1 – Quiz
Select the best word to complete the sentence. Answers in section 8.
NOTE: Study the Word Forms in section 5. It will help with this exercise.
a) Al Gore has a lot of __________ experience.
b) George W. Bush and Al Gore are both __________.
c) He is not __________ active. He prefers a low profile.
d) I don’t follow ________. Who is running for president?
politically political politics politicians
e) What is your __________ to him?
f) That is a very __________ dress.
g) Did you know that honey will __________ bears?
h) That house is __________ decorated for Christmas.
attractive attractively attraction attract
2 – New Words From The Vocab Club
Our Daily Vocab Club has learned seven new words this week. Here are the seven new words:
Yammer = to talk persistently and loudly. (verb)
Abloom = to be abounding with blooms (flowers). (adjective)
Blindside = to hit unexpectedly from or as if from a blind side (verb)
Cease = to bring an activity to an end (verb)
Disinfectant = a chemical that destroys harmful organisms (noun)
Elegy = a song or poem expressing sorrow, especially for one who has died (noun)
Fastidious = to show or demand excessive delicacy or care. (adjective)
3 – Student Essay
We would like to encourage you to begin discussions and make suggestions about student essays. This first essay
was submitted by Mihai.
The most embarrassing that i have had I made break wind in front of my boyfriend. It was very special because that the first date. But my boyfriend so nice he pretend like he didn’t heard and small anything. But I quite sure he
can heard that because it very lound. Ok. If he didn’t heard that but smell can’t pretend. And I felt how hot on my face.
That reason why I love my boyfriend very much. How nice is her?
Sometime he break wind too. But I don’t mind because I done it before.
The second essay was submitted by Catalin.
One of the most embarrassing moments in my life was during high school. It
was in a Biology lab. I was in front of the class talking about frogs, having one
in a container. The problem is that I am scared of them. Suddenly the frog jumped in my face. I started to run around the class and screaming at the
same time.
It was embarrassing for me, because I was talking about them, telling the students that they are good, and interesting. Describing their Physiology and then this happened to me.
I felt really embarrassed and stupid in front of the teacher and the students too.
I said sorry to everybody and I couldn’t finish the class. The teacher
understood my reaction and gave me another opportunity, but a different
subject.
The next time I got a good score in the class. I talked about crocodiles.
I had one in the class, but it was a corpse only. That was better.
The third essay was submitted by Marcel.
I don´t remember exactly, but i think it was when some friends came to my
home before a party´s single. We were very drunk and did a big scandal in my department. I remember that was too late and the neighbors were sleeping.
We put music, talking about many things, laugh loudy. That night, we received some called from the watchman asking us for silent, but we don’t paid
attention, and even the police have to came in. Finally, they cut electricity,
but it was worse, because we started to speak louder, and sing whatever
thing, even i broke a window’s glass with my hands.
Next day, after all i had a big shame with everyone and i felt worse than
animal. I had to make apologizes to everybody, bought a glass and
clean-up my disaster.
Really, this experience was very bad to me and since that night i promise
to me don´t drink out my sense.
4 – Comments about the Essays
Our first essay was submitted by Mihai. It’s very embarrassing but also funny for us to read! My only suggestions are to be careful of spelling and using the past tense. Some spelling mistakes – small (smell) and lound (loud).
When using past tense remember that if you use did (or didn’t) these are past tense and so the next verb should not be past tense also – didn’t hear (not didn’t heard). Apart from these small mistakes, your ideas are well presented and enjoyable to read. Good Work!
Our second essay was submitted by Catalin. This is a very well written and also very funny essay! There are no grammar or writing suggestions for this essay – its very well done. I have only one comment – be careful of frogs they can jump very high!
Our third essay was submitted by Marcel. What an interesting story and lesson to be learned! Be careful of spelling – loudly, department (apartment?), and always use I as a pronoun – not i. Don’t use two past tense verbs together – we received some calls (not called). Apart from these suggestions, its a well done essay. This should teach all of us not to drink too much when we are having fun!
Good Work Everyone!!
5 – Word Forms
Adverb Word Forms:
Adverbs are usually formed by adding -ly to an adjective form.
brave = bravely cautious = cautiously careful = carefully
Remember that adverbs are usually used to modify verbs:
He bravely faced his enemy.
She cautiously opened the door.
Maria drives carefully.
There are some adverbs that have the same form as the adjective:
fast hard high
And some adverbs that are irregular:
good = well
6 – Metric Conversion
Most countries in the world now use the metric system – metres, litres, etc.
Some English-speaking countries, however, use the imperial system – miles, gallons, etc. The United States, Great Britain, etc. use the imperial system. Canada uses the metric system but most people can understand both systems and use the imperial system for height, weight, and some other measurements.
| metric -> | imperial | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 millimetre [mm] | 0.0394 in | |
| 1 centimetre [cm] | 10 mm | 0.3937 in |
| 1 metre [m] | 100 cm | 1.0936 yd |
| 1 kilometre [km] | 1000 m | 0.6214 mile |
| imperial -> | metric | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 inch [in] | 2.54 cm | |
| 1 foot [ft] | 12 in | 0.3048 m |
| 1 yard [yd] | 3 ft | 0.9144 m |
| 1 mile | 1760 yd | 1.6093 km |
| imperial -> | metric | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 fluid ounce [fl oz] | 28.413 ml | |
| 1 pint [pt] | 20 fl oz | 0.5683 l |
| 1 gallon [gal] | 8 pt | 4.5461 l |
| metric -> | imperial | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 milligram [mg] | 0.0154 grain | |
| 1 gram [g] | 1,000 mg | 0.0353 oz |
| 1 kilogram [kg] | 1,000 g | 2.2046 lb |
| 1 tonne [t] | 1,000 kg | 0.9842 ton |
| imperial -> | metric | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 ounce [oz] | 437.5 grain | 28.35 g |
| 1 pound [lb] | 16 oz | 0.4536 kg |
| 1 stone | 14 lb | 6.3503 kg |
Celsius (C) = Fahrenheit (F) -32 / 1.8
78 degrees Fahrenheit = 25.55 degrees Celsius
78 Fahrenheit -32 = 46/1.8= 25.55 Celsius
Use these charts to help you convert from metric to imperial. It will be important for you to understand these conversions if you ever travel to the United States, UK, or some other countries.
7 – Interesting Facts
1) The electric chair was invented by a dentist!
2) Windmills always turn counter-clockwise. Except for the windmills in Ireland!
3) A hedgehog’s heart beats 300 times a minute on average!
4) Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from blowing sand!
5) Like fingerprints, everyone’s tongue print is different!
6) There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with: orange, purple, and month!
7) A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue!
8) Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying!
9) You blink over 10,000,000 times a year!
10) Baby robins eat 14 feet of earthworms every day!
8 – Quiz Answers
Here are the answers from section 1:
a) political
b) politicians
c) politically
d) politics
e) attraction
f) attractive
g) attract
h) attractively