A Look Back at 2021: Grammar and the Passing Seasons

 

As 2021 comes to an end, we leave behind a wonderful year of English grammar.

This year, we explored many areas – adjectives¹, phrasal verbs, determiners and more.

We also explored many areas of popular culture – films, songs, and even sports.

But one theme stood out this past year: the passing of the seasons.

With the changing seasons – and the passing of days – the Everyday Grammar team explored the connections between grammar and time.

As 2021 comes to an end, let's explore how the passing seasons played an important part in our programming this year.

Spring

With the arrival of Spring in 2021, the Everyday Grammar team wrote about phrasal verbs with the term spring.

Examples included spring on, spring from, and spring up.

All of these phrasal verbs have different meanings. But the central point of that report was to show you how these phrasal verbs – and the noun² spring, the season – carry or suggest the idea of a beginning, growth, movement or change.

Summer

In North America's summer months, we did three reports that had some connection with the season. These included verbs and summer weather, grammar for rest and relaxation³, and grammar for planning summer trips.

In terms of verbs, linking verbs played an important part in the way we taught how to describe summer weather.

These linking verbs included feel, look, and get, as in "It feels humid," "The clouds look scary," or "It's getting hot."

In our grammar and relaxation report, we explored the structure have + a noun phrase, as in "have lunch," "have plans," or "have a blast," meaning to have a lot of fun.

And in our planning summer trips report, we explored how Americans talk about future time – will and be going to.

Autumn

The seasonal⁴ change to autumn, also known as fall, gave the Everyday Grammar team a chance to explore descriptions. Descriptions are important for autumn: It is a time of wonderful colors, cooler temperatures, and tasty seasonal treats.

We explored adjectives, noun phrases and determiners. We taught how to create descriptions of a happy fall day.

Winter

As our year comes to an end, you might wonder about our current season in the United States: winter.

Winter is a time of cold temperatures, grey skies, and yet warm feelings and celebrations such as Christmas and the New Year.

We will end this report with a question for our readers and listeners around the world. If you had to connect the winter season with a subject within grammar, what subject would that be? Why?

The Everyday Grammar team connected spring with phrasal verbs, summer with linking verbs, and fall with adjectives. But what about winter?

Let us know what you think in the comments section of our website. And have a safe, healthy, and happy 2022.

Words in This Story

determiner – n. grammar : a word (such as "a," "the," "some," "any," "my," or "your") that comes before a noun and is used to show which thing is being referred to

theme – n. a particular subject or issue that is discussed often or repeatedly⁵

relaxation – n. a way to rest and enjoy yourself

1 adjectives   

n.形容词( adjective的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We can form nouns from adjectives. 我们可以用形容词来构成名词。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Attributive adjectives precede the noun. 定语形容词位于名词前。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 noun   

n.名词

参考例句：

• What kind of noun is this?这是哪类名词？
• This word is a collective noun.这个词是个集体名词。

3 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。

4 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

5 repeatedly   

adv.重复地，再三地

参考例句：

• The loudspeakers blared the speech repeatedly.扬声器里反复大声地播送那篇演讲。
• He repeatedly beat his foot upon the floor.他反复用脚敲着地板。