Grammar: Question Tag

Question tag is a short question that we put at the end of statement. It is usually used to:

• confirm that something is true or not
• encourage a reply from the person we are speaking to

The rules are very simple:

1. If the main part of the sentence is positive, the question tag is negative
• positive statement --> negative tag
2. If the main part of the sentence is negative, the question tag is positive
• negative statement --> positive tag

Examples:

A positive statement is followed by a negative question tag.

1. Sam is from India, isn't he?
2. Roy can help, can't he?
3. We are traveling to Switzerland next month, aren't we?

A negative statement is followed by a positive question tag.

1. He shouldn't say things like that, should he?
2. You haven't contacted her, have you?
3. Our family wont agree with this, will they?

Some of the very basic transformation of question tags:

• is → isn’t
• am→ aren’t
• are→ aren’t
• will→ won't
• do → don't
• does → doesn’t
• did → didn’t
• must → musn’t
• should → shouldn’t
• have → haven’t
• has → hasn't 
• can→ can’t

Here is an exercise on question tag:

Question tag from IMSHA LEARNING

Striking Quotes!

On education

"Teach the children so it will not be necessary to teach the adults." (Abraham Lincoln)

"When you learn, teach. When you get, give." (Maya Angelou)

"The key to pursuing excellence is to embrace an organic, long-term learning process, and not to live in a shell of static, safe mediocrity. Usually, growth comes at the expense of previous comfort or safety." (Josh Waitzkin)

“Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know.” (Daniel Boorstin)

"Our best teachers do more than impart facts and figures - they inspire and encourage students and instill a true desire to learn. That's a fine art in itself." (Sonny Perdue)

Developing a desire to learn is the kindling point of all classroom achievement." (Robert John Meehan)

"Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence." (Abigail Adams)

On life

Regret is a dark, hollow path that leads to nowhere good. Good and bad stuff is going to happen to all of us. It’s all part of the journey, and we learn from each experience, I say embrace it. (Sean Kernan)

On love

Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.(Robert A. Heinlein)

The perfect person can be found within the amazing relationship I work on, the one I determine to commit to. (Dushka Zapata)

When I love someone I want what is best for her. I nourish her, invest myself in her growth and betterment, build her up, foster, cultivate and cherish her. I want her to thrive, to always be improving. To not do this would imply neglect and guarantee her stagnation.(Dushka Zapata)

A good relationship is like a good electric circuit with 2 parallel batteries, if you are charged enough, doesn’t mean that the other battery is. (Mostafa Ali Mansur)

“I guess at some point we fell in love, whatever that means. What the fuck is love anyway? Is it mutual dependance; two bipolar opposites bringing their failings together, making a comprehensive hole? Is it needing someone around all the time, just to feel like yourself? Is it a form of madness— all those cells & neurons giggling like moon-happy coyotes? Is it missing someone, feeling a physical craving for them, even when they are lying right next to you? Yes, I guess we fell in love.” (Barnaby Legg, Godspeed: The Kurt Cobain Graphic)

"Not all love is possible and not all love must be fought for. Some need to just pass. Others don't do justice to the beautiful feeling of love. Let go what is unattainable."

Matchbox Twenty – Unwell

All day staring at the ceiling
Making friends with shadows on my wall
All night hearing voices telling me
That I should get some sleep
Because tomorrow might be good for something

Hold on
Feeling like I'm headed for a breakdown
And I don't know why

CHORUS:
But I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell
I know right now you can't tell
But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see
A different side of me
I'm not crazy, I'm just a little impaired
I know right now you don't care
But soon enough you're gonna think of me
And how I used to be, me

I'm talking to myself in public
Dodging glances on the train
And I know, I know they've all been talking about me
I can hear them whisper
And it makes me think there must be something wrong with me
Out of all the hours thinking
Somehow I've lost my mind

CHORUS

I've been talking in my sleep
Pretty soon they'll come to get me
Yeah, they're taking me away

CHORUS

Hey, how I used to be
How I used to be
Well, I'm just a little unwell
How I used to be
How I used to be
I'm just a little unwell
---

Here's the song.

---

Yeah, I may at times be a bit off the range. I had nightmares too. But, really, I'm fine. Thank you.

I'm weird? Naaaaaahhh.:p

MLTR - Someday

In my search for freedom
And peace of mind
I've left the memories behind
Want to start a new life
But it seems to be rather absurd
When I know the truth
Is that I always think of you

Someday someway
Together we will be baby
I will take and you will take your time
We'll wait for our fate
'cause' nobody owns us baby
We can shake we can shake the rock

Try to throw the picture out of my mind
Try to leave the memories behind
Here by the ocean
Wave's carry voices from you
Do you know the truth
I am thinking of you too

Someday someway
Together we will be baby
I will take and you will take your time
We'll wait for our fate
'cause' nobody owns us baby
We can shake we can shake the rock

The love we had together
Just fades away in time
And now you've got your own world
And I guess I've got mine
But the passion that you planted
In the middle of my heart
Is a passion that will never stop

--

Here's the version of this song that I like, the acoustic one. :)

Such an optimistic song. Simply about someone whom he wants to be with someday but for whatever reason cannot now. For the time being, both are taking their own times in contemplation of having freedom and peace of mind. He wishes that someday they could be together and burn brighter than before. Nevertheless, it seems to him that as time passes by, the love that they had together is fading away, losing its essence little by little for the passing days. They each has their own world now. He acknowledges that whilst the passion that person planted in his heart has been deeply rooted, it is unlikely for them to be able to reconnect again as desired by him. He's being realistic and doesn't lament this desire.

Wonderful and emotional song it is! The catchiness of this song tremendously spread the vibe of goofiness, each time this song is played, each time.... pffttt...

English Grammar: Article

What is article?

• Article is word used before a noun (or adjective) to denote whether the noun is specific or not.
• A, an and the are articles.

There are two types of articles:
1) Indefinite Article

• Indefinite articles are used for non-specific nouns.
• "a" and "an" are indefinite articles.
• Article "a" is used before a countable noun that starts with a consonant sound. 
• Examples: a chair, a lamp, a month, a university, a camera, a car
• Example sentence: I want to buy a computer.
• In this sentence, we find the article "a". It shows us that the speaker does not need a specific computer. He can have any computer.

• Article "an" is used before a countable noun that starts with a vowel sound (any of these sounds: 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o' or 'u')
• Examples: an apple, an umbrella, an hour, an ambulance, an event
• Example sentence: I want to eat an orange.
• In this sentence, we find the article "an". It shows us that the speaker does not need a specific orange. He can have any orange.