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Category: American Government

January 6

January 3, 2022 / / 0 Comments

The year 2021 engraved the date January 6 into the American psyche.

This date, two weeks before the inauguration of Joseph R Biden as 46th President of the United States, drove a wedge into the story of American pride in its ability to have peaceful transitions of power from one president to another.

On January 6, 2021, although Donald Trump had lost the election, an angry mob of his supporters who refused to accept the results of the recent Presidential election was attempting to thrust its way into the House of Representatives. Their goal was to stop the peaceful and traditional counting of Electoral College certificates from the 50 States. While staffers were rushing to rescue the ballots, others were ushering Vice President Pence and many United States Senators and Representatives into a safe haven in the House basement. Police outside and in the halls of the House fought the angry mob in an effort to stop them from attacking and harming the congressman, and the valuable Electoral College certificates.

Americans, and people around the world, were glued to their television sets. watching in bewilderment. “Is this for real?” “Is this really happening?? “How can this be happening, here?” Americans asked.

While power did have its transition, it was not peaceful. Hundreds have been arrested from across the United States and charged with insurrection and a variety of other charges of violence. Americans struggle with the future of democracy.

The House of Representatives’ Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol is asking questions. They are asking, “‘What was Trump’s exact role in the assault on Congress in the insurrection?’” They are asking other questions, too.

This year January 6 occurs on a Thursday. World leaders ask, “Is America going to be all right?” “What about democracy in America?”

President Biden presides over a world that looks to America for its highest principles, and a population that has yet to be united.

Chapter One. What Is a Noun? Part Two

August 8, 2019 / / 0 Comments

This lesson is dedicated to anybody who is an immigrant to the USA, to anybody who is the child of an immigrant, and to anybody who is an ancestor of an immigrant, and that probably includes most of us.

Islands, Oceans, and Walls

Nouns and Pronouns: Part Two

Each noun and each pronoun has inflection; this means that it is either singular or plural. This is reflected in the noun or pronoun’s form, which indicates that there is either one (singular) or two or more (plural) of that item.

Nouns   The noun course in the sentence “Then I started building a golf course” is singular, whereas the noun courses in the sentence “Then I started building golf courses” is plural.

Pronouns   The pronouns he, she and it are singular, whereas we and they are plural. The pronoun you can be either singular or plural, depending on its context.

1-1

For Starters 2 Beneath each noun in the sentences below, write N and beneath each pronoun write P. If the noun is singular, write S and if it is plural, write #.
A lot of my friends are gardeners. I never understood it. Then I started
building golf courses—it’s gardening on a big scale.

The oranges of the investigation

Countable Nouns

We can categorize nouns into two types: countable and noncountable. A countable noun is a noun that can be counted. Most common nouns are countable. For example, the word hotel is countable because you can count one hotel, two hotels, three hotels, and so on. You can see that countable nouns have a singular form (for example, hotel) and a plural form (for example, hotels).

Use the singular form when you are referring to one of that item. Use the plural form whether you are referring to two units of that item or to billions and billions of units.

1-2

Singular Countable Nouns

In each example below, the noun is countable and the writer is referring to one unit so the noun form must be singular. Notice that each singular countable noun has an article (a, an, the) preceding it in the noun determiner position.

·         This is an island sitting in the middle of an ocean.

·         It’s a big ocean.

·         The wall will happen very soon.

·         I’m not a globalist. I’m a nationalist.

The Oranges of the Investigation

What Is a Noun? Part One

July 29, 2019 / / 0 Comments

This lesson is dedicated to anyone who is an immigrant to the United States, to anyone who is a child of an immigrant, and to anybody who is a descendant of an immigrant. That probably includes all of us.

What Is a Noun? Part One

A noun is a word that is the name of a person, a place, a thing, a quality, or even an idea or an action.

There are common nouns and proper nouns. Some common nouns are road, bridge, tunnel, airport, news, and non-disclosure agreement. Other common nouns are campaign, promise, tax, and return. Some proper nouns are the United States of America, the White House, Abraham Lincoln, and Konstantin V. Kilimnik The online persona Guccifer 2.0 is also a proper noun.

A pronoun is a word that represents or substitutes for a noun. Some common pronouns are I, him, everybody and nobody.

For Starters: Beneath each noun below write N and beneath each pronoun write P. (Noun phrases are italicized.)
I met her at a very big party in New York. And she was there along with other supermodels, and I greeted all of them, and I said: “That’s the one that’s the most beautiful.” Donald Trump

Name some other common common and proper nouns!!

Same or Different?

March 22, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Here’s a new reading comprehension activity for you.

We will present two quotes by Donald Trump, and you decide if the meaning of the two quotes is the same or different. The first – the a quote – was spoken or written earlier than the b quote.

Are you ready?

1a) “I don’t want teachers to have guns.”

1b) “But you could have concealed (weapons) on teachers.”

Same or different? These two quotes were spoken on the same day.

2a) “Well, you’ve got David Duke just joined (the Reform Party) — a bigot, a racist, a problem. I mean, this is not exactly the people you want in your party.”

