The Best of Both Worlds
Dear Lemlem
I just checked the blog to see if you had written anything today, and was totally amazed to see all of the comments we both received from learners all over the world! I think you will be really surprised and pleased when you read them! Thank you everyone for giving both of us such a warm welcome. I’ve used two adverbs here (totally and really) which are called “degree adverbs”, because they change the “degree” of emotion. For example, if I said I was fairly pleased by your comments, or somewhat pleased, you wouldn't think I was being very nice, would you? In fact, you might think that I was rather cold or terribly unkind. You can use many degree adverbs to alter the emotional impact of your writing or speech. As you can see from my examples above, some are used to intensify (strengthen or increase) an emotion, whilst others are used to diminish (weaken or soften) an emotion.
Here are a few examples:
To intensify emotion, use very, really, extremely, completely, absolutely, totally, perfectly, thoroughly, terribly, so.
To diminish emotion, use slightly, fairly, rather, somewhat, relatively, only, moderately, just.
I’ll use more degree adverbs in the rest of this entry! Can you find them?
Now I think I should answer a few of the questions contained in the comments about Monday’s blog. I didn’t want to tell you everything about myself all at once! But to answer some of your questions: I’m still teaching international students, mainly from Europe and Asia. I only teach a couple of days because my children are young, so I completely have the best of both worlds: lots at time at home with my youngest son, Thomas, and a couple of days teaching at a university. My other son, Alex, is already at school. He has been reading the Learning English blog and is really interested to read your comments! In the past, I taught in Japan for many years, at a high school in Osaka, in the YWCA, and believe it or not, I worked for BBC English in Osaka, too! Before I had my children, I used to go on holiday much more than I do now! I was very interested in travelling, and I managed to visit Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, Hawaii and America while I was living in Japan! When I was much younger, I lived in France during my gap year. I had so much fun, but maybe that is just because I was eighteen and didn’t have a care in the world!
Well, I hope to read Lemlem’s entry tomorrow, and will say good night now.
Best wishes,
Samantha.
USEFUL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
have the best of both worlds
A phrase used to mean that someone enjoys the benefits of two different areas (in this case working and being a mother!)
(i) interested + to do something
This is used about yourself, or another person, to describe an inclination (feeling) you have.
(ii) interested in doing something
This is used about yourself, or another person, to describe an inclination (feeling) you have.
BUT, TAKE CARE!
(iii) It (object) + is interesting
This is used to mean that something (an object, activity or another person, usually not yourself!) is exciting or fun.
believe it or not (phrase)
A phrase used before a surprising, funny or strange fact or statement.
gap year (noun)
A word used to refer to a year spent working or travelling in between high school and university. This is common now in the UK!
not to have a care in the world (phrase)
A phrase used to describe someone with no responsibilities or worries.
Answers:
I used the following degree adverbs in the second part of the entry:
only (teach)
completely (have)
really (interested)
very (interested)
so (much fun)
just (because)
Comments
As I could see you have a lot of interesting experiences to share with us. You traveled to really amazing places. I hope as soon as you can you talk a little bit about this places where you have been. I bet that you have very nice, and some funny stories to tell us about your trips. Regards.
Hello Samantha, I'm interested in reading your new blog in the morning. Thanks for your kindly explaination about the degree adverbs. I'll try to use them in my everyday lives! They're extremely useful! Hooray! Best wishes!
Where are my comments? Hello Samantha: I wrote a lot of comments in your last blog,but now I cant be able to find out my comments,where are my comments? I keep reading the BBC english learning blog every day,I believe it is very helpful to my english learning,but why my comments are missing?where can i take back my comments?it confuses me ,help. Aaron from China
I'm really surpeised and happy to know suc a site to learn English.I'm so glad to meet you here,foregive me ,I'm the first time to come here,hope to get your help on my study,thank you so much!
Dear Samantha, I'm a Chinese.And I am an English teacher in a middle school.I want to know the life of the children in your conutry.I wonder if you would like to tell me about it.
dear samantha, i believe you have choosen the best way for your life,my wife is working like you and we enjoy a lot, but when one of her worlds needs more attemp, you can see destroying the balance of our life,what do you do in these situations?
Hello Samantha! Thanks for your explanation about “degree adverbs”! You use the word 'mainly' in the second part of the blog.Can we add this word in group of adverbs mentioned above? Thank you! Diema
Thanks Samantha. I'm highly interested in the good use of adverbs. As you I also have the best of both worlds (working and being mother, in fact a beginner one)
hi,Samantha It's freezing here and I don;t like this wearher at all.How about you? What a lucky lady you are! You have the best of both the worlds as a mum and a career woman.It is a shame that you didn't visit in Korea when you were staying in Japan.Believe or not,the teathers who have been the blog's teachers and worked in Japan and China didn't visit in Korea.I just wonder Why they were not interestined to travel to Korea.Thank you and take care of yourself and give a big hug to your kids for me,please.Have a wonderful day!
Some of you have left messages to say that your comments aren't appearing. We don't seem to be receiving all your comments and we're looking in to this. Please let us know if this happens again!
