No technology? No way!

                                                                

With technology, everything is different

Albert Einstein once said: "I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots." That phrase caught my attention because the reality we are living today is an advantage and a disadvantage that children have technology at their fingertips. A positive aspect is that they become very smart, but the negative of this is that we can not treat them like children who are rather a joke and analyzed what we told them and correct us saying is not funny because it is not so that way is another and it's annoying.

Children and adolescents with an electronic element in their hands can develop many skills and knowledge of many things or they can do school work, but the problem is that they might have an addiction or dependency or Internet device. It's okay for them to have these opportunities, but moderately. It is strange to the society seen children with a cell phone, maybe they need it or maybe not, but it is not necessary for them. The only cases in which they can be required is when the parents of the child are separated, so they can be in communication with them.

In my opinion electronic devices such as computers, tablets, smart phones and other must be for college students or employers where they need technology . I think teenagers of 15 years could have a cell phone because it is an age where they are a little more responsible and parrents are a little more liberal, but still care about their children and take knowledge of them so that age is necessary to have a mobile phone . Today family dinners have changed thanks to technology , many families do not agree with this as being seated at the table with family sharing, but they are distracted by the technology, like my grandmother said at my times families would sit and talk about everything and she missed it because is not the same to be with them that dial a number and called them, visiting the family has also lost a lot, so we have to let go of the technology and be more concerned about our family.

Future Perfect and Future Progressive:

Future perfect: Indicates that an action will have been completed at some point in the future. This term is formed with will + Have + the past participle of the verb. Which can be either regular or irregular in form.

Example: "I will have spent all my money by this time next year".
                 "I will have run successfully in three marathons if I can finish this one".

Singular                                           Plural  
I will have walked.                      We will have walked
You will have walked.                 You will have walked.
He/ She/ It will have walked.       They will have walked.

Future progressive: Indicates continuing action, something that will be happening, going on, at some point in the future. This tense is formed with the modal will + be + present participle of the verb (with ing ending).

Example: I will be running in next year's Boston Marathon.
Our campaign plan suggest taht the President will be winning the southern vote by November.

Singular                                          Plural
I will be walking.                    We will be walking.
You will be walking.               You will be walking.
He/ She/ it will be wallking.     They will be walking

Glossary:

Sonic: Noise.
Sending me over the edge: Frustrating me greatly.
Retaliatory: Involving revenge.
Vigilante: A person who punishes others.
Jolted: Startled; surprised.
Shattered: Destroyed.
Towed: Removed.
Wail: Long loud cry. 
Siren: Warning signal.
Banned: Prohibited.
Prompted: Caused.
Vibrations: Movements.
Frustated: Disappointed. 
Defective: Marked by subnormal structure, function, intelligence, or behavior.
Offense: The act of causing anger, resentment, displeasure, or affront.
Awful: Extremly bad or unpleasant; terrible.
Comforting: To ease physically; relieve.
Constant: Continually occuring; persistent.
Piercing: To make a hole or oppening.
Shrill: Producing a sharp, high-pitched tone or sound.

       

Finding a Niche

Young immigrants

Many young people travel from one country to another with their parents, whether for work, had a problem in their country or because they are going to live in another country. Whenever this happens they travel to other countries temporarily and for young people it must be difficult to start again in other schools and with other people. It must be difficult because the children become fond with people who know so far that they should say goodbye  when its time to go. I've met foreigners who have left because their parents have been removed from other country or because they miss their country.

There are instances of cases where families must constantly travel to other countries as I mentioned before because the work send them or because they need to use more their passport or simply because they want to return to their native country. Changing of country affects younger since they make their friends until they have go from there. Many times to be traveling family traditions are lost either because a part of the family must be in one country and the other half on other, then families drift apart until they can ask for holiday and return together.

The people I met and who had to leave this country told me that for them it is exciting and sad to go to another country, because they like the country and they adhere much with people who get to know, then when their parents tells them that they have to go they are sad, but then they realized that they are going to know about other country.When they leave the sad thing is that rarely times they would turn to talk to people who they knew and were unlikely to see again. Well one of the people I met was my best friend in kindergarten, she left 9 years ago, she is from Argentina, she has not returned and I have not come to visit, but occasionally times we talk.

