Don't run out of words! (1: 'big,' 'small,' 'good,' 'bad,' 'nice')

You are writing you essay and you have run out of words... Don't worry! I'm here to help you out.

Don't say big.
Say sizeable, immense, enormous, massive, vast, gigantic.

Don't say small.
Say little, tiny, mini.

Don't say good.
Say fine, superior, excellent, outstanding, magnificent, exceptional, marvellous, wonderful.


Don't say bad.
Say unsatisfactory, poor, inferior, deficient, faulty, shoddy.

Don't say nice.
Say enjoyable, pleasant, agreeable, satisfying, entertaining, amusing.

To be continued...

Dani.

Wishes and hopes

This is a quick guide to express our wishes and hopes. Bare in mind that it is important to know if we are expressing our wishes in present (now), in past (regrets) or future (hopes):

Present:

I wish + past simple
I wish I earned a lot of money.
This structure is used to talk about wishes in general in the present. It works as a second conditional.

I wish I could...
I wish I could speak Arabic.
It is used to talk about a difficult or impossible wish.

(*) We can replace I wish with if only for emphasis.

Past:

I wish + past perfect
I wish you had come to my party.
It not only refers to wishes about the past but also about regrets in the past. It works as a third conditional.

(*) We can replace I wish with if only for emphasis.

Future:

I hope + present simple
I hope she is on time.

I hope + will
I hope Melanie will pass her exam.
This structure does not follow a conditional form.

Dani.

Offering and suggesting

Some weeks ago we listed some ways to give advice. Today, check these useful ways to offer or suggest.

Offering

- SHALL I/WE + infinitive ?
   Shall I help you?

- CAN/MAY + subject + infinitive ?
   Can I help you?
   May I help you?

- WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO + infinitive ?
   Would you like me to help you?


Suggesting

- LET'S + infinitive !
   Let's go to the cinema!

- WHAT ABOUT + -ing ?
   What about going to the cinema?

- WHY DON'T WE + infinitive ?
   Why don't we go to the cinema?

- WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO + noun ?
   What would you say to a film?

- DON'T YOU THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO + infinitive ?
   Don't you think it's a good idea to go to the cinema?

- I SUGGEST + -ing
   I suggest going to the cinema.

Dani.

The guide to Reported Speech (4: Imperatives)

You will probably need to read part one, part two and part three of this 'Guide to Reported Speech' before continuing...

In this entry, we will focus on how to make reported speech from imperatives:

Reporting verbs in commands and requests:

Commands: TELL
Mary told Sam to drive slowly.

Requests: ASK
Mary asked Sam not to speak Spanish..

Two types of commands and requests:

AFFIRMATIVE COMMANDS AND REQUESTS

DS: Mary told Sam, 'Drive slowly!'

[REPORTING VERB] + ['TO'] + [INFINITIVE]
RS: Mary told Sam to drive slowly. 

NEGATIVE COMMANDS AND REQUESTS

DS: Mary told Sam, 'Don't speak Spanish!'

[REPORTING VERB] + ['NOT TO'] + [INFINITIVE]
RS: Mary told Sam not to speak Spanish..

There are more entries about Reported Speech.

Dani.

The guide to Reported Speech (3: Questions)

You will probably need to read part one and part two of this 'Guide to Reported Speech' before continuing...

In this entry, we will focus on how to make reported speech from direct questions:


Reporting verbs in questions:

TO ASK
ASK - ASKED - ASKED

ASK SOMETHING
Mary asked if he would play.
ASK SOMEONE SOMETHING
Mary asked Sam if he would play.

TO WONDER
WONDER - WONDERED - WONDERED

WONDER SOMETHING
Mary wondered if he would play.

TO WANT TO KNOW
WANT TO - WANTED TO - WANTED TO

WANT TO KNOW SOMETHING
Mary wanted to know if he would play.

Two types of questions:

YES/NO QUESTIONS

DS: Mary asked Sam, 'Will you play?'

