Anomalies

Consider the following sentence;

Yesterday we fulfilled your document, but we would like to appoint some inconsistencies we found.

There are two glaring mistakes in this sentence, mistakes that have resulted in a lot of head scratching for some people.

The word FULFILL is used to denote  achievement, as in fulfilling a dream, ambition, potential. To meet a requirement, the terms or conditions of an agreement. To have a particular role or purpose, 

English classes should fulfill the function of helping professionals prepare for multinational trade.

In the sentence at the top of the page, the word FULFILL is inconsistent with the intended meaning.

The expression FILL IN or sometimes FILL OUT is what is needed. These two expressions are used in a similar way although FILL IN is more common and means to place specific information in the input spaces provided on a form. That means providing a NAME, ADDRESS, TELEPHONE NUMBER or any other information required to complete a form.

Please fill in details of the items you require. Please fill in details of the problems you had. Please fill out the form below.

The word APPOINT is used to choose somebody for a job or position. It can also be used to indicate a prearranged time such as in an appointment.

Eduardo Suplicy was appointed Human rights secretary. The CEO still has to appoint a spokesperson for the company.

We should meet at the appointed time.

In the example sentence at the top of the page, the correct expression is to POINT OUT.

We would like to POINT OUT some inconsistencies we found.

Please be very careful when using these particular expressions.

How strong is DO or MAKE

When offering corrections to my students for odd sounding structures, one of the most common errors that seems hardest to make go away is the use of DO or MAKE in the place of much better and STRONGER verbs.

There seems to be a tendency in Portuguese to use only DO/MAKE - Fazer - together with a noun instead of the verb. So we hear structures like;

• We need to make our registration on the site. (We need to register on the site)
• Doing this simplification. (Simplifying)
• I did a confusion. ( I confused the two)
• I will get my friend to do a recommendation of this product to his colleagues. (I will get my friend to recommend this product to his colleagues. )

While this may not seem to be such a serious problem, it becomes so because of the arbitrary use of DO or MAKE without any real sense of the difference in meaning between them.

So this post has two main objectives.

The first purpose is to try and define what these differences are, and the second purpose is to try and reinforce the concept of using stronger verbs in English.

So how do we understand the difference in meaning between these two words?

Basically, DO is used to refer to an action taking place.

DO as a Transitive verb ' Perform, effect, transact, bring about, finish.

DO as an Intransitive verb ' Act, manage, work, fare, serve, suffice, happen

• DO an exam
• DO homework
• DO (somebody) a favour
• DO exercises
• DO a course

Make is more related to constructing something.

MAKE as a Transitive verb « Construct, produce, create, establish.

MAKE as an Intransitive verb « Tend, contribute

• MAKE a mistake
• MAKE an appointment
• MAKE a phone call
• MAKE a list
• MAKE a noise

Inconsistencies can be found in the use of the two in specific expressions.

• DO Business
• MAKE a profit or loss.
• DO the dishes - where you wash and dry the dirty dishes.
• MAKE an offer
• DO research
• MAKE the bed - This means tidy the bed you have just slept in.

Because of the apparent duplicity in meaning when translated from the Portuguese - FAZER, there can only be confusion on both sides of the language table.

I believe these two verbs are very weak. English is known for it's vast vocabulary which includes verbs. There is a greater tendency for English speakers to be more specific in their language by choosing the more appropriate verbs rather than DO or MAKE.

In the case of a simple request like, Could you DO/MAKE a presentation for me?

What would you expect to do?

So let's make a list of possibilities

VERBS Prepare, Present, Give, Rehearse, Review, Revise, Research, Check, Outline, Write, Develop, Organize etc

The original question Could you ******* a presentation for me would be better asked using the specifics of any of the verbs in the previous list. The DO or MAKE request leaves the listener relying on context and best guesses to really understand what is required.

As an aid to more efficient communication it might be a good idea to get used to learning and using a greater variety of verbs.

Revert

This is supplemental to my weekly post.

