Culture and Lyrics Practice:
Country singer Dolly Parton has been writing and performing since she was a little girl. Now in her late 70s, she is still incredibly productive. Since 2020 alone she has collaborated on a novel with James Patterson, written a book about her life and songs, published a children's book, released two albums with a third on the way, donated a million dollars to Vanderbilt University for research that led to the Moderna vaccine, and cohosted the Academy of Country Music Awards twice. On top of all this, she has a total of ten Guinness World Records!
Here's an old clip of Dolly singing her hit Jolene. The lyrics are below, but some words are missing. Listen to the song and try to fill in the blanks! You can check your answers here.
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm __________ of you please don't take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don't take him just __________ you can
Your __________ is beyond compare
With flaming locks of __________ hair
With ivory skin and eyes of __________ green
Your smile is like a __________ of spring
Your voice is soft like __________ rain
And I cannot __________ with you
Jolene
He talks about you in his sleep
And there's __________ I can do to keep
From __________ when he calls your name
Jolene
And I can easily understand
How you could easily take my man
But you don't know what he __________ to me
Jolene
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm __________ of you please don't take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don't take him just __________ you can
You could have your __________ of men
But I could never love again
He's the only one for me
Jolene
I had to have this talk with you
My __________ depends on you
And whatever you __________ to do
Jolene
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm __________ of you please don't take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don't take him even though you can
Grammar:
We can use Present Continuous or Past Continuous with always, constantly, continually, forever, endlessly, incessantly... to describe a person's behavior. In other words, we name an action that someone does so often that it reflects on their character. Sometimes this is a criticism, but not always!
Complete the sentences with the choices below. Put the verbs in the Present or Past Continuous tense, depending on the situation. Answers are below the vocabulary section.
-- always outside tend to the plants -- endlessly prepare for the LSAT -- incessantly complain -- constantly flirt with other women -- tirelessly do good deeds and support charitable organizations --
1/ Dolly Parton ____________________ . She's quite the philanthropist.
2/ Lila's last boyfriend ____________________ . That's one of the reasons she left him.
3/ My neighbor ____________________ . That's why his garden is impeccable!
4/ It seemed like my brother ____________________ while he lived in Chicago.
5/ Ben ____________________ about his roommates. He should just live alone.
The above section was inspired by Unit 2 of Advanced Grammar in Use by Martin Hewings (Cambridge: 2013).
Enrich Your Vocabulary | TOEFL Words: obdurate (adjective)
Obdurate essentially means stubborn and inflexible. It can also be defined as emotionally hard.
Example sentence from Merriam-Webster: He is known for his obdurate determination.
What would you say is the opposite of obdurate?
Can you think of a situation where being obdurate is an asset?
Do you know someone who is obdurate?
The Britannica Dictionary: 100 Essential Words for the TOEFL
Answers to Grammar section:
-- always outside tend to the plants -- endlessly prepare for the LSAT -- incessantly complain -- constantly flirt with other women -- tirelessly do good deeds and support charitable organizations --
1/ Dolly Parton is tirelessly doing good deeds and supporting charitable organizations. She's quite the philanthropist.
2/ Lila's last boyfriend was constantly flirting with other women. That's one of the reasons she left him.
3/ My neighbor is always outside tending to the plants. That's why his garden is impeccable!
4/ It seemed like my brother was endlessly preparing for the LSAT while he lived in Chicago.
5/ Ben is incessantly complaining about his roommates. He should just live alone.