English Tips

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

2020-11-16T19:58:00.001-03:00

COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

Os substantivos contáveis são os que podemos contar por unidades. Eles possuem uma forma do singular e outra do plural.

Exemplos: One book - Five books/ One car - Two cars

São substantivos incontáveis (não-contáveis) os que não podemos contar por unidade (líquidos, grãos, pó, substantivos abstratos): sugar (açúcar), milk (leite), sand (areia), peace (paz)... O substantivo incontável só possui a forma de singular.

Exemplos: Water (água), Wine (vinho), Rice (arroz), Flour (farinha), Violence (violência), Milk (leite)...

Também são incontáveis: money (dinheiro), bread (pão), information, baggage e luggage (bagagem), fruit (fruta), furniture (mobília, móveis), advice (conselho), carne de animais (meat, fish, chicken).

Sempre que desejar expressar determinada quantidade de uma palavra que é incontável, em inglês, ela precisará ser acompanhada de algum complemento. Observe alguns exemplos:

- a cup of coffee (uma xícara de café)

- 2 glasses of soda ( 2 copos de refrigerante)

- 3 slices of cheese ( 3 fatias de queijo)

- 2 pieces of furniture (2 peças de mobilía)

- 3 kilos of meat (3 quilos de carne)

QUANTIFIERS

Os quantificadores são usados para expressar quantidades indefinidas. Para usá-los adequadamente, devemos observar se se referem a um substantivo contável ou incontável. Vejamos alguns deles:

Many e Few ⇒ USADOS ANTES DE SUBSTANTIVOS CONTÁVEIS.

O substantivo usado após a palavra many ou few deve estar sempre flexionado no plural.

- Many significa muitos ou muitas.

Ex.: There are many kids playing in the yard. (Há muitas crianças brincando no jardim.)

- Few significa poucos ou poucas.

Ex.: João interviewed few students. (João entrevistou poucos estudantes.)

· Much e Little ⇒ USADOS ANTES DE SUBSTANTIVOS INCONTÁVEIS.

Much e little são usados antes de substantivos incontáveis que geralmente se apresentam na forma do singular.

- Much significa muito ou muita. É pouco comum o uso de much em frases afirmativas. É mais comum o seu uso em frases negativas ou interrogativas. Usaremos a lot of / lots of para substantivos incontáveis em frases afirmativas.

Ex.: There isn’t much sugar in the bowl. (Não há muito açúcar na tigela.) – Note que não dá para contar o açúcar.

- Little significa pouco ou pouca.

Ex.: Marco has little time to study. (Marco tem pouco tempo para estudar) – Não se pode contar o tempo.

A lot of/ lots of ⇒ USADOS ANTES DE SUBSTANTIVOS INCONTÁVEIS OU CONTÁVEIS.

- A lot of ou lots of pode substituir many e much em todas as orações. É mais informal.

Ex.: We spent a lot of money. (Gastamos muito dinheiro.)

Do you have lots of books? (Você tem muitos livros?)

- How many

Para perguntar a quantidade de algo contável, devemos usar a expressão how many, que significa quantos, quantas.

Ex.: How many people is there in the room? (Quantas pessoas há na sala?)

- How much

Para perguntar a quantidade de algo incontável, devemos usar a expressão how much, que significa quanto, quanta.

Ex.: How much water do you drink a day? (Quanta água você bebe por dia?)

Também é usado para perguntar o valor de algo:

- How much is this dress? (Quanto custa este vestido?)

Quantifiers (Many X Few; Much X Little; A Lot Of; Lots Of)

2020-11-16T19:33:00.004-03:00

Countable and Uncountable Nouns Video

2020-11-16T19:15:00.001-03:00

Inference

2012-04-13T23:33:00.000-03:00

Inferir é supor, adivinhar, ler nas entrelinhas.
Ao ler um texto os leitores constroem o sentido a partir do significado das palavras e consequentemente processam frases com base no seu conhecimento da língua e das convenções de comunicação social. Também inferem significados não declarados com base em convenções sociais, conhecimentos e experiências compartilhadas, ou valores compartilhados. Leem as ideias mais do que palavras; inferem, ao invés de encontrar, o que significa.
O leitor deve ter a mente aberta, ser crítico. Ler é um ato reflexivo, as palavras do autor refletem seu pensamento e darão origem a novos pensamentos. Inferir é extremamente importante para o bom entendimento do texto.

