Adjective Order

In English, it is common to use more than one adjective before a noun -- for example, "He's a silly young fool," or "she's a smart, energetic woman." When you use more than one adjective, you have to put them in the right order, according to type. This page will explain the different types of adjectives and the correct order for them.
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The basic types of adjectives
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Opinion
An opinion adjective explains what you think about something (other people may not agree with you). Examples:silly, beautiful, horrible, difficult, polite, fun, hard-working, cute
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Size
A size adjective, of course, tells you how big or small something is.
Size, including adjectives, comparatives and superlatives
·height; e.g. tall, short, high, low; taller, tallest
·width; e.g. wide, narrow, thin, slim; wider, widest
·length; e.g. long, short; longer, longest
·volume; e.g. fat, huge; fatter, fattest
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Age
An age adjective tells you how young or old something or someone is. Examples:ancient, new, young, old, adolescent, teenage, middle-aged
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Shape
A shape adjective describes the shape of something. Examples:square, round, flat, rectangular, circular, oval,5-sided, hexagonal, irregular
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Color
A color adjective, of course, describes the color of something. Examples:blue, pink, reddish, grey, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, black and white, pale blue, reddish brown, bright green
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Origin
An origin adjective describes where something comes from. Examples:French, lunar, American, eastern, Greek
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Material
A material adjective describes what something is made from. Examples:wooden, metal, cotton, paper, ceramic, silver
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Purpose
A purpose adjective describes what something is used for. These adjectives often end with "-ing". Examples:sleeping (as in "sleeping bag"), roasting (as in "roasting tin")
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Note: Some Grammar Books give the following order for the Adjectives:
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1. Determiner or article
·........Determiners e.g. this, that, these, those, my, mine, your, yours, him, his, her, hers, they,
.........their, Sam's ; or
·....... Articles - a, an, the
2. Opinion adjective e.g. polite, fun, cute, difficult, hard-working
3. Size, including adjectives, comparatives and superlatives
....height; e.g. tall, short, high, low; taller, tallest
....width; e.g. wide, narrow, thin, slim; wider, widest
....length; e.g. long, short; longer, longest
....volume; e.g. fat, huge; fatter, fattest
4. Shape e.g. circular, oval, triangular, square, 5-sided, hexagonal, irregular
5. Age e.g. new, young, adolescent, teenage, middle-aged, old, ancient
6. Color e.g. red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, white, grey, black, black and white, light
.....blue, dark red, pale blue, reddish brown, off-white, bright green, warm yellow
7. Nationality e.g. Hong Kong, Chinese, English, American, Canadian, Japanese
8. Religion e.g. Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, Moslem, pagan, atheist
9. Material e.g. wood, plastic, metal, ceramic, paper, silk
10. Noun used as an adjectivee.g. campus (as in 'campus activities')
11. The noun that the adjectives are describing.
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Sentence structure:
Together the article or determiner, adjective(s) and noun(s) make a 'noun phrase'. Noun phrases can also have adverbs describing the adjectives; e.g. nearly circular; and can also have relative clauses, although these are not discussed on this page.
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Style:
Although it is possible to write a sentence that uses all the categories; e.g. 'my beautiful, long, curving, new, pink, western, Christian, silk wedding dress', it is bad style as it is too long. Try to use less than five adjectives in a single list. Therefore you could say "Have you seen my beautiful new cream silk wedding dress? It's long and curving, and is in western Christian style."
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EXERCISES
1. Which is the correct order?
a small Canadian thin lady
a Canadian small thin lady
a small thin Canadian lady
a thin small Canadian lady
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2. Which is the correct order?
a carving steel new knife
a new steel carving knife
a steel new carving knife
a new carving steel knife
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3. Which is the correct order?
a beautiful blue sailing boat
a blue beautiful sailing boat
a sailing beautiful blue boat
a blue sailing beautiful boat
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4. Which is the correct order?
an old wooden square table
a square wooden old table
an old square wooden table
a wooden old square table
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5. Which is the correct order?
an new French exciting band
a French new exciting band
an exciting French new band
an exciting new French band
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6. Which is the correct order?
a red big plastic hat
a big red plastic hat
a plastic big red hat
a bit plastic red hat
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7. Which is the correct order?
a small Japanese serving bowl
a Japanese small serving bowl
a small serving Japanese bowl
a serving small Japanese bowl
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8. Which is the correct order?
a cotton dirty old tie
a dirty cotton old tie
an old cotton dirty tie
a dirty old cotton tie
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Answers:
1 C
2 B
3 A
4 C
5 D
6 B
7 A
8 D

M O D A L V E R B S

Can
Poder, ter habilidade de, saber
fazer, ter permissão de
For permission, requests possibility / ability, inability
- Can I use your phone?
- Can you quote me a price for CIF Santos?
- Passengers can take a small bag onto the plane with them.
- I can’t find my boarding card.
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Could
Passado de Can - Poderia
For permission, requests, suggestions
- Could I interrupt a moment?
- Could you speak up?
- We could ask for volunteers.
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May
Para expressar permissão, possibilidade, desejo, obrigação
For permission
- May I borrow your car?
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Might
Futuro de Can
Usado para indicar condição ou possibilidade
Future possibility
- It might be possible to reduce the price.
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Shall
(Shan’t – Negative short form of Shall not)
Usado na formação do futuro, Dever
For suggestions, offers, asking what to do
- Shall we ask for volunteers?
- Shall I call a taxi for you?
- What shall I do?
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Should
Passado de Shall - Usado para exprimir possibilidade, conselho, condição
For recommending action, saying what is right or correct
- I think we should teach the French sales staff English.
- The government should increase taxes on petrol.
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Have to
For obligation, prohibition
- You have to take your Passport with you.
- You don’t have to clear Customs.
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Have got to
For obligation
- You’ve got to pass here
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Must
Usado para indicar obrigação, necessidade ou probabilidade
For obligation, prohibition
- Passengers must make sure their bags are clearly labeled.
- Passengers mustn’t carry guns or explosives.
(mustn’t = must not)
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Ought to
Mesmo uso do should
For suggestion
- You ought to be in the airport (2) two hours prior departure.
- You ought to go with someone.
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'd better (had better)
Mesmo uso do should
For suggestion
- You’d better talk to your father.
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Need to
Usado para indicar obrigação, necessidade.
For necessity
- You need to take money.
- You need to check the weather.

