Goal: C2!

Probably the most underrated skill in English language learning (or in any other aspect of the human condition), reading is actually what usually makes a difference. And, especially for those who intend to take a proficiency exam soon, this ability is likely to be the one which will help you the most if you know how to work on it. Really, I cannot stress this enough: not only it will help you read better, it will make you evolve in all other skills, namely writing, speaking, and even listening.
I'm not referring to adding letters and forming words, adding words and forming sentences. What I mean by reading is the ability to get a text on your hands and go through it, mentally (and sometimes physically) interacting with every bit of information you get from it. The post just below this one is intended to help you better your experience while reading.
As for this one, I just wanted to feed you with some interesting reading sources on the internet. Have fun!

News in English: http://www.newsinlevels.com/
CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/
NatGeo: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/02/130206-sperm-men-health-science-weird-sex/
Le Monde: http://mondediplo.com/

My colon is missing...

Note: if you get this joke, you're probably ready for an advanced certification. LOL

Challenge Accepted?

"I never said she stole my money."

This sentence has 7 different meanings depending on the stressed word.

I challenge you to explain each of them.

(From http://9gag.com/gag/2857368)

Man's Best Friend - thinkers

If you watch Animal Planet, you've probably seen the Dog Whisperer (no Brasil, o Encantador de Cães). Cesar Millan is a dog trainer/dog therapist. I've seen lots of series in which people say they can perform miracles on dogs who misbehave. Cesar Millan is an angel, then.

Check out this website:

http://www.cesarsway.com/

Check this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fAD2T_bAdY

Movies and Readers - Anyone

Já falei de readers e de movies algumas vezes aqui. Talvez eu vá me repetir, mas parafraseando os propagandistas nazi-fascistas, uma mentira dita 100 vezes torna-se verdade. E acho que uma verdade inconveniente deve ser dita 1000 vezes para ser aceita.

Bom, vamos lá.

How To Use Movies To Improve Your English

(talkers and thinkers, especially)

O segredo está na repetição. Cada vez que você assiste de novo seja lá o que for que você estiver assistindo, você aprende algo novo. Quando eu estudava inglês, eu chegava a assistir filmes com um bloquinho de notas para anotar expressões novas e exemplos de frases que apresentassem estruturas com as quais eu tinha dificuldade. Acho que talvez isso já tenha sido uma atitude extrema da minha parte. Porém, é como dizem, situações de desespero exigem atitudes desesperadas.

Procure um filme que você já conheça e selecione uma cena de no máximo 10 minutos. Os melhores filmes para esse tipo de atividade são as comédias românticas. Nesse tipo de filme você encontra bastante diálogo sobre um tema universal: love.

Para trabalhar esses 10 minutos de filme, faça o seguinte:

1. Watch the movie

Assista o filme, especialmente se você nunca tiver assistido, com legendas em português ou mesmo dublado. Essa primeira etapa serve para você se familiarizar com a história.

2. Subtitles in English

Depois que você já conhece o filme, você começa a estudar. Coloque as legendas em inglês e assista os 10 minutos que você escolheu para treinar. Não se preocupe em entender tudo. O interessante aqui é focar na história e, no máximo, em estruturas que você já domine. Dessa forma, você pode começar a identificar em que situações essas estruturas são utilizadas, tornando-as assim mais reais e menos teóricas.

3. No Subtitles

A partir de agora, você, na verdade, vai variar. Continue trabalhando os mesmo 10 minutos. Ora você coloca as legendas em inglês, ora em português, ora sem legenda nenhuma. É importante praticar sem legenda para você "desmamar". Se ficar insistindo em assistir só com as legendas em inglês, você vai estar fazendo atividade de leitura simplesmente. Se é isso que você quer (ler), leia abaixo.

