Black Jumper day

Today, I will tell you about “black jumper day” , and we will meet the English expression “to leave for” somewhere.
In a podcast a very long time ago, in November 2006, I told you that most English children wear a school uniform to go to school. My daughter, who is 15 years old, goes to a girls secondary school. [Sorry – I say “11 years old” in the podcast, but this is wrong. It should be “15 years old”]. She has to wear a dark green skirt or trousers, and a white blouse and a dark green jumper.
She is in year 10 at school. In year 11, the girls sit their GCSE exams. GCSE stands for “General Certificate of Secondary Education”. After their GCSE exams, the girls leave the secondary school to go to sixth-form college, or to a further education college, to continue their studies or to learn practical skills. By tradition, in my daughter’s school, the year 11 girls are allowed to wear black jumpers, instead of dark green jumpers. They like their black jumpers, not because the jumpers look beautiful, but because they show everyone that year 11 are the senior girls, the most important girls, in the school.
However, the year 11 girls do not have to come to school any more. From today, they are on “study leave”, a time when they can stay at home and work and revise for their GCSE exams. Some of them, of course, use “study leave” as a time to go shopping or have parties, but perhaps we had better not talk about that.
This means that, from today, the year 10 girls are the most senior girls in the school. It is now their turn to wear the black jumpers, to show the rest of the school how big and important they are. They have looked forward to this day for weeks. They have all searched the local shops to find a black jumper in a style which they like. And today, they have all left for school, wearing their new black jumpers.
They have “left for school”. That means, they have left home to go to school. Here are some more examples. Do you understand what they mean?
At eight o’clock, Kevin leaves for work.
At half past eight, Harry leaves for college.
George has left for a meeting with some clients.
Sarah has left for lunch.
At the end of the day, Kevin will leave for home.
Tomorrow, Joanne will leave for her mother’s (ie she will go to her mother’s house).
George has a business trip to America. On Thursday, he will leave for New York.
The train leaves for London in 10 minutes.
And, of course, the girls leave for school wearing their black jumpers.
Download MP3 (2 MB 4:00 min)

Both-both of; neither-neither of, either-either of

Both- Both of
Neither- Neither of
Either-Either of


We use both/neither/either for two things.
You can use these words with a noum- both books, neither book etc

For example, you are going to eat. There are two possible restaurants. You say:
Both retaurants are very good
Neither resaturant is expensive
We can to to either restaurant, i don’t mind

(español sería ambos, ninguno-, cualquier-a)


But of
Neither of
Either of

We use both of- neither of-either of.. the-these-my- Tom’s... etc

So we have say both of the restaurants
Both of those restaurants
-not both of restaurants

Both restaurants
Both of the restaurants

Both of these resturants are very good
Neither of the restaurants we went to was –or were- expensive
I haven’t been to either of those restaurants ( I haven’t been to one or the other)

You don ‘ t need of after both if you say

Both my parents are from London .. not Both of my parents

You can use both or- neither of –either of + us/you/them

Talking to two people... Can either of you speak spanish?
I asked two people the way to the station, but neither of them could help me

You must say “both of” before us you them

Both of us were very tired ..not both us

After neither of... a singular or a plural verb is possible

Neither of the children wants – want--- to go to bed


You can also use both –neither-either alone, without a noun

I couldn’t decide wich of the two shirts to buy. I liked both. (or liked both of them)
Is your friend British or American. Neither She’s Australian
Do you want tea or coffee? Either. I dont mind

You can say


Both... and.. Both Chris and Peter were late
I was both tired and hungry when i arrived home

Neither..nor.. Neither Chris nor Pat came to the party
Tom said he would contact me, but he neither wrote nor phoned

Either or I’m not sure where Maria’s from, She’s either Spanish or Italian
Either you apologise or I’ll never speak to you again

Compare either-neither-both – two things- and any none all

There are two good hotels here... you could stay ate either of them
We trieed two hotels. Neither of them had any rooms. Both of them were full

