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Showing posts from May, 2021

Asking for Roses

  Robert Frost, one of the most celebrated figures in American poetry, Robert Frost was the author of numerous poetry collections, including including New Hampshire (Henry Holt and Company, 1923). Born in San Francisco in 1874, he lived and taught for many years in Massachusetts and Vermont. He died in Boston in 1963. A house that lacks, seemingly, mistress and master, With doors that none but the wind ever ___( close ), Its floor all littered with glass and with plaster; It stands in a garden of old-fashioned roses. I pass by that way in the gloaming with Mary; ‘I wonder,’ I say, ‘who the owner of those is. ‘Oh, no one you know,’ she answers me airy, ‘But one we must ask if we want any roses.’ So we must join hands in the dew ___( come ) coldly There in the hush of the wood that reposes, And turn and go up to the open door boldly, And knock to the echoes as beggars for roses. ‘Pray, are you within there, Mistress Who-were-you?’ ’Tis Mary that s

The Oxford Comma

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  Despite a number of idiosyncrasies, English is a fairly straightforward language. The rules for written and spoken English are generally logical and consistent. Even formal business and academic structure and rules adhere to those same general principals. Therefore, it is somewhat interesting that one of the more hotly debated “rules” in English revolves around punctuation; specifically, the serial comma. Origin of the Oxford Comma The serial is more commonly called the Oxford comma due to its traditional use by the editors, printers, and reader at Oxford University Press. The Oxford comma is placed before the coordinating conjunction in a written series of three or more item. For example, a list of three lunch items with the Oxford comma would be “an apple, a sandwich, and milk”; without it would be “an apple, a sandwich and milk.” Why this seemingly simple matter of punctuation has evolved into somewhat a ‘cause celebre’ among linguists and educators is somewhat of a mystery. Howev

Epitome of Cool

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  Age is just a number, they say. Yet the vast majority of humanity is hooked on anti-aging skincare, anti-aging lifestyles, anti-aging everything. In fact, a survey has previously shown that a whopping 87% have a fear of getting old, also known as FOGO. Feeling anxious about wearing out before the warranty is something not entirely new to most people, but for many, the reservations revolve more around the outside rather than the inside. A Grandpa Got A Cochlea Implant Tattoo To Become Like His Grandson Bought My Grandma An iPad. She’s 84 And Never Had A Tablet, And Wanted It For “Art”. I Bought ArtRage For Her And Left Her Alone With Her New Toy For 30 Minutes Prof Brain My Grandmother 77 Graduated With Her PhD And Is The University’s Oldest Graduate. It’s Never Too Late My 60-Year-Old Uncle Shredding In Kauai This Was How My Grandparents Celebrated Their 60th Wedding Anniversary I Ordered A Wonder Woman Costume Online. It Was A Little Big For Me When It Arrived And My Grandmother Sai

Hilariously Sum Up Student Life

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  Empty pockets, all-nighters, annoying professors, more all-nighters… It’s difficult to explain what being a student is really like in just a few words. So let’s do it through memes. Ha, College Sounds Like A Hell Hole Always Me Prof Brain College Is Hard Word Count When There’s A Group Project, But You Do All The Work New Test Instructions

Improve Your Written English

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  Many people struggle with writing in English and it can seem like a real challenge to improve. Don’t worry, though. Here are some simple steps that you can take to improve your written English and impress people with your writing skills. 1. Expand your vocabulary To express yourself clearly, you need a good active vocabulary. That’s not just being able to recognise lots of words – it means actually being able to use them correctly. Do this by learning new words with example sentences, not just word lists. Tip: When you learn a new word, try learn all the forms of that word and the prepositions that are usually used with it. (For example, rather than just the word ‘depend’, make a note of: to depend on, to be dependent on, a dependant.) 2. Master English spelling You must know how to spell those words correctly. Incorrect spelling changes the meaning of your sentence. For example: ‘bare’ and ‘bear’ sound the same but ‘bare’ means naked and ‘bear’ is a large animal. Additionally, incor

