How many people learn English in the world?

It is estimated that over 1 billion people are currently learning English world wide. According to the British council, as of the year 2,000 there were 750 million English as a Foreign language speakers. In addition, there were 375 million English as a Second Language speakers. The difference between the two groups amounts to English as a Foreign Language speakers using English occasionally for business or pleasure, while English as a Second Language speakers use English on a daily basis.

These impressive numbers are driven by adult speakers around the world who use English to communicate in the workplace. It is a commonly held misconception that these speakers need English to communicate with native speakers. While ESL is required for those living and working in English speaking cultures such as the UK and USA, it is equally true that English is used as the lingua franca between nations where English is not the primary language. In a globalized world, the number of English learners around the world is only expected to further grow. 

(source: about.com)

Useful phrases - orders

Orders

Thank you for your quotation of JUNE 1st 2002.
We are pleased to place an order with you for 200 MCF computers.
Please send us the undermentioned goods.
We should be grateful for delivery by 26th September 2002.
Please quote number 234.559 on all correspondence.
Please confirm receipt of the order.
Your prices are not competitive enough.
We have therefore decided not to place an order with you.
Our order no. 100.334 has not yet been delivered.
Please submit a quotation for a substitute.
We should like to cancel our order no. 778.001.
We are pleased to acknowledge your order of 1st July 2001.
Our dispatch department is processing your order.
Delivery will be made by 6th July 2001.
We will require two weeks to process your order.
However, we can offer you a substitute.
I am afraid your order has gone missing.

Changing Teachers...why?

Some of my students have complaint about why I decided to change my classes this term. This is, I believe, what EVERY class needs in order to grow by an acceptable pace. Here, I will try to explain why I believe this.

1. A great FRIEND, but an old TEACHER! Sometimes I feel I and my methods and strategies are getting old and boring. I simply LOVE each and everyone of my students but loving is not enough. In fact, students do not come to an English class merely to make friends. They are there to LEARN. So, it is learning which, under any circumstance, comes first. I think I should never forget the primary goal of my students and although I love to be their teacher FOREVER, I have the responsibility to do what is right, not what I love.
2.  New methods, new windows! Every teacher has his/her own ways of teaching. And they all have advantages and disadvantages. So it is advisable, from time to rime, to experience new methods and reconsider the best ways of learning. This is what I call "Evolution" in learning. ِA new teacher is like a new window. Students might or might not like the view. But all in all, it is useful to have different perspectives when learning something new.
   
3. Keeping in touch! There are many ways for students and teachers to keep in touch. Although we always need a safe and entertaining place for friendly meetings and it may be a part of the learning process to help students and teachers stay in touch and continue their friendship while learning new things. I believe participating a class is not the best way to keep in touch. Students pay money and spend their precious time to attend classes and we, the teachers, are responsible to help them learn. 
4. SHOCK! After several terms of having class with a teacher, sometimes students fail to maintain an English-speaking class, as they should do. Or, they get used to methods or rules that little by little are taken for granted by the teacher. The teacher, too, cannot force his/her students to stop the false methodology due to being TOO close to them. This is when, I believe, the class needs a SHOCK. Normally a new teacher can start everything all over again and establish the basis of new correct methods and trends.

 At the end, I would like to say that I truly, deeply and honestly love my students and more than anybody else, it is me who is missing the lovely classes and the memorable moments I shared with them. I pray for their growth and success and I hope they will forgive me if I, by no intention at all, caused any of them to panic.

نتايج نظرسنجي ترم اول پائيز و مقايسه با ترم دوم تابستان

عدم وجود مقايسه به دليل تغيير برخي سؤالات در دو نظرسنجي مي باشد

Three ways to - correct students' speaking

The constant dilemma: to correct and encourage accuracy or not to correct and encourage fluency. Interrupting your students when they make mistakes risks making them nervous and hesitant speakers. Not doing so may deprive them of a valuable learning opportunity.
In general, it is often worth avoiding interrupting students as much as you can. Immediate correction can be useful when you are interacting with the class but when students are involved in pair or group activities, delayed correction is better. Listen while the students are working and make mental notes of the most important mistakes. Let them complete the activity. Then you draw attention to the mistake and invite the student to correct it. Most mistakes in speaking are what we call 'slips'. Slips are mistakes which the student can correct if you draw attention to the mistake.

