Snakes in Dreams

Snakes are incredibly prevalent in dreams, and they often have special

significance. There are four quite different meanings associated with snake

imagery.

1. Snakes symbolize trouble. This is the most common association I

find with this image. The snake pit, the snake in the grass, or the

threatening snake is usually a symbol of a situation that holds tricky

and worrisome potential. The situation is usually difficult to grasp

talk about physical appearance

There are many ways to talk about physical appearance 

Age

My grandfather is quite old. In fact, as he has a pension, he is an old age pensioner, or a senior citizen.

His daughter, my aunt, is 55, and middle-aged. She has three sons. One is a young adult, at 24 years of age, and the other two are both teenagers. They are 16 and 17. My sister also has two children – one toddler who is a two-year old, and a baby who is 6 months old. 

Build

People are built in all shapes and sizes. There are those who are fat and overweight. Some people are extremely overweight and are obese. Other people are naturally slim, but others look have absolutely no fat on them and are thin, or skinny.

Personally, I am stocky – small, but well-built. My father is tall and lean – with very little fat. My sister is short, but wiry – she is quite thin, but muscular. Both my brothers are athletic and well-proportioned. My mother looks like a 1940's film star. She is curvaceous, with an hour-glass figure.

My grandfather is fit for his age and takes plenty of exercise. He doesn't want all his muscles to get flabby. 

Colouring

My sister is an English rose – she has fair hair and fair skin. She doesn't tan easily and has to be careful in the sun. My mother is blonde, also with a fair complexion. I am a red-head – with red hair. Like many other people with a pale complexion, I get freckles from the sun – small brown dots on my face and arms. In contrast, my father has dark-brown hair and he is quite dark-skinned. You are born with a colour – white or Caucasian, black or Asian. People whose parents are of different ethnic origin are mixed-race. Southern Europeans are sometimes described as Mediterranean. 

Dealing With Difficult English Verbs

Unlike many other languages, there are many verbs in English that don’t follow basic rules – making it frustrating for non-native speakers to learn. In many cases, you’re likely to find that irregular verbs are actually more common than ones that follow syntax guidelines! As a result, you may need to rely on sentence cues to determine what, if any, actions are being described. In many cases, even if a verb is irregular, you can still use these cues to arrive at the meaning the author or speaker is trying to convey. Locating Verbs Based on Noun Position To begin, if you can recognize a noun within a sentence, chances are you will also find a verb following it that will help you decipher the rest of the sentence. Using this method can help you improve your reading comprehension, as well as eliminate reliance on syntax rules that don’t address many situations. This method will also help you determine the timing of the sentence and the actions that were taken. In addition, once you know where nouns are in relation to verbs, you’ll also be able to decipher the subject of the sentence. For example, if you look at the sentence “David washed the laundry”, you’ll immediately realize that David is a noun. “Washed” the next word, is a verb that is describing the action that David is taking. In this case, you can recognize that the word has an “-ed” ending, which indicates that the action – washing – has happened in the past. In another example, “David walks with his dog”, you can again find the verb immediately after the noun. Using Syllable Structures to Isolate Verbs In many cases, if you suspect that you are dealing with an irregular verb, you can break the word in question down to syllables. As you put the word back together, you should be able to recognize a root word that is based on some kind of action. For example, the word “skipping” breaks down into two syllables – “skip” and “ing”. As you can see, once you remove the “-ing” suffix, you are left with a word that describes a specific kind of motion. Unfortunately, the “-ing” ending doesn’t always help you determine the time frame of the action. In order to determine this, once again you’ll need to find out who is taking the action and then look for words that offer a time frame in the sentence. In this case, skipping could be proceeded by “was”, “is”, or even “will be”. As you can see, each preceding time frame creates an entirely different meaning for the verb. Even though English verbs are some of the most difficult aspects of the language, it’s worth your while to gain proficiency with them. That said, if you’re going to try and learn English based on exact rules, you’ll have a difficult time. As with any other language, it is important to be able to comprehend what you are hearing or reading in the context of meaning. Breaking words down into fundamental sounds will give you clues about their meaning and importance, enabling you to understand English verb tenses much more quickly

Renovating and decorating your house

Many people in the UK like renovating or "doing up" their houses to keep up with fashions and trends. Here are some useful English words and phrases to describe this

.

Decorating

give something a lick / a coat of paint = paint walls

hang / put up wallpaper = to attach new paper to the walls

fit / put up blinds or curtains = cover the windows either with curtains (fabric hanging across the window) or blinds (strips of plastic or fabric that cover the window)

throw out / replace the old light fittings = change the lights

go for a (name of fashion) effect = recreate a particular look

put the finishing touches to = complete the decoration with the final details

Renovation

have an extension = build on to the existing house to provide more rooms

put in a conservatory / a fitted kitchen / a new bathroom = to install a conservatory (room between the back of the house and the garden), a fitted kitchen (where the units are connected, rather than being single pieces) or a new bathroom

convert the loft (have a loft conversion) = convert the attic into a liveable room

turn the dining room into a spare bedroom = convert a room into one with a different purpose

knock down a wall = demolish a wall

knock through from the kitchen = demolish the wall from the kitchen into another room

build a patio = build a paved area around part or the whole of the house

rewire the house = put in new electrical wiring

install central heating / solar panels = put in a new heating system

re-plaster the ceiling = take off the old plaster (covering the bricks) and replace it with new

re-tile the bathroom = put new tiles on the floor and walls

Other useful expressions

diy = Do it Yourself (doing maintenance and building works in your house)

be handy around the house = to be practical and able to do jobs in the house

draw up plans = to make technical plans before you do building or renovation work

get planning / building permission = to get authorisation from the town hall to do work on your house