Careful how you wield that comma!

With an accidental flick of your pen, you might either win him or dump him.

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement.

Did you spot a typo?

Do you have any tips or examples to improve this page?

Do you disagree with something on this page?

Use one of your social-media accounts to share this page:

[PHRASE OF THE WEEK] What's a fair-weather friend (and a foul-weather friend)?

“A FAIR-WEATHER FRIEND” is a sort of a friend you may find everywhere, and all the time. Footballers have those kind of friends more than anyone else does, I reckon.

If you cannot fully understand what I am talking about, I will try to make it clearer. A fair-weather friend is someone who is only your friend when things are going well. In other words, a fair-weather friend is friend who is only a friend when circumstances are PLEASANT or PROFITABLE. At the first sign of trouble, these capricious, disloyal friends will drop their relationship with you.

Do you think you have a lot of fair-weather friends?

Can you write a sentence or two using ‘fair-weather friend’?

A foul-weather friend, on the other hand, is a friend who only seeks you out if you have a problem, need a shoulder to cry on, a ride to town or someone to watch your dog, but otherwise they act as if they don't even know you. In other words, a foul-weather friend is the opposite of a fair-weather friend. Which one do you prefer, a foul-weather or a fair-weather friend?

I hope you have enjoyed this post. I also appreciate your visit! Feel free to read more blog post and leave comments if you feel like it.

This post has been written by Professor Bruno Coriolano. If you want to learn more about him, read his profile on LinkedIn (Bruno’s profile)

Queens of the Stone Age - Fair-weather Friends:

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement.

Did you spot a typo?

Do you have any tips or examples to improve this page?

Do you disagree with something on this page?

Use one of your social-media accounts to share this page:

Você sabia que o substantivo “Phrase" em inglês não é traduzido como “frase”?

[PROVERBS] Como se diz “é melhor prevenir do que remediar” em inglês?

Há alguns anos, escrevi uma postagem perguntando se os leitores deste blog sabiam como dizer “é melhor prevenir do que remediar”. Lógico que podem existir (e existem) várias formas de se dizer algo em inglês.

[PROVERBS] Como se diz “é melhor prevenir do que remediar” em inglês?

O leitor saberia dizer “é melhor prevenir do que remediar” de outra forma, em inglês?

Bem, em inglês, podemos dizer, Better safe than sorry.

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement. Please, I strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact me!

Did you spot a typo?

Do you have any tips or examples to improve this page?

Do you disagree with something on this page?

Use one of your social-media accounts to share this page:

I am always looking for ways of improving this blog. I should be grateful if you would indicate the appropriate number below.

How would you rate this post?

(5) Excellent (4) Very good (3) Good (2) Satisfaction (1) It needs improvements

Oscar-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams has died at age 63.

The One with the Ultimate Fighting Champion (8 May 1997). Have you watched this episode? Do you like FRIENDS?

In case you don’t know, Robin Williams was invited to make a guest appearance on FRIENDS!    

Did you know…

Billy Crystal and Robin Williams's appearance wasn't in the original script. They were by coincidence in the same building, or the one across the street from where "Friends" was being filmed, and the writers asked if they wanted to make a guest appearance. This was the day of shooting so it was just quickly thrown in.

3rd Season - Episode 24.

Rest in Peace Robin Williams! You will be missed here. Please, make all the angles laugh. 

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement.

Did you spot a typo?

Do you have any tips or examples to improve this page?

Do you disagree with something on this page?

Use one of your social-media accounts to share this page:

Have you seen the supermoon?

A supermoon is the coincidence of a full moon or a new moon with the closest approach the Moon makes to the Earth on its elliptical orbit, resulting in the largest apparent size of the lunar disk as seen from Earth. The technical name is the perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system. The term "supermoon" is not astronomical, but originated in modern astrology. The association of the Moon with both oceanic and crustal tides has led to claims that the supermoon phenomenon may be associated with increased risk of events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, but the evidence of such a link is widely held to be unconvincing.

The most recent occurrence was on August 10, 2014. The next and closest supermoon of 2014 will be on September 9.

The opposite phenomenon, an apogee-syzygy, has been called a micromoon, though this term is not as widespread as supermoon.

From: Wikipedia. 

Vídeos e aulas de Língua Inglesa.

Todos nós professores sabemos dos benefícios dos vídeos no ensino de línguas estrangeiras. A relação é bastante frutífera! Não preciso ficar argumentando ou falando sobre seus benefícios. Nesta postagem, pretendo apenas mostrar um vídeo que fizemos nos três últimos dias de aula com uma turminha legal pra caramba.

