent for higher speaking scores

Again, practice saying each word out loud at least three times.

Natural pauses
To master accent and fluency takes many skills, the first is your breathing and word
grouping patterns. This is essential to demonstrate the fluency that will earn a high
score and the speaking that allows for the greatest comphrenesion to the ears of a native
speaker.

Below is the paragraph with (***) where every natural pause should be in your speech.
Listen and then record yourself again and again until you match the same word
grouping. Do you notice anything about it? It occurs in every sentence or clause, so
mastering this will improve your grammar and thought process as well because you'll
accustom yourself to speaking in complete thoughts, helping to avoid the disastrous
ummm and uhhhs that affect so many students.

Nonetheless, *** many have been critical of recent changes in Agate. *** Opponents of
the city’s actions *** have bemoaned the lack of transportation options *** in our city.
We are aware that Agate is in a transition period; *** complete transformation of a city
isn’t possible overnight. *** For this reason, *** we intend to transfer a number of
responsibilities to the recently created Agate Environmental Protection Organization
(AEPO). *** Next year, *** they will write a report about how future transportation
plans will affect Agate. *** The city will formulate a plan *** based on the report’s
suggestions. We hope that the people of Agate will support our efforts to improve the
beautiful city of Agate.

Follow along and listen for the natural pausing and intonation patterns--the rise and fall
of pitch.

The recording is 42 seconds long. Set the timer and record yourself with the link below
with your best try. Good luck!

Resources

For timing yourself: Stopwatch

 For recording yourself: Voxopop

Week 1: Day 3
Welcome back! If you are motivated to remember at least 98% of what you
learn each day, I encourage you to review. Every day we will review the
word parts that we studied in previous lessons. Think about their meanings
and review examples that you already learned. Here is a list of this week’s
word parts:

auto- (self)
mov, mob, mot (move)
trans- (across, change)
port (carry)

Ready to move forward? Let’s transition to today’s paragraph:

Community Response

Dear Agate City Council,

We are writing to share our worries about the city’s plans. We believe that the city’s
actions will cause lots of damage for the plants, animals, and supplies of natural
material of Agate. Our city has a strong history of environmental protection. We fear
that Agate is turning away from this path. Parts of the city look beautiful, we agree. The
recently developed city center, however, is a very small area where few of Agate’s people
and animals live. When one leaves from Downtown Agate, environmental dangers
become more visible. The area has been destroyed by cutting down forests. Scientists
recently discovered that very small living things in the forests of Peru are responsible for
changes in weather as well as the rotting of dead plants and animals. After reading these
results, Dr. Haywood of Agate Community College decided to test soil from Agate’s
forests. He looked at samples of soil under his machine for looking at very small things
and made a surprising discovery.

Let’s improve this paragraph by adding seven vocabulary words.

This word part will help us:

Word Part: De-

Meaning: away from, down

Dear Agate City Council,

We are writing to share our worries about the city’s plans. We believe that the city’s
actions will bedevastating for the plants, animals, and natural resources of Agate. Our
city has a strong history of environmental protection. We fear that Agate
is deviating from this path. Parts of the city look beautiful, we agree. The recently
developed city center, however, is a very small area where few of Agate’s people and
animals live. When one departs from Downtown Agate, environmental dangers become
more visible. The area has been decimated by deforestation. Scientists recently
discovered that very small living things in the forests of Peru are responsible for changes
in weather as well as the decomposition of dead plants and animals. After reading these
results, Dr. Haywood of Agate Community College decided to test soil from Agate’s
forests. He looked at samples of soil under his machine for looking at very small things
and made a surprising discovery.

Compare this paragraph to the original paragraph and find the definition of
each word. Notice that some of these words are based on today’s word part:

dev-as-ta-tion (away from, down)

de-parts (away from, down)
de-for-est-a-tion (away from, down)
de-com-po-si-tion (away from, down)
de-vi-at-ing (away from, down)
re-sourc-es
dec-i-mat-ed

Master accent for higher speaking scores

Words are divided into syllables. These are the parts of the words that have an
individual vowel sound. For example, automatic has four vowels--u, o, a, i--so it has 4
syllables--au-to-mat-ic. When a word has more than one syllable, we say one of those
syllables louder than the others. Au-to-mat-ic. We’ve placed that syllable in bold to
make it easy for you to master. Practice saying each word out loud at least three times.

