Linking Words

Linking words help you to connect ideas and sentences, so that people can follow your ideas.

Giving examples

For example
For instance
Namely

The most common way of giving examples is by using for example or for instance.

Namely refers to something by name.
"There are two problems: namely, the expense and the time."

Adding information

And
In addition
As well as
Also
Too
Furthermore
Moreover
Apart from
In addition to
Besides

Ideas are often linked by and. In a list, you put a comma between each item, but not before and.

"We discussed training, education and the budget."
Also is used to add an extra idea or emphasis. "We also spoke about marketing."

You can use also with not only to give emphasis.
"We are concerned not only by the costs, but also by the competition."

We don't usually start a sentence with also. If you want to start a sentence with a phrase that means also, you can use In addition, or In addition to this…

As well as can be used at the beginning or the middle of a sentence.
"As well as the costs, we are concerned by the competition."
"We are interested in costs as well as the competition."

Too goes either at the end of the sentence, or after the subject and means as well.
"They were concerned too."
"I, too, was concerned."

Apart from and besides are often used to mean as well as, or in addition to.
"Apart from Rover, we are the largest sports car manufacturer."
"Besides Rover, we are the largest sports car manufacturer."

Moreover and furthermore add extra information to the point you are making.
"Marketing plans give us an idea of the potential market. Moreover, they tell us about the competition."

Summarising

In short
In brief
In summary
To summarise
In a nutshell
To conclude
In conclusion

We normally use these words at the beginning of the sentence to give a summary of what we have said or written.

Sequencing ideas

The former, … the latter
Firstly, secondly, finally
The first point is
Lastly
The following

The former and the latter are useful when you want to refer to one of two points.

"Marketing and finance are both covered in the course. The former is studied in the first term and the latter is studied in the final term."

Firstly, … secondly, … finally (or lastly) are useful ways to list ideas.

It's rare to use "fourthly", or "fifthly". Instead, try the first point, the second point, the third point and so on.

The following is a good way of starting a list.
"The following people have been chosen to go on the training course: N Peters, C Jones and A Owen."

Giving a reason

Due to / due to the fact that
Owing to / owing to the fact that
Because
Because of
Since
As

Due to and owing to must be followed by a noun.

"Due to the rise in oil prices, the inflation rate rose by 1.25%."

"Owing to the demand, we are unable to supply all items within 2 weeks."

If you want to follow these words with a clause (a subject, verb and object), you must follow the words with the fact that.

"Due to the fact that oil prices have risen, the inflation rate has gone up by 1%25."

"Owing to the fact that the workers have gone on strike, the company has been unable to fulfil all its orders."

Because / because of

Because of is followed by a noun.

"Because of bad weather, the football match was postponed."

Because can be used at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence. For example, "Because it was raining, the match was postponed."

"We believe in incentive schemes, because we want our employees to be more productive."

Since / as

Since and as mean because.

"Since the company is expanding, we need to hire more staff."

"As the company is expanding, we need to hire more staff."

Giving a result

Therefore
So
Consequently
This means that
As a result

Therefore, so, consequently and as a result are all used in a similar way.

"The company are expanding. Therefore / So / Consequently / As a result, they are taking on extra staff."

So is more informal.

Contrasting ideas

But
However
Although / even though
Despite / despite the fact that
In spite of / in spite of the fact that
Nevertheless
Nonetheless
While
Whereas
Unlike
In theory… in practice…

But is more informal than however. It is not normally used at the beginning of a sentence.

"He works hard, but he doesn't earn much."
"He works hard. However, he doesn't earn much."

Although, despite and in spite of introduce an idea of contrast. With these words, you must have two halves of a sentence.

"Although it was cold, she went out in shorts."
"In spite of the cold, she went out in shorts."

Despite and in spite of are used in the same way as due to and owing to. They must be followed by a noun. If you want to follow them with a noun and a verb, you must use the fact that.

"Despite the fact that the company was doing badly, they took on extra employees."

Nevertheless and nonetheless mean in spite of that or anyway.

"The sea was cold, but he went swimming nevertheless." (In spite of the fact that it was cold.)
"The company is doing well. Nonetheless, they aren't going to expand this year."

While, whereas and unlike are used to show how two things are different from each other.

