Improve Your English: Correcting Common Mistakes
- In other European countries, children learn to manage without their parents’ help at a younger age, so they can learn to deal with daily problems independently.
- He is not punctual, but he makes up for it by working hard.
- I don’t care where you are, provided that you come early. You know you must come with me whether you like it or not.
- Assuming that we miss the plane, what shall we do?
- No matter how much you threaten me, you won’t get anything.
- Doing things yourself is safer than letting kids do them.
Mastering Opinion Essays and Conditional Sentences
Opinion Essays and Conditional Sentences
Opinion Essay Structure
An opinion essay presents your viewpoint on a specific topic. Here’s a typical structure:
Introduction:
It is undeniable that [introduce the topic] has become a controversial issue in today’s society. Some argue that [one side of the argument], while others believe that [opposing view]. In my opinion, [state your opinion clearly].
Main Body: Argument in Favor (or Against):
Without a doubt, [your first argument in favor of your opinion]
Read MoreMastering ‘Me’ vs. ‘I’: Correct Pronoun Usage Explained
On March 5, Jazmine Hughes wrote in a New York Times blog:
“Recently, at an IRL party — that is, a party that takes place ‘in real life,’ as opposed to where I generally live, which is on the Internet — a guest asked a friend and I how we met.”
The sentence includes a common error I have been seeing and hearing more and more often lately.
The error is using the subject pronoun “I” when the object pronoun “me” should be used.
Even President Obama can be heard using “I” for the
Read MoreMastering English Grammar: Infinitives, Gerunds, Comparisons
Infinitives and Gerunds: A Comprehensive Guide
A. Infinitive with “to”
Uses:
- To express purpose: Example: I went out to get some fresh air.
- After some adjectives: Example: It’s not easy to find work these days.
- After “to be” to give orders or express arrangements: Example: You’re to stay here until I get back.
- After “would hate/like/love/prefer”: Example: Would you like me to do it now?
- After certain verbs: Verbs: agree, appear, arrange, ask, attempt, choose, decide, demand, deserve, expect, help, hesitate,
Jordi Sierra i Fabra: “The Memory of Loved Lost” Analysis
Jordi Sierra i Fabra: “The Memory of Loved Lost”
Jordi Sierra i Fabra: “The Memory of Loved Lost.” Editorial SM.
Sierra i Fabra, Jordi (1947), Spanish writer, rock historian, and author of children’s literature. Born in Barcelona, he studied Surveying, a profession he began to practice during the day while writing at night and contributing to Big Music Radio Madrid. Starting in 1970, he led the seminar Disco Express. In 1972, he published History of Pop Music, and in 1982, the six-volume dictionary
Read MoreThe Grapes of Wrath Character Profiles
Characters from The Grapes of Wrath
- Tom Joad: Protagonist of the story. The Joad family’s second son, named after his father. Later, Tom takes leadership of the family despite his youth.
- Ma Joad: The matriarch. Practical and warm-spirited, she strives to hold the family together. Her given name is never revealed; it is suggested her maiden name was Hazlett.
- Pa Joad: The patriarch, also named Tom, aged 50. A hardworking sharecropper and family man. Pa becomes broken upon losing his livelihood and the