Punctuation in English!

Learn the names of the punctuation signs with this poster:

False Friends part 3

Here are a few more of these 'friends':

notice = observar, notar || notícia = news

parents = pais || pais = relatives

particular = determinado, específico || particular, privado = private

physician = médico clínico || físico = physicist

policy = diplomacia, política || polícia = police

pretend = fingir || pretender = intend

proper = adequado || próprio = own

push = empurrar || puxar = pull

quote = citar || cota = share, quota

realize = perceber, dar-se conta || realizar = accomplish, achieve

False Friends part 2

Hello, again!
Here are some more 'false friends' for you, also called 'false cognates'.

data = dados, fatos, identificação || data = date

deception = fraude, trapaça || decepção = disappointment

educated = instruído, culto || educado = polite

eventually = finalmente, por fim || eventualmente = occasionally

exit = saída || êxito = success

expert = perito, especialista || esperto = smart

hazard = risco, dano, mal, perigo || azar = mischance, jinx, bad luck

intimate = íntimo(s) || intimar = to summon, to cite

False Friends part 1

As aparências enganam... Talvez você já tenha notado que algumas palavras em inglês não são o que parecem ser em português, como 'parents', por exemplo, que significa 'pais', e não 'parentes' (que é relatives, by the way), e aquela que você pode ver na porta de entrada da escola, representada na figura ao lado.

Aqui vão algumas "False Friends":

assess = avaliar || acesso = access

advise = aconselhar || avisar = warn

anthem = hino || antena = aerial, antenna

army = exército || arma = gun, weapon

assist = ajudar || assistir = to watch (TV)

chute = corredeira || chute = kick

cigar = charuto || cigarro = cigarette

collar = colarinho, gola || colar = necklace; to glue

college = universidade, faculdade || colégio = school

Fonte: http://blogs.transparent.com/portuguese/false-friends-in-portuguese-and-english/

Confusing Words

Some words in English can be really confusing. Here are a few of them:

last / latest
last: adjective usually meaning 'final'
Examples:
I took the last train to Memphis.
This is the last test of the semester!
latest: adjective meaning 'most recent' or 'new'
Examples:
His latest book is excellent.
Have you seen his latest painting?

lay / lie
lay: verb meaning 'to put down flat' - past tense - laid, past participle - laid
Examples:
He laid his pencil down and listened to the teacher.
I usually lay my pies on the shelf to cool.
lie: verb meaning 'to be down' - past tense -lay (be careful!), past participle - lain
Examples:
The girl lay on the bed asleep.
At the moment, he's lying on the bed.

lose / loose
lose: verb meaning 'to misplace'
Examples:
I lost my watch!
Have you ever lost anything valuable?
loose: adjective meaning the opposite of 'tight'
Examples:
Your pants are very loose!
I need to tighten this screw. It's loose.

Source:http://esl.about.com/cs/vocabulary/a/a_confused.htm

Exercite o seu cérebro: aprenda Inglês!

Leia sobre o resultado de uma pesquisa que comparou o tamanho do cérebro antes e depois de três meses de estudos intensivos:

Language learning can increase brain size!

Researchers compared MRI scans of students’ brains before and after three months of intensive language study at a Swedish Military Interpreter Academy. Results showed that the hippocampus, involved in learning new information and in spatial navigation, as well as three areas in the cerebral cortex related to language and learning, grew in size.

The before-and-after images of the language students were also compared with those of university students studying medicine or cognitive sciences intensively.

“Even if we cannot compare three months of intensive language study with a lifetime of being bilingual, there is a lot to suggest that learning languages is a good way to keep the brain in shape,” researcher Johan Mårtensson remarks.

Fonte: http://voxy.com/blog/index.php/2012/11/language-learning-can-increase-brain-