This entry is part 1 of 13 in the series Improving EnglishThere are many tricky words in the English language – words that often change in meaning, depending on the situation or context. “Pretty” is one of these words. Many ESL or EFL speakers incorrectly use this word to emphasize an adjective, substituting the word […]
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Phrasal Verbs – Get Part II
This entry is part 4 of 12 in the series Phrasal Verbs(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 […]
False Friends (Falsos Cognatos) – Push/Puxe
This entry is part 3 of 6 in the series False FriendsToday’s false friend is one that really messes with my mind sometimes. It is hard for English speakers learning Portuguese as well as Portuguese speakers learning English. The worst part is that it is something very common, yet that doesn’t make it any easier. […]
Phrasal Verbs – Knock
This entry is part 3 of 12 in the series Phrasal Verbs Yesterday’s expression was “knock off”, a noun that means a copy or fake version of a product. Today’s phrasal verbs are related as they all start with “knock.” The English verb knock means to hit a door (bater na porta) as a way […]
Expressions (Expressões) – Knock off
This entry is part 3 of 10 in the series ExpressionsToday’s English expression is related to tomorrow’s phrasal verbs. The difference is that this expression is a noun or substantive, although it can also be used a verb. The expression is “knock off,” and while it may seem strange, it is very common in […]
Phrasal Verbs – Check
This entry is part 2 of 12 in the series Phrasal Verbs(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 […]
Expressions (expressões) – Get over it
This entry is part 2 of 10 in the series ExpressionsThis post talked about the phrasal verb “get over something.” Today’s topic will look at the specific expression “get over it.” Remember, get over something means to superar or overcome a problem or situation. Get over it basically means the same thing, but it is normally used […]
False Friends (Falsos Cognatos) – Actual/Atual
This entry is part 2 of 6 in the series False Friends( False friends or false cognates are words that look the same in different languages, but which actually have different meanings.) This is probably the most confusing and most common false cognate. The two words look so much alike that it is hard to believe […]
Expressions (expressões) – Call it quits
This entry is part 1 of 10 in the series Expressions(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.) Our first expression can be used in many […]
Phrasal Verbs – Get
This entry is part 1 of 12 in the series Phrasal Verbs(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 […]
