"Wake up! Look at the frosty morning!" I said to my children on Monday. I knew that they wouldn't want to get out of bed; after all, it was a school day. But something about the beginning of winter makes the morning more interesting for them. I opened the curtains in the rooms of my two youngest, who normally moan and complain when they have to get up. "Wow, look at all the crunchy frost," my daughter said. She was right. As we looked out on the back garden, there seemed to be a sheet of sparkling powdered glass laying on everything. It twinkled(1) in the morning light. "I'll make some hot chocolate," I said, still trying to coax(2) them into coming downstairs. I had their winter clothes laid out on the lounge floor:coats, boots, gloves, hats, and scarves. While they ate their porridge, I spoke to my oldest sons. "Now, its best to leave early, so you don't have to hurry. Keep your distance when you drive because its icy." They both nodded in agreement, and gave me that look, the look that says, "Mum, I already know all of that. I'm a teenager, remember?" As I went outside to warm up the car, I noticed a neighbor was scraping the ice off of her windshield(3). Another neighbor was sprinkling ice melter on his path. I realized that winter has arrived, and we need to prepare ourselves in order to live comfortably with the cold. Just then, I got a text from my husband, "Remember to get the snow tires put on your car" it read. Yes, it was another thing to add to my list of preparations for winter. Here are some more things to add to it:
Flu shots for everyone.
Chop wood for the fire.
Buy vitamin C and Zinc.
Ingredients for soups and stews.
Put fuel in the snow blower, and get the snow shovels out of the shed.
Each day I try to check off one or two things from the list so we will be ready for the chilly season. Nobody likes to be unprepared, especially when it is so cold.
1. 'To twinkle' is a verb that refers to an intermittent shining of light. We associate the verb with Christmas lights, frost, stars, and other kinds of light.
a. It was a very clear night. There was a full moon, and the stars were twinkling.
b. Look at those twinkling lights on the trees. They are so pretty!
2. 'To coax someone into...' this phrase is similar in meaning to 'to persuade someone to do something'.
a. I coaxed my dog into going to the vet by giving him pieces of bacon.
b. I coaxed my husband into going to see a ballet with me by promising that I would go hunting with him.
3. 'Windshield' is the main front window of a car. It shields/ protects you from the wind.
a. My windshield cracked when a big truck went past me and threw up some stones.
b. You might prefer a motorbike with a windshield if you are traveling far.
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The Redwood forest is located on the west coast, from the south of Oregon to the south of California. There isn't just one forest; there are several along and near the coast. Together they cover 133,000 acres. In the 1800's many people went to the west coast to mine gold. Of course, a lot of people didn't find any, and so logging became a second option. At that time there were 2,000,000 acres of redwoods. The trees were quickly chopped down and used for buildings in the San Francisco area. In 1920 a movement started to preserve the remaining trees, but it wasn't until(1) the 1960's that they were finally safe. And I'm so glad that they are. I was lucky enough to take my family there this summer, and we were amazed at their size and beauty. Their age was just as astonishing(2). We came across a slice of a massive tree that was around(3) before the Vikings came to the Americas. Some trees had fallen over, and their root systems were the size of houses! We walked around the forest, straining our necks to keep looking up, up, up. I noticed a few things in particular. First, the bark of the redwoods is spongey, not hard. Second, there are hardly any plants on the forest floor because of the lack of sunshine. And third, the forest is so, so quiet. There are so many photos on the web of these amazing trees. Click this link to see some.
1. 'It wasn't until...' is a phrase that indicates the passing of time until an event/ change/ an action. I mentioned that a movement to preserve the trees had started in the 1920's, but nothing happened until the 1960's. That is why I used 'it wasn't until...'
a. We asked for building permission, but it wasn't until 3 years later/had passed that we were given permission.
b. I asked him to close the door, but it wasn't until he got cold that he closed it!
c. We bought our ski gear, but it wasn't until February that we were able to use it.
2. 'Their age was just as astonishing.' This is a separate sentence which refers back to the size and beauty of the trees of the previous sentence.
a. The boys received excellent results in English. Their mathematics results were just as good.
b. She is tall and attractive. You are just as beautiful.
c. The new car is computerized and stylish. It's fuel efficiency is just as impressive.
3. 'a tree...that was around before the Vikings..' Here I could have used 'was growing' or 'was alive', but 'to be around' is a highly used phrase for something or someone being alive or present.
a. I am wise because I have been around for a long time.
b. That radio program has been around for about 50 years!
c. How long are those noisy kids going to be around here?
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American football is an autumn sport here in the U.S. The season goes from September until December approximately. Out of my three sons, only my youngest likes to play it; infact, he loves it. His last game was a couple of weeks ago, as middle schoolers have a short season. We went to the local High School stadium, and sat with a small crowd to watch the game. It was a chilly day, so most people had brought blankets and warm coats. I am more accustomed to football (soccer) and rugby, and so, it has taken me a while(1) to get used to the stopping and starting that take place in American football. The sport was based on rugby when it was first invented, but evolved during the 1870's into what it is today. Here, in the U.S, it is called 'football'; they call 'football' 'soccer' to distinguish between(2) the two. In order for a team to win it has to, first, have possession of the ball, and then advance into the opposing team's end zone. A 'touchdown' is the term used for a 'goal', just as in rugby we say a 'try'. There are also goal posts that the ball can be kicked through. So, you can see how American football is a hybrid of rugby. My son's team ended up(3) losing, but it was a great game. A few times the possession of the ball changed from one team to the other, and that is always exciting. The sport is the most popular in the country, and the amount of children who play it increases each year. It's following on television is also huge, with last year's Superbowl having 114 million American viewers.
