After School Tutoring Letter Writing Tips

After School Tutoring Letter Writing TipsBefore I get into my after school tutoring letter writing tips, let me start by saying that you really don't need a professional letter when it comes to school. Not everyone has the money for a child's private school tuition. However, there are many good free services and many good resources available to find your child a good after school tutor.I have given you all of the resources needed for after school tutoring in this article. In that article, I have given you a few pointers on how to write a professional after school tutoring letter. However, there is one more important step that you should do before you begin. That is to find out who your child's tutors are and what their credentials are.Find out all of the basic information about each person you are thinking of hiring. You should have enough information to make an informed decision about their experience and their success rate. Not all tutors are perfect but if you find out all of the basic information about each person then you will be better able to choose the best person for your child.Do some research online as well. In this day and age there are many free after school tutoring services that are available online. Take a few minutes and look through them to see if they have any references that can benefit your child. If they do, that is always a bonus.If you are going to hire adult professional tutors for your child, the best place to start is the Internet. Many of these companies that exist online will offer you a quote very quickly. This is probably the best way to go because you are getting a price quote right away and you can ask the tutor some questions as well.You should also create your own personal website. This can get you an online reference too. I recommend that you create a website on a free website hosting service.Now that you have a good after school tutoring letter, it is time to get started on actually finding a good tutor. There are many great resources online to help you find a good after school tutor for your child.

