Tips is a piece of advice about something practical. The purpose is used to help to do something practically and easily.
Example:
Losing pounds doesn't have to be torture (we're looking at you, cayenne-pepper cleanse). Adopt at least three of these behaviors — they're simple to integrate into your day-to-day routine, and all are enthusiastically backed by nutritionists — and you'll be thinner and healthier in days. (Plus, the weight will stay off.)
1. SNACK, BUT SMARTLY
Grazing between meals used to be on the weight-loss hit list. But nutritionists now know that it's better to satisfy a craving with healthy grub than ignore it and risk a junk-food binge later. The best picks are filling, protein-packed snacks, such as one stick of string cheese, a tablespoon of peanut butter on a piece of fruit, or a medium-size bowl of edamame.
2. TURN OFF THE TV
Dining while viewing can make you take in 40 percent more calories than usual, reports a new study. And texting, driving, or any other distracting activity during a meal can also result in your eating too much. Instead, make each meal something you put on a plate and sit down to, even if you're eating solo.
3. STEP ON THE SCALE DAILY
If your regular weight increases several days in a row, it's a red flag letting you know you need to cut back a little or beef up your workouts slightly.
4. SCULPT THREE TIMES A WEEK
Doing 5 minutes each of push-ups, lunges, and squats (in 30-second intervals) will help build and maintain muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism will be, so you'll torch more calories as you go about your day.
5. REACH FOR YOUR CELL
Next time your mind gets stuck on a certain food, call a friend and redirect your brain by asking how her day's going. Research shows that cravings only last about 5 minutes, so by the time you hang up, the urge to devour junk will have subsided.
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What to do for a Healthy Hair? Tips:
1. Brush your hair before washing it. This way you'll remove any dirt from your hair.
2. Massage your scalp gently massage will boost your circulation.
3. Shampoo. Nobody can tell you how often you have to shampoo your hair. When you feel your hair is dirty, wash it gentle, with a shampoo that works on your hair. Read the page about how to choose the right shampoo for more.
4. Always Moisturize your hair
5. Rinse Best way to rinse your hair is by using vinegar, if possible apple vinegar. Rinsing helps your hair shine.
6. Water Try to use mildly cold water. Finish, if possible, with cold water, this will close the cuticles.
7. Drying your hair Let your hair dry naturally. Squeeze the water, and then use a towel to blot your hair. This way you'll have a moisturized, healthy hair.
8. Hairbrush Do not use a hairbrush until your hair is dry; the wet hair can be easily damaged. Avoid plastic hairbrushes; hair will probably end up in knots
9. Season, age, sex, food & drink, tobacco, all have a big influence on hair growth. Have a healthy life and you'll have a healthy hair, too
10. Hair styling Try to avoid curling irons and hair-dryers to prevent hair damage.
Also, avoid heat and prolonged exposure to sunlight.
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Skin care: 5 tips for healthy skin
Good skin care — including sun protection and gentle cleansing — can keep your skin healthy and glowing for years to come.
By Mayo Clinic staff
Don't have time for intensive skin care? Pamper yourself with the basics. Good skin care and healthy lifestyle choices can help delay the natural aging process and prevent various skin problems. Get started with these five no-nonsense tips.
1. Protect yourself from the sun
One of the most important ways to take care of your skin is to protect it from the sun. A lifetime of sun exposure can cause wrinkles, age spots and other skin problems — as well as increase the risk of skin cancer.
For the most complete sun protection:
Use sunscreen. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15. When you're outdoors, reapply sunscreen every two hours — or more often if you're swimming or perspiring.
Seek shade. Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun's rays are strongest.
Wear protective clothing. Cover your skin with tightly woven long-sleeved shirts, long pants and wide-brimmed hats. Also consider laundry additives, which give clothing an additional layer of ultraviolet protection for a certain number of washings, or special sun-protective clothing — which is specifically designed to block ultraviolet rays.
2. Don't smoke
Smoking makes your skin look older and contributes to wrinkles. Smoking narrows the tiny blood vessels in the outermost layers of skin, which decreases blood flow. This depletes the skin of oxygen and nutrients that are important to skin health. Smoking also damages collagen and elastin — the fibers that give your skin its strength and elasticity. In addition, the repetitive facial expressions you make when smoking — such as pursing your lips when inhaling and squinting your eyes to keep out smoke — can contribute to wrinkles.
If you smoke, the best way to protect your skin is to quit. Ask your doctor for tips or treatments to help you stop smoking.
3. Treat your skin gently
Daily cleansing and shaving can take a toll on your skin. To keep it gentle:
Limit bath time. Hot water and long showers or baths remove oils from your skin. Limit your bath or shower time, and use warm — rather than hot — water.
Avoid strong soaps. Strong soaps and detergents can strip oil from your skin. Instead, choose mild cleansers.
Shave carefully. To protect and lubricate your skin, apply shaving cream, lotion or gel before shaving. For the closest shave, use a clean, sharp razor. Shave in the direction the hair grows, not against it.
Pat dry. After washing or bathing, gently pat or blot your skin dry with a towel so that some moisture remains on your skin.
Moisturize dry skin. If your skin is dry, use a moisturizer that fits your skin type. For daily use, consider a moisturizer that contains SPF.
4. Eat a healthy diet
A healthy diet can help you look and feel your best. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. The association between diet and acne isn't clear — but some research suggests that a diet rich in vitamin C and low in unhealthy fats and processed or refined carbohydrates might promote younger looking skin.
5. Manage stress
Uncontrolled stress can make your skin more sensitive and trigger acne breakouts and other skin problems. To encourage healthy skin — and a healthy state of mind — take steps to manage your stress. Set reasonable limits, scale back your to-do list and make time to do the things you enjoy. The results might be more dramatic than you expect.
***********************************************************************************
Sleep tips: 7 steps to better sleep
You're not doomed to toss and turn every night. Consider simple tips for better sleep, from setting a sleep schedule to including physical activity in your daily routine.
By Mayo Clinic staff
Feeling crabby lately? Or simply worn out? Perhaps the solution is better sleep.
Think about all the factors that can interfere with a good night's sleep — from pressure at work and family responsibilities to unexpected challenges, such as layoffs, relationship issues or illnesses. It's no wonder that quality sleep is sometimes elusive.
Although you might not be able to control all of the factors that interfere with your sleep, you can adopt habits that encourage better sleep. Start with these simple sleep tips.
No. 1: Stick to a sleep schedule
Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends, holidays and days off. Being consistent reinforces your body's sleep-wake cycle and helps promote better sleep at night. There's a caveat, though. If you don't fall asleep within about 15 minutes, get up and do something relaxing. Go back to bed when you're tired. If you agonize over falling asleep, you might find it even tougher to nod off.
No. 2: Pay attention to what you eat and drink
Don't go to bed either hungry or stuffed. Your discomfort might keep you up. Also limit how much you drink before bed, to prevent disruptive middle-of-the-night trips to the toilet.
Nicotine, caffeine and alcohol deserve caution, too. The stimulating effects of nicotine and caffeine — which take hours to wear off — can wreak havoc with quality sleep. And even though alcohol might make you feel sleepy at first, it can disrupt sleep later in the night.
No. 3: Create a bedtime ritual
Do the same things each night to tell your body it's time to wind down. This might include taking a warm bath or shower, reading a book, or listening to soothing music — preferably with the lights dimmed. Relaxing activities can promote better sleep by easing the transition between wakefulness and drowsiness.
Be wary of using the TV or other electronic devices as part of your bedtime ritual. Some research suggests that screen time or other media use before bedtime interferes with sleep.
No. 4: Get comfortable
Create a room that's ideal for sleeping. Often, this means cool, dark and quiet. Consider using room-darkening shades, earplugs, a fan or other devices to create an environment that suits your needs.
Your mattress and pillow can contribute to better sleep, too. Since the features of good bedding are subjective, choose what feels most comfortable to you. If you share your bed, make sure there's enough room for two. If you have children or pets, set limits on how often they sleep with you — or insist on separate sleeping quarters.
No. 5: Limit daytime naps
Long daytime naps can interfere with nighttime sleep — especially if you're struggling with insomnia or poor sleep quality at night. If you choose to nap during the day, limit yourself to about 10 to 30 minutes and make it during the midafternoon.
If you work nights, you'll need to make an exception to the rules about daytime sleeping. In this case, keep your window coverings closed so that sunlight — which
adjusts your internal clock — doesn't interrupt your daytime sleep.
No. 6: Include physical activity in your daily routine
Regular physical activity can promote better sleep, helping you to fall asleep faster and to enjoy deeper sleep. Timing is important, though. If you exercise too close to bedtime, you might be too energized to fall asleep. If this seems to be an issue for you, exercise earlier in the day.
No. 7: Manage stress
When you have too much to do — and too much to think about — your sleep is likely to suffer. To help restore peace to your life, consider healthy ways to manage stress. Start with the basics, such as getting organized, setting priorities and delegating tasks. Give yourself permission to take a break when you need one. Share a good laugh with an old friend. Before bed, jot down what's on your mind and then set it aside for tomorrow.
Know when to contact your doctor
Nearly everyone has an occasional sleepless night — but if you often have trouble sleeping, contact your doctor. Identifying and treating any underlying causes can help you get the better sleep you deserve.
Senin, 12 Desember 2011
Minggu, 11 Desember 2011
Procedure Text
Procedure text is designed to describe how something is achieved through a sequence of actions or steps. It explains how people perform different processes in a sequence of steps. This text uses the simple present tense, often the imperative sentences. It also usually uses the temporal conjunctions, such as first, second, then, next, etc.
The structure of a procedure text consists of :
1. Aim/ goal (or title).
2. Materials (not required for all procedure texts).
3. Steps.
However, there is a procedure text that only consists of goal and followed by some steps.
Example:
How to Make a Pencil Box
Materials:
● An empty plastic bottle of mineral water
● A sharp cutter
● A piece of white or colorful paper
● Some paints
● Some glue
Steps:
● Wash the plastic bottle. Make sure it is clean when you use it.
● Cut the bottle into two halves
● Wrap the bottle with a piece of colored paper
● If you use plain paper, use the paint to make a drawing on it
● Now, your pencil box is ready to use
How to Make Patty Cakes
Ingredients:
● 3 tablespoons of butter
● ¼ cup castor sugar
● 1 egg
● ¼ teaspoon of vanilla
● 1 cup self-raising flour
● Pinch salt
● ¼ cup milk
Methods:
● Beat butter and sugar to cream
● Add lightly beaten egg and vanilla. Beat well.
● Sift flour and salt together
● Fold in dry ingredients alternately with milk. Mix well
● Drop heaped teaspoonfuls of mixture into well-greased patty tins or papers.
● Bake in a moderately hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes
● Cool on a wire rack. Then ice with butter icing
The structure of a procedure text consists of :
1. Aim/ goal (or title).
2. Materials (not required for all procedure texts).
3. Steps.
However, there is a procedure text that only consists of goal and followed by some steps.
Example:
How to Make a Pencil Box
Materials:
● An empty plastic bottle of mineral water
● A sharp cutter
● A piece of white or colorful paper
● Some paints
● Some glue
Steps:
● Wash the plastic bottle. Make sure it is clean when you use it.
● Cut the bottle into two halves
● Wrap the bottle with a piece of colored paper
● If you use plain paper, use the paint to make a drawing on it
● Now, your pencil box is ready to use
How to Make Patty Cakes
Ingredients:
● 3 tablespoons of butter
● ¼ cup castor sugar
● 1 egg
● ¼ teaspoon of vanilla
● 1 cup self-raising flour
● Pinch salt
● ¼ cup milk
Methods:
● Beat butter and sugar to cream
● Add lightly beaten egg and vanilla. Beat well.
