HTML Help Needed

If you've looked at my other posts, you have probably noticed that the point where the text wraps around to the next line overlaps the edge of the frame where it is supposed to be. It looks kinda sloppy like this and obsessive, compulsive Misty is NOT happy!

So, if anyone out there in internetland has a good understanding of html, please let me know if you're willing to take a look and help me find the problem.

Thanks, mysterious stranger, in advance!

Understanding Adjectives

What are adjectives?

(To help you understand adjectives, I have changed the colors of all of the adjectives in this post.)

 Simply put, adjectives are the words that you use to describe nouns. For example, in the sentence "I threw a green ball." the word "green" is the adjective because it describes the noun "ball".

Now, to liven up this explanation a bit, let me share a fun video with you. 
 
School House Rock is one of my favorite collections of educational videos. They explain all kinds of things in such great detail that I simply cannot even hope to be better. Here is the School House Rock video about adjectives. Enjoy!

Got home from camping last spring.
Saw people, places and things.
We barely had arrived,
Friends asked us to describe
The people, places and every last thing.
So we unpacked our adjectives.

I unpacked "frustrating" first.
Reached in and found the word "worst".
Then I picked "soggy" and
Next I picked "foggy" and
Then I was ready to tell them my tale.
'Cause I'd unpacked my adjectives.

Adjectives are words you use to really describe things,
Handy words to carry around.
Days are sunny or they're rainy
Boys are dumb or else they're brainy
Adjectives can show you which way.

Adjectives are often used to help us compare things,
To say how thin, how fat, how short, how tall.
Girls who are tall can get taller,
Boys who are small can get smaller,
Till one is the tallest
And the other's the smallest of all.

We hiked along without care.
Then we ran into a bear.
He was a hairy bear,
He was a scary bear,
We beat a hasty retreat from his lair.
And described him with adjectives.

[Turtle, spoken:] Whoah! Boy! That was one big, ugly bear!

[Girl, spoken:] You can even make adjectives out of the other parts of speech, like verbs or nouns. All you have to do is tack on an ending like "-ic" or "-ish" or "-ary". For example, this boy can grow up to be a huge man – but still have a boyish face. "Boy" is a noun, but the ending "-ish" makes it an adjective - boyish. That describes the huge man's face, get it? 

[Sung:] Next time you go on a trip,
Remember this little tip:
The minute you get back,
They'll ask you this and that,
You can describe people, places and things...
Simply unpack your adjectives.

You can do it with adjectives.
Tell them 'bout it with adjectives.
You can shout it with adjectives.

So, in summary...

Adjectives describe nouns. It's a simple as that!
Any questions?

Great Tool for Dictation Practice

I did a little extra research today and I was able to find my back to that awesome dictation website that I have been telling everyone about.

Listen and Write

It's called 'listen and write' and that's exactly what you do. The sound files and videos are sorted by difficulty level and you can even take a simple level test to get an idea of where you should start. There are training videos that you can watch to help you understand how the site works.

 Please try an exercise or two if you have the time and let me know if you think it's helpful enough for me to include it as part of my interactive lessons. I can easily find the videos associated with the articles I use and upload them for more in depth listening practice.

 In my research I found a few other online tools that might be useful for language learners but I'll introduce these tools one at a time to keep you from being overloaded, ok?

If you'd like to see some training videos that explain the website, go here.

Understanding Present Simple Tense

How to form Present Simple Tense

Here is how Present Simple Tense is formed, using the verb "to go" as an example.

PERSON	POSITIVE	QUESTION	NEGATIVE
I you he/she/it	I go You go He/She/It goes	Do I go? Do you go? Does he/she/it go?	I don’t go You don’t go He/She/It doesn’t go
we you they	We go You go They go	Do we go? Do you go? Do they go?	We don’t go You don’t go They don’t go

Please note that the third person singular (he/she/it) has an audible "s" at the end of the verb. It is very important to pronounce this correctly when speaking.

How to identify Present Simple Tense

Present Simple Tense is formed like this:

 Positive – Subject verb.

Negative - Subject (don’t / doesn’t ) verb.

Question - (Do / Does) subject verb?

"I go shopping at least twice a week."

This is present simple tense of the phrasal verb 'to go shopping' It is identifiable by the lack of auxiliary verbs and the fact that it talks about a routine or habit.

When is Present Simple Used?

 

1. Facts – “The sun sets in the west.”
2. Habits or routines- “I brush my teeth after every meal”
3. Newspaper headlines- “Cold War Ends!”
4. Directions- “Turn right after you cross the railroad”
5. Stories that are told in the present- “Suddenly the lights go out and someone screams!” 

Have you got questions about this topic? Feel free to leave a comment with your questions and I'll answer as soon as I am able.