How To Use Readers

(beginners, talkers and thinkers)

A primeira coisa a saber é que você vai quebrar o livro em partes. Os readers normalmente não têm capítulos muito longos. Ou seja, você pode usar essa quebra que já existe para trabalhar. No caso de ser uma leitura mais densa, quebre página por página. Uma vez que você decidiu qual quebra vai fazer, trabalhe assim.

1. Read it

Leia o capítulo ou a página. Aqui é o momento de você se familiarizar com a história (parecido com a primeira etapa de quando você trabalha com filmes). Nesse momento, foque apenas no enredo. As palavras que você não conhecer, por enquanto, devem ser ignoradas (a não ser que elas sejam essenciais para a compreensão da história). Você pode também tentar entender essas palavras pelo contexto. Esse exercício é muito importante. Encare de frente.

2. Read and Listen

A maioria dos readers decentes de hoje em dia já incluem um cdzinho com a história. Aqui você vai reler a história acompanhando-a com o cd. Você vai treinar seu listening e a sua pronunciation aqui.

3. Listen

Na terceira etapa, feche o livro. E ouça a história. Fique na história. Às vezes acontece comigo de eu estar ouvindo alguma coisa e me desligar, me desconcentrar. Se isso acontecer com você também, pare, volte e comece de novo.

4. Listen and Repeat (reading is optional)

Aqui você vai ouvir a história e dar pause para repetir as frases. Você pode quebrar as frases mais longas e/ou mais complexas. Mas seja rigoroso consigo mesmo. Imite a maneira com que a voz da gravação lê as frases, não se limite a repetir. Você pode fazer esse exercício com o livro aberto. Em alguns casos, isso te ajuda a concentrar. Por outro lado, percebo que às vezes ler a frase escrita dificulta o desenvolvimento da pronúncia. Julgamos o que estamos lendo pelos olhos da nossa língua materna. Esteja atento a isso e descubra o que funciona melhor para você.

Parece muita coisa para fazer, né? De fato, se alguém te disse que aprender uma língua estrangeira era uma tarefa simples, ou essa pessoa era um gênio ou ela te enganou. Tudo que tem valor só é alcançado com algum esforço.

Mas também não é uma tarefa de Hércules. Você não precisa fazer tudo que sugeri acima todos os dias. O importante, como já disse em outros posts, é a regularidade, e não a quantidade de horas que você dedica por dia. Então, escolha uma atividade para cada dia, mas seja firme, disciplinado (ou disciplinada). Se você trabalhar com essas atividades entre 10 e 20 minutos por dia, você sentirá um desenvolvimento real a médio prazo.

SOS Beer drinkers! - Talkers and Thinkers

Check this out.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2010/01/100115_witn_belgium.shtml

P.s.: My next trip abroad is definetely going to be to Belgium. Care to join me?

Orlando Bloom x Daniel Craig - Girls

By Georgina Cooper

LONDON (Reuters) - Why do some women's hearts race over the feminine features of Orlando Bloom while others are more attracted to macho men like Daniel Craig?

Check it out on:

Reuters --> http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE5973OT20091008?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&rpc=69

Testing 1, 2, 3 - talkers and thinkers

Guy on cell, leaning casually against fire hydrant: Hey, so, I just got my test results back, and... uh... so I got herpes. So... maybe you should get yourself tested. (pause) No, no, no. No. No! Dammit, Jessica, listen, I... fuck. Sorry, Jennifer. No, I--no, I'm sorry, I've just been making this call a lot today. (pause) Hello?

(from Overheard in New York - http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/)

Nobody's Perfect - Talkers and Thinkers

Ninguém é perfeito. Especialmente quando se trata dos perfect tenses. Então vamos sobrevoar seus usos mais comuns.

1. Present Perfect

Talk about something that has happened, something that has been completed.

Focus on the event. "When" is not important.

Talk about an event (or events) which has (or have) happened within a period of time which hasn't finished yet.

Talk about somebody's life experience.

(Note: Sometimes native speakers use simple past here. Especially Americans.)

A: Have you done your homework yet?

B: No, I haven't. But I've already started it.