How to Burn Stomach Fat

How to Burn Stomach Fat The Guide to Getting a Flat Stomach ChaptersOur Best Advice for Staying in ShapeExercises for Getting a Flat StomachHow Long It Takes to Get a Flat StomachActivities for Getting a Flat StomachIt’s not always obvious how to get a flat stomach and whether you need to be on a strict diet, regularly doing abdominal exercises or counting calories. Many people are trying to get a flat stomach but it’s difficult.To get rid of stomach fat, most of the solutions involve regular exercise and eating healthily in the long term. With toning the abdominal muscles, changing your eating habits, and regularly exercising, it’s quite easy to lose your way.In this article, Superprof is looking at fat burning exercises and how to get rid of belly fat. From the exercises you need to do, to changing what you eat, you’ll find the answers you need in this article.Check here to hire a reputable personal trainer. CalumDrama School Entrance Teacher 5.00 (15) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £15 /h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliviaSchool support Teacher 5.00 (2) £21/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Teacher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JenniferMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouiseAutoCAD Teacher 5.00 (3) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyPercussion Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolasGuitar Teacher 5.00 (2) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MyriamOrganic chemistry Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JonathanEconomics Teacher 5.00 (9) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Oluwakemi imoleMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamSinging Teacher 5.00 (14) £48/h1st lesson free!Di scover all our tutors ValentiniMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (2) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MilenaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RashmiEconomics Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsOur Best Advice for Staying in ShapeLosing your love handles and getting a flat stomach is no easy feat but you need to be aware of what you eat and which activities will get rid of the rolls. Here are some tips for how to increase your metabolism and lose that belly fat.Food and Drink for a Flat StomachTo burn belly fat, you need to eat certain foods and drink certain drinks that are low in calories but also good at burning abdominal fat. Fruits and vegetables as well as fibre-rich foods with the sugars you need for throughout the day. If you want to get rid of that belly, you need to eat right. (Source: JerzyGorecki)In terms of drinks, we recommend green tea or herbal tea. However, the most important thing to drink is water and you need to drink it throughout the day. There are benefits to drinking water:Reduced hungerImproved digestionEliminating toxinsNo calories or carbohydratesIn short, you can consume a lot of water, tea, herbal tea, or caffeine-rich drinks and eat fibre, protein, and spicy food, which are all good for weight loss, digestion, reducing appetite.Food to Avoid and Good HabitsAs you may have imagined, some food and drink should be avoided. Generally, everything containing fats and lipids should be avoided along with foods containing a lot of sugar. In terms of drinks, you should avoid fizzy drinks since they also tend to be full of sugar.When it comes to food, you should also avoid ready meals as they contain a lot of salt, even ready meals that are vegetable-based or advertised as healthy.It als o helps if you start:Sleeping wellBrushing your teeth after each mealExercising (cycling, walking, or aerobic exercise)Having breakfast every dayDon’t forget that just eating right won’t help you get a flatter stomach; you also need to regularly exercise.Exercises for Getting a Flat StomachIt’s common knowledge that if you want a good figure, you’re going to have to exercise. However, it’s never obvious which exercises we need to do to get a flat stomach since there are plenty of ways to lose belly fat and weight loss tips online. Here are some of the exercises you can do to lose that belly and get a flat stomach. If you want a flat stomach, you'll need to focus on your abs when you exercise. (Source: alvoi)If you want to lose your belly, you’re probably aware that you’ll need to do abdominal exercises because they’re the frontline against stomach fat. Here are some exercises that will help you get a flat a stomach and burn the fat around your tummy:PlanksClassic or inverted crunchesMountain climbersSquatsOblique crunchesRegularly doing these exercises will help you get the abs you’ve always wanted while burning fat. They focus on building muscle. Of course, you’ll also need to eat well and