The ability to construct a nuanced narrative or complex character in the constrained form of the short story has sometimes been seen as the ultimate test of an author's creativity. Yet during the time when the short story was at its most popular-the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries-even the greatest writers followed strict generic conventions that were far from subtle.

Simple past or present perfect? - Grammar short lessons - 2014 -

This grammar exercise tests your understanding of past simple and present perfect tenses. Complete the following sentences using an appropriate tense form. Each question is followed by two suggested answers. Choose the most appropriate one.

Despite and in spite of - 2014 -

Despite and in spite of mean exactly the same, but despite is more common than in spite of.

Despite and in spite of are prepositions. Both expressions can be followed by a noun or noun-equivalent.

Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness

Michelle was a young single mother when she was kidnapped by a local school bus driver named Ariel Castro. For more than a decade afterward, she endured unimaginable torture at the hand of her abductor. In 2003 Amanda Berry joined her in captivity, followed by Gina DeJesus in 2004. Their escape on May 6, 2013, made headlines around the world. 

The Mother Goose rhymes, such as "The Cat and the Fiddle", "Jack and Jill", "Wee Willie Winkie" and "Little Jack Horner", are the inspiration behind this book. Over 80 samplers are included and all the patterns are illustrated in colour, followed by patterns with step-by-step instructions.