Picture an apartment in the middle of Beijing...
Dear Coffee Addict
Finally you have realized I exist Yanko. Hurrah!
I write to you from a home with all its windows and doors sealed. The reason is that today there is a sand storm and the dust is flying everywhere outside. On days like this I really wish I was living in a country with a better environment, everyone is complaining and trying not to go outside unless absolutely necessary. I had to go to work this morning at the British Council so I had to venture out unfortunately but I rushed home after I finished and will not go out again until the air quality gets better.
So, I’m home now and thought I’d tell you about and show you a picture of exactly where I live in Beijing. The building you see in the picture below is where I am, on the fifth floor. However, due to superstition in China, it’s not really the fifth floor but the fourth. Why? Well, the Chinese pronunciation for the word ‘four’ sounds like the pronunciation for the word ‘death’ and therefore number four is considered unlucky. As a result some buildings have first, second, third and then fifth floor. In the UK, the number 13 is considered unlucky, what about in your country Yanko?
In the picture, you can see Teah running towards the children’s playground which is directly in front of our building. Of course, the play area is her favourite place but mine is the lake that lies in the middle of the eight buildings. It’s man-made with a small pagoda and the water gets green pretty quickly especially in the summer but it’s still very pretty and calming. The water is drained and refilled every few days so that it doesn’t get stinky and attract too many mosquitoes. No one is allowed to swim or play in the water because of safety however at weekends some Dads and their kids play with remote-controlled boats in the lake (and the Dads compete between themselves who has got the fastest, biggest and best boat!)
The apartments in our compound are all different layouts and sizes. We have a three bedroomed place but one bedroom has been converted into an office/study and my husband and I share the space,we both have our own computer desks and computers. I would really like a four-bedroomed place so that I could have my own office/study but due to the high rental prices in Beijing we have to make do with three-bedrooms! I’d also like to live in a duplex (two-floor apartment) but again that’s out of our price range. Ah well! We've lived here since last May and it's located opposite the east gate of Chaoyang park in the eastern district of Beijing where many foreigners live, work and play.It's called 'Greenlake Garden'
Even though I have lived in apartments for the last 10 years it doesn’t ever feel completely comfortable to me as I was brought up living in houses. It depends what you are used to, for example my husband has never lived in a house but personally, I like living in houses with gardens much better than in apartments. In the UK most people have houses and here most people live in apartments. What is the situation in Brazil, Yanko?
Here are the answers to the exercise I set on the passive (well done to Yanko, Pary, Laila and Jack for their attempts but some of you look at your mistakes)
1) Bodyguards protect the rich and famous The rich and famous are protected by bodyguards.
2) Bad weather delayed our flight to Rome. Our flight to Rome was delayed by bad weather.
3) The cat chased the mouse The mouse was chased by the cat.
4) My brother organised the football game The football game was organised by my brother.
5) The doctor examined my chest. My chest was examined by the doctor.
6) The gardener cut the lawn and trimmed the bushes. The lawn was cut and the bushes were trimmed by the gardener.
7) Gloves protect your hands from the cold. Hands are protected from the cold by gloves.8) The child broke a glass vase. A glass vase was broken by the child.
On to a few grammar corrections from Yanko’s’ ‘coffee blog’ (I was horrified to read how much coffee you were drinking in the past, no wonder you were an insomniac!)
'Nowadays I Take only three small cup of coffee per day. In the past I’ve usually took from 10 to 15 per day in the morning.'
Nowadays, I only drink three small cups of coffee a (per) day. In the past, I had between 10 to 15 cups every morning
It’s more common to use the verbs ‘have’ or ‘drink’ coffee.In the second sentence, you have mixed the tenses, this sentence (because it’s finished in the past) should be in past simple tense. Please look at your use of perfect tenses Yanko, especially present perfect as you often use it in the wrong places. Perhaps you could explain to me when this tense is used in your next blog and how it is formed.
'A lot of coffee makes me feel very exited and some time makes me impatient and nervous and this affected my professional relation with other members. I’ve argued with all members. I friend of mine told me to avoid coffee and find out other way to keep attention.'
A lot of coffee makes me feel very excited and sometimes makes me impatient and nervous and this has affected my professional relationship with other team members. I’ve argued with all my colleagues. A friend of mine told me to avoid coffee and find another way to keep focused.
Yanko, learn the word ‘colleague’ as it’s useful to use this word when talking about the people you work with. Look at the sentences about that use present perfect tense-do you know why they are appropriate here?
