My English blog

Cold turkey

ناگهان چيزي را ترك كردن

The expression originates from the goose bumps and palor which accompany withdrawal from narcotics or tobacco. One's skin resembles that of a plucked, cold turkey....

You will not lose weight until you give up chocolate, and I suggest you go cold turkey

Studying a language, one also needs to get familiar with the culture of the natives speaking that language. What follows are only some of the American people's culture

Clear as a bell

واضح / قابل فهم

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

It's polite to write a "thank you" letter each time you receive a present. You can also write emails to thank people, but it's still considered more "personal" to write a short letter by hand

Layout and format

"Thank you" letters can be quite short, and fill one or two sides of A5 paper (one side of A5 paper is half the size of a sheet of A4 or office paper). You can write your address in the top left hand corner of the paper, but you don't need to write the recipient's address. You can also write the date under your address

You normally start the letter "Dear…" followed by the name of the person you are writing to

In the first paragraph (which can be short), you should thank the person for the gift and say something complimentary about it

"Thank you for the book tokens. I'm looking forward to choosing a book with them"

"Thank you for the wall calendar. It will be very useful to me this year"

"Thank you very much for the beautiful soaps. I'm looking forward to relaxing in a hot bath"

"Thank you very much for the lovely photo frame. It will look very nice on my chest of drawers"

"Thank you very much for the elegant scarf you sent me. It's exactly what I need for special occasions"

In the second paragraph, you can give general news about how you spent the holiday period (or how you spent your birthday if you have received a birthday present). You could also show interest in the other person's holiday

"We had a very quiet and relaxing Christmas at home. The kids ate too many chocolates as usual, so now we're all on a diet! I hope your Christmas was as good, and that you were able to relax for a few days"

In the third paragraph you can talk about more general family or personal news

In the final paragraph, you should thank the person again for their gift, and give your wishes for the New Year if applicable. (See below for useful phrases for ending the letter

Useful phrases

:You should start your letter with "Dear" and follow it by the person's first name

"Dear Tom" or "Dear Uncle Bill"

:You can end your letter with any of these phrases

With love (from)", "With much love (from)", "Lots of love (from)" or "Love (from)" followed by your name on the next line. The "from" in these phrases is optional

:You normally end the letter with repeated thanks and wishes for the New Year

".Thank you again for my present"
".Thank you again for such a thoughtful gift"
".Wishing you a happy New Year"
".With all my best wishes for a happy New Year"
".Wishing you all the best in 2013"

An example thank you letter

 7,ONT Rd
Ottawa

Jan18, 2013

Dear Cousin Navid

Thank you very much for the STREAM LINE book you gave me. The recipes look wonderful, and I'll certainly enjoy using it.

I hope you had a good Christmas. We stayed at home, but had a couple of day trips out nearby. Our local theatre put on a production of "A Christmas Carol", which was fun.

I go back to University next week, and this year I'm going to have to study hard for the final exams. I've really enjoyed the course so far, but I'm not sure what to do once I get my degree. The University arranges career interviews, but I don't really have a clear idea of what I want to do. Hopefully it will all become clearer during the course of the year.

Thank you again for the lovely present, and Happy New Year!

With much love

Beatles

Love conqures all

is what they say

always on the roll

like a ball in play

Love then is what I see

in you each day

hoping you're same with me

to be happy and gay

Love then seems to grow

with you near to me

a chance of love to flow

from you,to me

for each day, new hope

each day new dream

but you seem not to learn

and seem not to care

you broke away my yearn

to others, you stare

I tried to forget you

even if you are on step away

cause for me, it seems

You seem so far away...i

Here are 10 interesting facts about

Human Brain

Chew the fat

گپ زدن

.Sit down, have a beer, and let's chew the fat

When you are anguished or depressed, just whisper these words

Thank you, GOd for everything

I've experienced here on earth,i

Thank you for protecting me

from the moment of my birth,i

And Thank You for the beauty

around me everywhere,i

The gentle rain and glistening dew,i

the sunshine and the air,i

"The joyous gift of "feeling

the soul's soft, whispering voice

That speaks to me from deep within

and makes my heart rejoice

Oh, GOD, no words are great enough

to thank You for just living,i

And that is why every day

is a day for real THANKSGIVING

There are only two things in life to worry about

Whether you are well

or whether you are sick

If you are well, then there is nothing to worry about

But if you are sick, there are only two things to worry about

whether you are going to get well

or whether you are going to die

If you get well, then there is nothing to worry about

But if you die, there are only two things to worry about

whether you are going to go to heaven

or whether you are going to go to hell

If you go to heaven, then you have nothing to worry about

But if you go to hell, you'll be so busy shaking hands with all your feiends that you won't have time to worry!i