                                     

                                               Present Perfect- Simple Past Contrasted

Present Perfect: 

Use: Result of an action in the past is important in the present.

Recently completed actions.

Actions beginning in the past and still continuing.

Togheter with lately, recently, yet.

Signal Words: Just, yet, never, already, ever, so far, up to now, recently, since, for.

Form: Have/has + past participle

Examples:
Afirmative sentences
I have played football.
I've played football.

You have played football.
You've played football.
                
He has played football.
 He's played football.    

Negative sententences:
I have not played football.
I've not played football.
I haven't played football.

You have not played football.
You've not played football.
You haven't played football.

He has not played football.
He's not played football.
He hasn't played football.

Questions:
Have I played football?
Have you played football?
Has he played football? 

Simple past:

Use: Action finished in the past.
Series of completed actions in the past.
Together with the Past Progressive/ Continuous- The Simple Past interrupted an action which was in progress in the past.

Signal  words: Yesterday, last week, a month ago.

Form: Infinitive + ed.

Examples:
Affirmative sentences:
I played football.
You played football.
He played football.

Negative sentences:
I did not played football.
I didn't played football.

You did not played football.
You didn't played football.

He did not played football.
He didn't played football.

Questions:
Did I play football.
Did you play football.
Did he play football.

Spelling (both tenses):
Stopped (Double the consonant after a short vowel).
Loved (One e at the end of the word - leave out the e and add d).  
worried (Consonant before y change to ie).
  

Glossary:

Unique: Special; individual. 
Native tounge: First language.
Flourishing: Growing and developing well.
Mainstream: The common way of thinking or acting.
Tight-knit: Close; conected.
Assimilate: Adapt and adjust.
Suppresed: Not allowed to express.
Relieved: Happy that you don't have to worry about something.
Bone up on: Review; study again.
Intimidating: Frightening
Uprooted: Removed from; torn from.
Set apart: Make someone or something different.
Interpret: To explain the maening of.
Niche: A situation or activity specially suited to a person's interests, abilities or nature.
Support: To aid the cause, policy, or interests of.
Dialect: A distinct variety of language.
Have a hard time: Have difficulty.
Deal with: Do what is necessary to solve a problem.
Learned by doing: Learn in an active, pratical way.
Encouragement: Praise, support. 

Goodbye to the Sit-Down Meal

Sit-Down meals  has changed

Today families do not sit down to eat how they used to do before, because parents have to work late, or the children eat after them because they have projects to do and they don't have enough time to eat or they go to eat with their friends. There are cases where families gather once a year or a month because their parents have to work in another country, or they are very busy all week and their free time is on weekends, but there are others that share the weekend together as a family. The family dinners are for share, talk and learn more about them.

When you share in family dinners you talk with all the members about how was their day or week and ask them about their job, what they did and others, we do that because in that way we are interested about what they did. As I said many families can not meet very often because of their work or they don'tt live in the same country, so they should meet at another time, it must be sad to spend all year waiting for the time when they arrive, because they could miss them so much. Spend a day with the family is important because in this way we know them more and we live with them in the same house, and is important to be worried about them.

In my opinion it must be important to have family meetings every night if possible, because by this way we about our family and they know about us. In my house few nights we ate together because my brother lives in another house and my sister sometimes hang out with her friends or she needs to work late at the office, so my parents and me have dinner. Knowing the family is important because in this way the family is more united.

Phrasal Verbs    

Is two or three words put together to make one verb. Two-word phrasal verbs consist of a verb and a particle (an adverb or preposition). This combination of words often has a meaning that is very different from the meanings of its separate parts.

Verb               +       Participle                Meaning

Keep                        Up with                    Stay at the same level 

Take                         Out                          Bring food from a restaurant to another place

Make                        Up                           Compose

Pick                           Up                           Collect

Phrasal Verbs: Some phrasal verbs contain three words. Examples: Aun Pain Gourmet is having difficulty keeping up with the demand.

Some phrasal verbs are transitive. They take a direct object.Example: Parents pick up their children as early as possible.