With seven more vocabulary words, we can make it even better.

A second word part will help us:

Word Part: Min

Meaning: small

Dear Agate City Council,

We are writing to share our concerns about the city’s plans. We believe that the city’s
actions will be devastating for the plants, animals, and natural resources of Agate. Our
city has a strong history of environmental protection. We fear that Agate is deviating
from this path. Segments of the city look beautiful, we agree. The recently developed
city center, however, is a minuscule area where few of Agate’s people and animals live.
When one departs from Downtown Agate, environmentalhazards become more visible.
The area has been decimated by deforestation. Scientists recently discovered
that microorganisms in the forests of Peru are responsible for changes in weather as well
as the decomposition of dead plants and animals. After reading these results, Dr.
Haywood of Agate Community College decided to test soil from Agate’s forests. He
looked at samples of soil under his microscope and made a startling discovery.

Again, compare this paragraph to the original paragraph and find the
definition of each word. Notice that some of these words are based on
today’s word parts:

min-is-cule (small)
mi-cro-or-gan-isms (small)
mi-cro-scope (small)
con-cerns
seg-ments
haz-ards
star-tling

Master accent for higher speaking scores

Again, practice saying each word out loud at least three times.
Natural pauses

To master accent and fluency takes many skills, the first is your breathing and word
grouping patterns. This is essential to demonstrate the fluency that will earn a high
score and the speaking that allows for the greatest comphrenesion to the ears of a native
speaker.

Below is the paragraph with (***) where every natural pause should be in your speech.
Listen and then record yourself again and again until you match the same word
grouping. Do you notice anything about it? It occurs in every sentence or clause, so
mastering this will improve your grammar and thought process as well because you'll
accustom yourself to speaking in complete thoughts, helping to avoid the disastrous
ummm and uhhhs that affect so many students.

Dear Agate City Council, ***

We are writing to share our concerns *** about the city’s plans. We believe that the
city’s actions will be devastating for the plants, *** animals, *** and natural resources
of Agate. *** Our city has a strong history of environmental protection. *** We fear that
Agate is deviating from this path. *** Segments of the city look beautiful, *** we agree.
The recently developed city center, *** however, *** is a minuscule area *** where few
of Agate’s people and animals live. *** When one departs from Downtown
Agate, *** environmental hazards become more visible. *** The area has been
decimated by deforestation. *** Scientists recently
discovered *** that microorganisms in the forests of Peru *** are responsible for
changes in weather *** as well as the decomposition of dead plants and
animals. *** After reading these results, *** Dr. Haywood of Agate Community
College *** decided to test soil from Agate’s forests. *** He looked at samples of
soil *** under his microscope *** and made a startling discovery.

Follow along and listen for the natural pausing and intonation patterns--the rise and fall
of pitch.
The recording is 65 seconds long. Set the timer and record yourself with the link below
with your best try. Show us what you go and listen to others as they master the exercise
and their score as well. Good luck!

Resources

For timing yourself: Stopwatch

For recording yourself: Voxopop

Week 1: Day 4
So far, we’ve studied six word parts. Do you remember them? Because word
parts help you remember so many important vocabulary words, reviewing
them will be a helpful strategy. Think about their meanings and review
examples that you already learned. Here is a list of this week’s word parts:

auto- (self)
mov, mob, mot (move)
trans- (across, change)
port (carry)
de- (down, away from)
min-, micro- (small)
Ready to move forward? Let’s read today’s paragraph:

He noticed that the amount of microorganisms in 2010 was less than the lowest level
usually found in forest soil. It is really important that the city study the effects of
deforestation before any decisions are made.

Natural resources such as clean water and natural gas are also important. The city has
been pulling out oil and gas from the earth for years, but in 2009 Agate enlarged its
plans to get resources. Most famous for negative reasons, a ten-year deal was signed that
will give oil companies a large ability to enter Agate’s land. Is it surprising that people
who move away from this opinion, including myself, blame the city for ignoring its
people’s wishes? Is the city council listening to the people of Agate, or is it motivated by
outside rewards like oil deals? The people of Agate would like to know whether our city
council is working to improve our lives or working to bring oil companies.