[REPORTING VERB] + ['IF'/'WHETHER'] + [STATEMENT]
RS: Mary asked Sam if/whether he would play.
Note that after 'if' or 'whether' the clause is in affirmative or negative order, not in interrogative order.

WH- QUESTIONS


DS: Mary asked Sam, 'Where did you live last year?'

[REPORTING VERB] + [WH-WORD] + [STATEMENT]
RS: Mary asked Sam where he had lived the year before.



Dani

The guide to Reported Speech (2: 'Say' and 'tell')

You will probably need to read part one of this 'Guide to Reported Speech' before continuing...

In this entry, we are going to see the difference between the most frequent reporting verbs in statements: say and tell:

TO SAY:
SAY - SAID - SAID

SAY SOMETHING
Mary said (that) she loved music.
SAY TO SOMEONE SOMETHING
Mary said to Sam (that) she loved music.

TO TELL:
TELL - TOLD - TOLD

TELL SOMEONE SOMETHING
Mary told Sam (that) she loved music.

The guide to Reported Speech (1: Changes)

Direct speech vs Reported speech:

Direct speech:  Bill said, 'I lived here last year.'
We use the exact words someone said with inverted commas.

Reported speech:   Bill said (that) he had lived there the year before.
We introduce what someone said to our speech. Some changes are probably required since we are not with the same person, in the same day, in the same place...

Tense changes:

Generally speaking, when reporting someone's message, tenses tend to go back in time (one step to the past)
PRESENT SIMPLE   ->   PAST SIMPLE
PRESENT CONTINUOUS   ->   PAST CONTINUOUS
PRESENT PERFECT   ->   PAST PERFECT
PAST SIMPLE   ->   PAST PERFECT SIMPLE (it can also stay in past simple)
PAST CONTINUOUS   ->   PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
PAST PERFECT   ->   PAST PERFECT (no change is possible)
WILL   ->   WOULD
IS/ARE/AM GOING TO   ->   WAS/WERE GOING TO
CAN   ->   COULD
MAY   ->   MIGHT
MUST / HAVE TO   ->   HAD TO
SHOULD   ->   SHOULD
DS: Mary said, 'I'm finishing in a while.'
RS: Mary said (that) she was finishing in a while.

We do not change the tense with universal truths or when we are reporting something said at the same moment.
DS: Mary said, 'The Earth is round.'
RS: Mary said (that) the Earth is round.

Personal pronoun and adjective changes:

Subjects and objects have to change according to the circumstances and context.
DS: Mary told Sam, 'I will love you forever.'
RS: Mary told Sam (that) she would love him forever.

Place changes:

HERE   ->   THERE
DS: Mary said, 'I will be here.'
RS: Mary said (that) she would be there.

Time changes:

NOW / AT THE MOMENT   ->   THEN / AT THAT MOMENT
TODAY   ->   THAT DAY
YESTERDAY   ->   THE DAY BEFORE / THE PREVIOUS DAY
THE DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY   ->   TWO DAYS BEFORE
TOMORROW   ->   THE NEXT DAY / THE FOLLOWING DAY
THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW   ->   IN TWO DAYS TIME / TWO DAYS LATER
NEXT WEEK, MONTH, YEAR...   ->   THE FOLLOWING WEEK, MONTH, YEAR...
LAST WEEK, MONTH, YEAR...   ->   THE PREVIOUS WEEK, MONTH, YEAR...
[...] AGO   ->   [...] BEFORE
THIS (for time)   ->   THAT (for time)
DS: Mary said, 'I went to Morocco last year.'
RS: Mary said (that) she had gone to Morocco the previous year.

We do not change the time when the action reported happens at the same moment.

Other changes:

THIS   ->   THAT / THE
THESE   ->   THOSE / THE
DS: Mary said, 'I want this necklace.'
RS: Mary said that she wanted that necklace.'

'Lend' and 'borrow'

En la entrada de voy vamos a ver la diferencia entre dos verbos muy parecidos pero con significados ligeramente diferentes: to lend y to borrow.