• Many transitive phrasal verbs are separable. 
• The direct object can come between the verb and the particle, or after the particle. Example: Workers often take their lunch out to the park.
• Workers often take out their lunch to the park.

However, when the direct object is a pronoun, it must go between the verb and particle. Example: They take it out to the park. NOT They take out it to the park.

If the direct object is a long phrase, it always comes after the particle. Example: Are you going to the deli? Can you please pick up a sandwich with swiss chesse, mustard, and lettuce and tomato? NOT Can you please pick a sandwich with swiss cheese mustard, and lettuce and tomato up?

Other transitive verbs are inseparable. The direct object always comes after the particle. Example: Au Pain Gourmet is having difficulty keeping up with the demand. NOT Au Pain Goumet is having difficulty keeping the demand up with.

Some phrasal verbs are intransitive. They do not take a direct object. Example: Outside the store, customers were lining up.   

Glossary:

Delicacies: Luxuries.

Witnessing: Seeing.

Stacked: Full.

Shift: Change.

Workforce: Labor force.

Phenomemnon: Habit.

Overrun: Taken over.

Core: Key.

Intimate: Close.

Sit down: Relaxed.

Tough: Difficult.

Hard to swallow: Dufficult to believe.

Put bread on the table: Someone has to earn money.

Pizza city: Many pizza restaurants there.

Hit: Very popular.

Exploding: More delis are oppening all the time. 

Tastes: Customers should express their opinions.

Beaned: Hit with something.

Chain: Part of a group of stores.

Shoveling food in: Eating very quickly.

                                       

What's the use of homework?

What's the use of homework?

Years ago the homework was prohibited because educators didn't know how important these were, so studdents should pay more attention in class and study their notes for the quiz or exam. For educators letting homework to the studdents was a beneffit for them, so they don't do many exercises in class, so students will practice at home. When teachers let homework to their students, they dissagree because it could be a waste of time and maybe they have more important things to do.

The use of homework is important because in this way students could learn more and if they have a quiz or an exam they can study from the homework that they did. Doing homework is a review of what you learn in the class. Sometimes students didn't do their homeworks because, like I mention before they have important thing to do or they think that is a waste of time.      

For me the use of homework is to review or study what I saw in class, because if it doesn't exist I could put more attention in class and reread that documents that the professor gave me, but I need adittional information to study. Doing homework can be a waste of time, but as I mention earlier is important to review what we saw in class so our minds are clear about what we learn. Doing the exercises that we did in class in our house, makes our mind remember what we learn in class.     

Let, Make, have, and get

Let: [Let + Person + Verb]

Use: This construction means "to allow someone to do something".

Examples: John let me drive his car.

                  Will your parents let you go tothe party?

                  I don't know if my boss will let me take the day off.

Make: [Make + Person + Verb] 

Use: This construction means "to force someone to do something".

Examples: My teacher made me apologize for what I had said.

                  Did somebody make you wear that ugly hat?

                  She made her children do their homework.

Have: [Have + Person + Verb]

Use: This construction means "to give someone the responsability to do something".

Examples: Dr. Smith had his nurse take the patient's temperature.

                  Please have your secretary fax me the information.

                  I had the mechanic check the brakes.

Get: [Get + Person + Verb]

Use: This construction usually means "to convince or trick someone to do something".

Examples: Susie got her son to take the medicine even though it tasted terrible.

                   How can parents get their children to read more?

                   The government TV comercials are trying to get people to stop smoking.

                   

Glossary:

Ritual: Something you do on a regular basis.

Advocates: Supporters beleivers of one side of a controversy.

Foundation: Basis; an idea from which a system develops.

Fluctuated: Changed from one level to another.

Tangible: Real; something that can be measured.

Self-steem: Feeling good about yourself.

Sacrifice: Ask for help; beg.

Duty: Something you must do.

Demanding: Difficult; challenging.

Monitor: Carefully check or examine.

Accountable: Considered responsible.

Distraught: Very upset.

Obedient: Dutifully complying with the commands, orders or instructions of one in authority.

Outlawed: A fugitive from the law.

Buckle down: Concentrate and do your work.
Came to mind: Ocurred to (me)
Conked out: Fell asleep or felt exhausted.
A cinch: Something that is very ease.
Hopping mad: Really angry.
Over the top: Excessive, too much.
Pays off: Leads to good results. 