Hello Samantha! First of all, I have the same problem as Aaron from China. I've written my comments to you but they never has been appeared. It's outrageous. Maybe I exaggerate a little, but I think that administrator should work much harder. In consideration of your today's blog I'd like to thank you for your lesson about degree adverbs. It's very useful in everyday life. Besides I'd like to congratulate you sharing your professional and personal live with succes. Nowadays it's a big thing. I will carefully follow your blog a day by day, trying to attend by writing my comments. Good Luck! (I hope my comment will appear this time). Bye for now.
Hi, Samantha! It is really interesting when I see that Alex likes to read our comments! What he says about our comments? I feel so curious to know. hahah! When I was in school, my little brother usually interested in watching my compositions, and then he imitated my tone and read them.... These are perfectly memorable and still make me laugh if I bring them to my mind! He is very lovely! Please send my best wishes to your son, Alex and Thomas! From Helen
Hi Samantha, I find it so useful and healthy this gap year you have in England.Unfortunately, here in Brazil our adolescents are obliged to start studying as soon as they enter university. There is no incentive for our teens to do this. They usually go abroad during their high school period for a year or half an year but then this period away may hamper their performance at college entrance exam, which can be pretty tough here depending on the course and university you wish to enter.I wish I had had the chance you had of being a globe-trotter it really broadens you mind. As a good Sagitarious I fancy travelling. It's nice that my county is huge though as this allows me to travel around a lot. In fact I lived in different parts of Brazil. Teaching is great, isn't it? It gives us the chance to have the best of both worlds, teaching and looking after your kids and I do believe that our kids profit a lot with mum's presence at home. Although in Englan it seems that mums are more overloaded because you don't have maids as we do here, isn't it? I love English although I don't find myself at ease when I have to speak. Speaking in thought is great but when I have to produce the voice ... that's definetely not an easy game.... Have you learnt Japanese? It must be a hard lg to learn. Have you seen the film Babel?? They show a Japanese city there that fascinated me!!! Well, I have to prepare lunch now, I must be going. Cheerio,Ciao, Monica
Some of my comments didn´t appear. And I also can´t see the pictures of Samantha and Lenlen. On the bolgs´top I still have Stephen and Soyoung pictures. Anyone else has the same problem? Or didn´t BBC Learning English change the pictures yet?
Dear Samantha! First of all I want to welcome you which in fact I did two days ago but surprisingly , I didn't find my welcome note on the comments page. Anyway, it's so nice to meet you on line. ( although Again I can't have your picture on the screen) I do appreciate this global digital community that has provided us with incredibly great opportunities to get to know different cultures from widely various nations in the easiest possible way. Thank you for the useful points you have mentioned about adverbs. I am eagerly waiting for your next blogs. Katy / Iran
Hi,Samantha!First of all i want to say that bbc learning english website is extremely interesting and excellent site.I have improved my english immensely from here.I love u BBC.Thanks for explaining 'degree adverbs' its really nice.I also didn't have a care in the world when i was eighteen.Best wishes to u and to your son,Alex and thomas! Parul
Hi,Samantha!First of all i want to say that bbc learning english website is extremely interesting and excellent site.I have improved my english immensely from here.I love u BBC.Thanks for explaining 'degree adverbs' its really nice.I also didn't have a care in the world when i was eighteen.Best wishes to u and to your son,Alex and thomas! Parul
Hi, Samantha, it's seems to be the best thing to have the best of both worlds (I also have two boys though not as young as yours), but as Ali from Iran said sometimes it is rather difficult to keep balance between the family life and professional one. Nowdays this is a real challenge for most of us. Many thanks for some hints on degree adverbs which I use in rather intuitive way, but I am aware that there are words that belong together or not (collocations!!!). There are, for example, some adjectives that do not go with ‘absolutely’ or ‘totally’. I know that it comes with practice to use them properly (lots of reading for example) but if there are any rules could you let us know. Best,
Hi Samantha, I'm a little late, but I'd like to welcome you and Lemlem to the blog as everyone else did. I'm sure your blog is going to be as interesting to read as Stephen's was. And useful. We always learn a lot of English and other stuff when we read the blog. I have a six year old niece whose name is the same as yours, it's only spelled differently. Hers is spelled Samanta. My brother gave her this name because of the "Bewithced" show on tv, it's not a common brazilian name. Does yours have anything to do with it? Best wishes and again welcome.
Dear Samantha, Thank you for your explanation of Degree adverbs. It was very useful to adverbs. If you can, Could you explain about prepostions. I have problems on that. As you know, You have to write about your self a little by little. As you,when my kids were very young I didn't work full time. I work twice a week. I balanced my life style. Now they are grown up kids. The time is flying very fast, but the memories are very young that makes me young. Wow! You have visted very interesting places in the world. I have visted England last summer. My sister live there. My kids and I visted lot of interesting places in central town. I am looking forward to see Lemlem blogs. Kind regards
Hello Sam! Welcome! I'm glad to know that you are eager to teach us. I mean, given that our new student blogger didn't write anything you indeed write a very useful blog. Thank you for you good will and enthusiasm!
I was astonished to read you used to live in my country and teach English.I wish I had been one of your students in Osaka...!By the way,I wonder if you could tell me how your life in Japan was, compared to others where you traveld so far?I hear life in japan is stressful for foreighn people,in that some Japanese are likely to rude to them.I'd like to know how you really felt.
Thanks for your good blog.it's very useful.i make a desision to read it everyday for impriving my english.
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