Languages...

The mouse was in his little hole, and, he could listen to a sound comming from outside:
-MEOW...MEOW...MEOW...
The time passed by, and he could still listen:
-MEOW...MEOW...MEOW
After a while the mouse really tired heard:

- AUH...AUH auh
Then the little mouse realised: If there really is a dog out there, that means that the cat is gone!!!...He ran out desperattelly,looking for food...
It didn’t even got out from its hole, the cat got it!!
- what the heck cat??
The cat answered:
- Son...let me tell you something... in this modern and globalized world we live in, whoever doesn’t speak at least two languages... dies of hunger!

When to use a reflexive pronoun

Reflexive pronouns are used in three main situations.

1. Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and object are the same.

I hurt myself badly.
They call themselves “The Best in Town”.
He cut himself.



2. They are used as the object of a preposition, when the subject and the object are the same.

I bought a present for myself.
He did the cake by himself. (He did it alone.)
That man is talking to himself.



3. They are used when you want to emphasize the subject.

I'll do it myself. (No one else will help me.)
They ate all the food themselves. (No one else had any.)

The forms of reflexive pronouns

Personal Pronoun	Reflexive Pronoun
I	myself
you (singular)	yourself
you (plural)	yourselves
he	himself
she	herself
it	itself
we	ourselves
they	themselves

Prepositions...

Preposition of place (at, on, in)
Part 1: Uses of at, in, and on
 In: We use in to specify that a noun (object, person etc) is inside.

Examples:
- Where is your father? He’s in the kitchen.
- Who is in the room?
- Brian was swimming in the ocean.
- Bogota is in Colombia.
.
 At: We use at to refer to a “general” location.

Examples:
- Maria is at the window talking on the phone.
- Juan is at the table with his girlfriend.
- Please read the paragraph at the top of the page.
- The restaurant is at the end of German Avenue.
 On: We use on when we want to say that an object or person is on the surface of another object.

Examples:
- Your books are on the shelf.
- Don’t put your hands on my head.
- There is an orange on the table.
We always say : on a horse, on a bike (bicycle) , on a motorcycle and we usually say on a plane.


   I hope i've helped!!  By Fabio.

The difference between diet coke and coke zero.

          Both ‘Diet Cokes’ and ‘Coke Zero’ are low calorie soft drinks compared to regular coke. Both have similar ingredients which are carbonated purified water, flavour, artificial sweeteners aspartame, acesulphame potassium, preservative and caffeine.
Diet Coke came on market in 1982; preferred by many in America and became the number one sugar-free drink. Diet Coke is also known as ‘Coca-Cola light’ in some countries and it is the No. 3 soft drink in the world. It is preferred by people who want no calories, but plenty of taste. Diet coke comes in many different flavours such as Black Cherry Cola Vanilla, Cola, Cola Green Tea, Cola Lemon, Cola Lemon Lime, Cola Lime, Cola Orange and Cola Raspberry.
         But Coke Zero only offers’ Coca-Cola’ taste with zero calories. It is preferred mostly by young adults and it is sweetened with a blend of aspartame and acesulfame potassium (Ace K).
So overall the only key difference between the two drinks is in the proportions of the ingredients, which actually give different flavour profile,and,in my opinion, they both taste like shit! I'd rather be chubby and drink the regular coke!!!!

                                                           Have a nice weekend fellows!! by Fabio

The Quantifiers

Few / A Few / Little / A Little - These expressions show the speaker's attitude towards the quantity he/she is referring to.

Few and A Few (for countable nouns) and Little and A Little (for uncountable nouns).

 

A Few (negative idea)                                                                    

I saw a few friends at the mall this afternoon.

                             
                               Two or Three (positive idea)
I saw two or three friends at the mall this afternoon.

              
                               Few
He has few friends because he's a bad person.


                               Almost none (negative idea)
He has almost no friends because he's a bad person.


                               A Little
I have a little homework to be done.


                               A Small Amount (positive idea)
I have a small amount of homework to be done.


                               Little
There is little pollution in that country.




                               Almost none (negative idea)
There is almost no pollution in that country.



Translation:

few a few little a little

= = = =

poucos, poucas alguns, algumas pouco, pouca um pouco (de)

Jokes

Two friends:
- What is it: it weighs 500 pounds, it provides heat during the winter but hangs on the tree during the summer?
- ???
- It is a stove.
- A stove that hangs on a tree?
- Why does it matter to you where I keep my stove during the summer.

