Artful Dodger: Diário de Bordo

6 14 102
Howdy, English Experts!

Some of you might now me from the chat rooms, some of you might know me from private conversations and most of you have never heard of me. Thus, I shall introduce myself: I am the Artful Dodger and I have been using the website for the last eighteen months or so.

I had been looking for a chat room where I could use English rather than a forum where I could post questions and have them answered. I found both of them on English Experts, so I began to attend the website with a certain frequency.

In the beginning, I thought it would be enough to interact with people in English, but a dear friend convinced me to answer topics as well. I did not know whether I was ready for such a responsibility, but I gave it a shot. I loved it and I’ve been doing it ever since.

I decided to start this diary so people could read my story and perhaps relate to it. I guess all of us know that learning a language can be quite challenging.

So, stay tuned for my next posts!

CENTENAS DE EXPRESSÕES DO INGLÊS
Preparamos um plano de estudos para ajudar você a dominar centenas de palavras e expressões do inglês em tempo recorde. EXPERIMENTE AGORA
7 respostas
Ordenar por: Data
  Resposta mais votada
6 14 102
Hello, everyone!
I started this diary last year and I haven't updated it ever since. I am sorry.

I'd registered myself in the community mainly to use the chat rooms. However, due to restrictions that reduced dramatically the amount of people accessing the chat platform, I was compelled to stop using the website altogether. And so I did, for a while.

After a few months, I decided to come back and give it another try. This is the first thing I publish here in a while, so please be kind, because I'm rusty!

My newest endeavor is learning French and Spanish, which are vastly different from English. I already feel as though my brain were changing and adapting itself to this newly-developed polyglotism. So, wish me luck!

P.S.: I'll update this diary at least once a month, provided that no tragedies happen along the way. :p

Cheers!
MELHORE SUA PRONÚNCIA EM INGLÊS
Nesta aula, o professor Adir Ferreira, autor do livro "A Chave do Aprendizado da Língua Inglesa", nos conta como se tornou um Expert em pronúncia e dá várias dicas para você se comunicar melhor em inglês. ACESSAR AULA
6 14 102
*Unfortunately, the audio for the last post wasn't embedded, so I had to record it again. Bye!
6 14 102
The Very Start - [Part I]

Hello, folks!

During a conversation last week, a friend asked me how I'd started learning English, which gave me the idea for this post.

Well, I started studying English almost five years ago. I took a placement test and I was told I could register to the intermediate level. However, I'd never been to an English course, so how was that even possible? For that answer, we have to rewind another two years.

I had recently discovered American TV series and I enjoyed them, but it wasn't all that special to me, until I met Will & Grace. It was love at first sight! The writing was clever, the characters were flippant yet relatable, there was this whole revolutionary aspect to it (Will was the first leading gay character on prime time TV). I binge-watched the whole eight seasons in a short amount of time. And then, guess what? I re-watched the whole thing over and over.
6 14 102
The Very Start - [Part II]

At first, since I knew only a few basic English words, I watched the series with subtitles and I couldn't understand almost anything without them. The subtitles were not so precise, because the writing was intertextual and often metaphoric, so I could not get many jokes and I had to do online research to understand them (one especially comes to mind: Jack is addicted to coffee and Karen is trying to get him to quit that habit. She arrives home and sees him eating an entire container of coffee-flavored ice cream. She then shouts: 'drop that spoon, Billie Holiday!', alluding to the singer's infamous drug addiction. Of course I didn't know much of Billie's life, so I could only understand and appreciate that joke after doing some online research).

As time went by, watching Will & Grace on the computer during my meals became a habit, since I didn't like TV that much. It came to a point where I knew the scripts to all the key scenes of over a hundred episodes. I started watching other series, like Gilmore Girls and Six Feet Under, but Will & Grace would always have a place in my heart.
6 14 102
The Very Start - [Part III]

When I finally decided to do an English course, I took an exam and I was placed at an intermediate level, solely with the knowledge I'd gotten from watching TV series. After that, I became even more addicted to those shows and it's been love ever since. Music played a pivotal role in my English-learning process as well, but that's another story.

Therefore, whenever someone asks me how I started learning English, I can honestly say: Will & Grace. Never mind the fact that I always have to give this whole speech so that the person won't think I'm insane, but this is the truth. Of course there've been other TV shows, but this is the one for me.

Cheers!
COMO COMBINAR PALAVRAS EM INGLÊS
Nesta aula, o professor Denilso de Lima, autor do livro "Combinando Palavras em Inglês", ensina como as collocations (combinações de palavras) podem ajudar você a falar inglês com mais naturalidade. ACESSAR AULA
I've loved reading your diary. I think I will check Will & Grace out since it sounds like an amazing tv show. Loved your accent, wish there were other episodes of your diary.

Cheers.
~KauaN
6 49 1.3k
Somehow I had the impression that part III improved a lot, compared with part II. Perhaps it was a change of microphone? Or perhaps you had some speaking coach´s advice? Or just got more sure of your speaking skills. Whatever. Congrats on your English and for sharing your experience, views and thoughts.
Keep up the good work!