In my opinion, adulthood is a state of mind, not determined by one's age in years, and depends on one's experience. Becoming an adult is the process of forming a character and mind, and adulthood, without being proved, is only the birth certificate. Following the law of the age of majority or the age of which one is permitted certain licences can be misleading and puzzling. Additionally, the older we are, the less prone to accept a young person as a fully adult. Similarly, young people's perception of adulthood depends on some achievements: education, financial independence, starting a family, having a child and fully supporting them.

In the UK, and in the most countries, a person becomes an adult with the right to vote, which is given when one turns 18. But there are some other ages of license, which entitle a young person to do what an adult can, so at the age of: 12 one has to buy an adult travel ticket, 16 one reaches the age of consent and  may drop out the education,  17 one can join the Army and get a driving licence, 18 - watch X-rated movies and marry, 21 - buy alcohol and cigarettes. Coming of age, even for the law-makers, seems to be rather a process than crossing the invisible line between adolescence and adulthood. And yet, in our modern times, there are two tendencies among young people: teenage parenthood or thirty-something singlehood, both scrutinized by the media and authorities.

It is by far easier to identify adulthood in the animal kingdom. For example, a female leopard is forced to abandon her mother when she reaches puberty; nonetheless, she has to prove her independence by her first big game kill, indicating her ability to survive and to feed her future cubs. In human society, the perception of adulthood changes throughout the history and culture. First of all, the notion of adulthood referred only to the male members of society and could be reached as early as 14-16 years in some tribes and in the Middle Ages; on the other hand, in the Roman Empire a man was entitled to stand for election to the Senate when he reached the age of 30 years, and therefore was accepted as an adult person.

Summing up, I think that adulthood is the ability to be responsible for himself or herself and for the society. Moreover, it implies that a person has to have some positive and negative experience, which strengthened her or his character, gave an insight into the complexity of human society and her or his own strong and weak points. One may turn 30 and still be an adolescent, whereas another person, only 16 years old be already recognized as an adult. Being an adult means to be a reliable part of the society.

I love London, which is famous for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, due to its historical places and international workforce. Melting pot of cultures and languages, London has many faces, depending on the locale and time. A vibrant and exotic place, which teems with tourists, London never sleeps or gives much time to rest. This creature never gets tired.

East London, where I live, offers not only advantages of a modern metropolis but also of the countryside with its quiet places for relaxing. Epping Forest, which stretches from Leytonstone, Wanstead to Epping, accommodates the largest open space in London and the remains of the ancient woodlands. Despite its name, it rather resembles a park, whose well-maintained paths and lakes attract Londoners during the weekends and lovers of walking the whole year round. I especially like this place on the working days, when most people are too occupied to find time to escape the city for the nature.

Because the ancient woodland tends to be sodden most of the winter, I have bought wellingtons and may enjoy the Forest throughout the whole year. The better weather, the more people relax in its every corner, but yet there are places where one may find an isolation amongst the trees and wildlife. There is something magical in the forest because, after reaching the boundary between the city and the nature, it does not take much time to forget the overwhelming racket of the city life.


On the other hand, the occupied and energetic City, proud of many a man and woman, who work hard the entire day to build its power, radiates wisdom and money. After the black army disappears, swallowed by the countless bowels of the Underground, the City silently strode throughout the empty streets, half surprised and half scared of this sudden emptiness.

Feeling somehow alone, the City welcomes travelers at the weekends, amazed by their laziness, childish enthusiasm, and eagerness to take pictures of its beauty. But there is a sense of the absence, a sense of the loss of those, to whom the streets really belong. The City is trapped in a museum, waiting impatiently for another Monday.

London is famous for its cosmopolitan atmosphere due to its historical places and international workforce. Melting pot of cultures and languages, London has many faces, depending on the locale and time. A vibrant and exotic place, which teems with tourists, London never sleeps or gives much time to rest.

The occupied and energetic City, proud of many a man and woman, who work hard the entire day to build its power, radiates wisdom and money. After the black army disappears, swallowed by the countless bowels of the Underground, the City silently strode throughout the empty streets, half surprised and half scared of this sudden emptiness.

Feeling somehow alone, the City welcomes travelers of the weekends, amazed by their laziness, childish enthusiasm, and eagerness to take pictures of its beauty. But there is a sense of the absence, a sense of the loss of those, to whom the streets really belong. The City is trapped in a museum, waiting impatiently for another Monday.


This is a kind of an exercise to learn how to use all types of the English phrases in writing. Mastering clauses and phrases, before mastering different type of sentences.

This is an exercise given by teachers of mastering writing. It asked us to depict a place with adjective and adverb clauses.
I have to admit that I have found it difficult to think and write in terms of clauses. Probably I am better in constructing phrases. Legend: bold are what I think are adjectival clauses and red bold - adverbial ones.


East London, where I live, offers not only advantages of a modern metropolis but also of the countryside with its quiet places for relaxing. Epping Forest, which stretches from Leytonstone, Wanstead to Epping, is the largest open space in London and the remains of the ancient woodlands, nowadays managed by the City of London Corporation.

In many places, it rather resembles a park, whose well-maintained paths and lakes attract Londoners during the weekends and lovers of walking the whole year round. I especially like this place on the working days, when most people are too occupied to find time to escape the city for the nature.