● Sift flour and salt together
● Fold in dry ingredients alternately with milk. Mix well
● Drop heaped teaspoonfuls of mixture into well-greased patty tins or papers.
● Bake in a moderately hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes
● Cool on a wire rack. Then ice with butter icing
Adverb of Manner
Adverb Placement
Modifying a Verb
Manner Adverb Placement — Modifying Verbs
BEFORE THE VERB BETWEEN THE AUXILIARY AND MAIN VERB AFTER THE VERB
For emphasis, an adverb for manner can be placed before a verb if the verb is an intransitive verb (a verb that has an object.)
An adverb for manner commonly occurs between an auxiliary verb and the main verb. (auxiliary verb: do, does, has, have, will, can, may, might, must, should, etc.) An adverb for manner most commonly is placed after the verb (and after the object if there is one.)
He silently turned the dial.
He will silently turn the dial.
He turned the dial silently.
He continuously watched the front door. He was continuously watching the front door. He watched the front door continuously.
*He closely listened. (intrans. v. – sounds awkward) *He doesn't closely listen. (intran. v. – sounds awkward) He listened closely.
*He softly spoke. (intrans. v. – sounds awkward) *He should softly speak. (intran. v. – sounds awkward) He spoke softly.
He quickly walked away. (intrans. v. –sounds okay) He would quickly walk away. He walked away quickly.
*Yellow highlighted words are examples of incorrect usage.
awkward sounding (adj) – unpleasant to hear; not preferred phrasing for native speakers
intransitive verb (intrans. v.) – a verb that is not followed by an object: "I rise.", "I lie down."
transitive verb (trans. v.) – a verb that is followed by an object: "I raised the flag." "I laid the baby down."
Three Positions for Placement
BEFORE A VERB BETWEEN AN AUXILIARY AND MAIN VERB AFTER A VERB + OBJECT
An adverb for manner is commonly placed before the main verb. The placement can also be used for emphasis. When an auxiliary verb is present, the adverb for manner is placed after the auxiliary and before the main verb. An adverb is placed after the verb and its object or object phrase when no particular emphasis on it is desired.
He unlocked the safe. (security box)
He did not open the safe.
He opened the safe .
Manner Adverb Placement – Exceptions
MEDIAL POSITION FINAL POSITION
Adverbs with no -ly forms – hard, fast, good, late, well – are not placed between the auxiliary and main verb. (Note that early and daily are irregular because they .) Some irregular adverbs without -ly forms can only occur after the verb phrase.
* The wind was hard blowing over the crowd. The wind was blowing hard over the crowd.
*The emotion was fast rising inside the hearts of the people. The emotion was rising fast inside the hearts of the people.
*All agreed that the event had well gone. All agreed that the event had gone well.
*The organizers were late called. The organizers were called late.
*President Obama was early starting work. President Obama was starting work early. (end of sentence)
Related page: "right over"
Common Mistakes
ERROR FIX
*We opened quietly the door. adverb placement error
We opened the door quietly .
The adverb is placed after the verb and object that it modifies.
*He moves quickly the ball toward the goal. adverb placement error
He moves the ball quickly toward the goal. Place adverb after the object!
The adverb is placed after the verb and object that it modifies.
*He strangely was very unhappy even though he was wealthy.
A n adverb cannot modify a BE verb. (stative verb).
Pop-Q – "strangely"
It is strange that he was so unhappy even though he was wealthy.
Use a modifying clause in place of the adverb. (Substitute so for very.)
Strangely, he was very unhappy even though he was wealthy.
Use strangely to introduce and modify the the entire sentence. (See clause adverb.)
He was strangely unhappy even though he was very wealthy
Use the adverb to modify the adjective. (A slight change in meaning results.)
Air traffic continues to steadily return to normal across Europe.
Not incorrect, but it is unclear whether steadily modifies the verb continues or the infinitive to return, or the verb phrase continues to return.
Related page: The Split Infinitive Debate
(1) Air traffic steadily continues to return to normal across Europe.
(2) Air traffic continues steadily to return to normal across Europe.
(3) Air traffic continues to return steadily to normal across Europe.
Move the adverb directly before or after the word you wish it to modify. In this sentence, moving the adverb does not really change the meaning.
Adverb Placement
Modifying an Adjective
Manner Adverb Placement — Modifying Adjectives
BEFORE AN ADJECTIVE BEFORE A PARTICIPIAL ADJECTIVE
An adverb for manner can also modify an adjective – the quality or character of someone/thing. An adverb for manner can modify an adjective formed from a passive verb, ending in -ed. (Part Adj)
He was purposefully silent. (silent on purpose)
He was sadly mistaken. (expression) – an idea based on a wrong understanding
He is extraordinarily good at safe-cracking. The safe was badly damaged. (participial adj.)
He was regretfully wrong. The burglar was clearly experienced.
He was remarkably quick. The actor was skillfully prepared.
Manner Adverb
Initial Placement
Initially placed manner adverb
INITIALLY PLACED ADVERB SET OFF BY A COMMA NORMAL PLACEMENT
We place a manner adverb at the beginning (separated by a comma) in speech and writing to create a pause. The focus shifts to the adverb creating emphasis or 'setting the scene'. The adjunct modifies the verb phrase of the clause. We normally place a manner adverb before the verb or after the direct object. Placing an adverb before the subject is not done.
Quietly, he turned the dial on the safe. means the same →
*Quietly he turned the dial on the safe. not done
He turned the dial quietly on the safe. after object of the verb
He quietly turned the dial on the safe. before the verb
Silently, the police surrounded the bank. means the same →
*Silently the police surrounded the bank. not done
The police surrounded the bank silently. after object of the verb
The police silently surrounded the bank . before the verb
Sentence Adverbs
Modifying a Clause or Sentence
Evaluation Adverbs — also known as dangling adverbs, floating adverbs, adverbial disjuncts, supplementary adjuncts
EVALUATION ADVERBS ADVERB FOR MANNER
An evaluation adverb expresses the attitude of the writer or speaker about the information in the clause. The adverb is not actually part of the clause. The adverb modifies the clause. An adverb for manner "points" to a sentence part – the verb or verb phrase. The adverb is either placed before the verb or after the verb and its object.
HOW THE SPEAKER FEELS ABOUT THE ACTION
Hopefully, he will reach the top. I am hopeful [that he reach the top.]
Sadly , he couldn't make it. It is sad/I am sad [that he couldn't make it.] (reach it)
Fortunately, he was able to get down. It is sad [that he dropped his tools.]
Honestly, would he really try the climb again? HOW HE FEELS ABOUT HIS ACTION
He set out hopefully to reach the top. He is hopeful [he will reach the top.]
He spoke sadly about not making it to the top. He is sad [that he couldn't make it.]
He reconsidered his plan since he fortunately knew his limits.
Would hehonestly tell you about a second climb?
Evaluation Adverbs (some)
absurdly amazingly annoyingly appropriately bewilderingly curiously
disappointingly fortunately funnily happily importantly improbably
inexplicably ironically luckily mercifully miraculously oddly
ominously paradoxically predictably regrettably sadly shamefully
strangely predictably regrettably sadly shamefully strangely
surprisingly thankfully unaccountably understandably unfortunately to my amazement
by good fortune contrary to expectation
Speech-Act Related Adverbs
SPEECH-ACT RELATED ADVERBS ADVERB FOR MANNER
A speech-act related adverb expresses the situation or terms under which the statement is being made.The adverb does not actually relate to the information in the clause, but to something understood between listener and speaker. It is also called a "situational adjunct". (A comma is placed after the adverb.) An adverb for manner relates to content within the clause.
SPEECH ACT RELATED ADVERBS
Frankly, I don't think your plan will work. Let me tell you frankly/honestly that…
He told me frankly about his problems. honestly
Briefly , we had to reinstall everything to make it work. I am telling you this briefly that… / Let me say briefly that… He spoke briefly to us about his plan. in a shortened version
Confidentially, Ed is having some money problems. I am telling you confidentially that … / Let me say confidentially… He mentioned confidentially to me that he's having money problems. honestly
Speech-Act Related Adverbs
Briefly, Confidentially, Frankly, Truthfully If I might ask, If you must know,
In brief, If I may say, Honestly, In truth, Just between us, Since you asked,
Modifying a Verb
Manner Adverb Placement — Modifying Verbs
BEFORE THE VERB BETWEEN THE AUXILIARY AND MAIN VERB AFTER THE VERB
For emphasis, an adverb for manner can be placed before a verb if the verb is an intransitive verb (a verb that has an object.)
An adverb for manner commonly occurs between an auxiliary verb and the main verb. (auxiliary verb: do, does, has, have, will, can, may, might, must, should, etc.) An adverb for manner most commonly is placed after the verb (and after the object if there is one.)
He silently turned the dial.
He will silently turn the dial.
He turned the dial silently.
He continuously watched the front door. He was continuously watching the front door. He watched the front door continuously.
*He closely listened. (intrans. v. – sounds awkward) *He doesn't closely listen. (intran. v. – sounds awkward) He listened closely.
*He softly spoke. (intrans. v. – sounds awkward) *He should softly speak. (intran. v. – sounds awkward) He spoke softly.
He quickly walked away. (intrans. v. –sounds okay) He would quickly walk away. He walked away quickly.
*Yellow highlighted words are examples of incorrect usage.
awkward sounding (adj) – unpleasant to hear; not preferred phrasing for native speakers
intransitive verb (intrans. v.) – a verb that is not followed by an object: "I rise.", "I lie down."
transitive verb (trans. v.) – a verb that is followed by an object: "I raised the flag." "I laid the baby down."
Three Positions for Placement
BEFORE A VERB BETWEEN AN AUXILIARY AND MAIN VERB AFTER A VERB + OBJECT
An adverb for manner is commonly placed before the main verb. The placement can also be used for emphasis. When an auxiliary verb is present, the adverb for manner is placed after the auxiliary and before the main verb. An adverb is placed after the verb and its object or object phrase when no particular emphasis on it is desired.
He unlocked the safe. (security box)
He did not open the safe.
He opened the safe .
Manner Adverb Placement – Exceptions
MEDIAL POSITION FINAL POSITION
Adverbs with no -ly forms – hard, fast, good, late, well – are not placed between the auxiliary and main verb. (Note that early and daily are irregular because they .) Some irregular adverbs without -ly forms can only occur after the verb phrase.
* The wind was hard blowing over the crowd. The wind was blowing hard over the crowd.
*The emotion was fast rising inside the hearts of the people. The emotion was rising fast inside the hearts of the people.
*All agreed that the event had well gone. All agreed that the event had gone well.
*The organizers were late called. The organizers were called late.
*President Obama was early starting work. President Obama was starting work early. (end of sentence)
Related page: "right over"
Common Mistakes
ERROR FIX
*We opened quietly the door. adverb placement error
We opened the door quietly .
The adverb is placed after the verb and object that it modifies.
*He moves quickly the ball toward the goal. adverb placement error
He moves the ball quickly toward the goal. Place adverb after the object!
The adverb is placed after the verb and object that it modifies.
*He strangely was very unhappy even though he was wealthy.
A n adverb cannot modify a BE verb. (stative verb).
Pop-Q – "strangely"
It is strange that he was so unhappy even though he was wealthy.
Use a modifying clause in place of the adverb. (Substitute so for very.)
Strangely, he was very unhappy even though he was wealthy.
Use strangely to introduce and modify the the entire sentence. (See clause adverb.)
He was strangely unhappy even though he was very wealthy
Use the adverb to modify the adjective. (A slight change in meaning results.)