There are many good hotels here. You could stay at any of them
We tried a lot of hotels. None or them had any rooms. All of them were full



Exemples


Do you want tea or coffee .. Either i really dont’ mind
What day is it today. The 18 th or the 19 th? Neither of them, it’s the 20th

Wehre dis you go for your holidays – Scotland or Ireland?
We went to both (both of them) A week in Scotland and a week in Ireland

When shall I phoe, in the morning or afternoon? Both. I’ll be in all day
Where’s Liz? Is she at work or at home. Neither . She’s away on holiday




Both my parents are form London
To get to the town cent5re, you can go along the footpath by the river or you can go along the road. Yo can go either way
I tried twice to phone George, but both times he was out
Neither of Tom’s Parents is English. His father is Polis and his mother is Italian.
I saw an accidente this morning. One car drove into the back of another. Fortunately neither driver was injured, but both cars were badly damaged

I’ve got two sisters and a brother. My brothes is working, but both of my sisters are still at school.


I asked two people the way to the station but nither of them could help me
I was invited to tow parties last week, but I cuoldn’t go to neither of them
There were two windows in ther room. It was very wram, si I opened both fo them
Sarah and I play tennis together regularly, but neither of us can play very well
I tried two bookshops for the book I wanted, but neither of them had it

Chris was late. So was pat Both Chris and Pat were late
He didn’ t write and he didn’ phone. He neither wrote nor phoned
Jose is on holiday and so is Sam. Both Jose and Sam are on holidays
Joe hasn’t got a car, Sam hasn’t got one either. Neither Jose or Sam has car
Brian doesn’ watch Tv and he doesn ‘t read newspaper.. Brian neither read Tv or read newspaper

It was a boring film it was long too
The film was both long and boring
Is that man’s name Richard? Or is it Robert? It´s one of the two
The man’s name is either Richard or Robert
I haven’t got time to go on holiday. And I haven’t got the money
I have got neither time or money to go on holiday
We can leave today or we can leave tomorrow. Wichever you prefer
We can leave either today or tomorrow

We tried a lot of hotels but none of them has any rooms
I took two boks with me on holiday, but I didn’ read neither of them
I took five books with me on holiday, buth i didn’t read none of them
There are a few shops at the end of the street, but all of them sells newspaper
You can phone me at all time during the evening. I’m always at home
I can meet you next Monday or Friday. Would both of those days be convenient for you?
John and I couldn’t get into the house because neither of us had a key.

Prehistory: the dawn of farming

The dawn of farming

Human beings have been living in the part of northern Europe that is today called Britain for about 750,000 years. For most of that time, they subsisted by gathering food like nuts, berries, leaves and fruit from wild sources, and by hunting.
Over the millennia there were phases of extreme cold, when large areas of Britain were covered in ice, followed by warmer times. Around 10,000 years ago, the latest ice age came to an end. Sea levels rose as the ice sheets melted, and Britain became separated from the European mainland shortly before 6000 BC.
'The introduction of farming was one of the biggest changes in human history.'
The people living on the new islands of Britain were descendants of the first modern humans, or Homo sapiens, who arrived in northern Europe around 30,000 - 40,000 years ago. Like their early ancestors they lived by hunting and gathering.
The introduction of farming, when people learned how to produce rather than acquire their food, is widely regarded as one of the biggest changes in human history.
This change happened at various times in several different places around the world. The concept of farming that reached Britain between about 5000 BC and 4500 BC had spread across Europe from origins in Syria and Iraq between about 11000 BC and 9000 BC.