Let’s transform this paragraph by adding seven vocabulary words.

This word part will help us:

Word Part: Ex-
Meaning: out

He noticed that the amount of microorganisms in 2010 was less than

the minimum usually found in forest soil. It is imperative that the city study the effects
of deforestation before any decisions are made.

Natural resources such as clean water and natural gas are also important. The city has
been pulling out oil and gas from the earth for years, but in 2009 Agate expanded its
plans to acquire resources. Most notoriously, a ten-year deal was signed that will give oil
companies extensive ability to enter Agate’s land. Is it surprising that people who move
away from this opinion, including myself, blame the city for ignoring its people’s
wishes? Is the city council listening to the people of Agate, or is it motivated
by external incentives like oil deals? The people of Agate would like to know whether our
city council is working to improve our lives or working to bring oil companies.

Compare this paragraph to the original paragraph and find the definition of
each word. Notice that some of these words are based on word parts that
we’ve learned:

ex-pan-ded (out)
ex-ter-nal (out)
ex-ten-sive (out)
in-cen-tives
ac-quire
im-per-a-tive
min-i-mum (small)

Master accent for higher speaking scores

Words are divided into syllables. These are the parts of the words that have an
individual vowel sound. For example, automatic has four vowels--u, o, a, i--so it has 4
syllables--au-to-mat-ic. When a word has more than one syllable, we say one of those
syllables louder than the others. Au-to-mat-ic. We’ve placed that syllable in bold to
make it easy for you to master. Practice saying each word out loud at least three times.

With seven more vocabulary words, we can make it even better.

Here’s a second word part that will help us:

Word Part: -tract

Meaning: pull, drag

He noticed that the amount of microorganisms in 2010 was less than the minimum
usually found in forest soil. It is imperative that the city study the effects of
deforestation before any decisions are made.

Natural resources such as clean water and natural gas are also important. The city has
been extracting oil and gas from the earth for years, but in 2009 Agate expanded its
plans to acquire resources. Most notoriously, a ten-year contract was signed that will
give oil companies extensiveaccess to Agate’s land. Is it surprising that detractors,
including myself, accuse the city of ignoring its people’s wishes? Is the city council
listening to the people of Agate, or is it motivated by external incentives like oil deals?
The people of Agate would like to know whether our city council is working to improve
our lives or working to attract oil companies.

Again, compare this paragraph to the original paragraph and find the
definition of each word. Some of the following words use more than one
word part, including word parts that you learned in previous lessons:

ex-tract-ing (out)(pull, drag)

at-tract (pull, drag)
con-tract (pull, drag)
de-tract-ors (down, away from)(pull, drag)
ac-cuse
ac-cess
no-to-ri-ous-ly

Master accent for higher speaking scores

Again, practice saying each word out loud at least three times.

Natural pauses

To master accent and fluency takes many skills, the first is your breathing and word
grouping patterns. This is essential to demonstrate the fluency that will earn a high
score and the speaking that allows for the greatest comphrenesion to the ears of a native
speaker.

Below is the paragraph with (***) where every natural pause should be in your speech.
Listen and then record yourself again and again until you match the same word
grouping. Do you notice anything about it? It occurs in every sentence or clause, so
mastering this will improve your grammar and thought process as well because you'll
accustom yourself to speaking in complete thoughts, helping to avoid the disastrous
ummm and uhhhs that affect so many students.

He noticed *** that the amount of microorganisms in 2010 *** was less than the
minimum usually found in forest soil. *** It is imperative that the city study the effects
of deforestation *** before any decisions are made.

Natural resources *** such as clean water and natural gas *** are also
important. *** The city has been extracting oil and gas from the earth for years, *** but
in 2009 *** Agate expanded its plans to acquire resources. *** Most notoriously, *** a
ten-year contract was signed *** that will give oil companies extensive access to Agate’s
land. *** Is it surprising that detractors, *** including myself, *** accuse the city of
ignoring its people’s wishes? *** Is the city council listening to the people of
Agate, *** or is it motivated by external incentives like oil deals? *** The people of
Agate would like to know whether our city council is working to improve our lives *** or
working to attract oil companies.

Follow along and listen for the natural pausing and intonation patterns--the rise and fall
of pitch.

