Grammar Guide: Prepositions of Movement

A weatherman in Salt Lake City predicts that spring is here! He says that temperatures will be warmer in the following weeks, and that if nature is in our favor, we will see no more snow. After a mild winter, we can start planning our summer gardens, visiting the park, and enjoying the new life around us.

Prepositions of Movement
So far, we have covered both prepositions of time and place. Prepositions of movement show a relationship between two points and movement in the direction of one of those points.


To and Toward
We use to to express a movement in a specific direction.

• I went to the store to buy seeds for my garden.
• I bought the seeds and headed to the check-out counter.

We use toward to express a movement in a general direction.

• After I came home, I walked toward the backyard.
• I dragged my tools toward an area of soil.

Into and Through
We use into to express a movement from the outside to the inside of an enclosed space.

• I pushed the seeds into the soil.
• I put my hands into my work gloves.

We use through to express a movement within an enclosed space.

• Since I needed a spade, I walked through the shed. 
• I tore through the packet that contained the seeds.

To learn more about Nomen Global and the classes we offer, visit our website. To meet our students and see our activities, 'like' us on Facebook.

Student Spotlight: Andy Kim

Andy Kim moved from Korea to the United States 6 months ago. He has been studying at Nomen Global for just 2 months, but his English has already improved! Andy realized that he needed to improve his English when he went on a business trip for his trading company of 5 years. He hopes that when he finishes studying English, he will be more efficient and useful at his company. While Andy was working for his company, he increased sales for the K-Mart/Sears team from $3 million a year to $15 million a year. He obviously knows what it means to be successful! We are sure he can be just as successful at improving his English.

So far, Andy enjoys the Monday Listening and Speaking Activities every other week. The Listening and Speaking Activities allow the entire school to come together to practice these important skills in different topics. Last week, for example, we recited and listened to poetry. Other weeks, we have made movies and shared international food.

Many people do not know that Andy actually plays many musical instruments. Among his favorite instruments are piano and guitar. Andy also enjoys playing soccer and watching movies. In addition, Andy's favorite food is spaghetti. Besides learning English, Andy has a goal to be rich; however, his family is also as important to him as money.

Meet Andy and other career-oriented students like him at Nomen Global. 'Like' us on Facebook to learn more about the Monday Activities that Andy loves.

Posy Poets

The Daffodils  

by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud

   That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

   A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

   And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretched in never-ending line

   Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they

   Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee:

A Poet could not but be gay,

   In such a jocund company:

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

   In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

   Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

As spring sprouts all around us, our thoughts are turned to new life, fresh starts, and colorful beauty. These aspects of spring have inspired poets for ages; they have inspired us! We examined different types of poems to celebrate the start of spring. After we learned about haikus, color poems, and acrostics, we wrote and recited our own poetry. Take a look at some of the wonderful poems our students wrote:

"Spring"

by Rose, Brazil

Spring inspires my soul!

Petals are so soft;

Roses mean love

In a woman's hands.

Nature is so wonderful!

Glowing garden is so attractive.

"Blue"

by Nariko, Japan

blue is the fresh sky

blue is a peaceful feeling

blue is a forget-me-not

blue is fresh, breezy sea

blue is the beginning of summer

blue is clean rain

"In Spring"

by Imene, France

In Spring, flowers bloom.

In Spring, the grass turns green.

In Spring, the birds sing.

In Spring, the weather turns warm.

Learn more about Nomen Global and the lessons we teach at our website. 'Like' us on Facebook to see our upcoming activities.

Grammar Guide: Prepositions of Place

Next week, Nomen Global is headed up the canyon to one of the last winter adventures available this season. We will spend the day at Soldier Hollow, a resort for cross-country skiing and tubing, in Midway, Utah. Snow tubing involves sitting on an oversized tube and sliding down a hill. Soldier Hollow is famous for having the longest tubing lanes in Utah.

Prepositions of Place
Just like the prepositions of time, in, on, and at cause confusion for many English language learners.

In
We use in for enclosed spaces and usually for cities, states, and countries.

• Soldier Hollow is located in Midway, Utah.
• Right now, I am sitting in class.
• My ticket for the tubing lanes is in my pocket.

Other expressions with in include

• We are playing in the snow.
• My friends are waiting in line to tube down the hill.

On
We use on for surfaces.

• Sarah sat on the tube.
• We are tubing on a hill.
• There is a warning about ice on the sign.

Other expressions with on include

• We are on our way (on the road) to Soldier Hollow.

At
We use at for points, stops on a journey, and events.

