The Despair of Loneliness

One evening in 1808, a gaunt, sad-faced man entered the office of Dr. James Hamilton in Manchester, England. The doctor was struck by the melancholic appearance of his visitor.

He inquired: "Are you sick?"

"Yes, doctor, sick of a mortal malady."

"What malady?"

"I am frightened of the terror of the world around me. I am depressed by life. I can find no happiness anywhere, nothing amuses me, & I have nothing to live for. If you can't help me, I shall kill myself."

"The malady is not mortal. You only need to get out of yourself. You need to laugh; to get some pleasure from life."

"What shall I do?"

"Go to the circus tonight to see Grimaldi, the clown. Grimaldi is the funniest man alive. He'll cure you."

A spasm of pain crossed the poor man's face as he said: "Doctor, don't jest with me; I am Grimaldi."

Words:

Meek
Superficial
Persistent
watchful
Enhance
Praise
oppnonet
Harshly
Disagree

Typical errors 7

Pronounciation:

Potrait
Automobile
Immediate
Hurray
Nicotine
Protein
Anatomy
Margarine
Montage
Alcohol
Surface
Doubt
Conflict
Danger

A Holiday in Italy

A Holiday in Italy

(two friends looking at pictures of a holiday)

Tim: Alan, do you want to see the pictures of my holiday in Italy?
Alan: Sure, what was it like?

Tim: Ah, the holiday was great! The food was great! The wine was great! The traffic was horrible!
Alan: Why was the traffic horrible?

Tim: Those Italians are crazy drivers! I don't want to think about it!
Alan: OK, OK, let's return to the good parts ...

Tim: Yes, so here's a picture of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Alan: Incredible!

Tim: It was raining that day, but it was still wonderful. We climbed to the top!
Alan: And what's this?

Tim: That's a photo of the Arno river, in Florence
That's the 'Ponte Vecchio' the old bridge.
Alan: What was Florence like?
Tim: It was very interesting. There were beautiful old medieval buildings in the city, impressive cathedrals and churches, and lots of wonderful museums.
Alan: How was your Italian?

Tim: My Italian wasn't very good. But many Italians speak English very well. I was impressed!
Alan: Oh, this one is nice.

Tim: Yes, that's a shot of a beautiful, pizza served by a beautiful Italian!
Alan: She is beautiful, isn't she?

Tim: Ah, yes, the land of fashion, food and wine. I'd recommend Italy anytime!
Alan: I'm so jealous...

Color Idioms:

black and white
- thinking of everything or judging everything as either good or bad
He tries to see everything in black and white although he knows this is impossible.
black out
- darken by putting out or dimming electric lights
During the war people in the cities were forced to black out their windows so that the enemy aircraft could not see them.
black out
- prevent or silence information or communication
The government decided to black out all of the information related to the political prisoner.
black out
- lose consciousness
Suddenly the man blacked out during the parade and had to be helped to a quiet place.
black sheep (of the family)
- a person who is a disgrace to a family or group
The man is the black sheep in his family and is the only member who has not made a success of his life.
blue in the face
- very angry or upset, excited and very emotional
He argued with her until he was blue in the face.
brown bag it
- take a lunch to work
I have had to brown bag it every day this week as the company cafeteria is closed for repair work.
catch (someone) red-handed
- catch someone in the middle of doing something wrong
The woman was caught red-handed at the store trying to steal some cosmetics.
give someone the green light
- give permission to go ahead with a project
We were finally given the green light to begin setting up the new project.
grass is always greener on the other side
- a place that is far away or different seems better than where we are now
He realized that the grass is always greener on the other side when he saw that his new job wasn`t perfect and had its own problems too.
green
- inexperienced, immature
He is rather green and doesn`t have enough experience to drive the large piece of machinery yet.
green belt
- an area of fields and trees around a town
The city has a policy of increasing the green belt around the city.
green thumb
- a talent for gardening, ability to make things grow
She has a green thumb and is able to grow one of the best gardens in our neighborhood.
green with envy
- very jealous, full of envy
I was green with envy when I heard that she would be going to London for a week while I had to stay and work.
horse of a different color
- something totally separate and different
I know that he would like to discuss that issue now but it is a horse of a different color and we should discuss it at another time.
in the black
- successful or profitable
The company has been in the black since they began to adopt many new ideas to cut costs.
in the red
- lose money, unprofitable
The company has been in the red for three years now - ever since their exports to Asia decreased by 35 per cent.
look at/see the world through rose-colored glasses
- see only the good things about something, be too optimistic
He always looks at the world through rose-colored glasses and is never able to understand that some people are dishonest.
off-color
- in bad taste, rude, dirty
He told an off-color joke at the party that made his wife very angry.