The recording is 60 seconds long. Set the timer and record yourself with the link below
with your best try. Show us what you go and listen to others as they master the exercise
and their score as well. Good luck!
Week 1: Day 5
Now we know eight word parts and 56 new words. It’s your responsibility to
review them. Here is a list of this week’s word parts:

auto- (self)
mov, mob, mot (move)
trans- (across, change)
port (carry)
de- (down, away from)
min-, micro- (small)
ex- (out)
tract (pull, drag)
Ready? Let’s move forward:

We believe that the city’s plans are not safe for the people, animals, and plants of Agate.
We have a few suggestions for AEPO.

First, explore water power. There is a source of power with no limit right in our
backyard. The river has given water to our bodies for centuries. Let’s make it a source of
energy for our businesses too. Professors at Agate Community College have been
studying the science of the power of water. A recent, sudden success suggests that
hydropower is a possible plan for Agate.
Second, end oil extraction. Oil extraction is something that we don’t want. It’s also
probably not going to happen that oil will be a source of enough energy for our children
and grandchildren. Experts say that what looks like a lot of oil today will be used almost
completely in a few years. If we don’t wake up and see the dangerous situation, there
will be negative results for years to come.

Let’s improve this paragraph by adding seven vocabulary words.

This word part will help us:

Word Part: Hydro-

Meaning: water

We believe that the city’s plans are not safe for the people, animals, and plants of Agate.
We have a few suggestions for AEPO.

First, explore hydropower. There is a source of power with no limit right in our
backyard. The river has hydrated our bodies for centuries. Let’s make it a source of
energy for our businesses too. Professors at Agate Community College have been
studying hydrodynamics. A recent breakthroughsuggests that hydropower is
a plausible plan for Agate.

Second, end oil extraction. Oil extraction is something that we don’t want. It’s also
probably not going to happen that oil will be a source of enough energy for our children
and grandchildren. Experts say that what looks like an abundance of oil today will
be depleted in a few years. If we don’t wake up and see the dangerous situation, there
will be negative results for years to come.

Compare this paragraph to the original paragraph and find the definition of
each word. Notice that some of these words are based on word parts that
we’ve learned:
hy-dro-pow-er (water)
hy-drat-ed (water)
hy-dro-dy-nam-ics (water)
plau-si-ble
break-through
de-plet-ed (down, away from)
a-bun-dance

Master accent for higher speaking scores

Words are divided into syllables. These are the parts of the words that have an
individual vowel sound. For example, automatic has four vowels--u, o, a, i--so it has 4
syllables--au-to-mat-ic. When a word has more than one syllable, we say one of those
syllables louder than the others. Au-to-mat-ic. We’ve placed that syllable in bold to
make it easy for you to master. Practice saying each word out loud at least three times.

With seven more vocabulary words, we can make it even better.

Let’s learn a second word part that will help us:

Word Part: Un-

Meaning: not

We believe that the city’s plans are dangerous for the people, animals, and plants of
Agate. We have a few suggestions for AEPO.

First, explore hydropower. There is an unlimited source of power right in our backyard.
The river has hydrated our bodies for centuries. Let’s make it a source of energy for our
businesses too. Professors at Agate Community College have been studying
hydrodynamics. A recent breakthrough suggests that hydropower is a plausible plan for
Agate.
Second, end oil extraction. Oil extraction is undesirable. It’s also unlikely that oil will be
asufficient source of energy for our children and grandchildren. Experts say that what
looks like an abundance of oil today will be depleted in a few years. If we don’t wake up
and see the crisis, there will be unfortunate results for years to come.

Again, compare this paragraph to the original paragraph and find the
definition of each word.

un-de-sir-a-ble (not)
un-like-ly (not)
un-lim-it-ed (not)
un-for-tu-nate (not)
dan-ger-ous
cri-sis
suf-fi-cient

Master accent for higher speaking scores

Again, practice saying each word out loud at least three times.

Natural pauses

To master accent and fluency takes many skills, the first is your breathing and word
grouping patterns. This is essential to demonstrate the fluency that will earn a high
score and the speaking that allows for the greatest comphrenesion to the ears of a native
speaker.

