Existe uma linha de pensamento sobre o aprendizado de língua estrangeira, que diz que a Leitura Extensiva (Extensive Reading) tem grande beneficio não só no desenvolvimento da fluência de leitura mas também no desenvolvimento oral. Não é estudar, mas sim uma atividade aparte incluída ao ócio e ao passatempo.

A leitura pelo prazer, pela curiosidade ou por interesse. Um assunto familiar facilita a compreensão. No processo, você adquire aspectos de syntaxe, semântica e pragmática da língua alvo.

O inglês apresenta uma dificuldade comum, porém muito mais acentuada neste idioma. A pronuncia é muitas vezes impossível de se decifrar da ortografia. Vocè pode absorver a pronuncia assistindo filmes, tv (especialmente o noticiario com sua dicção mais clara, ou escutando noticias atuais no radio.

Ou você pode se juntar a um grupo de atividades em inglês para ter a oportunidade de escutá-lo e pratica-lo. Esta é a proposta do Book Club paricipar de atividades em inglês online. Claro, você pode também arrumar um professor de inglês online.

2- Visitors for Scrooge

It is Christmas Eve; Scrooge is working in his office. He is writing in his accounts book. He is writing down amounts of money people have paid him. And he is writing down amounts of money people owe him.

It is cold outside, but the fire in the fireplace is very small. The door of Scrooge’s office is opened. Scrooge can see into the next room, which is very small and very cold too. The fire in the next room was even smaller than Scrooge’s fire. One tiny piece of coal is burning in the fireplace.

Bob Cratchit works in this small room. He can not have a bigger fire because Scrooge keeps the coal in his own office. And Scrooge does not let Bob have any more coal.

“If you take anymore coal Bob Cratchit”, said Scrooge, “you will lose your job.”

And so, Bob carries on writing letters for Scrooge. He puts his scarf round his neck and sits very close to the flame of his candle. Bob tells himself that the candle is warm, and it will make him warm. But that is not true.

Suddenly, someone opens the front door. A young man comes in from the street. He looks happy and cheerful. His eyes are bright, and his face is red because of the cold. He shouts cheerfully, “Hello! Merry Christmas, uncle!”

“Nonsense! Rubbish!”, replies Scrooge. “Christmas is nonsense! It is humbug! Bah!"

“You don’t mean that, uncle,” says the young man.

“Oh yes, I do,” replies Scrooge. “Why are you so cheerful? You do not have much money.”

“Why are you not cheerful, uncle? You have lots of money,” says his nephew.

Scrooge can not think of an answer, so he repeats it, “Bah! Humbug!”

“Don’t be so angry, uncle,” the young man carries on talking, “It is Christmas!”

“Bah! People who say, ‘Merry Christmas’ are just stupid idiots,” says Scrooge. “They have said, ‘Merry Christmas’ last year. And now, they are a year older, they have spent a lot of money, and they say ‘Merry Christmas’ again. They are idiots. I wish someone would cook them and eat them for Christmas dinner!”

The young man is Fred, the son of Scrooge’s sister, Frances. Frances has died and Fred is Ebenezer Scrooge only living relative. Fred is married to a pretty, young woman. He is a kind and friendly young man. He likes people so he carries on talking to his uncle.

“Christmas is a very important time of the year,” he says. “People are kind and helpful to each other at Christmas. They forgive each other for all the bad things they have done. They help poor people. I feel happy at Christmas. I like Christmas!”

“Oh yes, yes! I agree! Me too,” says Bob Cratchit from the cold little room.

“If you say one more word, Bob Cratchit,” shouts Scrooge, “you will lose your job. And you must not say anything more either, nephew. Goodbye.”

“Oh uncle,” says Fred smiling at the old man, “I want you to have dinner with me and my family tomorrow.”

“Goodbye,” replies Scrooge loudly.

“I want you to have a happy Christmas with me and my family,” the young man says.

“Goodbye”, said Scrooge again. At last, the young man opens the door to leave. But he is still cheerful.

“Merry Christmas, uncle,” he says, “and Merry Christmas to you too, Bob!”

“Merry Christmas, Sir” replies Bob Cratchit. He smiles and waves.

