English Speaking

Saturday, 11 April 2015

TIME 02:17

Funny stories to learn English

We all like very funny short stories, irrespective of our age and education level. Those stories are interesting as well as entertaining. For all these reasons, we take time to read those stories. There are innumerable people around the world who spend certain part of every day for reading the funny stories.
This is the best way to enliven the child in us. Many psychologists have suggested that every one should read books in order to improve our thinking capacity. Reading short stories is such a move to sharpen our thinking skills. So, never hesitate to take up the opportunity to read short stories. Enjoy these jokes and share with us your favorite ones, too?

Mr Bean in Town

This book is novel version of comedy drama which is popular in the world and has two short stories.

One is that a man called Mr. Bean went to high grade restaurant to celebrate his birthday, but he had little money and didn’t like plate of stake tartare he ordered. So he tried to hide meat at many places such as in the vase, in the bread roll, and in waiter’s trousers. However, other waiter saw it, so Mr. Bean thought quickly, and blamed waiter for hiding meat. The manager took a big plate as a token of apology, but it was the same as the meat which he didn’t like.

The other story is when Mr. Bean went to coin laundry and washed his clothes. He tried to move washing machine but he couldn’t find money! He finally found them, but a young and strong man appeared and pushed him away. Mr. Bean got angry. He tried to protest, but he noticed the young man is “karate fighter”, so he couldn’t. After that, Mr. Bean started to wash. However, he realized he wore the underwear to wash, and got under cover and took it off secretly. Just then, he wore long skirt instead of his trouser in error.What was worse, the young man saw him and laughed at him. As revenge, he changed conditioner of young man and black coffee. After washing finished, Mr. Bean looked for his trouser in the dryer. He climbed into machine. Then, door of the dryer closed, and it started to moved.

[id]Mr. Bean at a Restaurant;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVX5WIwVrws|Mr. Bean went to coin laundry;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_BqATdA3D8|[/id]

Friday, 10 April 2015

TIME 08:55

How to Win Friends and Influence People

During the first thirty-five years of the twentieth century, the publishing houses of America printed more than a fifth of a million different books. Most of them were deadly dull, and many were financial failures. "Many," did I say? The president of one of the largest publishing houses

Wednesday, 8 April 2015

TIME 02:31

Conversational phrases

A, B, C D, E, F G, H, I J, K, L, M N, O, P, Q, R S, T, U, V W, X, Y, Z

Conversational phrases beginning with A, B, C, here:

a bit much INFORMAL
You can say this if you think something's not fair or not reasonable.

a bit of a INFORMAL
You can add this to a description to make what you say sound
more informal or colloquial.
about time (1) INFORMAL

You can say this if something's happened later,
or taken longer, than it should have.
about time (2) INFORMAL
You can say this if you think it's time to do something.
after you FORMAL
A polite thing to say when you're letting somebody do something before you do, such as walk through a door or take salad from a bowl.
all in good time
You can say this if someone wants to do something before the normal or proper time.
all right (1)
You can say this instead of "yes" if you're accepting a suggestion or granting permission.
all right (2)
You can say this to make sure you've been understood, or to let someone know you've understood them.
all right (3)
You can say this if you're trying to comfort someone.
all right (4)
You can say this to get everyone's attention.
all right by me
You can say this if you agree with a suggestion or a request, but you know that others might not agree.
all the best
You can say this to wish someone good luck when you're saying good-bye.
all well and good
You can say this about something that's good, but not exactly what's need or not all that's needed.
allow me FORMAL
This is a polite thing to say when you're offering to help someone.
any luck? INFORMAL
You can ask this if you want to know if someone's been able to do or find something.
as a matter of fact
You can say this when you're adding information, or when you're correcting wrong information.
as far as I can tell
You can say this when telling someone what you think or believe is true, based on what you've deduced so far.
as far as I know
You can say this when telling someone what you know so far, when there could be other facts you don't know.
as far as I'm concerned
You can say this when giving your personal opinion or views about something.
as it happens
You can say this if something's true by chance, esp. if it's surprising.
as it is
You can say this instead of "already" when describing the way things are.
at it INFORMAL
You can say someone's "at it" if they're doing something you don't approve of, esp. if they often do it.
at least | at any rate (1)
You can say this when clarifying or changing what you've just said.
at least | at any rate (2)
You can use this when mentioning something positive in a generally negative situation or context.
at the end of the day British and Australian English INFORMAL
You can say this when stating the most important fact, or the most fundamental truth, of a situation.
at the same time
You can use this to introduce another fact or view that should be considered alongside those already mentioned.

