WEEK 27: COMPLAINING

• Get by - to have just enough money for what you need in life.

• Pay back - to return money that you owe.

• Save up - to keep money to achieve a certain goal e.g. buying a house.

• Splash out on - to spend freely on something without worrying about it.

• Chip in - to contribute some money with other people.

second exercise

I am writing today to complain of the poor service I received from your company on June 12, 2016. I was visited by a representative of That Awful Company, Mr. Madman, at my home on that day.

Mr. Madman was one hour late for his appointment and offered nothing by way of apology when he arrived at noon. Your representative did not remove his muddy shoes upon entering my house, and consequently left a trail of dirt in the hallway. Mr. Madman then proceeded to present a range of products to me that I had specifically told his assistant by telephone I was not interested in. I repeatedly tried to ask your representative about the products that were of interest to me, but he refused to deal with my questions. We ended our meeting after 25 minutes without either of us having accomplished anything.

I am most annoyed that I wasted a morning (and half a day's vacation) waiting for Mr. Madman to show up. My impression of That Awful Company has been tarnished, and I am now concerned about how my existing business is being managed by your firm. Furthermore, Mr. Madman's inability to remove his muddy shoes has meant that I have had to engage the services, and incur the expense, of a professional carpet cleaner.

I trust this is not the way That Awful Company wishes to conduct business with valued customers—I have been with you since the company was founded and have never encountered such treatment before. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss matters further and to learn of how you propose to prevent a similar situation from recurring. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

V. Angry

This week I have been reading books and studying

WEEK 26: ESSAY WRITING

http://guidetogrammar.org/grammar/index.htm
https://owl.excelsior.edu/

• The major difficulties for me when I write essays are mainly introductions because to put a topic into words that people will like is hard and I usually have to overthink it very much. This means, I have to erase a lot every sentence I write and rewrite it with another words uncountable times.

This week to improve my English I have been studying and reading books.

WEEK 25: UNDER THE WEATHER WITH THE WEATHER

TEXT 1

Even though the showers and isolated thunderstorms will be brief and miss many cities and towns, Easter egg hunts and other holiday gatherings can be temporarily disrupted in areas that do get hit with wet weather.
A period of steady rain is likely in eastern parts of Maine on Sunday morning, but that will move offshore by the midday and afternoon hours.
Anybody with travel plans on interstates 80, 81, 83, 90 and 95 on Sunday should be alert for rapidly changing roadway conditions and expect slowed traffic in any heavier showers.
A few airline delays are also possible into Monday, but these should not be widespread since the gusty winds that whipped through the Northeast on Friday and Saturday will subside on Sunday and Monday.
As many partake in Earth Day celebrations and festivities on Monday, a new area of low pressure will develop off the mid-Atlantic coastline and bring a period of steady rain to southeastern New England as it tracks northward.

South Carolina (TEXT 2)

There was one confirmed EF1 tornado that hit Florence County, the National Weather Service said. A family became stranded in their home Friday due to flooding in Pickens County, according to TV station WSPA. The Oconee Joint Regional Sewer Authority experienced an overflow at a treatment plant along near Greenville, prompting warnings to avoid the water in a nearby creek. Damage to trees and powerlines was widespread across the state on Friday, with the most damage being done between Charleston and Savannah, Georgia. Several tornadoes may be confirmed over the weekend as the National Weather Service surveys the damage.

This week to improve English I have studied and read books.

WEEK 24: NATURAL WONDERS

Maldives Islands is an archipelago comprising 1,190 low-lying coral islands scattered across the equator, in groups of 26 naturally occurring atolls which are divided into 20 for administrative purposes.
The atolls of Maldives are in fact part of a greater structure known as the Laccadives-Chagos Ridge, which stretches over 2000 kilometres. The islands of Maldives are very low lying with the highest point at approximately 8 feet above sea level. ‘Faru’ or ring-shaped reef structures form the atolls and these provide natural defense against wind and wave action, on the delicate islands.
An indication of the perfection of Maldives atoll structure is the fact that the word ‘atoll’ in the English Language – meaning ‘ring-shaped coral reef enclosing a lagoon’, is a borrowing from the Maldivian language ‘Dhivehi’.
Of the more than 2000 tropical islands that make the paradise that is Maldives, only about 200 are inhabited. Of the remaining islands about a 100 have been developed into exotic resort islands that offer tourists their own hideaway – hidden away from all the hectic hustle and bustle of city life.
The capital of Maldives – Malé, the seat of government and the centre of trade, commerce, business, health and education, is located in the middle of the atoll chain, a small island buzzing with the sounds and activities of more than 150,000 people which is more than one third of the population. Malé is perhaps the smallest urban capital in the whole world.

MY ADDITION:

Paradise awaits you… If your idea of paradise is a pristine tropical island with swaying palm trees and pure white beaches surrounded by crystalline lagoons of varying shades of blue – then the Maldives Islands will definitely fit the bill.Indeed, it is not without reason that the Maldives has been described as ‘(the) flower of the Indies’ by Marco Polo and ‘one of the wonders of the world’ by Ibn Batuta.

It is no wonder that a large percentage of tourists who come to the Maldives are repeat visitors – people who came once and fell so in love with the place that they simple had to come again. The beauty of Maldives is indeed addictive. Once you sample the heady mixture of secluded serenity, thrilling water sports activities, soothing spas, relaxing beaches all wrapped in the luxurious comfort of modern amenities – you are bound to want the experience again.

Sunny, unique and unspoiled, the islands of Maldives offers you sunshine, no matter what time of the year you decide to visit the Maldives – islands that are truly heaven on Earth.

This week to improve my English I have been studying.

WEEK 23: PERSUASION

• Persuasion expressions:

-I can guarantee…

-I don’t mind waiting. It’s very important.

-It's a fact

• 

It is believed, is known, have proposed,...

To improve my English, this week I have been studying.

WEEK 22: NARRATIVE ESSAY WRITING

https://www.iwriteessays.com/essays/what-are-the-characteristics-of-a-good-narrative-essay
https://english.tutorvista.com/english-writing/narrative-essay.html

Characteristics:

• Involves readers in the story- for an interesting story, the events of the narrative must incorporate readers in the incidences. Recreate the original story to fit in your readers.
• Relates events in sequence- recreate the events in yours story to be at specific scenes set at actual places and in actual times.
• Include detailed observations of people, voices, places, and events- you should give vivid description in a re-created way. Give actual dialogues, names of people, sounds, and sights.
• Present important changes, differences, conflicts, and create moods- the events in your essay should relate to a real life setting. A conflict between characters might make the readers more anxious to know what will become of the conflicting characters.
• Tells the story from the first person’s point of view "I”
• Connects the past to the present – you should present your narrative in a way that it relates to today’s world.
• Communicates the thesis statement- all the events in your story should relate to the main idea behind the narrative. The thesis must be clear to the reader.

The main difference is that the narrative essay connects the past to the present and tells the story in 1st person.

This week to improve my English I have been studying for May's tests.

WEEK 21: TELLING THE TRUTH

A liar:

• Avoids eye contact
• Gives unnecessary explanations
• Becomes defensive

I watched Liar, Liar when I was a kid and I can say it is one of my favourite comedy movies because if people were not able to lie like in this case they could even have a lot of problems so I found it really interesting.

This week to improve my English I have started to watch a TV show called Sabrina.