Manchester Accent

Though England has a small area, it's a country with many English accents. One of the most famous is the Manchester accent. It has a number of distinct features. Here are a few:

-in words such as city, happy and lucky, the word final y is pronounced as in big

-the words look and luck rhyme (this is because the u of but, must and up has the sound of the u in put)

-words such as castle, dance and fast have the vowel of man

-the diphthong in words such as line, side and time is more advanced than in the London accent

-the vowel of cap, hat, and land tends to be more retracted than in the London accent.

To hear the Manchester accent, visit the following website: dialectsarchive.com/england You can find the Manchester accent under accents of the northwest.

Mate in 13

In a game of speed chess I mated my opponent in 13 moves. My opponent was dusanmarkovic1989 of Serbia, who played black. Here are the moves of the game:

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. c3 Nf6

My third move isn't so common. More common moves are Bb5 and Bc4.

4. d4 Nxe4

I expect black to play exd, but he captures a pawn with his knight.

5.Bd3 exd

Black takes another pawn, but this is a mistake. He needs to save his knight with a move such as Nf6.

6. Bxe4 dxc

Black has three more pawns, but this isn't enough compensation for the loss of his knight.

7. Nxc3 Bb4

8. 0-0 0-0

9. Ng5 Be7

Black fails to stop the loss of the h7 pawn. A better move is h6.

10. Nxh7 Kh8

11. Qh5 g6

Black can't save the game.

12. Qh6 Bf6

13, Nf6#

I win with a discovered check.

The key to this game is black's fifth move, exd. He decides to capture a central pawn, but loses his knight and the game. My eleventh move, Qh5, is an aggressive move which quickly ends the game.

Peace

The American Sara Teasdale wrote the poem Peace. Here it is:

Peace flows into me
As the tide to the pool by the shore;
It is mine forevermore,
It will not ebb like the sea.

I am the pool of blue
That worships the vivid sky;
My hopes were heaven-high,
They are all fulfilled in you.

I am the pool of gold
When sunset burns and dies--
You are my deepening skies;
Give me your stars to hold.

The poem is divided into three stanzas with four verses each. The rhyme scheme is a,b,b,a. Peace describes an inner peace which is compared to the tide of the ocean. It is eternal and the writer's hopes are all fulfilled. Even when the sunset has ended, the writer is filled with peace and love.

Sarah Teasdale's Peace describes a profound love which grows over time. The poem is full of beautiful imagery such as the stars of the sky, the tide of the ocean and the golden sun. The imagery and elegance of the poem make it a classic.

Hungarian Apple Soup

Hungarian apple soup is tasty and easy to prepare. It can be eaten either hot or cold. Here is the recipe:

4 cups apples, cubed
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
3 cups water
pinch of salt
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Heat the apples, butter, sugar, cinnamon and cloves.
Add water and boil for 10 minutes.
Add salt.
Mix sour cream, flour and water in a bowl until creamy.
Add to soup and bring to a slow boil.
Remove from heat.
Add lemon juice.

This soup can be served hot or cold. Enjoy!

Archaic English Spellings

The English language has a number of archaic spellings. Many words are spelled differently than in the past. In most cases, though, the spellings are not so different from today. Here is a list of ten words:

angell bicause citie colde daye eare garlick hym mirrour noyse

The modern spellings of these words are angel, because, city, cold, day, ear, garlic, hymn, mirror and noise.

Most of the modern spellings are simpler than the archaic ones. This is the case with angel, cold, day, ear, garlic and mirror. The modern spelling of hymn is more complicated than the archaic one. The spelling citie appears in the plural cities and the spelling noyse has the same number of letters as the modern noise.

Many of the archaic spellings have an extra word-final e. This is thc case with cold, day and ear. In the words angell and mirrour we see an extra l and u. The extra u of mirrour appears in the British spelling of many words such as colour, flavour and honour.

English spelling is highly irregular. Many modern spellings represent archaic pronunciations. For example, the word knife used to be pronounced with a k, but the k is now silent. Though English spelling is not so phonetic, a number of words have simpler spellings than they did in the past.

French Beef Dish with Vegetables

The French beef dish called Marmite de Boeuf is a wonderful way to prepare beef. It has an exquiisite combination of flavours and is cooked with red wine. Here is the recipe:

1 kilo of beef
30 grams of butter
3 onions
3 tomatoes
3 glasses of red wine
1 leek
2 carrots
2 bay leaves
200 grams of mushrooms
garlic
flour
thyme
salt
pepper
parsley
250 millilitres  of beef bouillon

Boil the tomatoes, drain and crush.
Cut the beef into small cubes.
Combine the flour, salt and pepper on a plate and roll the pieces of beef.
Heat half the butter in a pot. Add the meat and brown. Add the onions.
Add the red wine, the beef bouillon, the tomatoes, the carrots, the leek, the thyme, the bay leaf and the garlic.
Cook for about one and a half hours.
Cook the mushrooms in a pan with the rest of the butter.
Add to the pot. Add salt, pepper and parsley.
Serve with steamed potatoes.

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do!

Ten Popular Sausages

Sausage differs in the meat used, the seasonings and the method of preparation. It can be cooked, dried, fresh and also smoked. Here are ten popular varieties:

Bratwurst is a German sausage with many different varieties. It can be made from beef, pork or veal. In many varieties, marjoram is a characteristic ingredient.

Bockwurst is also a German sausage. It is made from ground veal and pork. In contrast to Bratwurst, it uses more veal than pork. Paprika is one of the seasonings.

Cervelat is a sausage that is primarily produced in Switzerland but also in parts of France and Germany. It is often called the national sausage of Switzerland. The Swiss variety has beef, bacon, pork and pork rind.

Chipolata is a French sausage often eaten for breakfast. It is usually grilled and is made from pork, herbs and spices.

Chorizo is a Spanish sausage that is also produced in many other countries. It is made from pork and may be cooked before eating.

Cumberland is an English sausage made of pork and seasonings. The distinctive feature is that the meat is chopped, not ground.

Knackwurst is a sausage of northern German origin. It contains ground veal, ground pork and fresh garlic. It is a specialty of Hamburg.

Merguez is a spicy sausage from North Africa. It is made with uncooked lamb or beef, or sometimes a mixture of the two. Merguez is usually eaten grilled.

Pepperoni is an American variety of salami, usually made from cured beef and pork. It is a common topping on pizzas.

Salami is a cured sausage typically made from beef or pork. Though salami is produced in many countries, it is typically associated with Italy. In parts of northern Italy, goose salami is traditional.

Many varieties of sausage are produced throughout the world. Three of the ten sausages here, Bratwurst, Bockwurst and Knackwurst, are of German origin. This indicates that German sausages are among the most popular.