My English blog

Recently:    has the widest use in positive, negative , and questions with the past tense and the present perfect tense

eg:    Did she have a party recently?i

       or      They've recently bought a new car

Not long ago: is only used in positive statements with the verb in the past tense

eg :       They arrived in Britain not long ago/recently

or        It's not long ago that they arrived in Britain

Lately: is used in questions and negative statements. In positive statements it is used generally with only, much and alot. The verb must be in present perfect tense

eg:     Have you seen him lately/recently?i

    i           They haven't written lately/recently

But         She's only lately/recently begun working here

i             I've seen alot of her lately/recently

Who casts up his eyes to the sun when it rises?i

But who takes off his eyes from a comet when it breaks out?i

Who bends not his ear to any bell, which upon any occasion rings?i

But who can remove it from that bell which passing out a piece out of this world?i

No, man is an island, entire of itself

Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main if a clod be washed a way by the sea

Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were

As well as if a manner of thy friend's or of thy your own were

Any man's death diminishes me

Because I am involved in mankind

and therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls

It may toll for you this time!!!i

Very deeply, I declare my great condolence for the big day of  Arbaein  

Hopefully, shall we all be his (Imam Hossein) followers

به پاي كسي نرسيدن

Before electric lights there were candles. Someone performing a task requiring two hands after dark would also need a person to hold the candle while they worked. Of course, the person holding the candle would be in a position of service to the person doing the work. To not be worthy of even holding the candle for someone was considered to be of very low estate in these days. So to say, “She can’t hold a candle to him/her” means that the person “accused” is pretty much worthless

Can’t hold a candle to

Dressed to the Nine

بهترين لباس را پوشيدن

Common lore has it that a tailor making a high quality suit uses more fabric. The best suits are made from nine yards of fabric. This may seem like a lot but a proper suit does indeed take nine yards of fabric. This is because a good suit has all the fabric cut in the same direction with the warp, or long strands of thread, parallel with the vertical line of the suit. This causes a great amount of waste in suit making, but if you want to go "dressed to the nines", you must pay for such waste.

(also maybe where 'the whole nine yards' comes from...either this or from the fact that a full load of cement in a cement mixer is nine yards)

NOW is often used to introduce a follow-up question. It shows

that you want to move the conversation on to a different aspect of a topic

e.g

?Now, dose he read music magazines

.........In conversation

.NOW is one of the top 100 words

.About 20% of the uses of now are to introduce questions

This and These in the stories

When you tell stories, you can use this and these

to highlight important people, things, and events

Example

.......,We were on this trail

...........,There were all these trees  

Superstitions From Around The World

Taiwan: If you see a crow in the morning, you will have a bad day

Japan: It's lucky to find a tea leaf floating upright in a cup of green tea

Thailand: Dream of a snake holding you tightly and you will soon meet your soul mate

Brazil: If you leave your purse on the floor, your money will disappear

Venezuela: If someone sweeps over an unmarried woman's feet with a broom, she'll never get married

South Korea: If you give a boyfriend or girl friend a pair of shoes, he or she will leave you

Argentina: Pick up any coins you find, and you'll soon come into money

Peru: If you put clothes on inside out, you will get a nice surprise

Mexico: If a bride wears pearls, she will cry all her married life

Turkey: Your wish will come true if you stand between two people with the same name

  love is like spring: it laughs through the cold and snow

Happiness is like sunshine: it is made up of very little beams

Forgiveness is a gift of great value yet its cost is nothing

Goodness, like the sun, enlightens 

colours may have different meanings for different individuals;however, when combined with different words, the meaning changes as well

be in the red: means to be in debt or owe money

to see red: means to become very angry

paint the town red: to go out and enjoy  a lively, boisterous time in bars, night-club, etc

red tape: کاغذ بازی

 the red carpet: strip of red carpet laid out for the reception of an important visitor

eg: We must give our guest the red carpet treatment: it means to receive him very warmly

red letter day: day of happiness

to get the green light: to get permition to do sth

green with envy: to be very gelous

green belt: arttificial jungles around the city

کمربندی

دروغ مصلحتی: white lie

in black and white : good and bad; right and wrong

to get / have black eye: dark bruised skin around a person's eye, resulting from a blow

be in the black: have money in one's bank account

give a black look: angry look

black market : illegal buying بازار سیاه

black list: list of people who are considered dangerousor who are to be punished

black out: cover by smoke

black sheep: person regarded as a disgrace or a failure by other members of his family or group

out of the blue: unexpectedly; without warning

blue films: bad films

to be in blue: to be very sad