• Nomen Global is spending the day at Soldier Hollow.
• On our way to Soldier Hollow, we stopped at the grocery store for some snacks.
• We will wait for all the students to arrive at the ticket counter.
• The tubing hill starts at the top of the hill.
• Mario is not at the tubing activity.

For more information about Nomen Global, visit our website or 'like' us on Facebook.

Student Spotlight: Shirlei Lima

Of all the students at Nomen Global, Shirlei Lima has probably been here the longest! Shirlei is originally from Brazil, but she has been studying English in Provo for 3 semesters. She intends to remain at Nomen Global for another semester. Shirlei is learning English for three reasons: (1) She loves it; (2) English is very important in today's society; (3) She wants to get her master's degree in the U.S. 

Shirlei has already graduated in business from a Brazilian university, which is one of her greatest accomplishments! She is currently working on applying to graduate programs in the United States. While she is waiting, Shirlei has enjoyed her time at Nomen Global because she says that the teachers make the students feel more comfortable. They are not just teachers; they are the students' friends. 

In her free time, Shirlei thrives outdoors. She loves all kinds of outdoor activities, and she can find so many great things outside in Utah. Her favorite dish is feijoada (the national dish of Brazil) made from beans and pork. Shirlei is also a fabulous dancer! She loves Zumba and is thinking about becoming a Zumba instructor one day. Above all, Shirlei believes that family is the most important.

In the future, Shirlei would love to start her own business. Because we know that she has international experience and a great business education, we know Shirlei will do great! 

To meet Shirlei and other well-rounded students like her, visit us at Nomen Global! 'Like' us on Facebook to learn more about our activities and our students.

Friday Night Parties

When we hear "party" at Nomen Global, we all know what to do! This weekend, we hosted a party complete with food, foosball, ping pong, dancing, socializing, and more! It was the perfect night to say 'hello' to the students who are new and say 'goodbye' to the students who are moving on. Good luck to everyone! Take a look at some of the pictures we took that evening.

To learn more about Nomen Global and the activities that we offer, visit our website and our Facebook page.

Grammar Guide: Prepositions of Time

Every four years, one extra day is added to the Gregorian calendar in order to make our calendar year aligned with the astronomical year. Normally, a year has 365 days; however, since it takes a few hours longer to get around the sun than that, we add an extra day to our year. On a leap year, a year has 366 days.

Prepositions of Time

Prepositions in English are some of the hardest words to learn because many prepositions are idiomatic and don't necessarily follow grammar rules. There are, however, some rules that make remembering prepositions easier--but there are many!

Today we will discuss the prepositions of time in, on, and at. 

In

We use the preposition in for centuries, decades, times of year, months, and general times of day.

• Leap year originated in the time of Julius Caesar. 
• There was no leap year in 1900, but there was a leap year in 2000.
• Leap day occurs in February because it is already the shortest month.
• Janet forgot about leap day until she arrived at the bank in the afternoon.

On

We use the preposition on for calendar dates and days of the week.

• Leap day will occur on February 29, 2012.
• This year, leap day is on Wednesday.

At

We use the preposition at for clock times and specific times of day.

• When I woke up at 5 a.m. this morning, I thought it was March 1.
• I found out that it was still February when I talked to my friends at lunch.

Exception! The preposition at is also used for night, even though night expresses a general time of day.

• We read about the history of leap year before going to bed at night.

Learn more about English prepositions and holidays at Nomen Global. 'Like' us on Facebook for more information about the school and our activities!

Teacher Spotlight: Aileena Thomas

If you haven't met Aileena Thomas, come to Nomen Global at night! She is one of our dedicated teachers for our night classes. Aileena has been teaching at Nomen Global for several years and she loves meeting students from all over the world.

Before Aileena taught night classes, she lived in both Japan and Korea teaching English for one year each. She fell in love with Asian culture and continues to learn about other cultures all over the world.

In addition to learning about cultures, Aileena loves learning about (and eating!) food from around the world. She is a wonderful chef and enjoys trying to cook new dishes from different cultures, including Korean, Italian, and Indian.

Aileena spends most of her free time with her daughter, but also enjoys shopping, dancing, and spending time with friends.

Get to know Aileena and other hardworking teachers like her at Nomen Global! 'Like' us on Facebook for more information about the school.

Happy President's Day!

There is no school today!

Happy President's Day!

President's Day History

George Washington, born on February 22, was the first President of the United States. He commanded the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and was chosen to be the leader of this country after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Many people respected George Washington for being a great leader and for helping the United States learn to be independent. 