1. ' It takes a while / it has taken (a person) a while to + verb' is a very common expression which shows how time is needed in order to accomplish something.
a. It takes a while to get onto the highway because the traffic in town is bad.
b. It takes me a while to wake up in the morning!
2. 'To distinguish between' is similar to saying 'to show/tell the difference between' when contrasting two things.
a. We can only distinguish between the twins when they are wearing different clothes! / We can only tell the difference between the twins ....
*Note 'to tell the difference' is used when we figure out/ calculate the difference, whereas 'to show' the difference is used when you are teaching or explaining what the difference is.
b. Can you distinguish between your father's voice and your grandfather's?
3. 'They ended up losing..' is a very natural sounding way of saying 'the end result was that they lost'. You could simply say 'they lost' of course, but 'they ended up' refers back to all the effort and time that went into their activity.
a. We won eight out of ten matches and ended up going to the state competition!
b. My car broke down and I missed the bus. My bicycle had a flat tire, so I ended up walking to work.
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On one of my many walks on the Apple Capital Loop Trail, I came across an amazing patch of flowers. On a corner of land, next to an indoor market(1), a garden of only one kind of flower had been planted. They were dahlias. I happened to have my iPhone with me, so I climbed in amongst (2)the tall plants, and tried to find the perfect angles for the photos. So what is so special about dahlias? Their variety and sizes are quite incredible. There are 42 species, and many hybrids, so the colors, shapes, and sizes vary tremendously(3). I grew just a few this year for the first time. One was a huge, yellow dahlia called a 'dinner plate'. You can imagine how big the flower head is! The dahlia also has an interesting history. It is the national flower of Mexico, and used to be grown by the Aztecs for its tubers (which are like bulbs) which they would eat. One of the dahlias I photographed was a red and cream stripy flower with a very large head. I played around with the photo for this blog, and actually decided that it looks better in black and white because the petals have so much texture. See what you think.
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1. 'Indoor/ outdoor' is quite obvious in meaning, but let's practice some examples:
a. We have indoor markets all winter because it is too cold outside.
b. They have an indoor swimming pool. How lucky!
c. There will be an outdoor theatre all summer long.
d. They live in Arizona where it is nearly always dry. They have an outdoor pizza oven.
2. 'Amongst/ among' are interchangeable. Note, however that in the US people don't really use 'amongst' as it sounds out of date.
a. Divide the chocolate among you three.
b. In this group, you are always among friends.
3. 'Tremendously' is a powerful adverb that is similar in sense to 'enormously'.
a. She is a tremendously talented mathematician.
b. He is tremendously helpful.
c. The personalities in my classroom vary tremendously.
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Walla Walla park is right next to the river in Wenatchee. When I first came here twenty three years ago, it had just opened. Now, twenty three years later, the trees are so much bigger, and the park is well used by the locals. Its biking and walking paths run(1) for about five miles along the Columbia river. Then they continue over a bridge to the north, follow the other side of the river south, and finally, cross over the southern bridge to form an oval, or what we call The Apple Capital Loop Trail. It actually gets very busy as the walkers and bikers share the same paths. There is a courtesy rule(2) that as a biker approaches people walking in front of him, he must call out, “On your left!” That way, the walkers can move over to the right and let the biker pass safely. Safety is, of course, very important when lots of people are using the same place for sport. The water sports, such as kayaking and fishing, also need safety precautions. The local council has supplied life jackets for anyone who wishes to use them. So, if a family brings a boat to go fishing, they can use as many life jackets as they need, as long as(3) they put them back afterwards. The same goes for kayakers, water skiers, and paddle boarders. It is a generous and practical idea. It also encourages people to be honest, and to give back what they have borrowed. Along with the drinking fountains, toilets, play areas for children, and coffee hut, the free life jackets ensure a safe and enjoyable experience of the park.
1. ‘Run ….along/ the length of’ describes how a physical or imagined road travels, and what it is next to.
a. The route we will take runs up the mountain face and then along to the right.
b. The state boundary runs right along the river.
c. Semi-precious stones can be found on the entire length of the stream.
2. ‘A courtesy rule’ is a rule that is established for the good of the general public, for safety, and for comfort.
a. Opening the door for a lady used to be a courtesy rule.
b. Waving at a driver who has just let you into traffic is a courtesy rule.
3. ‘…as long as…’ is similar in meaning to ‘if’, but it implies that a condition has to be met.
a. You can go to the cinema, as long as you are home by eleven.
b. They can borrow our car, as long as they buy extra insurance.
c. She can borrow twenty dollars, as long as she pays me back by Thursday.
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