воскресенье, 31 мая 2020 г.

What is Pronunciation?

pronunciation (noun): the way in which we pronounce a word
pronounce (verb): to make the sound of a word

"Pronunciation" refers to the way in which we make the sound of words.

To pronounce words, we push air from our lungs up through our throat and vocal chords, through our mouth, past our tongue and out between our teeth and lips. (Sometimes air also travels through our nose.)

To change the sound that we are making, we mainly use the muscles of our mouth, tongue and lips to control the shape of our mouth and the flow of air. If we can control the shape of our mouth and the flow of air correctly, then our pronunciation is clearer and other people understand us more easily.

Speakers of different languages tend to develop different muscles of the mouth for pronunciation. When we speak a foreign language, our muscles may not be well developed for that language, and we will find pronunciation more difficult. By practising the foreign language pronunciation, our muscles develop and pronunciation improves.

As well as creating correct vowel and consonant sounds using the muscles of our mouth, tongue and lips, there are other important aspects of pronunciation, including:

word stress - emphasis on certain syllables in a word
sentence stress - emphasis on certain words in a sentence
linking - joining certain words together
intonation - the rise and fall of our voice as we speak

Note the spelling of the verb pronounce and the noun pronunciation (NOT ~~pronounciation~~).

Word Stress

Word stress is your magic key to understanding spoken English. Native speakers of English use word stress naturally. Word stress is so natural for them that they don't even know they use it. Non-native speakers who speak English to native speakers without using word stress, encounter two problems:

They find it difficult to understand native speakers, especially those speaking fast.
The native speakers may find it difficult to understand them.

In this lesson we look at the most important aspects of word stress, followed by a short quiz to check your understanding:

Understanding Syllables

syllable (noun): a unit of pronunciation that has one vowel sound, and may or may not be surrounded by consonants. A syllable can form a whole word or part of a word. For example, there is one syllable in cat, two syllables in monkey and three syllables in elephant.

To understand word stress, it helps to understand syllables.
Every word is made from syllables.
Each word has one, two, three or more syllables.

word		number of syllables
dog	dog	1
green	green	1
quite	quite	1
quiet	qui-et	2
orange	or-ange	2
table	ta-ble	2
expensive	ex-pen-sive	3
interesting	in-tres-ting in-te-res-ting	3 or 4
unrealistic	un-rea-lis-tic	4
unexceptional	un-ex-cep-tio-nal	5

Notice that (with a few rare exceptions) every syllable contains at least one vowel (a, e, i, o or u) or vowel sound.

What is Word Stress?

In English, we do not say each syllable with the same force or strength. In one word, we accentuate ONE syllable. We say one syllable very loudly (big, strong, important) and all the other syllables very quietly.

Let's take 3 words: photograph, photographer and photographic. Do they sound the same when spoken? No. Because we accentuate (stress) ONE syllable in each word. And it is not always the same syllable. So the "shape" of each word is different.

Listen to these words. Do you hear the stressed syllable in each word?

3 syllables, stress on #1
PHO-TO-GRAPH

https://www.englishclub.com/audio/pronunciation/pho-tograph.mp3

4 syllables, stress on #2

PHO-TO-GRAPH-ER

https://www.englishclub.com/audio/pronunciation/photo-grapher.mp3

4 syllables, stress on #3

PHO-TO-GRAPH-IC

https://www.englishclub.com/audio/pronunciation/photograph-ic.mp3

This happens in ALL words with 2 or more syllables: TEACHer, JaPAN, CHINa, aBOVE, converSAtion, INteresting, imPORtant, deMAND, etCETera, etCETera, etCETera

The syllables that are not stressed are weak or small or quiet. Fluent speakers of English listen for the STRESSED syllables, not the weak syllables. If you use word stress in your speech, you will instantly and automatically improve your pronunciation and your comprehension.

Try to hear the stress in individual words each time you listen to English - on the radio, or in films for example. Your first step is to HEAR and recognise it. After that, you can USE it!

There are two very important rules about word stress:

One word, one stress. (One word cannot have two stresses. So if you hear two stresses, you have heard two words, not one word.)
The stress is always on a vowel.

Why is Word Stress Important?

Word stress is not used in all languages. Some languages, Japanese or French for example, pronounce each syllable with eq-ual em-pha-sis.

Other languages, English for example, use word stress and pro-NOUNCE DIF-fer-ent SYL-la-bles with more or less im-POR-tance.

Word stress is not an optional extra that you can add to the English language if you want. It is part of the language! Fluent English speakers use word stress to communicate rapidly and accurately, even in difficult conditions. If, for example, you do not hear a word clearly, you can still understand the word because of the position of the stress.

Think again about the two words photograph and photographer. Now imagine that you are speaking to somebody by telephone over a very bad line. You cannot hear clearly. In fact, you hear only the first two syllables of one of these words, photo... Which word is it, photograph or photographer?

Of course, with word stress you will know immediately which word it is because in reality you will hear either...

PHO-TO...

https://www.englishclub.com/audio/pronunciation/photo1.mp3

PHO-TO...

https://www.englishclub.com/audio/pronunciation/photo2.mp3

So without hearing the whole word, you probably know what the word is...

PHO-TO...GRAPH

https://www.englishclub.com/audio/pronunciation/pho-tograph.mp3

PHO-TO...GRAPH-ER

https://www.englishclub.com/audio/pronunciation/photo-grapher.mp3

It's magic! (Of course, you also have the context of your conversation to help you.)

This is a simple example of how word stress helps us understand spoken English–especially rapid spoken English. There are many, many other examples, because we use word stress all the time, without thinking about it.

Where do I Put Word Stress?

There are some word stress rules about which syllable to stress. But...the rules are rather complicated! Probably the best way to learn is from experience. Listen carefully to spoken English and try to develop a feeling for the "music" of the language.

When you learn a new word, you should also learn its stress pattern. If you keep a vocabulary book, make a note to show which syllable is stressed. If you do not know, you can look in a dictionary. All dictionaries give the phonetic spelling of a word. This is where they show which syllable is stressed, usually with an apostrophe (') just before or just after the stressed syllable. (The notes in the dictionary will explain the system used.)

Look at (and listen to) this example for the word plastic. There are two syllables and the first syllable is stressed.

PLAS-TIC

https://www.englishclub.com/audio/pronunciation/plastic.mp3

phonetic spelling for plastic
dictionary A	dictionary B
/plæs' tIk/	/'plæs tIk/

Notice that dictionary A uses a different system to dictionary B to show which syllable is stressed. Of course, it's the same word (plastic), and the stress is the same (the first syllable). But dictionary A puts an apostrophe after the stressed syllable, and dictionary B puts an apostrophe before the stressed syllable. You need to check your dictionary's notes to know which system it uses.

Word Stress Rules

There are two very simple rules about word stress:

One word has only one stress. (One word cannot have two stresses. If you hear two stresses, you hear two words. Two stresses cannot be one word. It is true that there can be a "secondary" stress in some words. But a secondary stress is much smaller than the main [primary] stress, and is only used in long words.)
We can only stress vowels, not consonants.

Here are some more, rather complicated, rules that can help you understand where to put the stress. But do not rely on them too much, because there are many exceptions. It is better to try to "feel" the music of the language and to add the stress naturally.

A. Stress on first syllable

rule	example
Most 2-syllable nouns	PRESent, EXport, CHIna, TAble
Most 2-syllable adjectives	PRESent, SLENder, CLEVer, HAPpy

https://www.englishclub.com/audio/pronunciation/stress-a.mp3

B. Stress on last syllable

rule	example
Most 2-syllable verbs	preSENT, exPORT, deCIDE, beGIN

https://www.englishclub.com/audio/pronunciation/stress-b.mp3

There are many two-syllable words in English whose meaning and class change with a change in stress. The word present, for example is a two-syllable word. If we stress the first syllable, it is a noun (gift) or an adjective (opposite of absent). But if we stress the second syllable, it becomes a verb (to offer). More examples: the words export, import, contract and object can all be nouns or verbs depending on whether the stress is on the first or second syllable.

C. Stress on penultimate syllable (penultimate = second from end)

rule	example
Words ending in -ic	GRAPHic, geoGRAPHic, geoLOGic
Words ending in -sion and -tion	teleVIsion, reveLAtion

https://www.englishclub.com/audio/pronunciation/stress-c.mp3

For a few words, native English speakers don't always "agree" on where to put the stress. For example, some people say teleVIsion and others say TELevision. Another example is: CONtroversy and conTROversy.

D. Stress on ante-penultimate syllable (ante-penultimate = third from end)

rule	example
Words ending in -cy, -ty, -phy and -gy	deMOcracy, dependaBIlity, phoTOgraphy, geOLogy
Words ending in -al	CRItical, geoLOGical

https://www.englishclub.com/audio/pronunciation/stress-d.mp3

E. Compound words (words with two parts)

rule	example
For compound nouns, the stress is on the first part	BLACKbird, GREENhouse
For compound adjectives, the stress is on the second part	bad-TEMpered, old-FASHioned
For compound verbs, the stress is on the second part	underSTAND, overFLOW

https://www.englishclub.com/audio/pronunciation/stress-e.mp3

Word Stress Quiz

You can do this quiz online or print it on paper. It tests your understanding of the word stress pages. For each question, the correct choice is the one in which the stressed syllable is capitalized, as in voCABulary.

суббота, 30 мая 2020 г.

Coronavirus COVID-19 Vocabulary

This glossary of terms related to coronaviruses and COVID-19 in particular is intended for learners of English though it may be of interest to a wider audience. In times of crisis, knowing and understanding the terminology involved may help alleviate some of the fears and even panic that such times breed.

Real-time Map of COVID-19 Worldwide
[Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at John Hopkins University (JHU)]

A virus is a micro-organism, too small to be seen without a microscope, that causes infectious disease in animals and humans.

Background

In December 2019 a new disease was identified in China. On investigation, the disease was caused by a new virus of the coronavirus family, and has since been officially named COVID-19.

It is believed (subject to further investigation) that COVID-19 originated in a meat and live-animal market in the city of Wuhan in the province of Hubei in the country of China. It subsequently spread to other countries and was officially pronounced a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020.

Glossary

Each of the following terms, listed in alphabetical order, has 1) a basic definition and 2) an example sentence showing how the term may be used in context.

While for simplicity we sometimes refer below to “humans and animals” or "animals and humans", we do of course recognize that humans are in fact animals.

animal-human interface (noun): any point where animals (domestic and wild) and humans meet - Animal diseases can potentially pass to humans at any animal-human interface such as a zoo, farm or animal market.

asymptomatic (adjective): showing no symptoms of a particular disease - She had no idea her husband had coronavirus because he was asymptomatic.

carrier (noun): a person or animal that transmits a disease to others, whether suffering from it themselves or not - People who are asymptomatic can still be carriers.
carry (verb): be infected with a disease and able to transmit it to others, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic - Some people may carry coronavirus without knowing it.
community spread (noun): transmission of a disease directly within a community and not by importation from a foreign source - With this many new positive cases, the evidence suggests that we now have community spread right here in our county.
contact tracing (noun): identification and monitoring of people who may have had contact with an infectious person - By insisting on strict contact tracing as soon as someone was potentially infected, they managed to control the spread of the disease.

contagious (adjective): describing a disease that can pass from person to person, usually by direct contact; describing a person with such a disease. See infectious - Patients who are still contagious are kept in isolation.

coronavirus (noun): any one of a large family of viruses that can cause disease in the breathing and eating systems of humans and animals (respiratory and digestive systems). Coronavirus diseases can range from the relatively harmless common cold to more severe and potentially fatal diseases such as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Seen through a microscope, coronaviruses appear circular with spikes, like crowns 👑, and are named from the Latin for crown, which is corona. Coronaviruses normally originate in animals and usually cannot be passed to humans. But very occasionally a coronavirus mutates and can then be transmitted from animal to human, and then from human to human. This is how the SARS epidemic started in the early 2000s, for example - Did you know that flu is a coronavirus disease?

COVID-19 (noun): official name for the novel coronavirus disease that emerged in China in 2019. COVID-19 = COronaVIrus Disease-2019 - All countries are requested to report any new confirmed case of COVID-19 within 48 hours.

diagnose (verb): identify an illness by examining the symptoms - Only a medical professional can properly diagnose the cause of your problem.
diagnosis (noun): identification of an illness by examination of the symptoms - If you're not happy with the doctor's diagnosis you could always get a second opinion.

disease (noun): illness; sickness; a disorder of the body - Polio is one of several serious diseases that have been nearly eradicated.

droplets (noun): the spray produced when people cough or sneeze, and which can spread diseases like COVID-19 - Health care personnel wear protective clothing to guard against the disease carried in droplets when infected people sneeze or cough.

epidemic (noun): occurrence of a particular disease in a large number of people in a particular area. See outbreak, pandemic - The city was devastated by an epidemic of cholera in the 19th century.

flatten the curve (verb - figurative): change the steep upward curve on a graph of new disease cases to a flatter, shallower upward curve over a longer time period through measures such as social distancing - Authorities hope that by introducing social distancing they will be able to flatten the curve and avoid hospitals being rapidly overwhelmed with new cases.

herd immunity (noun): an indirect protection from a disease resulting from a large percentage of the population gaining immunity (either through vaccination or through recovering from the disease) - This virus is unlike the seasonal flu because there is currently no vaccine or herd immunity, he said.
incubation period (noun): the time from a person’s first exposure to a disease to the time when symptoms develop - When they know the incubation period they will know how long to keep people in quarantine.
infect (verb): affect a human or animal with a disease-causing organism - But can it infect human beings?

infected (adjective/past participle): affected with a disease-causing organism - They were able to cure the infected left lung before the infection could spead to the right lung.

infection (noun): process of infecting; state of being infected; infectious disease - Breast milk can help protect babies against various infections.

infectious (adjective): describing a disease that can be transmitted through the environment; describing a human or animal capable of spreading an infection. See contagious - Avoid the dogs as they may still be infectious.

Strictly speaking, a contagious disease is transmitted by physical contact, and an infectious disease is transmitted via micro-organisms in the air or water. But in practice there is little or no difference in meaning between contagious and infectious when related to disease.

isolate (verb): keep an infected person away from healthy people - They will isolate anyone suspected of having the disease.

isolation (noun): separation of infected people from healthy people for serious contagious diseases like COVID-19 - Travellers arriving from the infected area were immediately put in isolation.

mask (noun): a piece of fibre or cloth that fits over the nose and mouth to protect other people from the wearer's germs and/or the wearer from germs in the air - The World Health Organization recommend that people should not wear masks unless they may be carrying COVID-19 (to protect other people) or are caring for anyone suffering from COVID-19 (to protect themselves).

novel coronavirus (noun): the word novel means “new”, and a newly identified coronavirus strain is often called a novel coronavirus - Until they gave it a name, they mostly referred to COVID-19 as novel coronavirus (disease).

outbreak (noun): a sudden occurrence of a disease (or other unpleasant thing). See epidemic, pandemic - There was another outbreak of the disease in 1993 but the cause was uncertain.

pandemic (noun): occurrence of a particular disease throughout a whole country or the world. See epidemic, outbreak - Just after the First World War there was a pandemic of flu which killed up to 40 million people worldwide.

pathogen (noun): a micro-organism or germ such as a bacterium or virus that can cause disease - Fortunately, most pathogens are dealt with by the body's immune system.
patient zero (noun): the person identified as the first to become infected with a disease in an outbreak - Authoritites usually try to determine who patient zero was in any given outbreak as can help answer important questions about how, when and why it started.

PCR test (noun): test that detects viral particles in blood or other body fluids. (PCR = polymerase chain reaction) - The PCR test is one of the tools that doctors use to diagnose certain coronavirus diseases.

personal protective equipment (PPE) (noun): special clothing, headgear, goggles, masks and other garments that shield people from injury or infection. - Much of the PPE worn by doctors and nurses has to be worn once only and destroyed after use.
person-to-person (adjective): describing the spread of a disease from one person to another, typically through touch including shaking hands, kissing, sexual intercourse etc. - In January an infected American woman returning home from China transmitted the virus to her husband, marking the first known example of person-to-person spread of the virus in the USA.

quarantine (noun): isolation and monitoring of people who seem healthy but may have been exposed to an infectious disease to see if they develop symptoms - For centuries it's been common for ships arriving from infected areas to be kept in quarantine at the docks, originally for 40 days which is where the term comes from.

SARS-CoV-2 (noun): Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2; final official name for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. (This virus was previously known as 2019-nCoV.) - SARS-CoV-2 is the name of the virus and COVID-19 is the name of the disease.
screening (noun): testing of people for the presence of a disease. For COVID-19 the first step in screening is usually taking a person’s temperature - They now conduct screening for all incoming passengers.
self-isolate (verb): isolate oneself; put oneself in quarantine, away from other people - The prime minister's wife has tested positive for COVID-19 and the couple are now self-isolating and working by phone and Skype.
superspreader (noun): person infected with a virus etc who transmits or spreads it to an unusually large number of people - One so-called "superspreader" in South Korea infected at least 37 people at her church with the virus.

symptomatic (adjective): showing symptoms of a particular disease - Anyone who is symptomatic is advised to phone a doctor and get tested.

symptoms (noun): a physical or mental feature that indicates illness/disease - Typical symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, coughing, and shortness of breath.

test negative | test positive (verb): if you take a test for an infection and you test negative, that means you do not have the infection. If you test positive, that means you have the infection. - The President is pleased to announce that he has tested negative for the virus.

transmission (noun): transfer of a disease from animal to human or from human to human - Transmission of many diseases can be direct or indirect.

transmit (verb) - often passive: cause a disease to pass from animal to human or from human to human - Many diseases are transmitted through physical contact.

treat (verb): attempt to cure or alleviate an illness or injury through medical care - Doctors cannot currently treat COVID-19 directly and instead concentrate on relieving symptoms.
treatment (noun): medical care given to a patient for an illness or injury - There is currently no specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19, and infected patients receive supportive care to help relieve symptoms.
vaccine (noun): a substance used to protect humans and animals from a disease - A vaccine for cholera was invented in 1879.

viral (adjective): describing something like, caused by, or relating to a virus or viruses - Antibiotics cannot be used to treat viral infections because they don't kill viruses, only bacteria.

virus (noun): a living thing, too small to be seen without a microscope, that causes infectious disease in animals and humans - Like all diseases caused by viruses, the common cold cannot be cured with antibiotics.

zoonotic (adjective): describing a disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans - To protect yourself from zoonotic diseases it's best to avoid bites and scratches from animals.

Contributor: Josef Essberger

вторник, 12 мая 2020 г.

Английские пословицы и поговорки с объяснением их употребления на английском языке. E - Y


E	Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
	Easier said than done.	What is suggested sounds easy but it is more difficult to actually do it.
	Elbow grease is the best polish.	Hard work gives the best results.
	Empty vessels make the most noise.	The least intelligent people are often the most talkative or noisy.
	Every ass likes to hear himself bray.	People like to listen to themselves talking.
	Every cloud has a silver lining	There is a positive or hopeful side to every unpleasant situation.
	Every man for himself.	You must think of your own interests before the interests of others.
	Every man has his price.	Everyone's loyalty can be bought for a price.
	Every man is the architect of his own fortune.	Life is what you make it.
	Every path has its puddle.	Progress is rarely without difficulty.
	Every rose has its thorn.	Every good thing has an unpleasant side.
	Every why has a wherefore.	There is an explanation for everything.
	Everything in the garden is rosy.	Everything is satisfactory.
	Experience is the father of wisdom.	Experience and knowledge result in better judgement.

F	Facts speak louder than words.	People show what they are really like by what they do, rather than by what they say.
	Failure teaches success.
	False friends are worse than open enemies.
	Familiarity breeds contempt	Knowing somebody very well may lead to a lack of respect for them.
	Fine words butter no parsnips.	No amount of talking can replace action.
	First come, first served.	The first person in the line will be attended to first.
	Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.	One should learn from one's mistakes.
	Fools rush in where angels fear to tread	Inexperienced people act in situations that more intelligent people would avoid
	Friendship is love with understanding.

G	Gardens are not made by sitting in the shade.	Nothing is achieved without effort.
	Give someone an inch and they will take a mile (or yard).	Give someone a little and they will want more - some people are never satisfied.
	Give someone enough rope and they will hang themselves.	Give someone enough time and freedom and they will get into trouble.
	God helps those who help themselves.
	Good accounting makes good friends.	You will keep your friends if you avoid disputes over money.
	Good and quickly seldom meet.	A well-done job takes time.
	Good management is better than good income.
	Great minds think alike.	Said when you express the same opinion as another person at the same time.
	Great oaks grow from little acorns.	Large successful operations can begin in a small way.
	Grief divided is made lighter	If you share your grief it is easier to bear.

H	Half a loaf is better than none.	You should be grateful for something, even if it's not as much as you wanted.
	Hard words break no bones.
	Haste makes waste.	If something is done too quickly, it may be done carelessly and need to be redone.
	Hatred is a blind as love.	A person who feels hatred does not see any qualities in the person he/she hates.
	He can who believes he can.	If you believe you can do something, you will be able to do it.
	He has enough who is content.	A happy person needs nothing more.
	He who hesitates is lost.	If you delay your decision too long, you may miss a good opportunity.
	He who is everywhere is nowhere.	It's not good to do too many things at the same time.
	He who knows nothing, doubts nothing.	Knowledge leads us to make choices.
	He who pays the piper calls the tune.	The person who provides the money for something should control how it is spent
	He who plays with fire gets burnt.	If you behave in a risky way, you are likely to have problems.
	He who wills the end wills the means.	If you are determined to do something you will find a way.
	He laughs best who laughs last.	Don't express your joy, or your triumph, too soon!
	Health is better than wealth.	It's better to be in good health than to be rich.
	Home is where the heart is.	You call home the place where the people you love are.
	Honesty is the best policy.	It's always better to be honest.
	Honey catches more flies than vinegar.	You can obtain more cooperation from others by being nice.
	However long the night, the dawn will break	Bad things don't last forever.
	Hunger is a good sauce.	All food tastes good when you are hungry.

I	In times of prosperity friends are plentiful.	You have many friends when you have no difficulties.
	If a camel gets his nose in a tent, his body will follow.	If you let something intrusive enter your life, your life will become difficult .
	If in February there be no rain, 'tis neither good for hay nor grain.	Plants and crops will grow badly if there is no rain in early spring.
	If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will avoid 100 days of sorrow.	Avoid regrets by taking time to think before speaking or acting angrily.
	If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one.	If you try to do two things at the same time, you won't succeed in doing either of them.
	If two ride a horse, one must ride behind.	When two people do something together, one will be the leader and the other will be the subordinate.
	If you want a friend, be a friend.
	If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.	Wishing alone is of no use; you must act as well.
	Ignorance is bliss.	Possible interpretation: What you do not know causes no worry or sadness.
	In for a penny, in for a pound.	If you start something, it's better to spend the time or money necessary to complete it.
	In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.	A man of even limited ability has an advantage over a person who is less able.
	It never rains but it pours.	Misfortunes usually come in large numbers.
	It is always darkest before the dawn	The most difficult time is just before a problem is solved.
	It's no use crying over spilt milk.	Don't express regret for something that has happened and cannot be remedied.
	It takes all sorts to make a world.	People vary in character and abilities, and this is a good thing.

J	Justice delayed is justice denied.	If the law is applied too late, there is no justice.

K	Knowledge in youth is wisdom in age.	What you learn when you are young will be invaluable when you grow old.
	Knowledge is power.	Knowledge makes it possible for you to act.
	Kill one to warn a hundred.	Warn many by punishing a few.
	Kill the goose that lays the golden egg.	Destroy something that would be a source of wealth or success.
	Kindness begets kindness.	If you are kind to people, they will be kind to you.

L	Laughter is the best medicine.
	Learn to walk before you run.	Don't rush into doing something until you know how to do it.
	Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.	Education is something you keep forever.
	Least said soonest mended.	The more discreet you are, the less damage you cause.
	Let bygones be bygones.	Let's forgive and forget past quarrels.
	Let not the sun go down on your wrath.	Do not stay angry for more than one day.
	Let the chips fall where they may.	We should not try to control our destiny.
	Liars need good memories.	People who do not tell the truth must be careful to remember what they say.
	Lightning never strikes in the same place twice	An unusual event is not likely to occur again in exactly the same circumstances.
	Like father, like son.	A son's character can be expected to resemble his father's.
	Little strokes fell great oaks.	If you divide a task into small parts, it becomes easier to do.
	Look before you leap.	Consider possible consequences before taking action.
	Loose lips sink ships.	Disclosing important information ( to the enemy or a competitor) could result in large losses.
	Losers weepers, finders keepers.	If you lose something you weep, if you find something you keep it.
	Love is blind.	A person in love does not see the faults of the person he/she loves.

