Embedded Files
JUNE 3 (*NEW*)
JUNE 3 (*NEW*)
Possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns
To talk about people's possessions, we often use adjectives and pronouns. Take a look at some examples:
Lucas has a car. His car is black. My car is blue.
Lucas has a car. His car is black. Mine is blue.
Fernanda and I have bicycles. My bike is white. Her bike is yellow.
Fernanda and I have bicycles. My bike is white. Hers is yellow.
Words such as "my" and "her" are possessive adjectives (or possessive determiners). Words such as "mine' and "hers" are possessive pronouns. Want to learn more about them? Click here.
Are you ready to practise? Click here to take a quiz! In the game, you need to drag the correct option to the gap and then click on 'submit' answer, OK? Have fun!
MAY 27
MAY 27
Cognates and false friends
Have you ever noticed that there are similar words in many languages? Because of that, it's easier to learn a new language when you speak two or three languages already. Words like information and "informação" are cognates (i.e. they look similar and mean the same thing).
The problem is that sometimes these words that look similar have different meanings. For example, the word pretend is similar to the Portuguese word "pretender", but they don't mean the same thing:
"Don't pretend that you don't understand me. I know that you do!"
"That kid is not crying. He's only pretending."
So, based on the examples above, we can say that to pretend means to act in a way that is not true or real ("fingir", in Portuguese). So, how can we say "pretender", then? Look at two examples:
"What do you intend to do next year?"
"I wasn't my intention, really. I only intended to help you."
So, "pretender" and pretend are false friends. They look similar, but they don't mean the same thing. Do you know other false cognates? First, study these flashcards. Then, click here to take a quiz!
MAY 22
MAY 22
Plural forms
Using the plural in English is usually simple, right? One book, two books. One computer, two computers and so on. But sometimes plural forms look a little different. First, click here and learn more about irregular plural forms. Then, click here and play a game. Your objective? Type the plural form of the word given as soon as you can!
Suggestion: In your notebook, write sentences about the objects that you can see in your house or apartment. For example:
"In my house, there is a __________ and there are _____________."
"In my bedroom, there are ____________, but there aren't _____________."
Pay attention to the plural forms that you want to use. Are they regular or irregular? If you are not sure, you can use an online dictionary (this one, for example).
MAY 13
MAY 13
Direct and indirect questions
Compare the questions below.
What's the difference?
a) Where did you go?
b) Could you tell me where you went?
The questions are similar because the person asking them wants the same piece of information. However, the first question is direct. On the other hand, the second one is indirect.
Indirect questions are very common, especially when people want to be polite. Want to practise?
First, click here and learn more about direct and indirect questions. After that, you can click here to test your knowledge. Have fun!!
Suggestion: Try to use indirect questions when you are interacting with your teachers and with your classmates. Your lessons on Zoom are great opportunities to experiment with new information you learn here! ;)
MAY 6
MAY 6
Countable or uncountable?
The words "apple" and "milk" are different. You can count apples (e.g. "I ate two apples yesterday."), but you can only count glasses of milk. You can't say "milks", for example. In other words, "apple" is a countable word and "milk" is uncountable.
Did you know that some words are countable in one language and uncountable in a different language? So, when you learn a new noun (e.g. car, internet, laptop, technology), it's important to know if it's countable or uncountable.
Do you want to test your knowledge? First, click here and study some flashcards (click on it to see the other side). Then, click here and take a quiz!
Suggestion: After you finish, create sentences with the countable and uncountable nouns used in the activities. In these sentences, talk about your life, your habits and so on (e.g. "I never drink coffee. I don't like it!"). Alternatively, you can use Quizlet and create your own flashcards.
April 29
April 29
Improving your English with series
Do you like watching series on TV? Do you subscribe to streaming platforms such as Netflix or Prime Video?
If so, we have some great news: you can use series to improve your English. This will make the learning process fun and engaging. Want to learn more? Click here to watch a collaboration between our teachers Sergio Cabral and Paula Argolo. Go get some popcorn and have fun!
April 22
April 22
Intensive and extensive listening
To improve our listening skills, we can do intensive listening and extensive listening. Do you know the difference?
Intensive listening is usually done with the help of your teacher. The objective is to listen carefully in order to answer a question, for example. In many cases, you listen to the same (short) recording more than once.
Extensive listening is very different. Your objective here is enjoyment and exposure. In other words, you are not taking a quiz or testing your skills - you are simply immersing yourself in the language. Consequently, you will usually listen to longer recordings.
So, do you want to know how to do extensive listening? Our teacher Sergio Cabral suggests 5 free apps that you can use to develop your listening skills while having fun. From electronic music to podcasts about many different topics, there is definitely an app that will work for you. You can watch his video here. While watching the video, try to write down the names of the apps and what you can do with them.
