This week's reading comprehension is based on "'Twas The Night Before Christmas" which is one of the most traditional Christmas readings in English speaking countries. Written in 1822 by Clement C. Moore, "'Twas The Night Before Christmas" tells the story of Santa's arrival on Christmas Eve at a typical American household. Imagine it is Christmas Eve and you are sitting around the fireplace drinking a nice cup of Egg Nog (a typical Christmas drink made with eggs, cinnamon, milk and other ingredients sometimes including a good bit of rum) anxiously awaiting Christmas Eve. Outside the snow is falling and all the family is together. Finally, someone in the family takes out "'Twas The Night Before Christmas" Before reading you may want to review some of the more difficult vocabulary listed after the story.
'Twas The Night Before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."
The vocabulary is in the order it appears in "'Twas The Night Before Christmas"
'Twas = It was
stirring = movement
nestled = comfortably in place
'kerchief = handkerchief
clatter = noise
sash = window covering that is pulled down from inside the room
shutters = window covering that is opened from outside the window
lustre = glow, illumination
sleigh = Santa Claus' vehicle, also used in Alaska with dogs
St. Nick = Santa Claus
Coursers = Animals which draw a sleigh
Porch = terrace
dash away = move onwards quickly
twinkling = a second
bound = a jump
tarnished = dirty
soot = black waste material found inside a chimney
bundle = bag
peddler = someone who sells things on the street
dimples = indentations on the cheeks
merry = happy
droll = funny
encircled = circle around
belly = stomach
dread = to be afraid of
jerk = quick movement
down of a thistle = the light material on a certain type of weed that floats away in the air
ere = before
I hope you enjoyed this traditional Christmas story.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Sunday, December 04, 2005
English Preposition Rule
English Preposition Rule
There is one very simple rule about prepositions. And, unlike most rules, this rule has no exceptions.
Rule: A preposition is followed by a "noun". It is never followed by a verb.
By "noun" we include:
noun (dog, money, love)
proper noun (name) (Bangkok, Mary)
pronoun (you, him, us)
noun group (my first job)
gerund (swimming)
A preposition cannot be followed by a verb. If we want to follow a preposition by a verb, we must use the "-ing" form which is really a gerund or verb in noun form.
Quick Quiz: In the following sentences, why is "to" followed by a verb? That should be impossible, according to the above rule:
I would like to go now.
She used to smoke.
Here are some examples:
Subject + verb preposition "noun"
The food is on the table.
She lives in Japan.
Tara is looking for you.
The letter is under your blue book.
Pascal is used to English people.
She isn't used to working.
I ate before coming.
Answer to Quick Quiz: In these sentences, "to" is not a preposition. It is part of the infinitive ("to go", "to smoke").
There is one very simple rule about prepositions. And, unlike most rules, this rule has no exceptions.
Rule: A preposition is followed by a "noun". It is never followed by a verb.
By "noun" we include:
noun (dog, money, love)
proper noun (name) (Bangkok, Mary)
pronoun (you, him, us)
noun group (my first job)
gerund (swimming)
A preposition cannot be followed by a verb. If we want to follow a preposition by a verb, we must use the "-ing" form which is really a gerund or verb in noun form.
Quick Quiz: In the following sentences, why is "to" followed by a verb? That should be impossible, according to the above rule:
I would like to go now.
She used to smoke.
Here are some examples:
Subject + verb preposition "noun"
The food is on the table.
She lives in Japan.
Tara is looking for you.
The letter is under your blue book.
Pascal is used to English people.
She isn't used to working.
I ate before coming.
Answer to Quick Quiz: In these sentences, "to" is not a preposition. It is part of the infinitive ("to go", "to smoke").
Do or Make
Do or Make - An explanation
The two verbs 'do' and 'make' are often confused. The meanings are similar, but there are differences.
'Do' for Activities: Use the verb 'do' to express daily activities or jobs. Notice that these are usually activities that produce no physical object.
do homework do housework do the ironing do the dishes do a job
'Do' for General Ideas: Use the verb 'do' when speaking about things in general. In other words, when we do not exactly name an activity. This form is often used with the words 'something, nothing, anything, everything, etc.'
I'm not doing anything today. He does everything for his mother. She's doing nothing at the moment.
Important Expressions with 'Do': There are a number of standard expressions that take the verb 'do'. These are standard collocations (verb + noun combinations) that are used in English.
do one's best do good do harm do a favour do business
'Make' for Constructing, Building, Creating: Use 'make' to express an activity that creates something that you can touch.
make food make a cup of tea /coffee make a mess
Important Expressions with 'Make': There are a number of standard expressions that take the verb 'make'. In a number of cases the verb 'do' seems more appropriate. These are standard collocations (verb + noun combinations) that are used in English.
make plans make an exception make arrangements make a telephone call make a decision make a mistake make noise make money make an excuse make an effort
Next, take the quiz on the following page testing 'do' or 'make'.
