This entry is part 14 of 13 in the series Improving EnglishThe 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 […]
Each and Every
This entry is part 13 of 13 in the series Improving EnglishTwo 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. […]
Capital Letters pt. I
This entry is part 12 of 13 in the series Improving EnglishDid 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 […]
Using “The” Correctly – Part II
This entry is part 9 of 13 in the series Improving EnglishWe already looked at the basic rules about “the,” but there are a few things that are harder to understand. Let’s take a look at using articles with names. Proper names never use an article. (David, Brian, Santa Clause, Barack Obama, Xuxa) Proper titles […]
False Friends (Falsos Cognatos) – Anticipate/Antecipar
This entry is part 6 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.) Anticipate is a false friend that I personally use sometimes! I really like the word “antecipar” and try to use it the same […]
Good and Well
This entry is part 8 of 13 in the series Improving EnglishThe English words good and well cause a great deal of confusion even for native speakers. Surprisingly, most Brazilian students quickly pick up on the difference, after learning what the difference actually is. So, let’s take a look at some examples with English to […]
Uncountable Nouns – Part IV
This entry is part 7 of 13 in the series Improving EnglishEnglish has a series of nouns called uncountable nouns or non-count nouns. Many of these are similar to Portuguese, but some of them are confusing. This short series of posts is going to look at the different types of uncountable nouns. Uncountable nouns are […]
Phrasal Verbs – Turn Off
This entry is part 9 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 […]
Uncountable Nouns – Part III
This entry is part 6 of 13 in the series Improving EnglishEnglish has a series of nouns called uncountable nouns or non-count nouns. Many of these are similar to Portuguese, but some of them are confusing. This short series of posts is going to look at the different types of uncountable nouns. Uncountable nouns are […]
Expressions (expressões) – Fishy
This entry is part 7 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.) The next few expressions are all going to deal […]