chitikaLB

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Eternal Life: My First Composition

In March 1997, just before my high school graduation, I was lying on my bed thinking of God's great love for me. I was so overwhelmed knowing that it was my mother alone who worked for the four of us. Yet, she still managed to send me to an Adventist school. 

During my high school days, I had been active in church. I even dreamed of becoming a minister because of my passion to talk about God's great love and His second coming. This was the reason I composed a song. This was my first composition, though I have also written poems for my mother and friends.

Here's the lyrics of the song. I also made a tune for it, but I don't know how to make an MP3. It would be better if there's an accompaniment so you could immediately learn the song. Anyway, you can make your own music if you want.



ETERNAL LIFE


There's a friend up above
Who binds us with love.
He's such a good friend to us.
He was sent by His Father
To save us from sin.
For He wants us to have eternal life.

Refrain
So you need not to worry
For everything was free.
He suffered there on Calvary
For He loves you and me.
And so my friends now is the time
For us to thank our God.
For without Him we have not attained,
A love that will remain.

Whenever you have problems
Just call Him by name.
For He is willing to supply all your needs.
His hands are always ready
To show you the way
For He wants you to have eternal life.

(Refrain)

This is just a short and very simple song, but the message is what matters the most. God truly loves all of us. The very reason He sent His Son to suffer on the cross of Calvary is for us to have eternal life. Nothing more, nothing less. 

On the day of His second coming, all of those who truly love Him and treasure the gift of salvation which He gave through His life will live in that heavenly kingdom forever.

Tips that help me quit smoking



How to quit smoking? Well, there are many tips on how to quit smoking. You can find them in books and even in the internet. Any of them can be effective methods on how to get rid of this so called nicotine addiction.

But there is just one thing I want you to bear in mind. Whatever method you want to use will still be ineffective unless you really have that will to quit smoking.

Before going further, let me first share with you when I started smoking, then next is how I put an end to it.

It all began when I was 14. At first, it was not really that serious since I just did it with my friends. I remembered how we hid every time we lit a cigar so others won't see us. We were afraid our parents would know.

In school, I and my friends would go in the middle of the cornfield to smoke since it was not allowed in the campus. We also made holes in the ceiling of our rooms in the dormitory just for smoking.

When I turned 17, smoking had been a part of my life.

Then came a time when I could no longer get rid of it. In every day of my life, it seemed like I could not survive without puffing a stick. I was not a change smoker, but I could consume 2 packs a day, especially during drinking sessions.

You will know if you're already hooked to smoking because it's hard when you don't have a cigarette. You also easily feel irritated if you don't have money to buy even a single stick.

Smoking had affected my entire life. To the male smokers out there, I tell you, aside from the effects of nicotine on your lungs, smoking will also affect even your erection. This is true! I feel different now after I quit smoking.

Life was tough for me when I was still smoking. In my early 20's, I had to work for my three younger siblings. Because of that, I decided to stop all my vices, including smoking, just to make ends meet.

That was the first attempt. After a couple of weeks, I started to feel something unusual. I remembered my friends when they told me never to stop smoking and drinking instantly or else something would happen to me. It did come true. The doctor said my bile was affected. She asked me what I did in the past weeks. I told her that I immediately stopped smoking and drinking. She then said I should have stopped my vices in a gradual manner.

That's why to you my dear friends, never stop any of your vices in an instant. Just imagine a car running at full speed. You wouldn't want to step fully on the breaks if you wish it to stop, right? You know what will happen if you do it. Just like your body. It becomes accustomed to whatever you regularly do. So if you want to quit smoking or whatever vice you have, make sure to do it gradually. Your body needs time to adjust.

Anyway, that first attempt of mine to quit smoking, drinking and other stuffs did not really work at all. After two months, I again found myself hanging out with my friends and enjoying the things we usually did.

Years passed, my addiction to smoking continued. It even became worse. Then when I woke up one morning, I felt something unusual in my throat. It's as if something was blocking my throat. When I tried to get rid of it, something round went out of my mouth. It was dead blood that formed like a big marble! I was alarmed! My body felt cold.

