Ei pessoal!

Nossa festa de Halloween foi um sucesso! Para ver as fotos é só acessar o nosso orkut, estão todas as fotos lá. O que vocês acharam da festa? Foi divertida né?!

Até a próxima.
Beijos

AMERICAN SUPERSTITIONS – PART IV

10 – Halloween
Halloween is celebrated on October 31st. On that night ghosts and witches walk the earth. Spirits can’t be seen, so children dressed in costumes carrying pumpkins may do the spirits’ “tricks” for them. To protect their homes, neighbors must give the children “treats” of cookies or candy.

11 – Friday the thirteenth
It’s believed that the combination of Friday, an unlucky day and thirteen, an unlucky number, will bring great misfortune.

12 – A black cat crossing your path
People used to believe that witches could change themselves into cats. A black cat crossing your path is bad luck because it might be a witch in disguise.

Ei pessoal, Dia 28/10 faremos nosso HALLOWEEN PARTY. Não percam!!!

"Witches, Warlocks and Pumpkins Costumes and Fancy Dress are all welcome!"

Halloween Poem

Tonight is the night when dead leaves fly
like witches on switches across the sky.
When elf and sprite flit through the night
on a moony sheen.

Tonight is the night when leaves make a sound
like a gnome in his home under the ground.
When spooks and trolls creep out of the holes,
all mossy and green.

Tonight is the night when pumpkins stare
through sheaves and leaves everywhere.
When ghoul and ghost and goblin host dance round their Queen.
IT’S HALLOWEEN!!!

CURIOSITIES????

Pergunte a alguém da Inglaterra o que é um fag e esta pessoa lhe responderá que é um cigarro. Fazer a mesma pergunta a um americano, no entanto, poderá lhe colocar numa situação um tanto quanto embaraçosa. Veja bem, em inglês americano, fag é um termo altamente pejorativo e ofensivo para homossexual.
O exemplo acima mostra que, às vezes, a mesma palavra possui significados diferentes na Inglaterra e nos E.U.A. Assim, se você estiver na Inglaterra e quiser comprar doces, você terá que pedir sweets. Nos Estados Unidos, uma pessoa pede dessert (sobremesa) depois do jantar, ao passo que uma pessoa na Inglaterra pedirá um sweet ou uma dessert (ambos os termos significando sobremesa.)
Há uma história de um inglês que visitava Nova Iorque pela primeira vez e parou um homem para perguntar--lhe como se chegava ao underground*. A resposta que ele recebeu do nova-iorquino foi bastante direta e rude. "Não sei. Por que você não tenta se matar?" O nova-iorquino achou, de modo errôneo, que o inglês estava interessado em se encontrar com o próprio Lúcifer. Pouco sabia o nova-iorquino que no inglês britânico, o underground (também conhecido como tube) é nada mais nada menos que o subway.
*underground para o inglês britânico é uma palavra com dois significados - pode tanto significar metrô como subsolo, subterrâneo

AMERICAN SUPERSTITIONS – PART III

7 – Breaking a mirror
It was long believed that a person’s reflection showed the soul and that to break the reflection was to harm the soul. So a person who breaks a mirror (and damages the reflection it gives) will have seven years of bad luck.

8 – The groom must not see the bride before the wedding
Among the many superstitions concerning the wedding ceremony is the custom that the groom must not see the bride before the wedding. To do so would be a sign of submission to her family.

9 – Taking the last piece of food
There is a superstition that warns us never to take the last piece of food on a plate. To do so means that we won’t marry, or if we are married, we may soon find ourselves unmarried again.

Ei Pessoal,

Vamos estar realizando nesta sexta feira dia 20/08 o nosso MUSICAL COFFEE BREAK. Estara acontecendo no nosso curso na Morada da Colina, venham participar dessa nossa aula super divertida! Não esquecendo que é necessario estar confirmando presença até dia 19/08.

Um Abraço, e até sexta.

MORE AMERICAN SUPERSTITIONS

Boa Tarde!
Dando continuidade a série de supertiçoes americanas, segue abaixo mais 3 supertiçoes interessantes.

MORE AMERICAN SUPERSTITIONS

4 - Cutting the wedding cake
The wedding cake has always stood for good fortune and fertility. The bride, with the help of her groom, must cut the first piece as a sign that they will share all the possessions in the future.

5 - Throwing rice
Throwing rice at newlyweds was traditionally a way to wish them many children. In places where rice was the basic food, couples needed many children to grow and harvest it. Nowadays, throwing rice at the bride and groom is a way to wish them a happy marriage.

