VIP Class Notes (Li)[W]

Vocabulary

sore throat – 喉嚨痛

ex. I have a sore throat today.

I don’t feel well/too good 

I have a runny nose/My nose is runny

atmosphere – 氛圍

ex. My mum enjoys the atmosphere of people gathering together during CNY.

last/s for – how long sth runs for

ex. Most tv shows last for 1 hour.

return/go/head back home

Grammar

at – specific time

ex. at a specific time

ex. at 4 o’clock/3:45

in – a period of time

ex. in 5 minutes/10 hours

grow up – use present tense when you are still a child

ex. When I grow up I want to be a dancer.

grew up – use past tense when you are an adult

ex. But when I grew up I ended up being a teacher.

the – specific situations/singular or plural

ex. The latest phones have very good cameras.

don’t add anything – general situations/plural

ex. My favourite days are Sundays.

a/an – general situations/singular

ex. That is a very expensive cake.

use “the” with building names

ex. The Forbidden Palace

ex. The Tower of Pisa

ex. The Marriott Hotel

ex. The Empire State Building

exceptions – airports/universities/stations

*with universities, if it has “of”, then you add “the”

ex. The University of Toronto

ex. The University of Columbia

1) Which public holiday is your favourite? What do you like to do during that time?

When I was a child, the favorite holiday was the Chinese New year holiday. The TV channel would have varity of cartoon all day, which usually has one hour in the specific time each day. Second reason I liked this holiday was that the money you could get from elder was more. Every relative would give you a red envelope. After the holiday, you could have a big amount to buy the thing you want to have. The third reason I liked the holiday was the neighbor children from big city would went to hometown during that time. They would bring some interesting and fancy toy to share us. And they would share their fancy life in the city. In a child who grew in countryside mind, the city life is a fairy tale. The period of time is the closest days to the dream life.

But when I grow up, the holiday I like changed. My favorite holiday now is Chinese Nation holiday, because it has long days off and you could have nothing to do during the time. The lazy day is same as boring days in my childhood, that is the most relaxed days to me now. I think the most difference is the work. The Chinese New year holiday, all adults have to give or do something but children could learn more and get many things.

Revised: 

When I was a child, my favorite holiday was the Chinese New Year. TV channels would have a variety of cartoons all day, which usually lasts for one hour at a specific time each day. The second reason I liked this holiday is because I could get money from my elder relatives. Every relative would give you a red envelope. After the holiday, you could save a big amount to buy something you want to have. The third reason/Additionally, I liked this holiday is because the neighbor’s children from the big cities would return back home during this time. They would bring some interesting and fancy toys to share with us. And they would share stories of their fancy life in the city. As a child who grew up in the countryside mind,  city life is a fairy tale. This period of time was the closest to my dream life.

But when I grew up, the holiday I like changed. My favorite holiday now is Chinese National Day, because it has long days off and you don’t have to do anything. The Lazy days are the same as boring days during my childhood, however, these are the most relaxing days to me now. I think the biggest difference to me is work. During Chinese New Year, all adults have to give or do something but children just need to learn more and get/receive many things.

3 points 

firstly/the main reason/get straight to the point

Secondly/In addition/Besides/Additionally/I/People also…

Lastly/the final point/finally/the third reason

Basic structure 

point/reason -> example (supports your point) -> detail