Then everything I read about smoking and its effects flashed back on my mind. I remembered the pictures of lungs, throats, mouths and other body organs affected by smoking in the magazine "How to Stop Smoking." I tried to quit smoking again, but when I found out that I was well, I resumed.

In 2008, I worked as an English tutor to Korean students in Tagaytay City. That was the first time I could not smoke at all, especially during the day, because of my work.

The following year, I met my wife. Three months before our wedding, I was able to quit from smoking. Here's how it happened.

I was born a Seventh-Day Adventist. As you all know, we do not smoke nor drink. Anyway, I still did it. When I was about 24 or 25 years old. I promised to myself that I would quit smoking and all of my vices before getting married at the age of 30. Perhaps God remembered my promise. A year before my 30th birthday, I met my wife. We decided to get married in December of that year. She is also an Adventist, so of course, she wanted me to quit too.

It seemed so insurmountable, but you know what, the best method that I could share with you is prayer. In my first two attempts, I never prayed. Prayer my friends will make the difference. Second, you must be determined to quit smoking. If you do, start by reducing  the number of sticks you regularly consume every day. For example, if you consume a pack per day, make it just 19 the following day. Third, make yourself busy. If you don't have a regular job, engage yourself in sports. Play basketball or any sport that could make you sweat. Fourth, eat fresh fruits and vegetables. This will help lessen the cravings for smoke. Fifth, try to avoid other smokers. They will be a big hindrance. Next, always clean yourself. Seventh, try to read about the effects of smoking. This will enlighten you more. You will also be encouraged to strive harder. Remember, you are not doing this for yourself alone.

Remember this, people who live with a smoker have a 15 per cent higher mortality rate than those in smoke-free households. Secondhand smoke at home raises the risk of lung cancer by 20 per cent. -UC Berkeley Wellness Letter

See, you are not only helping yourself, but also the people around you! My friend, just follow my simple tips on how to quit smoking. They may not be the best methods, but I tell you, whatever method you follow if God's intervention is not present and you are not that determined to stop, you will still find yourself puffing sticks afters sticks, just like the way you usually do.

So, what are you waiting for? Save yourself and the people around you from getting sick because of cigarette smoking.



Monday, August 27, 2012

What are adjectives?


What are ADJECTIVES?
Adjectives are words that describe or modify a noun or a pronoun.

Sentence examples:



Hanna has  long hair. 

The word long here tells us what kind of hair does Hanna have. Therefore, long is an adjective.


The book is thick

The word thick here is another adjective that describes what kind of book is mentioned in the sentence.

Present and Past Participle Forms of the Verbs can also become adjectives.

The ringing phone belongs to my  mother.
The wounded soldier is brought to the hospital.


Please leave a comment or suggestion that would make this article better and more useful. Thank you!

Degrees of Comparisons of Adjectives

Degrees of Comparison of Adjectives

POSITIVE DEGREE is an adjective in its simplest form. It is used to describe a single noun. 

James is tall.

The positive degree of an adjective can also be used to compare a noun to another noun of the same amount, degree or level.

James is as tall as Peter.

COMPARATIVE DEGREE is used to compare 2 people, animals, things, places, etc. of different amount, degree or level.

John is taller than James.
She is more beautiful than Sharon.

SUPERLATIVE DEGREE is used to compare more than 2 people, animals, things, places, etc. of different amount, degree or level.

Andrew is the tallest in the whole campus.
My sister is the most intelligent in her school.


Please leave a comment or suggestion that would make this article better and more useful. Thank you!

Friday, August 24, 2012

How are comparisons of adjectives formed

How are comparisons of Adjectives formed?

