What are you thankful for?

Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on November 25, the biggest and the most important holiday in the US, even more than Christmas or the Fourth of July.

It officially marks the beginning of the holiday season, the period between Thanksgiving and New Year.

Do you want to know when the first Thanksgiving happened?

And are you ready for a dose of American culture while building your English vocabulary? Let’s first look at some words.

Next, there is a little more advanced video. If you feel that the listening is too fast, change the setting.

Now it’s your turn. What are the things you are thankful for, the things you are most grateful for this year?

I’m sure you have a list of things to be grateful for:

  • your family
  • close friends
  • good health
  • your home
  • your job
  • healthy food
  • your pets

How was your long weekend?

Este foi um feriadão, um feriado prolongado para você?

Todos rapidamente sabem dizer feriado em inglês, HOLIDAY, public holiday e também bank holiday (no inglês britânico). Mas e feriadão?

Para se referir à fim de semana prolongado ou feriadão, você pode usar as expressões LONG WEEKEND ou THREE-DAY WEEKEND (feriado na sexta ou na segunda), e FOURDAY WEEKEND (feriado na quinta, com recesso na sexta, ou na terça, com recesso na segunda).

A expressão DAY OFF, significa dia de folga, mas dependendo do contexto (sempre ele!), pode ser vista no sentido de feriado.

E as perguntas mais comuns antes e depois de um feriado prolongado são a respeito de seus planos com relação à ele: 

As duas primeiras, são as construções mais utilizadas pelos alunos, pela semelhança com as estruturas da língua portuguesa.

  • What are you going to do this long weekend? or What did you do this long weekend?
  • How is your long weekend going to be? or How was your long weekend?

As seguintes, são as utilizadas pelos falantes nativos:

  • How are you going to spend your three-day weekend? or How did you spend your three-day weekend?
  • Where are you going to spend your long weekend? or Where did you spend your long we

Agora pratique, completando as frases com as palavras ou expressões que faltam:

1- Monday was a _____________________.

(Segunda-feira foi feriado.)

2- It was a ____________________________________.

(Foi um feriado de três dias.)

3 – It was ________________________________.

(Foi Proclamação da República.)

4 – There are many ____________________in Brazil.

(Há muitos feriados nacionais no Brasil.)

5 – Next long weekend, Christmas, ________________ a Saturday this year.

(O próximo feriado prolongado, Natal, cai em uma sábado este ano.)

5- On Friday, I was in a __________________.

(Na sexta-feira eu estava em clima de feriado.)

7- I _______________ the holiday at home.

(Passei o feriado em casa.)

Confira suas respostas:

1 – holiday; 2 – a three-day weekend; 3 – Republic Day; 4 – national holidays; 5 – falls on; 6 – holiday mood; 7 – spent

Conteúdo Extra

Aos que já possuem o conteúdo desta lição suficientemente trabalhado, aqueles alunos com os quais praticamos estas estruturas diversas vezes, vamos lá ampliar os limites!

English from the streets! Australian accent!

Listen carefully and take notes of all the extra possibilities not discussed in this lesson.

Clique em  feriado e feriado prolongado, se quiser ouvir as expressões mencionadas na primeira parte da lição.

9/11 and heroes

We have recently learned how to use the words birthday and anniversary. This lesson shows the noun anniversary used to talk about the 20th anniversary of the September 11 tragedy. Note that the ordinal number indicating the number of years precedes the word anniversary.

The attack remains one of the most traumatic events of the century, not only for Americans but also for the world.

Around the US, every year, people pause to remember those who lost their lives on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, vowing to “never forget.”

“9/11” is shorthand for the date, September 11, 2001. On that date, four airplanes were hijacked or taken over by 19 terrorists, part of the terrorist group called “al-Qaeda,” and used as giant, guided missiles to crash into landmark buildings in New York and Washington. Two planes struck the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York. As people rushed out of the towers, many rushed in to help, including firefighters and police officers, who saved thousands of lives.

Almost 3,000 people died, and thousands were injured or later developed illnesses connected to the attacks, including firefighters who had worked in toxic debris. Citizens of 77 different countries were among the casualties.

The third plane destroyed the western face of the Pentagon – the giant headquarters of the US military just outside the nation’s capital, Washington DC.

And the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back. There is speculation that the hijackers had meant to attack the Capitol Building in Washington DC.

