No, I’m not lost..

The fact that I quitted my job doesn’t mean I no longer know what to do with my life. I left not because I didn’t like to teach anymore. Quite the contrary, I love teaching, especially small children, and that’s the very reason why I lasted several years in my job. I left because I had to.

What I didn’t like, hate, actually, was to be treated, nothing more, nothing less, but as a mere paid employee. As far as I was concerned, I wasn’t just that. But when you are treated that way, and always reminded that you are just that, you will just wake up one morning with nothing left but the loathsome feeling of being exactly that.

There is more to work than going to the workplace, doing your thing and waiting for the payday to come. There is such thing as doing an extra mile or two not because you expected to be paid, but because that’s what you are and how you do things.

Right now, I’m still in the process of getting used to being on my own. But it won’t take long, I’ll be back to teaching as soon as I find some ways how to manage my time: children, housekeeping, blogging and yes, teaching..

Subjective Pronouns are used:

• before or after linking verbs (am, is, are, was, were, etc)

Example:

It was I.

The visitors were they.

• before action words

Example:

She visited her mother in the province.

I punched him in the face.

Objective Pronouns are used:

• after action words

Example:

The girl kissed him in the cheek.

Her mother put her to bed early.

• after prepositions

Example:

She sent the books to them.

She went with him to the park.

Possessive Pronouns are used to indicate possession or ownership

Example:

I found her pet under the chair.

Their house is right across from ours.

Lynnie* was a cute little girl of nearly five years when she was first enrolled at the center. She seemed to be pretty smart, too, except that we couldn’t talk with her. She mumbled unintelligible sounds as if she was talking with imaginary friends and was having such a real good time at it. What more, Lynnie couldn’t keep still, nor does she have eye contact with any one.

The little girl’s parents are a young couple, both of them are nurses. Though her father is working at a private clinic somewhere in the city, he has plans to work abroad where his wife works. Lynnie has been living with her grandmother who doted on her. For grandmother, Lynnie is the prettiest and smartest girl in the world, so, she overlooked Lynnie’s difference from her classmates. Lynnie’s short attention span she attributed to the girl’s over-playfulness and Lynnie’s difficulty in speaking she blamed to her own inattentiveness and laziness to talk with the little girl. We understood all of that, and we knew that it was wiser to talk with Lynnie’s father instead of her grandmother.

Incidentally, Lynnie’s father brought her to the center one day. Our preschool teacher talked to him and asked him if they already took Lynnie to a specialist concerning her speech, which, we thought, was the most obvious. The father admitted that he already considered taking the girl to a specialist as he was afraid the girl might have ADHD, but the grandmother was loath to the idea and kept on insisting that there was nothing wrong with her granddaughter. And since it was the grandmother who pays all the bills, she has the last say in the matter.

We simply wish we just imagined the whole thing and that there was really nothing wrong with Lynnie, otherwise, we will just end up feeling sorry for the little girl and feeling sorry for ourselves for being not helpful enough.

*not real name

Subject in the sentence. The subject is what is being talked about in a sentence.

Example: The chairman arrived late in the meeting.

(The sentence is talking about the chairman)

The chairman arrived late in the meeting.

Direct Object. The direct object is the receiver of the action.

Example: I saw the chairman at the meeting last night.

(Chairman is the object of the action word saw. Who was seen? The chairman)

I saw the chairman at the meeting last night

Indirect Object. The indirect object is to whom the direct object is given or done for.

Example: I sent the chairman an invitation for the meeting.

(Invitation is the object of the action word sent. To whom was it sent? To the chairman)

I sent the chairman an invitation for the meeting.

Object Complement. Object complement complements the object.

Example: The homeowners elected my brother chairman of the association at the meeting last night.

(Chairman complements brother which is the object of the action word elected)

The homeowners elected my brother chairman of the association at the meeting last night.

Subject Complement. Subject complement complements the subject and usually comes after a linking verb.

Example: The guest speaker in the meeting last night was the chairman.

(Chairman complements the subject in the sentence which is the guest speaker and it comes after the linking verb was)

The guest speaker in the meeting last night was the chairman.

Appositive. Appositive renames the subject in the sentence.

Example: My father, the chairman, arrived late in the meeting last night.

(Chairman renames the subject in the sentence which is father)

My father, the chairman, arrived late in the meeting last night.

Object of the Preposition. Object of the preposition is the noun that comes after the preposition.

Example: We waited for the arrival of the chairman.

(Chairman is the object of the preposition of)

We waited for the arrival of the chairman.

