A Good Boy

Billy always listens to his mother. He always does what she says. If his mother says, "Brush your teeth,” Billy brushes his teeth. If his mother says, "Go to bed,” Billy goes to bed. Billy is a very good boy. A good boy listens to his mother. His mother doesn’t have to ask him again. She asks him to do something one time, and she doesn’t ask again. Billy is a good boy. He does what his mother asks the first time. She doesn’t have to ask again. She tells Billy, "You are my best child.” Of course Billy is her best child. Billy is her only child.

Cheaper School Books

Mr. Hooper was a teacher. He taught English 101. He taught English 101 at a small college. His students were not rich. His students were poor. Books cost a lot of money. The English 101 book cost a lot of money. Mr. Hooper had a good idea. He wrote his own book. He wrote his own English 101 book. The book was 100 pages. He put the book online. His students downloaded the book. His students printed all 100 pages. The new book was cheap. The new book was cheap to print. His students liked the new book. They thanked Mr. Hooper. Mr. Hooper talked to the math teacher. Mr. Miller taught Math 101. He liked the new book idea. He wrote his own Math 101 book. His students downloaded the new book. They printed the new book. They liked the new Math 101 book. They thanked Mr. Miller.

A Wet Kitchen Floor -1

Eddie made a sandwich. He made a sandwich for lunch. He made a turkey sandwich for lunch. He put two slices of bread in the toaster. He pushed down the toaster handle. He took some turkey out of the refrigerator. He sliced the turkey. He put it into the microwave. He sliced an onion. He sliced a tomato. He put the toast on a plate. He put the turkey on the toast. He put the onion on the toast. He put the tomato on the toast. He ate the sandwich. He washed the plate. He washed the knife. He looked at the kitchen floor. Water was on the kitchen floor. Something was leaking. He looked under the kitchen sink. He looked at the garbage disposal. Water was dripping from the garbage disposal. Water was dripping onto the kitchen floor. The garbage disposal was old. Eddie needed to replace it.

A Wet Kitchen Floor -2

The garbage disposal was old. It was leaking water. Eddie needed to replace it. He opened his toolbox. He took a screwdriver out of his toolbox. The garbage disposal had three screws. He unscrewed the three screws. He took the garbage disposal out. He put it on the kitchen floor. He wanted to take it to the store. He wanted to buy a new one at the store. But there was a problem. The garbage disposal was connected to a cable. It was the electric cable. Eddie didn’t know much about electricity. He knew that electricity was dangerous. He knew that electricity could kill him. He put the garbage disposal back. He screwed in the three screws. He put tape over the electric switch on the wall. Now he could not turn on the garbage disposal. He called his landlord. He said she needed to replace the garbage disposal.

The Rent Check

Jeff saw the mailman. The mailman was walking toward Jeff’s building. The mailman came to Jeff’s building every day. He came every day at about 3 o’clock. Jeff was holding an envelope. The envelope was for his landlord. The envelope contained a check. The check was for his rent. The mailman came to Jeff’s building. He put the mail in the mailboxes. Jeff said hello to the mailman. The mailman said hello to Jeff. Jeff gave the envelope to the mailman. The mailman walked away. He walked toward the next building. Jeff watched the mailman walk away. Jeff saw something fall to the sidewalk. It was white. It was a white envelope. Jeff picked it up. It was his envelope! Jeff called out to the mailman. The mailman didn’t hear Jeff. Jeff changed his mind. He didn’t call out again. He took his envelope to the post office.

منابع مهم

قرآن كريم با ترجمه فارسي و انگليسي 

یاور علی (ع)

زیارت عاشورا

سایتهای مراجع تقلید(فارسی و انگلیسی)

نشریه نگاه 

مبتکران

ضمن خدمت فرهنگیان 

از دبستان تا دانشگاه

انگلیسی را با شنیدن یاد بگیرید 

مجلات رشد آموزش وپرورش 

فرهنگ انگلیسی و فارسی

فرهنگ انگلیسی، عربی و فارسی

فرهنگ آریانپور

کتابخانه مجازی ایران

ترجمه متن انگلیسی به فارسی  

طرح اشکالات زبان انگلیسی

آپلود فایل و عکس رایگان

TEHRAN TIMES

ترجمه گوگل 

Yahoo 

English to English Dictionary

English Grammar

گرامر زبان انگلیسی

انگلیسی برای خردسالان 

فرهنگ لغت مصوّر

ضرب‌المثل‌های انگلیسی

مترادف و متضاد

اطلاعات کشورهای جهان

 تلفظ انگلیسی اسم اشخاص - مکانها و ...

