Online Class Notes (Nick) [S]

Talk about Master’s programs.

Check for an explanation of the difference between the English terms “gerund” and “present participle” in Chinese. The terms are not important, but this is the problem we were talking about this class.

Watch the Grammar Rock videos (if Nick can find them).

Vocabulary

Finance – the study of how to use money
e.g. Investment banks work in finance.

Atmosphere – the gas around the Earth; how a place makes you feel when you go there
e.g. The atmosphere in this restaurant is very comfortable.

Fancy – high-class, expensive, very nice
e.g. This restaurant is very fancy. I doubt I could afford to eat there (it’s probably very expensive).

DMV – the Department of Motor Vehicles; the place where you get a license to drive, and the license plates you have to put on your car
e.g. “Flash” works at the DMV in Zootopia.

Sloth – 树懒; laziness in general
e.g. “Flash,” from Zootopia, is a sloth.

Claws – long, sharp, strong nails that animals use for opening things and for fighting
e.g. The sloth can be dangerous because of its long claws.

Indecision – when you have trouble figuring out what you want to do (general or specific)
e.g. I feel indecisive about what to do with my career in the next few years.

Wavering – to be trying to decide between two options (something specific)
e.g. I am wavering between moving back to Shanghai and staying in my hometown.

Horizon – as far as you can see; all of the possibilities open to you
e.g. In Shanghai, I could expand my horizons and find many more things to try.
e.g. You can expand your horizons by going to Shanghai (you will have more opportunities)

Grammar

On September – in September
— “In” is about limitations

Using “-ing”
— The usual rule is for something that you are in the middle of, that you are doing right now.
— This is also used to form a “noun phrase” that includes a verb
e.g. I was thinking about going back to Shanghai (from the speaking)
— [subject] + [verb] + [object]
— Imagine this: someone asks you: what are you thinking about?
— Or, you can replace the “going back to Shanghai” with [what]

Difference between “going” and “to go”
— you use “go” when you are using the word with others like “want, need, etc.”
e.g. I want to go to the park.
— you use “going” when you want to talk about doing that thing
e.g. Going to the park is fun.
e.g. He has a habit of going to the park to run every morning.
e.g. He likes to eat hot dogs.
e.g. Eating hot dogs is not very healthy.

By myself vs. by me
— “By myself” means that you do it alone, without help
— “By me” means that I am the person who does it, not someone else

I feel, I don’t know like my heart is shake these days. On the one hand, I was thinking about go(ing) back to Shanghai, but I will have lots of stress there. On the other hand, I like my life in my hometown because it’s easy. I don’t need to think too much. I have enough money, and my family is all around here. But in my deep in my heart, I know the better life need to created by myself. I’m thinking about to get a Master’s degree, and that will make me more hard. You know, I think there are two small man around me. One is telling me to do the things that’s like going back to Shanghai or to get better life in Shanghai, and another little man is telling me to just enjoy your life now.

I feel, I don’t know like my heart is shake these days. I don’t know what I want to do with my career in the next few years / I can’t figure out whether I want to go back to SH or stay at my current job. On the one hand, I was thinking about going back to Shanghai, but I will have lots of stress there / but Shanghai is much more stressful / but living in Shanghai is much more stressful. On the other hand, I like my life in my hometown / living in my hometown because it’s easy. I don’t need to think too much. I have enough money, and my family is all around here. But in my deep in my heart, I know the better life needs to be created by me / I know that I have to make a better life for myself. I’m thinking about to get getting a Master’s degree, and that will make me my life more harder. You know, I think there are two small man around me / It’s like I have an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. One is telling me to do the things that’s like going go back to Shanghai or to get a better life in Shanghai, and another the other little man is telling me: to “just enjoy your life now / just enjoy your life as it is.”