A short story for you today.

The Lion and the Slave

There once was a slave who was badly treated by his master.

One day, he couldn’t take it anymore and ran away into the forest. 

A Chance Encounter

While hiding in the woods, the slave stumbled upon a majestic lion who couldn’t walk because of a thorn embedded in its paw. 

The slave mustered all his courage and approached the lion to help.

An Act of Bravery

Risking his life, he took the thorn out of the lion’s paw.

The lion ran away into the forest without harming the slave.

The Slave is Captured

Unfortunately, fate had other plans for the slave.

Sometime later, he was caught by his master, who had chased him into the forest. The master had also managed to capture some animals, and ordered the slave to be thrown into the lion’s den as a punishment.

A Familiar Face

As the slave stood facing his death in the lion’s den, he saw the lion that he had helped in the forest.

Freedom and Forgiveness

To the slave’s surprise, the lion didn’t attack him, but instead allowed him to escape unharmed.

The slave, in a moment of profound compassion, freed all the other animals from their cages before making his way to freedom.

The moral of the story

The good things you do will always find their way back to you.

So, do good things and treat people well, and the world will treat you well, too.

PS Would you like more stories like this one here?

The word “a lot” is often used as an adverb to mean “a large number”.

Even though it’s a useful phrase in many situations, it can be overused and start to sound vague or repetitive.

Look at these examples here.

1. She ate a lot of pizza for dinner.
2. They spent a lot of money on their holiday.
3. We had a lot of fun at the amusement park.
4. There were a lot of people at the concert last night.
5. She has a lot of experience in marketing.
6. They have a lot of work to do before the deadline.
7. He has a lot of friends from all over the world.
8. The professor gave the class a lot of reading to do before the next lecture.

Here are some examples using alternative words.

1. She consumed copious amounts of pizza for dinner.
2. They spent a substantial amount of money on their holiday.
3. We had a tremendous amount of fun at the amusement park.
4. There was a large crowd at the concert last night.
5. She has significant experience in marketing.
6. They have a great deal of work to do before the deadline.
7. He has many friends from all over the world.
8. The professor assigned the class a considerable amount of reading to do before the next lecture.

Of course, you can try to give specific examples, statistics or facts.

For example:

1. She consumed 10 large slices of pizza for dinner.
2. They spent hundreds of pounds on their holiday.
3. There were thousands of people at the concert last night.
4. She has seven years of experience in marketing.

 I hope that helps. 

 

If you’re looking for a captivating video, “How to find a wonderful idea” is definitely worth watching.

In this TED2017 video, you’ll get an inside look at the creative process that goes into making music videos for the band OK Go.

Whether you’re already a fan of their work or new to their music, this video is sure to be a treat that will leave you wanting more.

PS Look at the band’s website for more inspiration!

A phrasal verb is a verb that is used with one or more other words (an adverb or preposition).

For example, the phrase to pick up is made up of the words to pick and up.

Phrasal verbs are very common in English, especially in more informal situations.

But they can be difficult for people who don’t speak English as their first language because the words in them don’t always mean what they do on their own.

So, if you’re not sure if someone will understand a phrasal verb, use a one-word verb instead if you can.

Here are some examples:

Change phrasal verbs to single words to make communication easier

call off: cancel
carry on: continue
come up with: invent
cut down on: reduce
find out: discover
get away: escape
leave out: omit
pass on: transmit
pick up: collect
point out: explain
pull through: recover
put off: postpone
put up with: tolerate
see to: arrange
send back: return
throw away: discard
touch on: mention
turn down: reject (an invitation) / lower the volume

Do you have any other suggestions?

If you’ve not joined one of my Speed Networking sessions before, you might be curious about what you can expect to get out of them.

Let me fill you in!

See speed networking as a great way to practise your English speaking skills.
Practise English in a relaxed and safe setting.
Exchange information about your professional background, skills and experience.
Engage in conversations with others, learn about their experiences and perspectives, and share your own ideas and thoughts.
Discover insights and perspectives that you may not have encountered otherwise.

Network 1:1 with other business owners and solopreneurs.
Expand your horizons by meeting different people.
Take advantage of the supportive environment to build your confidence.
Whether you’re a new business owner or an experienced entrepreneur, expand your professional network and give your English a boost.
Overcome any fear of talking to others.
Realise the more you practise the better you’ll become.
Keep in mind that speed networking is about making connections, not necessarily getting a job offer on the spot.
Interacting with others can lead to unexpected opportunities and collaborations.
Network with professionals from different industries and backgrounds
Grow your confidence and communication skills.

A lot can happen during our sessions.

Would you like to join us?

Conversation is a meeting of minds with different memories and habits.

When minds meet, they don’t just exchange facts: they transform them, reshape them, draw different implications from them, and engage in new trains of thought.

Conversation doesn’t just reshuffle the cards: it creates new cards.
Theodore Zeldin

Conversation is like a game of cards.

You might not follow the same old rules every time.

You might come up with new ways to play or new ideas to make the game even more fun.

In the same way, when two people have a conversation, they don’t just repeat what they already know. They also come up with new ideas and insights by sharing their own unique experiences and perspectives.

PS If you’re interested in having great conversations in English, you’ll love our free Speed Networking and our Chilipepper Your English group sessions.