Nomen Global Today

Grammar Guide: Perfect Progressive Tenses

2012-02-10T09:26:00.019-07:00

During the month of February, people from countries all over the world are gearing up for Valentine's Day. While Valentine's Day used to celebrate specifically lovebirds, today in the United States, we use the holiday to show gratitude to all of the people we love, including friends and family. On February 14th, gifts, chocolate, flowers, and Valentine's Day cards are exchanged. One tradition in the United States is to share a fancy dinner together with romantic music in the background.

Perfect Progressive Tenses
Perfect progressive is the mixture between perfect and progressive. It combines the two aspects to create the idea of an action or situation beginning at an earlier time and continuing to another point of reference. Similarly, the perfect progressive can occur in the past, present, or future. In many cases, the perfect progressive is nearly identical to the perfect; however, the perfect progressive emphasizes a progressive (or continuous) action and can be expressed only with action verbs (rather than stative verbs like know, be, or have).

We form the perfect progressive using a form of HAVE + BEEN + the present participle.

Present Perfect Progressive
The present perfect progressive can express two meanings:
1. An action or situation beginning in the past and continuing to the present

We have been dating for 3 years.
They have been celebrating Valentine's Day since they got married.

2. An action or situation occurring recently (often changing the present circumstances)

She has been crying (and now her face is red) because her boyfriend broke up with her.
Julie and Tom have been laughing so much that now their sides hurt!

Past Perfect Progressive
The past perfect progressive can express two meanings:
1. An action or situation beginning before another point in the past and continuing to that point

Jeffrey had been planning to surprise his valentine for two weeks before February 14th.
By the time Susan went on her first date, she had been feeling lonely.

2. An action or situation occurring close in time to a point in the past (often changing those circumstances)

Jennifer had been sleeping when Ben surprised her with breakfast.
When Jack proposed to Lucy, she had been smiling.

Future Perfect Progressive
The future perfect progressive expresses an action or situation beginning sometime (in the past, present, or future) that continues to a future point.

We will have been dating for 6 years by Valentine's Day.
By the time my boyfriend comes home, I will have been waiting for him for 3 months.
John and Sara will have been seeing each other for 1 year when they get married.

The following is an excerpt from the song "Waiting for a Girl Like You" by Foreigner. Can you find all the perfect progressives?

So long
I've been looking too hard, I've waiting too long
Sometimes I don't know what I will find
I only know it's a matter of time
When you love someone
When you love someone

It feels so right, so warm and true
I need to know if you feel it too

Maybe I'm wrong
Won't you tell me if I'm coming on too strong?
This heart of mine has been hurt before
This time I wanna be sure

I've been waiting for a girl like you
To come into my life
I've been waiting for a girl like you
A love that will survive
I've been waiting for someone new
To make me feel alive
Yeah, waiting for a girl like you
To come into my life

You're so good
When we make love it's understood
It's more than a touch or a word we say
Only in dreams could it be this way
When you love someone
Yeah, really love someone

Now, I know it's right
From the moment I wake up till deep in the night
There's no where on earth that I'd rather be
Than holding you, tenderly

I've been waiting for a girl like you
To come into my life
I've been waiting for a girl like you
And a love that will survive
I've been waiting for someone new
To make me feel alive
Yeah, waiting for a girl like you
To come into my life

I've been waiting, waiting for you, ooh
Ooh, I've been waiting
I've been waiting, yeah
I've been waiting for a girl like you
I've been waiting
Won't you come into my life?
My life?

To learn more about the perfect progressive and other grammar topics, visit us at Nomen Global. 'Like' us on Facebook to see more English resources.

Student Spotlight: Byoung Jin Moon

2012-02-08T15:13:00.000-07:00

Byoung Jin Moon is from South Korea. He has been studying English at Nomen Global for 4 months and has recently advanced into Level 5! BJ hopes to study another 4 months before he applies to University of Utah. BJ is interested in learning English because he feels like the skills he is learning at Nomen Global will improve his life in the future. He especially enjoys the chance he has to improve his speaking skills with all of his friends in Utah.