Como está seu humor para o Inglês?

Você está se sentindo on top of the world e cheio de alegria ou deprimido e down in the dumps? Aqui está uma lista de expressões populares que você pode usar para dizer às pessoas como você se sente.
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Bent out of shape. Se você ficasse bent out of shape com alguma coisa, você se machucaria? Bem, não fisicamente! Essa expressão significa que uma pessoa está se sentindo muito aborrecida ou nervosa: "She got bent out of shape over the new dress code at work."
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On cloud nine. Quando alguém está on cloud nine, quer dizer que ele ou ela está extremamente feliz. Por exemplo, "When he finally proposed to her, she was on cloud nine."
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Totally spaced out. Seus amigos estão tentando chamar sua atenção a mais de dez minutos, e você nem percebeu. Qual é a sua desculpa? Diga que você estava totally spaced out e sonhando acordado.
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Shaken up. Depois de receber notícias surpreendentes ou ter uma experiência inesperada, você pode se sentir um pouco shaken up. Por exemplo, "After the accident she was completely shaken up."
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On pins and needles. Quando as pessoas dizem que estão on pins and needles, elas não estão falando de acupultura. Quer dizer que estão nervosas ou ansiosas. Por exemplo, "The movie was so suspenseful, I was on pins and needles the whole time!"
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Beat/Bushed. Da próxima vez que alguém lhe perguntar como você está se sentindo após um dia longo e cansativo, você pode lhes dizer que se sente beat ou bushed. Esta é uma outra maneira de dizer que está exausto. Uma desculpa perfeita para não lavar a louça!
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Head over heels. Todos lhe perguntam porque você anda tão feliz. Você pode lhes dizer que está head over heels in love! Esta é uma expressão popular para descrever aquele sentimento de estar totalmente apaixonado por alguém. Você também pode dizer que está madly in love.
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Fed up. Quando você está se sentindo muito frustrado com alguma coisa e não quer mais saber dela, você pode dizer às pessoas que está completely fed up! Se você for muito mal atendido em um restaurante, por exemplo, você pode dizer, "I am completely fed up with your service!"
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Chill out. Se seus amigos acham que você está exagerando um problema pequeno, eles podem lhe dizer para chill out. Este é um jeito coloquial de dizer às pessoas para relaxar: "Stop worrying about it and just chill out."
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Under the weather. Se você está doente ou não está se sentindo bem, apenas diga que você está under the weather. Por exemplo, "John's feeling a bit under the weather tonight, so he won't be joining us for dinner."

MULTI-WORD VERBS

1. Two-word verbs
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1.1. Phrasal verbs - Transitive (Separable) and Intransitive, Prepositional Verbs (Inseparable)

2. Three-word verbs = Phrasal-prepositional verbs
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A principal diferença entre Phrasal Verbs e Prepositional Verbs ocorre no plano sintático: quando transitivos, os Phrasal Verbs, também chamados de Separable, exigem a colocação do objeto entre o verbo e a preposição sempre que o objeto for um pronome, enquanto que Prepositional Verbs, também chamados de inseparable, não permitem a colocação do objeto entre o verbo e sua preposição.
Exemplos:
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· Phrasal Verb: They called up the man = They called the man up = They called him up -- Eles telefonaram para o homem.
· Prepositional Verb: They called on the man = They called on him -- Eles visitaram o homem.
No plano semântico, observa-se que em Phrasal Verbs o grau de distanciamento do significado em relação ao significado original do verbo tende a ser maior.
Ex: give = dar; give up = parar, largar de mão.
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Além disso, Phrasal Verbs são compostos predominantemente com verbos monossilábicos, enquanto que em Prepositional Verbs, o verbo é freqüentemente bissilábico.
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Também na pronúncia ocorre uma diferença importante, em Phrasal Verbs a sílaba tônica recai sobre a preposição, enquanto que em Prepositional Verbs, a sílaba tônica recai sobre o verbo.
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Finalmente, podemos classificar uma terceira categoria de multi-word verbs: os Phrasal-Prepositional Verbs, também chamados de three-word verbs por serem compostos de um verbo, um advérbio e uma preposição. Estas locuções ocorrem predominantemente em linguagem informal.
Relação de phrasal verbs, prepositional verbs, e phrasal-prepositional verbs comuns:
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Transitive Phrasal Verbs (separable two-word verbs): ask out (convidar para sair), back up, blow out, blow up (explodir, ampliar), break in (amaciar, dar iniciação), break off (romper relações), break up (partir, romper), bring about (causar), bring forward (antecipar), bring in (apresentar, introduzir), bring up (criar, trazer à tona), brush off (desconsiderar), burn down (queimar completamente), burn up (enraivecer alguém), call off (cancel), call up (telephone), calm down, carry out, check out, clean up, clear up, climb up, count in, count out, cross out, cut off, drive back, figure out, fill in, fill out, find out, give away, give up (parar de, desistir de, abandonar), hand in, hand out, hang up, keep away, keep off, keep on, keep up, kick off, knock down, leave behind, let down (decepcionar), let in/out, light up, lock up, look up, make up (compensate), pass over, pay back, pick up, play down, point out, pull off (conseguir, obter êxito), pull over, pump up, put away, put back, put down, put off (postpone), put on (colocar, botar, vestir), put out (extinguish), put together (assemble, form), rip off (lograr), rule out (exclude), run over, set up, sex up, shut down, shut off, sort out, spell out, stand up (dar bolo), take apart (desmontar), take away, take back, take off, take over, take up, talk out (dissuadir), talk over, tear down, throw away (discard), try on (experimentar uma roupa), try out (testar), turn down (não aceitar), turn in, turn off (desligar), turn on (ligar), wake up, warn off, wash down, work out (solve), write down (anotar).
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Intransitive Phrasal Verbs: back out (dar para trás, desistir), break down (collapse), break up, catch on, come back (return), die out, eat out (comer fora), fall off, get up, give in (ceder), go back, go off, go up, grow up, pull out, settle down, show up (comparecer), shut up, sink in, sit down, sleep in, stand up (levantar-se, ficar de pé), stay over, strike back (counterattack), throw up (vomit), turn up, work out (exercise).
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Prepositional Verbs (inseparable two-word verbs): allow for, apply for, approve of, attend to, break into, call for, call on (visit), care for, cheat on (to be sexually unfaithful), come across, comment on, conform to, consent to, count on, deal with, do without, get into, get over (recuperar-se), go into (enter), go over, go through (undergo, examine), insist on, leaf through, listen to, live on, look after, look at, look for, look into (investigate), resort to, run into (meet by chance), send for (request), stand by, stand for.
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Phrasal-Prepositional Verbs (three-word verbs): break up with, carry on with, catch up with, check out of, come up to, come up with, crack down on, do away with, drop out of, fool around with, get along with, get away with, get back at, get back from, get on with, get out of, get through with, go down on (perform oral sex), keep out of, keep up with, kick out of, look forward to, look out for, put up

