Saint Patrick's day: Meanings of Irish Proverbs & Sayings

Well its getting closer to SaintPatrick's day . With all the planning for festivities and stocking up on the corned beef and cabbage, I began thinking of an old Irish saying I have heard. "The luck of the Irish" - what does that exactly mean? Does that mean the Irish are extraordinarily lucky? Or does it mean they have no luck at all? Could it be a bit of irony?

Who was St. Patrick

Saint Patrick's Day is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick (c. AD 387–461), the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutheran Church. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official feast day in the early 17th century, and has gradually become a secular celebration of Irish culture in general.

Writing Business Letters - 2

Today business communication gains more popularity, becoming gradually more informal as the Internet along with electronic media becomes an important aspect in business contacts. Although it is no longer a surprise to receive an electronic business message from an unknown person but addressed to you by your first name, in business, writing letters is still very important and thus a person needs to know the basic rules of writing a formal business letter. It is important to be aware of the fact that the tone of a business letter directly depends of the way to address to the correspondent. 

Writing Business Letters - 1

При написании письма многие стопорятся в самом начале, так как не знают, с чего начинать и какие фразы использовать. Сегодня мы расскажем о том,

Bridget Jones's Diary

This romantic comedy follows Bridget (Renee Zellweger), a post-feminist, thirty-something British woman who has a penchant for alcoholic binges, smoking, and an inability to control her weight. While trying to keep these things in check and also deal with her job in publishing, she visits her parents for a Christmas party. They try to set her up with Mark (Colin Firth), the visiting son of one of their neighbors. Snubbed by Mark, she instead falls for her boss Daniel (Hugh Grant), a dashing lothario who begins to send her suggestive e-mails that soon lead to a dinner date proposition. Daniel reveals that he and Mark attended college together, during which time Mark had an affair with his fiancée. When Bridget finds Daniel cavorting with an American colleague, she decides to change her life with a new job as a TV presenter. At a dinner party, she bumps into Mark again, who expresses his affection for her; when Daniel claims he wants Bridget back, the two fight over who deserves her affections the most. Popular British performers Gemma Jones, Jim Broadbent, and Shirley Henderson appear in the supporting cast.

A Mystery to Solve

First Mystery

Written by Cathy Wiley,

Suspects :  Caitlyn Randall,  Haley Stukowski,  Libby Miller,  Teresa McGrew

There are 4 clues in this mystery.

Teresa McGrew loved her job. She loved being surrounded by all the fashionable clothes; loved to see and touch them. She even enjoyed folding and arranging them just right in order to showcase the fabric and colors.

Do YOU understand REAL English?

THIS is textbook English:

John: I used to weigh 225 pounds, but I lost 150 pounds on a fantastic diet!
Tom: That's amazing! How did you do that?
John: It was simple! I ate healthy food and went to the gym many times.
Tom: I'm very jealous! I need to lose weight too!

THIS is REAL English:

John: I once weighed a deuce and a quarter, but shed a buck fifty on an awesome diet!
Tom: Seriously?! How'd you pull that off?!
John: It was a piece of cake! I ate right and busted my ass at the gym!
Tom: You're the man! I need to get rid of my own fat tire!

REAL English speakers use slang, quotes from movies and TV,
and often DON'T use grammatically correct, textbook English.