    

Giving to others: why do we do it?

Why we give to others?

Helping a brother in need is being solidarity with someone either feeding him, give him a bag of food or clothing. In Costa Rica there should be campaigns to help the needy at Christmas as there is in the United States. It's not their fault living on the street and asking for a little help, that is their lifestyle and we should not 

be bad with them.

In Costa Rica the homeless deserve better lifestyle How? Help from us whether if they touch our front door we should give them biscuits or rice or clothes, anything but they do not leave empty handed. We can be kind to them if they come to interrupt us when we're walking down the street and buy them something to eat Why not? If we have time, sit and talk with them, they could need something.

My mom taught me to be charitable to people who have nothing to eat, where to live or sleep, when I clean my room there are things settled away to the needy, I always liked to help them because they were always very grateful. A youth group goes every Friday night to give sandwiches to the homeless along with soft drink, whenever we where to one of them always show a smile and tell us how or why they are there, the experience is very nice their stories are very interesting. Many times we can be very rude to people living on the streets but they are people too and we do not be scare despite their appearance they are good people.

Relative Pronouns in adjective clauses

Adjective clauses: Are used to identify or add information about nouns. Usually, the adjective clause directly follows the noun it refers to. These clauses are introduced by a relative pronoun, such as who, that, which, whose, where, or when.

An identifying adjective clause, gives essential information about the noun it refers to. No commas surround the identifying adjective clause. It is set off in a written sentence by comma.

A non- identifying adjective clause: Gives extra information about the noun it refers to. It is set off in the sentence by commas. 

Pronunciation note: In speaking people often pause and lower their tone of voice to say the words in the non-identifying relative clause. 

Example: Sting is the person who helped establish the Rainforest Foundation.

• The Rainforest foundation, who was founded in 1989, is working to protect forests arround the world.

Who refers to people. It can be the subject or the object of an adjective clause.

Example: Sting is a musician who (object) is concerned about the environment.     

Glossary:

Cause: A principle or aim that a group of people support or fight for.                            

Morality: Related to principles of what is right and wrong.

Anonymity: Doing something without letting anyone know your name.

Motivation: Very eager to do or achieve something.
Donation: A gift.

Contribute: To give money, help, or ideas.

Inheritance: To receive something from someone who has died.
Passion: A strongly felt emotion.

Mandatory: Smething that is required or that must be done.

Generosity: An attitude or behavior of giving things to others, or of helping others. 

Fundraiser: A person or event whose purpose is to collect money for charity.

Appeal: Requests, often for money or help.
Catastrophe: A complete failure.
Charity: Provision of help or relief to the poor; almsgiving.
Wealth: An abundance of valuable material possessions or resources; riches.
Benefactor: One that gives aid, specially financial aid.
Freelance: A person who sells services to employers without a long-term commitment to any of them.
Rewarding: Offering or likely to offer satisfaction or gratification.

Longevity: Refusing to Be Invisible

                       

Being polite with older people

For me being polite is like helping and visiting older people so in this topic I will talk about what young people and many people do to be kind to the elderly. Also talk about how we should be with them. Also on what I was taught, but I don`t do it for fear that when I help them they physical attacks me or think I`m a thief, when they might thank me for the favor I did. And I`m going to tell you my personal opinion.

To be kind to an elderly person, I was taught that should help them cross the street, or in case that you have seen that they went shopping bags help to take, I do it with my grandmother, but if I do it with a stranger she may attack me and call the police for the scare I gave her. Another way to be kind to them is by visiting them in an assisted living facility, so they can see that there are people who care about them and realize that we are like their grandchildren. I have visit many assisted living facility and I spent good time with them. I know a Christian group that visit this kind people in hospitals, they pray, sing and talk with them every Saturday and when they finish they take them to the chapel that they have.

 In my opinion there should be different youth groups, or even anyone can take an afternoon and visit, play and talk with them, because they always have stories to tell and it is nice to spend time with them. I think that not many people do those things and this is sad for me because when I visit them I see their smiles.