داستان های کوتاه برای دبیرستانی ها

داستان های انگلیسی برای کودکان

روزنامه ها و مجلات ایرانی 

 

Tired All the Time

She was 40. She was tired. She felt tired all the time. She went to the doctor. The doctor asked, "What’s the matter? What’s your problem?" She said, "I’m tired. I feel tired all the time." The doctor examined her. The doctor asked her a lot of questions. The doctor asked for a blood sample. He took some blood from her arm. The doctor asked for a urine sample. He told her to pee in a cup. A week later, the doctor called her. He said, "Your samples are okay. There is nothing wrong with you. You are tired because you don’t exercise. You need to exercise. Take a walk every day. Ride a bike every day. Walk up stairs every day. If you exercise, you won’t feel tired." She didn’t believe her doctor. She didn’t exercise. If I exercise, she thought, I will feel even more tired.

Don’t Pick Up the Trash

Each September volunteers clean up the beach. Hundreds of volunteers clean up the beach. They carry empty trash bags. They pick up trash. They fill up the trash bags. They fill up hundreds of trash bags. They put all the trash bags into trucks. The trucks take the trash bags to a landfill. The trash goes from the beach to the landfill. Every year there is more beach trash. Every year there is more landfill trash. Jill picked up trash for three years. Finally she said, "People leave trash here every year. They know we will pick it up. We shouldn’t pick it up. In a few years, trash will cover this beach. People will stop coming here. They will stop leaving trash here."

A Clean Car

He had a beautiful car. It was a Cadillac. It was a 1993 Cadillac. It was a four-door Cadillac. It was light brown. It had a big engine. The big engine didn’t leak oil. The big engine didn’t leak water. He drove his car only five miles a day. He took good care of his car. He washed it every week. He washed it by himself. He washed it with dish-washing soap and water. He dried it with paper towels. He vacuumed inside the car every week. He vacuumed it with a small vacuum cleaner. The outside of his car was clean. The inside of his car was clean. He never ate anything inside his car. He never drank anything inside his car.

Learn to Swim

It was summer. Swim classes were beginning. He didn’t know how to swim. He wanted to learn. He called up the pool. "Do you teach adults how to swim?" he asked. The instructor said, "Yes, we teach adults how to swim. We teach kids how to swim. We teach everyone how to swim." He asked how much. "How much do you charge?" he asked. "We charge only $25 for adults," the instructor said. He gave him his name. He put his name on the swim class list. "You are on the swim class list," he said. "Your first lesson is Saturday at noon. Bring $25 and a towel." He asked, "That’s all I need to bring?" He said, "I’m sorry. Bring your swimsuit, too."

Thirty Years Late

She found a book in her basement. It was an old book. She opened the book. It was a library book. It was an old library book. The library card was inside the front cover. The due date was on the library card. She looked at the due date. The due date was 30 years ago! Oh my goodness, she thought. I wonder how much money that is, she thought. I wonder how much money I owe. She didn’t know what to do. She thought about it. I can just throw the book out, she thought. No one will know. No one will know if I just throw the book out. She threw the book out. She threw the book into the trash can. She thought about it. She felt bad. I shouldn’t throw a book into the trash can, she thought. She took it out of the trash can.

A Car Chase

The police chased the car. The car didn’t stop. The driver drove faster and faster. The driver went downtown. The driver drove on the sidewalks. The driver drove through parking lots. The driver drove through red lights. The driver drove like a crazy man. "That driver drives like a crazy man," said one policeman. The police followed the driver. They drove on the sidewalks. They drove through parking lots. They drove through red lights. The driver crashed into a newsstand. The car stopped. The newsstand owner looked at the car. The driver got out. The newsstand owner yelled at him. "You owe me money," he yelled. "You owe me $10,000. You crashed into my newsstand. You destroyed my newsstand." The driver said no problem. He gave the owner $10,000 cash. Of course, it wasn’t the driver’s money. It was stolen money. It was a stolen car. The police arrived.

Rent or Quit

Karen had a new job. She was a real estate agent. Clients called her up. Clients emailed her. Clients wanted an apartment. Karen showed them apartments. The clients didn’t like the apartments. Karen showed them more apartments. The clients still didn’t like the apartments. She showed many apartments to many clients. But nobody rented an apartment. Tanya was Karen’s boss. Tanya yelled at Karen. "You have worked here for four months," she yelled. "You haven’t rented one apartment yet. You are no good. You should quit. You should find another job. You are not a good real estate agent." Karen said, "I am a good real estate agent. But my clients have a big problem. They all want a penthouse, but they only have enough money for the basement." Tanya said that was not her problem. That was Karen’s problem. "I will give you two more weeks," Tanya said.

