Girls and poetry

After reading these poems, make a comment!


This summer, several of our campers at Girls Leadership Institute - ranging from 6th through 9th grades - wrote poetry to express their perspectives and ideas. This is their original work.

Emotions

Anger, It boils inside you a bubbling inferno,
ready to burst.
Sadness, a rain cloud that pours heavy drops of water
onto your already fragile soul.
Hatred, a spark that lights up your gut when you see what you hate.
Happiness, the sun that lights your day and fills you with glee Just knowing it's there.

- Alaina

Opposites 

In the light of day
I am so very calm Mellow
As apple juice.
But--
When I lie alone In the dark,
My insides Twist And warp
And fold in on themselves
Why?
Why do I second guess myself?
And melt my insides together
Like a painting in the rain Lying all alone In the dark?

- Annie

Expectations 

Being a girl is a pretty tough job.
You're expected to be perfect.
You're expected to be proud.
You're expected to be pretty.
You're expected to be kind.
You're expected to be sweet.
You're expected to blank your mind.

Well, what about being smart?
And saving personality?
What about being creative?
What about what makes me me?

-Annie

The Real Me 

Why don't you see what is inside of me?
When you sit next to me,
only because there are no other seats,
why can't you see how hurt I feel?

Why don't you see me so depressed
that I'm crying on the inside?
Can't you see through my exterior,
the interior, the real me?
 Why isn't my face transparent,
showing you my real feelings?

-Tara

Comment on these poems. Which one you like the most?

Modal verbs. A test.

The World Wide Web is full of excellent resources to get a better understanding of English.

Go to the following page to have a test on Modal Verbs:

There are 15 questions in the test and you will now if your choice is correct after answering.

CLICK HERE GO TO THE TEST PAGE

Find the Mistake. Reading Comprehension

This exercise focuses on intensive reading. Read one sentence at a time and find the inappropriate vocabulary mistake or contradiction. All errors are in the choice of vocabulary NOT in grammar. After you have finished, go to the corrections page for the answers and explanations. 

My favorite reptile is the cheetah. It is truly an amazing creature which can trot at a top speed of 60 m.p.h.! I've always wanted to go to the cool planes of Africa to see the cheetah in action. I imagine it would be a disappointing experience looking at those cheetah run. A few weeks ago, I was watching a National Geographic special on the radio and my wife said, "Why don't we go to Africa next summer?". I hopped for joy! "That's a lousy idea!", I stated. Well, next week our plain leaves for Africa and I can hardly imagine that we are going to Africa at first.

Go to the corrections page

Let's Call the Whole Thing Off. Differences in pronuntiation.

"Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" is a song written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 film Shall We Dance where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as part of a celebrated dance duet on roller skates. The song is most famous for its “You like to-may-toes /təˈmeɪtoʊz/ and I like to-mah-toes /təˈmɑːtoʊz/” and other verses comparing their different regional dialects.

The differences in pronunciation are not simply regional, however, and serve more specifically to identify class differences. At the time, typical American pronunciations were considered less "refined" by the upper-class, and there was a specific emphasis on the "broader" a sound.[3] This class distinction with respect to pronunciation has been retained in caricatures, especially in the theater where the longer a pronunciation is most strongly associated with the word "darling.


Let's Call the Whole Thing Off 
Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald

    Things have come to a pretty pass
    Our romance is growing flat,
    For you like this and the other
    While I go for this and that,

    Goodness knows what the end will be
    Oh I don't know where I'm at
    It looks as if we two will never be one
    Something must be done:
    You say either and I say either,
    You say neither and I say neither
    Either, either
    Neither, neither
    Let's call the whole thing off.

    You like potato and I like potahto
    You like tomato and I like tomahto
    Potato, potahto,
    Tomato, tomahto.
    Let's call the whole thing off
    But oh, if we call the whole thing off
    Then we must part
    and oh, if we ever part, then that might break my heart

    So if you like pyjamas
    and I like pyjahmas,
    I'll wear pyjamas
    and give up pyajahmas
    for we know we need each other so
    we better call the whole thing off
    let's call the whole thing off.

    You say laughter and I say larfter
    You say after and I say arfter
    Laughter, larfter
    after arfter
    Let's call the whole thing off,
    You like vanilla and I say vanella
    you saspiralla, and I saspirella
    vanilla vanella
    chocolate strawberry
    let's call the whole thing off
    but oh if we call the whole thing off
    then we must part
    and oh, if we ever part,
    then that might break my heart

    So if you go for oysters
    and I go for ersters
    I'll order oysters
    and cancel the ersters
    for we know we need each other
    we better call the calling off off,
    let's call the whole thing off.

