English Haiku Examples

Morning

At six this morning,
I went to make the coffee,
To try to wake up.

Social Network

Laughing at my phone,
Other people look at me.
What is so funny?

English Teachers Needed In Brazil

Some Basic "to" And "for" Rules

The Prepositions To And For

All prepositions have some root meaning, but are idiomatic in various forms. This occurs because prepositions paint a kind of mental picture in the mind of the listener, that can change based on historical and cultural and grammatical contexts.

To: “To” is used with verbs. Generally, “to” indicates a specific, directed action, and can indicate purpose, in that sense. 1. Used before second infinitives (acting like and adjective or adverbial phrase). He remembered to take his medicine. 2. Used after verbs of motion, and saying verbs. They both ran to the other side of the road. He went to work in the morning. He spoke his mind to her during the conversation. Examples with both: She wanted to go to her favorite restaurant. He forgot to mention to her to bring the money.

For: “For” is not used before verbs. It has a broader, less specific sense than “to.” “For” indicates a reason, cause, or purpose most of the time, but can be used to show benefit, or substitution of the actor. It can also be used with time expressions to show duration of time. 1. Used before gerunds, acting as adjectives and adverbs. He loved to use a typewriter for writing term papers. 2. Used before nouns and pronouns to indicate the objective case. If it weren't for my bad knee, I would do that for him. He studies hard for his University program. 3. Used to show duration of time. She has been the president for four years. That problem might continue for another 10 years. 4. Can be used to replace “because.” (This is becoming an archaic usage.) They let me be the lead singer, for I was the best at it.

Look at these two examples to get a clearer idea of the root meanings of “to” and “for.”

1. He travels to work every two weeks. (This indicates that work is where he goes. It's the direction of the action.)

2. He travels for work every two weeks. (This indicates that he gets paid to travel. It's the purpose for his travel.)

http://bydanconklin.blogspot.com

Teaching Job Available in Brazil

I am looking for a native English speaker, with a permanent visa in Brazil, to teach Brazilian High School students in a Texas Tech University blended learning program. The school is located in Porto Velho, Brazil. I expect this listing to be open until the middle of July 2014.

Technology

Where would we be
Without technology,
The threads of society
Knit by quick celebrity?
How would we know
Who's on the go?
Or have interface
Without face-to-face?
Is a virtual Face
Really a place?
Could we tweet
(Or is it a twit?)
About something sweet?
Or instantly gram it
(Or is it spam?)
about something we eat?
Would we know what's up
Without using Whatsapp?
Or have something kept
Without using Keep?
Would it be hype
For those who can type
With their feet
To use autocomplete?
Do we still use our brains?
Have all the terms changed?
If a self photo of me
Is a selfy,
then
Is one who spends
His time and weekends
On the smartphone
Considered a phony?

By Daniel Lee Conklin

Third World Problems

Technically, I don´t live in a "Third World" country, but I live in what´s considered to be an "emerging" nation. Much of Brazil actually has all of the benefits and issues of any so-called "first world" nation. However, the part of Brazil that I live in is acknowledged, even by the people who live here, to be third world because of the deteriorating condition of the infrastructure.

There is also the issue of the devaluation of the currency in comparison with the US Dollar, which currently stands at more than 2.5 Brazilian Reals to one US Dollar. I get paid in Reals, not dollars. This becomes a problem when I want to travel back to my home country for some reason, but it's not really a problem living here.

When I moved here, I did so without trying to have negative bias in my expectations. I knew things would be different, so I just wanted to accept them as they were and would be. For the most part this has been a good strategy in helping me to adapt here.

The other issue has been the language. Now that I have been living here almost four years, I feel fairly confident in communicating. People seem to understand my Portuguese,and I can understand almost everything anyone else says to me, even on technical subjects. I would say I am fluent, although I know I have a strong accent, and I´m actively working on that, since I have recognized that it can be a problem sometimes.

The fact that Brazil is emerging is bringing with it another issue that´s affecting me personally. That is the issue of education. Everyone in this country is very interested in education, and the evidence is in the fact that this frontier city has seven universities! The English schools are full of students, and I have just taken a job as the coordinator of an American High School program here in the middle of the Amazon region. The issue for me is that I am starting to feel that my education is inadequate for my professional position and for my future, and my current income and work schedule will not allow me to pursue a graduate level education. I already have some graduate credits, but I never finished my master degree program.

My career track has also changed, so I would like to pursue a master´s program that would be appropriate for what I am doing now as an educator, since I am really enjoying it. So, here is my plea:

Is there anyone reading this that would be willing and able to help me?