SELF HELP LEARNING

The Present Tense Add –s to make the third person singular present tense. Since most academic, scientific, and technical writing is done in present tense, this is a very important reminder! The system permits Each operator controls Use the present tense --to show present states or conditions: The test program   is   ready. The bell sounds   shrill. --to show natural laws or eternal truths: The earth   rotates   around the sun. Carbon and oxygen   combine   to form carbon dioxide. --to show habitual actions and repeated acts: We   hold   a staff meeting every Tuesday. The new file   boots   the computer. --to quote from or paraphrase published work: Nagamichi   claims   that calcium inhibits the reaction. MCI’s brochure   reads   "We are more efficient than AT&T." --to define or explain procedures or terminology: The board   fits   in the lower right-hand slot. BOC   stands for   "British ...

In less than 100 years, Genghis Khan and his descendants established the largest empire in the world, exceeded only by the British Empire in the 19th century. Through cunning diplomacy, spiritual mission, and brute force, Genghis Khan unified the incompatible Mongols and then set out east and west to swiftly conquer vast parts of Asia. The Mongol army swept down on cities and villages, taking anything as booty or victims. By 1280, Mongol rule stretched from China's Yellow Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, a total of 12 million square miles. Among the descendants of Genghis Khan, the most well-known is his grandson, Kublai Khan, admired for his enlightened rule and famous for his opulent lifestyle. During its brief existence, the Mongol Empire was responsible for an estimated 30 to 40 million deaths, the destruction of several major dynasties, and retarding or altering the development of many other civilizations. Yet, at the same time, Genghis Khan and his descendants increased Europe...

Last Sunday it was very cloudy. I, along with my friends, visited the zoo. As we reached near the main gate of the zoo, we saw a huge crowd. Some were buying entrance tickets, some were gossiping and chatting while others were relaxing under the shady trees. We entered the zoological garden and came across a beautiful lake in which some water -birds — like ducks — were swimming. Looking at the white ducks on the smooth surface of water is a charming delight. As we moved, we came to the enclosure in which, flying birds (fowls) were kept. They ranged from sparrows, eagles and parrots to pigeons of various colours. The birds were chirping. It was an enchanting music. We enjoyed it very much. In the next enclosure, there were lions and leopards, tigers and tigeresses whose roars were deafening. We approached the net. A lion rushed towards us and we were frightened. Their fierce looks were frightening for us. After seeing we came across a garden in which, stags and deer were friskingab...

Once upon a time on the island of Crete , maybe about 1325 BC , there was a king whose name was Minos (in the story; this is only a story). He had living in his palace at Knossos a great architect and inventor named Daedalos. There are stories about Daedalus inventing all kinds of things, but he is especially supposed to have built the great Labyrinth for King Minos to keep the Minotaur in. After Daedalus built the Labyrinth, though, King Minos did not want him to be able to tell its secrets to anybody else, and so he kept Daedalos a prisoner in a tall tower, all alone with only his young son Icarus. Now Daedalus and Icarus did not like being prisoners, and so Daedalus began to think about how they could get away. He watched the birds flying and he thought how free they were, and he decided to make wings for himself and Icarus. Daedalus and Icarus made the wings out of   bird feathers and wax and they tied the wings on to each other. Daedalus warned his son to be careful whe...

The Little Mermaid lives in an underwater kingdom with her father the sea king; her grandmother; and her five elder sisters, each born one year apart. When a mermaid turns 15, she is allowed to swim to the surface to watch the world above, and as the sisters become old enough, one of them visits the surface every year. As each of them returns, the Little Mermaid listens longingly to their various descriptions of the surface and of human beings. When the Little Mermaid's turn comes, she ventures to the surface, sees a ship with a handsome prince, and falls in love with him from a distance. A great storm hits, and the Little Mermaid saves the prince from a near-drowning. She delivers him unconscious to the shore near a temple. Here she waits until a young girl from the temple finds him. The prince never sees the Little Mermaid. The Little Mermaid asks her grandmother whether humans can live forever if they do not drown. The grandmother explains that humans have a much shorter lifespa...