Made from, made of, made by

When you are talking about the materials that are used to make something, you say that it is made of or made from those materials.

Use made from when the original materials have been completely changed and cannot be recognized. Paper is made from wood.

Use made of when the original materials have not been completely changed and you can still see them: a table made of wood.

Do not use made by when you are talking about the materials something is made from: a small purse made of leather (not a small purse made by leather). Made by is used to talk about the person or company that made something.
All the furniture in this room was made by my grandfather.

Reported Speech

Direct and Indirect Speech
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We often have to give information about what people say or think. In order to do this you can use direct or quoted speech, or indirect or reported speech.
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Direct Speech
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Saying exactly what someone has said is called direct speech (sometimes called quoted speech)
Here what a person says appears within quotation marks ("...") and should be word for word.
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For example:

She said, "Today's lesson is on presentations."
or
"Today's lesson is on presentations," she said.
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Indirect Speech
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Indirect speech (sometimes called reported speech), doesn't use quotation marks to enclose what the person said and it doesn't have to be word for word.
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When reporting speech the tense usually changes. This is because when we use reported speech, we are usually talking about a time in the past (because obviously the person who spoke originally spoke in the past). The verbs therefore usually have to be in the past too.
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For example:
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Direct speech
"I'm going to the cinema", he said.
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Indirect speech
He said he was going to the cinema.
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Tense change
As a rule when you report something someone has said you go back a tense: (the tense on the left changes to the tense on the right):
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Direct speech .....................................................Indirect speech
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Present simple .......................................................Past simple
She said, "It's cold."................................................She said it was cold.
Present continuous ................................................Past continuous
She said, "I'm teaching English online." ..............She said she was teaching English onlin
Present perfect simple...........................................Past perfect simple
She said, "I've been on the web since 1999."......She said she had been on the web since 1999.
Present perfect continuous....................................Past perfect continuous
She said, "I've been teaching English for seven years."She said she had been teaching English for seven years.
Past simple................................................................Past perfect
She said, "I taught online yesterday."...................She said she had taught online yesterday.
Past continuous.........................................................Past perfect continuous
She said, "I was teaching earlier."..........................She said she had been teaching earlier.
Past perfect...............................................................Past perfect NO CHANGE
She said, "The lesson had already started when he arrived."- She said the lesson had already started when he arrived.
Past perfect continuous...........................................Past perfect continuous NO CHANGE
She said, "I'd already been teaching for five minutes."- She said she'd already been teaching for five minutes.
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Modal verb forms also sometimes change:
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Direct speech........................................................Indirect speech
will..............................................................................would
She said, "I'll teach English online tomorrow."....She said she would teach English online tomorrow.
can..............................................................................could
She said, "I can teach English online."..................She said she could teach English online.
must..........................................................................had to
She said, "I must have a computer to teach English online."She said she had to have a computer to teach English online.
shall...........................................................................should
She said, "What shall we learn today?"...............She asked what we should learn today.
may...........................................................................might
She said, "May I open a new browser?"..............She asked if she might open a new browser.
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Note - There is no change to; could, would, should, might and ought to.
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Direct speech...........................................................Indirect speech
"I might go to the cinema", he said......................He said he might go to the cinema.
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You can use the present tense in reported speech if you want to say that something is still true i.e. my name has always been and will always be Lynne so:-
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Direct speech..........................................................Indirect speech
"My name is Anne", she said...............................She said her name was Anne. or She said her name is Anne.
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You can also use the present tense if you are talking about a future event.
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Direct speech (exact quote)................................Indirect speech (not exact)
"Next week's lesson is on reported speech ", she said. She said next week's lesson is on reported speech.
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Time change
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If the reported sentence contains an expression of time, you must change it to fit in with the time of reporting.
For example we need to change words like here and yesterday if they have different meanings at the time and place of reporting.
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Today....................................................................+ 24 hours -Indirect speech
"Today's lesson is on presentations."...............She / He said yesterday's lesson was on presentations.
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Expressions of time if reported on a different day
this (evening).......................................................that (evening)
today.....................................................................yesterday...
these (days).........................................................those (days)
now.......................................................................then
(a week) ago........................................................(a week) before
last weekend.......................................................the weekend before last / the previous weekend
here......................................................................there
next (week).........................................................the following (week)
tomorrow.............................................................the next / following day
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In addition if you report something that someone said in a different place to where you heard it you must change the place (here) to the place (there).
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For example:-
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At work................................................................At home
"How long have you worked here?" ...............She / He asked me how long I'd worked there.
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Pronoun change
In reported speech, the pronoun often changes.
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For example:
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Me.........................................................................you.
"I teach English online.".....................................She said, she teaches English online.
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Reporting Verbs
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Said, told and asked are the most common verbs used in indirect speech.
We use asked to report questions:-
For example: I asked Lynne what time the lesson started.
We use told with an object.
For example: Lynne told me she felt tired.
Note - Here me is the object.
We usually use said without an object.
For example: Lynne said she was going to teach online.
If said is used with an object we must include to ;
For example: Lynne said to me that she'd never been to China.
Note - We usually use told.
For example: Lynne told me that she'd never been to China.
There are many other verbs we can use apart from said, told and asked.
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These include:-
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accused, admitted, advised, alleged, agreed, apologised, begged, boasted, complained, denied, explained, implied, invited, offered, ordered, promised, replied, suggested and thought.
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Using them properly can make what you say much more interesting and informative.
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For example:
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He asked me to come to the party:-
He invited me to the party.
He begged me to come to the party.
He ordered me to come to the party.
He advised me to come to the party.
He suggested I should come to the party.
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Use of 'That' in reported speech
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In reported speech, the word that is often used.
For example: He told me that he lived in Greenwich.
However, that is optional.
For example: He told me he lived in Greenwich.
Note - That is never used in questions, instead we often use if.
For example: He asked me if I would come to the party.

