Town or country?
Hello everyone!
What’s happening? Today I had to drive to Oxford for a meeting. I don’t mind driving so much, but I had to come back during the rush hour, which is not so much fun. Also, I work from home most of the time. The meeting I had was in a big, busy, open-plan office. It was a bit of a shocker to be surrounded by ringing telephones, noisy photocopiers and lots of people talking. I guess I’ve just got used to the peace and quiet of working from home (well, other than my dog hassling me to take her for a walk). Maybe I’m turning into a hermit? But no, I’ve got all of you lovely people to chat with!
Anyway, this, along with some of your questions (thanks Paulraj and Anita for the inspiration!) about life in my village, got me thinking about the difference between life in a busy city and life in the countryside. I lived in big cities for more than 10 years, and I think Hong Kong is probably the most hectic (though also the most exciting) place of anywhere I’ve lived. What are the pros of living in a city? Well, there’s always something interesting to do or go. You can visit art exhibitions, watch plays and go shopping to your heart’s content. Transport is usually very convenient, and there are lots of places to socialise and eat. On the downside, big cities are often noisy, polluted and overcrowded.
Then there’s the countryside. Where I live now is so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. The air is fresh and you get to see the seasons change. However, it’s not very convenient. For example, I would have to drive 10 miles to go to the cinema, and for big shops or art exhibitions I would have to go to the next big city, which is about half an hour away.
Which is best – city life or village life? I think they both have their pros and cons. But for now I like living in the country.
And as for working in an office or from home? There’s no contest. I may miss out on chatting to people at work, but I definitely prefer working from my little office at home. I don’t have to sit through boring meetings, and I can work when I like.
What would you prefer to do – work from home or in an office? And where would you rather live – in a city or in the countryside?
Aaah, work – I suppose we’d better do some, hadn’t we? Farz from Tehran wanted to know how and why we can use the present tense to talk about the future. And Ha, seeing as we need to brush up your use of tenses, I thought this would be a good topic to talk about today.
So, we know we can use the present tense to talk about the present, or about things that are always true (e.g. Water freezes at zero degrees).
However, we can also use the present tense to talk about the future in some certain situations. There are really three situations when we use the present tense to talk about the future.
1) The most common situation is when you’re talking about a timetable or something that is scheduled to happen, e.g.
My train leaves at 5 p.m.
My favourite TV programme starts at 9 o’clock.
2) You’ll also find the present tense used with a future meaning in subordinate clauses – usually after if, until, than, what, where and when, e.g.
I’ll stop working when I become a millionnaire.
I’ll tell you what the doctor says.
3) Sometimes, you use the present tense with a future meaning when you give or ask for instructions, e.g.
Where do I get my ticket?
When you arrive at Heathrow Airport, you go first to immigration.
All clear? If so, see whether you can complete the sentences below. You’ll need to put the verb in brackets in either the present tense or the present continuous tense. Can you decide which is right?
1) The opera _______________ at 7.30p.m. sharp. (start)
2) I _________________! Wait for me! (come)
3) Where ___________ I ______________? (do, pay)
4) You _________________ a blog about the English language. (read)
5) I won’t stop working until I _____________ rich. (be)
OK, I’m finishing work now because a TV programme I want to watch starts at 9.00p.m.
See you next time!
Jo
Vocabulary
the rush hour – the time when most traffic is on the roads, usually from about 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the UK
open-plan – lots of open space and few walls
shocker – like ‘shock’, but the ‘er’ makes it sound more informal
hermit – someone who stays at home a lot and doesn’t talk to many people
hectic – very busy
pros – advantages
to your heart’s content – as much as you want
so quiet, you could hear a pin drop – silent
cons – disadvantages
there’s no contest – there’s no need to think carefully about the pros and cons
Answers to your comments
Rahul – ‘being’ is the gerund form of the verb to be. We use gerunds like nouns, e.g.
I hate being late.