TRAVELLING SLOWLY IS BETTER

We have more about canal boats in today’s podcast.
It was late afternoon when we arrived at the boatyard to find our canal boat. One of the staff took us round the boat, to show us how things worked. Then he gave me the keys. The boat was ours, for the next week, at least.
The first thing you learn about an English canal boat is that it is slow. It is, in fact, almost the slowest form of transport you can think of. Small children riding bicycles overtake you. People walking their dogs on the towpath overtake you.
Perhaps you think that sailing a canal boat is easy. It must be easier than a car, you think, because it goes so slowly. Wrong. Sailing a canal boat is difficult.
To start with, there are no brakes. “If you want to stop,” the man in the boatyard told us, “you put the engine in reverse.” OK – I put the engine in reverse. The boat takes no notice. It keeps going forward. In a panic, I increase the engine revs [ie I made the engine go faster]. Gradually, the boat slows down, and eventually stops. It takes me about 50 meters to stop a canal boat travelling at walking pace. Amazing.
Then the trouble starts. You can only steer a canal boat if it is going forwards. If the canal boat stops or goes backwards, it goes where it wants to go, not where you want to go. Generally, the canal boat wants to drift in front of a boat coming the other way. If there is no boat coming the other way, the canal boat will probably want to drift to the side of the canal where it will run aground in the mud. You then have to spend several minutes pushing the boat off the mud.
Now, suppose you want to turn the boat round, to go the other way. Turning round is no problem in a car. However, the canal boat is 15 meters long, while the canal is only 10 meters wide. You need a special wide bit of canal, called a “winding hole”, to turn the boat round. You look at the map. No problem, there is a winding hole only 5 kilometers down the canal. Then you remember. The canal boat will take an hour to travel 5 kilometers.
You sometimes hear car drivers say that “parking is a nightmare”. They know nothing. They should try mooring a canal boat. (“Mooring” is the proper word for parking a boat). First you have to stop the boat. Then you have to persuade it to move towards the bank and not towards the middle of the canal. Everyone on the canal boat, except you, the driver, has to jump onto the canal bank. You throw them ropes to tie the boat to the bank. The ropes fall in the canal. You pull them out of the water and throw them again. A group of people watch with interest as your helpers make the boat fast. (The word “fast” has two completely different meanings in English – generally, it is the opposite of “slow”; but sometimes it means “cannot move”. So, if I “make a boat fast”, I mean that I tie it to the bank with ropes so that it cannot move. English is a crazy language!)
The people who built the canals liked to play tricks on canal users. A favourite trick is to put a canal bridge just before a bend in the canal. That makes it impossible to see whether another boat is coming the other way. Another trick is to make some bits of canal so narrow that two boats cannot pass each other. When you find a narrow section, you have to stop (if the boat is in a good mood), and send someone to walk along the towpath with a mobile phone, to phone you when they can see that there is no boat coming the other way.
But at least there are no traffic jams on the canal, you say. Wrong. At busy times, you may have to wait an hour or more to take your boat through a set of locks. But it is not like a traffic jam on a motorway. On a motorway, you sit in your car getting more and more tense and angry. You look out of the window at other drivers who are also getting tense and angry. But on a canal, when you find a traffic jam, you park – sorry, “moor” – your boat and go and talk to the people in the other boats. You swap stories about your adventures on the canal, and then help each other take the boats through the locks.
In a week on the canal, I think we travelled 60 kilometers. It is good to travel slowly. You relax and notice things which otherwise you might not see, like the wild flowers on the towpath and a heron standing completely still in a field. At night, we moored in peaceful quiet places, and in the morning the singing of the birds woke us up. We met several people who live on the canal permanently. They call themselves “live-aboards”, because they live aboard their boats. They have a simple life, because there is no room in a canal boat for many possessions. Some of them make souvenirs which they sell to other people on the canal. Some of them stay in one place for most of the time. Others move their boat to somewhere new every day. The “live-aboards” think they are the luckiest people in the world. What do you think?
Download MP3 (3 MB 7:19 min)

By and until. By the time

By (+ a time) )= not later than:

I sent the letter to them, so they should receive it by Monday
(=on or before Monday, not later than Monday)

We’d better hurry. We have to be home by 5 o’clock
(=at or before 5 o’clock, not later than 5 ‘clock)

Where’s Susan? She should be here by now
( =now or before now – so she should have already arrived)

The milk has to bes used by 14 August



We use until or till to say how long a situation continues:

Shall we go now? No, let’s until (or till) it stops raining
I couldn’t get up this morning, I stayed in bed until half past ten ( or I didn’t get up until half past ten)


