Peruvian women artists, Present perfect, Verb BE, Car Sandburg story

Caty Weaver and Mario Ritter, Jr. host the VOA Learning English podcast for Friday, Dec. 6 and Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024.

John Russell opens the program with a report about Peruvian women healing themselves through songs and arts. Hand-painted textiles, known as “kene”, like the ones they create, were declared part of the “Cultural Heritage of the Nation” by the Peruvian government in 2008. Artist Sadith Silvano said, “Every design tells a story… It is a way in which a Shipibo woman distinguishes herself.” learningenglish.voanews.com/a/peruvian-women-heal-…

Ashley Thompson and Jonathan Evans explain the difference between “simple past” and “present perfect” in this week’s Everyday Grammar. They say to use the “simple past” to talk about a finished action that happened at a specific time. As for “present perfect,” it can express a repeated action, use the form with the adverbs “for” and “since” to tell about the duration of an activity, and use the form with “never” and “ever.” A good way to practice the present perfect is to ask an English-speaking friend if he or she has ever done something. learningenglish.voanews.com/a/everyday-grammar-sim…

In Ask a Teacher, Andrew Smith answers a question from Tayyab in Pakistan about a form of the verb “be” in English. Andrew says we commonly use this verb to link, or join, a subject with its description such as “That man is a farmer” and “That man is rich.” Andrew also explains how to use the word “being” to describe something and someone. learningenglish.voanews.com/a/notes-about-being-/7…

Mario introduces an American Stories called How the Animals Lost Their Tails by Carl Sandburg. The story makes liberal use of repetition and nonsense language, a fun form of word play. Listen closely to the language of this story about talking animals with a big problem. learningenglish.voanews.com/a/american-stories-how…

Mario and Caty then sign off.
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