|
|
|
Tamara
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 25 May 2006
Posts: 1577
Location: UK
|
|
 Thu Jun 15, 2006 13:05 pm I really enjoy an atmosphere at this ESL Forum! |
|
|
| Tamara wrote: | Hi, Michael,
How about:
hither and thither
but and ben / but-and-ben
from pillar to post
wigwag
туда-сюда (in Russian)
 |
Hi Tamara!
You?re always surprising me with such expressions I didn?t know before. Especially your Russian term I spoke aloud lots of times! 
| Tamara wrote: | | Quote: | | I hope that it wasn?t to pushy |
By the way, you?re really an eagle eye! 
Not a bit.
It’s just my feature: I don’t like indeed a detailed planning of a rest too long before |
Tamara and Conchita, if you didn?t know a German, who doesn?t have a plan for his leisure time, before, now you know one. Of course there are some activities I have to do every day, for example cleaning up the stable, but I don?t plan that to the minutest detail. I mostly have a look on thew challenges the day brings. 
| Tamara wrote: | | …At my ESOL exam I am ready to tell a touching story-in-the-past from my early childhood , to describe formally my specific process of learning new words (‘know how’ ), to ask plenty of rubbish questions keeping up a dialogue, etc………….. |
As I could read in one of your formerly posts you are anyway buisy. 
| Tamara wrote: | P.S. Tomorrow I am going to London from the early morning and till late at night.
Have a (next) nice day!
Tamara |
I hope you enjoyed your day in London. What did you do there? Have you had a sight seeing tour or a buisiness day. Did you visit Speakers Corner?
I myself have a relaxing day! That?s important for me because the first day at my new job I?ve got injured. I was able to work the next two days indeed, but as today is a holiday I?m happy to be able to relax. Please don?t ask me where and how I?ve got injured. Most people get laughing when I?ve told them the matter.
See you soon
Michael |
|
Fan of Arabian horses
I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 20 Apr 2006
Posts: 816
|
 |
| Thu Jun 15, 2006 13:37 pm I really enjoy an atmosphere at this ESL Forum! |
|
|
| Fan of Arabian horses wrote: | | I myself have a relaxing day! That?s important for me because the first day at my new job I?ve got injured. I was able to work the next two days indeed, but as today is a holiday I?m happy to be able to relax. |
Congratulations on your new job, Mike! It sounds dangerous! I hope it's half as exciting or, at least, that you like it. Do you want to tell us about it?
| Fan of Arabian horses wrote: | | Please don?t ask me where and how I?ve got injured. Most people get laughing when I?ve told them the matter. |
Please, do tell! You can't just leave us in suspense like that! Anyway, you won't know if we laugh, will you now? |
|
Conchita
Language Coach
Joined: 26 Dec 2005
Posts: 2702
Location: Madrid, Spain
|
|
|
Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 7470
Location: Northeast US
|
|
|
Fan of Arabian horses
I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 20 Apr 2006
Posts: 816
|
|
|
Pamela
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Posts: 1232
Location: RF
|
|
| Fri Jun 16, 2006 8:31 am I really enjoy an atmosphere at this ESL Forum! |
|
|
Hi! I’m very glad to see you all!
Michael,
Just to polish your Russian still more :
your initial ‘up and down’ (in the first and direct meaning: up and down a stairway) in Russian is вверх-вниз
But as we can also pace up and down (to and fro), I had added some informal and old-fashion phrases for its second meaning
By the way, but and ben mentioned above, is interesting. As I know, it’s from the North (from Scotland), where an ancient house traditionally has one entrance and rooms situated by a suite (sequentially). Or there were only two rooms (the first was called but and the far room – ben). Being in Glasgo, I heard ‘far ben’ many times.
So, but and ben directly means to and fro.
Returning to your stair exercises in a hot weather … let me (not laughing up my sleeve ) just quote in the context one of my most lately Reading (pre)tests (‘Marathon Training: The right Way’  ) :
| Quote: | 1. Run on grass and footpaths as well as on roads because you will use a wider variety of leg muscles. Running up and down steep hills will also strengthen the muscles.
…
6. … Finally, then the big day arrives never try anything new… On the day of the race don’t wear new kit, or change your drinking or eating patterns. |
| Quote: | | Have you had a sight seeing tour or a buisiness day. |
Just the latter. Busy-ness day, I mean The whole day at a trot , with an unavoidable visit in the end. For the last bit…
But as I live in 70 miles from London, I already had had (…had had had… ) enough time and times to wonder at Speakers Corner
P.S. | Quote: | | really an eagle eye! |
…dog’s sense of smell, horse-power, mongoose’s fearlessness (-lessness…Oh my God!…), ………………..
If to join a variety of those animal’s features to which humans traditionally envy what a monster would it be!
See you,
Tamara
_________________
It’s impossible to learn swimming without entering the water…
 |
|
Tamara
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 25 May 2006
Posts: 1577
Location: UK
|
|
|
Tamara
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 25 May 2006
Posts: 1577
Location: UK
|
|
| Fri Jun 16, 2006 10:27 am I really enjoy an atmosphere at this ESL Forum! |
|
|
| Fan of Arabian horses wrote: | Okay Ladies, it seems to be a wish of your hearts to hear what happened to me. But don?t claim that I didn?t warn you of asking me.
Now, I?m happy that this isn?t a site with cameras, otherwise you would see me walking along like a big German breeding bull after having a half years holiday. As Monday was a hot, sudorific day and I wore synthetic trunks I think you can imagine now what happened to me. In German you would say: I ran myself a wolf.  |
 Thank you for quenching our curiosity (pure, but not morbid, I'm almost sure...). My laugh is a sympathetic (or consolation) one, really -- though I must say it's very hard to keep a straight face at your image of the breeding bull!!
Doesn't the German expression 'to run yourself a wolf' have several meanings? In which other circumstances could you use it? I still have no idea how to translate it and would like to be sure that I correctly grasp the meaning.
| Tamara wrote: | By the way, but and ben mentioned above, is interesting. As I know, it’s from the North (from Scotland), where an ancient house traditionally has one entrance and rooms situated by a suite (sequentially). Or there were only two rooms (the first was called but and the far room – ben). Being in Glasgo, I heard ‘far ben’ many times.
So, but and ben directly means to and fro. |
That's an interesting piece of culture! Thank you, Tamara. |
|
Conchita
Language Coach
Joined: 26 Dec 2005
Posts: 2702
Location: Madrid, Spain
|
|
|
Pamela
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Posts: 1232
Location: RF
|
|
|
Fan of Arabian horses
I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 20 Apr 2006
Posts: 816
|
|
|
Tamara
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 25 May 2006
Posts: 1577
Location: UK
|
|
|
Fan of Arabian horses
I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 20 Apr 2006
Posts: 816
|
|
| Sat Jun 17, 2006 10:10 am I really enjoy an atmosphere at this ESL Forum! |
|
|
Hi and good weekend’s morning for all!
Yes, Michael, you are right and the metaphor is a good guide for me. I’m going marathon and it’s still not even the middle of the way.
And our small and idle talks are very good exercises in runni… ermmm… in proper English, I mean
(besides, you all are highly sympathetic people, indeed).
| Quote: | | Does the vertical regards fit more to the hither and tither? |
No, I suppose this (slightly old fashioned ?) phrase is also for vertical, more than for horizontal - and always for movement (whereas the bottom to the top can be used just to describe a ‘static’ picture. As I think ).
By the way, each language contains lots of rhyming colloquial expressions.Especially Cockney : ‘tit for tat’, ‘lean and lurch’) , as well as ‘trouble and strive’ = wife , ‘apple and pears’ = stairs
Sure, God’s creatures around me are not sharks. Definitely, most of them are still humans
Yes, I live to the north (in South Herdfordshire, to be more specific).
P.S. | Quote: | I ca n s e e m y va cu u m c o mm i ...........
M9){ 49 i c ?` 95 h 0&/%56 a...............e............................l ....................................--------- |
Hopefully you are safe and sound after yesterday’s bad weather in German.
I mean, not under the bad weather, not injured by hailing and are enjoying a next really-important-for-you soccer match (now your German life is even more scheduled )
Have a nice day!
Tamara
_________________
It’s impossible to learn swimming without entering the water…
|
|
Tamara
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 25 May 2006
Posts: 1577
Location: UK
|
|
|
| Hi! I am Mirka from Slovakia | I'm from Chandigarh Punjab |
