VOA's Wordmaster: Exploring Language
Text & MP3 Files
There are 357 five-minute MP3 files . That is about 29 hours of listening.
These are more difficult for non-native English speakers than the Special English broadcasts.
2009
- 'Black Friday': A Busy Shopping Day for Sure, but a Murky Origin
- With E-mail, a Few More Keyboard Taps Now Could Save a Lot of Grief Later
- One Word, Two Opposite Meanings: Terms That Janus Would Have Loved
- Anyway, at the End of the Day, What Terms Annoy You in Conversation?
- Why Handwriting and Spelling Drills, Done in Isolation, Miss the Point
- Which Makes the Better Writer: the Hand or the Keyboard? Age Is a Part
- Remembering William Safire, 79, a Maven of the English Language
- 'How Are Yinz Doin?' Pittsburghers Ask; 'Huh?' G20 Leaders May Wonder
- To Make a Long Story Short: Summary Skills for Better Readers and Writers
- Smoothing Out English With Help From Sentence Pronunciation Rules
- Teaching to a New Generation of English Learners in Azerbaijan
- You Say LOLL, I say LOHL; Either Way, Emo Kids Won't Be Laughing Out Loud
- In Slang, More to a 'Buck' and Less to a 'Bromance' Than Meets the Eye
- Hitting a Sour Note: The Declining Happiness in Song Lyrics
- Getting a Read on World Happiness Through the Words of Bloggers
- You Do Not Have to Watch 'Star Trek' to Learn to Speak Klingon
- Feeling Limited by a Language? Here Is a Solution: Invent Your Own
- 'Ms.' Has a Longer History (or Herstory) Than You Might Think
- Drink the Corporate Kool-Aid? Not If You Want to Sit in the Catbird Seat
- Some Terms That Have Outlived Their Roots but Not Their Usefulness
- Exploring 'Myths and Misconceptions' of the English Language
- What Are Your Agenda for the Meeting? (What, Something Wrong With That?)
- Small Talk, American-Style; a Computer Language for Self-Expression
- Training Teachers in Places With Few Resources: Lesson From Burkina Faso
- How to Write an Essay? Here Is One Persuasive Argument
- English Teacher in Cameroon Sends a Positive Message About Texting
- Teacher Sees 'Big Push' to Promote English as a Foreign Language in UAE
- * No MP3 * English Teachers in Madagascar Give New Meaning to 'Going Green'
- To Catch On to Phrasal Verbs, It Helps to Hook Up With an English Teacher
- Hunting for the Snark in Sarcasm and Anonymous Expression on the Web
- Recession Spawns an Expanding Lexicon for a Shrinking Economy
- Moving Beyond 'It's This or It's This' in Discussing Controversial Topics
- Teaching Students How to Use Dialogue to Bridge Social Differences
- Wanna, Gonna, Hafta: Getting Relaxed With Reduced Forms of Speech
- US Hospitals, Courts Struggle With Growing Demand for Interpreters
- A Prenup: The (Legal) Language of Love for Couples About to Marry
- Words of Comfort for an Unfortunate Event Other Than a Death
- Remembering 2008 in a Word, 'Bailout,' and a Name, 'Barack Obama'
2008
- The Ballad of Palindrome (Riders in the Sky with Johnny Western)
- Want to Learn Some Slang? Let 'Hansel and Gretel' Show the Way
- Finding the Right Expression of Sympathy When Someone Is Grieving
- In Ads, the Right Language Means More Than Just the Words
- If All Else Fails at a Party, Throw Yourself on the Mercy of the Crowd
- 'National Day of Listening' Promoted; Listening to Stories of Poverty
- Learning Business English, and a Little Philosophy, in Tough Economic Times
- How Noah Webster's Dictionary Defined American English, and His Own Views
- A Few Words About Politics, From the First Name in American Dictionaries
- American English Hits a Homer When It Comes to Baseball-Related Idioms
- To Be a Good Teacher, 'You Have to Forget About All Your Problems'
- What Difference Does a Preposition Make? We'll Get Back at You
- How 'Mavericks,' 'Earmarks' Made Their Way From Cows and Pigs Into Politics
- Knowing the Lingo as Americans Cast Their Ballots, Absentee or Otherwise
- Special Edition: How 'Bailouts' and 'Golden Parachutes' Got Their Name
- Writing Prompt for Teens: What Issues Should Next US President Address?
