Κυριακή 30 Ιουνίου 2013
Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom at English Blog
The crown jewels of the United Kingdom are precious ceremonial objects used by the British monarchy. Also referred to as the Regalia, these jewels represent a collection of historical pieces of fine objects and vestments in relation to crowning of kings and queens. It is believed that the use of Regalia in England dates back to as early as 200-150 B.C. Its use continues up to the present.
Hilarious Homophones
Hilarious Homophones #2 - Kaplan International Colleges Blog
Words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings are called ‘homophones’ in English. While they can be difficult to understand sometimes in spoken English, they can also be really fun to play with.
Words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings are called ‘homophones’ in English. While they can be difficult to understand sometimes in spoken English, they can also be really fun to play with.
English Talking Book - The Truthful Thief
A story of how giving up even a single bad habit can help you, it depicts the story of a thief who by giving up the habit of lying, changed his whole life!
Reflexive pronouns
English Grammar | LearnEnglish | British Council | Reflexive pronouns
When the same person or thing is the subject and object of the verb we usually use a reflexive pronoun. Find out more and test yourself with this activity!
When the same person or thing is the subject and object of the verb we usually use a reflexive pronoun. Find out more and test yourself with this activity!
Summer Reading Guide
Summer Reading Guide - latimes.com
When summer begins, it stretches out with such a luxury of time that it seems like we could read almost anything, writes book critic David L. Ulin in his essay on summer reading. Our summer books preview includes a total of 156 book picks: below you’ll find thrillers and young adult books, history and novels, memoirs and science fiction, pop culture books, kids books and more.
When summer begins, it stretches out with such a luxury of time that it seems like we could read almost anything, writes book critic David L. Ulin in his essay on summer reading. Our summer books preview includes a total of 156 book picks: below you’ll find thrillers and young adult books, history and novels, memoirs and science fiction, pop culture books, kids books and more.
Cheer Up Quotes
"Just think how happy you would be if you lost everything you have right now, and then got it back again."
- Frances Rodman
"Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead-end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing."
- Denis Waitley
"Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking."
- Marcus Aurelius
"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
- Tom Bodett
"The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life. I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy; I mean that if you are happy you will be good."
- Bertrand Russell
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
- Mahatma Gandhi
"Success and failure. We think of them as opposites, but they are really not. There are companions. The hero and the sidekick."
- Laurence Shames
"If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things."
- Albert Einstein
"Try and fail, but don't fail to try."
- Stephen Kaggwa
"Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence."
- Aristotle
"A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes."
- Hugh Downs
"I didn't fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong."
- Benjamin Franklin
"Most people would rather be certain they're miserable, than risk being happy."
- Dr. Robert Anthony
"The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure."
- Sven-Göran Eriksson
"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you do, you will be successful."
- Albert Schweitzer
"When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal."
- Napoleon Hill
"Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy."
- Benjamin Franklin
"People in their handling of affairs often fail when they are about to succeed. If one remains as careful at the end as he was at the beginning, there will be no failure."
- Lao Tzu
"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure."
- Colin Powell
"When we are happy we are always good, but when we are good we are not always happy."
- Oscar Wilde
"All sorts of computer errors are now turning up. You'd be surprised to know the number of doctors who claim they are treating pregnant men."
- Isaac Asimov
"There are no failures - just experiences and your reactions to them."
- Tom Krause
"Success builds character, failure reveals it."
- Dave Checkett
"The wisest person is not the one who has the fewest failures but the one who turns failures to best account."
- Richard R. Grant
"Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm."
- Winston Churchill
"If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down."
- Mary Pickford
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
- Michael Jordan
"I'm not afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens."
- Woody Allen
"Our greatest glory is not in ever failing, but in rising every time we fail."
- Confucius
"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."
- Bill Cosby
"Don't be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, in as much as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid."
- John Keats
"Good people are good because they've come to wisdom through failure."
- William Saroyan
"The secret of creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
- Albert Einstein
Inspirational Quotes to Cheer You Up
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit."
- Aristotle
"If you do not hope, you will not find what is beyond your hopes."
- St. Clement of Alexandra
"The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible."
- Arthur C. Clarke
"If at first you don't succeed, think how many people you've made happy."
- H. Duane Black
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
- Dr. Seuss
"For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears."
- John Lennon
"I've got nothing to do today but smile."
- Simon and Garfunkel
"Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination."
- Mark Twain
"Growth itself contains the germ of happiness."
- Pearl S. Buck
So, next time you see a person feeling low, make use of these quotes to cheer him/her up! These quotes will definitely motivate the person and help him look at life with a positive approach. Use them well!
By Girija Shinde
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/cheer-up-quotes.html
- Frances Rodman
"Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead-end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing."
