Interesting facts

English (just like any other language) has a lot of interesting facts. Here are some of them:
Język angielski (podobnie zresztą jak każdy inny język) posiada sporo ciekawostek. Oto niektóre z nich:

1. English is one of the languages ​​that have the most words - about 600 thousand (excluding medical and technical terminology! Without these terms would be "only" 300 000 words)
   Język angielski jest jednym z języków, które posiadają najwięcej wyrazów – około 600 tysięcy (licząc terminologię medyczną i techniczną! Bez tych terminologii byłoby "jedynie" 300 tysięcy słów)

2. However, the average user of English uses about 5,000 words during the conversation, and about 10,000 words when writing
   Niemniej jednak przeciętny użytkownik języka angielskiego używa około 5 tysięcy słów podczas konwersacji i około 10 tysięcy słów podczas pisania

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Frost grows outside the window
First kiss under the mistletoe
Bells chime inside a steeple
Open the doors hear the people sing

And when the snow is falling down, down, down
You know that Santa is back in town, town, town
That’s when it’s Christmas time again

      

                       BSB  “It’s Christmas Time Again”

All my Dear,

On the occasion of the most beautiful holidays of the year – Christmas holidays,

I wish you all that is the most important to you.

Health, love, joy, fulfillment of dreams, family warmth…

May the upcoming New Year 2013 will be a hundred times better than passing.

Greeting, Ann

"to look", "to see" or "to watch"

to look     to pay attention; to try to see what is there; seem
[Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary]

phrasal verbs
look back - to think about something that happened in the past
          When I look back I can see where we went wrong.          Kiedy patrzę wstecz, widzę co poszło źle. 

look in - to visit a person for a short time, usually when you are on your way somewhere else
          Can you look in on the kids before you go to bed?          Możesz zerknąć na dzieci zanim pójdziesz spać?

look out - said or shouted in order to tell someone that they are in danger
          Look out! There's a car coming!          Uważaj! Samochód nadjeżdża!

look up - to become better
          I hope things will start to look up in the new year.          Mam nadzieję, że w nowym roku wszystko będzie lepsze.

COMMON MISTAKE
look at
When "look" has an object, the correct preposition to use is "at". Do not say "looking something", say "looking at something".
          She looks at the photo on her desk and smiled.          Ona spoglądała na zdjęcie na biurku i się uśmiechała. 

look forward to
When "look forward to" is followed by a verb, that verb should be in the "-ing" form. Do not say "look forward to do something", say "look forward to doing something".
          I look forward to meeting you at the conference.          Z niecierpliwością czekam na spotkanie z Państwem na konferencji. 

"to listen" or "to hear"

to listen     to give attention to someone or something in order to hear them 
[Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary]

phrasal verbs
listen in on sth - if you listen in on a conversation, you listen to it, especially secretly, without saying anything
          I wish Dad would stop listening in on my phone conversation.          Życzę sobie, aby mój tata przestał słuchać moich rozmów telefonicznych. 

listen out for sth - to make an effort to hear a noise that you are expecting
          Would you listen out for the phone while I'm in the garden?          Możesz nasłuchiwać telefonu kiedy ja będę w ogrodzie? 

listen up - INFORMAL - something you saying you say to make people listen to you
          Okay everyone - listen up! I have an announcement to make.          Ok wszyscy - słuchajcie! Mam wiadomość. 

"to lend' or "to borrow"

I lend to you, you borrow from me.          I borrow from you, you lend to me.

to lend          "pożyczać, pożyczyć"          to lend sb sth          to lend sth to sb
AmE to lend = to loan
[Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary] to give something to someone for a short period of time, expecting it to be given back

She doesn't like lending her books.          Ona nie lubi pożyczać swoich książek.
If you need a coat I can lend you one / lend one to you.          Jeśli potrzebujesz płaszcza, mogę Ci pożyczyć jeden.
Her father lent her 100 dollars.          Jej ojciec pożyczył jej 100 dolarów. 

Work-related phrases...

to do/work overtime  "pracować na nadgodziny"

I do overtime because I need money.      Pracuję na nadgodziny ponieważ potrzebuję pieniędzy.

to be on double time  "otrzymywać podwójną stawkę za godzinę pracy"

On Sundays people are on double time.      W niedziele ludzie pracują za podwójną stawkę.

to be on piece work  "pracować na akord"

Students usually are on piece work.      Studenci zazwyczaj pracują na akord. 

to be on shifts / on shift work  "pracować na zmiany"

In factories, people are on shift work.      W fabrykach ludzie pracują na zmiany. 

a white-collar worker  "pracownik umysłowy"

At a restaurant

In Britain you often have three courses: a starter (e.g. soup), a main course (e.g. steak or chicken) and a dessert (e.g. strawberries or ice cream). You may also have an aperitif (a drink before the meal, e.g. gin and tonic) and coffee after the meal. When you pay the bill (the money for the meal; AmEng: check) you sometimes also leave a tip for the waiter if service is not included in the price (10% is a normal tip). If it is a popular restaurant, you may also need to book (reserve) a table in advance (before you go).


