Luiz Agrizi, Ana Lúcia Fontenelle and Lina Karoblyte,

 

CONGRATULATIONS on winning a scholarship to

the BELL Language School in Cambridge!!

 

 

Phrasal verb of the day

To act up

Is it Ms Swan who is acting up or is it the intercom? or both?

;)

Phrase of the day

Scrap metal .

Our good old friend "ferro-velho" or, if you prefer, "sucata."


cheers!

Phrase of the day:  "facial composite"

.
Note that the word "composite" can be pronounced in different ways.

Cheers!

Verb of the day

to stall ( engine )

If an engine stalls, of if you stall it, it stops working suddenly and withoout you intending it to happen.
(dictionary.cambridge.org)

A car may stall due to the driver breaking too suddenly.
I stalled the car twice during my driving test but still managed to pass. 

Now... the are many other meanings for the word "stall" , either as a verb or as a noun. Do some reaserch and share it here! 

Five medals for each new entry!

Word of the day + pronunciation of the day

Hello, everyone!

How is the new semester going?

Let's keep our engines running!

The word of the day is "qualm".

Look at that young lady.  She had no qualms about lying to the police. She does look like a psychopath.



Willing to know how to pronounce it or its meaning? Click here.

Word of the day

To circumvent

Word of the day

This is also the piece of advice of the day! lol !

Don't lose your mojo, guys!

;)

Curious? You know what to do.

Fill in the blanks with a suitable word - 48 medals!

A) There were a number of participants at the conference dinner, several of were keynote speakers.

B) The old house, its condition, is likely to sell quickly given the present housing market.

C) The diner complained so vociferously that the manageress came out of the office to see what the problem was.

D) The party atmosphere suddenly dissipated, at point I made up my mind to leave.

E) The chairman outlined his vision for the future but the chief executive argued that a strategy could be detrimental to the company’s future.

F) More and more people are turning to vegetarianism which say is much better for your health.

G) My therapist said I could drop in I wanted to, regardless of whether I’d made an appointment or not.

H) The main reasons for quitting my job were overwork and a meagre salary. There are I could mention but they were the primary factors.

I) The reviews of the play were glowing but as a  of fact I thought it was terrible!

J) Most people are car lovers. Even , cars cause enormous damage to the environment.

K)  most people pass their Proficiency exam first time round a number of candidates will, sadly, fail.

L) The hotel was poor, the food terrible, and we had torrential rain for the whole week.  short, the holiday was a disaster.

M) As far as the police were in , they decided not to press charges against the thief this time round.

N)   the bank was shut all weekend they weren’t able to withdraw any cash.

O) I wouldn’t apply for that job if I were you. In  case the advert says you have to have a clean driving licence and you haven’t even passed your test yet.

P) Broadly , young people are concerned with finding a good career once they have graduated from university.

Word of the day

To abscond

Idiom of the day

"To be made redundant."


Look at the picture and write a sentence in which you would include the idiom.



10 medals!

Use of English - Part 1

DREAMS

35 MEDALS up for grabs! ( 5 medals for each correct item )

Think of the word which best fits each space. Use only ONE word in each space.

Dreams (0)have always fascinated human beings. The idea that dreams provide us with useful information about our lives goes (1)________ thousands of years. For the greater (2)_______of human history (3)_________ was taken for granted that the sleeping mind was in touch with the supernatural world and dreams were to be interpreted as messages with prophetic or healing functions. In the nineteenth century, (4)_________ was a widespread reaction (5)____________ this way of thinking and dreams were widely dismissed as being very (6)________ more than jumbles of fantasy (7)_________ about by memories of the previous day.

This particular one is worth 36 medals!!

Big Challenge! One single word worth 45 medals!!!

Congrats Deborah!!

Pronunciation of the day

And the word is... formidable.


One of its meanings is the exact same one in Portuguese, but there are others...
Anyways,  there two ways of pronouncing it.  Curious?

Click on the word.

Cheers,
Luiz

The Quarterly Trophy News - This issue's Interview

Click here to read the interview during which Ana Fontenelle, our trophy winner and current CPE holder, gives an account of her feats and accomplishments!

Phrases/collocations of the day

It's all about the eye!

I was playing Assassin's creed the other day, I yes, I'm a nerd and love playing PS3) and the narrator said I was "in the line of sight of one of the soldiers..." Then I thought: "cool, line of sight... how interesting ... " then it reminded me of "field of vision"... and then you know what happens... that's when you stand up , and hit the books... lol

So, it's all about the sense of sight, but be careful with collocations! We say...

