One of the things I consider myself most fortunate for is my ability to travel and the experiences I've had while traveling. When I was young I would get excited to travel just about anywhere. I remember being quite inquisitive about the bus the first time that my father took me on public transportation even though we were only headed to the mechanic to pick up his car. The train elicited similar feelings from me the first time I rode it into Manhattan. When I was six I was excited to go to Detroit, although the majority of that excitement may have been attributed to going on an airplane for the first time. In fact, I experienced two new modes of transportation on this trip, the second being a sailboat which consequently resulted in another new experience for me: sea-sickness. My trip to California at eight years old was exponentially more exciting than Michigan had been because I got to visit Disneyland and Sea World. At ten years old I was transported to Bermuda by the largest vessel I had boarded to that point, The Celebrity Zenith (a cruise ship). I was introduced to tropical species of fish and water that was clear to the bottom no matter how deep it was; something I had never experienced at Jones Beach. Studying abroad in Spain in college introduced me to a myriad of new cultures and experiences I had never imagined. My most recent adventure took place in a Volkswagon Eos alongside my older sister and multiple empty coffee cups. This trip across eleven states from New York to California was, perhaps, the most special of them all as we got to know this country which we call home, as well as each other.
Do you like to travel? If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? Would you go somewhere nearby or somewhere far away? Why?
Vocabulary List:
inquisitive: (adj.) curious
elicit: (n.) bring forth; bring out;
majority: (n.) most
attribute: (v.) because of; due to
consequently: (adv.) as a result
exponentially: (adv.) much more
vessel: (n.) boat; form of transportation
myriad: (n.) many; variety
board: (v.) to get on
multiple: (adj.) more than one
perhaps: (adv.) maybe; possibly
Vocabulary Exercise:
Fill in the blank with the vocabulary word that best completes the sentence.
1. The store sells a ______ of different products.
2. Our flight was delayed so we had to wait three hours to ______ the plane.
3. The young child was very ________ about all the new animals he saw at the zoo.
4. In the desert it is very dry the _______ of the time.
5. She jumped over the fence and _______ broke her ankle.
6. When the students did not do well on the exam the teacher thought ______ they did not study.
7. The smell of baking cookies always ______ good memories of being home for the holidays.
8. The size of the flames grew ______ when they added gasoline to the fire.
9. I have _____ sweaters, but they are all different colors.
10. The _____ hit an iceberg and sank to the ocean floor.
Grammar Point:
Adjectives are describing words. They help the reader to imagine, or picture, what the author is writing about. Write 5 sentences about where you would choose to travel using as many adjectives as possible so that your reader can picture what you are describing.
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