Why not? Just kidding. Actually when I was a young boy my neighbors had a bunch of turkeys for a few years. During the first month the turkeys were small and pretty cute. After several months the turkeys grew up bigger and bigger. Also their behavior changed a lot, they start to act more aggressively and I would say they were rude. You couldn’t enter their territory anymore safely because they attacked you immediately. They had developed strategies how to peck our hands if we were offering food for them from our hands. Once happened an accident when my little brother went by himself to the turkeys’ cage to feed them. Unluckily, he offered seeds for the turkeys directly from his hand, so that the turkeys could peck seeds from his hand. The turkeys start to peck my little brother’s hand so strongly that his hand was bleeding when he came back from the turkey cage. After this accident all of the neighborhood children were asked to stay away from the turkeys. My neighbors apologized to my parents for what happened to my little brother. It was an accident which could happen to everyone because we didn’t know how dangerous it was to feed the turkeys by hand directly. In conclusion, turkeys don’t make such a great pet experience. I would rather just eat them.

Happy Thanksgiving day!

Milton from Colombia writes in an informal style about his dream of traveling:

I don’t have a [particular] place where I would like to live.  Even if I had the possibility to live in one place, I would prefer to travel around the world.

Jamaica, Italy, France, Spain, Canada, Egypt, Hawaii, Peru…These are some of the countries I want to visit, and why not?  If I had the possibility of living in those countries, I would [seize] the opportunity.

I mean that the country or the place isn’t very important to me…only a beautiful place and a nice partner.  You know, you select the moment and you will do fine.  That is the finality of life.

This post continues the extensive list of phrasal verbs that you can use when you speak and write English.  There are a lot of others that you can find in our previous blog posts.  We invite you to take our ESL classes at New York English Academy to learn these and many more:

“When will your flight take off?”  [Depart; leave]

“The new Broadway show really took off!”  [Became popular or successful]

“Please take off your coat and stay awhile.”  [Remove]

“I’m hungry and we have only a short break.  Let’s get something to take out.”  [Eat away from the restaurant; for example, fast food]

“The children took their parents out for their wedding anniversary.” [Paid for their dinner, entertainment, etc.]

“He tore into his friend when he discovered that he was cheating.” [Became very angry with]

“After they sang “Happy Birthday’, they tore into the cake.”  [Started to eat greedily]

“Please tear up that document when you have finished reading it.” [Destroy by ripping]

“The city is going to tear down that old building next year.” [Remove; demolish]

“Many people think back on their childhood when look at old photos or get married.”  [Remember]

“You should think it over carefully before you make a decision to buy a car in New York City.” [Consider]

“Don’t throw away your glass bottles; you can recycle them.” [Place in the trash]

“Her life turned around when she came to New York and learned to speak English fluently at New York English Academy.” [Improved greatly]

“Turn around and look at the beautiful sunset!” [Look in the opposite direction]

“How did your party turn out?  Did a lot of people attend?” [Result]

 New York English Academy

Ernest from France has written a very imaginative story about his cat named Madchat .  (His ESL teacher has checked spelling, grammar, and punctuation, offering corrections with light editing):

Madchat remembers when one morning he woke up with a severe headache, but he went to work as usual.  However, this day all went wrong for him.  He, who was considered the best manager in his factory, felt that something was coming.  He, who was appreciated by his boss, felt something the sense of which he did not understand.  He was feeling down, and when he looked around him, nothing gave his happiness or even pleasure.  “What is happening to me and why do I look at my life and my job without joy?  Why?” he asked himself.

The next day and in the following days, his negative feeling continued.  Then, Madchat went for advice to his doctor, who said to him that he was stressed.

Madchat remembered the night that followed his meeting with the doctor.  He heard a sweet, friendly woman’s voice saying to him, “How does he think about our life?  How could he fix his life?”  The next morning he woke up and something had changed.  His nerves had calmed down.  He thought again about that woman’s voice all day.

A few weeks later, Madchat decided to quit his job.  Instead, he opened a small bookshop.

            Today his work gives him a lot of satisfaction because his shop is known by many people [and he runs a successful business].  Madchat is happy to share his cheerfulness!