Below is the paragraph with (***) where every natural pause should be in your speech.
Listen and then record yourself again and again until you match the same word
grouping. Do you notice anything about it? It occurs in every sentence or clause, so
mastering this will improve your grammar and thought process as well because you'll
accustom yourself to speaking in complete thoughts, helping to avoid the disastrous
ummm and uhhhs that affect so many students.

We believe *** that the city’s plans are dangerous for the people, *** animals, *** and
plants of Agate. We have a few suggestions for AEPO. ***

First, *** explore hydropower. *** There is an unlimited source of power *** right in
our backyard. The river has hydrated our bodies for centuries. *** Let’s make it a source
of energy for our businesses too. *** Professors at Agate Community College have been
studying hydrodynamics. *** A recent breakthrough suggests that hydropower is a
plausible plan for Agate. ***

Second, *** end oil extraction. *** Oil extraction is undesirable. *** It’s
also unlikely that oil will be a sufficient source of energy for our children and
grandchildren. *** Experts say *** that what looks like an abundance of oil
today *** will be depleted in a few years. *** If we don’t wake up and see the
crisis, *** there will be unfortunate results for years to come.

Follow along and listen for the natural pausing and intonation patterns--the rise and fall
of pitch.

The recording is 55 seconds long. Set the timer and record yourself with the link below
with your best try. Show us what you go and listen to others as they master the exercise
and their score as well. Good luck!
Week 1: Day 6
By now, you should know an abundance of word parts. Do you remember
them all? It’s time to review. Here is a list of this week’s word parts:

auto- (self)
mov, mob, mot (move)
trans- (across, change)
port (carry)
de- (down, away from)
min-, micro- (small)
ex- (out)
tract (pull, drag)
hydro (water)
un- (not)
geo- (earth, land)
sub- (under)

Ready to move forward? Read today’s paragraph:

Third, study chemicals and rocks and the movement of rocks in order to understand
how our actions affect the earth. Use this knowledge to test energy from the heat of
rocks that might heat our homes in the future. Instead, using unlimited energy instead
of limited resources will improve the situation for our families in the future.

Fourth, create public transportation that doesn’t hurt Agate. We would love an
underground train.

Lastly, tell the oil companies and their companies that work for them to stay out of
Agate. Get rid of big businesses from Agate. Unless they can explain why their actions
are right, no one should be allowed to touch Agate. An organized group of people taking
action to protect our city is gaining energy that pushes us forward. We will fight with
energy to protect our city.

Sincerely,
Agate Neighborhood Council

Let’s improve this paragraph by adding seven vocabulary words.

This word part will help us:

Word Part: Geo-

Meaning: earth, land

Third, study geochemistry and geophysics in order to understand how our actions affect
the earth. Use this knowledge to test geothermal energy that might heat our homes in
the future. Instead, using unlimited energy instead of limited resources will
improve conditions for our families in the future.

Fourth, create public transportation that doesn’t hurt Agate. We would love an
underground train.
Lastly, tell the oil companies and their companies that work for them to stay out of
Agate. Get rid of big businesses from Agate. Unless they can justify their actions, no one
should be allowed to touch Agate. An organized group of people taking action to protect
our city is gaining energy that pushes us forward. We will fight vigorously in defense of
our city.

Sincerely,
Agate Neighborhood Council

Compare this paragraph to the original paragraph and learn the meaning of
each word. Notice that some of these words are based on word parts that
we’ve learned:

ge-o-chem-is-try (earth, land)

ge-o-ther-mal (earth, land)
ge-o-phys-ics (earth, land)
de-fense (down, away from)
vig-or-ous-ly
con-di-tions
jus-ti-fy

Master accent for higher speaking scores

Words are divided into syllables. These are the parts of the words that have an
individual vowel sound. For example, automatic has four vowels--u, o, a, i--so it has 4
syllables--au-to-mat-ic. When a word has more than one syllable, we say one of those
syllables louder than the others. Au-to-mat-ic. We’ve placed that syllable in bold to
make it easy for you to master. Practice saying each word out loud at least three times.

With seven more vocabulary words, we can make it even better.

Let’s learn another word part:

Word Part: Sub
Meaning: under

Third, study geochemistry and geophysics in order to understand how our actions affect
the earth. Use this knowledge to test geothermal energy that might heat our homes in
the future.Substituting unlimited energy for limited resources will improve conditions
for our descendants.

