ProstoEnglishBlog Валентины Пучковой

#thoughts There aren’t many people in Russia who don’t like buckwheat. I’m one of those who don’t. I really don’t like the smell. I cook it in a big flask so I can’t feel it. Moreover, I often forget this word in English. Interestingly, if you look this word up in Cambridge Dictionary, you’ll find the following definition: small, dark grain used for feeding animals and for making flour. Now, it should be quite clear to us why buckwheat isn’t popular in Europe or America: they don’t know people c...

#grammar #verbs Today, let’s learn some verbs after which we use -ING forms. 1. Suggest (предлагать) She suggested going to the museum. 2. Recommend (рекомендовать) The doctor recommended taking a break from work. 3. Consider (обдумывать) They’re considering moving to a bigger city. Usually, we are told to learn such patterns by heart. One TIP can help do it easier: if the verbs express ideas, proposals, or personal attitude towards an action, they often take the -ing form. The gerund (-ing) fun...

#verbs купить - to buy скупить - to buy up прикупить - ❓ Well, there's a phrasal verb "to pick up" that can mean "to buy something cheaply". But does "прикупить" carry the same meaning?

⚡️NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES What’s that? 🤯 relative clause – относительное придаточное предложение non-defining – неопределительное Life hasn’t become easier, has it? Well, in short: non-defining relative clauses add extra information about a person, place, or thing. The cool part? Without this information, we still can clearly understand the meaning of the sentence. For example, My grandma is kind. Now I want to add some extra (fun or interesting) detail and say that She loves baking cakes...

#maslenitsa Today, Orthodox Christians celebrate Forgiveness Sunday (or the Sunday of Forgiveness). Interestingly, Western Catholics don’t celebrate this day, whereas Eastern Catholics do. The day marks the end of Maslenitsa, which means that Great Lent begins tomorrow. Great Lent is the strictest out of the four big Lents: no meat, no fish, no dairy products. Instead of thinking about food and fun, people are supposed to spend more time praying and doing more good deeds for others. Dear friends...

#vocabulary Who knew there are so many words to say you are sad or unhappy?! The most popular are: unhappy = sad miserable =very sad upset = unhappy, worried, or angry down = unhappy, unable to feel excited or energetic about anything (informal) down in the dumps = unhappy (idiom) low = unhappy depressed = unhappy and without hope blue = feeling or showing sadness (informal) broken-hearted (or heartbroken) = extremely unhappy devastated =very shocked and upset

How I FAILED to start Maslenitsa week properly 🥞 Once upon a time, On Sunday evening I went to the supermarket to get some kefir to make pancakes. I prefer kefir to milk. When I got home, I realised that I had little flour in the cupboard. So, on Monday afternoon I went shopping again. I bought some flour and happily returned home where I found out that I didn’t have any eggs. Well, the following morning I got a pack of eggs and finally could make some pancakes. It was a long way 😂 #maslenitsa...