regularly exercise to burn calories.You can also do other types of exercise such as cardio (cycling, running, swimming) or floor exercises. If you’re motivated, why not try boxing or Zumba?Find out more about exercises to burn belly fat.How Long It Takes to Get a Flat StomachSometimes, even if you’re working hard on burning fat through diet and exercise, your motivation can waver when the resu lts don’t come as quickly as you expected. However, you need to persevere because the results can seemingly come at almost any time. Here’s a rough guide to how long it’ll take to effectively flatten your stomach! While you can speed up the process, you need to ensure that the change is permanent. (Source: ulleo)The more motivated you are, the more quickly you’ll get there because you’ll put in more effort. If you want to lose your tummy by just eating better, you’ll also need to accept that it’ll take longer. It’s possible, but it can take several months since fitness and weightloss come from diet  and exercise, not just one or the other.If you’re motivated, eating right, and exercising several times a week, you could reach your goal in a matter of weeks. With regular ab exercise, you could lose that belly in record time.Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, though. If your fitness or schedule means that you can’t exercise regularly, consider giving yourself more time. The time it takes to get a flat stomach will depend on you, your motivation, and what you do.Keep the following in mind:“Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they worked on it every single day.”Activities fo r Getting a Flat StomachNot everyone loves doing weights or working out in a gym. If you're wondering how to lose belly fat, you need to exercise and eat right. Here are some of the best activities you can do for a flat stomach. There are a lot of great activities you can do to burn fat. (Source: MonikaP)Running, Cycling, and Power WalkingClassic cardio is one of the best ways to get burn fat in the long term, especially around your midsection. Activities like jogging, power walking, or ellipticals are good ways to regularly exercise without needing loads of equipment.While these activities tend to focus on your legs, don’t underestimate the effects they can have on burning stomach fat. Regularly doing these activities will help you lose weight and progressively flatten your stomach.By using more energy than you're taking in from food, your body will start burning the fat it's stored to give you energy. This is when you'll start to shed pounds.Water SportsWhether it’s swimming, aqua gym, or even aqua biking, aquatic sports are also great for losing weight. You don’t need to attend a fitness class to do a few lengths of the pool.Swimming is one of the best sports for losing weight and toning your body s ince it makes use of far more muscle groups than a lot of other sports. Most water sports are great for burning stomach fat as they work the whole body.From Gentle Sports to Intense SportsIf you’re someone who doesn't do a lot of exercise and you want to start getting rid of your belly, you might want to do something like pilates or yoga. These activities can tone your body through slow and gentle movements.On the other hand, you might want to do something more intense like boxing or squash if you’re already quite sporty. It’s hard to maintain a belly if you’re a master with a racquet.Now you should have a better idea of how to get rid of belly fat.If you need more help, you can get a personal trainer or fitness tutor with Superprof who’ll be able to guide you with personal training sessions tailored to you.  If you're looking for a private fitness tutor, there are three main types of tutorial available: face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials, and group tutorials. Each t ype of tutorial has its advantages and disadvantages.Face-to-face tutorials involve you and the tutor and are particularly good for sport and fitness since you have a dedicated coach. Similarly, they can put together a training schedule with you in mind and work with your strengths and weaknesses.Group tutorials are good if you're on a budget as you and some friends could get together and exercise together. You'll pay less per person per hour since you're all sharing the cost of the tutor's time. However, this does mean you'll get less one-on-one time with your personal trainer and the sessions will focus on the group rather than the individual.Finally, there are online tutorials. While these tend to work better for academic subjects rather than sport and fitness, you can get online fitness trainers. They can talk you through what you need to do and show you how to work out correctly. On the plus side, they also tend to charge less since they don't have to travel to their students.