That's all for today, fingers crossed for an improvement in the weather tomorrow
Trudi
Vocabulary
venture out to go outside and face risk or danger
superstition (n) an irrational belief
pagoda (n) A structure, such as a garden pavilion, built in imitation of a Buddhist tower
compound (n) a residential enclosed area consisting of many buildings
layout (n) arrangement or plan
converted (v) changed
to make do with something to come to terms with, cope with, accept
fingers crossed hopefully it will come true
Comments
Trudi, the place where you live looks very attractive and clean. The picture reminded me of the time, when my daughter was about the same age as Teah is now. My offspring (a grownup woman now) was also brought up in the city, we lived in London then. By the way is the first floor in China same as the ground floor in UK? In Finland the ground floor is considered to be a first floor.
Hi Trudi! Apart from talking us description a compound you’re living into, you’ve raised an interesting topic about superstitions. I guess, each culture has own superstitions. Tell us about UK’s superstitions, therefore encourage students to split out stories about superstitions commonly existing in their home countries. See you!
Hi, Trudi! If it can comfort you, I will be able to remind of the great earthquake which had happened in your homeland some times ago. Possibly, sand storm is much worse than earthquake, who knows. Especially if it carry on every day without exception. (Trudi, my computer shows me that I have a mistake in the phrase above. If you can, please correct it because I don’t understand what I have done wrong.) Here, in Ireland, we have relatively good weather although it is too cold for March. There is no rain two days, thank Goodness! I didn’t see St. Patrick’s day parade: I set with my English books instead of it. My future English exam is caused a horror for me. I completely don’t see my grammar mistakes and I cannot correct sentences! I wish it would be finished. Alas… The house where you are living is reminding new buildings in Moscow to me. Bye.
Hi Trudi. What a lovely picture :-). My fingers are crossed for the weather gets better. Best wishes, Ana Paula.
Hi Trudi, readers; I guess I am the newest in this group. My name is Mina and last week I finally made my big decision to improve my English. I define a learning strategy to make a great progress in a predefined frame of time. I find your web log very helpful and interesting and am very happy to join you all.
Hello Trudi, the number 13 is considered unlucky in my country as well as seeing a black cat but I don't believe it and I like black cats. In Warsaw it has been snowing since yesterday. I can't see anything through the window. Easter is coming and everybody wants to feel the touch of spring. Instead of it the temperature above zero and the snow left streets and pavements full of puddles. Because of it I have decided to put some spring in my kitchen. There are daffodils and hyacinths in the colourful pots. They smell strong but nice. Where are you going to spend your Easter in the UK or in China? I wish you better air quality. Bye.
Welcome Mina!!! Good Easter for everybody!!!! (If you celebrate it in your countries) Mercè
Hi,Trudi Easter is on the horizon and I am going to buy some Eater eggs for my son and some of his friends. Very interestingly I have been told or overheard at school playground that some parents are going to buy small presents for their children instead of giving them Easter eggs because they are fed up eating chocolate. I feel that it is very interesting to see people changing or abandoning their traditions or institution for their own interest. we have got snow in the morning and it is still a bit nippy here. I hope the weather in Beijing has been better for you See you around!
Hi Madam, thank you for upgrading my knowledge.Thank you for posting a beautiful picture of your beautiful apartment. In India, new cities like Chandigarh are growing rapidly. Because of over population, living space dwindling which given birth to apartment culture having awesome heights. I support your view that house provides more comfort but apartment has its own benefits. You can venture out without having a fear of theft. Being situated closely, you enjoy more cordial relationships with neighbourers. You lives among people having almost equal status. Amazed to know that Chinese people do not have fifth floor. Have a nice and dust-free day.
Hello Trudy and everybody. What a high-rise building you live in in, Trudy! Teah's picture is very sweet. I have a three years old son, named Gabriele who would be very happy to play with Teah! In Italy we are quite superstitious: as in Poland, seeing a black cat, number 13 and 17, to pass under a stair, the violet colour at the theatre and in the TV's world and other I cannot remeber at this moment. Personally I don't believe in it, I am not so supersitious! Hear from you soon, bye!
Hey,Trudi!I am joining you for the first time.Just found out about such thing as learning English through BBC site.I'd like to try it.Hope it'll help me with my writing skills as well as speaking.I have studied English some time ago,but,unfortunatly,I am very short of practice. The place you are living is very nice.I wonder if other buildings in Beijing have pretty surroundings like playground,regularly cleaned lake,ect.What do suburbs look like?Here,in Lebanon,even a small space around a building is a great treasure.I have two kids and taking them out(or for a walk?)is a problem.You have to ride(or drive?which is correct?) to the nearest play area and it's also should be paid.So if parents don't have time,they are staying indoors,even in a good weather.Poor children! Bye.
