0507

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Today's AESOP's Fables
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 The Birdcatcher, the Partridge, and the Cock


  A BIRDCATCHER was about to sit down to a dinner of herbs when a
friend unexpectedly came in.  The bird-trap was quite empty, as
he had caught nothing, and he had to kill a pied Partridge, which
he had tamed for a decoy.  The bird entreated earnestly for his
life:  "What would you do without me when next you spread your
nets? Who would chirp you to sleep, or call for you the covey of
answering birds?'  The Birdcatcher spared his life, and determined
to pick out a fine young Cock just attaining to his comb.  But
the Cock expostulated in piteous tones from his perch:  "If you
kill me, who will announce to you the appearance of the dawn?
Who will wake you to your daily tasks or tell you when it is time
to visit the bird-trap in the morning?'  He replied, "What you say
is true.  You are a capital bird at telling the time of day.  But
my friend and I must have our dinners."


Necessity knows no law.

0502

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Today's AESOP's Fables
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The Belly and the Members


  THE MEMBERS of the Body rebelled against the Belly, and said,
"Why should we be perpetually engaged in administering to your
wants, while you do nothing but take your rest, and enjoy
yourself in luxury and self-indulgence?'  The Members carried out
their resolve and refused their assistance to the Belly.  The
whole Body quickly became debilitated, and the hands, feet,
mouth, and eyes, when too late, repented of their folly.



 As in the body, so in the state, each member in
his proper sphere must work for the common good

0430

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Today's AESOP's Fables
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 Belling the Cat


  Long ago, the mice had a general council to consider what
measures they could take to outwit their common enemy, the Cat.
Some said this, and some said that; but at last a young mouse got
up and said he had a proposal to make, which he thought would meet
the case.  "You will all agree," said he, "that our chief danger
consists in the sly and treacherous manner in which the enemy
approaches us.  Now, if we could receive some signal of her
approach, we could easily escape from her.  I venture, therefore,
to propose that a small bell be procured, and attached by a ribbon
round the neck of the Cat.  By this means we should always know
when she was about, and could easily retire while she was in the
neighbourhood."

  This proposal met with general applause, until an old mouse
got up and said: "That is all very well, but who is to bell the
Cat?"  The mice looked at one another and nobody spoke.  Then the
old mouse said:


 "It is easy to propose impossible remedies."

0428

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Today's AESOP's Fables
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  The Bee and Jupiter


  A BEE from Mount Hymettus, the queen of the hive, ascended to
Olympus to present Jupiter some honey fresh from her combs.
Jupiter, delighted with the offering of honey, promised to give
whatever she should ask.  She therefore besought him, saying,
"Give me, I pray thee, a sting, that if any mortal shall approach
to take my honey, I may kill him."  Jupiter was much displeased,
for he loved the race of man, but could not refuse the request
because of his promise.  He thus answered the Bee:  "You shall
have your request, but it will be at the peril of your own life.
For if you use your sting, it shall remain in the wound you make,
and then you will die from the loss of it."


Evil wishes, like chickens, come home to roost.

0425

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Today's AESOP's Fables
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 The Bear and the Two Travelers 


  TWO MEN were traveling together, when a Bear suddenly met them on
their path.  One of them climbed up quickly into a tree and
concealed himself in the branches.  The other, seeing that he
must be attacked, fell flat on the ground, and when the Bear came
up and felt him with his snout, and smelt him all over, he held
his breath, and feigned the appearance of death as much as he
could.  The Bear soon left him, for it is said he will not touch
a dead body.  When he was quite gone, the other Traveler
descended from the tree, and jocularly inquired of his friend
what it was the Bear had whispered in his ear.  "He gave me this
advice," his companion replied.  "Never travel with a friend who
deserts you at the approach of danger."


Misfortune tests the sincerity of friends.

0424

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Today's AESOP's Fables
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 The Bat and the Weasels 


  A BAT who fell upon the ground and was caught by a Weasel pleaded
to be spared his life.  The Weasel refused, saying that he was by
nature the enemy of all birds.  The Bat assured him that he was
not a bird, but a mouse, and thus was set free.  Shortly
afterwards the Bat again fell to the ground and was caught by
another Weasel, whom he likewise entreated not to eat him.  The
Weasel said that he had a special hostility to mice.  The Bat
assured him that he was not a mouse, but a bat, and thus a second
time escaped.


It is wise to turn circumstances to good account.

0423

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Today's AESOP's Fables
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The Bat, the Birds and the Beasts


A great conflict was about to come off between the Birds and
the Beasts.  When the two armies were collected together the Bat
hesitated which to join.  The Birds that passed his perch said:
"Come with us"; but he said: "I am a Beast."  Later on, some
Beasts who were passing underneath him looked up and said: "Come
with us"; but he said: "I am a Bird."  Luckily at the last moment
peace was made, and no battle took place, so the Bat came to the
Birds and wished to join in the rejoicings, but they all turned
against him and he had to fly away.  He then went to the Beasts,
but soon had to beat a retreat, or else they would have torn him
to pieces.  "Ah," said the Bat, "I see now,


"He that is neither one thing nor the other has no friends."

