Excercise 26 - 30

Excercise 26 - Adjectives and Adverb
1. Rita plays the violin well
2. That is an intense novel
3. The sun is shining brightly
4. The girls speak fluent french
5. The boys speak spanish fluently
6. The Table has a smooth surface
7. We must figure our income tax returns accurately
8. We dont like to drink bitter tea
9. The plane will arrive soon
10. He had an accident because he was driving too fast

Excercise 27 - Linking (Copulative) Verbs
1. Your cold sounds terrible
2. The pianist plays violin very well
3. The food in the restaurant always tastes good
4. The camper remained calm despite the understorm
5. The became sick after eating the contamined food
6. Professor Calandra looked quick at the student's sketches
7. Paco was working diligently on the project
8. Paul protested vehemently about the new proposal
9. Our neighbords appeared relaxely after their vacation
10. The music sounded too noisy to be classical.

Excercise 28 -Comparisons
1. John and his friends left as soon as the professor had finished his lecture
2. His job is more important than his friend's
3. He plays the guitar as well as Andrea Segovia
4. A new house is much more expensive than an older one
5. Last week was as hot as this week
6. Martha is more talented than her cousin
7. Bill's desciptions are more colorful than his wife
8.  Nobody is happier than Maria Elena
9. The boys felt worse than the girls about losing the game
10. A greyhound runs faster than a Chiuahua

Excercise 29 - Comparisons
1. The empire state building is taller than the Statue of Liberty
2. California is farther from New York than Pennyslavia
3,. His assignment is different as mine
4. Louie reads more quickly than his sister
5. No animal is so big as King Kong
6. That report is less impressive than the government's
7. Sam wears the same shirt as his teammates
8. Dave paints much more realistically than his professor
9. The twins have less money at the end of the month as they have at the beginning
10. Her sports car is different from Nancy's

Excercise 30 - Comparisons
1. Of the four dresses, i like the red one best
2. Phil is the happiest person that we know
3. Pat's car is faster than Dan's
4. This is the creamiest ice cream i have had a long time
5.  This poster is more colorful than the one in the hall
6. Does Fred feel better today than he did yesterday?
7. This vegetable soup tastes very good
8. While trying to balance the baskets on her head, the woman walked more awkwardly then her daughter
9. Jane is the least athletic of all the women
10. My cat is the prettiest of the two

The Carrot, The Egg, and The Coffee Bean

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling.

It seemed that, as one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans.

She let them sit and boil, without saying a word. In about twenty minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," the young woman replied. The mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity - boiling water - but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened! The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" the mother asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?" Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong but, with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit but, after a death, a breakup, or a financial hardship, does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavour.

If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

"A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble."

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Source: http://www.thelivingtreasure.org/forum/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1681&title=short-inspirational-and-motivational-stories