Places where you can eat
cafe:        you can have a cup od coffee or tea and a snack there (e.g.) a sandwich or a cake); they sometimes serve meals (e.g. lunch, dinner) too;
restaurant:        you go there for a meal; more expensive than a cafe;
bar/pub:        bars and pubs serve alcohol and soft drinks [non-alcoholic drinks, e.g. fruit juice]; you can usually have a meal or a snack there too;
fast food restaurant:        you can get a quick hot meal there. e.g. burger and chips;
take-away:        you buy a snack or a meal and take it home to eat;

Sun... summer... holiday :-)

          How   to   stay   safe   at   the   beach?          

Summer is here at least. It's holiday time! There is nothing like a day at the beach with your family or friends when the weather is warm and sunny. But beaches can also be dangerous place for people. Here are some useful tips for keeping you safe at the beach this summer.

•  Sunburn  It is red, hot and painful. Always put sunscreen on your skin to protect your skin from the hot sun!

•  Snacking and swimming  Do not swim after eating! It's very dangerous to swim on a full stomach. You may get cramps.

•  Protect your eyes  Always wear sunglasses! They protect your eyes against damage that can be caused by UV (ultra violet).

Introductions, greetings and goodbyes

          When do people in Britain shake hands?          

Usually, people in Britain only shake hands when they meet for the first time or when they meet again after a long time.
They shake hands and say How do you do? or Pleased to meet you". How do you do? is not really a question, it just means Hello.

          What do you say in English when you do not hear a person's name?          

I'm sorry, I did not hear your name. Could you repeat, please?

         When do you say Good morning, Good afternoon, Good evening, Good night?           

Good morning (before lunch), Good afternoon (from lunch to 6 p.m.), Good evening (after dinner, after 6 p.m.) are greetings. We say Good night to say goodbye/end a conversation at night.

Phrasal verbs and phrases with "KEEP"

keep to something
to limit yourself to a subject or activity          "trzymać się (planu, obietnicy etc.)

I can never keep to a diet.     Nigdy nie mogę trzymać się diety.
Please keep to the path.     Proszę trzymać się ścieżki.

keep up with someone
if somebody or something keeps up with someone or something else, they do whatever is necessary to stay level or equal with that person or thing          "próba nadążenia z kimś, dotrzymania mu kroku" 

He started to walk faster and the children had to run to keep up.     On zaczął chodzić szybciej, a dzieci musiały biec żeby nadążyć.
She's faster swimmer than me. I can't keep up with her.     Ona jest szybszym pływakiem ode mnie. Nie mogę nadążyć za nią.
You are doing a great job! Keep it up.     Robicie kawał dobrej roboty! Tak trzymać.

Phrasal verbs and phrases with "MAKE"

make something out
to discern a small details; be able to see or hear something;          "z ledwością coś dostrzegać/słyszeć"

I can just make out the outline of a people on this photo.     Mogę tylko rozróżnić kontury ludzi na tym zdjęciu.
Can you make out what she's saying?      Możesz zrozumieć  co ona mówi?
I could see something but I couldn't make out what it was.     Coś widziałem ale nie mogłem dostrzec, co to było.

make something up
to invent a story/excuse;          "wymyślać coś (historyjkę, wymówkę)"

We'll make up the rules of the game as we go along.     Wymyślimy reguły w trakcie gry.
They made up an excuses for being late.     Wymyślili wymówki na spóźnienie. 

Phrasal verbs and phrases with "DO"

do without something 
to manage, work or perform successfully without having someone or something present                    "obywać się bez czegoś"

Could you do without your mobile phone for a week?     Mógłbyś się obyć bez telefonu komórkowego przez tydzień?
The country cannot do without foreign investment.     Kraj nie może się obyć bez zagranicznych inwestycji.
There are a great number of things that we can easily do without.     Istnieje duża liczba rzeczy, bez których możemy łatwo się obejść.


could do with something 
this means that something would be imparted to us                    "coś by się nam przydało"

I could do with chocolate.     Przydałaby mi się czekolada.
I could really do with a cup of coffee.     Naprawdę przydałaby mi się filiżanka kawy.

DO or MAKE

The English verbs DO and MAKE are frequently confused.

DO - an action you don't mention by name; mostly mental work; mostly reffered to the topic "work".
     1. actions 
     2. activities
     3. chores/tasks
examples: to do an exam, to do homework, to do shopping, to do exercise, to do a project, etc.


MAKE - to create something (you often use your hands)
     1. constructing
     2. building
     3. creating 
examples: to make a phone call, to make money, to make lunch, to make coffee, to make friends, etc.

DO, GO or PLAY for sports?

We use the verbs PLAY, GO and DO with sports and activities. 

PLAY
If we use a ball in the sport, we use PLAY. PLAY is used also for competitive games when we play against another person.

          I can play football*.                                                      * football and tennis are ball sports;
          How often do you play tennis*?           
          She doesn't like playing computer games**.                   **  computer games are competitive game; we play to win;

GO
If the sport ends in an "ing", we use GO. We GO somewhere or something.
          I go swimming.
          You are going fishing on Sunday.
          Is he going skiing this winter?