0422

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Today's AESOP's Fables
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The Bald Man and the Fly 


A FLY bit the bare head of a Bald Man who, endeavoring to destroy
it, gave himself a heavy slap.  Escaping, the Fly said mockingly,
"You who have wished to revenge, even with death, the Prick of a
tiny insect, see what you have done to yourself to add insult to
injury?'  The Bald Man replied, "I can easily make peace with
myself, because I know there was no intention to hurt.  But you,
an ill-favored and contemptible insect who delights in sucking
human blood, I wish that I could have killed you even if I had
incurred a heavier penalty."


[Revenge will hurt the avenger]

0421

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Today's AESOP's Fables
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The Bald Knight 


  A BALD KNIGHT, who wore a wig, went out to hunt.  A sudden puff
of wind blew off his hat and wig, at which a loud laugh rang
forth from his companions.  He pulled up his horse, and with
great glee joined in the joke by saying, "What a marvel it is
that hairs which are not mine should fly from me, when they have
forsaken even the man on whose head they grew."


Thy pride is but the prologue of thy shame

0417

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Today's AESOP's Fables

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 Avaricious and Envious

  Two neighbours came before Jupiter and prayed him to grant

their hearts' desire.  Now the one was full of avarice, and the

other eaten up with envy.  So to punish them both, Jupiter granted

that each might have whatever he wished for himself, but only on

condition that his neighbour had twice as much.  The Avaricious

man prayed to have a room full of gold.  No sooner said than done;

but all his joy was turned to grief when he found that his

neighbour had two rooms full of the precious metal.  Then came the

turn of the Envious man, who could not bear to think that his

neighbour had any joy at all.  So he prayed that he might have one

of his own eyes put out, by which means his companion would become

totally blind.

Vices are their own punishment.

0416

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Today's AESOP's Fables
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The Ass's Brains


  The Lion and the Fox went hunting together.  The Lion, on the
advice of the Fox, sent a message to the Ass, proposing to make an
alliance between their two families.  The Ass came to the place of
meeting, overjoyed at the prospect of a royal alliance.  But when
he came there the Lion simply pounced on the Ass, and said to the
Fox: "Here is our dinner for to-day.  Watch you here while I go
and have a nap.  Woe betide you if you touch my prey."  The Lion
went away and the Fox waited; but finding that his master did not
return, ventured to take out the brains of the Ass and ate them
up.  When the Lion came back he soon noticed the absence of the
brains, and asked the Fox in a terrible voice: "What have you done
with the brains?"

  "Brains, your Majesty! it had none, or it would never have
fallen into your trap."


Wit has always an answer ready.

0414

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Today's AESOP's Fables
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The Ass, the Cock, and the Lion 


AN ASS and a Cock were in a straw-yard together when a Lion,
desperate from hunger, approached the spot.  He was about to
spring upon the Ass, when the Cock (to the sound of whose voice
the Lion, it is said, has a singular aversion) crowed loudly, and
the Lion fled away as fast as he could.  The Ass, observing his
trepidation at the mere crowing of a Cock summoned courage to
attack him, and galloped after him for that purpose.  He had run
no long distance, when the Lion, turning about, seized him and
tore him to pieces.


False confidence often leads into danger.

@grammar (since 2014-04-14)

Verbs and Verb Tenses

Conditional

Future

Gerund and Present Participle

Infinitive

Passive Voice

Past

• Simple past tense
• Past continuous tense
• Past perfect tense
• Past perfect continuous tense

Present

• Simple present tense

<0428>

• Present continuous or present progressive tense
• Present perfect tense
• Present perfect tense with EVER, NEVER, ALREADY, & YET
• Present perfect or simple past tense
• Present perfect tense with FOR and SINCE

<0515>

• Present perfect continuous tense

Adverbs

• Function: How to use adverbs…
• Form: Where adverbs go…
• Comparative forms: comparing using adverbs...
• Kinds of adverbs

<0527>

1. Adverbs of manner
2. Adverbs of place
3. Adverbs of time
• <0530>
1. Adverbs of certainty
• <0602>
1. Adverbs of degree
• <0603>
1. Interrogative adverbs
2. Relative adverbs
3. Viewpoint and commenting adverbs

Determiners

• Functions and classes of determiners

Articles

• Definite articles
• Definite and indefinite articles
• Exceptions when using definite articles
• Indefinite articles

Quantifiers

<0611>

• Quantifiers that answer HOW MUCH? and HOW MANY?
• Quantifiers MANY, MUCH, FEW, & LITTLE
• The quantifier ENOUGH
• Cardinal and ordinal numbers, percentages
• Quantifiers with countable and uncountable nouns
• The quantifiers FEW and LITTLE