Some time ago I was reviewing a student's correspondence with her, advising on possible changes and enhancements.At the end of the text, she had signed off with 'I will REVERT to you later.'

I immediately offered her a correction when she said, 'But we all use this expression.'

I began to explain to her what revert meant.
REVERT is used in the sense of getting back to, and it's here where the real meaning needs to be seen. In actual fact, REVERT should be used to mean getting, or going back to a previous state. Eg. With backup files, there is always the possibility of REVERTING to the most recent backup if a recent change has caused a problem or been lost.

In its use as a salutation the 'getting back to' has been misunderstood and where the writer intends saying I will continue this conversation at a future date, the understanding is that a previous state or conversation must be chosen. This can only lead to confusion.
When I asked my student where she thought it had come from, we traced the probable origin to some correspondence with some writers from India who have a very good command of English, but can at times misinterpret seemingly obvious meanings.

I would recommend that if you or your company has gotten into the habit of using such an expression, then you instruct your people to choose something less challenging.

Eg; With regard to the new processes recently implemented, I feel that after so many problems we should REVERT to the previous method until substantial changes have been made to the new system. (REVERT is used in its proper sense here) I WILL GET BACK TO you later if any further changes need to be made. (And this is the proper salutation)

How many anys?

It kind of sounds strange doesn't it. How many Anys do we use in English?

Well, this is a medium to serious problem when used incorrectly. 

I have seen it used to express;

• We have anybody to do the work
• He has any time to do the work
• There are any reasons for this problem.
• Where is the document you need? Anywhere.

         These are real world examples

An English speaker might recognize what is intended by each of these phrases, but let's see if you did.

• We have NOBODY to do the work. We don't have ANYBODY to do the work.
• He has NO time to do the work or He doesn't have ANY (enough) time to do the work or even He has plenty of time to do the work. (Confusing?)
• There are NO reasons for this problem. Or there are MANY reasons for this problem.
• The ANYWHERE answer should be SOMEWHERE. This means I don't really know where.

The misuse of ANY comes about because some translations of the Portuguese NENHUM, NENHUMA offer not only NO, but ANY as the translation. 

I believe that there is also a problem of pronunciation and Maths. The letters N and M are pronounced 'enni' and ' emmi' respectively. If we consider the variable N in Maths used to represent an unknown quantity and its pronunciation being so close to ANY ('enni' ) we might understand that there is a probable reason for its misuse. I have a friend who very much doubts this reason.

Together with these two reasons is the use of ANY when MANY should be used.

The rule in ENGLISH is that we use ANY ONLY in questions and negative sentences.

Do you have ANY money?
No, I do not have ANY money. He doesn't have ANY time for his Cats. Do they have ANY pets?
I have SOME money. I have SOME time for my cats but I do not have ANY time for work. They have SOME pets but don't have ANY space.

In these examples, I have introduced the word SOME, used in affirmative statements. We can also use A LOT to mean MANY.

So let's see how much you have understood.

1. I have any/many friends who are learning English.
2. I don't have any/some friends who are learning English.
3. Do they have some/any time to study?
4. There is anybody/somebody who likes to eat chocolate.
5. There is anybody/nobody who likes to eat Ants.
6. There isn't anybody/nobody to take the garbage out.
7. Anybody/Everybody celebrates their birthday.
8. There are any/many ways of sending messages.
9. Is there everything/anything I can do for you?
10. There aren't anything/many things that can be done without using a Cellphone.

I hope you can see what a difference the wrong use of ANY can make to your communication. Try doing the exercise choosing one of the options in bold, send me your answers or check them yourself in my next post.

Welcome - Bem Vindo - to 2015

Well, here we are with a bright new opportunity to get everything back into order.

I'm sure that you have all resolved to dedicate more time to trying to make your English as good as your Portuguese. I know I did. I have spent the last few weeks studying ways of improving my use of English, practiced my listening by playing Audio-books and watching a lot of those films I had set aside to watch during the holiday period.
I have read a lot and practiced some ONLY English conversations, and I am happy to say that I am feeling revitalized. I am fully ready to get on with things and make this the best year ever.

