My wife and I recently made a trip to Costa Rica. We traveled in a group for the first time in 40 years. Luckily everyone in the group got along with one another. We spent a good deal of time in the rain forests. Parts of Costa Rica get 20 or more feet of rain each year. We saw three types of monkeys. The howler monkeys sounded like a cross between a lion and a seal. We took several river trips. One boat ride was through a mangrove forest. Mangrove trees have external roots that take in oxygen. The roots also serve as supports. We saw tree-dwelling iguanas. The bird population of Costa Rica is fantastic. I got a neck ache from watching them through binoculars. We got pretty close to a couple of crocodiles. We were more interested in them than they were in us. We were given a tour of a pineapple plantation. We ate pineapple picked right from the field. I cannot describe how delicious it was. Some of the fruit in Costa Rica we had never heard of. Surprisingly, the food was not too spicy. The roads in Costa Rica are not the best in the world. Our bus had one flat tire and one blowout. But that could have happened anywhere. I would recommend Costa Rica to anyone who appreciates nature.

 

My wife and I recently made a trip to Costa Rica.

My wife and I recently took a trip to Costa Rica.

We traveled in a group for the first time in 40 years.

We hadn't traveled in a group for 40 years.

Luckily everyone in the group got along with one another.

Fortunately all the members of the group got on with one another.

We spent a good deal of time in the rain forests.

A lot of our time was spent in the rain forests.

Parts of Costa Rica get 20 or more feet of rain each year.

Sections of Costa Rica have an annual rainfall of 20 or more feet.

We saw three types of monkeys.

We encountered three varieties of monkeys.

The howler monkeys sounded like a cross between a lion and a seal.

The howler monkeys sounded like a combination of a lion and a seal.

We took several river trips.

We had several river boat rides.

One boat ride was through a mangrove forest.

One boat ride took us through a mangrove forest.

Mangrove trees have external roots that take in oxygen.

Mangrove trees have external air-breathing roots.

The roots also serve as supports.

The roots also function as supports.

We saw tree-dwelling iguanas.

We saw iguanas who live in trees.

The bird population of Costa Rica is fantastic.

The population of birds in Costa Rica is mind-boggling.

I got a neck ache from watching them through binoculars.

Watching them with binoculars gave me a neck ache.

We got pretty close to a couple of crocodiles.

We approached a couple of crocodiles pretty closely.

We were more interested in them than they were in us.

Our interest in them was greater than their interest in us.

We were given a tour of a pineapple plantation.

We toured a pineapple plantation.

We ate pineapple picked right from the field.

We were given fresh picked pineapple to eat.

I cannot describe how delicious it was.

It was indescribably delicious.

Some of the fruit in Costa Rica we had never heard of.

Some of the fruit in Costa Rica was totally new to us.

Surprisingly, the food was not too spicy.

The food was not overly spicy, which was a surprise.

The roads in Costa Rica are not the best in the world.

The roadways in Costa Rica leave a lot to be desired.

Our bus had one flat tire and one blowout.

Our bus got a flat tire and also suffered a blowout.

But that could have happened anywhere.

But that could have occurred anywhere.

I would recommend Costa Rica to anyone who appreciates nature.

Anyone with a feeling for nature would enjoy a trip to Costa Rica.

ashamed of

I was ashamed of my behavior last night.

Aren't you ashamed of what you did?

Don't be ashamed of who you are.

She was ashamed of her family.

He has nothing to be ashamed of.

 

ashamed for can replace  ashamed of when it is followed by the -ing form of a verb.

You should feel ashamed for posting those nasty e-mails.

He was ashamed for having sexy thoughts about his teacher.

 

ashamed for is also used when the speaker feels shame because of the actions of another

I was ashamed for the policies of my country.

She was ashamed for her father's impoliteness.

 

aware of

I am very aware of the importance of the Internet.

He wanted to make me aware of the danger I was in.

There is something important I want you to be aware of.

 

bad at : to be bad at something means to be ineffective or unskillful.

My brother is bad at expressing his feelings.

Some people are bad at learning foreign languages.

I am really bad at tennis.

 

bad for : if something is bad for a person or situation, that means it worsens the condition of the person or situation.

Smoking is bad for you.

Outdoor fires are bad for the air quality.

Having too much government control is bad for business.

Watching too much news may be bad for your mental health.

 

bored with: use bored with when referring to an activity the bored person finds unexciting to engage in.

She was bored with her job, so she quit.

He got bored with watching sports on TV.

Some people are already bored with Facebook.

Are you bored with your life?

 

bored by : use bored by when referring to something that bores a person other than an activity he or she is engaged in.

I am bored by all the talk about the economy.

Many people are bored by news articles about movie stars.

Were you as bored by the lecture as I was?

 

capable of can mean having a positive ability to do something in the future.  

I think that horse is capable of winning the race.

At what age is the mind capable of understanding how to read?