David's Narrated Picture Story

David spent a lot of time on his drawings. And the results are fantastic! I love the details and patterns in every scene. In his first video, David gives us a bird's-eye view of his morning commute. 

Idiom: bird's-eye view

John Bachmann [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
A bird's-eye view of New York City from 1865

View
The word view is about what you can see. When you're on a mountain, you can have a great view of the valley. If you're short, and you go to a concert, you might have a bad view of the band.

Bird's Eye 
When I walk in the city, I can see the buildings on the block. My view is limited. But birds can fly very high in the sky. When a pigeon looks at the city, it can see many blocks, and many buildings. The bird's view is very broad and wide. With a bird's-eye view, you can see the big picture.

Where can you see a bird's-eye view of the city? (respond in the comments)

-Eric, NYC, USA

Video: David's Narrated Picture Story

Music Credits

"BudsBursting 2.0" by Podington Bear
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
You can find more music and info from the artist at:
www.soundofpicture.com
www.podingtonbear.com
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/

Field Recordings from FreeSound.org

Busses.aiff: from hanstimm
NYC_bus_idle.wav: from gezortenplotz

00531 bus door opening closing.wav: Robinhood76
Horn Honk.wav: from mkoenig
Car Horn.wav: from ceberation
1964 Chrysler Horn Honk (Short): from lonemonk

Idiom of the Day: make a difference

Quote from US president John F. Kennedy: "One person can make a difference, and everyone should try." Photo by ginnerobot.

Idiom of the Day

make a difference: to have an effect

Context

The idea of this phrase is simple: even small actions are important.  You can make a difference by 

• reading to your child
• smiling to a stranger
• volunteering
• saying "hi" to your neighbors

Example Sentences

Dalai Lama XIV

American author.

From A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, American author.

American author.

Seneca the Younger, Roman philosopher and dramatist.

American comedian.

Jane Goodall, British scientist and anthropologist famous for her work with primates.

Note: These visual quotes were made on TheQuoteFactory.com.  The site is free to use, and the images are free to download and distribute.  There are many options to customize the quote also.

Grammar and Usage

This idiom is in the affirmative and negative sense.

Affirmative

     This idiom is often used in present tense, or after by a modal verb like: can, will, must, should, etc.
     "You can make a difference by reading to your child."  In this example, I suggest an action you can take.  

Negative

Most often, the idiom is used with the pronoun it and auxiliary verb doesn't. "It doesn't make a difference."  This is similar to: "It doesn't matter."  This means: there will not be any effect.

Make a Difference on the Internet

If you search "make a difference" on the Internet, you will find many charitable organizations.  There is one website where you can make a difference without spending your money.  FreeRice.com has free quiz games on many subjects, including English Grammar and Vocabulary.  When you answer questions correctly, rice is donated to hungry people.  FreeRice.com is operated by The United Nations World Food Programme.

Brown rice, found on Wikipedia Commons, shared by user Fir0002. (This photo is Creative Commons licensed.)

Give it a try.  You can practice your English vocabulary, and make a difference at the same time!  Share your high scores here.

Now...practice in the comments!

What are some other ways one person can make a difference?
Did you have a favorite quote?  Was there a quote you didn't like?  Tell us why. (I didn't like Jack Kerouac's quote because...)

I'm still looking for the source for this image.  Do you know who created it?

Idiom of the Day: keep in touch with

From the Wikimedia Commons description: U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Andrea L. McCellan reads to her son as it is videotaped for the United Through Reading program aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) as the ship operates in the Atlantic Ocean on June 13, 2006. Iwo Jima uses this deployment program to keep parents in touch with their children. (Image is Public Domain.)

Idiom of the Day
to keep in touch with: to maintain contact, to remain current with information about a person

Context
In the image above, a Navy officer records a video for her son.  She is far from her family, but she keeps in touch with her child with videos.

"Touch" usually has a different meaning.

Ripple Effect, by Agustín Ruiz. (Creative Commons image)

Touch in this idiom has a figurative meaning.  But, when you send emails and photos to your friends and family, you can "touch" them virtually!

Example Sentences
1) "My friends and family live in different cities, but I keep in touch with them on Facebook and Skype."

• In this situation, this person keeps in touch with the people important to her (maintains contact with, stays close with), her friends and family, using the Internet.

2) "I'm so excited for you for your trip.  Send me lots of pictures.  And keep in touch!"

• Here, this person uses the idiom as a command, so "with" is dropped from the sentence.

Grammar and Usage

"Keep in touch with" is usually used as a command.  At the end of an email, you may write: Keep in touch!  But this is a friendly command, a reminder to update the ones you love about your life.

There are two other verbs you can use with this idiom: stay and be.  "Stay in touch" is similar to "keep in touch" and is usually a polite command.

"Be in touch" is usually used in the future tense.  For example, you go to an interview.  The interview goes well.  At the end of the interview, the manager may say: "Thanks for coming in today.  We'll be in touch."  This means the manager will update you about the job.

Job Interview Cartoon from Mr. Daniel Ted Feliciano.

Now...Practice in the Comments

How do you keep in touch?  Do you write letters or emails?  Do you send videos or photos?  Do you use online applications like Facebook, Twitter, or Skype?  Is it difficult for you to keep in touch through the Internet?

Idiom of the Day: the big picture

Hanging The Great Picture, the world's largest print photograph, by Ron Johnson and The Legacy Project (2006). This image was found in Wikimedia Commons.  Here we see a literal meaning for "the big picture," where two men stand in front of the largest photograph in the world.

What is the Idiom of the Day? Click HERE.

Today's Idiom

the big picture: the whole story of something, a complete view of something

Bitola Panorama, by Petar Milošević, in Bitola, Macedonia (2008).

Context

In the image above, photographer Petar Milošević gives us the big picture of the town of Bitola.  We see the geography of the land, and we see the houses.  This is a more complete view, than a photo of one street in Bitola.

Example sentences

This idiom is usually used with these verbs: get, give, see, and show.

1) "You want to memorize a dictionary? You're not getting the big picture.  To learn English you must communicate with people." 

• (In this example, dictionary vocabulary is one small part of learning a language.  The big picture includes listening, reading, speaking, writing, pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.) 

2) "I went to the doctor's office this morning, and I think I see the big picture.  Eating vegetables is not enough.  I must exercise too."  

• (In this example, eating vegetables is one small part of being healthy.  The big picture includes exercise also.)

Grammar and Usage

Seeing the big picture means to understand all of a situation.  A situation, usually, is developing, or is changing.  It's not over.  The big picture is often used in the present progressive (or present continuous). 

Are you interested in digital photography?
Here are the largest digital images ever created.  These links take you to interactive sites, where you can explore the images.

• Electron Micrograph of a Zebrafish Embryo 281 Gigapixels (2012)
• Shanghai 272 Gigapixels (Dec, 2010)
• Sevilla 111 Gigapixels (Dec, 2010)

News Stories in Photographs

"The Big Picture" is also the name of an online news series by The Boston Globe.  The Big Picture tells news stories from around the world in captivating pictures.  Each picture also has a short text description.  It's a great way to learn about the world in English. 

Now...Practice in the Comments!

Write your own sentences using "the big picture," with one of the four verbs (get, give, see, or show).  You will help students when they can see more examples, and you will learn too!
Have you seen this idiom somewhere.  Share the quote and the source (who said it and where).