Wednesday, 17 March 2010

Sports & People: José Mourinho (The Special One) & his Philosophy



http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01584/Jose_Mourinho_1584537c.jpg



José Mourinho[ʒuˈzɛ moˈɾiɲu] , a name unfamiliar to many if you are not into football, but a name so special that one will definitely know if you like the game.  


Unbeaten Home Record
Mourinho is currently on a run of 131 home league matches unbeaten (38 with Porto, 60 with Chelsea and 33 with Inter). His last and only home league defeat came when Porto were defeated 3–2 by Beira-Mar on 23 February 2002. 


José began his career as a footballer, but did not work out very well and so he switched to management. Being the "apprentice" of Sir Bobby Robson, he learnt much from the veteran coach and worked with him at top Portuguese teams Sporting, FC Porto, and at Spanish giant FC Barcelona. He has won many prestigious awards, and the most famous of all, the UEFA Champions League champion in 2004 with FC Porto. He helped to transform Chelsea from a downturning English Premier League(EPL) club to a two-time EPL champion.

In a press conference upon joining the English side, Mourinho said,
"Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one," which resulted in the media dubbing him "The Special One".[1]


But the best part of all, he decided to coach my favourite Italian team, Inter Milan, in June 2008. Inter Milan was already performing very well in the local league, Serie A, under the coaching of Roberto Mancini, but the club has not been able to win the UEFA Champions League Cup since  1965, so José Mourinho has a huge task/burden on his shoulders.

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/10/1002_power100_global/image/jose-mourinho.jpg

Most people describe José as "cocky", but I think that only those who are great and possess very strong self-belief can be justified for that level of "cockiness", and José definitely is a man who has my respect for this cockiness.

"Sometimes in football you win because you're lucky. Sometimes you win because you are the best team. Sometimes you win because you were the best team from the first to the last minute. That team was my team and my players."[2]


Image from guim.co.uk

It really does take a lot of self-confidence and passion to make such a speech, because if you are a Chelsea fan, you will never like this. He added,

"I'm not saying Inter are better than them. I'm saying that, today, Inter were much better than Chelsea and that brought frustration to the Chelsea players.''[2]


Image from guim.co.uk


To be, José is The Special One not only because he is outspoken, but the fact that he speaks truly of his heart and has nothing to hide, no matter how much pressure he faces when facing the harsh press:

"I'm not very happy because they (Chelsea) lost. I'm very happy because my players are happy, my supporters are happy, my president is happy and because I worked so much for this game."[2]

Image from metro.co.uk
These words showed that he is actually a very smart coach who knows how to balance his words so that he does not offend his ex-Chelsea fans. Even his opponent, Ancelotti (the coach of Chelsea) praised José,


"We never had total control of the game and that stopped us from creating chances, even taking advantage of set plays. Above all we were never consistent in our football. The game was won not with quality, but with the strong pressure on every area of the field and the sacrifices made by their players. It wasn't easy to handle that many strikers, so they all had to work very hard."[3]


The history of José Mourinho will continue to be written every day, just like everyone else on this planet, but unlike everyone else, he writes his own history with his version of determinations, passion and attitude -- in the José Mourinho style,

"The only thing I can do is prepare the game with all my qualities, with all my motivation, and play the game tomorrow from my angle and read the game as best I can and make the best possible decisions and give everything I have to my team and help get us through to the quarter-final. Chelsea is different for me and of course I have to be different, but after ninety minutes the first person to win is me."[4]


http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/feb2009/3/9/Jose_Mourinho_145x145_240875051.jpg

Maybe you do not fancy football, maybe you do not care at all, but there are always a lot to learn from people in sports, particularly from those who are as "Special" as José Mourinho, and these are all the qualities of their mind. Learn them, digest them, and then put them into action in your work field, your life, your energy!

You never know how successful you can be in the future! (Don't forget that "future" is any moment after "now", so it can be sooner than you think!)

Never underestimate yourself, and

Image from farm1.static.flickr.com

"Don't settle for less' -- José Mourinho


Vocabulary:
cocky -- adjective /ˈkɒk.i//ˈkɑː.ki/ informal disapproving




describes a young person who is confident in a way that is unpleasant and sometimes rude


Resources:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jose_Mourinho
[2] http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=756919&sec=uefachampionsleague&cc=4716
[3] http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=757008&sec=uefachampionsleague&cc=4716
[4] http://www.inter.it/aas/news/reader?N=33471&L=en
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Bobby_Robson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_League
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Mancini
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F.C._Internazionale_Milano


http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=14660&dict=CALD&topic=rude-and-cheeky

Tuesday, 16 March 2010

News: Becks' heartbreak

*************************************************************************************************
Becks' heartbreak
Tuesday, March 16, 2010


David Beckham will miss the World Cup after rupturing an Achilles tendon.