"While my sister has blue eyes, mine are brown."

"Taxes have gone up, whereas social security contributions have gone down."

"Unlike in the UK, the USA has cheap petrol."

In theory… in practice… show an unexpected result.

"In theory, teachers should prepare for lessons, but in practice, they often don't have enough time."

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Present Continuous Tense

This page will help you if you can't remember the difference between the Present Continuous tense ("I am doing"), and the Present Simple tense ("I do").

Which tense you use depends on how you see the state or action. If you use the Present Simple ("I do"), you think something is permanent. This means we often use the Present Simple to talk about general and scientific facts, our routines or habits, to give definitions and to describe things.
The Present Continuous ("I am doing") means the action is happening now (or around now), is unfinished, or temporary. We use it to talk about trends and changes, or about situations happening now that are different from normal.
"I live in London." (This is my home.)
"I am living with my parents." (A temporary situation until I buy my own house.)
"Hot air rises." (A scientific fact.)
"House prices are rising." (A trend happening now.)
"I drive to work every day." (My routine or habit.)
"I am walking to work this week." (My car is being repaired.)
"At work I write letters to customers." (My job routine.)
"I'm writing a difficult letter." (This is what I am doing right now and I haven't finished yet.)
So the most important rule is that you use the Present Simple ("I do") for permanent states and the Present Continuous ("I am doing") for changes and trends.
Some verbs cannot be used in the Present Continuous tense. This is because they already suggest permanence.
These include:
Verbs of possession – own, have, belong. (Although you can say "I am having a party", it doesn't mean you own the party, it means you are hosting a party.)
Verbs of the mind – believe, know, think, forget.
Verbs of emotion – love, hate, detest.
Verbs of the senses – see, hear, smell, taste. ("I'm seeing the doctor tomorrow" means I am going to visit the doctor, but "I see the doctor" means "the doctor is standing in front of me".)
Verbs of geographical location – lie. ("London lies on the River Thames".)

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Improving Speaking skill

Improving your English speaking skills will help you communicate more easily and effectively. But how do you become a more confident English speaker?

Practise where you can, when you can. Any practice is good – whether you speak to someone who is a native English speaker or not.
It's important to build your confidence. If possible, use simple English sentence structure that you know is correct, so that you can concentrate on getting your message across.
Try to experiment with the English you know. Use words and phrases you know in new situations. Native English speakers are more likely to correct you if you use the wrong word than if you use the wrong grammar. Experimenting with vocabulary is a really good way of getting feedback.
Try to respond to what people say to you. You can often get clues to what people think by looking at their body language. Respond to them in a natural way.
Try NOT to translate into and from your own language. This takes too much time and will make you more hesitant.
If you forget a word, do what native English speakers do all the time, and say things that 'fill' the conversation. This is better than keeping completely silent. Try using um, or er, if you forget the word.
Don't speak too fast! It's important to use a natural rhythm when speaking English, but if you speak too fast it will be difficult for people to understand you.
Try to relax when you speak – you'll find your mouth does most of the pronunciation work for you. When you speak English at normal speed, you'll discover that many of the pronunciation skills, such as linking between words, will happen automatically.

Remember, when speaking English…

Try to become less hesitant and more confident.
Don't be shy to speak – the more you do it, the more confident you'll become.
Remember to be polite – use "please" and "thank you" if you ask someone to do something for you.

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CERPEN

Hari begitu mendung saat sekolah SMA Tunas Bhakti melangsungkan upacara bendera. Para murid berbaris rapi saat sang ketua kelas menyiapkan barisan namun hanya lima menit berselang bentuknya berubah seperti ular kena cambuk. Lia mencondongkan badannya kearah telinga Dea dan berbisik, “Rido kok nggak ada sih De”

“Mana gue tau emang gue emaknya”

“Emang nggak! Tapi loe kan termasuk anggota GPR”

“Apaan tuh?”

“Gabungan pecinta Rido”

“Ngarang aja loe”

“Eheem…..” tiba – tiba seorang laki – laki gendut ceper berkumis tebal berdiri disamping mereka dan memandang tajam kearah dua orang siswinya.

“Kalian kira ini antrean nunggu karcis konser pakek bisik – bisik hahahihi gelayutan. Luruskan barisan kalian!!!!!” bentak pak Broto dengan suara tertekan.

