Jack Bauer: My favorite TV character

I don't watch TV much. In fact, after my favorite show 24 ended its 8th season a few years ago, I hardly ever find myself in front of the screen. But when I do, I am most likely watching repeats of 24, idolizing my favorite character Jack Bauer. Jack Bauer is a fictional character who works as a member of the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU). He emulates strength, courage and bravery. Jack enjoys saving the world, stopping terrorist attacks, and putting bad guys where they belong. He plays a tough guy character who sacrifices himself time after time for the greater good of the country he loves so very much. Jack's humble and intense attitude has won the hearts of millions of American viewers.

Vocabulary 
1. hardly (adv.) barely
2. idolizing (v.) admire or love deeply
3. emulates (v.) imitates
4. courage (adj.) the ability to do something that frightens one.
5. bravery (adj.) not being afraid even in the face of pain
6. sacrifices (v.) giving something of extreme importance for the greater good
7. humble (adj.) having or showing a modest or low estimate of one's own importance.
8. intense (adj.) having or showing strong feelings or opinions; extremely serious.

Vocabulary Exercise: 
Create a sentence for each of the following:
1. hardly _______________________________________________
2. idolizing _______________________________________________
3. emulates _______________________________________________
4. courage _______________________________________________
5. bravery _______________________________________________
6. sacrifices _______________________________________________
7. humble _______________________________________________
8. intense _______________________________________________

Grammar Point: Parallel Structure 

Parallel structure (also called parallelism) is the repetition of a chosen grammatical form within a sentence. By making each compared item or idea in your sentence follow the same grammatical pattern, you create a parallel construction. Parallel Structure: Peter enjoys cooking, reading, and running.Not Parallel Structure: Peter enjoys to cook, reading and going for a run. The second example does not satisfy the conditions of parallelism because to cook, and reading and going for a run are not all in the same tense. The following are examples from the above paragraph that use parallel structure:

1. But when I do, I am most likely watching repeats of 24, idolizing my favorite character Jack Bauer. 2. He emulates strength, courage and bravery. 3. Jack enjoys saving the world, stopping terrorist attacks, and putting bad guys where they belong. 

Grammar Activity 

Write about your favorite fictional character using parallel structure and at least 3 reasons supporting your answer. 

Getting fit!

To prepare for my trip to Disney World and for the upcoming warm weather, I have been working extra hard in the gym to get myself fit. Becoming fit is beneficial in many aspects. It reduces stress, releases happy hormones, and makes you feel good about yourself. Becoming fit gives some people a sense of purpose and achievement. It allows you to maintain a goal-oriented life style to better yourself each and every day.

Vocabulary 

1. upcoming (adj.) about to happen
2. fit (adj.) in good health 
3. beneficial (adj.) resulting in good
4. reduces (v.) make smaller or less in amount, degree, or size.
5. purpose (n.) the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.
6. achievement (n.) a thing done successfully usually done by effort 
7. maintain (v.) cause or allow to continue 
8. goal-oriented (adj.) working hard to achieve good results in given tasks 

Write your own sentence for each of the sentences below.  Use the definitions and the context in which each word is used in the above paragraph.  
1. upcoming ________________________________________________________
2. fit ___________________________________________________________
3. beneficial___________________________________________________________
4. reduces___________________________________________________________
5. purpose ___________________________________________________________
6. achievement ___________________________________________________________
7. maintain___________________________________________________________
8. goal-oriented ___________________________________________________________

Grammar Point: Verbs in the Present Tense
Verbs in the present tense show an action that is happening now or is going to happen.  The present tense uses the verb's base form (play, cook), or, for third-person singular subjects, the base form plus an -s ending (she plays, he cooks). The following are present tense examples from the paragraph above. 
1. Becoming fit is beneficial in many aspects. It reduces stress, releases happy hormones, and makes you feel good about yourself.
2. It allows you to maintain a goal-oriented life style to better yourself each and every day. 

Grammar Activity 
Write about what you are currently working on to better yourself or wish to work on. Create at least 5 sentences in present verb tense. 

The Beauty and The Beast

On Sunday, my sister, mother and I were supposed to see the movie, The Beauty and The Beast. Although we made plans a week in advance, a series of unfortunate events put our plans to a halt. Well really, my sister's phone troubles put our plans to a stop. As she commuted home from work, Danielle's phone failed to work. Angered and worried that she would not be able to reach her clients and fulfill her business obligations, Danielle found herself on the phone with the phone company for hours. A phone call was not enough. She found herself spending the last few hours of that Sunday evening inside of the Apple Store attempting to save her phone. The phone could not be saved and a new one was shipped the next day. I guess The Beauty and The Beast will have to wait until next week! 

