Late At Night

Having spent the whole day out celebrating my youngest brother's birthday, and having had only the last class yesterday, I still have some work left to prepare for tomorrow's English lesson.

I'm the teacher.

Hence, after coming home late with my family I started working on the computer, on my grammar/exercise book, etc. I'm still at it.

Now is when you say, frowning, So why are you writing a post on your blog instead of working on tomorrow's class, young lady?!
Now is when I answer... I don't know. [grin] Hehe, nah, don't worry. What I'm posting is part of my work. I'm making my student read Secret Garden for her Reading exercises. It's an English classic with quite an easy read, the structures being simple and, I find, very refreshing. It's not like, say, Jane Austen, another English classic, but which is much more complex to read. (Note: I'm not saying reading any of Jane Austen's books isn't refreshing).

Anyway, as I read the book I write down questions and words I find would be new to my student, but at the same time, I also read the book myself, and mostly, two, and even three, times every chapter. This way I notice plenty of things I wouldn't in only one read.

So far we're on the third and fourth chapter of the book. It's still not very positive nor happy, but I would like to share with you a couple of descriptions the writer makes of the environment and/or situation.

When describing the moors, "..it's just miles and miles and miles of wild land that nothing grows on but heather and gorse and broom, and nothing lives on but wild ponies and sheep."


Once Mary had entered the huge house where she was to live from then on, "...she looked a very small, odd little black figure, and she felt as small and lost and odd as she looked."


Knowing the little girl was nicknamed Mistress Mary Quite Contrary because of her attitude towards others, "...It was in this way Mistress Mary arrived at Misselthwait Manor and she had perhaps never felt quite so contrary in all her life."


There are also some words I write down for my student's vocabulary that in some way or other are special - either because of their sound, their spelling... it depends. Here are a few:

Glisten (noun): a sparkling light reflected from something wet.
Proper: suitable or appropiate; correct.
Whistle: a clear, high-pitched sound made by forcing breath through a small hole between partly closed lips, or between one's teeth.
Twinkle (verb): shine with a gleam that changes constantly from bright to faint.
Perhaps: expressing uncertainty or possibility.

[Sigh] Now that I've finished my work, I will proceed to walk up the stairs to my bedroom and my bed. I believe I deserve my rest.