My English blog

Dear mother, when are you going to be

retired??  Never, indeed??i

I'm worried about you...i

TO YOU...i

Cut from the same cloth

مثل سيبي كه از وسط دو نيم شده باشد

If you're making a suit, the jacket and trousers should be cut from the same piece of cloth to ensure a perfect match, since there may be differences in color, weave etc. between batches of fabric. Only if the whole suite is cut from the same piece of cloth can we be sure of the match.

You and your father are cut from the same cloth; fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life son

The worst things a teacher

can do in the class

A letter to my son's

English teacher

High on the hog

به طور نامعقول

The best meat is on the upper portion of the pig. Rich people have always been afforded this luxury while the servants, slaves and poor have always had to eat pig's feet, chitterlings, cracklings, etc. - low on the hog.

If you choose to live high on the hog, you will be low in the wallet.

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