Do or Make - Quiz
Use 'do' or 'make' in the following sentences. Be sure to conjugate the verb. When you have finished, you can check your answers on the next page.
1. He ____ an excellent job at the meeting last week.
2. May I ____ a telephone call?
3. Please stop ___ so much noise!
4. She ____ her homework before she went to bed.
5. Would you like me ____ you a cup of tea?
6. I'm afraid you ____ (not) any good.
7. Look at your room! You ____ a mess!
8. It took him a long time ____ a decision.
9. Do you mind ____ the washing-up this evening?
10. We ____ plans for our next holiday at the moment.
11. What ____ you ____? - Oh, I ___ (not) anything at the moment.
12. I guess I can ____ an exception to the rule this time.
13. What ____ we ____ this evening?
14. I know you ____ your best last week.
15. I wish you ____ an effort on this exam.
Quiz Answers
Here are the answers to the quiz. Make special note of the verb conjugations or form:
1. He did an excellent job at the meeting last week.
2. May I make a telephone call?
3. Please stop making so much noise!
4. She did her homework before she went to bed.
5. Would you like me to make you a cup of tea?
6. I'm afraid you won't do OR aren't doing any good.
7. Look at your room! You made OR have made a mess!
8. It took him a long time to make a decision.
9. Do you mind doing the washing-up this evening?
10. We are making plans for our next holiday at the moment.
11. What are you doing? - Oh, I am not doing anything at the moment.
12. I guess I can make an exception to the rule this time.
13. What shall we do OR are we going to do this evening?
14. I know you did your best last week.
15. I wish you would make an effort on this exam.
from www.esl.about.com
The two verbs 'do' and 'make' are often confused. The meanings are similar, but there are differences.
'Do' for Activities: Use the verb 'do' to express daily activities or jobs. Notice that these are usually activities that produce no physical object.
do homework do housework do the ironing do the dishes do a job
'Do' for General Ideas: Use the verb 'do' when speaking about things in general. In other words, when we do not exactly name an activity. This form is often used with the words 'something, nothing, anything, everything, etc.'
I'm not doing anything today. He does everything for his mother. She's doing nothing at the moment.
Important Expressions with 'Do': There are a number of standard expressions that take the verb 'do'. These are standard collocations (verb + noun combinations) that are used in English.
do one's best do good do harm do a favour do business
'Make' for Constructing, Building, Creating: Use 'make' to express an activity that creates something that you can touch.
make food make a cup of tea /coffee make a mess
Important Expressions with 'Make': There are a number of standard expressions that take the verb 'make'. In a number of cases the verb 'do' seems more appropriate. These are standard collocations (verb + noun combinations) that are used in English.
make plans make an exception make arrangements make a telephone call make a decision make a mistake make noise make money make an excuse make an effort
Next, take the quiz on the following page testing 'do' or 'make'.
Do or Make - Quiz
Use 'do' or 'make' in the following sentences. Be sure to conjugate the verb. When you have finished, you can check your answers on the next page.
1. He ____ an excellent job at the meeting last week.
2. May I ____ a telephone call?
3. Please stop ___ so much noise!
4. She ____ her homework before she went to bed.
5. Would you like me ____ you a cup of tea?
6. I'm afraid you ____ (not) any good.
7. Look at your room! You ____ a mess!
8. It took him a long time ____ a decision.
9. Do you mind ____ the washing-up this evening?
10. We ____ plans for our next holiday at the moment.
11. What ____ you ____? - Oh, I ___ (not) anything at the moment.
12. I guess I can ____ an exception to the rule this time.
13. What ____ we ____ this evening?
14. I know you ____ your best last week.
15. I wish you ____ an effort on this exam.
Quiz Answers
Here are the answers to the quiz. Make special note of the verb conjugations or form:
1. He did an excellent job at the meeting last week.
2. May I make a telephone call?
3. Please stop making so much noise!
4. She did her homework before she went to bed.
5. Would you like me to make you a cup of tea?
6. I'm afraid you won't do OR aren't doing any good.
7. Look at your room! You made OR have made a mess!
8. It took him a long time to make a decision.
9. Do you mind doing the washing-up this evening?
10. We are making plans for our next holiday at the moment.
11. What are you doing? - Oh, I am not doing anything at the moment.
12. I guess I can make an exception to the rule this time.
13. What shall we do OR are we going to do this evening?
14. I know you did your best last week.
15. I wish you would make an effort on this exam.
from www.esl.about.com
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