A mouse and a man
Post categories: Teacher blog
| 17:11 UK time, Monday, 26 April 2010
Hi Lyn,
What a tricky situation you found yourself in! Isn't it interesting that we can say that we don't like mice in general, but when faced with one in particular it's not quite so easy? Kirsti had a similar experience too which she mentioned in the comments of your last blog. Once we see a mouse as friendly, scared, brave or even blue-tailed or red-tailed it's a bit harder to think of it as a nuisance we need to get rid of, isn't it?
We had quite a long discussion in the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Learning English offices a while ago when we found evidence of little creatures making inroads into our biscuit selection. We talked and talked about what to do. Officially we had to inform the building supervisors, but unofficially ... well let's hear from Kaz, one of the producers here at ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Learning English:
Kaz holding a mouse made by student blogger Anita
"We found a little mouse scurrying around the office, people were standing up looking worried and then I saw it run behind the rubbish bin. I picked up a plastic cup and a postcard and moved the bin to one side. I saw the little mouse looking up at me. With one swift movement, I placed the plastic cup over the mouse and slipped a postcard underneath. And there was the mouse looking and me, and me looking at it - I'm not sure if it was a boy or a girl mouse. I could feel the warmth of its little body though the postcard on the palm of my hand. The next problem was - what do I do with the mouse? By this stage, the mouse was quite happily grooming itself - cleaning its whiskers and scratching behinds its ears. It was a cold January day but that didn't stop me. I carried the little mouse out of Bush House down to the first piece of green ground that I know of nearby - Lincoln's Inn Fields - and I released the little creature into a flower bed. I fancy it blew me a little kiss before it scuttled off!"
But would he recommend using this technique again? "Most definitely. It's one of the best solutions for anyone who wants to humanely dispose of our little furry friends."
I thought today we'd look at some individual sentences from your latest blog - 12 in total. In each one, I'll give you two options - the original sentence you wrote and one other. Your task is to figure out which of the two options is correct. But here's the tricky bit, not all of your original sentences are wrong. I've included quite a few of yours that are perfectly fine, so there are a few red herrings you have to look our for! For each sentence, you should write out the complete correct sentence.
1. (a) When I have time next week I am willing to finish this book.
(b) When I have time next week, I am hoping to finish this book.
2. (a) I plan to go and stay at the temple for 3 or 4 nights.
(b) I have a plan to go to temple and lived there for 3-5 nights.
3 (a) I saw his eyes.
(b) I see his eyes.
4. (a) To make a Meditation and Yoga.
(b) To do meditation and yoga.
5 (a) He trapped.
(b) He was trapped.
6 (a) It likes the time to Detox my mind.
(b) I like to have the time to detox my mind.
7. (a) Our plan didn't work.
(b) For our plan we did not succeed.
8. (a) The mouse was so intelligent, that may be he could understand all secret plan.
(b) The mouse was so intelligent that he was able to understand all our secret plans.
9 (a) It's a long story.
(b) It's long story.
10. (a) Why did my angel have to laugh like this?
(b) Why my angle had to laugh like this?
11 (a) My heart beating I did not dare to move.
(b) My heart was beating but I didn't dare move.
12 (a) We celebrate late than other.
(b) We celebrate later than others.
13 (a) In the morning, I told mom what I had faced.
(b) In the morning, I told mom what I have been faced.
That's all for now.
Take care,
Nuala
Vocabulary
get rid of - dispose of
making inroads into - starting to have a direct and noticeable effect (on something)
biscuit selection - different types of biscuits (usually sold together in one box or container)
scurrying - moving very quickly
swift - quick
palm of my hand - the front part of my hand
whiskers - long, stiff hairs growing on the face of a mouse (or cat or other mammal)
fancy - think
scuttled off - moved very quickly
red herrings - facts, ideas or subjects (or here, correct sentences) that take people's attention away from the central point being considered (here, trying to figure out which sentences are incorrect)
Comment number 1.
At 26th Apr 2010, kirsti wrote:Hi, Nuala and everyone.
I forgot a comment I wanted to make in a previous blog. It was when you, Nuala, said that chocolate worked well as a bait. I had already heard an Englishman say the same, and again in this last blog it becomes obvious that British mice have a sweet tooth! On this side of the Channel the mice are perfectly happy with bread , cheese and meat. I've never tried chocolate inside a trap, but we are a rather messy family, so there have been pieces of chocolate lying on the table, but the mice have preferred the food in the trap. If ever they planned to take the chocolate as afters, well, it proved to be too late. - Bye for now.
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Comment number 2.
