LESSON NOTES

Upper Intermediate S1 #23

American Politics as Usual

CONTENTS
2 English
2 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
4 Vocabulary Phrase Usage
4 Grammar
6 Cultural Insight

# 23
COPYRIGHT © 2012 INNOVATIVE LANGUAGE LEARNING. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 ENGLISH

1. SHEILA: I don't understand. Why did we abandon the bill?

2. MARK: There was no possibility that Congress could pass it.

3. SHEILA: What do you mean? We have a majority in the House and the
Senate!

4. MARK: That's true, but our majority isn't filibuster-proof.

5. SHEILA: But the bill already survived the House! We worked really hard to
pass it!

6. MARK: I know, I know...but the fact of the matter is that we don't have sixty
votes in the Senate.

7. SHEILA: (sighs) But we aren't even trying to get it through!

8. MARK: The leadership said that they would filibuster any legislation that
even smells like a tax hike. It would be a waste of time.

9. SHEILA: Ugh...it's just so frustrating!

10. MARK: Chill out, Sheila! You still have a job! It will be okay!

11. SHEILA: I know...I just put a lot of effort into that bill; it's sad to see that it was
for naught.

VOCABULARY

V oc abular y English C lass

to leave, to allow to die, to

to abandon ignore verb

naught nothing noun

ENGLISHCLASS101.COM UPPER INTERMEDIATE S1 #23 - AMERICAN POLITICS AS USUAL 2

 tax hike a raise in taxes phrase

to smell like to appear to be phrasal verb

fact true statement, actuality noun

to survive to live through, to persist after verb

-proof resistant to something suffix

a legislative strategy in the

Senate that prevents a bill
filibuster from being passed by not noun
allowing debate to end on a
bill

possibility chance, opportunity noun

to chill to cool down verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

We abandoned the car after it broke down When his hard drive crashed, he realized
and we couldn't get it started again. that all his work was for naught.

A tax hike on the wealthiest Americans Something about this situation smells like a
would do little to address the nation's large trap…
national debt.

The fact is that I saw you take my bike. Cockroaches are able to survive many
situations.

This watch is waterproof so I can wear it The longest filibuster in history took place
when I swim. when Senator Strom Thurmond talked
non-stop for over 24 hours.

ENGLISHCLASS101.COM UPPER INTERMEDIATE S1 #23 - AMERICAN POLITICS AS USUAL 3

There is a slight possibility that Mars once White wine should be chilled but red wine
supported life. should be served at nearly room
temperature.

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

"to smell like"

Mark says, "They would filibuster any legislation that even smells like a tax hike." When we say
that something "smells" like something else, we mean that it appears to be like something.
Even if it is not exactly the same, if two items share characteristics or traits, we can use the term
"smells like." Usually it is not a positive indication.

For Example:

A: "What do you think of the President's new spending proposal?"

B: "I'm not so sure; it smells more like a political move than an actual plan."

"to chill"

Mark tells Sheila to "chill out." This is slang, or jargon, for telling someone to relax. It is quite
informal and suggests that the person should "cool down."

For Example:

A: "Dude, I can't believe we lost the football game."

B: "Hey man, chill out, it was only a friendly game..."

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson Is Using Active Voice.

"There was no possibility that Congress could pass it."

Quite a while ago, we discussed the use of the passive voice when we are emphasizing the
object of an action rather than the actor. However, the active voice is a much more common
and clear way of communicating. When we are writing, it is almost always preferable to use
the active voice rather than the passive voice. Using the active voice allows the reader or
listener greater clarity about the actor and the action. Unlike with the passive voice, which can
use an implied subject, the active voice always clearly states the actor. Let's look at some
examples of converting passive phrases into active ones.

ENGLISHCLASS101.COM UPPER INTERMEDIATE S1 #23 - AMERICAN POLITICS AS USUAL 4

For Example:

Passive Question and Answer Active

"The computer was Who repaired the "An IT company repaired

repaired." computer? "An IT the computer."
company."

Who will replace your "The airline company will

ticket? "The airline refund my ticket."
"My ticket will be replaced."
company."

"The test is being taken." Who is taking the test? "They are taking the test."
"They are."

It is pretty clear in the above examples who or what is doing the action, so it is not so difficult
for us to convert the phrases into the active voice. However, in other situations, the passive
voice does not use a subject, and it is more difficult to convert them into the active voice. In
this case, it is best to ask who or what did the action and then make an active phrase.

For Example:

Passive Question and Answer Active

"The computer was Who repaired the "An IT company repaired

repaired." computer? "An IT the computer."
company."

Who will replace your "The airline company will

ticket? "The airline refund my ticket."
"My ticket will be replaced."
company."

"The test is being taken." Who is taking the test? "They are taking the test."
"They are."

Sometimes we encounter a situation where we know that an object has had an action done to
it, but we are not sure who or what exactly did it. In these cases, it is usually best to leave the
sentence in the passive voice. However, we can make an active voice phrase by using
"something" or "someone" as the subject of the sentence.

For Example:

Passive Question and Answer Active

ENGLISHCLASS101.COM UPPER INTERMEDIATE S1 #23 - AMERICAN POLITICS AS USUAL 5

"The problem was solved." Who solved the problem? "Someone solved the
"I don't know." problem."

"I will be given a copy of Who will give you a copy of "Someone will give me a
my diploma." your diploma? "I don't copy of my diploma."
know."

"The rice in the cabinet was What ate the rice? "I don't "Something ate the rice in
eaten." know." the cabinet."

Using "someone" or "something" is not ideal, as it makes you seem a bit like you don't know
what you are talking about. When writing, especially for a work or academic situation, be sure
to do your best to get as much information as you can to use the active voice appropriately.

CULTURAL INSIGHT

Congressional Debate and Discussion

The Senate and the House of the United States Congress have a lot of differences. Historically,
the Senate is smaller, and usually the senators have had more personal relationships with each
other, which has allowed more bipartisan work. Because of its size and relative flexibility, the
rules for debate and discussion in the Senate are very different from the House. In the House,
there is a specific amount of time that each representative can talk about a bill, and the
representative cannot use more than his or her own time. In the Senate, every senator is
allowed to speak as long as he or she desires, and it takes sixty (out of one hundred) votes to
stop debate on a bill. In the House, a simple majority can stop discussion, but the Senate
requires sixty percent. A senator can talk without stopping in order to stop a bill from being
passed, which is a strategy known as "filibustering." Until recently, senators rarely used this
tactic, but now it seems as if almost every action by the Congress must be approved by sixty
votes in the Senate.

ENGLISHCLASS101.COM UPPER INTERMEDIATE S1 #23 - AMERICAN POLITICS AS USUAL 6