“Drinking Tea for Health”
These days we are surrounded by diet and exercise advice. Every day we hear about a hundred new and alternative ways to get healthy. Every time you turn on the television, some kooky celebrity is telling you about a new exercise routine. Or how to stay hydrated by drinking a new super-water with energy-boosting powers! The health industry is huge, and many people want to profit from it. It’s easy to feel skeptical about all the health foods and fads.
One healthy practice that is not a fad is drinking herbal teas. People have been drinking herbal teas for hundreds of years. Herbal teas can relieve stress, headaches, nausea, sore throats, and can help you sleep. In many cultures, drinking tea is also a way to be social and spend time with family and friends. Spending time with friends also has great health benefits.
Listen as Jordin tells Andy about why she loves drinking herbal teas.
Andy_H: Hey, Jo…Whoa. That’s a lot of tea.
Jordin: Oh, would you like some?
Andy_H: Um, yeah, sure. Um, quick question, Jordin.
Jordin: OK.
Andy_H: Why do you have wha…30 boxes of tea?
Jordin: Well, I really like tea. It’s a nice way for me to stay hydrated, and I have all these different kinds for different health benefits that I want.
Andy_H: Wait, wait, wait. Health benefits?
Jordin: Yeah, like, different herbal teas, different herbs, have different health benefits. Like, Echinacea is really good for boosting your immune system. Or ginger is really good for your digestive system.
Andy_H: OK. Do they have one that, like, treats your, like, broken bones or something? I’m sorry. That’s just…drinking tea for health? That’s kind of weird.
Jordin: Well, I mean, if nothing else it at least keeps you hydrated. And that’s good for your health. But then, also, it’s just a nice routine. I like it a lot.
Andy_H: OK. I mean, I don’t want to negate you or anything. I know that there’s a lot of, you know, alternative, kooky, you know, ways to…
Jordin: It’s not kooky!
Andy_H: I’m…I didn’t mean that. I’m sure these, you know, 30 or so teas can, you know, help you out. I just…I can be skeptical of this… You know what? Why don’t you make me a tea. Let me see if I like it.
Jordin: OK.
Andy asks Jordin why she has, like, 30 boxes of tea. Jordin tells him that she really likes tea. She says that different herbal teas have different health benefits. Echinacea is good for boosting your immune system, and ginger is good for your stomach.
Andy is skeptical. He asks Jordin if any teas are good for healing broken bones. He says drinking tea for health is weird and kooky. Jordin says it’s not kooky! At the very least, drinking tea keeps you hydrated. Andy agrees to try some tea to see if he likes it.
Do you like tea? Do you ever drink tea to help relieve stress or illness?
Articles, Quantifiers, and Determiners
Andy is meeting up with Jordin, and notices that she is drinking tea. He says, “Hey, Jo…Whoa. That’s a lot of tea.” He is using a quantifier.
Articles, quantifiers, and determiners are the little words we use before nouns. When you see the words a, an, and the, you know that a noun will follow them. These words are articles. Words such as each, every, either, neither, much, enough, which, what, some, and any also mark nouns.
Quantifiers come before nouns or noun phrases and tell us how many or how much of something. These words include many, a few, much, a little, plenty, a lot, some, and enough. For example, “There are enough biscuits to go with everyone’s tea,” and, “I saw a couple of horses in the field.”
The words some and any are determiners. They always come before nouns or noun phrases. We use any in negative sentences, for example, “We are not allowed to have any pets in our apartment.” And we use some in affirmative statements, such as, “It is OK to use reference books for some exams.” When used as a determiner, some means certain or specific.
Which is correct, “My friend gave me a beautiful tea set,” or “My friend gave me beautiful tea set”?