TO LEND
LEND - LENT - LENT
[prestar - el sujeto cede su posesión]

LEND SOMEONE SOMETHING
I will lend you my bike. (Yo te prestaré mi bicicleta)
LEND SOMETHING TO SOMEONE
I will lend my bike to you.

TO BORROW
BORROW - BORROWED - BORROWED
[tomar prestado - el sujeto obtiene la posesión del alguien]

BORROW SOMETHING
You will borrow my bike. (Tú tomarás prestada mi bicicleta)
BORROW SOMETHING FROM SOMEONE
You will borrow the bike from me.

Practícalo:
Traduce las siguiente oraciones al inglés. Después comprueba tus respuestas:
1 No te presté el cuaderno.
2 ¿Puedo utilizar tu goma de borrar?
3 He tomado prestado el libro de Susan.
4 ¿Me dejas tu ordenador?
5 Alison no tomó prestado el coche de Paul ayer.

Ahora, revisa tus respuestas:
1 I didn't lend you the notebook. / I didn't lend the notebook to you.
2 May/Can I borrow your rubber? / May/Can I borrow the rubber from you?
3 I have borrowed Susan's book. / I have borrowed the book from Susan.
4 Would you lend me your computer? / Would you lend your computer to me?
5 Alison didn't borrow Paul's car yesterday.  / Alieon didn't borrow the car from Paul yesterday.

Dani.

When to put apostrophe without s?

El genitivo sajón es al inglés lo que la ñ al castellano. Para hablar de posesión la forma más utilizada es el apóstrofe con s. Sin embargo, a pesar de estudiarlo año tras año, seguimos teniendo dudas sobre que hacer cuando el poseedor termina en -s.

Cuando el poseedor termina en -s debemos averiguar de donde viene esa s:

- Si viene del plural, sólo vamos a añadir un apóstrofe al poseedor:
   The boys' books.

- Si el nombre está en singular pero acaba en s entonces añadimos 's directamente:
   Chris's books.

También dudamos si el poseedor es un plural irregular. Como el poseedor no termina en s entonces no hay problema, añadimos 's:
   The children's books.

Muchos habréis visto en textos de países de habla inglesa que esta norma no siempre se cumple, cuando el poseedor acaba en s se añade sólo un apóstrofe. ¿Está mal? No, los idiomas evolucionan y las reglas se tienden a regularizar. Es un ejemplo del cambio que está sufriendo el inglés.

Dani.

The linking words you need to know

As we have recently seen (Quick guide for short discursive essays and Writing short essays for PET) you must include linking words in order to give quality to your piece of writing.

Here are some of these words you need to use:

TO JOIN TWO WORDS OR PARTS OF SENTENCES:

- AND -> Sam phoned Liz and sent the email.

- BOTH ... AND -> Sam both phoned Liz and sent the email.
- AND ... TOO / AS WELL -> Sam phoned Liz and sent the email too. / Sam phoned Liz and sent the email as well.
- AS WELL AS -> Sam phoned Liz as well as sent the email.
- AND ALSO / AND ... ALSO -> Sam phoned Liz and also sent the email. / Sam phoned Liz and sent the email also.

TO GIVE EXAMPLES:

- FOR EXAMPLE -> There are many different political parties in the country. For example, the Conservatives represent half of the population. / The Conservatives, for example, represent half of the population. 
- SUCH AS / LIKE [less formal] -> British political parties, such as / like the Conservatives, get a lot of money.

TO ORGANISE IDEAS:

- FIRST (OF ALL) ... , SECONDLY ... , FINALLY ... -> The E.U. has promoted different unity programmes. First (of all), it has [...]. Secondly, many governments [...]. Finally, thanks to [...].
- IN CONCLUSION [+ a final point] -> In conclusion, the E.U. has invested [...].

