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The blog is currently undergoing certain changes to better organise the ideas, features and resources


In this space, apart from self learning pages, exercises and ready made video transcripts to link to news, songs and video comedy, you will further find a totally new vision of grammar - which I have called Directed Pronunciation, which, in this case, has been applied to English.

The approach is radical and not everyones cup of tea. Indeed, one leading publishing house, Cambridge, said their material would not be confortable next to mine on the same book shelf - so draw your own conclusions. Therefore, be prepared to be shocked but remain open minded in order to change every concept on grammar that you may have ever read. Presented here, grammar is nothing more than a sense (in Portuguese "sentido" sense / direction) a movement, direction, flux or flow. Grammar is the delivery, it carries the voicing and intonation but more than anything else, grammar is essentially the vehicle for conveying meaning.
The order of words, on the other hand, is called the syntax. This syntax connects and orders pieces of grammar flow to form smooth collocations, phrases and entire sentences!

When comparing different languages, the grammar ( being entirely based on flow and intention) remains a constant feature; whereas the syntax varies greatly.
In other words, we can use this Universal Grammar to help us emulate, understand and pronounce any new linguistic acquisition,  and even approach the native pronunciation.

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How the Present Perfect Tense works

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Chart of Modal Inflection

With each movement and directional vector (or sense) of each modal, we can start to map out the areas of modal expression. The chart (illustrated above) shows how each aspect is directed;a skill we certainly need to emulate, if we are to give the correct language signals. As the chart shows , the high area is reserved for probability, the degree of which ranges from positive certainty through possibility to uncertainty at the back of the head. The forward area (ahead of the eye) carries the different notions of future modality, rising from the low downward driven decisive intention or acceptance (will) and determination (shall) through obligation(must), permission (may) and advice – or deferred obligation (should) to prediction (will) and desire (will, must, should). The past forms are set back or directed behind us, with past probability looped high in speculation but ending low - so as to combine with the auxiliary have and the past pa...

Infinitive or Gerund - Part 1

Infinitive or Gerund - ? The area of infinitive or gerund is as much of a headache for students as it is for teachers. On the other hand, the native speaker has a perfect control over the choice. Again, it all comes down to the instinctive use of language and to how our brains have programmed the information in terms of the positional dynamic of pronunciation.  Back in the classroom, however, many teachers still use the old tedious method of list learning which essentially achieves two purposes: 1. That the teacher, having the lists, is shown to be knowledgeable. 2. That certain students will excel at list-learning, gaining confidence at the expense of others. Assuming that the area needs to be learnt in such a fashion, native speakers would need to learn in the same way and if the area was actually difficult or confusing, many natural errors would, in fact, result. Of course, in reality, no errors are made by native speakers when choosing a gerund or infinitiv...