BJ believes that people should never give up on their dreams even if their path is difficult. BJ has goals for himself to study business at the University of Utah and then pursue an MBA in Korea. He knows that when he accomplishes these goals, he will be very happy.

During his free time, BJ enjoys watching movies and he loves to eat Korean fried rice. If you meet BJ, you might be impressed with his honesty and honor because those are the most important things to him.

Meet BJ and other diligent students like him at Nomen Global. 'Like' us on Facebook to learn more about our students and activities.

Movie Making

2012-02-06T14:40:00.001-07:00

Have you ever made your own movie? This block at Nomen Global, students had the chance to be directors, producers, actors, actresses, and camera people.

Take a look at the movie-making activity we completed in two weeks:

Week 1
Time to plan!

Divide into groups and decide the general plot of your movie. The theme of the movie must be related to Valentine's Day, but you can explore other genres like action, comedy, horror, or mystery.
Decide what role each person in your group will take. You need a director, actors/actresses, and camera people.
Write the script. Everyone needs to contribute what will take place in the story. Your script needs to include not only what the actors and actresses will say, but also where the shots will be filmed, what the actors and actresses will be doing, and what props will be needed.

Week 2
Time to film!

Get your scripts out and rehearse each scene. Make sure you know how long each scene will take and practice where the camera will be.
When you feel ready, begin filming!
After all of your filming is complete, give your cameras to your teacher for editing.

We will debut the movies at our Valentine's Day party next week.

Check back soon to see some of the movies we made!

To learn more about Nomen Global and the activities we offer, visit our website or 'like' our page on Facebook.

Grammar Guide: Progressive Tenses

2012-02-03T10:48:00.002-07:00

Everybody is getting excited about the Academy Awards happening later this month. The Academy Awards feature and celebrate some of the previous years best movies. They recognize leading and supporting actors and actresses, directory and producers, special effects, music, and many more categories. This year is the 84th year that the Academy Awards have been announced. These awards mark one of the biggest parties in Hollywood.

Progressive Tenses
The progressive aspect of English verbs shows that an action is in progress at the time of another event. Both events could occur in the past, present, or future. This aspect also emphasizes that the action was happening/is happening/will be happening over time.

We form the progressive by using a form of BE + the present participle.

Present Progressive
The present progressive can express event in progress in the present time in two ways:
1. An action or situation happening right this moment.

Shh! We are watching a movie!
I am trying to hear what the actors are saying.
Right now, we are writing the script while our other team members are setting up the scene.

2. An action or situation currently happening in general.

This two-week block we are studying the theme film.
They are currently filming the next Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises.

Past Progressive
The past progressive expresses an event in progress in the past. It is common to express an action in the simple past that interrupts an action in the past progressive.

While I was sitting in the movie theater, my phone rang.
We were writing the script for our film when class ended.

Future Progressive
The future progressive expresses an event in progress in the future. It is common to express a future action that interrupts an action in the future progressive. The action or situation in the time clause must be expressed in the present tense.

My friends will start watching the movie at 8 p.m. I don't get off work until 9 p.m. My friends will be watching the movie when I arrive.
Our movie group will film our project all day on Saturday. Jamie has to be at work at noon. While we are filming our project, Jamie will leave for work.

Learn more about Nomen Global and what we teach by visiting our website and 'liking' us on Facebook today!

Student Spotlight: Hua Michael Wang

2012-02-01T13:47:00.001-07:00

If you have questions about Nomen Global, Michael is the perfect student to ask. Hua Michael Wang is from China, but he has been living in Utah and studying at Nomen Global for over one year. Michael is studying English simply because he likes it! English will, of course, help him in the future as he pursues a career in business.

Michael has made many friends from many countries. In fact, those friends are what Michael likes best about Nomen Global. After he finishes studying, however, he will return to China. In addition to the many things that Michael has accomplished, he considers doing well on tests his greatest accomplishment.

In his freetime, you can find Michael playing soccer or hanging out with his friends. He loves hot dogs! His success is attributed to his motto: Make everyday happy.

Meet Michael and other optimistic students like him at Nomen Global! Learn more about our activities by liking us on Facebook.