once in a blue moon
- rarely
We go out for Italian food once in a blue moon although we enjoy it very much.
out of the blue
- without any warning, by surprise
I don`t understand what the problem is. Right out of the blue he decided to quit his job and go and live in Europe.
paint the town red
- go out and party and have a good time
When my cousin came to visit us we decided to go out and paint the town red.
pink slip
- termination notice from a job
I received my pink slip last week and am now looking for a new job.
pot calling the kettle black
- the person who is criticizing/accusing someone else is as guilty as the person he criticizes/accuses
She was criticizing me for not looking for a new job but that is like the pot calling the kettle black. She isn`t looking for a new job either.
red herring
- an unimportant matter that draws attention away from the main subject
Suddenly talking about the strike was a red herring and didn't do anything to deal with today's problems.
red-letter day
- a day that is memorable because of some important event
It was a red-letter day when she finally received her graduation diploma.
red tape
- excessive formalities in official business
Many businesses have been complaining about the amount of red tape that they must deal with in order to get anything done with the government.
roll out the red carpet
- greet a person with great respect, give a big welcome
When the President of Egypt visited Paris, they rolled out the red carpet and gave him a great welcome.
see red
- become very angry
He really saw red last night when I told him that I wouldn`t be coming to work today.
show one`s true colors
- show what one is really like
I know that she doesn`t like me but she was showing her true colors when she began yelling at me on the telephone.
tickled pink
- be very pleased, thrill, delight
She was tickled pink that you made the effort to go and visit her when you were in town.
white elephant
- a useless possession/undertaking
The new airport is a white elephant and nobody likes it at all.
white as a ghost
- very pale because of fear, shock, illness
My sister became white as a ghost when she saw the man at the window.
white lie
- a harmless lie (told to be polite or to do something not seriously wrong)
I told my boss a white lie and said that I was sick yesterday when actually I was not.
white sale
- the selling at a reduced price of towels or sheets etc.
We went to the white sale at the department store to buy some new sheets before my parents come to visit.
with flying colors
- with great or total success
She passed the course with flying colors and now wants to go out and celebrate.
yellow-bellied
- extremely timid, cowardly
He is a yellow-bellied coward and never is willing to fight for what is right.
yellow streak
- cowardice in one`s character
He has a yellow streak running down his back and is not a good person to support you if things become difficult.

Read the sentences and try to keep the structures in your mind

Dolphines

Topics : Magazines problem pages calls to shrink

Homonym Jokes

What kind of party do plumbers go to? A tap dance.
Why did the cat come down from the tree? Because it saw the tree bark.
“Waiter, will the pancakes be long?" - "No, sir, round.”
How do you make a sausage roll? - Push it
Why did John walk backwards to school? – Because it was back-to-school
day.
What did Tutankhamun say when he got scared? – I want my mummy.
What do runners do when they forget something? – They jog their memory.
Why are movie stars so cool? – Because they have so many fans.
Why did the boy take the pencil to bed? – Because he wanted to draw the
curtains.
Why did the king draw straight lines? – Because he was the ruler.
Why were the elephants thrown out of the swimming pool? – Because they
couldn’t keep their trunks up.
Did you hear about the policeman’s holiday luggage? – It was an open and
shut case.
Did you hear about the snake that could do sums? – It was an adder.
Why did the teacher wear sunglasses? – Her students were too bright.
Why are postmen unhappy? – Because they are given the sack every
morning.
Homonym Jokes

English System Learning

Clothing

Last week I explained some English expressions about clothes. Everything I told you was true. I did not talk through my hat or say something without knowing the facts. Everyone knows there are many English expressions about clothes. There is no need to keep it secret or keep it under your hat. In fact, if I keep talking, soon enough you will start to think I’m an old hat about this, a real expert.

Do not be fool, though. My friends sometimes call me a wolf in sheep’s clothing. This is someone who acts like a good person but is really a bad person. I am not really a bad person, but I do love clothes. It is always fine to get dressed up. I look great in my best clothes. When I put them on, I feel decked out. You might say when I wear my best clothes I’m dressed to the nines or dressed to the teeth.

In fact, my husband says I look dressed to kill. Of course, I would never kill anyone. But there is something special about putting on clothes that are pleasing to the eye. My best clothes are not modern or fashionable. Maybe someday they will come into fashion. But I really do not care. They certainly look better on me than my birthday suit.

Did you know that everyone has a birthday suit? You wear it when you are wearing no clothes at all. Babies are born wearing their birthday suits. I am very careful with my clothes. I handle them with kid gloves. I try not to get them dirty or torn. Most of my clothes fit like a glove. They fit perfectly. But when I eat too much, I feel like my clothes might burst at the seams. My clothes feel too restrictive and tight.

Some of the clothes I like best are hand-me-downs. My older sister gave them to me when she no longer wanted them. Hand-me-downs are great because clothes often cost too much money. I live on a shoestring. I have a very small budget and little money to spend on clothes. However, my sister has a lot of money to spend on clothes. Maybe someday the shoe will be on the other foot. The opposite will be true. I will have a lot of money to buy clothes and my sister will get hand-me-downs from me.

I eat meat. I dream of being rich. I dream that someday I will be able to live like a rich person. I will know what it is like to walk in another person’s shoes. Some of my friends got rich by riding someone else’s coat tails. They are successful today as a result of someone else being successful. But I believe you should never criticize others for something you would do yourself. What is said about someone else can also be said about you. Remember if the shoe fits, wear it.