(This is a series on Phrasal Verbs. There are hundreds of phrasal verbs and many of them have no relation to the words that form them. When you are learning a new phrasal verb, I recommend learning it as a completely new piece of vocabulary, instead of trying to make sense of the two pieces of the […]
Expressions (expressões) – Spill the Beans
(English, like most other languages, is full of expressions that don’t really make sense when translated. This series will explore some of the different, popular expressions used in English to help any speaker improve their vocabulary.) The next few expressions are all going to deal with food terms. English loves to use food and animals […]
A/An
Most students know that we use the article “an” with a noun that starts with a vowel (A, E, I, O, U): An apple And that we use “a” with a noun that begins with a consonant: A banana However, this is actually not completely accurate. The real rules are: “An” goes before […]
Lincoln’s Gym Bag
Lincoln is a big fan of the gym. He likes to work out at least twice a week. First, he takes some time to prepare his gym bag. He always includes his gloves, shaker, and headband. He sweats a lot, so he also brings a small towel. After he lifts weights, Lincoln practices a little cardio on the Treadmill. He likes to listen to rock […]
Expressions (expressões) – Go Bananas
(English, like most other languages, is full of expressions that don’t really make sense when translated. This series will explore some of the different, popular expressions used in English to help any speaker improve their vocabulary.) The next few expressions are all going to deal with food terms. English loves to use food and animals […]
English Quotes
For the last two years I have been working hard at getting in shape (entrar em forma). It is not easy for me, I love food and most of the things I enjoy are very sedentary. This quote by the boxer Mohammed Ali helps keep me motivated and inspired when I am at the gym: […]
Internet English – Abbreviations
Here are a few more English Internet abbreviations to improve your online chatting. Don’t forgot these words we learned before. SMH – Shaking My Head You use the term SMH when you disagree with something someone types or when you believe that something is shameful. ROFL – Rolling on the Floor Laughing You may […]
My Top Five Favorite Sitcoms for Improving English
When I first moved to Brazil, I spoke very little Portuguese and communication was difficult. Thankfully, with time I started to improve. One of the things that helped my vocabulary and structure was watching television programs in Portuguese. Sometimes, I turned on the English translation subtitles, but as I improved, I simply listened to the […]
False Friends (Falsos Cognatos) – Discussion/Discussão
( False friends or false cognates are words that look the same in different languages, but which actually have different meanings.) It is very important not to confuse today’s false cognates. These two words look almost identical, yet they have very different meanings. One is friendly conversation and the other is a basically a fight! […]
Internet English – Abbreviations
When people type or text in English, they commonly use abbreviations, smileys and other shortcuts to improve communication and demonstrate expression. When you understand some of the basic Internet terms, it helps communicate with native English speakers online, and it also allows you to better comprehend online articles, games and forums. Today we will look […]