Skating and Debating

2012-01-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

It has been an eventful week at Nomen Global as we have made time for both work and play. In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. and our topic of Civil Rights this block, we participated in a mock debate on different topics in the government today. Students of all levels had the chance to argue for their ideas in this challenging speaking and listening activity. Take a look at some of the pictures we took from our school-wide debate.

After the heat of the debate was over, we headed over to the Peaks Ice Arena, one of the locations for the 2002 Winter Olympics, and spend a day on the ice. While many of us enjoyed the ice on our skates, some of us experienced the ice on our backs . . . or our faces! All of us, however, had a blast with our fellow students. Take a look at some of our pictures from ice skating.

To learn more about Nomen Global and the activities we do, visit our website or 'like' us on Facebook!

Grammar Guide: Perfect Tenses

2012-01-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

January is a month for movies! With the Sundance Film Festival taking place in Utah right now and the Academy Awards underway, people all over the world are thinking of great movies from the past, present, and future.

Perfect Tenses

The perfect aspect of English verbs gives the action or situation a point of reference. This point of reference could occur in the present, the past, or the future. Rather than viewing the verb as a single, simple action or situation, the perfect generally emphasizes this action or situation in relation to another.

We form the perfect by using a form of HAVE + the past participle.

Present Perfect

The present perfect tense can have three meanings:

1. The action or situation has occurred in relation to the present time.

Millie has already seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
I have never filmed my own movie before.

2. The action or situation has occurred multiple times in the past in relation to the present time.

We have gone to the movie theater every Friday this semester.
I have watched James Bond over 20 times!

3. The action or situation started in the past and has continued until the present time.

John has been an actor since he was 8 years old.
Julie has lived in Hollywood for 11 years.

Past Perfect

The past perfect shows, of two events in the past, which happened first.

We started watching the movie at 9 p.m. Sarah came to our party at 9:40. We had already started the movie by the time Sarah came.
Michael did not finish writing the script for his movie. The team wanted to start filming anyway. Michael had not finished planning the script when the team started filming his movie.
I watched The Help on Tuesday. My friends invited me to see it with them on Friday. Before my friends invited me to see The Help, I had already seen it.

Future Perfect

The future perfect shows, of two events in the future, which happened first.

We are not finished writing our script. The other team is already filming their movie. By the time we finish writing our script, the other team will have finished filming their movie.
Jamie has been in 9 movies. She is acting in her 10th movie right now. Jamie will have acted in 10 movies when they finish filming this one.
We started waiting for the movie one hour ago, at 10 p.m. The movie begins in one hour, at midnight. We will have waited for 2 hours by the time the movie starts.

The following is a description of the Sundance Institute, the institute that sponsors the Sundance Film Festival. Notice how they use the present perfect to describe what they do.

"Since 1981, Sundance Institute has evolved to become an internationally-recognized nonprofit organization that actively advances the work of risk-taking storytellers worldwide. Originally founded by Robert Redford in the mountains of Sundance, Utah, Sundance Institute has always provided a space for independent artists to explore their stories free from commercial and political pressures. By providing year-round creative and financial support for the development of original stories for the screen and stage, Sundance Institute remains committed to its mission to discover and develop independent artists and audiences across the globe."

To learn more about Nomen Global and what we teach, visit us on our website or our Facebook page!

Teacher Spotlight: Andrea Dietrich

2012-01-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

Andrea Dietrich has been teaching at Nomen Global longer than any other teacher. She has been teaching English at Nomen Global for almost 30 years (12 of them have been at Nomen Global)! She teaches TOEFL Level Grammar, Level 5 Integrated Skills, and the Beginning Level American Culture and Novels. Andrea loves the students at Nomen Global because they always work hard to improve.

Andrea is originally from Iowa. Her greatest strengths are her patience, good sense of humor, and writing skills. Andrea has already published many poems, but she has another goal to publish a novel one day! In addition to poetry, Andrea enjoys watching movies in her free time.

Get to know Andrea and other accomplished teachers like her at Nomen Global!

Climbing in the Winter

2012-01-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

Utah is a popular destination among climbers and hikers, but what do we do when the weather is too cold to hold onto rocks? We go to the Quarry! The Quarry is an indoor rock climbing gym located in Provo, Utah, that offers varying levels of climbing routes for all visitors.

