TWO DIFFERENT VISIONS OF LIFE

The rich industrialist from the North was horrified to find the southern fisherman lying lazily beside his boat, smoking a pipe.

- "Why aren't you out fishing?" asked the industrialist.

- "Because I have caught enough fish for the day," said the fisherman.

- "Why don't you catch some more?"

- "What would I do with them?"

- "You could earn more money," was the industrialist's reply. "With that you could have a motor fixed to your boat and go into deeper waters and catch more fish. Then you would make enough to buy nylon nets. These would bring you more fish and more money. Soon you would have enough money to own two boats . . . maybe even a fleet of boats. Then you would be a rich man like me."

- "What would I do then?" asked the fisherman.

- "Then you could really enjoy life."

- "And, said the fisherman, what is it you think I am doing right now?"

Teaching Tips & Ideas

Prepositions




BEYOND – Além de. Fora do alcance. Inacessível.
e.g.: - Do not go beyond this place.
He lives beyond his income. It is quite beyond my will.

BY – Por intermédio de. Junto de. Por.

Usada com Expressões de Tempo indica que a ação será concluída naquele tempo determinado.

Empregado com os Reflexivos
tem o sentido de “Só”. “Isolado”. Emprega-se também nos Juramentos.

e.g.: - Richard was despised by all.
I always go to Rio by plane.
“Blue Eyes” was known by his voice.
You should never swear by God.
I’d like to sit at that table by the window.
I will have it ready by the end of May.
The investigation shall be finished by Xmas.
Nobody helped me. I was by myself.
By my honor! By all means!
By night. By no means!
By land. By sight.
By the way. By name.
By heart. By the way.
By day. By chance.
By sea. By the by.

LAUGHTER'S THE BEST MEDICINE

TWO OF A KIND

Emergency

A man spoke frantically into the phone.

- “My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart”!
- Is this her first child? The doctor asked.
- No, you idiot! “This is her husband!”

Happy Birthday

Teacher - What is your date of birth?
Little Johnny - July fifteenth.
Teacher - What year?
Little Johnny - Every year!

WORD OF THE DAY

Uh-Huh

Function

Informal

Meaning


Uh-huh is used to show that you agree or understand.
e.g. "Is that your dog?" "Uh-huh." (yeah, yes)
"Do you know what I mean?" "Uh-huh. I sure do."

Note: Uh-huh is sometimes used to encourage someone to continue talking.
e.g. "I'm still kind of worried about tomorrow." "Uh-huh."

QUOTE OF THE DAY

If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name in a Swiss bank.

Woody Allen US movie actor, comedian, & director (1935 - )

THE VIRTUE CALLED DEVOTION

"One day, a young man saw his father walking down the road lugging a large basket. When he got closer, the young man could see that his old grandfather was in the basket.


- "Where are you taking Grandpa, Father?" the boy asked.

- "I'm taking him to the canyon", his father said.

- "He's old and no good for anything now, so I'll throw him over the cliff."

- "Okay Father, you go right ahead" the young man said, "but be sure to save the basket. Someday I shall need it for you".

Someday we, too, will be old and feeble. Let us hope that loving families will not forget The Virtue Called Devotion.

Teaching Tips & Ideas

THE WORD WHEN

You have probably heard children use the phrase when I grow up. It means "when I get older."

When I grow up, I want to be a soccer player.
When I grow up, I want to be a teacher.
When I grow up, I want to be a movie star.
When I grow up, I want to work at the University.

Notice that the phrase “when I grow up” uses the present tense. In English, if we use "when" to talk about the future, we often use the present tense.

Here are some more examples:

When I go to the store, I'll buy you a pack of gum.
I want to have seven children when I'm older.
When I'm the president of this country, everyone will get a raise.
I want to visit the Statue of Liberty when I go to New York.

LAUGHTER'S THE BEST MEDICINE

The Wishes
A 60 year old couple was celebrating their 40 years of marriage. During the celebration a fairy appeared! "Because you have been such a loving couple all those years, I would like to give you each one wish." The wife said,

- "I want to travel around the world." The fairy waved her wand and, POOF! She had the tickets in her hand.

Next it was the husband's turn. He paused for a moment, then said shyly,

- "Well, I'd like to have a wife 30 years younger than me." The fairy picked up her wand and, POOF!

-He was 90!