GCSE A level Maths Open Many Doors at University Beyond

GCSE A level Maths Open Many Doors at University Beyond What Can Students of GCSE Maths A Level Maths Tuition Study at University? ChaptersUniversity Subjects that Require Maths A-levelWhat Can I Study at A-Level with GCSE Maths?What University Degrees Can I Consider with A-Level Maths?Studying maths at GCSE and A-level can open up so many doors for you â€" some that you might not even expect!Maths is one of the core subjects that you have to study throughout primary and secondary school. You must learn maths at least up to GCSE level, but after that it’s up to you what you study and which subjects you pursue at A-level, whether it's maths or not.Maths can open so many doors and pathways for you! Photo via VisualHuntMost universities, colleges and employers want to see that you’ve got at least a C grade in Maths and English at GCSE. In 2013, the government announced that all students in England now have to achieve a C grade and continue to study the subject until this happens. MyriamMaths Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £200/h1st lesson free!Disco ver all our tutors Dr parikhMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors KamalMaths Teacher 5.00 (9) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PetarMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GowsikaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RubenMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ConorMaths Teacher 4.75 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsUniversity Subjects that Require Maths A-levelSo we can see that maths is core knowledge, and not just a qualification that some colleges and universities prefer, but that they actually require for you to apply and study further.Maths is a really important subject for so many courses at college and university. It is usually needed if you want to pursue subjects in the sciences, medicine and engineering to name a few.Science subjects, as you will have seen from your Key Stage 3 and 4 studies, can contain a fair amount of maths. Calculations, equations and probability, for example, can all crop up in certain topics within the natural sciences.This is why it’s so crucial to have maths under your belt if you want to study chemistry, physics or biology at A-level, and especially at university-level education. This also goes for other sciences that are available at university, such as biomedical science.Studies have shown that if you study what are known as STEM subjects at A-level (science, technology, engineering or maths) then you could end up with a 15% salary advantage than those who don’t.Similarly, with a university degree in a STEM subject, you could be earning anything up to £250,000 more that the average university graduate during your career.For most STEM subjects you will need an A-level in maths, so now’s the time to start thinking ahead to your potential university and career prospects!Find the maths help you need to get the best possible grades.What Can I Study at A-Level with GC SE Maths?Maths after GCSE can be really important for your future! Photo credit: CollegeDegrees360 via Visual Hunt / CC BY-SAMaths can be a really important part of your academic future, so it’s important to think about what you might like to do after your GCSEs so that you have the right grades and the preparation you need to continue with certain studies.With a GCSE in maths you could continue your maths study through to post-16 education. This could be A-levels, an international baccalaureate, BTEC, or an apprenticeship, for example.It can be really hard to imagine what you might like to do further down the line, and you might have no idea whatsoever what kind of career you would like to pursue â€" and that’s fine!If this is the case for you, just focus on which subjects you really enjoy studying and continue with those, things will start to fall into place and the right path will slowly take shape in front of you.On the other hand, perhaps you know exactly where you want to end up professionally or at least in terms of which degree, course or apprenticeship you’d like to do later on. So now is the time to look around at course requirements and what A-levels you might need in order to apply for certain things after sixth form college.A-Level Maths Course RequirementsIf you choose do to a course such as maths or further maths, you will need a GCSE or equivalent, usually with a B-grade or higher. Some courses might accept a C-grade, but you will need to check this.If you plan to do an international baccalaureate, it will be compulsory to take a maths subject. This could be maths at either higher or standard level, or maths studies which is a more basic maths course. You can also opt for further maths alongside your chosen maths pathway if you like, but access to this will depend on your GCSE maths grade.If you’re unsure what post-16 courses your GCSEs will suit, or which university courses you’re A-levels or IB studies will suit later on, there are lots of helpful guides available, both online and on paper, to give you some direction. Speak to your school’s careers and further education advice centre, or visit the Prospects website  for help.The most obvious choice for what maths can allow you to study is more maths!If you really love the stuff and can’t get enough of it, you might consider taking it further for A-Level, including the possibility of further maths, and you might even think about a degree in the subject too.But a GCSE in maths doesn’t mean you’re only destined for STEM subjects at A-level or further down the line at university. Maths has so many transferrable skills that you’ll find will help and come into play in all sorts of subjects, as well as many real life situations.Maths revision GCSE is great for pretty much any subject as it allows you to:Become more analytical and approach situations with an eye for detailBe able to interpret information and recognise patterns or outliersDevelop problem-so lving technique in both worded and numerical contextsCarry out and present researchThese are skills that will be applicable to all areas of study, so cultivating them now with GCSE and A-level maths will help you out with any subject you pursue along the course of your academic career, and later on in the professional world too.What University Degrees Can I Consider with A-Level Maths?Having an A-level or an IB higher level in maths can open up doors to all sorts of degrees at university. For some degree courses, maths GCSE is a preferred qualification, but you won’t need an A-Level in it.For many degree courses, such as medical, scientific and of course, mathematical courses, it is compulsory that you have a GCSE and A-level in maths, and usually to quite a high level depending on the university.Different universities will ask for different grades. This will depend on the university’s ranking, for example if it’s Oxford or Cambridge or a Russell Group university. It will also depend on the course ranking at the university and how subscribed the course is with prospective students.Universities will have a course directory available, which you can find online or at an open day. This will tell you which courses the university offers, and what the course requirements are. You will learn from this if you need certain GCSEs or A-levels to be eligible to apply for the course.You will find that maths is either required or preferred for many courses available at university, so it’s a good idea to check this out when making your A-level choices so that you can apply for the course later on with no problems or hurdles. It's incredibly disappointing to find out that you don't have the right preliminary qualifications to apply for the course you want! Now is the time to find a maths tutor to help bring your grades up if you are having trouble.There are so many degrees where maths will come in handy! Photo via VisualHuntSo make sure early on that you are following the right course of study for the future. For example, if you are about to choose your A-levels and you know you would like to go on to study medicine at university, you will need to choose maths and sciences accordingly so that you will be eligible to apply for the place at university.The most common courses that maths A-level students go on to take are:MathsFurther mathsNatural science (physics, chemistry, biology)Medicine, dentistryVeterinary scienceEngineeringBiomedical sciencesPharmacology, physiotherapyIT or computingEconomicsBusinessAccountancyMaths isn’t always necessary for certain courses, but it will help no end when it comes to subjects such as economics, business or accounting. You might need a minimum of a C grade for most courses like these, so make sure you do the right research if you want to apply for something like this.For some subjects it is compulsory to have a GCSE and A-level or equivalent in maths. For courses such as maths, medicine, sciences (including b iomedical) and engineering, for example, you will definitely need a qualification in maths to the highest level possible for your level of education.For a degree in maths you will need a high grade in your post-16 course, and a higher level maths course if you take the IB. You will usually need further maths too as part of you’re a-level or IB course.You can check all the necessary requirements for different courses on their online specification pages, or in the course directories at the sixth form, college or university. Make sure you carefully check what is required to apply for the course so that you can be considered.Discover how useful maths can be in life and why you should consider studying it.

