English Without End

I wish I could... post (Feb. 24, 2011) Regrets, I've had a few... post (May 12, 2009) If you hadn't but you did... post (March 2, 2011)

Listen to this song about regrets and do notice the effort to make words rhyme with 'if' , like when she says 'what's the diff?' meaning 'what's the difference?' The song is quite fast, so the lyrics are provided in case you might need them. Have fun and sing along, if you can! Lyrics | If You Hadn't But You Did (From Two On The Aisle 1951) lyrics Kristin Chenoweth appeared in the popular TV series Pushing Daisies . Have you ever heard about it? It is sometimes referred to as a forensic fairy tale. It centers on the life of Ned, a pie-maker gifted with the mysterious ability to bring dead things back to life by touching them. There are some conditions to this talent. Ned quickly learns that if something is revived for more than exactly one minute, something of similar "life value" in the vicinity drops dead, as a form of balance. Additionally, if he touches the revived person or thing a second time, it falls dead again, this t...

Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true. Or as The Dalai Lama said "Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck". Other famous quotes about this are "If a man could have half his wishes, he would double his troubles" by Benjamin Franklin, or "When the gods want to punish us, they answer our prayers" by Oscar Wilde. Anyway, let's forget about philosophical issues and focus on language learning, shall we? May 12th 2009 post on wishes and regrets Exercise 1 Exercise 2 Exercise 3 BBC Learning English listening: Three wishes BBC Learning English, The Flatmates episode 67: Wish (language point and quiz too!!!) BBC Learning English, The Flatmates episode 177: Third conditional

Today's post: Start with Frank Sinatra and his song "My Way" ( regrets I've had a few ... I did it my way ). Practise gramamar: Wishes and regrets Exercise 1 Exercise 2 Exercise 3 Exercise 4 Exercise 5 video with situations in context (it might help you understand the different uses of I wish . Worth trying) listen to a man thinking about regrets and what advice he might give to younger people.