He laughed. Then he stamped a form. “Congratulations. You’ll get your certificate in the mail.”
Grant Taylor hadn’t taught her how to order coffee or what a casserole was. But he had given her the bones. He had given her the simple past, the prepositions, the difference between “a” and “the.”
Easy. Chapter 4 (“Homes and Cities”).
She opened the binder to the last page. At the very bottom, below the final exercise, she penciled in a new sentence: Today, I became a citizen. The world is not a textbook. But I am learning.
She smiled. Not a practiced, textbook smile. A real one. “Yes,” she said. “A delicious casserole.”
But Chicago was not Grant Taylor’s world. Chicago was a place where the barista said, “Hey, what’ll it be, hon?” and Marina’s mind would freeze. Hon? That wasn’t in Chapter 12 (“Family and Friends”). The correct response, according to page 87, was, “I would like a cup of coffee, please.” But the line behind her groaned, and she’d squeak out, “Coffee. Small.” Failure.
He laughed. Then he stamped a form. “Congratulations. You’ll get your certificate in the mail.”
Grant Taylor hadn’t taught her how to order coffee or what a casserole was. But he had given her the bones. He had given her the simple past, the prepositions, the difference between “a” and “the.” Learning-american-english-grant-taylor-pdf
Easy. Chapter 4 (“Homes and Cities”). He laughed
She opened the binder to the last page. At the very bottom, below the final exercise, she penciled in a new sentence: Today, I became a citizen. The world is not a textbook. But I am learning. You’ll get your certificate in the mail
She smiled. Not a practiced, textbook smile. A real one. “Yes,” she said. “A delicious casserole.”
But Chicago was not Grant Taylor’s world. Chicago was a place where the barista said, “Hey, what’ll it be, hon?” and Marina’s mind would freeze. Hon? That wasn’t in Chapter 12 (“Family and Friends”). The correct response, according to page 87, was, “I would like a cup of coffee, please.” But the line behind her groaned, and she’d squeak out, “Coffee. Small.” Failure.