Being on time is not her style.
Melissa – To say you’re hungry in Cockney Rhyming Slang, you say ‘I’m Hank Marvin’, which rhymes with ‘starving’. However, you don’t hear this one so often – it’s not as common as ‘have a butcher’s’ or ‘trouble and strife’.
Naheed – good luck with your exam. I know you’ll do well, because you work hard and are very bright.
Manas – Yes, ‘Holy cow!’ is slang. Mostly, you’ll hear Americans rather than Brits using it. I supposed the British equivalent would be ‘Oh my god!’. ‘Goodness me!’ is another exclamation which means the same thing, but it’s fairly formal.
Ana Paula – you can say ‘Has the new book already been released’. I think that works best. Are you thinking of the new Harry Potter book? ;->
Leila – I did see your comment from the weekend eventually – thanks! I promise to give you the answers to the Cockney Rhyming Slang this weekend. Glad it made you feel like a saucepan lid!
Monu – ‘nosey parker’ isn’t really an idiom as such. It’s more of a common phrase.
Sherzod – Hmm, our new prime minister is quite new, so we have to give him a bit of a chance. I do notice he makes some funny facial expressions when he talks, though.
Quynhvn – ‘I thought I would’ is a phrase that you can use to talk about your intentions. It’s in the conditional tense. You’re right, you could also use the present tense: ‘I think I will …’
Serena – No, we don’t really have a place for teenagers, which is a shame. Some villages have youth centres (similar to your oratorios?) but we don’t. I’m glad the photos brought back happy memories!
Jill – it’s a good question! I don’t know why thatch doesn’t rot in the rain or the snow. I know that it’s waterproof. How? Maybe someone can tell me!
Anita – Yes, Bournemouth isn’t too far away from me. I’m glad the photos brought back happy memories for you too!
Diego – Sounds like you’ll have a great time on your tour of the UK. Can you give me examples of the sentences containing ‘really’ and ‘indeed’ that are troubling you? The words can be used in different ways, so it will help if I can see what you mean.
Tomo – Glad you’re better, I missed your comments! Yes, we have water from a tap. I’m glad – fetching water from a well would be hard work.
Pilar – thanks for the description and the link!
Comments
Hi Paul I(we) love Jo´s blogs. They are compelling, and she seems to put a lot of dedication to it. Wouldn´t be fair to hire her as part of your permanent staff in BBC Learning English? May she have a column like Stephen Keeler´s (who is, by the way, another great teacher)?. Bye
Hi Jo! No, I´m not. Actually I´ve never read a Harry Potter book. Why? Are you a Harry Potter fan Jo? ;-) Well, in fact, I was writing a comment to Stephem´s column last Monday, and I´ve just wanted to ask him about a novel which he mentioned in one of his latest columns. According to him, this novel would be released this month. Aaaagh! I´ve made a mistake! I´ve almost written my question in the way you pointed out above, but then I´ve thought 'this sounds strange, I´m not really sure'. So I´ve decided to ask you, and many thanks again for helping me once more! Definitely, I need to practice more how to formulate my present perfect questions. Therefore, present perfect always confuse me. Sorry if I made many mistakes in my comment today. Anyway, in answer to your question, it would be wonderful if I could work at home, however, I would need to have a lab inside my home(hmm... cool!), and all the machines and baths, and...( uh... there´s no contest, this is not cool!). Well, I think I have no choice. I have to go working in a company. For the kind of job that I do, I need to be in the line production to make lab analyses and make sure that the process is being followed by everyone correctly. Ah! By the way Jo, as I told to Ha, today in Brazil we celebrate 'Friend´s Day', so I´d like to wish you a very happy Friend´s Day!' :-) Enjoy your weekend, Ana Paula.
