Conversation practice with videos by Dr Premanand EnglishSkillsOne

Frost Webs

premclt — 2023-01-20 16:54:48 UTC

Spiders have immense patience for their ability to craft intricate, beautifully designed webs of silk. Spider webs can indeed be creepy and unnerving, especially if you walk right into one. Some spiders even add "decorations" within a web, which are called stabilimenta. This could be a single zigzag line, a combination of lines, or even a spiral whorl in the web's centre. However, these decorations come to life when there is a frost. Spectacular and fascinating, isn’t it? Nature’s way of sending us a message of resilience and patience

International Left-hander's Day

premclt — 2023-01-20 16:56:42 UTC

Aug 13 - International Left Handers Day

A day to raise awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of being left-handed in a predominantly right-handed world. Many devices are designed for use by right-handed people, making their use by left-handed people more difficult. Some experts think left-handed people have a greater aptitude for language skills. The ugly stares when one eats with the left hand is a little humiliating. The direction in which faucets have to be twisted and the knobs on stove tops are tricky too. When I write using a fountain pen I tend to run my hand over what I've just written. So, ball pens and their quick dry ink are a boon. But a big plus point is that in self-defense no one expects a left handed slap!😁

language - /ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/

direction - /dəˈrekʃn/, /daɪˈrekʃn/

faucet - /ˈfɔːsɪt/

fountain pen - /ˈfaʊntən pen/

defense - /dɪˈfens/

Vistadome by Indian Railways

premclt — 2023-01-20 16:59:23 UTC

The Vistadome coach is specially designed with a single large-sized lookout window at the observation lounge from which tourists can get a panoramic view. The coach is fully air-conditioned and provided with the glassed-in domed ceiling, automatic sliding doors, rotatable chairs, double reclining seats and a multi-tier luggage rack. The wide windows offer a panoramic view and an exhilarating experience for tourists as it passes through the tunnels, hills and valleys.

Words to look for

Tourist - /ˈtʊərɪst/

Panoramic - /ˌpænəˈræmɪk/

domed - /dəʊmd/

Tier - /tɪə(r)/

Luggage - /ˈlʌɡɪdʒ/

Exhilarating - /ɪɡˈzɪləreɪtɪŋ/

The Glass Top / Vistadome coach is in operation by train No. 16576/ MAJN to YPR.

The see-through glass coach offers a panoramic view of the hills, valleys and an exhilarating experience for tourists as it passes through the tunnels. Vistadome coach is sold out months in advance.

NETSUKE

premclt — 2023-01-20 17:07:37 UTC

Traditional Japanese garments like Kimono had no pockets. However, men who wore them needed a container to store their personal belongings, such as pipes, tobacco, money, medicines. Their solution was to place such objects in containers. Whatever the container, the fastener that secured the cord at the top of the sash was a carved, button-like toggle called a netsuke, or in other words, a miniature sculpture.

Words to look out for:
Sounds like - net·su·kee
Also NETS-KEH
Pocket - /ˈpɒkɪt/
Container - /kənˈteɪnə(r)/
Fastener - /ˈfɑːsnə(r)/
Miniature :- /ˈmɪnətʃə(r)/
Sculpture :- /ˈskʌlptʃə(r)/

premclt — 2024-06-30 02:44:03 UTC

The Mavilan community in the North Malabar region of Kerala, India, is responsible for the preservation and practise of the folk art known as Eruthukali. The Mavilan people are indigenous to the mountainous regions of the districts of Kasaragod and Kannur. On the tenth day of the Malayalam month Thulam, the residents of Mavilar hold the ceremony known as Eruthukali in the area surrounding their hamlet.They go from house to house while perched atop a life-size dummy bull and spread the news that the new farming season has begun. Since ancient times, members of the Mavilan community have farmed in forested areas using the slash-and-burn method.

Words to look out for

preservation - /ˌprezəˈveɪʃn/

folk art - /ˈfəʊk ɑːt/

indigenous - /ɪnˈdɪdʒənəs/

hamlet - /ˈhæmlət/

perch - /pɜːtʃ/

slash-and-burn method - /ˌslæʃ ən ˈbɜːn/

premclt — 2024-06-30 04:18:46 UTC

AI sometimes produces a hallucination, which is any inaccurate or misleading output. Here’s an example: An image generation AI asked to produce "a dog riding a bicycle" might create an image with the dog physically defying gravity or in a setting that looks completely unrealistic. Or, if you tell an AI tool that your sister’s name is Robin. An AI hallucination may be represented as, “Your sister is a songbird.” (There is also a breed of songbird called a robin.) To use AI tools responsibly, fact-checking is essential. One strategy is to request that the tool provide the sources of its information, or a bibliography, so you can investigate the reliability.

Words to look out for

hallucination - /həˌluːsɪˈneɪʃn/

image - /ˈɪmɪdʒ/

essential - /ɪˈsenʃl/

strategy - /ˈstrætədʒi/

bibliography - /ˌbɪbliˈɒɡrəfi/

Consonants

premclt — 2025-10-27 14:01:19 UTC

Consonants of English are 24 in number. Try pronouncing out loud. Pronounce well as native English speakers do.

Diphthongs

premclt — 2025-10-27 14:08:32 UTC

Diphthongs are vowel sounds formed by combining two vowels in a single syllable, in which the sound begins as one vowel and moves towards another. Learn how to master pronunciation with EnglishSkillsOne.

Monophthongs

premclt — 2025-10-27 14:10:12 UTC

Learn how to pronounce vowel sounds, also known as monophthongs using the IPA chart. When a vowel is spoken with exactly one tone and one mouth position, it is termed as monophthong. Listen to Saigeetha pronounce the monophthongs (pronunciation chart) found in the back inner page of Nuts and Bolts of English.