- Denis Waitley
"Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking."
- Marcus Aurelius
"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
- Tom Bodett
"The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life. I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy; I mean that if you are happy you will be good."
- Bertrand Russell
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
- Mahatma Gandhi
"Success and failure. We think of them as opposites, but they are really not. There are companions. The hero and the sidekick."
- Laurence Shames
"If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things."
- Albert Einstein
"Try and fail, but don't fail to try."
- Stephen Kaggwa
"Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence."
- Aristotle
"A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes."
- Hugh Downs
"I didn't fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong."
- Benjamin Franklin
"Most people would rather be certain they're miserable, than risk being happy."
- Dr. Robert Anthony
"The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure."
- Sven-Göran Eriksson
"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you do, you will be successful."
- Albert Schweitzer
"When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal."
- Napoleon Hill
"Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy."
- Benjamin Franklin
"People in their handling of affairs often fail when they are about to succeed. If one remains as careful at the end as he was at the beginning, there will be no failure."
- Lao Tzu
"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure."
- Colin Powell
"When we are happy we are always good, but when we are good we are not always happy."
- Oscar Wilde
"All sorts of computer errors are now turning up. You'd be surprised to know the number of doctors who claim they are treating pregnant men."
- Isaac Asimov
"There are no failures - just experiences and your reactions to them."
- Tom Krause
"Success builds character, failure reveals it."
- Dave Checkett
"The wisest person is not the one who has the fewest failures but the one who turns failures to best account."
- Richard R. Grant
"Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm."
- Winston Churchill
"If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down."
- Mary Pickford
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
- Michael Jordan
"I'm not afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens."
- Woody Allen
"Our greatest glory is not in ever failing, but in rising every time we fail."
- Confucius
"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."
- Bill Cosby
"Don't be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, in as much as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid."
- John Keats
"Good people are good because they've come to wisdom through failure."
- William Saroyan
"The secret of creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
- Albert Einstein
Inspirational Quotes to Cheer You Up
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit."
- Aristotle
"If you do not hope, you will not find what is beyond your hopes."
- St. Clement of Alexandra
"The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible."
- Arthur C. Clarke
"If at first you don't succeed, think how many people you've made happy."
- H. Duane Black
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
- Dr. Seuss
"For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears."
- John Lennon
"I've got nothing to do today but smile."
- Simon and Garfunkel
"Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination."
- Mark Twain
"Growth itself contains the germ of happiness."
- Pearl S. Buck
So, next time you see a person feeling low, make use of these quotes to cheer him/her up! These quotes will definitely motivate the person and help him look at life with a positive approach. Use them well!
By Girija Shinde
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/cheer-up-quotes.html
Are You a Nerd or a Geek?
Are You a Nerd or a Geek?
Are you a nerd or a geek? Take this fun quiz to find out for yourself!
A Geek is defined as someone who is an expert on a particular subject or niche. This can be anything from gadgets to chemistry to cars.
A Nerd is defined as a person who is obsessed about acquiring knowledge and attaining top grades in academics.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/are-you-a-nerd-or-a-geek.html
A Geek is defined as someone who is an expert on a particular subject or niche. This can be anything from gadgets to chemistry to cars.
A Nerd is defined as a person who is obsessed about acquiring knowledge and attaining top grades in academics.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/are-you-a-nerd-or-a-geek.html
Nursery Rhymes
Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold, Pease porridge in the pot, nine days old; Some like it hot, some like it cold, Some like it in the pot, nine days old |
Little Boy Blue poem A Little Boy Blue come blow your horn, The sheep's in the meadow the cow's in the corn. But where's the boy who looks after the sheep? He's under a haystack fast asleep. Will you wake him? No, not I - for if I do, he's sure to cry Hey! diddle, diddle, The cat and the fiddle, The cow jumped over the moon; The little dog laughed To see such sport, And the dish ran away with the spoon. |
Σάββατο 29 Ιουνίου 2013
Πέμπτη 27 Ιουνίου 2013
Τετάρτη 26 Ιουνίου 2013
6 idioms about TALKING
6 idioms about TALKING · engVid:
Learn English idioms like shoot the breeze, talk a mile a minute, spill the beans, and more. I’ll explain the meaning of these commonly used idioms and also teach you when NOT to use them! Knowing idioms always takes your communication skills to a higher level. Remember, idioms are useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and TOEIC test-takers, too.
Learn English idioms like shoot the breeze, talk a mile a minute, spill the beans, and more. I’ll explain the meaning of these commonly used idioms and also teach you when NOT to use them! Knowing idioms always takes your communication skills to a higher level. Remember, idioms are useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and TOEIC test-takers, too.
