Like vs As

Hello, everyone!

Have you ever experienced any  difficulties in distinguishing  like/as when writing a composition? So, I have prepared a great post for you all to understand it once and for all.

See you!

Teacher Jô

1. Like + noun/pronoun   (=similar to)

* She sings like an angel. 

* She was dressed exactly like me. 

* Like most people, I'd rather be on an everlasting holiday.

* He's a lawyer, like his sister.  (=the same as)

* Unlike you, I'm not a great dancer.   (= different from)

* He's good at science subjects like maths/such as maths.  (giving an example)

2. As + clause/prepositional phrase  (=in the same way) 

* Nobody knows her as I do.

* We often drink tea with our meal, as they do in China.

* He got divorced, just as his parents had done years before. 

* On Thursday, as on Friday, the meeting will be held in room B.

* This year, as in previous years, tickets sold out very quickly. 

3. As + noun  (when expressing function or rule)

* He worked as a waiter for 2 years. 

* Please, don't use that knife as a screwdriver. 

* We used the boxes as tables and chairs. 

* It could be used as evidence against him. 

4. As if = As though + clause  (to say what a situation seems like)

* It looks as if it's going to rain.

* He acted as though he was in charge. 

* They stared at me as if I was insane. 

5. As + clause (to express actions or situations that take place at the same time = while) 

* As I was having my breakfast, there was a loud noise coming from the toilet. 

* I bumped into him as I was window-shopping the other day. 

* He gets more attractive as he gets older.  

6. As + clause  (= because/since) 

* As it was getting late, I decided to book into a hotel. 

* You can go first as you're the oldest.  

7. As + clause  (in fixed expressions) 

* As we know, we only allow outstanding service. 

* We'll stick to the rules of admission, as we agreed. 

* As you suggested, there's no better way to make everyone satisfied. 

* As I was telling you, I wouldn't go for it. 

* As I was saying, I think the proposal needs further consideration. 

* As it is often the case with children, she got better the moment she entered the doctor's office. 

Hope you like it!

PERFECT TENSES -

 

Present Perfect Tense

Present perfect tense describes an action that happened at an indefinite time in the past or that began in the past and continues in the present.This tense is formed by using has/have with the past participle of the verb. Most past participles end in -ed. Irregular verbs have special past participles that must be memorized.

Ex: The researchers have traveled to many countries in order to collect more significant data./ At an indefinite time

Ex2: Women have voted in presidential elections since 1921./ Continues in the present

Past Perfect Tense

Past perfect tense describes an action that took place in the past before another past action. This tense is formed by using had with the past participle of the verb.

Ex: By the time the troops arrived, the war had ended.

Future Perfect Tense

Future perfect tense describes an action that will occur in the future before some other action. This tense is formed by using will have with the past participle of the verb.

Ex: By the time the troops arrive, the combat group will have spent several weeks waiting.


Perfect Progressive Forms

Present Perfect Progressive

Present perfect progressive tense describes an action that began in the past, continues in the present, and may continue into the future. This tense is formed by using has/have been and the present participle of the verb (the verb form ending in -ing).

Ex: The CEO has been considering a transfer to the state of Texas where profits would be larger.

Past Perfect Progressive

Past perfect progressive tense describes a past, ongoing action that was completed before some other past action. This tense is formed by using had been and the present perfect of the verb (the verb form ending in -ing).

Ex: Before the budget cuts, the students had been participating in many extracurricular activities.

Future Perfect Progressive

Future perfect progressive tense describes a future, ongoing action that will occur before some specified future time. This tense is formed by using will have been and the present participle of the verb (the verb form ending in -ing).

Ex: By the year 2020, linguists will have been studying and defining the Indo-European language family for more than 200 years.

See you,
Teacher Jô

Reported Speech

Hello, everyone!

Today I'm going to talk anout Reported Speech.... Have you already heard about it? Yes?! So, let's learn a little more!

Reported Speech (also referred to as ‘indirect speech’) refers to a sentence reporting what someone has said. It is almost always used in spoken English.

