English 4 U

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November 2007

Articles Puzzles Competitions Jokes Grammar Vocabulary

Improve your English

Welcome
Welcome to English 4 U, a new and unique magazine for learners of English in the Arab world. For many of us, English is the main language of communication. Although a wide variety of magazines are available, we believe that a magazine just for learners of English will stimulate an interest in the language and help to develop the skills of UAE nationals and residents. In each magazine we will introduce new topics to add to those already covered in previous editions and so you will be able to build up a useful reference collection. English 4 U will be issued every month and will be delivered free to a wide range of outlets across the country. Please contact us with your comments and ideas. Our details are shown below. The magazine has three levels: easy medium hard We hope you like our magazine. Happy reading !

English 4 U . . . . English 4 U . . : . !

David Baldwin

English 4 U
Tel 07 2447890 RAK Media City P O Box 32429 Ras Al Khaimah Fax 07 2447891 Email contact@english4u.ae www.english4u.ae

Contents
The alphabet Sudoku Find the word a / an Plurals Check your progress In my classroom Word puzzle Word list Coming next month 6 15 16 18 21 27 28 31 32 33

Letter writing Easy recipes Qanat Al Qasba There is / there are Big Ben Word wheel Bait Al Naboodah Culture shock London

35 36 38 40 44 47 48 51

( ) -

Writing emails Riddles William Shakespeare Desert crossword Recycling Readers competition Mad about idioms! AskTom Jokes corner

52 55 56 58 62 65 66 70 73

The alphabet
apple

Aa Cc

ball

car

Bb
door

Dd
egg ower

Ee Gg
glass

Ff

 hat

ice-cream

Hh
jar

Ii
key

Jj
ladder

Kk
mirror

Ll

Mm

The alphabet

Nn Pp

notebook

orange

pencil

Oo
queen

rocket

Qq
spoon

Rr

Ss

 table umbrella

Tt
van

Uu
window

Vv
x-ray

Ww
yacht

Xx
zebra

Yy

Zz

The alphabet

Circle the vowels. Underline the consonants.

flower

1. u m b r e l l a 2. r o c k e t 3. p e n c i l 4. o r a n g e

a, e, i, o, u .

5 letters a, e, i, o, u are called vowels. The other letters are called consonants.

Sudoku

)( .

Fill in each 4 x 4 grid with the letters provided so that in each row, column and square, each repeats only once.

A D

B C C

D C

Plurals - y

a key

3 keys

a toy

2 toys

. s y +

To make the plural of words that end in vowel + y, we add s to the end of the word.

Plurals - ies

a baby

2 babies

a y

3 ies

ies y y +
.

To make the plural of words that end in consonant + y, we drop the y and add ies to the end of the word.

Word list
.13 - 6 These words appear on pages

apple baby bag ball bin board book box car chair child door egg flower fly glass hat ice-cream jar key knife ladder leaf

mirror mouse notebook orange pen pencil pupil queen rocket ruler spoon table toy umbrella van wall window x-ray yacht zebra

Coming next month

For beginners, in the December issue you will find : - Hello, good morning . . .

. . . -

- Colours . . .

. . . -

green red blue

- Numbers . . .

. . . -

- And much more . . .

. . . -

Easy recipes
Anyone can try these two simple recipes.

Tuna salad
If you have made up your mind to be really helpful and prepare the whole meal, you will be able to make a tuna salad that the whole family is going to love. Youll need one big tin of tuna, chilled and drained, one tin of sweet corn, half a cup of mayonnaise, and one teaspoon of mustard. Blend the mayonnaise and mustard, then add the tuna and sweet corn. Put in a big salad bowl and decorate with slices of tomato or avocado and olives, or all these.

Strawberry mousse
If you wish to make a delicious strawberry mousse*, you will need three cups of sliced strawberries, two medium size cartons of plain yoghurt and one tablespoon of honey. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until they are smooth. Then put the mousse in the refrigerator for at least two hours and do not serve it until it is very cold. This is a very refreshing dessert* for two or three * people.

Be careful !!
* Mousse: a chilled dessert made with sweetened cream or yoghurt.
Mouse: a small rodent.

* Dessert: a usually sweet course or dish served at the end of a meal.

Desert: a very dry land with little vegetation, for example, the Arabian desert.

Now answer the questions about these texts which appear on the next page.

Easy recipes - quiz

Remember
You have to drink a lot of cold water when the weather is hot or you run the risk of dehydration.

Comprehension
OR False
Circle the right answer

True

We have done the rst one for you.

1. Its extremely dangerous to cook in hot weather. 2. Strawberry mousse must be served very cold. 3. Tuna salad is a recipe that everybody appreciates. 4. For tuna salad, you blend all the ingredients together. 5. Strawberry mousse must be eaten quickly.
Answers on page 69

TRUE FALSE TRUE FALSE TRUE FALSE TRUE FALSE TRUE FALSE

Did you know?

Cooking can lead to the loss of some nutrients in certain food. For example, when cooked, apples lose 30% of their vitamin C and carrots 10% of their vitamin A.

Subscription form

, . English 4 U . . .

We print 15,000 free copies of this magazine each month. If you wish to receive a copy of English 4 U by post, fill out the form below. The cost covers .postage and handling. For bulk orders, please contact us for special rates

Full name P O Box Emirate Telephone Mobile Email ) Subscription Rates ( 12 issues ) Dhs 75 ( UAE ) Dhs 100 ( other countries Payment method Cheque payable to English 4 U FZE Please post this form to English 4 U RAK Media City 92423 P O Box Ras Al Khaimah

( ) ) ( ) (

Word wheel
.R .

How many words can you make from the letters in the wheel? Each word must contain the letter R. Can you find a 9-letter word? There are at least 15 other words of five letters or more, including a furniture item and a dairy product.

C N
Answers

Y R

E A

M H

9 letter word machinery; furniture item chair; dairy product cream. Some other words of five letters or more : chairmen, charm, creamy, crime, enrich, hairy, march, mercy, miner, nicer, rainy, ranch, reach, remain, rhyme, yearn.

Writing emails

In Touch Day and Night

It is now difficult to imagine life without the internet and emails. Billions of email messages are sent daily. As a percentage of its population, the UAE has the highest number of internet users in the Arab world. Email messages have become an important way to communicate with family, friends and businesses.

Here are some tips to follow when writing an email

Keep it clear and simple by using common words, bullet points
and short sentences.

Always write a subject. This gives the reader an idea of the

content of the message.

Avoid abbreviations such as AFAIK (as far as I know), B4N

(bye for now), GT2GO (got to go) unless you know the reader will understand them. They should not be used in formal or business emails.

Writing emails

Use colour. This is a great way of breaking up your email to

help the reader scan and highlight important information.

Smileys or emoticons can make a message fun and cheerful

but only use these if you think the reader will understand them. They are not suitable in formal or business emails.

Only use capital letters at the start of each sentence. Dont Do not use offensive or inappropriate language. Check your spelling before sending the message. Only send a copy of the message to someone when it is really
necessary.

use ALL CAPITALS for the entire text. Some people consider it to be the equivalent of shouting.

Double check the address of the person you

are sending it to.

If you would like to receive this magazine by email, in a compressed PDF file, send your email address to:
magazine@english4u.ae and we will add you to our email distribution list.

Writing emails
Now tick the correct answers about computers. 1.
How many hours a day do you spend . . . . . . . . the computer? at in to on

2.

I can spend the whole evening just . . . . . . . . the internet. sailing swimming surng walking

3.

To open a le, just . . . . . . . . on the mouse. press cluck hit click

4.

Please . . . . . . . . the computer before your leave the room. restart shut down crash lock up

5.

Now we have broadband, were . . . . . . . . to the internet 24 hours a day. joined linked connected attached

6.

My old computer often . . . . . . . . crashes stops fails breaks

Answers
1. on 2. surfing 3. click 4. shut down 5. connected 6. crashes

Riddles
A. What is bigger when new and grows smaller with use?

B. What's full of holes but still holds water?

C. What clothing does a house wear?

D. What travels around the world but stays in a corner?

E. The more you take of them, the more you leave behind. What are they?

William Shakespeare
In each issue we present a historical, scientific or literary figure. Here we introduce William Shakespeare.

His life
He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England on 23rd April, 1564. He is often known as the Bard of Avon or Swan of Avon. He was a poet and a playwright and he has a reputation as one of the greatest of all writers in the English language, as well as one of the world's pre-eminent dramatists. After he left school Shakespeare moved to London and became an actor and a writer. On 28th November, 1582 Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. They had three children - Susana and twins Hamnet and Judith. He died on 23rd April, 1616 at the age of 52.

A portrait of William Shakespeare

Vocabulary
playwright reputation pre-eminent dramatist status greatest

William Shakespeare

His works
He wrote his works between 1588 and 1616. Shakespeare is among the few playwrights who have excelled in both tragedy and comedy. His works have been translated into every major language, and his plays are continually performed all around the world. Shakespeares plays are traditionally organised into three groups: Tragedies, Comedies, and Histories. Some of his tragedies are: Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and King Lear. His comedies include: Midsummer Nights Dream, As You Like It and The Merchant of Venice. His histories include: King John and Richard II.

Vocabulary
excelled continually traditionally done well constantly usually

Now match the beginning and the ending of these quotes from Shakespeare.

Beginnings
1. 2. 3. 4. To be, or not to be: All the worlds a stage Brevity is We are such stuff a. b. c. d.

Endings
the soul of wit. as dreams are made of. that is the question. and all the men and women merely players.

Mad about idioms!

An idiom is a form of speech or an expression that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements. This month we explain a few idioms beginning with A.

? ?

How well do you know these idiomatic expressions? Try matching them up Good luck!
1. A little bird told me

B. If someone doesnt want to say where they got some information from, they can say that a little bird told them.

2. Absence makes the heart grow fonder

E. When people state that they cant change who they are - their nature - they sometimes use this phrase.

3. Achilles heel
F. If people add fuel to the re, they make a bad situation worse.

Mad about idioms!

4. Apple of your eye

A. This idiom means that when people are apart, their love grows stronger.

5. Add fuel to the re

D. A persons weak spot is their Achilles heel.

6. A leopard cant change its spots

C. Someone who is very special to you is the apple of your eye.

Answers 1B 2A 3D 4C 5F 6E