• False friends
• Frequent mistakes
• Idioms on every occasion
• Could do better
• Have fun with English

False friends, czyli fałszywki, to takie słowa w języku angielskim, które są podobne do pewnych słów w języku polskim, ale ich znaczenie jest zupełnie inne. Sugerowanie się podobieństwem takich wyrazów prowadzi często do śmiesznych lub niezręcznych sytuacji, a w każdym wypadku powoduje nieporozumienie.

Polskie słowo fantazja bywa często mylone z angielskim fantasy, używanym zamiast imagination. Podobnie mylone bywają dwa słowa: salad i lettuce. Salad to sałatka, a więc danie z pokrojonych drobno warzyw, polanych sosem lub majonezem. Zielona sałata to po angielsku lettuce. Sprawdź, czy potrafisz poprawnie użyć tych słów.

So, be your own teacher and check if you can complete these sentences:

1. On ma dużo fantazji.
   He has a lot of ....................
   
   a) fantasy            b) imagination
   
   
2. Lubię czytać fantastykę.
   I like reading ....................
   
   a) fantasy books            b) imagination books
   
   
3. Whenever I make myself a ham sandwich, I add a leaf of .................... on top. It is very healthy and tasty.
   
   
4. I like having a big bowl of .................... for lunch.
   

Jaka jest różnica między principle a principal? Lub continuous a continual? Ile s jest w wyrazie assistant, a ile d w wyrazie address? Postaramy się pomóc dać odpowiedź na te i inne pytania.

Te dwa wyrazy są często w pisowni angielskiej używane niepoprawnie.

1. Advice to rzeczownik (rada):
   He gave me advice on cooking roast beef.
   
2. Advise on jest czasownikiem, który oznacza: radzić, dawać komuś radę:
   He advised me on cooking roast beef.

To nie są synonimy.

1. All ready znaczy "przygotowany":
   The teacher was all ready to start the class.
   
2. Already odnosi się do czynności, która już się odbyła:
   I have already seen that film.

Te dwa wyrazy mają odmienne znaczenia.

1. All together znaczy "w grupie". Te dwa wyrazy mogą być rozdzielone:
   I hate the paintings all together on that wall.
   I hate all the paintings together on that wall.
   
2. Altogether znaczy "całkowicie" albo "ogółem":
   He bought three books altogether.

Zna się na rzeczy

Gdy podziwiamy czyjąś wiedzę i doświadczenie, mamy do dyspozycji mnóstwo ciekawych wyrażeń. Jak wiemy, wyobraźnię Anglosasów zdominowało morze i skojarzenia z nim związane, możemy zatem powiedzieć: "He knows the ropes". Dokładnie nie wiadomo dlaczego, możemy równie dobrze powiedzieć: "He knows his onions" i wcale nie chodzi o jakieś cebule, lecz o to, że ktoś zna się na rzeczy. Często używane też w tym kontekście: "He knows his stuff" albo: "His way around".

Gdy mamy do czynienia z bezkonkurencyjnym ekspertem w jakiejś dziedzinie, np. kimś, kto własnoręcznie naprawia swój samochód, powiemy: "He knows his car inside out" albo: "He knows it down to the ground". Jeśli chodzi o jakąś umiejętność techniczną, np. swobodę posługiwania się komputerem - powiemy: "He's at home with computers" albo: "he is computer literate".

to know the ropes/one's onions/one's stuff

- znać się na rzeczy

to know one's way around/about

- orientować się w czymś

to know inside out/down to the ground

- znać jak własną kieszeń

to be at home with

- posługiwać się czymś swobodnie, poruszać się swobodnie w jakiejś dziedzinie

to be computer literate

- mieć znajomość komputera

School reports of reach and famous

Many famous people and celebrities who have made very successful careers for themselves, did not always do very well at school. Let's take a look at some of their school reports.

In 1894, the creator of Winnie the Pooh. A.A. Milne's teacher wrote the 12-year-old dreamer a stern report: "Has done ill," it read, "showing little or no ambition, even in mathematics." Luckily for future generations of Pooh-Bear lovers though, A.A. Milne never did take his teacher's advice, and never did become ambitious in mathematics.

Luckily though, success in life is not as straightforward as the world of school reports would have us believe. And in fact, some of the predictions made by reports just couldn't be more wrong. Like in this comment on John Lennon, for example: according to his school report from 1957, the 17-year-old Lennon was: "Certainly on the road to failure... hopeless...".

Other reports are simply amusing in the context of their subject's later lives. Woody Allen's report from his first year at New York University, for example, strikes a familiar note for anyone who knows his films: the governing board at NYU said: "While cautiously holding out some hope of readmission, suggest he seek counseling for his inability to take life seriously".