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). 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 basic rules for backshift when transforming direct speech into reported speech are:

Direct speech		Indirect speech
Present simple She said, “It’s cold.”	›	Past simple She said it was cold.
Present continuous She said, “I’m teaching English online.”	›	Past continuous She said she was teaching English online.
Present perfect simple She said, “I’ve been on the web since 1999.”	›	Past perfect simple She said she had been on the web since 1999.
Present perfect continuous She said, “I’ve been teaching English for seven years.”	›	Past perfect continuous She said she had been teaching English for seven years.
Past simple She said, “I taught online yesterday.”	›	Past perfect She said she had taught online the day before.
Past continuous She said, “I was teaching earlier.”	›	Past perfect continuous She said she had been teaching earlier.
Past perfect She said, “The lesson had already started when he arrived.”	›	Past perfect NO CHANGE – She said the lesson had already started when he arrived.
Past perfect continuous She said, “I’d already been teaching for five minutes.”	›	Past perfect continuous NO CHANGE – She said she’d already been teaching for five minutes.

Exceptions –> In up-to-date reporting and when reporting a universal truth or law of nature, the verb tenses can either change or remain the same. For example: He said Paris is/was the capital of France.

Modal verb forms also change:

Direct speech		Indirect speech
will She said, “I’ll teach English online tomorrow.”	›	would She said she would teach English online tomorrow.
can She said, “I can teach English online.”	›	could She said she could teach English online.
must She said, “I must have a computer to teach English online.”	›	had to She said she had to have a computer to teach English online.
shall She said, “What shall we learn today?”	›	should She asked what we should learn that day.
may She said, “May I open a new browser?”	›	might She asked if she might open a new browser.

Note! – There is no change to could, would, should, might and ought to.

Time change

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.

Today	+ 24 hours – Indirect speech
“Today’s lesson is on presentations.”	She said the lesson of the day before was on presentations.

Expressions of time if reported on a different day
this (evening)	›	that (evening)
today	›	that day…
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

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). For example:

At work	At home
“How long have you worked here?”	She asked me how long I’d worked there.

 

Pronoun change

In reported speech, the pronoun often changes to match the subject of the sentence. For example: 

Me	You
“I teach English online.”	She said she teaches English online.

There are special reported sentences one needs to be careful with:

Questions

Reporting questions are usually introduced by ask, inquire, wonder, want to know, etc. When reporting questions, it is especially important to pay attention to sentence order. When reporting yes/ no questions connect the reported question using ‘if’. When reporting questions using question words (why, where, when, etc.) use the question word.
For example:

• She asked, “Do you want to come with me?” BECOMES She asked me if I wanted to come with her.
• Dave asked, “Where did you go last weekend?” BECOMES Dave asked me where I had gone the previous weekend.

Commands, requests, suggestions

To report commands, instructions, requests or suggestions, we use an appropriate introductory verb – ask, order, beg, suggest, tell, etc – and the to-infinitive, -ing form or that-clause depending on the verb. Check this list of reporting verbs if in doubt.
For example:

• “Stop the car!”the policeman said to him BECOMES The policeman ordered him to stop the car.
• “How about going to the cinema?”, I said to them BECOMES I suggested going to the cinema.

Did you say you need any further practice? Find it at ESL tests
Following the unit, I’d like you to practise your reported speech by quoting some of our politicians. Check this web www.brainyquote.com to see some of their most memorable quotes. John F. Kennedy, for example, said:

“When written in Chinese, the word “crisis” is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.

See you,
Teacher Jô

Thanks to all collaborative work we find on the internet:
http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/reportedspeech.htm
http://www.slideshare.net/saravergon/reportedspeech
http://www.daneprairie.com.

The Archies... Sweet memories from the 70's!!!

The Archies are a virtual garage band founded by Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle, and Jughead Jones, a group of adolescent fictional characters of the Archie universe, in the context of the animated TV series, The Archie Show.

The fictional band's music was recorded by session musicians featuring Ron Dante on vocals and released as a series of singles and albums. Their most successful song, "Sugar, Sugar", became one of the biggest hits of the bubblegum pop genre which flourished from 1968 to 1972.

