Unit Of Work( Professional Practice For Teachers Of English As A

Unit Of Work( Professional Practice For Teachers Of English As A Unit Of Work( Professional Practice For Teachers Of English As A Foreign Language) â€" Assignment Example > IntroductionFinding communicative contexts that reflect real life situations can be challenging when teaching a foreign language. When that language is English, teaching it at any level requires that the classroom be a place where English is not only taught, but used meaningfully. This means that the language is not taught in isolated portions or by delving into the grammar or semantics of the language. Rather, the language is utilised in real world situations using subject matter content that is relevant according to the age of the students and their aims for learning the English language. One type of content-based instruction includes theme based language instruction and it is beneficial for differing age groups and levels of proficiency. This approach is supported by Brinton (2003) when the aim of the students is to acquire language. The topic that will be covered in this report is models in L2 learning with the specific theme being conversation lessons. The reason for the choi ce of this topic is that the ability to converse in real life situations is one of the most important aims of language and in order to manoeuvre successfully in the environment in which the student expects to use the English language, they must be able to understand and communicate with the actual environment in which they find themselves. Without this ability, having knowledge of the English language is not really useful on a daily basis. In order to learn a language successfully it is important for the learner to be motivated, cooperative and have empathy. This naturally leads to a stress on development of the learner. This involves several stages of development in the student process. The principle process entails increasing language awareness which involves contribution of the learner to their own learning process; dynamic learning strategies such as self-monitoring or responding to peers; and lastly, the assumption of accountability for their own education. This last process means that some of the roles traditionally carried out by teachers should be transferred to learners which foster their independence (Kavaliauskiene, 2002). The lessons are aimed at post-elementary level, sixteen-year-old migrant students from Russia, learning English as a second language. The objectives of the exercise are to develop autonomy in the language development, learner cooperation and interaction, vocabulary, peer and self-assessment and interaction. The target language will cover vocabulary and grammar review using such materials as role-play and homework carried out individually outside classroom situations. The procedure involves the interaction of the entire class with a time limit of ten minutes per activity. This is an effective way to transfer roles from the teacher to the students, while encouraging interaction and cooperation as well as giving opportunity for evaluation and revision of material earlier learned. This is useful as a warm up exercise at the start o f a class or as revision at the end of it. To initiate the activity, a student is requested to appoint a spokesperson who will answer the first query. Should they get the answer correct, they pass the baton to the next student to answer the following question. This sequence is continuous unless a question is answered wrong, giving the students an opportunity to step into the teacher’s role by providing the correct answer. This exercise is even more effective when the class is subdivided into groups of 3-5 members. The group members select a group name and initiate the above activity but without the teacher’s role being included. Instead, the different groups are in charge of checking answers in turns which makes it more interesting for the students. This activity gives every student the opportunity to articulate themselves and discourse upon their point of view. The teacher’s role is almost redundant apart from monitoring and evaluating the performance of students. The teach er only intercedes when students are unable to come up with answers to the questions.

How to Kill a Tree Without Chemicals

Killing a tree is hard work, particularly if you avoid using chemical assistance. You have to cut off a trees water, food and/or sunlight at a critical time in its life cycle to do the job. Herbicides work by gumming up or shutting down a trees working parts to deprive the plant of one or more of the above.   Using the Bark Trees can be killed without herbicides or chemicals but extra time, patience, and understanding of tree anatomy are necessary. You most especially need to know about the function of a trees inner bark—cambium, xylem, and phloem—and how they combine forces to affect a trees life.   The bark is a trees most vulnerable body part above ground and the easiest target for an effective kill. Damaging enough roots to kill the tree quickly is complicated and hard to do without using chemicals. The bark is made up of cork and phloem which protects the cambium and xylem. Dead xylem cells carry water and minerals from the roots to the leaves and are considered the trees wood. Phloem, a living tissue, carries manufactured food (sugars) from the leaves to the roots. The cambium, which is a moist layer only a few cells thick, is the regenerative layer that gives birth to xylem on its inside and phloem to its outside. Destroying the Bark If the food-transporting phloem is severed all the way around the tree (a process called girdling), food cannot be carried to the roots and they will eventually die. As the roots die, so does the tree. Periods of rapid growth, usually from March until June in North America, are the best times to girdle a tree. These spring growth spurts are when tree bark slips. The phloem and cork layer easily peels free, leaving the cambium and xylem exposed. Remove as wide a section of bark as you have time to make an adequate girdle ring. Then scrape (or chop) into the surface of the xylem to remove the cambium. If any cambial material remains, the tree will heal by overgrowing the girdle. The best time to girdle is before the trees leaf out. The process of leafing out will deplete energy stores from the roots, which stores cannot be renewed if the phloem conduit has been interrupted. Avoid the Sprout Some trees are prolific sprouters and produce adventitious twigs near an injury. If you dont remove or kill the entire root, you just may have to control these sprouts. Sprouts coming out below the girdle must be removed as they will continue the process of feeding the roots if left to grow. When you are removing these sprouts, it is a good idea to check the girdled strip and remove any bark and cambium that may be trying to bridge the wound. Even cutting a tree down cant guarantee it will be killed. Many tree species, particularly some deciduous broad-leaf species, will sprout back from the original stump and root system.