Yet other reports may come as quite a surprise. Not that of former British Prime-minister, Lady Margaret Thatcher, perhaps, who seems to have been set on the road to success from the very beginning. "Margaret has worked steadily and well throughout the term. She has definite ability, and her cheeriness makes her a very pleasant member of her form. Her behavoiur is excellent".

American President , by contrast, far from being a model pupil, was chronically disorganized: "I regard the matter of neatness, or lack of it on Jack's part, as quite symbolic... for he is casual and disorderly in most of his organization projects. Jack studies at the last minute, keeps appointments late... and can seldom locate his possessions...".

So, read his school report when he was 15, in 1932. Even more curiously for a future president, J.F.K. was, according to his teachers, somewhat lacking in social skills. However, later reports noticed - encouragingly, if somewhat patronizingly - that the future president was, "... trying to be a more socially-minded person".

Even more surprisingly, Winston Churchill had significant learning difficulties because of his dyslexia. And quite apart from that, he was, apparently scatty, disorganized and naughty. So much so that at the age of nine, his teacher described him as: "A constant trouble to everybody... He cannot be trusted to behave anywhere". And later still: "Constantly late for school, losing his books and papers and various other things into which I need not enter. He is so regular in his irregularity that I really don't know what to do".

So you see? Cheer up! School reports are only school reports. And whatever it is they say about you at a school - real life is often a whole different game!

GLOSSARY

Crossword puzzle

Find 15 hidden words connected with school. Look horizontally () and vertically (). Then send us your answer!

Smile

"Mamma, I've got stomach ache," said the six-year-old Nellie.
"That's because your stomach is empty. You would feel better if you had something in it. You have been without your lunch."
That afternoon Uncle John called, and in conversation complained of a severe headache.
"That's because it's empty," said Nellie. "You would feel better if you had something in it."

Proverbs

Połącz połówki przysłów i odgadnij ich polskie odpowiedniki:

Quiz

Whether you like it or not, the school summer holiday is over.

Back to school

What kind of student are you?

Uzupełnij zdania odpowiednimi wyrazami podanymi w ramce. Then answer the questions and find out what kind of student you are.

Sprawdź, czy dobrze uzupełniłeś zdania. Odpowiedzi znajdziesz poniżej.

1. The new school year starts. What do you do?
   a) Buy all the books you will need.
   b) Buy only a few for the most important subjects.
   c) Buying schoolbooks is a waste of money so you will share them with your .................... .
   
2. You realize you have an English test tomorrow. What do you do?
   a) .................... all the afternoon.
   b) Prepare a .................... .
   c) Nothing. You will .................... the answers from your friends.
   
3. You have to write a Polish essay for tomorrow. What do you do?
   a) Call off your date and get down to writing it.
   b) Browse on the Internet to find something suitable.
   c) You will not go to school tomorrow, you will .................... .
   
4. How often do the teachers call you to answer during ....................?
   a) Never. You always raise your hand because you know the answer.
   b) Every lesson, you're fed up with it.
   c) Seldom. You have chosen to sit at the desk in the corner so the teachers can't see you.
   
5. You have a lot of .................... to do. Your friend wants to go to the cinema with you. What do you do?
   a) Explain that you are busy with the homework.
   b) Copy your homework from somebody during the break at school.
   c) Nothing. At least, your teacher will accept any .................... .
   
6. You buy your favourite sports magazine. Where do you read it?
   a) At home, after lunch, and when your homework is done.
   b) At school, during breaks, while eating your sandwich.
   c) During classes, you don't care whether the .................... can see you or not.
   
7. At school, during a test, you realize somebody is copying. What do you do?
   a) You feel disgusted that somebody might get a better .................... without studying.
   b) You look constantly at this person so that teacher notices that something is wrong.
   c) You ask this person for an answer.
   
8. Some students in your class are bullying a younger boy. What do you do?
   a) Go to the headmaster and tell about it.
   b) Pretend you don't see anything.
   c) Fight with the .................... .

Answer key:

1c classmates; 2a study; 2b crib; 2c copy; 3c bunk off; 4 classes; 5 homework; 5c excuse; 6c teacher; 7a mark; 8c bullies.

Your score:

Mostly a):

You are a very good student and you do very well at school. The teachers like you but other students call you an apple-pusher. Why don't you invite some of your classmates to revise together before the test?

Mostly b):

Your marks could be better if you studied more. You like to hang out with your friends. If you are thinking seriously about studying at university, you should change your attitude to school.

Mostly c):

You know how to survive at school without too much effort. You are very sociable but your marks are only satisfactory. You are optimistic about your future, you think you'll get a place at university anyway. Maybe it's time you started to work seriously?