Compare until and by

David will be away until Monday ( so he’ll be back on Monday)
I’ll be working until 11.30 ( so I’ll stop working at 11.30)

David will be back by Monday ( he’ll be back not later than Monday)
I’ll have finished my work by 11.30 (I’ll finish my work not later than 11.30)


You can say “by the time somethings happens”


- It’s too late to go to the bank now. By the time we get there , it will be closed
(the bank will close between no2w and the time we get there)

- Our holiday ends tomorow. So by the time you receive the postcard I’ll be back home ( written in a postcard)
( I will arrive home between tomorrow and the time you receive the postcard)

- Hurry up! By the time we get to the cinema the film wil already have started


You can say by the time somthing happened – for the past
Karen’s car broke down on the way to the party las night. By the time she arrived most of the other guest had left

- it took her long time to get to the party and most of the guest left during this tme)

I had a lot of work to do yesterday evening. I was very tired by the time i finished

- It took me a long time to do the work, and I became more an d more tired during this time

We went to the cinema last night. I took us a long time to find somewhere to park the car. By the time we got to the cinema, the film has already started


Also by then or by that time

Karen finally arrived at the party at midnight, buy by then – or by that time- most of the guest had left.



Sentences with by

We have to be thome not later than 5 o’clock, we habe to be home by 5’oclock

I have to be at the ariport not later than 8.30, I have to be at the airport by 8.30 o’ clock.

Let me know not later than Saturday whether you can come to the party, Let me know whether you can come to the party by Saturday

Please make sure that you’re here not later than 2 o’clock, Please make sure that you’re here by 2 o’clock.

If we leave now, we should arrive not later than lunchtime. If we leave now we should arrive by lunch time


By or until

Steve has gone away. He’ll be away until Monday
Sorry, but I must go. I have to be home by 5 o’clock.
I’ve been offered a job. I haven’t decided yet whether to accept it or not. I have to decide until Friday.
I think I’ll wait until Thursday before making a decision
It’ s so late to go shopping. The shops are open only until 5.30.They’ll be closed by now.
I’d better pay the phone bill. It has to be paid until by tomorrow.
Don’pay the bill today. Wait until tomorrow.
Have you finishe redecorating your house? Not yet. We hope to finish by the end of the week.
I’m going out now. I’ll be back at abotu 10.30. Will you still be here? I don’t think so. I’ll probably have gone out by then
I’m moving into my new flat next week. I’ m staying with a friend until then.
I’ve got a lot of work to do. By the time I finish, it will be time to go to bed.
If you want to take part in the comptetition you have to apply until 3 April.


By or until

David is away at the moment. He’ll be away until Monday
David is away at the moment. He’ll be away by Monday

I’m just going out. I won’t be very long. Wait here until I come back
I’m going out to buy a few things. It’s 4.30 now. I won’t be long. Ill be back by 6 o’clock.
If you want to apply for the job, your application must be received by Friday
Last night I watched TV until 12 o’clock.


By the time

I was invited to a party, but I got there much later than i intented. By the time I got to the party most of the other guest had left

I wanted to catch the train but it took me longer than expected to get the stacion, by the time I got the station my train had already left.

I wanted to go shopping after finishing my work. But i finished much later than expected by the time I arrived at shop it was to late to go shopping.

I saw two men who lloked as if they were trying to steal a car. I called the police but it was some time before they arrived. By the time the police arrived the two men had disappeared.

We climbed a mountain and it took us a very long time to get to the top. There wasn’t much time to enjoy the view. By the time we were on the top we had to come down again.

What's your favourite colour?

Alphabet

Where are you from?

What`s your name?

What do you usually do on saturday night?

Merry Tales of the Mad Men of Gotham

A collection of jest of the proverbially wise wise fools of Gotham by AB; possibly Andrew Boorde. The first extant edicition is 1630. The foolishness of the men of Gotham was known in the 15th century, when it is mentioned in the Towneley Shepherds' Play.