To start off our three-day weekend last week, we ventured over to the Quarry for a day of rock climbing. Take a look at some of the pictures we took!

To learn more about Nomen Global and the activities we offer, visit our website or like us on Facebook.

Grammar Guide: Simple Past Tense

2012-01-20T10:05:00.001-07:00

The 1960s in the United States was a pivotal decade for civil rights. Leaders like John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Lyndon B. Johnson worked to bring true equal rights to the citizens of the United States. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was signed (see photo). This act forbade discrimination of any kind (including race, ethnicity, or gender) in public places.

Simple Past Tense
We have already discussed the simple future tense and the simple present tense. The simple past tense is used to express actions that began and ended in the past or actions that are complete. There are two different kinds of simple past tense verbs: (1) regular and (2) irregular.

Regular past tense verbs end with -ed.

I voted for the next president.
They asked me to speak at the conference.
Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

Irregular past tense verbs usually change spelling but may have other past tense forms.

He ran for office, but he did not win.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.
I understood civil rights when our teacher taught our class.

The following is a description of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Notice all the examples of the simple past tense. See if you can recognize the regular and irregular verbs.

"This act [the Civil Rights Act of 1964], signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964, prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the integration of schools and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal.

". . . President John F. Kennedy urged the nation to take action toward guaranteeing equal treatment of every American regardless of race. Soon after, Kennedy proposed that Congress consider civil rights legislation that would address voting rights, public accommodations, school desegregation, nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs, and more.

"Despite Kennedy’s assassination in November of 1963, his proposal culminated in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson just a few hours after House approval on July 2, 1964. The act outlawed segregation in businesses such as theaters, restaurants, and hotels. It banned discriminatory practices in employment and ended segregation in public places such as swimming pools, libraries, and public schools."

To learn more about the Civil Rights Movement, visit the National Archives website.
To learn more about Nomen Global, visit our website or our Facebook page.

Antonio Valentin Parra

2012-01-18T13:22:00.000-07:00

Antonio Parra is one of our new students this semester. He is from El Salvador and plans to study English at Nomen Global for 4 months. Tony is studying English so that he can improve his skills to be able to help other people! He is currently preparing to take the TOEFL in order to get into a university.

Even though Tony has been here for only one block, he already loves the schedule. He completes his 18 credit hours in the first four days of the week, then has time to explore the city or participate in school activities on Fridays. He also enjoys the way the teachers teach.

Tony has recently returned from serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also attends the after-school Institute class at Nomen Global. Tony joins other students on Fridays for a game of soccer and listens to music in his free time. He also loves sea food!

One of Tony's goals is to graduate from college. He hopes to study psychology at Brigham Young University - Idaho. While he is here, we love Tony at Nomen Global because he is always happy!

Meet Tony and other optimistic students like him at Nomen Global. Be sure to also visit our Facebook page for more information.

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

2012-01-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

While you are enjoying your day off school, take time to learn about this great man, Martin Luther King, Jr.

Grammar Guide: Simple Present Tense

2012-01-13T12:15:00.001-07:00

Martin Luther King, Jr. is best known for being a leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He fought for the freedom and equality of all citizens of the United States, regardless of skin color. He delivered many famous speeches that he hoped would help end discrimination. Because of his nonviolent methods to stop discrimination, Martin Luther King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. On April 4, 1968, he was assassinated, or killed. Today, we celebrate the efforts of Martin Luther King close to his birthday, January 15, each year.

Simple Present Tense
Last week we discussed how the simple future tense is used to express actions or situations that have not happened yet. The present tense is used to describe (1) habitual or repeated actions and (2) general statements that are always true. Sometimes students make the mistake that the present simple tense is used to describe actions occurring right now, but this is not true! The words always and usually are often used with the simple present tense.

We form the simple present tense by using the simple form of the verb with first person, singular and plural; second person, singular and plural; and third person plural subjects. We add -s or -es to the end of verbs with a third person singular subject.

We always celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on the third Monday in January every year.
Martin Luther King, Jr. inspires many people all over the world.
They give speeches every week in their US Issues class.

