Hi, everyone. No episódio de hoje, eu falo sobre o uso de palavras como interesting e interested no inglês.
Hello, all! How’s it going? Here’s a new episode of the Inglesonline podcast. Please subscribe to this podcast using the Podcasts app for iPhone or iPad, or listen to the episodes using the Inglesonline Android app. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.
So how about today we focus on another topic that is usually seen as kinda basic, or maybe pre-intermediate…? I’m all for getting a strong grasp of the basics – seriously, if English students mastered the contents of their basic and pre-intermediate courses, they’d be speaking better English than most. Obviously I’m not talking about studying grammar rules like crazy… Nope, we’re gonna look at, or rather listen, to pair of words such as interesting and interested; boring and bored, amazing and amazed, and so on.
If right now you’re thinking “Oh I already know this” all I wanna tell you is that you have a lot to gain from sticking around and listening to this podcast through to the end. For someone on their way to acquiring a second language, there can never be too much listening – better yet, comprehensible listening.
Alright, so you may be aware that there are tons of adjectives that end in -ING, and usually they appear in the -ED form as well. Interesting, interested. -ING, -ED. So do this: think of someone you know who’s a pretty interesting person. Why is this person interesting? Maybe they’re very funny. Maybe very smart, well-travelled, maybe they’re a good storyteller. Maybe this person has such unique ideas about the world that you can’t help but think “This person is so interesting”. So when you know someone interesting, you are usually interested in their conversation; you’re interested in their opinions, in their views. Maybe you’re not romantically interested in them (or maybe you are) – but in any case, there are things about them that you consider interesting, and therefore you’re interested in this person in some way.
The -ED form, interested, is usually the past participle of a verb just like in Portuguese. “I’m interested” in English; “Estou interessada, em português”. I’m interested; I’m amazed; I’m bored; I’m fascinated. So when I said “I’m interested” that means I have interest; I’m amazed – I’m in amazement of something. I’m bored means I feel boredom; and I’m fascinated means I feel fascination. So let me ask you a few questions: Are you interested in astrology? Do you find astrology interesting? Do you think astrology is interesting? If you do, then you’re probably interested in it.
How often do you feel bored? How often do you think… “I’m bored”? I have to say – sometimes I think I have that Attention Deficit Disorder thing, ’cause I tend to feel a little bored if I have to sit for too long, and in those moments sometimes I have the thought “I’m bored”. Here are a few things that I find boring: dramatic movies. People who talk incessantly – I mean those who talk non-stop for several minutes! I don’t know too many people like that and I don’t know how they do it, and I try to follow them but I just can’t. I’ll admit, I usually get bored if someone starts talking non-stop and after several minutes, they’re still talking! So, guess what? I think dramatic movies are boring; and I think non-stop, incessant talking is also boring. That’s why I’m bored when I watch a dramatic movie, and I’m usually bored after several minutes of someone talking incessantly. Unless it’s a lecture, of course.
Now think of something or someone you think is amazing. I think the Internet is amazing. I still remember the time when we did not have the Internet, so to me it’s just something totally amazing. I can do my work because of the Internet; I’ve met so many people because of the Internet; I have learned so much because I have Internet access. I just find it truly amazing! So how do I feel? I feel amazed. I’m amazed at the Internet. I bet when mobile phones first became available, people thought they were amazing. Can you remember a time when there were no mobile, or cell phones? Did you think your first mobile phone was amazing? Were you amazed at that technology? Were you amazed at the fact that it was so easy to get in touch with other people anywhere?
And how about you give me your own examples for fascinated and fascinating? What fascinates you? Maybe it’s the stars, the sky, science, people, human behavior – what is it that you find fascinating? Let us know in the comments and talk to you next time!
getting a strong grasp of the basics = dominar bem o básico
to stick around = continuar por aqui
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