Because the ancient woodland tends to be sodden most of the winter, I have bought wellingtons and may enjoy the Forest throughout the whole year. The better weather, the more people relax in its every corner, but yet there are places where one may find an isolation among the trees and wildlife. There is something magical in the forest because  - after reaching the boundary between the city and the nature - it does not take much time to forget the overwhelming racket of the city life.

It was Sunday; one of those last lazy days of winter when Spring starts giving signs of its readiness to show its full beauty. Small, yellow crocuses on my mind that I saw just before in the park, I peacefully strode toward the tube station, barely noticing that I was leaving daylight for underground. Rather absent-mindedly, I took the step into the elevator, glazing over the other people that also absent-mindedly let the running monster slowly swallow them down. Few, probably with more energy, walked down, passing by the lethargic majority: hurrying in the UK is pretty unusual, especially on such a day. Then, the sudden rush broke into the murmur of the engines; someone was dashing down the elevator. Those, who turned back their heads - and I did it, too - witnessed a young man galloping on the moving steps in a great hurry. Breathlessly, we gaped at his long legs storming down the moving stairs without missing a single step, and when the legs disappeared everyone was relieved - he did it and did not break a leg. Well done!

I has't a household name, but I won't telleth
As telling thee, mine fusty learned and young cousin
Is not the virtue the theatre would selleth
Nor the ancient chorus would ever amend.

I has't a fame, that glorious eternal life
Not of the bookshelves, but of rising Sun,
for whom the night is the lovers' sweet time,
half self and selfish not half to beest banned.

I has't a power to maketh thee cry
of depress'd stories and joyful alike
of young wisdom reaching the smiling sky
of fusty arrogance, star-crossed to beest spiked.

Has't I hath lived ere? Or mine barren rhymes?
At each moment and still like Death nev'r dies.

English is a very rich language in the sense that one word has many synonyms, but, in fact, every word might have slightly different meaning; therefore, it is important to know the difference and the tone of words we use. This is an exercise on the words: relaxed, laid-back, lackadaisical, lazy and easy-going.

Relaxed - positive

I love doing a few things in my life, and one of these things is watching BBC documentaries. Or any other good ones though there are not many good from the other sources.
My particular interest lies in these categories: Science and Nature, History, Music and Arts. Learning something new is rewarding, but watching animals in their natural habitat is relaxing. No, I do not like violent scenes.
Bears are my preference. All bears, although I like Grizzly and Brown Bears best. Not that I do not like humans.

There is a new documentary series on BBC, titled, 'Alaska: Earths's Frozen Kingdom. Spring', which I highly recommend to every nature lover and to lover of the English language. I will try to review the first episode, using some of the wonderful metaphors and structures from it.
Alaska is the most northerly and by far the biggest American state. In winter it is the land of snow and ice, the land of the bolds, where the waterfalls stopped mid-fall, the rivers lie frozen, even to one metre down; it is a kingdom of male polar bears roaming on thousand of miles of the sea ice. This is the place waiting for the sun to unlock its riches.

In early spring, everything is about to change and every living thing is in a race to grow. After six long months of permanent darkness, the sun climbs higher and higher, bulking up with seven minutes more daylight, but in the beginning it hardly seems up to the task of warming anything. Days are short, cold and most animals scratch a living. This season of early Alaskan spring has its special name: a break-up. When the rivers start to thaw, at long last, within a matter of days the life is getting going again.

Plants, animals and humans alike want to make the best of all opportunities, and sometimes one group takes advantage of the others, but not always it is humans.
Alaskans specialised in longline fishing, which involves modern equipment and up-to-date sonar technology. The long lines with baits are left to the bottom of the sea, where black cod fed, both humans and sperm whales delicacy. The baits attract black cod, and black cod attract sperm whales, or rather the finishing boat engines bell for the free and easy dinner - the creature circle the boat, wait for the engine to start and then they dive to fish for black cod at the end of the lines.

This practice is a kind of the criminal activity and has its own name: depredation, the act of stealing animals, which belong to humans by wild animals. There is a battle about black cod between whales and fishermen supported by scientists, so far the sperm whales outwitted both, the fishermen and the scientists. The serving takes place at seas off southern Alaska - some of the richest on Earth. Every year more and more whales come to learn a new way of catching black cod.

I was wondering how this process looks from the sperm whales' perspective. Something as long as they are comes to the sea, rings to serve black cod at the ends of lines. Ha, live is easier with these new friends - let's tell the others whale about it. I am not sure if the creatures have taken notice of little people on the boats.

I have recently joined two courses in English, one focuses on creative writing, and the other on academic writing.
I will try to summarise each weekly class here; for the start I would like to share with some ideas and methodology.
During the process of improving our English, we tend to ask questions about how to master it, how to learn new words, how to become fluent in a chosen language.
There are a few myths that circulate over the world that I have never agreed to and finally I have found out that there are people who think the same. That is really refreshing.

1. Read a lot to increase your vocabulary.
Reading is great, but it helps you increase only your passive vocab.

2. Learn words from the context.
Some words you may acquire in such a way, but not many. There is an example:

'Natural gold may contain the light of the sun, but minted gold becomes a 'symbol of perversion and the exaltation of unclear desire.' Sir Thomas More confirms this moral distinction in his Utopia, reserving its gold not for finery but for making chamberpots.'Periodic Tables, by Hugh Aldersey-Williams (HarperCollins, 2011)

Now, how you may figure out the meaning of 'finery' and 'chamberpots'?

3. Everyone may acquire a language the same way children do, by listening and speaking without any effort; there is even a name for it: effortless language acquisition.

The children play.