The techniques below may be used for both immediate and delayed correction.

1. Asking for repetition without indicating the mistake.

Many teachers use a rolling movement of the hand to ask the student to repeat without indicating where the mistake falls. In many cases students will be able to self-correct when you have indicated there is a mistake.

2. Drawing attention to mistakes and prompting self-correction.

Many teachers use their fingers to indicate the position of mistakes and prompt the student to self-correct. For example, if a student wants to say:

'The motorcycle was invented in 1885.'
but the student actually says:
'The motorcycle was invent in 1885.'

The teacher puts up three fingers and touches the first finger and says IN, then touches the second finger and says VENT, and finally touches the third finger and looks at the student with a questioning facial expression.

Or, if the student is trying to say:
'Mount Everest was first climbed in 1953.'
And the student actually says:
'Mount Everest was first clime bed in 1953.'

The teacher first indicates where the problem exists:

The teacher then indicates the link between the two syllables, saying 'clime-bed' and then bringing the two fingers together.

3. Peer correction

Sometimes the student cannot self-correct (although they should always be given the opportunity). In this case you can prompt another student to provide the correction. After doing this, return to the original student to get the self-correction.
Beware of allowing two or three students in the class to become the ones who always provide peer correction. Correction of mistakes should be a task shared by all the students in the class.

[Illustrations from Mistakes and Correction by Julian Edge - Longman 1989, now out of print.]

Source: http://www.pearsonlongman.com/teaching-tips/3ways-speaking.html

a lot of / lots of / and a lot

Here you can find out the difference in meaning between them and how they should be used.
a lot of / lots of

a lot of and lots of have the same meaning: they both mean a large amount or number of people or things.
They are both used before countable nouns and uncountable nouns:
with countable nouns:A lot of people went to the game.Lots of people went to the game.
with uncountable nounsA lot of snow falls in winter.Lots of snow falls in winter.

a lot
a lot means very often or very much. It is used as an adverb. It often comes at the end of a sentence and never before a noun.
I like basketball a lot.She's a lot happier now than she was.I don't go there a lot anymore.


1· He looks ___ younger than me.
a lot a lot of lots of
2· ___ of taxis pass down this street.
a lot a lot of lots of
3· There are a ___ smokers in my family.
a lot lots of a lot of
4· We have ___ time to get it finished.
lots of a lot lot of
5· I don't like apples ___.
lots of a lot of a lot
6· I spent ___ money on my house.
lots of lots a lot
7· There are ___ books that I want to read.
a lot lots a lot of

What I like about Top Notch Series...

This is the first term that TOP NOTCH (LONGMAN) is being taught in all the classes in Jahad. I was honored to be the first teacher to teach this book in Jahad once they were testing it. So I had to have a deeper study about the book before teaching it. I did some research about the book and the writers. Both of the authors (Allen Asher and Joan Saslow) are truly successful teachers and they have made plenty of good changes in writing the series. Their motto in composing the book is “let’s make English unforgettable”, and if you review the whole pack, which includes the book and additional material, you will see they have done their best to make English unforgettable. Other excellent features of TOP NOTCH series are:

1-    UNIT GOALS and NOW I CAN…: on the first page in every unit, there is a small box on the right side titled UNIT GOALS. This is where we read WHY we are studying the unit and WHAT we can do after we have studied it. This will help the teacher and the student to realize what to teach and learn. At the end of the unit, in the page titled UNIT WRAP-UP, we see the same items being listed as the abilities of the person who has studied the unit. If a student wants to know whether he/ she has learned the unit completely or not, he/she only has to see if he/she is able to do what this part asks him/her to do.

2-    MOVIES: TOP NOTCH comes with excellent movie sequences which no book has ever had with the same quality. What really amazes me is that the authors of the book try to tell us that in order to understand a sentence or a topic, we don’t have to understand all the words said. The sequences of the movie which are shot in parks or busy streets do not have good sound quality and they have deliberately tried to give it a sense of reality. I really don’t even know if those who take part in those sequences are aware that the movie is being produced for ESL learners of English. This really makes us forget we are in a class and therefore makes it look like a real-life situation. Each sequence has an ACTIVITY WORKSHEET in the movie book that is really fun to do.