On the second week of January of this year, as I was taking charge of the reception desk, I entertained the inquiry of a couple. The first thing they asked was whether we cater to children as young as two years old. I told them right away that we prefer older children as younger ones tend to cry, look for mommy and do not follow teacher’s instructions, which are contradictory to the real purpose of the program we offer. So, I suggested that we wait until the child turns two and a half years, at least.

Then, they asked me if our teacher speaks in English, so I said ‘yes’ as the medium of instruction is in English, but I also admitted that if a particular child speaks in vernacular, then our teacher may speak likewise, so that they will understand each other. The mother asked again, what if they prefer that our teacher speaks with their child in English, so I said yes, the teacher would because basically, English is the medium of instruction in our center.

But the mom said that, what if her child is not English-speaking, as they don’t speak English at home, but they prefer that the teacher speak to her child in English. So again, I said, yes, the teacher would because generally, the teacher speaks in English as medium of instruction.

Well, at that point, I didn’t know who couldn’t understand whom. Couldn’t I understand her? Or couldn’t she understand me, because it seems like I just repeated what I already said.

But since, their child is only two years old, even if we satisfy their requirement, we still don’t encourage them to enroll. So, I just gave them our contact number and said to call us when their child got a little older. The mother thanked me but before they left, she asked me one last question: if I can recommend a school that teaches English language only to her two year old child. I answered if there is such school, I personally don’t know any.

She thanked me one last time and left.

So, what did she want again?

(I understand if parents want their children to learn to speak English fluently. What I don’t understand is the almost obsessive way they want their children to learn. If parents really want their children to speak in English, then, they have to speak to their children in English, themselves, or they have to let them watch English shows  or English films. Even if they enroll their children to English language schools only to speak in vernacular at home, then, the purpose may not be served. What can two hours of English speaking do against 22 hours of speaking in vernacular?)

• adding apostrophe (‘) and s after the noun

Example:

tail of the animal – animal’s tail

the bike of Rico – Rico’s bike

• adding apostrophe (‘) to singular and plural nouns that end in s, es and ss

Example:

names of the heroes – the heroes’ names

the dresses of the ladies – the ladies’ dresses

• adding apostrophe (‘) and s to names ending in s, es and ss but with only one syllable.

Example:

the bag of Tess – Tess’s bag

the pets of Ellis – Ellis’s pets

• adding apostrophe (‘) only to names ending in s, es and ss with two or more syllables.

Example:

the friends of Carlos – Carlos’ friends

the job of Remedios – Remedios’ job

• adding apostrophe (‘) to the last name in a compound noun for joint ownership

Example:

room of Candid and Mika – Candid and Mika’s room

(the room belongs to both Candid and Mika)

the parents of Alexandra and Marzelle – Alexandra and Marzelle’s parents

(meaning Alexandra and Marzelle have the same parents)

• adding apostrophe (‘) to each name in a compound noun for separate ownership

Example:

bags of Candid and Mika –Candid’s and Mika’s bags

(there are two bags, one belongs to Candid and the other one belongs to Mika)

the parents of Alexandra and the parents of Marzelle – Alexandra’s and Marzelle’s parents

(referring to Alexandra’s parents and Marzelle’s parents)

• by placing the sign of possession to the last word in a compound noun

Example:

the children of my sister-in-law – my sister-in-law’s children

the speech of the officer-in-charge – the officer-in-charge’s speech

During my long vacation last Christmas season, a client inquired about our review for International English Language Testing System. The IELTS is taken primarily by students intending to study in the English speaking countries of Canada, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand. It was also taken by people of the medical profession, skilled workers and immigrants.

This particular client wasn’t a student nor was he a medical personnel. So, it could only be either skilled worker or an immigrant. He first asked about who was going to teach him. It happened to be me, at the time. He asked about me particularly about the school I graduated from. He demanded to talk to me but felt disappointed when told that I wasn’t around and that I was on leave for the holidays. He asked the receptionist to call me on my mobile phone because he wanted to know if I was credible and good enough to teach him. Our receptionist, very politely, said they do not call the teachers ‘on-leave’ unless it was an emergency.

Feeling that he couldn’t impose much more, he left an order for me to call him as soon as I report to work on the third of January when business resumes officially. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to go to work on that day. When I reported for work, I had so much else to do that I forgot about him completely. On the first Sunday of January, I took my day-off. He came and berated the receptionist because I did not call. He said it was my responsibility to give him a call as soon as I came to report for work.

He said he wanted to be sure if I was good enough to teach him and if there was something else I could teach him besides the lessons on the prescribed outline. He said, aside from English language, preferably with British accent, he also wanted to learn about the Canadian culture and Canada’s current trend. The receptionist said we only teach what’s on the outline. He answered that’s what he wanted to talk to me about.

I didn’t call him at all..

man-men, woman-women, child-children

Here is a list of other irregular nouns: