26.12.2018

1. He was ___ when he said that he didn't see anyone there.
   lying
   laying
2. She ___ about her experience in order to get that job.
   lay
   lied
   laid
3. You'll feel much better if you just ___ down and rest for a while.
   lie
   lay
4. He ___ the books on the table.
   lied
   lay
   laid
5. The hens aren't ___ any eggs this week.
   lying
   laying
6. Why did they ___ so many employees off at that company last year ?
   lay
   lie
7. He___ a serious charge against his employer.
   has lied
   has laid
   has lain
8. What I did ___ heavily on my conscience ever since.
   has lain
   has laid
   has lied
9. 
   
   
   
   The solution ___ with you.
   lies
   lays
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

25.12.2018

1. The negative advertising campaign didmade damage to the company’s reputation.
2. We didn’t feel like doingmaking dinner, so we decided to domake a reservation at our favourite restaurant.
3. Olivia doesmakes her best to domake yoga every morning.
4. I wanted to work for the company, but they did not domake me an offer. So I’m still unemployed and not doingmaking any money.
5. Mike doesmakes friends easily. In fact, yesterday when he was doingmaking karate, he met a funny guy named Ricardo.
6. The little boy didmade a wish and then blew out the candles on his birthday cake.

http://usefulenglish.ru/vocabulary/synonyms-exercise-six

20.12.2018 (10)

Did you know that the first artifical Christmas trees were actually made in the early 1930’s by a company called Addis Brush? They were in the business of making toilet scrubbers and brushes. So, the first fake trees were really nothing more than gigantic, green toilet bowl scrubbers. Imagine that! It’s pretty funny to think about now.

Since their invention, artificial trees have continued to gain widespread popularity. In 2007 alone, almost 18 million were sold here in the U.S. That should hardly be surprising especially in tough economic times. It’s commonly believed that buying an artificial Christmas tree saves money. You invest the money once, and use the tree year after year. Plus, you help the environment by saving a tree from being cut down.

So really, buying an artificial tree over a real one is a no brainer, right?

Well, not really. There are advantages and disadvantages to both sides of the “real” versus “fake” debate when it comes to Christmas trees. Let’s look at the various pros and cons so you can make the best decision for you and your family this holiday season.

FAKE ARTIFICIAL CHRISTMAS TREES

Advantages
1. One of the biggest advantages of using artificial trees is the cost savings. As I mentioned earlier, once you invest the money you’re done. You can use the tree year after year.

2. Artificial trees are convenient. All you need to do is drag it out of your attic, basement or garage once a year and you’re good to go. It’s always that “perfect shape”, and you don’t have to worry about haggling with the Christmas tree lot salesman to get a good deal. The trees don’t need any watering and won’t scatter mounds of messy needles all over the floor.

Disadvantages
The bad news is that there are a lot of disadvantages to using artificial Christmas trees, many of which you probably didn’t know about.

1. Artificial trees are made from PVC plastic. Researchers believe that millions of artificial trees, especially older models, could be harboring lead, which can easily spread inside the home. Furthermore, PVC plastics release dioxins over time. These dioxins are extremely toxic to both humans and animals. When they’re released into the air or water, they’re stored in our fatty tissue and can cause cancer, neurological damage, and many other serious health issues.

2. PVC is a petroleum-based, non-biodegradable plastic. Once you throw your artificial tree away, it’s going to be in the landfill forever. And because the plastic fibers are fused and glued to the metal frame, artificial trees can’t be recycled.

3. Over 85% of all the artificial trees sold in the U.S. come from China. This not only adds to the carbon footprint, but it means we’re buying (yet again) more products from China instead of something that’s produced here in the U.S.

4. Fake trees are a fire hazard. The Farmington Hills, MI fire department conducted a burn test to see which was more dangerous in a fire: an artificial tree or a real tree. Take a look at what happened.

REAL CHRISTMAS TREES

Advantages
1. According to the USDA, almost all of the real Christmas trees sold in the U.S. are grown by U.S. farmers. 

2. Right now, there are over 350 million Christmas trees growing here in the U.S. These trees help keep our air clean and also provide sheltered habitat for wildlife. And for every tree cut down, 1-3 trees are planted in its place in the Spring.

3. Real trees make your home smell really, really good. There’s nothing better than walking into your home and smelling the fresh scent of balsam fir! 

