Write about the dialog above. What's the message behind it?

Present Continuous

What are they doing?

a. She/wash the dishes.

b. He/work.

c. They/visit a friend.

d. Bob/ write a letter.

e. Jim/type an e-mail.

f. Bill/watch TV

When you don't want to be Facebook friends

Connecting with your past can bring up those old, uncomfortable feelings
Duane Hoffmann / msnbc.com


Facebook and other social networking sites can be great for getting back in touch ... unless you'd rather your past stay in the past, that is.
by Joy Jernigan
msnbc.com contributor
updated 7:39 p.m. ET Nov. 18, 2008


Andrea Smith recently received a Facebook friend invitation from someone she went to junior high school with — 23 years ago.

“I found it kind of baffling,” said Smith, 38, of Ypsilanti, Mich. “I knew who she was, but I don’t recall that we were ever friends. I don’t recall that we ever had a conversation.”
Social networking sites such as Facebook have experienced phenomenal growth in the past year, according to market researcher comScore. Facebook is now the No. 1 social networking site, with more than 120 million active users, and its fastest growing demographic is those 25 and older.

But with so many opportunities these days to connect with people online, some are confronting a question they thought they had left behind during their awkward adolescent years: What if I don’t want to be your friend?
“It’s really odd when suddenly your past comes out and finds you,” said Troy Sandal, 38, of San Francisco, who says he’s been contacted recently by former high school classmates. His 20-year high school reunion was held over the summer, although he did not attend. “To be honest, I had two friends in high school and I kept in touch with one.”
Sandal, who’s been on Facebook for about two years, says he’s not interested in collecting a large number of online friends. “You don’t want to add them as friends, you want to add them as ‘Hey, I knew you ” he said.
OK to ignore an invitationIt’s perfectly OK to ignore an invitation, especially one the sender has made no effort to tailor specifically to you, said Jason Alba, CEO of JibberJobber.com and co-author of “I’m on Facebook — Now What???”
"You don’t have to respond to every single thing that comes at you," he writes.
Some users of social networking sites prefer to “friend” people who are colleagues or friends in real life. Some send invitations to friends of friends in an effort to expand their network, while others attempt to friend someone who has an interesting profile. Those new to Facebook are prompted to send a friend request to everyone in their address book (although they have the option to skip this step).
That’s what happened to Laura Hesse, 36, of Orange, Calif. When she signed up for Facebook in August, she had a friend talk her through the initial setup. In the process, she sent a mass invitation of friendship to everyone in her address book — including a family member she had cut all ties with.
“I had no idea what I was doing!” Hesse said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, no, she’s going to get it!’ ”
Sure enough, the woman accepted Hesse’s unintended invitation of friendship.
“She was able to catch up on the past three or four months of my life,” said Hesse, including photos of her kids and a recent kitchen remodel. “I kind of felt like she got a whole glimpse of it within a few hours. There’s a reason they’re not in my life, and there’s a reason I didn’t want them to see this stuff.”
As soon as Hesse realized she could “unfriend” her family member — by clicking on the X to the right of her name — she did. Hesse then disappeared from her relative’s Facebook page, although she later heard the woman was devastated when she found out.

Come to terms with (sth)!!!

Do you know what it means? It's an common expression in English.

Definition: reach an agreement; accept something difficult.

Explanation: Often used when speaking about the acceptance of a situation which is not necessarily to your liking.

e.g.

Speaking ahead of her much anticipated appearance at Torquay's Princess Theatre next month, the star said she was 'still coming to terms' with the loss of her sibling. Dionne Warwick

Now it's your turn to leave sentences using this expression:

Phrasal Verbs

Dear Students

As you continue to journey on the road in learning English, I want to tell you that you are doing a tremendous job! Thank you for your hard work and for your dedication.
There are three things that might make your story as successful:

1. Show up -- show up for every single class

2. Make up — make up the lessons you have had to skip because of illness or being too busy

3. Start up – start up an English club or a study group where you can practice your English on an daily basis

And...Don’t ever give up!

Dr. Carolyn Johnson

firmfoundationministries.org

Here are the meaning of the phrasal verbs used by Dr. Carolyn Johnson in her encouraging message:

Show up - appear or become visible; make a showing

Make up - compensate, reconcile, create

Start up - the act or an instance of setting in operation or motion

Give up - to abandon (oneself) to a particular feeling, influence, or activity.

Now it's your turn to leave some sentences below using the new phrasal verbs yo have just learned!!

