The ELI Weekly
Out and About: In the Classroom
by Solange Piere Paul, RW 20
My name is Solange Piere Paul. It is very good to have experience at the ELI. The ELI program is one of the best things that happened to me. English is very hard for me. I always thought there was no way I was going to learn, or I thought I could do it. When I joined the courses, I met a lot of people from other countries. The students are very nice, and I love talking with them. We sometimes share our cultures, and we like doing a presentation about it. My favorite Teacher is Zoe. She makes us feel like we’re home. She is very kind and nice, and she’s very good at explaining the lessons. She always makes us talk, so we don’t feel left out. Thank you so much, Zoe. All in all, I enjoy attending ELI’s classes every day and improving my English.
CIP Weekday Activities
Weekend Activity
Saturday October 28th – Micanopy Fall Festival – 11:00am – 3:00pm
This annual festival in the quaint town of Micanopy is a tradition you won’t want to miss! Shop from local vendors for Fall foods, crafts, and goods and see performances and auctions while exploring this tiny town! Bring money for spending, but there is no entrance fee. Meet at Norman Parking Garage at 11:00am.
Ride slots are limited, but those with cars are welcome to drive themselves.
Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-40219529-micanopy
Other CIP Reminders
CIP Passports: Don’t forget to get your CIP Passport hole punched from the activity leaders AT the event (not after). We will no longer hole punch passports after the event. Redeem your completed passport for a small gift and photo for the ELI Instagram! Remember the CIP Pineapple is hidden in a new place every Monday in the CIP office. Stop by and find it for hole punches!
Passport Winners in the Weekly: We would like to recognize the passport winners in the Weekly. Please let Tate know when you win if you do not want to have your name in the Weekly.
Conversation Partners (CPs): Sign up for a CP here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScrco_-3vxQmpyStsHOW0DQcoPfkm5yJYDzOuWLmq3nIaj2wg/viewform
Remember, if you sign up, you must meet your partner at least once a week and respond to their messages. Email conversationpartners@eli.ufl.edu if you have any questions or problems or stop by the CIP office to see Will during his office hours.
Notes from the Office
English Conversation Club: Are you interested in getting more practice for your English speaking outside of class? Would you like to learn more about different cultures around the world? If you said yes, we are planning to start an English Conversation Club that will meet on Friday afternoons starting in November. The club will talk together about different topics, share our cultures, and work virtually with other English language students at a university in Egypt. If you are interested in joining or you want more information, please email Christine at christinevoigt@ufl.edu.
People Out: Christine is out of the office on Friday, October 27, and Monday, October 30. Please plan around these days if you need to talk to Christine.
Student Voices: We love to see our students writing! Every semester, we take your writing and publish it in Student Voices. Past submissions have included paragraphs, essays, creative stories, recipes, letters, obituaries, poetry, creative stories, class projects, and other interesting works on a variety of topics. I encourage you to submit anything of your work that you wish to see published. It can be from any class or something you have written on your own but ask your teachers for help editing! You can email it to Olga Moody (omoody@ufl.edu) or to your teacher. Please include your name and class on your submission. The deadline for submissions is Friday, November 3.
Photo of the Week
Birthdays!
Manners & Culture
Q: What happens on Halloween on October 31?
A: Halloween is on October 31st, but many places around town will have events, like haunted houses, trick or treat, or costume parties, the week before Halloween. People might decorate their porch with carved pumpkins, witches, ghosts, or giant skeletons. Then on Halloween night, children and teenagers (and even some adults) wear costumes and visit houses in the neighborhood to ask for candy by saying, “trick or treat!” If you have a lot of children in your neighborhood, some children might come to your door, so have a bag of candy ready!
Grammar
Q: What does the word ‘far’ mean in this sentence? Doesn’t the word ‘far’ mean distance?
“These cultures used far fewer color words.”
A: To understand the use of ‘far’ in this context, compare these sentences:
- Santa Fe College has far fewer students than UF. (Note that ‘students’ is a count noun.)
- This class has much less homework than my other classes. (Note that homework is a non-count noun.)
In this context, the word ‘far’ means the same as the word ‘much,’ but we tend to use ‘much’ with non-count nouns and ‘far’ with count nouns.
Notes From the Editor
Come by my office (221 MAT) and help me write the Out and About section! There are so many topics to write about–a fun activity, an interesting place on campus, a club or hobby that you enjoy, or even tell us about a place to visit in your country. Bring a photo of your experience and put it in the Weekly.
Send stories and grammar, manners, or culture questions to Maya Shastri (mshastri@ufl.edu).