Let's talk in English

Sleep experts offer many basic tips as to how to sleep better. What do you do when you want to make sure that you get a good night's sleep? Do you practice good sleep hygeine? Is there an old family secret that you use when you need to make sure you sleep well? Share your "sleep like a baby tip" and find out what works for others.

Reading!

I like to read, even if it's just five minutes, before bed. It's how I turn off my brain. There are, of course, other ways to turn off the brain as well, but this helps me just prepare my mind for the sleep to come...

Exercise

I agree with Robin, that reading really helps when I can't get to sleep, but the best thing I've found is to get regular exercise. If I exercise in the evening, it's hard to fall asleep, but if I do it in the morning or early part of the day, I get a good night's rest.

Get Good Sleep

I have a hospital bed, severe back problems and botched leg surgery...so I raise the head part about 3-4 inches and raise the leg part about 3-4 inches and try meditating, and cover my eyes with a sleep mask...really helps, and also have the temperature set on a cooler level.

Relaxation CD's

I have several relaxation CD's I put on and that really helps me go to sleep and sometimes if I am really having a hard time getting to sleep then I use slow deep breathing with the CD"s playing too. Reading a very boring book or textbook on a subject you didn't really like helps also - history always puts me to sleep!

Sunglasses

My significant other and I go to sleep at different times so he has things on like his desk lamp, computer monitor, sometimes the TV. So, I put on some sunglasses about an hour before bed and find it helps me tune out some of the light he uses. I find if I don't do this, my body doesn't seem to recognize that it's time for bed and I'll stay up much later than I want.

Soothing A Bad Back

I now have to sleep on my back due to arthritis in my shoulders. I have a bad back, and my back really hurt when I first tried to sleep on my back. I had lots of restless nights. However, I bought one sloping medical pillow for my upper body and another medical pillow 8" tall, sloping on one end and long enough to elevate my legs from my knees to my toes. Now, my back doesn't hurt and I can get a good night's sleep.

Middle of the Night

I have no trouble falling to sleep when I get into bed, but I do wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble falling back to sleep because I start thinking about all the stuff that needs to get done the next day. I've tried writing down those tasks, but that's only step one in what works. After I've written them down, I try reading a boring book until I fall asleep -- something to switch off my brain from my to-do list.

Go for Dark

I have learned that even the tiniest bit of light interferes with my sleep. I leave a small light on outside my bedroom door, but I shut the door tight when I go to bed. If I have to get up for some reason, it's only a step or two to open the door. Having a touch lamp beside the bed would be another good solution. But try total darkness when you sleep. It really makes a difference.

Here is a very funy conversation in between Mr. Bush and Condoleezza Rice:



George: Condi! Nice to see you. What’s happening?

Condi: Sir, I have the report here about the new leader of China.

George: Great. Lay it on me.

Condi: Hu is the new leader of China.

George: That’s what I want to know.

Condi: That’s what I’m telling you.

George: That’s what I’m asking you. Who is the new leader of China?

Condi: Yes.

George: I mean the fellow’s name.

Condi: Hu.

George: The guy in China.

Condi: Hu.

George: The new leader of China.

Condi: Hu.

George: The Chinaman!

Condi: Hu is leading China.

George: Now whaddya’ asking me for?

Condi: I’m telling you Hu is leading China.

George: Well, I’m asking you. Who is leading China?

Condi: That’s the man’s name.

George: That’s who’s name?

Condi: Yes.

George: Will you or will you not tell me the name of the new leader of China?

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Yassir? Yassir Arafat is in China? I thought he was in the Middle East.

Condi: That’s correct.

George: Then who is in China?

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Yassir is in China?

Condi: No, sir.

George: Then who is?

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Yassir?

Condi: No, sir.

George: Look, Condi. I need to know the name of the new leader of China. Get me the Secretary General of the U.N. on the phone.

Condi: Kofi?

George: No, thanks.

Condi: You want Kofi?

George: No.

Condi: You don’t want Kofi.

George: No. But now that you mention it, I could use a glass of milk. And then get me the U.N.

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Not Yassir! The guy at the U.N.