M	Make a silk purse out of a sow's ear	Manage to produce something good using poor material.
	Man is the head of the family; woman is the neck that turns the head.
	Man proposes, God disposes.	Our destiny depends on God's will.
	Manners make the man.	Possibly: a person's manners show their origins.
	Many hands make light work.	Sharing work makes work easier.
	Marry in haste, repent at leisure.	If you get married too quickly, you may spend all your life regretting it.
	Memory is the treasure of the mind.
	Men make houses, women make homes.
	Might as well be hanged for a sheep as (for) a lamb	If the penalty is going to be the same, you might as well commit the greater offence.
	Money begets money.	If you have money you can make more money.
	Money doesn't grow on trees.	You shouldn't waste money because it is not plentiful.
	Money is the root of all evil.	Money is the main cause of wrongdoing and problems.

N	Necessity is the mother of invention.	The need for something forces people to find a way of obtaining it.
	Need teaches a plan.	Necessity will make you find a solution.
	Never put off till tomorrow what can be done today	Don't postpone something you can do now.
	Never say die.	Never give up.
	Nobody is perfect.
	No man can serve two masters.	It's impossible to follow instructions from two different sources.
	No man is an island.	We all need other people.
	No news is good news.	If the news was bad, we would hear of it. Since we have heard nothing, we can assume that all is well.
	No smoke without fire.	There could be some truth in the rumour...
	No wind, no waves.	Similar to : 'no smoke without fire'.
	Nothing ventured, nothing gained.	You cannot expect to achieve anything if you don't take risks.

O	Once bitten, twice shy.	After an unpleasant experience, people are careful to avoid something similar.
	One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters.
	One good turn deserves another.	You should be helpful to someone who helps you.
	One of these days is none of these days.	'One of these days' remains vague.
	One today is worth two tomorrow.	What you have today is better than what is promised or hoped for.
	One man's meat is another man's poison	People don't always like the same things.
	One man's trash is another man's treasure.	What is useless to one person could be valuable to another.
	One swallow doesn't make a summer.	A single satisfactory event does not mean that all the others will be as good.
	Only real friends will tell you when your face is dirty.	Only a real friend will tell you the truth.
	Opportunity seldom knocks twice.	Don't miss opportunities that come along.
	Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings	Children often speak wisely.
	Out of sight, out of mind.	We tend to forget people or things that we do not see.

P	Patience is a virtue	It is good to be patient.
	Penny wise, pound foolish.	Refers to a person who is careful about spending small amounts of money, but not careful about spending large amounts of money.
	People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.	One should not criticize others for faults similar to one's own.
	Poverty waits at the gates of idleness.	If you do not work you will not make money.
	Practice makes perfect.	Doing something repeatedly is the only way to become good at it.
	Practise what you preach	Do yourself what you advise others to do.
	Prevention is better than cure	It is easier to prevent something from happening than to repair the damage or cure the disease later.
	Pride comes before a fall.	Don't be too self-confident or proud; something may happen to make you look foolish.
	Procrastination is the thief of time	Delaying an action for too long is a waste of time.
	Punctuality is the soul of business	You should always be on time for your business appointments.
	Put all your eggs in one basket	Risk everything by relying on one plan (by putting all one's money in one business).

R	Revenge is sweet.	There is satisfaction in returning an injury.
	Rome was not built in a day.	It takes a long time to do a job properly. You should not expect to do it quickly.

S	Save me from my friends.	Friends can be more dangerous than enemies.
	Saying is one thing, doing is another.	People don't always do what they announce.
	Short reckonings make long friends.	Debts paid quickly encourage friendship.
	Sickness in the body brings sadness to the mind.
	Silence gives consent.	If you don't object to something it can be assumed that you agree with it.
	Snug as a bug in a rug.	Feeling very comfortable.
	Spare the rod and spoil the child	If you don't punish a child when he does wrong, you will spoil his character.
	Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me	Physical attacks may harm me, but cruel words will not.
	Still waters run deep.	A quiet person can have much knowledge or wisdom.
	A stitch in time saves nine	It's better to deal with a problem in its early stages, because if you don't, it will get worse.
	Stolen fruit is the sweetest.	What is forbidden is the most tempting.