<0618>

• The relative adverbs SOME and ANY
• Compound nouns made with SOME, ANY and NO

Distributives

• Distributives
• The distributives ALL, BOTH, & HALF

<0624>

• The distributives EACH,EVERY, EITHER, & NEITHER

• Demonstratives THIS,THAT, THESE, & THOSE
• The question words WHICH,WHAT, & WHOSE
• Defining words WHICH and WHOSE
• The pre-determiners SUCH, WHAT, RATHER, & QUITE

<0625>

• Possessive pronouns and adjectives
• Difference words OTHER & ANOTHER

Direct and Indirect Speech

• Indirect and Direct Speech

<0626>

• Tense changes when reporting speech

<0627>

• Changing time and place references

<0630>

• Question forms when reporting speech
• Reporting verbs

<0703>

• Reporting orders, requests, and suggestions

Verbs followed by gerund

suggest/suggested + that-clause (where both that and should may be omitted):

• Reporting intentions, hopes, and promises

Relative Clauses

• Relative clauses

<0710>

• Forming relative clauses

5. Whom is very formal and is only used in written English. You can use who/that, or omit the pronoun completely :

• Placing the preposition in a relative clause
• Non-defining relative clauses

Punctuation Menu

<0722>

• Punctuation Menu
• Full Stop
• Comma

<7/31>

• Question Mark

<8/28>

• Exclamation Mark

<8/29>

• Apostrophe
• Quotation Marks

<0904>

• Semi-colon
• Colon
• Hyphen or Dash
• Brackets and Parentheses
• Capitalization Rules

• Guide to Punctuation
• Which is the 'Best' English?

0411

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Today's AESOP's Fables
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(1) The Ass in the Lion's Skin 


AN ASS, having put on the Lion's skin, roamed about in the forest
and amused himself by frightening all the foolish animals he met
in his wanderings.  At last coming upon a Fox, he tried to
frighten him also, but the Fox no sooner heard the sound of his
voice than he exclaimed, "I might possibly have been frightened
myself, if I had not heard your bray."

Clothes may disguise a fool, but his words will give him away



(2) The Ass in the Lion's Skin

An Ass once found a Lion's skin which the hunters had left out
in the sun to dry.  He put it on and went towards his native
village.  All fled at his approach, both men and animals, and he
was a proud Ass that day.  In his delight he lifted up his voice
and brayed, but then every one knew him, and his owner came up and
gave him a sound cudgelling for the fright he had caused.  And
shortly afterwards a Fox came up to him and said: "Ah, I knew you
by your voice."

Fine clothes may disguise, but silly words will disclose a fool.

0410

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Today's AESOP's Fables
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 The Ass and the Wolf 


  AN ASS feeding in a meadow saw a Wolf approaching to seize him,
and immediately pretended to be lame.  The Wolf, coming up,
inquired the cause of his lameness.  The Ass replied that passing
through a hedge he had trod with his foot upon a sharp thorn.  He
requested that the Wolf pull it out, lest when he ate him it
should injure his throat.  The Wolf consented and lifted up the
foot, and was giving his whole mind to the discovery of the
thorn, when the Ass, with his heels, kicked his teeth into his
mouth and galloped away.  The Wolf, being thus fearfully mauled,
said, "I am rightly served, for why did I attempt the art of
healing, when my father only taught me the trade of a butcher?'

0407

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The Ass and the Old Shepherd 


A SHEPHERD, watching his Ass feeding in a meadow, was alarmed all
of a sudden by the cries of the enemy.  He appealed to the Ass to
fly with him, lest they should both be captured, but the animal
lazily replied, "Why should I, pray? Do you think it likely the
conqueror will place on me two sets of panniers?'  "No," rejoined
the Shepherd.  "Then," said the Ass, "as long as I carry the
panniers, what matters it to me whom I serve?'


In a change of government the poor change nothing
beyond the name of their master.


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Today' grammar
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Passive

• Form -past
• Function
• Get/have something done, x needs doing
• Active/passive equivalents

0404

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Today's AESOP's Fables
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The Ass and the Mule 


  A MULETEER set forth on a journey, driving before him an Ass and
a Mule, both well laden.  The Ass, as long as he traveled along
the plain, carried his load with ease, but when he began to
ascend the steep path of the mountain, felt his load to be more
than he could bear.  He entreated his companion to relieve him of
a small portion, that he might carry home the rest; but the Mule
paid no attention to the request.  The Ass shortly afterwards
fell down dead under his burden.  Not knowing what else to do in
so wild a region, the Muleteer placed upon the Mule the load
carried by the Ass in addition to his own, and at the top of all
placed the hide of the Ass, after he had skinned him.  The Mule,
groaning beneath his heavy burden, said to himself:  "I am treated
according to my deserts.  If I had only been willing to assist
the Ass a little in his need, I should not now be bearing,
together with his burden, himself as well."


-"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"-




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Today' grammar
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See also Adjectives - Comparisons of quantity