Grammar

“More Five Minutes?” Not Quite! Learn the Right Word Order in English

Posted by

0

❌ “Teacher, I need more five minutes.”

A lot of English learners say that to me.

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.

🎧 Now Fun Time!

Listen carefully to this classic Phil Collins song from 1984
and work on the lyrics by playing this fun game: https://lyricstraining.com/play/phil-collins/one-more-night

To Downtown or Not to Downtown?

Posted by

0

Understanding How to Use “Downtown” in English

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:

  1. We had lunch downtown.
  2. She went to downtown.
  3. I love downtown cafés.
  4. They moved downtown last year.
  5. He works in a downtown office.
  6. 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):

  1. ✅ Correct
  2. ❌ Incorrect → Correct: She went downtown.
  3. ✅ Correct
  4. ✅ Correct
  5. ✅ Correct
  6. ✅ 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.

Present Perfect

Posted by

0

O Present Perfect é um tempo verbal que conecta o passado com o presente. Ele é usado para expressar ações ou situações que:

✅ Começaram no passado e continuam até o presente;

👉🏻 Normalmente usado com for (há) e since (desde).

I have lived here for five years.

She has worked there since 2010.

✅ Experiências de vida que aconteceram em um passado indefinido (sem mencionar o momento exato);

👉🏻 Foco na experiência, não no momento específico.

I have visited Japan. (Eu visitei o Japão.)

✅ Resultados ou consequências no presente

👉🏻 Algo que aconteceu no passado, mas tem efeito agora.

I have lost my keys. (Perdi minhas chaves.) → Não consigo entrar em casa agora.

He has broken his arm. (Ele quebrou o braço.) → Está com o braço imobilizado agora.

🌟 FORMAÇÃO DO PRESENT PERFECT

👉🏻 [Sujeito] + have/has + past participle (particípio passado)

TipoEstruturaExemplo
✅ AfirmativaSujeito + have/has + past participleI have visited Japan. (Eu visitei o Japão.)
❌ NegativaSujeito + have/has + not + past participleI have not (haven’t) visited Japan. (Eu não visitei o Japão.)
❓ InterrogativaHave/Has + sujeito + past participle?Have you visited Japan? (Você já visitou o Japão?)

🛠 MARCADORES COMUNS DO PRESENT PERFECT

Just (acabou de) – I have just finished my homework.

Already (já) – She has already seen that movie.

Yet (ainda/não) – Have you finished yet? (Você já terminou?) She hasn’t arrived yet.

Ever (alguma vez) – Have you ever been to London?

Never (nunca) – I have never eaten sushi.

For (há/por) – I have known him for 10 years.

Since (desde) – We have lived here since 2015.

🚨 ERROS COMUNS NO PRESENT PERFECT

❌ ❌ Não usar o Present Perfect com tempo definido (yesterday, last week, in 2010…)

✔ I visited Japan in 2010. (Simple Past)

❌ I have visited Japan in 2010.

❌ ❌ Usar o Simple Past quando o impacto da ação ainda é relevante

✔  I have lost my wallet. (Importa agora porque ainda está perdida.)

❌ I lost my wallet. (Só usamos o Simple Past se o foco for no momento em que perdeu.)

🎯 EXERCÍCIOS

  1. Cheque seu conhecimento através deste teste online, mas faça anotações no seu caderno para maior retensão do conteúdo.

2. Complete com o Present Perfect:

  1. I (not / work)  ____________________ today.
  2. She (finish) ____________________ her homework already.
  3. We (buy)  ____________________ a new lamp.
  4. We (not / plan)  ____________________ our holiday yet.
  5. Have you ever (try) __________ sushi?
  6. Where (be / you) ____________________ ?
  7. He (write)  ____________________ five letters.
  8. They (live) ____________________ in this house since 2018.
  9. He ______ just (arrive) __________.
  10. She (not / see)  ____________________ him for a long time.
  11. (be / you)  ____________________ at school?
  12. School (not / start) ____________________  yet.
  13. (speak / he) ____________________ to his boss?
  14. No, he (have / not) ____________________  the time yet.

RESPOSTAS EXERCÍCIO 2

  1. have not worked
  2. has finished
  3. have bought
  4. have not planned
  5. tried
  6. have you been
  7. has written 
  8. have lived
  9. has just
  10. has not seen
  11. Have you been
  12. has not started
  13. Has he spoken
  14. he hasn’t had

🌟 BONUS

Assista a este vídeo, que mostra o caminho inverso, a visão de Gavin, um falante nativo de inglês, aprendendo português.

Which future? Will, going to or present progressive?

Posted by

0

There are some differences between these three ways of talking about the future. The differences are not always important; often we can use two or three different forms to talk about the same thing.

PREDICTIONS

Going to: we can see the future in the present; we see things coming or starting:

Look out! You’re going to break that glass! (I can see it now.)

Will: we think or believe things about the future:

Don’t give him a watch – he‘ll break it. (I think so, because I know him.)

Practice I: What’s the best form?