Hi,Jo I read your bolg every day eventhough i haven't sent a comment yet. I really appreciate your witty and informative entry,i have learnt lot of both for language and culture.I also admire your way of living and working, living in a quiet and beautiful countryside and you donn't have to rush to work every morning.That is my ideal way of life.Life has been so stressful for me since i got married and gave birth to my daughter.It is usually very hard for a woman to balance between family and career.I have a house in the countryside too, but i could only plan to live there after retiring from work as i have to get bread every day. Let me stop complaining and start your homework. 1) The opera _starts_ at 7.30p.m. sharp. (start) 2) I ___am coming__! Wait for me! (come) 3) Where ___do____I ____pay__________? (do, pay) 4) You ____are reading____ a blog about the English language. (read) 5) I won’t stop working until I __am rich_____ rich. (be) By the way, Jo, would you pls spare me a little me to tell me what is the difference between the following two sentences: We will listen to the BBC News in this class. We will be listening to the BBC News in this class. Furthmore, i always confused with the past tense and the present perfect tense.Hope you could teach us something about it and give some homeworks in your following entry.Thank you in advance. All the Best to you and your lovely pets.
Hello Jo, how are you? I think working at home is simpler and more useful: 1- It saves time that is lost in car. 2- It saves money because you don't need to buy clothes for work. 3- It prevents you from problems that happen in work between workers. These are some pros of working at home. Regarding life in city or countryside, I think that living in small cities (niether villages nor big cities) is the best because it has the advantages of both!! This is an answer of the hamework: 1) The opera (starts) at 7.30p.m. sharp. 2) I (am coming)! Wait for me! 3) Where (do)I( pay)? 4) You(are reading) a blog about the English language. 5) I won’t stop working until I (????????????) rich.
Hi Jo! First of all, I will do the homework. 1)The opera starts at 7.30pm sharp. 2)I'm coming! Wait for me!. 3)Where do I pay?.4)You are reading a blog about English language? 5)I won't stop working until I am rich. Second, the topic "City or Countryside?" This isn't an easy decision because both of them have their pros and cons. In my opinion, the best is living in a village near a big city. This is the best way of having the advantages of the countryside: fresh air and calmness, but without abandoning the facilities from the big city. Bye for now. Have a nice weekend! PS. Good look in your meeting!
Hi! Jo, First of all I am giving thanks for teaching us tenses.I also have problem with tense.I don't know when will we use perfect tenses.I hope you will teach us that also.
Hello Jo It's always a pleasure reading your entries in this wonderful blog. About the question you ask, I think that people always miss what they don't have. If someone live in a city they'll long for the countryside. If they live in the countryside they'll miss all the amusement that big cities provides. The best is to have the opportunity of living in both of them. When you're bore of the coutryside you go to the city and vice versa. But I'm afraid that not all the people can afford to do that. About the work. Because I'm an government employee I don't have any choice in this matter. And now, time for the task: 1.- The opera starts at 7:30 sharp. 2.- I'm coming! Wait for me! 3.- Where do I pay. 4.- You are reading a blog about the English language. 5.- I won't stop working until I'm rich. Have a nice weekend.
Hi, Jo. it was good to read your nice comment to me! Jo, it's a tough question! 'Which is best- city life or village life? Umm... I know both city and village living, too. City life is convenient and exciting, but I can't be completely relaxed in the noise and the air pollution enviroment. I lived in a house in a city for some time where faced a busy road. I couldn't sleep well because of the noise and I bought stopples to get my quiet sleep. On the other hand, village life is quiet and peaceful but really inconvenient. It took me for thirty minutes drive to go shopping to near town. There is no train station and there are few buses run in my hometown, not every hour, so if you don't drive you have trouble making a living! I should say village life is not too bad. I feel natural bounty a lot in every season. For examples ,fresh air, music of little birds, sound of a stream, fresh green and red leaves etc. I like both city and village life, but I would say I would rather live in a city. It's not easy to get an ideal job in a village for me so I need to live in a city but I'd prefer work from home because I can work at my own pace and I don't need to be jammed on the train everyday! That's the way life goes! See you later.