Capital Punishment Essay - 3201 Words

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Alissa Kilmer nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Mr. Lenahan†¦show more content†¦The court also said The fundamental respect for humanity underlying the 8th amendment†¦ requires consideration of the character and record of the individual offender and the circumstances of the particular offense as a nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Kilmer 2 constitutionally indispensable part of the process of inflicting the death penalty. The main concern was class that the unemployed were the majority of the population receiving the ultimate sentence of death, fifty percent of the blacks and forty-four percent of the whites that were on death row were unemployed (Johnson, 520-521). The case of Gregg v. Georgia established that the Death Penalty was not unconstitutional (Albers 468). nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The death penalty was born with the hanging of George Kendall in Jamestown County, Virgina in 1608; its legality was not even brought into question until about two- hundred and fifty years later. In the beginning there were quite a few different methods of carrying out the death penalty. The different ways of executing an individual were, lethal injection, electrocution, poisonous gas, hanging, and being placed in front of a firing squad. Seven hundred and seventy-seven individuals have been killed since theShow MoreRelated Capital Punishment1099 Words   |  5 Pages Capital Punishment Murder, a common occurrence in American society, is thought of as a horrible, reprehensible atrocity. Why then, is it thought of differently when the state government arranges and executes a human being, the very definition of premeditated murder? Capital punishment has been reviewed and studied for many years, exposing several inequities and weaknesses, showing the need for the death penalty to be abolished. Upon examination, one finds capital punishment to be economically weakRead MoreCapital Punishment1137 Words   |  5 Pagescorresponding punishments. Among all penalties, capital punishment is considered to be the most severe and cruelest one which takes away criminal’s most valuable right in the world, that is, right to live. It is a heated debate for centuries whether capital punishment should be completely abolished world widely. The world seems to have mixed opinion regarding this issue. According to Amnesty International (2010), currently, 97 countries in the world have already abolished capital punishment while onlyRead MoreCapital Punishment1786 Words   |  8 PagesCapital Punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the toughest form of punishment enforced today in the United States. According to the online Webster dictionary, capital punishment is defined as â€Å"the judicially ordered execution of a prisoner as a punishment for a serious crime, often called a capital offence or a capital crime† (1). In those jurisdictions that practice capital punishment, its use is usually restricted to a small number of criminal offences, principallyRead More Capital Punishment1898 Words   |  8 PagesCapital Punishment Imagine your heart suddenly beginning to race as you hear a judge give you a death sentence and then you’re quickly carried away in chains as your family sobs as they realize that they will no longer be able to see you. As you sit in your cell you begin to look back at your life and try to see where you went wrong to end up in jail waiting to carry out a death sentence, and at the same time know that you are an innocent waiting to be heard. This same scenario repeatsRead MoreCapital Punishment1276 Words   |  6 Pagesbroken to get the death penalty, increased murder rates and wrongful accusations. There are many different views of the death penalty. Many different religions have their own views of the death penalty. In Hinduism, if the king does not inflict punishment on those worthy to be punished the stronger would roast the weaker like fish on a spit. In the religion of Jainism, mostly all of their followers are abolitionists of the death penalty which means that they oppose of it. Infact, this religionRead More Capital Punishment Essay: Retain Capital Punishment?696 Words   |  3 PagesCapital Punishment - Retain or Not?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay tangles with the question of whether or not we should retain the death penalty within the American code of penal law.    There is a feeling of frustration and horror that we experience at the senseless and brutal crimes that too frequently disrupt the harmony of society. There is pain which accompanies the heartfelt sympathy that we extend to the victims families who, in their time of suffering, are in need of the support and compassionRead MoreCapital Punishment2506 Words   |  11 PagesCapital Punishment and the Death Penalty Capital punishment exist in today’s society as citizens of the United States should we have the right to take an individual life. As illustrated throughout numerous of studies the death penalty is an unfair process seven out of ten deaths handed down by the state courts from 1973 to 1995 were overturned when appeal and the seven percent were later found to be innocent. Such as the Dobie Williams case which took place July 8, 1984. DobieRead MoreCapital Punishment Is A Legal Punishment1116 Words   |  5 Pageswhat the big deal about Capital Punishment is? According to free dictionary, Capital Punishment is to put to death as a legal punishment (Farlax). Capital Punishment is used worldwide, and is guaranteed to prevent future crime. Capital Punishment is a large controversy in the U.S. but before a personal opinion can be formed, some facts need to be known, such as what it is, where it is used and why it could be good or bad. Well, what is Capital Punishment? Capital Punishment is where a person is executedRead MoreCapital Punishment Is The Ultimate Punishment1704 Words   |  7 Pageswhat would you want from the government if he had killed someone you know? He should receive the capital punishment. The capital punishment is the ultimate punishment given to the precarious crimes. It is the last stage of capital punishment. There are different methods of like hanging, electric chair, lethal injection, firing squad, gas chamber. Murderers and rapist should be given extreme punishment, and they have to pay for their wrongdoing. We can observe crime rates are accelerating day-by-dayRead MoreCapital Punishment And Juvenile Punishment1631 Words   |  7 Pages Capital punishment is the term used when an individual is put to death by the state or government for the commission of a crime. Until recently, juveniles were not exempt from this punishment, however they would generally need to commit a more serious offense compared to their adult counterpart. Then there was the decision ruling the execution of mentally handicapped individuals was unconstitutional, using the 8th amendment as their authority, while taking into account the diminished capacity of