Biography from Wikipedia

Sugar, Sugar (Original 1969 Music Video)

"Sugar Sugar"          

You are my candy girl
And you've got me wanting you.
Honey, ah sugar sugar
You are my candy girls
And you got me wanting you

I just can't believe the lovliness of loving you,
(I just can't believe it's true)
I just can't believe the one to love this feeling to
(I just can't believe it's true)

Sugar, ah honey hiney
you are my candy girl
and you got me wanting you
honey, ah sugar sugar
you are my candy girl
and you got me wanting you

When I kissed you girl I knew how sweet a kiss could be
(I know how sweet a kiss could be)
Like the summer sunshine pour you sweetness over me
(Pour your sweetness over me)

Pour a little sugar on it honey
Pour a little sugar on it Baby
I'm gonna make your life so sweet, yeah yeah yeah
pour a little sugar on it yeah
pour a little sugar on it honey
pour a little sugar on it baby
I'm gonna make your life so sweet, yeah yeah yeah
pour a little sugar on it honey

Ah sugar, ah honey honey
you are my candy girl
and you got me wanting you
Oh honey honey, sugar sugar..............
You are my candy girl

Cartoons: Learning and Fun

Adjectives have three forms: positive, comparative, and superlative

Can you find compartive forms of adjectives presented in the cartoon below?

Sentence, Clause, Phrase

What is a sentence in English?

How can we identify phrases and clauses in English?

Well, I've been doing research on the net and I've found this important collaborative work.

Here you are:

By Daniel Scocco:

Sentences

Sentences are made of two parts: the subject and the predicate.

The subject is the person or thing that acts or is described in the sentence. The predicate, on the other hand, is that action or description.

Complete sentences need both the subject and the predicate.

Clauses

Sentences can be broken down into clauses. For example:

The boy is going to the school, and he is going to eat there.

This is a complete sentence composed of two clauses. There are mainly two types of clauses: independent clauses and subordinate clauses.

Independent clauses act as complete sentences, while subordinate clauses cannot stand alone and need another clause to complete their meaning. For example:

Independent clause: “The boy went to the school.”
Subordinate clause: “After the boy went to the school…”

Phrases

A group of two or more grammatically linked words that do not have subject and predicate is a phrase. For example:

The girl is at home, and tomorrow she is going to the amusement park.

You can see that “the amusement park” is a phrase located in the second clause of the complete sentence above.

Phrases act like parts of speech inside clauses. That is, they can act as nouns, adjectives, adverbs and so on.

From: DailyWritingTips

Now, let's learn about

Complex sentences

A complex sentence is used to put across more detailed ideas. A complex sentence contains one main clause that can make sense on its own, and one or more minor clauses that are linked to it.

When I arrived the big dog barked.

The main clause is the 'big dog barked' because it has a subject and a verb and makes sense by itself.

The minor clause is 'When I arrived'. Although it is a clause with a subject and a verb, it doesn't make sense on its own, it needs a main clause.

We can add more minor clauses to make a more complex sentence.

When I arrived the big dog barked because it was lonely.

We can even split the main clause with a minor clause and still have a complex sentence.

When I arrived the big dog which was lonely barked. 

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk

Read more

Abba - Dancing Queen

My gift to you guys!!!

Conversation Group 2011

I will miss you guys!!!

Love you!!!

Josete

Como digo em inglês: Pouca gente sabe, mas…

Hello, everyone!

O título dessa dica já entrega metade do que vou falar: como digo “pouca gente sabe” ou “poucas escolas tem piscina por aqui”? Se você pensou em some, ou a few, continue lendo. A outra metade da dica fala sobre um uso diferente de little.

Few, very few

Pense em situações onde você diria coisas assim: muito pouca gente sabe disso; muito pouca gente faz aquilo; muito pouca gente gosta deste. Poucos carros conseguem chegar aqui; pouca gente sabe, mas… Deu para pegar a ideia?
Veja:
Few people know this, but this little bakery has the best cupcake in town.
Pouca gente sabe disso, mas essa padariazinha tem o melhor “bolinho com creme” da cidade.
Few cars can accomodate eight people confortably and that’s why I like vans.
Poucos carros conseguem acomodar / Não tem muito carro que consiga acomodar oito pessoas confortavelmente e é por isso que eu gosto de van.