Field of vision

Line of sight

Point of view

Cheers,

Luiz

Listening Challenge - 3 medals each correct answer

You will hear part of the audio of a TV show in which a reporter and a historian speak about great medical discoveries. Complete the sentences with a word or short sentence.

Click here to see the sentences you are to complete.

Sentence Transformation

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first one, using the word given. DO NOT CHANGE THE WORD GIVEN. You must use between three and eight words, including the word given.

1 - Neither of these carpets is any better than the other.

CHOOSE

There's not _________________________ these two carpets.

2 - In particular, the school library was criticised by the inspectors because of its poor lighting.

SINGLED

The inspectors _______________________ because of iys poor lighting.

3 - I have no idea whatsoever why Zoe resigned from her job.

LOSS

I am ______________________________ why Zoe resigned from her job.

5 medals each correct answer.

Words/pronunciation of the day

I finally took some free time to set up my dj'ing paraphernalia in my living room , so... beware! anytime soon I'll be back spinning at any gig in Rio de Janeiro.

Speaking of spinning... it reminded me those English words I'm really fond of:

Pinwheel

Propeller

Can you think you other objects that spin?

3 medals per noun are up for grabs!!!!

Cheers,

Luiz

Word of the day

And the word of the day is...

myriad

Usage Note: Throughout most of its history in English myriad was used as a noun, as in a myriad of men.In the 19th century it began to be used in poetry as an adjective, as in myriad men. Both usages in English are acceptable, as in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Myriad myriads of lives." This poetic, adjectival use became so well entrenched generally that many people came to consider it as the only correct use. In fact, both uses in English are parallel with those of the original ancient Greek. The Greek word mrias,from which myriad derives, could be used as either a noun or an adjective, but the noun mrias was used in general prose and in mathematics while the adjective mrias was used only in poetry.

Taken from http://www.thefreedictionary.com

Partial results on the way to the big ONE and ONLY !!!

Saying of the day + Homophones

Wow, what a crazy month !

The start of my post-grad studies were put off until August for they have not reached a minimun number of regstrations. So, I thought: " I can't just sit idle on Fridays this term! What am I going to do? So, I decided to apply for CELTA! Too much work , but I'm enjoying it! Better this way. I always prefer to keep myself busy because The devil finds work for idle hands.

Having said that...

1 - What is the corresponding idiom in Portuguese? ( 5 medals )

2 - Type a situation after which you would say this idiom. It could have happened to you... or a friend/ family member. You can just make a situation up if you would like... (15 medals )

By the way... Are you guys watching this season of American Idol? DO you have a favourite?

Mine are Jessica Sanchez and Colton Dixon.

Oh, I almost forgot...

3 - Find the homophones. ( 2 medals )

Cheers,

Luiz

Gapped sentences - 15 medals!

Click on the image above to get a larger picture and a better view of your challenge!

Cognate of the day

to scale

Definition

to climb up a steep surface, such as a wall or the side of a mountain, often using special equipment

The prisoner scaled the high prison wall and ran off.

Word of the day

And the wor dof the day is...

tarmac

This one is out of Valéria França's report on her connecting flight to Europe. Valéria is the Head of Training and development department in Cultura Inglesa and she's heading for the IATEFL conference in Glasgow, UK.

"About to catch flight to London after horrible flight from Rio,(on landing wind was so strong we had a collective gasp moment on plane as it swung to the left, wing too close to tarmac for everyone's taste - awful for those like me who hate flying), late arrival in Sao Paulo with 10 min to catch connexion...now have to think of the good things in store...catch up with you all when in London now."

Cheers,

Luiz Agrizi

Loads of medals up for grabs!!! Have fun!!!

Click on the image for a larger picture.

Across:

1. This landscaping tool is used for moving land from one place to another. (4 medals)
2. Another name for loose earth or soil. (6 medals)
3. If you want to move a bunch of dirt from one place to another, this will help. (15 medals)
4. Spread it around your plants to prevent erosion and inhibit weed growth. (25 medals)
5. You must plant it to make it grow. (3 medals)

Down:

1. This is used to cover areas of empty ground. (3 medals)
2. THis is a machine to cut the answer to #1 down. (4 medals)
3. The blossom of a plant. (4 medals)
4. A plant that has a wooden trunk. (3 medals)
5. An organism that typically lives off of sunlight and water. (3 medals)
6. Starting with the letter "B", a plant that has many branches which are close together. (6 medals)
7. This landscaping tool is used for moving soil or hay from one place to another. (10 medals)
8. This plant is usually unwanted. (7 medals)

As requested........