So, let's see what you have been doing.

Normally you'd have 1 class a week of 1.5 hours. That would be 6 hours a month. 11 months, if we discount the weeks of holiday you probably took, so that comes to 66 hours a year. Last year you were happy with 3 days of classes to keep your English swinging and constantly  improving to the point of becoming almost fluent. Probably not.
Imagine if you were to dedicate 3 days to your profession, being one and a half hours a week. Of course, it might take you a little bit longer to get that promotion, that new car, that house or dream holiday, but then again that was all the time you could find to dedicate to such an unimportant event.

And it seems that tomorrow will come along and miraculously, you will be a fluent speaker of English, But tomorrow never comes. It has to be today and your knowledge and use of English is becoming as critical as the many other skills you have to hone, to get ahead.

Just in case you've forgotten, the Internet provides an immense source of material for most of your needs. Many of you have the latest in Cell-phones and other portable devices, all with their own dedicated APPs to help you with your English. You can learn so much from these resources alone.
Now, a great number of you have regular classes, and for the lucky ones, supplemental material sent out on a weekly basis. Roughly 10% of my mailing list respond in some way to this material. Those 10% who do are well on their way to doubling their involvement in English and English Fluency.

LET'S MAKE 2015 A MEMORABLE YEAR, A YEAR WHERE YOUR ENGLISH TAKES OFF AND JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER.



 

Time and number conventions

There are some differences between English and Portuguese when referring to time and numbers.

If you really want a headache try deciphering the following.

"As previously discussed, here are our estimates for the next financial year.
With an investment of 120,3 Mi and an initial return of 123.456 (123,456 mil) over the first week, there should be scope for expansion over the 1ª and 2ª quarters.  International investment calculated at current exchange rates (2,65) should not exceed 12% of initial investment.
Further information can be obtained during our next meeting on 5ª at 15h. "

Logic helps us in context, but many times single snippets of information can lead to confusion.

In English the following "120,3 Mi and an initial return of 123.456 (123,456 mil)" would be 120.3 M or Million and 123,456 (123.456 Thousand) respectively.

"1º and 2º quarters" would be 1st and 2nd quarters, while the exchange rate (2,65) would be (2.65)

And while a little simplistic here, "our next meeting on 5ª at 15h" would read Thu at 15:00.

--ooOO\\//OOoo--

TIME

There are several different ways of using time in English.

The term o´clock is only used for whole hours from 1 to 12. One o´clock, 10 o´clock, 12 o´clock etc.
The labels ´AM´ and ´PM´ are used without the o´clock designation. 10 o´clock = ´10 am´ or ´10 pm´
 (not 10 o´clock am) 
The minutes - 5, 10, 20, 25 are used as in 5 past 10, 10 past 9, 20 past 2. 25 past 7, 25 to 8, 20 to 6, 10 to 12 and 5 to 1 etc.
The minutes - 15 are said as ´a quarter past 10´, ´a quarter to 12´ etc.
The minutes - 30 is only used as ´a half past 10´, ´a half past 2´etc
All minutes can be referred to as 3 minutes past * (5, the hour), 15 minutes past *, 22 minutes past *, 29 mintues past *, 30 minutes past * or 30 minutes to *, 29 minutes to # (6, the hour) (31 minutes past *), 16 minutes to # (44 minutes past *),  10 minutes to # (50 minutes past *) etc.

The twenty-four hour notation seems to be the most difficult method to understand, but is used by most military organizations and is favoured as a way of reducing confusion and removing the necessity of using ´AM´or ´PM´

Look at these examples;
00:25  -  zero twenty-five        
01:00  -  zero one hundred        uma hora
11:30  -  eleven thirty (hours)     onze horas e trinta minutos or onze e meia
13:43  -  thirteen forty-three       treze horas e quarenta e tres (minutos) 13horas e 43..
17:55  -  seventeen fifty-five       desessete horas e cinquenta e cinco (minutos) 17h e 55.
19:00  -  nineteen hundred         dezenove horas 19horas or 19h
23:59  -  twenty-three fifty-nine. vinte tres horas e cinquenta e nove (minutos) 23horas e 59

Notes
Sometimes the ´zero´ is replaced with ´oh´ as in 01:00 - oh one hundred (hours)
In English, we NEVER say 11:30 - eleven and thirty.

