Today's word is one that is found in a near-identical form in many other languages, as it's been borrowed from the Greek word παροξυσμός or the verb παροξύνειν. Simply take a look at these translations:

This is the second part of the overview of Monica Wood's short story "Disappearing". Before reading, please take a look at the introduction I've written here which includes a link to the story itself, a short biography of the author, the setting of the story as well as the characters that interact in it. This second part will cover the plot and deals with the "growth" process the story describes. Through this process, Wood intimates how destructive others can be and how -- as traumatizers -- they can permanently stunt development. In part 3 ,  the point of view and sym bolism are discussed.

People's cries for help often go unnoticed because as a society we have either become immune to other people's plight or we have become too self-centered to notice others at all. Monica Wood captures this feeling of insignificance, a kind of nullity of human existence imposed by others by dint of their disregard for their fellow man (and woman, naturally), in her short story "Disappearing".  The title says it all. The passage from one existence to a non-existence is depicted in a matter of pages. Twenty-eight paragraphs is all it takes to erase one's physical identity. Yet how much longer it takes to erase an individual's entire existence -- both body and mind -- is what lies at the heart of this story. The answer to this question is a terrifying "few people, a few comments, several reactions" rather than a specific time period. In fact, I would contend that this is not a story just about anorexia --  anorexia is simply a by-product of a great...

I've loved books ever since I can remember. They're the only thing I've consciously made a choice to collect. I love how they smell, how the pages feel, the different textures of their covers and the way they look as they stand, motley-colored and neatly arranged on bookshelves. If I hadn't become a teacher, I'd work in a library or a bookstore, such is the extent of my obsession. My love of books is so great that I can't imagine why others don't understand their importance.  This is what brought me to write this post, in fact. A few weeks ago, I'd seen a question posted by someone online (no doubt a desperate student who was assigned the question by a teacher) asking how Literature instructs, and wondered why on earth anyone would ask such a self-explanatory query. After all, the reason I revere books doesn't merely come from the satisfaction I get as I turn pages over or capture the scent of a book the minute I open its cover. I've always...

Writing at C2 level (Proficient User) on English language examinations is the same no matter the awarding body when it comes to writing essays. If you are a candidate giving an exam in English, make sure you read my earlier post What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog? to get the most out of the sample essays provided on this blog.   If you are not taking an exam but need to discuss what can be done to protect people from becoming addicted to television, cell phones, game consoles and computers, then read on and note down what you deem useful. If you intend to use this essay as part of an assignment, remember to paraphrase so as not to plagiarize.

Let's bring different cases to the forefront and see if any of them fit the predicament you're in. Case 1: A teacher has told you to write an essay.  Case 2: You are preparing to sit an exam that determines your level of English and which includes a section that instructs you to write an academic essay. Case 3: You are a teacher who needs to explain how students should organize essays and aren't quite sure where to start from. All three of these cases have a common denominator called "essay" which needs to be tackled. What I've seen throughout the years is that students find the task of writing an essay daunting. The difficulties they tend to have are the following:

Read part 1 of this overview which includes a brief introduction, includes a link to the full text of the story, some details about the author's life as well as an analysis of setting and plot. Part 2 contains an analysis of the characters that appear in the story and the point of view. Part 3 discusses the symbolism found in this complex short story while this final post deals with the themes and the title of the story. 

Read part 1 of this overview which includes a brief introduction, includes a link to the full text of the story, some details about the author's life as well as an analysis of setting, plot. Part 2 contains an analysis of the characters that appear in the story and the point of view.  This part discusses the symbolism found in this complex short story. Part 4 follows to discuss the themes and the title of the story.

Read part 1 of this overview which includes a brief introduction, includes a link to the full text of the story, some details about the author's life as well as an analysis of setting, plot.  This second installment contains an analysis of the characters that appear in the story and the point of view.  Part 3 discusses the symbols found in the story. Part 4 deals with the story's title (how it foreshadows the ending) and themes.