4. There are more than 4,000 Christmas Tree recycling programs around the U.S. Real trees can be easily recycled, unlike artificial trees.

5. Going out to find your own tree is fun and helps to reduce and relieve holiday stress. Each tree is unique in its own way, and discovering your “perfect tree” is a great way to make memories with friends and family.

Disadvantages
1. The biggest disadvantage to buying a real tree is, again, the cost. Most trees run $20-$70, and many top $200 or more. To make matters worse, this is an yearly expense since you need to buy a new tree every year.

2. Real trees are high maintenance. They must be watered continuously, and will drop needles on the floor.

FINAL WORD

When it comes to the “real” versus “fake” debate, I’m a huge fan of real trees.

18.12.2018

Microscopic view of a gas.

Microscopic view of a liquid.

Microscopic view of a solid.

'Make' or 'Do'?

It can be hard to decide when to use 'make' or 'do' in English. Here's some help.

1: We use 'make' when we create or construct something. For example:

• She made a cake.
• I've made us some coffee.
• Did you really make those trousers?

2: We use 'do' for general activities. In this case, 'do' is often used with 'something', 'nothing', 'anything' or 'everything':

• What did you do at the weekend?
• I didn't do anything yesterday.
• She's fed up with doing everything herself. She needs some help.
• Are you doing anything interesting during the holidays?

NOTE: 'What do you do?' means 'what's your job?' 

3: There are many, many fixed expressions with 'make' and 'do'. Unfortunately, they don't really follow any useful rules, so you have to learn them. Sorry! 

Here's a list: (download this list in PDF).

• 1. I need to  a lot of housework this weekend.
• 2. I've  such a mess!
• 3. I haven’t  the dishes since Monday!
• 4. Yesterday the sun was shining, so I  4 loads of washing.
• 5. My father enjoys  the ironing! 
• 6. A: Where's Janet? B: Oh, she’s  the beds.
• 7. After every meal she  the washing-up.
• 8. Her boyfriend  the drying-up.
• 9. Our place looks spotless! We  all the cleaning yesterday.
• 10. This carpet is full of crumbs! I’ll have to  the vacuuming.
• 11. The furniture is dusty. Could you help me  the dusting and polishing please?
• 12. He had a shower, got dressed and then  his bed.

10,12,2018

04.12.2018

30,11,2018

26.11.2018

23,11,2018

15.11.2018

https://elt.oup.com/student/quickwork/intermediate/3tacklingproblems/vocabulary/qw_int_3vocabulary_02?cc=ua&selLanguage=uk&mode=hub

12.11.2018

Worth or worthwhile?

from English Grammar Today

Worth and worthwhile are adjectives.

Worth is only used after verbs such as be, seem, look (as a predicative adjective). It means ‘having a particular value’, especially in money:

A:

I wonder how much the house is worth?

B:

About half a million, probably.

To be worth doing something is a common expression. It means that something is useful or important enough to do:

A:

I haven’t had a reply to my email to Jane. Is it worth phoning her, do you think?(Would it be useful to phone her?)

B:

You could try, I suppose.

We decided it wasn’t worth going all the way to London to buy books we could get on the Internet.

To be worth it means ‘to be of reasonable or good value for the price’:

A business class ticket cost £2,000, but it was worth it for such a long flight. It was very comfortable.

We use worthwhile before a noun (as an attributive adjective) or after verbs such as be, seem, look (as a predicative adjective). It means ‘useful’, ‘important’ or ‘good enough to be a suitable reward for the money or time spent or the effort made’:

Do you think working in a supermarket is a worthwhile career for a highly intelligent person?

We had thought of buying a bigger car, but we didn’t think it was worthwhile, since there’s just the two of us.

worthless

Note that if something is worthless, it has no value or use:

• The guarantee will be worthless if the company goes out of business.
• With hyperinflation the local currency has become virtually worthless.

05,11,2018

29.10.2018 (10)

https://www.englishpage.com/prepositions/mixed_prepositions_1.htm

Despite vs. in spite of

The prepositions in spite of and despite are exactly the same in all their definitions, and they are usually interchangeable. For writers who value brevity, despite is better. There’s nothing wrong with in spite of, though, and sometimes the three-syllable term sounds better than the two-syllable one.

Although despite generally appears about five times as often as in spite of, despite is even more heavily favored in edited writing. For example, the despite—in spite of ratio in large news publications like the New York Times and the Guardian is greater than 20 to one. One major exception is the British Financial Times, which uses despite only about twice as often as in spite of. We can’t explain this.

24.10.2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=105&v=9zrvu6EBHyE

19.1.2018

https://www.test-english.com/grammar-points/b1-b2/reporting-verbs/3/

17.10.2018

12,10,2018

https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/preposition-collocations-exercise-1.html

10,10,2018

1.    a) Why are you smelling the soup?
      b) Why do you smell the soup?
   
2.    a) She was feeling his arm on her shoulder.
      b) She felt his arm on her shoulder.
   
3.    a) Are you having an English dictionary?
      b) Do you have an English dictionary?
   
4.    a) What are you thinking about?
      b) What do you think about?
   
5.    a) I am feeling much better today.
      b) I feel much better today.
   
6.    a) What are you looking at?
      b) What do you look at?
   
7.    a) I am not hearing you.
      b) I can't hear you.
   
8.    a) What are you thinking of me?
      b) What do you think of me?
   
9.    a) I am feeling we should go home now.
      b) I feel we should go home now.
   
10.    a) This bread is tasting funny.
       b) This bread tastes funny.

1. We  (be) at the office right now.
2. I  (see) that you are busy at the moment.
3. We  (have) a coffee.
4. I  (think) that's not true.
5. Joe  (be) silly again.
6. I  (see) Ben. We have a lot of fun together.
7. Your cooking  (taste) great.
8. We  (have) three kids.
9. We  (taste) the cakes now.
10. I  (think) about it at the moment

02,10,2018 (15)

0.09.2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaoDXYYtgK0

24.09.2018

Writing Task.

Write a formal email following the instructions below. Your email should be at least 100 words.

Your customer wrote an email to you where he is willing to arrange a conference call with you on Tuesday at 11 am. Decline your participation, provide a reasonable excuse and suggest another time and day. Don’t forget to open and close your email politely.

19,09,2018

17,09,2018

https://www.englishgrammar.org/infinitives-exercise/

https://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/257.html

13,09,2018

https://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/18.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WamPAPl1HDs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvryVd76UpI

I've instructed my client to remain silent.

He's not gonna talk.

Oh, that's okay.

That's okay.

I don't have much faith in words myself.

Now, statistically speaking, the average person tells three lies per 10 minutes of conversation.

And, granted, that's just regular people.

We haven't studied any people who are planning to firebomb a black church.

Could skew differently.

We don't have time for this scientist to talk to the guy.

We went at him for four hours and got nothing.

Now, the F.B.I.knows you want mass casualties.

So right now, A.T.F.is searching every inch of the two largest black churches in the state.

Ooh.F.B.I.got it wrong.Well, there's a shocker.

Not one of those two churches.

Maybe you want one of the smaller churches in one of the black suburbs.

- You don't know what you're talking about.

- Don't respond! What do you say A.T.F.starts with Southbridge? No, I'm only kidding.

We're gonna skip that one.They're gonna focus on Lawton.

You feel good about that? That's it.

Lawton.

Going after a church in Lawton.

That accusation has no basis.

What do you mean? He just told me.

The A.T.F.found a pipe bomb in a church basement in Lawton an hour later.

D.O.D.friend of mine said this guy's a total nut job.

Heard he spent, like, three years in the African jungle with some primitive tribes studying their eyebrows.

Watch his reaction to my statement.

Right now, A.T.F.is searching every inch of the two largest black churches in the state.

Now, what you just saw there was a brief expression of happiness on his face which he was trying his best to conceal.

It lasted for less than a fifth of a second and it's what we call a microexpression.

Now, look at his mouth.

The suspect is secretly happy about the locations we are searching which tells me we have the wrong locations.

Now I tell him of our new plan.

And - You don't know what you're talking about.

- Classic one-sided shrug.

no confidence in what I just said.

The body contradicts the words.

He's lying.

Yeah? When you accuse a suspect and he acts surprised is there a way to tell if it's real, or if he's just trying to look innocent? Now, that's real surprise.

Lasts for less than a second when it comes across your face.

But if your suspect is surprised for more than a second, he's faking it.

He's lying.