3-    WEBSITE: TOP NOTCH has two websites which provide educational and fun stuff related to the books:

a.    http://www.pearsonlongman.com/ae/topnotch/

b.    http://www.tnpronunciator.com/

The second website is a Pronunciator website which helps us with the right pronunciation of the words.

4-    RESEARCH-BASED ACTIVITIES: As we move through the information era, TOP NOTCH tries to let the students enjoy the fun of EXPLORING and DISCOVERING facts. So once in a while the student is asked to have a research on something and present the results in the class.

5-    COPY & GO: As it is stated clearly in the book, the COPY and GO book is for those busy teachers (like me) who do not have time to prepare extra activities for their classes. The book gives you various exercises instantly and you really can COPY and GO to the class with no fear of misspelled words or irrelevant questions.

I hope the teachers and the students have fun teaching and learning TOP NOTCH and as the authors hope, make English unforgettable!

Here is the link to other TOP NOTCH fun stuff:

• ·         TOP NOTCH FUNDAMENTAL (A&B) companion website (http://wps.pearsonlongman.com/topnotchfund/)
• ·         TOP NOTCH 1 (A&B) companion website (http://wps.pearsonlongman.com/topnotch1/)
• ·         TOP NOTCH 2 (A&B) companion website (http://wps.pearsonlongman.com/topnotch2/)
• ·         TOP NOTCH 3 (A&B) companion website (http://wps.pearsonlongman.com/topnotch3/)
• ·         TOP NOTCH presentation by authors (http://www.brainshark.com/brainshark/vu/view.asp?pi=299672654)
• ·         TOP NOTCH DIGITAL (Demo) (http://www.pearsonlongmansupport.com/Downloads/samples/TN_2_Demo/index.html)
• ·         TOP NOTCH SONGS (http://www.pearsonlongman.com/ae/topnotch/pophome.html)
• ·         TOP NOTCH standards and tests (http://www.pearsonlongman.com/ae/topnotch/correlations.html)

How to Use Commonly Misused Words (1)

"Affect" and "Effect"

Effect

1."Effect" is a noun referring to something that happens as a result of something else, e.g., "The antibiotic had little effect on the illness."

Class Control

I believe that every student has a way to his heart . Some are harder to get in and some are easier. It's just the matter of knowing how. No revenge no irritation why a student behaves like the way he does .We must not feel that he ought to fail just because he coudn't show a decent manner in the way we expected.

Teaching is one of the hardest job in the world – it demands a great deal of patience and tolerance all through the day .
A good teacher takes the extra effort needed to ensure that the children understand what’s taught, not just in the way of lessons but in the way of life too. Sometimes a teacher’s patience is put to the test in the form of difficult students, those who will just not fall in line with the rest of the class. And at others, the whole class acts up and there’s chaos all round. At times like this, it’s no use shouting and tearing out your hair in an attempt to regain control of your unruly class. Instead, keep your wits about you and try to restore order in a systematic way.

The following tips should help in such situations:

Very often, you’ll find that the confusion and noise are the result of the handiwork of just a few miscreants who are bent on causing trouble. If you can ferret them out and segregate them from the rest of the class, you’ll find that you have an easier time of controlling the class.
The troublemakers are often just seeking attention with their attempts to disrupt the class and lessons. Instead of taking them to task in front of their classmates and embarrassing them, talk to them in private and try to understand why they play up in class.
Children who cry out for attention in negative ways are often neglected at home or are affected badly by other problems that add to their mental stress. They may feel inadequate because they are poor at lessons and have trouble keeping up with class work. Punishment only adds to their belligerence and does not do anything positive to help them overcome their shortcomings. Offer to help them out with lessons or homework till they’re able to catch up with the rest of the class.
Sometimes there’s a student who’s designated class clown without a formal coronation or ceremony. He/she feels the need to make the other kids laugh all the time, even at the cost of getting into trouble. The clown does not realize the seriousness of his/her activities and is breezy and even irreverent in the face of your reprimands. A serious talking-to helps in such cases. Make the student work on the positive aspects of having a great sense of humor.
Instead of shouting at random people in the class, sit at your desk and wait patiently for the din to die down. If your patience does not pay, punish the class as a whole rather than just one or two students.
Positive words and actions help in keeping order in the classroom. Praise works wonders when offered at the right time and in the right spirit without sounding contrived or exaggerated.
Making your classes creative and interesting engages the children’s attention and does not allow them to misbehave or cause trouble. Make the effort to add something innovative to each day’s lesson so that the students look forward to them.
Kindness dealt with a firm hand works wonders in keeping a class under control. Understand even as you let the children know that they cannot walk all over you. The difference between a good and great teacher likes in how he/she handles not just lessons, but also a class full of human beings.