Some Prepositions

A, an, for, in
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I’m a financial controller. (a/an + job)
.......an engineer.
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I work for ATT. (for + employer)
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I’m in marketing. (in + type of work)
............the Hospitality Industry
............chemicals.
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In, on, at
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In
1999 (years)
August (months)
the winter (seasons)
the afternoon (parts of the day)
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On
Saturday (days of the week)
May 2nd (dates)
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At
05:30 A.M. (hours of the clock)
the end of the war (points in time)

CONDITIONALS

The "conditional" is made with would + infinitive (without to). In the first person, should is possible instead of would, the meaning is the same, and both are usually correct.
.........I should/would return ................... we should/would return
.........You/he/she/it/they would return
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In a conversational style, 'd is used as a contraction of should/would, and there are also contracted negative forms with –n't.
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I'd hurry up if I were you.
Your mother'd be furious if she could see you now.
I knew he wouldn't understand.
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The conditional can also have progressive, perfect and passive forms.
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I thought you would be working today.
I would have told you if I'd realized you didn't know.
If Peter hadn't phoned I'd have been sitting in the house watching TV when the bomb went off.
You'd be invited to more parties if you smiled more often.
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Progressive passive conditional forms (like she would be being interviewed) are possible but very unusual.
Modal verbs like can, may, must have no infinitives, and therefore no conditional forms; the infinitives of other verbs are used instead: would be able to, would be allowed to, would have to. (However, could can be used like a conditional)
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The "conditional" gets its name from its use in sentences with if. However, this is not the only way in which we use the conditional. It is found:
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a in sentences with if, and similar words.
...I wouldn't go there if I didn't have to.
...Supposing war broke out, what would you do?
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b instead of shall or will in "reported speech" after a past "reporting" verb.
...I explained that I should need help.
...Lucy insisted that she'd be all right the next morning.
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c to express the idea of "future" in the past
...I looked at the pile of work I had left. It wouldn’t be easy to get it finished by six o’clock.
...I should have to work very fast.
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d with verbs such as like, prefer, to make polite requests and offers.
....I would like a cup of tea......................Would you prefer beer or wine?
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Do not confuse the conditional with other uses of would and should. For instance, would can be used to talk about past habits (but then the first person is always I would, never I should).
....She would always dress up when she was expecting visitors.
....You shouldn’t use your plate as an ashtray.
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In subordinate clauses, a past tense is often used instead of a conditional.
.....If I had a lot of money, I would do what I liked. (Not:.. what I would like).
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FIRST CONDITIONAL
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If + present simple, will / won’t + infinitive
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Use
To Talk about a future possibility and its consequence.
Example:
If I see her, I’ll tell her.
Phone me if you get home before 6:00 P.M.
She won’t wear it if she doesn’t like it.
Notes / Problems:
Unless can be used with a (+) verb instead of if…not, e.g.
She won’t wear it unless she likes it.
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We don’t use usually use will or shall in the if-clause to refer to the future. A present tense is used instead.
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....If I have enough money next year, I will go to Japan.
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However, will can be used in the if-clause with the meaning of willingness or insistence (not futurity).
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.... If you will come this way, I’ll take you to the manager’s office.
....If you will get drunk every night, it’s not surprising you feel ill.
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In sentences with if, we can either use some (something, somewhere, etc) or any (anything, anywhere, etc.) Some gives a slightly more ‘positive’ meaning, but there is not very much difference.
....If I have some spare time next weekend we’ll go fishing. (or: …any spare time)
....If we catch any fish we’ll have them for dinner. (or: some fish…)
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SECOND CONDITIONAL
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If + past simple, would / wouldn’t + infinitive
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Use
To talk about an imaginary present or future situation and its consequences.
Example:
If I had a lot of money, I'd buy a big house.
I he was richer, he'd be happier.
Notes / Problems:
(= but I'm poor so I can't.)
I'd = I would
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With the verb be, you can use was or were for I and he / she / it, e.g.
If I / he was rich… or If I / he were rich…
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To talk about "unreal or improbable" present and future situations, we use the following structure:
....In the if-clause: past tense
....In the main clause: conditional (would + infinitive)
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Either the if-clause or the main clause can come first.
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If I got rich I'd travel round the world.
If I had longer holidays I would be perfectly happy.
If I had a car things would be fine.
I would like you better if you were quieter.
If I knew her name I would tell you.
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The past tense + conditional structure is also used with if to make a suggestion sound less definite, more tentative (for instance, if we want to be more polite).
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....It would be nice if you helped me a little with the housework.
....Would it be all right if I came round at about seven?
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Would is not usually possible in the if-clause (you cannot say 'if I would become president…), but it can be used in requests to express willingness.
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....I should be grateful if you would reply as soon as possible. ( = … if you were willing to reply…)
....If you would come this way…
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Were is often used instead of was after if, especially in a formal style, and in the expression If I were you…
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....If my nose were a little shorter I would be quite pretty.
....If I were you I'd start packing now.
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THIRD CONDITIONAL
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If + past perfect, would / wouldn’t have + past participle
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Use
To speculate about something that happened in the past and how it could have been different.
Example:
If I’d worked harder, I would have passed the exam.
You wouldn’t have been late if you’d got up earlier.
Note / Problems:
(= but I didn’t work hard so I didn’t pass it.)
You can use could or might instead of would.
Don’t use would have after if.
Not: if you would have got up earlier.
.
When we want to talk about things that did not happen in the past (imagining what would have happened if things had been different), we use the structure if + past perfect, with the perfect conditional
.
....If you had worked harder last year, you would probably have passed the exam.
....If you had asked me I would have told you the whole story.
....I don’t know what would have happened if Jane hadn't been able to speak Greek.
.
Could and might can replace would in conditional structures. In this case, could means would be able to, and might means would perhaps or would just possibly.
.
....If I had another U$500, I could buy a car.
....If you asked me nicely, I might take you out to lunch.
....If my parents hadn't been poor I could have gone to university.
....If the illness had been diagnosed a day earlier it might have made all the difference.

