016. Letters of Recommendation

Claire was applying to private schools. Most private schools require letters of recommendation.

Claire did not know who to ask. She felt like her teachers did not know her that well. Claire asked her teachers anyway. Some of them said yes, and some of them said no.

One week later, Ms. Hershey gave Claire a letter of recommendation in an envelope. Claire wasn’t supposed to open it, but she really wanted to know what Ms. Hershey wrote.

Claire carefully tore it open and read the letter. She was disappointed. Ms. Hershey didn’t write anything interesting about Claire. Ms. Hershey just wrote that Claire was a smart, nice girl. Claire couldn’t get into her top schools with that letter.

Claire asked her swim coach to write her a letter of recommendation. Her swim coach knew her well. The problem was that the swim coach wasn’t the best writer.

He did not go to college. Claire asked him to write a letter anyway. “Of course, I’ll write you a letter, I’ll even send it to you,” he said.

One week later, Claire got an email from her swim coach. She was nervous to read what he wrote. Claire was impressed with the letter. Her swim coach was really funny yet intelligent in the letter!

▪ coach: ônibus, treinar, preparar, treinador(a), técnico(a)
▪ disappointed: decepcionado, desapontado
▪ envelope: envelope
▪ funny: engraçado, divertido, estranho, esquisito
▪ impress: impressionar, causar boa impressão (em)
▪ intelligent: inteligente
▪ nervous: nervoso, nervoso, ansioso
▪ private: privado, soldado raso, privado, íntimo…
▪ recommendation: recomendação
▪ require: exigir, precisar de, requerer
▪ smart: inteligente, elegante
▪ suppose: supor, imaginar
▪ tear: lágrima, rasgar, rasgo, descosturado

➕ Extra Vocabulary
▪ Coach trip: a comfortable bus used to take groups of people over long distances

Phrasal verb
▪ tear something up: fazer algo em pedaços, rasgar algo
↳ He tore up her photograph.

🧩 Expression
▪ be torn between something and something: ser incapaz de decidir entre duas opções, estar dividido entre isso e aquilo
↳ I’m torn between the apple pie and the chocolate biscuit.

1Credit: Eslfast

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