Vocabulary 

1. advance (v.) move forward, typically in a purposeful way
2. series (n.) a number of things, events, or people of a similar kind or related nature coming one after another.
3. unfortunate (adj.) unlucky 
4. commuted (v.) travel some distance between one's home and place of work on a regular basis.
5. clients (n.) a customer or buyer in a professional setting
6. fulfill (v.) achieve or realize (something desired, promised, or predicted)
7. obligations (n.) a duty or commitment
8. attempting (v.) make an effort to achieve or complete something 
9. shipped (v.) transport (goods or people) 

Write your own sentence for each of the sentences below.  Use the definitions and the context in which each word is used in the above paragraph.  
1. advance ________________________________________________________
2. series ___________________________________________________________
3. unfortunate___________________________________________________________
4. commuted___________________________________________________________
5. clients ___________________________________________________________
6. fulfill___________________________________________________________
7. obligations ___________________________________________________________
8. shipped ___________________________________________________________

Grammar Point: Articles
An article is a kind of adjective which is always used with and gives some information about a noun. There are only two articles "a" and "the". English has two types of articles: definite and indefinite.  The article "the" is a definite article that refers to one specific thing.  The articles "a" and "an" are indefinite articles that do not refer to a particular thing.  "A" is used before a noun that starts with a consonant.  "An" is used before a word that starts with a vowel. Articles are used very frequently and are important for using English accurately as it helps make it clear what the noun refers to. The Beauty and The Beast gives meaning to each noun, referring to each noun individually and specifically. Another example in this paragraph is in the sentence, "Although we made plans a week in advance, a series of unfortunate events put our plans to a halt. The "a" before series suggest that there is no one particular thing being discussed. Another example using the phrases, "the phone" and "the phone company", gives particular meaning to those specific nouns individually and independently. 

Grammar Activity: 
Write a paragraph containing at least 5 sentences of which include the articles (a, an, the).

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

Spring Break

It's that time of the year again. The time where college students, families and loved ones take a week off from their responsibilities to enjoy Spring Break! Spring Break is when a group of people go on vacation usually to visit a tropical island or somewhere hot. In preparation for this fun time of the year, people are usually spending many hours at the gym, running from store to store in hopes of finding the perfect outfits, getting spray tans, and spending more money than they hoped for. Mothers are packing, while daughters envision the perfect day at the beach. Friends are giving each other advice on which bikini to bring with them and which shoes will go with that new dress they just bought.

Vocabulary 

1. responsibilities (n.) having a duty to deal with
2. vacation (n.) an extended period of time spent away from home to travel for fun 
3. preparation (n.) something done to get ready for an event
4. envision (v.) imagine as a future possibility; visualize
5. advice (n.) guidance or recommendations about a future action 

Write your own sentence for each of the sentences below.  Use the definitions and the context in which each word is used in the above paragraph.  
1. responsibilities ________________________________________________________
2. vacation ___________________________________________________________
3. preparation___________________________________________________________
4. envision___________________________________________________________
5. advice ___________________________________________________________

Grammar Point: Present Continuous Verbs
The present continuous tense is formed by using the present tense form of the verb "to be" and the present participle (-ing) form of the verb. We use the present continuous tense to talk about the present. For something that is happening at the moment of speaking, for something which is happening before and after a given time, for something which we think is temporary, for something which is new and contrasts with a previous state, for something which happens again and again, and to show that something is changing, growing or developing. We can also use the present continuous tense to talk about the future for something which has been arranged or planned. 

The following are examples of sentences from the paragraph above that use the present continuous:

1. In preparation for this fun time of the year, people are usually spending many hours at the gym, running from store to store in hopes of finding the perfect outfits, getting spray tans, and spending more money than they hoped for.
2. Mothers are packing, while daughters envision the perfect day at the beach.
3. Friends are giving each other advice on which bikini to bring with them and which shoes will go with that new dress they just bought.

Grammar Activity: 
Given the words below, please change the tense and create at least 5 sentences using the present continuous tense. 
Shop, play, write, read, cook, learn, walk, drive, sing, observe 

1.___________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________________

Disney World!

I am going on a trip to Disney World next week! I am ecstatic! I will be visiting Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Magical Kingdom and Universal Studios. There is so much to look forward to during this trip that it is almost too much to handle! I will be looking forward to watching all the amazing characters perform in the parade that is celebrated each day at Magical Kingdom. I am especially excited to visit Harry Potter World, where I will drink tasty Butter Beer and finally get to experience the new attraction called The Hogwarts Express. Fans of Harry Potter will be dressed in capes and be seen waving their wands around. I can't wait for my favorite childhood movie to come to life! 