Fourth, create public transportation that doesn’t hurt Agate. We would love a subway.

Lastly, tell the oil companies and their subsidiaries to stay out of Agate. Eradicate big
businesses from Agate. Unless they can justify their actions, no one should be allowed to
touch Agate. Amovement to protect our city is gaining momentum. We will fight
vigorously in defense of our city.

Sincerely,
Agate Neighborhood Council

Again, compare this paragraph to the original paragraph and learn the
meaning of each word. Some of the following words use more than one
word part, including word parts that you learned in previous lessons:

sub-sid-i-ar-ies (under)
sub-way (under)
sub-sti-tut-ing (under)
move-ment (move)
mo-men-tum
e-rad-i-cate
de-scen-dants (down, away from)

Master accent for higher speaking scores

Again, practice saying each word out loud at least three times.

Natural pauses

To master accent and fluency takes many skills, the first is your breathing and word
grouping patterns. This is essential to demonstrate the fluency that will earn a high
score and the speaking that allows for the greatest comphrenesion to the ears of a native
speaker.

Below is the paragraph with (***) where every natural pause should be in your speech.
Listen and then record yourself again and again until you match the same word
grouping. Do you notice anything about it? It occurs in every sentence or clause, so
mastering this will improve your grammar and thought process as well because you'll
accustom yourself to speaking in complete thoughts, helping to avoid the disastrous
ummm and uhhhs that affect so many students.

Third, *** study geochemistry and geophysics *** in order to understand how our
actions affect the earth. *** Use this knowledge *** to test geothermal energy *** that
might heat our homes in the future. *** Substituting unlimited energy for limited
resources will improve conditions for our descendants. ***

Fourth, *** create public transportation that doesn’t hurt Agate. *** We would love
a subway. ***

Lastly, *** tell the oil companies and their subsidiaries to stay out of
Agate. *** Eradicate big businesses from Agate. *** Unless they can justify their
actions, *** no one should be allowed to touch Agate. *** A movement to protect our
city is gaining momentum. *** We will fight vigorously in defense of our city. ***

Sincerely, ***
Agate Neighborhood Council
Follow along and listen for the natural pausing and intonation patterns--the rise and fall
of pitch.

The recording is 48 seconds long. Set the timer and record yourself with the link below
with your best try. Show us what you go and listen to others as they master the exercise
and their score as well. Good luck!
Week 1: Review
Review this week’s word parts.

auto- (self)
mov, mob, mot (move)
trans- (across, change)
port (carry)
de- (down, away from)
min-, micro- (small)
ex- (out)
tract (pull, drag)
hydro (water)
un- (not)
geo- (earth, land)
sub- (under)
The following document uses all of this week’s vocabulary words. Match
each underlined word or phrase to the vocabulary word that should replace
it. Improve the document with the words that you learned this week.

Environmental Report for the City of Agate, Colorado, 2010

Amazing changes have taken place in our city. Despite a huge people increase, Agate has
continued to push forward environmental protection. There are less cars on the road
than ever before. More people have been moved to take buses and trains. Yet new forms
of movement aren’t the only improvements. Our city has begun trying new ways to keep
animal home areas safe and has helped the growth of an independent organization
whose main purpose is environmental protection. These changes haven’t happened by
themselves; none of these things could have happened without the work of the city
council and neighborhood council.

au-to-mat-ic
au-ton-o-mous
hab-i-tats
im-mense
a-dopt-ed
strat-e-gies
tre-men-dous
au-to-mo-biles
mo-bil-i-ty
pro-mote
mo-ti-va-ted
chief
en-cour-aged
pop-u-la-tion

Even though that is true, many have disagreed with recent changes in Agate. People who
are against the city’s actions have complained about the lack of traveling options in our
city. We are aware that Agate is in a time that is between two periods;
complete change of a city isn’t possible overnight. For this reason, we want to move a
number of important things that must be done to the recently created Agate
Environmental Protection Organization (AEPO). Next year, they will write a paper that
shares their information about how future transportation plans will changeAgate. The
city will create a plan based on the report’s suggestions. We hope that the people of
Agate will help our efforts to improve the beautiful city of Agate.