As requested ... This one is worth 15 medals, 5 each correct sentence...

I'll make it more suitable to CPE exams....

1) The incident ruined my chances of promotion.
PAID
The incident ____________ my chances of promotion

2) I find Harold's behaviour quite incomprehensible.
LOSS

I'm _______________ to understand Harold's behaviour.

 3) We run the business together.
JOINT

We have a joint venture.

Number 3 is correct.... Well done, Ana!!!

Word formation challenge

20 MEDALS UP FOR GRABS !!!

Respectively, use the words given in capitals to form a word that fits in the spaces.

The image that we have of science has ______ radical change in the last hundred years. An enormous ______ explosion, together with a number of very real ______ about environment and all the moral and political ramifications of economic growth have ______ put science at the centre of public debate.

the words are : GO - TECHNOLOGY - ANXIOUS - QUESTION

HAve fun and keep on blogging !

CHALLENGE

Here's a challenge.....

Write a new sentence bla bla bla using the word given....

The incident ruined my chances of promotion.
PAID


I find Harold's behaviour quite incomprehensible.
LOSS


and one more...

We run the business together.
JOINT




Good luck and have fun!!!!!!!

Gapped sentences - 12 medals!!!

Pronunciation of the day

gauge - to calculate an amount, especially by using a measuring device.

a device for measuring the amount or size of something.

This is a temperature gauge!

How do you pronounce it? Find out !

Word of the day

And the word of the day is...

"peril"

I'm sure levi and Angela will mention the perils of not managing time during the completion of the CPE exam.

We don't want you to be like those eggs in peril!

;)

Cheers,

Luiz Agrizi

Gapped Sentences - 10 medals!

Think of one word only which can be used appropriately in all three sentences.


Click on the image above to visualize this challenge a little better.

Double pronunciation of the day

Be attentive to AmE x BrE issues in pronunciation!

Click on the word to check both ways of pronouncing it.

"inhospitable"

Same thing holds true for "inhospitableness" and other derivations.

Still wondering about "sod off" and "freeloader"? Pass the mouse ;)

Cheers,

Luiz Agrizi

Medalists on Parade!

Word of the day

And the word of the day is ...

"brainchild"

Click on the word to check the definition!

Let the ride begin!

“1st class! I feel happy, anxious and motivated! :)”

By quoting Renata Cardoso ,who is just like you, cpe-holders-to-be I deliver my fisrt post, a short but punchy one ;). Coincidences apart, I feel just like her: Happy , anxious and motivated.

I was more than thrilled when Levi Ramos, who for sure kindled a spark of interest within me when it comes to teaching English, invited me to be a contributor in this blog. ( I was his student once during a Teacher Training course ).

Now, are my posts going to be read? How can I make them sound interesting, relevant and fruitful, not tedious nor unappealing? This apprehension about future uncertainties is also growing inside.

This one thing I’m sure of: I have an inner drive whenever I take up something new. We all do, actually. We’re curious by nature! But how am I going to sustain this effort and blog ultil December 2012? I just don’t know! And I’m eager to find out!

All in all, I genuinely believe one “cannot not feel excited” when joining a new learning experience. It’s up to you ,however, finding your learning style and best schedule in order to keep engaged and nor stray from your main goal: Pass CPE.

“It’s a helluva roller-coaster ride. The ups and downs will make you scream sometimes, it’s hard believing when the thrill is gone, but you gotta go and ride again , hold on!” Adapted from J. Bon Jovi’s song “Lie to me”.

Best of luck! You’re in awesome hands!

Luiz Agrizi.

Nooooooooooooo… it’s not over. Thinking of Paper 3, part 5 ( use of English – summary , right? Lol ) An easy task to start your engines:

Find in the text : 1.

a. A phrase which would be a synonym to “ extremely happy”

b. A possible definition for anxiety

c. Intrinsic motivational energy

First correct answer gets 15 medals ( 5 each )

2. how about brainstorming all possible derivations for the words "happy" ," anxious" and "motivated". Some fo them are already in the text. 1 medal for each word.