Saturday 28 February 2015
the difference between comparative and superlative forms
English has a number of ways of describing things. More importantly
Tuesday 17 February 2015
Prepositions again - IN, AT & ON
Hi people.
The very first posts seemed to look too much at prepositions so I felt it was necessary to take a different road for a while. Now it seems that there is still a great need to keep reviewing some specific concepts.
When I start a student's first class(es) I usually focus on the problems associated with these three main PREPOSITIONS - IN - AT - ON as positional forms.
Why, you might ask. Well, it seems that this is where I might be able to instil an understanding of English as being not another challenge, but as being another essential tool towards a better understanding of our global community and a way towards better communication.
This said, the most I can hope for is to plant the seeds that one day may germinate into a better feeling for the language as well as an appreciation of how a better knowledge of this language will probably result in a better understanding of their own language.
To this end, let's proceed.
When learning to speak Portuguese I often had difficulties getting used to the genders of objects, something we don't have in English. I realized after a long, long time that these Portuguese speakers had had these genders drilled into them right from an early age and what seemed so difficult to me, was as simple and natural as so many of our prepositions are to us.
How do we make this sense of prepositions as vivid to learners of the language as they appear to us?
I try to create a similar KEYWORD of association for each of these prepositions.
For IN I suggest - INSIDE - This one word places all objects INSIDE their related environment.
While a book might be ON the table, the same book IN the table suggests that the table has a special kind of compartment for the book to be placed INSIDE it, very much as we had as children with our school desks where the top lifted up so we could place the material we had INSIDE.
For ON I suggest - SURFACE - Again we have a very visual clue to ON especially when we think of the sea. A boat or ship should float ON the SURFACE of the sea. The book ON the table is also placed ON a SURFACE as are chairs and tables placed ON a floor.
For AT I suggest - EXACT - While I am focusing on positional uses of these prepositions, AT as a time preposition very accurately shows the exactness of its use when we specify the EXACT time of an event. I will meet you AT 12 o'clock means 12 o'clock exactly.
In much the same way we state an EXACT position when we use AT to describe the position.
I will meet you AT the shopping center (Where exactly, can be seen below). I will meet you AT the bar.
IN Sao Paulo, we have a very famous building called the Gazeta building. All I know about the Gazeta building, is that it is ON (SURFACE) Paulista avenue, a very famous street IN Sao Paulo. If I knew the EXACT number of the address of this building I could say that it is located AT XXX Paulista avenue.
For the individual describing their residential address, there is the simplest form - I live ON Residential street. More exactly, I live AT XXX Residential street. For businesses, it is exactly the same deal.
IN the above AT example, I mentioned meeting someone AT the Shopping center. We refer to places using the AT preposition to be as EXACT as possible IN our references. AT the library, AT the Airport, AT home, AT work etc. With the other prepositions IN & ON, we can drill that location down to something more specific. AT the shopping center, we are already providing an EXACT reference where we might agree to meet AT the North or South entrance. If we agree to meet IN the Shopping Center there is always going to be a need to state where exactly AT is. I will meet you AT Starbucks IN the Shopping Center. OR, I will meet you AT Starbucks ON the first floor of the shopping center.
Testing this - AT the Shopping Center is EXACT. AT Starbucks is EXACT. IN the Shopping Center is INSIDE. ON the first floor is a SURFACE.
We cannot meet ON the Shopping Center unless it has been designed for people to stand ON TOP of it. We cannot meet IN an Airport if we consider that an Airport consists of not only buildings but also Runways and other facilities. We can meet AT the Coffee shop IN the Airport Terminal.
We must be able to see the crazy, ridiculous aspect of using the wrong preposition in all situations. We must be able to sense what is IN - INSIDE, ON - SURFACE & AT - EXACT to begin to come to terms with this demon referred to as prepositions.
The very first posts seemed to look too much at prepositions so I felt it was necessary to take a different road for a while. Now it seems that there is still a great need to keep reviewing some specific concepts.
When I start a student's first class(es) I usually focus on the problems associated with these three main PREPOSITIONS - IN - AT - ON as positional forms.
Why, you might ask. Well, it seems that this is where I might be able to instil an understanding of English as being not another challenge, but as being another essential tool towards a better understanding of our global community and a way towards better communication.
This said, the most I can hope for is to plant the seeds that one day may germinate into a better feeling for the language as well as an appreciation of how a better knowledge of this language will probably result in a better understanding of their own language.
To this end, let's proceed.
When learning to speak Portuguese I often had difficulties getting used to the genders of objects, something we don't have in English. I realized after a long, long time that these Portuguese speakers had had these genders drilled into them right from an early age and what seemed so difficult to me, was as simple and natural as so many of our prepositions are to us.
How do we make this sense of prepositions as vivid to learners of the language as they appear to us?
I try to create a similar KEYWORD of association for each of these prepositions.
For IN I suggest - INSIDE - This one word places all objects INSIDE their related environment.
While a book might be ON the table, the same book IN the table suggests that the table has a special kind of compartment for the book to be placed INSIDE it, very much as we had as children with our school desks where the top lifted up so we could place the material we had INSIDE.
For ON I suggest - SURFACE - Again we have a very visual clue to ON especially when we think of the sea. A boat or ship should float ON the SURFACE of the sea. The book ON the table is also placed ON a SURFACE as are chairs and tables placed ON a floor.
For AT I suggest - EXACT - While I am focusing on positional uses of these prepositions, AT as a time preposition very accurately shows the exactness of its use when we specify the EXACT time of an event. I will meet you AT 12 o'clock means 12 o'clock exactly.
In much the same way we state an EXACT position when we use AT to describe the position.
I will meet you AT the shopping center (Where exactly, can be seen below). I will meet you AT the bar.
IN Sao Paulo, we have a very famous building called the Gazeta building. All I know about the Gazeta building, is that it is ON (SURFACE) Paulista avenue, a very famous street IN Sao Paulo. If I knew the EXACT number of the address of this building I could say that it is located AT XXX Paulista avenue.
For the individual describing their residential address, there is the simplest form - I live ON Residential street. More exactly, I live AT XXX Residential street. For businesses, it is exactly the same deal.
IN the above AT example, I mentioned meeting someone AT the Shopping center. We refer to places using the AT preposition to be as EXACT as possible IN our references. AT the library, AT the Airport, AT home, AT work etc. With the other prepositions IN & ON, we can drill that location down to something more specific. AT the shopping center, we are already providing an EXACT reference where we might agree to meet AT the North or South entrance. If we agree to meet IN the Shopping Center there is always going to be a need to state where exactly AT is. I will meet you AT Starbucks IN the Shopping Center. OR, I will meet you AT Starbucks ON the first floor of the shopping center.
Testing this - AT the Shopping Center is EXACT. AT Starbucks is EXACT. IN the Shopping Center is INSIDE. ON the first floor is a SURFACE.
We cannot meet ON the Shopping Center unless it has been designed for people to stand ON TOP of it. We cannot meet IN an Airport if we consider that an Airport consists of not only buildings but also Runways and other facilities. We can meet AT the Coffee shop IN the Airport Terminal.
We must be able to see the crazy, ridiculous aspect of using the wrong preposition in all situations. We must be able to sense what is IN - INSIDE, ON - SURFACE & AT - EXACT to begin to come to terms with this demon referred to as prepositions.
Sunday 8 February 2015
Double translations - False friends - Part 1
I mentioned in a previous post that English has a great range of vocabulary, words that have been added over the centuries, borrowed from most of the world's languages both old and new.
It is very common when Brazilians begin to learn English, that they take their own vocabulary and use a single word in English as being the equivalent when in actual fact there are two or more words that can have similar or very different meanings. Examples include Leave and Let, Then and So.
On other occasions, the Portuguese word seems so similar to AN English word that this word is mistakenly chosen to represent the same meaning, but in fact has very little to do with the meaning implied in Portuguese. Examples include Actual, Sympathetic among others.
I will now list a few of the more common Portuguese words and their English equivalents.
--ooOO\\//OOoo--
Fazer - DO/MAKE
I looked at the differences between DO and MAKE in a previous post.
