Don't Stop Now!
Dear Soyoung,
It’s Thursday, it’s one o’clock and I’ve just had lunch. It is a gorgeous day here, with bright sunshine even though it’s a little cold.
How are you today? Have you recovered from yesterday? Did you sleep well and wake refreshed and full of energy for another working day? I hope so. As you know, this is my penultimate (second from last) blog. So let’s get the ‘business’ over, first. Here’s the list I promised you yesterday. How many of these words and expressions were new to you? Did you manage to find them all in your dictionary?
USEFUL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS FROM YESTERDAY’S (24 JANUARY) BLOG
tinted
slightly coloured
edges
the places or lines where one thing stops and another begins
outlined
If something is ‘outlined’ it has a line around it which makes it easier to see.
fox
a wild, dog-like animal with reddish-brown fur
brush-strokes
the marks left by a paint-brush
it’s not every day we get the chance
This expression means ‘it doesn’t happen very often’.
right
exactly
practically
almost
I don’t mind
I have no objection to; I don’t dislike
pom-pom
a decorative ball, usually made of wool, on the top of a hat
somewhat
rather (‘somewhat’ is a fairly formal word)
wear off
go away
dedicated
(written) for
It has just occurred to me that
I have only just thought about this
I feel another limerick coming on
You can use ‘I feel another…coming on’ to mean that you are going to repeat an action.
Don’t Stop Now!
If you’ve got the time and the energy, why not make a hard copy of each blog from this month and put them all together in a booklet or file. Add a blank page between each blog and make new notes each time you re-read a blog. Make notes of new words, grammar points which you understand better, pronunciation notes (from your dictionary or from listening) and any new words or expressions you have learned since we blogged but which are related in some way to material in the blogs.
This could become a very useful reference project for you. You could even add short newspaper or magazine articles you find, and hard copies of other material from the internet. The BBC World Service Learning English website is terrific – as you know – and you will always be able to find something useful and accessible there.
The important thing now is to keep your English fresh by continuing to study it as well as use it.
I’m looking forward to getting your blog, later today.
Take care (and don’t work too hard).
With best wishes,
STEPHEN
Comments
Hi, Stephen! It is a very useful way to learn and practice English as your advice. Thanks a lot! However, your blog today makes me a little depressed since this is the second from last blog of Soyoung and you. Just as Soyoung said, Wednesday is usually the busiest day of one week since it is the middle day. So yesterday, I missed the chance to see your blogs, and felt a little empty when I went to sleep. Stephen, when will you come back? And will you work in BBC when you are back? Hope you have a joyful, fruitful journey! Please send my best wishes to Lucy! Helen
Dear Stephen,what a wonderful suggestion of learning english by recorded what we read as a booklet,I will do as your advice.The blogs you presented in last two months are really useful and interesting,I am sure my english will improve more if I have time to review and make note for it.It is difficult to say goodbye to you here,I know that you will not appear here as a teacher blogger due to the BBC rule,I wish you could come to communicate and give advice to us from time to time,and looking forward to your last blog,is there any new topic or amazing content?Best wishes,Stephen:)
Hi Stephen, I've just read your blog, I'm very sad to know that this is your penultimate blog. This month is full of beautiful memories because of you and Soyoung. Thanks for your kind 'work'. Thanks for your advices about learning English. Thanks for your long articles (I've already printed them). Thanks for your beautiful pictures and photos. Please say 'Hi!' to Lucy. Give her the pretty girl very best wishes! I do hope you read my comments these days. I want to let you know you are the best English teacher! How can we talk to you in the future? Do we have any chance? When you come back from Kilimanjaro, will you come here to see us and read our comments if you have time? What will you write in your last blog? I'm looking forward to it. Stephen, I do believe the readers on BBC Learning English Blog will miss you SOOOOOOOOO MUCH! Oh, I want to tell you that I write my blogs in English as often as I can in my MSN space. I think if I continue writing, I can improve my English! Thanks Stephen, bye for now!
I wld like to thank you for yr job.It was really helpful to me.I wish all the best for yr journey to Kilimanjaro.You are the best blog's teacher .Why dont you come back to this blog after your climbing and tell us what was like?