A man at the doctors:
-Doctor, I have diarrhea and it won’t go away!
-Did you try using a lemon?
-Yes I did, but when I removed it, it started again!

In a restaurant:
A man ordered soup but, as soon as it arrived, he had to go to the bathroom. To make sure that nobody touched his soup while he is away, he wrote on a napkin: "I SPIT IN THE SOUP".
When he returned, he found another message on napkin: "ME, TOO".

The good, bad and very bad...

Good: Your wife is pregnant.
Bad: She is expecting a son.
Very bad: You were sterilized five years ago.

Good: Your wife doesn't talk to you.
Bad: She wants divorce.
Very bad: She is a lawyer.

Good: Your son has a serious relationship.
Bad: The relationship is with a man.
Very bad: With your best friend.

                         By Fabio

Sports and its money making

         American sports and the money they make.The best payed players of america... i wish i received that salary for teaching...

NFL
The National Football League is the biggest money maker in American professional sports right now, as its 32 teams earned a combined $7.6 billion in revenue last season. The average team is worth $1 billion, with the Dallas Cowboys ranking No. 1 at $1.65 billion in net worth.
League minimum salary: The league minimum in 2009 was $310,000. That figure will rise to $325,000 in 2010.
Highest-paid player: San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers earned the highest total salary in 2009 at $25.56 million, though $19.5 million of that came via a signing bonus. If you exclude signing bonuses, the Carolina Panthers' Julius Peppers (now with the Chicago Bears) had the highest annual salary in 2009 at $16.68 million.
MLB
Major League Baseball wasn't too far behind the NFL in revenue last season, just $1.7 billion below at $5.9 billion. What's $1.7 billion here and there, anyway? Well, it is just slightly more than what the New York Yankees, the most valuable team, are worth at $1.6 billion. The average team is worth $491 million.
League minimum salary: The league minimum for this season is $400,000.
Highest-paid player: Alex Rodriguez will earn the most money this season at $33 million, though the annual salary over his 10-year contract is $27.5 million. Three of the next five highest-paid players are also Yankees (C.C. Sabathia, Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira), along with the Phillies' Ryan Howard and the Twins' Joe Mauer.
NBA
The final numbers have not been released for the 2009-10 season that just concluded, but the National Basketball Association made $3.8 billion in revenue the season before. The Los Angeles Lakers are the most valuable team, worth $607 million, and the average team is worth $367 million.
League minimum salary: The league minimum for the 2009-10 season was $457,588 for rookies.
Highest-paid player: Tracy McGrady earned the most money over the 2009-10 season at $23.24 million.
NHL
Like the NBA, the 2009-10 season just finished and the final numbers haven't been released, but the National Hockey League made $2.82 billion the previous year. The average franchise is worth $223 million, with the Toronto Maple Leafs ranking No. 1 at $470 million.
League minimum salary: The minimum salary was $500,000 for the 2009-10 season.
Highest-paid player: Vincent Lecavalier earned the most of any player at $10 million, exactly $1 million more than Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin, the three players tied for second.
WNBA
Exact numbers for the Women's National Basketball Association's value are tough to come by, but it's no secret that the league is struggling. Attendance is down 20 percent from when the league first started in 1997, and there are only 12 teams right now, compared with the 16 that existed in 2000.
League minimum salary: The minimum salary for players with zero to two years of service is $35,190. Players who've been in the league for at least three years can earn no less than $51,000.
Highest-paid player: The maximum salary for a WNBA player is $99,500, a figure that a number of players earn.
MLS
Unlike the leagues for the other major sports in America, Major League Soccer is far from the most lucrative league in its given sport around the globe. Still, it's managed to stay afloat since its inaugural season in 1996.
League minimum salary: The minimum salary this season is $40,000.
Highest-paid player: David Beckham will earn the most money of any player this season, $6.5 million, despite the fact that he's been out all year with a torn Achilles' tendon. Landon Donovan ranks second at $2.13 million.
Golf, racing, tennis and boxing are all lucrative sports as well, though they're each individual based, with earnings based on performance at given events. Thus, no annual salaries exist.Imagine if we got only half of that money...

                                                     By Fabio

The videos!

We got two videos down below, we want you to watch them in sequence.Watch the first, then the second.... have fun!!

Watch this video

Then watch this video...

Why do we put on so much weight???

Seven ways why you put on weight...