Many read "Like a Winding Sheet" and conclude the drama that ensues has to do with race. Yes, that indeed would be the obvious conclusion. However, details pertaining to lipstick, tossing one's head back, lifting hair away from one's nape tell a different story.  This story is Ann Petry's primary narrative, I feel, as more care has been given to leave a trail of feminine breadcrumbs against the manifest backdrop of racial inequality and heartless behavior by those in a position of power, which happen to be the destructive forces behind further victimization. Petry manages to show just how everything comes full circle in the worst possible way when people try their damnedest to be the brutes they shouldn't be in their dealings with others.

Writing at C2 level (Proficient User) on English language examinations is the same no matter the awarding body when it comes to writing essays. If you are a candidate giving an exam in English, make sure you read my earlier post What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog? to get the most out of the sample essays provided on this blog.  If you are not taking an exam but need ideas on whether a government should fund science-related subjects more than other disciplines, then read on and note down what you deem useful. If you intend to use this essay as part of an assignment, remember to paraphrase so as not to plagiarize.

Exams which test your knowledge of the English language test oral competency in their majority. The topics on which the questions are based are numerous, so it is much more difficult to predict what candidates will be confronted with on the day of the test. However, no matter the level of the test, the awarding body or the format of the oral examination, what can be predicted is the type of question that will be asked.  In this blog post, I will deal with what I call two-sided opinion questions and the steps candidates can follow to tackle them effectively and achieve a better score than if they ha d no idea what to ex pect before entering the exam room. Examples will follow for clarification, natu rally .

Writing at C2 level (Proficient User) on English language examinations is the same no matter the awarding body when it comes to writing essays. If you are a candidate giving an exam in English, make sure you read my earlier post What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog? to get the most out of the sample essays provided on this blog.  If you are not taking an exam but need ideas on the causes that have led to the change in women's sta tus over the years , then read on and note down what you deem useful. If you intend to use this essay as part of an assignment, remember to paraphrase so as not to plagiarize.

Please note that the following questions are not only for those sitting the IELTS examination. Teachers, students or anyone who wants to improve their spoken English can use them to practice speaking. All you have to do is practice with a tutor or speaking partner, or even by yourself. Use a stopwatch to time your answers -- a reasonable answer should last 2-5 minutes.  For IELTS test takers, this is the fourth list of cue card questions, so if you haven't seen the previous lists, you can find them here (part 1) , here (part 2) and here (part 3) . Remember to limit your answers to 2 minutes. IELTS candidates should also read the tips for Part 2 of the Speaking section here: IELTS Speaking: Part 2 Sample Questions (List 1) & Tips.

Before reading this post, if you haven't already done so, please read the first part here . It has a very brief note on t he story's author , covers the plot, characters and setting. You can find the story itself here . This second part will deal with point of view, themes, symbolism, irony, the story's ti tle , and will t ry to give some explanations as to the reasons why Mrs. Sommers g ave in to temptation.

An analysis of Kate Chopin's short story "A Pair of Silk Stockings" can be found here .

If I were to say that the typical love triangle is substituted for a different one in the opening paragraph of  Kate Chopin's "A Pair of Silk Stockings", few students would believe this is possible. In fact, when students give me feedback on this short story, it usually is negative, not because they didn't get it -- it's written plainly enough -- but because there's nothing going on in it, as they say. Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is a symptom of the disease rampant in the 21st century called 'boxofficematerialitis', an epidemic conjoined with 'keeptheirinterestbyusingquicksuccessionofimagesitis', which has given rise to what has been conveniently labelled attention deficit disorder. The fact of the matter is that if there's no real action, that is, action which contains a number of spectacular car chases, shoot-'em-up scenes, explosions, or dirty underhanded scheming (that results in one or all of the aforementioned chases, sc...

Take a look at the post Job Application V ideos - The Basics before reading this checklist, otherwise it won't make any sense. Simply copy -paste and print th is onto a sheet of paper so you can get your thoughts down and check off the items on the list as you prepare your video. Teachers who are pla nning to carry out th e whole activity with younger stude nts, have so mething they can g ive them to work with as they prepare their videos.