- Handling Sensitive Topics in the Classroom? Want Some Legal Advice?
- When It Comes to Gesturing, Don't Believe Everything You Hear
- * No MP3 * A Trolley in a Grocery Store? Americans Would Reckon That's Crazy
- To Master Rhythms of English, You Really Hafta Learn Reductions
- Talking in Rhythm: How to Manage the Stresses of American English
- Think People Always Know When You Are Being Sarcastic? Don't Assume
- George Carlin, 1937-2008: He Found Irreverent Humor in Language
- Would a Top Banana Run Around Like a Chicken With Its Head Cut Off?
- Some Political Terms From the Mouths of Presidents (or Their Speechwriters)
- Looking for Red Meat Political Terms That Won't Bring a Hail of Dead Cats
- Once Upon a Time, a Girl Could Be a Boy, and to Worry Was to Choke
- A Lesson Plan, Ready in About a Minute? Free Web Site Is Ambitious
- This Is an English Class, Yet Even the Moroccan Is Speaking Spanish
- In Pakistan, a Big Push to Teach English; Local Versions Flourish
- In Angola, Education Ministry Aims to Expand Teaching of English
- US Campaign Offers Lesson for an English Teacher Who Left Iran
- Teaching English in Syria: For Some, a Job Is a Matter of Karma
- An English Professor Who Found a Calling in Web Accessibility
- Step Two in Writing a College Essay: Don't Think It's a College Essay
- Step One to a Personal Statement for College: Make Sure It's Personal
- American Political Lingo, and a Candidate With Name Recognition
- What Is the Story of Your Life? Please Summarize in Six Words
- Key to a Better Accent in English? Students Say It's in the Music
- How to Reduce an Accent? First, Understand Just What an Accent Is
- Trying to Get a Grip on Gestures? Here Is a Handy Book
- Annotation and Other Tips for Getting the Most Out of Textbooks
- Looking Between the Covers for a Lesson in Textbook Intimacy
- Between Hello and Goodbye, Learning the Rules of Telephone Etiquette
- An Earl and a Whirl: How Sandwiches and Jacuzzi Baths Got Their Names
- Meeting Some People Whose Names Went on to Become Household Items
- Creating an Online Community for Trainers of English Teachers
2007
- Five New Year's Resolutions for Learners to Improve Their English
- Words of 2007, From 'Surge' to 'Left of Boom' to 'E-Mail Bankruptcy'
- A Fast Way to Make Yourself a Better Understood Speaker? Slow Down
- Take a Deep Breath: Tips on Preparing for an Oral Presentation
- Talking Dictionaries on Web Offer an Earful of Pronunciations
- Meet a Labor Lawyer Whose Labor of Love Is Writing About Slang
- Compounding Makes All the Difference Between a Black Bird and a Blackbird
- Group Led by Seattle Writer Promotes Good (Not Perfect) Grammar
- What Aphorists Have to Say About the Cultures That Produced Them
- Aphorisms: How a Few Words Can Speak Volumes About Life and Living
- How to Use Small Talk to Build a Bridge to the Heart of a Conversation
- Writer Says Bias Against Sayers of 'Um' May Have Been Stoked by, Uh, Radio
- No Need to Freak Out About Some Idioms, Even in More Formal Contexts
- Dude! Check Out Some of the Most Common Slang in Popular Speech
- Why Some Speeches Just Float Away on the Air and Others Stick in Our Minds
- Wise Writing Instead of '-Wise' Writing: Looking for Beauty in Words
- New Books Cast Cinderella, Other Fairy Tale Stars as Language Teachers
- Program Moves Online to Train Teachers in Global English
- In America, Struggling for the 'Correct' Terminology to Discuss Disabilities
- Showing Students That Good Writing Matters, and Not Just in English Class
- Hypercorrection Is Not Simply Being Fussy or a Nitpicker or a Pedant
- Sprinkling a Few Prepositions Into Speech to Sound More Natural
- The Long and Short of Cornering the Market in Global Finance Lingo
- How a Handshake Can Say a Lot About You in Business Communication
- Inside the Mind of a Stand-Up Comic Vying for Title of 'Funniest Fed'
- Grasping Roots as a Way to Understand Words and Build Vocabulary
- What Does Ecology Mean to You? No, Really, How Do You Define It?