DICAS DE LEITURA

2012-04-08T13:12:00.002-03:00

Ao ler um texto em inglês atente para o título, imagens e gráficos em destaque; eles podem nos dizer muito sobre o texto que iremos ler.
Atenção para os cognatos e falsos cognatos (palavras com grafia e pronúncia igual ou semelhante a língua portuguesa). Faça uma leitura rápida para identificá-los.
A identificação dos marcadores discursivos também ajuda, pois orienta em relação as ideias que o autor deseja passar (contraste, causa e consequência, explicação...).
Os afixos irão ajudá-lo na identificação de classe de palavras e gêneros, por exemplo; e também nas relações semânticas.
Essas são algumas dicas que você pode seguir para agilizar sua leitura em inglês, mas lembre-se que cada indivíduo possui suas próprias estratégias. Boa leitura!

2010-09-09T16:16:00.007-03:00

The Story of Jack-O-Lantern (
By Tammarigan Tyrsdaughter)

JACK-O-LANTERN is a Halloween symbol. Do you know this legend
? Read now:

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a man named Jack.

Jack was a handsome man, big and strong, equal in prowess both in battle and in bed. He had many friends, and many a young lass pined after him.

It so happened once, when Jack was in the midst of a battle, laying low the foes of his tribe, that he suddenly saw a wondrous vision. A woman, beautiful beyond his wildest dreams, dark of hair and eye, and with skin as pale as virgin snow, riding a flaming chariot, spear in hand, and a raven on each shoulder.

As the chariot drew close, the woman spoke to Jack.

"Come with me," she said, "for I love Thee, and would have Thee with me for all time."

But Jack was frightened, for he recognized the woman for what She was. "I don't want to go with Thee," he answered in a shaking voice, "I know Thee - Thou art the Morrighan, the Chooser of the Slain, and I am not ready to die."

Bright sparked the eyes of the Goddess in pride and anger, and She wheeled her chariot and was gone from Jack's vision.

But as he stood there, frozen in awe, an enemy warrior struck him a great sword blow across the face. Jack did not die from his wound, but his face was forever ruined, and the lasses that pined after him before, now ran from him in fear. And so Jack did not marry.

Time passed. Jack learned the art of a harper, and became known across the land for his beautiful melodies, for though he could not sing, his hands were skilled and gentle on the strings, and his lilting tunes brought both joy and sadness to the heart.

It so happened once, that when Jack was travelling, he stopped at an Inn on the crossroads. He was served his dinner by a beautiful middle-aged woman, full of figure, with dark, all-knowing eyes, and raven tresses braided in a crown around her pale face.

When Jack got into his wagon, and was ready to travel on, this same woman, wearing a dark cloak, stepped from the shadow of a nearest tree.

"Do not travel further, Jack," she said in a husky voice, "Come with me instead, for I love Thee, and I would have Thee with me for all time."

But Jack was frightened, for he recognized the woman for what She was. "I don't want to go with Thee," he answered in a shaking voice, "I know Thee - Thou art the Morrighan, the Fantom Queen, and I am not ready to die."

Bright sparked the eyes of the Goddess in pride and anger, and She whirled around, her dark cloak flaring around her like the wing of a raven, and disappeared into the shadow.

Jack continued on, but not half a mile along the road his horses spooked and ran wild, his wagon overturned, and he was gravely wounded when he fell out and was caught under the wheel. He did not die, but he lost his arm, and could play his harp no more after that.

