Special Message for Lidia
Hi Lidia
Just a quick message to say thank you so much for blogging last week. I know you were very busy, and I appreciate the effort you made! Your hard work is producing excellent results! I like the topics you chose and your writing style. You used a wider range of sentence types than before, and better vocabulary. The other thing that is great about your last couple of blogs is the conversational tone. This means that the blogs are easy for other people to read, and have a light, informal tone. You have achieved this by asking questions and including your own exclamations. Well done! Keep up the good work.
Now, I’d just like to offer you some suggestions for your final week of blogging.
i. This week, try to use adverbs at the start of sentences to show your opinion or feelings, for example: certainly, clearly, evidently, fortunately, obviously, unfortunately. Use two or three adverbs in each blog to add a more personal style.
ii. Include some examples of parallelism (see Tuesday 20th blog) such as "Friday was a busy, exciting day at the end of a long, challenging week." (adjective, adjective noun x 2).
iii. Continue to use direct questions to your readers! Questions are fun!
iv. If you use exclamations, note the following grammar point:
Absolutely true! (adverb + adjective)
I absolutely agree! (subject + adverb + verb) /
How absolutely true! (question word + adverb + adjective).
v. As this is your last week, please try to focus on accuracy! The following sentences all need a subject, which I’ve added, in [brackets]:
[I] got a small salary but it was enough for me.
[I’m] still learning life’s lessons.
And [I] often watch [see] my job in awful nightmares.
[I] want to do something more in my specialisation.
[I] still believe in the theory about an apple.
vi. Finally, take care with adverbs and adjectives. Remember that an adverb acts on a verb [I’m speaking truthfully], and an adjective acts on a noun [I believe in true love].
That’s all for now. Have fun, Lidia! I’m looking forward to reading your next blog!
Best wishes,
Samantha.
Comments
Hello all, I loved Samantha´s blog today. The words that she used brought so many good memories for me. For example the word “allotment” I had not heard the word for so many years. For some reason, the word to me means the same as spring. Perhaps the reason for that is, that people usually are clearing their allotments before summer. And the story you told Samantha about your efforts changing your allotment into a beautiful garden was so vivid. Other mind provoking (in a positive sense) words for me were "junk, crank and buddy." The word "impasse" I just learned two weeks ago. You blog for me was mind boggling, thank you Samantha.
Hi Samantha, Thanks for your comments and feedback regarding my articles. Unfortunately this week is the last week of my opportunity be more active with bbc. And I have noted that the team of bbc is very professional. It is really pleasure have busy with people who knows how to do it. I hope I have another chance to take part in similar activities with bbc in the future.Have a good day!
Hi Samatha, this is third times i access english blog, but it's very usefull for me and evrybody here. Actually, i just learn english on my own, so my enlish is not good at. i come here to learn and improve my english ability. What you adviced in your comment it's wonderful and i have see it as a special way for learning englihs. Thank Samatha best wishes for you.
Dear Samantha, How are you? I knew through BBC that the weather in England is still cold and snow. It is bad for spring preparation for gardening. Did you plant anything in your garden I wish that the weather would be better this week to do some work at the garden. Does Adverb modify the adjective too?Absolutely true ( adverb+ adjective)But adverb not modify noun. Is this right. Kind regards.
Hi Samantha. all these last blogs about career, achievement and motivation from you and Lidia are like made especially for me. I am very sad. Sometimes a dream doesn't come true due to circumstances beyond our control. I have been studying and preparing for the OET (Occupational English Test). Since they ( in Australia) started to receive the applications, I immediately sent a postage of mine. After a month without any response, I started to send e-mails asking for information. I thought it was a problem with the air trafic in my country. But I made investigations here and discovered my post went to Australia after 2 days I have sent it. So my friend who is there called them and they told him that they would inform me by email as soon as my post arrived there. After some time, they advised me that they had received my post and would send me a confirmation of my registration once the process was completed. I finally could relax after this e-mail. However many days passed and nothing of confirmation. During the carnival holiday they sent email saying I had to send again my credit card details until the end of the week or I would not be registered. I was in a trip during carnival and just saw the email on Wednesday afternoon here...the banks were closed ( in Australia it was already Thursday ). Next day, I went to the bank to solve the problem and sent again the details but they didn’t send me the confirmation. So, I restarted to send e-mails asking for information to see if I was registered to the test. As they were not replying, I tried a last alternative. I wrote to the ADC (Australian Dental Association) reporting the situation and asking for some help. They replied saying they were independent of OET but forwarded my email to them. In addition, they told me not to expect any consideration( their own words) regarding to closing dates and requirements no matter was the problem with the OET because they were two independent organizations. Finally the OET answered and completed my process and sent me a letter of confirmation. They had also advised me by e-mail about the date of the test: 24th of march. This date was also published on their website. Well, I spent nearly a day flying to Brasília because my city is very far from there. I arrived there one night before and stayed at the hotel. Once I arrived at the embassy next day very early, they told me the date was changed to 23th and was one day before. I couldn’t make my test. I spent money to be registered, to stay at the hotel , to fly to Brasília among other things. Needless to say I spent time studying and being out of my work. They would never guess how much I am afraid of airplanes. I almost cried there but I could control my emotion. I went back to the hotel, opened the internet and sent email to the OET and the ADC in Australia to report the situation. They (OET) confirmed the date was inicially 24th but was rescheduled here to 23th due to circumstances beyond their control ( at least I have learned this expression…I liked it!) and just apologised me. I am still without any response from the ADC. Now there is a pression from my family to look for a lawyer or the press to ask for compensation. However if I do that, I’m sure they will never facilitate the things for me. I am getting suggestions and advices from friends because I am completely lost and confused. Could you and the readers please give me any opinion? Which procedure I should adopt?
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