Let's Learn English

Lesson 38: She's My Best Friend!

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Summary

In this lesson, Anna's best friend from her hometown, Penelope, visits Washington, D.C. Anna tells Penelope about her friends and her job. Is Penelope going to make a change in her life?

Speaking

In this video, learn how to say the new words for this lesson and the rules of making superlative adjectives.

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Let's Learn English Lesson 38 Speaking Practice

Pronunciation

Use this video to learn about stressing the superlative adjectives in a sentence.

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Let's Learn English Lesson 38 Pronunciation Practice

Conversation

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Let's Learn English Lesson 38: She’s my best friend!


Anna: Hello! I have great news. My best friend from my hometown is coming here -- to Washington, D.C.! I can’t wait to catch up with her! Oh! I gotta go. Her train arrives in 10 minutes!
Anna: Penelope!
Penelope: Anna! I am really happy to see you!
Anna: Me too! How was your trip?
Penelope: It was fine.
Anna: Let me help you with your bags.
Penelope: I’m really excited to be in Washington, D.C.! I can’t wait to hear about … everything!
Anna: I have so much to tell you. Let’s go to my apartment. We can talk over a hot cup of tea.
Penelope: I love your apartment building, Anna. Is your rent expensive?
Anna: Well, I have a roommate. So, we split the rent.
Penelope: Oh, that’s right. Is your roommate nice?
Anna: Marsha is the nicest person I know in this city. Sometimes she worries too much. And she says I’m the messiest cook she knows. But we are great roommates.
Penelope: So, Anna, is it hard to make friends in D.C.?
Anna: At first it was hard. But now, Marsha is a good friend. And there’s Pete. Of all the people I know in D.C., Pete is the most serious and also the silliest.
Penelope: He sounds … interesting.
Anna: Jonathan and Ashley are two other good friends of mine. In the city, they are the friendliest people I know. They always help me when I need it.
Penelope: Your friends sound great! So, tell me about your job.
Anna: I love my work! I make a children’s show called the “Time Traveling Treehouse.”
Penelope: Anna, that is the best job for you! Do you remember when we were little? We played in that old treehouse behind my family’s house for hours!
Anna: I forgot about that! We thought it really time traveled! Penelope, it is really good to talk to you. New friends are good. But old friends are the best.
Penelope: I know. Our hometown isn’t the same now. You are not there.
Anna: No crying. Why don't you move here and live with me and Marsha?
Penelope: Anna, I can’t leave our hometown. You forget -- I love my job, too.
Anna: I didn’t forget. You are the most famous turkey farmer I know!
Penelope: Thanks, Anna.
Anna: Come on. Let’s go eat dinner at one of D.C.’s most famous restaurants.
Penelope: Awesome!
Anna: That’s the restaurant, Penelope. I’ll be right there.
Anna: I have a great apartment. I love my work. And I have awesome friends -- both old and new. I am the luckiest woman in Washington, D.C.
(sound of thunder)
Anna: Until next time ?

Writing

Who is the most important person in your life? They can be a family member or a friend. Tell us about them using some superlative adjectives like nicest, silliest, the most _____ and so on. Write to us by email or in the Comments section.

Click on the image below to download the Activity Sheet and practice using superlative adjectives.

Lesson 38 Activity Sheet

Learning Strategy

Learning Strategies are the thoughts and actions that help make learning easier or more effective.

The learning strategy for this lesson is Evaluate. When we think about the good or bad qualities of someone or something, we are evaluating.

In this lesson, Anna tells her friend Penelope about her new life and friends in Washington, D.C. She evaluates by using words like best, nicest, friendliest, messiest and silliest. Anna says, "New friends are good. But old friends are the best. "

We can also evaluate our English language skills by testing ourselves. You can take the quizzes in these lessons, have a friend listen while you repeat new words and phrases, or record yourself and listen to your own pronunciation. How do you evaluate or check your use of English? Write to us about it in the Comments section or send us an email. Teachers, see the Lesson Plan for more details on teaching this strategy.

Quiz

Listen to short videos and test your listening skills with this quiz.

Quiz - Lesson 38: She's My Best Friend!

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New Words

catch up (with) - phrasal verb. to talk to someone you have not seen for some time and find out what they have been doing
cry - v. to produce tears from your eyes often while making loud sounds because of pain, sorrow, or other strong emotions
expensive - adj. costing a lot of money
famous - adj. known or recognized by very many people
friendly - adj. acting like a friend friendliest - superlative adj.
lucky - adj. having good luck luckiest - superlative adj.
messy - adj. not clean or tidy messiest superlative adj.
nice - adj. kind, polite, and friendly nicest - superlative adj.
rent - n. money that you pay in return for being able to use property and especially to live in an apartment or house that belongs to someone else
silly - adj. silliest - superlative adj. playful and funny
split - v. to divide (something, such as money or food) among two or more people or things
tea - n. a drink that is made by soaking the dried leaves of an Asian plant in hot water
train - n. a group of vehicles that travel on a track and are connected to each other and usually to an engine
turkey - n. a large American bird that is related to the chicken and that is hunted or raised by people for its meat

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Free Materials

Word Book

Download the VOA Learning English Word Book for a dictionary of the words we use on this website.

Each Let's Learn English lesson has an Activity Sheet for extra practice on your own or in the classroom. In this lesson, you can use it to practice using superlative adjectives.

For Teachers

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Lesson Plan - Lesson 38: She's my best friend!

See the Lesson Plan for this lesson for ideas and more teaching resources. Send us an email if you have comments on this course or questions.

Grammar focus: Superlative Adjectives

Topics: Describing people, places, & things; Reporting details; Identifying positive & negative personal qualities

Learning Strategy: Evaluating

Speaking & Pronunciation Focus: Stressing superlative adjectives

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Now it's your turn. Send us an email or write to us in the Comments section below or on our Facebook page to let us know what you think of this lesson.