Essentially, DO refers to performing an action and MAKE to constructing something. Please see my January post for a fuller description of the two. I DO recommend in that post that because of the frequent misuse of these two that more appropriate verbs be found instead.
--ooOO\\//OOoo--
Então - THEN/SO
For Brazilians, THEN is often the preferred translation and it is the least accurate.
THEN always refers to a sequence of events.
The company started investing in small businesses. THEN it invested in startups where it THEN began a process of restructuring.
I went to the Supermarket, THEN I went to get my hair cut.
SO, on the other hand, refers to a conclusion.
It was raining, SO I took a taxi.
SO in place of because.
We took a taxi SO we wouldn't get wet. (We took a taxi because we didn't want to get wet.)
As can be seen here, SO means easier structures than because.
If ever in doubt, stick to SO. Never use THEN unless you wish to refer to a real sequence of events.
--ooOO\\//OOoo--
Deixar - LEAVE/LET
For Brazilians, LET is often the preferred translation here.
LET means to permit or give permission in most cases.
LEAVE means to not stay as in "We need to LEAVE now."
LEAVE also means remain. "We need to LEAVE the passenger AT the airport." "They have to LEAVE enough money to buy the tickets."
SO, you CANNOT LET someone AT the Airport. But you can TAKE someone TO the Airport and LEAVE them there.
--ooOO\\//OOoo--
Para - TO/FOR
For Brazilians, TO is the preferred translation and once again it is almost always wrong. TO as a preposition must ONLY be used with VERBS that indicate a movement as in; Drive, Take, Walk, Give, Send, Reply etc.
TO is part of the infinitive structure in sentences like, "I need TO drink, TO study." etc.
In these sentences TO is the infinitive and preposition, "I need TO talk TO James TO ask him TO give the book TO Mary."
FOR is a REASON or ON BEHALF OF/IN PLACE OF
I bought this gift FOR you. This answers the question WHY.
LET me do that FOR you. In your place.
What is this FOR?
I have already given a more detailed explanation of the differences between TO and FOR in a past post.
--ooOO\\//OOoo--
Nervoso - ANGRY/UPSET
Nervoso is ALWAYS believed to be Nervous. IT IS NOT.
Nervous is the way we get when we begin to do something we are not familiar with, especially when other people are watching. Actors get very nervous just before getting on stage. We are usually very nervous during a Job interview.
Nervoso is always used when referring to getting ANGRY or UPSET.
(NB; While nervoso is described here to mean angry, there is another word in Portuguese - bravo, which I have been told is more appropriate, however, it seems that bravo and nervoso are interchangeable and result in exactly the same mistaken translation.)
I was so ANGRY when the man crashed into my car. I was so UPSET with my boss when he made me stay late on my birthday.
--ooOO\\//OOoo--
Atual - CURRENT
Atual is often thought to mean ACTUAL.
ACTUAL means real or refers to something that exists.
This is the ACTUAL pen used to sign the Constitution. The ACTUAL time of the meeting is 10 o'clock not 9 o'clock. REAL can be used in place of ACTUAL but CURRENT can not.
CURRENT refers to now, at this time. We talk about CURRENT events, events occurring now.
The CURRENT exchange rate is 2.707889. The CURRENT report refers only to this quarter. The REAL report was released last week, but it does not have the CURRENT figures.
--ooOO\\//OOoo--
Simpático / Simpática - FRIENDLY/KIND
If someone is SYMPATHETIC, the usual translation, then the person is willing to listen and console a person who needs to talk about their problems.
When Simpático is used it is usually used to mean someone who is FRIENDLY and quite often KIND.
A person who is nice to get on with isn't always SYMPATHETIC but can be FRIENDLY, simpático.
There are so many other examples that I am sure to include them in future posts
It is very common when Brazilians begin to learn English, that they take their own vocabulary and use a single word in English as being the equivalent when in actual fact there are two or more words that can have similar or very different meanings. Examples include Leave and Let, Then and So.