6 - Step on a crack, break your mother’s back
A crack in the sidewalk represented the opening of a grave, and stepping on a crack, meant inviting death to your family.




E aproveitando pra lembrar que as aulas voltam ao normal essa semana! Uma ótima volta as aulas.
Até mais.

ATENÇÃO ALUNOS!

Infelizmente teremos que CANCELAR o nosso Musical Coffee Break que aconteceria no dia 16/07/2010. O tempo não ajudou e a metereologia ainda prevê muita chuva. Assim remarcaremos para Agosto. Aguardem !!!!!

Dicas e Duvidas

Boa tarde alunos!

Temos uma dica super legal, são os links de 2 sites super interessantes que podem tirar algumas dúvidas e tambem podem fornecer dicas todo os dias para os que fizerem o cadastro. Vamos acessar?

http://www.inglesonline.com.br/
http://www.feedblitz.com/


Aproveitando pra lembrar do nosso Musical Coffee Break que vai acontecer dia 16/07/2010. Vamos ter música ao vivo e estaremos trabalhando algumas música. Já confirmou a sua presença? Ainda não? Ligue pro 33486966 ou mande um email para srbarreto@gmail.com confirmando a sua presença. Nao fique de fora do nosso Musical!!!
Um abraço e até mais.

Atenção!

No dia 16/07/2010 vamos fazer um 'Musical Coffee Break' no curso JOY da Morada da Colina, os interessados devem entrar em contato pelo email srbarreto@gmail.com , ou pelo telefone 33486966 para confirmar presença.

SOME AMERICAN SUPERSTITIONS

Boa noite pessoal!

Vamos começar agora uma série de explicações sobre as supertições americanas. Esperamos que gostem! Segue abaixo as 3 primeiras.

SOME AMERICAN SUPERSTITIONS

1 – Asking God’s blessing for a sneezer

People once believed the soul could escape from the body when a person sneezed. To stop this from happening, people ask God to bless – and so to protect – the person Who sneezes.

2 – Stopping hiccups

It was once believed that a person with hiccups was possessed by the devil. Many remedies are supposed to stop hiccups, such as scaring the person or having the person hold her/his nose while drinking water.

3 – Something old, something new. something borrowed, something blue

When getting married, brides traditionally wear or carry something old, – that can be anything that has brought good luck to its owner – something new – that is a symbol of hope for the future – something borrowed – which adds the good luck of the giver to the bride – and something blue – which is considered a lucky color, so it’s a traditional protection for all women.

A year without Michael Jackson

June 25 marks the one year anniversary of Michael Jackson's untimely passing. Much has transpired in the wake of Jackson's death, including family squabbles, heart attacks and endless legal turmoil.

A year after Michael Jackson's death, the world is still feeling the loss and tributes are being planned worldwide.
Word is the Jackson clan is planning a commemoration at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, which recently cut off access to the Great Mausoleum, where Jackson's body was interred in September, due to the endless stream of fans showing up to visit the site. In honor of his anniversary, fans will be allowed on the grounds, though not in the mausoleum.
"We will be working closely with Forest Lawn to ensure the safety of those who want to pay their respects to Michael Jackson while ensuring the safety of others who are coming to the cemetery to pay respects to their loved ones," Glendale Police Sergeant Tom Lorenz said.
Some fans can't make it to Los Angeles, but they are coming together everywhere, even on Facebook. The group One Million Michael Jackson Fans Pledged to Light a Candle On June 25, 2010, which only actually consists of 14,422 members, plans to light up the King of Pop's honor at 2:26 Pacific Time on June 25.
Then there's the $150-$1400 ticket Forever Michael memorial, planned by the Jackson Family Foundation. The red carpet event, which is being held at the Beverly Hilton the day after the June 25 anniversary, touts that it will "be dedicated to the humanitarian efforts of Michael Jackson" and aims to bring together "family members, celebrities, fans, supporters and the community to celebrate and honor his legacy."
Word is, however, that while Randy's daughter Genevieve is set to perform, much of the family will not attend and they may not have approved of the use of Michael's music, which will play throughout the night. What's more, there have been questions raised about how much of the money will be donated to charity and where the rest of it will go. Hmmm…
In more positive news, Joe Jackson recently announced the construction of a $300 million Jackson Family Performing Arts Center and Museum in Gary, Indiana. Once it's completed, other centers should start to spring up around the world.
The massive 300-acre center will document Jackson family history and feature on-site transportation, accommodations, housing, a conference center, television studio, concert hall, movie theater, nightclub, retail shops and restaurants and an eco-friendly golf course.

