Motto of the U.S.A. "E PLURIBUS UNUM" or "IN GOD WE TRUST"? (a little history lesson)

So today's post is about the motto of the United States of America.  Many of you readers have heard "E pluribus unum" and "In God We Trust", which are both found on American currency today.  The current motto is actually "In God We Trust".  It used to be "E pluribus unum".

So let's take a look at each:

"E pluribus unum"

Surely you have heard of this expression and maybe you know what it means.  Just in case you don't, it is Latin for "One out of many" or "One among many".  This expression used to be the motto of the United States of American, adopted by an act of Congress in 1782.  (It is also the motto for the biggest soccer (or football) club in Portugal, the great BENFICA.)  The expression was chosen at the time to represent the union of the various states of the United States, and today it has evolved to represent the idea of the melting pot in the U.S.A., or the union of various races, religions, languages, and ancestries.

"In God We Trust"

In 1956 Congress passed act adopting "In God We Trust" as the official motto of the United States, leaving behind "In pluribus unum" (though it still can be found on our currency...).  The president at that time was Dwight Eisenhower.  "In God We Trust" first appeared on paper currency in 1957.   The phrase was taken from the "Star-Spangled Banner" (the national anthem), which was written by a 35-year-old lawyer/amateur poet named Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.  There is controversy surrounding this motto, as there exists a separation of the Church and the State in the U.S.A.  (This is a conversation that regularly comes up among Americans...even as teenagers, we would discuss this.)  However, it continues to be the official motto of the U.S.A., supported and upheld legally as an act of Congress.  

That's it for today.  I hope you liked the history lesson!

THEIR, THEY'RE or THERE? This one can be VERY confusing...!?!?!?

So many native and non-native speakers struggle in understanding the difference among their, they're and their.  So let's break it down; They are ALL pronounced in the same way, which is why people normally have trouble using the correct spelling along with the correct meaning.

THEIR

Their is simply the posessive adjective (or determiner), as seen below:

my dog
your computer
his house
her car
its leash
our family
their computer

As you can see, we use possessive adjectives (or determiners) with a noun.

THEY'RE

This is quite simply a contraction:

THEY + ARE

As you can see, they apostrophe (') substitutes the 'a' in the verb ARE.  So 'they're' is actually a subject + a verb (they+are.)  Here are some examples:

They're (they+are)almost ready to go!
They're (they+are) visiting us in August.
They're (they+are) the new champions.

THERE

This is what is referred to in grammar as a "dummy subject."  What is a "dummy subject?"  Well, in English there MUST be a subject and a verb.  So, when we don't have a specific verb (my mother, your teacher, his brother, Mary, John, Xander...etc.)  There serves as a general verb.  Here are a few examples:

There is some chocolate cake left if you want some.  (present)
There was a big storm outside, so take your umbrella.  (past)
There are mosquitos in the room!...It keeps biting me!  (present)
There will be consequences for your actions.  (future)

As you can see, you can use there with the past, present or future.

I hope this clears up your doubts.  If you happen to still have some, leave questions or comments below.

The Diffrence Between GOOD and WELL and more about IRREGULAR ADVERBS.

So what's the difference between GOOD and WELL?...

Well, that's a good question and also a common one for both native and non-native speakers.  First of all let's take a look at the grammar, and then we'll take a look at examples and explanations.

Grammar.

Basically, good is an adjective, and well is an adverb.  Now, you probably know what an adjective is, but you may not know what an adverb is.  But let's go ahead and take a look at both:

What's an adjective?  An adjective describes (or modifies) a noun. 

An adjective answers the question: What kind....?

Ex. What kind of swimmer are you?  I am a good swimmer.

Ex. What kind of apples do you prefer?  I prefer green apples.

Ex. What kind of food do you like?  I like Mexican food.

Ok, so what's an adverb?  An adverb describes (or modifies) a verb, adjective or another adverb. 

An adverb answers the question: How...?

*Note: Below the adverb is underlinded and the word the adverb modifies is in bold.

Ex. How do you swim?  I swim well.  (modifies the verb "swim")

Ex. How intelligent are you?  I am extremely intelligent.  (modifies the adjective "intelligent")

Ex. How well do you swim?  I swim very well.  (modifies the adverb "well")

Examples & Explanations.