The Cost of Going to Shanghai

The Cost of Going to Shanghai Budgeting for a Trip to Shanghai ChaptersThe Cost of Travelling to ShanghaiFinding and Budgeting for Accommodation in ShanghaiDining Out in ShanghaiTransport and Activities in ShanghaiOf all the Chinese cities, Shanghai is one of the most popular among tourists. The megapolis is full of skyscrapers and temples that reflect both Chinese history and modern China. If you’re planning a trip to Shanghai in China, you’re in luck!From Shanghai Tower to the old town, Shanghai is one of the country’s best cities. It’s much like Beijing with its business district, great metro system, and shopping centres.  However, trips to China cost a lot so you’ll need to budget before you head to Shanghai.In this article, Superprof has got some travel tips and travel information for helping you plan for the cost of your flights, hotel rooms, leisure activities, dining out, public transport, and other services in Shanghai.Once you've finished this article, your wallet will be ready for anything in Shanghai!Check for popular Manda rin lessons London here.In addition to museums and parks, tourists can also enjoy Shanghai’s nightlife. There are plenty of bars, clubs, and restaurants where you can eat and drink until the early hours. Of course, modern nightlife spots tend to be more expensive than traditional Chinese neighbourhoods.It would be a shame to plan a trip to China and Shanghai and not enjoy a Yangtze River cruise. With Shanghai being on the Yangtze River delta, it's obviously one of the best travel destinations, albeit a bit touristy, for enjoying the river.Why not head to the Shanghai Zoo the following morning for a relaxing day?A day at the zoo will cost you 130 Yuans per person (with free entry for children), but you could also get a ticket from the hotel to the park and a private guided tour for around £65.In short, a trip to Shanghai won’t be cheap. 1 person spending a week in September in Shanghai will cost around £1,000 (including flights from the UK). It’s not a huge amount for a trip to the other side of the world, especially if you’ve been saving for a while.When you plan your trip and itinerary, look at free travel guides and travel planning websites, you'll get trip ideas, advice on places to stay, the natural wonders you should see, places to visit in the cities, how much airfare will cost you.If you're really struggling with where to stay, you could always consider planning your trip with a travel agency. Of course, every travel agent and tour operator has to make their money and they tend to be more expensive than planning it yourself.If you like China, you could also visit Beijing, the capital city, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Suzhou, Chongqing, Yangshuo or even the Yunnan, Guangzhou, or Sichuan provinces. China is full of things to discover, including the Great Wall of China, the Silk Road, and the Terracotta Warriors, to name a few.Now you know how much it could cost you. Check out our other articles on visiting Shanghai.  You could also get help with your Chinese from a private tutor on our site.  There are three main options for Chinese private tutorials: group tutorials, face-to-face tutorials, and online tutorials.Group tutorials are similar to traditional classes with multiple students and one teacher. If you and a group of friends all would like to learn Chinese, you could look for a private tutor offering group tutorials. Since there are several of you, you'll split the cost of the tutor's time, making the lessons cheaper per student per hour.Face-to-face tutorials are bespoke lessons for just one student and tend to be more expensive per hour. However, they're also more cost-effective given the fact that the tutor can focus their attention entirely on you.Finally, online tutorials are conducted over webcam with the tutor in a different place. You could even get a tutor living in China!

7 Tips About Online Homework Tutor You Need to Know

7 Tips About Online Homework Tutor You Need to Know 0SHARESShare Today, with the ongoing recession in employment market, taking on useful tips to cut down the tuition fees for your kids is a welcoming sign of pocket friendliness. Let us try to probe how it could be possible while choosing an online tutor for homework help. First have a baseline for your expenditure   with regard to the amount you could spend on your homework online help Search with web engines all the online tutoring sites that come under your budget purview Check out those which have accommodative features like good credentials, experience in the subject and exposure to tutoring at length. Your search features should enroll the key facts like less cost and more utility value for the money you spend Pick up those free services or cheap tutoring programs online with the availability of  a homework tutor online free Choose classes on an hourly basis first. Do not opt for unlimited online tutoring  in the beginning. If you need, you can access the facility in due course, depending upon your need and efficiency of the site Be sure of what you demand in your homework help before clicking a schedule with a tutor, so that you can get maximum output. This is especially important   while seeking Math help like algebra in college Yes, if you are clear about your budget and the purpose of hiring an online service for homework help, you could be reasonably successful in acquiring the nice services of fine homework tutors. [starbox id=admin]