Grammar Hints (several)

1 ) EXPRESSÕES COLOQUIAIS

BAIL OUT

-to help a person or organization that’s in trouble; leave a dangerous situation in a hurry; remove water from a sinking ship

STILL LIFE

- natureza morta (pinturas)

TO CATCH UP

- colocar os assuntos em dia - To catch up

"We should get together sometime soon and catch up", said Rick when he bumped into a
friend he hadn't seen in years.

- colocar o sono em dia ou colocar a leitura, correspondência em dia...

"Rita is not coming along with us to the club. She needs to catch up on her studies"
"Sue plans to stay home and catch up on her reading over the weekend."

HAND-PICKED

- escolhido a dedo

"Mrs. Ostroff is very careful about the people she chooses to work in this company. All of
her employess are hand-picked."

TO BE GROUNDED

- estar de castigo

"Lucy can't go out and play today. She is grounded."

BACHELOR PARTY

- despedida de solteiro

"How was Tom's bachelor party?
- Oh, you missed out on some great fun."

2 ) FRASES DO DIA A DIA

- Cuide de sua vida! - Mind your own business!

- Qual é a graça? - What's so funny?

- Os negócios estão melhorando! - Business is picking up!

- Agora estamos quites! - Now we are even!

- O cheque voltou! - The check bounced!

- Até aqui tudo bem! - So far so good!

- Ele já era! - He's history!

- Eu cresci ouvindo os Beatles! - I grew up on the Beatles!

- Foi de graça! - That was cheap!

- Isso é um roubo! - That's a rip-off!

- O que é demais é demais! - Enough is enough!

- Rapidinho! - In no time! / In a flash! / In the blink of an eye!

- Sem ressentimentos... - No hard feelings...

- Não enrole! - Don't beat around the bush

- A propósito... - By the way...

- Puxa saco! - Brown nose....

- Não é problema seu! - That's none of your business!

- Me poupe! - Spare me!

- Sua opinião é tão boa quanto a minhaou seja não fazemos a menor idéia! - Your guess is as
good as mine!

- Depende da Lua... - It depends on the Moon!

3 ) DITADOS E PROVÉRBIOS

Diga me com quem andas e eu te direi quem tu eres...
Birds of a feather flock together...

Tudo que é bom dura pouco.
All good things must come to an end.

Querer é poder.
where there's a will there's a way.

Para bom entendedor, meia palavra basta.
A word to the wise is enough;].

4 ) PONTOS GRAMATICAIS

4.1 ) MADE FROM, MADE OF, MADE BY

When you are talking about the materials that are used to make something, you say that it is made of or made from those materials.

Use made from when the original materials have been completely changed and cannot be recognized. Paper is made from wood.

Use made of when the original materials have not been completely changed and you can still see them: a table made of wood.

Do not use made by when you are talking about the materials something is made from: a small purse made of leather (not a small purse made by leather). Made by is used to talk abut the person or company that made something.
All the furniture in this room was made by my grandfather.