The be verb is irregular. We conjugate this verb as follows:

I am . . .
You are . . .
He(, she, or it) is . . .
We are . . .
You (plural) are . . .
They are . . .

The following is an excerpt of Martin Luther King's famous "I Have A Dream" speech.

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'"I have a dream today!"

To learn more about Nomen Global and our grammar classes, visit our website or like us on Facebook!

Student Spotlight: Carian Wu

2012-01-11T16:11:00.000-07:00

Carian Wu is from China. She came to Nomen Global two months ago and will study English here for another 8 months. Carian is studying in the intermediate level to prepare for the TOEFL. She hopes to study at an American university after perfecting her English.

Carian is happy with her English progress so far and considers it one of the best things she has accomplished. She enjoys Nomen Global not only for her English classes but for the diversity of the student body. She has made friends from many different countries.

In her spare time, Carian enjoys her hobbies of playing on the computer, going shopping, and swimming. She loves all spicy food and fruit. In the future, Carian hopes to be the CEO of a company. The most important thing to Carian is to make everyday happy.

Get to know Carian and other happy students like her at Nomen Global.

International Food

2012-01-09T14:24:00.000-07:00

How much do you know about Brazil? Korea? Moldova? This morning Nomen Global students got a taste of the different countries from around the world. Of course, what would an international appreciation day be without food? Take a look at some of the pictures we took this morning.

All of the students grouped themselves according to home country or region to prepare a special dish for everyone to try. We had a great time sampling all of the treats, meats, drinks, and bread from different countries. After we enjoyed our plates, we listened to country presentations from each group to learn more about them and where they are from.

To learn more about different countries around the world and to get to know our students, visit us at Nomen Global or visit our Facebook page.

Grammar Guide: Simple Future Tense

2012-01-06T13:02:00.003-07:00

With the start of a new year at hand, many of us are looking toward the future. One popular tradition in the United States, as well as other countries, is to make new year's resolutions. A new year's resolution is something that a person decides to accomplish or achieve in the following year.

Simple Future Tense

The future tense is used to describe events that have yet to happen. A common way to express your new year's resolutions (things that you will do/have in the future) is to use the future tense.

We form the future tense by using one of several combinations:

WILL + VERB

BE GOING TO + VERB

or other verbs with future meanings.

I will lose weight.
I am going to get a new job.
I intend to graduate from a university.
I plan on traveling to Japan.
I want to learn English.

What are some of your new year's resolutions?

Learn more about the future tense and other grammar topics at Nomen Global!

Student Spotlight: Victor Faddoul

2012-01-04T16:48:00.000-07:00

Who should you talk to if you want to know what studying English at Nomen Global is really like? None other than Victor Faddoul. He has been studying English at Nomen Global for over a year and will continue to study for another 4 months. Victor is from Venezuela, but he has enjoyed his experiences in Utah.

Starting in the first level, Victor has advanced through Nomen Global's program well. He especially likes his teachers and learning new words in the different languages of his international friends. He is studying English in order to get into a university one day. One of Victor's greatest accomplishments is coming to the United States. He also hopes to pass the TOEFL, earn a degree from a university, and get married.

In his free time, Victor goes to the gym or plays soccer. He has even received an award for "Best Player" in his state. He loves arepas, a dish from Venezuela, and sushi from Japan. His family is the most important thing to him.

Get to know more about Victor and other accomplished students at Nomen Global!

Getting to Know You

2012-01-02T11:59:00.001-07:00

Welcome back, Nomen Global students! To start this new year off, we gathered all of the students in the school together for a "get to know you" activity. We lined up along both sides of a long table and were paired up with a partner. We had about 5 minutes to talk to our partners to learn about them and their country before we switched chairs to talk to someone new.

What a great way to get to know more about our classmates and other countries. One thing we love about Nomen Global is the diversity in our student body. We currently have students representing over 20 countries around the world.

Get to know more about these students by visiting our website and our Facebook page.

See You in the New Year

2011-12-16T11:41:00.006-07:00

Have a great vacation! See you in the new year on January 2, 2012!

