Use the correct grammar

Are you on the verge of cracking up?

Are you in love with someone?

Are people taking you for granted?

Are you at odds with everyone?

Morning rush hour on Westminster Bridge

I wonder how many people have seen and took a photograph of this famous landmark in London?

Are you Under the Weather?

How many of these phrasal verbs can you use?  Do you know some more interesting expressions?
For Example:
I am stressed out.
I feel over the moon.
Has the cat got your tongue?

Learning a new language

Which language is easier to learn Japanese, Mandarin or Arabic?

According to the Foreign Service Institute, Japanese is the most difficult language for a native English speaker to learn. This ranking takes into account not only the language itself but also the cultural aspect that comes with learning any language, so it is perhaps no surprise the most difficult language would come from a culture that is also notoriously difficult for Westerners to adjust to. Grammatically speaking, Japanese couldn’t be more different from English; it belongs to its own language family, Japonic or Japanese-Ryukyuan, so the vocabulary wouldn’t be familiar except for the occasional loan-word here and there; and instead of an alphabet, the Japanese writing system consists of characters adopted from Chinese plus two different syllabaries. If you meet a native English speaker who learned Japanese to any degree of proficiency, give him or her a pat on the back.

私立英語教師、イーリングの有資格者

تعلم الانجليزية

دروس خاصة في الانجليزية

أساتذة متخصصون أصحاب خبر

Dohar Delights To Be Continued..

1 Dohar Delights 

“I`ve done it, I booked my flight, I am flying to Qatar next week. I can`t wait! Do you think you and your fella will get a chance to come out and visit once I am settled?”

“I dunno Frankie. I will try and speak to Phill soon. We could do with a holiday, he works too hard nowadays.” Mo replied. I often asked the advice of my big sister Mo. She knows me better than I know myself.

“You and Phill will love it there fantastic weather, a private pool, 5-star hotel. No pubs mind you but your other half could do with a few weeks off the beer anyway.”

“I `ll run it by him but I can't promise anything. I must admit I fancy a few weeks in the sun away from London.”

I didn't stay chatting to my sister long on the phone. I still had so much to sort out. She would only try and talk me out of it anyway. She has always been the sensible one in our family.

Here I am now sitting by the pool in Dohar, Qatar, with a cold fruit juice in my hand and the sound of wailing in the distance. The sky is a gorgeous clear blue as it is always and it is incredibly hot even at 8.30 in the evening. “What am I doing here anyway?” I reflected for about the tenth time that day. I had lived in a hot climate before in Spain but this was another level. I was starting to have serious doubts about my decision to emigrate to the Middle East and leave my secure job in a college in London behind. It wasn`t like I even had a definite job lined up. The agency just promised me 3 months work teaching English with the accommodation included in the package. It is my first day tomorrow in the school and I don`t know anyone here and I can`t speak a word of Arabic. How bad can it be?

I walked into the spotless classroom expecting to be greeted with a chorus of friendly greetings and fake smiles from disgruntled teachers. They are usually too busy marking or preparing lessons that they hardly have time to even look up. It somehow seemed different here. I was actually made to feel welcome and respected right away.

2 Turkish Delight

After the trauma of my first English  lesson on Qatar soil I retreated to the comfort of the staff room to re-group and get my lunch. As I approached the room a dark haired attractive lady smiled and spoke to me in perfect English.

"I know you from somewhere don`t I ?"

"No I doubt it.This is my first day here I only arrived in the country two days ago," I replied. "My name`s Frankie"

"Hi Frankie, I`m Zara. Hope you enjoy working here, don`t worry it is not as scary as you think."

"I`m just going to lunch. Where does everyone usually go?"I asked.

Zara walked with me down a few corridors and showed me into an impressive looking dining area.

"I am busy now," she said, maybe catch up later,"

As I sat in the corner of the cafe area eating my pizza I reflected back on our short conversation earlier. She has got a slight Spanish accent from the Catalan region. She must be in her mid fifties, good figure still, she must be teaching English here too. It was turning into a very interesting first day at the Dohar School of English.

Waiting for me in the warm cosy cafe in Gerard's Cross was Julie. She sat alone in the corner staring out of the window at the busy lunchtime traffic. Will she even want to hear what I have to say after what happened the last time we met, I wondered.Julie is not one to hold a grudge I'm sure she will help me this one last time.

"Hi you look great, "I said. "Can I get you another coffee?"

"No thanks Frankie I can't stay long, "Julie replied. "Long time no see how are you and what's with the late night phone calls? Norman is starting to suspect I'm up to something."

"Look Julie as I told you I know we are over but I need your help. I have to get far away from here and quickly, I pleaded.

Julie was my first real girlfriend we used to be flatmates in a big shared house in Chiswick when we were both working in London. We were only together about 6 months but we remained good friends until she married Norman last year.

"Why you in such a rush to get away? she asked. "I thought you hated

flying"

"I can't explain the full story now but I need your help I have to lie low for a while can I move in with your brother in Turkey?"

"I'm in big trouble Julie can you get me on a flight today?" I begged.

Julie wasn't impressed with my behaviour but I managed to convince her that I was deadly serious and she knew I wouldn't contact her out of the blue unless it was extremely important. Julie was wise enough to not quiz me too much for more information, she paid for a flight and arranged for her brother to meet me in a bar in Ankara  Turkey later that night. While waiting for her brother, Harry I tried to get my thoughts in order. I had to get rid off my mobile phone and only use the local currency. This secret spy lark was all new to me. If they find me out here I've had it, they won't rest until they get the truth out of me.

