Improve Your English Fluency FAST | Reading and Listening Method

Today, you're going to  learn English with the news.

We're going to read a news article together.

Welcome back to JForrest English.

Of course, I'm Jennifer.

Now let's get started.

Our headline scientists may have  solved mystery behind Egypt's pyramids.

Now, there is one article missing in this  headline that's required grammatically.

Do you know where that article should go?

Scientists may have solved the mystery.

The mystery, because mystery is a noun,  

a singular, countable noun,  so it requires an article.

The because it's a specific  mystery, all would be any mystery.

Now notice here Egypt's pyramids.

Pyramids is a noun, it's in  plural, so the article is optional.

But here we have a possessive  possessives replace articles.

Remember though that adjectives  do not replace articles.

So here if you said Egyptian,  Egyptian is an adjective.

Egypt is the noun and adding  the's makes it a possessive noun.

Egypt's pyramids.

The pyramids belong to Egypt, but Egyptian  is an adjective Egyptian pyramids.

So in this case the is required the  pyramids specific the Egyptian pyramids.

Notice another very important word, may.

This is important because May  is a modal verb of possibility.

So when they say Egyptians may have  solved, this is just one possibility.

Another possibility is that they have not solved.

So this is not conclusive, it's not  a fact, it's just a possibility.

So if I ask you to subscribe to  my channel and you say Jennifer,  

I may subscribe, this isn't the best news.

It's not the worst news,  but it's not the best news.

If you say I will subscribe, then that's  good news because will is a commitment.

You use this to say I commit, I promise.

So if you want to show your support to me in  my channel because you enjoy these lessons,  

put that's right, that's right,  put that's right in the comments.

And don't worry about taking these notes because  I summarize everything in a free lesson PDF.

You can find the link in the description.

Now let's continue and learn about this mystery.

Scientists believe they may  have solved the mystery.

Ah, notice the mystery, because now  we're in the body of the article,  

so all the grammar requirements like articles,  

auxiliary verbs are required, whereas  in the headline they can be omitted.

They may have solved the potential because  of this modal of potential may have solved  

the mystery of how 31 pyramids including  the world famous Giza complex were built.

Notice this.

We have were, but then we have the world famous  Giza complex, which is just one the complex.

So why is it were?

Well, remember that is actually  being conjugated with pyramids.

This is the subject of the sentence that the verb  is being conjugated with the pyramids were built.

This additional information.

Notice that it's between commas.

It means it can be removed from the sentence,  and the sentence is still grammatically correct.

So this part is not the subject of the sentence.

It's pyramids.

31 pyramids were built in  Egypt more than 4000 years ago.

Let's review these two sentences.

I solved the problem.

What verb tense is this?

Very simple, right?

I solved the problem.

This is the past simple.

It's a completed past action.

Because you use the past  simple, it sounds like a fact.

There is no doubt about this.

I solved the problem.

This happened.

It's a fact.

But if you say I may this is our modal verb,  

and then notice we have this perfect  construction, I may have solved the problem.

This is the possibility of a past action.

I may have solved the problem.

I may have passed the exam, For example,  

if you want to show some doubt,  maybe I did, maybe I didn't.

So this is a great construction to practice  and to compare against the past simple,  

which sounds like a fact our  research team has discovered.

Now notice team is our collective noun.

So a team is made-up of many individuals,  

but is conjugated as third person  singular in American English.

A research team, a research group for example,  has discovered has discovered what verb tenses is.

Is the present perfect?

It's a completed pass action  with the result in the present.

The result in the present is now you  know how the pyramids were built.

Maybe, maybe because may have  a research team has discovered  

that the pyramids the pyramids  because they're specific pyramids.

If you were talking about pyramids in  general, you don't need an article.

You could say pyramids are beautiful.

This is pyramids in general,  any pyramid in the world.

Pyramids in general are beautiful.

The pyramids in Egypt, the  Egyptian pyramids are beautiful.

So in that case you use the article  because it's specific pyramids.

Remember that a possessive  noun replaces an article.

So in this last one, Egypt's pyramids you don't  

need an article are beautiful that the  pyramids are likely to have been built.

Another word of possibility likely to  have been built Again, this means that  

this is just a maybe, but likely sounds  like 80%, whereas maybe is more 5050.

