Many English learners struggle to pronounce the word “world” — and for good reason! It contains two tricky consonant sounds: R and L, right next to each other.
👂 In American English, the pronunciation can feel especially challenging.
🧠 A Brilliant Tip from a 12-Year-Old
One of my former students, Rodrigo (only 12 years old at the time!), came up with a smart way to break it down:
➡️ wor + óld
Think of it as two parts:
“wor” (as in word)
“óld” (like the word old)
Put them together: wor-óld → world
🎉 Ingenious, right? Way to go, Rodrigo!
🎥 A Similar Tip from a Teacher
While preparing this lesson, I came across a video where another teacher gives a very similar tip. Listen carefully.
🗣️ Pronunciation Practice
Repeat each pair of words slowly, focusing on the R and L sounds. Then say “world” after each one:
word – old – world
were – gold – world
worm – cold – world
war – fold – world
work – hold – world
Now try saying “world” 5 times in a row, slowly and clearly.
Finally, say these full sentences:
I get it — they’re thinking in Portuguese, where we say “mais cinco minutos.”
But in English, the word order is different.
Let’s fix it: ❌ more five minutes → ❌ wrong ✅ five more minutes → ✅ right!
📚 Why?
Because “more” is a modifier — a word that gives additional information about another word. In this case, it modifies the noun (minutes), and it must come after the number.
➡️ In English, the correct structure is:
👉 number + more + noun
I need ten more minutes.
She bought two more books.
We’ll wait five more days.
🆚 “Five more minutes” or “Five minutes more”?
Both are grammatically correct, but there’s a difference in tone. Let’s compare:
✅ Five more minutes (most common, especially in conversation)
– Most common – standard form for everyday English – Natural in everyday conversation – Neutral tone
Example: Can I have five more minutes, please?
✅ Five minutes more (less common, more literary or dramatic)
– Less common – More poetic, dramatic, or old-fashioned – Often used in songs or literature
Example: Just five minutes more — let the world wait while I gather my thoughts.
🎧 Practice Time!
1. Complete with the correct word order:
a) I need ______ to finish this book. (more / five / minutes)
b) She bought ______ for the trip. (bottles / more / two)
c) We waited ______, but he never came. (more / ten / minutes)
d) He asked for ______ to explain. (one / more / chance)
e) And then she whispered: “Give me ______, just to say goodbye.” (more / five / minutes)
2. Identify the correct sentence:
a) ( ) I’ll need more five hours. ( ) I’ll need five more hours.
b) ( ) She read two more pages. ( ) She read more two pages.
c) ( ) We’ll stay more three days. ( ) We’ll stay three more days.
d) ( )Five minutes more, and he would’ve seen the sunrise. ( ) More five minutes, and he would’ve seen the sunrise.
3. Translate to English using the correct structure:
a) Eu preciso de mais cinco minutos.
b) Ele ficou mais três dias no hotel.
c) Podemos esperar mais dois minutos?
d) Ela pediu apenas mais um minuto de silêncio.
e) Mais cinco minutos e tudo teria sido diferente.
4. Fix the sentence (rewrite it correctly):
a) I want more ten minutes.
b) She needs more two books.
c) Can I have more one chance?
d) Just more five seconds and we would have kissed.
5. Creative Writing Prompt ✍️
Complete the sentence using your imagination and the structure “___ more ” or “ minutes more”:
a) Five minutes more and… (Exemplo: Five minutes more and the storm would’ve passed.)
b) One more chance to…
c) He needed just a few more…
d) Ten more steps and…
Answers:
Exercise 1: a. five more minutes; b. two more bottles; c. ten more minutes; d. ten more minutes; e. five more minutes
Exercise 2: a. (✔) I’ll need five more hours./ b. (✔) She read two more pages. / c. (✔) We’ll stay three more days. / d. (✔) Five minutes more, and he would’ve seen the sunrise.
Exercise 3: a. I need five more minutes. / b. He stayed three more days at the hotel. / c. Can we wait two more minutes? / d. She asked for just one more minute of silence. / e. Five minutes more and everything would have been different.
Exercise 4: a.I want ten more minutes. / b. She needs two more books. / c. Can I have one more chance? / 4. Just five more seconds and we would have kissed.
Recently, a student was describing his weekend and said: “We went to downtown to visit.”
Hmm… something’s not quite right. Can we say that?
This little sentence inspired me to dig deeper into how “downtown” is used in American and British English — and the results were interesting!
🇺🇸 American vs. 🇬🇧 British English
The word “downtown” is commonly used in American English, but much less in British English. In fact, its use and grammatical role change depending on the variety of English and the context.
🧠 In American English, “downtown” is often used as:
🔹 An adverb (no preposition needed!)