back in the day | back in the old days
You can say this if you're talking about a time long ago, or a time much earlier in your life.
bad luck
You can say this to show you're sorry or sympathetic if something bad happens to someone.
bad luck! INFORMAL
You can say this if you have no sympathy for someone, esp. if they've caused their own problem.
be (only too) pleased to | be happy to FORMAL
You can say this if someone asks you to do something, and you're willing or happy to do it.
be my guest FORMAL
You can say this instead of "yes" if someone asks you for permission to do something.
be right with you | be right there INFORMAL
You can use this to tell someone you'll be with them very soon.
be seeing you INFORMAL
You can use this to say goodbye to someone if you're not sure when you'll be seeing them again.
be sure to
You can say this when you're reminding someone to do something.
be that as it may FORMAL
You can say this if what someone has just told you doesn't change your opinion or your plans.
beats me INFORMAL
You can say this if you don't know or understand something.
been had INFORMAL
to have been cheated, conned or overcharged
been there, done that INFORMAL
You can say this if you've done something before and you're not interested in doing it again.
believe (you) me
You can use this to emphasize the truth or importance of what you're saying.
believe it or not
You can say this when sharing some unexpected news or surprising information.
better late than never
You can say this when you're glad something's happened, but you wish it'd happened sooner.
better luck next time
You can say this to give encouragement or support to someone who's just failed to achieve something.
between you and me British and Australian English
You can say this to someone when you're about to tell them a secret.
big deal! INFORMAL
You can say this to show that you think something isn't important or impressive.
bless you
You can say this to someone after they've sneezed.
by all means FORMAL
You can say this to politely give someone permission to do something.
by any chance FORMAL
You can add this to a "yes/no" question to make it sound more polite, esp. when asking if somebody has something, likes something, knows something or someone, etc.
by the way
You can say this if you want to mention, or ask about, an unrelated topic, or if you want to change the topic.

can I help you? FORMAL
If you work in a shop or a business, you can say this to a customer if you think they might need your help.
can't be bothered British and Australian English INFORMAL
You can say this if you don't want to do something because you're feeling tired or lazy.
can't wait | can hardly wait
You can say this if you're looking forward to something very much.
chances are
You can use this instead of "probably" when saying what's likely to happen.
check this out | check it out INFORMAL
You can say this if you're showing something to someone.
come again? INFORMAL
You can say this if you don't understand a word or phrase that someone's used.
come off it! INFORMAL
You can say this if you strongly disagree with someone, or strongly object to what they're doing.
come on
You can say this if you're comforting someone who's sad or afraid.
come on! (1)
You can use this to tell someone to hurry up.
come on! (2)
You can say this to get someone to put more effort into something, or to start doing something that requires effort.
come to think of it
You can say this if you're suddenly reminded of something.
correct me if I'm wrong
You can say this if there's a small chance you could be wrong, or if you're politely correcting someone.
could always
You can say this when making a suggestion or giving advice.
could do with INFORMAL
You can use this when saying what you, or someone else, needs.
could have easily
You can use this when saying that something was very possible, but it didn't happen.
could have sworn
You can say this when you're very sure about something, esp. when it seems you could be wrong.
couldn't help it
You can use this to say you, or someone else, can't be blamed for something going wrong.
cross my heart (and hope to die) INFORMAL
You can use this to emphasize that you'll do what you promise to do, or that you're telling the truth.
cut it out! | cut that out! INFORMAL

You can use this to tell someone to stop doing something that's annoying or upsetting you.
A, B, C D, E, F G, H, I J, K, L, M N, O, P, Q, R S, T, U, V W, X, Y, Z

Friday, 3 April 2015

TIME 03:24

The comparative and the superlative

The two basic ways to compare are using as .. as or than. Examples of each are shown below:

Comparative adjectives are used to compare differences between the two objects they modify (larger, smaller, faster, higher). They are used in sentences where two nouns are compared, in this pattern:

We use than when we want to compare one thing with another:

He's twice as old as his brother.
She's not as stupid as she looks!
He's almost as good in maths as in science.
This book is not as exciting as the last one.
The cafeteria is not as crowded as usual.
Russian is not quite as difficult as Chinese.

