Independence Day
Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone! It’s funny to think that as I write this some of you will just be getting up and others will only be halfway through their day.
Thanks for all your comments, readers! I’ll try and write some replies in my next post. Meanwhile, let’s have a look at those sentences I asked you, Yumi – you’ve done really well correcting them (as have some of our readers). You have rewritten numbers 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and almost 7 correctly. Here are some points to note about the other ones:
1*I asked friends how you think if my name were 'Yummy'. ?
Here we need to put in ‘would’ because it’s a conditional sentence talking about something that is not real and is relatively unlikely. Also, in this case it’s better to say ‘what’ instead of ‘how’ you think. So, the correct sentence would be:
I asked [my] friends what they would think if my name were ‘Yummy’.
2*I did not want to have the potato's name for myself!!!!!!!!
Like the other sentences, it’s very clear what you want to say here, but it’s better to use the phrasal verb ‘to name after’ which is what you said in your previous blog (that you were ‘named after your father’). So you could write:
I didn’t want to name myself after a potato!!!!!
7*I am very impressed to the comment from Yosuke san, who is the teacher in Junior high. (2 mistakes)
Here I made a little error – there are actually three mistakes! :-( There is one mistake with a preposition and two with an article. Have a look:
I am very impressed by the comment from Yosuke san, who is a teacher in a Junior High school
I added ‘school’ just to make it a bit clearer but it’s okay without it as well.
9*How do you use BBC website to learn English?
Ooh Yumi! This is what we looked at the other day…
How do you use the BBC website to learn English?
Don’t worry! I know articles are one of the hardest things to get your head round. So far we’ve only looked at the definite article - the – so I think it’s time we had a little exploration of the indefinite articles as I’ve noticed that you sometimes miss these out in your writing, Yumi. To do this, I’m going to take a little shortcut and ask you to go to this link and read through Jo’s fabulous explanation of the uses of articles (it’s under the photo of Scratchy the cat) before you do the little practice exercise below. When you’re ready, read through the paragraph and decide whether the numbers should be replaced by a, an, the or (because I’m a bit of a meanie) nothing at all! (also called the zero article - what a ridiculous language, we even have a name for something that doesn’t exist! Invisible grammar! Could it get any worse? :-)
Okey dokey, here we go:
Over here we’ve just had *1* nice relaxing day off work to celebrate India’s 60th Independence Day. In Delhi it is celebrated every year by *2* event at *3* Red Fort which is *4* huge old fort in *5* north of the city. *6* new president (*7* woman – hurrah!) did *8* speech although I haven’t yet heard what she said because we don’t have *9* TV. There is also usually *10* commemoration at *11* monument called ‘India Gate’ near *12* eternal flame which burns all day and all night to remember *13* soldiers who have died while fighting for *14* India. All *15* shops and markets all over *16* city are closed, which is very rare. There is also *17* big tradition of *18* kite-flying on independence day – people fly *19* kites while standing on their (flat!) roofs and try to knock each other’s kites out of *20* sky! It’s all very good-natured though.
Here’s a photo of Ed on his motorbike with India Gate in the background…
Okay, hope that’s not too difficult :-) Answers next time.
More soon,
Amy
Definitions from last time – well done to everyone who got them right!:
To be sorted: to be fixed/okay again
There’s no denying [it]: you can’t say it isn’t true
Muggy: refers to the weather when it’s hot, sticky and humid. The air feels ‘heavy’ and you sweat easily.
Free range: this is when animals are given a lot of space to walk around in the open air, usually on grass. Most often used to talk about how chickens are farmed – the opposite is battery farming where the birds are kept in very small cages or packed in very closely next to each other :-(
Organic: this means as close to the natural state as possible. When used with regards to food, it means grown without any chemicals or fertilisers. For animals this also means that their food hasn’t had any chemicals added to it
Endangered: this means ‘in danger’ – if an animal is endangered it means that there is a possibility it might become extinct which is when there are no animals of that kind left in the whole world.
To not be the case: to not be true
Out and about: out of the house, doing things. It’s a nice general expression for when you’re doing lots of things during the day. ?
Scrumptious: very very delicious!?
To put your finger on something: to know exactly what is wrong with something, or different about it.