New York English Academy instructors will help you improve your English skills in every area: speaking, listening, spelling, punctuation, grammar, reading, and – perhaps the most challenging of all – writing!  Teachers at our various levels will guide you in a number of styles of writing, whether for business or pleasure!

 New York English Academy

Do you like living in a city, suburb, or the countryside? Why or why not?  Federica, who came from Messina, Sicily, shared her thoughts on this topic.  (Her ESL teacher had checked her spelling, grammar, and punctuation and offered corrections with light editing):

I like in a small town in the South of Italy.  Sometimes I think that is perfect for me.  I know all of my neighbors; the stores are [very] close to my house; there isn’t [much] traffic; and there is a great sense of community.  But often I have thought that it is so boring because nothing happens.  Maybe this is the reason [for me] to move myself [interesting expression!] from a small town to a metropolis like New York.  I like meeting different people from many countries and [hearing] different languages.

I love the architecture of [New York City].  It isn’t clean [the author’s opinion!], I know, and it is noisy, but it is called “the city that never [sleeps]” for this reason!  I love walking in the street and raising my eyes to the sky to see the tall buildings.  It offers something new to do at all hours.  It’s so big, but there is a lot of public transportation to move [around] every part of the city.  It is [sometimes] not safe, especially in [certain] areas.  All big cities have [positive and negative aspects]; you have to take the best things!  At this time, I prefer to live in a big city.  Maybe, when I am old and tired, I will move to an isolated and quiet place like the countryside!

New York English Academy instructors will help you improve your English skills in every area: speaking, listening, spelling, punctuation, grammar, reading, and – perhaps the most challenging of all – writing!

New York English Academy

New York English Academy’s  instructors will help you improve your English skills in every area: speaking, listening, spelling, punctuation, grammar, reading, and – perhaps the most challenging of all – writing!

A student has used her imagination to relate to us her thoughts on “offbeat” jobs she might consider:

I like cooking some traditional dishes; it’s my hobby.  I can tell that [being a chef would be] an offbeat job for me.  The process of cooking is relaxing and interesting for me.  I always try to learn some new dishes and then I [prepare] them.

Last weekend, I learned to prepare the taco.  This dish is from Mexico and it is wonderful!

Another offbeat job for me [would be] archaeology.  When I was a child, I wanted to become an archaeologist.  I like this profession.  An archaeologist looks for something new from the past.  This is very interesting to me.

I am a lawyer and I can say that sometimes my [career] is an offbeat job.  My job is diverse and I like my profession.

Another student  has her own web design business, yet she can imagine a number of wide-ranging occupations that could interest her.  This is her contribution:

Life is short.  It’s very difficult for me to be engaged in a job; I want to do everything!  I like traveling, so I would like to be an [airline attendant], tour guide, international journalist.  I love art, so I would like to be a painter, singer, dancer…  I’m creative, so I would like to be a designer, architect…  I like thrills, so I would like to join the army, be a [fire-fighter], secret agent…  I am passionate about life and I think everything is extraordinary.  It’s why I have my own company…I like to do [many] things: sell, create, give advice.  I like the effort to get good results.  That’s why I came to NYC.

For me, who have always been protected by my family, my boyfriend, my friends.  Traveling alone in a new country, with new people and a new language, was the hardest challenge…

We must all live our dreams!

New York English Academy

Take an English language (ESL) course at New York English Academy and you will increase your communications skills along with your writing style.  Your teachers will help you improve your sentence and paragraph structure, grammar, and punctuation.

A recent student from Italy has written down her thoughts of becoming a trapeze artist in a circus, such a very different career from that of architect, her current occupation!  Here is her writing, lightly edited by her teacher.

If I have to choose an offbeat job, I’d like to be a trapeze artist.  [She uses the term “trapezist.” —editor].   I know, it is a strange job for many people, but I think it is very fascinating.  When I was fifteen years old, I did it for a few months, but only as a joke with my friends.  While I was clinging to the trapeze, I was very happy because I was feeling good and free.  My “career” ended because I am too heavy and I don’t have enough skills for it.  It is hard work because it is like a sport: you have to dedicate a lot of hours every day to improve yourself.  It is dangerous because it is practiced ten meters above the ground.  I think it is a very creative job; to do it, you are an artist!  The salary is not high is not high, but there isn’t a price [to be put on] the feeling you get when you fly from trapeze to trapeze.  It’s amazing!

