Near-Drowning Incident & Language Evolution
A Near-Drowning Experience in Morocco
Nine years ago, during my annual vacation to Morocco, I had a frightening experience at the beach. I go to Morocco every year, and this trip started like any other.
One day, my parents, my brothers, and I went to the beach, bringing along a large inflatable float. We were enjoying ourselves, playing with the float, when our cousin joined us. The game was simple: my cousin would push my brother and me, on the float, out into the sea. However, things quickly took
Read MorePhrasal Verbs: Separable and Inseparable Examples
Phrasal Verbs: Separable and Inseparable
Separable Phrasal Verbs:
BREAK DOWN, COME BACK, COME IN, COME OVER (come visit), EAT OUT, GET UP, GO BACK, GO ON (pass, happen), GROW UP, KEEP ON (follow doing something, continue), WAKE UP …
Examples:
- BRING UP (introduce a topic of conversation, educate, raise)
- FIND OUT (learn, discover)
- GIVE BACK
- HAND IN (deliver)
- LOOK UP (search in a list)
- PUT AWAY (save)
- PUT OFF (postpone)
- PUT ON (put)
- PUT OUT (halt, extinguish)
- TAKE OFF (remove)
- TRY ON (test)
- TURN DOWN
- TURN UP
- TURN
English Grammar: Verb Tenses and Conditionals Explained
English Verb Tenses and Structures
Present Perfect
Form: HAVE/HAS + PAST PARTICIPLE (-ED or irregular form)
Examples:
- I have forgotten his name.
- I haven’t talked to Ana.
- I love New York! I have been there 2 times already, and I can’t wait to go back.
Keywords:
- SINCE: desde (specific moment, e.g., last week, yesterday)
- EVER: siempre
- LATELY: últimamente
- JUST: solo
- FOR: durante (a month, hours, six years)
Present Perfect Continuous
Form: HAVE/HAS BEEN + VERB + -ING
Examples:
- I have been studying all morning.
- She hasn’
Creative Writing Prompts: Spark Your Imagination
Short Story Ideas
1) Dating Deception
Your character meets someone on an online dating site. Your character writes an e-mail to the person, describing him/herself. Write the e-mail. This e-mail contains two lies. What are they? Why did the character tell them? Also: your character has a very mistaken idea of the impression he/she makes on other people. What impression does your character think he/she makes? What impression does he/she really make? Figure all this stuff out. If you want, fill out a
Read MoreEnglish Grammar and Formal/Informal Email Examples
1. There is / There are, Quantifiers and Determiners
Countable Nouns:
- Affirmative: There is a parcel. / There are many pens.
- Negative: There aren’t any pens.
- Interrogative: Are there any folders?
Uncountable Nouns:
- Affirmative: There is some mail. / There is a lot of water.
- Negative: There isn’t much milk.
- Interrogative: Is there much sugar?
2. Past: to be
- Affirmative: There was a factory.
- Negative: There wasn’t any music.
- Interrogative: Were there any hotels?
- Short Answers: Yes, there was. / No, there
Nelson Mandela: Life, Imprisonment, and Legacy
Nelson Mandela: A Brief Biography
When and Where Was Nelson Mandela Born?
He was born on July 18th, 1918, in the South African village of Mvezo.
How Many Wives Did Chief Gadla Mandela Have?
Chief Gadla Mandela, Nelson’s father, had four wives.
Who Was Buti?
“Buti” was Nelson Mandela’s nickname. His older sisters called him that.
Why Did His Family Move to Qunu?
Chief Mandela didn’t follow a white government worker’s orders, so he lost his job and all his money. Nelson and his family had to move to Qunu.
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