"Every spirit makes its house, and we can give a shrewd guess from the house to the inhabitant." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
English Idiom
words fail me - I cannot find the proper words to describe my thoughts and feelings; I am unable to express my reaction, often because the situation is shocking, surprising, or unusual; we can also say "I'm speechless."
1. Words fail me when I think of what he has done! 2. I would like to tell you about the difficulties in this African country but I can't. Words just fail me!
3. Words fail me to describe how beautiful was my girlfriend in her new dress.
Did you know ...
Joseph Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) is an English short-story writer, novelist, and poet. He was born December 30, 1865 in Bombay, British India, but lived most of his life in Great Britain. Kipling is best known for his tales about British soldiers in India and Burma, but also for his writing for children such as "The Jungle Book", many short stories, and his poems, including inspirational poem "If". Lines from this poem appear over the player's entrance to Wimbledon's Centre Court. An interesting fact from the biography of Kipling is that he was fired as a reporter for the San Francisco Examiner. His dismissal letter was reported to have said: "I'm sorry, Mr. Kipling, but you just don't know how to use the English language. This isn't a kindergarten for amateur writers."
Rudyard Kipling was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907.
This website was primarily designed to help Bulgarian students to improve their English language skills. Over the years, the site has developed into a large resource of free reference materials, and now it attracts learners studying English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL) from many different countries. Here you will find free online english lessons and english grammar, english tests, a collection of english idioms with their meanings, a list of common errors in english usage with the correct explanation and examples, english alphabet with pictures of animals and sound files, games and activities for ESL/EFL learners. Includes also poetry, lyrics, information and useful links for learning and teaching English.
1. precede [pri'si:d] (v.) - to come before something else, to be earlier than (1, 2); to go ahead or in front of (3) 1. The snow was preceded by heavy rain. 2. The birth of Elizabeth was preceded by that of her half-sister Mary Tudor. 3. Our son always precedes his friends.
2. proceed [pr'si:d] (v.) - means to continue, to go on (1); to go forward, to move in particular direction (2) 1. I will proceed with the test, althogh I think there is no chance to pass it. 2. You must proceed carefully into the forest.
3. proceeds ['prousi:dz] (n.) (always in the plural) - the money obtained from an event, activity, sale of land, or other property; it is also used in reference to an insurance settlement (The insurance proceeds are payable to...) 1. All proceeds from the concert will go to an educational foundation. 2. A portion of the proceeds from the sale will help us purchase a new car.
English Grammar and Writing Tips
Using "Which", "That" and "Who" Correctly
"Which" and "that" can be used as relative pronouns. "That" is used as a relative pronoun in a restrictive (essential) clause and "which" is used in a non-restrictive (non-essential) clause. A restrictive clause provides essential information and cannot be taken out without destroying the meaning of the sentence. A non-restrictive clause adds useful information, but not information that is essential to the sentence. To decide between "which" or "that", you have to ask yourself how important is the provided information to the rest of the sentence.
Everything that she said was true. (correct)
Everything which she said was true. (incorrect!)
He looked at her eyes, which were beautiful. (correct)
He looked at her eyes that were beautiful. (incorrect!)
Sometimes, both "that" and "which" are correct in a given sentence but the meaning is different:
Our car that is in front of the house has to be repaired. (correct)
(we own more than one car and the car that is in front of the house has to be repaired; this information is essential)
Our car, which is in front of the house, has to be repaired. (correct)
(we own only one car and it has to be repaired; additional information is that the car is in front of the house)
Remember that we usually put commas around a "which" clause but never around a "that" clause:
The book, which I bought last week, was very interesting. (correct)
The book that I bought last week was very interesting. (correct)
We use "who" in a relative clause when we are talking about people:
Tina's father, who is a doctor, works in a large hospital. (correct)
Tina's father that is a doctor works in a large hospital. (incorrect!)
Tina's father which is a doctor works in a large hospital. (incorrect!)
"That" usually refers to things and groups, but sometimes it can also refer to people:
The girl who/that lives next door is so beautiful. (correct)
The girl which lives next door is so beautiful. (incorrect!)
When "who" or "that" are objects of the verb in a relative clause we can leave them out:
The man who/that I talked to was really nice. (correct)
= The man I talked to was really nice. (correct)
JOKE
Once there was a millionaire who had a collection of live alligators. He kept them in a pool at the back of his mansion. The millionaire also had a beautiful daughter who was single. One day, he decides to throw a huge party. During the party he announces, "My dear guests, I have a proposition to every man here. I will give one million dollars or my daughter to the man who can swim across this pool full of alligators and emerge unharmed!" As soon as he finishes his last word, there is the sound of a large splash. The guests all turn to see a man in the pool swimming as fast as he can. They cheer him on as he keeps stroking. Finally, the swimming man makes it to the other side unharmed. The millionaire is so impressed, e says, "My boy, that was incredible! Fantastic! I didn't think it could be done! Well, I must keep my end of the bargain. Which do you want, my daughter or the one million dollars?" The man says, "Listen, I don't want your money. I don't want your daughter, either. I want the person who pushed me in that water!"
"Every spirit makes its house, and we can give a shrewd guess from the house to the inhabitant." - 
words fail me - I cannot find the proper words to describe my thoughts and feelings; I am unable to express my reaction, often because the situation is shocking, surprising, or unusual; we can also say "I'm speechless." 
Joseph Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) is an English short-story writer, novelist, and poet. He was born December 30, 1865 in Bombay, British India, but lived most of his life in Great Britain. Kipling is best known for his tales about British soldiers in India and Burma, but also for his writing for children such as "The Jungle Book", many short stories, and his poems, including 
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English Language Library
Common Errors in English
'si:d] (v.) - means to continue, to go on (1); to go forward, to move in particular direction (2)
JOKE 
Martenitsa - an Ancient Bulgarian Tradition