The 34-year-old former England captain was hurt in AC Milan's 1-0 Italian Serie A win over Chievo at the San Siro, a victory which helped close the gap on league leaders Inter.

Beckham, on loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy, was by himself with the ball at his feet in the final minutes of the game when he shifted his weight and reached down to his left heel.

He then stood up and snapped his wrists, like he was breaking a twig in half - to show the Milan bench he knew the tendon was broken.

"He felt the muscle begin to come up, which is a typical symptom when you break an Achilles tendon," coach Leonardo said.

Beckham was flown to Finland, where he was to undergo surgery, saying he hoped "to make a swift and full recovery."

Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani said the player will be out for "probably five or six months".
The World Cup gets underway on June 11 in South Africa, where Beckham had been hoping to play for England before rejoining the Galaxy.

"He was suffering. In the dressing room, I took him in my arms and told him that if he wanted, he will be with us next year," Galliani said.

With no chance to play in what would have been his fourth World Cup, Beckham's international career is likely over after 17 goals and 115 appearances, second highest number of England caps behind only goalkeeper Peter Shilton's 125.

"This injury has been a heavy blow for him and for us. Unfortunately the party is ruined," Leonardo said.
Defender Ignazio Abate said the England star was inconsolable. "He was in tears in the dressing room, he wasn't saying a lot."

Earlier Beckham had admitted he was not guaranteed a place for the World Cup after being an unused substitute in the friendly win over Egypt as coach Fabio Capello gave Theo Walcott and Shaun Wright-Phillips a chance.



**********************************************************************************
Vocabulary:
rupture --  /ˈrʌp.tʃər/US pronunciation symbol/-tʃɚ/ [I or T]



to (cause to) explode, break or tear

Achilles tendon -noun /əˌkɪl.iːzˈten.dən/ [C]


the part of the body that connects the heel bone to the muscles in the lower part of the leg

twig -- noun /twɪg/ [C]



a small thin branch of a tree or bush, especially one removed from the tree or bush and without any leaves

swift -- adjective /swɪft/


happening or moving quickly or within a short time, especially in a smooth and easy way

inconsolable -- adjective /ˌɪn.kənˈsəʊ.lə.bl ̩/US pronunciation symbol/-ˈsoʊ-/


impossible to comfort because of great sadness or unhappiness

**********************************************************************************
Opinions:

I am neither a big fan of Beckham, nor am I a fan of any of the clubs he has played. I am definitely not a fan of AC Milan (because I am an Inter Milan fan), so basically his injury might seem like a good news for the Serie A leader, but putting aside all club conflicts, he is one of the best players in the world. He is not an all-round player, actually, he only has his right leg, but he has perfected his right leg bending shots so fine that he deserves to have his name put into the book of football history.  I like his perseverance and his professional attitude. 


Being a world-class footballer of his level, some others have strayed from their sporting focus, but not Beckham. He doesn't live in a very big home, but just an Italian villa in Beverly Hills, California[1], which is considered modest for the cash that he is earning. Many people thought that he could have treated himself much better.


I admire his passion for football and professionalism because he knows very well that he loves the game and he must play to get himself back into the English National team, and so he keeps playing, even during the US football league's breaks. At the age of 34, the stamina drops quickly if a footballer stops playing and he knows this, so he joins AC Milan on loan twice and continues to play. This is the kind of spirit a footballer should have, and a spirit that a learner should have. A Chinese saying, used by Premier Wen Jiabao on the future of Hong Kong when meeting the media in Pattaya, Thailand on the 11th April 2009, described the attitude to learning well -- he said, "when you are not constantly improving, you are lagging in the game" or "Hong Kong should not allow any complacency or it will lag behind in competition" or in Chinese, "学如逆水行舟,不进则退".


I hope all of you can benefit from Beckham and Premier Wen, and continue to learn and do well.






Resources:
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=8&art_id=95796&sid=27412825&con_type=1&d_str=20100316&fc=2


http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=69193&dict=CALD

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=680&dict=CALD&topic=the-leg
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=85655&dict=CALD&topic=parts-of-plants
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=80580&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=40016&dict=CALD



[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Beckham


http://mytv.tvb.com/news/newsat730/5930/271#page-1
http://dict.longdo.com/index.php?lang=en&search=学如逆水行舟,不进则退

Friday, 12 March 2010

Environment & Opinion: "To Buy or Not to Buy" & "To Dump or Not to Dump"

Currently, my trouble is that I am having less and less time for reading, and so I guess the best way to solve this problem is to get an electronic reader. There is the everyone's-talking-about iPad and I am totally an eBook-cum-IT person, but a laptop seems more suitable if I want to type and do project work or write my blog. 