4.2 ) THE USE OF THE PRESENT PERFECT: actions and situations continuing up to the present (details)

Typical mistakes: I'm waiting for 45 minutes.

We have this house since 1955.

I always liked English people.

When whe want to talk about actions or situations which started in the past and have continued up to the present, we often use the present perfect to show the connection between past and present. Note that we never use a present tense when we say how long a situation has been going on.

I've been waiting for 45 minutes.

We have had this house since 1955.

I have always liked English people.

The present perfect is also used for long actions and situations which started in the past and went on until very recently.

I've painted two rooms since lunchtime.

'You look hot.' -- 'Yes, I've been running"

I've been reading some of your poetry. It's not bad.

Another use of the present perfect is to talk about actions that have been repeated in a period up to the present.

I've written six e-mails today.

James has been seeing a lot of Alice lately.

How often have you been in love in your life?

4.3) WHOEVER, WHATEVER, WHICHEVER, WHENEVER, WHEREVER AND HOWEVER USED AS CONJUCTIONS

Whoever, whatever and so on mean something like 'It doesn't matter, it doesn't make any difference who/what, etc'. There is a grammatical difference. The expressions It doesn't matter who/what, etc can be used with one or more clauses. But whoever, whatever, etc are conjunctions: they can only be used to join two clauses together. Compare:

It doesn't matter where you go; I'll go with you.

it doesn't matter where you go.

4.3.1) Wherever you go, I'll go with you.

But, not: Wherever you go. Other examples:

"There's someone at the door. - Whoever it is, I don't want to see them"

4.3.2) Whatever you say to her, she still keeps smilling.

Come and see me whenever you're in Miami.

4.3.3) WHOEVER - Whoever means no matter who.

Whoever calls, tell them I'm out.

4.3.4) WHATEVER - Whatever means "no matter what". It can be used with a noun (as a determiner) or alone (as a pronoun). Note the word order: whatever cames first in its clause, even it it is the object of the following verb.

Whatever problems you have, you an always come to me for help.

Whatever you do, I'll always love you.

Keep calm, whatever happens.

4.3.5) Whichever - Whichever is used in a similar way to whaterver (but nearly always whit a following noun).

Whichever day you come, we'll be pleased to see you.

I'll take whichever tent you're not using.

4.3.6) Whenever - whenever means 'no matter when' or 'any time when'.

You can phone me whenever you like.

Whenever you come, you'll be welcome.

Wherever - Wherever means 'no matter where'

Wherever you go you'll find Coca-Cola.

We found the people friendly wherever we went.

4.3.7) HOWEVER - however can be used t mean 'in whatever way', 'no matter how'.

However you travel, it'll take you at least two days.

With an adjective or adverb, however means roughly the same as 'even if... very' or 'it doesn't matter how'. Note the word order (however + adjective/adverb + subject + verb).

However rich people are, they always want more. (= Even if people are very rich... or It doesn't matter how rich people are...)

4.4) Reason For vs. To

Reason: For vs To, by Dennis Oliver
(25 April 2001)
Showing Reasons:For and To
Students often find it difficult to choose between for and to when they need to show a reason. Here's how these two words are different:

For - Use for with noun phrases:

A: Why did Bob go to see the doctor?
B: He went there for a checkup / treatment / x-rays /some medicine / an examination / a consultation aboutthe headaches he's been having.
--------------------------------------------------------------
A: Why do you need more money?
B: I need more money for some unexpected bills /extra groceries that we need / repairs to my car /a new pair of shoes / my tuition payment.
--------------------------------------------------------------
A: Why are you going to London?
B: I'm going there for a visit with my uncle /a business meeting / personal reasons / fun andrelaxation / an international conference.

To - Use to with verb phrases:

A: Why did Bob go to see the doctor?
B: He went there to have a checkup / get treatment /have some x-rays taken / get some medicine /have an examination / consult with the doctor aboutthe headaches he's been having.
--------------------------------------------------------------
A: Why do you need more money?
B: I need more money to pay some unexpected bills /buy extra groceries that we need / pay for repairs tomy car / get a new pair of shoes / make my tuition payment.
--------------------------------------------------------------
A: Why are you going to London?
B: I'm going there to visit my uncle / attend a businessmeeting / take care of some personal matters / have funand relax / participate in an international conference.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Note: With verb phrases, in order to can be usedinstead of to:
-- I need more money in order to pay someunexpected bills / buy extra grocerites that weneed / pay for repairs to my car, etc.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Remember: Use for with noun phrases. Use to(or in order to) with verb phrases.

4.5) Differences between the verbs - Speak and Talk

1. In British English, we usually say that people speak or talk to other people, even if we are thinking of conversations. (In American English, with is generally used.)
(On the telephone) Hello. This is Roger. Can I speak to Amelia, please? (U.S.: Can I speak with…..?)

2. There is not a completely clear difference between speak and talk. Generally, speak is more formal, not so conversational (jut as a speech is more formal than a talk). Compare:
Can I talk to you for a few minutes about the football match?
I’ll have to speak to that child – he’s getting very lazy.
Can the baby talk yet?

3. Talk usually suggests the idea of a conversational exchange. Speak can be used to refer to the use of language by just one person. Compare:
His throat disease has left him unable to speak.
After she had read out the letter, there was a shocked silence.
Nobody spoke.
After the lecture, coffee was served and people began to talk to one another.

4. Speak (and not usually talk) is used to refer to knowledge of languages, and usually also to the use of languages.
He speaks three languages fluently.
Those people over there are speaking (or talking) German.

