"Superpowers" - Interview with PWRFL Power
Date: Mar 30 2009
Category: Música
Themes: Food, Travel
Grammar: Be able to
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
One day he’s performing in the US, and the next in Japan. Then Canada…It almost seems like Kaz Nomura, who performs his indie rock folk songs as PWRFL Power, can fly around the world like Superman.
But the young Japanese singer’s real superpower is playing beautiful guitar melodies and writing funny songs about losing his keys and people who don’t hold their chopsticks correctly. PWRFL Power (pronounced “powerful power”) has been written about by dozens of newspapers and magazines in the US.
Jason met up with Kaz at a concert in Portland just hours before he left for Japan, where he is currently touring. Watch the video below and learn about superpowers and the type of superhero Kaz would like to be.
3. Watch - Watch the video without reading the dialog.
English, baby! English Lesson Video
English, baby! English lesson audio.
Introducción
One day he’s performing in the US, and the next in Japan. Then Canada…It almost seems like Kaz Nomura, who performs his indie rock folk songs as PWRFL Power, can fly around the world like Superman.
But the young Japanese singer’s real superpower is playing beautiful guitar melodies and writing funny songs about losing his keys and people who don’t hold their chopsticks correctly. PWRFL Power (pronounced “powerful power”) has been written about by dozens of newspapers and magazines in the US.
Jason met up with Kaz at a concert in Portland just hours before he left for Japan, where he is currently touring. Watch the video below and learn about superpowers and the type of superhero Kaz would like to be.
Dialog
Kaz |
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Jason: Welcome to English, baby! I’m Jason, here with Kaz who performs under the name PWRFL Power. Where are you from, Kaz?
Kaz: I’m from Hokkaido, Japan.
Jason: Your first language was Japanese then? When did you learn English, and how?
Kaz: I mean, everyone in Japan starts learning, you know, when they enter junior high. I didn’t speak English until I came here. So I guess it’s been, like, five and a half years.
Jason: So when you first arrived, was it hard to get around and make friends and stuff?
Kaz: Yeah. It was really hard. I remember I was living in this international dorm kind of place in Seattle. I couldn’t talk to any of, you know, my roommates and it was very frustrating. There was this Turkish guy who…One day I made a huge pot of curry, and I left it in the kitchen, and he just ate it all. I wanted to, like, you know, tell him, like, not to. But I couldn’t say what I wanted to say so…
Jason: When did you turn the corner? When did you feel like, “OK. Now I know English”?
Kaz: After two years. I think it’s just that I spent enough time talking to people and being social.
Jason: So your name is PWRFL Power when you perform. What kind of superpower would you like to have the most?
Kaz: You know, I’ve been really craving frozen yogurt. So I think I’d like to be able to, like, make frozen yogurt anytime. Maybe, like, with my index finger or something. Then I could just, like, push it and…Like that.
Jason: That’s a great superpower. Can I get you to give me a high-five and say, “English, baby!”?
Kaz: English, baby!
Punto gramatical
Be Able To
Kaz says that if he could have any superhuman power, he would like to be able to make frozen yogurt anytime. To be able to do something means to have the ability to do it. Be able to is sometimes used in place of can or could. Instead of, “I can’t go,” you might say, “I am not able to go.”
You can use be able to in any tense. Just change the tense of the verb be. Maybe one day, someone will buy Kaz a frozen yogurt machine. Then he will be able to say, “At last, my dream has come true! Now I am able to make frozen yogurt whenever I want.”
Discusión
Discusión - Join the discussion to learn more and make friends.
Like most Japanese kids, Kaz began learning English in school. But he didn’t master it until he came to the US a few years ago. In fact, when he first arrived, one of his roommates ate all his food because he didn’t know how to ask him to stop!
Since Kaz’s stage name is PWRFL Power, Jason asks him what kind of superhero he would like to be. Kaz says that he really likes frozen yogurt, so he would like to have the superpower to make it with his finger.
That’s a really creative superpower! A lot of movies and comic books about superheroes with superpowers that help them fight crime like flight, superhuman strength, invisibility or X-ray vision. If you had a superpower, what would it be?
For more on PWRFL Power, go to his blog or MySpace page. Image by Erin Harrell.
Comprehension Quiz
Comentarios
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11:47 AM Sep 21 2009 | Responder |
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France |
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Yemen |
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Jordan |
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07:15 PM Jun 15 2009 | Responder |
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Venezuela |
Hii everybody! |
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12:36 AM May 28 2009 | Responder |
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United States |
God is love and love is from God. God pours His love into my heart and flow to others, so love is a powerful thing ! Well let's learn to accept with love from each other. May God bless all of you. |
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11:59 AM Apr 25 2009 | Responder |
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Sudan |
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Thailand |
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Thailand |
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France |
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03:22 AM Apr 10 2009 | Responder |
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Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
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10:17 AM Apr 09 2009 | Responder |
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Israel |
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12:16 PM Apr 07 2009 | Responder |
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Congo |
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Azerbaijan |
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Azerbaijan |
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Azerbaijan |
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09:06 AM Apr 05 2009 | Responder |
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China |
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07:40 AM Apr 04 2009 | Responder |
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Turkey |
I would have ability of reading minds. |
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Kuwait |
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07:19 AM Apr 03 2009 | Responder |
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Congo |
I'm holding with you, |
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