In trying to write this blog in English I hope finally able to start jabber a few words in this language. I will mobilise various tools for that my text be in accordance with the rules of grammar and spelling. Thanks for your corrections and comments.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Homework

809) My teacher asked me to write six sentences in English.

900) These six sentences must be wrote with the present simple, and I must use this three words: never, sometimes and currently*.

901) Let's go !

902) ) Currently, my English is still* very weak*.


903) But I am sure that when I will have finished these lessons, I could begin to jabber the English (in 5 weeks).

904) Now I am listening to nice music (Caetano Veloso), and I'm happy.

905) Unfortunately*, it's in portuguese, sometimes I tell myself that I should* listen some more songs in english.

906) But I never listen to songs in English.

907) But, from today*, I promise to listen more often* the "Love songs" of Elvis Presley.

908) Hum,... I realise that the sentences are not all with the present simple. No problem, here are six supplementary sentences (with the present simple):

909)) I get up at eight o'clock and I shower myself with petroleum.

1000)*** I have breakfast at two o'clock (I have a red tablet).

I leaves home at eight thirty and I go to work by flying saucer.

I have lunch in my office (I have a blue tablet).

I usually* work late. I leave work at three AM.

I sometimes buys a violet tablet and eat it in my flying saucer.

I often go out in the evening, because I like to do the feast from nine PM to six AM.

I goes to bed at seven AM.


***I reached my thousandth sentence. I decided to stop the numbering at thousand.


- Currently = actuellement
- Still = c'est un mot très polysémique à l'évidence, dans sa forme courante il veut dire : encore, toujours: "he's still asleep" il dort encore, "I've still got 5 dollars" il me reste encore 5 dollars.
- Weak = faible, fragile, peu convaincant, léger
- Unfortunately = malheureusement
- I should = je devrais
- From today = à partir d'aujourd'hui
- Often = (se prononce sans le "t") souvent, fréquemment
- Usually = d'habitude, d'ordinaire, habituellement

21 comments:

Doréus said...

That is a most interesting schedule... And what do the various tablets taste like, I wonder?

That was funny.

(Yes, I do realise it's fictional, but I must admit I was wondering where you were going at first with "I shower with petroleum"...)

Momo said...

Hello Doréus,

Mon prof n'était pas très content que j'invente un personnage extraterrestre, alors il m'a demandé de refaire l'exercice avec une personne de mon entourage.

Pour moi c'était surtout l'occasion d'illustrer le fait que l'anglais résonne, et a toujours résonné, à mes oreilles avec beaucoup d'étrangeté.

Le pétrole ? C'était une idée comme ça, absurde ....

"Une caractéristique curieuse de plusieurs mnémotechniques est qu'ils fonctionnent, bien qu'ils soient illogiques, bizarres ou esthétiquement tordus, à moins que ce ne soit à cause de cette caractéristique qu'ils fonctionnent. Une association inusitée peut mieux marquer la mémoire qu'une association logique". Mnémotechnique - Wikipédia

Les tablettes c'est parce-que dans mon premier manuel d'anglais il y avait un sympathique extraterrestre qui mangeait des tablettes.

Best regards

Momo said...

Doreus,

J'ai repensé à ton ornithorynque, et je me demandais si tu connaissais le blog de Matoo, il aime bien les narvals et les mitochondries :

http://blog.matoo.net/

Lilian said...

Momo--
Your imagination and originality are DELIGHTFUL. I'm so glad you are blogging!!
:)

Momo said...

Thank's very much Lilian,

You encourages me to continue :-)++++++

Doréus said...

Momo...

Your prof has no humour, apparently. Oh well! I had not clued in to the purpose you had in showing aliens as an illustration of the foreignness of English to you. That was quite deep, actually.

Let your imagination run wild!

Momo said...

Hello Doreus, you're right, my teacher is not bad, but it has no imagination, it's clear. Anyway, I'm going to be wise, I will make my homeworks very administratively. I do not want me to point out in the classroom. It's a challenge that I myself proposed.

Momo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Momo said...