 Sontak Lia dan Dea menghentikan KBDLU mereka alias Kegiatan Bergosip’ria Dilapangan Upacara. Dan tentu saja mengatur jarak serta menunduk. Bukan untuk memastikan jarak mereka sudah pas tapi memberi tanda pada pak Broto bahwa mereka menyesali KBDLU mereka(yang pernah jadi murid pasti tau itu beneran apa nggak hehehe)

Didalam kelas Dea tidak dapat berkonsentrasi semua ucapan Bu Astuti mental dari telinganya. “Kemana coba tuh anak kok nggak masuk sih hari ini? Padahal aku udah smsin kalo hari ini kelompok kita presentasi Biologi. Atau jangan – jangan dia pikir aku cuman basa basi buat nyari perhatian dia?  Apa iya dia tau kalo aku naksir dia? Aduh gimana nih? Malu aku!!!!!!” teriak Dea dalam hati dan tanpa sadar dia memukul jidat yang bunyinya cukup membuat seisi kelas menoleh kearahnya tak terkecuali Bu Astuti.

“Ardiani Putri coba kerjakan soal nomor dua!” suruh Bu Astuti. Terkesan sedikit membentak. Dea berjalan lunglai kedepan kelas diikuti pandangan sangsi Bu Astuti. Jangankan Bu Astuti, Dea aja sangsi dia bisa mengerjakan soal aljabar dipapan tulis dengan baik dan benar.

“Kenapa loe De?” Tanya Lia melihat muka sahabatnya lecek kayak baju habis dikucek duduk lemas diakar pohon di halaman sekolah.

“Menurut loe? Gue tadi jadi korban KDRK tau”

“Eh……….. ngomong apa sih loe”

“Maksudnya kekerasan dalam ruang kelas”

“Ngarang aja loe? Emang kenapa? Bukannya tadi loe dapet Bahasa Indonesia? Aman dong?  Loe kan lumayan encer kalo disuruh bikin puisi atau sejenisnya? What’s the matter sis’?”

“Iya tapi Bu Astuti kan nggak mungkin nyuruh gue bikin puisi buat ngetes gue gape ngitung aljabar apa nggak?”

“Lha kok Buk Astuti?

“Dia nukar jam pelajaran Bahasa Indo ama Matematika katanya sih entar mau permisi ke kawinan keponakkannya.”

“Pantes loe uring – uringan. Udah kekantin aja yuk, daripada loe bête – betean disini nanti penunggu pohonnya ikut ketularan bête trus loe kesambet waduh kan repoot sis’.”

“Aduh nggak deh gue harus nyelesain tugas Bu Astuti nie dikumpul besok.” Jawab Dea sambil kembali menekuni buku diatas pangkuannya.

“Emang loe tadi ngapain sih sampe Bu Astuti nafsu banget ngasi loe tugas sebanyak ini?” Tanya Lia sambil duduk disamping Dea.

“Gara – gara gue ngelamun sih! Trus gue disuruh kedepan sama si Ayu, eh si Ayu udah balik kemejanya gue nggak nulis satu angka pun. Makanya dia kayak orang kesetanan  marah – marah ama gue didepan anak satu kelas tengsin nggak coba? Sebel gue!” jawab Dea ngedumbel.

“Ah elo sih udah tau tow guru galak minta ampun masih sempet – sempetnya nghayalin Rido! Dasar Rido holic loe.”

“Udah deh jangan bikin gue marah! Ini nggak ada hubungannya sama si Rido. Gue cuman nganggep dia temen. Kalo pun gue smsin dia kemarin itu karena dia satu kelompok biologi ama gue. Gue kan nggak mau nilai presentasi gue jelek gara – gara anggota kelompok nggak lengkap.”

“Ooo jadi udah mulai smsan nih? Kok nggak cerita sih sama gue? Kalian ngomongin apa aja? Loe nggak langsung nembak dia kan? Makanya dia absen hari ini soalnya takut ama loe. Hahahaha……..”

“Diem nggak loe nyet! Jelek – jelek gini gue nggak segampang itu takluk ama cowok! Seorang Rido nggak cukup mempesona gue. You need more than him to getting my heart!!!!!!!,” jawab Dea dengan bahasa Inggris belepotan.

