a friend

Written with a pen, sealed with a kiss,

If you are my friend please answer me this:

Are we friends, or are we not?

You told me once, but I forgot.

So tell me now, and tell me true,

So I can say "I'm here for you."

Of all the friends I've ever met,

You're the one I won't forget.

And if I die before you do,

I'll go to Heaven and wait for you,

I'll give the angels back their wings

And risk the loss of everything.

There isn't a thing I wouldn't do,

To have a friend just like you!

Answer the call of nature

Teddy was on a walk in the forest when suddenly -- and without warning -- he had to answer the call of nature. "I really must obey the call of nature." he whispered. Fortunately for Teddy, there was a WC nearby for to answer/obey the call of nature is to go to the bathroom.

Brush up on

Professor Oxbridge has been invited to give a talk on the history of his school. He hasn't read anything about it for so long that he'll have to brush up on it. That is, he'll have to refresh his knowledge of it. "There, I've brushed up on the subject." Professor exbridge smiled.

Phrasal Verbs about Money

As you know, native speakers of English tend to use a lot of phrasal verbs (sometimes called prepositional, multi-word verb, verbs) in everyday spoken English. In fact, this is quite frustrating for students who often have learned one-word verbs during their English studies and then are confronted with an English speaking world where people usually favor phrasal verbs in daily discourse. I'd like to focus on a few specific areas in which these phrasal verbs are commonly used. This page focuses on an area of great interest to all of us: MONEY. .

A little bird told me

If someone doesn't want to say where they got some information from, they can say that a little bird told them.

Albatross around your neck

An albatross (large seabird) around, or round, your neck is a problem resulting from something you did that stops you

from being successful.

Angry as a bear

If someone is as angry as a bear, they are very angry.
('Angry as a bear with a sore foot' is also used.)

Angry as a bull

If someone is as angry as a bull, they are very angry.

Ants in your pants

If someone has ants in their pants, they are agitated or excited about something and can't keep still.

As the crow flies

This idiom is used to describe the shortest possible distance between two places.

At a snail's pace

If something moves at a snail's pace, it moves very slowly.

Bear market

A bear market is a period when investors are pessimistic and expect financial losses so are more likely to sell than to buy shares.

The best cosmetic for your lips is truth,

for your voice is prayer ,

for your eyes is pity ,

for your hands is charity ,

for your heart is love ,

and for your life is friendship .

--

She was there at the beginning
When the world was new to you -
She was there to turn to happy times
Those when, you were hurt or blue.

She was there to listen to your thoughts
And when you asked, to give advice -
She was there to tell you, "Those don't match!"
Or, "Hon, you sure look nice."

She was there with you at nighttime
To help you say your prayers _
She was there to tell you, "It's alright."
When you had a dream that scares.

She was there at morning time
To get you up and out of bed

She was there when you didn't feel good (or did)
To say, "You'd best stay home, instead."

She was there when you were hungry
And when you had those dirty clothes -
She was there when you needed her
(How she knew? Only heaven knows.)

She was there at the beginning
And she'll be there your whole life through -
She'll be there in your mind and heart
Just like a mother is supposed to do

The Key To Excellent English

Is Listening

Powerful Listening and Excellent Speaking

1. Practice “Narrow Listening”

“Narrow listening” means listening to many things about the same topic. This method is more powerful than trying to listen to many different kinds of things. Students who listen to similar things learn faster and speak better than students who listen to different kinds of things.

For example, you can choose one speaker and find many things by him. Listen to all of his podcasts, audio books, and speeches. This is powerful because all speakers have favorite vocabulary and grammar. They naturally repeat these many times. By listening to many things by the same person, you automatically get a lot of vocabulary repetition. You learn faster and deeper!

Another example is to choose one topic to focus on. For example, you could read an easy book, listen to the same audio book, listen to a podcast about the book, and watch the movie.

~~ God's Gift ~~

Once upon a time there was a child ready to be born. 

The child asked God, "They tell me you are sending

me to earth tomorrow, how am I going to live 

there being so small and helpless?"

God replied, "Among all the angels,

I chose one for you, your angel will be

waiting for you and will take care of you."

The child further inquired, "Tell me, 

here in heaven I don't have to do anything 

but sing and smile to be happy."

God said, "Your angel will sing for you 

and will also smile for you every day.

You will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the child asked, "How am I going to

be able to understand when people talk to me 

if I don't know the language?"

God said, "Your angel will tell you 

the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear,

and with much patience and care, 

your angel will teach you how to speak."

"What am I going to do when I want to talk to you?" 

God said, "Your angel will place your hands together

and will teach you how to pray."

"I've heard that on Earth there are bad men.

Who will protect me?"

God said, "Your angel will defend you 

even if it means risking its life."

"But I will always be sad because

I will not see you anymore." 

God said, "Your angel will always talk to you 

about me and will teach you the way to come back to me,

even though I will always be next to you."

"God, if I am to leave now, please

tell me my angel's name."

"Her name is not important.... 

you will simply call her 

'Mommy'."

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

The first day, the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down.

He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.

You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.”