How much is a laptop these days? I have no idea. I should walk around shopping malls and do some research. My guess is it is not going to be cheap. I don't have a budget yet, because I never want to spend money on electronic devices. Unless my current desktop went faulty * touch wood *, I wouldn't want to buy another. Now the situation is pushing me little by little to the edge.

I always have this question in my mind -- do we really need so many electronic devices with similar functions? Just looking at the specifications make me go dizzy. I would rather have 1 device that can do all and well, or 2 devices that can do their own jobs brilliantly, than to have 1 device that can only work half as good when put together. That is, I can either accept a camera phone with great photo-taking quality and communication ability, or a camera and a phone by themselves great, but I can't stand a mediocre phone with a lousy camera attached to it.

Okay, I admit, I want something cheap and can do all the jobs! Oh, and best if they can create little or no pollution when disposed of. But can I have the cake and eat it?


Those of you who know me or have been reading my blog entries understand that I am a total environmentalist, that I support healing the world and saving the planet by all sorts of means: applying the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), donating to WWF, promoting the importance of saving wildlife animals, condemning the destruction of the rainforests, speaking for the use of solar and wind power, etc. However, there is always a conflict in my mind when it comes to the use of electronic devices, particularly those on one hand helping the environment by reducing deforestations, such as iPad, desktops and laptops, but on the other hand creating pollutions due to the disposal of electronic parts and thus releasing poisonous heavy metal into soil and water. 


And so I hardly ever throw away my old computer or any other electrical devices or parts, I will wait, wait for the Environmental Protection Department's Mobile WEEE Collection Vehicle to come by my home and then pass it to them for recycling. (It will come by your home too! Check out by clicking the above link.) Not very often do they come by, but for me, it is worth the waiting. Where do they take the parts to? Read up here. 



FYI:
The Environmental Protection Department is now running a having a public consultation on Public Consultation on a New Producer Responsibility Scheme for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). Consultation period runs until April 30 and we can offer our views.


Vocabulary:
-cum- (prep) -- used to join two nouns, showing that a person or thing does two things or has two purposes; combined with
specifications -- a detailed description of how something should be done, made, etc.
mediocre -- not very good
dispose of sth/sb -- to get rid of someone or something or deal with something so that the matter is finished
condemn -- to criticize something or someone strongly, usually for moral reasons
hardly ever -- almost never

Resources:
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/03/proverb-you-cant-have-your-cake-and-eat.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindle
http://www.pcworld.com/article/191379/ipad_goes_on_presale_friday_morning.html
https://www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en/workplace/mwcc_detail.htm
https://www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en/materials/workplace/mwcc_display%20panels_crp.jpg
http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201001/18/P201001180139.htm

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=18904&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=76317&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=49652&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=22529&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=15968&dict=CALD&topic=disapproving-and-criticizing
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=35818&dict=CALD

Wednesday, 10 March 2010

Books & Movie & Drama: Sherlock Holmes VS House M.D.


Time flies when you have already missed an entry, and in a blink of an eye it is already Wednesday. I am still stuck with my ear pressure, but less serious now, at least I can do a little ear clearing.

Image from Google

I remember reading The Hound of the Baskervilles when I was little. Didn't really understand fully about the flow of the story, but it was intriguing enough to draw my interest in reading more novels about Sherlock Holmes. I forgot when my interest in the character disappeared and why it disappeared, but after watching the latest movie, it has definitely rekindled this long lost feeling of excitement and the will to become as observant and intellectual as he is.
The Statue of Sherlock Holmes on Baker Street, London
Image from sherlock-holmes.org.uk
It is a natural behaviour for one to admire another who is better than he is. This is an important part of the human evolution (as well as the natural selection of all species). As for me, I admire those who are more intellectual than I am, preferably, much more intellectual than I am, because I enjoy learning from them.

