Study the words in bold in the following paragraph from Text...
Text 1
Companies know how we think
Companies can now find out exactly how you think through the science of neuromarketing. Advertisers are currently collaborating with scientists to test their products directly on our brains. Some experts believe that one in ten TV commercials have already been designed using neuromarketing.
The reasons are obvious.The technique allows companies to discover exactly what people like about their products. For example, when we eat a type of potato chip, it may be the color, the flavor, or the pleasant noise it makes when you crunch it in your mouth that we like most.
In order ................ tap into what’s going ................ in consumers’ brains, it all begins laboratories and office buildings.
Groups of volunteers submit themselves to a simple process. Wearing a special headset called an electrode cap, they watch commercials or test products. The caps allow researchers to monitor brain activity. When something attracts the attention of the volunteers, this is highlighted on a computer. They literally use this device to read the minds of their volunteers. This may sound a little scary, but advertisers are just tapping into our existing thoughts and desires. And that’s what advertisers have always tried to do.
Previously, companies would give people a survey or questionnaire to complete in order to research their customers. The problem was that people didn’t always tell the truth. They may not want to be critical of a product or advertisement because they don’t want to upset the interviewer. The electrode cap overcomes this problem. It shows when someone really is interested in something.
Neuromarketing is also used to develop packaging for the world’s most famous brands. The aim is to make their products stand out in a busy marketplace. This will become standard as more companies capitalize on the technology. With millions invested in advertising, companies simply cannot afford to hope that their ads and products will be a success. If they can find out what we think first, and change their products to make them more successful, they will quickly pay off the high cost of neuromarketing and dominate their market.
Study the words in bold in the following paragraph from Text 1.
“Groups of volunteers submit themselves to a simple process. Wearing a special headset called an electrode cap, they watch commercials or test products. The caps allow researchers to monitor brain activity. When something attracts the attention of the volunteers, this is highlighted on a computer. They literally use this device to read the minds of their volunteers.”
The words in bold are:
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Alternativa correta: E — “respectively, a reflexive pronoun, a personal pronoun, and a possessive adjective.”
Tema central: classificação de pronomes em inglês. A questão avalia se você identifica a função de themselves, they e their no contexto.
Resumo teórico essencial:
- Reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves) retomam o sujeito quando ele pratica a ação sobre si mesmo: “They prepared themselves.” Também podem dar ênfase (intensive), mas aí não funcionam como objeto direto da ação.
- Personal pronouns de sujeito: I, you, he, she, it, they, we. Exercem a função de sujeito do verbo.
- Possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) aparecem antes de substantivo: “their volunteers”. Diferem de possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs), que ficam sozinhos, sem substantivo.
Fontes: Cambridge Dictionary – English Grammar (Reflexive pronouns; Possessives); Michael Swan, Practical English Usage.
Justificativa da alternativa E:
- themselves = reflexive pronoun, pois retoma o sujeito “Groups of volunteers” em “submit themselves”.
- they = personal pronoun de sujeito, em “they watch commercials…”.
- their = possessive adjective, pois modifica o substantivo “volunteers” em “their volunteers”.
Análise das alternativas incorretas:
- A) all possessive pronouns: errado. Só “their” expressa posse e é adjetivo possessivo, não possessive pronoun. “themselves” e “they” não indicam posse.
- B) all demonstrative pronouns: errado. Demonstrativos são “this/that/these/those”. Não se aplicam a “themselves/they/their”.
- C) reflexive; possessive pronoun; object pronoun: errado. “they” não é object pronoun (seria “them”); “their” não é possessive pronoun (seria “theirs”).
- D) possessive adjective; reflexive; intensive pronoun: errado. A primeira palavra é “themselves” (reflexive, não possessive). E o último termo é “their”, que é adjetivo possessivo, não pronome intensivo.
Estratégias para acertar:
- Verifique a função na frase: sujeito? objeto que retoma o sujeito? palavra antes de substantivo indicando posse?
- Dica rápida: formas em -self/-selves são reflexivas/intensivas; “they” é sujeito; “their + substantivo” = adjetivo possessivo; “theirs” (sozinho) = pronome possessivo.
- Pegadinha comum: confundir possessive adjective (their car) com possessive pronoun (the car is theirs).
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