Everyday English
Grammar
English Storylines
Holidays / Traditions
100
What relationship do you have to your aunt?
Your aunt is either a female sibling of your parents, or a female spouse to a sibling of your parents:
Thus, an uncle is the same thing, but a male.
100
Prepositions are the words that help _____ a sentence together
glue:
For instance:
"I am running through the park"
(noun) (verb) (preposition) (article) (noun)
100
What does the phrase "hit the sack" mean?
It means to get to bed / go to sleep. Usually used when one is tired, i.e., "I am tuckered out. Time to hit the sack!"
100
What is the purpose of a menorah?
It reminds Jews of the 9 days that the oil lasted in the lamps of the temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees reclaimed the temple.
200
What is a cousin? How many do you have?
A cousin is from your same generation. They are the child of either an aunt or an uncle, the siblings / spouses of your mom and dad. They are also grandchildren to the same grandparents as you! See:
200
Give an example of two prepositions in a sentence:
Through = "I stepped through the broken door."
of = "James had the coolest walking stick of ash wood."
200
Use one of our phrases this unit in a sentence:
"Oh man, those fries were to die for." (really good)
"It was no problem, my pleasure." (I liked doing it)
"I'll make sure to chip in as much as I can." (do my part), etc.
200
What conflict led to the creation of this holiday?
The control of Israel by Greek / Syrian forces, who were forced out when they tried to get the Jews to abandon their culture and beliefs by the Maccabees.
300
How do Westerners / Americans often care for their grandparents? How is this different than in other parts of the world?
Westerners value independence, and so many grandparents don't impose on their families, and instead stay at assisted living or nursing facilities when they get too old to care for themselves.
In other cultures, the grandparents are often cared for by their children, and so many other cultures see this as disrespectful, but it isn't meant to be.
300
Prepositions are used in English to link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words within a sentence. They act to connect the people, objects, time and locations of a sentence. Prepositions are usually short words / phrases, and they are normally placed directly in front of nouns.
Name at least 2 ways prepositions are used:
Prepositions are used re: time (e.g., in 2012; at 7:00 PM, etc.), place (e.g., on top of, across, etc.), direction (e.g., from Japan, to the store, etc.), method (e.g., via airmail, on horseback, etc.), material (e.g., of wood, etc.), etc.
300
Use two expressions in the same sentence:
"It was my pleasure, I am just doing my part to chip in."
"By all means, if you are exhausted, you'd better hit the sack!"
300
Name two traditions that people do today as part of Chanukah:
Light the menorah, remember the story and miracle of the Macabees.
Eat fried foods (like the oil in the lamp), such as Latkas or jam-filled donuts (sufganiyot)
They also play with a dreidel, a 4 sided top.