Meaning: to or in the central part of a city
Examples:
I’m going downtown now.
She works downtown, but lives in the suburbs.
We were stuck downtown in traffic.
✅ So instead of saying: “We went to downtown to visit.”
You should say: “We went downtown to visit.”
“Downtown” as an adverb does not need the preposition “to.”
🔹 An adjective (used before a noun)
Meaning: related to the central business district
Examples:
A downtown hotel
Downtown Los Angeles
A downtown office building
Used this way, “downtown” describes where something is.
🏙️ In British English…
British speakers are more likely to say:
“the city centre” or
“the town centre”
Example:
We went to the city centre to visit a museum.
They tend to use “downtown” only as a noun, and even that is rare or used in specific contexts.
🔹 As a noun
Meaning: the central part of a city
Examples:
There’s a nice hotel in the heart of downtown.
We walked around downtown for hours.
The restaurant is two blocks from downtown.
Note: In this case, you can use a preposition like “in” or “from”, depending on the verb.
❗ So, what’s is the most important point to remember?
If you’re speaking American English, don’t say “to downtown.”
Instead, say:
✅ “We went downtown.”
Unless you’re using “downtown” as a noun (less common), which would allow for:
✅ “We went to the downtown area.”
✅ “We stayed in downtown.”
👉 Watch this short video explanation:
✍️ Try it yourself!
✅ Decide if the sentence is Correct or Incorrect — and if incorrect, fix it:
We had lunch downtown.
She went to downtown.
I love downtown cafés.
They moved downtown last year.
He works in a downtown office.
We explored the downtown.
Check your answers at the end!
💬 Creative Practice (Bonus)
Write a short paragraph or dialogue using at least three of these expressions:
go downtown
downtown store
live downtown
downtown traffic
the heart of downtown
✅ Answers (Correct or Incorrect):
✅ Correct
❌ Incorrect → Correct: She went downtown.
✅ Correct
✅ Correct
✅ Correct
✅ Correct — In American English, “the downtown” is acceptable when “downtown” is used as a noun, e.g., “We explored the downtown (area).”
💡 For a more natural version of sentence 6, you could also say: “We explored downtown.”
🗺️ So how do we say that we went to visit a new city and wanted to see its downtown?
There are a few natural ways to say this in English, depending on how “downtown” is used:
✅ “We went downtown to visit.”(adverb)
✅ “We drove downtown to visit.”(adverb)
✅ “We went to downtown Luiz Alves to visit.”(adjective – modifying a proper noun)
✅ “We went to visit the downtown of the city.”(noun)
Each version is grammatically correct — just remember the structure depends on how “downtown” is functioning in the sentence.
The English interdental sounds /θ/ and /ð/ — the famous “th” — have no direct equivalent in Portuguese. That’s why they are often tricky for learners.
👅 Correct tongue position:
Your tongue goes between your upper and lower teeth — just enough so you can gently blow air (for /θ/) or use your voice (for /ð/).
⚠️ Common Substitutions (and Why They’re a Problem)
Many learners mistakenly replace:
/θ/ with /ts/
/ð/ with /dz/
Others go further and substitute:
/θ/ with /s
/ð/ with /z
These substitutions are not acceptable in clear English pronunciation, because they can change the meaning of words — a process called neutralization of contrast.
🔄 See the difference for yourself:
Correct Word
Learner’s Substitution
Meaning Changes?
math /mæθ/
mats /mæts/
Yes – completely different word!
breathe /brið/
breeds /bridz/
Yes – noun vs. verb confusion
thin /θɪn/
sin /sɪn/
Yes – totally different word!
thick /θɪk/
sick /sɪk/
Yes – again, very different
breathe /brið/
breeze /briːz/
Yes – verb vs. noun, different root
🎧 Now it’s your turn!
Take the time to watch and repeat with these two helpful videos that show you exactly how to pronounce the “TH” sounds:
🎯Mini Quiz: Can You Hear the Difference?
👉 Say these word pairs out loud. Can you feel the difference between /θ/ (voiceless) and /ð/ (voiced)?
think / sink
thick / sick
breath / breathe
then / den
they / day
✔ Tip: /θ/ feels like a whisper. /ð/ has voice.
✨ Poetic Practice Sentences
Practice these rhythmic and literary phrases to develop fluency and sensitivity to the sounds:
“Think of things that thrill your thoughts.” (Notice all the soft /θ/ sounds.)
“This and that, these and those – the threads that tie our prose.” (/ð/ as in this, that, these, those – all voiced.)
“With every breath, I feel the breeze.” (contrast between breathe /ð/ and breeze /z/)
“Thin lines of thought thread through the thick of night.” (a mix of /θ/ and poetic rhythm)
📝 Writing Task
Write one sentence using at least two words with /θ/.