April 17
April 17
Como desenvolver a habilidade de leitura em inglês
Ler um uma nova língua é ao mesmo tempo essencial e desmotivante. Por um lado, a leitura caminha lado a lado com o desenvolvimento linguístico e é importantíssima no desenvolvimento de competências linguísticas como uso de gramática e vocabulário. Por outro lado, quando selecionamos um material inadequado para a prática de leitura, podemos perder a nossa motivação. A sensação de ler várias páginas e não entender nada é terrível, não é mesmo? Bom, a nossa professora Regiane Ferreira preparou um vídeo curto para te ajudar com dicas valiosas sobre leitura em inglês. Clique aqui e aproveite!
Sugestões de livros adaptados gratuitos
Por conta do momento atual de isolamento social, várias editoras liberaram temporariamente o acesso a graded readers como os mencionados no vídeo acima. Quer aproveitar esta oportunidade? Siga as intruções abaixo.
Entre no site https://www.oxfordlearnersbookshelf.com/
Crie a sua conta e procure livros adequados (A1 ou A2). Não sabe como criar a conta? Clique aqui e assista ao tutorial que criamos para você!
Além de ler os materiais, você pode também ouvir a história sendo contada, o que terá um impacto bastante positivo na sua pronúncia! Muito legal, né? Have fun!
April 14
April 14
Describing places
How would you describe the picture above? Which adjectives would you use? Beautiful? Nice?
To expand your vocabulary, you can study these flashcards. Click on each flashcard to show the answer. Click on the words to listen and repeat. When you are ready, take this quiz!
Suggestion: In your notebook, write 5 sentences about places in your city. Use the adjectives to describe areas near and far from where you live.
Improving your pronunciation
People around the world speak English in different ways. For instance, native speakers like Canadians and South Africans don't sound the same. What about non-native speakers? Well, Brazilians, Italians and Germans, for example, don't have to "sound British" or "speak like an Australian", let's say. However, we all want others to understand us, so it's important to improve our pronunciation. How can we do that?
Our teacher Marcello Celestrin has a great suggestion: an app called ELSA (available on Google Play and on App Store). Click here and watch a simple tutorial.
One important thing to consider: ELSA assesses your performance by saying: “You sound X% like a native speaker!”. Remember that ELSA is an American company and considers General American English the standard to correct your pronunciation and identify differences. However, there is nothing wrong with having an accent that is clearly understood by other speakers of English around the globe! Even a British person using the app would be ‘penalised’ for pronouncing certain words or sounds differently. Use the app to help you sound more natural, intelligible and learn vocabulary to guide you through different situations. At the end of the day, only American people will sound 100% American, and that is fine! Be proud of your identity and accent and enjoy the activities!
April 9
April 9
What NOT to do when you want to learn a new language
Learning a new language is not always easy. Different people suggest that we do different things when we want to improve our skills. But what are some things that we should NOT do if you want to be a successful learner? Our teacher Sergio Cabral has 5 great tips!
Suggestion: In your notebook, write about the tip you found most useful. You can complete this sentence "I think tip number ___ is very useful because...".
Study skills
Are you good at organizing effective study plans? Click here to take a reading activity and learn some useful tips to organise your studies in a more effective way. There are two different tasks, OK? First, do Task 1 (True or false). Then, expand your vocabulary in Task 2.
Suggestion: use the new words in different sentences about you and your family or friends.
April 7
April 7
How to improve your writing skills
These days, writing short texts is an important part of our personal and professional lives. But what can you do to improve your writing skills? Our teacher Regiane Ferreira has 7 amazing tips for you!
Suggestion: Talk to your teacher about the ideas that you found useful!
Food and drinks
Because people are spending more time indoors, they should pay attention to what they eat and drink every day. We don't want to be unhealthy, right? Anyway, do you know many expressions related to food and drinks in English? Click here to play a game. You have to match the pictures with the sentences.
Suggestion: You can study the flashcards (click here) before or after the game. To improve your pronunciation, click on the sentences, listen and repeat.
April 4
April 4
Working at home? Working in my house? Working from home?
Now that offices and other places of work are closed, lots of people are working inside their own house or apartment. How can we say that in a natural way? Click here to watch a mini lesson with our teacher Fabio Lopes and learn some interesting expressions!
Suggestion: In your notebook, write two or three sentences containing the expressions from the video.
Common objects in a home office
In a classroom or (home) office, you can find very specific objects. Do you know how to refer to them? Click here and take a quiz to find out! When you are ready, click on 'play'. You can study the flashcards before or after the quiz, OK?
Suggestion: Use Google Slides and add other words and images related to common objects in a school or (home) office, for example: scissors, binders and paper clips. If necessary, watch this tutorial in Portuguese.
March 31
March 31
How to use AI to develop your speaking and writing
Do you want to practise your productive skills (speaking and writing) but there is no one to interact with you? Well, what about using Artificial Intelligence? Our teacher Marcello Celestrin demonstrates how to use your mobile phone to improve your speaking and writing skills. Click HERE to watch a tutorial in Portuguese.