The traditional explanation is taht it was a trick to outwit King John who was intending to pass through Gotham, in Nottinghamshire, and perhaps claim the land. By such actions as linking hands around a cuckoo on a bush in order to catch it, the men of Gotham persuaded John that the land was not worth having.

There were numerous collections of the jest of the men of Gotham in the 17th century and after.

HOW TO WRITE FORMAL LETTERS

How to Write Formal Letters
Help with formal and business letter writing. A summary of writing rules including outlines for cover letters and letters of enquiry, and abbreviations used in letters.
Jump to:
Layout of a formal letter
Formal letter writing rules
Content of a formal letter
Abbreviations used in letter writing
Outline for a covering letter
Outline for a letter of enquiry

Layout of a Formal Letter

The example letter below shows you a general layout for a formal letter.

Address of the person to whom you are writing

Your address

The date

This is the greeting with which you start your letter

A) If you do not know the name of the person you are writing to, use the following form:

Dear Sir or Madam,

B) If you know the name, use the title and the family name only.

If you are writing to a woman and do not know if she uses Mrs or Miss, you can use Ms, which is for both married and single women.

Dear Mr Jenkins, Dear Ms Hamers, Dear Mrs Hutchins, Dear Miss Davis, Dear Dr Green, Etc."

The salutation

The main text of your letter

A) If you do not know the name of the person, end the letter this way:

Yours Faithfully

B) If you use the name of the person, end the letter this way:

Yours Sincerely,"

Signing off

Write your name under your signature, given name first, family name last.

If you have a foreign name it is useful to put your title in brackets after your name so that the person knows whether you are male or female.

Your name

Rules for Writing Formal Letters in English

In English there are a number of conventions that should be used when writing a formal or business letter.

Furthermore, you try to write as simply and as clearly as possible, and not to make the letter longer than necessary. Remember not to use informal language like contractions.

Addresses:
1) Your Address

The return address should be written in the top right-hand corner of the letter.

2) The Address of the person you are writing to

The inside address should be written on the left, starting below your address.

Date:

Different people put the date on different sides of the page.

You can write this on the right or the left on the line after the address you are writing to.

Write the month as a word.

Salutation or greeting:

1) Dear Sir or Madam,If you do not know the name of the person you are writing to, use this. It is always advisable to try to find out a name.
2) Dear Mr Jenkins,If you know the name, use the title (Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms, Dr, etc.) and the surname only. If you are writing to a woman and do not know if she uses Mrs or Miss, you can use Ms, which is for married and single women.

Ending a letter:

1) Yours Faithfully

If you do not know the name of the person, end the letter this way.
2) Yours Sincerely

If you know the name of the person, end the letter this way.

Your signature

Sign your name, then print it underneath the signature.

If you think the person you are writing to might not know whether you are male of female, put you title in brackets after your name.

Content of a Formal Letter
First paragraph

The first paragraph should be short and state the purpose of the letter-

to make an enquiry, complain, request something, etc.

The paragraph or paragraphs in the middle of the letter

should contain the relevant information behind the writing of the letter.

Most letters in English are not very long, so keep the information to the essentials and concentrate on organising it in a clear and logical manner rather than expanding too much.

Last Paragraph

The last paragraph of a formal letter should state what action you expect the recipient to take- to refund, send you information, etc.

Abbreviations Used in Letter Writing

The following abbreviations are widely used in letters:
asap = as soon as possible
cc = carbon copy (when you send a copy of a letter to more than one person, you use this abbreviation to let them know)
enc. = enclosure (when you include other papers with your letter)
pp = per procurationem (A Latin phrase meaning that you are signing the letter on somebody else's behalf; if they are not there to sign it themselves, etc)
ps = postscript (when you want to add something after you've finished and signed it)
pto (informal) = please turn over (to make sure that the other person knows the letter continues on the other side of the page)
RSVP = please reply

Outline: A Covering Letter

A covering letter is the one that accompanies your CV when you are applying for a job.

Here is a fairly conventional plan for the layout of the paragraphs.