1. Going on holiday
 When you're eating out, it can be hard to know how many calories you're consuming. So, you should have some light food like fruits and salads instead...
2. Drinking too much alcohol
A full glass of beer contains 250 calories!!! Aim to have at least two alcohol-free days each week.
3.  Feeling stressed
Researchers found that speacially women who were the most stressed put on the most weight. Watch out on what you are eating...
4. Watching TV
 We tend to be looking at the screen while eating and we pay less attention to what we're putting in our mouths...
5. Not getting enough sleep
Well people, lack of sleep increases levels of the hormone ghrelin which makes you feel hungry. You don't need to be an expert to know that. If you're not getting enough, try and add in an extra hour's sleep a night and see how different you feel after a week!
6. Larger portion sizes
Try ordering two starters instead of a starter and main course, saying no to bread and side orders, or choosing two courses instead of three.
7. Gentle exercise
Jogging for an hour will use 390 calories, tennis 430 and cycling 370. Make sure that you don't replace all of these calories with food after exercising.

See you next time!!!

Yes! i'm from the eighties... how'bout you fellah?

      I am a child of the eighties. That is what I prefer to be called. The nineties can do without me. Grunge isn't here to stay, fashion is fickle and "Generation X" is a myth created by some over-40 writer trying to figure out why people wear flannel in the summer.
          When I got home from school, I played with my Atari 2600. I spent hours playing Pitfall or Combat or Breakout or Dodge'em Cars or Frogger. I never  beat Asteroids. Then I watched "Scooby-Doo." Daphne was a Goddess, and I thought Shaggy was smoking something  in the back of their psychedelic van. I hated Scrappy.
       I would sleep over at friends' houses on the weekends. We played army with G.I. Joe figures, and I set up galactic wars between Autobots and Decepticons. We stayed up half the night throwing pillows and paper balls at one another. We never beat the Rubik's Cube.
I got up on Saturday mornings at 7 a.m. to watch bad Hanna-Barbera cartoons like "Snorks," "Jabberjaw," "Captain Caveman," and "Space Ghost."  On weeknights Daisy Duke was my future wife.   At the movies or "sessão da tarde" the Nerds Got Revenge on the Alpha Betas by teaming up with the Omega Mus. I watched Indiana Jones save the Ark of the Covenant, and wondered what Yoda meant when he said, "No, there is another."
Ronald Reagan was cool, Sarney was crap!!Gorbachev was the guy who built a McDonalds in Moscow. My family took summer vacations to cabo frio or angra dos reis.My Sister and I fought in the back seat. At the hotel we found creative uses for Connect Four pieces like throwing them in that big air conditioning unit.
I listened to John Lennon sing about peace and cazuza being so crazy. RPM was cool. I was bewildered by Boy George and the colors of his dreams, red, gold, and green. MTV played videos. Nickelodeon played "You Can't Do That on Television" " doug funny "and "Dangermouse." Cor! HBO showed Mike Tyson pummel everybody except Robin Givens, the bad actress from "Head of the Class" who took all Mike's cashflow.
I drank Dr. Pepper. "I'm a Pepper, you're a Pepper, wouldn't you like to be a Pepper, too?" Orange juice wasn't just for breakfast anymore, and bacon had to move over for something meatier.
My mom put a thousand Little Mirabels in my Charlie Brown lunch box, and filled my Snoopy Thermos with grape Kool-Aid. I would never eat the snack cakes, though. Did anyone? I got two thousand cheese and cracker snack packs, and I ate those.
I went to school and had recess. I went to the same classes everyday. Some weird guy from the eighth grade always won the science fair with the working hydro-electric plant that leaked on my project about music and plants. They just loved Beethoven.
Field day was bigger than Christmas, but it always managed to rain just enough to make everybody miserable before they fell over in the three-legged race. Where did all those panty hose come from? "Deck the Halls with Gasoline, fa la la la la la la la la," was just a song. Burping was cool. Rubber band fights were cooler. A substitute teacher was a baby sitter/marked woman. Nobody deserved that.
I went to Cub Scouts. I got my arrow-of-light, but never managed to win the Pinewood Derby. I got almost every skill award but don't remember ever doing anything.
The world stopped when the Challenger exploded.
Did a teacher come in and tell your class?
Half of your friends' parents got divorced.
People did not just say no to drugs.
AIDS started, but you knew more people who had a grandparent die from cancer.
Somebody in your school died before they graduated.
When you put all this stuff together, you have my childhood. If this stuff sounds familiar, then I bet you are one, too.
We are children of the eighties. That is what I prefer "they" call it.

