The days of the week aren’t the only difference between English and Portuguese capitalization. You also capitalize the word “I” which means eu. Interestingly, you do not capitalize me, my or mine, only “I.” Other pronouns are not capitalized either, This means the following words do not take a capital letter. you me he she […]
Each and Every
Two words which often confuse English students are “Each” and “Every.” Both of these words are modifiers, and they work in a similar way, but not in an identical fashion. Each means all of the parts individually. Every means all of the parts together. Sometimes these two words have identical or very similar meanings. Other […]
Capital Letters pt. I
Did you know that capital letters (letras maiúsculas) work a little bit different in English and Portuguese. There are several words that you capitalize in English, which you often don’t in other languages. The days of the week demonstrate this. In English, all seven days are capitalized. Just for review, here are the seven days. […]
English Online Articles
A few days ago I said that reading was the key to improving vocabulary. Many people assume that means you have to read literature or technical manuals. While those are both good options, if you find them boring, you will not continue reading. If you have a shorter attention span, improve your English vocabulary through […]
Much and Many
Much and many are two words with identical meanings, but different uses. Do you know when to use much and when to use many? Why can we say “many people” but we can’t say “much people”? The difference is regarding countable and uncountable. If you aren’t sure about the concept of countable nouns, read through […]
How can I improve my English vocabulary?
Students off ask me specifically how to improve English vocabulary. There is one simple answer to this – read! Reading in a class, alone, on the subway or on business flights is the best way to expand your English vocabulary. English blogs like this one and others also help. Read books, magazines, articles, reports, newspapers, […]
Internet English
A lot of the terms used in Internet English are abbreviations (the first letters of each word in an expression). One abbreviation that I have seen a lot, but only recently discovered the meaning is SMH. Every time I saw this term, it was used to show disagreement or unhappiness, but I couldn’t figure […]
English Quotes
Today’s quote will test your knowledge of the words “all” and “some.” There is also a new word – fool. Some – Algumas All – Todos Fool – Enganar You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all […]
Quality Translations
What makes a translation a quality translation? There are a few factors to keep in mind. Fluency in target language General writing ability Expansive vocabulary in both original and target language A sense of creativity to create legitimate alternatives for words, expressions and phrases which don’t exist in both languages Cultural sensitivity to both involved […]
Translation Services
Did you know that there are several types of translation services available? The main division is between written translations and oral translations. Oral translations are known as interpretations. Written English translations are generally divided by subject matter, for example, legal translations, technical translations and literary translations. There is also something known as localization, which translates […]