Cookies for Students

Cindy’s teacher was Mrs. Jones. Mrs. Jones was old. But she didn’t walk slow. She walked fast. She didn’t have white hair. She had black hair. She wasn’t bent over. Her back was straight. All the students liked Mrs. Jones. They especially liked her on Friday. On Friday she brought cookies to class. She gave cookies to all the students. The cookies were delicious. All the students liked the cookies. All the students ate the cookies. Today was Friday. Mrs. Jones gave cookies to all the students. All the students said thank you. Then they ate the cookies. But Cindy didn’t eat her cookie. Mrs. Jones asked, "Why aren’t you eating your cookie, Cindy?" She said, "I’m not eating my cookie because I will take it home. I will share it at home with my sister." Mrs. Jones said, "You’re so sweet. Here’s a cookie for your sister."

Basic Modals

Modal auxiliary verbs are used to moderate the main verb, that is to enhance or restrict the verb to a certain context.

The most common modal auxiliaries in English are:

 

can could

may should

might will

must would

Notice the usage of modals in the following sentences:

I pay my taxes.		General declaration of fact. Paying taxes is something I normally do.
I can pay my taxes.		Expresses ability. I have the means (funds) to pay.
I might pay my taxes.		Expresses possibility, but not certainty. Maybe I will pay; maybe I won't.
I will pay my taxes.		Expresses future intent. I resolve to do it at some later time.
I should pay my taxes.		Expresses mild obligation. It is required, and I expect to comply.
I could pay my taxes.		Expresses possibility. If I have nothing else to do with the money, I might pay taxes.
I would pay my taxes.		(In this case), expresses reservation. If I had the money (but I don't). . .
I must pay my taxes.		Expresses strong obligation. I am required and have to comply.

Modals are followed by only the base form of the verb and are not used alone unless there is a clear connection to a main verb.

He must to finish his homework. He must finish his homework. Jack could heard the bell. Jack could hear the bell. Penny will going to the movie. Penny will go to the movie.

WRONG RIGHT WRONG RIGHT WRONG RIGHT

There are many ways to make requests in English. The most common involves using the imperative and modals. See the examples below:

Using the Imperative

The imperative is the simple form of the verb. The
subject of an imperative sentence is understood as "you" although it is usually not spoken.

Open the door. Will you help me? Pick up your toys. Please help me.

(You) open the door. Yes, I will (help you). (You) pick up your toys. (You) please help me.

The imperative is often used by persons of authority when speaking to subordinates, e.g. parent to child.

Using Modals

To show respect and politeness, most people use modal
expressions when making requests. For example:

Will you...? Would you...? Would you please...? Could you (please)...? Could you possibly...? Would you kindly...? Would you mind (Ving )...? Would you be so kind as to...?

Will you open the door for me? Would you open the door for me? Would you please open the door (for me)? Could you (please)...? Could you (please) open the door? Could you possibly open the door? Would you kindly open the door? Would you mind opening the door? Would you be so kind as to open the door?

Common Problems with Modals

1. Using "to" unnecessarily:

Incorrect They going to meet us at the theater. He should to eat his dinner. I had better to go now. You must not to use that pencil.

Correct They are going to meet us at the theater. He should eat his dinner. I had better go now. You must not use that pencil.

2. Using anything but the base form after a modal:

John could heard the bell. Penny will going to the movie.

John could hear the bell. Penny will go to the movie.

3. Using double modals:

You should ought to speak English. She might can help me.

You ought to speak English. /should speak She might be able to help me.

4. Omitting "be" in certain modal expressions:

They going to meet us at the theater. Jack supposed to take his medicine.

They are going to meet us at the theater. Jack is supposed to take his medicine.

5. Using wrong word order in questions:

How I can help you? Where I should go for the meeting?

How can I help you? Where should I go for the meeting? http://www.eslgold.com

An Unlucky Winner

Sammy won the lottery. He was so happy. He jumped up and down. "I won the lottery! I’m rich! Life is great!" he yelled. He checked the numbers online again: 2, 22, 3, 33, 4, and 44. Yes, those were the winning numbers. Yes, those were the numbers on his ticket. The Mega number was 44. The Mega number on his ticket was 44. He was so rich! His ticket was worth $41 million before taxes. He was going to buy a new house. He was going to buy a new car. He was going to buy a new boat. Oh, life was so great! He took his ticket to the liquor store. He showed it to the clerk. "I won! I won!" he told the clerk. The clerk checked the numbers. "You won! You won!" he said. Then the clerk ran out of the store with Sammy’s ticket.