Condi: Kofi?

George: Milk! Will you please make the call?

Condi: And call who?

George: Who is the guy at the U.N?

Condi: Hu is the guy in China.

George: Will you stay out of China?!

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: And stay out of the Middle East! Just get me the guy at the U.N.

Condi: Kofi.

George: All right! With cream and two sugars. Now get on the phone.

Watch the video

Learn English For Speaking..........

Pronunciation Practice - Repeat each question and answer out loud!

1. Do you have a pet? Yes, we do. / No, we don't.
2. Does she like to study? Yes, she does. / No, she doesn't.
3. Did you see it? Yes, we did. / No, we didn't.
4. Can you speak English well? Yes, we can. / No, we can't.
5. Is she from here? Yes, she is. / No, she isn't.
6. Are you from a big city? Yes, we are. / No, we aren't.
7. Are they going to come? Yes, they are. / No, they aren't.
8. Will you go with us? Yes, we will. / No, we won't.
9. Were you at home last night? Yes, I was. / No, I wasn't.

Conversation Practice - Ask these questions to your friends!

1. Do you speak English well? (Yes I do. / No I don't.)
2. Do you speak another language well?
3. Does your sister like pizza? (Yes she does. / No she doesn't.)
4. Does your friend like to eat pizza?
5. Do you have a brother or sister?
6. Does your father work in an office?
7. Can you play the guitar? (Yes I can. / No I can't.)
8. Can you drive a car?
9. Can your father drive a car?
10. Can you answer these questions easily?
11. Can French people speak French?
12. Is your friend a good singer? (Yes he is./Yes she is./No he isn't./No she isn't.)
13. Is today Friday?
14. Are you a good student? (Yes I am. / No I am not. / No I'm not.)
15. Are your friends tall?
16. Is your mother going to work today? (Yes, she is./No she is not./No she isn't.)
17. Is your dog big?
18. Are you going to stay home tonight? (Yes, I am. / No I am not. / No I'm not.)
19. Are you going to travel this year?
20. Will you practice all of these questions? (Yes I will. / No I won't.)
21. Will your friend help you study English?
22. Was yesterday Thursday? (Yes it was. / No it was not. / No it wasn't.)
23. Was your test difficult?
24. Were your parents from the same town or city? (Yes they were./No they weren't.)
25. Were your teachers helpful to you?(Yes they were./ No they weren't.)

Here's a short, funny story for learning vocabulary. As a student of English, you should read this story at least three times. Difficult words are explained below the story......


A man went into a bar, called (1) the bartender and said to him, "Give me a glass of (2) whiskey before (3) the trouble starts". The bartender was busy serving other (4) patrons, so instead of saying anything, he just gave the man a glass of whiskey and the man drank it. Quickly he (5) slammed his glass down, called the bartender again and said, "Give me another whiskey before the trouble starts". Again the bartender was (6) too occupied to say anything, so he just gave the man a second drink and went away. After the man drank his second whiskey, he called the barman a third time and said, "One (7) last drink before the trouble starts". Finally, the bartender had (8) a free moment so when he brought the third glass of whiskey he asked, "What trouble are you (9) referring to?". The man answered, "I don't have any money"!

Meanings:

(1) a man who servers drinks in a bar
(2) a strong kind of alcohol
(3) "the" before "trouble" means the man seems to know that something bad will happen
(4) customers
(5) put down hard ("slam" can also be used to describe closing a door very loudly)
(6) too busy
(7) the final drink
(8) when he was not busy
(9) talking about

Hi Friends.......

 

               English.........It's nothing but a language and learn it as a language but not like your class book. When I was in school, I made so many translations and did lot of exercises and it all ended in smoke…  I was screwed up by my teachers. ‘Coz that time English was just all about some stupid books.  I learnt nothing… And due to some problem I couldn’t find time to study, so I left. And later I found a guy(my friend’s friend, but not a teacher).  He is really good at English. I asked him to give some classes. And he did as I was enough lucky…. And those classes were all about conversationJ. It seemed to be strange at the start but this was the thing I was really looking for….. And I spoke worst and later it turned good and then better…… Practice makes a man perfect. And I still have some problem and it’s not about spoken but about pronounciations, especially with “sh” and “s” :D… And now a days I’m trying my best to get over…… And I know I can do it..