T	Tall oaks grow from little acorns.	Great things may come from small beginnings.
	The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.	Children resemble their parents.
	The best advice is found on the pillow.	After a good night's sleep we may find an answer to our problem.
	The best things in life are free.	You don't have to pay for what is important : happiness, friendship, good health.
	The darkest hour is just before dawn.	There is hope even in the worst of times.
	The devil looks after his own.	Success comes to those who deserve it least .
	The devil makes work for idle hands	People who have no work, or are idle, often get into or make trouble.
	The die is cast.	A decision has been made and it's impossible to change it.
	The early bird catches the worm.	If you want to do something successfully, you should do it as soon as you can.
	The end justifies the means.	Wrong or unfair methods may be used if the result of the action is good.
	The first step is the hardest.	The most difficult thing is to begin.
	The more haste, the less speed.	A person makes more progress if they do things less quickly.
	The more you have, the more you want.	People have a constant desire to possess more.
	The mouse that has but one hole is quickly taken.	If you depend on just one thing, and it fails you, you will have no alternatives.
	The pen is mightier than the sword	Words and communication have greater effect than war and fighting.
	The proof of the pudding is in the eating.	The real value of something can be judged only after it has been tried or tested.
	The road to hell is paved with good intentions.	It's not enough to intend to do something, you must actually do it.
	The tongue wounds more than a lance.	Insults can be more hurtful than physical injuries.
	The truth is in the wine.	People speak more freely under the influence of alcohol.
	The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.	Feed a man well and he will love you.
	The wish is father to the thought.	You think that something is true because you want it to be so.
	There is a black sheep in every flock.	There is always one who doesn't behave or perform like the others.
	There is a trick in every trade.	There is an established way of doing things.
	There is no fool like an old fool.	A older person is expected to behave more sensibly.
	There is safety in numbers	Being in a crowd makes you feel more confident.
	Time and tide wait for no man.	Delaying a decision will not prevent events from taking place.
	Time has wings.	Time goes by quickly.
	Time is money.	Time is valuable and should not be wasted.
	To err is human, to forgive divine	It is human nature to make mistakes, therefore one should forgive.
	Too many cooks spoil the broth. (Humoristic version : Too many clicks spoil the browse!)	If too many people are involved in something, it will not be done properly.
	Too much bed makes a dull head.	If you sleep too much, you are not able to think clearly.
	True friends are tested in adversity.	It's when you have problems that you realize who your real friends are.
	Trust not a horse's heel nor a dog's tooth.	Be careful of the reaction of animals.
	Truth has no answer.	You cannot argue against facts or refute what is true.
	Truth is stranger than fiction.	Events in real life are sometimes stranger than in fiction.
	Two wrongs don't make a right	It is wrong to harm someone because they have harmed you.

U	Union is strength.	A group has more force than an individual.
	Unwillingness easily finds an excuse.	A person who doesn't want to do something always finds a reason to avoid it.

V	Variety is the spice of life.	Doing a lot of different things makes life more interesting.
	Virtue is its own reward.	You should not expect praise for acting in a correct or moral way.

W	Walls have ears.	Be careful. People could be listening.
	Waste not, want not.	If you never waste anything, you will have it when you need it.
	What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over.	If a person doesn't know about something, it cannot hurt them.
	What a man says drunk, he thinks sober.	People speak more freely under the influence of alcohol.
	What soberness conceals, drunkenness reveals.	People are less discreet under the influence of alcohol.
	When the cat's away, the mice play.	People misbehave when their boss, or the person in authority, is absent.
	When in Rome, do as the Romans do.	You should adopt the customs of the people or country you are visiting, and behave in the same way.
	When poverty come in the door, love goes out the window.
	Where there's life there's hope.
	Where there's a will, there's a way.	A person with determination will find a way of doing something.
	Who makes himself a sheep will be eaten by the wolves.	Possible interpretation: an easily influenced person can be mislead.
	Wisdom is better than strength.
	Wonders will never cease!	Expresses surprise at an unexpected pleasure or event (ironic).
	Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.	Worrying over small details can make them seem worse.

Y	You are what you eat.	What you eat has an effect on your well-being.
	You are never too old to learn.
	You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.	You can offer someone an opportunity to do something but you can't force them.
	You can't teach an old dog new tricks.	A person who is used to doing things a certain way cannot change.
	You never know what you can do until you try.	Try first before deciding not to do something.
	You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.	You help me and I'll help you.

Источник: http://www.learn-english-today.com

воскресенье, 31 мая 2020 г.