Community

In biological terms, a community is a group of interacting organisms sharing an environment. In human communities, intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, risks, and a number of other conditions may be present and common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness. In sociology, the concept of community has caused infinite debate, and sociologists are yet to reach agreement on a definition of the term. In deed, one can find 94 discrete definitions of the term even as early as mid-1950s. Traditionally a "community" has been defined as a group of interacting people living in a common location. The word is thus often used to mean a group that is organised around common values within a shared geographical location. However, the definition has evolved and been enlarged to mean individuals who share characteristics, regardless of their location or type of interaction. In this sense, "community" can mean a community of interest or an ethnic group. Finally, wider meanings of the word can refer to the national community or global community. What these various meanings have in common is that they refer to the strength of the ties between the group, of whatever nature—cultural, ethnic, or moral—they may be.

Source: Wikipedia

Let's study!!!

Past Experiences

1. The grammar in the following sentences is correct, but the sentences don't make sense. The endings have been mixed up. Rearrange the sentences so that they make sense and answer them.


a. Have you ever ridden a snake?
b. Have you ever been asked to the top of a mountain?
c. Have you ever met a desert?
d. Have you ever driven a television program?
e. Have you ever climbed to make a speech?
f. Have you ever crossed a famous person?
g. Have you ever appeared on a Ferrari?
h. Have you ever caught a horse on the beach?

Video Comprehension

Watch the video below and answer the questions that are asked in the video!

Answer the questions about the cartoon above:

a. Who are the characters in the cartoon?

b. Why doesn't Jimmy want to play house with her?

Present Perfect - practice

After learning a little bit of Present Perfect, it's time now to practice a little bit!!!

Read the sentences below and find out the sentences that are wrong and correct them!!
a) I've been to China. b) She has bought some bread five minutes ago. c) He hasn't seen the movie yesterday. d) Darwin has left his bike in the yard. e) Bill and Craig have been to Italy last year.

Now make up sentences with the verbs below using the Present Perfect!

a) drink b) see C) be d) take e) make

Present Perfect!!!

Começamos nossa Semana Gramatical com um assunto temido por muitos alunos e também (pasmem!) por muitos professores: o Present Perfect! Já ouvi dizer que ele é a “pedra no sapato” de muitos alunos. Vamos tentar esclarecer e desmistificar isso tudo.

Lembrem-se que ele se chama Present Perfect por uma razão: tem sempre algo relacionado com o presente de quem fala ou da situação da qual se fala. Eis alguns exemplos:

I have lost my car keys. (Perdi as chaves do meu carro. Não estou com elas agora, portanto não posso entrar no carro.)

Have you done your homework? (Fizeram a tarefa? – Pergunta a professora querendo ver a tarefa feita agora.)

I have broken a glass. (Quebrei um copo. Há cacos de vidro por todos os lugares.)

Why can´t John buy that new car? – He has lost his job. (Por que John não pode comprar aquele carro novo? – Ele perdeu seu emprego. Agora não tem dinheiro para comprar o carro.)

Viram a conexão entre o passado e o presente?

Let´s continue …

O Present Perfect também é usado com uma série de advérbios:

JUST: indica que a ação acabou de acontecer. He has just finished doing his homework. (Ele acabou de terminar de fazer sua tarefa.)

EVER: alguma vez na vida. Have you ever gone hiking in the mountains? (Você já foi fazer trilha nas montanhas?)

ALREADY: já (nas frases afirmativas). I have already been to China. (Eu já estive na China.)

NEVER: nunca. I have never seen such a beautiful thing. (Nunca vi coisa tão Linda.)

YET: 1. já (quando se espera que a resposta seja afirmativa) – Have you done the dishes yet? (Já lavou a louça? – Era esperado que você a lavasse.) – 2. ainda (em frases negativas) – No, I haven´t done the dishes yet. (Não, não lavei a louça ainda.)

SINCE – desde. I have been a teacher since 1992. (Sou professor desde 1992.)

FOR – há, por, faz. I haven´t seen him for a long time. (Não o vejo há/por/faz muito tempo.)

DICAS:

1. Quando a pergunta contiver WHEN nunca use o Present Perfect, sempre use o Simple Past: When did you start studying English?

2. O Present Perfect também é usado para indicar a quantidade de vezes que a pessoa faz algo. Por exemplo: This is the first time I´ve come here. (É a primeira vez que venho aqui.) – She hasn´t been here lately. (Ela não tem vindo aqui ultimamente.)

Fonte: English Experts

Viu como não é tão complicado assim????

Agora é hora de praticarmos! Deixe uma frase aqui usando o Present Perfect. E Postem suas dúvidas também!!

MBS - 2 Year-old Anniversary!!

Two years ago, on August 1, a new English course was coming to change what people used to think about what learning English was like!!! It is gettting more and more recognized by students and others as a source of learning how to communicate with people world!
If you still don't know our course or if you've never heard of it, it's time to give it a try and see how interesting it is to take part of this project which is also a dream come true!!!
This month we celebrate 2 years; and they are 2 years of accomplishments and joy!!
I wanna say special thanks to every one who has been involved in several sorts of ways!!!
Happy Birthday MBS English Teaching!!