Air traffic continues to steadily return to normal across Europe.
Not incorrect, but it is unclear whether steadily modifies the verb continues or the infinitive to return, or the verb phrase continues to return.
Related page: The Split Infinitive Debate
(1) Air traffic steadily continues to return to normal across Europe.
(2) Air traffic continues steadily to return to normal across Europe.
(3) Air traffic continues to return steadily to normal across Europe.
Move the adverb directly before or after the word you wish it to modify. In this sentence, moving the adverb does not really change the meaning.
Adverb Placement
Modifying an Adjective
Manner Adverb Placement — Modifying Adjectives
BEFORE AN ADJECTIVE BEFORE A PARTICIPIAL ADJECTIVE
An adverb for manner can also modify an adjective – the quality or character of someone/thing. An adverb for manner can modify an adjective formed from a passive verb, ending in -ed. (Part Adj)
He was purposefully silent. (silent on purpose)
He was sadly mistaken. (expression) – an idea based on a wrong understanding
He is extraordinarily good at safe-cracking. The safe was badly damaged. (participial adj.)
He was regretfully wrong. The burglar was clearly experienced.
He was remarkably quick. The actor was skillfully prepared.
Manner Adverb
Initial Placement
Initially placed manner adverb
INITIALLY PLACED ADVERB SET OFF BY A COMMA NORMAL PLACEMENT
We place a manner adverb at the beginning (separated by a comma) in speech and writing to create a pause. The focus shifts to the adverb creating emphasis or 'setting the scene'. The adjunct modifies the verb phrase of the clause. We normally place a manner adverb before the verb or after the direct object. Placing an adverb before the subject is not done.
Quietly, he turned the dial on the safe. means the same →
*Quietly he turned the dial on the safe. not done
He turned the dial quietly on the safe. after object of the verb
He quietly turned the dial on the safe. before the verb
Silently, the police surrounded the bank. means the same →
*Silently the police surrounded the bank. not done
The police surrounded the bank silently. after object of the verb
The police silently surrounded the bank . before the verb
Sentence Adverbs
Modifying a Clause or Sentence
Evaluation Adverbs — also known as dangling adverbs, floating adverbs, adverbial disjuncts, supplementary adjuncts
EVALUATION ADVERBS ADVERB FOR MANNER
An evaluation adverb expresses the attitude of the writer or speaker about the information in the clause. The adverb is not actually part of the clause. The adverb modifies the clause. An adverb for manner "points" to a sentence part – the verb or verb phrase. The adverb is either placed before the verb or after the verb and its object.
HOW THE SPEAKER FEELS ABOUT THE ACTION
Hopefully, he will reach the top. I am hopeful [that he reach the top.]
Sadly , he couldn't make it. It is sad/I am sad [that he couldn't make it.] (reach it)
Fortunately, he was able to get down. It is sad [that he dropped his tools.]
Honestly, would he really try the climb again? HOW HE FEELS ABOUT HIS ACTION
He set out hopefully to reach the top. He is hopeful [he will reach the top.]
He spoke sadly about not making it to the top. He is sad [that he couldn't make it.]
He reconsidered his plan since he fortunately knew his limits.
Would hehonestly tell you about a second climb?
Evaluation Adverbs (some)
absurdly amazingly annoyingly appropriately bewilderingly curiously
disappointingly fortunately funnily happily importantly improbably
inexplicably ironically luckily mercifully miraculously oddly
ominously paradoxically predictably regrettably sadly shamefully
strangely predictably regrettably sadly shamefully strangely
surprisingly thankfully unaccountably understandably unfortunately to my amazement
by good fortune contrary to expectation
Speech-Act Related Adverbs
SPEECH-ACT RELATED ADVERBS ADVERB FOR MANNER
A speech-act related adverb expresses the situation or terms under which the statement is being made.The adverb does not actually relate to the information in the clause, but to something understood between listener and speaker. It is also called a "situational adjunct". (A comma is placed after the adverb.) An adverb for manner relates to content within the clause.
SPEECH ACT RELATED ADVERBS
Frankly, I don't think your plan will work. Let me tell you frankly/honestly that…
He told me frankly about his problems. honestly
Briefly , we had to reinstall everything to make it work. I am telling you this briefly that… / Let me say briefly that… He spoke briefly to us about his plan. in a shortened version
Confidentially, Ed is having some money problems. I am telling you confidentially that … / Let me say confidentially… He mentioned confidentially to me that he's having money problems. honestly
Speech-Act Related Adverbs
Briefly, Confidentially, Frankly, Truthfully If I might ask, If you must know,
In brief, If I may say, Honestly, In truth, Just between us, Since you asked,
Adverb of Manner
An adjective versus an adverb for manner
AN ADJECTIVE AN ADVERB OF MANNER
Use an adjective to modify the quality or character of a noun. Use an adverb to modify how a person performs an action or activity.
He is an excellent tennis player. He plays tennis excellently.
He is a graceful athlete. He moves gracefully.
He is a smart player. He can easily outsmart his opponent.
He is a defensive player. He will play defensively in tomorrow's game.
He is a professional athlete. He appears professionally at fundraisers.
appear – take part in a public event (dynamic verb)
He is an expert player.
He plays expertly.
*He appears expertly. appear – seem (stative verb).
Adverbs for Manner 2 (Placement)
Telling how something is done
Adverbs for Manner – Placement
MODIFYING A VERB MODIFYING AN ADJECTIVE MODIFYING A SENTENCE
An adverb for manner is usually placed after the verb. It tells us how the action or activity was performed. An adverb for manner is placed before an adjective. It modifies the quality or character of the adjective. An adverb for manner can be placed before a sentence with a comma. It expresses the attitude of the writer or speaker regarding the clause it introduces. (See clause adverbs debate.)
He moved silently.
He was purposefully silent.
Quietly, he turned the dial on the safe.
He listened closely. He was sadly mistaken. * Silently, the police surrounded the bank.
He spoke softly. He was regretfully wrong. Illegally, he broke into the safe and took the money.
He worked quickly.
He is extraordinarily good at safe-cracking. Fortunately, he was acting the scene for a movie.
safe (n.) – a strong metal box where valuable things such as money and jewelry can be locked away.
dial (n.) – the round mechanism that one turns to enter numbers. (Now, a keypad is usually used.)
*sadly mistaken (expression) – an idea based on an incorrect understanding
safe-cracking (n.) – to open a safe illegally and steal the things inside it.
AN ADJECTIVE AN ADVERB OF MANNER
Use an adjective to modify the quality or character of a noun. Use an adverb to modify how a person performs an action or activity.
He is an excellent tennis player. He plays tennis excellently.
He is a graceful athlete. He moves gracefully.
He is a smart player. He can easily outsmart his opponent.
He is a defensive player. He will play defensively in tomorrow's game.
He is a professional athlete. He appears professionally at fundraisers.
appear – take part in a public event (dynamic verb)
He is an expert player.
He plays expertly.
*He appears expertly. appear – seem (stative verb).
Adverbs for Manner 2 (Placement)
Telling how something is done
Adverbs for Manner – Placement
MODIFYING A VERB MODIFYING AN ADJECTIVE MODIFYING A SENTENCE
An adverb for manner is usually placed after the verb. It tells us how the action or activity was performed. An adverb for manner is placed before an adjective. It modifies the quality or character of the adjective. An adverb for manner can be placed before a sentence with a comma. It expresses the attitude of the writer or speaker regarding the clause it introduces. (See clause adverbs debate.)
He moved silently.
He was purposefully silent.
Quietly, he turned the dial on the safe.
He listened closely. He was sadly mistaken. * Silently, the police surrounded the bank.
He spoke softly. He was regretfully wrong. Illegally, he broke into the safe and took the money.
He worked quickly.
He is extraordinarily good at safe-cracking. Fortunately, he was acting the scene for a movie.
safe (n.) – a strong metal box where valuable things such as money and jewelry can be locked away.
dial (n.) – the round mechanism that one turns to enter numbers. (Now, a keypad is usually used.)
*sadly mistaken (expression) – an idea based on an incorrect understanding
safe-cracking (n.) – to open a safe illegally and steal the things inside it.
Collocation
What is a collocation?
A collocation is two or more words that often go together. These combinations just sound "right" to native English speakers, who use them all the time. On the other hand, other combinations may be unnatural and just sound "wrong". Look at these examples:
Natural English... Unnatural English...
the fast train
fast food the quick train
quick food
a quick shower
a quick meal a fast shower
a fast meal
Why learn collocations?
• Your language will be more natural and more easily understood.
• You will have alternative and richer ways of expressing yourself.
• It is easier for our brains to remember and use language in chunks or blocks rather than as single words.
How to learn collocations
• Be aware of collocations, and try to recognize them when you see or hear them.
• Treat collocations as single blocks of language. Think of them as individual blocks or chunks, and learn strongly support, not strongly + support.
• When you learn a new word, write down other words that collocate with it (remember rightly, remember distinctly, remember vaguely, remember vividly).
• Read as much as possible. Reading is an excellent way to learn vocabulary and collocations in context and naturally.
• Revise what you learn regularly. Practise using new collocations in context as soon as possible after learning them.
• Learn collocations in groups that work for you. You could learn them by topic (time, number, weather, money, family) or by a particular word (take action, take a chance, take an exam).
• You can find information on collocations in any good learner's dictionary. And you can also find specialized dictionaries of collocations.
Types of Collocation
There are several different types of collocation made from combinations of verb, noun, adjective etc. Some of the most common types are:
• Adverb + Adjective: completely satisfied (NOT downright satisfied)
• Adjective + Noun: excruciating pain (NOT excruciating joy)
• Noun + Noun: a surge of anger (NOT a rush of anger)
• Noun + Verb: lions roar (NOT lions shout)
• Verb + Noun: commit suicide (NOT undertake suicide)
• Verb + Expression With Preposition: burst into tears (NOT blow up in tears)
• Verb + Adverb: wave frantically (NOT wave feverishly)
Sample Collocations
There are several different types of collocation. Collocations can be adjective + adverb, noun + noun, verb + noun and so on. Below you can see seven main types of collocation in sample sentences.
1. adverb + adjective
• Invading that country was an utterly stupid thing to do.
• We entered a richly decorated room.
• Are you fully aware of the implications of your action?
2. adjective + noun
• The doctor ordered him to take regular exercise.
• The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage.
• He was writhing on the ground in excruciating pain.
3. noun + noun
• Let's give Mr Jones a round of applause.
• The ceasefire agreement came into effect at 11am.
• I'd like to buy two bars of soap please.
4. noun + verb
• The lion started to roar when it heard the dog barking.
• Snow was falling as our plane took off.
• The bomb went off when he started the car engine.
5. verb + noun
• The prisoner was hanged for committing murder.
• I always try to do my homework in the morning, after making my bed.
• He has been asked to give a presentation about his work.
6. verb + expression with preposition
• We had to return home because we had run out of money.
• At first her eyes filled with horror, and then she burst into tears.
• Their behaviour was enough to drive anybody to crime.
7. verb + adverb
• She placed her keys gently on the table and sat down.
• Mary whispered softly in John's ear.
• I vaguely remember that it was growing dark when we left.
