Read An Article From The BBC With Me! | Advanced English Lesson

Today we're going to read an  article from the BBC together,  

and this article is about  the Summer Olympics in Paris.

And this lesson will help  you expand your vocabulary,  

learn correct grammar and  improve your pronunciation.

Of course, I'm Jennifer from JForrest English.

Now let's get started.

First I'll read the headline Paris 2024.

How is France preparing for the Olympics?

Let's start with a poll.

So I want you to share your answer in  the comments and you can put AB or C.

Which one best describes you?

I'm attending.

I'm attending the Olympics in Paris.

How cool would that be?

I'm attending AB.

I'm watching at home.

Or C?

Neither, neither, neither.

Different pronunciation, but same meaning.

It means not A, not B.

So basically with C, you're saying  I'm not interested in the Olympics,  

which is perfectly fine.

So which best describes you, AB or C?

Put your answer in the comments.

Now let's look back at our headline.

Paris 2024.

How is France preparing for  Notice this preposition?

I hear students make this mistake a lot.

They say I'm preparing the IELTS, but  that's grammatically incorrect and  

you won't get a high score on the  IELTS if you forget prepositions.

I'm preparing for the IELTS.

Another common mistake is with articles.

Just remember, it's the Olympics, not Olympics.

I'm going to Olympics.

I'm going to the Olympics.

You need the in front of  it, and it's plural as well.

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

You can find the link in the description.

Let's continue with the  article this Summer Olympics.

Again, remember that at that S here, the Summer  Olympics run from July 26 to August 11th.

So remember when we have a date range, you  begin the date range with from to from X to Y.

You can use a specific date like  they have here, or you could say a  

day of the week from Monday to Wednesday,  from this afternoon to tomorrow afternoon,  

from summer to winter, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

So you can use many different options as well.

And notice our verb here, run the Summer Olympics.

Run instead of run, you could say the Summer  Olympics take place or occur occur from.

Those are options.

The Summer Olympics run from July 26th to August  11th with 10,500 athletes competing in 329 events.

Now notice this preposition in  because you compete in something.

So maybe one athlete is competing  in the triathlon for example.

Now what are the athletes competing for?

Notice that preposition change.

You compete in an event and you compete for.

What are the athletes competing for?

Put the answer in the comments.

Of course they're competing for the gold  medal, or maybe it's a trophy or first place.

Those are the most common choices.

But perhaps you said something  different in the comments.

So I'm excited to read them.

So you compete in a competition, an event,  

and you compete for to receive something,  something physical or a title as well.

There will be 206 countries  represented at the Olympics.

Now notice the our article, the, and  also it's plural, so don't forget that.

And while we're talking about the Olympics,  what's your favorite Olympic summer sport?

Because we're talking about the Summer Olympics.

So what's your favorite summer Olympic sport?

Share that in the comments.

I'm excited to read that more than 15,000,000  tourists are expected in Paris during the Games.

Now here, notice they're just using Games.

But the G is capitalized because it represents  

the Olympic Games and this  becomes a proper proper noun.

But notice I told you before that  Olympics needs an S, The Olympics.

But I just said the Olympic Games.

Do you know why I changed it from having  that plural form, the S, to a singular form?

In our first sentence, I'm watching the Olympics.

Olympics is a noun, and in this case  it's a proper noun, so it's capitalized.

Here.

I'm watching the Olympic Games.

In this sentence, Olympic is an  adjective that describes games.

The type of games and adjectives don't have  plural forms in English, and that's why Olympic  

doesn't have an S Or you can simply drop the  adjective and say I'm watching the games.

Notice it's still plural.

There's always a plural there,  and in this case games is a noun,  

is a proper noun, and that's why it's capitalized.

All three of these are common.

The most common is probably just the first one.

I'm watching the Olympics and notice  here more than 15,000,000 tourists.

This is a mistake.

I see students add an S on  million, but no S on million.

The S is on the noun tourist,  so remember that as well.

Are you enjoying this lesson?

If you are, then I want to tell you  about the Finely Fluent Academy.

This is my premium training program where  we study native English speakers from TV,  

the movies, YouTube, and the news.

So you can improve your listening  skills of fast English, expand your  

vocabulary with natural expressions,  and learn advanced grammar easily.

Plus, you'll have me as your personal coach.

You can look in the description  for the link to learn more,  

or you can go to my website and  click on Finally Fluent Academy.

Now let's continue with our lesson.

Parliamentary elections will be held on June  30th and they could result in a new government.

Notice here will be held,  the structure is to be held,  

and then you conjugate your auxiliary verb be.

In this case, it's in the future simple  and then held is always in the third form.

You could use the expressions we  previously learned take place will  

take place because in the future  simple will take place will occur.

But I wouldn't use run because for run  there has to be more of a start and finish.

So if it said parliamentary elections will  run from two from June 30th to July 2nd,  

then you could use run, but there has to be  a from to when you use run, but you can use.

