Breaking the Mirror of Common Sense

Are you tired of those predictable TV series? There’s nothing as boring as investing time watching something you don’t need to finish to know the end. Going totally in the opposite direction, Netflix made available Black Mirror, a TV series written by Charlie Brooker, a British satirist and broadcaster who is definitely not afraid of thinking out of the box.

Black Mirror shows another extent to what this kind of program can be like. On the series, episodes are short, each bringing different characters (played by famous and amateur actors), fascinating and curious plots, distinct scenarios etc. The fact that there’s no fix hero to be proud of and cheer for neither any villain to admire the entire series, might make you be in two minds as choosing it as catchy or not. Thus, some viewers tend to classify the program as dull and not worth watching at all, while real followers will spread their excitement to everyone else. With plots that unfold stories regarding real princesses liver or futuristic but totally-possible-to-happen situations, Black Mirror is certainly thought-provoking to those who seek to watch all episodes.

All in all, if you’re looking forward to escaping the typical common sense ideas portrayed in TV series, Black Mirror is a program you must watch. Follow it and be ready to take your friends up on the issue. You will surely have a lot to comment about.

Do you eat "Chickpeas"?

Have you ever eaten "Chickpeas"? Well, this might sound a little strange if you don't know what this word means. 

I myself didn't know the meaning until very recent. Actually, one of my students asked me for this word while describing her curious gastronomic weekend, when she ate "Puchero" (another new word for me), a Spanish recipe that takes chickpeas as an ingredient.

Chickpea, known as "grão de bico" in Portuguese, is a very typical legume used in different countries and easily found in the Brazilian cuisine. Brazil isn’t the main producer, though. This legume also considered a grain is rich in proteins and is said to be one of the earliest grains to be cultivated in human history.

My family has used this ingredient in many occasions and for different recipes. Although you can find various recipes available on the internet, I selected a list BBC has gathered for your to enjoy this peculiar but rich ingredient. Click here and enjoy.

Mas tenho que ler em inglês?

By Marilia Meneghini

“TENHO que ler um livro que está em Inglês, mas me dá uma preguiça/ não gosto de ler/ acho que não vou entender nada...”

Já aconteceu isso com você? Se sim, o que fazer para preparar esse trabalho que o Professor (a) passou de forma bacana e divertida? Tenho algumas dicas que fará vocês se divertirem enquanto estudam. Vejam:

1-    Qual seu livro preferido em Português? Todos têm algum livro que adora e que já leu mais de uma vez em Português, tipo Harry Potter. Porque não ler ele In English? Se você já conhece a história na sua língua nativa fica mais fácil compreender a Língua Inglesa. Além do mais, você pode combinar com um grupo de amigos para eles lerem o mesmo livro e depois irem à algum lugar, e com um delicious coffee brake, conversarem sobre a história. 

2-    Leiam aos poucos e joguem. Não precisa ler o livro inteiro de uma vez, leiam 1 ou 2 capítulos, por vez. Combine com seus amigos de todos lerem o mesmo capítulo e o que acham de montar uma gincana com os capítulos lidos? Separem-se em grupos e montem várias perguntas. Dividam-se em dois grupos (azul e vermelho, por exemplo), depois fica um de frente para o outro, quem apertar a campainha primeiro responde. Se estiver certo ganha um bombom ou se estiver errado porque não uma torta na cara? Hhahahahha... vocês verão que será muuuuuiiiiito divertido e sem perceber, logo o livro vai ter terminado.

3-    Prefere algo rápido e curto, mas divertido? Gibis são a resposta. Eu adoro gibi e quando começo não quero terminar. Os gibis em inglês são simples, você pode ler em alguns minutinhos antes de começar a aula ou no momento em que está indo para aula.

4-    Mexa-se. Já leram o Gibi? Façam um pequeno teatro em sala de aula do que vocês leram. Primeiro encenem lendo as frases depois tentem sem olhar, e se esquecer, improvise. A improvisação teatral estimula a capacidade de fazer algo diante do inesperado. E o teatro é uma técnica que desenvolve a autoconfiança de falar em público, tira a vergonha e melhora a autoestima.

5-    Procure escolas que estimulem estas diferentes práticas de leitura com foco no prazer pela leitura. Muitas escolas impõem uma leitura dizendo que haverão provas sobre o livro. Isso é arcaico e nem sempre faz com que você desenvolva o verdadeiro prazer pela leitura para poder desfrutar dos fantásticos benefícios que esta ação proporciona.