  1. Perhaps we are going to / will meet again one day.
  2. Look! Andy is going to / will fall off his bike!
  3. I think you are going to / will love Paris.
  4. Look at those clouds: it‘s going to / will rain.

DECISIONS

Will: we are making decisions; spontaneous decisions made at the time of speaking:

‘We’ve got a letter from Jan.’ ‘Ok, I‘ll answer it.‘

Going to: decisions are already made; decision made before the time of speaking:

‘There are a lot of letters to answer.’ ‘I know. ‘I‘m going to do them all on Tuesday.’

Practice II: Which one: I’ll or I’m going to?

  1. I’ve decided (that) ……………… stop smoking.
  2. ‘I don’t want to cook tonight.’ ‘All right, then. ……..cook.’
  3. ‘I haven’t got any money.’ ‘No? OK. ………….. pay.’
  4. ‘Do you want to go out tonight?’ ‘No, ………….. study English.’
  5. ‘These pants are dirty.’ ‘Really? Oh, yes, they are. …………. wash them.’
  6. ‘Is Ann eating with us?’ ‘Wait a minute. ………….. ask her.’

PLANS AND ARRANGEMENTS

Going to and the present progressive are often both possible when we talk about plans.

We use the present progressive mostly for fixed plans with a definite time and/or place:

I‘m going to see Ann sometime soon.

I‘m meeting Ann at the theater at 8 pm.

Sarah‘s starting university on September 17.

Practice III: In three of these sentences, the present progressive is possible. Which three?

  1. Jack is going to arrive at 4 pm.
  2. I’m going to learn French one of these days.
  3. I’m going to fly to Paris next year.
  4. Mom’s going to tell me about her problems.
  5. We’re all going to spend this month in Brazil.
  6. Are you going to answer all those emails?

ANSWERS:

PRACTICE I: 1. will; 2. is going to; 3. will; 4. is going to

PRACTICE II: 1. I’m going to; 2. I’ll; 3. I’ll; 4. I’m going to; 5. I’ll; 6. I’ll

PRACTICE III: 1. Jack is arriving at 4.00.; 3. I’m flying to Paris next year.; 5. We’re all spending this month in Brazil.

Here is a clear, simple, focused, and entertaining video that supports what we’ve learned.

Now practice will and going to a little more. In which sentences the present progressive is possible?

Lesson from The Good Grammar Book, Michael Swan and video transcript.

Comparatives and superlatives

Posted by

0

We use comparatives to compare two things, places or people.

She is taller than her husband.

Superlatives are used, however, to show the difference between more than two things, places or people.

Paris is the biggest city in France.

Now watch the following video and make/take notes.

So, to form comparatives and superlatives, you need to know the number of syllables in the adjective. Syllables are like “sound beats.”

For instance:

  • “find” contains one syllable,
  • but “finding” contains two — find and ing.

Rules to form comparatives and superlatives

1. One syllable adjective ending in a silent ‘e’ — nice

  • Comparative — add ‘r’ — nicer
  • Superlative — add ‘st’ — nicest

2. One syllable adjective ending in a consonant, a vowel and another consonant — big

  • Comparative — the consonant is doubled and ‘er’ is added —bigger
  • Superlative — the consonant is doubled and ‘est’ is added—biggest

3. One syllable adjective ending in more than one consonant or more than a vowel — high, cheap, soft.

  • Comparative — ‘er’ is added — higher, cheaper, softer.
  • Superlative — ‘est is added — highest, cheapest , softest.

4. A two syllable adjective ending in ‘y’ — happy

  • Comparative — ‘y’ becomes ‘i’ and ‘er’ is added — happier
  • Superlative — ‘y’ becomes ‘i’ and ‘est’ is added — happiest

5. Two syllable or more adjectives without ‘y’ at the end — exciting

  • Comparative — more + the adjective + than — more exciting than
  • Superlative — more + the adjective + than — the most exciting

Examples:

  • The Nile River is longer and more famous than the Thames.
  • Egypt is hotter than Sweden.
  • Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
  • This is one of the most exciting films I have ever seen.

Irregular comparatives and superlatives

AdjectivesComparativesSuperlatives
badworseworst
far(distance)fartherfarthest
far(extent)furtherfurthest
goodbetterbest
little  lessleast
manymoremost
muchmoremost

Similarities

To express similarities use the following structure:

… as + adjective + as …

Examples:

  • Mike is as intelligent as Nancy.
  • Larry is as popular as Oprah.

Comparative and superlative exercises

Complete the sentences with the most appropriate comparative or superlative phrase of the adjective given.

1. Mary is  ____________________ (lazy) student in the class.

2. Rob’s apartment is  _________________ (nice) mine.

3. Elephants are  ____________________ (fat) camels.

4. Kim is   _______________________ (small) of all my friends.

5. I think tornadoes are _______________________ (bad) hurricanes because they occur more often and are much more unpredictable.

6. Laura speaks English  ______________________ (good) Susan.

More exercises on comparatives and superlatives.

And now the funniest practice ever! With songs! Listen and complete. 😉