The Klopman Curse

A businessman boarded a plane to find, sitting next to him, an elegant woman wearing the largest, most stunning diamond ring he had ever seen. He asked her about it.

- "This is the Klopman diamond," she said. "It is beautiful, but there is a terrible curse that goes with it."

- "What's the curse?" the man asked.

- "Mr. Klopman, she said!"

Remark: Do not get excited because of Mr. Bush's pic above.
His face is actually a third joke. H.C.

WORD OF THE DAY

VINTAGE

ADJECTIVE

Note: Vintage is always used before a noun.

Meanings
1 - vintage is used to describe a wine usually of high quality that was produced in a particular year which is identified on the bottle.
e.g.That restaurant has a fine selection of vintage wines.

2 - Vintage is used to describe something that is not new but that is valued because of its good condition, attractive design, etc.
e.g. a collection of vintage cars. Vintage clothing shops

3 - Vintage is used to describe something that has the best qualities or characteristics of the things made or done by a particular person, organization, etc.
e.g. Vintage Frank Sinatra songs. This painting is vintage Van Gogh.

Idiom:
Vintage Year
Meanings
1 - The year in which a vintage wine is produced.
e.g. The date of the vintage year is marked on the bottle.

2 - A very good or successful year.
e.g. This has been a vintage year for independent films.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read." Mark Twain

NOISE POLLUTION

If indeed silence is gold, it is also becoming as rare as gold. It seems that this so called progress of man includes a rising volume of noise. In every home a most modern stereo or television will fill the rooms with “sound”. Between sunrise and sunset, streets and highways are a constant source of noise from cars, busses, and trucks. You can pass any factory or construction area and the roar of its machinery will make your ears ring. Music is played in every supermarket, most restaurants, and many offices. Big cities of the world are well known for their noisiness. Noise pollution is the new side effect of our technological age along with the lack of respect. For man and for the environment. Day or night, the sound of noise fills the air. It seems that the soothing effects of silence are nowhere to be found. Even the quiet of our carefully protected wilderness areas can be invaded by a passing airliner. We are learning, finally, that silence is a natural resource and must be protected by law. It appears that we all find company in sound, but at the same time, we all demand a little quietness and respect from time to time. Extracted from NEC–Teacher’s Annotated Edition.

Teaching Tips & Ideas

Prepositions

ABOUT - Em torno de. Cerca de. A respeito de.

1 - Indica a localização de objetos que cercam outro. (em torno de)
e.g.: - The outskirts about London are very beautiful.
We walked about the city.

2 - Indica proximidade a certo número, quantidade e tempo. (cerca de)
e.g.: - This city has about 500 thousand inhabitants.
Cesar lived about the year 44 B.C.
I’ll be home about midnight.

3 - Significa “a respeito de”.
e.g.: - I don’t want to talk about her to my parents.
What are you talking about ?
Are you talking about the UFO we saw last night ?

4 - “Indica que algo está a ponto de acontecer”.
e.g.: - She was about to burst into tears when he finally arrived.
The plane’s about to leave.

5 - Equivale a “com”, quando se trata de coisas pertencentes à pessoa, tais como: dinheiro, hábitos etc.
e.g.: - I’m sorry, but I have no money about me.
There is a certain air of dignity about her.

LAUGHTER'S THE BEST MEDICINE

THE GOLDEN TWELVE
- "Do you think you are earning enough to support a family?", the older man asked the suitor.
- Yes, sir, replied Richard, "I'm sure I am."
- "Think carefully now," said Jane's father warningly.
- "There are twelve of us!"

The Prescription
A very nervous man, accompanied by his nagging wife, was examined by a doctor. After checking the chart, he nodded and wrote the man a prescription for a
powerful tranquilizer. The man asked,

- "How often do I take these?"

- "Let's start off with one every six hours." But they're not for you, replied the doctor.

- "They're for your wife!"