Hello Jo, I know the feeling!. I am at presently working at very calm and quiet place, with not so many people around. I got now little used to being like this and sometimes if I go to my earlier work place. I find myself wondering what makes people talk so much. What on earth, have them so much topic to talk about!. But it is just for a day or two..then I join their group! It is surprising sometimes how we adapt ourself to the surrounding, isn' it?, Here goes home work: --------- 1) The opera _starts_ at 7.30p.m. sharp. (start) 2) I _will come_! Wait for me! (come) 3) Where _do _ I _pay_? (do, pay) 4) You _read_ a blog about the English language. (read) 5) I won’t stop working until I _am_ rich. (be)------- Cheers, Manas
Hi Jo, I eagerly have been following your blog and have been learning lots of useful things. thanks a lot. I put the verb in brackets in (what is necessary)either the present tense or the present continuous tense. 1) The opera ____starts___________ at 7.30p.m. sharp. (start) 2) I __am coming_______________! Wait for me! (come) 3) Where ___do_____ I ___pay_________? (do, pay) 4) You _are reading________________ a blog about the English language. (read) 5) I won’t stop working until I ____am_________ rich. (be)
Hi all, in my opinion and also from experience, working from home is very effective. I understand very well why you Jo like working from home so much; one doesn´t have to have any silly hassles with work mates, when working alone. But as with everything, there are some drawbacks. One very important disadvantage is that one has to master the whole project by themselves; nobody to rely upon. What I find very difficult is, if my computer has some major problems or there is something wrong with broadband service, or if I have to do some programme updates... Town or country? I also have lived in the country as well as in a city. Nowadays I live in a city and I enjoy it very much, partly because our home is close to a town centre, but also it is bordering to a very nice park. Jo your task: 1) The opera starts at 7.30 p.m. sharp. 2) I am coming! Wait for me! 3) Where do I pay? 4) You are reading a blog about the English language. 5) I won’t stop working until I be rich.
Hi Jo! I think there´s still something Pete Tong in the blogs, because I couldn´t send my comments on your previous entrances. I also couldn´t see the picture that your fella took. Well, maybe on Monday everthing will be ok. Best wishes, Ana Paula.
Hello, Jo. First of all, I want to say a big thank you to you for your detailed explanation about the thatch problem. You treat each question of us very seriously and I really appreciate it. It’s me who should say thank you. Next time if someone asks me about this, I know how to answer now. :> But I still can’t see the new photo and I can’t comment on your latest blog, maybe there’s something wrong with my computer. Or the blogging system? Jo, I Adam and Eve that many readers admire your life because you live in a beautiful country and you can work in your home. At least that’s the life I eager. In China, more and more people come to big cities, like Beijing and Shanghai, to work and live. Big cities provide us anything we want. There are all kinds of entertainments, there are luxury hotels and restaurants, and you can almost buy anything you want if you have enough money. But on the other side, I see more and more pollutions. I see the crowded street full of cars. In Beijing the rush hour is from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and maybe much longer than that. Sometimes I feel confused and I don’t know why I must stay in such a big city. I’m sure many people, not only me, have big pressures working and living in a big city. More than once, I miss the blue sky and fresh air in my hometown, which is a small village. At first, I came to a big city for a better and happy life. But who can say that living in a big city is absolutely much happier than living in a country? Some ideas are conflicting in my loaf of bread. Stop thinking now. All the best! Jill.
