To get your home university degree recognised, it has to be evaluated as being equivalent to a degree course in Brazil. You have to show a transcript of all your undergraduate exam results. The evaluation process takes 8 to 10 months. It will be difficult to get equivalence for a non-standard degree, such as (in my case) Chinese Studies, which is not offered at Brazilian universities.

A third way into Brazilian university is to start a course at a private university, and then apply for a transfer after two months to the public university of your choice.

Home task: Vocabulary in Use Units 8, 15.

Do you always know whether to use happy or happily, good or well, prettier or more pretty? Do you know the differences in form and use between adjectives and adverbs, and between comparative and superlative forms? This Lesson will help you when you wonder whether to use an -er ending or the word more to make a comparison. It will help you when you are not sure where to position adjectives and adverbs in a sentence.

A. Adjectives

1. Use adjectives to modify nouns or pronouns.

I like a tidy room. I keep my room tidy. It is tidy.

2. Adjectives have no plural form. Use the same form with singular or plural nouns.

a different story, some different stories

3. Always use a capital letter with an adjective describing nationality.

a Turkish restaurant, a Korean wedding

4. The -ing form of the verb and the past participle form can be used as adjectives.

an exciting movie The movie is exciting.

аn educated man That man is educated.

5. With a compound adjective that contains a number, use hyphens and a singular form.

They sent their nephew a twenty-dollar bill. She has a six-year-old son.

6. Compound adjectives of physical description use the -ed form:

left-handed, bow-legged, broad-shouldered dark-haired

Some adjectives are regularly used with prepositions.

I am afraid of ghosts. I confess that I am proud of winning the race.

Whenever you come across an adjective + preposition structure in your reading, make a note of the preposition that goes with the adjective and write them both down.

B. Position of Adjectives in a Series

Adjectives in a series tend to occur in a certain order, though there are frequent exceptions. In the following chart, you will see that opinion adjectives come before physical-description adjectives that come before nationality adjectives, and so on.

They demolished three beautiful old houses.

I sold my long blue silk evening gown.

We ate a delicious French meal.

Use a comma only between opinion adjectives.

He wrote a well organized, insightful paper.

C. Adverbs

1. Many adverbs are formed by adding -ly to an adjective. Use an ly adverb to modify a verb, adjective, or a clause.

She speaks quietly. The suit he wore was quietly tasteful. Quietly, she made her way across the room.

2. Adding -ly to an adjective to create an adverb may also create a change in spelling, as in the following examples.

A few adjectives already end in ly, far example, friendly, lovely, lively, fatherly.

For an adverbial sense, use the adjective in the phrase “in a… way."

She spoke to me in a friendly way.

3. Not all adverbs are derived from adjectives. Here are some common adverbs that indicate place or time: here, (here, nowhere, anywhere, somewhere, already, soon, now, then.

4. Some adverbs, called “adverbs of frequency” tell how often or regularly an action occurs; never, rarely, seldom, sometimes, occasionally, often, always and also