Our life is an apprenticeship to the truth, that around every circle another can be drawn; that there is no end in nature, but every end is a beginning.
Emerson

Monday, May 30, 2011

Today's Mini Lesson: Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns- you remember what those are? Well don't get all depressed and kill yourself if you don't . With this easy lesson from a Thai grammar book for third grade you will soon have them down pat. Here is a common conversation with the reflexive pronouns in bold:
 This is just the sort of situation where reflexive pronouns come in very handy- when you as the English speaking owner of a shoe store want to discuss a man shooting himself with your friend Susan. But then Susan's son Tom comes running in with the strange news that he has "made himself dirty" (which is the way white children talk by the way). Like a good falang mother Susan gives Tom the brush off to focus on the important television news. Your theory concerning his disappointment with his lover is quite provocative, you might think to yourself, but just as you are going to reveal the specifics of their sexual fetishes, Susan's pesky son, Tom, interrupts for a second time, reeling off a complete non sequitur about someone named Betty getting hurt. As Susan herself is insane she immediately asks why Tom had not somehow gone back into the past itself to relay his information before he arrived. End of lesson. But for you slow learners, a review page  is provided at the end.

So, whether you are vainly mirror gazing, falling off bicycles, or committing suicide, knowledge of reflexive pronouns  are the ticket to success in English!

5 comments:

  1. I am falling apart right now reading this

    Look how sad that man's eyes are

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  2. and look how cheery the owl's eyes are while he says it

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  3. I get to do a lot of homework with Ooee who is twelve. My pet peeve is all the contractions. The way subjects are presented and detailed is mostly amusing.

    To be fair, I can not imagine what it would be like learning Thai from someone who didn't know the language.

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  4. I am passing that on to my Spanish teacher, Billy Smith. Loved this "almost" as much as the urinal story....KEEP Writing!

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