Para dizer “Muito pouca gente sabe disso, mas…” basta colocar Very na frente do few.
Mais dois exemplos:
Few people like our more exotic ice cream flavors.
Poucas pessoas gostam dos sabores de sorvete mais exóticos.
Few schools in this neighborhood have a pool for swimming practice.
Poucas escolas nessa vizinhança tem piscina para treino de natação.
Repare que estamos usando “few people”, “few cars”, “few schools”. O sentido muda bastante se começarmos essas sentenças com “A few people know…”, “A few cars can…”, “A few people like…”, “A few schools…”. Você sabe qual é a diferença? Vá até esta dica para ver exemplos de “a few…”.

Little, very little

Agora pense em situações onde você quer expressar alguma coisa assim: o aluno nem precisa saber muita matemática para se dar bem nessa prova (ou “o aluno precisa saber só um pouquinho de matemática”); não acontece quase nada nessa cidade; não há muito que a gente possa fazer. Pegou a ideia geral?
Dê uma olhada:
Students need to know very little Math to do well on this test.
Os alunos não precisam saber muita (precisam saber só um pouquinho de) matemática pra se dar bem nessa prova.
Very little happens in this town.
Não acontece quase nada (acontece muito pouco) nessa cidade.
There is little we can do.
Não há muita coisa (há pouca coisa) que a gente possa fazer.
Coloquei acima traduções alternativas em parênteses, que são um pouco mais parecidas com as frases em inglês. De novo, o sentido muda bastante se a gente disser “students need to know a little Math”, por exemplo. Veja esta dica para ver exemplos de “a little”.

Repare também…

… em quais situações few e little são usados. Um combina com coisas contáveis; o outro vai com conceitos não-contáveis. Veja essa dica se quiser saber mais.

Um recado!

Não fique tentando muito decorar o que coloquei aqui e esperando que na sua próxima conversa em inglês você vá usar as expressões fluentemente… a decoreba nesse momento vai servir se você estiver estudando para um teste escrito.
Leia bastante os exemplos, compreenda, e comece a reparar de agora em diante nos “few” e nos “little” que você encontrar por aí. Tenha paciência, pois assim como demorou um tempinho pra você saber usar “não tem muito”, “um pouco” e “quase nada” quando ainda era criança, pode levar um tempo pra você internalizar as dessa dica. Mas assim como depois de ouvir e entender o suficiente essas expressões em português você começou a usá-las corretamente, isso também acontece com as expressões em inglês se você se expuser o suficiente através de listening, leitura, videos, etc… que você consiga compreender! Não é de um dia para o outro – mas você não esperava mesmo que fosse, né?

See you!
Teacher Jô

What are you thankful for? (Peanuts video)

 

“Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.”

Oprah Winfrey

Happy Thanksgiving

Hello, everyone!

Apesar de este ser um feriado típico dos Estados Unidos - já que neste dia os americanos relembram os momentos de paz entre os pilgrims (colonizadores europeus) e os índios (nativos americanos) que se confraternizavam para agradecer a Deus a boa colheita- nada nos impede de, também no Brasil, darmos graças por tudo de bom que recebemos neste ano que vai chegando ao fim... Assim, eu desejo a todos

FELIZ AÇÃO DE GRAÇAS!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Teacher Jô

Thanksgiving Prayer - Johnny Cash

This is the most beautiful Thanksgiving song! I remember the first time it was on Dr. Quinn - it made me cry.  Now after all these years it still does.

Johnny Cash was the ultimate country Singer.... When I hear his songs and his voice singing them, I don't have to imagine, I can FEEL and SEE and SMELL the prarie, and the western time... Even though I have never been there...  And Johnny Cash is not old enough to have been either...

Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash..... Good Bless them.... :-)

We've come to the time in the season
When family and friends gather near
To offer a prayer of Thanksgiving
For blessings we've known through the year
To join hands and thank the creator
And now when Thanksgiving is due
This year when I count my blessings
I'm thanking the Lord He made you
This year when I count my blessings
I'm thanking the Lord He made you

I'm grateful for the laughter of children
The sun and the wind and the rain
The color of blue in your sweet eyes
The sight of a high ball and train
The moon rise over a prairie
Old love that you've made new
This year when I count my blessings
I'm thanking the Lord He made you
This year when I count my blessings
I'm thanking the Lord He made you

And when the time comes to be going
It won't be in sorrow and tear
I'll kiss you goodbye and I'll go on my way
Grateful for all of the years
I thank for all that you gave me
For teaching me what love can do
Thanksgiving day for the rest of my life
I'm thanking the Lord He made you
Thanksgiving day for the rest of my life
I'm thanking the Lord He made you

“Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses.”

Teacher Jô

The True Meaning of Thanksgiving

Hello, everyone!

This is a documentary short film about the word "THANKSGIVING" and how it came into being. Often, a less heard tale of the Thanksgiving celebration. This film was submitted to the Festival de Cannes 2008 for review.

Be thankful you weren't a Native American in the 1600s. This is the real story of Thanksgiving not the school textbook "Disney" version, which is an insult to all Native-Americans today. 

Teacher Jô

I'd prefer or I'd rather?

Hello, everyone!
O post de hoje é para esclarecer a dúvida do Felipe Romero (5th level student). Acontece que o Felipe ainda não entendeu bem quando e como usar "I'd prefer" e "I'd rather". Então, vamos lá!
Felipe, na verdade, as duas expressões são usadas no inglês para dizer a mesma coisa. Entretanto, há uma pequena diferença na hora de formar as sentenças.
Veja os exemplos:

- How about pasta for dinner?   (Que tal macarrão para o jantar?)
- I’d rather have a sandwich. / I’d prefer to have a sandwich.   (Prefiro comer um sanduíche.)

Veja que depois de rather vem o verbo no infinitivo, mas sem o to. Depois de I’d prefer o verbo vem com o to.
Algumas observações:

• A parte ‘d é a contração de would, que à frente de um verbo forma um tempo condicional geralmente traduzido para o português assim:
  
  I’d go [Eu iria]
  
  He’d do his homework… [Ele faria seu dever de casa...]
  
  She’d study harder… [Ela estudaria mais...]
  O nome do tempo verbal usado nas traduções para português é Futuro do Pretérito.

• Veja que não traduzimos I’d prefer como Eu preferiria – até é possível falar assim mas geralmente dizemos só Eu prefiro.

• Dependendo da situação would + verbo (por exemplo I’d go…) também é traduzido para o passado imperfeito no português: Eu ia… (e não Eu iria) quando se está falando de ação repetida no passado, mas isso fica para outra lição…

Mais um exemplo:

- Would you rather have classes in the morning or in the afternoon?  (Você prefere ter aula de manhã ou à tarde?)
- I’d prefer to be in school in the morning.   (Prefiro estar na escola de manhã.)

Diferença entre falar I’d prefer e I prefer

I’d prefer, she’d prefer, we’d prefer, etc são usados com respeito a situações específicas – quando alguém pergunta uma coisa relacionada ao momento. Por exemplo:

- Would you prefer tea or coffee?   (Você prefere chá ou café?)
- I’d prefer to have coffee, please.  (Prefiro café, por favor.)
- Would you like to go out tonight?   (Você gostaria de sair hoje à noite?)
- I’d prefer to spend the night at home.   (Prefiro passar a noite em casa.)

I prefer, he prefers, they prefer, etc. são usados para comunicar preferências em geral, não necessariamente relacionadas a uma situação em particular. Veja uma maneira comum de usar prefer + verbo (ing):

I prefer going to the movies to watching a play.  (Prefiro ir ao cinema a assistir uma peça.)
They prefer walking to taking the bus.  (Eles preferem andar a pegar ônibus.)

 Got it?!
See you,
Teacher Jô

When do we use Rather in English?

Hello, guys and gals!
Today I'm going to talk a little about "rather". So, when do we use this word?
Here you have a summary:
A) We use rather as an adverb of degree:

Modifying an adjective:

• The film was rather good.


Modifying an adverb:

• It happened rather quickly.