Literary Genres (1): Fable

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  A fable is a short story that illustrates a moral lesson. The plot of a fable includes a simple conflict and a resolution, followed by a maxim. Fables feature anthropomorphized animals and natural elements as main characters. The moral of a fable—an overarching rule to live by that transcends the specifics of the story—is usually stated at the end. For example, in the fable of the wolf and the sheep, a wolf in sheep’s clothing is able to infiltrate the sheep’s pasture without raising any alarm, and easily make a meal out of the sheep. The moral of the story is that appearances can be deceiving. Examples of Fable Example 1 The fox and the grapes This fable is the origin of the phrase “sour grapes.” A fox spies a bunch of grapes high up on a branch and wants them badly. He takes a running jump to reach them but misses. He tries several more times, but to no avail. Finally, he gives up and walks away scornfully. The moral of the tale is: “There are many who pretend to despise and belitt

Passing Your English Exams

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  There are three stages to learning a new skill, such as studying TOEFL or TOEIC to improve your English in college or the workplace. At each stage study tips can make your work easier and more successful. Firstly, you need to acquire the words, grammar and structures of the language. As you go along, you need to use the language (which is one of the best ways of learning it as well). Finally, as with many things we study, there is likely to be some form of examination to pass. That is what is used to confirm our level of competence with our new language. Often, this is where TOEFL or TOEIC becomes your assessment process. Passing an exam can be very different from speaking a language. While learning to pass a test is not as important as possessing the knowledge and skills it being tested, nevertheless it is an important step on your road to success. Using the study tips listed below will help your acquisition of English. Here are our ten top study tips to help you when you study Engl

Introduction of Haiku

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  A haiku is a specific type of Japanese poem which has 17 syllables divided into three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. Haikus or haiku are typically written on the subject of nature. The word haiku (pronounced hahy-koo) is derived from the Japanese word hokku meaning “starting verse.” Examples of Haiku Example 1 The fox and the grapes From time to time The clouds give rest To the moon-beholders. — Matsuo Basho Example 2 The lion and the mouse Sparrow’s child out of the way, out of the way! the stallion’s coming through — Kobayashi Issa Example 3 Over the wintry forest, winds howl in rage with no leaves to blow. — Natsume Soseki As is clear from these examples, most haikus examine natural themes, such as weather, animals and plants, and changing seasons. Haikus can be serious and meditative, free of mood, or playful and fun. The Importance of Using Haikus Haikus are important in that they are a highly traditional form of Japanese poetry which has been in existence as early as the 1600s

Has Social Media Changed?

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  There’s no denying that social media has transformed the way we interact with each other. From sharing our thoughts and photos to planning a night out, most people tend to organise their social lives, or at least have it significantly influence them, through some form of technology-based engagement. But, has this shift away from more physical interaction actually affected the way we speak and write English? Speed freaks: the increasing rate of communication What social media has done is enable us to communicate with a much larger number of people on a global scale in a way that we only really used to be able to do on a local level. This is great when it means we’re keeping friendships alive over great distances, but it’s also increasing the demands placed on an individual to keep a much larger number of relationships going simultaneously. For example, the average number of friends a person has on Facebook in the UK is around 300 – even if you’re only actually really friends with, say

Architecture Examples

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  Some buildings will absolutely fascinate you with their stunning designs, genius architectural decisions, and the sheer power of their aesthetics. This article isn’t about these kinds of buildings, however. Nope! Not all buildings are made equal, you see, and the ‘bad’ ones need to be shamed publicly so that others don’t copy their designs. So we’ll be focusing exclusively on just plain terrible architectural decisions. I Dunno, Slim Doesn’t Seem To Be Digging This Situation. This Pillar Was Straight Last Week. This Is The First Floor Of A Seven-Floor Building. I Do Not Give A Damn How Well It’s Cantilevered Or How Strong The Struts Are. I Do Not Have The Kind Of Luck It Would Take To Set Foot In This House. This Is Not Photoshopped. Opera And Ballet Theatre Of Cheboksary. Um… What Is This? “Sharkitecture”