On other occasions, the Portuguese word seems so similar to AN English word that this word is mistakenly chosen to represent the same meaning, but in fact has very little to do with the meaning implied in Portuguese. Examples include Actual, Sympathetic among others.
I will now list a few of the more common Portuguese words and their English equivalents.
--ooOO\\//OOoo--
Fazer - DO/MAKE
I looked at the differences between DO and MAKE in a previous post.
Essentially, DO refers to performing an action and MAKE to constructing something. Please see my January post for a fuller description of the two. I DO recommend in that post that because of the frequent misuse of these two that more appropriate verbs be found instead.
--ooOO\\//OOoo--
Então - THEN/SO
For Brazilians, THEN is often the preferred translation and it is the least accurate.
THEN always refers to a sequence of events.
The company started investing in small businesses. THEN it invested in startups where it THEN began a process of restructuring.
I went to the Supermarket, THEN I went to get my hair cut.
SO, on the other hand, refers to a conclusion.
It was raining, SO I took a taxi.
SO in place of because.
We took a taxi SO we wouldn't get wet. (We took a taxi because we didn't want to get wet.)
As can be seen here, SO means easier structures than because.
If ever in doubt, stick to SO. Never use THEN unless you wish to refer to a real sequence of events.
--ooOO\\//OOoo--
Deixar - LEAVE/LET
For Brazilians, LET is often the preferred translation here.
LET means to permit or give permission in most cases.
LEAVE means to not stay as in "We need to LEAVE now."
LEAVE also means remain. "We need to LEAVE the passenger AT the airport." "They have to LEAVE enough money to buy the tickets."
SO, you CANNOT LET someone AT the Airport. But you can TAKE someone TO the Airport and LEAVE them there.
--ooOO\\//OOoo--
Para - TO/FOR
For Brazilians, TO is the preferred translation and once again it is almost always wrong. TO as a preposition must ONLY be used with VERBS that indicate a movement as in; Drive, Take, Walk, Give, Send, Reply etc.
TO is part of the infinitive structure in sentences like, "I need TO drink, TO study." etc.
In these sentences TO is the infinitive and preposition, "I need TO talk TO James TO ask him TO give the book TO Mary."
FOR is a REASON or ON BEHALF OF/IN PLACE OF
I bought this gift FOR you. This answers the question WHY.
LET me do that FOR you. In your place.
What is this FOR?
I have already given a more detailed explanation of the differences between TO and FOR in a past post.
--ooOO\\//OOoo--
Nervoso - ANGRY/UPSET
Nervoso is ALWAYS believed to be Nervous. IT IS NOT.
Nervous is the way we get when we begin to do something we are not familiar with, especially when other people are watching. Actors get very nervous just before getting on stage. We are usually very nervous during a Job interview.
Nervoso is always used when referring to getting ANGRY or UPSET.
(NB; While nervoso is described here to mean angry, there is another word in Portuguese - bravo, which I have been told is more appropriate, however, it seems that bravo and nervoso are interchangeable and result in exactly the same mistaken translation.)
I was so ANGRY when the man crashed into my car. I was so UPSET with my boss when he made me stay late on my birthday.
--ooOO\\//OOoo--
Atual - CURRENT
Atual is often thought to mean ACTUAL.
ACTUAL means real or refers to something that exists.
This is the ACTUAL pen used to sign the Constitution. The ACTUAL time of the meeting is 10 o'clock not 9 o'clock. REAL can be used in place of ACTUAL but CURRENT can not.
CURRENT refers to now, at this time. We talk about CURRENT events, events occurring now.
The CURRENT exchange rate is 2.707889. The CURRENT report refers only to this quarter. The REAL report was released last week, but it does not have the CURRENT figures.
--ooOO\\//OOoo--
Simpático / Simpática - FRIENDLY/KIND
If someone is SYMPATHETIC, the usual translation, then the person is willing to listen and console a person who needs to talk about their problems.
When Simpático is used it is usually used to mean someone who is FRIENDLY and quite often KIND.
A person who is nice to get on with isn't always SYMPATHETIC but can be FRIENDLY, simpático.
There are so many other examples that I am sure to include them in future posts
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