Online Trinomial Solver Tutors

Online Trinomial Solver Tutors Trinomial is an algebraic expression containing three terms and the three terms can either be constants, variables or terms consisting both constants and variables together. These terms are separated by the addition operation or the subtraction operation and they can be simplified based on the common factors in the given expression. There are many ways of solving trinomials and it basically involves simplifying the given trinomial if possible, and then solving it in order to get the value of the unknown variable given in the trinomial. Example 1: Solve the given trinomial, 2x+ 4x 18 = 0 to find the value of x. The given expression: 2x+ 4x-18 = 0 The above given algebraic expression is a trinomial since it contains three terms. In order to solve for the unknown variable x, here we can first simplify the expression. This means that we can combine the like terms together. Hence we get, 2x+ 4x18 = 0-6x- 18= 0. Now we can solve for x- 6x = 18- x= 18/6 = 3. Therefore the value of x is 3. Example 2: Solve the given trinomial, 6p 9p 24 = 0 to find the value of p. The given expression: 6p 9p 24= 0 The above given algebraic expression is a trinomial since it contains three terms. In order to solve for the unknown variable p, here we can first simplify the expression. This means that we can combine the like terms together. Hence we get, 6p 9p 24= 0 Now we can solve for p== -3p = 24== p= 24/-3 = -8. Therefore the value of p is -8.

ACT Tutor Online -Avail Incredible Solutions for Your ACT Struggles

ACT Tutor Online -Avail Incredible Solutions for Your ACT Struggles 0SHARESShare SAT or ACT or both? Whatever be your choice, you need practice to make it your cup of tea. Avail the advantages offered by Tutor Pace through its SAT and ACT prep online and see the sea of change in your prep modalities and ensuing results. ACT Tutor-how to get solutions for your ACT struggles? ACT tests your memory and quick grasp of concepts. You could not offer to waste time in choosing the answers in ACT. Tutor Pace’s ACT tutor online guides you with short cuts and quick solutions for answering ACT Math or Reading passages. He tells you how to choose the answers that come by easy conjectures in Math and how to read the passages at a quick browsing to answer the questions. SAT tutor-your savior for future goals SAT demands a deep analysis of the subject concepts and Tutor Pace’s SAT tutor does this job well for you. He trains you with his practice questions that develop a positive outlook for the subject in you. With the diagnosis test results, he spots out the weak areas in you and suggests remedial measures to make you sit for the test with confidence. Test prep online-why do you need it Without test prep online, all your efforts will go a waste. Your individual prep needs fine tutoring under the guidance of an able tutor, which you can get through the expert team of Tutor Pace’s tutors. Learning with the help of an experienced hand adds to your prep and throws a positive light upon your learning process. Tutor Pace showcases an excellent pool of expert ACT tutors and SAT tutors to make your test prep online effective. [starbox id=admin]