TO ADD INFORMATION:

- TO ADD A POINT: AS WEL AS THIS / BESIDES THIS -> The E.U. has promoted different unity programmes. First (of all), it has [...]. Secondly, many governments [...]. As well as this / Besides this, money [...]. Finally, thanks to [...].
- TO ADD DETAIL OR SURPRISING INFORMATION: IN FACT / ACTUALLY -> Tom has lived in many countries. In fact / Actually, his favourite was Japan. / Tom has lived in many countries but, in fact / actually, he's never been to Japan.
- TO ADD PERSONAL IDEAS: IN MY VIEW / PERSONALLY -> The word 'crisis' sounds scary. In my view / Personally, a crisis is a chance to improve.

- TO ADD A CONTRASTING POINT:
   BUT -> I don't like pizza, but I had it for dinner.
   HOWEVER / NEVERTHELESS -> I don't like pizza. However / Nevertheless, I had it for dinner.

TO GIVE ALTERNATIVES:

- EITHER ... OR ... -> We could either order a pizza, or go to a restaurant. / Either we could order a pizza, or go to a restaurant.

TO REPLACE:

- INSTEAD OF -> Instead of ordering a pizza we went to a restaurant. / We ordered a pizza instead of going to a restaurant.
- INSTEAD -> We didn't go to a restaurant. We ordered a pizza instead.

TO GIVE EXCEPTIONS:
- EXCEPT / BUT -> She visited everyone except / but her mother.

TO EMPHASISE:
- EVEN -> I don't like public transport. I even hate it.
- EVEN ... THAN -> This book is even longer than the Bible.

Do not forget to pay special attention to the punctuation shown in the examples.

Dani.

Writing short essays for PET

Hace unos días vimos como escribir escribir textos discursivos de unas cien palabras.  En esta entrada nos vamos a centrar en aquellos alumnos que piensan presentarse al Preliminary English Test (PET) de Cambridge (MCRE B1) y desean mejorar sus escritos cortos.

La parte 2 del examen de 'Writing' nos va a pedir un escrito corto de unas 35 a 45 palabras. Aquí tenéis algunos puntos básicos a tener en cuenta:

- 45 es el número de palabras máximo; un escrito corto es un escrito corto y has de demostrar que sabes la gramática. Al conocer los punto gramáticas evitarás dar vueltas en las estructuras y necesitarás menos palabras.

- Lee con atención la información que te piden: ¿a quién va dirigido? ¿qué tipo de texto se me pide? ¿cuál es el contexto? - Una vez que te hayas hecho las preguntas, imagínate la situación.

- Siempre te van a pedir que respondas a tres cuestiones que has de responder. Asegúrate de que entiendes las tres y que has averiguado que punto gramatical te están pidiendo: una oración en voz pasivo, modales, juegos de tiempos verbales, oración de relativo... No olvides demostrar tu gramática en cada unas de las frases.

- Empieza tu redacción dirigiéndote a quien escribes. Empieza con: Dear [nombre] seguido de una coma.

- Finalízala despidiéndote con: Love, y en el párrafo siguientes escribes tu nombre.

- Utiliza vocabulario relacionado y no te vayas por las ramas.

- Revisa antes de pasar a la siguiente pregunta.

Aquí tienes un ejemplo:

You've just received a present from your friend Amanda, an Irish friend. Write a postcard to Amanda. In your postcard you should:

- thank her for the present.
- tell her why you love it.
- tell her what you are sending her in return. 

Dear Amanda,
I would like to thank you for your present. The novel is just perfect. You know I love reading so much. I am sending you another book in return. I hope you like it!
     Love,
          Sarah.

(Palabras: 38)

Ahora es el momento de prácticas y comprobar que lo estás haciendo adecuadamente.

Dani.

Giving advice

Dar buenos consejos es muy importante, pero también lo es decirlo bien. Además, en un examen oral no te la puedes jugar y debes demostrar todo lo que sabes. Impresionales con todas estas formas para dar consejos:


- 2nd CONDITIONAL:   IF I WERE YOU, I WOULD + INF
   If I were you, I would go to the doctor's.

- MODAL VERBS: SHOULD & OUGHT TO
   You should go to the doctor's.
   You ought to go to the doctor's.

