It's the weekend, and it's time to have some good times! With so many entertainment possibilities, it's good to be armed with a variety of fun expressions that you can use.
Dressed to the ninesAny big night out begins at home with a wardrobe full of clothes, a mirror and some imagination! When you are dressed to the nines it means that you are wearing some seriously fashionable clothes. For example, you might say, "If we're going to the cocktail party we'd better get dressed to the nines!"
You need to take it out of the second drawer and put it in the top drawer. If it doesn’t fit (caber) in there,
then leave it on top of the desk and I’ll find a place to put it later. Then you need to help me decide
what to wear to the party. I would like to put on that red shirt you gave me for Christmas last year, but
I can’t find it. Maybe you can help me look for it. If we don’t find it, then I’ll put on the white shirt with
the red tie that I got from your sister last year. Oh, and remind me to put on the watch that I bought in
Paris. It’s so expensive that I don’t wear it every day, but this is a special occasion. I think the party will
probably last around two hours. Then we can go out to dinner somewhere. I think it would be nice if we
went to that Italian restaurant you like so much, plus it’s not too expensive. And then we can go see a
movie, but nothing too dramatic! I want today to be a happy day. I don’t want to be tense and I certainly
don’t want you to cry!
You can find English-language newspapers in all large cities around the world. Newspapers are interesting because they are about real life and the news. BUT they are not easy to read. Try reading newspapers if your level is intermediate or above.
Some British newspapers:
Some American newspapers:
Right now you are reading English. That means that you are using your brain in a very active way. Reading is a very active process. It is true that the writer does a lot of work, but the reader also has to work hard. When you read a text, you have to do some or all of these:
When you learn a language, listening, speaking and writing are important, but reading can also be very helpful. There are many advantages associated with reading, including:
You will usually encounter new words when you read. If there are too many new words for you, then the level is too high and you should read something simpler. But if there are, say, a maximum of five new words per page, you will learn this vocabulary easily. You may not even need to use a dictionary because you can guess the meaning from the rest of the text (from the context). Not only do you learn new words, but you see them being used naturally.
When you read, it gives you a good example for writing. Texts that you read show you structures and expressions that you can use when you write.
When people write, they usually use "correct" English with a proper grammatical structure. This is not always true when people speak. So, by reading you see and learn grammatical English naturally.
You can read as fast or as slowly as you like. You can read ten pages in 30 minutes, or take one hour to explore just one page. It doesn't matter. The choice is yours. You cannot easily do this when speaking or listening. This is one of the big advantages of reading because different people work at different speeds.
If you choose something to read that you like, it can actually be interesting and enjoyable. For example, if you like to read about football in your own language, why not read about football in English? You will get information about football and improve your English at the same time