Primeiro, pedi aos alunos para tentar escrever o script para que pudéssemos ensaiar. Encontramos os locais, ideias para a filmagem do vídeo e pronto... fizemos este vídeo aqui embaixo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NZLhX-2NcY

Este vídeo foi postado há três semanas e ainda temos um número bastante modesto de visualizações, mas a ideia aqui não é sair por aí ganhando curtidas, mas sim passar essa ideia para os professores que estão lendo esta postagem.

Ysa: “hey Fernanda. How have you been?”

Fernanda: “it’s none of your business!”

Ysa: “Why noooot?”

Ysa: “why are you in such a bad mood? I’m the one supposed to be upset!”

Fernanda: “Alright, woman. Tell me what happened”

Ysa:  “Kaio has made me a fool.”

Fernanda: “why is that?”

-----

Libna: “How are you, my dear friend?”

Kaio: “I’m just fine. A little bit sad, but fine.”

Libna: “why is that?”

Kaio: “well, I had arranged to meet Ysa in a restaurant. I arrived and waited for her. After one hour I suddenly realized that I was in the wrong restaurant.”

Libna: “so, you had been waiting for her for one hour when you realized that you were in the wrong restaurant?”

Kaio: “That’s right!”

Libna: “Oh, boy. Tsc, tsc, tsc… erm… you know… why don’t you call her?”

Kaio: “well, I’ve tried to call her, but I think I deleted her number by mistake.”

----

Cinthia: “So, I was thinking about a special couple in our class…”

Doug: “Really?! Who?”

Cinthia: “It’s about Ysa and Kaio. Don’t you think they’ll be cute together?”

Doug: “Yeah! But what about Libna?! Didn’t you notice anything different on her?”

Cinthia: “Hmm, sometimes… Hey, look! We have to go there and stop that conversation.”

-----

Cinthia: “Hi, what are you guys doing here alone? Can we all sit together?”

Doug: “What are you talking about?”

----

Edino: “Hi sweetie, how are you?”

Ysa: “I’m not so fine. A little bit sad, really.”

Edino: “What happened? Tell me.”

Ysa: “I was planning to have a date with Kaio today but he didn’t show up.”

Edino: “You don’t have to finish the story. I just want his number. NOW!”

---

Ysa: “Look daddy, he is here with other friends!”

Edino: “Come with me.”

Edino: “Hey Kaio, I’m Ysa’s father. My name is Edino. We have to talk.”

Kaio: “OK sr.”

------

Lucas: “Hi Ysa, how are you?”

Ysa: “I really don’t know. I’m worried, I think.”

Kaio: “Hey! What are you doing here?”

Lucas: “Just talking to Ysa.”

Kaio: “I know you have a crush on her but we have something so, get out of here.”

Lucas: “Hell, no!”

------

Edino: “Ysa, you come with me!”

Ysa: “But…”

Edino: “Ysa, now!”

Ysa: “Bye everybody.”

Both: Wow! That’s gonna make a great movie one day!

Geison: I think this is gonna be the best movie I’ve ever seen. What do you think about it?

Eduardo: I don’t know, man… how can I know, I am a freelancer? Lol

The end!

Thank you guys – see you around! 

Ebola – What You’re Not Being Told.

The information I’m about to present here is frightening. There’s really no way around that. However, I request that you do your very best to maintain a calm state of mind. 

Right now in West Africa the worst Ebola outbreak in history is in full swing and is jumping borders at an alarming rate. Already it has spread to four countries, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and now Nigeria. This latest jump into Nigeria is particularly serious since the infected individual carried the virus by plane to Lagos Nigeria, a city with a population of over 21 million. Doctors without borders has referred to the outbreak as “out of control”. 

To make matters worse, there is something very, very important that the corporate media and public health officials are not telling you regarding this crisis. 

You’ll notice if you read virtually any mainstream article on the topic that they make a point of insisting that Ebola is only transferred by physical contact with bodily fluids. This is not true, at all. 

A study conducted in 2012 showed that Ebola was able to travel between pigs and monkeys that were in separate cages and were never placed in direct contact. 

Though the method of transmission in the study was not officially determined, one of the scientists involved, Dr. Gary Kobinger, from the National Microbiology Laboratory at the Public Health Agency of Canada, told BBC News that he believed that the infection was spread through large droplets that were suspended in the air. 