Dear Trudi, After a long time, I am able to recall word “superstition” when I read you blog. When I was writing comments on Anastasia’s blog, I tried my best to recall this word but I was unable. In Nepal, there are so many superstitions in every field of life. When I checked answers given by you, I found that in sentence, “Gloves protect your hands from the cold. Hands are protected from the cold by glove”, you drop pronoun “you” and I want to know if there is any rule to drop pronoun in passive sentences. When I was in school, teacher taught us not to omit any word written in active voice. The picture of building looks very nice. In Nepal, we are also used to house culture but situation is now changing. Some real estate started to built multi-storey building and sell them in flat system especially in Kathmandu valley. Even till date, I have no experiences of rental house or flat.
Dear Trudi, How are you? I was wondering that what happend to you, then I realize that you have big task to do before dead line. I am glad that you successfuly finished your essay. It is a big relive Ah... what a wonderful feeling.
Dear Trudi, Sorry, I had to stop in the middle of blogging,because I had to help a student to solve a problem in his mathematics homework. Your appartments remind me of skyscrapers in American movies. If both side of the road have skyscrapers,its difficult to see the sky properly,and walking along those road will be weared feeling. As you had written, it is better to live in a house than an appartment. In our country only in capital Colombo has some appartment buildings with 2 to 3 floors. I have a friend who live in a appartment, if I go there I feel a little uncomfortable. If you like to live in house you have to settle down somewhere either London or China. I crossed my fingers for better house in better place for you. I missed the passive excercise, but it seems easy for me. Do you have to venture out during the spring time to do outdoor activities?( I don't know whether this sentence right) I heard on the radio that some athelets from America and Britain won't go to the opening ceremony for Olymbic, because of the bad air pollution, they scared that they will get upper respiratory problem such as asthma, sneezing and etc. It is a big disadvantage living in a big city. Do Chinese celebrate easter? I am not very supersitious like my parents, but I belife on some of them. Have a great day. my kind regards.
Hello Trudi :-) I don't envy your living in a flat. I have been living in a flat for all my life, and I've always been dreaming of living in a house or even in a little cottage, but so far my dream hasn't come true. Next thing I don't envy you are sand storms and the dust flying everywhere. I live in a small town built on sandy soil so when I was a child there were sand storms each time a wind was blowing. But people planted trees and sowed grass on every sandy patch of land and nowadays you don't even remember that there was a problem with the sand during the wind. I'm not sure if I will be able to write by Easter so I wish a Happy Easter to you and your whole family in China and in England and anywhere they live.
Hi Trudi, I have a cousin has living in Xangai for 4 Years. Hers husband work at German Industry called Bayer. There are other Brazilians with them. She said Xangai is very cold and she feeling miss from Brazil hot days. Another cousin, once a month go to Beijing. He take a Chinese technology to Brazil, I don't know any detail about this project. I had a pen friend shenzhen, but, I used to talk with her because hers assignment at yahoo messenger doesn't work anymore.
Trudi, It’s me again. About present perfect: There is no this verbs tense in Portuguese. When I studied present perfect (continuous), I was confused to understand how to apply. One English teacher showed me other way to understand this verb tense. Now I that’s ok, but, when I have to write or to talk about something with present perfect, sometime is correct and sometime I commit mistakes, because I’m not yet fluently in English. I think, I have to review my text and keep attention in this verb tense. Thank you a lot. Yanko
Hi Trudi, I asked you whether Chinese are superstitious when you wrote about their practice of writing their new year resolution in a piece of paper and tie it up in the temple at the time of Chinese New Year. Now I understand most of them are superstitious. In my country also people prefer to have a particular car number for their car. What an interesting point here is according to their astrology or horoscope their numerology will fall. So each person choose their own lucky number based on that. Not a particular number is unlucky for all.
Hi Trudi, It is hard to imagine China houses that shape. I know that cities are more or less similar in any country or continent but nevertheless I had the impression that Chinese houses kept their traditional style. A fourth/fifth floor is ok, not to high not to low. Concerning superstition in most countries the number 13 is considered unlucky but in northern or Anglo-Saxon countries it is associated with Friday. In Spain it is with Tuesday. Antonio
Hi Trudi!Also the Japanese pronunciation for the word ‘four’ sounds like the pronunciation for the word ‘death’ because Japanese is affected in part by Chinese.Moreover, the Japanese pronouciation for the word 'nine' sounds like the pronounciation for the word 'suffering'.Therefore, a lot of Japanese don't like 'four' or 'nine'.However,nearly all building in Japan don't remove fourth floor or nine floor because I think that Japanese(especially young Japanese) dont' take care those numbers as much as Chinese.Bye!
hi my name is roxanne and i have just came from spain all the way to england i am still learning to speak english bye bye bye
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