Suggestion: Focus on one topic at a time and practise as much as possible (e.g. work, food, shopping, entertainment).
Using numbers
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, it's becoming more and more common to see numbers in news items. Can you use cardinal and ordinal numbers in English? Take this quiz and find out!
Suggestion: In your notebook, create sentences using some of the numbers from the quiz. Write the numbers as words, OK? (e.g. 147,008 --> one hundred forty seven thousand and eight).
March 27
March 27
Deduzindo o significado de palavras desconhecidas
Você tem dificuldades ao ler textos em inglês? A sua leitura é constantemente interrompida para você procurar o significado de alguma palavra? A professora Lusia Rees tem uma ótima estratégia para te ajudar! Para assistir ao vídeo, clique AQUI.
Sugestão: Leia um texto em inglês de alguma área de seu interesse, identifique uma palavra desconhecida e tente utilizar a estratégia ensinada. Depois, use um dicionário online e veja se o significado que você deduziu era próximo ou distante daquele mencionado no site.
Talking about actions in the past
What did you do yesterday? Was your day calm or very busy?
Learning how to talk about the past can be challenging, that's why it's important to practise.
Click here and complete the sentences with the correct forms of the verbs.
March 26
March 26
Incorporating English into your routine
Students can learn a lot from teachers and other students, but everyone can find ways to incorporate English into their routine. Need a few ideas? Our teacher Sérgio Cabral has 10 excellent tips for you!
Countries and nationalities
Different countries are implementing different measures to fight this pandemic. Do you know how to refer to countries and nationalities in English? If you need some practice, this is the place for you. We have chosen two games that can help you. Have fun!!
Quiz (click here, then choose 'play'): Look at the options carefully and choose the correct ones!
Memory game (click here, then choose the first activity): Your objective is to match each flag with the correct sentence. Test your memory and learn English!
March 25
March 25
Developing listening skills
Regiane Ferreira, our teacher at Cultura Inglesa, believes that we can use this time outside the classroom to develop our listening skills. How? In addition to the e-Campus, are there other relevant online tools? Listen to her and learn about this website.
Her tips are available in Portuguese (click HERE) and in English (click HERE).
Suggestion: listen to the version in English first and write down what you understand. Then, listen to the version in Portuguese and check your notes - were they correct or incorrect?
Making predictions
At the moment, a lot of things are uncertain, so it's hard to predict the future. But we can try! Do you know how to make predictions in English? Can you use will and won't?
Click HERE and play a game. You need to put the words in the correct order, OK?
If necessary, you can find more information about the use of will and won't here.
March 24
March 24
News in Levels
Reading new articles is an important activity at the moment, isn't it? Did you know that there is a great website and app on Google Play and App Store that gives you three different versions of the same story? No? It's called News in Levels.
Watch a tutorial with Sérgio Cabral, our teacher at Cultura Inglesa and learn more. Just click HERE.
Your routine
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, my routine has changed a lot. What about you? Has your routine changed? What do you do every day? How often do you do certain things?
Click HERE and play a game containing expressions we can use to describe our routine in English.
You have to drag each picture to the correct word as fast as possible.
You can study these flashcards before or after the quiz, OK? Have fun!
Jobs
At the moment, a lot of people are working from home. This can be very easy or very difficult - it really depends on your job. So, do you know how to refer to jobs in English?
Click HERE and do a fun quiz.
Read each description and choose the correct option.
If the quiz is too difficult, you can study the flashcards before you start. If not, study them after the quiz! You can also write sentences with the words (e.g. "My sister is a nurse. She is working a lot these days.")
March 23
March 23
LyricsTraining
Do you like music? How often do you use songs to study English? Lyrics Training can help you! You can use the website or the app on Google Play or App Store.
To learn about this tool, listen to Marcello Celestrin, our teacher at Cultura Inglesa. Just click HERE.
Question words
At the moment, everybody has lots of questions about the what's happening around the world. Do you know how to ask questions in English? Can you use question words such as what, when, where, who and so on?
Parts of the house
During the coronavirus pandemic, we all have to spend a lot of time at home. Do you know how to describe your house or apartment?
Click HERE and play a game!
You have to drag each picture to the correct word as fast as possible.
You can study these flashcards before or after the quiz, OK? Have fun!
March 18
March 18
Self-study
Studying inside the classroom is different from studying at home. Listen to this podcast with Juan Lopes, one of the academic coordinators at Cultura Inglesa, and learn more.
Tips in English
Dicas em português
Using the e-Campus
When you open your e-Campus, you can find a list of activities that we have chosen for you. But did you know that you have access to thousands of other materials? Look at this presentation and learn more.
Still need help? The videos below can be useful:
How much do you know about COVID-19?
We can't have face-to-face lessons because of the coronavirus. How much do you know about it? Do the quiz below and find out!
Page updated
Report abuse