Happiness is… I saw this title on Stephen’s previous blog. He wrote what he thought happiness is. He listed many subjects such as his daughter Lucy, running, friends, home, money and independence and he gave his reasons for each item. I couldn’t help thinking what makes me happy? Let me think too… (First, sorry Stephen, I used some of your sentences without your permission.) 1) Home. The same as Stephen. And I think ‘home’ will make everyone happy. At my home, there’re parents and two kids. My father, the best man in the world, is my idol since I was a little girl. If I have any problem, I want to talk with my father, and after talking with him, I believe I can confront any situation and conquer any difficult. My dad always gives me strength and energy. I love dad. Mum, don’t be angry. I’m just about to say I love you from my deep heart. You use your every effort to make our lives better. You take care of dad, my brother and me. You give us the most delicious food, the cleanest clothes. You tell us how to be a real man. You are the first teacher of my brother and me. You teach us to be kind, honest, and filial. Not only you tell us, but also you show us. Now I have grown up, I want to give you a better life. Can I? Trust me, mum. I love you! Oh, my brother, I won’t forget him. He’s handsome and works in Taiyuan city. We have long time no see. Mum said he became a little fatter now. I can’t imagine. Days ago, I bought a digital camera for him. I’ll give him when I come home. I can’t wait any more to see him. I’m looking forward to the Chinese New Year. 2) Jack. Talk about him, I want to use a song, of course, I change some words. He’s the one that I never forget; he is the heaven sent angel I met; he must be the reason why I came here; he is so pretty all over the world. The love we shared made everything so beautiful in life. He is my lover and friend. He fulfills my every need. You know, all should be well, and Jack should have Jill. 3) Friends. I think I have perhaps 5 or 6 very close friends, but around fifteen or so people I think of as good friends, and maybe another twenty or so I would call friends. I have read an article, ‘a friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out.’ The friend is someone ‘who changes your life just being part of it’. I like talking with them. Sometimes I don’t have time to contact them quite often, but in my heart there are some places left for them. We’re friends. It’s good to know that there are people who like you. 4) Broadcast. The first broadcasting program I liked was Your FM by Yangchen, who is a radio DJ on China National Radio. In his program, he played many popular and old songs. His has a very magnetic voice. It’s so arresting. His program gave me a good memory of my college time. Now I sometimes listen to CRI if I have spare time. The female DJ I like most is Jane, one of the former DJs of Joy FM, and male DJs I like Rick, Yangchen and Mike D. 5) Clothes and traveling. I like beautiful clothes. I like go shopping even thought I usually can’t afford the expensive clothes. The same question, I like traveling but I don’t have enough money to go to the places I dream to. So, the only thing I can do now are working, working and working. Hope one day I can dress brand-new clothes, be attractive and travel around the world. 6) English. Learning English is interesting especially when I find that I have made some improvements. I believe interest is the best teacher. I have interests so I will succeed. I know there are perhaps other subjects can make me happy. But for today I think it’s enough. Maybe some other day I will continue. Oh, I almost forget the important one: 7) Weekend. I’m sure I don’t have to give any reason, eh? Wish everyone have a happy weekend! Jill
I’m sorry Stephen. I think I made some mistakes in my last comment. 1. The friend is someone ‘who changes your life just by being part of it’, ‘by’ is missing. 2. Sometimes I don’t have time to contact them quite often. Maybe I should say, ‘contact with them’. 3. I like go shopping even thought I usually… it’s a typing error, it should be ‘even though’. 4. I like traveling but I don’t have enough money to… maybe I should use ‘much money’. Is that right? I’m sorry for my mistakes. Jill
hi,Spethen thank you for the brilliant tips.your suggestions are very useful.i like reading junior novals in Englis because it is much more understanding and there are plenty new vocabularies, range of garammar, sentence structures and ideams.I tried to read some proper fictionS and I found that it was not easy for me to finish them.Whenever I met new words or fresh garmmar forms I had to look up a dictionary or grammar book.When i came back the book again my interest was gone out of the window. I started losing my confidence but I didn't want to give up.I use the local library a lot and it has lots of books and they are free of charge. we have got some snow and it's been cold.My son wasn't happy to go in his pyjamas in this cold this morning.The school's children are having a breakfast fun day as part of the celebrations for achieving "Healthy Schools' status.Have a great day!
Hi, Stephen. It's been two great months having you as a teacher blogger, both interesting and challenging. Your blog was even more worthwhile than that one of Tricia, my teacher co-blogger. You did a great job, thanks. I wish you good luck and take care of yourself on the mountain.
Dear Stephen, well, it’s time to say good bye. We really enjoyed your warm and emphatic personality, not to say about your sense of humor. Every day we could expect something new, something interesting, and something humorous. And very useful – of course! Thanks a lot for everything. We’ll be thinking of you!!!!! All the best to you and Lucy,
Dear Stephen, I feel sad; I am going to miss your blog so much. I hope that you will come again and teach us many English lessons after claiming mountain. Why do I like your blog? Even though we are away from thousands of miles, your thinking and writing unite us as we are eagerly sitting in the class. With out any fear, student is expressing his/her feelings with out hiding anything to the teacher who is very much concerned for the students. Some useful words and expression in the end of your every day blogs are much useful for every one. You would not believe that before you suggestion to make a hot copy of this, I took out a print of each one of your blog from beginning of this month. Which I thought it will certainly use for my writing, form the sentences; use the article in the sentences. How and when I should use the preposition? Which verb pattern I should use in my sentences when I describe something? How I can use noun and adjectives in the sentences? Now I as you suggested I want to add paper in between each day blog and develop further vocabulary to improve further. You suggested many books for our readers. I must read some of your recommended books in the coming months and I must develop reading habits. Thanks for all the help you have done to improve my language skills. All the best for your trip. hope to meet you again the blog.
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