Friday, August 16 - AM Fluency

Discussion began today on what may seem like an unlikely topic: birth-control pills. Last class, some students called into question the safety of birth-control pills. I presented the class with an argument as to why birth-control pills are indeed safe. After a lengthy discussion that involved defining terms and qualifying positions, we could more or less all agree with the following: birth-control pills are generally safe, but like all medications, they may have side effects for some; moreover, birth-control pills are not right for everyone. 

We then finished the article explaining some reasons why English is difficult to learn. We discussed idioms, phrasal verbs, and the strange–and sometimes ridiculous–ways in which some English words are spelled. Along the way, we had some fun comparing English grammar rules to grammar rules in other countries.