Students' Rights and Responsibilites

YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO fair and equal treatment.  IN this classroom, it does not matter if you are male or female, who your brother or sister is, what your parents earn, or in any other way.

YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO be safe in this classroom.  In this classroom, no one may cause you injury or discomfort.  This includes the right to have your property left alone and undamaged.

YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO hear and be heard in this classroom.  Others will be quiet as you speak and you will quietly listen as others speak.

YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO be respected.  You do not have to put up with unkind remarks or name calling because of race, sex, religion, physical strength, size, features, friendship groups, age, culture, handicap, financial status, clothing, classroom performance, etc.

YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO learn in this classroom.  No one has the right to disrupt you or make it difficult for you to learn.,  Teachers should be free to teach and students free to learn without being interrupted by inconsiderate or unruly students.

YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO learn what it means to be a responsible and successful student.  Guidance and direction are meant to aid you as a student and a citizen of this school community.

YOU HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO:

• treat others with consideration, realizing that all of us are unique.
• make this classroom safe by following the safety rules and not causing injury to others or damaging/using the property of others without their permission.
• participate in the classroom activities appropriately by listening, speaking, or writing.
• respect others, adults and students, and uphold their rights.
• LEARN. You will prepare for class, be on time, pay attention, complete work, and not distract yourself or others.
• push yourself, keep trying, ask questions if you don't understand.

Grammar Tenses Mix

Grammar Tenses Mix
Level: upper intermediate
Bewley's Oriental Cafés

Fill the gaps with the correct tenses.

1. Bewley's ..........(be) an old Irish tea house chain.
2. The history of the famous Bewley's Oriental Cafés ...........(begin) in 1835 when Charles Bewley .............(import) over 2000 chests of tea directly from the Chinese province of Canton to Dublin.
3. It.............. (not / look) like a great deal today, but back then it........... (be) a coup: no man before ..............(dare) to import tea directly into Ireland.
4. Bewley's initiative................. (put) an end to the East India Trading Company's tea monopoly which before 1835 ...........(force) the Irish to import their tea from London.
5. Samuel Bewley's son Joshua also................ (become) a tea merchant.
6. Like his father, he........... (import) tea into Ireland.
7. The Irish ..............(like) the idea of not having to import old tea from London.
8. A tea expert ............(notice) that even the poorest Irish people ..............(buy) only the finest tea.
9. By the end of the 19th century a tea culture........... (develop) in Ireland.
10. In 1894, Joshua's son Ernest Bewley........... (want) to stimulate the market for a product that...............(be) rather unknown that far: coffee.
11. In the back of his shop in Dublin's George's Street, he ..........(begin) to run coffee making demonstrations.
12. His wife.......... (bake) scones to go with the coffee, and the couple soon........ (find out) that their idea........... (be) extremely popular among customers.
13. That ............(mark) the beginning of the first Bewley's Oriental Café.
14. In Dublin's Grafton Street, Ernest Bewley.............. (open) another Bewley's Oriental Café in 1927, on which he................ (spend) nearly 60,000 Pound.
15. Still now the interior furnishings and wonderful stain glass............... (provide) a very special oriental flair.
16. During World War II, Bewley's ................(must restrict) the supply of tea to an ounce per head, and many customers .................(switch) to coffee.
    