Some common verbs
have do make
have a bath
have a drink
have a good time
have a haircut
have a holiday
have a problem
have a relationship
have a rest
have lunch
have sympathy do business
do nothing
do someone a favour
do the cooking
do the housework
do the shopping
do the washing up
do your best
do your hair
do your homework
make a difference
make a mess
make a mistake
make a noise
make an effort
make furniture
make money
make progress
make room
make trouble
take break catch
take a break
take a chance
take a look
take a rest
take a seat
take a taxi
take an exam
take notes
take someone's place
take someone's temperature break a habit
break a leg
break a promise
break a record
break a window
break someone's heart
break the ice
break the law
break the news to someone
break the rules catch a ball
catch a bus
catch a chill
catch a cold
catch a thief
catch fire
catch sight of
catch someone's attention
catch someone's eye
catch the flu
pay save keep
pay a fine
pay attention
pay by credit card
pay cash
pay interest
pay someone a compliment
pay someone a visit
pay the bill
pay the price
pay your respects save electricity
save energy
save money
save one's strength
save someone a seat
save someone's life
save something to a disk
save space
save time
save yourself the trouble keep a diary
keep a promise
keep a secret
keep an appointment
keep calm
keep control
keep in touch
keep quiet
keep someone's place
keep the change
come go get
come close
come complete with
come direct
come early
come first
come into view
come last
come late
come on time
come prepared
come right back
come second
come to a compromise
come to a decision
come to an agreement
come to an end
come to a standstill
come to terms with
come to a total of
come under attack go abroad
go astray
go bad
go bald
go bankrupt
go blind
go crazy
go dark
go deaf
go fishing
go mad
go missing
go on foot
go online
go out of business
go overseas
go quiet
go sailing
go to war
go yellow get a job
get a shock
get angry
get divorced
get drunk
get frightened
get home
get lost
get married
get nowhere
get permission
get pregnant
get ready
get started
get the impression
get the message
get the sack
get upset
get wet
get worried
Miscellaneous
Time Business English Classifiers
bang on time
dead on time
early 12th century
free time
from dawn till dusk
great deal of time
late 20th century
make time for
next few days
past few weeks
right on time
run out of time
save time
spare time
spend some time
take your time
tell someone the time
time goes by
time passes
waste time annual turnover
bear in mind
break off negotiations
cease trading
chair a meeting
close a deal
close a meeting
come to the point
dismiss an offer
draw a conclusion
draw your attention to
launch a new product
lay off staff
go bankrupt
go into partnership
make a loss
make a profit
market forces
sales figures
take on staff a ball of string
a bar of chocolate
a bottle of water
a bunch of carrots
a cube of sugar
a pack of cards
a pad of paper
A collocation is two or more words that often go together. These combinations just sound "right" to native English speakers, who use them all the time. On the other hand, other combinations may be unnatural and just sound "wrong". Look at these examples:
Natural English... Unnatural English...
the fast train
fast food the quick train
quick food
a quick shower
a quick meal a fast shower
a fast meal
Why learn collocations?
• Your language will be more natural and more easily understood.
• You will have alternative and richer ways of expressing yourself.
• It is easier for our brains to remember and use language in chunks or blocks rather than as single words.
How to learn collocations
• Be aware of collocations, and try to recognize them when you see or hear them.
• Treat collocations as single blocks of language. Think of them as individual blocks or chunks, and learn strongly support, not strongly + support.
• When you learn a new word, write down other words that collocate with it (remember rightly, remember distinctly, remember vaguely, remember vividly).
• Read as much as possible. Reading is an excellent way to learn vocabulary and collocations in context and naturally.
• Revise what you learn regularly. Practise using new collocations in context as soon as possible after learning them.
• Learn collocations in groups that work for you. You could learn them by topic (time, number, weather, money, family) or by a particular word (take action, take a chance, take an exam).
• You can find information on collocations in any good learner's dictionary. And you can also find specialized dictionaries of collocations.
Types of Collocation
There are several different types of collocation made from combinations of verb, noun, adjective etc. Some of the most common types are:
• Adverb + Adjective: completely satisfied (NOT downright satisfied)
• Adjective + Noun: excruciating pain (NOT excruciating joy)
• Noun + Noun: a surge of anger (NOT a rush of anger)
• Noun + Verb: lions roar (NOT lions shout)
• Verb + Noun: commit suicide (NOT undertake suicide)
• Verb + Expression With Preposition: burst into tears (NOT blow up in tears)
• Verb + Adverb: wave frantically (NOT wave feverishly)
Sample Collocations
There are several different types of collocation. Collocations can be adjective + adverb, noun + noun, verb + noun and so on. Below you can see seven main types of collocation in sample sentences.
1. adverb + adjective
• Invading that country was an utterly stupid thing to do.
• We entered a richly decorated room.
• Are you fully aware of the implications of your action?
2. adjective + noun
• The doctor ordered him to take regular exercise.
• The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage.
• He was writhing on the ground in excruciating pain.
3. noun + noun
• Let's give Mr Jones a round of applause.
• The ceasefire agreement came into effect at 11am.
• I'd like to buy two bars of soap please.
4. noun + verb
• The lion started to roar when it heard the dog barking.
• Snow was falling as our plane took off.
• The bomb went off when he started the car engine.
5. verb + noun
• The prisoner was hanged for committing murder.
• I always try to do my homework in the morning, after making my bed.
• He has been asked to give a presentation about his work.
6. verb + expression with preposition
• We had to return home because we had run out of money.
• At first her eyes filled with horror, and then she burst into tears.
• Their behaviour was enough to drive anybody to crime.
7. verb + adverb
• She placed her keys gently on the table and sat down.
• Mary whispered softly in John's ear.
• I vaguely remember that it was growing dark when we left.
Some common verbs
have do make
have a bath
have a drink
have a good time
have a haircut
have a holiday
have a problem
have a relationship
have a rest
have lunch
have sympathy do business
do nothing
do someone a favour
do the cooking
do the housework
do the shopping
do the washing up
do your best
do your hair
do your homework
make a difference
make a mess
make a mistake
make a noise
make an effort
make furniture
make money
make progress
make room
make trouble
take break catch
take a break
take a chance
take a look
take a rest
take a seat
take a taxi
take an exam
take notes
take someone's place
take someone's temperature break a habit
break a leg
break a promise
break a record
break a window
break someone's heart
break the ice
break the law
break the news to someone
break the rules catch a ball
catch a bus
catch a chill
catch a cold
catch a thief
catch fire
catch sight of
catch someone's attention
catch someone's eye
catch the flu
pay save keep
pay a fine
pay attention
pay by credit card
pay cash
pay interest
pay someone a compliment
pay someone a visit
pay the bill
pay the price
pay your respects save electricity
save energy
save money
save one's strength
save someone a seat
save someone's life
save something to a disk
save space
save time
save yourself the trouble keep a diary
keep a promise
keep a secret
keep an appointment
keep calm
keep control
keep in touch
keep quiet
keep someone's place
keep the change
come go get
come close
come complete with
come direct
come early
come first
come into view
come last
come late
come on time
come prepared
come right back
come second
come to a compromise
come to a decision
come to an agreement
come to an end
come to a standstill
come to terms with
come to a total of
come under attack go abroad
go astray
go bad
go bald
go bankrupt
go blind
go crazy
go dark
go deaf
go fishing
go mad
go missing
go on foot
go online
go out of business
go overseas
go quiet
go sailing
go to war
go yellow get a job
get a shock
get angry
get divorced
get drunk
get frightened
get home
get lost
get married
get nowhere
get permission
get pregnant
get ready
get started
get the impression
get the message
get the sack
get upset
get wet
get worried
Miscellaneous
Time Business English Classifiers
bang on time
dead on time
early 12th century
free time
from dawn till dusk
great deal of time
late 20th century
make time for
next few days
past few weeks
right on time
run out of time
save time
spare time
spend some time
take your time
tell someone the time
time goes by
time passes
waste time annual turnover
bear in mind
break off negotiations
cease trading
chair a meeting
close a deal
close a meeting
come to the point
dismiss an offer
draw a conclusion
draw your attention to
launch a new product
lay off staff
go bankrupt
go into partnership
make a loss
make a profit
market forces
sales figures
take on staff a ball of string
a bar of chocolate
a bottle of water
a bunch of carrots
a cube of sugar
a pack of cards
a pad of paper
Capital Letter
Using Capital Letters
English uses capital letters to point out important words. This is the one element of English grammar that always follows its rules. There are no lists of exceptions to memorize. That makes it easier for people who are learning English. All they need to do is:
• learn the rules, and
• follow the rules.
You will see many examples in your everyday life of the rules being violated by advertisers, by graffiti artists and by Internet users. That does not, however, change the rules. It is important to write English correctly on applications, in resumes, in business letters and in other formal situations if you want the reader to have a high opinion of you.
Rule 1: All sentences begin with a capital letter.
a. This is my house. (statement)
b. Are you going to school? (question)
3. Watch out for the truck! (exclamation)
Rule 2: The proper name, the name of a specific person or thing, begins with a capital letter. All other important words in the name must also start with a capital letter. Words that do not need to be written with a capital letter unless they are the first word of the name are a, an, and, the, of, to, by, etc. (Following each proper name are one or more common names of the same type of person or thing which do not need a capital letter.)
a. Henry David Thoreau (a man, a writer)
b. Empire State Building (a building, a monument)
c. Grand Canyon (a canyon, a geographical wonder)
d. Atlantic Ocean (an ocean, a body of water)
e. Metropolitan Museum of Art (a museum, an institute)
f. Ford Explorer (an automobile, a sport utility vehicle)
g. Harvard University (a college, a university)
h. Union of South Africa (a country, a union)
i. Saudi Arabia (a country, a kingdom)
j. Saturday (a day, the weekend)
k. September (a month)
l. Memorial Day (a holiday, a special occasion)
Rule 3: Titles of books, songs, stories, works of art, magazine articles, tests, and other written materials must begin with a capital letter. Every other important word of the title must also begin with a capital letter. Words that do not need a capital letter unless they are the first word of the title are a, an, and, of, to, the, etc.
a. Winnie the Pooh
b. To Kill a Mockingbird
c. The Merchant of Venice
d. The Star-spangled Banner
e. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
f. The New York Times
g. How to Win Friends and Influence People
h. The Carolina Test of Student Ability
Rule 4: The letter I, when used as a pronoun referring to yourself must always be written as a capital letter.
a. I am not happy.
b. Am I the first person here?
c. Tell me what I have to do.
Rule 5: The first word of a direct quotation must begin with a capital letter.
a. "Who's been sleeping in my bed?" Pappa Bear cried.
b. The president said, "Ask not what your country can do for you."
c. The teacher asked, "Can you answer this question?"
Rule 6: Titles of people when used with their names or in place of their names must begin with a capital letter.
a. My boss is Mister Smith.
b. "Look out, Mister! You're in the way."
c. The members of the church waited for Reverend Jones.
d. The captain yelled at Sergeant Harris.
e. The sergeant replied, "Yes, sir, Captain. I understand."
f. My favorite queen is Queen Elizabeth of England.
There are other uses for capital letters in English, but these six rules cover most of the situations you will come to in your writing. I started to write about abbreviations, but the more I thought about them, the more confused I became. In general, abbreviations (short forms of whole words usually made by using the first letter or letters of the whole word with a period at the end to show the word is not complete) follow the same rules for capital letters as complete words do: if the whole word would begin with a capital, then so would the abbreviation.
a. My boss is Mr. Smith.
b. The members of the church waited for Rev. Jones.
c. The captain yelled at Sgt. Harris.
d. I work for American Telephone and Telegraph. (I work for A.T.&T.).
Certain factors have made the situation much more confusing. The United States has adopted a two-letter code for all of the states. Pennsylvania used to be abbreviated as Penna. or Pa. Now it is PA . California used to be Cal. or Calif., but now it is CA . Advertisers add or take away capital letters whenever they feel like it in a attempt to make their ads more effective. The internet with its domain names and e-mail addresses adding or deleting capital letters according to the requirements of a variety of computer software protocols has also thrown away the traditional grammar rules.