2b) “Well, just so you understand, I don’t know anything about David Duke. Okay? I don’t know anything about what you’re even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists. So, I don’t know.

Same or different?

3a) “If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously. Just knock the hell – – I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees. I promise. I promise.”

3b) “I don’t condone violence. I never said I was going to pay for fees.”

Same or different?

4a) “I wanted to do this for myself. … I had to do it for myself.”

4b) “I don’t want it for myself. I don’t need it for myself.”

Same or different?

5a) “I’m totally pro-choice.”

5b) “I am very, very proud to say that I’m pro-life.” 

Same or different?

6a) “I think my positions are going to be what the people in this room come up with. If they come to me with things I’m not in love with, I’m going to do it because I respect them. . . “I’ll take the heat off both the Democrats and the Republicans.”

6b) “(T)here can be no DACA without the desperately needed WALL at the Southern Border and an END to the horrible Chain Migration & ridiculous Lottery System of Immigration etc.”

Same or different?

7a) “The WALL, which is already under construction in the form of new renovation of old and existing fences and walls, will continue to be built,” he tweeted early Thursday.”

7b) “The wall will come later.”

Same or different?

8a) “If I run for office, I’ll produce my tax returns, absolutely.”

8b) “I would release my tax returns when audit is complete, not after election!”

Same or different?

Tell us what you think!

Donald Trump Models English Adverbs of Time -or – Promises Promises Promises

October 3, 2017 / / 0 Comments

Donald Trump promises many things. He promises many more things than he actually delivers on. But people love promises, and his prolific use of future time expressions makes an English lesson on talking about the future very bountiful.

Let’s follow just a few of Donald Trump’s promises since he took office and pay close attention to his adverbs of time.

“Donald Trump: “And the clock starts ticking. But here you have two people calling saying, “Can we negotiate?” I say yes and I have to wait for a hundred days. I don’t know what a hundred days is going to be like. What’s it going to be like?. . .”

SOON:
(The hyperlinks go to audio of the speech.)

Beginning construction of a great, great wall soon  7 months ago

The wall will get built soon  5 months ago

The wall will happen very soon  19 days ago

We’re going to have the final choices about the border wall done soon  11 days ago

Announcing very, very big infrastructure projects soon  6 months ago

A very big infrastructure plan is going to come soon  6 months ago

We’ll be making big investments in repairing our badly depleted infrastructure soon  5 months ago

Announcing very, very big infrastructure projects soon   6 months ago

The U.S. Navy will have the finest equipment in the world soon   7 months ago

American workers will be respected again soon   6 months ago

America will be back soon 6 months ago

The U.S. will be stronger than it has ever been soon 6 months ago

NATO will be fair to the U.S. soon  4 months ago

Crucial legislation will be considered soon   3 months ago

Our country will come together as one soon   1 month ago

ADVERB + SOON

American workers will have a level playing field very soon   5 months ago

Steel companies will be great very soon   5 months ago

You will be saying Merry Christmas again very soon   2 months ago

Starting negotiations with Mexico about who will pay for the wall relatively soon  8 months ago

We’re going to start building the wall very soon  7 months ago

We’re going to be doing tax policies very soon  8 months ago

We’re going to have tax reform at some point very soon  5 months ago

We’re going to be announcing a tax plan very soon  5 months ago

The New York Times will be online-only pretty soon   5 months ago

Men and women in uniform will have the latest and most cutting edge systems in their arsenal very, very soon   7 months ago

A commitment to rebuilding the depleted infrastructure of the United States very soon   2 months ago

Announcing a signature infrastructure project beyond roads and bridges very soon  6 months ago

We will start building the wall soon, very soon  7 months ago

MS-13 will be gone from America’s streets very soon   4 months ago

We’ll have the electrical grid problem solved relatively soon   8 months ago

An infrastructure plan will come a hundred percent very soon  5 months ago

Announcing a signature infrastructure project beyond roads and bridges very soon   6 months ago

The menace of rising crime and the threat of deadly terror will get better very soon   7 months ago

We’ll have the electrical grid problem solved relatively soon  8 months ago

AS SOON AS

Construction begins on the wall as soon as we can; as soon as we can physically do it  8 months ago

We’re going to be doing some trade deals as soon as we get the health care finished   6 months ago

 

SOON/SOONER/SOONEST

The administration will file an infrastructure plan over the next two or three weeks, maybe sooner  5 months ago

EVENTUALLY

The wall will be brand new eventually  19 days ago

We’re going to repeal and replace Obamacare eventually   11 days ago

We will win on health care reform eventually   9 days ago

Eventually, we’ll win on health care reform, whether it’s now or later   9 days ago

 

LATER

The wall will come later   19 days ago

 

AHEAD OF SCHEDULE and WAY AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

We’re going to have a wall ahead of schedule  7 months ago

The wall is way ahead of schedule   6 months ago

 

OTHER

We’re going to be submitting a tax bill in the very near future   2 months ago

We’re going to go get into great detail on tax reform over the next two weeks   27 days ago

We’ll be submitting an infrastructure bill in the not-very-distant future   2 months ago

Very interesting items will come to the forefront about alleged wiretapping of Trump Tower over the next two weeks   6 months ago

He will release his tax returns at some point   4 months ago

The North Korean problem will be solved at some point   4 months ago

The Senate is going to be forced to make a deal on Obamacare repeal at some point   13 days ago

Planning is starting on the wall immediately   8 months ago

We have to take care of the American people immediately   8 months ago

American workers will have the training to lead us into the future immediately   1 month ago

We’re going to be making a decision about the Paris Accord over the next two weeks   5 months ago

 

And my personal favorite:

“Eventually, we’ll win, whether it’s now or later…”
Which is your personal favorite?

