October 8, 2025

🔹 OF THEM→them reduces to “uv əm” or "a them" 153. Some of them. [summa•vm] [Summa them] 154. All of them. [alla•vəm] [alla them] 155. Most of them. [mostə•vəm] [Most a them] 156. Five of them. [Fiva•vəm] 157. Any of them. [eh•nee•yə•vəm] 158. The rest of them. [th’restə•vəm]

🔹 CAN 159. Can you speak English? [kn•yoo•spee•keenglish] 160. I can only do it on Wednesday. [ai•kn•only•doowiddon•wenz•day] 161. A can opener can open cans.* [uh•can•opener•k’nopn•cans] (You don't reduce “can” when you're talking about the noun) 162. Can I help you? [k’nai•help•you] 163. Can you do it? [CAN •you•doowit] means do you have the ability? [kn •YOU•doowit] means will you specifically do it, not someone else. [kn•you•doowit] means are you willing to do it? 164. We can try it later. [wee•kn•traiyit•layder] 165. I hope you can sell it. [ai•hope•you•kn•sellit] 166. No one can fix it. [no•wn•kn•fik•sit] 167. Let me know if you can find it. [lemee•nohwif•yoo•kn•findit]

Practice reducing “of them” and “can” (five v ‘em, sound v ‘em, summa thm kn be hard, kn guide, kn weave, kn reach.) The Dolma family lives in a small Sherpa village at the foot of Mount Everest. There are five of them—the parents, two children, and a wise old grandmother. Life can be hard in the cold mountain air, but they can always find joy in simple things like tea by the fire or songs at night. The sound of them singing will warm your heart. The father can guide climbers through snowy trails, while the mother can weave warm clothes for the whole village. Some of them perhaps will be sold to tourists. Laughter fills their home each evening as stories are shared. Even the youngest child believes that, with courage, one can reach any summit in life.

Sherpa People: All about Those Mt.Everest Guides Living Deep in the Himalayas May 12, 2025 BY Master Catherine Jigme 0 Comment Sherpa people are a mysterious ethnic group living in the deep mountain valleys at the southern foothills of the Himalayas, sustaining themselves through farming and hunting. Despite their small population, they have gained worldwide recognition. This unassuming community holds the record for the highest number of people who have summited Mount Everest. Relying on their courage, tenacity and loyalty, they play essential roles in Mount Everest climbing, carrying equipment, building roads, providing guiding services, and conducting rescues. In this article, we will delve into the story of this unique community under Himalayan.

Sherpa People's Risky Livelihood Sherpa people have a unique way of making a living due to their location at the foot of the Himalayas. First and foremost, Sherpas work as guides for the Mount Everest tour. They provide essential support to climbers, carrying heavy loads, building camps, leading treks, and offering crucial assistance for the success of these adventurers. This work is risky, but it is also lucrative, with each Sherpa guide charging as much as $10,000 per climb. Sherpa people often work as trekking guides in the Mount Everest region. In addition to guiding, Sherpa people engage in collecting activities, gathering fruits, caterpillar fungus, mushrooms, and wild honey. They use wild beeswax to craft Buddha statues, creating unique art pieces. The collected wild honey is used for beauty and medicinal purposes and is highly valuable. In recent years, the Himalayan foothills, such as the Gama Valley, Chen Tang Valley, and Jilong Valley, have become popular destinations for hikers and trekkers. These valleys offer stunning landscapes, including canyons, meadows, forests, and snow-covered peaks. In particular, Gama Valley provides a unique opportunity to view the eastern face of Mount Everest, which stands at an altitude of over 8,000 meters. Sherpa people are actively involved in providing services to tourists, including offering horses, serving as guides, and providing life services in this treasured Himalayan region.

🌄 Vocabulary Livelihood – a way of earning money to live. Guiding climbers is the main livelihood of many Sherpa families. Essential – very important or necessary. Oxygen tanks and ropes are essential for climbing Mount Everest. Crucial – extremely important. Sherpas play a crucial role in every climbing expedition. Lucrative – bringing in a lot of money. The guiding business can be very lucrative, though dangerous. Caterpillar fungus – a rare plant-fungus used in traditional medicine. Caterpillar fungus is collected and sold at a high price. Beeswax – a substance made by bees, used for making candles or art. The Sherpas use beeswax to create religious statues. Medicinal – having healing properties. The wild honey is used for medicinal purposes. Altitude – the height above sea level. Climbers must adjust to the high altitude of the Himalayas. Trekkers – people who go on long, difficult walks in nature. Many trekkers visit the Gama Valley for its beauty.

💬 Idioms and Expressions Make a living – earn money to support yourself. The Sherpa people make a living by guiding mountain climbers. At the foot of (something) – at the base or bottom of something, like a mountain. Their village is at the foot of the Himalayas. Take a risk – do something dangerous or uncertain. Sherpas take great risks every time they climb. Worth its weight in gold – very valuable. The wild honey they collect is worth its weight in gold. Reach new heights – achieve something amazing. Through tourism, Sherpas have reached new heights of success.

.

Personal Narrative: Contrast the past and present. Talk about what career you wanted as a child and what you are today. Examples below. 1. When I was little, I wanted to be a superhero, like in my comic books. I wanted to save the world. When I realized that superheroes aren't real people, I decided to be a fireman. It seemed like a very exciting job. Now, of course, I realize that it's dangerous, dirty, and extremely challenging. So I'm glad I decided to work in an office-I'm not really very brave! 2. When I was a child, my ambition was to drive a train. My uncle was a train driver, and I wanted to be just like him. I liked the idea of being in charge of the train and being responsible for all the passengers. I'm actually an accountant! It's not a very exciting job-but it's not as boring as many people think it is. 3. I was really into sports when I was a kid, especially football. My bedroom walls were covered in posters of my favorite footballers. I wanted to be just like them-the best footballer in the world. Footballers were well-paid and famous. But I'm not likely to be a footballer now. I'm training to be a nurse-which is not well-paid and is quite stressful! But in the end, I think nursing will be enjoyable. I hope so!

Personal Narratives: comment on something in the past, something about now, something you hope for, plan to do, or predict will happen. Past, present, future. Examples are below. 1–Devi is from West Sumatra. in Indonesia Devi: I didn't stay in school, because generally girls don't do that here. But then I got this job. I'm the first girl in my family to work outside the home. Since the economic crisis, more women have jobs. I feel very different about my future now I'm going to change my job. I don't want to stay in this one forever. I want to train as a nurse, so I've applied to college. I hope to get a place on the next course. It starts in January I'm taking the entrance exam next month. I'm very nervous about it. I haven't told my boss. I suppose I’ll l tell him soon. 2–Elisabeth is from Bruges in Belgium E: I work in a factory. It's a good job but the company is making people redundant. So I'm going to take the redundancy package because it's an opportunity to start again. I got married very young and had a family, so I didn't finish my education. But I've just finished evening classes in business studies, and now I'm going to start my own business. It's something I already do as a hobby, I make and sell speciality cheeses. Just a moment, I'll get you some. Here you are, taste this. Do you like it? Well, I'm meeting the bank manager on Wednesday to discuss my business plan. And hey, maybe I'll take some cheese for him to taste as well! 3–Sahera is from Kabul in Afghanistan S: It's very difficult to study at the university level here. Many girls get no education at all. But we have managed to complete our degrees and graduate from the department of language and literature. Now we're thinking about the next step. Many of the graduates are going to work as teachers. My friend is going to continue her studies in the United States. I'm going to stay here in the city, because my family is here. I guess I'll take some time off and visit my parents. And I want to spend time with my friend because she's leaving next week.