Springtime!!

What is Springtime all about? It has been a week since the first day of Spring. March 21st has been marked the first day of Spring in the United States which is located in the Northern Hemisphere. The astronomical term for the first day of Spring is called the vernal equinox. Spring is one of the four temperate seasons. It is a transitional period between the cold winter and the hot summer. Spring occurs in the months of March, April and May. It is known as a time of rebirth and renewal. Everything is coming back to life. Flowers, plants and trees are blossoming. Babies and animals are being born. Spring is also the most important time of the year in the Christian religion because Easter is celebrated. Christians believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead and they celebrate the resurrection on Easter Sunday. This year for Catholics, Easter is celebrated on April 8th. Easter customs vary across the Christian world, but decorating Easter eggs, egg hunting and awaiting the Easter Bunny is a common motif.



Vocabulary

Northern Hemisphere- the half of the earth that is north of the equator.
astronomical- having to do with astronomy, which is the study of matter outside of the atmosphere of the earth including the stars and the planets.
vernal equinox- the time when the sun crosses the plane of the earth's equator, making night and day of approximately equal length all over the earth
temperate seasons- moderate or mild in temperature and climate throughout all four seasons
rebirth- a new or second birth
renewal- a time of awakening or revival
blossoming – to develop or grow
Easter - an annual Christian festival in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ
resurrected- to raise from the dead; bring to life again.
motif - a recurring subject, theme, idea

Vocabulary exercise

Complete the sentence with the correct vocabulary word in bold from the paragraph.
1)___________ is a holiday during spring to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
2)Christians believe that Jesus Christ was_____________ from the dead and brought back to life.
3)The ______________ is located north of the equator and includes all of North America, parts of South America, Africa, all of Asia and Europe.
4)_______________ Observatories are able to study stars through telescopes.
5)After a cold winter, there is a_________________in the life of a tree.
6)It is so beautiful to see flowers and trees____________ during Spring.
7)Bunnies and chicks are a common __________ of the secular Easter festival.
8)The first day of spring is also called the ____________________.
9)Spring, summer, fall and winter are known as ____________________.
10)During springtime, there is a ____________ of flowers and plants.

Grammar Point
Regular verbs in English consist of three main parts: the root form (present), the (simple) past, and the past participle. Regular verbs have an -ed ending added to the root verb for both the simple past and past participle. Irregular verbs do not follow this pattern, and instead take on an alternative pattern. Here are some common irregular verbs:
Base form Past Simple Past Participle
awake-- awoke-- awoken
be-- was-- been
choose-- chose-- chosen
do-- did-- done
go-- went-- gone
know-- knew-- known
take-- took-- taken

Grammar Exercise
Are the following forms of the irregular verbs used as Infinitive, Simple Past and/or Past participle?

1) have -
Infinitive
Simple Past
Past participle
2) went -
Infinitive
Simple Past
Past participle
3) slept -
Infinitive
Simple Past
Past participle
4) come -
Infinitive
Simple Past
Past participle
5) do -
Infinitive
Simple Past
Past participle
6) met -
Infinitive
Simple Past
Past participle
7) say -
Infinitive
Simple Past
Past participle
8) put -
Infinitive
Simple Past
Past participle
9) seen -
Infinitive
Simple Past
Past participle
10) caught -
Infinitive
Simple Past
Past participle
For more practice on irregular verbs click on this link: http://a4esl.org/q/h/irv001-ck.html