Clear skies

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 the sky?
  • There was not a single cloud in the sky.
  • 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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!

Can we “have” our class on another day?

Look carefully:

Eu estava fazendo uma aula de inglês.
Eu estava preparando uma aula de inglês.
Eu estava criando uma aula de inglês.
Eu estava desenvolvendo uma aula de inglês.
>> I was making / preparing an English class.

Eu estava fazendo uma aula de inglês.
Eu estava assistindo uma aula de inglês.
Eu estava participando de uma aula de inglês.
Eu estava presente numa aula de inglês.
>> I was having / taking / attending an English class.

“To do a class”, doesn’t sound good. And I believe there is a slight difference between the verbs to take and to have in this context.

If you are taking a class, for example, it is already implied you are the student. However, if you are having a class, you are attending a class, so you have a class scheduled, which can be true for either the teacher or the student

Now, concerning the question that is the title of this post, “Teacher, can we have our class on another day?”, there are also a few more possible ways to say the same:

“Teacher, can we change our class to another day?”

“Teacher, is it possible to schedule (for) another day and time?”

Okay! I hope you found this lesson helpful!

https://www.englishexperts.com.br/forum/como-dizer-fazer-aula-em-ingles-do-a-class-e-correto-t67669.html

https://www.englishexperts.com.br/forum/take-a-class-x-have-a-class-qual-utilizar-t63223.html

Fake news

Uma collocation é um par ou grupo de palavras frequentemente utilizado em conjunto.

Elas soam “certas” para os nativos. Equivale, por exemplo, à expressão: “nem que a vaca tussa” em português. Não dizemos “nem que o boi tussa, ou que o cavalo tussa” e também não dizemos “nem que a vaca espirre”.

Veja a seguir collocations que expressam o sentido de falso(s)/falsa(s):

FAKE NEWS

FALSE ALARM, FALSE NAME, FALSE POSITIVE / FALSE NEGATIVE, FALSE DOCUMENTS, TRUE OR FALSE?

KNOCKOFF

COUNTERFEIT, COUNTERFEIT CASH, COUNTERFEIT DRUG

BOOTLEG ALCOHOL, MUSIC, MOVIE

PHONY (US) / PHONEY (UK), PHONY SMILE, PHONY EXCUSE, PHONY ADS, PHONY LAWYER, PHONY CLASS, PHONY MARRIAGE, PHONY PHONE CALL, PHONY BEARD, FAKE MUSTACHE / PHONY MUSTACHE

House or home?

We use the noun house to refer to a building:

Como dizer “espinhas” em inglês?

Hoje, vamos aprender como se diz “espinha” em inglês. Não estou falando da espinha dorsal, e sim da acne. Em inglês podemos dizer pimple ou zit.

When I was a tenager, I was full of zits.  Quando eu era adolescente, eu era cheio de espinhas.

pimple

E como falamos em inglês, “espremer uma espinha“? Podemos dizer “to pop a zit“.

She used to pop her zits as a teenager. Ela costumava espremer as espinhas quando era adolescente.

Learn more about acne problems here.

http://espacoenglish.blogspot.com.br/2014/04/como-dizer-espinhas-em-ingles.html

http://wordbridge.blogspot.com.br/2011/11/espremer-espinha-em-ingles.html