Opening Paragraph

Briefly identify yourself and the position you are applying for. Add how you found out about the vacancy.

Paragraph 2

Give the reasons why you are interested in working for the company and why you wish to be considered for that particular post. State your relevant qualifications and experience, as well as your personal qualities that make you a suitable candidate.

Paragraph 3

Inform them that you have enclosed your current CV and add any further information that you think could help your case.

Closing Paragraph

Give your availability for interview, thank them for their consideration, restate your interest and close the letter.

Outline: A Letter of Enquiry

A letter of enquiry is when you are approaching a company speculatively, that is you are making an approach without their having advertised or announced a vacancy.

Opening Paragraph

Introduce yourself briefly and give your reason for writing. Let them know of the kind of position you are seeking, why you are interested and how you heard about them.

Paragraph 2

Show why their company in particular interests you, mention your qualifications and experience along with any further details that might make them interested in seeing you.

Paragraph 3

Refer to your enclosed CV and draw their attention to any particularly important points you would like them to focus on in it.

Closing Paragraph

Thank them, explain your availability for interview and restate your enthusiasm for their company and desire to be considered for posts that might as yet be unavailable.

More Help with Letter Writing
If you want more help with how to write formal or informal letters please feel free to ask us in our Editing & Writing Topics forum. Our teachers will be able to help answer any questions you might have.

Examples with quite-pretty-rather-fairly

Quite+ adjective

1.- I'm surprised you haven't heard of her. She's quite famous

2.- I'm quite hungry. Is there anything to eat?

3.- How were the photographs you took? Quite good, better than usual.

4.- I go to the cinema quite often, maybe once a month.

5.- We live near a very busy road, so it's often quite noisy

6.- I didn't expect Laura to contact me. I was quite surprise when she phoned

7.- I went to bed quite late last night, so I'm a bit tired this morning

8.- I don't know exactly when these houses were built, but they're quite old.

Quite before a/an

1.- The weather was better than we had expected. It was quite a nice day

2.- Tom often sings. He's got quite a good voice.

3.- The bus stop wasn't very near the hotel. We had to walk quite a long way

4.- It's warm today, but there's quite a strong windy

5.-the journey took longer than I expected. There was quite a lof of traffic

6.- I'm tired. I 've quite a busy day

7.- Our holiday was Ok. We had quite a nice time

Rather+ adjective

1.- The weather isn't so good. It's rather cloudy

2.- I enjoyed the film, but it was rather slow

3.- the hotel we stayed at wasn't very good. I was rather angry

4.- I think it's rather strange that Chris went away without telling anybody

5.- Lucy doesn't like having to wait. Sometimes she's rather impatient

Quite as more than a little or less than very

1.- It's quite cold, you'd better wear your coat

2.- Maria's English is quite good

3.-My bedroom is quite big

Quite as completely

1.- Are you sure? Yes quite sure

2- I couldn' t believe it, it was quite incredible

3.- I'm quite tired, i will go to bed

4.- I quite agree with you

5.- I didn't believe her at first, but in fact what she said was quite true

6.- you won't fall. the ladder is quite safe

7.- I'm afraid I can't do what you ask. It's quite impossible

8.- You can't compare the two things, they are quite different

9.- You needn't have done that. It was quite innecessary

10.-I think I saw them go out, but I'm not quite sure

Quite, pretty, rather and fairly

You can use quite-pretty-rather-fairly + adjetives or adverbs.

So you can say:

- It's quite cold

- It's pretty cold

- It's rather cold

- It's fairly cold

Quite and pretty are very similar in meaning

- You' ll need a coat when you go out. It's quiet cold/pretty cold (less than "very cold", but more than "a little cold")

- I'm surprised you haven't heard of her. She's quite famous/pretty famous.

- Amanda lives quite near me, so we see each other pretty often.