So, why worry???!!!i

Break a leg

موفق باشي

Back handed compliment

دو پهلو حرف زدن

Here I would like to introduce some very useful websites in the English language learning

What follows is sth really good to learn a life lesson

I saw the life inside your eyes
So shine bright, tonight you and I
We’re beautiful like diamonds in the sky

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

نبودن آدما عزيزترشون ميكنه

You should never lie women; the following story will tell you why

What follows is a really good lovely story

 The fate map was the name I gave to my first story I wrote when I was 16. It ranked first in "KHARAZMI"  festival by that year. To study the story in details, go to the continue part

Keep your nose to the grindstone (to keep working hard). i

سخت كار كردن

In colonial America without electricity, the Pilgrims’ main staple food was corn. To get the greatest use from the corn it was ground to a powder known today as cornmeal. The corn kernels were poured in to a stone “bowl” in which the giant wheel (the millstone) rested. The wheel was turned from above by the power of a windmill. In order to get the corn in to the bowl, the “miller” had to pour it in from the back side which made his nose get quite close to the turning millstone.

Mayflower, the only resources they had to use were those from the ships on which they came. To make windmills for power they used strips of the sails from the ships – in those days called sheets. The first windmills were constructed with three “blades” to catch the wind, but it was found that in a strong wind that the blades would turn in a rickety fashion. Reconstruction of the 4-blade windmill soon replaced the rickety ones. Thus, when a person walked in a “rickety”fashion being drunk, he (or she) was labeled as “three sheets to the wind”.

Three sheets to the wind (to be drunk) Again, when the Pilgrims arrived on the

مست كردن

 Don't say : My English book is with my brother

Say : My brother has my English book

Don't say : Amy took a good mark in the test

Say : Amy got a good mark in the test

Don't say : Lucy is reading Algebra in her room

Say : Lucy is studying Algebra in her room

Don't say : Chris took out his hat

Say : Chris took off his hat

Don't say : Please remember me to give it back

Say : Please remind me to give it back

Don't say : I was hearing his CDs

Say : I was listening to his CDs

Don't say : He was seeing out of the window

Say : He was looking out of the window

Don't say : The ship drowned in the ocean

Say : The ship sank in the ocean

لنگ انداختن

In its original form, to throw up the sponge, this appears in "The Slang Dictionary" (1860). The reference is to the sponges used to cleanse combatants' faces at prize fights. One contestant's manager throwing in the sponge would signal that as that side had had enough the sponge was no longer required. In recent years, towels have been substituted for sponges at fights, and consequently in the expression too

To throw in the towel / sponge

Boil this one down to 'be prepared'. At the time in history when a blacksmith was as important as a computer consultant is today, the blacksmith had to be ready to shoe any horse. Iron horseshoes took a long time to heat up to red-hot, pliable metal. Once pulled from the fire, they cooled quickly and could not be hammered. Keeping several horseshoes (or irons) in the fire meant that the blacksmith could work on them consecutively without losing time

Keep Your Irons in the Fire

وقت سر خاراندن نداشتن

 By playing with dictionary, you can learn very useful vocabularies!i

This was the suggestion that dear Mr. Nagheli once adviced me.I should say that it is the best way you can enhance your vocabulary territory beside studying. By this I've learnt a lot.i

Last night, again I was doing the same thing, and an interesting thing that I found was that:i

dost:         صورت کهنه  فعل do

It is mostly used in literature and poems

Freeze,freeze, thou bitter sky,    That dost not bite so night,  as benefits forgot

وتوای آسمان سرد- هرقدر یخ ببندی و ببندی

چندان نمی سوزانی که- محبت بی مزد می سوزاند

Practising Your ABCs

When you’re learning English as a foreign language, print out and keep this alphabet handy. We include a pronunciation guide to help you say the English letters correctly.

The day lingers on. I look up. The evening lurid sky is flamboyant but dolefully reddened as if mourning for the dead day! It is just going to embrace the darkness of the night!i

No, I don't fear its darkness!!!i

It brings me solace and calm!  It's my sole company always ready to hear my grief that I can't convey to anybody but only night and its silence!!!i

It is the only witness of my untold true tales locked in my heart, and my eyes in tears weeping gently for my false dreams!!!i

It is very cheerful! As it keeps on, I get lost in its beauty. The night sky takes me far away to my distraught thoughts!i

The full moon appears from behind dark clouds and the glimmering stars scatter through the sky like thousands of scintillating silver sands looking down at the earth! And the glittering fireflies trick you as being earthly stars all around!!!i