Doreus,

Voici une version française de ma réponse, car j'ai idée que mon anglais (assisté) est quelque peu catastrophique :

"Doreus, tu as raison, mon professeur n'est pas méchant, mais il n'a pas d'imagination, c'est clair. Quoiqu'il en soit, je vais être sage, je vais faire mes devoir très administrativement. Je ne veux pas me faire remarquer en classe, c'est une défi que je me suis proposé".

Best regards

Doréus said...

Hi again.

You don't need to translate... although the grammar will improve over time, your message was quite clear. And it's probably wise to do whatever the teacher wants you to do for class, but that should not stop you from entertaining us with your creative stories!

Don't let your desire to learn be stifled by demands, although you have to obey them for class. Language is about creativity and personal expression.

Momo said...

Bien dit, Doreus.

:-)

Lilian said...

Momo--

En realidad la expresion correcta es : I have breakfast
I take breakfast es incorrecto.

Good luck at remembering this. There is a lot you have to remember... Cheers!

Momo said...

Gracias Lilian,

Muchisimas gracias por indicármelo.

Me asombra de haber hecho esa falta porque es precisamente lo que estoy estudiando actualmente (- Does he have breakfast ? - Yes, he does), .

Sí, son muchas cosas por aprender actualmente, tanto más que van a convocarme proximamente para el speach de admisión al curso de posgrado, y es en francés.

Cuando me sumergo en una lengua se dañan mis otras lenguas, claramente, eso me hace una sobrecarga cognoscitiva.

Qué escritor francés decía que es mejor para el de hablar con el portero de su edificio que con el más grande escritor extranjero porque eso dañaba a su francés ?

Mi poliglotismo me pesa.

Best regards Lilian, y gracias por venir a visitarme :-)

Lilian said...

Pero tus errores son nada mas que detalles; igual se entiende. A mi no me importaria hablar frances aunque fuese a medias, pero lamentablemente no se nada de esta lengua.
Warm Regards :)

Momo said...

A mi tampoco no me importaria hablar Ingles aunque fuese a medias, Lilian.

Aunque sea un detalle, aprecié mucho tu corrección " I have breakfast".

Ya que parece que asimilo mejor concentrándome cada dia sobre uno o dos detalles en vez de diez.

Eso del "have" (y no "take") ya no se me olvidara.

Saludos.

Doréus said...

And for what postgraduate degree are you interviewing?

I most certainly empathise with your «cognitive overload» (sobrecarga cognotiva). I've been there... Good luck with it all.

And thanks to Lilian for her very pertinent observation. The use of idiomatic expressions and appropriate verbs is one of the most difficult elements to master in a language. For some bizarre reason, French and Spanish people "take" meals or use a specific verb (déjeuner, desayunar), while English people "have" them and will rarely use the specific verbs attached to a meal (e.g. "to dine", which tends to refer to having a fancy dinner).

This is both the beauty and the frustrating element of mastering multiple languages. As I said before, keep up the good work!

Momo said...

Doreus,

Il s'agit d'un entretien en vue de l'admission à un post grade (Master de recherche).

Ça pourrait t'intéresser car il y est beaucoup question de réseaux:

http://www.cyberaxe.org/
http://www.ccc-programme.org/

Warm regards

Lilian said...

I do like languages very much because as we start to understand them, there is a door that opens up to the culture behind it. Ese entendimiento me encanta. Lamentablemente, solo se dos idiomas muy bien: espanol e ingles. Un poco de aleman y muy poco portugues. Mi deseo es aprender frances.
See you later alligator :)

Momo said...

Me alegro que hayan perfectos anglófonos que quieran aprender otras lenguas, ya que creía que sabiendo el inglés se eximía enterarse de otras lenguas.

Por mi parte, espero que el inglés será la última lengua que debo de aprender, porque con el castellano, el italiano, el francés y ahora el inglés ya me siento repleto, y prefiero la profundización a la acumulación.

Alligator ?

See you later Lilian.

Lilian said...

Momo--

Queria contribuir a tus conocimientos del ingles ensenandote un modismo... See you later alligator es una antigua expresion de despedida, como decir "chao" y se responde con after a while crocodile.

:P

Momo said...

Bah... que curiosa y simpatica expresion, gracias por ensenharmela.

Amicalement à toi ;-)

M