Introduction & Grammar Tip! Hello, italki community! I haven't employed notebook entries since I joined, but I'd like to use these to benefit the community and to meet more of you as individuals. I'm a relatively new teacher here, and I just had to take an extended leave of absence in order to move to another country (Belgium). However, now that I'm settled in Europe, I'd like to help more and more students meet their learning goals. Adjusting to a new place is a unique experience. Certainly, Belgium is quite similar to the United States in many ways, but I still find being away from home a challenge. I'm still nervous about speaking in public, since most people speak either Flemish, Dutch, or French. I'm going to be learning Dutch very soon, but have other things to worry about before I can begin that. Next week, I begin the process of seeking a visa. That's a large undertaking! I am going to try and write a new notebook entry each week, telling everyone here about my experiences. I welcome comments, suggestions, or helpful advice! Also, I'd like to give back a little to the italki community with a helpful grammar tip each week. Here's the one I would like to provide today! =================================================================== Grammar tip of the week: Be Careful With Your Pronouns! A very important part of the English language is the pronoun. A pronoun is a word that stands in the place of another noun. It prevents us from being too repetitive. Here are a few common personal pronouns: I, He, She, You, It, We, They The biggest challenge that comes with pronouns is using them in the right place! Pronouns always have a noun that they replace. This noun is called the "antecedent." Here's an example: "Bob said that he would bring chips to the party." The pronoun in this sentence is "he." The antecedent, or the word "he" is replacing, is "Bob." Pronouns become difficult when you have too many of them, or you put pronouns in the wrong place. Here's another example: "When the officer chased the burglar through the park, he broke his ankle." In this sentence, we don't know who broke an ankle or who did the breaking! The officer and the burglar could both be replaced by he. So, did the officer break the burglar's ankle? Did the officer break his own ankle? Did the burglar break his own ankle? Have a great week, everyone! Dani