Hi Folks !
What´s up ?

We´ve got great news ! Otimas novidades !
Estamos com as inscrições abertas paras as novas turmas de preparatório para o vestibular, se vc estiver interessado procure a gente !

Achamos uns links bem legais pra gente ir treinando o ouvido .... Take a look at them, have fun and learn !

http://www.inglesonline.info/vtec_1.html

http://www.inglesonline.info/vtec_2.html

http://www.inglesonline.info/vtec_3.html

http://www.inglesonline.info/vtec_8-holiday-vacation.html

Hey people !
The following text is very interesting. Take a look at it .
Love,
Sandra.

The rules of English
'Rules' for the learner are statements about how the language works. Some rules are very clear: a verb in the present simple third person singular ends with an s. Many rules are more problematical. The difference in meaning between the present simple and present continuous is a more complicated matter. Explanations can help, but you need to pay attention to the English you hear and read. This will help you get a 'feel' for how the continuous is used.

Imperatives
We can use an imperative to tell someone to do something, e.g. Wait for me. This is OK between friends, but don't use the imperative when speaking to your boss or teacher. And don't use it to ask a big favour. We say Could you wait a moment, please? and Would you mind lending me some money? It is polite to put a request in question form.

Answering questions
In a friendly conversation don't always answer a question with just yes or no. An answer like Yes, it is sounds a bit better. Best of all, add another sentence. Did you enjoy the film? ~ Yes, I did. It was great. I like Brad Pitt. This helps to keep the conversation going.


Word order
When you're writing, try to link your ideas. Start with known information and say something new about it.
I was stuck in traffic for a whole hour. Because of the delay I wasn't able to meet my friends.
Here delay links back to stuck in traffic. This is better than putting because of the delay at the end of the sentence.

The future
There isn't a 'future tense' in English. You have to choose from a number of forms. Often will isn't the best choice.
-> For intentions use going to (I'm going to buy a car) not will.
-> For an instant decision use will (OK, I'll buy it) not the present tense.
-> For an arrangement use the present continuous (I'm seeing my boss at three).

A use of the passive
Look at these two sentences.
The Harry Potter books have been a huge success. J.K. Rowling wrote them.
This is grammatically correct, but we can improve it.
The Harry Potter books have been a huge success. They were written by J.K. Rowling.
This is better because the second sentence begins with the known information they (the books). Here we use the passive to get things in the right order.

Objects and adverbs
We don't usually put an adverb in front of an object. We say She read the document carefully and not She read carefully the document. But when the object is long, it goes better at the end.
She read carefully every single word of the document.
When there are two phrases after a verb, the short one tends to come first.

Comparative forms
Three-syllable adjectives form the comparative with more (more sensible). Most one-syllable adjectives have -er (older). Some two-syllable adjectives have more (more modern), some have -er (heavier), and some can have either form (more pleasant/pleasanter). If you are unsure, use more. It is acceptable with almost all two-syllable adjectives.

Adverbs in phrasal verbs
Many phrasal verbs have idiomatic meanings. You can't work out the meaning from the individual words. But it can help to group verbs according to the adverb meaning. For example, one meaning of over is 'from start to finish'. You can read over a document, check over the figures, go over the details, or talk things over. Seeing the meaning of the adverb helps you to understand other phrasal verbs.

Irregular verbs
Irregular forms have to be learned separately because they don't follow the normal pattern with -ed. But this isn't as bad as it seems. Once you've learned write - wrote - written, it isn't so difficult to learn drive - drove- driven. And the same with ride and rise. Some verbs have all three forms the same. These include cost, cut, hurt, let, put, set, and shut. Put them in groups and they'll be easier to learn.

Sentences about yourself
Keep a notebook to write down useful or interesting sentences. Include sentences about yourself, for example I've been learning English for five years. This is more useful than memorizing an explanation about the present perfect continuous tense and the use of for and since with phrases of time. You may also be able to use the sentence in conversation or in writing.

Dictionaries
Dictionaries can tell you a lot about the grammar of individual words. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary has grammar codes and example sentences to show the kind of patterns used with particular verbs. If you look up persuade, you will see that you can
-> persuade someone into something or into doing something
-> persuade them to do something
-> persuade them that something is true, or simply
-> persuade them.