Harry kept his part of the deal and before long I was in his truck climbing the steep tracks to his place in the hills.

I was too tired to make much conversation and before long I drifted off to sleep. The next thing I knew I was being woken up outside Harry`s home, which was to become my place of refuge from the madness that was taking over my life.

Harry and I had only ever met once before, briefly at a friend of Julie`s weeding four years ago.Thankfully he isn`t  the chatty type so I kept my explanation to the bare minimum as to why I was suddenly coming to stay, without any luggage and no idea of how long I intended staying. He gave me some manual work to do for his building firm so I was able to live with him without the need to use what money was left in my bank account. I was determined not to reveal my whereabouts to anyone. It was not going to be easy I knew that much. After a few weeks I was  anxious to discover if anyone had tried to contact my friends to try and discover where I`d disappeared to. There was no point in calling anyone it would only lead to one thing...someone kicking in my door when I`m asleep in bed.

The weeks turned to months and I was starting to feel that maybe this new life in Turkey was going to be OK. I had a job, somewhere to live and the weather was a lot better than back in London. It was the first time since I was a student that I felt physically strong and fit. Working for Harry everyday was demanding and most nights I collapsed into bed exhausted after hours of moving furniture, loading up skips and digging foundations.

Julie sent me a message one day via Harry`s email. She just wanted to let me know that if I needed more money she could send me some. I thanked her but told her I was fine for the time being. That was my first big mistake I shouldn`t have pressed send on Harry`s laptop!

Great Short Story Writers

Ernest Hemmingway wrote a short story with just six words, after he agreed to a bet.

He wrote

For Sale. Baby shoes never used.

This story leaves so much to the readers imagination. It is still a very powerful effective short story.

Spanish Chicas and Japanese Writers

Costa Conversations

It started in the baking hot streets of Zaragoza, Spain nearly 20 years ago. Who would have thought that Dann would still be teaching English! It all got more serious in 2010 when he returned to study at Harrow college and was awarded the Cambridge CELTA. Now it is official he can teach English for a living.

Who was that young girl in one of his first lessons who fell off her chair and hurt her head? It nearly ended then before it even got started. So many Spanish names all of them forgotten now. What about the gorgeous housewife in her black leather pants? Dann and his two flatmates fancied her and she cheered up Monday afternoons for sure. There was Pilar, and the Inter-Cambio girls.  Fat Susie was always on their minds too. The most memorable girl Dann met was Dove! What a name! How could you ever forget it? Paloma that was her name, or was it? Still today we can't be sure.

Today Dann was in Costa with the 3 writers, Taibgh, Jali and Yohan. “You should be a writer too,” one of them said.” You just need to start writing a short story and go from there.”I don't know, maybe,” Dann replied,”my brother is a writer now he has written a book of poems but he hasn't sold many books so far”.

Jalel went on to tell Dann about his recent book and, without being asked, he went and got a copy for him from his car. He signed the inside cover and proudly handed it over. Now Dann owns two signed books one from his brother Stan and one book from Jalel Two from Libya.

So where does the deer fit into this story?

A deer not to be messed with

Dann read the blurb of his new book and left it down in his car and thought no more about the 3 writers he met in Costa coffee shop. Later that same afternoon he was out cycling in Richmond Park admiring the wide open spaces and the gorgeous Autumn colours when he came across a fully grown stag looking for action. Dann knew that it was mating season for deer and he had read about stags attacking people who tried to get too close, to take a selfie. Maybe I can ride close by, take a photo quickly and pedal like crazy before the beast knows what`s happening, Dann thought. "How fast can they even run? " He said to himself. What a way to die speared in the chest by a randy stag chasing a man on a mountain bike. Forget it no photograph is worth that kind of risk, he decided.  The stag was not available for comment. He just carried on eating grass contentedly.As he was cycling around Richmond park he thought more about what makes a good photo and how far would someone go to take one. What about the photo of the Chinese student in front of the tank in Tiananmen Square,The Twin Towers on 9/11 or the image of  first man on on the Moon?
“I want to be a writer too,” David exclaimed,” It sounds like fun and it can't be that difficult ,surely.” “Aye why not.”Terry replied, in his unmistakable Glasgow patter.” You`d make a great writer but it`s a lot of work.” “I have a short story in mind about a bored English teacher who decides to move to Saudi Arabia to work as a private tutor.”Terry looked up from his mobile and smiled, “aye you may as well what ya got to lose?” They continued to chat and while away the afternoon in their usual coffee shop in Ealing. Outside the street lights were coming on. Just gone five and already it was dark. It was going to be another long Winter teaching in that school, David thought. Maybe this time I will just take off and see what life is like somewhere else. Anywhere else.

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What makes a good photo?

Which of the 3 photos is your favourite and why? 
I took the photo of the stranger on the beach fishing, very early in the morning on my first day of my holiday to the Algarve in Portugal. The solitude and the peace and quite was what I was trying to capture.

 The second photo is of a harbour and mountain view in Lanzarote Spain. I love this view as it is so relaxing but also interesting. It suggests to me possibilities of travel to far of places. It is also a memory of an enjoyable holiday a few years ago.

The third photo is a collection of random photos. They have no real connection. I am the person sitting on the little wooden bridge on the left. This was taken in the Pyrenees in Spain the views all around were amazing. The bird photo is not mine but it shows incredible photographic skills and I love the colour too!

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Indoor Pond at Kew Gardens

Inside a Bee Hive at Kew Gardens

Humanity