Modern Brazilian Portuguese Grammar: A Practical Guide

by John Whitlam, Agripino S. Silveira

Overview

Modern Brazilian Portuguese Grammar: A Practical Guide is an innovative reference guide to Brazilian Portuguese, combining traditional and function-based grammar in a single volume.

The Grammar is divided into two parts. Part A covers traditional grammatical categories such as agreement, nouns, verbs and adjectives. Part B is carefully organized around language functions covering all major communication situations such as establishing identity, making contact and expressing likes, dislikes and preferences. With a strong emphasis on contemporary usage, all grammar points and functions are richly illustrated with examples. Building on the success of the second edition, this third edition provides new and extended notes for Spanish speakers, which focus on common difficulties faced by learners of Portuguese, as well as revised explanations of grammar and usage, which include the use of ‘tu’ in Portuguese.

A combination of reference grammar and practical usage manual, complemented by a Companion Website with audiovisual material and a separate Workbook designed to accompany the Grammar, this textbook is the ideal source for learners of Brazilian Portuguese at all levels, from beginner to advanced.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781000790511
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/30/2022
Series:	Modern Grammars
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	572
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

John Whitlam was a freelance writer, university lecturer and lexicographer based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He authored a number of language teaching books and project-coordinated and co-authored four best-selling bilingual dictionaries of Portuguese and English.

Agripino S. Silveira is Lecturer in Portuguese at Stanford Language Center, Stanford University, USA.

Table of Contents

Preface to the third edition

Preface to the second edition

Introduction to this book

Introduction to Brazilian Portuguese

Glossary of grammatical terms

Part A Structures

1 Pronunciation and spelling

2 Gender and gender agreement

3 Number and number agreement

4 Articles

5 Adjectives and adverbs

6 Numbers and numerical expressions

7 Personal pronouns

8 Demonstratives

9 Possessives

10 Relative pronouns

11 Interrogatives

12 Exclamations

13 Indefinite adjectives and pronouns

14 Negatives

15 Regular verb conjugations

16 Semi-irregular and irregular verbs

17 Gerunds, past participles, compound perfect tenses and the passive

18 Use of the tenses

19 The infinitive

20 The subjunctive

21 The imperative

22 Reflexive verbs

23 Ser, estar and ficar

24 Verbs used in auxiliary, modal and impersonal constructions

25 Prepositions

26 Conjunctions

27 Word order

28 Word formation

Part B Functions

I Social contact and communication strategies

29 Making social contacts

30 Basic strategies for communication

II Giving and seeking factual information

31 Asking questions and responding

32 Negating

33 Reporting

34 Asking and giving personal information

35 Identifying people and things

36 Describing

37 Making comparisons

38 Expressing existence and availability

39 Expressing location and distance

40 Expressing possessive relations

41 Expressing changes

42 Expressing cause, effect and purpose

III Putting events into a wider context

43 Expressing knowledge

44 Remembering and forgetting

45 Expressing obligation and duty

46 Expressing needs

47 Expressing possibility and probability

48 Expressing certainty and uncertainty

49 Expressing supposition

50 Expressing conditions

51 Expressing contrast or opposition

52 Expressing capability and incapability

53 Seeking and giving permission

54 Asking and giving opinions

55 Expressing agreement, disagreement and indifference

IV Expressing emotional attitudes

56 Expressing desires and preferences

57 Expressing likes and dislikes

58 Expressing surprise

59 Expressing satisfaction and dissatisfaction

60 Expressing hope

61 Expressing sympathy

62 Apologizing and expressing forgiveness

63 Expressing fear or worry

64 Expressing gratitude

V The language of persuasion

65 Giving advice and making suggestions

66 Making requests

67 Giving directions, instructions and orders

68 Making an offer or invitation and accepting or declining

VI Expressing temporal relations

69 Talking about the present

70 Talking about the future

71 Talking about the past

Appendices

Bibliography

Index of words and topics

Editorial Reviews

"Modern Brazilian Portuguese Grammar is very comprehensive, bringing thorough description and analysis of real life language in use. The author shows a deep knowledge of the many idiosyncrasies of Brazilian Portuguese, always referring to the existing differences related to register and spoken versus written language. Differently from other Portuguese grammars for non-native speakers, it focusses on didactically describing how the language is used in its different registers, even the more colloquial style, presenting valuable information to learners so that they are aware of when a given form is used. Also, the fact that it is divided into two parts (traditional grammar and function-based grammar), which are clearly interconnected in each section, makes it easier for students to look up any information they may need.

The fact that there is a companion workbook makes it appealing to students as they can practise the grammar points studied. Learners are provided a set of useful exercises related to both traditional grammar and function-based grammar, which focus on important and often challenging aspects of the Portuguese language."

Dr. José Peixoto Coelho de Souza, Language Tutor in Portuguese, University of Manchester, UK.

"Modern Brazilian Portuguese Grammar continues to be a wonderful supplement to the textbooks that I use in my language courses. It captures and presents problematic instances in an organized format. The examples and brief explanations are clear and relevant. This reference guide is essential for anyone who wants to master a nuanced understanding of Brazilian Portuguese."

Dr. Cynthia A. Sloan, Associate Professor of Portuguese and Spanish, Portland State University, USA.

From the Publisher