Describing Your Life

2022-04-01

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1
  • Imagine you want to talk about your life.
  • 2
  • Perhaps you are talking to a friend, presenting to an English class, or writing about your childhood.
  • 3
  • You might start with where your life began - in other words, where and when you were born.
  • 4
  • In today's Everyday Grammar, we will explore how one famous writer wrote about the place and time of a birth.
  • 5
  • You will learn about some of the grammar behind the opening lines of one of the 20th century's most famous works of literature: Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie.
  • 6
  • The opening lines from Midnight's Children set up an important idea that runs through the book: that is, the words link the life and times of the main character to the history of India.
  • 7
  • Notice how the sentences jump between past and present - a clear suggestion that the narrator is in the process of writing about his life.
  • 8
  • I was born in the city of Bombay ... once upon a time.
  • 9
  • No, that won't do, there's no getting away from the date: I was born in Doctor Narlikar's Nursing Home on August 15th, 1947.
  • 10
  • Note that the first sentence uses the simple past - "I was."
  • 11
  • The adjective "born" follows the BE verb: "I was born in the city of Bombay...."
  • 12
  • But then there is an expression that ends the sentence.
  • 13
  • It is "once upon a time."
  • 14
  • This is a common structure used in fairy tales or folk tales.
  • 15
  • The next sentence introduces the present tense, suggesting the narrator is talking to himself.
  • 16
  • Then it switches back to a more exact time during the past.
  • 17
  • No, that won't do, there's no getting away from the date: I was born in Doctor Narlikar's Nursing Home on August 15th, 1947.
  • 18
  • Having described where he was born, the narrator then describes when he was born.
  • 19
  • And the time?
  • 20
  • The time matters, too.
  • 21
  • Well then: at night.
  • 22
  • No, it's important to be more ... On the stroke of midnight, as a matter of fact.
  • 23
  • Note that Rushdie used some incomplete sentences - sentences without a verb.
  • 24
  • Examples include "And the time?", "Well then: at night," and "On the stroke of midnight, as a matter of fact."
  • 25
  • All of these statements bring an everyday, conversational quality to the story.
  • 26
  • But then Rushdie presents a beautiful image to the reader - one that changes back to the simple past.
  • 27
  • Clock-hands joined palms in respectful greeting as I came.
  • 28
  • Oh, spell it out, spell it out: at the precise instant of India's arrival at independence, I tumbled forth into the world.
  • 29
  • The verb tumble means to move in a fast, confused, or uncontrolled way.
  • 30
  • It is often followed by an adverb, in this case forth, which means out into notice or view.
  • 31
  • "I tumbled forth into the world" is a poetic way of saying "I was born."
  • 32
  • Notice that Rushdie's opening lines follow a very clear structure.
  • 33
  • These lines start with a general statement and then get increasingly specific.
  • 34
  • The very general statement is: I was born in the city of Bombay.
  • 35
  • The more specific statement is: I was born in Doctor Narlikar's Nursing Home on August 15th, 1947.
  • 36
  • You can use the idea of moving from general information to specific information in almost any situation - describing an event, writing a story, giving a presentation, and so on.
  • 37
  • Let's end this report with a homework assignment.
  • 38
  • In 5-8 sentences, write about the place or time of a birth.
  • 39
  • It can be either true or fictional.
  • 40
  • Try to use ideas that you have learned about in today's report.
  • 41
  • Send your writing to our email address: learningenglish@voanews.com
  • 42
  • We will select one piece of writing and provide feedback and suggestions on next week's report.
  • 43
  • I'm John Russell.
  • 1
  • Imagine you want to talk about your life. Perhaps you are talking to a friend, presenting to an English class, or writing about your childhood.
  • 2
  • You might start with where your life began - in other words, where and when you were born.
  • 3
  • In today's Everyday Grammar, we will explore how one famous writer wrote about the place and time of a birth.
  • 4
  • You will learn about some of the grammar behind the opening lines of one of the 20th century's most famous works of literature: Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie.
  • 5
  • Opening lines
  • 6
  • The opening lines from Midnight's Children set up an important idea that runs through the book: that is, the words link the life and times of the main character to the history of India.
  • 7
  • Notice how the sentences jump between past and present - a clear suggestion that the narrator is in the process of writing about his life.
  • 8
  • I was born in the city of Bombay ... once upon a time. No, that won't do, there's no getting away from the date: I was born in Doctor Narlikar's Nursing Home on August 15th, 1947.
  • 9
  • Note that the first sentence uses the simple past - "I was." The adjective "born" follows the BE verb: "I was born in the city of Bombay...."
  • 10
  • But then there is an expression that ends the sentence. It is "once upon a time." This is a common structure used in fairy tales or folk tales.
  • 11
  • The next sentence introduces the present tense, suggesting the narrator is talking to himself. Then it switches back to a more exact time during the past.
  • 12
  • No, that won't do, there's no getting away from the date: I was born in Doctor Narlikar's Nursing Home on August 15th, 1947.
  • 13
  • Having described where he was born, the narrator then describes when he was born.
  • 14
  • And the time? The time matters, too. Well then: at night. No, it's important to be more ... On the stroke of midnight, as a matter of fact.
  • 15
  • Note that Rushdie used some incomplete sentences - sentences without a verb. Examples include "And the time?", "Well then: at night," and "On the stroke of midnight, as a matter of fact."
  • 16
  • All of these statements bring an everyday, conversational quality to the story.
  • 17
  • But then Rushdie presents a beautiful image to the reader - one that changes back to the simple past.
  • 18
  • Clock-hands joined palms in respectful greeting as I came. Oh, spell it out, spell it out: at the precise instant of India's arrival at independence, I tumbled forth into the world.
  • 19
  • The verb tumble means to move in a fast, confused, or uncontrolled way. It is often followed by an adverb, in this case forth, which means out into notice or view.
  • 20
  • "I tumbled forth into the world" is a poetic way of saying "I was born."
  • 21
  • General to specific
  • 22
  • Notice that Rushdie's opening lines follow a very clear structure. These lines start with a general statement and then get increasingly specific.
  • 23
  • The very general statement is: I was born in the city of Bombay.
  • 24
  • The more specific statement is: I was born in Doctor Narlikar's Nursing Home on August 15th, 1947.
  • 25
  • You can use the idea of moving from general information to specific information in almost any situation - describing an event, writing a story, giving a presentation, and so on.
  • 26
  • Homework
  • 27
  • Let's end this report with a homework assignment. In 5-8 sentences, write about the place or time of a birth. It can be either true or fictional. Try to use ideas that you have learned about in today's report.
  • 28
  • Send your writing to our email address: learningenglish@voanews.com
  • 29
  • We will select one piece of writing and provide feedback and suggestions on next week's report.
  • 30
  • I'm John Russell.
  • 31
  • John Russell wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.
  • 32
  • __________________________________________________________________
  • 33
  • Words in This Story
  • 34
  • character - n. a person who appears in a story, book, play, movie, or television show
  • 35
  • narrator - n. the person who describes what is being seen
  • 36
  • on the stroke of - expression exactly at a specific time (often on the hour)
  • 37
  • palm - n. the inside part of the hand between the wrist and the fingers
  • 38
  • specific - adj. precise or exact