1. The positive degree is the simplest form of an adjective (root word). big, tall, large

2. The comparative degree of an adjective can be formed in different ways.

one-syllable adjectives
*big, red (any 3-letter-word adjective) - double the last consonant first before adding 'er.' big-bigger, red-redder

*high, great - just add 'er.' high-higher, great-greater

2-syllable adjectives (ending in 'y')
*heavy, pretty - change 'y' to 'i' first before adding 'er' ('est' to their superlative forms). heavy-heavier, pretty-prettier 

The adjective sly has two comparative forms- slyer or slier.

special cases
*active, furious - just put the word 'more' before these adjectives ('most' to their superlative forms). active-more active (not activer), furious-more furious (not furiouser)

However, an adjective such as handsome has two comparative forms: handsomer or more handsome. Both of them are considered correct.

3. The superlative degree of an adjective can be formed in different ways, too.

2 or more syllable-adjectives
*energetic, understanding - just put the word 'most' before these adjectives ('more' to their comparative forms). energetic-most energetic, understanding-most understanding

ending in 'y'
*funny, lovely  - change 'y' to 'i' first before adding 'est'. funny-funniest, lovely-lovelier


IRREGULAR ADJECTIVES - these are adjectives that change their spelling when formed to their comparative and superlative degrees.

good-better-best
bad-worse-worst
much-more-most
little-less-least
ill-worse-worst
many-more-most
far-farther-farthest

Take note of this, too.

Adjectives with absolute meanings don't have comparative nor superlative forms.

unique
perfect
exhausted
exhausting

In other words, they can't be used to compare two or more people, animals, things, places, etc. They also can't be modified by adverbs like very or so.

Therefore, don't say

I am more exhausted than you. or I am very exhausted. (Exhausted means extremely tired and having no energy.)



Any comment, suggestion or  addition that will help improve this article is very much welcome. Thank you.


Subject and Verb Agreement Made Easy

Welcome to my site!

I am an English tutor, mostly to Korean students. Teaching them even the very basic English is quite a challenging task, but it's also worth it once they learn, especially if it all happens because of you. Anyway, that's one of the main motivations of a teacher.

Well, being an English tutor gave me the idea to share with you readers the knowledge I have regarding English. My desire is to impart English Grammar with you in the easiest way I can.

In this article, you will find the rules regarding the SUBJECT and VERB Agreement. Anyway, it's already obvious that you're here because of this topic. So, keep on reading. I hope you find it beneficial.

I am used to telling my students that the agreement of the subject and verb in a sentence is just like that of a relationship. Both parties need to always agree with one another in order to have a good relationship. The same with the sentences we say or write . The subject should always agree with the verb (or vise versa) in order for our sentences to be good or correct.

Here we go!

Note: The base form of the verb is considered the plural verb, while a singular verb may end in ses or ies. (The principle being applied to this is just like changing a singular noun to its plural form.)

For Be-Verbs, is is for singular subjects, while are is for plural subjects. Am is just for the personal pronoun I. The same with their past forms.

Rule #1
The subject and the verb should always agree with one another when it comes to number. Meaning to say, if the subject is singular, the verb we need to use should also be singular. If the subject is plural, then the verb must also be plural.

Jonathan writes his homework.
The children are playing in the backyard.

Rule #2
A compound subject usually agrees with a plural verb.

Teachers and students are expected to wear their uniform.
Sarah and Karen like to eat ice cream.


Note: Both compound subjects refer to different individuals.

Rule #3
However, if a compound subject is referring to just one person, use a singular verb.

My friend and adviser is my mother.
The secretary and treasurer of the association is my neighbor.

Note: Each compound subject points to a single person.

Rule #4
A compound subject modified by each or every also takes a singular verb.

Every male and female is equal.
Each delegate and sponsor carries out an important role.


Note: Each and Every are considered singular. They are also used before singular nouns.

Rule #5
When a compound subject is joined by or, nor, either...or or neither...nor, the verb will agree with the subject nearest to it.

Neither the vocalist nor the musicians are here.
Either the congressmen or the president needs to be here on time.


Note: The first mentioned subjects have no effects on the verbs. Those nearest to the verbs do.