Holidays

Well the semester is coming to an end and the holidays are on their way. This is my favorite time of the year, but not until papers and finals are all done with. When the semester is over I will be able to enjoy the holiday. I am sure I have mentioned this before, but Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday. Its a little weird, but it makes me feel so good inside and I love spending time with family. I am the decorator at my house so I try and do my best to make my house look absolutely beautiful.

Vocabulary:
semester(noun)- a school session; a period of time during education.
holiday(noun)- a day of celebration for a certain person or religious reasoning.
favorite(noun)- a person or thing regarded with special favor or preference.
enjoy(verb)- take pleasure in.
decorator(noun)- a person who decorates.

Fill in the blanks:
1. During the _____________ of Thanksgiving, I gather with my family to give thanks.
2. I am the ________________ for the house during all the holidays.
3. Christmas is my ____________ time of the year.
4. The ______________ will be over December 16th, after all my finals are done.
5. I _______________ playing my xbox 360 during my spare time.

Grammar Point:Defining Relative Clause and Non-defining
A defining relative clause is needed in understanding the meaning of a sentence and a non-defining relative clause is additional information which is not needed to understand the meaning of a sentence.

Now you try it:
Decide whether the flowing clauses are defining or non-defining. Insert commas where necessary!
ex) The car, which was a rare sports coupe, was built in 1966.

1. We invited the boy who Tom had met the week before to the party.
2. Our friends who we met at the university are coming to visit next week.

Having a Bad Day....

I am exhausted and paranoid today. I think all the running around from going to two jobs, school, and running a mentoring program is getting to me. My linguistics class is what is worrying me. I have not been doing so well on the tests, but my papers are great. It is imperative that I get at the least a B in this class to be able to pass it. The graduate program requires that you take the class over if you get a grade lower than a B. Its a lot to take in. I am not complaining just simply stating the facts. I am student teaching in the Spring semester and then graduating in May. I thought this day would never come, but it's right around the corner and I do not want to do anything to destroy this chance.

Vocabulary:
exhausted(verb)- overly tired
paranoid(adjective)- a severe feeling of being scared
imperative(adjective)- absolutely necessary
graduate(noun)- a person who receives a degree or diploma
complain(verb)- to express pain, uneasiness,dissatisfaction, grief, or resentment

Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word:
1. I am in my senior year of high school and ___________________ in June.
2. My friend fell asleep in class, she must of been ________________.
3. It is ________________ to pass this class with an A.
4. My back hurts so I have been __________________ all day.
5. I am so ________________ that the cops are going to show up at the party.

Grammar Point:Homonym
It is a word the same as another in sound and spelling but different in meaning. For example ad, add, affect, effect, ect.

Now you try it.
Write a paragraph using the same words but with different meanings.

Election Day!

Election Day has finally passed. I woke up this mourning and found out that Obama is our new president. I was so happy because I voted for him and this election was definitely very important. I feel that Obama has alot on his plate now because he has to get us out of this recession. He has stepped into a mess and hopefully he can lead us out of it. I have faith that he will try his best and hopefully we will get out of this recession and not have it get worse.

Vocabulary:
election(noun)- the selection of a person or persons for office by vote.
president(noun)- the highest executive officer of a modern republic, as the Chief Executive of the United States.
vote(verb)- to express or signify will or choice in a matter.
recession(noun)- a period of an economic contraction.
faith(noun)- confidence or trust in a person or thing.

Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word:
1. I have ____________ in my religion.
2. The United States is going though a ___________ at this time.
3. The ____________ of the United States runs the country.
4. I ____________ for Obama.
5. This ________________ of presidents was a change in history.

Grammar Point: Discourse Markers
They are used for sequence, managing conversation, to influence our listeners and readers, and to express our attitude to what we say and write. Examples: Anyway, finally, fortunately, futhermore, naturally, obviously, secondly.

You try it:
In order write how you start your mourning.

My Family History

As the daughter of two Argentinian immigrants, my family's linguistic history is multi layered. Although both of my parents were born in Argentina, their families had vastly different origins. My mother's mother was also born in Argentina, but to Spanish born parents. Her father was from Italy. My father was the only member of his family not born in Peru. Both myself and my elder brother were born in the United States. This family history makes me the woman that I am today.