                                                              By Fabio

Linking words

Some say it's a nightmare, some say it's just a bad dream, i would say that they're just freaking out for no reason. So, to solve this matter, there you go! the linking words, conjunctions or whatever you would like to say!As "linking words" são as conjunções do Inglês, servem para fazer relação entre as idéias e informações expressadas em uma frase. Linking words:

Either … or (ou … ou, nem … nem)
Neither … nor (nem … nem (sem o not))
Both … and (tanto … quanto)
not only … but also (não somente … mas também)

Aplicando
-Either you go or stay here (Ou você vai, ou fica aqui)
-She doesn’t speak either english or portuguese (ela não fala português nem inglês)
-He could go neither right or left (ele nao poderia ir nem para a direita nem para a esquerda)
-Both he and she are special (tanto ele quanto ela são especiais)
-Teachers are not only teachers, but also friends (os professores não são somente professores, mas amigos também.)

Conjunções adversativas
São aquelas que dão idéias opostas.
But – mas
However – entretanto
nevertheless – não obstante, mesmo assim

Consecutivas ou conclusivas
São usadas para terminar frases, fazer conclusões.

so – então, por isso
therefore – portanto
thus – por isso
consequently – consequentemente
then – então
hence – daí, logo (ex: ele bebe pinga, daí a cirrose)

Concessivas
Concessões, permissões.
Although – embora
Even though – muito embora
in spite of – apesar de

Conjunções de Acréscimos
Continuidade.
besides – além disso
moreover – além do mais
furthermore – além disso, ademais

Explicativas
Para dar explicação à algo, dar razão à.
because – porque
as – como
since – desde
for – pois, visto que

                 Did it help? i hope so! that's all folks and be cool! let Johnny walk.
             
                                                                                      By Fabio
                                                                                       

Writing tips!

                 Writing is one of the most feared skills for both student and teacher. Students are reluctant to write for fear of making errors, whereas errors are very crucial in the learning process. “To err is human”, as we say. However, Teachers find writing an intricate task to deal with, as it takes a lot of effort on their part to implement a good writing activity. Let’s make writing simple: Keep it simple and stupid! When you write, don’t try to be Shakespeare, be just yourself and try to write as simply as possible.
To understand writing, we should know the different types of writing that students get in the baccalaureate exam. There are four fundamental types of essays that students are supposed to know:

• Cause and Effect Essay
• Comparison and Contrast Essay
• Argumentative Essay
• Descriptive Essay

Each Essay comprises five or four paragraphs. And it is very important to use the linking words because they add a flavour to the essay like spices to a dish.So, it's time for writing! Get going and make a nice composition, then, send it to me!

                           I hope i've helped a little! 
                                                                            By Fabio

Blind or blinds?

         A nun in the convent walked into the bathroom where mother superior was taking a shower. "There is a blind man to see you," she says. "Well, if he is a blind man, than it does not matter if I'm in the shower. Send him in."

The blind man walks into the bathroom, and mother superior starts to tell him how much she appreciates him working at the convent for them. She goes on and on and 10 minutes later the man interrupts: "That's nice and all, ma'am, but you can put your clothes on now. Where do you want me to put these blinds?

Glossary:
nun- freira
mother- mãe ou freira
blind- cego
blinds- persiana
"it does not (doesn't) matter" - não importa


                         Please laugh... at least a smile!     By Fabio.

Phrase for the weekend

"I hated every minute of training, but I said: Don't quit! Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion."

Muhammad Ali

 

Have a nice weekend folks

Must, Mustn't, Have to and should.

MUST

Must é usado principalmente quando o orador da frase impõe uma obrigação ao receptor, é usado principalmente qndo nos referimos a nós mesmos ou quando é realizado um convite ou aviso de maneira muito impositiva.

Ex:
You must do your homework.
My wife must learn how to bake cakes.
You must see that movie!

MUSTN'T ( must not)

Mustn't é a forma negativa de MUST, utilizado quando o orador da frase passa a idéia de proibição.

Ex:
We mustn't drink and drive ( i always try to do it)
You mustn't speak portuguese during the classes at EASE.
I mustn't pee in public places.
HAVE TO

O "have to" é utilizado quando a obrigação destinada ao receptor é imposta por circunstâncias externas, independendo se é vontade do orador ou não.

Ex:
You have to fix your car to drive again.
I have to go now.
We have to talk!

SHOULD

"Should" é usado para para dar um aviso, uma recomendação, não uma obrigação.