Pretty is an informal word and is used mainly in spoken english

Quite goes before a/an

-We live in quite an old house ( not a quite old house)

- Sally has quite a good job

- Sally has a pretty good job

You can also use quite (but not pretty) in the following ways:

quite a / a + noum (without an adjective)

- I didn't expect to see them. It was quite a surprise (= quite a big surprise)

quite a lot... of

- There were quite a lot of people at the meeting

quite + verb, especially like and enjoy

- I quite like tennis, but it's not my favourite sport

Rather is similar to quite and pretty. We often use rather for negative ideas:

The weather isn't not so good . It's rather cloudy

Paul is rather shy. He doesn't talk very much

Quite and pretty are also possible in these examples

When we use rather for positive ideas (good, nice...) it means "unusually" or "surprisingly"

These oranges are rather good. Where did you get them?

Fairly is weaker than quite-rather-pretty.

For example: If something is fairly good, it is not very good and it could be better.

My room is farily big, but I'd prefer a bigger one

We see each other fairly often, but not as foten as we used to.

Quite also means "completely"

Are you sure?

Yes quite sure (completely sure)

Quite means "completely" with a number of adjetives, especially:

sure

right

true

clear

different

incredible

amazing

certain

wrong

safe

obvious

unnecesary

extraordinary

imposible

She was quite different from what I expected- completely different

Everything they said was quite true - completely true-

We also use quite - completely- with some verbs.

I quite agree with you- completely agree

Not quite- Not completely

They haven' t quite finished thir dinner yet

I don't quite understand what you mean

Are you ready yet? Not quite.

Stunning hats

Today we go horse racing, and we meet people with lots of money and no dress-sense!
Ascot is a small town, south-west of London, and close to the royal castle at Windsor.In 1711, Queen Anne went horse-riding from Windsor, and “discovered” Ascot. She decided that it was exactly the right place for horse races. So the poor folk who grazed their cows or their pigs on the land had to move, and there has been a race-course at Ascot ever since.
There are race meetings at Ascot throughout the year. In the summer, the races are “on the flat”, which means that the horses simply run round the race course. But in the winter, the racing is “over the fences”, which means that the poor horses have to jump over fences as well as race round the course.
The greatest race meeting of the year is called Royal Ascot, and it is one of the grandest social occasions of the year, at least for people who care about grand social occasions. Royal Ascot is taking place this very week, from Tuesday to Saturday, and I see from the Royal Ascot website that there are still a few tickets left. Before you rush off to buy a ticket, however, here are a few things which you should know about Royal Ascot:
One, it is expensive. You will pay about £60 per person per day for a grandstand ticket. You cannot actually buy a ticket for the poshest area, the Royal Enclosure. To get a ticket for the Royal Enclosure, you have to know the right people.
Two, the Queen will be there, and lots of other royals and celebrities, and if you are lucky you may see some of them.
Three, Ascot racecourse is very concerned that people should wear the right clothes. Morning coats and top hats are good. Jeans, t-shirts and trainers are bad – very bad. (If you do not actually own a morning coat or a top hat, you can hire them from a company called Moss Brothers. In other countries, do you have to hire clothes in order to watch a horse race?)
Four, the hats are more important than the horses. Ascot is famous for the extraordinary hats that the ladies wear. Many of these hats are masterpieces of structural engineering. There is a link on the website to photos of some of this year’s finest hats.
Five, eating and drinking is almost as important as the hats. Last year, race-goers at Royal Ascot drank 60,000 bottles of champagne and ate 11,500 boxes of strawberries.
Six, the horse racing does not really matter, but if you are interested an Irish horse called Yeats won the Ascot Gold Cup yesterday. Second was another Irish horse, and third was a French horse. English horses don’t win at Ascot, just as English tennis players don’t win at Wimbledon.
But I had forgotten. Our economy is in recession. People are feeling poorer. Many people have lost their jobs. Surely, this year people will not spend lots of money on champagne and silly hats?
And, yes, there are fewer people at Ascot this year than last year. Champagne sales are down. And one newspaper reports that the Queen’s granddaughter, Princess Beatrice, was seen at Ascot wearing a £90 jacket from Topshop and a pair of shoes which cost only £65. Oh, horror! Times are definitely hard!