The Greenhouse Effect

The Greenhouse Effect The greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that the Earth experiences because certain gases in the atmosphere (water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane, for example) trap energy from the sun. Without these gases, heat would escape back into space and Earth’s average temperature would be about 60ºF colder. Because of how they warm our world, these gases are referred to as greenhouse gases.

Have you ever seen a greenhouse? Most greenhouses look like a small glass house. Greenhouses are used to grow plants, especially in the winter. Greenhouses work by trapping heat from the sun. The glass panels of the greenhouse let in light but keep heat from escaping. This causes the greenhouse to heat up, much like the inside of a car parked in sunlight, and keeps the plants warm enough to live in the winter. The Earth’s atmosphere is all around us. It is the air that we breathe. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere behave much like the glass panes in a greenhouse. Sunlight enters the Earth's atmosphere, passing through the blanket of greenhouse gases. As it reaches the Earth's surface, land, water, and biosphere absorb the sunlight’s energy. Once absorbed, this energy is sent back into the atmosphere. Some of the energy passes back into space, but much of it remains trapped in the atmosphere by the greenhouse gases, causing our world to heat up. (D) The greenhouse effect is important. Without the greenhouse effect, the Earth would not be warm enough for humans to live. But if the greenhouse effect becomes stronger, it could make the Earth warmer than usual. Even a little extra warming may cause problems for humans, plants, and animals.

MBS Interchange!!!

Last week MBS received a group of American teens!! It was wonderful!! We had such a blast!!! Jon and Pattie came along!
They came for a mission trip and dropped by!

American Flag Day!! June 14

~ Old Glory ~

I pledge allegiance to
the flag of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation under God,
Indivisible, with liberty and
Justice for all.


The meaning of the pledge of allegiance.
When you pledge allegiance to your flag you promise loyalty and devotion to your nation. Each word has a deep meaning.
I pledge allegiance....I promise to be true
to the flag....to the sign of our country
of the United States of America....a country made up of 50 states, each with certain rights.
and to the Republic....a country where the people elect others to make laws for them
for which it stands....the flag means the country
one Nation under God...a single country whose people believe in a supreme being
indivisible....the country cannot be split into parts
with liberty and justice....with freedom and fairness
for all....for each person in the country--you and me.


History of Our Flag

The flag of the United States of America today has 13 stripes - 7 red and 6 white - and 50 white stars on a blue field - five rows of 6 and four rows of 5. The stripes remind us of the 13 original colonies that gained us our liberty. The stars represent the states that are bound together into one country.

The flag of today grew out of many earlier flags raised in days gone by over American soil.
From the time that America was discovered, different flags flew over different parts of the country; the flags of Spain, France, Holland, Sweden, and England.

An English flag, known as the Red Ensign, waved over the 13 colonies from 1707 to the Revolution. The Red Ensign was the merchant flag of England. It was red with a union in the upper corner combining the cross of St. George (red on white), patron of England, with the diagonal cross (white on blue) of St. Andrew, patron of Scotland.

The flag that became known as the Grand Union flag was raised over George Washington's headquarters outside Boston on January 1, 1776. The Revolutionary War had started the year before and the colonies needed a flag of their own. The Grand Union flag retained the union of the English flag. Six white stripes broke the red field into seven red stripes - a total of 13 stripes.

The first official flag of the new nation was created by a resolution of the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia. The resolution was passed on June 14, 1777. That is the date we celebrate each year as Flag Day. The resolution specified "that the flag be 13 stripes alternate red and white; that the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation." Since the resolution did not state how the stars were to be arranged, flag makers arranged them in different ways, among them; rows, in a half circle, and in a full circle. The one adopted was made by Besty Ross and had the stars in a full circle.

The flag that waved over Fort McHenry when it was bombarded, September 13-14, 1814, was a 15 star and 15 stripe flag. Two stripes and stars had been added to the orginal 13 on May 1, 1795. It became famous as the Star Spangled Banner. It was the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write our national athem.

The Flag of 1818 had the stripes reduced to 13. Five more stars had been added, for a total of 20. When still more states joined the United States, it became evident that the flag would get to be an awkward shape if more and still more stripes were added. Therefore, on April 4, 1818, Congress passed a law that restored the design back to the orginal 13 stripes. It also provided that a star be added to the blue field for each new state.

Our Space

Hello dear friends and students!!!

Our course is creating one more way of learning and practicing English! Here we'll be able to post our ideas, doubts, reviews and a lot more! I'd like you guys to keep on accessing this blog in order to be aware of the tips related to English learning!!! Please comment, criticize and suggest! This is our space!!!

"If you're not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original."
- Ken Robinson

See you next time!!!