The Safest Cities

2011-12-14T14:40:00.001-07:00

According to research done by CQ Press, the Provo/Orem metropolitan area ranks as one of the top 10 safest cities in the United States. The researchers looked at data collected from the F.B.I. on "murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault and the property crimes of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson."

Out of 354 metropolitan areas in the United States, the Provo/Orem metropolitan area in Utah ranked as the number 7 safest city. Of the top 10 safest metropolitan areas, Utah metropolitan areas appear 3 times!

Take a look at some of these other popular destination cities. The rankings are out of 354 cities.

New York, NY 115
Austin, TX 138
Seattle, WA 235
Los Angeles, CA 281
Baltimore, MD 319
Detroit, MI 337
Miami, FL 339

You can feel at ease when you study at Nomen Global knowing that the Provo/Orem metropolitan area is considerably safer than other cities in the United States.

If you are interested in seeing other metropolitan crime rate rankings, visit CQ Press. To learn more about Nomen Global and the exciting and safe programs we offer, visit our website or like us on Facebook.

Christmas Activities

2011-12-12T14:11:00.001-07:00

In order to kick off the holiday season, Listening/Speaking Workshop classes wrote, performed, and laughed at some festive skits!

The beginning level sang the classic song "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" with hand-made posters and props.

We saw a clever skit about the true meaning of Christmas giving and a hilarious rendition of Rudolph's story from the intermediate level.

The advanced students taught us "The 12 Days of Christmas" and performed a skit showing us how Santa Claus really feels.

Last, but not least, the TOEFL level acted out their version of another classic story, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

After we sang and enjoyed each other's acting skills, we participated in a hilarious white elephant gift exchange. A white elephant gift exchange is a simple gift-giving game in which participants wrap a trifle or unusual gift. Most gifts cost less than $2 or are things that the giver already has. Example of the popular white elephant gifts this year are hot chocolate mugs, old and ornate jewelry boxes, back scratchers, candy, etc.

Upcoming Activities
Holiday Dance Party
You don't want to miss the last celebration of the year. Join us for our annual Holiday Dance Party, complete with DJ Manuel, dancing, food, and friends.

Nomen Global students have a lot of fun spending time together at school activities. If you want to know more about the types of activities we offer, visit us at our website or Facebook page.

Writing Strategy: Letters to Santa

2011-12-09T13:16:00.002-07:00

In American tradition, during the weeks prior to Christmas Eve, children all over the world write letters to Santa Claus telling him what they want as gifts. In addition, children also list what good deeds they have done to merit a gift from Santa. As the holiday season is approaching, you can write your own letter to Santa using these guidelines for a standard letter.

Date
The date is convenient for the recipient to know when you wrote the letter. The date is usually written in the top right corner of the letter. In the United States, it is common to write the date month day, year. Today's date would be written as follows:
December 9, 2011
Greeting
Choose an appropriate greeting, like Dear, followed by the recipient's name and a comma. If the recipient has a title, like Dr. or Mrs., the write that before the last name. The greeting should be written on the left side of the page.
A greeting to Mrs. Smith might look like this:
Dear Mrs. Smith,
Opening Paragraph
The opening paragraph generally states the purpose of the letter. In a letter to Santa, you may want to tell him if you have been a good boy or girl. Then you may tell him that you are writing to ask for specific gifts for Christmas.
Body Paragraph
The body of the paragraph adds details and examples that illustrate statements in the opening paragraph. For example, if you tell Santa in your opening paragraph that you have been a good boy or girl this year, give examples of your good deeds in the body. Additionally, you could list a few of the gifts you want for Christmas.
Closing Paragraph
The closing paragraph generally calls the recipient to action. For example, in a letter to Santa, you may tell Santa that you look forward to his visit on Christmas Eve. Other types of letters may invite the recipient to write you back.
Closing
Choose an appropriate closing, like Love, Sincerely, Your friend, Respectfully, or Best regards, depending on the formality of the letter. A letter to Santa might fall somewhere between formal and informal, so a closing like Sincerely may be the most appropriate. Place a comma after the closing, then sign your name under it.
A letter from John Smith might look like this:
Sincerely,
John Smith
Address the Envelope
In the United States, standard addresses use the following format:
Name of recipient
Address (number, then street)
City, State Zip
Country
In a letter to Nomen Global, the address looks like this:
Nomen Global Language Centers
384 W Center Street
Provo, UT 84601
USA

The process for writing a letter is the generally the same for formal and informal letters, but the content will vary. Here is an example of a letter to Santa:

Santa Claus
1 Reindeer Lane
North Pole

December 9, 2011

Dear Santa,

This year has been difficult, but I have worked very hard and have been very good. Since I have been a good girl this year, I am writing to tell you about some of the gifts I would like for Christmas.

