A Closer Read (Unit 04: Music)


LET'S READ ABOUT MUSIC

Reading: Karaoke Tips / Bài đọc: Mẹo hát karaoke

THE KARAOKE ROOM

Tips for first-time singers Welcome to The Karaoke Room in Portland! My name is Jenny, and I am happy you are here! The Karaoke Room is a special place for singing. Here you can sing in your own room. You can sing alone or with friends. It's not hard. I wrote some simple tips for you. If you follow them, then everyone — you and your friends — will have a lot of fun!

[1] Put your heart into it. Choose a song carefully. It should have a lot of emotion. That is important.

[2] Sing the story in the music. Do you sing well? Do you sing poorly? It doesn't matter to your friends. Songs are like stories. So sing your song like you tell a story. Your friends will want to know what happens.

[3] Focus on your friends. Don't sing to the wall because it won't listen. Sing to your friends. Give them a good show, and they will be your biggest fans.

[4] Don't try to be perfect. Do you sometimes sing the wrong words? Well, so what! Your friends won't care. Laugh it off, and they will laugh with you. Then just pick it back up and keep singing.

[5] Don't hurt your voice. If the music is too high or too low, then you can use the computer to change it. Also, you should hold the microphone close to your mouth and keep it there.

[6] Relax. Breathe! You are with your friends. They are cheering for you. So, get up there and just do the best that you can. It will be great! Everybody will have fun.

Reading Skill: Understanding Pronouns

Kỹ năng đọc: Hiểu đại từ
What is a pronoun?

Pronouns replace nouns. We use pronouns to talk about things we already said or know. We use pronouns so that we don't have to say the same noun or name again and again.

Đại từ thay thế cho danh từ. Chúng ta sử dụng đại từ để nói về những điều chúng ta đã nói hoặc biết. Chúng ta sử dụng đại từ để không phải nhắc lại cùng một danh từ hoặc tên nhiều lần.

For example, read this sentence:

Jenny says Jenny wants to sing Jenny's favorite song for all of Jenny's friends when Jenny sees Jenny's friends tonight.

Now read the sentence with pronouns:

Jenny says she wants to sing her favorite song for all of her friends when she sees them tonight.

The second sentence is much easier to read. It uses pronouns. However, what do those words mean? In order to answer the question, you need to understand pronouns. Here are three kinds of pronouns:

Subjective Objective Possessive
I me my, mine
you you your, yours
he him his
she her her, hers
it it its
we us our, ours
you you your, yours
they them their, theirs
who whom whose
What does the pronoun mean?

A pronoun replaces a noun. But which noun? Look for clues to understand the meaning of each pronoun.

The first clue is number.

Singular (1) = I, me, my, mine; you, your, yours; he, him, his; she, her, hers; it, its

Plural (2 or more) = we, us, our, ours; they, them, their, theirs

Examples / Ví dụ:

The students are watching a movie. They will finish soon.

  • They = plural
  • Look back for a plural noun: students
  • They = students

Can you find my textbook for me? I think I left it in the library.

  • it = singular thing
  • Look back for a singular noun that is a thing, not a person.
  • it = textbook
The second clue is gender.

Masculine = he, his, him

Feminine = she, her, hers

Unknown or unimportant = they, them (for both singular and plural)

Examples / Ví dụ:

Maria needs to take her father to his two doctors. She is late.

  • She = feminine gender (but also singular)
  • Look back for a singular feminine noun: Maria
  • She = Maria

There is a new teacher today. Have you met them?

  • them = unknown or unimportant gender
  • Look back for a noun with unknown or unimportant gender: a new teacher
  • them = a new teacher

NOTE: They, them, and their are usually plural, but not always. Sometimes we use these pronouns to talk about one person if their gender is unknown or unimportant.

Tip / Mẹo: Most pronouns follow the nouns that they replace. They are not usually very far apart. To understand the meaning of a pronoun, first look earlier in the sentence or paragraph. Try using the noun in place of the pronoun. Does it make sense? If yes, then the noun and the pronoun are the same person or thing.


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