Notes:

1. It is stronger than fairly, but not as strong as very.

2. It can modify a noun, often coming before the article:

3. It's rather a problem.

4. It can modify some verbs: I rather like it.

B) To express preference.

Rather than:

Rather than is normally used to compare parallel structures:

• Let's take the train rather than the bus.

• Rather you than me!

• I decided to write rather than email.


Would rather:

Would rather + infinitive without 'to':

• I'd rather leave now.

Would rather + pronoun + past tense:

• I'd rather he came early.

That's all for today!
See you,
Teacher Jô

Would you mind...? vs Do you mind...?

Hi, everyone!
Here you have some ways to make polite requests in English.

Mind is mostly used in questions and negatives. It can mean ‘dislike’, ‘object to’ or ‘be annoyed by’. Mind is commonly used in the structures ‘would you mind…?’ or ‘do you mind…?’.

• Would you mind my coming late?
• I won’t mind your coming late if you don’t wake me up.
• Would you mind my smoking?

Note that would you mind…? and do you mind…? are usually used to ask people to do things or to ask for permission.
Compare:

• Would you mind making me a cup of coffee? (= Will you make me a cup of coffee?)
• Would you mind opening the window? (= Can you open the window?)
• Would you mind moving a bit? (= Can you move a bit?)
• Would you mind my opening the window? (Can I open the window?)
• Would you mind my coming late? (Can I come late?)
• Would you mind working late? (Can you work late?)

After would you mind and do you mind, we use –ing forms or if-clauses.

• Would you mind if I opened the window?
• Would you mind if I smoked?

To ask general questions about people’s feelings, we can use do you mind…? Would you mind…? is not usually used with this meaning.

• Do you mind people smoking in public places?
• OR Do you mind if people smoked in public places?   

Money, money, money...

Quando fazemos uma viagem é muito importante saber se comunicar bem especialmente na hora de fazer compras. Pensando nisso, resolvi escrever sobre as formas de se referir a dinheiro que muitas pessoas não conhecem antes de viajar e que pode vir a ser útil.
Nos Estados Unidos, as pessoas tem o interessante hábito de dar nome pras suas moedas. Normalmente no Brasil a gente fala “cinco centavos”, “dez centavos” etc. Nos Estados eles também falam assim, mas o normal é eles usarem outros termos, veja:

• 1 cent = penny
• 5 cents = nickel
• 10 cents = dime
• 25 cents = quarter

Os três últimos nomes também podem ser usados para se referir a notas de 5, 10 e 25 dólares, mas não é tão comum.
Os termos mais comuns são “penny” e “quarter”. Inclusive, se você diz que uma pessoa é “penniless”, quer dizer que ela não tem nem um tostão furado, que é paupérrima. E, no caso da moeda de 25 centavos, ela também é usada para fazer ligações no telefone público, então “quarter” também pode ser usado para se referir a “ficha de telefone” (sim, eles ainda usam fichas).
Vale lembrar para não confundir “quarter” que se refere a dinheiro (25 cents) com “quarter” que se refere a horário (15min). E vale checar a pronúncia, pois não é tão fácil como parece!
Há ainda várias gírias ou expressões que são usadas comumente para se referir a dinheiro e que não nos preocupamos em aprender, mas pode nos livrar de apuros. Seguem algumas frases com exemplos:

• Fifty bucks for a flip-flop? That’s a rip-off! (Cinquenta conto num chinelo? Isso é um roubo!)
• He owes me ten grand. (Ele me deve 10 mil)
• Can you break this bill? Sorry, I have no change. (Você pode trocar essa nota? Desculpa, estou sem troco / trocado).
• This dress was half-price, a real bargain. (Esse vestido foi metade do preço, uma verdadeira pechincha)
• I forgot to withdraw money and now I have to find an ATM. (Esqueci de sacar dinheiro e agora tenho que achar um caixa eletrônico)
• That store is on sale, everything’s 50% off. (Aquela loja está em promoção. Tudo com 50% de desconto)
• This will cost you a total of 10 pounds. (Isso irá lhe custar um total de 10 libras)*

*Em alguns lugares do Reino Unido se usa “quid” para se referir a libra, assim como se usa “dosh” para se referir a dinheiro em geral.
Existem ainda outras gírias/expressões, mas acredito que vocês já estão suficientemente preparados para fazer compras com o que está listado acima sem mal entendidos. Sendo assim, desejo a todos Good Shopping (Boas Compras)! E se você quiser economizar (save money), recomendo procurar por outlets (grandes lojas que vendem de tudo por preço de atacado). Go for it!