“What we suspect is happening is large droplets; they can stay in the air, but not long; they don’t go far,” he explained. “But they can be absorbed in the airway, and this is how the infection starts, and this is what we think, because we saw a lot of evidence in the lungs of the non-human primates that the virus got in that way.”

Translation: Ebola IS an airborne virus. 

Now I’m not going to speculate as to whether these so called “journalist” and public health agencies who keep repeating the official line regarding the means of transmission are lying, or are just participating in some massive display of synchronized incompetence, but what I will say, is that this shoddy reporting is most likely getting people killed right now, and may in fact put all of humanity in danger. 

How so? 

By convincing people that the virus cannot travel through air, important precautions that could reduce the spread of the virus are not being taken. For example the other passengers on the plane that traveled to Lagos, Nigeria were not quarantined. 

To put this into context, Ebola kills between 50% and 90% of its victims, so the stakes are very, very high here. 

This particular strain of Ebola is not Ebola Zaire. This is a new strain, and it may in fact be more dangerous than the Zaire variety. Not because of any difference in the symptoms (the symptoms are identical), but because this new virus seems to be harder to contain. Whether this is due to some characteristic of the virus itself or merely dumb luck is uncertain at this time, but the rate at which this outbreak has extended its range is unprecedented. 

Right now the question on everyone’s minds is whether this virus will spread outside of Africa. Considering the fact that Ebola has a three week incubation period, can travel through the air, and has already hitchhiked onto an international flight, this is a very real possibility. There are some that are downplaying the probability of this outcome, and to be honest, I hope that they are right, but the simple fact of the matter is that these people are basing their assessment on the faulty premise that Ebola is not an airborne virus. 

Now the first thing you might be feeling when looking at this situation is a sense of fear and helplessness, and while that’s a perfectly normal reaction it’s really not helpful. Instead we should be thinking in terms of practical steps we can take to influence the outcome. 

One thing we can all do is to start confronting journalists and public officials who keep making false statements regarding the way Ebola spreads. Use the links to the original study, the BBC report from 2012 and this video to put them in their place. 

We also need to confront the fact that there isn’t a full out, coordinated, international effort to contain this. This is being treated like a sideshow but it has the very real potential to become a main event. 

The doctors on the ground in West Africa don’t have enough staff or resources to deal with this situation. It is absolutely inexcusable for the U.S. and the E.U. to be investing billions of tax payer dollars into their little power games inUkraine and Syria (which are both in the process of escalating right now by the way) while Ebola is getting a foothold in Africa. Every available resource should be shifted to West Africa in order to contain and extinguish this epidemic right now.

This is serious. Call them, write them, heckle them in the streets if you have to, but don’t allow them to ignore this issue. 

Now whether or not official policy towards the Ebola crisis changes there are some precautions that you should take right now for yourself and your family. 

1. Know where you would go if you needed to leave your home on short notice. If Ebola escapes Africa the last place you want to be is in a densely populated metropolitan area. It may be that the most practical destination for your family would be a rural area near your current home, but if you already have concerns about the government you are living under, and how they may handle a crisis like this, then you might want to start looking at alternatives. Finding an alternative location that suits your family’s needs is something that requires a lot of time and research, so don’t put this off. The primary characteristics you should be examining in an alternative destination are geography , political environment, climate, population density and visa terms and requirements. Ideally you would want to end up somewhere that is geographically isolated to some degree. 

2. If you don’t have passports for yourself and each of your dependents, get them now. This is not to say that you should leave your country, but you should have the means to do so. In countries where the Ebola outbreak is underway it is getting harder and harder to exit. Borders are being closed down. Flights are being cut off. This didn’t happen right away, but you definitely don’t want to be waiting for your passport to show up if Ebola arrives in your city. 

3. Know what you would carry with you if you had to leave on short notice. Have those items ready, and have the luggage to carry them. It would be wise to consider buying a pack of surgical masks as part of this. 

Now if you think about it, these preparations are wise steps to take regardless of whether the Ebola situation deteriorates or not. Knowing where you would go in an emergency, and having the means to get there on short notice is important for a wide variety of situations. The civilian population of Iraq, Syria, east Ukraine, and Gaza can attest to that. 

Whatever you do don’t let fear take control of your mind. Take the steps you can take now, monitor the situation calmly, and be prepared to adapt if necessary. 

http://consciousmedianews.com/ebola-what-youre-not-being-told/