Abraham Lincoln, born on February 12, was the sixteenth President of the United States from 1861 to 1865. He was elected President at a very difficult time in the country, during the American Civil War. He also helped abolish slavery in the South. Many historians believe that Lincoln was one of the greatest Presidents of the United States.

The US holiday, President's Day, was actually first called "George Washington's Birthday" for many years. It wasn't until the mid-1900s that the US Congress decided to change the name to honor Abraham Lincoln, as well as other great Presidents like Ronald Reagan, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy.

President's Day is always celebrated on the third Monday in February. Enjoy the long weekend, Nomen Global students!

For more information about Nomen Global, visit our website. 'Like' us on Facebook to learn more about our students and the activities we offer.

Valentine's Day Spotlights: Changmin Ha and Carolina Moino

In celebration of Valentine's Day, Nomen Global students did a little speed dating. Sitting across from each other down both sides of a long table, the boys and girls had approximately 3 minutes to get to each other. After a short "date," everyone ranked their date on 1) their first impression, 2) their interest in their partner's hobbies, and 3) their partner's confidence in speaking English. At the end of the dating, we tallied up the scores and announced the winners. Allow us to introduce the two heart-throbs at Nomen Global:

Changmin (Jamie) Ha is from South Korea. He transferred to Nomen Global from another English school about 3 weeks ago, and he hopes to continue learning English for a full semester. Jamie has many dreams for the future, including getting a good job in Korea. In order to accomplish this, Jamie wants to perfect his English. Other goals include completing his undergraduate degree at his Korean university and pursuing higher education after that.

Jamie feels that the atmosphere of Nomen Global is similar to that of a family. He comments that the teachers allow him to study at his own pace, without pressure. The teachers are consistently available to help him learn English, not just get good grades. After Jamie finishes this semester, he will either complete another semester at Nomen Global or move to San Diego, California, for other opportunities.

Jamie is extremely studious, but he does allow himself to enjoy his free time. He loves music; he plays both the flute and the guitar. Additionally, he loves playing soccer. Although he is from Korea, Jamie really enjoys Italian food like pasta and pizza.

Part of Jamie's success is attributed to his high standards. He gives himself rules and specific criteria to live by.

Carolina Ceci Moino is from Brazil. Carol is currently studying civil engineering at a Brazilian university and wants to improve her English to help her get a better job. She enjoys learning English at Nomen Global because of the variety of different activities we have at locations around the area. Once Carol finishes studying English here, she intends to move back to Brazil to finish her degree. Good luck!

Carol is a results-driven person. She feels successful when she notices that she is improving and progressing. In addition to learning English and graduating in civil engineering, Carol also aspires to earn her MBA, travel to Europe, get a great job, get married, and have a family. Although Carol has many goals, family is definitely the most important thing to her.

In her free time, Carol hangs out with friends, goes to parties, dances, surfs (but not in Utah!), watches movies, and goes shopping. She loves to eat salad and fish. Carol always has a happy disposition and makes friends quickly.

Meet Jamie and Carol and other goal-oriented students like them at Nomen Global. 'Like' us on Facebook to see some of the activities that Jamie and Carol love.

Xtreme Air Sports

Lowes Xtreme Air Sports is a gigantic indoor jumping gym with trampolines, climbing walls, and foam pits. Nomen Global students had a great time last Friday when we met there. We all felt like kids again jumping, climbing, and falling in the foam pits! Take a look at the fun we had in these pictures.

To learn more about Nomen Global, visit our website. 'Like' us on Facebook for more information about our activities.

Grammar Guide: Perfect Progressive Tenses

During the month of February, people from countries all over the world are gearing up for Valentine's Day. While Valentine's Day used to celebrate specifically lovebirds, today in the United States, we use the holiday to show gratitude to all of the people we love, including friends and family. On February 14th, gifts, chocolate, flowers, and Valentine's Day cards are exchanged. One tradition in the United States is to share a fancy dinner together with romantic music in the background. 

Perfect Progressive Tenses
Perfect progressive is the mixture between perfect and progressive. It combines the two aspects to create the idea of an action or situation beginning at an earlier time and continuing to another point of reference. Similarly, the perfect progressive can occur in the past, present, or future. In many cases, the perfect progressive is nearly identical to the perfect; however, the perfect progressive emphasizes a progressive (or continuous) action and can be expressed only with action verbs (rather than stative verbs like know, be, or have).

We form the perfect progressive using a form of HAVE + BEEN + the present participle.

Present Perfect Progressive
The present perfect progressive can express two meanings:
1. An action or situation beginning in the past and continuing to the present

• We have been dating for 3 years.
• They have been celebrating Valentine's Day since they got married.

