英语博客(A cup of English):033 Biscuit the mechanical dog

　　Beginners.

The U.S. is definitely a shopping culture. There are so many things to buy, and so many advertisements on television that it is hard to not buy. Unfortunately, my children see the advertisements on television, and think that they need all of the toys. "You have plenty of toys," I say to them all the time. They have toys in their bedrooms, in the lounge 1, and even in the kitchen. But still they think that they need more toys. For Christmas, Domini, my daughter, got a huge, mechanical dog called Biscuit. She had begged me for it. Well, perhaps it wasn't a good idea. The toy is amazing, though. It makes all kinds of noises; it sits and lies down, moves its paws and tail, and even pants. However, Biscuit's magic must have disappeared because the kids don't play with it at all. They did for two or three days. Now it is in a corner with other unwanted toys. Perhaps I should wrap it up and save it for another child's birthday.

Grammar notes.

Useful expressions: It is hard to (not) .... exs. It is hard to say "no"; it is hard to not laugh; it is hard to drive at night; it is hard to not get angry.

Perhaps it wasn't the best idea. More exs. Perhaps, it was for the best. Perhaps it wasn't the right time. Perhaps it was a mistake.

Verbs: To beg (reg); to buy (buy, bought, bought); to wrap (reg); to save (reg).

Advanced.

Do you ever regret having bought something? In retrospect 2, I have a mental history of objects that I acquired at some stage, usually with enthusiasm, only to wish later that I had never bought them. Yard sale finds are definite objects of guilt 3. When I first discovered the practice of yard saling, it became an indulgence, and soon the bric-a-brac, or "junk" as my husband calls it, started piling up at home. "Oh, but this is sooo useful," I would say, after spending a few dollars on a wobbly coffee table. "I just need to fix the legs and give it a lick 4 of paint..." The fate of the coffee table was, of course, to be resold in my own yard sale a year later. It wasn't always the case, though. A few items have been put to good use...I actually can't remember which ones at this moment, but I'm sure there are some somewhere in the house. The latest 'oops' of comercialism in this family was the buying of Biscuit, the giant, mechanical dog. It does everything apart from making the tea and driving the kids to school, and of course it is fluffy 5. My older kids told me that it's a bit scary, sort of crazy and robotic. Either way, it is sitting in a lonely corner with the other unwanted toys that cost too much. Do you think that I could accidentally, on purpose, make it disappear? Maybe Ebay is the solution....

Grammar notes.

Verbs: to regret (reg); to acquire (reg); to discover (reg); to become (become, became, become); to give (give, gave, given); to cost (cost, cost, cost).

Useful expressions: To regret having done something. Exs. I regret having trusted him. She regretted visiting the cemetery 6 at night.

At some stage = once, once upon a time, at a time in the past or future.

The practice of... exs. They devote themselves to the practice of prayer. They are famous for their practice of mud slinging 7.

A few items = a few things.

It's slightly/ a bit/ a little scary/ dark/ noisy/ rusty 8 etc.