Grammar

Noun + Noun Combinations

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What are they?

In English, we often use two nouns together to name something.
The first noun describes or gives more information about the second noun — it works like an adjective.

Example:

  • chocolate cake = a cake made with chocolate
  • car key = a key for a car

Word Order Difference

In Portuguese, we usually say:

X de Y → bolo de chocolate

In English, we flip the order:

Y + X → chocolate cake

Think of it as “turning the phrase around.”

Examples by Category

TypePortugueseEnglishExplanation
Materialsapato de couroleather shoesshoes made of leather
Ingredientbolo de chocolatechocolate cakecake made with chocolate
Purposeescova de cabelohairbrusha brush used for hair
Contentcopo de vinhowine glassglass for wine
Placefazenda de cafécoffee farmfarm that produces coffee
Timereunião de domingoSunday meetingmeeting that happens on Sunday

Important Notes

✅ The first noun is usually singular, even when it refers to something plural:

  • a shoe store (not shoes store)

✅ If we use nouns that are always used in plural forms (such as shoes, glasses, gloves, etc.) as a modifier for another noun, we have to use them in the singular form:

  • His shoe size is 44.

Shoe is a singular form of the normally plural word shoes used to modify the noun size.

✅ Sometimes two nouns become a compound noun — a single concept that can be written as:

  • one word (toothbrush, toothpaste, bedroom, policeman)
  • two separate words (coffee cup, police station)
  • or hyphenated (mother-in-law, check-in, 15-year-old boy)

There’s no fixed rule for which form to use — it’s based on common usage.
👉 When in doubt, check a dictionary to see if it’s one word, two words, or hyphenated.

Common Mistakes for Portuguese Speakers

salad potato ❌
potato salad ✅

cup wine ❌
wine cup or wine glass ✅

The first noun always comes before the main noun and without “of”.
We only use “of” for possession or abstract ideas (the color of the sky, a friend of mine).

Press play and reinforce your learning!

Practice Time ✏️

A. Flip it!
Change from Portuguese-style order to English-style order:

  1. copo de água → ___________
  2. sapato de couro → ___________
  3. bolo de cenoura → ___________
  4. reunião de equipe → ___________
  5. história de amor → ___________

Answers:

  1. water glass
  2. leather shoes
  3. carrot cake
  4. team meeting
  5. love story

B. Complete the sentences:

  1. I need my ________ keys. (car)
  2. She’s wearing a beautiful ________ dress. (summer)
  3. We stayed in a small ________ house. (beach)
  4. This is my favorite ________ shop. (coffee)
  5. He bought a new ________ phone. (cell)

Answers:

  1. car keys
  2. summer dress
  3. beach house
  4. coffee shop
  5. cell phone

Quick Recap

👉 First noun = description (acts like an adjective)
👉 Second noun = main idea
👉 Formula: noun + noun → one concept
👉 In Portuguese: X de Y → In English: Y + X

💡 Tip for Learners

Try noticing these combinations when reading or listening to English — they’re everywhere!
Example: bus stop, flower shop, baby food, school bag, mountain view, etc.

Phrasal Verbs

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What Are Phrasal Verbs?

Phrasal verbs are a verb + one or more particles (prepositions or adverbs) that create a new meaning.
Example: get over = recover or overcome (not “get” + “over” literally).

They are very common in spoken English and often unpredictable.

Types of Phrasal Verbs

1. Two-Part Verbs

Verb + one particle

Examples:

  • grow up – The children are growing up.
  • take after – She takes after her mother. (= She looks like her mother or she behaves like her mother.)
  • count on – I can count on you. (= I know I can trust you or I know I can believe you.)

a) Inseparable

Verb and particle cannot be split.

She takes after her mother.

b) Separable

With a noun object, you may place the particle before or after the object:

She gave back the money. / She gave the money back.

But with a pronoun, separation is required:

She gave it back. ✅
She gave back it. ❌

Common separable particles: apart, around, away, back, behind, down, out, over, together, off, up.

2. Three-Part Verbs

Verb + two particles, always inseparable:

  • walk out on – His girlfriend walked out on him.
  • catch up with – She caught up with the runners.
  • look up to – Children should look up to their parents.

Grammar & Tenses

Only the verb changes form; the particles stay the same.

  • Past: I got over the flu.
  • Infinitive: I need to get over this cold.
  • Gerund: I’m getting over the flu.

Key takeaway:
A phrasal verb acts as one unit of meaning, so learn them as phrases, not word by word.

Practice

Test your knowledge of phrasal verbs with these online exercises.

Keep Learning

Want more? Watch the video for more phrasal verbs.

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

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❌ “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?

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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

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

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.