Present Perfect Continuous

Use the verbs in brackts in the Present Perfect Progressive in the sentences. Example: She _______________ tennis for half an hour now. (to play) Answer: She has been playing tennis for half an hour now. or She's been playing tennis for half an hour now.

1) I this website since 1999. (to run) 2) My parents for years. (to smoke) 3) He for his girlfriend since 6 o'clock. (to wait) 4) We in Greece since last August. (to live) 5) Max and Paul their bikes all day. (to ride) 6) They in the sun for hours. (to lie) 7) Emily on the computer for too long. (to work) 8) It since I came home. (to rain) 9) You to music since 12:30. (to listen) 10) Frank for the last 20 minutes. (to dream)

Present Perfect

Put in the verbs in brackets into the gaps. Use Present Perfect. Example: I _____________ my father's car. (to wash) Answer: I have washed my father's car.

1) Karen me an e-mail. (to send) 2) Dave and Pat the museum. (to visit) 3) I at the pet shop. (to be) 4) They already their rucksacks. (to pack) 5) Marcus an accident. (to have) 6) We the shopping for our grandmother. (to do) 7) I just my bike. (to clean) 8) Emily her room. (to paint) 9) Lisa and Colin to a concert. (to go) 10) My friends smoking. (to give up)

Teachers Roles in the class

During a lesson, a teacher needs to manage the activities and the learners in the classroom in different ways. This is called “Teacher Roles”. Every teacher changes roles during a lesson, depending to the target of activities, lesson aims and the level and age of the learners. Here are some roles teachers often take:

Role	The teacher…
Planner	Prepares and thinks through the lesson in detail before teaching it, so that it has variety and there are appropriate activities for the different learners in the class.
Informer	Gives the learners detailed information about the language or about an activity.
Manager	Organizes the learning space, makes sure everything in the classroom is running correctly.
Monitor	Goes around the class during individual, pair and group work activities.
Involver	Makes sure all the learners are taking part in the activities.
Parent / Friend	Comforts learners when they are upset and unhappy.
Diagnostician	Is able to recognize the course of learners’ difficulties.
Resource	Can be used by the learners for help and advice.

How to learn english easier

Tips on Learning English

Targets

Set small, achievable targets, e.g.:
learn 10 new English words or phrases every day, Mondays to Fridays (repeat on Saturdays, relax on Sundays)
*study 15 minutes every day

Car Alarms

A car alarm is a device installed in a car in an attempt to discourage theft of that car. Most car alarms work by making a loud sound. Other car alarms disable the ignition of the car or send a signal to the owner (by way of a beeper) that his or her car is being disturbed.
Car alarms are set off by vibrations tilting of the car (to prevent unauthorized towing) or touching the car .the vast majority of car alarms which sound are accidental. They are caused by the passing of large trucks the vibration of thunder or people touching the car.
Since most car alarms are accidental people have become numbed to the sound of alarms and do noting to prevent theft because of the large number of false alarms with car alarms many vehicle manufacturers no longer factory fit alarms offering silent but effective immobilizers instead.
As an after market fitting a vehicle tracking system which allows the police to trace stolen vehicles is considerably more effective some car security system incorporate alarms remote car starters keyless entry systems and immobilizers.

Gerund or Infinitive (Part 3)

Decide if the verbs are followed by a verb in the gerund or in the infinitive form.

1) finish Gerund Infinitive + to Both possibilities are correct. 2) like Gerund Infinitive + to Both possibilities are correct. 3) hope Gerund Infinitive + to Both possibilities are correct. 4) feel like Gerund Infinitive + to Both possibilities are correct. 5) seem Gerund Infinitive + to Both possibilities are correct. 6) forget Gerund Infinitive + to Both possibilities are correct. 7) start Gerund Infinitive + to Both possibilities are correct. 8) manage Gerund Infinitive + to Both possibilities are correct. 9) agree Gerund Infinitive + to Both possibilities are correct. 10) avoid Gerund Infinitive + to Both possibilities are correct.

Gerund or Infinitive (Part 2)

Put in the verbs in brackets in the Gerund or the infinitive. Example: They promised ______ (sell) the old comics. Answer: They promised to sell the old comics.