A: My car is looking good now, isn't it?

B: It really is! Have you washed it?

A: Somebody has eaten the last slice of pizza.

B: It wasn't me. I promise.

A: Are you done with your test?

B: No, I haven't finished it yet.

A: Have you ever been to Europe?

B: No, I haven't been there yet. But I'd love to. Actually, I've been saving some money and I might be able to go there next year.

A: Have you ever owned a Japanese car?

B: No, but I've heard they're pretty reliable.

A: Have you ever tried Thai food?

B: No, I haven't. Is it any good?

A: Have you seen your mother this week?

B: No, I'm going to have dinner with her on Saturday, though.

A: I haven't had a break since I got here. I'm totally worn out!

B: Let's take 5, then. I need a cigarette anyway.

A: This is the first time I've driven out of town. I'm so excited.

B: And you're doing a great job. Now, will you please keep your eyes on the road?

2. Present Perfect Continuous

Talk about events that started in the past but continue up to the present, events that are not complete, events that are in progress.

Sometimes people use it to talk about an event which had been happening and just stopped.

A: Where have you been? I've been looking for you all over!

B: I was in the restroom. Chill out!

A: God! I need a break.

B: You certainly do! You've been working too much recently.

A: I've been having trouble with this new Windows Vista.

B: Who hasn't?! Get a jacket and join the club.

A: Is it wet outside?

B: I'm afraid so. It's been raining.

A: Gee! You're all sweaty! Have you been running?

B: Wait! (sigh) Let me catch my breath and I'll tell you.

(Note: some verbs are not to be used with the progressive form - ING. e.g.: be, know, like, hate, have indicating possession, understand)

A: You can trust him. I've known him since we were little kids.

A: I've always liked that girl.

B: Well, she's always been really nice to you. Why don't you ask her out?

A: How long have you had this shirt?

B: I don't really know. Does it look too old?

How cool is that? - Talkers and Thinkers

Check it out!

1. shotgun

First person to call "shotgun!" gets the front passenger seat. Usually "shotgun" is called when some smelly ass or really fuckin annoying people are going to be in the back seat. Or shotgun is the actual front passenger seat.

"Shotgun."

"Duuude, I called it like 3 minutes ago."

"Duuude."

"Duuuuude."

"Ok you have can it."

(from urbandictionary.com)

It's All Relative - Thinkers and Talkers

Jen plays in a rock band that’s really hot right now.

à (The band) It’s really hot right now.

à SOMETHING: use that or which

à The band is the subject in the second part of the sentence

Nina is an interesting woman who sits across from me at work.

à (Nina) She sits across from me at work.

à SOMEONE: use who or that

à Nina is the subject in the second part of the sentence

She’s a new friend (who/that) I met through Mike.

à (She) I met her through Mike.

à SOMEONE: use nothing, who or that

à She is the object in the second part of the sentence

It’s a new band (which/that) Jen started.

à (A new band) Jen started it.

à SOMETHING: use nothing, which or that

à A new band is the object in the second part of the sentence

Note: Object and Subject

Pra quem não lembra das aulas de português, sujeito (subject) é quem executa a ação representada pelo verbo na frase (embora nem todo verbo necessariamente indique uma ação, essa é uma maneira simples de você entender a coisa) e objeto (object) é quem sofre a ação executada pelo sujeito.

Jack ate a Big Mac this morning. subject: Jack / object: Big Mac

Friendly Fire - Talkers and Thinkers

Felipe Massa vowed to return to Formula One "as soon as possible" as he left hospital in Hungary to fly home to Brazil after his horror crash last weekend.

Massa hopes to resume his F1 career after he recovers from his serious injuries.

Massa suffered "life threatening" injuries as his Ferrari careered off in final qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix at 200kph and slammed into a tire barrier.

He spent two days in an induced coma after emergency surgery for a fractured skull and brain concussion and there were fears he would not be able to drive again.