- Saving the World, or at Least Understanding What Ecologists Mean
- When Netspeak Enters Formal Writing, Teachers Are Anything but LOL
- In Moldova, as Demand for English Grows, Teachers Try Best They Can
- Think 'Uh Huh' and 'Unh Unh' Sound Alike? Then You'll Be Saying 'Oops!'
- Teaching English in Central Asia: The View From Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan
- When Conflicts Follow Young Immigrants to School in a New Land
- English Teaching in the Arab World: Insights From Iraq and Libya
- How to Make a Fashion Statement in a World of 'Voguespeak,' Muffin Tops
- He Shoots, He Scores; She Shoots, She Scores. 'Slam Dunk' Terms Resound
- The More Quotations Change, It Seems, the More They Remain the Same
- Getting in Tune With Spoken English Means Thinking in Thought Groups
- Smoothing Out English With Help From Sentence Pronunciation Rules
- I Luv U, Do U Luv Me? Relating in the Techno Age; the Mystery of XOX
- Centuries Later, the Bard of Avon Still Makes His Mark on American English
- Pluto Is Reborn as a Verb, While Surge Becomes a 'Hot-Button Word'
- How Learning a Second Language Inhibits the First, at Least Temporarily
- 'House' or 'Home'? 'Friendlier' or 'More Friendly'? The Web Offers Answers
- Wanna, Gonna, Hafta: Getting Relaxed With Reduced Forms in Speech
2006
- Terms to Chew Over: 'Hansel and Gretel' Like You've Never Heard It
- Helping Students to 'Step Out of Apathy': A Lesson From the Holocaust
- At a Party, If All Else Fails, Throw Yourself on the Mercy of the Crowd
- Slang in the World of Hooky Bulls, Businessman's Events and Dirt Baths
- Teaching English in Russia: Insights From Two Generations of Teachers
- Teachers of English in Russia Feeling Winds of Change in Their Profession
- Hey You, in the Next Cube, Is That Document Buzzword-Compliant?
- Heated Words: Lingo of the Men and Women Who Fight Wildfires
- 'National Punctuation Day': Seeking to Put a (Full) Stop to Poor Writing
- Using Language Technology to Help Learners With Accent Reduction
- A 'Dialect Nomad' Goes in Search of Changes in American English
- 'Islamofascism': Dusting Off an Old Name for a New Form of Extremism
- Getting Into the Writing Game, With Words of Advice From a Coach
- Understanding the Reasons for Grammar, Not Just Learning the Rules
- Listening to the Sound of Words for Subtle Clues to Their Meaning
- Learning English by Listening, Um, to How People, Uh, Really Speak It
- 'Shifting Sands' of English Teaching Bring Changes to Schools in Middle East
- Economists Pursue Happiness by Asking Americans How They Feel
- How a Child's Ability to Learn Language Figures Into the Immigration Issue
- To Make a Long Story Short: Summary Skills for Better Readers and Writers
- Morocco's New Way to Teach English Proves Popular, at Least With Students
- Two Places, One Pursuit: English Teaching in Nepal and Afghanistan
- In Choice of Immigration Terms, Some Say Focus on the Act, Not the Actor
- What Does It Mean When Something Is 'For Good' or Offered 'On a Plate'?
- Like It or Not, a Discourse Marker Making Its Mark on a Wider Stage
- Forget 'Chicken' and 'Egg,' What Comes First With 'After' and 'Before'?
- * No MP3 * 'The Meaning of Tingo': One Man's Favorite Words, From 254 Languages
- Lost for Words? Here Are Some Tips to Remember About Improving Memory
- How 'The Thing' Has Entered the Language of People in New Orleans
- Tribes in California Attempt to Preserve Native American Dialects
- Concise and Precise: A Way to Force People to Think Before They Write
- Talk to the Hand: The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today
- F-u-n With Broadway's 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee'
- Stagecraft: Acting Like an Actor to Improve Your Memory
- You're Wearing That? Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation
- An English Learner Is in a Jam Over What to Call Slow-Moving Traffic
- Teaching Older People to Become Better Listeners to Avoid Alienating Others
- When There Is Bad News, Helping Cancer Doctors Find the Right Words
- Self-Instruction: Five New Year's Resolutions for English Learners
- What Do 'Refugee,' 'Jump the Couch' and 'Spokesweasel' Have in Common?
2005
- 'Merry Christmas' vs. 'Happy Holidays': More Than a Simple Choice of Words
- New Standards Aim to Strengthen Curriculum for English Learners in U.S.