5. Talk (and not usually speak) is used in expressions like talk non-sense, talk rubbish.

Speak / talk
Speak and talk have similar meanings. They suggest that someone is using his voice, or that two or more people are having a discussion.We can say:speak to somebody talk to somebody speak to somebody about somethingtalk to somebody about something
How old were you when you learned to speak?What are you talking about?Who were you speaking to on the phone?Who were you talking to on the phone? I was speaking to Mark about cricket.
But we say:
speak a language NOT talk a languagetalk nonsense NOT speak nonsense.Speak to and talk to are used more often than speak with and talk with.
He speaks four languages.Stop talking nonsense!I was talking to Tom yesterday

Other examples:
They talked for a while.(they were in conversation)They speaked for a while.(they made sound)He is talking about the issue.He is speaking of the issue.(both are the same but the prepositions are different)They talk business.(they discuss business)They speak business(wrong)Money talks.(idiom)Money speaks.(we don't use it in this way)He cannot speak.(he is unable to speak)He cannot talk.(he can speak but cannot talk, e.g. he has no power in front of boss)He speaks to her.He talks to her.(both are the same)

5 ) TONGUE TWISTERS

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers?If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

She sells sea shells by the sea shore.The shells she sells are surely seashells.So if she sells shells on the seashore,I'm sure she sells seashore shells.

We surely shall see the sun shine soon.

I thought a thought.But the thought I thought wasn't the thoughtI thought I thought.

6) LETTERS

It is not difficult to write letters in English. A special style is not usually considered necessary, even for business letters; for most letters, an ordinary formal style is perfectly suitable. There are a few rules about how to begin and end different kinds of letter, and how to arrange a letter on the page.

1 - Put your address at the top right-hand corner (house-number first, then street-name, then town, etc). Do not put your name above the address: your name only comes at the end of the letter.

2 - Put the date under the address. There are several ways of writing the date, for instance, 21.3.2007, or 21/03/2007, or 21 March 2007, or March 21st, 2007.

3 - In a business letter, put the name and address of the person you are writing to on the left-hand side of the page (beginning one line lower than the ending of your own address).

4 - Put the 'salutation' (Dear X) on the left of the first line, not in the middle.

5 - Begin the first sentence under the salutation.

6 - If you begin Dear Sir(s) or Dear Madam, finish Yours faithfully... If you begin with the person's name (Dear Mrs. Jones), finish Yours sincerely.... or (more informally) Yours... We sometimes use Yours truly instead of Yours faithfully/sincerely. Friendly letters may begin with the first name (Dear Linda) and finish with an expression like Yours ever or Love.

7 - On the envelope, we put the first name before the surname (family name). The first name may be written in full (Keith Parker), or we may use the initial (K. Parker). If the person has more than one first name, it is common to use only the initials (K.S. Parker). It is common to put a 'title' (Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms, Dr) before the name. Except for Miss, these titles are sometimes written with a full stop (Mr., Mrs.), but not always in British English. Some British people put Esq. (=Esquire, an old courtesy title) after a man's name, instead of using Mr. Before the name of a firm, we often write the title Messrs (an abbreviation of the French word Messieurs, meaning 'Gentlemen').

8 - American usage is different from the British in certain ways.

a - In dates, the month is put before the day (03/21/2007).

b - After the salutation, Americans normally put a colon (Dear Mr. Hawkes: ) or (informally) a comma (Dear Mr Hawkes, ). In British English we either use no punctuation or put a comma.

c - Gentlemen is used instead of Dear Sirs.

d - Your faithfully is not used; common endings are Sincerely, Sincerely yours, Yours sincerely or Yours truly.

e - Americans are often addressed (and sign their names) with the first name in full, followed by the initial of a middle name (Keith S. Parker). this is unusual in Britain.

f - Americans usually write Mr., Mrs., Ms. and Dr. with a full stop.

***Sample letter / American Style - Enclosing Document for Review***

[DATE, ex. Wednesday, June 11, 1998]


[NAME, COMPANY AND ADDRESS, ex.
John Smith
XYZ Inc.
1234 First Street
Suite 567
Anycity, Anystate 85245]

Dear [NAME, ex. John Smith],

I enclose a draft form of [DESCRIPTION OF DOCUMENT, ex. Purchase Agreement] for your review and comment.

Kindly review the document and advise me if you are in agreement with its terms, after which I will prepare copies for signing by us. If you require any changes, I would be happy to discuss them with you.

Sincerely,


[YOUR NAME, ex. Jill Jones]

7) E-mail acronyms:

Acronym Expression

BBL Be Back Later
BFN Bye For Now
BRB Be Right Back
BTW By The Way
FWIW For What It’s Worth
HSIK How Should I Know
IAE In Any Event
IMO In My Opinion
IOW In Other Words
JFYI Just For Your Information
LOL Laughing Out Loud
NBD No Big Deal
NOYB None Of Your Business
OIC Oh, I See
OTL Out To Lunch
OTOH On The Other Hand
PMFJI Pardon Me For Jumping In
ROTFL Rolling On The Floor Laughing
TIC Tongue In Cheek
TTFN Ta Ta For Now
TTYL Talk To You Later
WRT With Respect To
WTG Way To Go
X-X-X Hugs

X-O-X -O Hugs and Kisses

8) SHOULD AND OUGHT TO

SHOULD AND OUGHT TO

Should and ought to: making recommendations

Should and ought to have very similar meanings. They are used to express obligations and duty, to give advice, and in general to say what we think it is right or good for people to do.
You ought to / should go and see 'Blazind Saddles' - it's a great movie.
You should have seen his face!
People ought to vote even if they don't agree with any of the candidates.
In most cases, both should and ought to can be used with more or less the same meaning. There is, however, a very slight difference. When we use should, we give our own subjective opinion; ought to has a rather more objetive force, and is used when we are talking about laws, duties and regulations (or when we want to make our opinion sound as strong as a duty or law).