I'll likely go to the party is 80%  maybe I'll go I may go is more 5050.

So the pyramids are likely to have been built  

along a long lost ancient  branch of the Nile River.

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Now, let's continue with  our lesson for many years.

Archaeologists.

Repeat after me Archaeologists,  E all eologist archaeologists,  

archaeologists, archaeologists have thought.

Notice again our present perfect  because if it's for many years,  

it means it's started in the  past and continues until now.

For many years, archaeologists have thought  that ancient Egyptians must have used a nearby  

waterway to transport materials such as the stone  blocks needed to build the pyramids on the river.

We have another model of possibility  in the perfect construction.

Must have used.

Must have used.

This is still a possibility.

So it is not a fact, it's a possibility,  but it's a strong degree of possibility.

Maybe 85, ninety, 95% possible.

Let's look at a realistic example.

Maybe I could say to you, you  must have passed the test.

You studied for months.

So I'm saying there's a strong  possibility, eighty, 9095%,  

because you studied for months now I could  use May, you may have passed the test.

If I use May, it's less likely, maybe 5050.

So I would probably change my next part.

You studied a fair amount because in this case  

there's an equal possibility  that you'll fail the test.

So this is again a useful  construction to practice.

Up until now, nobody was certain of the location,  

the shape, the size or proximity of this  mega waterway to the actual pyramids site.

Let's look at this time reference up until now.

Perhaps you're more familiar  with simply until now.

If you're not, don't worry.

It simply means from the past to  this moment in time up until now.

Adding this word up is the exact same thing.

It does not change the meaning.

It sounds a little more conversational, a little  more informal, but the meaning is the same.

So you can say up until now,  I've been using my old laptop.

So this is from the past until this  time that I'm saying these words.

Up until now, you could say until now, I didn't  realize how much faster newer models are.

Again, this entire past period.

And it extends to the moment I'm saying these  words again, they're the same time reference.

There's no difference in meaning.

This one is slightly more conversational.

Let's continue in a cross continental effort.

Cross continental means it spans continent,  so it goes from one continent to another.

Here there's a lot with cross country,  cross city, cross neighborhoods.

You can have any geographical area  in a cross continental effort.

Now notice here cross continental functions as  

an adjective because you have in an  effort and then what type of effort?

So this gives you more information about the noun.

And then you always modify your article  with what's directly in front of it.

So if you didn't have this word, it would  be an effort because this is a vowel sound.

But now your article matches with the adjective.

In a cross continental effort,  the group of researchers used  

radar satellite imagery to map the river  branch, which they believe was buried.

Notice this pronunciation.

Don't look at the spelling because  it doesn't have this sound.

It's the same as strawberry Berry airy  buried and then you just add AD at the end.

Buried, buried was buried by  a major Oh, what about this?

How do you pronounce this?

Say it drought out out.

So leave out out.

It's that sound out.

And then with a drew drew drought, drought.

And of course a drought is a  long period of no water, no rain,  

drought and sandstorms thousands of years ago.

Believe is another word that suggests  this isn't fact, it's possibility.

They believe they think was buried by a  major drought, but they don't know for sure.

Otherwise the wording would be different.

They could say which they know  which they are certain was buried.

So the word choice you use is important  because it conveys a lot of information.

It shares a lot of information.

So in this case, we know  this is just a possibility,  

is not presented as fact at this point.

The team was able to penetrate the  sand surface and produce images of  

hidden features by using the radar technology.

Remember that team is a collective  

noun in American English, so it's  conjugated as third person singular.

The team was able.

You could also say the researchers,  which is clearly plural.

You have the S here.

The researchers in this case,  it's they they were able.

What if, what if I said the team of researchers,  

the team of researchers in this  case, do you need was or were?

What do you think was or were?

Put your answer in the  comments or say it out loud.

Now the answer is the team of researchers.

What do you think team of researchers was?

Because it's the team that the verb is  being conjugated with, not of researchers.

This is additional information.

It's the team.

The team was.

The team of researchers was able  to penetrate the sand surface and  

produce images of hidden features  by using the radar technology.

Let's continue among those features.

So remember these hidden features  that they were able to produce  

Among those features were ah, how do you say this?