The Sherlock Holmes Museum 221B Baker Street, London
Image from flickr
Since this Chinese New Year holiday, I have been all crazy about the TV drama House M.D.The creator of the series, David Shore, is a big fan of Sherlock Holmes, and thus the character Gregory House (acted by one of my favourite actors Hugh Laurie) is a lot based on Holmes. The most obvious of all, are the use of inductive reasoning and his reluctance to accept cases he finds uninteresting.[1] . Because of the coolness of Dr. House, I am now watching season 5 and I must say I am a lot influenced by him. The largest benefit for me so far is that I have become much more observant than I used to be, and I am using a lot more of my brain than I have ever done.
House M.D. Season 5
Image from shockya
Say, for example, I realised that a lot of the ladies and school students nowadays are having abnormal shoe wear.

Image from bayside-orthotic-clinic
There are many possible reasons for that, but the fact that it happens in school students most often, I guess, is due to the external weight of their school bags. I used to see a lot more before schools use lockers!

How about ladies? Ladies don't usually wear school bags, so it shouldn't have much to do with external weight. Then what could be the reason? First, I have to state one more observation. Ladies wear both high-heels and flat-bottom shoes, most likely Converse for the latter. It is common for all to see that high heels do not guarantee as much balance as flat-bottoms, so ladies who often wear high-heels have a higher tendency to develop unstable postures when walking, which means they will have a higher possibility of developing abnormal shoe wear than ladies who seldom wear high-heels.

Another possibility could be the design of the shoes, which I vaguely remember had been researched by the Consumer Council some years ago. However, since I don't have the proof with me, I should not go on with this point.

Anyway, my main point is, through observations, you will get to learn a lot more than you normally can, which is crucial if you want to improve in your English vocabulary.

************************************************************************

Before I end this entry, let me tell you how I managed to deduce correctly a man I saw on the MTR who had dandruff on his shoulder is actually recovering from a cold.

First, he caught my attention because he had dandruff on his shoulder, and at the same time he was wearing a black colour down jacket. Normally, if one knows that he has dandruff on the shoulder, he would fan it off, but he didn't. So there are two reasons why he didn't -- 1) he didn't care; 2) he didn't know. Since he was not dressing too badly, I believe he didn't belong to reason 1), so 2) seemed more likely. But white dandruff on a black down jacket is highly noticeable, which left the fact that he hadn't removed his jacket for a long period of time, which means he did need to wear that down jacket, which meant he did feel cold, which was further confirmed when I saw him wearing a turtle-neck sweater. Since he was wearing both a thick bottle-neck sweater and a down jacket for a long time, it meant that he was having a lower body temperature than normal, so he must be ill. However, he had no sign of sneezing, sniffing or runny nose, I couldn't conclude that he was having a cold.

So I looked at his nose. His nose was thin at the sides, with red capillaries, which means either 1) he was born that way or 2) he had been rubbing for some time. It could have been both, but the slightly dry skin around the nose compared to the oily level of his face showed that he had been using oil absorbing substance which I guess would be tissue, so it would fit better to choose 2). And since he didn't have those typical symptoms of a cold, I suppose he was recovering from one, which was further confirmed when suddenly a lady came into the compartment and started talking to him and he spoke. His voice was obviously blocked, which meant that he did have a cold and it was still contagious. Case solved! I quickly moved away from him.


"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." -- Sherlock Holmes

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Vocabulary:
in a blink of an eye -- extremely quickly
rekindle -- to make someone have a feeling that they had in the past
wear (from wear and tear) -- the damage which happens to an object in ordinary use during a period
postures -- [C or U] the way in which someone usually holds their shoulders, neck and back, or a particular position in which someone stands, sits, etc
contagious -- describes a disease that can be caught by touching someone with the disease or a piece of infected clothing




Resources:
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/03/medicalear-pressure-and-ear-clearing.html
http://books.google.com/books?id=D5qPEyQm9BkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Hound+of+the+Baskervilles&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/12/movie-sherlock-holmes-for-holiday.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_selection
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/01/tv-drama-house-with-medical-terms.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Shore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_House
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Laurie
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_md#References_to_Sherlock_Holmes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_reasoning

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=96618&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=66628&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=89537&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=61846&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=16589&dict=CALD&topic=passing-on-illness-and-causing-disease

Tuesday, 9 March 2010

Medical:Ear Pressure and Ear Clearing

Hi guys! I missed my Monday entry again. Nowadays, my afternoon job is killing me and not letting me have the slightest time to write my entry, and so I have to wait until I get back home. I have lots of topics these days, and all of them are pushing me to share with you, so they might sem a little messy. Hope you don't mind.

Well, the one I want to share with you today is one of the reasons I can't hear well in class these few days. I seem to have caught a cold somewhere. No idea where and when, and I used the word "seem" because I didn't visit a doctor but the symptoms fit: sore throat, stuffy nose, dry throat, tiredness, slight runny nose.

http://visual.merriam-webster.com/images/human-being/sense-organs/hearing/structure-ear.jpg

But what is new for me, something that I have never ever had before when I caught cold, is ear pressure. Generally, ear pressure can be easily cured by simple ear clearing techniques, but not this time. I tried everything from yawning to swallowing, as well as those maneuver suggested here.  None of them worked. I guess I must wait until I am fully recovered before the pressure will go away.
Baby Yawning
http://mentalfloss.cachefly.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/baby-yawn.jpg

In serious cases, pressure not released can cause damage in the ear drum, called Ear Barotrauma, but the complication mostly happens to divers, since I haven't done any diving, I suppose my ear drums are still intact.

Anyway, my experience these few days allowed me to realise once more that if we have good health, we are being blessed. This is because it is never guaranteed that we have good health, and we must never take it for granted that our health will sustain if we don't continuously maintain it. The weather is changing fast, so everybody please take good care of yourselves. You can only do what you want when you have good health.



Vocabulary:
complication -- an extra medical problem which makes it more difficult to treat an existing illness
intact -- not damaged
take it for granted -- If you take situations or people for granted, you do not realise or show that you are grateful for how much you get from them




Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuffy_nose
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valsalva_maneuver#Normalizing_middle-ear_pressures
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_clearing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yawning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_clearing#Methods
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barotrauma#Ear_barotrauma

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=15679&dict=CALD&topic=disease-and-illness-general-words
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=41261&dict=CALD

Saturday, 6 March 2010

Usage: Modals Anatomy -- Part 2 (Will & Would)

Oops, I missed my Friday entry. Sorry about that. I was down with a not-so-bad cold but quite serious ear pressure. I'll share more about that in the next entry, for now, let's continue with our grammar first.

I must say I am very happy to see 3 female willing learners trying the exercises I posted. Keep up with the good work. If you don't try, you never know if you have got the right concept. If you have any doubts, do feel free to contact me as well. The Question Page and the comments are there for you to throw me questions.

And sorry to those of you who would like to try but I put up the answers too early. So next time, I am going to let you have a week to leave me answers before I release my suggested ones.


*************************************************************************************************

So, in the previous entry, Usage: Modal Anatomy -- Part 1 (Can & Could), we have discussed a lot about Can and Could, let's move on to the next pair -- Will & Would.

As we have already discussed under the topic Conditional Sentences, we now know that Will and Would can be used to express possibility as well as time.

Actions without planning, instant decision:
  1. Jane: I feel a little cold.        Paul: I'll close the windows.
  2. John: Where to, my friend?    William: I'll just walk around. 

Making predictions from one's knowledge:

  1. Sandy: He won't let you off so easily this time. He'll track you down and make you beg on your knees!!!

          Jimmy: What did I do? I only miss submitting my homework twice!


Making promise and showing threat:

  1. I promise I'll take good care of you!
  2. I'll show you what it means by pain! 


Refusal:

  1. The computer won't boot up! I've tried a million times!
  2. She won't open up to us.

Giving orders or instructions:
  1. Will you STOP SCREAMING? Thank you.
  2. Will you come this way please?


Polite request:

  1. Would you like to have something to drink?
  2. Would you mind passing me the pepper, please?


Official Arrangement:

  1. At 9:20am, we'll meet at the South Pacific Hotel in Wanchai.


Now, let's look at some examples from the future perfect form:

Action completion by a particular future time:
  1. I will have worked for 24 hours non-stop in 2 hours' time.

Action which are no longer possible (Third Conditionals), usually showing regret:
  1. If I hadn't lost my wallet, I would have already watched the film by now.
  2. It would have been amazing to watch Michael Jackson's "This is it!" live concert.

Homework:


Try to explain the meanings of the following sentences in details, you can make your predictions as you wish:
(Leave comments for me to check)



  1. He won't tell me the truth. Let's think of alternatives.
  2. He won't tell me the truth. No matter how I have asked.
  3. Pete: I'm going to the supermarket.   Laura: Will you get me some crisps?
  4. Would you keep the door open for me?
  5. Will you please come back tomorrow at 10am?
  6. He will have worked for this company for 20 years tomorrow.
  7. I would have noticed had you not disturbed me.
  8. You wouldn't have noticed even if I had lost my voice!


Resources:
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/search/label/QUESTION%20PAGE
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=55608&dict=CALD&topic=honesty-openness-and-sincerity
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/10/grammar-third-conditional.html