Art History Formal Analysis †Comparison Free Essays

Formal Analysis Paper The pieces Ann Whitley Russell, done by an unknown artist in around 1820 and Lady Frances Knowles, also done by an unknown artist, in the mid-late 17th century are both examples of portraits that portray the sitters in diverse yet insightful ways to viewers. Both Ann Whitley Russell and Lady Frances Knowles are works of art composed of oil paint on canvas. Although these portraits are different, the aspects of space, color, and composition are all important elements that must be considered while comparing the woman in these two pieces. We will write a custom essay sample on Art History Formal Analysis – Comparison or any similar topic only for you Order Now The significant element of space comes into play while analyzing the portrait of Ann Whitley Russell. The figure of Ann Whitley Russell herself is very flat and appears to be two dimensional, rather than three. The two dimensionalism of this portrait says something about the skill level and amount of training that this unknown artist holds; they were most likely self-trained. Since there is a shallow depth of field in this piece the viewer is automatically drawn to the sitter, Ann Whitley Russell, who is positioned in the foreground of this piece. Ann Whitley Russell is illustrated sitting on a chair with a decorative cloth draped over the left arm, which is positioned in the middle ground of the portrait. The background is monochrome, blurry and is indistinguishable to make out other than the column to the side of the portrait. The column looks as if the artist based it on Greek and Roman architecture due to its rounded appearance and indented texture. These columns would have been found in Europe throughout the early to mid eighteen hundreds, which was around the same time that this portrait was created. By including this type of column in the background the artist may be trying to portray the sitter, Ann Whitley Russell, as someone who is elite, wealthy and privileged enough to live in a place where this type of architecture exists. Although the artist made this column visible, it is still impossible to detect a specific setting in the background of this portrait. Furthermore, although the significance of the element of space also effects how viewers perceive the portrait of Lady Frances Knowles it does so in a different way. The viewer is automatically drawn to the center of this piece, which is the vivid three-dimensional figure of the sitter, Lady Frances Knowles. While studying the portrait Lady Frances Knowles I was able to detect a clear distinguishable foreground, middle ground and background. The artist positions the sitter in the foreground of the piece sitting on a stone bench with one arm resting upon the ledge of a stone fountain which is positioned in the middle ground. The stone fountain in the middle ground which has a statue of a Roman mythological winged figure attached has water flowing down from it and appears to be solid in space and volumetric due to this. The statue of a winged figure appears to be an angel, which is a symbol of love, peace, and protection. The background of this piece has trees with flowering leaves which may be where the flowers upon the lap of Lady Frances Knowles and the bench she is sitting on came from. The background seems to be slightly shallower compared to the sitter who is lifelike and three-dimensional. The background is less defined than the sitter is however the trees, fountain and flowers are distinguishable and give evidence that she must be sitting somewhere outside. The artist may have positioned the sitter somewhere outside in order to show the importance of nature and natural beauty because the sitter herself is so naturally beautiful. The artist of Lady Frances Knowles and of Ann Whitley Russell both use space to visually demonstrate what type of person the sitter is in the portrait, even though the way the space is represented is different in both. Another very important aspect that must be considered during the analysis of the portrait of Ann Whitley Russell is color. In this portrait the artist tends to use a narrow array of colors that are bland and monotonous. The artist uses the same colors of black, white, brown, grey and red throughout the entire piece. The background is incredibly dull and the shades of brown get darker as it moves further away from her head. In this portrait the red is only bright and exciting color, it is found used for the plain velvet looking chair, the red accents on the cloth draped over the chair, the stone in the center of her necklace and the thin line of lipstick on Ann Whitley Russell’s lips. The black of the sitters dress contrasts her pale white skin and due to the incredibly dull background color more attention is given to her. By using these colors the artist shows how although Ann Whitley Russell is a woman of great wealth, she is a plain woman and instead of embellishing her with vibrant colors he focused on maintaining the sitters true essence. Additionally, while analyzing the portrait of Lady Frances Knowles the importance of color is also used however it is to express different meanings. It is easy to see that the artist of this piece finds color very important due to the vast color pallet he uses in order to contrast the colors of the sitters dress and her skin tones. The pallet consists of a diverse amount of blue, white, pink, red, grey, brown, and black shades, which are used to illustrate the sitter and her surroundings. The artist uses flowing brush strokes to engage viewers in Lady Frances Knowles, a strong example of these brush strokes can be seen in the sitters long brown flowing hair that she is trying to show off. The background of the portrait, which contains a variety of red and pink accents against a darker black background, deeply contrasts the white and pink shades of the sitters skin tone and the shades of blue on the sitters dress. Shadowing is used on the skirt and sleeves of the sitters dress to create realistic folds and wrinkles in the expensive fabric. The shades of red and pink are used for the flowers held by and surrounding Lady Frances Knowles, and are emblems representing femininity, beauty and fertility. The artists use color in contrasted ways in the portraits of Lady Frances Knowles and Ann Whitley Russell in order to illustrate the sitter’s unique personal attributes. The aspect of composition is one of great value while discussing the portrait of Ann Whitley Russell. Ann Whitley Russell’s figure takes up the majority of the piece and viewers are pulled into the portrait by the way the sitter’s head is slightly tilted in a contrapposto pose causing her gaze to fall upon us. The way the artist positioned the sitter with both of her arms resting over one of the arms of the chair seems uncomfortable and awkward, however this may have been seen as a proper way of sitting in 1820. Ann Whitley Russell’s portrait is a half body portrait from the waist up rather than a full body portrait that would have been more expensive at the time. The artist also focuses on the importance of lines by making them very defined so the viewer is able to depict where everything is easily. Due to the blurred and empty space in the background the sitter appears to be placed in an empty environment the artist may have done as to draw more attention to the subject (the sitter). Moreover, while analyzing the use of composition again in the Lady Frances Knowles portrait it is evident that it’s use is different. The artist gains the viewers full attention by the way the sitters face is held up gently by her hand and her soft eyes connect with the gaze of the viewer, drawing us even closer to the work of art. The way the artist positioned the sitter looks as if the sitter is going to get up at any moment due to how comfortable and relaxed her position is. The figure is directly centered with the background however her arm resting on the edge of the fountain on the side brings the main focus from herself to the intricate fountain. The background of the portrait is cluttered and the brush strokes are heavy and dark so the viewer will keep their focus on the sitter rather than the background. The proportions of the sitter in the portrait are accurate and almost entire the body of the sitter is portrayed, showing how she is willing to pay more for something more elegant. The artists for Ann Whitley Russell and Lady Frances Knowles both communicate diverse and very distinct characteristics about the sitter to viewers through the use of composition. After analyzing both of these portraits in excessive detail I have found that although they are unique in a variety of ways, both artists concentrations of work are the same. Some contrasts between the two portraits are that Ann Whitley Russell is two dimensional with a bland color pallet and is a half body portrait; while Lady Frances Knowles is three dimensional with a broad expanse of a color pallet and it is almost a full body portrait. The use of the elements space, color, and composition all influenced how the artists created the portraits of Ann Whitley Russell and Lady Frances Knowles and the themes within them. The unknown artist of the Ann Whitley Russell portrait used all three elements in order to illustrate how the sitter is a simple woman yet wealthy and elite as well. In the portrait of Lady Frances Knowles the artist, who is also unknown, uses these aspects to portray the natural beauty, femininity and wealth. Both themes are similar because they relate to how both sitters for each portrait aspired to be portrayed by the artists as attractive and wealthy. How to cite Art History Formal Analysis – Comparison, Essay examples

One Stair Up Analysis Essay Example

One Stair Up Analysis Essay Stylistic Analysis of the Text ONE STAIR UP By C. Nairne Nairne Campbell is a Scottish novelist, the author of two books One Stair Up (1932) and Stony Ground (1934), who wrote about Scottish working class families in a realistic manner. The extract from the book â€Å"One Stair Up† by C. Nairne depicts the man and woman who visited a cinema and had different views on the film that they had seen due to their diverse perception. There is also a description of the cinema-world as a pastime of the people from working class. The composition falls in three parts: the way to Rosa and Andrew’s dress circle as a plot, the common expression of the audience about the film and a comic performance as a sequence of events and the characters’ short discussion of the show as a denouement. The type of presentation is author’s narrative. Narrative proper is the narrative compositional form. The vocabulary consists of the neutral words, some colloquials due to the dialogues (e. . : swell kid, chap, chap, hot stuff, cackling, cos, gee, big picture), dialect word Och, barbarisms such as corridor, silhouette, also bookish words such as emerged, glanced, admitted, glared, acquaintances, voluptuous, contemptuous, etc. There are many compound words tea-spoon, bulls-eye, dress . circle, background, pot-plants, rapid-fire, heart-searing, heart-throbs, thrill-thirsty, heart-string, water-butt, mix-up, hard-worked. We will write a custom essay sample on One Stair Up Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on One Stair Up Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on One Stair Up Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Author also uses some word-combinations and phrases sink into stillness, be unaccustomed to smth, to be too funny for words, to be cut short, moved by pity, to put up with which are direct and indirect in meaning to make the vocabulary more impressive. There are short, one-member and interrupted sentences (â€Å"This a comedy? † â€Å"But if you dont like it —â€Å" ) usually used in dialogues to underline the colloquial character. Onomatopoeia – cackling, whirring, murmur; framing – you couldnt see anybody else, and they couldnt see you; repetition – expanded and expanded, anaphora – It It It was It was It was ; inversion – What a baby he is ; allusion – Peter Pan, Minnie Haha; simile – carpet of some green material that yielded like springing turf; epithets: voluptuous stillness, rapid-fire drama, heart-searing tale, thrill-thirsty young bloods, hot darkness; metaphors: young blood, hot stuff, region of luxury, shower of stars, metonymy: audience got up and pushed out to the exits; synecdoche: faces glared at them, faces moved together. The author’s style is florid, over-abused of epithets, emotional, emotive, sometimes energetic, sometimes pathetic. He uses protagonists stream of consciousness to depict the characters. He doesn’t judge the figures by himself, but deliberately by the vivid description of their actions. C. Nairne wanted to show the conflict in society of that time through Rosa who desired to be one step up the other people, but indeed was the same girl from the working-class family in Edinburg.