1) We decided (buy) a new car. 2) They've got some work (do). 3) Peter gave up (smoke) . 4) He'd like (fly) an aeroplane. 5) I enjoy (write) picture postcards. 6) Do you know what (do) if there's a fire in the shop? 7) Avoid (make) silly mistakes. 8) My parents wanted me (be) home at 11 o'clock. 9) I dream about (build) a big house. 10) I'm hoping (see) Lisa.

Gerund or Infinitive (Part 1)

Put in the verbs in brackets in the Gerund or the to-infinitive. Example: They go on _______ (read) the book. Answer: They go on reading the book.

1) I can't imagine Peter (go) by bike. 2) He agreed (buy) a new car. 3) The question is easy (answer). 4) The man asked me how (get) to the airport. 5) I look forward to (see) you at the weekend. 6) Are you thinking of (visit) London? 7) We decided (run) through the forest. 8) The teacher expected Sarah (study) hard. 9) She doesn't mind (work) the night shift. 10) I learned (ride) the bike at the age of 5.

The feeling of being unwanted

The worst disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted, uncared for and deserted by every body. This is much greater hunger, a much greater poverty.

Past Perfect + Simple Past (Test)

Put the verbs in brackets into the gaps in the correct tense Past Perfect or Simple Past. Example: Pat _________ (to live) in London before he _________ (to move) to Rome. Answer: Pat had lived in London before he moved to Rome.

1) After Fred (to spend) his holiday in Italy he (to want) to learn Italian. 2) Jill (to phone) Dad at work before she (to leave) for her trip. 3) Susan (to turn on) the radio after she (to wash) the dishes. 4) When she (to arrive) the match already (to start). 5) After the man (to come) home he (to feed) the cat. 6) Before he (to sing) a song he (to play) the guitar. 7) She (to watch) a video after the children (to go) to bed. 8) After Eric (to make) breakfast he (to phone) his friend. 9) I (to be) very tired because I (to study) too much. 10) They (to ride) their bikes before they (to meet) their friends.

Past Perfect + Simple Past

1) Use

Past Perfect	Simple Past
together with the Simple Past When two past actions are combined - the first action, which was completed before the second one began, is put into Past Perfect.	action finished in the past
the past equivalent of the Present Perfect	series of completed actions in the past

2) Signal words

Past Perfect	Simple Past
no unambiguous ones	yesterday, last week, a month ago, in 2002

3) Form

Past Perfect	Simple Past
havd + past participle	regular verbs: infinitive + ed irregular verbs: 2nd column of the table of the irregular verbs

4) Examples

We use the the same form of the auxiliary (had) every time regardless the subject.

Past Perfect	Simple Past
4-1 Affirmative sentences
He had played hockey. He'd played hockey.	He played hockey.

Past Perfect	Simple Past
4-2 Negative sentences
He had not played hockey. He'd not played hockey. He hadn't played hockey.	He did not play hockey. He didn't play hockey.

Past Perfect	Simple Past
4-3 Questions
Had he played hockey?	Did he play hockey?

5) Spelling (Past Perfect and Simple Past)

stopped (Double the consonant after a short vowel.)

loved (one -e at the end of the word -> Leave out the -e and add -d.)

worried (consonant before -y ->Change to -ie.)

Simple Present Tense Test (with answer key) Part 2

A) Which answers are correct?

1) Which sentences/questions are correct?
Are you Greek?
Do you have a brother?
I don't usually have lunch at school.
Martin has been to Montreal.
Peggy was on holiday.
The largest number of people lives in Brooklyn.
We have two cars.

Simple Present Tense Test (with answer key)

A) Which answers are correct?

1) Which verb forms are correct?
he flies
he flys
he livees
he lives
he workes
he works

Thank you

My dear friends in BIE & EDE classes.

I would like to thank you for your great writings and excellent cooperation with me in the class.
I really enjoyed your hard work and I wish I could put all your writings here; but because I do not have such possibility , here I present a few of them as sample of your excellent work.

How to Use "Who" and "Whom" Correctly

1.Know the difference between who and whom. 
They are both pronouns but who is used as the subject of a sentence or phrase and whom is used as the object of a verb. What follows is a quick way to determine which pronoun to use in a particular question.

