Dreamer

Have you ever sat on the beach, looked out at the horizon and let your imagination wander? Where did you go?
If I could fly over the sea, then I would soar through the clouds. I would travel until I arrive in my aunt's backyard. She has been in mourning and she needs company. If she were home then I would visit with her and I would convince her to take a trip with me. If she accompanied me, then I would take her to visit every family member around the world. This is the only way I can show her that she is not alone. If I could fly, she would appreciate my visit very much.

Have you ever dreamed of touching the sky?
Have you felt the tender touch of the clouds as they danced around your body?

Many years ago I was able to make this dream a reality. I, along with my husband and cousins, climbed one of the highest snow covered mountain called Cotopaxi in Ecuador. It was a very difficult and dangerous walk but it was worth the effort. At one point, I felt unable to breathe and we rested for a moment. As I sat on a rock, I realized that I was surrounded by clouds.Their touch was light and cool. I reached out into the air but I could not grasp anything. I felt it on my cheeks. Suddenly, the clouds parted and the the view was spectacular. I saw the valley and the land beyond it. I watched as wild horses galloped across it, while others grazed and others played. It was a pristine scene that no one else had seen. It was so peaceful and quiet, that I felt like I was disturbing nature just by watching it.

Have you ever asked who lives among the clouds?
I have always thought of the sky as a very peaceful place. It was the place where souls lived. As a child I would look up at the blue sky and imagined my guardian angel playing peek-a-boo from behind the clouds. When my children were younger, they would look up at the sky and they would imagine seeing animal shapes in the clouds. I guess we all have different visions. ******************************************************
New Vocabulary:

1. different visions: expression meaning not seeing things the same way

2 tender touch: expression meaning soft feeling on one's skin

3 peek-a-boo: A game played with babies where you hide from their view and then suddenly

appear. This causes the baby to laugh.

4 soar: to fly high

5 guardian angel: spirit or angel that protect children from harm (christian view).

6 mourning: period of grief or sorrow after the death of a loved one.

7 pristine: untouched, like new

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Complete the sentences using the new vocabulary:

1. The plane _________above the mountains.

2. The children pray every night to their _______ _________.

3. The little girl laughed when we played _________________ with her.

4. The baby stopped crying when she felt her mother's __________ ___________.

5. The lady was in ___________for many years after the husband died.

6. The new car had arrived in ____________condition.

7. They never agree on anything because they have ________ _________.

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Grammar Point: Conditional clause

Conditional clauses are usually used to express an idea that may or may not real, in the present, past or future mode. Conditional clauses have two parts; the main clause has the auxillay verb, 'would' or 'will', and the subordinate clause has 'if'. Usually the main clause is the consequence of the "if" clause.

Examples:
If I study hard, I will learn English . (present conditional : an event that implies what may happen now)

If she had worn her sneakers, she would not have fallen. (past conditional: an event that could have happened in the past. )

I would go shopping with her, if she arrived on time. (future conditional: en event that may happen in the future.)

In the above readings, conditional clauses and simple past tense are used to answer the highlighted questions. Read the stories over again and find the conditional clauses. See how they give the unrealistic answers an imaginary quality. Then compare it with the story expressed in the simple past tense.

Use one of the highlighted questions and write a story using one or two conditional clauses.

Have Fun!