  • All 246 passengers and crew aboard the four planes were killed
  • At the Twin Towers, 2,606 people died – then or later of injuries
  • At the Pentagon, 125 people were killed

Around 17,000 people were in the buildings when they were hit by the planes. Most of them left safely. As they rushed out, firemen, police officers, and other volunteers rushed in to help those still trapped. We call these heroes “first responders”. The buildings were very damaged, though, and before the first responders could help everyone, they collapsed.

On the one hand, the world witnessed the searing destructiveness of naked hate that day; on the other hand saw many performing incredible acts of heroism, sympathy, and gratitude.

People came from all over the world to help. Some came to help the injured. Some came to help clean up the site. Others brought food and support messages for the workers. Many people worked around the clock (all day and all night without stopping) to clear the rubble and the debris, and eight months later, the last of the steel was removed.

To help us remember, a permanent 9/11 Memorial and a Museum were opened at the site of the original World Trade Center on the 10th anniversary of the attacks. Together, they remind us what happened that day and help us remember all the people who lost their lives. They also let us remember the importance of helping each other and making our community and world a better place.

PRACTICE

  • What does the word “hero” mean to you? Do you think of someone with superhuman strength or someone you know?

  • What makes a hero?

  • How can we show support and gratitude to those who act heroically or are absolutely and genuinely committed to the well-being of our community, country, or the world? 

Easter! A long weekend?

Este está sendo um feriadão, ou um feriado prolongado para você?

A palavra mais comum para dizermos feriado em inglês é holiday. Existe a expressão day off, cujo significado é dia de folga, mas, dependendo do contexto (sempre ele!), pode também ser usada com o sentido de feriado.

Se quiser falar fim de semana prolongado ou feriadão, você pode usar as expressões long weekendthree-day weekend quando o feriado cai na sexta ou na segunda, e four-day-weekend quando o feriado cai na quinta, com recesso na sexta, ou na terça, com recesso na segunda. O termo bank holiday weekend é usado no inglês britânico.

E as perguntas mais comuns antes e depois de um feriado prolongado são a respeito de seus planos para ele: 

  • What are you going to do this long weekend? or What did you do this long weekend?
  • How is your long weekend going to be? or How was your long weekend?
  • How are you going to spend your three-day weekend? or How did you spend your three-day weekend?
  • Where are you going to spend your long weekend? or Where did you spend your long weekend?

Agora pratique, completando as frases com as palavras ou expressões que faltam:

1- Friday was a _____________________.

(Sexta-feira foi feriado.)

2- It was ____________________________________.

(Foi um feriado de três dias.)

3- There are many ____________________in Brazil.

(Há muitos feriados cristãos no Brasil.)

4- Next long weekend, Corpus Christi________________ a Thursday this year.

(O próximo feriado prolongado, Corpus Christi, cai em uma quinta-feira este ano.)

5- Last Thursday I was _____________________________. (four words)

(Quinta-feira passada, eu estava em clima de feriado.)

6- I _______________ the holiday at home.

(Passei o feriado em casa.)

Agora confira suas respostas:

1 – holiday; 2 – a three-day weekend; 3 – Christian holidays; 4 – falls on; 5 – in a holiday mood; 6 – spent .

Use essas expressões e saiba mais sobre feriado e feriado prolongado.

Jesus Christ has risen! Hallelujah!

Kelley Mooney sings her version of this classic song. Listen to it, look at the lyrics below, look up the words you don’t know and appreciate (realize, be conscious) what was done for us.

A crown of thorns placed on His head

He knew that He would soon be dead

He said, “Did you forget me, Father did you?”

They nailed Him to a wooden cross

Soon all the world would feel the loss

Of Christ the King before His Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

He hung His head and prepared to die

Then lifted His face up to the sky

Said, “I am coming home now Father, to you”

A reed which held His final sip

Was gently lifted to his lips

He drank His last and gave His soul to glory

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

The soldier who had used his sword

To pierce the body of our Lord Said, “Truly, this was Jesus Christ our Savior”

He looked with fear upon his sword

Then turned to face his Christ and Lord

Fell to his knees crying Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Took from his head the thorny crown

And wrapped him in a linen gown

Then laid him down to rest inside the tomb

The holes in his hands, his feet and side

Now in our hearts we know he died

To save us from ourselves, oh Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Three days went by, again they came

To move the stone, to bless the slain

With oil and spice anointing

Hallelujah

But as they went to move the stone

They saw that they were not alone

For Jesus Christ has risen, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah