Today we are going to talk about a special holiday in America called “Groundhog Day”.
Do you know what a groundhog is? It’s an animal, actually kind of rodent, also known as a woodchuck. On Groundhog Day, which is February 2nd every year, people in America look to see if a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow. The legend of Groundhog Day goes like this.
Punxsutawney is a small town in the state of Pennsylvania. And there, we have a groundhog named Phil. Every year, on February 2nd, Phill comes out of his burrow to get an idea of the weather conditions. If Phil sees his shadow when he comes out of his burrow, this means that there will be six more weeks of winter. But, if he doesn’t see his shadow, this means that spring will come early. This legend dates back to 1886, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.
The best part of Groundhog Days for us is that we get the perfect chance to use the grammar known as First Conditional So, what is the first conditional? The first conditional is a type of sentence that talks about a possible future event based on a present condition. The structure of the first conditional is like this: “If + present tense, future result”. Here are some examples.
- If it rains tomorrow, I will stay inside.
- I am going to buy that car if I save enough money.
- If you come to New York, I will be your tour guide!
So, using the first conditional, we can talk about Groundhog Day something like this: “If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter.”
Can you make some more sentences using the first conditional and Groundhog Day? Leave your examples in the comments!
Keep in mind the best way to remember this or any vocabulary in English is to take the word or phrase write it in a sentence that’s true for you or true in your world and then memorize your sentences.
You can even take your sentences and write them in the comments below. I would love to see your examples. And if you really want help with vocabulary, sign up for my free vocabulary workshop (see below).
If you know anyone who might be interested in this English language point, why not help them out! Just share this lesson with them. Thanks for studying today!
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