I explored a new hobby because I like new experiences. I tried sewing, but then I realized that I am afraid of needles. Another thing I'd like to say is that since I always try hard, I do well in high school. But I am also doing well thanks to the help of my friends and classmates.

Yes. In formal and technical English, the difference is a matter of precision. "Half the time" is a precise and often a mathematical descriptor. But this is in formal and official English. In informal contexts, the thinking is looser, so it is as rough and crude in reference to frequency so as to only be vague, situationally relative occurrence (based on life context and common sense expectations). Then it means what "often" means. "I often have sleepless nights" can mean 5-10% of the time! "Half the time" never means that little if one thinks carefully and in detail. Anyway, one is mathematical and the other is contextually relative in its base form. "Half the time I go to Walmart" means a reference to 50% incidence in formal English. But in the informal English that is used with family, friends, and coworkers, it is meant to mean often. It's just as vague and imprecise a frequency as "often" is, which means of notable frequency or incidence according to the situation being mentioned or in the rating opinion of the person speaking. "Often" can mean "rarely" to the average person, but frequent to the speaker or writer. "I often eat sushi" means I eat the dish regularly or in a frequency significant to me. And the same is true of many other assessments, ratings, opinions, and qualifications used in casual speech and writing. That is, words of precision like percentages or ratios are used loosely and seen uncritically to the naked eye, so they are taken less seriously and to be less precise. So "half the time" is a loose, inexact, relaxed, almost flippant assessment in casual English or when spoken to your friends, but not when it appears in formal presentations, medicine, engineering, or science. But the two descriptions are taken uncritically; so much so as to be close enough to be synonyms or mean the same thing when said in informal English. They are "close enough" in casual and uncritical references, but not in formal language or writing.

You're right, SHL; I agree. To walk "up the street" in modern-day (current) English means the same as "walk down it," too. "Up" and "down" are more extent oriented, as are several main locative prepositions and adverbs (called "particles" in this syntactic/grammatical role) nowadays. They are more generic now i think because of the explosive growth and sweeping influence of Hollywood movies and TV shows in American (and not British) usage. British English is more expert-prescriptive; American - more active usage-based. These idiomatically mean to walk on a street (city road) extensively, fully, or for a considerable distance. However, in my grandmother's heyday, they meant completely opposite things: to walk up to the commercial or business center of town or away from it - also up or down a hill in altitude on the road. I think "up" and "down" as phrasal-verb particles have become more extent-relative now in their verb-flavoring focus; more idiomatic in use and less literally spatial/locative as a result. Isn't it due to movie/TV usage? Dialects in America are blending or flowing into each other. Broadening/generalizing meaning through their usage/actual applications seems a likely first step. As a result, I have been turning to the practice of teaching extent or degree-related meanings for certain groups of phrasal verb particles recently. "Out" and "in" are a similar pair. Their phrasals and idioms can be taught efficiently in groups based on verb alterations due to the particles' current, broad image.

And it is reflective, a state/condition-type observation of s. continuously enduring in most likely a specified past, a note about a personal tendency or characteristic, of medium precision in time specificity (I,e., about a specified time period), and the list goes on ...!

Please help me!!! n.n

Hi, my name is Mayra, I need to talk in English at work. I´d like to learn  English with you... Please... Help me!!! n.n

Good, Mayra.  To do this (with any teacher) on italki, CLICK ON "FIND A TEACHER."  This is the magnifying glass icon found first (at the left side) of the italki Menu Bar.  The menu bar is written across the top of your page beneath the Windows Menu Task bar and all Windows OS information.  If your bar is like mine, it should be given in your native language. Then when you click on this find a ,teacher selection, another web page will appear that lists many teachers to choose from.  You need to scroll down until you find just the teacher you want. 

Then GO TO THAT TEACHER'S PROFILE PAGE.  There you will find their schedule. Also, you will find ways to send messages on italki to them.  Then you can sign up for their class!

I think that any place on italki you see a teacher's name appear, you can just click on that name.  Doing so should take you to that teacher's page on italki.  From there, you should be able to ask for or sign up for the teacher's classes.  Scroll down and look for that item.

Time zone is a big factor.  You need to find a teacher that teaches regularly when you are awake and in a mood to study; that is - if you want to continue studying with them.  

Describe a plant, flower or tree that is famous or important in your country.

We have many advantages in agriculture, but the first plant comes up in my mind without thinking is rice. It's usually seen in the countryside where the climate and land are appropriate to grow them. The majority of rice we use to export and the remaining is used inland.

Thanks for your attention!

Practicing: Writing 4

Hello,
How are you doing?

I decided to write a little text about the things that have been happening.

I have opted to keep silence some months ago on iTalki because I have been so busy with some activities at the university.
I have been a little sad and worried about all the things that're happening in my academic and personal life, and then, I have played guitar, read some books, and researched about pesticides/agrochemicals.  (Every semester has a new theme of for a class project and that's my theme this semester.) At During my free time, I have slept A LOT!  hahaha.

I guess that the things will get .better... We're almost stay in into/at September, and 2018 is coming too fast.
Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great day :)