And it's the time when I'm very close to tears. All those marvelous pure beauty drown in my eye's tides! I feel its drops on my face coming down while I'm trying to hide it from everybody except me and the silent night!!!i

Carving my diaries in its each moment, my tired eyes close to repose hopefull for a new day with a new hope to be loved by...i

Mind Your Ps and Qs

مراقب حرف زدنت باش

Even early century breweries had a "tab" system. Though not computerized, the barkeep had a chalkboard behind the bar. Back then, beer and brews were sold in pints and quarts. So, the bartender had a column for Pints and a column for Quarts. When a customer consumed too much, the barkeep may have been known to say, "Mind your Ps and Qs" or be careful how much you drink

In 1852 pennies were made of a copper-nickel alloy that changed color through the passing of hands. Furthermore, the front was stamped with an Indian in headdress. We all know that the slang term for Indians was redskins. Between the slang and the worn color of the penny, they became known as red cents

One Red Cent

پشيز / پول بي ارزش

You have forgiven me
And even showed your smile
I just felt so happy
Because it's been a while

Too long have I been in darkness
With fleeting days and painful nights
Always feeling this loneliness
Without you as my saving light

A light I always looked upon
For all the hope, comfort and peace
Even before the pain begun
Your presence made me feel at ease

For I knew you were there
To be with me always
No doubt I felt the care
Shown by your gentle face

I feel I've reached the sky so high
Just knowing that you love me too
But alas this was all a lie
And not a single word was true

I Always get What i Want...I Don't Trust People Easily..., I'm nice, But not If You Stab Me In The Back,Betray Me, OR Just Simply Do So thing To Make Me HATE you, I Will Never Be The Same Towards YOU

.Be grateful for all the obstacles in your life

They have strengthened you as you continue

.with your journey 

Lord, as I come to you in prayer

Please hear my humble plea

I've got so many problems now

I need your help, I see

My days not turning out the way

I had hoped that it would be

It seems whenever I turned around

Its all closing in on me

I have so many things to do

before this day is through

I can get it together, Lord

That's why I'm asking you

Give the patience that I need

To finish my many tasks

Help me, oh Lord, to succeed

Guide me Lord, is what I ask

I know you'll always hear

And listen to my prayers

Lift me up and hold me near

Above my all earthly cares

Thank you Lord for being here

To guide me through the day

Bless me and keep me near

Direct my path along the way

Lord, my day is finally through

And everything turned out okay

It was a joy Lord, because of you

Thanks for being with me today

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; forgive them anyway

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; succeed anyway

people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway

what you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; build antway

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; be happy anyway

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; give the world the best you've got anyway

you see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it is never between you and them anyway

We use adjectives that end with -ed to describe our feelings. we use adjectives that end with -ing to describe the person or thing that makes us have these feelings

:Examples

.We were shocked by his behaviour

.His behaviour was shocking

In the end can means 'finally' , ' after a period of time' , or 'in conclusion

.All the restaurants closed early, so in the end we went home

.'At the end can mean 'in the final part' , or 'when sth finishes

 .At the end of the film, they go to live in New York

With separable phrasal verbs, the object can go after the verb and particle (see 1 below) or between the verb and the particle (2), but a pronoun must go in the middle (3) e.g

.1He gave away the bike

.2He gave the bike away

.3He gave it away

.Many phrasel verbs have more than one meaning

:'Pick sth or sb up also means 'go and collect sth or sb

.I have to pick the car up this morning

?Can you pick me up at 5:00

:'Put sth back also means 'move sth to a later time

.We put the wedding back until the spring

We, iranians have got a ceremony in "Charshanbe soori" Which we call it " Ghashosh zani" in which children use to go to neighbor's houses asking for candies and such things. To everybody's surprise I'm gona say that we have the roots of this custom in America Actually, they do this in the Halloween, in which thier young children do as ours or we'd better say our young childern do as theirs.

And it also has got a good name : i

Trick-or-treat

Don't say : I've read an inerested story

Say : I've read an interesting story

Don't say : Are you interesting in your work

Say : Are you interested in your work

Don't say : Jack was wounded in an accident

Say : Jack was injured in an accident

Don't say : Adam found one ring in the street

Say : Adam found a ring in the street

Don't say : Turn the page for farther information

Say : Turn the page for further information

Don't say : Louis has got any milk

Say : Louis has got some milk

Don't say : They have less books than I have

Say : They have fewer books than I have

Don't say : Look at this dog across the street

Say : Look at that dog across the street

Don't say : My oldest brother is called John

Say : My eldest brother is called John

Don't say : She gave an apple for every of the children

Say : She gave an apple for each of the children