Same verb, different meaning: take off

A multi-word verb is a verb that has more than one word. We usually think of them as a main verb followed by one or two particles. The particle could be an adverb or a preposition. I never messed around at school, I was a good student. (to mess around = to behave badly) Multi-word… Read More

Confusing words: Envy and Jealousy

“Jealousy is when you worry someone will take what you have. Envy is wanting what somenone else has.” – Homer Simpson It’s no fun to feel envy or jealousy because both make you feel inadequate. Envy is when you want what someone else has, but jealousy is when you’re worried someone’s trying to take what you have. If you want your neighbor’s new… Read More

What’s in a Pun?

The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect.These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic, homographic, metonymic, or metaphorical language. A pun differs from a… Read More

The global language of the future: not English nor Chinese

Though English remains, for the moment, the primary language of international commerce and pop culture, there’s another language that’s shooting to the top of the popularity charts – and no, it’s not Mandarin. Spanish is currently one of the most popular languages for students and professionals alike – and it’s only becoming more useful, especially… Read More

QWERTY

DEFINITION noun, often not capitalized a standard typewriter or computer keyboard — called also QWERTY keyboard EXAMPLES My new cell phone has a mini QWERTY keyboard that slides out for easy use. “Touch-screen keyboards enable rapid reconfiguration, even between a QWERTY and alphabetical arrangement.” — From the 2010 book Handbook of Human Factors in Medical… Read More

BIRD GEI: curso de inglês online ou presencial?

A BIRD GEI | Consultoria e Gestão de Idiomas publicou a 6a Pesquisa de Produtividade em Aquisição de Língua Estrangeira em novembro de 2010. Nós comparamos a eficiência de cursos de idiomas online vs. presenciais. Esta pesquisa foi a primeira de seu tipo no Brasil, porque mostrou a produtividade e os indicadores de evolução de aprendizagem e não… Read More

Confusing words: Lose and Loose

A lot of people are mixing up lose and loose. In particular, a lot of people are writing loose when they really mean lose. Here are the definitions of the two words from my Penguin dictionary: loose [lOOs] adj not fastened or pre-packed; not tied up or confined; able to move freely; not tight, not… Read More