Tag questions:

A tag question is a special construction in English. It is a statement followed by a mini-question. The hole sentence is a "tag question", and the mini-question at the end is called a "question tag".

A "tag" is something small that we add to something larger.
Example: The little piece of cloth added to a shirt showing size or washing instruction is a tag.

We use tag questions at the end of statements to ask for confirmation. They mean something like: "Am right?" or "Do you agree?" They are very common in English.

The basic structure is:    Statement            question tag
      
                                     Positive statement, negative tag?
                                     Snow is white,       isn't it?

                                     Negative statement, Positive tag?
                                     You don't like me,  Do you?
Notice that the question tag repeats the auxiliary verb (or main verb when be) from the statement and changes it to negative or positive. 
                                   
Glossary:

Go in for: Want to, do something with pleasure.
Bold: Brave, courageous.
Bitterness: Resentement, anger.              
Solidarity: Support, agreement.
Chapter: Local group of an organization.
Gorgeous: Beautiful, attractive.
Flamboyant: Showy, loud, colorful.
Brag: Boast, show of.
Self improvement: Working hard to become better.
Nurturing: Offering kind, supportive care.
Bunch of: A group of things growing close together.
Face (verb): To overcome by confronting boldy or bravely.
Keep an eye on: To watch closely or carefully.
Pass away: Dead.
Widow: When your husband/wife died.
Elderly: Being past middle age.
Generation: A group of individuals born and living about the same time.
Mourning: The period during which a death is mourned.
Population: All of the people inhabitting a specified area.
Senior: Grade above others of the same set or class.

Animal Intelligence

This is a video about a dog that talks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c8MMiytwNs 

Dog's intelligence

There are many animal's intelligent, but I choose the dog, because is my favorite animal. Dogs are very intelligent animals, that the police used to search the drug, and help the blind to walk,despite being trained for something specific this animals are good companions for people. The dogs intelligence is similiar to humans, because they doesn't talk but they make some sounds, they cry, eat, I think they are like humans.

Dogs are very smart, because they understand what the owners ask them to do it, for example in movies dogs will lead the newspaper to their owners, in real life this may not happen, but if you train them they would be able to do it. Each person should have a dog if he or she is not allergic to these animals, they are 
good company more than cats. If you buy an animal you would understand what they want.         

In my house I have a french poodle, he don't speak, but when someone talks to him he moves his head trying to understand what we are saying, when he wants to go for a walk it makes a sound like the dog of the video. Once my dad told us that he was entering when the dog followed him and started to make various sounds like talking to him, was very funny when he told us. He says dogs are the best friends of the human being, in my opinion that's true because they are with us every moment. 

Reported speech:

Reported speech also called indirect speech reports what a speaker said without using his or her exact words.

Use words like said (that), told, indicated, mentioned, reported, etc. to show that you are reporting information that someone else said.

When you are reporting what a speaker or article said, "backshift" the verb in the indirect speech statement.

Original: "We are conducting some interesting research with chimps ".
Reported: the scientist explained that she was conducting some interesting research with chimps.

The verb in the reported speech has shifted back in time, in this case from the present continous to the past continous.

Note: If you are reporting a person's unchanging beliefs or a general truth, rather than an event, it is necessary to change the tense of the original verb.

Original: "Many animals are remarkably intelligent".
Reported: The zoologist told her students that many animals are/were remarkably intelligent.

Glossary:

Socialized: Trained to behave in a way that is acceptable to others in your group.
Deceive: Make someone believe something that is not true.
Intriguing: Interesting because it's unusual or unexpected.
Vocalize: Make a sound with the voice.
Rote memorization: Learned from repeating and not from thinking.
Categorize: Put objects into groups according to what kind, color, size, etc. they are.
Figure out: Conclude, realized.
Context: The situation, events or information related to something.
Remarkable: Incredible, intriguing.
Ape: Gorilla, chimpanzee.
Aware: Mindful, conscious.
In captivity: Protected, restricted.
Cognition: Understanding, perception.   
Manipulate: Handle, use.
Prevailing: Current, established.
Research: Experiment, study.
Pest: Animals that create to disturbance or bother people.
Compassion: Kidness.
Nuisance: Something that bothers or annoys.
Diseases: Sicknesses.