Compare:
You should / ought to go and see Mary some time. (Both possible)
We ought to go and see Mary tomorrow, but I don't think we will (Should doesn't sound right here. It would be strange to give oneself advice and say that one was not going to follow it).

WHICH ADVICE DO YOU FOLLOW?

Don't avoid a problem, deal with it!

Don't see all problems as other people's problems. Focus on yourself.

Don't blame people look for solutions!

Look at a problem as an opportunity - to learn something or to achieve something.

Think ahead to prevent to prevent problems.

When something is important, deal with it.

Don't wait until becomes urgent!

Don't always look for 'quick fixes" , or temporary solutions.

Identify the real cause of the problem and work to find a solution to this.

Don't try to change the things you can't change.

Learn to accept them.

What advice would you give to someone who chooses the easiest way out of his/her problems

FALSE FRIENDS

ENGLISH - PORTUGUESE

Actually (adv) - na verdade ..., o fato é que ...
Adept (n) - especialista, profundo conhecedor
Agenda (n) - pauta do dia, pauta para discussões
Amass (v) - acumular, juntar
Anticipate (v) - prever; aguardar, ficar na expectativa
Application (n) - inscrição, registro, uso
Appointment (n) - hora marcada, compromisso profissional
Appreciation (n) - gratidão, reconhecimento
Argument (n) - discussão, bate boca
Assist (v) - ajudar, dar suporte
Assume (v) - presumir, aceitar como verdadeiro
Attend (v) - assistir, participar de
Audience (n) - platéia, público
Balcony (n) - sacada
Baton (n) - batuta (música), cacetete
Beef (n) - carne de gado
Billboard - o que chamamos erroneamente de Outdoor
Cafeteria (n) - refeitório tipo universitário ou industrial
Camera (n) - máquina fotográfica
Carton (n) - caixa de papelão, pacote de cigarros (200)
Casualty (n) - baixa (morte fruto de acidente ou guerra), fatalidade
Cigar (n) - charuto
City Hall (n) Prefeitura
Collar (n) - gola, colarinho, coleira
College (n) - faculdade, ensino de 3º grau
Commodity (n) - artigo, mercadoria
Competition (n) - concorrência
Comprehensive (adj) - abrangente, amplo, extenso
Compromise (v) - entrar em acordo, fazer concessão
Contest (n) - competição, concurso
Convenient (adj) - prático
Costume (n) - fantasia (roupa)
Data (n) - dados (números, informações)
Deception (n) - logro, fraude, o ato de enganar
Defendant (n) - réu, acusado
Design (v, n) - projetar, criar; projeto, estilo
Editor (n) - redator
Educated (adj) - instruído, com alto grau de escolaridade
Emission (n) - descarga (de gases, etc.)
Enroll (v) - inscrever-se, alistar-se, registrar-se
Eventually (adv) - finalmente, conseqüentemente
Exciting (adj) - empolgante
Exit (n, v) - saída, sair
Expert (n) - especialista, perito
Exquisite (adj.) - belo, refinado
Fabric (n) - tecido
Genial (adj) - afável, aprazível
Graduate program (n) - Curso de pós-graduação
Gratuity (n) - gratificação, gorjeta
Grip (v) - agarrar firme
Hazard (n,v) - risco, arriscar
Idiom (n) - expressão idiomática, linguajar
Income tax return (n) - declaração de imposto de renda
Ingenuity (n) - engenhosidade
Injury (n) - ferimento
Inscription (n) - gravação em relevo (sobre pedra, metal, etc.)
Intend (v) - pretender, ter intenção
Intoxication (n) - embriaguez, efeito de drogas
Jar (n) - pote
Journal (n) - periódico, revista especializada
Lamp (n) - luminária
Large (adj) - grande, espaçoso
Lecture (n) - palestra, aula
Legend (n) - lenda
Library (n) - biblioteca
Location (n) - localização
Lunch (n) - almoço
Magazine (n) - revista
Mayor (n) - Prefeito
Medicine (n) - remédio, medicina
Moisture (n) - umidade
Motel (n) - hotel de beira de estrada
Notice (v) - notar, aperceber-se; aviso, comunicação
Novel (n) - romance
Office (n) - escritório
Parents (n) - pais
Particular (adj) - específico, exato
Pasta (n) - massa (alimento)
Policy (n) - política (diretrizes)
Port (n) - porto
Prejudice (n) - preconceito
Prescribe (v) - receitar
Preservative (n) - conservante
Pretend (v) - fingir
Private (adj) - particular
Procure (v) - conseguir, adquirir
Propaganda (n) - divulgação de idéias/fatos com intuito de manipular
Pull (v) - puxar
Push (v) - empurrar
Range (v) - variar, cobrir
Realize (v) - notar, perceber, dar-se conta, conceber uma idéia
Recipient (n) - recebedor, agraciado
Record (v, n) - gravar, disco, gravação, registro
Refrigerant (n) - substância refrigerante usada em aparelhos
Requirement (n) - requisito
Resume (v) - retomar, reiniciar
Résumé (n) - curriculum vitae, currículo
Retired (adj) - aposentado
Senior (n) - idoso
Service (n) - atendimento
Shopping Mall or Mall (only) (n) - o que chamamos de Shopping Center
Stranger (n) - desconhecido
Stupid (adj) - burro
Support (v) - apoiar
Tax (n) - imposto
Trainer (n) - preparador físico
Turn (n, v) - vez, volta, curva; virar, girar
Vegetables (n) - verduras, legumes