HOW TO IMPROVE MY ENGLISH _ PART 2

In his book Inglês na Ponta da Língua (which btw I highly recommend), Denilso de Lima states what comes to be the topic of our today's post: "sem vocabulário não há absolutamente nada. Sem vocabulário, palavras, não há nenhuma comunicação. Não há nenhuma transmissão de pensamentos. Não há idéias. Não há como expressar seus sentimentos. Não há como dialogar. Não há como ler livros. Não há discursos, brigas e tudo mais (p.4)."

In his statement, the teacher is trying to draw attention to the importance of having a good range of VOCABULARY, claiming that the shorter is the person's vocabulary, the more difficult it will be for them to interact and communicate their ideas. So, I get the impression he's giving us a tip: brush up your vocabulary!

But the question is 'how?'. What I feel when I teach you guys is that, curiously, few students are able to really retain new vocabulary each class. I said "curiously" because that is what the MNEMÔNICA method (you should follow) is about: how much of the class content I can keep on my mind. Only the ones who study hard and follow effectively the MNEMÔNICA techniques are able to add pieces to their vocabulary castle. So, that's my hint to begin with: do your best to follow what the step-by-step programme tells you to do. It will guarantee an effective learning.

The second tip has to do with making notes. It is during the classes that you will have the chance to learn new words and clarify others, so make sure that you are keeping them in a safe place. Do what I used to do when I was a student (In fact, I still do it. lol): separate a special part of your notebook to a NEW VOCABULARY section, and make as many notes as possible. Once in a while, browse your notebook for a refresh. Be curious to know new words! That's the key!

Denilso de Lima is gonna help me with my last point. According to him, "Aprender palavras não significa apenas saber o que elas estão definindo ou dizendo. Para dizer que aprendeu uma palavra você tem que ser capaz de entender como aquele palavra é usada dentro da língua. Você tem que ser capaz de identificar as características daquela palavra, para que na hora de usá-la não cometa um erro ou ainda venha a usá-la em uma situação não muito apropriada." Shifting to clear English, MAKE USE OF NEW WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS, PUT THEM INTO PRACTICE. That is the only way you can be sure you really know the word. Take advantages of conversation and fun classes, even while writing compositions, to brush up your vocabulary, and always bear in mind: your range of vocabulary should correspond, as much as possible, to your current level/stage. Ask yourself then: does my vocabulary correspond to my level/estage? If yes, keep on the right track. But, if not, reflect on what's still missing.

Food for thoughts...

Bye Guys,

Instructor Rafael.

HOW IS THE WORLD SEEING BRAZIL?

A very nice video that we received from our student Petrus (thank you, btw!)

On it, you are going to see an interview with Eike Batista, our ex-president Lula and other people about the recent development our country has been through.

It's very interesting! I highly recommend.

REMEDIAL WORK _ PART 1

Hello guys! How are you doing?
We hope fine.


We're honestly happy to see that the number of viewers are getting higher each day.
Keep visiting us and remember: this blog was made for YOU.


What's the news for today? We're going to start a new series called REMEDIAL WORK that aims at helping you solving some common mistakes you commit during the classes.


To begin with, it's important to make some considerations about "commiting a mistake". Believe it or not, it's good when you're wrong, teachers love that (in a good sense, of course)! Do you know why? It means that a learning process is going on and that you are really experimenting with the language. FYI, acquiring a language without making mistakes is, fortunately, impossible. You can smile now! So, be free to use the language spontaneously and do not panic about grammatical issues, I know it sucks! lol


However, am I saying that studying hard, concentrating on your difficulties and improving skills are not worth considering? Of course not. Commiting mistakes is part of the learning process as well as improving and stopping commiting them. Having this in mind, here you have some examples of recurrent slips you should start to brush up. Ready?


PERSONS? PEOPLES? PEOPLE? CHILDS? CHILDRENS?
If I'm not mistaken, my friends and I teach, in chapter 3, some cases of the irregular plural in English. I know, I know...too much information! So, here's your chance for a refresh.


"There is a person at the door. I think it's a child." (singular)
"There are some people waiting for you at your house. All of them children asking for candies." (Plural)


HAVE? THERE IS? THERE ARE? THERE HAVE? EXIST?
I love when you confuse it. It means that are you thinking about what you're saying, but also making use of some (natural) translation. Don't worry when it happens, it's also part of the learning process. You wanna be safe, don't you? lol The thing is, TER (the way we use in Portuguese) can be HAVE or THERE TO BE in English. HAVE when it means possession, and THERE TO BE when it means existence. Take a look:


"I have a beautiful house in Ipanema." (It's mine. I bought it.)
"There is a house on sale in Copacabana. Do you have money to buy it?" (The meaning of existence)


I HAVE SURE? I HAVE CERTAIN?
When you wanna say that you KNOW what you are talking about and that people can trust you, here's how you should express it.


"I am sure you'll pass the exam."
"It's certain that you'll pass the exam."


Are you relieved now? I hope it was useful.
If you have any questions, be free to ask us and stay tunned for the next tips!


Bye!

ST. PATRICK'S DAY IS COMING!

Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It is named after Saint Patrick (c. AD 387–461), the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland. It originated as a Catholic holiday and became an official feast day in the early 17th century. It has gradually become more of a secular celebration of Irish culture.

It is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador and in Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora, especially in places such as Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and Montserrat, among others.

Originally, the colour associated with Saint Patrick was blue. Over the years the colour green and its association with Saint Patrick's day grew. Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century. He is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish, and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the day. In the 1798 rebellion, in hopes of making a political statement, Irish soldiers wore full green uniforms on 17 March in hopes of catching public attention. The phrase "the wearing of the green", meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing, derives from a song of the same name.

Enjoy the video about the festival!

IT`S CARNIVAL TIME!

Hello Guys! What`s up?


Are you ready for the most fun party on Earth? No? So, hurry up...it`s just begun!


Our team wishes you a wonderful holiday and great time. For those who don`t like Carnival very much, enjoy this week to rest at home, to watch some films and to have friends over.


I`ll tell you later on about my Carnival at Sapucaí! In the meantime, watch the video below and see what GRINGOS think about our party. 


Bye. See ya!


Instructor Rafa.


P.S: I recommend you follow our student Tati`s idea: seize the opportunity to talk to foreigners and practice your English. Much better: stalk them! hihihihi

Let's sing along! (John Legend - Ordinary People)

Ordinary People

 John Legend

Girl, I'm in love with you
This ain't the honeymoon, past the infatuation phase
Right in the thick of love
At times we get sick of love
It seems like we argue everyday
I know I misbehaved
And you made your mistake
And we both still got room left to grow
And though love sometimes hurts
I still put you first
And we'll make this thing work
But I think we should take it slow

We're just ordinary people
We don't know which way to go
'Cos we're just ordinary people
Maybe we should take it slow
Take it slow
This time we'll take it slow
Take it slow
This time we'll take it slow

This ain't a movie, no
No fairytale conclusions, y'all
It gets more confusing everyday
Sometimes it's heaven sent
Then we head back to hell again
We kiss then we make up on the way
I hang up, you call
We rise and we fall
And we feel like just walking away
As our love advances, we take second chances
Though it's not a fantasy I still want you to stay

We're just ordinary people
We don't know which way to go
'Cause we're just ordinary people
Maybe we should take it slow
Take it slow
This time we'll take it slow
Take it slow
This time we'll take it slow

Maybe we'll live and learn
Maybe we'll crash and burn
Maybe you'll stay, maybe you'll leave, maybe you'll return
Maybe another fight, maybe we won't survive
Maybe we'll grow we never know
Baby, you and I