At 27th Apr 2010, bbllmm wrote:Hi Nuala! Good reading this Kaz´s mouse story from Bush House. A brave man, really! Here is my personal experience from the last year of medical education in Prague. The first year it was allowed the accomodation for both men and girls in the same provisional timbered building. One evening a collegue about 190 cm tall sportsman knocked furiously at my door naming: "Come to my room there is a mouse there!" And he stood there twice as tall as me having in hands a broom tall as he was. We overlooked the room, I gave him some calming words and smile until he stopped panicking. A previous Summer holiday during my praxis as medical support for students working at hop-fields I was residing at the same type of building. Having seen a mouse walking in a room I just hold up my feet and left kneeling at a chair without disturbing myself from reading my book. Mouse is just one smaller creature as I am! Bye!
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Comment number 3.
At 27th Apr 2010, kirsti wrote:And yet, Bblimm, you seem to be so small, only 95 cm! ;)
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Comment number 4.
At 28th Apr 2010, oh wrote:Complain about this comment (Comment number 4)
Comment number 5.
At 28th Apr 2010, oh wrote:My homework is ;
1. (b) When I have time next week, I am hoping to finish this book.
2. (b) I have a plan to go to temple and lived there for 3-5 nights.
3 (b) I see his eyes.
4. (b) To do meditation and yoga.
5 (b) He was trapped.
6 (b) I like to have the time to detox my mind.
7. (a) Our plan didn't work.
8. (b) The mouse was so intelligent that he was able to understand all our secret plans.
9 (a) It's a long story.
10. (a) Why did my angel have to laugh like this?
11 (a) My heart beating I did not dare to move.
(b) My heart was beating but I didn't dare move.
12 (a) We celebrate late than other.
(b) We celebrate later than others.
13 (a) In the morning, I told mom what I had faced.
(b) In the morning, I told mom what I have been faced.
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Comment number 6.
At 28th Apr 2010, danny wrote:Dear friends
Who Moved our Biscuit ?? What a drama in Bush House!I think the postcard is the key to solve the mouse's visits. Kaz you did not tell us what was written on the postcard or what picture made it so relexed and calm.Forget about choclate or bread as a bate,leave there a postcard.Shalom
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Comment number 7.
At 29th Apr 2010, Elisabeth wrote:The title of this blog actually made me read up on Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" - how very educative!
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Comment number 8.
At 29th Apr 2010, Lin wrote:Next time should we make the book "How to win a mouse in a house"
Who is the model in your photo..
Here my homework,
1. (b) When I have time next week, I am hoping to finish this book.
2. (a) I plan to go and stay at the temple for 3 or 4 nights.
3. (a) I saw his eyes.
4. (b) To do meditation and yoga.
5. (b) He was trapped.
6. (a) It likes the time to Detox my mind.
7. (a) Our plan didn't work.
8. (b) The mouse was so intelligent that he was able to understand all our secret plans.
9 (a) It's a long story.
10. (a) Why did my angel have to laugh like this?
11 (b) My heart was beating but I didn't dare move.
12 (b) We celebrate later than others.
13 (b) In the morning, I told mom what I have been faced.
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Comment number 9.
At 29th Apr 2010, bobby wrote:Hi
Thanks for your continuous support.Appreciate that.
This is my first comment on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ learning English so I do not know as to how I can enter a discussion to put forward my views or write something about anything under the sun.Please advise.
Thanks
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Comment number 10.
At 30th Apr 2010, Nuala wrote:Hi Lyn,
You did very well on your homework. You got almost all of the correct. You missed on just two of them:
6. (b) I like to have the time to detox my mind.
and
13 (a) In the morning, I told mom what I had faced.
You asked about the model in the picture. Well that's Kaz himself, my desk-mate in the office here and the hero of the mouse story! Incidentally, the little, white mouse that he's holding up was made by one of our bloggers, Anita. Isn't it adorable?
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Comment number 11.
At 30th Apr 2010, Louis wrote:Hi Nuala,
My homework is:
1.(a) When I have time next week I am willing to finish this book.
2. (a) I plan to go and stay at the temple for 3 or 4 nights.
3 (a) I saw his eyes.
4.(b) To do meditation and yoga.
5 He was trapped.
6 ((b) I like to have the time to detox my mind.
7. (a) Our plan didn't work.
8. (b) The mouse was so intelligent that he was able to understand all our secret plans.
9 (a) It's a long story.
10. (a) Why did my angel have to laugh like this?
11 (b) My heart was beating but I didn't dare move.
12 (b) We celebrate later than others.
13 (b) In the morning, I told mom what I have been faced.
Thank you for your support
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