By the way, it is only a fantasy of my mind because I’m an architect.  At this moment, I’m out of work.  Sometimes, when I have a bad day and I don’t have a [reply] from companies, I like to close my eyes and think about myself on the trapeze!

New York English Academy

We invite you to take our ESL classes at NYEA to learn these phrasal verbs and a lot more:

“The New York Rangers hockey team is in the championship series; I hope they don’t let us down by losing the next game.”  [Disappoint]

“In New York City, there are many opportunities to let your hair down on weekends.”  [Let your hair down: to relax after having done some difficult work or task.]

“Please open the door and let me in.”  [Permit to enter]

“When will the rain ever let up?”  [Lessen or stop]

“You have to let your dog out when it needs exercise.” [Allow to go outside]

“She always looks after her elderly parents when they are not feeling well.” [Takes care of]

“On the day that we arrived in New York, we went to Central Park to look around.” [Explore informally]

“Please don’t look down on me because I am short.” [Think that someone is inferior]

“I have been looking all over in my bedroom, but I still can’t find my glasses.” [Searching extensively]

“For a long time we have been looking forward to the World Cup, and now it is finally in progress.” [Anticipating]

“They are going to look into the monthly rent for that Brooklyn apartment.” [Get more information about]

“You have to look out for the traffic when you cross the busy street.” [Be aware of]

One of the topics for English writing practice at NYEA is “If you wanted an offbeat job, what would you do?  Why?”  Students have come up with a number of interesting examples.  Here’s one:

If I wanted an offbeat job, I would like to be a skydiving instructor.

The first time I skydived was in Hawaii.  There was no rain and no wind; conditions were perfect.  Before I skydived, I was scared.  The distance of 10,000 feet [more than 3000 meters]was too high for me.  My instructor tried to talk with me, but I couldn’t respond.

However, I could do it!  And I could see beautiful views of the ocean, clouds, mountains…  Everything I could see was amazing!

At this time, I didn’t think I was falling through the air.  Then we arrived at the point of landing and [the sky diving instructor and I] made a friendship which overcame difficulties together.  This was the most impressive experience of my life.  So I hope that everybody will try the wonderful [activity] of skydiving.

NYEA students create an essay every week.  Their teachers make corrections to spelling, grammar, punctuation, and suggest improvements to writing style.  This is often a class activity, where everyone has copies of each completed composition.  All the students, guided by the teacher,  can then add their comments and suggestions.  The teacher makes the final – but not too technical – edit before publishing to NYEA’s blog page.

New York English Academy

In an NYEA ESL class, students have been writing about the world’s indigenous cultures.  One of our students, an architect from Italy, offered her opinion in response to this question:  “What would the world be like if most indigenous cultures disappear?”

There aren’t that many indigenous [cultures] surviving in the world.  They [largely] live on the American continents (especially in South America), in Africa, in Asia, and in Australia.  They have adapted to nature, particularly in the jungle, very far from the big city.  Many indigenous are nomadic; others have been forced by logging companies to leave their lands.

It’s very important that we remember who we are, and that we must never forget [that] they are our ancestors, our history.  They are what makes us unique.  Unfortunately, more than their customs and their history have been lost.  The world went ahead and probably to blame is globalization.  I don’t know how the world would be if they were to disappear.  But I know that we are similar.  I take care of myself with plants and roots like indigenous people and we speak the “same” language; it has only evolved.  [Editor’s note:  The author gives the example of Italian evolving from Latin].

I think that what would help [many] indigenous people would be if logging companies stop [activity] in their territories.  We can also try to not lose old cultures and [instead] learn from them. We have to protect them and we have to continue to [merge] the old world with the modern world.

NYEA students create an essay every week.  Their teachers make corrections to spelling, grammar, punctuation, and suggest improvements to writing style.  This is often a class activity, where everyone has copies of each completed composition.  All the students, guided by the teacher,  can then add their comments and suggestions.  The teacher makes the final – but not too technical – edit before publishing to our Academy’s blog page.