- IMPERATIVE [informal]
   Go to the doctor's.

- 'WHY DON'T YOU + INF ?'
   Why don't you go you the doctor's?

- 'HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT + VB ING ?'
   Have you thought about going to the doctor's?

Ah, y no olvides:

ADVICE: consejo [nombre incontable] -> A PIECE OF ADVICE: un consejo [contablizar un nombre incontable]

TO ADVISE: aconsejar.
 

Phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs about writing

Hace algunos días vimos como escribir un ensayo discursivo en unas cien palabras. Ahora, puedes darle más calidad añadiendo alguno de estos phrasal verbs y prepositional verbs sobre redactar. Normalmente, los phrasal verbs y prepositional verbs son de uso informal, sin embargo, estos no.

ACCOUNT FOR [why something happened]
- explicar

CONSIST OF [several sections]
- consistir en

DEAL WITH [a topic or idea]
- tratar

DRAW UP [a plan or proposal]
- redactar

EDIT OUT [any unnecessary information]
- eliminar

EXPAND ON [a statement]
- ampliar

FILE AWAY [the documents]
- archivar

GO THROUGH [a list or plan]
- llevar a cabo

POINT OUT [an important piece of information]
- puntualizar / remarcar

PUT FORWARD [a suggestion]
- proponer

REFER TO [a particular subject]
- hacer referencia a

REPORT BACK [to a person about something]
- informar de los sucedido

SET OUT [the reasons why something should be done]
- tener la intención de

SUM UP [the main points discussed]
- resumir

WRITE DOWN [the information]
- anotar

Dani.

Singular noun or plural noun? That's the question.

Aquí os dejo algunas palabras que suelen dar problemas porque no nos queda muy claro si son nombres plurales o singulares. Por desgracia, en castellano funcionan justo al revés.

ONE PERSON, TWO PEOPLE: People es un nombre plural y llevará el verbo también en plural. Prueba a traducirlo como 'personas'

People are interested in politics (La gente está interesada en la politica)

NEWS: nombre en forma plural pero el verbo en forma singular. News siempre se escribe con -s porque si no significaría 'nuevo.' No te despistes.

The news is bad (Las noticias son malas)

POLICE: nombre en forma singular pero el verbo en forma plural. Recuerda que la policía es un grupo de gente.

The police are arresting the thief (La policía está arrestando al ladrón)

Pasad un buen día.

Dani.

Learning English? No stress!

[La versión en castellano aparece después de la inglesa / Spanish version after English]

Nowadays, being able to speak a little bit of English is not enough. Furthermore, we are asked for academic certificates to prove what we can really do. These diplomas are sometimes hard to get and tend to stress us out. This stress is because we can't get the level we are asked for as fast as they want us to.

These are some tips to bare in mind when our level is not that high.

1. It is important to know what level you have. Do not underestimate yourself nor overestimate. Be sensitive and true. Believing your level is lower than it really is will make you lose many opportunities and learn slower. Believing your level is higher than it is will force you understand questions you are not ready for yet. This will also lead you to learn slower.

2. Watch TV in English but do not get frustrated if you can't understand it! As we have said, little by little is better. Start by watching that series or film you know by heart in your mother tongue without subtitles. Then, try watching series or films with subtitles in your language. After this, change the subtitles to English and finally jump to other TV programmes. But do not forget not to hurry!

3. Travel to English speaking countries whenever you can. Do not worry if you don't understand a word. Familiarising yourself with the accents, slang and local expressions comes with time. Enjoy the food, look at the people, go shopping... No stress at all! Try to talk to people and learn about the culture. With time, you will see that you can understand better than you speak or vice versa. Now you know your strengths and it will let you know where you have to put more emphasis!

4. Read in English. I know adapted books are dull since I had to read them as well. Now it's easier with new technology. Go to Twitter OR Facebook, follow some people or organisations you may like tweeting in English. Try to understand their tweets by using the general context or you may use a dictionary. Tweet them back! But don't forget to think about the grammar you know. Only the grammar you know! If they don't understand, just laugh!

