English from Brasil #45 | Even the Best Have to Practice
Na edição anterior: English from Brasil #44 | The Opposite Experiment
Hello, hello!
Um causo
Gosto de dizer que "Ensinar é recompensador" – e, não, não estou falando de dinheiro. Ensinar crianças pequenas (que eu adoro!) e adultos iniciantes é gratificante de um jeito ainda mais especial. A gente percebe o progresso rápido, quase que constantemente.
O mesmo acontece quando estamos aprendendo algo novo. A diferença entre "não saber NADA" e "saber um pouquinho" é gigante. Mas, depois que a gente já sabe muito e quer melhorar mais, cada passo parece ficar mais demorado. O progresso é quase imperceptível.
Sempre falo isso para os alunos que já estão em um nível avançado. Eles já são fluentes, se comunicam bem em viagens, consomem conteúdo em inglês – e ainda assim seguem estudando. Muitas vezes, sentem que qualquer melhora leva tempo demais. Até duvidam se estão evoluindo de verdade.
Gosto de usar o exemplo do Bolt. Em 2008, durante as Olimpíadas de Pequim, Usain Bolt quebrou o recorde mundial dos 100m com 9,69s. No ano seguinte, no Campeonato Mundial de Berlim, atingiu seu recorde final de 9,58s – uma melhora de apenas 0,11s! Uma diferença imperceptível para nós, mas fruto de muita dedicação, com treinos intensivos seis dias por semana, por horas a fio.
No início, cada tentativa traz um salto gigante. Depois, é como esculpir um detalhe minúsculo em algo já bem construído. Dá mais trabalho, mas é o que faz a diferença.
No começo, a gente melhora rápido, quase sem perceber. Depois, melhorar um pouquinho exige um esforço enorme. E ainda assim, continua valendo a pena.
Não é só no esporte ou no aprendizado de um novo idioma. Qualquer habilidade exige tempo, prática, orientação, método, tentativa e erro, persistência, paciência e incentivo. Seja na cozinha, no volante ou ao aprender a tocar um instrumento, a evolução vem aos poucos – e cada pequeno avanço conta.
Se permitir ser iniciante e aprendiz é essencial. A que você tem se dedicado para melhorar um pouquinho?
A quote
"Train hard, turn up, run your best, and the rest will take care of itself.” - Usain Bolt
A lesson: Usain Bolt's English
Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, is Jamaican.
Today, you’ll listen to his English and practice with it. Here’s a 4-minute video (The captions on YouTube are not completely accurate, but they may help you understand the video better.)
Exercise 1: Vocabulary
Here are some words you will hear in the video:
sprinting
injuries
washed up
deal
record
shattered
masseuse
shape
season
title
Do you know all of them?
Before watching, match each word to its correct definition.
Exercise 1:
Instructions: Match the words above to their correct definitions below.
A. Broke completely; exceeded by a large margin.
B. Physical harm or damage to the body.
C. Running at full speed over a short distance.
D. No longer successful or useful.
E. An agreement between two parties.
F. The best performance in a sport.
G. A period of time for sports competitions.
H. Being physically fit and ready.
I. A formal recognition of achievement, such as "fastest man."
J. A person who treats muscles with massage.
✅ (Check your answers at the end of the newsletter/post/email.)
Exercise 2: Now, watch the video and observe the 10 words in context
Exercise 3: Complete
Instructions: Watch the video again and listen carefully. Use the words from the Word Bank to complete each sentence. Be careful—some words may need to be changed to fit the sentence correctly. (The numbers show when the sentence appears in the video.)
Word Bank:
injuries – shattered – sprinting – title – record – deal – masseuse – season – washed up – shape
Complete the Sentences:
(0:12) "9.58—that is the most incredible piece of _________ the world has ever seen."
(0:32) "It was just because of ___________ and a lot of people were saying, 'Oh, this is it for him, he’s ______________ and he’s not going to make it as a professional.'"
(1:20) "I was like, ‘You know what? Let’s make a ___________. Let me run 100m…'"
(2:26) "He didn’t just break his world ___________, he absolutely ___________ it."
(2:36) "I remember actually we had a meeting—me, my coach, and my ___________—about how fast I was going to run."
(2:43) "I was in such good ___________ at the time, I was running great throughout the __________."
(2:50) "It’s a great ___________, it’s something that I enjoy."
Final Thoughts
✅ After completing the exercises, check your answers at the end of this newsletter/post/email.
A question
Even the fastest man in the world had to work hard to improve.
What is something you are working hard to get better at?
FIVE Random Things
✍🏽 I really want to try this version of TIC TAC TOE [link]
🏘️ I would love to try this too. **[link] -** Especially because the drawings remind me of Amsterdam which is my favorite city in the entire world!
📷 If none of these photos make you smile, I do not know what will [link]
🎧 This songs makes me want to sing! [link]
🎉🥳🥂✨
A newsletter English from Brasil está completando um ano essa semana — e ela segue sendo gratuita!
Se você gosta do que vê por aqui e pode apoiar o meu trabalho por aí, compartilhe com amigos, colegas de trabalho ou nas redes sociais?
Isso significa muito para nós! 😊
Nós:
See you next week! 👋🏽
Karen Rito
English from Brasil 🌎✨
✅ Answer Key:
WORDS AND DEFINITIONS
C - sprinting: Running at full speed over a short distance.
B - injuries: Physical harm or damage to the body.
D - washed up: No longer successful or useful.
E - deal: An agreement between two parties.
F - record: The best performance in a sport.
A - shattered: Broke completely; exceeded by a large margin.
J - masseuse: A person who treats muscles with massage.
H - shape: Being physically fit and ready.
G - season: A period of time for sports competitions.
I - title: A formal recognition of achievement, such as "fastest man."
✅ Answer Key:
COMPLETE
"9.58—that is the most incredible piece of sprinting the world has ever seen."
"It was just because of injuries and a lot of people were saying, 'Oh, this is it for him, he’s washed up and he’s not going to make it as a professional.'"
"I was like, ‘You know what? Let’s make a deal. Let me run 100m…'"
"He didn’t just break his world record, he absolutely shattered it."
"I remember actually we had a meeting—me, my coach, and my masseuse—about how fast I was going to run."
"I was in such good shape at the time, I was running great throughout the season."
"It’s a great title, it’s something that I enjoy."