RYAN: I’m so happy this week of midterm exams is finished. TYLER: Same here. I’m looking forward to relaxing in the mountains this weekend. I’ve planned a little hike in the woods. And I’m gonna take a canoe trip down the river if the weather cooperates. RYAN: Oh, fun! I’m going to Michigan. I’m taking my camera because fall is coming fast. The leaves are already turning all shades of red and orange. It will be awesome. TYLER: Next time you go there, I’ll join you. I’ve heard Michigan is a great place to go canoeing LANGUAGE NOTES • Midterm Students at universities in the United States often take exams midsemester, around October or March of every year. These exams are called midterms. Exams at the end of the semester are called finals or final exams and are usually in May. • Gonna is a colloquial form of “I’m going to.” Other similar constructions include “wanna” [want to] or “hafta” [have to]. These are examples of transcriptions of spoken English and should not be used in a formal context. Some of these examples are now seen in text messages as a means of shortening sentences. • Awesome: is a colloquial way of saying “excellent,” “cool,” “great.” Last night’s rock concert was awesome