This entry is part 5 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 […]
Tag Archives: Grammar
Some/Any
This entry is part 3 of 13 in the series Improving EnglishSome and Any are two words which often mean the same thing, but are sometimes total opposites! How can an English student keep these two terms clear? Well, there are a few simple tips to keep in mind. Some – Algum “Some” is used […]
Phrasal Verbs – Sit Up/Sit Down
This entry is part 7 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) – Discussion/Discussão
This entry is part 5 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.) It is very important not to confuse today’s false cognates. These two words look almost identical, yet they have very different meanings. One […]
Writing Tips – Contrast
This entry is part 3 of 4 in the series Business EnglishWriting emails, memos, notes, reports, and other documents are essential aspects to the corporate world and business English. There are a lot of ways to improve writing in English, but one of the best ways is through improving conjunctions and other transition words. Conjunctions […]
False Friends (Falsos Cognatos) – Advise/Aviso
This entry is part 4 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.) Today’s false friends actually have some similarity, but you cannot use them as direct translations of one another. Both Advise and Avisar are verbs, and both […]
Phrasal Verbs – Get Part III
This entry is part 5 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 […]
Improving English
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 […]
Email Endings – Informal
This entry is part 1 of 4 in the series Business EnglishOne of my students recently asked me how to finish an email in an informal way. There are lots of email finishers that are appropriate in different situations. When I’m speaking informally, I use the following options, depending on the subject: Thanks See […]
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. […]