--ooOO\\//OOoo--

NUMBERS

The most obvious number difference is probably the use of the comma and decimal point. In Brazil, the comma is used to separate the whole numbers from the decimals. The decimal point is no longer a decimal and separates thousands.

1.203 in Portuguese is actually one thousand two hundred and three. In English, it would be 1,203.

123,456 in Portuguese is actually one hundred and twenty-three, comma (decimal point) four hundred and fifty-six. In English, it would be 123.456 one hundred and twenty-three, point four, five, six.

Decimal notation in English is quite strict where the numbers after the decimal point are read individually unless they represent a number of objects such as in Money where we refer to pence or cents. R$12.34 would be twelve reais and thirty-four cents. 

A percentage, 12.34%, would be twelve point three four percent. In Portuguese, it is common for Brazilians to use 12,34%. twelve comma (virgula) thirty-four percent   

When using Ordinal numbers, English is quite clear in its usage. With 1st (first), 2nd (second), 3rd (third), 4th (fourth), 5th (fifth), 6th (sixth) and so on. 11th is Eleventh, 12 is twelfth, 13th is thirteenth 20th is twentieth while 21st (twenty-first) continues the sequence of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc. Even when we get to larger numbers, it is the last number that determines the Ordinal notation.

Portuguese requires Ordinal notation on all parts of numbers not just the last number.

When written there is a unique symbol as is shown above. 1º, 2º and 5º are spoken as primeiro, segundo and quinto or 1ª, 2ª and 5ª are spoken as primeira, segunda and quinta. The feminine and masculine cases need to be respected. 

Where the cardinal numbers 21 twenty-one or vinte e um (in Portuguese) continue in their own relative sequences, 22, 23, 30, 33, 54, 121, 122, 130, 133, 154 etc, Ordinal numbers take on a very different face.

Cardinal                                                                     Ordinal 

  22  twenty two, vinte e dois                                     twenty second, vigésimo segundo

  23  twenty-three, vinte e três                                   twenty third, vigésimo terceiro

  30  thirty, trinta                                                       thirtieth, trigésimo

  33  thirty-three, trinta e três                                    thirty third, trigésimo terceiro

  34  thirty-four, trinta e quatro                                thirty fourth, trigésimo quarto 

121  one hudred and twenty-one, cento e vinte e um

        one hundred and twenty first, centésimo vigésimo primeiro 

122  one hundred and twenty two, cento e vinte e dois

        one hundred and twenty second, centésimo vigésimo segundo

130  one hundred and thirty, cento e trinta  

        one hundred and thirtieth, centesimo trigésimo

133  one hundred and thirty-three, cento e trinta e três

        one hundred and thirty third, centésimo trigésimo terceiro. 

154  one hundred and fifty-four, cento e cinquenta e quatro

        one hundred and fifty fourth, centésimo qinquagésimo ducentésimo trigésimo quarto

1,234,567 one million, two hundred and thirty-four thousand, five hundred and sixty-seven, um milhão, duzentos e trinta e quatro mil, quinhentos e sessenta e sete.  

          one million, two hundred and thirty-four thousand, five hundred and sixty-seventh,

Milionésimo ducentésimo trigésimo quarto milésimo quingentésimo sexagésimo sétimo

Special thanks to Marcelo Oshiro for his help in correcting and adding to the Portuguese ordinal numbers.
Thanks too to Lucio Olivier for some final touches

Concepts of culture

A long time ago, roughly 20 odds years, Brazil was deep in hyperinflation and it was very common for people to write "cheques pre-datado", pre-dated cheques.