Massa was the victim of a freak accident, with a spring from the Brawn GP of compatriot Rubens Barrichello bouncing off the track before smashing into his helmet.

From CNN.com/worldsport

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SPORT/08/03/massa.home.schumacher.ferrari/index.html?eref=rss_latest

You Need A Role Model - Talkers and Thinkers

A very brief overview on modal verbs. Follow the patterm.

modal verb - most common use - sample sentence(s)

can - ability, possibility, permission - "I can sing very well." (and that's true!)

may - permission, possibility - "May I ask you a question?"

might - remote possibility - "If he asks me out I might say yes... I might say no... well, we'll see."

will - a calculated possibility, a spontaneous decision - "I'll probably stay here for the weekend." / "You know what? I'll give you a call tomorrow. How about that?"

Use them to talk about the past (something that happened or didn't happen in the past)

could have done s.th. - hypothetical situation - "I can't believe you drove after all that beer you had. You could have crashed your car!"

should have done s.th. - criticism, regrets - "I failed the test. I should have studied harder."

might have done s.th. - remote possibility - "He didn't come back home last night. He might have slept over at his girlfriend's, or he might have fallen asleep at the bar... who knows?"

Overheard in NYC - Talkers and Thinkers

Three-year-old boy: Mommy, I want a little brother, let's get one.

Mom: You can't just go to the store to get a baby.

Seven-year-old girl: I know where babies come from.

Mom: Oh, man!

Three-year-old boy: From where?

Seven-year-old girl: God. God made everything, people and animals.

Three-year-old boy: Who's god?

Seven-year-old girl: I don't know, some dead guy who lives in heaven.

--Riverbank State Park

Overheard by: Darin

Please visit: http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/

The Flatmates - Talkers and Thinkers

Meet the Flatmates and have fun with their story.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/2008/11/081125_flatmates_people_page.shtml

Practice Makes Perfect - Talkers and Thinkers

Let's take a quick look at the present perfect, shall we?

We tend to have trouble with that verb tense for two simple reasons: 1. we don't have anything like that in Portuguese; 2. we fear it! we dread it!

Yeah, admit it! You are too scared to use present perfect. And I'll tell you this, most of the times, so am I!

The good news is, it isn't as difficult as it seems, or as important. You'll see a lot of so-called fluent speakers avoiding it and yet communicanting effectively. Nevertheless, let's try to use it whenever possible. The more you use it, the more comfortable you'll feel by using it, the better you'll use it.

Present Perfect

You can use it to:

1. Talk about something that has happened. "When" is not important or you simply don't know, so you don't talk about it. You might, however, indicate a period of time. It's very common to use it to check preparations, tasks, and to talk about life experience. Check it out.

Mom: Have you done your homework (yet)?

Son: No, not yet. But I've already taken the trash out.

Husband: Have you packed everything you'll need?

Wife: I can't be sure. Let's see... I've packed my hair-straightener, my hairdryer, my make-up kit... oh, I haven't packed my Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus book!

Brazilian Exchange Student: Have you taken a shower today?

French Exchange Student: No, I haven't. But I've already taken a shower this week.

Bumper Stick (Adesivo de Pára-Choque): Have you hugged your child today?

John: Have you ever kissed a Lebanese girl?

Mark: No, I've never done that. Have you?

John: Yes, I have.

Mark: When did you do it?

John: Last night.

Perceba que no último diálogo o present perfect dá lugar pro simple past quando os caras entram em detalhes.

Voltarei a falar dos perfect tenses em breve.

Gotta go!

Is your wife in shape? - Thinkers and Talkers

This is not a joke (anymore).

Initially introduced as a joke in Finland, wife carrying has become a competitive sport in which male participants race through an obstacle course while carrying a female teammate. Carrying styles include piggyback, fireman's carry, and Estonian-style, in which the female participant hangs upside-down with her legs around the man's shoulders and her arms around his waist.

From http://www.thefreedictionary.com/