Time passed. Though Jack was never again a warrior or a harper, his family, his kin, cared kindly for him. But everyone grows old, and in time, his brothers got old, and his sisters got old, and the younger generation no longer cared for him as well as his own siblings.
It so happened once, that right after his last brother's death, Jack was crossing a small river at a ford. It was late Autumn, and he paused on the bank to take off his shoes and socks, and roll up his breaches before wading into the almost-freezing water. Then, when he looked up again, he noticed something strange. Where the bank he was on was still red and gold with Autumn leaves, the other bank was white with snow, which lay in a thick blanket, as if it had been there for weeks. Amidst the snows, behind the dark shapes of old, gnarled trees, he saw a village, half-hidden in the mist. Warm, golden light shined from the windows of the houses that seemed familiar and welcoming to him. In front of one the houses he thought he saw his dead brother wave and fade into the gathering gloom. He also noticed an old woman on the other side, crouched by the water, and covered in dark, shapeless rags. She seemed to be washing something in the river, and her arms were red up to the elbows, and where she touched the water, the river ran red as blood. To his horror, Jack noticed that what she was washing looked very much like his own best embroidered tunic that he was wearing for his brother's funeral. The old woman looked up, and her face was as white as snow and deeply lined, with grey wisps of hair framing it like a halo, and deeply sunken black eyes that seemed like the pits of the night.

"Cross the river, and come to me, Jack," she said in a harsh, raspy voice, "for I love Thee, and I would have Thee with me for all time."

But Jack was frightened, for he recognized the woman for what She was. "I don't want to go with Thee," he answered in a shaking voice, "I know Thee - Thou art the Morrigan, the Hag, the Washer at the Ford, and I am not ready to die."

Suddenly, where before there was an old woman, The Great Queen stood in all Her Otherworldly majesty, the dark rags magically transforming into the dark wings of a raven.

"Thou art a fool, Jack!" She raged, as her black tresses flew wildly around Her face, and her eyes flamed like stars at midnight. "Thrice thy time came, and thrice I offered thee my love, for I had chosen thee as a wife would choose a husband. Thou could have been a young warrior at my side. Thou could have woven songs of splendor at my feast. Thou could have lived with me in peace and with thy family about thee. And thrice you rejected me out of fear. Now I reject thee. Never more shall I come to thee. Never more shall I call to thee. But by my curse thou shalt live for as long as this candle burns."

She reached across the river - it seemed easy now, for She was more then human - and placed a candle on the ground at Jack's feet. Then she was gone, snow and the misty village disappearing with Her, leaving nothing but an Autumn forest behind.

At first, Jack was terrified. The candle was small - surely it would burn down and die within minutes, and Jack along with it. But as minutes passed, he felt great relief, for not a drop of wax rolled down the side of the candle, and it did not seem to be burning down at all.

Carefully guarding the flame of the candle, Jack went home.

Time passed. Year after year, rolling in unending cycles. Everyone whom Jack had known as a young man had long since passed away. No one was left who even knew who he was, and in his small village he was just treated as a crazy old man, a burden on everyone, and a helper to none, for while he lived on and on, he also got older and older, and weaker and weaker, and even his mind started giving out after awhile. After a very long time, all he knew was that he had to keep his candle burning, lest he die.

His house fell into ruin, his field went untended, and all that would grow there were some turnips that his neighbors planted for him out of kindness. One night, a lightening bolt struck his house, and it burned down. Jack then took one of the turnips from his field, carved it into a lantern, and put his candle there, so that it would be protected from the rain.

He left his village and started wondering about with his lantern, looking and calling to friends and family long gone. His body grew older and older, until even his flesh disappeared, leaving only a spirit without physical substance. He hardly even noticed, for even as a spirit he still could not pass to the Other World, wondering this one with his lantern, a sad and lonely ghost, forever cursed from his fate by his fear.