Τρίτη 25 Ιουνίου 2013
talking about the future
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE FUTURE TENSES HERE :http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/verbs/talking-about-future
Emma by Jane Austen Summary
Emma by Jane Austen
Emma, by Jane Austen, is a novel about youthful hubris and the perils of misconstrued romance. The novel was first published in December 1815. As in her other novels, Austen explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living in Georgian-Regency England; she also creates a lively comedy of manners among her characters.
Summary:
Although convinced that she herself will never marry, Emma Woodhouse, a precocious twenty-year-old resident of the village of Highbury, imagines herself to be naturally gifted in conjuring love matches. After self-declared success at matchmaking between her governess and Mr. Weston, a village widower, Emma takes it upon herself to find an eligible match for her new friend, Harriet Smith. Though Harriet’s parentage is unknown, Emma is convinced that Harriet deserves to be a gentleman’s wife and sets her friend’s sights on Mr. Elton, the village vicar. Meanwhile, Emma persuades Harriet to reject the proposal of Robert Martin, a well-to-do farmer for whom Harriet clearly has feelings.
Harriet becomes infatuated with Mr. Elton under Emma’s encouragement, but Emma’s plans go awry when Elton makes it clear that his affection is for Emma, not Harriet. Emma realizes that her obsession with making a match for Harriet has blinded her to the true nature of the situation. Mr. Knightley, Emma’s brother-in-law and treasured friend, watches Emma’s matchmaking efforts with a critical eye. He believes that Mr. Martin is a worthy young man whom Harriet would be lucky to marry. He and Emma quarrel over Emma’s meddling, and, as usual, Mr. Knightley proves to be the wiser of the pair. Elton, spurned by Emma and offended by her insinuation that Harriet is his equal, leaves for the town of Bath and marries a girl there almost immediately.
Emma is left to comfort Harriet and to wonder about the character of a new visitor expected in Highbury—Mr. Weston’s son, Frank Churchill. Frank is set to visit his father in Highbury after having been raised by his aunt and uncle in London, who have taken him as their heir. Emma knows nothing about Frank, who has long been deterred from visiting his father by his aunt’s illnesses and complaints. Mr. Knightley is immediately suspicious of the young man, especially after Frank rushes back to London merely to have his hair cut. Emma, however, finds Frank delightful and notices that his charms are directed mainly toward her. Though she plans to discourage these charms, she finds herself flattered and engaged in a flirtation with the young man. Emma greets Jane Fairfax, another addition to the Highbury set, with less enthusiasm. Jane is beautiful and accomplished, but Emma dislikes her because of her reserve and, the narrator insinuates, because she is jealous of Jane.
Suspicion, intrigue, and misunderstandings ensue. Mr. Knightley defends Jane, saying that she deserves compassion because, unlike Emma, she has no independent fortune and must soon leave home to work as a governess. Mrs. Weston suspects that the warmth of Mr. Knightley’s defense comes from romantic feelings, an implication Emma resists. Everyone assumes that Frank and Emma are forming an attachment, though Emma soon dismisses Frank as a potential suitor and imagines him as a match for Harriet. At a village ball, Knightley earns Emma’s approval by offering to dance with Harriet, who has just been humiliated by Mr. Elton and his new wife. The next day, Frank saves Harriet from Gypsy beggars. When Harriet tells Emma that she has fallen in love with a man above her social station, Emma believes that she means Frank. Knightley begins to suspect that Frank and Jane have a secret understanding, and he attempts to warn Emma. Emma laughs at Knightley’s suggestion and loses Knightley’s approval when she flirts with Frank and insults Miss Bates, a kindhearted spinster and Jane’s aunt, at a picnic. When Knightley reprimands Emma, she weeps.
News comes that Frank’s aunt has died, and this event paves the way for an unexpected revelation that slowly solves the mysteries. Frank and Jane have been secretly engaged; his attentions to Emma have been a screen to hide his true preference. With his aunt’s death and his uncle’s approval, Frank can now marry Jane, the woman he loves. Emma worries that Harriet will be crushed, but she soon discovers that it is Knightley, not Frank, who is the object of Harriet’s affection. Harriet believes that Knightley shares her feelings. Emma finds herself upset by Harriet’s revelation, and her distress forces her to realize that she is in love with Knightley. Emma expects Knightley to tell her he loves Harriet, but, to her delight, Knightley declares his love for Emma. Harriet is soon comforted by a second proposal from Robert Martin, which she accepts. The novel ends with the marriage of Harriet and Mr. Martin and that of Emma and Mr. Knightley, resolving the question of who loves whom after all.