 

              I wrote this not because I wanna tell my story but I just wanna tell u English is not a class or a test what u can pass just cramming(To study frantically the night before a test)….. “Slow and steady wins the race”.  Your brain is naturally fantastic at learning languages.  Your brain is created to learn languages.  But you must learn it in that ways that are friendly to your brain. If you bore your brain with rules, you will learn slowly.  If you try to analyze the language, you will learn slowly. If you try to memorize vocabulary, you will learn slowly. If you study textbooks and take tests, you will learn slowly… And it’s all gonna be fucked up……………….. And at last u will get tired of it…. So please kick it off!( Stop doing that!)…

 

Now you can do those things what you really like::

·      I hope we like books, but it depends. Put away those books you really don’t like and u get bored to death when u read it. Read the storie , read about the actor or celebrity if u are fan of someone, read anything you like to read.

 

·      Wanna improve your listening skills and pronounciation? Go ahead and find the music and get the lyrics and listen to those carefully and sing along… It’s better to watch some English channel or English movies than watching a translated version.

 

·      Focus on meaning, not form.  In other words, don’t worry about grammar rules. Focus instead on understanding and being understood.

 

·       And always use English to English dictionary ‘coz it will help you to find new words…….

 

·      And finally only one solution what all the people say: Speak and speak and speak…. Speak to/with your friends, speak to yourself (this might be crazy but it helps)….So stop goofing around and find time if u really wanna learn a language.

 

Note: But it was all about spoken English. If u are going to sit for any test/entrance, pay attention to grammar else you are gonna be screwed up :D.

 

 

 

 

Modals are verbs that modify other verbs. The most common modals are:

Can
Should
Must

Note that all subjects take the same form of the modal.

Positive

Subject + Modal + Base Form of Verb + Objects

Examples

He can play the piano.
I must leave soon.

Negative

Subject + Modal + Not + Base Form of Verb + Objects

Examples

They can't visit next week.
You shouldn't go to that film.

Question

Modal + Subject + Base Form of Verb + Objects

Examples

Can you help me?
What should I do?

Giving Advice with Should

'Should' is used when asking for or giving advice. It is also used when asking for suggestions.

Examples

I think you should see a doctor.
What type of job should I get?

Expressing Ability with Can

'Can' is used to speak abilities.

Examples

He can speak Japanese.
Can you play golf?

Asking for Permission with May

'May' is used to ask for permission.

Examples

May I help you?
May I visit you this afternoon?

NOTE

 In spoken English, 'Can I ...?' is often used instead of 'May I ...?'

If you’re an English learner living in a non-English-speaking country, your English input will be different from the input of someone who lives in, say, America. A learner in America (assuming he interacts with people on an everyday basis) will get most of his input by listening to everyday, informal conversations between people. A learner in Germany or Brazil will get most of his input from “content” – books, movies, videogames, songs, Web articles, discussion forums, TV shows, podcasts, etc. – things that are printed, recorded and published somewhere.

It’s hard to imagine learning English well without access to English-language content. Reading a book or watching a movie in English is an incredibly motivating and powerful experience that can produce a dramatic growth in the number of words, phrases and grammar structures that you can use.

However, there is a small catch. Relying on content can create a gap in your knowledge of “everyday English”. You can read dozens of books, watch hundreds of movies and read thousands of Web pages, and still not know what to say when you’re handing something to someone (There you go), how to say that your favorite show will be on TV at 5 pm (It’s coming on at 5.), or how to use phrases like Looks like it, Fat chance or Dibs on the cake.


Why is that? Content has to be interesting. To be interesting, it often depicts unusual events (a secret mission, a war, a great love story) and unusual characters who speak in unusual language (Victorian English, inner-city slang, witty repartee). Only rarely do you get to see mundane activities like ordering food over the phone, discussing who will get the groceries after work, or complaining about the parking situation in the city.

