Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Practice every day. Learn cognates. Memorize new phrases. Review verb conjugations. Think out loud. Travel to a French-speaking country.

Answer: Learning a language is unlike learning any other subject. Your knowledge must build and become as intrinsic as possible. Practicing every day is the only way you'll be able to maintain and improve your skills.  Incorporate review in your learning until it's solid. You cannot build complex sentences if you've forgotten how to structure simple ones. Even if it's just for half an hour, it's worth it. Get your mind thinking in French. Developing habits makes it harder to quit. Depending on your source, about 30% of all English words originate from French. If you're just beginning, an easy way to dive in is to familiarize yourself with the concepts.  Often, the "fancier" verb is French and the "normal" verb is German. Think "start" versus "commence"; "help" versus "aid"; "understand" versus "comprehend." The French for those verbs is, respectively, in their infinitive form, "commencer," "aider," and "comprendre." Certain word endings are giveaways that they're French. Think words with "-ion," "-ance," or "ite." Television, billion, religion, nuance, endurance, granite, opposite -- those are all French words. Not English. French. Well, English, too. Never let your vocabulary stagnate. As your knowledge grows, take time to incorporate new phrases into your phrasal pool. Think of a new topic. If you're lacking in time vocabulary, zero-in on that department. If you need to learn the names of food, concentrate on that. Expand yourself. Quelle heure est-il? (What time is it?)Bon, heu, je ne sais pas...(Uhh, I don't know...)Oh, non ! Il est déjà 17 h ! Je dois étudier mon vocabulaire de français ! (Oh no! It's already 5:00! I have to study my French vocabulary!) The biggest difference between English and French is that French conjugates their verbs to match the tense and subject. Generally speaking, verb charts go in "I, you, he/she/it, we, you (plural), they" order.  Start with the simple present of -er verbs (manger - to eat): Je mange - tu manges - il/elle/on mange - nous mangeons - vous mangez - ils/elles mangent  Simple present of -ir verbs (choisir - to choose): Je choisis - tu choisis - il/elle/on choisit - nous choisissons - vous choisissez - ils/elles choisissent  Simple present of -re verbs (vendre - to sell): Je vends - tu vends - il/elle/on vend - nous vendons - vous vendez - ils/elles vendent  Often, the ending of words is not pronounced. "Je choisis" sounds more like "Zhuh schwazee," and "ils mangent" sounds like, "eel monge." Learn the other tenses later. Once you've mastered the simple present, continue onto the passé composé (past tense). If you're around others, they might get irritated, but it's worth it! They don't have to understand you, only you have to understand you. It's a bonne idée, isn't it?  French is a language that's highly encorporated into English. In addition to using simple phrases like, "Bonjour !", "Merci beaucoup," or "Je ne sais pas" that some people know, use slightly more difficult ones when talking to yourself -- or let your roommates catch on!  Où est mon sac? - Where is my bag?  Je veux boire du vin. - I want to drink some wine.  Je t'aime. - I love you.    If you say to yourself, "Oh, I see an apple!" translate it to French - "Oh, je vois une pomme". Practice this whenever you get a chance - in the car, in bed, in the bathroom, everywhere. If living there isn't an option, then visiting is the second-best. If you have the finances and ability to take des vacances, bring your books and CDs with you!  Talk to the locals and experience the culture. Sitting at the McDonald's next to the Louvre (or the Starbucks, for that matter) won't exactly get you the educational or cultural experience you're looking for. You don't have to go to France to find a wealth of French speakers. However, know what dialect you're looking to mirror; going to Quebec will expose you to a French culture, but you'll hear Quebecois down the street--and it may be hard to understand!


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Go for a walk. Take a break. Talk to yourself. Listen to music.