But in spite of all these factors, the rules of correct writing remain the same. Follow them and you will be seen as an intelligent, well-educated person by whoever reads what you write. (Unless you write stupid things correctly.)
English uses capital letters to point out important words. This is the one element of English grammar that always follows its rules. There are no lists of exceptions to memorize. That makes it easier for people who are learning English. All they need to do is:
• learn the rules, and
• follow the rules.
You will see many examples in your everyday life of the rules being violated by advertisers, by graffiti artists and by Internet users. That does not, however, change the rules. It is important to write English correctly on applications, in resumes, in business letters and in other formal situations if you want the reader to have a high opinion of you.
Rule 1: All sentences begin with a capital letter.
a. This is my house. (statement)
b. Are you going to school? (question)
3. Watch out for the truck! (exclamation)
Rule 2: The proper name, the name of a specific person or thing, begins with a capital letter. All other important words in the name must also start with a capital letter. Words that do not need to be written with a capital letter unless they are the first word of the name are a, an, and, the, of, to, by, etc. (Following each proper name are one or more common names of the same type of person or thing which do not need a capital letter.)
a. Henry David Thoreau (a man, a writer)
b. Empire State Building (a building, a monument)
c. Grand Canyon (a canyon, a geographical wonder)
d. Atlantic Ocean (an ocean, a body of water)
e. Metropolitan Museum of Art (a museum, an institute)
f. Ford Explorer (an automobile, a sport utility vehicle)
g. Harvard University (a college, a university)
h. Union of South Africa (a country, a union)
i. Saudi Arabia (a country, a kingdom)
j. Saturday (a day, the weekend)
k. September (a month)
l. Memorial Day (a holiday, a special occasion)
Rule 3: Titles of books, songs, stories, works of art, magazine articles, tests, and other written materials must begin with a capital letter. Every other important word of the title must also begin with a capital letter. Words that do not need a capital letter unless they are the first word of the title are a, an, and, of, to, the, etc.
a. Winnie the Pooh
b. To Kill a Mockingbird
c. The Merchant of Venice
d. The Star-spangled Banner
e. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
f. The New York Times
g. How to Win Friends and Influence People
h. The Carolina Test of Student Ability
Rule 4: The letter I, when used as a pronoun referring to yourself must always be written as a capital letter.
a. I am not happy.
b. Am I the first person here?
c. Tell me what I have to do.
Rule 5: The first word of a direct quotation must begin with a capital letter.
a. "Who's been sleeping in my bed?" Pappa Bear cried.
b. The president said, "Ask not what your country can do for you."
c. The teacher asked, "Can you answer this question?"
Rule 6: Titles of people when used with their names or in place of their names must begin with a capital letter.
a. My boss is Mister Smith.
b. "Look out, Mister! You're in the way."
c. The members of the church waited for Reverend Jones.
d. The captain yelled at Sergeant Harris.
e. The sergeant replied, "Yes, sir, Captain. I understand."
f. My favorite queen is Queen Elizabeth of England.
There are other uses for capital letters in English, but these six rules cover most of the situations you will come to in your writing. I started to write about abbreviations, but the more I thought about them, the more confused I became. In general, abbreviations (short forms of whole words usually made by using the first letter or letters of the whole word with a period at the end to show the word is not complete) follow the same rules for capital letters as complete words do: if the whole word would begin with a capital, then so would the abbreviation.
a. My boss is Mr. Smith.
b. The members of the church waited for Rev. Jones.
c. The captain yelled at Sgt. Harris.
d. I work for American Telephone and Telegraph. (I work for A.T.&T.).
Certain factors have made the situation much more confusing. The United States has adopted a two-letter code for all of the states. Pennsylvania used to be abbreviated as Penna. or Pa. Now it is PA . California used to be Cal. or Calif., but now it is CA . Advertisers add or take away capital letters whenever they feel like it in a attempt to make their ads more effective. The internet with its domain names and e-mail addresses adding or deleting capital letters according to the requirements of a variety of computer software protocols has also thrown away the traditional grammar rules.
But in spite of all these factors, the rules of correct writing remain the same. Follow them and you will be seen as an intelligent, well-educated person by whoever reads what you write. (Unless you write stupid things correctly.)
Pronoun
PRONOUN
Definition.
- A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Pronouns can be in one of three cases: Subject, Object, or Possessive.
Rule 1. Subject pronouns are used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence. You can remember subject pronouns easily by filling in the blank subject space for a simple sentence.
Example: ______ did the job.
I, you, he, she, it, we, and they all fit into the blank and are, therefore, subject pronouns.
Rule 2. Subject pronouns are also used if they rename the subject. They follow to be verbs such as is, are, was, were, am, and will be.
Examples: It is he.
This is she speaking.
It is we who are responsible for the decision to downsize.
NOTE: In spoken English, most people tend to follow to be verbs with object pronouns. Many English teachers support (or at least have given in to) this distinction between written and spoken English.
Example: It could have been them.
Better: It could have been they.
Example: It is just me at the door.
Better: It is just I at the door.
Rule 3. Object pronouns are used everywhere else (direct object, indirect object, object of the preposition). Object pronouns are me, you, him, her, it, us, and them.
Examples: Jean talked to him.
Are you talking to me?
To be able to choose pronouns correctly, you must learn to identify clauses. A clause is a group of words containing a verb and subject.
Rule 4a. A strong clause can stand on its own.
Examples: She is hungry.
I am feeling well today.
Rule 4b. A weak clause begins with words such as although, since, if, when, and because. Weak clauses cannot stand on their own.
Examples: Although she is hungry...
If she is hungry...
Since I am feeling well...
Rule 4c. If a sentence contains more than one clause, isolate the clauses so that you can decide which pronoun is correct.
Examples: Weak Strong
[Although she is hungry,][she will give him some of her food.]
[Although this gift is for him,] [I would like you to have it too.]
Rule 5. To decide whether to use the subject or object pronoun after the words than or as, mentally complete the sentence.
Examples: Tranh is as smart as she/her.
If we mentally complete the sentence, we would say, "Tranh is as smart as she is." Therefore, she is the correct answer.
Zoe is taller than I/me.
Mentally completing the sentence, we have, "Zoe is taller than I am."
Daniel would rather talk to her than I/me.
We can mentally complete this sentence in two ways: "Daniel would rather talk to her than to me." OR "Daniel would rather talk to her than I would." As you can see, the meaning will change depending on the pronoun you choose.
Rule 6. Possessive pronouns show ownership and never need apostrophes.
Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs
NOTE The only time it's has an apostrophe is when it is a contraction for it is or it has.
Examples: It's a cold morning.
The thermometer reached its highest reading.
Rule 7. Reflexive pronouns - myself, himself, herself, itself, themselves, ourselves, yourself, yourselves- should be used only when they refer back to another word in the sentence.
Correct: I worked myself to the bone.
Incorrect: My brother and myself did it.
The word myself does not refer back to another word.
Correct: My brother and I did it.
Incorrect: Please give it to John or myself.
Correct: Please give it to John or me.
Definition.
- A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Pronouns can be in one of three cases: Subject, Object, or Possessive.
Rule 1. Subject pronouns are used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence. You can remember subject pronouns easily by filling in the blank subject space for a simple sentence.
Example: ______ did the job.
I, you, he, she, it, we, and they all fit into the blank and are, therefore, subject pronouns.
Rule 2. Subject pronouns are also used if they rename the subject. They follow to be verbs such as is, are, was, were, am, and will be.
Examples: It is he.
This is she speaking.
It is we who are responsible for the decision to downsize.
NOTE: In spoken English, most people tend to follow to be verbs with object pronouns. Many English teachers support (or at least have given in to) this distinction between written and spoken English.
Example: It could have been them.
Better: It could have been they.
Example: It is just me at the door.
Better: It is just I at the door.
Rule 3. Object pronouns are used everywhere else (direct object, indirect object, object of the preposition). Object pronouns are me, you, him, her, it, us, and them.
Examples: Jean talked to him.
Are you talking to me?
To be able to choose pronouns correctly, you must learn to identify clauses. A clause is a group of words containing a verb and subject.
Rule 4a. A strong clause can stand on its own.
Examples: She is hungry.
I am feeling well today.
Rule 4b. A weak clause begins with words such as although, since, if, when, and because. Weak clauses cannot stand on their own.
Examples: Although she is hungry...
If she is hungry...
Since I am feeling well...
Rule 4c. If a sentence contains more than one clause, isolate the clauses so that you can decide which pronoun is correct.
Examples: Weak Strong
[Although she is hungry,][she will give him some of her food.]
[Although this gift is for him,] [I would like you to have it too.]
Rule 5. To decide whether to use the subject or object pronoun after the words than or as, mentally complete the sentence.
Examples: Tranh is as smart as she/her.
If we mentally complete the sentence, we would say, "Tranh is as smart as she is." Therefore, she is the correct answer.
Zoe is taller than I/me.
Mentally completing the sentence, we have, "Zoe is taller than I am."
Daniel would rather talk to her than I/me.
We can mentally complete this sentence in two ways: "Daniel would rather talk to her than to me." OR "Daniel would rather talk to her than I would." As you can see, the meaning will change depending on the pronoun you choose.
Rule 6. Possessive pronouns show ownership and never need apostrophes.
Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs
NOTE The only time it's has an apostrophe is when it is a contraction for it is or it has.
Examples: It's a cold morning.
The thermometer reached its highest reading.
Rule 7. Reflexive pronouns - myself, himself, herself, itself, themselves, ourselves, yourself, yourselves- should be used only when they refer back to another word in the sentence.
Correct: I worked myself to the bone.
Incorrect: My brother and myself did it.
The word myself does not refer back to another word.
Correct: My brother and I did it.
Incorrect: Please give it to John or myself.
Correct: Please give it to John or me.
Senin, 29 Agustus 2011
pelajaran kecil dari anak kecil
Tahun pelajaran baru, murid baru dan lagi aku mendapat kelas 7. Sepertinya aku di spesialisasikan dengan anak-anak baru. Kata mbak Henni, mengajar di kelas 7 itu susah karena anak-anak yang masih bau kencur dan pembelajaran menggunaka bahasa yang harus kita sesuaikan dengan usia mereka dimana kita harus terjun payung mamahami itu semua. Dan itulah kenyataannya. Dan hal paling wajib adalah memahami kebiasaan celetukan mereka. Tahun kemaren celetukanku adalah “wani piro?” ^__^,, karena menyontek adalah hal terlarang jadi ketika mereka meminta jawaban maka kalimat ini yang akan di lontarkan “wani piro?” hanya sekedar ice breaker dan membuat tawa yang tak terganti dengan apa pun untuk bisa mendapatkannya. Menjadi bagian dari keriuhan itu sungguh menyenangkan. Menjadi sumber tawa juga sungguh menyenangkan.
Semester yang lalu aku juga memutuskan untuk mengambil kesempatan untuk mengajar di Golden Christian School. Wooo ini pengalaman lain yang membuatku semakin merasa betapa aku harus belajar untuk menjadi pribadi yang sabar luar biasa dan harus bisa menjadi pribadi yang mempunyai power dimana pada saat mengatakan duduk maka muridmu akan duduk dan aku tidak bisa melakukan itu dengan mudah. Aku tidak bisa menjadi guru yang hanya membelalakan mata dan semuanya diam. Mereka malah menjadi bergelayut manja kepadaku dan yang paling parah adalah bisa saja ada anak yang balik membelalak galak padaku. Aku bukannya marah malah tertawa melihat ulah mereka. Dan yang menjadi kendalanya adalah cara pembelajaran. Aku yang tidak pernah sama sekali terjun ke dunia anak yang berseragam merah putih dan pada level terendah. Kelas satu dan dua. Kini aku ada di level ini. Aku dituntut untuk mengajar dengan perlahan sesuai dengan level itu. Hal yang sangat sulit aku lakukan karena rutinitasku yang ada di dunia putih biru dan ini membuatku terkadang lupa ada di kelas merah putih.