These three options will be held on June 30th.

Now notice we use the preposition on if you  have the specific day in the month mentioned.

If it's just the month, what would it be?

Will be held in June.

Now you could say in late June because 30th  is very late in June, in late June, in June.

But when you add the specific day, you  need to change the preposition to on.

So again, so important to memorize these  prepositions in English and they could result.

Notice how they use the modal verb  could because there's the potential.

It's not guaranteed that a new government  will form, is just a potential, a possibility.

So that's why they're using the modal  verb could and remember it's modal plus  

base verb and also another preposition  for you to remember result in something.

For example, the Olympics remember article the  

and as the Olympics resulted in and then  something significant tourism in Paris.

So result in something the  organizers of Paris 2024.

So the name of the Olympics.

The organizers of Paris 2024 say  the parliamentary elections called  

by French President Emmanuel Marcon will  not disrupt preparations for the game.

So here this is the noun form of prepare.

So the noun form is preparations, but you still  

need the art, the preposition  for when you use the noun form.

Let's review a sentence.

I'm preparing for my IELTS, the  same sentence we saw before.

And of course, prepare is a verb.

You use the preposition prepare for something.

I've completed something, my preparations.

This is the noun form of the verb prepare.

I've completed my preparations for my IELTS.

So just a different way of saying the same thing.

I just want to stop and ask if  you're enjoying this lesson,  

if you like this style of lesson  where we review the news together.

If you do, then just like this video  and put yes, yes, yes in the comments.

So I know you want me to keep  making more videos like this.

And of course, make sure you subscribe because  I have many lessons like this on my channel.

Let's continue, however, the mayor of the  French capital, of course, Paris, the mayor  

of Paris says holding elections less than one a  month, you could say one or a all represents one.

In this case, less than a month,  one month before the games begin,  

before the games begin is extremely unsettling.

To be unsettling, notice you need that verb to be.

And then this is an adjective  in ING to be unsettling.

This is when something causes anxiety, unease,  worry, concern, those types of negative emotions.

So maybe you say to your friend, colleague,  

100 people are attending my presentation and  your friend or colleague says that's great.

And you reply back and say,  no, it's not It's unsettling.

This causes a lot of worry,  concern, anxiety in me.

It's unsettling.

And then you can intensify that.

It's extremely unsettling.

Let's continue Games venues  in the center of Paris.

Let's take a look at this.

Games venues.

In this case, games is still functioning as  a noun, which is why you see that S on it.

Games venues.

Venues for the games in the center  of Paris will be cordoned off.

Listen to my pronunciation  Cordoned, dinned, cordoned.

So the emphasis is on the 1st syllable core,  and then the second syllable is unstressed.

Dinned end cordoned.

Repeat after me.

Cordoned.

Now we also need that preposition off.

So let's combine these together.

Cordoned off.

Notice how I take this D  and I connected on to off.

Cordoned off Repeat after me, cordoned off.

Cordoned off to the public.

Now when something, in this case this  specific area in Paris, is cordoned off,  

it's when someone with authority  restricts entrance to a specific area.

You could say to a friend, avoid downtown.

Most streets are cordoned off because  of the parade or for the parade.

Now in this case, you're not  saying who is doing the action,  

which is the most common way so  to be cordoned off in this case.

But you could say who cordoned off the area,  most likely the police or someone of authority.

The police cordon off most streets downtown  because of the parade or for the parade.

So the first one is more common, but you  can still identify who is doing the action.

And notice in this article there is a lot  

of future simple because this  is taking place in the future.

So we'll be cordoned off.

There will be extensive traffic restrictions  extensive of course intensifies it by saying  

many a lot a more advanced way worried  about threats such as a drone attack.

The government has cut spectator numbers  for the Olympic opening ceremony.

So in this case, there's no S, which  means that's right, it's an adjective.

So the noun in this case is the opening ceremony.

But what type of opening ceremony?

The Olympic opening ceremony.

So in this case, it's an adjective.

Now let's take a look at our verb cut.

This means reduce the number of and A spectator  is someone who attends the event to watch.

So if you go in person to the  opening ceremony, you're a spectator.

If you watch it on TV as well,  you would also be a spectator.

So again, you can replace the verb cut with  reduce, but this is in the present perfect form.

So you need that third form for cut.

All three forms are cut, cut, cut,  cut, but with reduce, you need that.

Ed, Let's continue one opinion poll.

Remember we had our poll at the  beginning where I asked you AB or C.

So of course, a poll is when you get  someone's opinion or information from someone.

One opinion poll suggested that 44% of Parisians.

This is the name for people who live in Paris.

Parisian Parisian but 44% of  Parisians so you need that S there.

44% of Parisians think hosting  the Olympics is a bad thing.

Not surprising, right?

Think of all the traffic and commotion  and the disruption to your daily life  

because of the Olympics, with  many planning to leave town.

Now notice here, town, Paris  is of course a major city.

It is not a small town.