While I have been studying English at Nomen Global, I have spoken only English! I have done my homework every day and I have gotten As on all of my tests. I have made many friends this year because I have been very kind to everyone I have met. I invite my friends to my house often to serve them my favorite dishes from my country. This year, I would really like new books in English. I would also like more English music.

I am looking forward to your visit on Christmas Eve. I hope that you travel safely with the reindeer and that you have a chance to visit all of my friends. Thank you for always bringing me nice gifts.

Sincerely,
Jane Smith

To learn more about Nomen Global and our writing classes, visit our website.

Student Spotlight: Rafael Sanches

2011-12-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

Rafael Sanches is one of our new students from Brazil. He has been studying at Nomen Global for one month and will continue to study for 7 more months. Rafael reports that Nomen Global has a great teaching method and that "the teachers always help you when you have problems understanding something."

Because English is the language of business, Rafael wants to study English so that he can obtain a job in a great company. He believes that English is one of the most important requirements for success in his future. Rafael is well on his way to success! He has plans to study music production, which is a field he is very interested in.

Rafael is a motivated, independent, and friendly person. Did you know that he saved money for three years in order to study English in the United States? In his free time, Rafael hangs out with his friends, works out, and listens to music. In fact, he loves music so much that he is a DJ! Rafael also loves his family and Brazilian barbecue. In the future, Rafael hopes to own his own house and open a nightclub in his country.

Meet Rafael and other independent students like him at Nomen Global!

Culture and Bowling

2011-12-05T15:16:00.002-07:00

Culture Fair
At the end of each semester, Level 5 students research and present on a culture of their choice. The rest of the school attends their fair-style presentations to learn more about other cultures. Take a look at some of the pictures from the Culture Fair.

Bowling
Last week Nomen Global students got together for another round of one of our favorite activities: bowling! We had a great group of students show up: they certainly know how to take care of those pins. They had great scores, enjoyed good food, and competed well with each other. Here are a few of the photos from the activity.

Grammar Guide: Subjunctive Mood

2011-12-02T14:16:00.001-07:00

Once Thanksgiving is over, children all over the United States turn their thoughts toward Santa Claus. Santa Claus is the magical legend who brings good children gifts on Christmas Eve. In order to receive a gift from Santa, children must behave well all year. Before Christmas Eve, good children write letters to Santa, telling him what they wish to have. If the children are on Santa's "Good List," then Santa comes down their chimney to deliver their gifts.

Subjunctive Mood

In November, we discussed the other two moods in English: the indicative mood and the imperative mood. The subjunctive mood is the least common of the three. It expresses conditions that are untrue; it often follows the word if. The subjunctive also follows verbs that express doubt, requests, suggestions, and wishes (ask, command, demand, order, recommend, request, require, suggest, wish, etc.).

We form the subjunctive mood by using the simple form of the verb in the present and the regular indicative form in the past tense. The be verb in the past, however, is always were whether the subject is singular or plural.

The little girl asked that Santa bring her a new doll.
Santa Claus requires that children be good.
Billy wishes that he were on the Good List.

The following is an excerpt from a song by the Carpenters. Notice the subjunctive in the chorus of the song.

Merry Christmas darling

We're apart that's true

But I can dream and in my dreams

I'm Christmas-ing with you

Holidays are joyful

There's always something new

But every day's a holiday

When I'm near to you

The lights on my tree

I wish you could see

I wish it every day

That I wish you Merry Christmas

Happy New Year, too

I've just one wish

On this Christmas Eve

I wish I were with you

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