GCSE Poem Analysis Nettles by Vernon Scannell

GCSE Poem Analysis Nettles by Vernon Scannell Vernon Scannell is a British poet who was born in Lincolnshire. Having fought in the World War Two, Scannell was most famous as a war poet. His poetry often reflect his experiences at war, as in this poem, Nettles. An analysis of the GCSE poem Nettles by Vernon Scannell. What is it about? The poem is a short account of the day that the poet’s son was stung by nettles â€" and what happened afterwards.   But more interesting than the events are the shadows of war that linger in the mind of the ex-soldier father, causing him to meditate on the cyclical nature of pain and violence. Nettles by Vernon Scannell My son aged  three fell in the  nettle bed. 'Bed' seemed a curious name for those green spears, That regiment of spite behind the shed: It was no place for rest. With sobs and tears The boy came seeking comfort and I saw White blisters beaded on his tender skin. We soothed him till his pain was not so raw. At last he offered us a watery grin, And then I took my hook and honed the blade And went outside and slashed in fury with it Till not a nettle in that fierce parade Stood upright any more. Next task: I lit A funeral pyre to burn the fallen dead. But in  two weeks the busy  sun and rain Had called up tall recruits behind the shed: My son would often feel sharp wounds  again. Overview The nettles of the title are introduced in a simple, rhythmically regular end-stopped line consisting of a single clause: noun phrase followed by verb phrase.   Yet they change their character â€" first, ‘curious’ to the adult poet who is interested in the paradoxical language with which we describe them, and then a ‘regiment of spite’, when we, the child and the father all discover what they can do. Form and Structure The poem is a single stanza of four, cross rhymed quatrains.   Each line is written in very regular iambic pentameter: lines of ten syllables with five stressed beats alternating with unstressed beats. Only a single line (‘And went outside and slashed with fury with it) breaks the pattern of ending on a stressed syllable â€" sometimes called a ‘feminine’ ending.   When iambic pentameter is used so regularly it achieves a very steady, relentless rhythm, helped here by the simple rhyme scheme abab.   This is another decision to relate the story in simplicity and most of the rhyme words are monosyllables with simple, everyday meanings â€" shed, bed, tears, skin. Language In fact it’s worth noting that Scannell achieves quite a nuanced, subtle perspective with only the simplest vocabulary.   In the 137 words there is only a single word of three syllables â€" ‘regiment’.   Almost all of the others are ‘core vocabulary’ â€" everyday words.   By mixing in a few pieces of military language â€" ‘spears, regiment, parade, recruits’ and ‘wounds’ â€" he dresses the mundane event in a light metaphor that encourages us to rethink the meaning of other words. The image of the father ‘honing the blade’ becomes more vengeful, more intentionally violent, in the context of this language. The rhyme is largely of the simplest kind: short, common monosyllables rhyming with ‘friendly’ words.   In one place an unstressed pronoun (‘slashed in fury with it’) rhymes with a stressed verb ‘lit’, perhaps giving a sense of release from effort that chimes with the frantic slashing.   There is also internal line between ‘took’ an ‘hook’, which simply brings those words to our attention.   Note that the father is probably using a billhook to hack the weeds, rather than a scythe, as some notes comment. Themes Scannell’s metaphor of nettles as soldiers is simple enough â€" the fresh shoots called ‘recruits’, the ‘fierce parade’ conjuring an image of hostile ranks â€" but its power is in the application.   This enemy stands just ‘behind the shed’ and the son can’t possibly escape them in his play, so the first theme has got to be vulnerability. Then there’s the matter of the father’s emotional reaction.   His anger seems disproportionate and though he ‘slashed with fury’ it is also ultimately in vain, because the nettles grow back!   Perhaps the second real theme is the vanity of a violent or vengeful reaction.   As an ex-soldier, Scannell would certainly have empathised with men who lashed out in anger, still holding back their pent-up reactions to the atrocities of war.   Perhaps the reader is also glimpsing a battle-scarred man lashing out? But finally there’s a powerful sense of the father’s love for his son here.   If this poem is an accurate account of a real event, then Scannell positions his narrative voice quite carefully: ‘my son’ becomes ‘the boy’.   By making the language less specific, less personal, the poet asks his reader to imagine ‘a’ boy â€" not a specific named child â€" a boy suffering.   The detail of the blisters ‘beaded on his white skin’ acts like a zoom lens, drawing the reader’s eye up close, before we back away and observe the consequence.   There is an intimacy here that adds depth to our picture of the family in the garden. Conclusion Using only the simplest poetic tools, Vernon Scannell creates a sequence of focused visual images with subtle overtones of much deeper themes.   You might describe such poetry as ‘deft’ or ‘workmanlike’ and be able to back up your opinion with any of the points above! Cross rhyme - A rhyme pattern alternating line endings, so that the first line rhymes with the third, and the second with the fourth, often notated abab and actually much simpler in practice than explanation!   Also one of the most common regular rhyme patterns. Quatrain - Four lines rhyming together and acting as one unit of verse.   Not necessarily grammatically complete or set apart as their own stanza. Stanza - A number of lines of verse laid out together on the page and separated by empty lines from the remainder of the poem.   This is chiefly a matter of a poet’s personal taste as well as visual appeal. Need an extra hand with your English? Why not book a private GCSE English tutor to come to your home from the Tutorfair website? More GCSE poem analyses: The Yellow Palm, Praise Song for My Mother, My Last Duchess, and Medusa