And today’s words…
To name after
To get your head round (something)
A shortcut
A meanie
Ridiculous
A fort
A commemoration
Good-natured
Comments
Dear Amy, I am doing homework too. Over here we’ve just had a nice relaxing day off work to celebrate India’s 60th Independence Day. In Delhi it is celebrated every year by an event at the Red Fort which is a huge old fort in _ north of the city. The new prime minister (a woman – hurrah!) did _ speech although I haven’t yet heard what she said because we don’t have a TV. There is also usually a commemoration at the monument called ‘India Gate’ near the eternal flame which burns all day and all night to remember the soldiers who have died while fighting for ¬_ India. All _ shops and markets all over the city are closed, which is very rare. There is also a big tradition of _ kite-flying on Independence Day – people fly _ kites while standing on their (flat!) roofs and try to knock each other’s kites out of the sky! It’s all very good-natured though. Please note that she is not prime minister, she is president of India. To name after –name based on something To get your head round (something) –be able to understand A shortcut - a route which is quicker and more direct than the usual route A meanie –may be child word for mean-unkind Ridiculous –unreasonable, foolish A fort -castle A commemoration -Memorial Good-natured-pleasant
I would be glade to answer your homework... To name after: calle s1 or sth by the same name as. To get your hear round (something): A shortcut: a short way to do or achieve sth. Meani: ungenerous or unpleasant person (BTW, I wish I could be like you and called a Meani!) Ridiculous: silly. A fort: a fortified building or a strategic position. A commemoration: a remembering and showing respect for. Good-natured: kind and unselfish. Many and many thanks.
Dear Amy, Yumi and all the readers. How's life getting with you today? I hope you're all in good health with plenty of money. 1 million pounds each! Ok! Amy, I really enjoy your blogs and feel that I'm on the good way to learning English. I have no special questions today, but I'm wondering whether you would give me a recipe that could help me to become a vegetarian. And now back to the homework and the indefinite articles: 1-a ,2- an,3- the, 4- a, 5- the, 6-the, 7- a, 8- a 9- a, 10- a, 11- the, 12- the, 13-the, 14- 0 article, 15- 0 article, 16- the, 17- a, 18- the, 19- 0 article, 20- the. Kind regards.
Good afternoon, Amy!!! Now it´s 17:23, and the temperature is around 22°C. The sky is so beautiful Amy! The sunset is beginning and there is a nuance of orange and blue in the horizon, which gives you the feeling that the spring is coming. Simply delightful:-)! Oh, you´re not meanie at all Amy! You´re a good-natured teacher who doesn´t measure efforts in order to improve our English :-). By the way Amy, could you tell us why you don´t have a TV, please? Do you think the TV has poor quality nowadays, or you don´t have one just because you don´t have time or even patience to seat on the sofa in front of one?Oh, I asked too many questions, don´t you think so? Sorry :-). So, let´s go. Here are my answers: 1-(a); 2-(an); 3-(the); 4-(a); 5-(the); 6-(the); 7-(a); 8-(a); 9-(a); 10-(a); 11-(the); 12-(the); 13-(the); 14-(0); 15-(the); 16-(the); 17-(a); 18-(0); 19-(the); 20-(the). I hope hear from you soon. Best wishes, Ana Paula.
Hi, Amy! I know "ridiculous" basically means unreasonable, but could you please explain the difference between "ridiculous" and "absurd"? Thank you very much.
Hello Amy :-) Lots of people think that grammar is boring. It used to be boring for me, too. But the other day I started to tread them as if they were puzzles. Loads of people like puzzles, some are even hooked on them. The 'the's', the 'a's' or the zero articles are just pieces of the puzzle. Whether something is boring or interesting depends mostly on your attitude towards it. By the way, your little thing is realy cute. All the best
Hello, Amy! Here are my answers to the article exercise, which, by the way, is a very nice and informative piece of writing:a; an; 0; a; the; a; a; a; a; 0; a; an; the; 0; 0; the; a; 0; 0; the -phew! It wasn't easy! Now I am beginning to understand why you have left England to live in India. Even this simple picture depicting the scene from India's( or better to say Ed's:-) everyday life is convincing enough for anyone to make up their mind and, if not move , at least visit there. Sending best from to you and your family.
