Writing - 25 simple ways to make your life happier

Perhaps there’s no such person in the world, who wouldn’t like to be happy. We all aim at it, but not everyone succeeds. Today, I present to you 25 ways to make your life at least a little bit happier.

25 simple ways to make your life happier

1. Massage. Who wouldn’t mind receiving a pleasant massage? No matter whether it’s performed by a professional or by your spouse, gentle touches make everyone feel happy and good. Especially if it concerns women, who like massages most of all.
2. Talking with friends. When you talk to somebody who understands you very well and who can support you and help you whenever you need – this is true happiness.
3. Walking. You need to spend time outdoors at least an hour a day. Walking outdoors can greatly improve your mood, helps you to keep fit and remain healthy, thus making you a little bit happier.
4. Music. You should listen to music everyday. It can be classics or just a slow and calming melody, which will help you to relax and feel good.
5. Avoid negativeness. Stop thinking only of bad things, get rid of your fears, try to be an optimist. Avoid negative topics for discussing. Don’t watch bad news on TV all the time. All this can make you depressed and not happy at all.
6. Relaxing bath. Prepare a relaxing bath with rose petals and oils (if you want). Giving a little relaxation to your body will make you feel much happier.
7. Meditation, as with other relaxation practices, raises the level of your energy. Try to meditate at least once a day. It’s also very useful to meditate when out in the nature.
8. Shopping. Women love it! But it can be a good thing for men as well. I’m not talking only of clothes, everything counts. Don’t you like to buy something new for yourself? We all like it, don’t we?
9. Dancing. Any kind of dancing is a great thing to raise your mood, express your sexuality, and become happier.
10. Yoga. Yoga practice can soothe your mind and give you more energy. Doing it regularly can be a great step to a happier life.
11. Providing help. No matter how strange it may seem, helping others is a great way to become happier. When doing this you feel positiveness inside you. You know that you’re doing something good.
12. Reading. Read a good book. It’s especially useful to read stories about people’s lives. Studying their fate, you can better understand your own personality.
13. Cooking. It’s a good thing when done together with your beloved. Doing something together will help you both to feel happier.
14. Home. It’s not only a place where you sleep, it;s where you spend most of your time, you relax there, bring up your kids, etc. So do something for your home. Make it as comfortable and nice as you can.
15. Plans. Making plans for your future is a powerful thing. There are no guarantees that all of them will be fulfilled, but the more you plan the bigger are the chances that you’ll succeed in your life.
16. Picnic. Go on a picnic with your family or friends. Spend some time outdoors, enjoying nature, breathing fresh air, having fun.
17. Water is a great generator of a good mood. Starting with a bath or a shower and ending with pools, lakes or seas – this is a great way to relax, feel happy and enjoy your life.
18. Physical activity will not only help you to keep fit and remain healthy but will also improve your mood and will help you to get rid of stress.
19. Healthy lifestyle. Bad habits negatively influence your life. And it’s not only smoking, it may be laziness, spending too much time watching TV, etc. And believe me, if you’re not healthy you are far from being happy.
20. Diary. Keeping a diary will help you to analyze yourself, your failures and success, your relationship, work, etc. It’s a great way to understand yourself.
21. Personal photos. Having a photo album is a great way to recollect on life, think of the happiest moments, thus being happy right now.
22. Love. Yeah, love hurts, but it also gives wings. If you love and you’re loved, then you’re the happiest person is the world, aren’t you?
23. Staying alone. Spend some time alone. It’s a good chance to think over your problems, to analyze your work, make plans for the future.
24. Kids. What can be better than watching your kids grow, playing with them and making them smile and laugh? Isn’t it true happiness?
25. Dignity. Be sure of your uniqueness, only then you’ll find your place in this world.

Remember, happiness isn’t a myth. It’s just all up to you. You build your own fate… and only YOU can do it.

Source: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/25-simple-ways-to-make-your-life-happier.html

Task 6 - Definition of Relative Clause and Examples

Relative clauses

What is a relative clause?

(See a list of all the exercises about relative clauses here).

We can use relative clauses to join two English sentences, or to give more information about something.

I bought a new car. It is very fast.
→ I bought a new car that is very fast.

She lives in New York. She likes living in New York.
→ She lives in New York, which she likes.

Defining and Non-defining

A defining relative clause tells which noun we are talking about:

• I like the woman who lives next door.
  (If I don't say 'who lives next door', then we don't know which woman I mean).

A non-defining relative clause gives us extra information about something. We don't need this information to understand the sentence.

• I live in London, which has some fantastic parks.
  (Everybody knows where London is, so 'which has some fantastic parks' is extra information).

Defining relative clauses:

1: The relative pronoun is the subject:

First, let's consider when the relative pronoun is the subject of a defining relative clause.

We can use 'who', 'which' or 'that'. We use 'who' for people and 'which' for things. We can use 'that' for people or things.

The relative clause can come after the subject or the object of the sentence. We can't drop the relative pronoun.

For example (clause after the object of the sentence):

• I'm looking for a secretary who / that can use a computer well.
• She has a son who / that is a doctor.
• We bought a house which / that is 200 years old.
• I sent a letter which / that arrived three weeks later.