Answer: Walking can boost your creativity and help you work through problems. Take a short walk outside to help think through your ideas. You may or may not choose to think about your problem. If you find that ideas are starting to come to you, work them out as you walk. If you are still stumbling, clear your head, and do not think about it until you return. After about twenty or thirty minutes, you should stop brainstorming, and do another activity for five to ten minutes. You can get a snack, read a few news articles, or make a phone call. Do something that will take your mind off your brainstorming session. This will help refresh your mind, and give you new ideas when return to the brainstorming activity. Talking can help you process ideas and generate new ones. Even if you are alone, you can still talk out your problems. Pretend that you are discussing your ideas with someone. Explain to yourself what you need to get done and what roadblocks you are facing. You may find yourself coming to the solution as you describe your problem. If it helps, you can record yourself speaking to save any ideas that you might develop. Or you can listen to yourself to reflect on what you said. Before you start brainstorming or during breaks, you can listen to music to help boost the creative process. Choose upbeat music that you enjoy. When you are ready to start brainstorming, turn the music off. While listening to music before a task can boost creativity, trying to listen to music during brainstorming can distract you.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Repel raccoons from entry points and nesting areas. Seal off your yard.

Answer: Boil one cup of cayenne pepper and 3-5 chopped habanero chilis with water in a pot and let it cool. Transfer it into a spray bottle. Spray the entry points you've identified. Because raccoons follow their noses, this spray will make their nesting area unbearable. Use goggles and a respirator before spraying in enclosed areas. Although hot peppers are technically non-toxic, they can irritate mucous membranes in your eyes and mouth. Raccoons can easily scale wood or metal fences. They also use nearby tree limbs or shrubs to help them over fences. Run electrified wires at the top and bottom of your fence to deter intrusions. Prune tree limbs near fences. If you decide to replace your fence, make sure the mesh is no wider than 3 inches (7.6 cm). This will prevent young raccoons from entering your yard.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Take the entire hookah apart. Clean the tobacco bowl. Rinse all grommets in warm water. Rinse your release valve. Wash and scrub the ashtray.

Answer:
The top part of the hookah relies on the broad base at the bottom to stand up straight, so take all of the pieces apart to keep the hookah from toppling over. Make sure you keep all small pieces in a secure location so you don’t lose anything.  Unscrew and remove the release valve. Remove the grommet from the hose port. Remove the bowl from the top of the hookah. Remove the bowl grommet that was underneath it. Lift off the tray that catches coal ash, making sure to dispose of any ash in it without making a mess. Twist and jostle the stem of the hookah gently until it comes loose from the base, and set it aside. If you still have old foil and tobacco over the bowl, remove those and dispose of them in the trash. Dig your fingers into the clean side of the foil to help jar the caked tobacco loose without getting your fingers dirty.  Run warm faucet water over the bowl.    {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/6e\/Clean-Your-Hookah-Step-6Bullet1.jpg\/v4-460px-Clean-Your-Hookah-Step-6Bullet1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/6e\/Clean-Your-Hookah-Step-6Bullet1.jpg\/aid1034322-v4-728px-Clean-Your-Hookah-Step-6Bullet1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}  Use your fingers to scrape off any caked-on tobacco that’s left behind. Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Carefully submerge the bowl in the water. Use the charcoal tongs that came with your hookah to get the bowl into the right position without burning your hand in the hot water. Leave the bowl in the simmering water for 3-5 minutes, then remove it using the tongs. Protecting your hand with a thick towel, scrub the bowl using steel wool to remove old, black burn marks. The grommets are the protective disks that keep different parts of the hookah from rubbing up against and damaging each other. They don’t affect taste very much, but it’s good to clean them anyway. Simply run them under warm water, using your finger to smooth over the surface and remove any matter that might have accumulated there. Set them aside on a towel to dry. Again, simply run warm water over it, rubbing the surface with your fingers. Set aside on the same towel to dry. If you haven’t been keeping up with your regular hookah maintenance, you may well have a charred mess in your ashtray. If you only had loose ash, simply rinse the tray in warm water and rub over the surface with your fingers.  If there are black, caked spots of ash on your tray, use hot water to rinse the tray. Scrub it with steel wool to dislodge the ash. Continue rinsing until the tray is clean and the water that comes off of it runs clear. Set it aside on the towel to dry.