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The Bottom Line

October 24, 2012 / / 0 Comments

I’ve been hearing this expression so much lately, and it’s amazing to think how I could have survived living for so many years with out ever using it. It’s been around since the hills but lately it’s come into so much fashion that it even has its own website!

Let’s begin with politics.  NBC has its own blog, The Bottom Line, and within that you’ll find articles with the phrase “bottom line” in it. Not to leave ABC out: George Stephanoupolis has his blog there, and a recent post was entitled “Bottom Line: Can Debates Move the Needle for Romney?” That’s cool: We have two expressions here: the bottom line and (to) move the needle.

Bloomberg also has to get in on the expression, but we don’t typically link to videos on this website. But you can do your own search.

This article, Debating Points, Global Edition, states: “The bottom line: their basic approach to Iran seems very similar. But the president, having lived with and thought through the issue for the last four years, is more equipped to move more quickly on Iran than Mr. Romney. If elected, Mr. Romney would have to establish his administration and probably conduct a review of his options. President Obama has already done that.”

The bottom line is also vital to areas such as economics and business.  See the technical technical definition and also see how it manifests itself in media stories, such as this one:  China’s economy slows down – threatening western bottom lines.

Dating and social relationships should also have their bottom line, and you should be in healthy and rewarding relationships, but if you’re not, the SLAA San Diego has prepared a Power Point presentation to you all about social bottom lines.

We conclude this blog post with the following:  Clear writing delivers bottom-line benefits:  Clear writing is an essential business skill – one that generates revenue for your organization.

I love that article; whether you’re learning English as a Second Language or you’ve grown up in the United States and read and write English, it’s for you!!  Please read it and then give us some feedback!

Presidents’ Day or President’s Day?

February 10, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Is the name of the holiday President’s Day or Presidents’ Day? Or is it Presidents’ Day?

One of the most misunderstood aspects of proper English grammar is the use of the apostrophe for plural possessives.

Let’s explore this in regards to the holiday that honors America’s Presidents – and that we celebrate each year on the 3rd Monday of February.

First, many people celebrated Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday, February 14, although it was never a Federal holiday.

George Washington’s Birthday, which is officially on February 22nd, became a Federal holiday. However, the Federal holiday “Washington’s Birthday” takes place a little earlier, on the 3rd Monday in February.

Soon a decision was made to combine the birthday celebrations for our Presidents, so an unofficial holiday developed.

Since the holiday is not official, there is no official name for the day.  Sometimes it is written as the plural possessive Presidents’ Day and sometimes it is written as a plural noun, Presidents Day. Most of the time, however, it is written as the plural possessive Presidents’ Day – the Day belonging to the Presidents. I personally prefer this latter name.

To create the plural possessive, we do the following:

First, we add ~s to the noun (President –>Presidents). This makes it plural.

Then we add the apostrophe to that:  Presidents –> Presidents’

Then we add the noun “Day”.

On the unofficial holiday of Presidents’ Day, we remember the Father of Our Country, George Washington, and our 14th President, Abraham Lincoln, who established the unity of the United State of America, and the right of all men to be free.


Let’s Talk about Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

January 16, 2011 / / 2 Comments

First of all, the holiday is “Martin Luther King Day” but the person we honor isn’t Martin Luther King but his son, Martin Luther King, Jr.

What does the “Jr.” after somebody’s name mean? What does it stand for? The “Jr.” stands for the word “Junior”, which is the appellation used when a son takes on his father’s name.

So who was Martin Luther King, Jr. (Junior)?

I grew up when racial segregation was still legal in many parts of the United States.  Though it wasn’t a part of the culture in the state where I grew up, it was a big part of the culture in many other states, particularly in the southern states.

In the 1960’s I started hearing about integration, referring to racial integration. We learned that in many states there were many public places where blacks could not enter, or if they could enter they had to sit separately from whites.  We learned that there were schools and colleges where blacks could not attend.  We learned of laws in many states where a black person and a white person could not marry.  We learned that many blacks were not allowed to vote in municipal, statewide or federal elections.

When we look around us now, in the United States, we see a very different country.  And much of that is due to the efforts and inspiration of one man, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was not a politician; he was not an elected official. But he was a strong person, and he had strong ideals, and he was able to influence politicians and to gain the confidence of blacks and whites of all ages who believed in racial equality and equal opportunity for people of all races and who were willing to stand up for those ideals in a peaceful manner. He was able to bring people together and elevate a nation.

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we celebrate those ideals and the power of one person to change a nation for the better.

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