Which brings us back to the difference between an English learner in America (whether a native speaker or a non-native who lives there) and an English learner in Germany or Brazil. A learner in America will be exposed to such “everyday English” expressions all the time. A learner in Germany will have a chance to hear them only occasionally.

Of course not everyone will want to improve their knowledge of everyday English. For example, if you are a scientist who uses English to write scientific papers and have technical discussions with other scientists, and you hardly ever have casual interactions in English, there may be no point in trying to become more like a native speaker.

But suppose you want to do something about your “everyday English” skills. What can you do? For one thing, you can choose content which contains a lot of casual conversations by contemporary people. For example, you would pick Desperate Housewives over Lost, Bridget Jones’s Diary over The Alchemist, a podcast over an audiobook.

Another idea is to find a “dietary supplement” – a resource that contains lots of everyday English expressions – and use it to fill the gaps in your knowledge. I really like PhraseMix by Aaron Knight from New York. PhraseMix is a frighteningly well-made collection of real-world English phrases. Each phrase is presented in context, for example:


or


You also get a little drawing (beautifully drawn by a graphic artist) showing the situation, like so:


The context and the drawings are the main reasons why I like PhraseMix so much. People learn phrases most effectively in real-life situations and PhraseMix gives you something that’s much closer to a real-life situation than a dictionary definition.

Right now, PhraseMix has more than 1,200 phrases, and Aaron updates the site with a new phrase almost every day. There is also a premium version ($7-$9 per month) which gives you access to a well-made recording of each phrase, which should make learning even easier.

Source:  The Antimoon Blog

Use the present simple to talk about activities or routines which take place on a regular basis.

Positive Sentences Subject + present conjugation of verb + objects

I / You drive to work every day.
She / He / It drives to work every day.
You / We / They drive to work every day.

Negative Sentences Subject + do not + base form of verb + objects

I / You don't (do not) use a computer every day.
She / He / It doesn't ( does not) use a computer at work.
It You / We / They don't (do not) use a typewriter at work.

Question Form

Wh? + do + subject + base form of verb ?
When do I / you arrive at work?
What does he / she / it use at work?
Where do we / you / they keep the paper?

Verb + 'ing' OR Verb + Infinitive

When two verbs are used together, the second verb is often in the gerund form (-ing) or the infinitive. There are no specific rules concerning which verbs take which form. Like irregular verbs, you will need to learn which form a verb takes.

Common Verbs + 'ing'

go
enjoy
quit
discuss
mind
can't stand
suggest

Examples:

They go jogging on Saturdays.
I don't mind helping you.
They can't stand driving in traffic jams.

Common Verbs + Infinitive

promise
plan
refuse
want
need
decide
hope

Examples:

I promised to help him.
Alice needs to start that task.
He decided to quit his job.

Lie is an intransitive verb (one that does not take an object), meaning "to recline."  Its principal parts are lie (base form), lay (past tense), lain (past participal), and lying (present participle).

[Lie meaning "to tell an untruth" uses lied for both the past tense and past participle, with lying as the present participle.]

Lay is a transitive verb (one that takes an object), meaning "to put" or "to place."  Its principal parts are lay (base form), laid (past tense), laid (past participle), and laying (present participle).

The two words have different meanings and are not interchangeable.  Although lay also serves as the past tense of lie (to recline) – as in, "He lay down for a nap an hour ago" – lay (or laying) may not otherwise be used to denote reclining.  It is not correct to say or write, "I will lay down for nap" or "He is laying down for a nap."  The misuse of lay or laying in the sense of "to recline" (which requires lie or lying) is the most common error involving the confusion of these two words.

> Once you lay (put or place) a book on the desk, it is lying (reclining, resting) there, not laying there.

> When you go to Bermuda for your vacation, you spend your time lying (not laying) on the beach (unless, of course, you are engaged in sexual activity and are, in the vernacular, layingsomeone on the beach).

> You lie down on the sofa to watch TV and spend the entire evening lying there; you do not lay down on the sofa to watch TV and spend the entire evening laying there.

> If you see something lying on the ground, it is just resting there; if you see something laying on the ground, it must be doing something else, such as laying eggs.