Eno's date of birth

 Eno, the light of our lives,

Arrived on this day, to our surprise, A bundle of joy, full of life and love, A gift sent from the heavens above.

Born into a family grieving and sad, He brought us hope, made us glad, With his cries and laughter, a balm so true, Our spirits lifted, once again anew.

Years have flown by, and Eno has grown, Into a wonderful man, with a heart of gold, On this special day, as he comes back home, We celebrate his birthday, with love and aplomb.

Our nephew Eno, a shining star, Whose smile still brightens, no matter how far, Through ups and downs, our love has remained, With memories of him, forever ingrained.

So let's raise a toast, to Eno so dear, A nephew, a friend, so loyal and sincere, May your birthday be filled with joy and cheer, And your life be blessed, year after year.

Focusing adverbs: even and only

 Two focusing adverbs in English are "only" and "just". These adverbs are used to emphasize the specific thing being referred to in a sentence.

Here are some examples:

• I only have one dollar. (emphasizing that the speaker has only one dollar)
• She just finished her book. (emphasizing that she finished her book recently)

Note that "only" and "just" can be used in different parts of a sentence and can have slightly different meanings depending on their placement.

Here are some exercises to practice using "only" and "just":

1. Fill in the blanks with "only" or "just":

a. I _____ eat vegetables for lunch. b. He _____ has two weeks left until his vacation. c. She _____ told me about the party yesterday. d. They _____ went to the store for bread.

2. Rewrite the following sentences, adding "only" or "just" to emphasize a specific thing:

a. I need to buy a new phone. b. She finished the project on time. c. We saw the movie last week. d. He arrived at the airport in time for his flight.

Answers:

1. a. only, b. just, c. only, d. just
2. a. I need to buy only a new phone., b. She just finished the project on time., c. We only saw the movie last week., d. He just arrived at the airport in time for his flight.

"Even" is another adverb in English that can have various meanings depending on the context in which it is used. Here are some of the most common uses of "even":

1. Emphasis: "Even" can be used to add emphasis to a statement or to indicate that something is surprising or unexpected.

• I can't believe he even showed up.
• She's always busy, even on the weekends.
• Even I can't eat that much pizza.

2. Leveling: "Even" can be used to indicate that something is level or balanced.

• Make sure the bookshelf is even before you start adding books.
• The table needs to be even before we can put the tablecloth on.

3. Comparison: "Even" can be used to compare two things or to indicate that something is the same.

• The two teams are even in points.
• We both like pizza, even though we have different favorite toppings.

4. Continuation: "Even" can be used to indicate that something will continue or go on for a long time.

• We'll be studying even after the sun goes down.
• He kept talking even though no one was listening.

Note that the use of "even" can vary depending on the context, and it can have different meanings depending on how it is used in a sentence.

So, in summary, "even" is another adverb in English that can be used to add emphasis, indicate levelling, comparison, or continuation.

Here's an exercise that combines the use of "even" and "only" in different contexts:

Directions: Fill in the blanks with "even" or "only" in the appropriate form to complete the sentences.

1. I _____ have one hour to finish this project.
2. She _____ eats ice cream on special occasions.
3. They were _____ surprised to hear the news.
4. He _____ went to the concert to see his favorite band.
5. We need to make sure the cake is _____ before adding the frosting.
6. I can't believe he _____ forgot my birthday.
7. She can _____ speak Spanish fluently.
8. We need to work hard to _____ pass the exam.
9. He _____ started studying for the test yesterday.
10. They _____ saw a few birds at the park.

Answers:

1. only
2. only
3. even
4. only
5. even
6. even
7. even
8. even
9. only
10. only

Explanation:

1. "Only" is used here to emphasize that the speaker has a limited amount of time.
2. "Only" is used here to indicate that the person does not eat ice cream regularly.
3. "Even" is used here to indicate that their surprise was unexpected.
4. "Only" is used here to indicate that seeing his favorite band was the only reason he went to the concert.
5. "Even" is used here to indicate that the surface needs to be completely level or balanced.
6. "Even" is used here to indicate that the speaker is surprised or shocked at the other person's forgetfulness.
7. "Even" is used here to indicate that speaking Spanish fluently is a high level of proficiency.
8. "Even" is used here to indicate that passing the exam will be difficult and require significant effort.
9. "Only" is used here to indicate that the person did not start studying earlier.
10. "Only" is used here to indicate that they saw a small number of birds at the park.

