INPUT ARTICLE: Article: "You" statements sound accusatory and argumentative. Sounding accusatory will put your parents on guard. Your parents will be much more open to what you are saying if you use "I" statements to get your point across. For example, instead of saying, "Since I came home, you keep telling me to do my chores, but I have a lot of homework to do. Calm down!" Say, "I'm feeling pressured because I have a lot of homework to do. Once I finish my homework, I will do my chores." Try to avoid screaming and yelling at your parents if you disagree with a rule or something they have said. If you find yourself becoming angry, count to three in your head and take a deep breath Then respond as calmly as possible. Keep in mind that your parents just want to protect and care for you. Yelling and screaming is a sign of disrespect that will only create a wall between you and your parents. It is also hard to listen to someone who is yelling and screaming. Instead of arguing over a rule you disagree with, try to explain to your parents why you think it is unfair or out of date. Tell your parents that you are open to negotiating the rule if they are. Say, for example, "I think that limiting my hang out time with my friends to one night during the weekend is unfair if I have all of my chores and homework done. If I finish all of my chores and homework for the week, may I go out with my friends more than once during the weekend?" Your parents no doubt have a lot of opinions on a lot of topics, often based on their own life experiences. While you may not agree with everything they say, putting down their ideas will only create hostility between you and your parents. If you disagree with something, then explain why you disagree instead of putting them down. For example, instead of saying, "That's a dumb idea," say, "I disagree with what you are saying because you are not seeing my side of the story. Can I tell you my side before you make any decisions?"

SUMMARY: Use "I" statements instead of "you" statements. Remain calm if you disagree. Negotiate a rule if you disagree with it. Avoid putting your parents' beliefs and ideas down.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: To introduce a sentence that contradicts or contrasts with the previous sentence, start it with "However," This will alert your reader that a shift is forthcoming. Always put a comma after the "However," and follow it with a complete sentence. You might write, "I was very excited to be invited to lunch. However, I had already made plans." Another example could be, "The pattern was certainly original. However, the new wallpaper did not match the furniture at all." When you have two full sentences that are in opposition or contrast to one another, but are closely connected, join them with a semicolon, the word "however," and a comma. This shows that the second sentence is in opposition in some way to the first. Start with two sentences that contain opposition: "I would love to join you for lunch. I am too busy." Join them in this way: "I would love to join you for lunch; however, I am too busy." This will make the connections between the sentences obvious, and help your writing sound more cohesive. To interrupt a sentence that is already in progress, insert "however" between two commas. Like other uses of "however," this implies a contrast to the previous content, but in a way that makes the contrast sound a little less crucial. Put ", however," after the subject of the second sentence: "I can't make it to lunch. You, however, are going to love that restaurant." Use it to divide a two-part verb: "I can't make it to lunch. I could, however, join you next week." Put it at the end of the second sentence: "I can't make it to lunch. I could join you next week, however."

SUMMARY: Begin a contrasting statement with "However,". Join two contrasting sentences using "; however,". Use ", however," as an aside.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: There should be very little soil left. When it does need to be repotted, move it into a container that is no more than 1 inch larger than the old one. Put 1 inch of potting soil into the new container, gently remove the Hoya from its old container and set it in the new one. Fill in around the roots with potting soil and water it generously to settle the soil and give it a good drink. It will bloom again on that same stem. The faded flowers can be snipped off with sharp scissors just below the flower.

SUMMARY:
Do not repot the Hoya until the container is full of roots. Repot your plant with peat-based potting soil. Leave the flower stem on the Hoya after the blooms fade.