đ But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, […]
Lesson #287: Adjectives, Adverbs, And Intensifier Adverbs in Eliotâs ‘Middlemarch’ Read More »
If you have been following my Short Lessons for a while, you might remember that every so often I like to return to the poetry of one of my favourite American poets, Emily Dickinson (1830-1886).đŒ My recent lessons have been filled with explanations and thorough guidance.  Today’s lesson will be different because you will have
It has been quite a long time since we enjoyed a poem together. One that comes to mind from time to time, and which seems so appropriate for the day (being his birthday) is the American poet Robert Frostâs poem, âA Tuft of Flowersâ. đ Letâs take a step away from grammar today and enjoy
đ The old man, contrary to expectation, seemed to be on the way to recovery, when one night Silas, sitting up by his bedside, observed that his usual audible breathing had ceased. – George Eliot, Silas Marner (1861) How would you describe something dramatic and memorable that happened to you âone nightâ, as happened to
The book was interesting and it was old and it was long and it was a French book too. This is a very odd sentence! â Do you know how it could be improved? In a nutshell (in a few words), we could replace all the âand it wasâ phrases with commas. So we would
Have you heard of negative prefixes in English before? đ§ đ©âđ« While the grammatical term is a bit of a mouthful, they are nothing to worry about. In fact, they are useful little syllables that we place at the beginning of a word (a noun, adjective, adverb, or verb) to indicate that its meaning has
If you have been learning English for some time, you may have listened to speeches given by politicians, actors, or artists. A common trope (literary or artistic feature) you will notice in such speeches is that of repetition â the repetition of some words or phrases for effect. English literature also has plenty of examples
đ âI will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.â – Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol (1843) What better
đ ‘So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by
Lesson #274: Easy Antonyms in ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ You Already Know Read More »
Welcome to the last section of our Lessons on common mistakes learners of English make (and Part 2 of Lesson #273). With the help of Virginia Woolfâs first novel, The Voyage Out (1915), we are analysing the main mistakes that Spanish students make when learning English. ⊠21 COMMON MISTAKES (CONTINUED) đ #11 ‘TH’ SOUND
Lesson #273: Mistakes Spanish Speakers tend to make in English (Part 2) Read More »
This is our last Lesson in our 5-part series looking at common mistakes English language students tend to make. If you have been following these since the start of November, you will have noticed that there are always some points that challenge more than one group of students (for example, affecting Russian as well as
Lesson #273: Mistakes Spanish Speakers tend to make in English (Part 1) Read More »
If you have been following our Lessons since the start of November, you will have noticed that we are taking a look at some common mistakes made by students from different language backgrounds. I always mention that these Lessons are not a criticism of your mistakes! I hope instead to offer some helpful points on
Lesson #272: Common Issues for Hebrew Speakers studying English (Part 1) Read More »