Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Where I Belong free essay sample

The day that would change my life did not even begin like an ordinary day. It was overflowing with excitement from the moment I awoke. This was to be the day I would find my true love: horses. It all started when my family moved from the Detroit area to Flushing, Michigan. Flushing is rather large for a small town but it was a welcome change from Detroit’s constant sirens. There I saw an ad for horseback riding lessons. When I asked my parents about it, my mom was worried I would get hurt and Dad didn’t think I would stick with it, but after some pleading my parents agreed that I could take lessons. As we made our way down the back roads, my excitement could not be contained. I rambled on and bounced around the car. A nauseating combination of excitement and terror tumbled in my stomach. We will write a custom essay sample on Where I Belong or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As soon as we turned into the driveway, I was unbuckled. Once introduced to my riding instructor, I had a tour of the barn. Stepping into the aisle, the aroma of fresh hay, the saddle leather, and the stress-relieving, mind-numbing, intoxicating fragrance of horses hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew that I belonged. When I opened my eyes, my jaw dropped. I had never seen so many horses. After my initial shock, I was introduced to Shannon, a stout Quarter Horse almost 15 hands tall who looked absolutely massive to me, a nine-year-old. She must have sensed my fear because as the instructor explained how to tack up, she looked deep into my eyes as if to say, It’s okay, little one. I’ll take good care of you. Her eyes were so reassuring that I let go of my fears and listened to the instructor. When we were all tacked up, we made our way to the arena. Because it was my first time, I was put on a lunge line. With my helmet firmly in place, I put my foot into the stirrup and leapt onto the saddle. Everything felt so strange and awkward, but Shannon never faltered and with each step, my confidence grew. The years of being a show horse could still be seen in a flicker of Shannon’s huge chocolate eyes as she carried herself proudly. As we neared the end of my first ride, the instructor told me to let go of the saddle horn. Apprehensive at first, I let one hand go and then the other. As we slowly circled I lifted my hands into the air. I felt free as a bird. I felt like this was where I belonged. My place in life would forever be on a horse. When I dismounted, my legs were wobbly. I hugged Shannon so hard that my face was lost in a sea of black mane. Patting her silky brown neck, I felt so comfortable. When she was untacked, a sudden sadness overpowered me. The instructor asked what was wrong and I replied, â€Å"Now I have to wait until next week to come back!† My parents knew at that moment that this was not a one-time thing. From that day on my life has been nothing but horses. From horse shows to trail rides, it has been horses, horses, and more horses. I belong on a horse. Even when I’m old, even if I can’t walk, I’ll find a way to be with the passion of my life. From the first awkward step to the rider I am today, I wouldn’t change a single fall, victory, or defeat. Who would have thought that a bay mare would put me in my place in this crazy world?

Friday, March 6, 2020

The Principal Parts of Verbs

The Principal Parts of Verbs In English grammar, the term principal parts  describes the basic forms of a verb including the base or infinite, the past tense or preterite and the past participle. From the base form, one can derive the third-person singular -s form in words like looks and sees and the present participle -ing in words like looking and seeing, with some textbooks regarding the present participle as a fourth principal part of a verb. Irregular verbs may have three, four, or five forms, though, depending on whether or not a form is used for two or three form types. For all except the verb be, which may be unpredictable, the s- and -ing participle are always available and its alteration of the base acts predictably. Understanding Principal Parts of Regular and Irregular Verbs In order for new English learners to best understand how not to make mistake when conjugating irregular verbs, one must first grasp the concept of the principal parts of regular verbs. In most cases, verbs will change uniformly when -ed, -s, and -ing are added, keeping their original form spelling but changing the tense of the verb. However, irregular verbs, which defy the usual pattern, often change spelling entirely depending on tense, especially in the case of forms of the verb be. Roy Peter Clark uses the examples of lie and lay and run in The Glamour of Grammar: A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical English. For run, Clark states, the simple past, we know, is not runned...the principal parts are run, ran, run. In this case, the irregular verb has its own rules. If you are confused about the correct principal part of a verb, its best to consult a dictionary. In the case of regular verbs, only one form will be given, but irregular verbs will give the second and third parts after the verb such as it does for the words go, went, and gone. Primary and Perfect Tenses The principal parts of verbs effectively carry a sense of time with their use, but the manner in which they convey  the action of the verb determines which tense classification linguists and grammarians categorize them as either primary or perfect in either the present, past, or future tenses. In the primary tenses, an action is considered ongoing, even if it occurred in the past or future tense. Take the verb call as an example. For the present tense, one would say today, I call, while in the past primary tense, one would say I called and in future would say I will call. On the other hand, perfect tenses describe actions that have already been completed. As Patricia Osborn puts it in How Grammar Works: A Self-Teaching Guide, verbs in this tense are called perfect because anything perfect is complete, and the perfect tenses stress an action at its completion. In the example of call, one would say Before now, I have called, for present perfect, I had called for past perfect and I will have called in the future perfect tense.