Today’s Picture: Botanical Gardens, Christchurch, New Zealand

Part 1: Today's word

When a problem ‘recurs’ it happens again. In fact, many words beginning ‘re-‘ have the sense of ‘again’. ‘Occur’ means ‘happen’ and ‘recur’ means happen again. ‘Recur’ is nearly always used to talk about problems. The adjective is ‘recurrent’ or ‘recurring’ (it doesn’t matter which one you use) – for example ‘recurrent problems’ ‘recurring headaches’. The noun form is ‘recurrence’. This is sometimes using in reports or warning letters – for instance, ‘Any recurrence of this behaviour will result in disciplinary action’.

Recurring problems with our suppliers badly affected production during the first quarter.

Regular check-ups are strongly recommended as there is a risk of recurrence which can be easily treated if caught at an early stage.

For more examples and exercises, go to www.academicenglishgenerator.com

Part 2: Test

Here are four sentences with our word of the day - but only three of them are correct. Which is the odd one out?

The Olympic Games recurs every four years in a different city each time.

The doctor gave me some pills and advised me to contact her if the problem recurred.

The management is losing patience with these suppliers over recurring delays in delivery.

Unfortunately, it’s a problem that’s been recurring with worrying frequency.

Part 3: Practice Questions:

Have you ever had recurring dreams?
How can people who’ve suffered heart attacks reduce the risk of recurrence?

Part 4: Kiwi Quiz Question

In which sport did New Zealand beat England 3 – 1 in a series of one-day matches last weekend?

Rugby
Rowing
Cricket
Football

Part 5: Today's article:

Birthday Party Snub Sparks Debate (from BBC News)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7479758.stm

Vocabulary for the article: to snub someone / an outcry / to violate someone’s rights / an ombudsman / to confiscate

Questions for the article:

Why did the child not invite all of the children in his class to his birthday party?

If he’d sent the invitations by post, would he have got into trouble?

Who is debating the issue now and how long will it take to reach a decision?

Today’s musical intro: from Congo
Cherie Kabisa by Wendo Kolosoy. From the CD ‘Amba’. UPC: 2003
More information about the singer at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendo_Kolosoy