And that is why turnip lanterns - now pumpkin lanterns - are called Jack-o-lanterns, and that is why we light them on Samhain - to remember Jack and his great fear, and to light the way for all the lost souls wondering about in the darkness looking for the passage to the Otherworld.
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Comparative and Superlative

2010-09-09T15:49:00.001-03:00

A - Comparison with -er/-est / Short adjectives

clean - cleaner - (the) cleanest

We use -er/-est with the following adjectives:

1) adjectives with one syllable

clean cleaner cleanest
new newer newest
cheap cheaper cheapest

2) adjectives with two syllables and the following endings:

2 - 1) adjectives with two syllables, ending in -y

dirty dirtier dirtiest
easy easier easiest
happy happier happiest
pretty prettier prettiest

2 - 2) adjectives with two syllables, ending in -er

clever cleverer cleverest

2 - 3) adjectives with two syllables, ending in -le

simple simpler simplest

2 - 4) adjectives with two syllables, ending in -ow

narrow narrower narrowest

B - Comparison with more - most / Long Adjectives

difficult - more difficult - (the) most difficult

C - Irregular adjectives

good better best
bad worse worst
much more most uncountable nouns
many more most countable nouns
little less least
little smaller smallest

TONGUE - TWISTERS

2009-12-16T11:04:00.002-03:00

Você sabe o que é tongue-twisters (trava-línguas)? São expressões ou frases difíceis de serem pronunciadas de maneira rápida e correta. A repetição das mesmas letras, sílabas ou sons em uma mesma frase, combinado com sons semelhantes, porém distintos, torna a frase difícil de ser pronunciada, mas fácil de ser acidentalmente "atropelada".
Tongue-twisters são muito usados por estudantes de Inglês para melhorar a pronúncia. Segue abaixo uma lista para você praticar.

1st Group:

A sailor went to the sea to see what he could see.

An ape hates grape cakes.

Five fine fresh fish for you.

If a dog chews shoes, whose shoes does he choose?

She sells sea shells by the sea shore.

Shy Shelly says she shall sew sheets.

Six silly sisters selling shiny shoes.

The worst word in the world is the word world.

The jumbo juggler juggles the jelly in the jug.

We surelly shall see the sun shine soon.

Six slippery snails slidslowly seaward.

Red lorry, yellow lorry.

Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers.

2nd Group:

A big black bug bit a big black bear and made the big black bear bleed blood.

Betty bought a bit of butter, but the butter Betty bought was bitter, so Betty bought another bit of butter to make the bitter butter better butter.

Can you imagine an imaginary manegerie manager imagining managing an imaginary managerie?

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

If a canner can can ten cans a day, how many cans can ten canners can today?

If you tell Tom to tell a tongue-twister, his tongue will be twisted as tongue-twisters twists tongues.

Who washed Washington's white woolen underwear when Washington's washerwoman went west?

While we were walking,we were watching windows washers wash Washington's windows with warm washing water.

Em breve mais tongue-twisters para você. Bom estudo.

RELATIVE PRONOUNS

2009-11-10T21:07:00.005-03:00

Relative Pronouns

Use who (subject or object pronoun) for people
I told you about the WOMAN who lives next door.

Use which (subject or object pronoun) for animals and things
Do you see the CAT which is lying on the roof?

Use whose (possession) for people animals and things
Do you know the BOY whose mother is a nurse?

Use whom (object pronoun) for people
I was invited by the PROFESSOR whom I met at the conference.

Use that (subject or object pronoun) for people, animals and things -It substitutes who and which
I don’t like the TABLE that stands in the kitchen.

2009-07-19T13:15:00.001-03:00

Amazon Beauty - a Parrot

FALSOS COGNATOS

2009-04-12T17:46:00.007-03:00

Cognatos são palavras que possuem a mesma origem, tendo portanto, ortografias semelhantes. Com a evolução de cada idioma, algumas palavras podem apresentar significados diferentes para cada país. Essas palavras são denominadas de “falsos cognatos” ou False Friends.

Os falsos cognatos – ou falsos amigos - são divididos em duas categorias: os puros e os eventuais. Os puros apresentam significados totalmente diferentes para cada idioma. Olhe os exemplos abaixo:

Os falsos cognatos eventuais, por sua vez, apresentam diversos significados, sendo um deles semelhante entre os idiomas e o(s) outro(s) diferente(s). Essa categoria também é conhecida como “palavras polissêmicas”.