Skateboarding
Each week, I will send out some handy tips and useful exercises for adults learning to navigate and use the English language. Please feel free to share this newsletter with friends and colleagues.
Skateboarding was created in the 1950’s in California by a group of surfers who wanted to “ride the waves” on land. Skateboarding gained popularity in the 60’s and 70’s and by the 1980’s kids in California had become troublesome as they discovered the joys of skateboarding in empty pools of vacant houses. Since then, it has gained popularity around the world and created superstars like Tony Hawk.
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Grammar Tip
Prepositions of Direction
This video reviews prepositions of direction and movement:
Use the video to fill in the blanks for the sentences below:
Word bank: Across, On the corner, on, between, next
- The park is ____________ the shopping mall.
- The grocery store is _____________ Main Street and Smith Street.
- The parking lot is __________ the library.
- The bank is _________the grocery store and bakery.
- The hospital and the park are _______ Main Street.
Reading Tip
Skateboarding is more than just cruising around. Skateboarding is a lifestyle. Skateboarding is love. Over the past 60 years Skateboarding went through a kind of evolution.
Continue reading about the full history of skateboarding here: https://www.skatedeluxe.com/blog/en/wiki/skateboarding/history-of-skateboarding/
Vocabulary:
Skateboarding Slang
Slang is when words or phrases are created for or by a specific group or activity.
Let’s look at some common skateboarding slang you will hear in America:
- Deck: The board you stand on.
- Trucks: The metal parts that attach the wheels to the deck.
- Grip tape: The sandpaper-like material on top of the deck.
- Ollie: The basic trick where you jump with the board.
- Pop: The height of your ollie.
- Grind: Sliding on a rail or edge with your trucks.
- Vert: Skateboarding on a vertical ramp.
- Bail: Falling off your board.
- Shred: To skate aggressively.
- Stoked: Excited.
- Bummer: Something disappointing.
- Ripper: A skilled skateboarder.
Learning skateboarding slang can help you communicate with other skaters and understand videos and articles.
Weekly Challenge
The following paragraph is a long run-on sentence. Use your editing skills to rewrite the paragraph correctly. You may change, add, or delete words to rewrite your paragraph.
John got a speeding ticket he was driving through a school zone at 45 kilometers per hour and the speed limit was 25 kilometers per hour he didn’t realize it was the first day of school he wasn’t paying attention and he was upset at the policeman he was rude and would not give him a break.
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