Birthday 2024

So...

The word "so" has different meanings and uses in the English language. The various uses of "so" make it one of the most flexible and commonly used words in English — and one of the most confusing for learners of English.

so can be an adverb

used as an intensifier or to emphasize the degree of something...
meaning to such a great extent.
"The cake was so delicious."

used to refer to how something is done...
meaning in this or that way:
"Hold the book so."

so can be a conjunction

used to indicate purpose...
meaning in order that:
"Speak up so that everyone can hear you."

used to link cause and effect...
indicating a consequence, meaning and for that reason:
"She forgot her umbrella, so she got wet."

so can be a pronoun

used to refer back to something previously mentioned or inferred...
meaning like this or like that:
"Do you really think so?"

so can be an interjection

used to express agreement, acknowledgement, or curiosity...
meaning and or what now?
"So?" 

used to continue or resume a conversation...
serving as a conversational bridge
"So, where were we?"

so can be a discourse marker 

used to introduce a new topic or transition to a new point or summarize a previous one:
"So, I’ve been thinking about that project..." ***
or
"So... I've been thinking about that project..."

so can be a phrase filler
(in conversation)

used to hesitate or stall while gathering thoughts or maintaining flow:
"I was, so, trying to tell you about..."

so can be a part of fixed expressions

used to say goodbye:
"So long!"

used to refer to progress until now:
"So far, everything is going well."

used to indicate the end or failure of something:
"So much for our plans to hike."

Yes. The word so in English is incredibly versatile.

*** Both a comma and an ellipsis could be used here. However, as an editor, I don't feel that the pause used after so as a discourse marker is a regular pause; therefore, I would use an ellipsis after the word so in this case, not a comma.

September 16

 a few pages from the book My Guest Book, a memoir by Afarin Rava

Indiana Joes

 

https://www.amazon.com/Indiana-Joes-Noosha-Ravaghi-ebook/dp/B0BLWHH1GS

M

Dear M,

I’ve been thinking a lot about you recently. The memory of that time we spent together when you took that photo of me keeps coming back, even more now that you’re gone. That moment wasn’t just about the picture — it was about you, your presence, and how comfortable and effortless everything felt.

Every time I see it, I’m reminded of the warmth and kindness you brought into my life — a memory I will always cherish. 

I wish I could tell you how much you meant to me. It’s hard to accept that you’re not here anymore, but I’m grateful for the memories. I’ll hold onto them — and that photo — as a way to keep a part of you with me.

Thank you for being who you were. You made a difference in my life, and I’ll never forget that.

With all my heart,

Noosha

Indiana Joes: Book Review

 

Pishi Pishi Miao Miao

A cat emerged from the woods and decided to adopt me as its human... or maybe it wanted to adopt Hoppoo and Looloo, my faithful furry friends, as its siblings. 

After making several random appearances around my cabin, which disturbed my dogs, it chose to just park itself right in front of the door to my cabin, so I made it a tiny shelter in that spot and started feeding it. 

Now, it's been a week, and Hoppoo and Looloo have gotten used to the cat.

Meet Pishi Pishi Miao Miao... 

Flag Day

On Flag Day, I can't help but think of Majidreza Rahnavard, the twenty-two-year-old hero who had the Iranian flag — the real Iranian flag, not the one the occupying regime has imposed on the Iranian people — tattooed on his arm and who was brutally tortured and hanged on December 12, 2022, by the barbaric invaders of the country where I was born.