5. Be curious! Going to classes is important. Teachers like me will be glad to help you! But you can do much more. Read articles often about learning English like my blog, lol. Not big lessons, just small tips which you can understand on your own and if you can't, just ask.

I hope I have helped you! You will be able to speak English in the future but be patient and make it work.

Dani.

-----

Hoy en día, ser capaz de hablar un poco de inglés no es suficiente. Además, se nos pide certificados académicos para probar lo que realmente sabemos hacer. Estos títulos en ocasiones son difíciles de obtener y tienden a estresarnos. Este estrés se produce porque no podemos obtener el nivel que se nos pide tan rápido como quieren que lo hagamos.

Aquí os dejo algunos consejos a tener en cuenta cuando tu nivel no es tan alto.

1. Es importante saber el nivel que tienes. Ni te subestimes ni te sobrestimes. Se sensato y veraz. Creer que tu nivel es más bajo de lo que en realidad es hará que pierdas muchas oportunidades y aprendas más despacio. Creer que tu nivel es más alto de lo que es, te forzará a comprender cuestiones a las que no estás preparado aún. Esto también te va a llevar a aprender más despacio.

2. Ve la televisión en inglés pero no te frustres si no puedes entenderla. Como hemos dicho, poco a poco es mejor. Empieza viendo esa serie o película que te sabes de memoria en tu lengua materna, sin subtítulos. Luego, prueba a ver series o películas con subtítulos en tu idioma. Después de esto, cambia los subtítulos a inglés y finalmente da el salto a otros programas de televisión. ¡Pero no olvides no apresurarte!

3. Viaja a países de habla inglesa cuando puedas. No te preocupes si no entiendes una palabra. Toma algún tiempo familiarizarse con los acento, jerga y expresiones locales. Disfruta de la comida, observa a la gente, vete de compras... ¡Nada de estrés! Intenta hablar con la gente y aprende sobre la cultura. Con el tiempo, verás que puedes entender mejor que hablas o viceversa. ¡Ahora sabes tus puntos fuertes y eso te va a permitir saber donde has de poner más esfuerzo!

4. Lee en inglés. Se que los libros adaptados son aburridos porque yo tuve que leerlos también. Ahora es más sencillo con las nuevas tecnologías. Vete a Twitter o Facebook, sigue a algunas personas u organizaciones que te gusten que tweeteen en inglés. Trata de entender sus tweets utilizando el contexto general o puedes utilizar un diccionario. ¡Responderles! Pero no olvides pensar en la gramática que conoces. ¡Sólo la gramática que sabes! Si ellos no lo entienden ¡ríete!

5. ¡Se curioso! Ir a clases es importante. ¡Los profesores como yo estaremos encantado de ayudarte! Pero puedes hacer mucho más. Con frecuencia, lee artículos sobre aprender inglés como mi blog, Jaja. No lecciones grandes, sólo pequeños consejos que tu puedas entender por ti mismo y si no puedes, pregunta.

¡Espero haberte ayudado!  En el futuro podrás hablar inglés pero ten paciencia y haz esto siga adelante.

Dani.

The problem of 'write'

Pocos verbos tan básicos como write nos dan tantos problemas.

• En primer lugar, su pronunciación; vemos que empieza por wr- y nos ponemos nerviosos. Tranquilos, la w no se pronuncia.

La pronunciación de write es /raɪt/, exactamente igual que la palabra right.

• En segundo lugar, su ortografía; sabemos que lleva dos t pero olvidamos si es en el participio o el gerundio.

El gerundio se escribe: writing. Cuando un verbo acaba en consonante + e, al añadir -ing, la -e desaparece. ¡Ya está! Sólo se aplica esa regla. Muchos suelen doblar la t porque creen que después de quitar la e, el verbo acaba en consonante + vocal + consonante, pero al añadir -ing sólo se sigue una regla y no se van acumulando.

