VOCABULARY

Do you want to learn 400 English words in a minute ?

I bet you do !

Well, if you think I'm joking, you're absolutelly wrong.

Read the following text and tell me whether it was a surprise or not...

English is much easier than you think.

You only have to learn some rules.

Yet, as you know, every rule has its exceptions and this  prooves:

1. The rule exists

2.  It's better to fail once or twice than miss the opportunity to learn 400 words. Don't worry about exceptions. Just mind the rules.

                                              RULE 1

Every Portuguese word ending in DADE ( such as CIDADE) , end in English in ITY.

Take a look:

                                    CiDADE - CITY

                              VelociDADE - VelocITY

                          TranquiliDADE - TranquilITY

                              CapaciDADE - CapacITY

                          NacionaliDADE - NationalITY

                                               RULE 2

Portuguese words ending in ÇÃO ( such as NAÇÃO) end in English in TION.

Examples:

                               SimplicaÇÃO - SimplificaTION

                                        NaÇÃO  -  NaTION

                               ObservaÇÃO  -  ObservaTION

                             NaturalizaÇÃO - NaturalizaTION

                                    SensaÇÃO  -  SensaTION 

                                                 RULE 3

Every Portuguese adverb ending in MENTE ( such as FINALMENTE), end in English in LLY.  Yet, when the ortuguese word ends in L, you only add LY.

A few examples:

                         NaturaLMENTE - NATURALLY
                              OraLMENTE - OraLLY
                          GeneticaMENTE - GeneticaLLY
                               TotaLMENTE -  TotaLLY
                                                FinalMENTE  - FinaLLY

             

                                               RULE 4
Portuguese words ending in ÊNCIA ( such as ESSÊNCIA ) end in English in ENCE.
Take a look:
                                        EssÊNCIA - EssENCE
                                    ReverÊNCIA - ReverENCE
                                    FrequÊNCIA -  FrequENCE
                                    EloquÊNCIA - EloquENCE

                                              
                                             RULE 5
And to end up with all these curiosities,the last and the easiest rule of all.  Portuguese words ending in AL do not change in English. You only have to pay attention to the correct spelling
Look and Read:
                                    NaturAL - NaturAL
                                        TotAL - TotAL
                                    GenerAL - GenerAL
                                         FatAL - FatAL
                                     SensuAL - SensuAL

As you can see you have learned more than 400 words in less than a minute. Does this make your mouth water ? Well, believe me or not, I'm telling the truth.
Try to proove it, by searching new words, OK ?

                         Author : Mario Giubiceli -     ( Brazilian Journalist working as official translator in the WHITE HOUSE *, for more than 20 years)
 * The USA President's Residence