“Iye dah ratu gengsi! Entar kalo kesamber orang duluan please jangan mewek – mewek sama gue .”

“Nggak akan!!!!!!!!!!” jawab bibir Dea pasti tapi hatinya? Ketar – ketir juga membayangkan hal itu terjadi.

Bel berbunyi Dea baru menyelesaikan dua soal dari sepuluh soal tugas special dari Bu Astuti. Untungnya Lia mau membantunya mengerjakan soal - soal itu sepulang sekolah. Gadis itu pun buru – buru masuk kedalam kelas. Untuk beberapa detik jantungnya berdegup kencang, seakan ada serutan es mengguyur badannya, hembusan angin tiba – tiba jadi dingin. Kok Rido bisa ada dikelas sih bukannya tadi pagi dia absen? Pikir Dea saat melihat cowok itu duduk di bangkunya. Wajahnya pucat tapi tetep keren dimata Dea, yang tiba – tiba jadi kikuk.

Dea duduk termenung sambil memandang keluar jendela mengingat kejadian disekolah saat presentasi biologi. Rido pingsan didepan kelas dan membuatnya panic bukan kepalang tapi Dea rada – rada bersyukur plus ngarep soalnya kepala Rido jatuh dipangkuan gadis itu, sontak Dea menahannya agar tidak jatuh dengan cara memegangnya.  Untuk sesaat Dea serasa difilm India saat sepasang……… alah udah deh De nggak usah kepedean gitu, tepis pikirannya. Ya sebagai cewek menengah kebawah kayaknya terlalu maksa untuk dekat dengan Rido lebih dari teman, berat dan mungkin akan sia – sia. Rido mungkin standar disekolah dia juga bukan kapten basket atau sejenisnya, tapi dikelas dan diantara anak – anak satu angkatan dia lumayan punya pamor karena pintar main gitar, dan agak misterius. Kata orang – orang yang dekat dengannya dia bukannya sombong atau sok cool tapi dia pengidap penyakit pemalu berat. Padahal tampangnya lumayan lho.

“Nah ketahuan loe ngelamun lagi!” Lia muncul tiba – tiba.

“Ngagetin aja loe nyet! Ngapain coba loe kesini jelangkung?”

“Enak aja loe emang gue kesini nggak dijemput, tapi diundang yang punya rumah buat ngerjain tugas aljabar. Atau jangan – jangan udah nggak butuh bantuan gue? Ya udah gue pulang.”

“Eh bentar – bentar jangan marah gitu donk orang becanda juga. Dari tadi gue nungguin elo tapi lama banget datengnya jadi bengong deh gue.”

“Alah ngeles aja loe! Gue berani taruhan elo ngelamunin Rido. Kenapa coba nggak jujur sama gue? Udah berapa lama sih kita temenan?”

“Ya elah kok loe marah sih?” Dea bingung melihat tampang cemberut Lia. “Habis elo gitu timbang jujur aja susah banget. Gue kasian ama elo nyet belakangan elo jadi mellow gitu. Setidaknya kalo loe bagi ama gue sedikit semua nggak bakal seberat itu.”

Dea diam sesaat, dia memikirkan apa yang terjadi padanya belakangan ini. Dia sering melamun, uring – uringan, menyesali diri gara – gara ngerasa nggak cantik dan berbohong. Itu semua tentu karena Rido tapi dia menepisnya karena hatinya terlalu angkuh mengakui dialah yang terjerat duluan bukan Rido seperti harapannya. “Li menurut loe salah nggak kalo gue berharap Rido yang mulai duluan? Soalnya kan gue cewek , tapi apa mungkin dia bakal susah payah mulai sama gue kalo ternyata banyak yang mau sama dia tanpa harus mempermalukan diri sendiri. Maksud gue tanpa harus mulai duluan karena toh cewek – cewek itu pasti nggak keberatan kalo cuman ngajak nonton atau sejenisnya, sedangkan gue?” Dea diam sejenak ada rasa jengah merasuki hatinya.

