www.angelfire.com/on/topfen/newsletter66.html
free weekly email newsletter

 
Newsletter back issues - No. 66

************************************************
John Finley's English email newsletter
Monday 19 March 2001 © 2001 Issue No. 66
************************************************

Contents:

1. Welcome
2. Test - past simple: irregular verbs
3. Idiom
4. Useful Links
5. Jokes
6. Subscribe/Unsubscribe information
7. Test answers
8. That's all folks

************************************************
1. Welcome
************************************************

 
Hello again

Spring is almost here! Getting up at 6am is much
easier when it's light outside, and each day it's
getting lighter earlier and earlier.

I'm writing this on Sunday evening, hoping that
the weather tomorrow will be sunny and warm like
today. Whatever the weather is like wherever you
are, I hope you have a great week!

Now, on with the show ...

************************************************
2. Test - past simple: irregular verbs
************************************************

 
Complete the following sentences by putting the
verb into the past simple form. Good luck!

1. We ..... to a great party at Anita's in January. (go)

2. Trude ..... a prize in a baking competition. (win)

3. She walked into the room and ..... a candle. (light)

4. Kurt ..... a cold last week. (catch)

5. Manfred ..... down the stairs. (fall )

6. Julia ..... the song beautifully. (sing)

7. My brother ..... me in the knee in 1980. (shoot)

8. Tony Blair ..... the Prime Minister in 1997. (become)

9. My parrot ..... away yesterday. (fly)

10. The train ..... 10 minutes late. (leave)

************************************************
3. Idiom
************************************************

 
## to be like chalk and cheese ##

If two people are like chalk and cheese then
they are completely different to each other.

For example, if one person is an extrovert while
the other is an introvert we can say that they
are like chalk and cheese.

We often use this idiom when talking about a
couple (married or not), two siblings (brothers
and sisters), or two good friends.

The key thing is that the two people just don't
seem to be like each other in their behaviour, or
in their likes and dislikes.

************************************************
4. Useful Links
************************************************

 
Here are some links which may be of use to you.

BBC website
Probably the best news resource on the internet,
with audio and video reports too!
http://news.bbc.co.uk

Babylon
Go to Babylon and see if there's a dictionary for
your language. If there is, then download it.
Then anytime you see an English word which
you don't know just click on it and the dictionary
translation/explanation in your language will pop
up. I like it! See what you think...
http://www.eslcafe.com/discussion

************************************************
5. Jokes
************************************************

 
A teacher wrote the following sentence on the
blackboard: "I ain't had no fun in months."

Then she asked the class, "How should I
correct this sentence?"

Mary raised her hand and said, "Get a boyfriend?"

 
#-#-# https://www.angelfire.com/on/topfen #-#-#

 
Alfred walked into a cocktail bar and ordered
martini after martini, each time removing the olives
and placing them in a jar, then drinking the martini.

As soon as the jar was filled with olives, Alfred
started to leave. "Excuse me," said a customer, who
was puzzled over what Alfred had done, "Why have
you put all the olives from your cocktails in a jar?"

Alfred replied, "Well, my wife sent me out to buy a
jar of olives, and the shop was closed!"

 
#-#-# https://www.angelfire.com/on/topfen #-#-#

 
A priest is stopped by a policeman for speeding
on the motorway. The policeman smells alcohol
on the priest's breath and then sees an empty wine
bottle on the floor of the car.

He says, "Sir, have you been drinking?"

"Only water," says the priest.

The policeman asks, "Then why do I smell wine?"

The priest looks at the bottle and says, "Good Lord!
He's done it again!"

************************************************
6. Subscribe/Unsubscribe details
************************************************

 
To subscribe, send a blank email to:
topfen-subscribe@listbot.com

To unsubscribe, send a blank email to:
topfen-unsubscribe@listbot.com

************************************************
7. Test answers
************************************************

 
Here are the completed sentences.
I hope you have all ten correct.

1. We went to a great party at Anita's in January.

2. Trude won a prize in a baking competition.

3. She walked into the room and lit a candle.

4. Kurt caught a cold last week.

5. Manfred fell down the stairs.

6. Julia sang the song beautifully.

7. My brother Aidan shot me in the knee in 1980.

8. Tony Blair became the Prime Minister in 1997.

9. My parrot flew away yesterday.

10. The train left 10 minutes late.

************************************************
8. That's all folks!
************************************************

 
That's all for this week.

Please send any jokes, website tips, etc. to me at
topfenman@yahoo.com

Keep smiling!

john finley

Back to Newsletter index