Now that we know the difference between an adjective (good) and an adverb (well), let's take a look at some examples.  Remember that "good" modifies nouns and "well" modifies verbs:

Ex. He is a good writer.  He writes well.

Ex. We are good students.  We study well.

Ex. They are good workers.  They work well.

I think you get the idea now...But you may be wondering: Why is there so much confusion between good and well?  It's something that my mother always corrected when I was a child.  Let's take a closer look.

"Well" is an irregular adverb.  With regular adverbs we normally just add -ly:

• quiet--quiet+ly
• quick--quick+ly
• silent--silent+ly

Some adverbs (like "well") are irregular.  Here is a list of irregular adverbs:

• good--well
• fast--fast
• hard--hard

Lastly, let's take a quick look at the following examples.  Don't these sentences sound strange?

1. "Sir, you are driving too fastly fast!"  
2. "She's working hardly hard."
3. "You work good well under pressure."

Does that make sense?  Well, if it doesn't, just leave a question below ;)

5 MORE Common Mistakes Portuguese Speakers Make

I've already posted about common mistakes the Portuguese make, but here are some more! Yay! As I wrote before: When we try to speak in a foreign language we translate directly and literally from our own, but sometimes translating does not work, as in the following examples.

1. assist/attend

• I'm going to assist attend a conference about international business this weekend.

Note: Assist means to help somebody or provide assistance.  Ex. I need somebody to assist me in deciphering this cell phone bill!

2. coffee/café

• I want to go to a outdoor coffee café with a view of the river. 

Note: We only use coffee for the drink...this mistake is SO common!

3. yet/still

• Are you still working yet?

Note: We could also ask the question: "Have you gotten off of work YET?"

4.  anybody/nobody

• Anybody  Nobody wants to take vacation in August.  Everybody wants to take vacation at the end of July. 

5. are/there are

• Are There are lots of people here!

I hope this helps!

Since it is JULY 4TH, INDEPENDENCE DAY...what does Yankee DOODLE mean anyway?

If you're an American like me, you will remember the song "Yankee-Doodle"...

Yankee-Doodle went to town
riding on a pony.
Stuck a feather in his hat
and called it Macaroni.

You probably also remember the childish version we would sing as kids (!)...Either way, this is something ingrained in every American. I know the song...my Portuguese husband does NOT know the song. It is part of American culture...it is part of us, whether or not we even care or want it to be!

I find these cultural impressions fascinating and interesting!

So back to the topic at hand: What does DOODLE mean? (And it didn't mean to draw....)

From the early seventeenth century, it came to English through Low German and meant "to play music badly," and also it meant a person who was unsophisticated, a simpleton or even a fool. 

So what does the song mean?

So the song is about a Yankee (obviously, an American) sticking a feather in his hat and thinking he is automatically a "Macaroni," or gentleman, at the time in England, who dressed effeminately and belonged to an exclusive club called the Macaroni Club.  (seriously!)  They wore wigs, two watches and only dressed in high fashion, scoffing at their American counterparts who were not as "sophisticated" as them.  Us Americans figured by simply wearing a feather in our hat we would be granted "Macaroni" status!  Well, we were wrong...as this song makes fun of us a bit, but who cares...!  I love being American and wouldn't trade it for any other nationality in the world...ever!

Enjoy the fireworks and Happy Independence Day!!!

What's the DIFFERENCE between HIS and HE'S?

This question has two elements: Pronunciation and grammar.

PRONUNCIATION: HIS vs. HE'S

The difference between the sounds i: (he's) and I (his) is the most difficult sound for all students regardless of their native tongue.  To read more about the difference between these sounds, to practice pronunciation pairs and to understand the pronunciation element in depth, read The Most Commonly Mispronounced VOWEL Sounds.

GRAMMAR: HIS vs. HE'S

The difference between HIS and HE'S is fairly simple, but students get confused because of the pronunciation.  The grammar is straight forward and easy to understand when explained.

HIS is the possessive adjective for HE, of course:

I--my

You--your

He--his

She--her

It--its

We--our

They--their

Ex.  Don't work on his computer because he's still finishing his reports. 

HE'S=HE+IS.  It's that simple!  He's is a contraction for the verb TO BE:

I'm=I am

You're=you are

He's=he is

She's=she is

It's=it is

We're=we are

They're=they are

Ex. He's working on his thesis right now, so please don't disturb him!

I hope this helps....if not, leave a question below.  Have a great weekend :)