Write one sentence using at least two words with /ð/.
Absolutely “clear skies”! Have you ever heard that expression?
Let’s break it down. First, why do we sometimes use the plural “skies” if there’s only one sky over Earth? Should we say sky or skies?
☁️ Sky vs Skies – What’s the difference?
SKY (noun)
/ˈskaɪ/ (plural: skies) The sky is the space above the Earth — where we see clouds, the sun, the moon, and stars.
Most of the time, we use the sky in the singular:
The sky suddenly went dark, and it started to rain.
What’s that in thesky?
There was not a single cloud in thesky.
White clouds moved fast across the sky.
A crowd gathered under a cloudy sky.
Meteors falling from the sky.
A cloudless sky.
The night sky.
When an adjective is used with “sky,” we typically say a [adjective] sky: a blue sky, a grey sky, a cloudless sky.
SKIES – When and why do we use the plural?
We usually use skies when we’re:
Describing different types of sky, the different appearances or conditions of the sky, especially at different times:
A land of blue skies and warm sunshine.
The skies are overcast today — it’s chilly and damp.
Clear skies could mean temperatures will drop tonight.
The tropical skies of the Caribbean are breathtaking.
We traveled across lands with blue, grey, and golden skies.
The forecast calls for clear skies with a chance of thunderstorms later.
Being poetic or expressive:
Reach for the skies! (freedom, ambition)
He dreamed of distant skies.
Skies of hope and wonder.
📝 So yes — we use the plural “skies” to emphasize variation or contrast, often poetically or descriptively. It’s not about having more than one actual sky but about the many faces it can show. It’s not always mandatory but adds richness and a sense of vastness or variety.
☀️ Now, about the collocation “clear skies”:
We say clear skies, not clean skies.
Clear means: cloudless, bright, and free of mist or haze.
✅ The skies were clear and blue.
✅ A clear June morning.
🧠 Note: In some contexts, clear skies can also be used metaphorically — for example, in economic forecasts or optimistic outlooks.
✅ To sum up:
Use sky when referring to the space above in a general or singular sense.
Use skies to be poetic, describe the different appearances or conditions of the sky, or emphasize vastness.
Always say clear skies, not clean skies.
📝 Exercises – Sky vs. Skies & Clear Skies
🔹 1. Complete as frases com sky ou skies.
a) There wasn’t a single cloud in the __________. b) They dreamed of freedom under foreign __________. c) We watched the sunset as it painted the __________ orange and pink. d) The pilot said we might have turbulence due to cloudy __________. e) The moon was high in the night __________.
🔹 2. Escolha a opção correta.
a) The weather forecast says we’ll have: 🔘 clean skies 🔘 clear skies
b) When describing one specific place, we usually use: 🔘 skies 🔘 sky
c) In poetic or literary expressions, it’s more natural to say: 🔘 reach for the sky 🔘 reach for the skies
d) We say: 🔘 a cloudless sky 🔘 a cloudless skies
e) Which is correct? 🔘 The skies was blue. 🔘 The sky was blue.
🔹 3. Escreva frases usando as palavras entre parênteses.
Use “sky” ou “skies” conforme o contexto.
a) (beautiful / today) → ________________________________________ b) (dark / at night) → ________________________________________ c) (reach / poetic) → ________________________________________ d) (forecast / tomorrow) → ________________________________________ e) (I love / clear) → ________________________________________
🔹 4. Corrija a frase, se necessário.
a) A clear sky are expected tomorrow. b) The clean skies made the morning even more special. c) What is that in the skies? d) A crowd gathered under a cloudy sky.
✅ Gabarito – Sky vs. Skies & Clear Skies
🔹 1. Complete as frases com sky ou skies.
a) There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. b) They dreamed of freedom under foreign skies. c) We watched the sunset as it painted the sky orange and pink. d) The pilot said we might have turbulence due to cloudy skies. e) The moon was high in the night sky.
🔹 2. Escolha a opção correta.
a) ✅ clear skies b) ✅ sky c) ✅ reach for the skies d) ✅ a cloudless sky e) ✅ The sky was blue.
🔹 3. Escreva frases usando as palavras entre parênteses.
(Respostas variam; aqui estão sugestões corretas)
a) The sky is beautiful today. b) The sky gets very dark at night. c) She told him to reach for the skies. d) The forecast says clear skies tomorrow. e) I love clear skies in the morning.
🔹 4. Corrija a frase, se necessário.
a) ❌ A clear sky is expected tomorrow. b) ❌ The clear skies made the morning even more special. c) ❌ What is that in the sky? d) ✅ Correta!