WORD OF THE DAY

UNGAINLY

Adjective

Comparative and superlative forms: more ungainly; most ungainly

Meaning
moving in an awkward or clumsy way - not graceful
e.g. a large, ungainly animal. He was tall and ungainly.>

Derived form
UNGAINLINESS noun [noncount]

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"The world of tomorrow belongs to the person who has the vision today."
Robert Schuller

HOW IT WAS ALL ABOUT - THE 4th OF JULY NOW AND THEN

In 1774, a group of leaders from the American colonies met to discuss another form of government. In 1775, the Revolutionary War broke out between the colonists and English soldiers. Finally, Thomas Jefferson wrote The Declaration of Independence to show England that the colonies wanted to govern themselves. On July 4, 1776, this document was signed and a new nation was born.. People rang bells and fired guns to announce the birth of The United States of America. Today, bell-ringing and noisy fireworks are still popular ways to celebrate the Fourth of July. During the day, people get together with friends and family for a barbecue or a picnic. Many city parks feature open-air concerts and play favorite American tunes. Sometimes there are speeches about the nation’s history. At night, spectacular displays of fireworks light up the sky. Most fireworks are illegal to use at home, but many community organizations sponsor exciting fireworks programs in parks, stadiums, and even at the beach. The dazzling colors and exciting explosive sounds give the audience feelings of joy and pride on this national holiday.

RULES OF THUMB

“There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy”. William Shakespeare

“Prepositions for instance”. H.Caldas.

AT – Em, A, Na, No, De, etc. Presença em determinado local. Usa-se para dizer as horas, referir-se a um período de tempo, expressões idiomáticas, o número do endereço e a pequenas localidades.

e.g.: - She was at school yesterday.

Who is at the door?
At the beginning of....
At the end of....
They laughed at me.
He was in the armchair at the fireside.
She looked at me with joy.
At Xmas. At Easter.
At 25 Monroe Street.
At 7 o’clock.
At war. At work.
At once. At last.
At noon. At present.
At least. At night.

LAUGHTER'S THE BEST MEDICINE

I Would But...

A wife, one evening, drew her husband's attention to the couple next door and said...

- "Do you see that couple? How devoted they are? He kisses her every time they meet and every time he leaves for work.. Why don't you do the same?"

- "I would love to, dear - replied the husband - but I don't know her well enough!"

At The Shrink

Patient: - Doc, I had the worst dream of my life last night. I dreamed I was with twelve of the most beautiful chorus girls in the world. Blondes, brunettes, redheads, all dancing in a row on the stage...

Psychiatrist: - Hold it! That doesn't sound so terrible.

Patient: - Oh yeah? "In the dream, I was the third girl from the left!"

WORD OF THE DAY

Bird's-Eye

Adjective:

Meaning: seen from high above

Note: Bird’s-eye is always used before a noun.

e.g. We had a bird's-eye view/perspective of the city as we flew over it.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it”!
George Bernard Shaw.

DRIVING

A permission to drive a car is called a License. In most countries you need to take a written test and a practical driving test to get a Driver’s License. In Massachusetts USA for example, a person who is 16 years old can get a Learner’s Permit that allows them to drive with a licensed driver. With this permit, they are not allowed to drive between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. unless they are driving with a parent who is a licensed driver. Learners can get a Driver’s License when they are 18 years old. The cost for a Learner’s Permit is $15.00 US. For a Driver’s License is $20.00 for the driving test and $33.75 for the Picture License.

Teaching Tips & Ideas

Look at these two meanings of “Drive”:

Drive as a verb – means to control a car or any other vehicle

e.g. we usually drive to school.

Drive as a noun – means to have purpose and energy for a goal or plan

e.g. He has the drive to succeed.
When we drive a car, we usually have a location/place we want to reach.
When we have drive we have the purpose/energy to get to our goal/destination - which may or may not be a location/place.


Which sentences refer to driving a car ?

a) My wife drives very fast. (She really does)
b) He has a lot of drive.
c) Jack and Jill are driving to the airport now.
d) She is driven to finally reach her goal.

Remember: “DRIVE CAREFULLY AND DEFENSIVELY”


LAUGHTER'S THE BEST MEDICINE


The Yellow Dress

My three-year-old daughter and I went shopping with my mother. A rather large woman, Mom sometimes has a tough time finding just the right fit. When my mother picked out a yellow dress, my daughter went into the dressing room with her. A moment later Mom asked her how she liked the outfit. My daughter replied,

"Oh, Grandma, you look so pretty, just like a big yellow school bus."

The yellow dress stayed in the dressing room…

WORD OF THE DAY

VIA

Function: preposition

Meanings:

1 - By going through (a particular place) By way of (a particular place)

e.g. She flew to New York via Chicago.

2 - By means of a person, machine, by using something or someone

e.g. I'll let her know via one of our friends. He did some research via computer. We went to school via a shortcut.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first”! (Ronald Reagan)