Say it out loud.

Were buried like a strawberry.

Buried rivers Among those  features were buried rivers.

So rivers that were below the surface, buried  rivers and ancient structures running at the  

foothills of where the vast majority  of the ancient Egyptian pyramids lie.

So this is under the surface  of of the current pyramids,  

which are of course visible above the surface.

The waterway could have been used for  the transportation of heavier blocks,  

equipment and people.

So this is the waterway they found buried  

underneath and they used this  radar technology to produce.

But again, we have these words of possibility  could have been used, could have been used.

Now, the use of all of the past is because  of course this takes place in the past.

That's why everything is expressed in the past.

And then they're using  models, a possibility because  

of course they're not saying they  know the mystery of the pyramids.

They have a theory, they have some information.

It's not fact at this point.

It's possibility.

Could in terms of possibility is  used to say there's one possibility,  

this is one possibility,  but there are other options.

So it sounds like a lower level of  possibility compared to May which  

was medium and then must which was the highest.

The discovery of this extinct river branch  helps explain the high pyramid density.

So the high pyramid density means the  high number of pyramids in a certain area,  

and the area is between Giza and Gist.

I'm not sure how to say this.

I'll call it Gist.

I don't know where this is.

And generally they provide information  when it's not common knowledge.

Perhaps you know what Gist is.

I don't.

So thankfully they tell us.

It's the site of Middle Kingdom.

Oh, how do you say this?

Burials.

Burials.

So a burial is with deceased  people part of the funeral process.

Burial, burial, bury, burial.

So apparently Gist is the site where  deceased people in the Middle Kingdom  

were placed underground, were buried in what is  now an inhospitable area of the Saharan desert.

In this context, inhospitable.

Repeat after me.

Inhospitable, Hospitable.

Inhospitable means not  suitable for humans to live in.

So the conditions are not  suitable for humans to live in.

This has a different meaning  in the context of guests.

So visitors to your home, if you are  inhospitable, it means you're not welcoming,  

you're not friendly, you're not generous,  you're not warm to visitors in your home.

So we only use this with visitors in your home.

So for example, if I don't cook dinner,  your family will think I'm inhospitable.

So it's used as an adjective to describe me not  

being generous or welcoming  to the visitors in my home.

So you don't want to be  inhospitable most of the time.

Let's continue.

The river branches proximity  to the pyramid complexes.

So here, proximity means how close it is.

So it's saying that the river branch is being  close to the complex of the pyramids suggests  

that it was active and operational during  the construction phase of these pyramids.

And this is the evidence they have to suggest  

that they've solved the mystery  of how the pyramids were built.

But again, they don't have concrete evidence,  

so they can't present it as facts, which is  why we saw all the models of possibility.

And that's the end of the article.

So what I'll do now is I'll  read the article from start  

to finish and you can focus on my pronunciation.

Scientists may have solved mystery  behind Egypt's pyramids Scientists  

believe they may have solved  the mystery of how 31 pyramids,  

including the world famous Giza complex,  were built in Egypt more than 4000 years ago.

A research team has discovered  that the pyramids are likely to  

have been built along a long lost  ancient branch of the Nile River.

For many years, archaeologists have thought  that ancient Egyptians must have used a nearby  

waterway to transport materials such as the stone  blocks needed to build the pyramids on the river.

Up until now, nobody was certain of the location,  

the shape, the size or proximity of this  mega waterway to the actual pyramid site.

In a cross continental effort, the group  of researchers use radar satellite imagery  

to map the River Branch, which they believe  

was buried by a major drought and  sandstorms thousands of years ago.

The team was able to penetrate the  sand surface and produce images of  

hidden features by using the radar technology.

Among those features were buried rivers  and ancient structures running at the  

foothills of where the vast majority  of the ancient Egyptian pyramids lie.

The waterway could have been used for  the transportation of heavier blocks,  

equipment and people.

The discovery of this extinct river branch helps  explain the high pyramid density between Giza and  

Gist, the site of Middle Kingdom burials in what  is now an inhospitable area of the Saharan Desert.

The river branch's proximity to the  pyramid complexes suggests that it  

was active and operational during the  construction phase of these pyramids.

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