More vocabulary!

1) My sister got yelled at by her teacher for her bad attitude.
2) In the old days, people had a strong connection with their neighbors, but these days they don't have that strong connection anymore.
3) I feel gratitude toward my parents because they supported my studying in America.

submitted by Ji Hye Park

class: Contemporary Issues 1

Practicing vocabulary

1. I can achieve my goal depending on how I try to do it. 
2. I feel gratitude toward my aunt because I'm living in her house.
3. One of the methods that I use to improve my English is reading books.
4. Speaking English is very relevant to living in New York.
5. I try to study hard to achieve my goal.


submitted by Hye Han Lee
class: Contemporary Topics 1

Strolling, hiking through Central Park

Chatting and taking a break at the Bethesda fountain 

Last week, Explore NYC took a stroll through Central Park from the Dairy near the southeastern corner of the park to the Swedish cottage on the West Side near 87th St. It was a cloudy day. Thankfully, we were spared the forecasted thunderstorm, but we had to endure the 90% humidity.

We walked down the Great Mall under the canopy of the great elms, took a break at the Bethesda fountain, hiked through the Ramble, and took another break at the foot of Belvedere Castle before going in to explore inside. By then, we were hungry and exhausted, so it was a good thing we were at the end of our walk. A short rest on a couple of benches at the Shakespeare garden and we were ready to head for the nearest subway.

We completely missed the Alice in Wonderland sculpture, which was definitely a planned stop--teacher's fault. A nice walk, nevertheless.

Another set of Usual Suspects under the elms on the Great Mall. 

At the Shakespeare Garden. Pooped at the end of our walk. 

Sitting in a miniature turret at Belvedere Castle.

It's National Punctuation Day!

How serious are you about your punctuation when you write? To commemorate National Punctuation Day, here are a few basic rules to keep in mind when you're writing your next essay for college, to practice for the TOEFL, or in one of your classes here at NYLC. 


1. Don't use a comma between two independent clauses. You can either end the first sentence with a period or a semicolon if the two sentences have some kind of connection.
a.  They love the beach. Surfing is their main hobby. [good]
b.  They love the beach; surfing is their main hobby. [good] 
c.  They love the beach, surfing is their main hobby. [bad]


2.  Use a comma if there is a conjunction between two independent clauses.
a.  The rain started to fall, and everyone began packing up their things. [good]
b.  The rain started to fall, but no one wanted to leave. [good]
c.  The rain started to fall, no one wanted to leave. [bad]  


3.  Don't use a comma if there is only one subject for two verbs.
a.  The kids wanted to stay, but the adults wanted to leave. [good]
b.  The kids wanted to stay and wait for the rain to stop. [good]
c.  The kids wanted to stay, and wait for the rain to stop. [bad]


4.  Don't use a comma if the main or independent clause starts the sentence.
a.  They had the party outside even though it rained a little. [good]
b.  They had the party outside, even though it rained a little. [bad]


5.  Use a comma if the independent clause goes after the dependent clause.
a.  Despite his anger, he tried to stay calm. [good]
b.  Despite his anger he tried to stay calm. [bad]


Remember these punctuation basics, put them to use in your writing, and you're off to a good start. Happy National Punctuation Day, everyone!


Joe Yu

Putting tricky prepositions into practice

The following are some short, imaginative, perhaps humorous writing from the Explore NYC class to practice prepositions and some expressions containing them. We think prepositions are tricky.


by Imanol Erquiaga
Yesterday at midnight, I was at home when my friend George called to invite me to a really fancy party. After I hung up, I dressed to the nines. He told me that the party was close to my house, so I did not have to take a taxi. I just went to the party on foot. The party was very good, and I arrived home at midday today!


by Gwen de Backer
They were going home on foot dressed in suits and ties. Even if they were excited about the party, they were forbidden to stay up late at night on weekdays. Their teacher wanted to avoid confusing them with their lesson and wanted them to finish their homework first.


by Gwen de Backer
I know you don't feel concerned about my new iPad but anyway, I'll explain how it works because it's known for being very useful. Don't blow up this way! You should feel blessed with the explanation I'm providing you. I don't want you to feel annoyed with the user guide; it's only limited to the basic functions. Thanks to this amazing device, you will be connected to the world right away so please try to appreciate my advice.

More places to explore

Taking a break at the north end of Roosevelt Island

Inside the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, which houses
the National Museum of the American Indian in Lower Manhattan.

Gwen, So-Gyu, and Gig at the very end of the N train in Astoria.

On the boardwalk, down by the sea

Here we are, the Explore NYC class, on the boardwalk at Brighton Beach, a neighborhood on the southern edge of Brooklyn at the end of the B train. We took the Q, however--it's supposed to be a little faster than the B--and got there in less than 50 minutes. As soon as we arrived, we strolled down Brighton Beach Avenue and quickly noticed that most signs were in Cyrillic and many people were speaking Russian. This Russian enclave is also known as Little Odessa as most of the locals who populated this area in the 1970s came from the Ukrainian town of the same name on the Black Sea. The elevated subway ran above us and the noise was deafening; we felt sorry for the woman selling cakes and pastries in front of a cafe and had to endure the intermittent rumbling of the trains above.

After browsing inside Saint Petersburg bookstore and being amused by some of the items on display, we made a turn toward the beach. The weather was perfect for a stroll on the boardwalk with the ocean on one side of us. We all walked down the blue plastic carpet toward the water but stopped short while Gwen and Renata went all the way to dip their feet in. After a little more walking, everyone decided to sit at a cafe for some beer and appetizers.

Come back and check out what we'll be posting about this experience!