A Short Plane Trip

The plane was waiting to take off. The plane was in line on the runway. One plane was ahead of it. Many planes were behind it. Everyone wanted to get up into the air. Everyone was tired of sitting on the ground. Planes are for flying, not sitting. Planes are like birds. Birds are for flying, not sitting. A man stood up. The flight attendant told him to sit down. The man ran to the bathroom. He locked the bathroom door. The flight attendant knocked on the door. She knocked and knocked. The man didn’t come out. The flight attendant told the captain. The captain went back to the bathroom. He knocked on the bathroom door. The man didn’t come out. He said, "Leave me alone! I want to be alone!" The captain took the plane back to the airport. Everyone was angry at the man in the bathroom.

Rent or Quit

Karen had a new job. She was a real estate agent. Clients called her up. Clients emailed her. Clients wanted an apartment. Karen showed them apartments. The clients didn’t like the apartments. Karen showed them more apartments. The clients still didn’t like the apartments. She showed many apartments to many clients. But nobody rented an apartment. Tanya was Karen’s boss. Tanya yelled at Karen. "You have worked here for four months," she yelled. "You haven’t rented one apartment yet. You are no good. You should quit. You should find another job. You are not a good real estate agent." Karen said, "I am a good real estate agent. But my clients have a big problem. They all want a penthouse, but they only have enough money for the basement." Tanya said that was not her problem. That was Karen’s problem. "I will give you two more weeks," Tanya said.

With the verve of words: Learning foreign languages in Iran

Dr. Azita Afrashi (born 1972) is an Iranian linguist who is an assistant professor at the Linguistics Department, Center for Humanities and Cultural Studies. She has three books on language and semantics and many research articles in national and international journals to her credit. She is also on the board of directors at Iran's Linguistics Association, the Iranian Studies Association and also a founding member of Iran-India Center for Culture in Bareily, India. Afrashi who can speak English, French and Turkish was voted the best researcher of the year at the Center for Research on Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism in 2009.

In an interview with Maryam Ala Amjadi she discusses English language and learning foreign languages in Iran.

Below is the abridged version of the interview translated by the interviewer.

 

Maryam Ala Amjadi: How far can English language learning in Iran be traced back in history?

Azita Afrashi: Well, English became the language of science and education for Iranians after French. Previously, France and other French speaking countries were primary options for the educated or those who went abroad for further studies. It was much later that Iranians started learning English language as we see it today. Not only for Iranians but also for almost non-English speaking countries in the world, this language was brought to the limelight when methods of English teaching were systematized at the beginning of the 20th century with the advent of the structuralism school pioneered by Leonard Bloomfield in the United States. But I can say it was during the Pahlavi period (1925-1979) that Iranians became more familiar with English and before that French was popular.

MAA: Yes, some people still use the word, "Merci" (pronounced Mersi in Iran) when they want to say thank you. But what was the motivation back then for learning the English language?

AF: Reasons ranged from individual to social. First and foremost was education. Iranians love education and they attach a lot of importance to learning and going to the university. Then there was travelling and the desire to see other parts of the world. We must also not overlook the impact of translators whose good work enticed readers to seek out the original language texts and inspired them to learn more about that language. Also, trade could have been another incentive but English learned solely for that purpose would be formal and pedantic.

MAA: English came to some countries as a result of not very pleasant experiences such as colonialism, war and… Despite its ever increasing popularity, English is not really a common language in Iran. What is the reason behind this?

AF: I think you have to attribute that to the power of Persian language and its supremacy. Iran was invaded in different periods by various ethnicities speaking different languages like Arabic and Turkish. But the Persian language was never conquered by these languages. I think it is remarkable that despite their desire to learn languages, Iranians still want to preserve their mother tongue. This has its own advantages but perhaps sometimes aversion to a foreign language could become an obstacle in learning that language.

MAA:  What challenges do Iranians face when they start learning English?

AF: Language structures of English and Persian are different. The most tangible difference is evident at the phonetics and lexical level. I think even at the highest level of proficiency, Iranians are still challenged when it comes to pronunciation. I don’t have a confident reason why this happens. The greatest challenge is to master the phonetic system of a language, know where to pause, where the stress falls and how deal with intonation. Also the most common complaint is about rules of the language. Sometimes English transcends rules and principles, particularly when it comes to formal and colloquial differences and this is a challenge to Iranians students who want learn by heart or memorize. Next levels are semantics and pragmatics.

http://www.tehrantimes.com

ادامه نوشته

Trees in the Jungle

It rains a lot in the jungle. The rain helps trees grow. The jungle has many trees. Trees are home for many jungle animals. Many animals live in the trees. Monkeys are jungle animals. Monkeys love trees. They love to swing from tree to tree. They climb down from the trees. They climb back up into the trees. They sit in the trees. They eat their food in the trees. They eat the plants in the trees. They eat the fruit in the trees. They live in the trees with the birds. They live in the trees with the lizards. They live in the trees with the snakes. They live in the trees with the ants. The trees in the jungle are full of animals.