I am a social worker. I completed my post graduation studies at Chennai, one of the metros in our country. After marriage I very much wanted to settle down there. I was very much attracted by the city life. My wife and I moved there for searching a job immediately after the marriage. My wife got a job first in the school. She was a teacher. Even though she lived in town, she did not like the city life. I was waiting six months to get a job. I was offered a job in the social welfare organization which is sponsored by one of the leading corporate. The office timing was from morning 10 to evening 5. I had to start from house at 8 and got back only at 8pm. I used to go by public transport bus or electric train or both to reach the office. I was irritated by the heavy traffic and crowded in the buses and trains. Two stressful years were passing like that. My daughter was born. We could not find any one to take care of my child since we both had to go for work. I thought of resigning my job and return back to native place. When I explained my situation to my higher officials they offered me a job in the rural health project which was initiated by me. I was happily accepting the job with great joy. My wife was also happy to leave the city. We moved to town. The town I am living is nearer to the project area. I got office cum residence in the town and I have to visit the places of the projects almost every day which all situated in the rural area in the radius of 40 kms. I very much like the situations because no stress and strain in the work. I have my own programme. I will meet different people in different places. It is totally different from the work at Chennai office. I very much satisfied that I plan, organize, coordinate and implement various health development programme. I train, guide and motivate many animators they are all from the rural background. If I continued my life in Chennai I might not get the job satisfaction. God only knows my decision to move from Chennai was right or wrong. I feel happy now. After reaching here, my wife got a job in another place which is far from my place. I can meet my wife and children only in the weekend. Whether city or village how we accept our life is more important to live happily isn’t it?
1) The opera is starting at 7.30p.m. sharp. 2) I am coming! Wait for me! 3) Where do I pay? 4) You read a blog about the English language. 5) I won’t stop working until I am rich. David
Hello Jo, If you ask me my choices between city and village, i prefer a place that can provide peace and opportunity, maybe a middle-size beautiful cillage.I hope you like the word"cillage" coined by me.:-)I love your village,and it seems as if it is a mix of modern and simple and just a place to your heart's content.
Hi Jo!That might be that I`ve turned into a hermit yet. There were weeks I `told´ the most words only in English on this website recently. It is exactly a year now what I am sitting long hours at office´s computer alone in a small space. But even so, what disturb me sometimes the most is uninterrupted waterfall of plain speach of my female colleagues from beside rooms. I worked in a busy and noisy lab many years, again with women only. But there I was interested in my work which I liked a lot. Jo, I asked about languages which learnt Richard in a comment which didn`t appear, if they were the same as you did? And may I ask if you use French or German active in your work or if you taught them some students too? I admire people who manage to use foreign languages, but I am bad in filling exercises, as usual.Many Regards!
Where do I prefer to live? In a city or in the countryside?! I will forgive for this question. Do you know why? Surely you don't! Because if I have been to the moon then you must have been to my 'lovely' countryside village. I will try to give you an idea about the 'countryside' I live in. [Oh god! Help me!] What shall I start with? Transportation, to make a long description short, it is what can be called: "Survival of the fittest!", the buses working to and fro the 2000+ village are 5! 5 single dicker buses that were originally meant to carry 23 passengers-notice: originally. However, our inventive and clever drivers miraculously manage to make them carry, and I kid you not!, up to 40 passengers at a time. I will leave you to imagine me, trying to squeeze myself in the few Cm that are not occupied by the forests of human limbs, having the climax of ‘happiness’ of my living in the countryside. What is more, let me tell you about the recreational centers. Thank god we have many of which. Don't be surprised, but we surely override you in this field. You have a few hundred meters as playgrounds, while we have hundreds if not thousands of which, those being dusty open fields where little children can play football. You can imagine me when I was a child going back home, carrying tons of dust and sand with me, having some friendly bites of the seasonal animals and plants-bees, spiders, thistles, etc. Finally, don’t you think that my countryside life is a matter of survival not a matter of ‘life’?! Wishing you all the luck from my ‘lovely’ countryside.
Oh JO you are very kind I embarrassed when I found out you reply my question about use of tense I hope I could got it today this is my second comment that send when I think it has taken some week that reading your bog become one of my routine activity during day and after while decided to send a comment really I haven’t remembered it but im sure it was my first comment Again thanks farzan
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