Celetukan mereka membuatmu bisa berpikir bagaimana menjawabnya. Pada suatu hari seorang anak berkata, rambutnya miss Rie bulat-bulat, disetrum ya, miss? What? Disetrum? Aku berpikir keras apa maksudnya dan pada saat itu hanya tersenyum dan mengangguk saja menjawabnya. Dan aku baru saja teringat apa yang dimaksudnya dengan di setrum, oh great. Mereka ini membuatmu mampu berimajinasi dengan liar namun sederhana akan pemikirannya so jangan bermimpi akan mendapatkan sesuatu yang kita pikir hebat dan yang muluk. Namun jangan salah. Dalam kesederhanaan ini aku diajarkan akan banyak hal yang hebat. Aku diingatkan untuk bersikap layaknya anak-anak yang jujur namun memiliki kredibilitas sebagai seorang dewasa yang matang. Ini adalah pelajaran tersulit untuk dilakukan dan dipahami dan pembelajaran ini butuh waktu seumur hidup untuk bisa masuk dan melakukannya dalam kehidupan kita seutuhnya.
Hal paling aneh yang aku lakukan dan reaksi paling lucu yang aku dapatkan adalah dari Yoel. Yoel adalah salah satu anak yang aktif dan memiliki kecerdasan emosi yang patut diperhatikan. Ia mengajariku untuk tetap pada tempatku dan tidak meloncat pada kegilaan pada kenakalan kecil mereka. Aku bukan salah satu nona guru yang suka menghukum muridku. Dan tidak berteriak dengan suara Tarzan. Jika pun aku memberikan hukuman tidak pernah dalam bentuk hukuman fisik.
Namun kali ini Yoel tidak bisa di beri hukuman dengan menulis kalimat yang lebih banyak dari temannya. Aku ingin ia bisa diam dan memperhatikan dengan baik pekerjaannya lalu tidak berkeliaran mengganggu temannya. Aku memintanya berdiri di depan kelas dengan mengangkat kaki plus memegang kedua telinganya. Namun anak ini memang anak yang bebas aktif dalam keadaan apapun. Ia tetap menggoda teman-temannya dan berbicara terlalu banyak. Hingga akhirnya aku berdiri di hadapannya dan menutupnya dari pandangan teman-temannya namun ada saja caranya untuk tetap berkomunikasi dengan temannya. Dan ia tetap bergerak di belakangku. Bergerak. Aku berdiri tentu jauh lebih tinggi menjulang di atasnya. Bukan karena tubuhku yang tinggi namun ini karena bantuan heel.ku^_^ *maklum nona guru kecil* dan ia tepat berdiri menghadap bokongku *hal yang tentunya tidak pernah bermaksud apapun aku lakukan dan tidak pernah terpikirkan akan hal yang tidak semestinya. Hanya sebuah reflek yang aku lakukan untuk berdiri membelakanginya.
Namun seperti kataku sebelumnya, anak ini tidak bisa diam dalam keadaan apapun. Hingga akhirnya celetukan yang terlontar karena rasa jengkelku namun mampu membuatnya diam dan disambut tawa anak-anak yang lainnya. Hahahaha apa yang aku katakan? Aku bilang,” Yoel diam. Jangan gerak-gerak lagi. Kalo ga, kamu miss kentutin.” Grrrrrr.....sekelas itu langsung riuh dan seruan Elkan,” iya miss kentutin aja,biar pingsan” serunya seraya tawanya meledak yang diikuti oleh yang lainnya yang mengiyakan semuanya. Aku mengangguk dengan penuh keisengan untuk membuat keramaian itu semakin menjadi dan apa reaksi Yoel?? Aku melirik ke belakangku dan ia tengah menengadah menatapku. Kepalanya yang kecil di miringkan sedemikian rupa sehingga ia mampu menatapku dengan mata yang penuh permohonan. Dan ia hanya mampu berkata, “miss”. Seakan-akan aku memiliki kemampuan untuk membuat kentut dengan sekali hembusan dan mengentutinya begitu saja hahahahaha. Aku tidak mampu menahan kenakalan kecil yang aku punya. Hmmm, kalo kamu masih goyang-goyang and berisik di belakang miss, nanti miss kentutin kamu. Jangan miss, katanya. Dan masih Elkan berseru, kentutin aja miss,namun ia tekun dengan bukunya sepertinya ia memahami sesuatu. Jika ia melakukan hal yang sama denagn Yoel maka kemungkinan besar untuk berdiri di belakangku dan mendapatkan kentutan bukanlah hal yang aneh wkwkwkwkwkwk. Oh Tuhan. Aku tidak lagi mampu menahan tawaku. Dan hal yang selalu menjadi kelemahanku karena aku akan selalu tersenyum bahkan tertawa jika melihat atau mendengar sesuatu yang lucu ataupun tak biasa even pada saat aku marah. Aku menarik Yoel ke depanku dan membiarkannya berdiri dengan sikap yang santai. Ia sekali lagi menoleh kearahku seakan berterimakasih atas kebaikanku untuk tidak membuang gas di hadapannya. Setelah itu aku tetap membiarkannya berdiri dan mengalungkan tanganku bawah lehernya sehingga ia bisa berdiri dengan diam dan tanpa suara. Dengan suasana yang santai kami membahas sikap yang boleh dan tidak boleh di lakukan di dalam kelas. Dan tidak ada lagi kalimat nanti di kentutin karena memang hal ini tidak pantas dilakukan. Namun tidak bisa diabaikan dan dipungkiri bahwa ini terjadi dengan spontan dan tidak pikir panjang karena memang keisengan yang tidak pantas terjadi disini. So mohon dimaafkan dan jangan ditiru*__^. Cukup hiburan ini aku lakukan sekali dan tidak boleh ada yang lainnya lagi hehehehehe.
Pelajaran lainnya yang diajarkan Yoel padaku adalah ini, jangan membuat dirimu sama nakal dan isengnya dengan anak-anak ini. Seperti kataku tadi bertindak dewasa dalam kedewasaanmu sungguh sulit dilakukan karena jiwa anak-anakmu masih saja mampu membuatmu berlaku tak tahu malu.
***
Semester yang lalu aku juga memutuskan untuk mengambil kesempatan untuk mengajar di Golden Christian School. Wooo ini pengalaman lain yang membuatku semakin merasa betapa aku harus belajar untuk menjadi pribadi yang sabar luar biasa dan harus bisa menjadi pribadi yang mempunyai power dimana pada saat mengatakan duduk maka muridmu akan duduk dan aku tidak bisa melakukan itu dengan mudah. Aku tidak bisa menjadi guru yang hanya membelalakan mata dan semuanya diam. Mereka malah menjadi bergelayut manja kepadaku dan yang paling parah adalah bisa saja ada anak yang balik membelalak galak padaku. Aku bukannya marah malah tertawa melihat ulah mereka. Dan yang menjadi kendalanya adalah cara pembelajaran. Aku yang tidak pernah sama sekali terjun ke dunia anak yang berseragam merah putih dan pada level terendah. Kelas satu dan dua. Kini aku ada di level ini. Aku dituntut untuk mengajar dengan perlahan sesuai dengan level itu. Hal yang sangat sulit aku lakukan karena rutinitasku yang ada di dunia putih biru dan ini membuatku terkadang lupa ada di kelas merah putih.
Celetukan mereka membuatmu bisa berpikir bagaimana menjawabnya. Pada suatu hari seorang anak berkata, rambutnya miss Rie bulat-bulat, disetrum ya, miss? What? Disetrum? Aku berpikir keras apa maksudnya dan pada saat itu hanya tersenyum dan mengangguk saja menjawabnya. Dan aku baru saja teringat apa yang dimaksudnya dengan di setrum, oh great. Mereka ini membuatmu mampu berimajinasi dengan liar namun sederhana akan pemikirannya so jangan bermimpi akan mendapatkan sesuatu yang kita pikir hebat dan yang muluk. Namun jangan salah. Dalam kesederhanaan ini aku diajarkan akan banyak hal yang hebat. Aku diingatkan untuk bersikap layaknya anak-anak yang jujur namun memiliki kredibilitas sebagai seorang dewasa yang matang. Ini adalah pelajaran tersulit untuk dilakukan dan dipahami dan pembelajaran ini butuh waktu seumur hidup untuk bisa masuk dan melakukannya dalam kehidupan kita seutuhnya.
Hal paling aneh yang aku lakukan dan reaksi paling lucu yang aku dapatkan adalah dari Yoel. Yoel adalah salah satu anak yang aktif dan memiliki kecerdasan emosi yang patut diperhatikan. Ia mengajariku untuk tetap pada tempatku dan tidak meloncat pada kegilaan pada kenakalan kecil mereka. Aku bukan salah satu nona guru yang suka menghukum muridku. Dan tidak berteriak dengan suara Tarzan. Jika pun aku memberikan hukuman tidak pernah dalam bentuk hukuman fisik.
Namun kali ini Yoel tidak bisa di beri hukuman dengan menulis kalimat yang lebih banyak dari temannya. Aku ingin ia bisa diam dan memperhatikan dengan baik pekerjaannya lalu tidak berkeliaran mengganggu temannya. Aku memintanya berdiri di depan kelas dengan mengangkat kaki plus memegang kedua telinganya. Namun anak ini memang anak yang bebas aktif dalam keadaan apapun. Ia tetap menggoda teman-temannya dan berbicara terlalu banyak. Hingga akhirnya aku berdiri di hadapannya dan menutupnya dari pandangan teman-temannya namun ada saja caranya untuk tetap berkomunikasi dengan temannya. Dan ia tetap bergerak di belakangku. Bergerak. Aku berdiri tentu jauh lebih tinggi menjulang di atasnya. Bukan karena tubuhku yang tinggi namun ini karena bantuan heel.ku^_^ *maklum nona guru kecil* dan ia tepat berdiri menghadap bokongku *hal yang tentunya tidak pernah bermaksud apapun aku lakukan dan tidak pernah terpikirkan akan hal yang tidak semestinya. Hanya sebuah reflek yang aku lakukan untuk berdiri membelakanginya.