Independente da técnica que você utilizar (e existem milhares), o segredo é variar as formas de leitura e os tipos de texto lido. Desta forma, seu vocabulário de expandirá de forma mais rápida e ampla. Se você não é um havido leitor, tenha em mente de que, como tudo na vida, trata-se de uma questão de iniciativa e hábito. Uma vez que você começa, não para mais.ENJOY!

Where is “OK” from?

By Lucas Silva

There have been numerous attempts to explain the origin of this expression, but most of them are just rumors. Based on the Oxford Dictionary (OD) it comes from the Scots expression ”och aye”, the Greek “ola kala” (“it is good”). According to the OD, the oldest written references result from its use as a slogan by the Democratic party during the American Presidential election in 1840, a long time ago.

As I said, there are many theories about its origins, according to History Channel online it was first mentioned in 1839 by two of the Boston Morning post on March 23^th. It appeared to be shortening of “oll Korrect”, the humorous misspelling of “all correct”. In fact it was a sarcastic jabs at a Providence newspaper, according to Allan Metcalf, author of the “Ok”.

Although Allen Walker Read, a Columbia University English professor, uncovered OK’s true origins in the 1960s, its origin could be traced back to a newspaper editor’s off-hand quip in 1839, and while “Ok” became part of the popular lexicon, its origins were disputed for more than a century.

How has it become so popular? BBC explains that both in speech and in writing OK stands out clearly, easily distinguished from other words, and yet it uses simple sounds that are familiar to a multitude of languages.

It’s easy to note that every language has an O vowel, a K consonant, and an A vowel. So OK is a very distinctive combination of very familiar elements. And that's one reason why it's so successful.

The origin of this expression is still unclear, then here goes some “origins” form other countries:

International OKs:

ü   Native American Choctaw: “Okeh” - it is so;

ü   Scottish: “Och aye” - oh yes;

ü   Greek: “Ola kala” - all is right;

ü   German: “ohne Korrektur” - without [need for] correction;

ü   Finnish: “Oikea” – correct;

ü   Mandinka: “O ke” - that's it.

Main Sources: BBC, HISTORY Channel, Oxford Dictionaries.

___________

Note: Lucas has been my student for a long time. This post is the result of an inquiry research based on a question that came up while one of our classes. Well, it is so interesting that it ended up here! We hope you enjoy it.

Children Looking After Animals

To have or not to have? That is the question that many families ask themselves when children ask for a pet. While it may be true that animals at home can be dangerous and messy, it is undeniable that they can also have a positive impact on children’s personality and physical development.

Since kids do not have much control when interacting with small animals, parents are usually concerned about the risks of having pets without a full-time adult supervision claiming that a sudden attack may happen and maybe be lethal. Equally worrying is the fact that these little creatures are able to turn a room upside down in the blink of an eye, requiring a lot of attention and care every single day and time in order to keep the house at least a bit organized or available to receive guests in an adequate way.

Conversely, pets may become one of the best investments a family can make in a lifetime. People who have chosen to have pets can easily affirm that their kids had become even-tempered, sensitive, responsible and lovely. Not only do these kids seem to be really polite, but they also show great physical characteristics. In other words, children whose houses are pet-friendly, are more physically active and tend to enjoy interaction with the real world much more significantly.

Concluding, considering there will always be pros and cons surrounding this issue and that there won’t be a right answer, I strongly recommend families to have pets because in spite of the disadvantages, the positive aspects are richer and much more beneficial to children.

What is your opinion about it?

Dependent Prepositions

Many of you don't know, but I have recently applied myself to a CAE (Certificate in Advanced English) preparatory course to try my hand at taking the exam by the end of this year. I always wanted to take these proficiency exams in order to keep up with my studies English language and to give a deeper and proper orientation to my students who are usually curious about them. Well, the time has finally come. 

Throughout this experience I intend to share some of my acquired knowledge, worries, fears, etc. This first post is to talk a little about Dependent Preposition...also known as "Hell" (JK).

As learners of English, prepositions are usually a tough part...also for native speakers. Surprise was when I faced the dependent prepositions in the CAE course. The blog You English Lessons Blog defines dependent preposition like:

In the English language, there are many verbs, nouns and adjectives which are followed by specific prepositions.  The prepositions are called dependent because their choice depends on the particular word and its meaning.

Although the prepositions depend on particular words, it does not mean you are free to change them as you wish. If they are dependent, it means they will always be together, they depend on each other, okay?

And then it pops up into our minds: How can we learn them by heart? Easy. Apply the same techniques used to study regular and irregular verbs: MEMORIZATION & PRACTICE!

Trying to make the way easier and softer, I'll share with you a list extracted from the Complete Guide to the TOEIC Test with the most common dependent prepositions. I thank Silvia, my teacher and tutor, for having shared it with me last week because it's old, but gold though. The PDF with a better quality is available by the end of this post.

