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Purposely or purposefully – which one is it?

1/26/2021

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My kids make this mistake so I thought a clarification might be helpful for others.
​
According to the Grammarly blog, when you use purposely in a sentence, it should be synonymous with intentionally and on purpose. The opposite of purposely is accidentally.

When you 
use purposefully in a sentence, it should mean “in a way that shows determination and resolve” or, put more simply, “full of purpose.” The opposite of purposefully would be close to negligently or carelessly.

Click on the link for examples and more.
purposely or purposefully?
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Amanda Gorman reads inauguration poem

1/20/2021

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Mr. President, Dr. Biden, Madam Vice President, Mr. Emhoff, Americans, and the world:

When day comes, we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry. A sea we must wade.
We braved the belly of the beast.
We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what “just” is isn’t always justice.
And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it.
Somehow we do it.
Somehow we weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished.
We, the successors of a country and a time where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president, only to find herself reciting for one.
And, yes, we are far from polished, far from pristine, but that doesn’t mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect.
We are striving to forge our union with purpose.
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man.
And so we lift our gaze, not to what stands between us, but what stands before us.
We close the divide because we know to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside.
We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another.
We seek harm to none and harmony for all.
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true.
That even as we grieved, we grew.
That even as we hurt, we hoped.
That even as we tired, we tried.
That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious.
Not because we will never again know defeat, but because we will never again sow division.
Scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid.
If we’re to live up to our own time, then victory won’t lie in the blade, but in all the bridges we’ve made.
That is the promise to glade, the hill we climb, if only we dare.
It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit.
It’s the past we step into and how we repair it.
We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation, rather than share it.
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.
And this effort very nearly succeeded.
But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated.
In this truth, in this faith we trust, for while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us.
This is the era of just redemption.
We feared at its inception.
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour.
But within it we found the power to author a new chapter, to offer hope and laughter to ourselves.
So, while once we asked, how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe, now we assert, how could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?
We will not march back to what was, but move to what shall be: a country that is bruised but whole, benevolent but bold, fierce and free.
We will not be turned around or interrupted by intimidation because we know our inaction and inertia will be the inheritance of the next generation, become the future.
Our blunders become their burdens.
But one thing is certain.
If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and change our children’s birthright.
So let us leave behind a country better than the one we were left.
Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest, we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one.
We will rise from the golden hills of the West.
We will rise from the windswept Northeast where our forefathers first realized revolution.
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the Midwestern states.
We will rise from the sun-baked South.
We will rebuild, reconcile, and recover.
And every known nook of our nation and every corner called our country, our people diverse and beautiful, will emerge battered and beautiful.
When day comes, we step out of the shade of flame and unafraid.
The new dawn balloons as we free it.
For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.
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Find something you like and do it in English (2)

1/14/2021

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Some of you are not yet ready to follow a series in English with English subtitles, or to read articles in a global newspaper. Perhaps the dialogue goes too fast or the vocabulary is too daunting. If series and newspapers are too hard, don't force yourself. With VOA Learning English you can listen to articles and stories read out loud  a bit more slowly, and you can follow along with the text. Choose from a wide variety of topics including current events, general interest and short stories.

VOA news articles are typically 5-7 minutes long. I suggest you start with intermediate level. Click on the button to listen to the text out loud, and read along. Check out the vocabulary words at the end and the quiz if there is one. If you want to know more about the subject, read a related article suggested on the top right. If the pace of the reading at intermediate level goes too slow, move up to advanced. Try one article a day for a month – 5-6 minutes a day – and you are sure to see a difference. Persevere for at least one month – trust me.

One of my students prefers to avoid the news, so on VOA he goes right to American Stories. These are typically 12-15 minutes long and highly entertaining. There are so many fabulous American authors to explore here, including Mark Twain, Stephen Crane, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Kate Chopin, O. Henry, Edgar Allen Poe and many more. Hopefully you'll be so intrigued by the stories you won't even notice you are improving your English. Let me know which ones you like.
Voice of America Learning English
American Stories
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Don't know a word? Look it up on an English-English dictionary and click on the sound button.

1/8/2021

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Find dictionary.com on the app store and download it to your phone. Type in any word, press the sound button and hear the word pronounced. Pay special attention to syllable stress. Click on the button below to see the entry for the word "deVELop", one of the most commonly mispronounced words among my clients who are software deVELopers.
click here
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Find something you like; do it in English (1)

1/1/2021

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​
The best way to improve your language skills is to find something you like and do it in English. With this idea in mind, I plan to propose a myriad of sources. Today's suggestion: Calvin and Hobbes online.
Calvin and Hobbes online
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