Ex:
My wife should eat less.
I should go on a diet.
Fernando should stop being gay.

I hope that helps you out, take care and behave yourself!
                                                                                         By big daddy, Fabio.

A little bit of art...

      Hello folks!! It's been a long time huh?? Today i'm gonna introduce y'all a friend of mine whose work i admire a lot! He's Hayala Garcia, designer and writer,he owns "moro na rua",a gallery updated daily aimed to street culture. It's an opportunitty to check what's going on on streetart and streetfashion. You can make comments, critics and send suggestions to him through his e-mail (eumoronarua@gmail.com) or access his blog  http://www.moronarua.blogspot.com . I recomend it!

                                                                                   By Fábio

MAY and MIGHT tips...

 What is the correct expression and grammar to use May or Might??

Em português, may e might correspondem a poder, indicando permissão e possibilidade.

1) May e Might podem ser usados indiferentemente para expressar possibilidade no presente ou no futuro.
 It may rain tonight.(Pode ser que chova hoje a noite.)....existe uma boa possibilidade pra isso...bem provável.
It might rain tonight.(Pode ser que chova hoje a noite.)....existe uma boa possibilidade pra isso...bem provável.

2) Para expressar possibilidade no passado, acrescenta-se Have seguido verbo principal no particípio passado.
Jason missed the meeting. He may (might) have forgotten about it. Jason perdeu a reunião. Ele deve ter esquecido.

3) May e Might também podem ser empregados para pedir ou dar permissão. Pórem, Might é menos usado que os demais por ter uma conotação formal.
May I say something?(Posso dizer algo?)....pedido de permissão...um pouco formal.
Might I say something?(Posso dizer algo?)....pedido de permissão ....mais formal que com May.

Hope I helped...

Cheers!

FUN TIME!!!

Did u know that sharks only attack you when you're wet?!!! Hahahahahahahaha.

Have a nice weekend folks!!!

Modal Verb - CAN

         Hello everybody!! I'm here again, and this time i will start talking about modal verbs. Let's begin with CAN
Em inglês, verbos auxiliares modais são verbos que só ocorrem na presença de outro verbo, são defectivos na conjugação e não têm passado nem futuro (com exceção do can que tem passado e condicional).
Devido à alta freqüência com que ocorrem na língua, os verbos modais tornam-se imprescindíveis.


   Can - Could

- significado de ability: I can speak English - Eu consigo falar inglês.
- significado de permission: Can I sit here? - Posso sentar aqui?
- significado de possibility: It can happen to anyone. - Isso pode acontecer com qualquer um. (Esta ocorrência é mais rara e o significado de possibilidade aqui se confunde com o de capacidade. Para possibilidade é sempre melhor usar may e might.)
Veja aqui um rápido estudo sobre a diferença de pronúncia entre can e can't.

Could funciona como passado e como futuro do pretérito de can:

- passado: I couldn't speak English before Going To England. / I co uldn't go. / You couldn't smoke in the presence of your parents at that time. - Eu não sabia falar inglês antes de ir para a Inglaterra. / Não pude ir. / Não se podia fumar na presença dos pais, naquela época.

- futuro do pretérito: You could have called me. Could you do me a favor? - Você poderia ter me ligado. / Você poderia me fazer um favor?

  I hope that helps!!

                                                   By fabio

Present continuous

                Hello everyone!! How's everything? How was your weekend?? I hope things are fine!

Hoje vamos tratar de um uso bem peculiar do Present Continuous: quando ele é usado para expressar o futuro. Quando você tem planos de fazer algo há a possibilidade de usar o Present Continuous para expressar o futuro. Veja alguns exemplos:

- Nancy is going to the dentist on Friday.
- My dad is taking us to the stadium next Saturday.
- Are you meeting Bill at the movies tomorrow night?

Tudo que você tem a fazer é colocar uma expressão de tempo futuro (TOMORROW, TOMORROW NIGHT, NEXT FRIDAY, NEXT MONDAY, ETC...) ao final da frase, dando assim a ideia de futuro a frase.

Quando o Present Continuous é usado para indicar algo acontecendo agora, ele vem acompanhado por expressões de tempo como NOW, RIGHT NOW, AT THE MOMENT, CURRENTLY, etc. O contexto também ajuda a ver o uso. Exemplo:

- What´s your sister doing? – I don´t know, I guess she´s finishing her homework.
- I can´t go out right now, I´m helping my mom with the housework.

That's all for today!! I hope it helps.
                                                                        By fábio.