Emma, by Jane Austen, is a novel about youthful hubris and the perils of misconstrued romance. The novel was first published in December 1815. As in her other novels, Austen explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living in Georgian-Regency England; she also creates a lively comedy of manners among her characters.
Summary:
Although convinced that she herself will never marry, Emma Woodhouse, a precocious twenty-year-old resident of the village of Highbury, imagines herself to be naturally gifted in conjuring love matches. After self-declared success at matchmaking between her governess and Mr. Weston, a village widower, Emma takes it upon herself to find an eligible match for her new friend, Harriet Smith. Though Harriet’s parentage is unknown, Emma is convinced that Harriet deserves to be a gentleman’s wife and sets her friend’s sights on Mr. Elton, the village vicar. Meanwhile, Emma persuades Harriet to reject the proposal of Robert Martin, a well-to-do farmer for whom Harriet clearly has feelings.
Harriet becomes infatuated with Mr. Elton under Emma’s encouragement, but Emma’s plans go awry when Elton makes it clear that his affection is for Emma, not Harriet. Emma realizes that her obsession with making a match for Harriet has blinded her to the true nature of the situation. Mr. Knightley, Emma’s brother-in-law and treasured friend, watches Emma’s matchmaking efforts with a critical eye. He believes that Mr. Martin is a worthy young man whom Harriet would be lucky to marry. He and Emma quarrel over Emma’s meddling, and, as usual, Mr. Knightley proves to be the wiser of the pair. Elton, spurned by Emma and offended by her insinuation that Harriet is his equal, leaves for the town of Bath and marries a girl there almost immediately.
Emma is left to comfort Harriet and to wonder about the character of a new visitor expected in Highbury—Mr. Weston’s son, Frank Churchill. Frank is set to visit his father in Highbury after having been raised by his aunt and uncle in London, who have taken him as their heir. Emma knows nothing about Frank, who has long been deterred from visiting his father by his aunt’s illnesses and complaints. Mr. Knightley is immediately suspicious of the young man, especially after Frank rushes back to London merely to have his hair cut. Emma, however, finds Frank delightful and notices that his charms are directed mainly toward her. Though she plans to discourage these charms, she finds herself flattered and engaged in a flirtation with the young man. Emma greets Jane Fairfax, another addition to the Highbury set, with less enthusiasm. Jane is beautiful and accomplished, but Emma dislikes her because of her reserve and, the narrator insinuates, because she is jealous of Jane.
Suspicion, intrigue, and misunderstandings ensue. Mr. Knightley defends Jane, saying that she deserves compassion because, unlike Emma, she has no independent fortune and must soon leave home to work as a governess. Mrs. Weston suspects that the warmth of Mr. Knightley’s defense comes from romantic feelings, an implication Emma resists. Everyone assumes that Frank and Emma are forming an attachment, though Emma soon dismisses Frank as a potential suitor and imagines him as a match for Harriet. At a village ball, Knightley earns Emma’s approval by offering to dance with Harriet, who has just been humiliated by Mr. Elton and his new wife. The next day, Frank saves Harriet from Gypsy beggars. When Harriet tells Emma that she has fallen in love with a man above her social station, Emma believes that she means Frank. Knightley begins to suspect that Frank and Jane have a secret understanding, and he attempts to warn Emma. Emma laughs at Knightley’s suggestion and loses Knightley’s approval when she flirts with Frank and insults Miss Bates, a kindhearted spinster and Jane’s aunt, at a picnic. When Knightley reprimands Emma, she weeps.
News comes that Frank’s aunt has died, and this event paves the way for an unexpected revelation that slowly solves the mysteries. Frank and Jane have been secretly engaged; his attentions to Emma have been a screen to hide his true preference. With his aunt’s death and his uncle’s approval, Frank can now marry Jane, the woman he loves. Emma worries that Harriet will be crushed, but she soon discovers that it is Knightley, not Frank, who is the object of Harriet’s affection. Harriet believes that Knightley shares her feelings. Emma finds herself upset by Harriet’s revelation, and her distress forces her to realize that she is in love with Knightley. Emma expects Knightley to tell her he loves Harriet, but, to her delight, Knightley declares his love for Emma. Harriet is soon comforted by a second proposal from Robert Martin, which she accepts. The novel ends with the marriage of Harriet and Mr. Martin and that of Emma and Mr. Knightley, resolving the question of who loves whom after all.
Sporting events
Sporting events | LearnEnglishTeens
The big sporting event in the UK this month is Wimbledon! Are you a tennis fan? Who's your favourite player? Learn some useful vocabulary to talk about sport in these great activities!
The big sporting event in the UK this month is Wimbledon! Are you a tennis fan? Who's your favourite player? Learn some useful vocabulary to talk about sport in these great activities!
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