El participio se escribe: written. Aquí no hay explicación. Los hablantes así lo decidieron.

Recuerda:

Infinitivo: WRITE /raɪt/     
Pasado: WROTE /rəʊt/     
Participio: WRITTEN /ˈrɪtn/
Gerundio: WRITING /ˈraɪtɪŋ/


Ahora, que mejor forma de practicar esto que writing...

Dani

English tenses summary

Aquí tenéis una lista de los tiempos verbales del inglés con una frase que os ayudará con las estructuras.

PRESENTES Y PASADOS:

Presente Simple / Simple Present
I work.

Presente Continuo / Present Continuous
I am working.

Presente Perfecto Simple / Present Perfect Simple
I have worked.

Presente Perfecto Continuo / Present Perfect Continuous
I have been working.

Pasado Simple / Past Simple
I worked.

Pasado Continuo / Past Continuous
I was working.

Pasado Perfecto Simple / Pasado Perfecto Simple
I had worked.

Pasado Perfecto Continuo / Past Perfect Continuous
I had been working.

FUTUROS:

Futuro Simple / Future Simple
I will work.

Futuro Continuo / Future Continuous
I will be working.

Futuro Perfecto Simple / Future Perfect Simple
I will have worked.

Futuro Perfecto Continuo / Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been working.

Futuro 'Going To' / 'Going To' Future

I am going to work.

CONDICIONALES:

Condicional Simple / Conditional Simple

I would work.

Condicional Continuo / Conditional Continuous

I would be working.

Condicional Perfecto Simple / Conditional Perfect Simple

I would have worked.

Condicional Perfecto Continuo / Conditional Perfect Continuous

I would have been worked.

¿Quién dijo que en inglés no hay tiempos verbales?

Quick guide for short discursive essays

Follow these simple instructions if you need to write a discursive essay of about 100 words.

Steps prior to your writing!

1st    Think about the topic in order to get new ideas. Two or three ideas are more than enough!
2nd    Make sure that your ideas are politically correct, innovative and not aggressive.
3rd    Now you have the ideas, think of an explanation for them.

Now you know what you are going to talk about, let's start writing!

Divide your text in three paragraphs (introduction, presentation of ideas and conclusion.)

1st paragraph: INTRODUCTION (about 20 words / 2 sentences)

1st sentence: Use a generalisation about the topic. (i.e. if the topic is about sport and teenagers, talk about why sport is so important 'Sport has always been important for society from Ancien Greece until nowadays')

2nd sentence: Tell the reader what you are going to talk about. (i.e. 'In this essay I am going to discuss different reasons why teenagers do not practice sport.')

2nd paragraph: PRESENTATION OF IDEAS (about 6 words / 6 sentences)

1st    Each idea should have two sentences. Make sure you number them (i.e. 'Firstly,' 'then...') Don't forget linking some of them with connectors (i.e. 'Moreover,' 'however...')

2nd    Start each idea with an exposition of itself (i.e. 'Firstly, students spend a lot of time at school.')

3rd    Now, develop it in a sentence or maximum two! If you are writing about three ideas, use one sentence to explain it. (i.e. 'When classes are finished we have to keep on studying at home.')

4th    Do the same with the rest of ideas.

3rd paragraph: CONCLUSION (about 20 words / 2 sentences)

1st    Summarise what you have talked about. Feel free to copy the second sentence in your introduction but don't forget to change the words and grammar. (i.e. 'In this essay we have seen some reasons why young people are not able to practice sport.)

2nd    Finish you conclusion with a piece of advice or a condition. (i.e. 'I think that we would feel better if we did any kind of activity.)

Now, the best way to learn is to practice!

Dani.

Double negative

A diferencia del castellano, en inglés la doble negación no está permitida. Esto quiere decir que en una oración con significado negativo sólo puede haber un elemento de negación y no dos como ocurre en castellano.

No quiero nada: NO / NADA son palabras negativas.
I don't want anything: DON'T es la única palabra negativa.

