“Living Off the Grid”
Listen: What’s that sound? It’s nothing! No cars honking, no TVs or electronics, no neighbors talking. If you live off the grid, all you will hear is the sound of silence.
Many people like the idea of living out in the middle of nowhere. You do not have to worry about traffic, crime, or the noise of city life. You can grow your own food and raise animals. You can use natural sources of energy like solar power. However, some people do not want to give up their modern conveniences. Instead of getting water from a faucet, you will have to draw it from a well. Instead of using the restroom, you will have to use an outhouse. You probably won’t have access to the Internet or the TV. And forget about having pizza for dinner, unless you want to drive a long way to get it!
Jessica and Dominique are talking about living off the grid. Find out what they think in this English lesson.
Jessica: So, my aunt and uncle actually live off the grid, which is really intriguing. I’ve always been fascinated by it, and I don’t know, I think it would be really cool to do.
Dominique: Word of advice: Don’t do it. I was sort of living off the grid, and if you need the Internet, if you like hot water, if you like solar power anything… you have the sun, but, I mean… no.
Jessica: Well, it’s not like they have an outhouse, or they’re using well water when they cook. They actually are hooked up to the city’s power and the sewer system, so it doesn’t seem that bad.
Dominique: OK. I had to drive an hour and fifteen minutes to get to Costco.
Jessica: Oh my gosh.
Dominique: Imagine buying ice cream and having to drive back.
Jessica: I understand wanting modern conveniences, but it’s almost like camping, in a sense. It sounds like you really like your creature comforts.
Dominique: I hate camping. Not for me.
Jessica: Oh, I love it! You’re under the stars, and you’re out in the middle of nowhere. Nobody can bother you.
Dominique: Animals, bugs… not for me.
Jessica: I think it sounds really cool.
Jessica is talking about her aunt and uncle, who live off the grid. She thinks the idea is very interesting. She would like to learn more about it. Dominique warns her that living off the grid is not fun. She used to live out in the country and hated having to drive hours to get groceries. She also disliked being without hot water and using an outhouse. Dominique thinks that living off the grid is just not for her.
Jessica understands that it would be hard to live without technology, but she still thinks living out in the country would be fun. It would be a lot like camping, which she loves. However, Dominique hates camping. She is happy with her life in the city.
Do you want to try living off the grid? What are your favorite creature comforts?
Jessica says living off the grid “doesn’t seem that bad.” She uses an adjective.
Adjectives are words that describe nouns and pronouns, for example, pretty, happy, ugly, or smart. Adjectives usually come before the noun, as in, “That was a scary movie!”
Adjectives can follow a copular verb like be, seem, appear, feel, and others. In these sentences, the adjective still describes the noun, not the verb. For example, in the sentence, “Your baby is very cute,” the adjective still modifies the subject of the sentence (your baby), not the verb (is).
Remember, unlike in some other languages, adjectives have only one form in English. They don’t have a singular and plural form or a masculine and feminine form. For instance, you wouldn’t say, “Those girls are beautifuls.” Even though there is more than one girl, you’d still say, “Those girls are beautiful.” Adjectives look the same no matter what noun they describe.
Adjectives are also used to describe how someone feels. These adjectives often end in “ed,” like excited and pleased. Adjectives of emotion often follow the verb “to be.” For example, “Robert is excited to see the new Star Wars movie.”
When Jessica says, “It doesn’t seem that bad,” she uses a copular verb, seem. We can tell that she is describing the pronoun it, not the verb. Since it refers to living off the grid, we can tell that she is saying that living off the grid doesn’t seem bad... it seems OK to her!
Which is correct, “I am happy today,” or, “I happy am today”?