Vocabulary:
linguistic(adjective)- belonging to language
multi layered(adjective)- having two or more layers
vastly(adjective)- very great portion
origin(noun)- ancestry
elder(adjective)- older
history(noun)- past or continuous events

Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word:
1. The rainbow cookie is ________________.
2. I come from an Argentinian ____________.
3. The ___________ man walked very slow.
4. My parents have a long ______________ together.
5. He had ____________ overestimated his resources.
6. My story was based on the _____________ background of my family.

Grammar Point: Conjunctions
Conjunctions are any member of a small class of words distinguished in many languages by their function as connectors between words, phrases, clauses, or sentences, as and, because, but, however.

Now you try it:
Write a minimum of five sentences using a conjunction (connection word). Remember to use different conjunctions.
ex) I wrote my paper today and handed it into the professor.

Not Feeling Well....

Tuesday mourning I woke up feeling achy and all congested. I felt fine Monday night; so I do not know where I got it from, but then again who does. I am a little upset because I missed my Tuesday and Wednesday classes, which means I am going to be behind a little. I also missed work and that stinks because my paycheck is not going to be what I would like it to be. Well today I am back at work and still feel weak, but I had to get out of bed because it makes me feel worse. Today I will catch up on all my work that I have missed this week and hopefully I will be back on track by Tuesday, which I am confident that I will.

Vocabulary:
achy(adjective)- when a part of your body hurts
congested(verb)- stuffy nose
paycheck(noun)- salary or wage given at the end of the week
weak(adjective)- not strong
worse(adjective)- bad
confident(adjective)- having strong belief

Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word:
1. I did not work too many hours this week, so my _______________ is going to be low.
2. I got a cold and my back is _____________.
3. When I got up from bed my legs felt so ____________ that I almost collapsed.
4. My illness got ____________ throughout the week so I had to stay home.
5. I feel all ________________ from this cold.
6. I am ___________________ that I will pass my test.

Grammar Point: Adverbs
Adverbs can modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a phrase or a clause. They determine time, a place, a cause, or degree. They also answers the questions "how", "when", "where", and "how much". Adverbs also can end in "ly".

Now You Try it:
Add an adverb to the sentence.
1. The fish swims.
2. The cat chased the mouse.

Tonight!

I have not been out with my girlfriends in quite a while. So I am happy to say that tonight we will be meeting up for my girlfriend Melissa's birthday. I think of it this way, I am blessed to have such wonderful friends and I can not wait to see them tonight. We will all make sure Melissa has a great time tonight!

Vocabulary:
girlfriend(noun)- a female friend.
birthday(noun)- a day of a persons' birth.
blessed(adjective)- bringing happiness.
wonderful(adjective)- great/marvelous/excellent.
time(noun)- the moment.

Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word:
1. My ______________ is August 20,1981.
2. I am ___________ to have such caring parents and friends.
3. This job is _______________ because I enjoy the people I work with.
4. This ____________ around I want to be the center of attention.
5. Me and my _________________ are going to get together to get something to eat and gossip.

Grammar Point: Adjectives
Adjectives modify a noun or a pronoun; it can end in able, ous, er, and est.

Now you try it:
Underline the adjective in the sentence. Remember adjectives modify nouns or pronouns!

1. That is a big building.
2. I met a very old man.
3. That's a very nice dress you a wearing.
4. That is a small house.
5. The water is crystal blue.

Happy that my Presentation is Over!

Last night I had a presentation on morphology. I find it to be so odd that I still get nervous about presenting, when I have done it so many times. Its weird, at first, I am fine and than when I get up to do it I rush through it. I feel like I go through it so fast that I do not even know what I said. Hopefully, one day I will stop rushing through my presentations and calm my nerves so that I could take my time.

Vocabulary:
presentation(noun)- a social introduction or performance
morphology(noun)- the study of word formation
odd(adjective)- a feeling of strangeness or unusual
nervous(adjective)- uneasy feeling
weird(adjective)- bizarre
hopefully(adverb)- if all goes well

Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word:
1. ____________ I passed my test that I took last night.
2. When I went on the plane I was so ___________ because there was turbulence.
3. The ____________ strategy consists of breaking down words.
4. I saw a ___________ looking bug that I have never seen before.
5. I had to read an article and do a ____________ in front of the class.
6. My friends costume was ____________ because it had several arms.

Grammar Point: Verbs
Verbs express an action, state, or a relation between two things.

Now you try it:
Write a paragraph of what you did yesterday and underline the verbs, then write why you think its a verb.
ex) I drove to school yesterday. (drove: is a verb because it is an action)