But we use this expression to refer  to leave the place where you are,  

whether it's a city, a town, that doesn't matter.

We just use the word town.

It's very common to say we're  going out of town, out of town now.

This simply means you're leaving  your area, whatever your area is.

We're going out of town this weekend.

We're going to another area.

Now.

We have a few expressions with town as well.

Have you heard a night on the town?

A night on the town?

It's been a long time since  we had a night on the town.

A night on the town is a lively night, but  in your area, so wherever you live, you  

go out dancing or for a nice dinner or to see a  comedy show or something involving entertainment.

But in your area, that's a night on the town.

So hopefully you've had a fun  night on the town recently.

Now we also have an expression,  get out of town, Get out of town.

And this is another way of saying are you serious?

I don't believe you.

So you might tell me, Jennifer, I won the lottery.

I won $100 million.

Get out of town.

Are you serious?

I don't believe you.

So this is a fun expression as well.

But in this case, town, it just means  area planning to leave the area.

Bus and metro fares will double  in the capital during the games.

Not surprising as well.

So of course a fare is the amount of money that  you have to pay to take the bus or the metro.

So if it was $1.00 and it double  S, then it's of course $2.00.

Charities complained after  hundreds of squatters were  

evicted from buildings close to the new sites.

So if they're evicted, it means that  they were told to leave permanently.

So if you're evicted from your  apartment, you must leave permanently.

Hopefully that would never happen to you now.

Hundreds of squatters.

Do you know who or what a squatter is?

A squatter is someone who illegally, they're  not allowed to, stays in an unoccupied building.

That building could be your home.

If you go on vacation for four  months and then someone decides  

to live in your home while you're  not there, while it's unoccupied,  

no one is using it for a period of  time, then that person is a squatter.

So of course they were told to  permanently leave, they were evicted.

Many Parisians are irritated at the  security restrictions which will be  

imposed again because it's in the future,  which will be imposed in the city center.

Paris will be unbearable, unbearable,  one resident told the BBC.

So residents, another word would be  Parisian 1 Parisian told the BBC.

Impossible to park, impossible to move  around, impossible to do anything.

So these are the reasons why  Paris will be unbearable.

Unbearable is a strong adjective.

It means so unpleasant, extremely unpleasant,  so unpleasant that it's difficult to endure,  

difficult to even be in Paris  because of how unpleasant it is.

It's a very dramatic adjective, but we use this a  lot in a dramatic way, often to describe people.

For example, your boss.

My boss is unbearable.

He is so or she is so unpleasant.

Any negative emotion that it's difficult for  you to even be around your boss or hopefully  

you won't say this, but this lesson that  you're watching right now was unbearable.

It was so unpleasant, it was  difficult for you to even watch.

But I don't think that's true because  if you are at the end of this lesson,  

well, then you endured it, you kept going.

So I don't think you would describe it as that.

So just to make sure you don't put  in the comments, yes, yes, yes.

If you liked this lesson and you want me to  keep making more so I know it wasn't unbearable.

I noticed a spelling error there.

It's unbearable, unbearable.

So put yes, yes, yes, in the comments.

If you enjoyed this lesson,  Paris will be unbearable.

So very dramatic statement, but of  course normal in this specific situation.

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 this time you can focus on my pronunciation.

Paris 2024.

How is France preparing for the Olympics?

This Summer Olympics run from  July 26th to August 11th,  

with 10,500 athletes competing in 329 events.

There will be 206 countries  represented at the Olympics.

More than 15,000,000 tourists are  expected in Paris during the Games.

Parliamentary elections will be held on June  30th and they could result in a new government.

The organizers of Paris 2024 say  the parliamentary elections called  

by French President Emmanuel Macron will  not disrupt preparations for the Games.

However, the mayor of the French capital  says holding elections less than a month  

before the Games begin is extremely unsettling.

Games venues in the centre of Paris  will be cordoned off to the public  

and there will be extensive traffic restrictions.

Worried about threats such as a drone attack,  

the government has cut spectator numbers  for the Olympic opening ceremony.

One opinion poll suggested that 44% of  Parisians think hosting the Olympics  

is a bad thing, with many planning to leave town.

Bus and metro fares will double in the  capital during the Games, charities  

complained after hundreds of squatters were  evicted from buildings close to the new sites.

Many Parisians are irritated at the security  

restrictions which will be  imposed in the city centre.

Paris will be unbearable,  one resident told the BBC.

Impossible to park, impossible to move  around, impossible to do anything.

So did you like this lesson?

Do you want me to make more  lessons just like this?

If you do, put yes, yes, yes, put yes,  yes, yes, yes in the comments below.

And of course, make sure you like this lesson,  share it with your friends and subscribe.

So you're notified every time I post a new lesson.

And you can get this free speaking guide where  

I share 6 tips on how to speak  English fluently and confident.

You can click here to download it or  look for the link in the description.

And you can keep expanding  your vocabulary with 600 words.

Watch it right now.