We had our first snowfall the other day. I went out early, before the town awoke, and took some photographs. The morning after a night of heavy snowfall is very peaceful. The town is quiet, and the air is crisp and fresh.
Winter, like the other seasons, inspired the famous haiku master, Matsuo Basho, to create haiku. Here is one of his most famous winter haiku (translated by R. Hass).
Winter solitude*-
in a world of one colour
the sound of wind.
(*solitude = being alone/loneliness)
Can you complete this famous English saying?
Where there’s a will
a) there’s a way
b) there’s a dream
c) there’s a chance
The answer is below!
Answer a) Where there’s a will there’s a way
Meaning: If you really want something, you will find a way to get it, even if it is very difficult. In this phrase, “will” means “desire/motivation/strong wish”.
Example conversation:
A: Dennis really wants to get a job teaching English at a top university in Japan, but it’s difficult these days. There aren’t many jobs.
B: I’m sure he’ll succeed. Where there’s a will there’s a way.
When a new year starts, many people decide to learn new skills. Others try to improve skills they already have, such as improving their English ability.
How about you? Have you decided to learn any new skills this year?
A good way to learn something new and improve your English ability at the same time, is to learn something new through English.
Nowadays, we can learn many things on the Internet for free. For example, the website Coursera* offers free university courses in many languages. You can study the courses in English, or maybe in your own language.
Here is the link to the site: Coursera
(*We don’t have any connection to Coursera. We just enjoy taking their courses!)
We found an interesting post about learning new skills in the new year. In this post, the writer lists 24 skills you can learn in English for free. Some examples are learning a new language, improving your public speaking skills, and learning about basic psychology.
Here is the post:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/24-invaluable-skills-to-learn-for-free-online-this-year
How about learning a new skill through English this year? 🙂
I Talk You Talk Press wishes you a very happy new year!
We thank you for visiting this site in 2013. We hope you enjoyed the posts and quizzes on this site, and we hope you will visit again in 2014.
I Talk You Talk Press is nearly 1-year-old. We are very grateful to all our readers around the world who read our books in 2013. We promise to continue writing and publishing graded readers for you to enjoy in 2014. Thank you! 🙂
We hope you have a peaceful and prosperous 2014!
From everyone at I Talk You Talk Press
It’s nearly New Year! Are you making any “New Year’s resolutions”?
A New Year resolution is a promise you make to yourself on January 1st, or a goal you set for the year.
Here are some popular New Year’s Resolutions.
I will go on a diet.
I will stop drinking alcohol.
I will stop smoking.
I will save money.
I will study a new language.
I will study English harder.
I will start a new business.
I will try to enjoy life more.
And many more!
My New Year’s resolution is to study French more. Recently I haven’t been studying very hard. >< I also want to exercise more. I’m going to try to exercise every day! (These were my New Year’s resolutions last year too…)
How about you? What is your New Year’s resolution? 🙂
How well do you know about Christmas food? Find out in our short quiz!
Click the button below to start the quiz. Good luck! 🙂
Do you know the English phrase “It’s the thought that counts“?
Read the following conversation. Can you guess the meaning? 🙂
A: What did your grandmother get you for Christmas?
B: She bought me red socks, but I don’t like red!
A: Well, it’s the thought that counts!
B: That’s true.
Question:
“It’s the thought that counts” means:
a) we must count our thoughts
b) a person’s kindness is more important than the gift
c) a person must think carefully before buying a present
The answer is below ↓
Answer: b) a person’s kindness is more important than the gift
So, if someone gives you a present you don’t want, or don’t like, you should still be grateful. The person thought about you. That was very kind of them!
How much do you know about Santa? Take this short quiz and find out! Good luck! 🙂
Click the button below to start the quiz.
Start Quiz.jpg)
Have you ever heard of Harajuku? It is an area of Tokyo famous for its street fashion.
In this short video, Japanese ladies in Harajuku talk about their street fashion in English!
Click on the link below to see the video.
http://www.theguardian.com/travel/video/2013/dec/10/tokyo-harajuku-street-fashion-video-guide
Do you know the phrase “cold turkey“?
Can you guess the meaning?
Example 1:
A: Has Ben stopped smoking yet?
B: Yes, he gave up cold turkey on 1st January.
A: Cold turkey? That’s great!
B: Yes, but he said it was hard. He really wanted to smoke for about a month after!
Example 2:
A: I want to stop drinking alcohol, but it’s hard to quit. My friend said I should give up cold turkey.
B: I don’t think that’s a good idea. I think it’s better to cut down gradually.
A: I think so too. I’m going to try to drink less every week.
Question: Cold turkey means:
a) a frozen bird
b) quit something for someone else
c) quit something immediately (without cutting down gradually)
d) quit something for a short time, then start again soon after
The answer is below! ↓
Answer: c) quit something (usually smoking, drinking etc.) immediately, without cutting down gradually
I Talk You Talk Press EXTRA 
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