2.Use whom when referring to the object of a verb.
◦To whom it may concern:
◦To whom did you talk today?
◦Whom does Sarah love?

3.Use who when referring to the subject of a sentence or phrase.
◦Who brought the paper inside?
◦Who talked to you today?
◦Who went to dinner?

4.Ask yourself if the answer to the question would be he or him. 
If you can answer the question with him, then use whom. It's easy to remember because they both end with "m". If you can answer the question with he, then use who.
◦Example: A suitable answer to the question, "To [who or whom] did the prize go?" is, "It went to him." (Almost no one would say "It went to he.") The correct pronoun for the question is whom.
◦Example: A suitable answer to the question, "[Who or Whom] went to the store?" is, "He went to the store." (Almost no one would say "Him went to the store.") The correct pronoun for the question who.

Avval-e MEHR

Like all those good times in the past, AVVAL-E MEHR is coming again... the same good old excitement, mixed with students' dislike to go to school, and the very lovely smell of fresh school bags and new shoes and clean rubbers and unsharpened pencils. AVVAL-E MEHR is not simply a "day". It is the start (Avval) of love (Mehr) that exists among classmates and also all the laughters and fun. I am sure many, like me, miss those AVVAL-E MEHR's, where we used to wear the best clothes we had and prepare ourselves for the best way to talk about the long summer we had passed. I still remember the smell of the desks we sat during school, with the stories and the bad words we had written on them about love and teachers. I miss those days, and I miss all my classmates with their nicknames...AVVAL-E MEHR is not simply a day!

Common mistakes in English (Part 1)

accept vs except
Accept is a verb, which means to agree to take something .
For example: "I always accept good advice."
Except is a preposition or conjunction, which means not including.
For example: "I teach every day except Sunday(s)."

Test present perfect

Write the past participle forms of the following verbs.
1. shut →
2. spend →
3. give →
4. teach →
5. sell →

Write sentences in present perfect simple.
1. we / reach / our goal -
2. our team / lose / the match -
3. she / underline / the word -
4. they / not / discover / the treasure -
5. Ron / not / talk / about the problem -

Write questions in present perfect simple.
1. you / knock / at the door -
2. the teacher / mark / the tests -
3. she / buy / a new computer -
4. they / rescue / the girl -
5. Brad / wear / a blue shirt -

Ask for the information in the bold part of the sentence.
1. They have seen him at the library. -
2. Robby Robber has robbed another bank. -
3. Bill has ordered three desserts. -
4. Clara has repeated the sentence five times. -
5. Jane has asked a question. -

Around the corner I have a friend

Around the corner I have a friend
In this great city that has no end
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on
And before I know it a year is gone
And I never see my old friends face
For life is a swift and terrible race
He knew I like him just as in the days when I rang his bell
And he rang mine but we were younger then
And now are busy ,tired men
Tired of playing a foolish game
Tired of trying to make a name
Tomorrow I say," I will call on Jim just to show that I'm thinking of him".
But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes
And distance between us grows and grows
Around the corner yet miles away
Here's a telegram "Sir Jim died today "
And that's what we get and deserve in the end
Around the corner a vanished friend
Remember to always say what you mean, If you love someone tell him

Don't be afraid to express yourself
Because when you think it is the right time it might be too late
Seize the day never have regrets
And most importantly stay close to your friends
And family for they have helped to make you the person you are today.

Survey Result

THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE

We only have one world. And we only live once. But our lives are in danger of wars and bombs and people who kill others for no reason but lies. The world has had sad moments of wars and millions of people who died in these wars. Now we, humans, have learned that either we learn to live like humans, or we have to die like wild animals.


Since 1360 (1981), Shahrivar 30 (September 21) has been named as THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE. All humans on this day pray and hope for peace, and a world where NO ONE gets killed in any war between nations or inside nations (civil wars). What can we really do to have a peaceful world? What can we do for the children? What can we do for the people in Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur, Palestine, etc? Will there be a day when the news does not show pictures of wounded and killed people who lose their lives over nothing? Will there be a day when people learn to live like PEOPLE? What can we do? What do YOU think we can do?