Vocabulary:

1. ecstatic (adj.) feeling an extreme amount of happiness or excitement 
2. handle (v.) to manage a situation 
3. especially (adv.) used to single out one person, thing, or situation over all others.
4. attraction (n.) a thing or place that draws visitors by providing something of interest or pleasure.

Vocabulary Exercise: 

Write your own sentence for each of the sentences above. 
1. ecstatic ________________________________________________________
2. handle ___________________________________________________________
3. especially ___________________________________________________________
4. attraction___________________________________________________________


Grammar Point: Simple Future Verbs
The simple future tense refers to an action that is in the future and has not occurred. It refers to a time later than now, and expresses facts or certainty. The simple future tense is composed of two parts: will / shall+ the infinitive without to. The following are examples of the simple future tense from the paragraph above:

1. I am going on a trip to Disney World next week
2. I will be visiting Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Magical Kingdom and Universal Studios.
3.I will be looking forward to watching all the amazing characters perform in the parade that is celebrated each day at Magical Kingdom.
4.  I am especially excited to visit Harry Potter World, where I will drink tasty Butter Beer and finally get to experience the new attraction called The Hogwarts Express. 
5. Fans of Harry Potter will be dressed in capes and be seen waving their wands around.

Grammar Activity: 
Fill in the blanks with the future tense of the verb in parentheses.  The helping verbs "will" or "shall" with the base form of the verb may be used, or you may use a form of the verb "go" with the infinitive of the verb.

1.  He ______________________ (play) soccer after dinner. 
2.  Maria _____________________ (study) for her midterm next Friday. 
3.  She ______________________ (shop) for clothes for her vacation. 
4.  I ___________________ (cook) for my family dinner on Sunday. 
5.  We __________________ (visit) our friends who study abroad. 

Mother Nature vs. New York

New York is known to experience all four seasons in one week. On a Monday one can find themselves geared up for the next 3 foot snow fall that has been predicted in the forecast, yet on a Friday find themselves strolling through the neighborhood wearing nothing but a T-shirt on their back. Mother nature seems to enjoy teasing New Yorkers giving them good weather one minute, and bad weather the next. Either that, or she is extremely indecisive. 

Vocabulary 

experience: (v.) an encounter of an event or occurrence
seasons: (n.) the four different times of year that is marked by particular weather patterns and daylight hours (spring, summer, fall, winter)
geared: (v.) adjust or adapt something to suit a special purpose or need
predicted: (v.) say or estimate something (specific) that will happen in the future
forecast: (n.) a prediction or estimate of future events, especially coming weather or a financial trend. 
strolling (v.) walk in a leisurely way
Mother Nature (n.) Mother Nature is a common personification of nature that focuses on the life-giving and nurturing aspects of nature by using a mother figure as a symbol. 
teasing (v.) make fun of or attempt to get a reaction from (a person or animal) in a playful way.
indecisive (adj) (of a person) not having or showing the ability to make decisions quickly and effectively.

Vocabulary Exercise: 
Write your own sentence for each of the sentences above. 

1. experience ________________________________________________________
2. seasons ___________________________________________________________
3. geared ___________________________________________________________
4. predicted___________________________________________________________
5. forecast ______________________________________________________
6. strolling ______________________________________________________
7. Mother Nature ______________________________________________________
8. teasing ______________________________________________________
9. indecisive ______________________________________________________

Grammar point: Conjunctions

A conjunction is a part of speech that is used to connect words, phrases, clauses, or sentences. When using conjunctions,all the parts of a sentence must agree.  There are several different types of conjunctions that do various jobs within sentence structures; subordinating conjunctions, coordinating conjunctions, correlative conjunctions, and conjunctive adverbs. 

Subordinating conjunctions join dependent clauses to independent clauses. Coordinating conjunctions join two or more sentences, main clauses, words, or other parts of speech which are the same syntactic importance. Correlative conjunctions work in pairs to join phrases or words that carry equal importance within a sentence. Lastly, conjunctive adverbs connect one clause to another, and are used to show sequence, contrast, cause and effect, and other relationships.

An example from the paragraph above is the word "yet" in "On a Monday one can find themselves geared up for the next 3 foot snow fall that has been predicted in the forecast, yet on a Friday find themselves strolling through the neighborhood wearing nothing but a T-shirt on their back." Another example of a conjunction is in the paragraph when "and" connects two ideas of equal importance, "Mother nature seems to enjoy teasing New Yorkers giving them good weather one minute, and bad weather the next.