Note that the use of "even" and "only" can depend on the context in which they are used, and that there may be other valid ways to complete these sentences as well.

Word order: adverbs with the verb

 Here is a chart that shows the typical word order for adverbs when used with a verb in English:

1. Adverb of Frequency: These adverbs describe how often an action occurs and come before the main verb.

• Always: I always go to the gym.
• Usually: She usually eats breakfast at home.
• Often: They often go for a walk in the park.
• Sometimes: He sometimes forgets his keys.
• Rarely: She rarely gets angry.
• Never: We never stay up late.

2. Adverb of Manner: These adverbs describe how an action is performed and usually come after the main verb.

• He runs quickly.
• She sings beautifully.
• They speak softly.

3. Adverb of Time: These adverbs describe when an action occurs and can come before or after the main verb.

• Before: He had breakfast before leaving for work.
• After: She went for a walk after dinner.
• Now: They are studying now.
• Then: She will arrive then.
• Soon: We will leave soon.

4. Adverb of Place: These adverbs describe where an action occurs and can come before or after the main verb.

• Here: They are here.
• There: The book is over there.
• Everywhere: We looked everywhere for the missing keys.
• Away: He ran away from the dog.

Note that the order of adverbs can vary depending on the sentence and the specific adverbs being used. However, this chart shows the typical word order for each type of adverb when used with a verb in English.

Adjectives: order before nouns

 In English, when we use multiple adjectives to modify the same noun, there is a specific order that we generally follow. This order is known as the "adjective order."

Here is the typical order of adjectives in English:

1. Determiner (e.g. a, an, the)
2. Observation/opinion (e.g. beautiful, ugly)
3. Size (e.g. big, small)
4. Shape (e.g. round, square)
5. Age (e.g. young, old)
6. Color (e.g. red, blue)
7. Origin/nationality (e.g. American, French)
8. Material (e.g. wooden, plastic)
9. Purpose/qualifier (e.g. swimming, cooking)

Note that this order is not set in stone and can be flexible, but in general, this is the order that sounds most natural to native English speakers.

Here are some examples of how these adjectives might be used in a sentence:

• She wore a beautiful, long, red dress to the party. (observation, size, color)
• He drove an old, green, British car. (age, color, origin)
• The round, wooden table was perfect for the family dinner. (shape, material)

It's also worth noting that when we use multiple adjectives in a sentence, we usually separate them with commas.

So, in summary, the order of adjectives in English generally follows the pattern of determiner, observation/opinion, size, shape, age, color, origin/nationality, material, and purpose/qualifier. However, this order is not set in stone and can be flexible depending on the context.

Here are some exercises to practice the order of adjectives in English:

1. Rewrite the following sentences, putting the adjectives in the correct order:

a. She has a bike red new. b. The book is interesting big thick. c. He lives in a house small white old. d. The dog is cute little fluffy.

2. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate adjectives, putting them in the correct order:

a. The _____, _____, _____ flowers caught her eye. (red, beautiful, small) b. He found a _____, _____, _____, _____ car at the dealership. (fast, Italian, black, expensive) c. She received a _____, _____, _____, _____, _____ present for her birthday. (small, wrapped, rectangular, green, shiny)

3. Identify the order of the adjectives in the following sentences:

a. The tall, dark, handsome stranger walked into the room. b. She put on her pretty, new, white dress. c. The old, wooden, round table was perfect for the dinner party.

Answers:

1. a. She has a new red bike., b. The big, thick, interesting book., c. He lives in an old small white house., d. The little fluffy cute dog.
2. a. small, beautiful, red, b. expensive, fast, Italian, black, c. shiny, small, rectangular, green, wrapped.
3. a. opinion, color, observation, b. size, origin, color, purpose, c. age, material, shape.