We use than when we want to compare one thing with another:

Noun (subject) + verb + comparative adjective + than + noun (object).

This computer is better than that one.
This box is smaller than the one I lost.
She is two years older than me.
My house is larger than hers.
She's stronger at chess than I am.
It's much colder today than it was yesterday.
Our car is bigger than your car.
New York is much bigger than Boston.
The rock flew higher than the roof.
This grammar topic is easier than most others.
Harry and Jack are both my friends, but I like Jack better. ("than Harry" is understood)
He is a better player than Neymar.
I find science more difficult than mathematics.
France is a bigger country than Britain.
Today's ESL lesson was more interesting than usual.
Your dog runs faster than Jon's dog.

When comparing with as .. as, the adjective does not change.

When comparing with than, however, some changes are necessary, depending on the number of syllables the adjective has:

1-syllable adjectives: add -er to the adjective

My brother is much taller than me.

It's colder today than it was yesterday.

Note: If the word ends: consonant-vowel-consonant, then the last consonant is usually doubled in the comparative. Examples: big-bigger, fat-fatter, hot-hotter

We need a bigger garden

2-syllable adjectives ending in -y: change the -y to -ier

She's looking happier today.

I’m feeling happier now.

This grammar topic is easier than the last one.

Why is everyone else luckier than me?

Beware: Do not confuse adjectives and adverbs. 2-syllable adverbs ending in -y must be compared with the word more. Example: I drive more quickly (quicklier) than my brother.

Other 2-syllable adjectives: use more with the unchanged adjective

The shops are always more crowded just before Christmas.

Is there anything more boring than reading about grammar?

My sister is more careful with her writing than I am with mine.

Note: The comparative of some shorter 2-syllable adjectives can be formed with -er. Examples: simple-simpler, clever-cleverer, narrow-narrower. To be sure which comparative method to use, you will need to consult a good dictionary.

Adjectives with 3 or more syllables: use more with the unchanged adjective

Russian grammar is more difficult than English grammar.

My sister is much more intelligent than me.†

I find maths lessons more enjoyable than science lessons.

The older you get, the more irritating you become.

SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES

Superlative adjectives are used to describe an object which is at the upper or lower limit of a quality (the tallest, the smallest, the fastest, the highest). They are used in sentences where a subject is compared to a group of objects.

Noun (subject) + verb + the + superlative adjective + noun (object).

In the superlative you talk about one thing only and how it is the best, worst, etc. You do not compare two things. The following guidelines apply to the superlative:

We use the with a superlative:

1-syllable adjectives: add -est to the adjective (plus the)

My sister is the tallest in our family.

This is the smallest box I've ever seen.

Everest is the highest mountain in the world.

That’s the best film I have seen this year.

Yesterday was the coldest day of the year so far.

Your dog ran the fastest of any dog in the race.

My house is the largest one in our neighborhood.

I have three sisters, Hannah is the oldest and Miley is the youngest .

We all threw our rocks at the same time. My rock flew the highest. ("of all the rocks" is understood)

Note: If the word ends: consonant-vowel-consonant, then the last consonant is usually doubled in the superlative. Examples: big-biggest, fat-fattest, hot-hottest.

2-syllable adjectives ending in -y: change the -y to -iest (plus the)

The richest people are not always the happiest.

Which do you think is the easiest language to learn?

It was the happiest day of my life.

She's the luckiest person I know.

Beware: Do not confuse adjectives and adverbs. 2-syllable adverbs ending in -y form their superlative with the words the most. Example: Of all the people I know my father drives the most quickly (quickliest).

Other 2-syllable adjectives: use the most with the unchanged adjective

The most boring thing about ESL class is doing grammar exercises.

My sister is the most careful person I know.

Note: The superlative of some shorter 2-syllable adjectives can be formed with -er. Examples: simple-simplest, clever-cleverest, narrow-narrowest. To be sure which superlative method to use, you will need to consult a good dictionary.