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Pest Control - Fleas

  What are Fleas? Fleas are small parasites that need to live on a host to survive. Although they are often found on pets you might not realise that fleas are a common problem across the UK even in homes where there are no pets as they can live on other animals such as rodents or rabbits. Fleas are usually found in soft furnishings such as carpets and in dark areas such as underneath beds.     Signs of Fleas If there are fleas in your home or business then there are often a few tell-tale signs that they are there and even one of these could indicate that you have an infestation.     l  Flea droppings - these are small and black and often have the appearance of fine grit. Flea droppings can be found on your pet’s coat or on any surface in your home. l  Fleas spotted on your pets or around your house. As fleas do not have wings they cannot fly, instead, they jump, and this is an easy way to tell if it is in fact a flea that you have found. l  Flea bites - these are often raised red bumps
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Pest Control - Mice

  What are Mice? Mice are small rodents that can be a big problem if they are given the chance.  Mice can chew through wires, cupboard doors, floorboards, and can be a serious threat to your health as they carry diseases such as Salmonella.  If there is a way into your home then they will find it as they can squeeze through tiny gaps - sometimes even in cavity walls.   Signs of Mice Mice can often remain unnoticed until there is a big infestation, but there are several warning signs that can help you detect them.  It’s also a good idea to check the areas that mice like to frequent for signs of rodent activity - such as in garden sheds, lofts, airing cupboards, utility rooms, and behind appliances such as cookers and washers.   l  Mouse droppings - these are very small and are usually black. l  Nests - often made from shredded paper or material. l  Sounds of movement or scratching during the night - usually from inside walls or under floorboards l  Strong scent of ammonia from their uri
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Possessive Adjectives

  It is important that we always use the right words in the right place so that the reader or listener understands what is being said and in what context, and one of the most important things is to use the correct possessive adjective so that your sentences make sense.   What are Possessive Adjectives? Words that are used to show possession or ownership of something are called possessive adjectives.  They are the words his, her, my, your, their, whose, our, and its.  A possessive adjective will always come before the noun or pronoun that it is relating to.   A possessive adjective never changes - it never needs an “s” on the end, no matter whether the noun after it is plural or singular.  However, it should be noted that “its” is a possessive adjective, while “it’s” is not.  “It’s” is the contraction for “it is” and should not be used as a possessive adjective.   Examples I like your  dress.   Her  dog has chased my  cat. In this sentence, both her and my are possessive adjectives - he
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Gerunds

  It can sometimes be hard to grasp the meaning of all the different types of words and just how and when to use them correctly, and gerunds are often one of the harder ones to grasp the meaning of and can be quite confusing at first, but they’re actually pretty simple once you understand them.   What is a Gerund? In a nutshell, a gerund is a word that ends with “-ing”.  The word used is initially a verb, but the addition of the “-ing” on the end turns it into a gerund, and this word is then used like a noun.   The gerund can take on a number of roles  - it can be the subject of the sentence, the direct object, the object of a preposition, or a subject complement.   Examples Running  is fun. (Here the gerund is the subject  of the sentence and it is formed from the verb “run”.)   Flying  is scary. (The gerund is the subject  in this sentence, formed from the verb “fly”.)   Playing  tennis is great. (Here, the gerund playing  is the subject  of the sentence, while  tennis  is the subjec
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Proper Nouns

  Nouns are words that we use all the time without even thinking about it and they are part of our everyday life that we take for granted.  All nouns fall into one of two groups - they are either proper nouns or they are common nouns - and it is essential, especially when reading and writing, to use them correctly.     What is a Proper Noun? A proper noun is a name that is specific to something - like a place name or a person’s name - and not just a generic name.  Proper nouns always have a capital letter no matter where they are in a sentence, which helps to distinguish them from common nouns.     How to use Proper Nouns Proper nouns should be used they are giving a specific name for a person, place or item and they should always have a capital letter, no matter where in the sentence they are.   For example - His name is John.   She was reading To Kill A Mockingbird.   They both went to West Park High School.   The royal family live in Buckingham Palace.   I’m going to Australia for t
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Descriptive Adjectives

  We use words every single day - when we read, when we write, and when we speak - and we often use them without even really thinking about it.  However, there are actually many different types of words and they all have an important part to play in our everyday life.  Descriptive adjectives have a particularly important role to play as they aid our imagination and enrich our reading.     What are Descriptive Adjectives? Descriptive adjectives are the words that are used to describe a noun or a pronoun.  They are the most frequently used adjective and are used to describe the features or qualities of the noun or pronoun.  Nouns (and pronouns) are words that are used to identify a person, place, or thing and descriptive adjectives can be used to describe things such as the size, sound, taste, smell, texture, or colour of the noun.  They add detail to the sentence and provide information about the person or place that they are describing.  Sentences without descriptive adjectives in them
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Ad Hoc

  There are many millions of words and phrases that we use in our everyday life, but have you ever stopped to consider where some of them came from and just how we ended using them?  What about ad hoc?  Did you know that it’s actually Latin?     What does Ad Hoc mean? Ad hoc is a phrase that means something that is used for a special purpose and has been formed for immediate use, without any prior planning.  In other words, it means a solution that has been formed for a specific task that wouldn’t be used for anything other than that one purpose.   Origin of Ad Hoc Ad hoc is a Latin phrase that means “to this”.  In English, it generally means “for this specific purpose” and “as it happens”.   The phrase was first known to be used as an adverb in 1639 and as an adjective in 1879.  It was initially used in mainly legal documents before it became more widespread in the late 1800’s.  Around that time it also began to be used in a scientific context, using the phrase “ad hoc hypothesis” to
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