Learn the story behind the stories of Middle Earth
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings delight book and movie lovers alike. These great stories sprang from the mind of one man – J.R.R. Tolkien.
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in 1892. He spent much of his childhood in the beautiful English countryside. He enjoyed studying and learning languages from a young age. And his mother taught him the strong Christian faith that he believed his whole life.
But Tolkien’s early life was also touched by tragedy. His father died when Tolkien was 4. Then Tolkien’s mother passed away when he was 12.
Love, War and Studies
As a teenager, Tolkien fell in love with a girl named Edith Bratt. But his guardian forbade him to contact her until he turned 21. Tolkien obeyed and focused on school. But he didn’t forget Edith, and he contacted her on his 21st birthday. His patience paid off. They were married in 1916.
Grammar Gym
"These great stories sprang from the mind of one man – J.R.R. Tolkien."
sprang
spring: to appear
- Mandy sprang through the doorway to show us her new outfit.
- The pond was nice and quiet, but all of a sudden some ducks sprang out of nowhere and the whole place became noisy.
Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Avoiding the D-word
Last month we talked about a euphemism for dismissing someone, "letting someone go". Let's take a look at another popular euphemism, "passing away".
Passing away is just one of many euphemisms for the D-word. Others include "having gone home", "having gone to meet one's maker", "having departed", or "being in a better place".
Now, besides "pass away", we can also use "pass on", but don't say "pass out". That means something else.
Right! Pass out means to faint and become unconscious. So why all the euphemisms for death?
Well, sometimes saying "he died" is just too blunt, and people will use "he passed away" as a more sensitive way to say the same thing.
You know, that's especially true in Chinese culture, which has an abundance of euphemisms.
That's true, Ken. I know that Chinese people are particularly sensitive to any mentioning of death and to say "he died" is very blunt and can sound harsh. But unlike the Chinese, a lot of westerners don't mind speaking about it. Yes, they feel it is a serious matter but no euphemism is needed.
I agree. But there are always some people who prefer a euphemism, especially the family of the deceased.
And especially on occasions, such as a funeral.
euphemism n.
/ˈju:fəˌmɪzəm/
a mild or pleasant word or phrase that is used instead of one that is unpleasant or offensive
Language Lab
delight v.
to make (someone) very happy : to give (someone) great pleasure or satisfaction
- The football team's victory at the state final delighted the whole town.
delight n.
a strong feeling of happiness : great pleasure or satisfaction
- Hanna takes great delight in taking care of her grandchildren.
childhood n.
the period of time when a person is a child [noncount]
-hood noun suffix
state : condition : quality
- Sean had a happy childhood.
- The novel is full of the author's fond childhood memories.
- The artist's childhood home was turned into a museum.
tragedy n.
a very bad event that causes great sadness and often involves someone's death [count];
a very sad, unfortunate, or upsetting situation : something that causes strong feelings of sadness or regret
- It was a tragedy that this great athlete lost her leg in a car accident.
- Nathan never enjoys tragedies.
tragic adj.
causing strong feelings of sadness usually because someone has died in a way that seems very shocking, unfair, etc.
involving very sad or serious topics
- The movie is about a boy's tragic childhood.
guardian n.
/ˈgɑɚdijən/
someone or something that watches or protects something — often + of
guard v.
a person whose job or duty is to watch and protect someone or something
-ian noun suffix
: someone or something that belongs to
- The hospital needs the guardian's consent before operating on the child.
- These reporters see themselves as guardians of truth.
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