Blog
Intonation: The Secret Ingredient to Great Pronunciation (with Audio)
Listen as you read: Listen Along Hello, everybody! This is Adir Ferreira from www.adirferreira.com.br and today I’m going to be talking to you about intonation. Intonation is the melody of language and is made of pitches (high or low qualities of a sound) that rise and fall. Intonation is used to communicate our intentions and emotions,…
Read MoreTop 10 English Words with the Most Meanings
Do you get confused by English words with multiple, sometimes contradictory meanings? You think you learned how to use the word “take,” but then you discover that there are actually 127 different ways to use it (“run” has 179), including a vast selection of phrasal verbs, idioms, and colloquial expressions. If you don’t have good…
Read More75 Ways to Say Beautiful: Synonyms, Slang, and Collocations
Do you have a hard time finding different ways to describe beautiful and attractive things, experiences, and people? English has so many ways to say the same thing. This rich mix of different tongues and the evolution of English (much thanks to our friend Shakespeare) has made English the beautiful mélange [mixture] that it is…
Read MoreReal Life English: Body Idioms
Does learning English give you itchy feet to leave home and see the many eye-catching destinations around the world? Did you know you can also meet native speakers without leaving your city? Either way, if you want to speak and understand native speakers in any place or situation, the idioms we use in English are…
Read More7 Ways to Conquer Your Fear of Speaking English and Communicate with Courage
As language learners, we all know the experience of feeling like a child again, of not having the words to express ourselves, and the struggle to maintain our dignity in the face of self-criticism. We often believe that the other person is judging us, that our mistakes and difficulties make us look stupid, and that…
Read More3 Brazilian Advantages to Learning English
As an American living in Brazil, I’m constantly getting to know learners English learners of all English levels. This experience has introduced me to Brazilian culture, and opened my eyes to a series of unique characteristics that separate Brazilians from other cultures. Through three years of teaching, and building the Real Life English community and…
Read MoreWhy TED Talks Will Change Your Life (+Bonus)
People everywhere are starting to wake up, turn off their TVs, and tune in to the revolutionary power of video with TED Talks. If you haven’t heard about Ted.com, I would like to introduce you to a resource that will open your mind to a million new brilliant ideas that are changing the world, and…
Read More19 Ted Talks That Will Transform Your Language Learning and Life
Are you tired of watching TV, and in need of a form of entertainment that is more substantial, more intelligent, and actually makes your life better? Ted.com is one of the most life-changing information resources that exists, and a lot of smart people are using it to revolutionize their English. It has subtitle options for…
Read MoreHow to Learn English Watching TV Series and Movies
Hello, everybody! This is my second article for the Real Life English blog and today I’m going to talk about how to improve your English using TV series and movies. Nowadays we have a variety of sources for movies and series, such as Youtube, DVDs, cable and satellite TV, just to name a few. Thinking…
Read MoreAccelerated English Learning For Life
This is the incredible story of how Adir our English teacher, Adir Ferreira, fell in love with English, learned fast from a very young age, and used his experience to help learners around the world through writing. If you’re a Portuguese speaker, we highly recommend you check out Adir Ferreira’s English teaching and learning blog…
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