Ways to Say Thank You in Spanish

Ways to Say Thank You in Spanish Chances are that one of the first words you learned in Spanish is gracias, the most common way to say thanks or thank you. Gracias is, of course, a useful word and should top any list of words Spanish students should learn. How To Use Gracias, a  Word for Thanks If you wish to indicate what youre giving thanks for, use the preposition por to mean for: Gracias por el regalo, which means thank you for the gift. If you want to say thank you very much, you can use muchas gracias or even muchà ­simas gracias. Also common is mil gracias, literally a thousand thanks. As you might guess, gracias is closely connected with- technically, its a cognate- the English word grace. The connection can be seen most easily if you remember that giving a prayer of thanks before a meal is sometimes known as saying grace. Gracia, the singular form of gracias, also has some of the other meanings of grace. Some examples of how gracias can be used: Gracias por ser quien eres. (Thank you for being who you are.)Gracias por tu comprensià ³n. (Thanks for your understanding.)Gracias a las lluvias de este aà ±o hemos podido disfrutar de estas cascadas. (Thanks to this years rains we have been able to enjoy these waterfalls.)Gracias, mi amigo, por todo lo que me das. (Thank you, my friend, for everything you give me.)Sobre todo, te doy las gracias por hacerme muy feliz. (Above all, I give you thanks for making me very happy.)Estas gracias son tambià ©n para todos vosotros. (These thanks are also for all of you.) ¡Un millà ³n de gracias a nuestros patrocinadores! (A million thanks to our sponsors!)Muchas gracias por su solicitud. (Thank you very much for your application.)Te ofrezco mis gracias sinceras. (I offer you my sincere thanks.) Agradecer and Related Words If youve gone beyond learning the basics of Spanish, you also can use the verb agradecer, which is used to express gratitude, appreciation or thanks. Two related words are also in common use: agradecido (grateful, appreciative or thankful) and agradecimiento (appreciation or gratitude). Note that agradecer is irregularly conjugated if youre speaking about yourself in the present tense. So agradezco is the form to use to say something such as I am grateful or I appreciate. Following the conjugation pattern of conocer, it is also irregular in some other forms youre less likely to use. Te agradezco el regalo. (I appreciate the gift.)Me siento agradecido (agradecida if youre female) por el regalo. (I feel grateful for the gift.)Estoy agradecido (agradecida if youre female) por el regalo. (I am grateful for the gift.)Quizs no estaban agradecidos por el favor que hice por ellos. (Perhaps they never appreciated the favor that you did for them.)Les agradecemos por su donacià ³n para los nià ±os. (We appreciate your donation for the children.)Me dijo que me agradecà ­a mucho por el fin de semana. (She told me that she was grateful to me for the weekend.)Los propietarios merecen muchos agradecimientos por su generosidad. (The owners deserve much appreciation for their generosity.)Es importante que cada familia cree una cultura de agradecimiento. (Is it important that each family create a culture of gratitude.)