- T Is for Trouble: Consonants Lead to Dissonance for an English Learner
- Front Matter Matters: How to Start a Relationship With Your Dictionary
- What Does It Say About You if Your Doppelganger Is Facinorous?
- A Guide to Writing, Now Illustrated: Stylish New Look for 'Elements of Style'
- Small Talk: Think of It as an 'Appetizer' for a Full Meal of Conversation
- In Oregon, 'Heritage Speakers' of Farsi Get to Learn From a Young Native
- Getting Ready for the Speaking Section on the New TOEFL
- The Test of English as a Foreign Language Gets a Makeover
- Literary Voice: Don't Parrot Cliches, but Do Read, Read, Read
- We're Americans, We're Not Refugees
- Language From the Sea, and Still Fresh After All These Years
- If You Could Care Less About Common Errors in English ...
- How a Secret-But-Not-So-Secret Code Let Women in China Share Hardships
- Does It Matter if Stocks 'Climb' Rather Than 'Bounce Back'?
- Talking to Teens (and Getting a Reply)
- Gerunds vs. Infinitives, Part 2
- Gerunds vs. Infinitives, Part 1
- Language of Showbiz
- Speaking of Alabama, Part 2
- Speaking of Alabama, Part 1
- Emotion in Words
- Hawaiian Language, Part 2
- Hawaiian Language, Part 1
- U.S. Academic Writing Style, Part 2
- U.S. Academic Writing Style, Part 1
- Do You Speak American?
- Audience Mail
- Meet Two More English Teachers
- Compounding in English
- Pronunciation of North American English
- Meet Two Young English Teachers
- Conversational Styles and Sports
- * No MP3 * Memory Improvement
- Interview with an English Learner in Iran
- Linguistic Profiling
- Greetings in the U.S.
- Emotion Words
- Pretentious Language
- Internet Terms
- Questions About Pronunciation and Style
- Interview with William Labov: Sound Change, Part 2
- Interview with William Labov: Sound Change, Part 1
- * No MP3 * Top 10 Words Looked Up Online in 2004
2004
- Lida Baker: Five New Year's Resolutions for English Learners
- Pronunciation, Part 2
- Pronunciation, Part 1
- College Slang
- * No MP3 * Lida Baker: Compliments in American English
- Proverbs in American English, Part 2
- Proverbs in American English, Part 1
- * No MP3 * English Classes for Hmong Immigrants in Minnesota
- Creative Writing, Part 2
- Creative Writing, Part 1
- Lida Baker: Crafting a Complaint
- Language of Broadway
- Native American Influence on English
- Presidential Voices
- Epigram Writer
- Wordcount.org
- Hatchet Jobs & Hardball: The Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang
- Linguistic Diversity in Action
- Lida Baker: Present Perfect Tense
- Confusing Synonyms and Confounding Political Terms
- Infowalker
- Baseball in American English
- Lida Baker: Common Sentence Errors
- Hip-Hop Slang
- Language Map of the United States
- Americanrhetoric.com
- Getting a Job, Part 2: The Interview
- Getting a Job, Part 1: Resume and Cover Letter
- Carnival Jargon
- * No MP3 * Lida Baker: Voiced and Voiceless Sounds in English
- 'Your Own Words' by Barbara Wallraff
- Easy English Times
- Meet the English Teachers
- * No MP3 * 'Logic Made Easy' by Deborah Bennett
- April 1, 2004 - TESOL Teacher (A repeat from 2001, so not included here.)
- TESOL Convention
- Future of English
- Hypercorrection
- * No MP3 * Lida Baker: Keyword Method as a Memory Aid
- Adjectives
- Slang Flashcards
- Helen Fisher: 'Why We Love'
- Political Rhetoric in America, Part 2
- Political Rhetoric in America, Part 1
- Lida Baker: Phrasal Verbs
- Word of 2003
2003
2002
2001
About
- These will print very cleanly (without printing the MP3 player and menu.)
- The source of the original pre-edited material is www.voanews.com/wordmaster.
- "All text, audio and video material produced exclusively by the Voice of America
is public domain. However, some images and graphics are licensed for use and
covered by all applicable copyright laws."
- Though the source material was in the public domain, I have done some editing. If you need the public domain version of any of these stories, please visit http://voanews.com/specialenglish/.
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This page is part of Interesting Things for ESL Students.