“Bah,” says Scrooge to himself. “Bob Cratchit is a poor man. He earns 15 (fifteen) shillings a week. With that little money, he has to buy food for his wife and six children. And he is talking about Merry Christmas. Everyone is mad. Completely mad!”

As Scrooge’s nephew leaves, a gentleman comes in. He goes into Scrooge’s office.

“Good afternoon, Sir, he says smiling at Scrooge. “Am I talking to Mr Scrooge or Mr Marley?”

“Marley is dead. He has died seven years ago today, on Christmas Eve,” replies Scrooge.

“Mr Scrooge,” says the gentleman smiling again. “I have come to ask for your help, because it is Christmas. I want money to help poor people who have no money and no homes.”

“Aren’t there any prisons you can send them to? asks Scrooge. “Aren’t there any workhouses?”

“Yes, of course there are,” the gentleman replies.

“Good. Good.” says Scrooge. “I am pleased. You can put this poor people in prisons and workhouse, can you not?”

“But prisons and workhouses are unpleasant places,” replies the gentleman. “I am sure you want people to have a Merry Christmas. How much money will you give me?”

“None. None at all,” says Scrooge. “I don’thave a Merry Christmas. I don’t believe in Christmas. I’m not giving money to anyone else so they can have a Merry Christmas. Just send these poor people to the workhouses.”

“Many people fear and hate workhouses. They would rather die than live in workhouses” replied the gentleman.

“Good,” says Scrooge “There are too many people in the world. Tell them to go away and die. Goodbye.”

The gentleman leaves and Scrooge starts working again. Outside, it is colder and darker than earlier, and the fog is thicker. It is so cold that water froze into ice on the streets. But there are bright lights in the windows of the shops. People are buying good things to eat and drink.

In all the shops there is good food for Christmas - fruits and nuts, pies and puddings, turkeys and geese. Everybody is buying a turkey or a goose to cook for Christmas dinner.

There is the sound of boys and girls singing Christmas carols. And other people are giving them money. A thin boy in torn clothes is singing outside Scrooge’s window:

“We wish you a Merry Christmas,

We wish you a Merry Christmas…”

Scrooge shouts angrily and the boy runs away. At last, Scrooge decides it is time to stop working. Bob Cratchit blows out his candles and puts on his hat. He doesn’t have a coat.

“You want to have a holiday tomorrow, I suppose,” says Scrooge.

“Yes, please!” replies Bob, “if it is alright.”

“No, it is not all right. You will be paid a day’s wages, and do no work,” says Scrooge.

“But Christmas Day is only once a year”, says Bob Cratchit.

“Bah,” says Scrooge. “I suppose, I can not make you work on Christmas Day. Nobody else works. But you must be here very early the next day.”

Bob is happy that it is Christmas. On his way home he stops and plays with some boys. The boys are sliding down the ice on a steep hill. Bob slides down the ice about 20 (twenty) times. Then he runs home happily to his wife and six children.

Scrooge goes to an Inn

to eat his dinner alone.

(adapted from "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, published by Macmillan Readers)

The Continuous Tense

The continuous tense expresses an action in progress. In the present continuous, the action is still developing, still happening, not finished yet.

It can also be used to express actions or events that happened in the past over a period of time, or that will happen in the future.

The continuous tense is formed with the present form of the verb "to be" + the main verb's present participle (the -ing form):

("to be" present) + (-ing form)

I am cooking dinner.

You are looking great!

She is writing a letter

It is getting colder. (Weather - becoming more cold)

We are selling our house.

The Comparative Form

“My sausage is bigger than yours.”

“But my sausage is more expensive.”

(“But mine is more expensive.”)

When comparing adjectives (quality), we say something is “more expensive”, “more discrete”, “more extravagant”, or “more problematic” than something else.

However, with short, monosyllable adjectives, we add the suffix -er to it.

Sometimes, you need to make a small adjustment to the spelling, and there are a few adjectives that have specific comparative forms, but this is for another day.

big – bigger

hard - harder

small – smaller

soft – softer

thin – thinner

cheap – cheaper

thick - thicker

hot - hotter