    I say father, and you say pater,
    I saw mother and you say mater
    Pater, mater
    Uncle, auntie
    let's call the whole thing off.

    I like bananas and you like banahnahs
    I say Havana and I get Havahnah
    Bananas, banahnahs
    Havana, Havahnah
    Go your way, I'll go mine

    So if I go for scallops
    and you go for lobsters,
    So all right no contest
    we'll order lobseter
    For we know we need each other
    we better call the calling off off,
    let's call the whole thing off.

* Calling something off. To cancel something. In this case "Let´s call the whole thing off" means: Let´s finish our differences

Modal Verbs

Complete the sentences using the words listed in the box below, then click the "Check" button to check your answers. Positive and negative forms can be used. Some gaps may have more than one answer. After you complete the first part of the exercise, there is a second part described at the bottom of the page.

might     must     should

1. Nancy said you didn't need to buy her anything for her birthday, but I really think you ________ at least get her some flowers or a nice bottle of wine.

2. Debbie said she was really busy this week, but I think she ______________ show up at the party if she doesn't have to work overtime on Friday.

3. Nina said she would come over right after work, so she ____________  be here by 6:00.

4. Oh my God, he's unconscious. Don't move him - he ____________   have internal injuries. Somebody call an ambulance.

5. You ____________   be kidding! That can't be true.

6. Dan: Where's the remote control? I want to change the channel.
Fiona: I don't know. It  ____________   be under the couch. Or, perhaps I absent-mindedly took it into the kitchen. I'll check in there.

7. For most people, learning a language is a challenging undertaking. Experts agree that to make the most of your language learning experience, you ____________  practice the language regularly and push yourself to maintain old vocabulary while acquiring new words and expressions.

8. New research suggests that exercise can reduce the chance of heart disease as well as cancer. That's why I told my father that he  ____________  start walking once a day.

9. We should invite Sally and her husband to come to the picnic on Saturday. We haven't seen them in weeks, and they  ____________   really enjoy a nice day at the beach.

10. Tim: While I was a student, I spent a year and a half studying Pygmy culture in the Central African Republic. My research focused on unique aspects of the their social structure and religion.
Simona: That  ____________   have been absolutely fascinating!

11. We had better call Tony to see if he's at home before we go over to his house. He ____________   be there and we don't want to drive all the way over there for nothing.

12. At first, my boss didn't want to hire Sam. But, because I had previously worked with Sam, I told my boss that he  ____________  take another look at his resume and reconsider him for the position.

13. You  ____________  worry so much. It doesn't do you any good. Either you get the job, or you don't. If you don't, just apply for another one. Eventually, you will find work.

14. I would love to go on the cruise to Tahiti with Robin and Michelle. But such a luxurious trip  ____________  cost a fortune. I doubt I could afford something like that.

15. The book recommends adding fresh soil and using plant food to make your garden flowers grow. Since some people might be allergic to chemicals in artificial plant foods, the book says that you  ____________  use an organic brand to avoid skin irritations.

A Sunday Kind of Love. Etta James.

I want a Sunday (Kind of) Love

I want a Sunday kind of love
A love to last past Saturday night
And I'd like to know it's more than love at first sight
And I want a Sunday kind of love
Oh yea yea

I want a a love that's on the square
Can't seem to find somebody
Someone to care
And I'm on a lonely road that leads to no where
I need a Sunday kind of love

I do my Sunday dreaming, Oh yea
And all my Sunday scheming
Every minute, every hour, every day

Oh I'm hoping to discover
A certain kind of lover
Who will show me the way

And my arms need someone
Someone to enfold
To keep me warm when Mondays and Tuesdays grow cold
Love for all my life to have and to hold
Oh and I want a Sunday kind of love
Oh yea yea yea

I don't want a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, or Thursday, Friday or Saturday
Oh nothing but Sunday oh yea
I want a Sunday Sunday
I want a Sunday kind of love
Oh yea
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday kind of loooove

Word Formation. Quiz 3.

Read the five sentences below. The same base word is missing from each sentence, but in different forms. Please note that in most cases several words can correctly complete one of the sentences, but there is only one base word that you can use in all five sentences. Enter the correct form of this word to complete each sentence.

Click on the "Next exercise" button to go to the next set of sentences.

1) If you __________ your probation, you will be immediately re-arrested.
2) Each side in the conflict accused the other of the ceasefire ___________.
3) The U.S. has suspended all foreign aid to the country because of its history of human rights________.
4) I think having the press try to photograph the family of the victim during her funeral is a total _______ of their privacy.
5) No trespassing. ____________ will be prosecuted.

Send your answers vía e-mail, or answer directly in the comment section.