Hi Amy, It’s nice to see the write up about my countries Independence Day celebration in Delhi along with test on article. I have made it without knowing exact reason(some) for using article. 1.a,2.an,3.the,4.a,5.the,6.the,7.a,8.-,9.the,10.the,11.a,12.-,13.the,14.-,15.the,16.the,17.a,18.-,19.the,20.sky. We don’t have the tradition of kite-flying in this part of India on this day. Children’s are always enjoying the kite-flying. Do you know anything about why they do this on Independence Day? It may be people want to be like a kite in the sky. It is wonderful to see the different kinds of kites in different size and colors in the sky. I could enjoy watching these kinds’ things in the beaches in my childhood days. In fact I attended grama sabha(village committee meeting) on independence day. It’s part of my work. I insisted my animators also to attend the meeting. We have three tier systems in government administration. There is Parliament in the central, assembly in the state and panchayat in local village. The public and the elected representatives of local body attend this meeting. They will discuss and review the government sponsored development programmes in the meeting. If the public have any grievances, they will air in the meeting. We had have been following the panchayat raj system for long time. It has been rejuvenated at the time of Rajiv Gandhi regime. It is a good system. Rajiv Gandhi wanted to take India in the forefront. Do you like Indian administrative system? Most of the time people say that we are following British system. Do you agree with that?
Hello Amy. First of all, let me tell you that your son is so handsome to appear in a milk or baby food spot in tv. About that, now by now is really amazing to find someone who doesn't have tv at home. I'm sure that if Karl Marx would live today, he would say that TV is the people´s opium. In my opinion, most TV programs are nothing more than trash, but I usually don't miss evening news. Have a nice week end.
Hello Amy! I'm glad you had a nice time on India's Independence Day. And a warm welcome to Ed! We know all members of your family. He looks like a motorbike racer, doesn't he? Now, this is my answer to your exercise: Over here we've just had *a* nice relaxing day off work to celebrate India's 60th Independence Day. In Delhi it is celebrated every year by *an* event at *the* Red Fort which ia *a* huge old Fort in *the* north of the city. *The* new president (*a* woman - hurrah!) did *a* speech although I haven't yet heard what she said because we don't have *a* TV. There is also usually *a* commemoration at *a* monument called 'India Gate' near *the* eternal flame which burns all day and all night to remember *the* soldiers who have died while fighting for *x* India. All *x* shops and markets all over *the* city are closed, which is very rare. There is also *a* big tradition of *x* kite-flying on independence day – people fly *the* kites while standing on their (flat!) roofs and try to knock each other’s kites out of *the* sky! It’s all very good-natured though. Phew!!! It's not easy at all! I look forward to your answer. Please give my regards to Ed. Myen.
Good evening teacher Amy,Let's look at my using artical.Over here we’ve just had 1-A nice relaxing day off work to celebrate India’s 60th Independence Day. In Delhi it is celebrated every year by 2-AN event at 3-THE Red Fort which is 4-A huge old fort in *5-THE north of the city. *6-THE new president (*7-A woman – hurrah!) did *8-A speech although I haven’t yet heard what she said because we don’t have *9- TV. There is also usually *10-A commemoration at *11-THE monument called ‘India Gate’ near *12-THE eternal flame which burns all day and all night to remember *13- soldiers who have died while fighting for *14- India. All *15- shops and markets all over *16-the city are closed, which is very rare. There is also *17-A big tradition of *18-A kite-flying on independence day – people fly *19-THE kites while standing on their (flat!) roofs and try to knock each other’s kites out of *20-THE sky! It’s all very good-natured though. Thanks..