Sincerely,
Agate City Council

tran-si-tion
trans-fer
trans-for-ma-tion
re-spon-si-bil-i-ties
for-mu-late
be-moaned
crit-i-cal
trans-por-ta-tion
re-port
sup-port
in-tend
none-the-less
af-fect
op-po-nents

Community Response

Dear Agate City Council,

We are writing to share our worries about the city’s plans. We believe that the city’s
actions will cause lots of damage for the plants, animals, and supplies of natural
material of Agate. Our city has a strong history of environmental protection. We fear
that Agate is turning away from this path. Parts of the city look beautiful, we agree. The
recently developed city center, however, is avery small area where few of Agate’s people
and animals live. When one leaves from Downtown Agate,
environmental dangers become more visible. The area has been destroyed by cutting
down forests. Scientists recently discovered that very small living things in the forests of
Peru are responsible for changes ear in weather as well as the rotting of dead plants and
animals. After reading these results, Dr. Haywood of Agate Community College decided
to test soil from Agate’s forests. He looked at samples of soil under his machine for
looking at very small things and made a surprising discovery.

dev-as-ta-tion
de-parts
de-for-est-a-tion
de-com-po-si-tion
de-vi-at-ing
re-sourc-es
dec-i-mat-ed
min-is-cule
mi-cro-or-gan-isms
mi-cro-scope
con-cerns
seg-ments
haz-ards
star-tling

He noticed that the amount of microorganisms in 2010 was less than the lowest
level usually found in forest soil. It is really important that the city study the effects of
deforestation before any decisions are made.

Natural resources such as clean water and natural gas are also important. The city has
beenpulling out oil and gas from the earth for years, but in 2009 Agate enlarged its
plans to getresources. Most famous for negative reasons, a ten-year deal was signed that
will give oil companies a large ability to enter Agate’s land. Is it surprising that people
who move away from this opinion, including myself, blame the city for ignoring its
people’s wishes? Is the city council listening to the people of Agate, or is it motivated
by outside rewards like oil deals? The people of Agate would like to know whether our
city council is working to improve our lives or working tobring oil companies.

ex-pan-ded
ex-ter-nal
ex-ten-sive
in-cen-tives
ac-quire
im-per-a-tive
min-i-mum
ex-tract-ing
at-tract
con-tract
de-tract-ors
ac-cuse … of
ac-cess to
no-to-ri-ous-ly

We believe that the city’s plans are not safe for the people, animals, and plants of Agate.
We have a few suggestions for AEPO.

First, explore water power. There is a source of power with no limit right in our
backyard. The river has given water to our bodies for centuries. Let’s make it a source of
energy for our businesses too. Professors at Agate Community College have been
studying the science of the power of water. Arecent, sudden success suggests that
hydropower is a possible plan for Agate.

Second, end oil extraction. Oil extraction is something that we don’t want. It’s
also probably not going to happen that oil will be a source of enough energy for our
children and grandchildren. Experts say that what looks like a lot of oil today will be
used almost completely in a few years. If we don’t wake up and see the dangerous
situation, there will be negative results for years to come.

hy-dro-pow-er
hy-drat-ed
hy-dro-dy-nam-ics
plau-si-ble
break-through
de-plet-ed
a-bun-dance
un-de-sir-a-ble
un-like-ly
un-lim-it-ed
un-for-tu-nate
dan-ger-ous
cri-sis
suf-fi-cient

Third, study chemicals and rocks and the movement of rocks in order to understand
how our actions affect the earth. Use this knowledge to test energy from the heat of
rocks that might heat our homes in the future. Instead, using unlimited energy instead
of limited resources will improve the situation for our families in the future.

Fourth, create public transportation that doesn’t hurt Agate. We would love an
underground train.

Lastly, tell the oil companies and their companies that work for them to stay out of
Agate. Get rid of big businesses from Agate. Unless they can explain why their actions
are right, no one should be allowed to touch Agate. An organized group of people taking
action to protect our city is gainingenergy that pushes us forward. We will fight with
energy to protect our city.

Sincerely,
Agate Neighborhood Council

ge-o-chem-is-try
ge-o-ther-mal
ge-o-phys-ics
de-fense
vig-or-ous-ly
con-di-tions
jus-ti-fy
sub-sid-i-ar-ies
sub-way
sub-sti-tut-ing … for
move-ment
mo-men-tum
e-rad-i-cate
de-scen-dants