A really cool way to check and confirm your "guesses" is to assess the Cambridge Dictionary because it brings examples where the dependent prepositions are in bold. For learners, it's a good idea to get the list above and try to create meaningful sentences applying each of them.

Remember: when you use verbs after prepositions, they must come in the -ing form. 
E.g.:

I'm not afraid of speaking in public.

They are interested in working in groups.

Would you like to practice? Click here and try the exercises to put into practice what you've learned about Dependent Prepositions.

If you want the list presented in this post in PDF with a better quality, click here.

Any contributions, don't hesitate to write to contato@teacherpedrobrandao.com.br or simply to leave a comment.

An Activity for Each Vacation Day

July is vacation time for most students of languages. It's really important to give the brain a break of too much systematic study. However, we've selected a fun activity per day so that you can keep in touch with the language throughout this period, but with pleasure, of course. They're just suggestions, feel free to modify or adapt the way you want. Enjoy!!

July 1st – Choose a TV series to follow during your vacation and watch 1 or 2 episodes. (Have you ever heard about Once Upon a Time?) There are lots available on Netflix or PopCorn Time. - remember to watch it subtitled!

July 2nd –  Click here to practice the Simple Present. Would you like to know what's going on around the world? Click here and see news in different English levels, from basic to advanced with audio, text, and video.

July 3rd – Practice your vocabulary with a Crossword game clicking here. Also, get to know Duolinguo, a fantastic app for language students.

July 4th – Click here to watch Vincent, a short film by Tim Burton. Try some Duolinguo.

July 5th – Watch more 1 or 2 episodes from the TV series you decided to follow. (Have you tried watching it with English subtitles?)

July 6th – How about practicing your listening with some conversations? Just click here. 

July 7th – Read the article “There is/ There are” by clicking here and here.

July 8th – Choose a song you like and study it. Collect the vocabulary you don't know, check the translation if you really think it's necessary. Sing it over and over again. 

July 9th – Watch the movie Night at the museum I. Pay attention to the vocabulary! It's a good idea to take notes of the new words.  It's available on PopCorn Time.

July 10th – Read more about Present Perfect here. If you have more time, check this short video about common mistakes in spoken English.

July 11th – Select a section of your New Headway book and review what you have studied in class so far. Try some Duolinguo.

July 12th – Watch the new Disney’s animation: Big Hero 6 (How about trying it with English subtitles!) It's available on PopCorn Time.

July 13th – Read “What Happened, Then?”  to discover what happened in your birth year! Click here to see the magic. After that, choose another song you like and study it. Sing out loud!!!

July 14th – Practice English Tenses here. Try some Duolinguo.

July 15th – Watch as much episodes as you can from your TV series.

July 16th – Shall we practice Can X Can’t? Click here. 

July 17th – Read this “Let it go” article and watch its music video. Try some Duolinguo.

July 18th – Select a section of your New Headway book and review what you have studied in class so far. Have you studied them all? So, why not another song from here?

July 19th – Watch Night at the Museum II. I'm sure you can use English subtitles now. Let's try?

July 20th – Practice Time Expressions here. If it's too hard, google "Time Expressions" first!

July 21st – Find the pair of opposites with these Marble Game. Did you like this game? Check these!

July 22nd – Vacation is time to...Write Letters!!! See how to do it here and write a letter or an e-mail for a friend of yours that speak English too. (I'd love to receive news from you...hehehe) 

July 23rd – What's the difference between I x ME ? Check it here if you are right, and then learn specific vocabulary about how to behave at an AIRPORT!

July 24th – Let's practice Possessives. There's more about here and here.

July 25th – Watch “How to train your dragon”, “Rio”, or "Matilda". Most available on Netflix or PopCorn Time.

July 26th – Study Comparative vs. Superlative here and after see how many examples you can find in this song by Counting Crows or in this one by Kelly Clarkson. Maybe in this other by Justin...Bieber.

July 27th – Are good at finding things? Whatever...try this adjective wordsearch and have fun! Try some Duolinguo.

July 28th – Read this movie review of “Letters to Juliet” and in case you like it,  watch  it! You didn't like it or have already watched? Choose another movie you want to see. There are lots available on Netflix or PopCorn Time.

July 29th -Select a section of your New Headway book and review what you have studied in class so far. Have you studied them all? So, follow Amigo Gringo on Youtube and get real cool tips on the language.

July 30th – Read and watch the videos of “How good are you?”. Try some Duolinguo.

July 31st – End your vacation watching more of your TV series or watching “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” available on Netflix or PopCorn Time.

July is over! It's time to go back because your teacher is missing you =)