2. An action or situation occurring recently (often changing the present circumstances)

• She has been crying (and now her face is red) because her boyfriend broke up with her.
• Julie and Tom have been laughing so much that now their sides hurt!

Past Perfect Progressive
The past perfect progressive can express two meanings:
1. An action or situation beginning before another point in the past and continuing to that point

• Jeffrey had been planning to surprise his valentine for two weeks before February 14th.
• By the time Susan went on her first date, she had been feeling lonely.

2. An action or situation occurring close in time to a point in the past (often changing those circumstances)

• Jennifer had been sleeping when Ben surprised her with breakfast. 
• When Jack proposed to Lucy, she had been smiling.

Future Perfect Progressive
The future perfect progressive expresses an action or situation beginning sometime (in the past, present, or future) that continues to a future point.

• We will have been dating for 6 years by Valentine's Day.
• By the time my boyfriend comes home, I will have been waiting for him for 3 months.
• John and Sara will have been seeing each other for 1 year when they get married.

The following is an excerpt from the song "Waiting for a Girl Like You" by Foreigner. Can you find all the perfect progressives?

• So long
  I've been looking too hard, I've waiting too long
  Sometimes I don't know what I will find
  I only know it's a matter of time
  When you love someone
  When you love someone
  
  It feels so right, so warm and true
  I need to know if you feel it too
  
  Maybe I'm wrong
  Won't you tell me if I'm coming on too strong?
  This heart of mine has been hurt before
  This time I wanna be sure
  
  I've been waiting for a girl like you
  To come into my life
  I've been waiting for a girl like you
  A love that will survive
  I've been waiting for someone new
  To make me feel alive
  Yeah, waiting for a girl like you
  To come into my life
  
  You're so good
  When we make love it's understood
  It's more than a touch or a word we say
  Only in dreams could it be this way
  When you love someone
  Yeah, really love someone
  
  Now, I know it's right
  From the moment I wake up till deep in the night
  There's no where on earth that I'd rather be
  Than holding you, tenderly
  
  I've been waiting for a girl like you
  To come into my life
  I've been waiting for a girl like you
  And a love that will survive
  I've been waiting for someone new
  To make me feel alive
  Yeah, waiting for a girl like you
  To come into my life
  
  I've been waiting, waiting for you, ooh
  Ooh, I've been waiting
  I've been waiting, yeah
  I've been waiting for a girl like you
  I've been waiting
  Won't you come into my life?
  My life?

To learn more about the perfect progressive and other grammar topics, visit us at Nomen Global. 'Like' us on Facebook to see more English resources.

Student Spotlight: Byoung Jin Moon

Byoung Jin Moon is from South Korea. He has been studying English at Nomen Global for 4 months and has recently advanced into Level 5! BJ hopes to study another 4 months before he applies to University of Utah. BJ is interested in learning English because he feels like the skills he is learning at Nomen Global will improve his life in the future. He especially enjoys the chance he has to improve his speaking skills with all of his friends in Utah.

BJ believes that people should never give up on their dreams even if their path is difficult. BJ has goals for himself to study business at the University of Utah and then pursue an MBA in Korea. He knows that when he accomplishes these goals, he will be very happy.

During his free time, BJ enjoys watching movies and he loves to eat Korean fried rice. If you meet BJ, you might be impressed with his honesty and honor because those are the most important things to him.

Meet BJ and other diligent students like him at Nomen Global. 'Like' us on Facebook to learn more about our students and activities.

Movie Making

Have you ever made your own movie? This block at Nomen Global, students had the chance to be directors, producers, actors, actresses, and camera people.

Take a look at the movie-making activity we completed in two weeks:

Week 1
Time to plan!

• Divide into groups and decide the general plot of your movie. The theme of the movie must be related to Valentine's Day, but you can explore other genres like action, comedy, horror, or mystery.
• Decide what role each person in your group will take. You need a director, actors/actresses, and camera people. 
• Write the script. Everyone needs to contribute what will take place in the story. Your script needs to include not only what the actors and actresses will say, but also where the shots will be filmed, what the actors and actresses will be doing, and what props will be needed.

Week 2
Time to film!

• Get your scripts out and rehearse each scene. Make sure you know how long each scene will take and practice where the camera will be.
• When you feel ready, begin filming! 
• After all of your filming is complete, give your cameras to your teacher for editing.

We will debut the movies at our Valentine's Day party next week.

Check back soon to see some of the movies we made!

To learn more about Nomen Global and the activities we offer, visit our website or 'like' our page on Facebook.