Lia yang menyadari hal itu segera menghibur hati temannya yang galau. “Oke oke gue ngerti. Kadang kita takut menjalani sesuatu karena khawatir hal itu tak berjalan sesuai dengan yang kita inginkan. Tapi loe juga harus sadar loe nggak bakal pernah tau yang sebenarnya kalo loe nggak cari tau. Kadang kejujuran sepahit apapun itu jauh lebih daripada loe biarin hati loe terombang – ambing angan – angan sendiri.

Dea diam bener juga kata Lia daripada dia nebak – nebak sendiri, kadang rasanya iya kadang rasanya nggak, memang lebih baik tau yang sebenarnya walaupun nggak sesuai harapan. Tapi apa iya harus nanya langsung? Gengsi dong mending tetap berpedoman pada pepatah zaman dulu diam itu emas. Kalau dipikir – pikir bener juga, kalo kita diem nggak bakalan salah nggak bakalan malu, jadi? Apapun yang terjadi diam itu tetap akan jadi emas.

“Eh nyet loe kok diem terus sih?” seru Lia.

“Udah masalah Rido entar kita pikirin yang penting sekarang kelarin dulu tugas buk Astuti biar elo nggak kena marah.” Lanjutnya mengingatkan sahabatnya yang sedang galau berat. Sebenarnya dia sangat ingin menggoda Dea karena setelah sekian lama menunggu akhirnya Dea mengakui perasaannya. Namun melihat keadaan yang sangat tidak kondusif dia menurungkan niatnya.Tapi otaknya juga berpikir bagaimana membuat semua ini jadi lebih baik buat sahabatnya tercinta.

Keesokan harinya setelah mencari buk Astuti kemana – mana akhirnya Dea menemukan guru super killer itu diperpustakaan sekolah ngegosip bareng teman sehatinya bu Ira, penjaga perpus. Setelah menyerahkan tugas specialnya gadis itu buru – buru kekantin karena Lia menunggunya disana. Dea sedikit menunduk membetulkan kemejanya yang sedikit berantakan sambil buru – buru berjalan karena tak sabar bertemu dengan bakso buk Titin yang mantab abiess. Tapi saat mengangkat wajahnya tiba - tiba  perutnya jadi penuh, tak ada lagi bayangan semangkuk bakso dan bergosip dengan Lia, seakan ada bongkahan batu besar jatuh dari langit yang tepat menimpa jantungnya. Dea berbalik menuju kelas pikirannya kacau matanya panas, ternyata lebih sakit dari yang aku bayangkan pikirnya.

“Deeee………..kemana coba loe tadi gue kayak kambing congek tau nungguin loe dikantin. Untung ada Oka si jerapah kalo nggak udah mati gaya gue sendiri dikantin. Resek loe emang!” Lia yang masuk kekamar Dea langsung nyemprot tanpa ampun. Tapi Dea tak bergeming sedikitpun masih diam menatap keluar jendela, sendu seperti tanpa tenaga.

“De loe baik kan?” Tanya Lia setelah menyadari ada yang salah dengan sahabatnya. Tapi  Dea tetap diam seperti orang depresi di film – film. Membuat Lia geram dan berteriak ditelinganya, “Deeeeeeeeeee……… loe kenapaaaa………..”

Dea tersentak, memasang muka cemberut kearahnya. “Sialan loe gue kan nggak budek nyet! Ngapain coba loe teriak – teriak? Nanti nyokap gue bisa datang kesini gara gara mikir kita kerampokkan!” Dea malah ngomel – ngomel. Tapi sesaat kemudian matanya kembali memandang keluar jendela, Lia bingung melihat kelakuan sahabatnya itu. “De kenapa sih loe? Cerita dong sama gue, kita kan temen,” pinta Lia sambil duduk disamping Dea yang tetap diam.

Untuk beberapa saat suasana sangat hening Dea tetap diam dan Lia tak bertanya lagi takut tambah merusak mood Dea plus takut dicuekin lagi. Hingga akhirnya Dea berkata “ Li salah nggak sih kalo gue ngerasa Rido jahat banget sama gue?” Bukannya menjawab Lia malah memandang Dea dengan wajah bingung. Jangan – jangan nih anak nembak Rido trus ditolak mentah – mentah! Tapi sementah – mentahnya penolakkan Rido kayaknya nggak mungkin sampai mempermalukan Dea deh soalnya Rido kan bukan tipe cowok bocor, Lia menebak dalam hati.