Namun seperti kataku sebelumnya, anak ini tidak bisa diam dalam keadaan apapun. Hingga akhirnya celetukan yang terlontar karena rasa jengkelku namun mampu membuatnya diam dan disambut tawa anak-anak yang lainnya. Hahahaha apa yang aku katakan? Aku bilang,” Yoel diam. Jangan gerak-gerak lagi. Kalo ga, kamu miss kentutin.” Grrrrrr.....sekelas itu langsung riuh dan seruan Elkan,” iya miss kentutin aja,biar pingsan” serunya seraya tawanya meledak yang diikuti oleh yang lainnya yang mengiyakan semuanya. Aku mengangguk dengan penuh keisengan untuk membuat keramaian itu semakin menjadi dan apa reaksi Yoel?? Aku melirik ke belakangku dan ia tengah menengadah menatapku. Kepalanya yang kecil di miringkan sedemikian rupa sehingga ia mampu menatapku dengan mata yang penuh permohonan. Dan ia hanya mampu berkata, “miss”. Seakan-akan aku memiliki kemampuan untuk membuat kentut dengan sekali hembusan dan mengentutinya begitu saja hahahahaha. Aku tidak mampu menahan kenakalan kecil yang aku punya. Hmmm, kalo kamu masih goyang-goyang and berisik di belakang miss, nanti miss kentutin kamu. Jangan miss, katanya. Dan masih Elkan berseru, kentutin aja miss,namun ia tekun dengan bukunya sepertinya ia memahami sesuatu. Jika ia melakukan hal yang sama denagn Yoel maka kemungkinan besar untuk berdiri di belakangku dan mendapatkan kentutan bukanlah hal yang aneh wkwkwkwkwkwk. Oh Tuhan. Aku tidak lagi mampu menahan tawaku. Dan hal yang selalu menjadi kelemahanku karena aku akan selalu tersenyum bahkan tertawa jika melihat atau mendengar sesuatu yang lucu ataupun tak biasa even pada saat aku marah. Aku menarik Yoel ke depanku dan membiarkannya berdiri dengan sikap yang santai. Ia sekali lagi menoleh kearahku seakan berterimakasih atas kebaikanku untuk tidak membuang gas di hadapannya. Setelah itu aku tetap membiarkannya berdiri dan mengalungkan tanganku bawah lehernya sehingga ia bisa berdiri dengan diam dan tanpa suara. Dengan suasana yang santai kami membahas sikap yang boleh dan tidak boleh di lakukan di dalam kelas. Dan tidak ada lagi kalimat nanti di kentutin karena memang hal ini tidak pantas dilakukan. Namun tidak bisa diabaikan dan dipungkiri bahwa ini terjadi dengan spontan dan tidak pikir panjang karena memang keisengan yang tidak pantas terjadi disini. So mohon dimaafkan dan jangan ditiru*__^. Cukup hiburan ini aku lakukan sekali dan tidak boleh ada yang lainnya lagi hehehehehe.
Pelajaran lainnya yang diajarkan Yoel padaku adalah ini, jangan membuat dirimu sama nakal dan isengnya dengan anak-anak ini. Seperti kataku tadi bertindak dewasa dalam kedewasaanmu sungguh sulit dilakukan karena jiwa anak-anakmu masih saja mampu membuatmu berlaku tak tahu malu.
***
Jumat, 05 Agustus 2011
Episode pembelajaran tentang pendewasaan
Every day might not be good, but there is something good in every day. Ini adalah kutipan favoritku. Sederhana namun mengandung sejuta makna yang sulit untuk diungkapkan dengan kata-kata. Kehidupan kita berjalan dari waktu ke waktu. Hari demi hari. Minggu berganti. Bulan berlalu. Dan tahun menciptakan perjalanan yang memiliki kisah tersendiri dalam rangkaian cerita kehidupan.
Begitu pula dengan kisah-kisah si nona guru dalam setiap tahunnya berganti dan berjalan dengan keriuhannya sendiri. Bekerja dengan orang-orang yang selalu berganti. Berbeda rupa. Tak sama laku. Tak juga sama pribadi. Terkadang ingin berhenti dan berlari. Menghilang tak kembali. Di lain hari ingin segara kembali dan menemui pengalaman baru yang tak terganti. Hari-hari itu dijalani dengan sejuta senyuman dan beribu kedongkolan yang mengganjal namun terkadang tak menyesakkan. Menyenangkan mungkin. Mungkin. Karena terkadang sulit aku pahami apa yang terasa di hati.
Selama 4 tahun ini, aku selalu di berikan kelas 7. Anak baru. Anak-anak yang baru saja menyelesaikan masa merah putihnya dan memasuki dunia biru putih. Tidak bisa dikatakan mudah untuk masuk ke dunia mereka yang sudah belasan tahun lalu aku lewati. Wajah polos. Pertanyaan yang sederhana namun sulit dijawab dengan menggunakan bahasa sederhana yang mampu mereka pahami. Untuk kali pertama masuk rasanya aku memulai kembali saat pertama PPL. Mengulang berbicara dengan sedikit pelan dan belajar untuk sabar yang dituntut dengan tekanan sedikit di kepala. Mereka bukan anak SMA yang disindir akan mengerti dan paham apa maksudnya. Belajar memilih kata yang menegur namun tidak menggurui. Belajar bercanda dengan ketidakmampuan. Belajar menjadi pribadi yang melihat dari sisi yang berlawanan. Sudut pandang yang tidak hanya dari sisi pribadi kita tapi dari segala arah yang memiliki pusat untuk satu pemahaman sederhana yang sama. Memahami kesulitan dengan tidak memaksakan. Sungguh sebuah pelajaran yang mengajariku betapa hidup berdampingan dengan orang banyak dengan perbedaan usia, pengatahuan, lingkungan, keluarga, financial, dan sebagainya yang disatukan dalam satu ruangan dengan segala macam keinginan. Akan membuatmu mengerti bahwa belajar mengerti dan memahami satu pribadi adalah luar biasa sangat sulit. Bisa membayangkan bagaimana keramaian yang harus dibatasi. Sulit memang, namun dengan memberikan aturan sederhana akan membuatnya sedikit lebih teratur dan terarah.
Hal yang paling menyenangkan untukku adalah masa perkenalan. Dimana mereka paling suka menebak umurku dan terkadang mereka bertanya, miss Rie masih kuliah? Umur berapa? Dan jawaban favoritku, miss Rie masih 17 tahun dan wajah polos itu dengan manisnya percaya. Dan kemudian otak pintarnya bekerja, kapan miss sekolahnya kalo sekarang sudah jadi guru? Wkwkwkwkw nona guru yang usil sepertiku pasti dengan senang hati menanggapinya. Miss Rie ini pintar jadi suka loncat kelas,percaya tidak? Atau miss Rie ini awet muda so masih imut begini hahahahaa *jangan muntah ya xixixixixi*. Namun kepolosan-kepolosan ini mampu menghadirkan tawa yang tidak membuatmu berpura-pura menjadi pribadi yang lain. Terkadang sifat menjengkelkanku keluar dengan begitu sombongnya. Aku akan berdiri menghadap kelas dan menyampaikan pemikiranku dengan bahasa yang mampu dicerna oleh mereka ketika mereka melanggar aturan atau melewati batas kesopanan semestinya.
Hal yang paling menyebalkan adalah membicarakan soal kedisiplinan dalam mengerjakan tugas. Terkadang mereka masih membuatnya dengan sembarangan dan tidak bertanggung jawab sepenuhnya dengan apa yang mereka kerjakan. Terkadang mereka tidak memahami sepenuhnya apa yang mereka bicara. Hal paling tidak aku suka mereka curang dalam mengerjakan tugasnya. Ini menjadi aturan wajib yang aku terapkan di kelasku. Tidak boleh menyontek dalam kasus apapun itu.
Pemahaman adalah hal terpenting dalam pembelajaran yang aku beri jadi aku akan senang melemparkan pertanyaan dan meminta penjelasan mendetail. Tidak bisa dipungkiri terkadang akan terjadi misunderstanding ataupun miscommunication di dalamnya. Contohnya, pada suatu hari di kelas 8, aku melemparkan sebuah pertanyaan dan mendapatkan satu jawaban yang tidak semestinya di berikan pada kepadaku. Namun aku selalu mengajari diriku untuk tidak mengikuti emosi dan egoku sebagai pribadi yang lainnya selain diriku yang kini sebagai guru. Aku selalu mengajari diriku untuk tidak memendam kemarahan dan dendam pada muridku. Jadi aku melemparkan kembali pertanyaan kepada anak ini, karena memang ia tidak memperhatikanku pada saat penjelasan dan jawaban aku dapatkan adalah “terserah kam ja” (terserah kamu saja). Pada saat itu aku terpana mendengar kalimat itu. Aku langsung diam dan menatap tajam kepadanya dan ia dengan wajah tak perduli menatapku seakan-akan ia tidak melakukan kesalahan apapun. Emosiku seakan-akan hendak meloncat dan berteriak.
“Apa kamu bilang? Terserah kam ja? Kamu berbicara sama siapa? Kamu yakin mau terserah miss aja?” tanyaku dan bungkam. Wajah tak perduli itu masih saja tidak perduli. Ia tidak menjawabku. Ia tidak menyangkal ataupun tidak memperbaiki kesalahannya. Aku berharap ia berkata ia tidak berkata padaku. Meskipun aku tahu itu tidak benar at least ia membantah dan mengurangi sedikit kemarahan di benakku. Karena pada saat itu yang berbicara hanya aku dan yang bertanya kepadanya hanya aku dan pandangannya tertuju padaku so bagaimana mungkin ini tidak ditujukan padaku? Namun aku tetap ingin mendengar sebuah penyangkalan.
Aku masih saja tak mampu menahan emosiku dengan baik meskipun aku tidak meledak dan mengeluarkan kata-kata. Aku masih sempat mengurut dadaku dan kebiasaanku berkata-kata pada diriku sendiri pun terlontar di depan dan seorang murid perempuan berkata, sabar miss. Aku memutuskan untuk keluar ruangan sejenak untuk menetralisir rasaku dan mencari udara segar agar otakku bisa bekerja dengan baik. Namun usahaku sia-sia saja. Aku tidak bisa menetralisir rasa marahku dan ini kali pertamanya aku keluar ruangan hanya karena marah dengan satu anak. Satu hal yang paling aku hindari adalah walk out dari ruangan hanya karena satu kesalahan dan memendam dendam setelahnya. Namun kali ini aku tidak bisa. Aku harus keluar sebelum aku menangis di depan puluhan mata itu. Aku berusaha untuk berjalan dengan tenang dan menahan rasaku yang berkecamuk di dada. Aku memasuki kantor dengan tampang yang entah bagaimana. Karena kak Echi berjalan kearahku dan membimbingku ke mejaku. Ia terus saja bertanya ada apa hingga akhirnya tangisku pecah. Ya aku menangis. Satu hal yang tidak pernah aku lakukan sebelumnya dan anak-anak itu tau betapa marahnya aku. Karena aku pernah mengatakan pada mereka jika miss Rie marah dan masih bisa mengomeli kalian maka kemarahan miss Rie ada pada level yang masih bisa di tolerir tapi jangan membuat miss Rie marah sampai menangis karena it tidak baik-baik saja dan ada pada level yang luar biasa. Dan lucky me, ada yang melihatku menangis di kantor. Hal yang tadinya aku hindari untuk di ketahui. Namun ini yang terjadi dan biarlah terjadi.
Dan pada saat yanng bersamaan kak Echi yang tidak tahu bagaimana membuatku berhenti menangis. Karena emosiku yang membuatku menangis dan tak bisa berkata-kata dan mengatakan apa yang terjadi. Ia pun membuatku tertawa dengan memintaku membayangkan gaya seseorang yang kontan saja membuatku tertawa meski pun airmataku beruraian di pipiku. Ia pun berkata, aku baru ketemu ada orang yang nangis dan dalam sekejap mata langsung tertawa seperti kamu.
Hahahaha aku sendiri memang tidak bisa menahan tawaku dengan episode kehidupanku yang ini. Sungguh menakjubkan pembelajaran yang di beri. Komplesitas rasa yang membuat rasamu kacau dan berbaur dengan pembelajran akan pendewasaan agar bisa menjdi dewasa dalam menghadapi masa yang seperti ini. Bukan permintaan maaf yang terpenting pada masa ini. Yang terpenting adalah pemahaman akan pribadi yang kita hadapi dan pribadi kita sendiri. Dimana kembali lagi kedewasaan dan profesionalitas kita dituntut untuk ditingatkan lagi dan lagi. Tidak hanya mengandalkan ego kita yang mungkin saja terluka dan hendak selalu di perhatikan. Sebuah pembelajaran yang bisa saja membuatmu malu karena kalah dengan ego yang seperti itu. Ego yang selalu ada di tempat tertinggi. Mengajariku untuk meminta maaf kembali dan memperbaiki hubungan yang bisa saja menjadi jurang dan tak terjembatani. Dan aku memilih untuk menjadi bagian yang bisa di sentuh dan di dekati lagi. Aku memilih menjadi bagian yang tidak menjauhkan diri dan menerima kesalahan dengan menjadikannya pengingat dan alarm yang tidak bisa diabaikan.