Sobre o Autor: Kim Gibson tem 22 anos, graduando em Historia pela UnB, sempre estudou inglês como hobby. Começou a atuar recentemente como professor de inglês.

I love beef liver! How about you?

Hi, people!

Some people find the idea of eating beef liver revolting, while other people find it a delicious delicacy. If you are a member of the first category, you might want to reconsider your distaste for beef liver -- it is packed with nutrients. Experiment with different flavorings, marinades and cooking styles for beef liver to find ones you like.

Fried Beef Liver with Onions 

 

Liver is an irreplaceable source of various nutrients which are very important for human health. It has biggest concentration of a vitamin A comparing to all other food sources; natural source of vitamin D, B12 and C, phosphorus and copper; it is high on protein of animal origin; and the most important, it is rich source of easily absorbed iron – that made liver a part of the treatment for pernicious anemia.

Saying all of that, I was very surprised of how hard it was to find fresh beef liver in a local shops (true to tell I didn’t try a local farmer markets, didn’t locate any around yet). I am also pretty sure, what liver dishes are not very popular in this part of the earth globe, however they are traditional in Europe: Germany, Russia, Ukraine, and a believe a lot of other countries.
So here is my attempt to fix that: fried beef liver with onions – is perfect lunch or dinner dish, it is very easy to cook and, as I already mentioned above, it is very nutritious. Important tip: do not overcook liver, to preserve as much goodness as you can.

Ingredients:

• 2 lb of beef or veal liver
• 2 big onions
• All purpose flour, about 1 cup
• Sunflower oil
• Salt to taste

How to prepare, step-by-step:

1. Prepare ingredients: if you got liver in a whole piece then clean it (remove hard vessel parts) and slice in pieces about 1/3 of inch wide.
   I was only able to find cleaned and already sliced beef liver in the supermarket near by, it was also deep frozen, so if you got the same – let liver unfreeze for about 3 hours before cooking (if you need to unfreeze it faster putting the sealed box with frozen liver under slow running cold water will help), keep in mind whole piece will need more time to unfreeze than the sliced:
   
   
   

   Fried Beef Liver with Onions Recipe: Step 1
2. Put a skillet on the moderate heat burner, add 2-3 tbsp of sunflower oil. While skillet is being warmed up, pour flour into plate with sides wide enough for pieces of liver you’ve got; then roll several pieces of liver one by one in flour from both sides:
   
   

   Fried Beef Liver with Onions Recipe: Step 2
3. Move liver pieces to the warmed up skillet, fry on this side for about 1 min (if your liver slices are thicker than mine – increase cooking time a accordingly):
   
   

   Fried Beef Liver with Onions Recipe: Step 3
4. Turn each piece of liver which is cooked from one side to another and fry for 1 more min (make sure you only do it once for each piece, otherwise liver might loose its softness):
   
   

   Fried Beef Liver with Onions Recipe: Step 4
5. Move liver pieces cooked evenly from each side to a big plate and season with a salt. Then proceed with frying rest of the liver:
   
   

   Fried Beef Liver with Onions Recipe: Step 5
6. While the liver pieces are cooking, warm up another skillet with 2 tbsp of oil over moderate-low heat. Peel onions and slice them into half-circles, move to the skillet and fry until soft and brown colored for about 15-20 mins; stir from time to time:
   
   

   Fried Beef Liver with Onions Recipe: Step 6
7. Serve fried beef liver warm, topped with fried onions and with your choice of a side dish, my personal choice here would be potato puree:
   
   

   Fried Beef Liver with Onions

Enjoy!