“Li, tadi gue liat Rido mesra banget sama Rena dilorong kantin makanya gue nggak jadi kekantin. Nggak tau kenapa gue………….” Dea menggantung kalimatnya.

“Cemburu? Kena kan kata – kata gue akhirnya loe juga yang sakit kalo elo terlalu gengsi. Elo sih nggak dengerin gue.” Bukannya nyemangatin Dea, Lia malah ngomel – ngomel dan memuji bakat paranormalnya. “Harusnya dari awal loe jujur sama Rido De! Jujur itu mungkin terkadang memalukan dan kejujuran terkadang menyakitkan tapi jauuuuuuuuuh lebih baik daripada nebak – nebak kayak gini. Ujung – ujungnya loe juga yang kalah loe juga yang luka dan gue juga yang repot! Iya kan????” Lia jadi sewot.

“Gue cuman bikin repot loe ya Li? Apa selama ini gue cuman bikin loe susah gara – gara rasa suka gue ke Rido?” Dea jadi mellow lagi.

“Menurut loe gimana? Apa setiap loe ngeluh ke gue tentang Rido yang deket sama inilah sama itulah gue nggak muter otak juga buat nyari jalan keluarnya? Biar loe nggak tambah uring – uringan! Belum lagi ngadepin loe yang selalu ngeles kalo gue tanyain perasaan loe ama Rido!”semprot Lia.

“Maaf ya Li, gue nggak nyangka bakal separah ini perasaan gue ke Rido! Oke gue saying ama dia tapi disisi lain kayaknya nggak pantes buat gue ngerasain ini, karena gue bukan siapa – siapanya Rido”

“ De dengerin gue! Loe boleh ngerasa bukan siapa – siapanya Rido tapi jangan pernah salahin rasa sayang loe sama Rido! Itu wajar banget De cinta itu punya jalan sendiri untuk datang nggak bias dicegah apalagi dihalang – halangi! Jangan bikin semua tambah sulit buat loe!”

Dea melangkah gontai di koridor sekolah sudah seminggu berlalu sejak acara curhat bareng Lia berlalu, Rena dan Rido masih sama masih selalu lengket. Tapi belakangan Dea sudah bisa menguasai perasaannya. Nggak ada gunanya sakit gara – gara orang itu toh dia nggak pernah mikirin gue sadar kalo gue ada juga nggak! Pikir Dea

Tiit....... tiit……  sebuah sms masuk ke hp Dea. Dari Lia anak itu nyuruh Dea datang ke Café Pelangi entar malem. Ada apa ya? Perasaan ultah Lia udah lewat deh! Dea ragu, dia mencoba mengirim sms konfirmasi ngpain sie ktmu dcfe rmh gw ajj? Tapi sampai sore tak ada balasan belakangan hpnya juga tidak aktif. Mencurigakan!

Jam 07.30 malem Dea sampai di café Pelangi, dengan jeans pendek, tank top, dan cardigan hijau plus sandal jepit Dea masuk ogah – ogahan. Mau ngapain coba tuh anak, gaya banget ngajak ketemuan dicafe. Pikir Dea. Sampai sekarang handphone Lia belum juga aktif, jangan – jangan dia mau nraktir gue kan dia baru dapet bea siswa jadi uang sppnya biasa buat nraktir temennya ini ou….so sweat banget si Lia! Tapi kok pakek matiin hp? Atau mungkin aja dia kabur dari rumah gara – gara ketahuan nilep uang spp trus sekarang gue ikut disuruh ikut tanggung jawab dengan nampung dia sementara sampe dia berani ngejelasin keorangtuanya! Anak itu bikin repot aja! Dea sibuk menebak – nebak dalam hati sambil memasuki café dan tanpa sadar seorang pelayan wanita menghampirinya. “Mbak Dea kan?” pelayan itu bertanya lembut dan dijawab anggukan bego Dea. Pelayan itu pun menunjukan jalan untuk Dea,wah tambah mencurigakan kok pelayan biasa tau nama gue? Gue kan nggak pakek name tag! Trus apa iya Lia bikin reservasi dulu buat ketemu gue? Kok mejanya udah disiapin gini? Ah mending coba telpon Lia lagi!

Bersambung........

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