O And either (National High School Exam) has two foreign languages: English and Spanish.
Did you know that, despite Enem's existence since 1998, only in 2010 did foreign languages become part of the test?
That's right! In Enem 2010 a total of ten questions were added to the proof of Languages, Codes and Their Technologies: 5 of English and 5 of Spanish.
However, each contestant can only choose one of these languages and the decision must be indicated in the registration for the test.
as the English is taught in many schools from Kindergarten to High School, some people prefer to choose English.
Did you roll an ID? Then check out 6 tips that Toda Matéria has separated to help you do well in the test.
1. Practice interpreting text
The main focus of all Enem's English tests has always been the interpretation of texts. The objective is not to assess specific knowledge of the English language, but rather the applicant's ability to understand the language.
Since the saying goes that “practice makes perfect”, don't waste time and start practicing reading English texts today.
Remember that you don't have to translate word for word, but understand the general meaning of the sentences.
Below you will find some of the sources of texts from previous Enem exams.
- cartoons: Glasbergen, For Better or For Worse
- Institutions: Khan Academy
- News: NBC, New York Times, BBC
- Travels: World Travel Guide
- writing: ETB Screenwriting
- government websites: TSA (Transportation Security Administration - Official website of the Department of Homeland Security), Connecticut Official State Website
2. Establish reading techniques
Even if you are not fluent in English, don't despair!
Here are some tips on how to proceed while reading:
- Start by reading the title and subtitle of the text. (if any): a careful reading of these data can allow for a contextualization of the topic to be addressed.
- Check the text font: This information can help you identify the type of text used in the question. In previous tests, poems, magazine/newspaper articles, opinion articles, articles about movies, lyrics, advertisements, cartoons etc were used.
- Look carefully at the image (when present): observe all elements of the image: background, facial expressions, objects, among others. There may be the key to the answer you are looking for.
- Read the question and answer options: before starting to read the text, check the exercise statement and understand the available answer alternatives. This will certainly make it easier to resolve the issue.
3. Make a good grammar review
Although the English test is interpretive, it is important that you have a basic understanding of English grammar.
This knowledge will help you to place an event in a temporal space, for example, to identify who a particular verb or pronoun refers in the text and whether a particular phrase expresses an adversative or alternative idea, for example.
A good idea is to review the conjugations and uses of verb tenses, prepositions, adjectives, adverbs and connectors.
See our English grammar to guide your studies.
See too:
- Linking words
- Regular and Irregular English Verbs
- English prepositions
- adverbs in english
- Adjectives in English
4. Create your own glossary
Creating your own glossary is a great alternative to expanding your English vocabulary.
In it you can register not only single words, but also phrasal verbs and their respective meanings.
To do this, set aside a notebook exclusively for this purpose. When reading a word or phrase that you don't know, you can write it down in this notebook and write its meaning on the side.
You can read this glossary from time to time or even use it as a reference source during your studies.
If you prefer, set aside a specific number of pages for each letter. This way, your glossary will be organized alphabetically.
See too:
- 130 most used nouns in English
- English verbs
- Phrasal verbs
- The most used modal verbs in English
- Idioms in English
- False cognates in English (false friends)
5. Stay on top of news
Enem often uses news from American and/or British newspapers and/or magazines as the basis for the test's English questions.
For this reason, it is important that you keep up to date on everything that is happening not only in Brazil, but in the world.
Make it a habit to read at least one news item in English a day.
Check out some news sites below that can help you stay informed in English:
- The Guardian Newspaper
- CNN
- ABC
- NBC
- The New York Times
- BBC
6. solve previous tests
Now that you've read tips on how to proceed when taking the English test on Enem, you can test your knowledge by solving the tests from previous years.
To do this, just go to the website of INEP (National Institute of Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira), who is responsible for the test.
There you will not only find all the proofs, but also their respective templates.