Love Idioms

Falling in love

catch someone's eye = to be attractive to someone: "The shy man at the back of the class caught my eye."

to fancy someone  = to find someone attractive: "My friend fancies you!"

to have a crush on someone = to only be able to think about one person: "When I was at school, I had a crush on a film star."

to have a soft spot for someone = to have a weakness for someone: "She has a soft spot for Richard - he can do anything!"

to have the hots for someone = to find someone very attractive: "She's got the hots for the new office manager."

to go out with someone = to date someone: "They've been going out together for years!"

to go steady = to go out with someone: "They've been going steady since their first year at university."

to fall for someone = to fall in love: "He always falls for the wrong types!"

to fall head over heels for someone = to completely fall in love: "He fell head over heels for her."

to be lovey-dovey = for a couple to show everyone how much they are in love: "They're so lovey-dovey, always whispering to each other and looking into each other's eyes."

to have eyes only for = to be attracted to one person only: "He's dropped all his old friends, now that he has eyes only for Susie."

to be the apple of someone's eye = to be loved by someone, normally an older relative: "She's the apple of her father's eye."

to be smitten by someone = to be in love with someone: "I first met him at a party and from that evening on, I was smitten."

a love-nest = the place where two lovers live: "They made a love-nest in the old basement flat."

to be loved-up  = to exist in a warm feeling of love: "They are one loved-up couple!"

to be the love of someone's life = to be loved by a person: "He has always been the love of her life."

Types of love

puppy love = love between teenagers: "It's just puppy love - you'll grow out of it!"

cupboard love = love for someone because they give you food: "I think my cat loves me, but it's only cupboard love!"

Getting married

to get hitched: "They're getting hitched next Saturday."

to tie the knot: "So when are you two tying the knot?"

If it goes wrong…

to go through a bit of a rough patch = when things are not going well: "Since the argument, they've been going through a bit of a rough patch."

to have blazing rows = to have big arguments: "We had a blazing row last night."

can't stand the sight of someone = to not like someone: "She can't stand the sight of him any more!"

to call it a day = to agree that the relationship has ended: "We decided to call it a day."

to be on the rocks = a relationship that is in difficulty: "Once she moved out, it was clear their marriage was on the rocks."

to have a stormy relationship = a relationship with many arguments: "I'm glad we don't have a stormy relationship."

a love-rat = a man who betrays his girlfriend / wife: "He's had affairs with three different women - he's a complete love-rat."

Sayings

Marry in haste, repent at leisure = if you marry too quickly, you have the rest of your life to regret it!

Love is blind = when you love someone, you can't see their faults

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder = beauty is subjective

Let your heart rule your head = allow your emotions to control your rational side

Wear your heart on your sleeve = show other people how you are feeling

Easily Confused Words 3

VOCABULARY

Here are a few pairs of words which are easily confused:

1. clothes / cloth
clothes = what people wear to cover their body
What kind of clothes do you feel most confident in ?
I love casual clothes like jeans and T-shirts.
cloth =  (a) material made by weaving for special purposes
a dish-cloth, a floor-cloth etc
    (b) the clerical profession as shown by the clothes worn
A certain respect is due to the cloth. ( = to the priests)

2. look at / watch
look at = set your eyes at a certain direction
Look at this picture! Isn't it beautiful?
watch = keep the eyes on something moving
Juanita watches TV in the afternoon
Did you watch the game last night?
We were watching the children play while chatting in the garden.

3. last / latest
last = coming at the end
When was the last time you saw him?
latest = most recent
Ann always follows the latest fashion trends.
Did you hear the latest news about the hijackers?

4. remember/remind
(a) remember to do something = not to forget to do sth
Did you remember to call John before leaving the office?
(b) remember doing something = not to forget having already done sth in the past
I remember meeting her at a party last summer.
remind of / about / to = cause someone to remember
Hearing that song always reminds me of a certain night in Santa Cruz. (=the song brings back the memories of that night)
NOT hearing that song remembers me of .....
Will you remind me about that important appointment?
Corinne reminds me of myself when I was her age.
BUT : I remember Corinne wearing a floral dress when I first met her.
He reminded me to call John before leaving the office (=he asked me to remember to do so)

Useful Expressions
remember me to someone = ask someone to give a greeting from you to someone else = say hi
Please remember me to your mothe