Since yesterday (April 21st) was the 205th anniversary of Charlotte Bronte’s birth, I thought it would be nice to have a look at some of the personal letters that she wrote during her lifetime. 📚 Most people remember her for her classic Jane Eyre (1847) or even Villette (1853), both of which considered what life […]
Lesson #218: Learning From A Letter – Charlotte Bronte’s words to her Aunt Read More »
📗 “I am very glad to hear it indeed, and now I shall never be ashamed of liking Udolpho myself. But I really thought before, young men despised novels amazingly.” “It is amazingly; it may well suggest amazement if they do— for they read nearly as many as women. I myself have read hundreds and
📗 Thorpe told her it would be in vain to go after the Tilneys; they were turning the corner into Brock Street, when he had overtaken them, and were at home by this time. “Then I will go after them,” said Catherine; “wherever they are I will go after them. It does not signify talking.
📗 Arthur had passed the village of Hayslope and was approaching the Broxton side of the hill, when, at a turning in the road, he saw a figure about a hundred yards before him which it was impossible to mistake for any one else than Adam Bede, even if there had been no grey, tailless
Lesson #216: Seven Nouns with Identical Singular and Plural Forms in ‘Adam Bede’ Read More »
📙 ‘I hope I shall always behave so as to be respected by every one; and that nobody would do me more hurt than I am sure I would do them.’ – Samuel Richardson, Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded (1740) In Part 2 of our Lesson, we continue to differentiate the differences between similar-looking words like
Have you ever wondered what is the difference between words like ‘beside’ and ‘besides’? 💡 Believe me, one little letter makes all the difference in what the word means and how it can be used! Today’s Lesson in two parts looks at 3 ‘mistakable’ pairs of words: Besides vs beside Always vs alway Forwards vs
I have been looking forward to April for some time, knowing that these lines from the 14th century poet Geoffrey Chaucer would be perfectly seasonable! 🌼 This Lesson is in 3 parts: ✏️ A modern translation of Chaucer’s medieval poem’s opening lines (with a vocabulary list) ✏️ The original lines in medieval English (just for
Lesson #214: Appreciating April through Ancient Eyes (Chaucer’s poetry) Read More »
📘 ‘Lady Carbury, having finished her third letter, threw herself back in her chair, and for a moment or two closed her eyes, as though about to rest. But she soon remembered that the activity of her life did not admit of such rest. She therefore seized her pen and began scribbling further notes.’ –
Lesson #213: On Anthony Trollope (and 3 Easily Mistaken Verb Forms) Read More »
This is Part 2 of our complete Lesson in which we look at past perfect verb form + adverbs past participles + infinitives present participles + infinitives simple past tense + 2 infinitives 2 simple past tense constructions in a row 2 different verb forms (simple past + present participle) in a row … 📝
Mini-Lesson Monday, Lesson #212 (Part 2): Multiple Verbs and Correct Word Order Read More »
📙 Many American ladies on leaving their native land adopt an appearance of chronic ill-health, under the impression that it is a form of European refinement, but Mrs. Otis had never fallen into this error. She had a magnificent constitution, and a really wonderful amount of animal spirits. Indeed, in many respects, she was quite
Mini-Lesson Monday, Lesson #212 (Part 1): Multiple Verbs and Correct Word Order Read More »
Every time Easter approaches, I am reminded of a short story, The Selfish Giant (1888), written by the Irish poet and playright Oscar Wilde. As I was rereading it today, I was impressed again by how splendid and eloquent his writing is, while being easy to read. In fact I think its language is even
Here we continue the story of Margaret Hale on her return to her parents’ country home in Helstone (a fictional village, probably based in Hampshire, England). … 📗 # FROM GASKELL’S NORTH AND SOUTH And walk Margaret did, in spite of the weather. She was so happy out of doors, at her father’s side, that