Battle of the Saintes in the American Revolution

Battle of the Saintes in the American Revolution Battle of the Saintes - Conflict Dates: The Battle of the Saintes was fought April 9-12, 1782, during the American Revolution (1775-1783). Fleets Commanders British Admiral Sir George RodneyRear Admiral Samuel Hood36 ships of the line French Comte de Grasse33 ships of the line Battle of the Saintes - Background: Having won a strategic victory at the Battle of the Chesapeake in September 1781, Comte de Grasse took his French fleet south to the Caribbean where it aided in the capture of St. Eustatius, Demerary, St. Kitts, and Montserrat. As the spring of 1782 progressed, he made plans to unite with a Spanish force before sailing to capture British Jamaica. Grasse was opposed in these operations by a smaller British fleet led by Rear Admiral Samuel Hood. Aware of the danger posed by the French, the Admiralty dispatched Admiral Sir George Rodney with reinforcements in January 1782. Arriving at St. Lucia in mid-February, he was immediately concerned about the scope of British losses in the area. Uniting with Hood on the 25th, he was equally disturbed by condition and supply situation of his compatriots vessels. Shifting stores to compensate for these deficiencies, Rodney deployed his forces to intercept French reinforcements and box de Grasse into Martinique. Despite these efforts, some additional French ships reached de Grasses fleet at Fort Royal. On April 5, the French admiral sailed with 36 ships of the line and steered for Guadeloupe where he intended to board additional troops. Battle of the Saintes - Opening Moves: Pursuing with 37 ships of the line, Rodney caught up to the French on April 9, but fitful winds prevented a general engagement. Instead a minor battle was fought between Hoods van division and the rearmost French ships. In the fight, Royal Oak (74 guns), Montagu (74), and Alfred (74) were damaged, while the French Caton (64) took a heavy battering and steered away for Guadeloupe. Using a freshening wind, the French fleet drew away and both sides took April 10 to rest and repair. Early on April 11, with a strong wind blowing, Rodney signaled general chase and resumed his pursuit. Spotting the French the next day, the British bore down on a French straggler forcing de Grasse to turn to defend it. As the sun set, Rodney expressed confidence that the battle would be renewed the next day. With dawn breaking on April 12, the French were sighted a short distance away as the two fleets maneuvered between the northern end of Dominica and Les Saintes. Ordering line ahead, Rodney turned the fleet to head north-northeast. As Hoods van division had been battered three days earlier, he directed his rear division, under Rear Admiral Francis S. Drake, to take the lead. Battle of the Saintes - The Fleets Engage: Leading the British line, HMS Marlborough (74), Captain Taylor Penny, opened the battle around 8:00 AM when he approached the center of the French line. Easing north to remain parallel with the enemy, the ships of Drakes division passed the remaining length of de Grasses line as the two sides exchanged broadsides. Around 9:00 AM, Drakes rearmost ship, HMS Russell (74), cleared the end of the French fleet and hauled wind. While Drakes ships had taken some damage, they had inflicted a severe battering on the French. As the battle progressed, the strong winds of the previous day and night began to temper and became more variable. This had a dramatic effect on the next stage of the fight. Opening fire around 8:08 AM, Rodneys flagship, HMS Formidable (98), engaged the French center. Deliberately slowing, it engaged de Grasses flagship, Ville de Paris (104), in a protracted fight. As the winds lightened, a smoky haze descended on the battle impeding visibility. This, along with the wind shifting to the south, caused the French line to separate and bear to the west as it could not hold its course into the wind. The first to be affected by this shift, Glorieux (74) quickly was pounded and dismasted by British fire. In quick succession, four French ships fell afoul of each other. Sensing an opportunity, Formidable turned to starboard and brought its port guns to bear on these ships. Piercing the French line, the British flagship was followed by five of its comrades. Slicing through the French in two places, they hammered de Grasses ships. To the south, Commodore Edmund Affleck also grasped the opportunity and led the rearmost British ships through the French line inflicting significant damage. Battle of the Saintes - Pursuit: With their formation shattered and their ships damaged, the French fell away to the southwest in small groups. Collecting his ships, Rodney attempted to redeploy and make repairs before pursuing the enemy. Around midday, the wind freshened and the British pressed south. Quickly capturing Glorieux, the British caught up to the French rear around 3:00 PM. In succession, Rodneys ships captured CÃ ©sar (74), which later exploded, and then Hector (74) and Ardent (64). The final capture of the day saw the isolated Ville de Paris overwhelmed and taken along with de Grasse. Battle of the Saintes - Mona Passage: Breaking off the pursuit, Rodney remained off Guadeloupe until April 18 making repairs and consolidating his fleet. Late that day, he dispatched Hood west to attempt to head off those French ships which had escaped the battle. Spotting five French ships near the Mona Passage on April 19, Hood captured Ceres (18), Aimable (30), Caton, and Jason (64). Battle of the Saintes - Aftermath: Between the engagements of April 12 and 19, Rodneys forces captured seven French ships of the line as well as a frigate and sloop. British losses in the two fights totaled 253 killed and 830 wounded. French losses numbered around 2,000 killed and wounded and 6,300 captured. Coming on the heels of the defeats at Chesapeake and the Battle of Yorktown as well as the territorial losses in the Caribbean, the victory at the Saintes helped to restore British morale and reputation. More immediately, it eliminated the threat to Jamaica and provided a springboard for reversing the losses in the region. The Battle of the Saintes is generally remembered for the innovative breaking of the French line. Since the battle, there has been great debate as to whether Rodney ordered this maneuver or his fleet captain, Sir Charles Douglas. In the wake of the engagement, both Hood and Affleck were highly critical of Rodneys pursuit of the French on April 12. Both felt that a more vigorous and protracted effort could have led to the capture of 20 French ships of the line.