NEW YORK ENGLISH ACADEMY

In one of NYEA’s ESL classes, students have been writing about the world’s indigenous cultures.  A Level 2 student, a travel agent and guide from Peru, composed a response to this question:  “What would the world be like if most indigenous cultures disappear?”

The answer is very simple.  If most indigenous cultures disappear, the world will lose cultural identity.  This means that our world [and] our lives will lose valuable knowledge about traditional medicine, religions, world vision, natural nutrition, animal life, plant life…secrets of the simple life in this amazing world.

Now, governmental and non-governmental organizations, religious groups, oil and lumber companies, and others are rapidly [threatening] a lot of the indigenous cultures of the world.

Who can stop it?  Anybody?

I think we will [quickly] become more “artificial” people.  I can’t believe that technology and lust for power will dominate our beautiful world.  I hope for a miracle.

Our future is in the children’s hands:  “Education with Conscience”

NYEA students create an essay every week.  Their teachers make corrections to spelling, grammar, punctuation, and suggest improvements to writing style.  This is often a class activity, where everyone has copies of each completed composition.  All the students can then add their comments and suggestions.

Here are some phrasal verbs that are very common in English.  We will be publishing yet more in future posts.  We invite you to take ESL classes at NYEA to learn these and many others:

“Could you hang on a moment?  I have to answer the door.”  [Wait a short time]

“They like to hang out in Times Square with their friends.”  [Relax]

“If you can’t talk to me respectfully, I will hang up the phone!”  [End a call]

“She had to  hold her dog back from attacking her neighbor’s cat. ”  [Restrain]

“When he heard that he had won $1,000,000 in the lotto, he could not hold back his joy.”  [Restrain an emotion]

“Please hold on for a minute while I check my messages.” [Wait a short time (similar to hang on)]

“It’s very important to hold onto the pole when you are standing on the train. ”  [Grasp with your hand]

“The thief held up the store after most of the customers had left.”  [Robbed]

“If you are having trouble with English pronunciation, keep on practicing and you will become fluent.”  [Continue]

“It was very difficult for me to keep from revealing the secret about the surprise birthday party that they were planning for their friend.” [Not tell about]

“We must keep out of the building while they repairing the electrical system.” [Avoid; stay away from]

“He was walking so fast that I could not keep up with him.”  [Go at the same speed]

 New York English Academy

A conditional clause in English grammar often uses “if” before the subject.  Many of the verbs following an “if” expression use modal auxiliary verbs like “would” or “could.”

What “if” you won a million dollars?  Student essays can give us some ideas.

A student from Japan writes:

If I won $1,000,000, I would buy an office in New York. [Editor’s note: Good Luck!]  Then I would like to start a new job by myself.  [Eventually], I would like to buy a house in New York, if I could make enough [additional] money.  Also, I would buy a beautiful house for my parents in Japan.

Next, I would try to get a green card from the USA.  If I could get a green card, I would be happy.

Then, if I had enough money at that time, I would make a donation for orphans in Japan.  …I should make a donation.  I would make me happier!

There is a New York connection for another writer too:

If I won a lot of money, I would think I’m the luckiest person in the world.  It would be exciting because I could do many things.

…I would give some [of the money] to my parents.  I would buy a house in Thailand for my family and I would like to buy a house in Manhattan; I wouldn’t have to pay every month to rent an apartment.

…I would give some money to poor people; that would make me happy because I could help them and make their lives better.

             Another example:

First of all, I would buy a house for my mother and I would hire someone to help her with cleaning the house and cooking.

Then I would travel around the world, but I [especially] want to visit Africa because I would become a volunteer and help other people, [in particular] children.  I love kids and I feel sad when I am watching TV and see kids crying and hungry.

So I would open an association for helping these people with [their] primary needs.

After that, I would buy a truck because my husband is a driver; he has never driven a truck, but I know he would love it.

…My main idea is that for the rest of my life, I would feel safe – myself and my family – and I would not have to worry about money.

 New York English Academy