Terima kasih untuk pembelajaran yang telah di beri. Untuk seorang murid yang mampu membuatku menangis. Salut^__^
***
Begitu pula dengan kisah-kisah si nona guru dalam setiap tahunnya berganti dan berjalan dengan keriuhannya sendiri. Bekerja dengan orang-orang yang selalu berganti. Berbeda rupa. Tak sama laku. Tak juga sama pribadi. Terkadang ingin berhenti dan berlari. Menghilang tak kembali. Di lain hari ingin segara kembali dan menemui pengalaman baru yang tak terganti. Hari-hari itu dijalani dengan sejuta senyuman dan beribu kedongkolan yang mengganjal namun terkadang tak menyesakkan. Menyenangkan mungkin. Mungkin. Karena terkadang sulit aku pahami apa yang terasa di hati.
Selama 4 tahun ini, aku selalu di berikan kelas 7. Anak baru. Anak-anak yang baru saja menyelesaikan masa merah putihnya dan memasuki dunia biru putih. Tidak bisa dikatakan mudah untuk masuk ke dunia mereka yang sudah belasan tahun lalu aku lewati. Wajah polos. Pertanyaan yang sederhana namun sulit dijawab dengan menggunakan bahasa sederhana yang mampu mereka pahami. Untuk kali pertama masuk rasanya aku memulai kembali saat pertama PPL. Mengulang berbicara dengan sedikit pelan dan belajar untuk sabar yang dituntut dengan tekanan sedikit di kepala. Mereka bukan anak SMA yang disindir akan mengerti dan paham apa maksudnya. Belajar memilih kata yang menegur namun tidak menggurui. Belajar bercanda dengan ketidakmampuan. Belajar menjadi pribadi yang melihat dari sisi yang berlawanan. Sudut pandang yang tidak hanya dari sisi pribadi kita tapi dari segala arah yang memiliki pusat untuk satu pemahaman sederhana yang sama. Memahami kesulitan dengan tidak memaksakan. Sungguh sebuah pelajaran yang mengajariku betapa hidup berdampingan dengan orang banyak dengan perbedaan usia, pengatahuan, lingkungan, keluarga, financial, dan sebagainya yang disatukan dalam satu ruangan dengan segala macam keinginan. Akan membuatmu mengerti bahwa belajar mengerti dan memahami satu pribadi adalah luar biasa sangat sulit. Bisa membayangkan bagaimana keramaian yang harus dibatasi. Sulit memang, namun dengan memberikan aturan sederhana akan membuatnya sedikit lebih teratur dan terarah.
Hal yang paling menyenangkan untukku adalah masa perkenalan. Dimana mereka paling suka menebak umurku dan terkadang mereka bertanya, miss Rie masih kuliah? Umur berapa? Dan jawaban favoritku, miss Rie masih 17 tahun dan wajah polos itu dengan manisnya percaya. Dan kemudian otak pintarnya bekerja, kapan miss sekolahnya kalo sekarang sudah jadi guru? Wkwkwkwkw nona guru yang usil sepertiku pasti dengan senang hati menanggapinya. Miss Rie ini pintar jadi suka loncat kelas,percaya tidak? Atau miss Rie ini awet muda so masih imut begini hahahahaa *jangan muntah ya xixixixixi*. Namun kepolosan-kepolosan ini mampu menghadirkan tawa yang tidak membuatmu berpura-pura menjadi pribadi yang lain. Terkadang sifat menjengkelkanku keluar dengan begitu sombongnya. Aku akan berdiri menghadap kelas dan menyampaikan pemikiranku dengan bahasa yang mampu dicerna oleh mereka ketika mereka melanggar aturan atau melewati batas kesopanan semestinya.
Hal yang paling menyebalkan adalah membicarakan soal kedisiplinan dalam mengerjakan tugas. Terkadang mereka masih membuatnya dengan sembarangan dan tidak bertanggung jawab sepenuhnya dengan apa yang mereka kerjakan. Terkadang mereka tidak memahami sepenuhnya apa yang mereka bicara. Hal paling tidak aku suka mereka curang dalam mengerjakan tugasnya. Ini menjadi aturan wajib yang aku terapkan di kelasku. Tidak boleh menyontek dalam kasus apapun itu.
Pemahaman adalah hal terpenting dalam pembelajaran yang aku beri jadi aku akan senang melemparkan pertanyaan dan meminta penjelasan mendetail. Tidak bisa dipungkiri terkadang akan terjadi misunderstanding ataupun miscommunication di dalamnya. Contohnya, pada suatu hari di kelas 8, aku melemparkan sebuah pertanyaan dan mendapatkan satu jawaban yang tidak semestinya di berikan pada kepadaku. Namun aku selalu mengajari diriku untuk tidak mengikuti emosi dan egoku sebagai pribadi yang lainnya selain diriku yang kini sebagai guru. Aku selalu mengajari diriku untuk tidak memendam kemarahan dan dendam pada muridku. Jadi aku melemparkan kembali pertanyaan kepada anak ini, karena memang ia tidak memperhatikanku pada saat penjelasan dan jawaban aku dapatkan adalah “terserah kam ja” (terserah kamu saja). Pada saat itu aku terpana mendengar kalimat itu. Aku langsung diam dan menatap tajam kepadanya dan ia dengan wajah tak perduli menatapku seakan-akan ia tidak melakukan kesalahan apapun. Emosiku seakan-akan hendak meloncat dan berteriak.
“Apa kamu bilang? Terserah kam ja? Kamu berbicara sama siapa? Kamu yakin mau terserah miss aja?” tanyaku dan bungkam. Wajah tak perduli itu masih saja tidak perduli. Ia tidak menjawabku. Ia tidak menyangkal ataupun tidak memperbaiki kesalahannya. Aku berharap ia berkata ia tidak berkata padaku. Meskipun aku tahu itu tidak benar at least ia membantah dan mengurangi sedikit kemarahan di benakku. Karena pada saat itu yang berbicara hanya aku dan yang bertanya kepadanya hanya aku dan pandangannya tertuju padaku so bagaimana mungkin ini tidak ditujukan padaku? Namun aku tetap ingin mendengar sebuah penyangkalan.
Aku masih saja tak mampu menahan emosiku dengan baik meskipun aku tidak meledak dan mengeluarkan kata-kata. Aku masih sempat mengurut dadaku dan kebiasaanku berkata-kata pada diriku sendiri pun terlontar di depan dan seorang murid perempuan berkata, sabar miss. Aku memutuskan untuk keluar ruangan sejenak untuk menetralisir rasaku dan mencari udara segar agar otakku bisa bekerja dengan baik. Namun usahaku sia-sia saja. Aku tidak bisa menetralisir rasa marahku dan ini kali pertamanya aku keluar ruangan hanya karena marah dengan satu anak. Satu hal yang paling aku hindari adalah walk out dari ruangan hanya karena satu kesalahan dan memendam dendam setelahnya. Namun kali ini aku tidak bisa. Aku harus keluar sebelum aku menangis di depan puluhan mata itu. Aku berusaha untuk berjalan dengan tenang dan menahan rasaku yang berkecamuk di dada. Aku memasuki kantor dengan tampang yang entah bagaimana. Karena kak Echi berjalan kearahku dan membimbingku ke mejaku. Ia terus saja bertanya ada apa hingga akhirnya tangisku pecah. Ya aku menangis. Satu hal yang tidak pernah aku lakukan sebelumnya dan anak-anak itu tau betapa marahnya aku. Karena aku pernah mengatakan pada mereka jika miss Rie marah dan masih bisa mengomeli kalian maka kemarahan miss Rie ada pada level yang masih bisa di tolerir tapi jangan membuat miss Rie marah sampai menangis karena it tidak baik-baik saja dan ada pada level yang luar biasa. Dan lucky me, ada yang melihatku menangis di kantor. Hal yang tadinya aku hindari untuk di ketahui. Namun ini yang terjadi dan biarlah terjadi.
Dan pada saat yanng bersamaan kak Echi yang tidak tahu bagaimana membuatku berhenti menangis. Karena emosiku yang membuatku menangis dan tak bisa berkata-kata dan mengatakan apa yang terjadi. Ia pun membuatku tertawa dengan memintaku membayangkan gaya seseorang yang kontan saja membuatku tertawa meski pun airmataku beruraian di pipiku. Ia pun berkata, aku baru ketemu ada orang yang nangis dan dalam sekejap mata langsung tertawa seperti kamu.
Hahahaha aku sendiri memang tidak bisa menahan tawaku dengan episode kehidupanku yang ini. Sungguh menakjubkan pembelajaran yang di beri. Komplesitas rasa yang membuat rasamu kacau dan berbaur dengan pembelajran akan pendewasaan agar bisa menjdi dewasa dalam menghadapi masa yang seperti ini. Bukan permintaan maaf yang terpenting pada masa ini. Yang terpenting adalah pemahaman akan pribadi yang kita hadapi dan pribadi kita sendiri. Dimana kembali lagi kedewasaan dan profesionalitas kita dituntut untuk ditingatkan lagi dan lagi. Tidak hanya mengandalkan ego kita yang mungkin saja terluka dan hendak selalu di perhatikan. Sebuah pembelajaran yang bisa saja membuatmu malu karena kalah dengan ego yang seperti itu. Ego yang selalu ada di tempat tertinggi. Mengajariku untuk meminta maaf kembali dan memperbaiki hubungan yang bisa saja menjadi jurang dan tak terjembatani. Dan aku memilih untuk menjadi bagian yang bisa di sentuh dan di dekati lagi. Aku memilih menjadi bagian yang tidak menjauhkan diri dan menerima kesalahan dengan menjadikannya pengingat dan alarm yang tidak bisa diabaikan.
Terima kasih untuk pembelajaran yang telah di beri. Untuk seorang murid yang mampu membuatku menangis. Salut^__^
***
Jumat, 22 April 2011
Tentang membuat alasan
Sering kali kealfaan itu disengaja dan dibiarkan. Seringkali kita menyalahkan keadaan atas segala yang ada dihadapan. Padahal ada yang dilupakan. Bahwa kealfaan bisa terjadi karena keinginan untuk melepaskan tidak tersampaikan. Karena kita membiarkan segala terjadi dan melihat saja atas semuanya. Lalu siapa yang Tentu tidak bisa begitu. Tidak perlu meyalahkan siapapun jika sesuatu terjadi dan menjadi semakin buruk. Tetap hendaknya kita belajar akan apa yang tengah kita hadapi dan kita belajar untuk membuat keputusan yang baik untuk semua yang tengah terjadi tanpa memperbesar masalah atau membuatnya semakin kacau dengan menyalahkan orang lain atau melibatkan orang lain yang tidak memiliki sangkutan apapun dengan masalah yanng tengah dihadapi.
Dan belajar menjadi mandiri dan belajar melihat masalah untuk menyelesaikannya dengan pemikiran yang terbuka dan tidka terkontaminasi adalah hal yang paling sulit dilakukan. Diakui atau tidak namun itulah kenyataanya.
Dan belajar menjadi mandiri dan belajar melihat masalah untuk menyelesaikannya dengan pemikiran yang terbuka dan tidka terkontaminasi adalah hal yang paling sulit dilakukan. Diakui atau tidak namun itulah kenyataanya.
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