Download MP3 (2 MB 4:57 min)

ENGLISH KARAOKE : AIR SUPPLY- LOST OF LOVE

I meant

Today we meet the English expression “I meant to”.

“Meant” is the past tense of “mean”, and I know you all know what “mean” means. (Sorry, there are a lot of “means” in that sentence!)

I guess you often ask, “What does this word mean?” or you say “Now I understand what the sentence means”.

Now look at these sentences:
I meant to go to the supermarket, but I did not have any money with me.
I meant to do my English homework, but my friend visited, and we talked all evening.
I meant to speak to my mother, but she was not at home when I telephoned.
“I meant to..” means “it was my plan, or my intention to..” do something.

And it is an expression we often use when we have to explain why we have not done something! “I meant to send her a postcard, but I could not find a stamp.”

“I meant to meet my daughter in town, but I had to stay late at work for a meeting.”

Why am I explaining about “I meant to..” in this podcast? Well, quite a lot of you have sent me e-mails to ask why there have been no new podcasts for the last few weeks. I have been busy. I am the Trustee of a Charity which helps children who have emotional or family problems. Unfortunately we have run out of money, and have had to close the Charity, pay all the bills, make the staff redundant and find other organisations to help the children. This has taken a lot of time, so I have not been able to make as many podcasts as I would like. I meant to make several new podcasts, but I did not have the time. I meant to explain to you, but I forgot. I did not mean to leave you in the dark, but I had so many other things to do.
Here in England, it is nearly the school summer holidays. I am going to take a break, but I will be back with new podcasts early in September. Also in September, I want to redesign the Listen to English website, and add several new features. Listen to English is now on Twitter, and there is also a Listen to English page on Facebook. You can find links on the website. I shall use Twitter and Facebook to tell you when there are new podcasts, and to send you other news. You can use the Facebook page to send messages to me and to other listeners. So, please follow Listen to English on Twitter, and become a fan of the Listen to English page on Facebook.
There is an exercise about “I meant to” on the website.

Have a good summer!
Download MP3 (2 MB 3:40 min)

Countable and incountable

A noun can be countable or uncountable.

Countable
- I eat a banana every day
- I like bananas


Banana is countable noum

A countable noun can be singular –banana- or plural –bananas.

We can use numbers with countable nouns. So we can say “one banana” “two bananas” etc

Examples of nouns ussually countable

- Kate was singing a song
- There’s a nice beach near here
- Do you have a ten-pound note?
- It wasn’t your fault. It was an accident
- There are no batteries in the radio
- We haven’t got enough cups.


We can use “a” or “an” with singular countable nouns.

- a beach
- a student
- an umbrella

You can not use singular countable nouns alone (without a/the/my etc)

- I want a banana (never I want banana)
- There’s been an accident ( never there’s been accident)

You can use plural countable nouns alone

- I like bananas
- Accidents can be prevented

You can use some and any with plural countable nouns

- We sang some songs
- Did you buy any apples?

We use many and few with plural countable nouns

- We didn’t take many photographs
- I have a few things to do


Uncountable nouns

- I eat rice every day
- I like rice

Rice is an uncountable noun

An uncountable noun has oonly one form – rice-

We cannot use numbers with uncountable nouns. We cannot say “one rice” “two rice”

Exemples of nouns usually uncountable:

- Kate was listening to music
- There’s sand in my shoes
- Do you have any money?
- It wasn’t your fault. It ws bad luck
- There is no electricity in this house
- We haven’t got enough water

You cannot normaly use a/an with uncountable nouns.
We dont say “a sand” “a music” “a rice”

But you can often use a ... of
For exemple
A bowl- a packet- a grain of rice

You can use uncountable nouns alone – without the-my-some

- I eat rice every day
- There’s blood on your shirt
- Can you hear music?

You can use some and any with uncountable nouns

- We listened to some music
- Did you buy any apple juice?

We use much and little with uncountable nouns

- We didn’t do much shopping
- I hava a little work to do