Hallo Amy In Poland we had a day off just one day before. It didn't have a big impact on me though, cause I don't have regular job.( Impact isn't a correct word, is it?)The important day is usually conected with not going to work and people may spend some time with their families, which is what many enjoy most. But it's really nice to breath in the atmosphere of the day and to think a bit about history. Here are my answers 1 a, 2 an, 3 the, 4 a, 5 the, 6 the, 7 a, 8 the, 9 zero, 10 a, 11 a, 12 an, 13 the, 14 zero, 15 the, 16 the, 17 a, 18 zero, 19 zero, 20 the. The more I thought about the exercise the more doubts I had. greetings for everybody
Hi Amy and ana paula, I do not figure out the meaning of the sentence below; "You´re a good-natured teacher who doesn´t measure efforts in order to improve our English :-)." it seems to me a little bit paradoxical meaning, doesn't it. please make it a little bit clear. Here are my answers; Over here we’ve just had a nice relaxing day off work to celebrate India’s 60th Independence Day. In Delhi it is celebrated every year by an event at the Red Fort which is a huge old fort in the north of the city. the new president (a woman – hurrah!) did a speech although I haven’t yet heard what she said because we don’t have a TV. There is also usually a commemoration at the monument called ‘India Gate’ near the eternal flame which burns all day and all night to remember the soldiers who have died while fighting for India. All the shops and markets all over the city are closed, which is very rare. There is also a big tradition of kite-flying on independence day – people fly the kites while standing on their (flat!) roofs and try to knock each other’s kites out of the sky! It’s all very good-natured though. And today’s words… To name after; I named my son my husband' name i.e. both father and son care called the same name. To get your head round (something); I have difficulties in keeping the phone numbers. most people can't get their head round. A shortcut; I keep some important documents on the desk top in order to access quickly. A meanie?????????? I have never met the word "meanie" Ridiculous refers to absurd events... A fort means castle may be built long years ago A commemoration; we arrange a commemoration on each november 10 for Ataturk, who is the founder of Turkish Republic, Good-natured, unlike his father, my son is very Good-natured. he is an outgoing person. sevinç
Hi Amy! August 15 is a public holiday in several European countries too. We celebrate Assumption’s day. Here are my answers: 1)a,2)the,3)the,4)a,5)the),6)The,7)a,8)a,9)a,10)a,11)the,12)the,13)the,14)zero article,15)zero article,16)the, 17)a, 18)zero article, 19)zero articles ,20)the. I am looking forward to reading your corrections. Articles are my weakpoints too. Have a nice week-end, Filippo
Dear Amy, How did you spend the holiday on the 15th of august?I spend the holidays lazing around the house and watching TV. So I am curious to know how you can manage without this facility. The articles: 1-a, 2-an, 3-the, 4-a, 5-the, 6-the, 7-a, 8-a, 9-a, 10-a, 11-the, 12-the, 13-the, 14-zero article, 15-the, 16-the, 17-the, 18-zero article, 19-zero article, 20-zero article Could we replace the phrase 'a fort in the north' with 'a fort to the north' or 'a fort on the north' without any change in meaning? Are you kind of a feminist that you are so delighted to have a woman president in India? Best wishes.
Dear Amy Lightfoot I would like to have the greatest plesure of joining you, but I have no idea how to joine, if you please could show me how, I will be grateful. My name is Yasser I am doing an english course for B1-3 from the british council institution Delhi. I would love to improve my English -so the teacher who used to teach me has given this great website. thank you Yasser
Not sure whether this is the right place for this or not. Apologies now if it's not. You may remember that I blogged on this site with a 'student' from Peru at the end of last year. I heard the news about the earthquake not far from Lima last week and wondered whether Federico still reads these blogs and whether, if he does, he could reassure us that he's fine.
Dear Amy lighfoot I really love the way you have written your blog and would love to joine you, but I don't have any Idea how If you please could direct me I will be grateful. By the way my name is Yasser , I am a sudent of the English language at Delhi in india, I have doen three courses from the institution of British council, Delhi. I have had asked the teacher who used to Teach in the level B1-2 that how to improve my language he said "there are many website for learning english," and given this website and here I am . thank you Yasser
Hi Amy, good afternoom (7:46pm), I'm just startting learning english, and this website is a great thing, I do the exercise and I really want to see the right answers. Anyway, I think the time and practicall will made me better in english, I think I have too many errors. So, my answers: 1 a 2 an 3 the 4 an 5 the 6 the 7 a 8 a 9 a 10 the 11 a 12 an 13 the 14 the 15 the 16 the 17 a 18 the 19 a 20 the . Thanks. Umberto
Hello Amy, good afternoon! My answers: 1/a, 2/an, 3/the, 4/a, 5/the, 6/the, 7/a, 8/a, 9/a, 10/a, 11/the, 12/the, 13/the, 14/nothing, 15/the, 16/the, 17/a, 18/nothing, 19/the, 20/the. I'm looking forward to read the right answers. I hope you have had a nice sunday.
Thanks for all your contributions. This blog has now closed and can no longer accept new comments.