More examples (clause after the subject of the sentence):

• The people who / that live on the island are very friendly.
• The man who / that phoned is my brother.
• The camera which / that costs £100 is over there.
• The house which / that belongs to Julie is in London.

Try an exercise where the relative pronoun is the subject here.

2: The relative pronoun is the object:

Next, let's talk about when the relative pronoun is the object of the clause. In this case we can drop the relative pronoun if we want to. Again, the clause can come after the subject or the object of the sentence. Here are some examples:

(Clause after the object)

• She loves the chocolate (which / that) I bought.
• We went to the village (which / that) Lucy recommended.
• John met a woman (who / that) I had been to school with.
• The police arrested a man (who / that) Jill worked with.

(Clause after the subject)

• The bike (which / that) I loved was stolen.
• The university (which / that) she likes is famous.
• The woman (who / that) my brother loves is from Mexico.
• The doctor (who / that) my grandmother liked lives in New York.

• Try an exercise where the relative pronoun is the object here
• Try an exercise about defining relative clauses, both subject and object here
• Try another exercise about defining relative clauses here

Non-defining relative clauses:

We don't use 'that' in non-defining relative clauses, so we need to use 'which' if the pronoun refers to a thing, and 'who' if it refers to a person. We can't drop the relative pronoun in this kind of clause, even if the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause.

(Clause comes after the subject)

• My boss, who is very nice, lives in Manchester.
• My sister, who I live with, knows a lot about cars.
• My bicycle, which I've had for more than ten years, is falling apart.
• My mother's house, which I grew up in, is very small.

(Clause comes after the object)

• Yesterday I called our friend Julie, who lives in New York.
• The photographer called to the Queen, who looked annoyed.
• Last week I bought a new computer, which I don't like now.
• I really love the new Chinese restaurant, which we went to last night.

Prepositions and relative clauses

If the verb in the relative clause needs a preposition, we put it at the end of the clause:

For example:

• listen to

The music is good. Julie listens to the music.
→ The music (which / that) Julie listens to is good.

• work with

My brother met a woman. I used to work with the woman.
→ My brother met a woman (who / that) I used to work with.

• go to

The country is very hot. He went to the country.
→ The country (which / that) he went to is very hot.

• come from

I visited the city. John comes from the city.
→ I visited the city (that / which) John comes from.

• apply for

The job is well paid. She applied for the job.
→ The job (which / that) she applied for is well paid.

Whose

'Whose' is always the subject of the relative clause and can't be left out. It replaces a possessive. It can be used for people and things.

The dog is over there. The dog's / its owner lives next door.
→ The dog whose owner lives next door is over there.

The little girl is sad. The little girl's / her doll was lost.
→ The little girl whose doll was lost is sad.

The woman is coming tonight. Her car is a BMW.
→ The woman whose car is a BMW is coming tonight.

The house belongs to me. Its roof is very old.
→ The house whose roof is old belongs to me.

Where / when / why

We can sometimes use these question words instead of relative pronouns and prepositions.

I live in a city. I study in the city.

→ I live in the city where I study.
→ I live in the city that / which I study in.
→ I live in the city in which I study.

The bar in Barcelona is still there. I met my wife in that bar.

→ The bar in Barcelona where I met my wife is still there.
→ The bar in Barcelona that / which I met my wife in is still there.
→ The bar in Barcelona in which I met my wife is still there.

The summer was long and hot. I graduated from university in the summer.

→ The summer when I graduated from university was long and hot.
→ The summer that / which I graduated from university in was long and hot.
→ The summer in which I graduated was long and hot.

Source: http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/relative-clauses.html

Task 5 - Exercise 37-39

EXERCISE 37

Relative Clause

1. The last record which produced by this company became a gold record
2. Checking accounts that require a minimum balance are very common now
3. The professor whom you spoke yeterday is not here today
4. John whose grades are the highest in the school has received a scholarship
5. Felipe bought a camera which has three lenses
6. Frank is the man who we are going to nominate for the office or treasurer
7. The doctor is with a patient whose leg was broken in an accident
8. Jane is the women who is going to China next year
9. Janet wants a typewriter that self-corrects
10. The book which i found last week contains some useful information
11. Mr. Bryant whose team has lost the game looks very sad
12. James wrote an article which indicated that he disliked the president
13. The director of the program who graduated from Harvard University is planning retire next year
14. This is the book that i have been looking for all year
15. William whose brother is a lawyer wants to become judge

EXERCISE 38

Relative Clause Reduction

1. George is the man chosen to represent to committeat the convention
2. All the money accepted has already been released
3. The papers on the table belong to Patricia
4. The man brought to the police station confessedto the crime
5. The girl dringking coffe is Mary Allen
6. Jhon's wife, a professor, has written several papers on this subject
7. The man talking to the policeman is my uncle
8. The book on the top shelf is the one that i need
9. The number of students counted is quite hight
10. Leo Evans, a doctor, eats in this restaurant every day

EXERCISE 39

Subjunctive

1. The teacher demanded  the student to leave the room
2. Correct
3. It was very important that we delayed discussion
4. Correct
5. The king decreed the new laws to take effect the following months
6. Correct
7. Correct
8. His father prefers him to attend a different university
9. The faculty stipulated the rule to be abolished
10. She urged us to find another alternative