Expressions

Hello again.

The exercise this time is about some useful expressions. Look at number 12 on this page

http://englishallyear.com/exercises/vocabulary/menu.php

I have had a fun time looking after my friend’s house and kittens. I am scratched all over 😉 However, I want to tell you about their dog, a most incredible animal. The dog is a collie, dogs which are used by shepherds to control sheep. These dogs have a reputation for their intelligence. One dog in this village has been on French TV because it can count and add small numbers.

A few days ago, we had a day of terrible storms. It rained non-stop. The next day, the tiny stream at the bottom of the garden had become really swollen. When I looked at the little road bridge over the stream, I saw a big problem. There was a young tree, about 4 meters tall, blocking the bridge and I could see that water pressure was building up. I tried to poke it out with my stick but it was too heavy and trapped in place. As I gave up, the dog leapt into the water and swam to where the tree was. Then it pulled again and again on the tree with its teeth. Eventually, it freed the tree and dragged it out of the river onto the bank. So clever.

My spelling checker doesn’t like “leapt” but that is the normal form in British English. I suppose an American would write “leaped”. There are a few of these differences such as “spoilt” or “spoiled”.

Until the next time.

Pearson BROWN