Grammar Activity 

Create a sentence for each of the word pairs below, using conjunctions to connect the two given words. 

1. (happy/sad) ________________________________________________________
2. (cat/dog) ________________________________________________________
3. (hike/work)________________________________________________________
4. (soccer/tired) ________________________________________________________
5. (study/good grades) ________________________________________________________

Stubborn Mistakes, Stubborn Consequences

My name is Christina Restivo and I am currently a graduate student enrolled in the TESOL program at Molloy College. Molloy has seen my worst and best days. It has become my home away from home as I have spent the past four years juggling the demands of the Elementary Ed/Special Education program and the demands of being a student-athlete dedicated to her first true love; soccer. I spent my life training to play soccer at a collegiate level and when I finally got there, hardly nothing could stop me from being focused on the one thing I dedicated my life to; not even my school work (shhhhhh). Unfortunately, within the first week of my freshman preseason I was head butted by a teammate and was diagnosed with my third concussion of my life, and first of many in my college career. Because of my stubborn and headstrong nature, I foolishly ignored my symptoms and continued playing through preseason for the next week. As a freshman who was recruited mostly because of my "run through a brick wall" style of play, I was expected to win hard tackles, use my  head as an instrument to win air balls and distribute the ball as simple and as quick as possible. I did just that for another week - and suffered the consequences. I reached a point where I could no longer get through the day suffering from symptoms such as nausea, migraines, sensitivity to light and noise, fatigue, poor balance, and irritability just to name a few. When I finally alerted my trainers I had to undergo an imPACT concussion test that would be the first of many for the next four years. To make a long story short, my stubbornness and my intense passion to play caused me to rushed the recovery process coming back to play too soon. A week later, the universe showed me that you cannot escape the cards life has dealt for you, with my second concussion in a one month span and fourth of my young life. Because of my poor decisions and judgement, this time around I really suffered the consequences - for six months. I found myself in a mild depressed state for the next six months which was caused from the combination of the symptoms I was facing. As an athlete, it was paralyzing to watch my teammates from the sidelines everyday wondering when and if I would be able to play again. As a student, it was demoralizing as my brain was not functioning the way it was supposed to. And as a freshmen student- athlete, it was something out of a horror movie. I overcame my fourth concussion six months later and was concussion free - until the following fall season of my Sophomore year. I was in recovery for another six months. Many doctors visits were involved. Many tears were cried. Many fears and thoughts raced through my head. Big decisions had to be made.

Vocabulary

Enrolled - officially register as a member of an institution or a student on a course.
Juggling - cope with many things at once by balancing responsibilities 
Demands  responsibilities of a specific job, role, etc. 
Student-Athlete - a participant in an organized competitive sport that is run by the educational institution he or she goes to school at.  
Collegiate level - belonging or relating to a college. Often used in sports to refer to high level competition. 
Stubborn - having or showing determination not to change one's attitude or position on something. 
Headstrong - self-willed. 
Preseason- The weeks a sports team spends training prior to their official start of a season. 
Foolishly - in an unwise manner; stupidly.
Paralyzing - bring (a system, place, or organization) to a standstill by causing disruption or chaos.
Demoralizing - cause (someone) to lose confidence or hope; dispirit.
Recovery - return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength.

Vocabulary Exercise
Please fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word.

1. After his heart surgery, my grandfather will be in __________ for 5 weeks. 
2. The boy _________ skipped class in hopes of impressing the girl he liked. 
3. Lexie plays soccer at a _____________ for Duke University. 
4. Mariella was __________ her job, school work and social life all at once. 
5. Peter is _________ in a History of New York class for the fall semester. 
6. The boys felt that the __________ of playing both basketball and lacrosse were too hard to handle. 
7. Melissa and Alicia trained all summer long so that they would be ready for the hard work of ___________. 
8. It was both ___________ and ______________ when a huge, physical fight broke out in the store leaving many innocent people emotionally and physically hurt. 
9. Professional athletes are usually ___________ which takes that from being an average player to an exceptional player. 
10. As hard as her mother tried to change her mind, Alyssa was being too _________ to listen. 
11. _________ must typically balance the roles of being a full-time student and a full-time athlete.

Writing Exercise
Have you ever wished you could go back in time? Reflect and write about a time when you made a situation in your life worse by being too stubborn. Include at least 7 sentences explaining the situation and what you would have done differently if you could go back in time.