Las palabras negativas más comunes:
- NO y todos sus compuestos (nobody, nothing...)
- NEVER
- NEITHER

No obstante, estas palabras tienen equivalentes neutros. Estas palabras neutras, si aparecen en una oración negativa, necesitan una negación en algún otro lugar.
- ANY y todos sus compuestos (anybody, anything...)
- EVER
- EITHER

Algunos ejemplos:
- I want nothing./ I don't want anything. (No quiero nada)
- I have never smoked before. / I haven't ever smoked before. (No he fumado nunca antes)
- I neither smoke nor drink. / I don't either smoke or drink. (Ni fumo ni bebo)

'Must' and 'can'

Los verbos modales suelen ser un dolor de cabeza para los hispanohablantes. Entre ellos, CAN y MUST hacen que cometamos bastantes errores fáciles de solucionar.

Lo primero es tener en cuenta que aunque en español podamos traducirlos como 'poder' no significa que en inglés siempre se utilice CAN.

Refresquemos la memoria y hagamos un resumen de los usos de MUST y CAN:

HABILIDAD EN PRESENTE: CAN
I can play the guitar. (Puedo tocar la guitarra.)
I can't play the guitar.
Can you play the guitar? - Yes, I can. / No, I can't.

OBLIGACIÓN: MUST (Sólo en afirmativa. ¡En negativa es prohibición!)
I must do my homework. (Tengo que (debo) hacer mis deberes.)

¡Aquí viene lo importante!

CERTEZA:

- 100% seguro de que sí: MUST (Sólo en afirmativa.)
Paul must be English. (Paul tiene que ser inglés.)

- 100% seguro de que no: CAN'T (Sólo en negativa.)
Paul can't be English. (Paul no puede que ser inglés)

¡Cuidado! Errores comunes:

- No se puede expresar certeza con MUSTN'T (sólo prohibición) ni con CAN (sólo habilidad o permiso)
- Revisa la ortografía de MUSTN'T (la primera T se suele olvidar)

Practícalo:
Traduce las siguientes oraciones teniendo en cuenta lo que se quiere decir en cada frase:
1) Sophie tiene que venir a clase todos los días.
2) No pueden estar aquí. Es imposible.
3) Sue no puede venir a la fiesta.
4) Puedo hablar alemán.
5) Tiene que vivir cerca de aquí. Esta es su dirección.

Ahora, comprueba tus respuestas:
1) Sophie must come to class everyday. [MUST: obligación]
2) They can't be here. It's impossible. [CAN'T: certeza 100% seguro de que no]
3) Sue mustn't come to the party. [MUSTN'T: prohibición]
4) I can speak German. [CAN: habilidad]
5) He/she must live near here. This is his/her address. [MUST: 100% seguro de que sí]

Dani.

'Want'

El verbo want (querer) es un verbo muy común en inglés. No obstante, no siempre lo utilizamos correctamente.

Want es un verbo que va seguido de infinitivo con to.

WANT + TO + VERBO INFINITIVO
I want to speak English.
(Quiero hablar inglés)

Cuando quieres que alguien haga algo, debes situar a la persona a la que ordenas  justo detrás de want:
WANT + PRON. OBJECTO + TO + VERBO INFINITIVO
I want you to speak English.
(Quiero que tú hables inglés)

¡Cuidado! Errores comunes:
*I want that you speak English. -> Solemos creer que al dar órdenes, want va seguido de una that clause.

Practícalo:
Traduce la siguientes oraciones al inglés y comprueba tus respuestas al final.
1) Paul quiere que vayas al mercado.
2) Queremos que Martha haga los deberes.
3) Ella quiere que yo estudie con ella.
4) No quieren que escuchemos su conversación.
5) Charles quiere que Alison pague su libro.

Comprueba tus respuestas ahora:
1) Paul wants you to go to the market.
2) We want Martha to do her homework.
3) She wants me to study with her.
4) They don't want us to listen to their conversation.
5) Charles wants Alison to pay for her book.

¿Cuál es tu nivel de inglés?

- ¿Qué nivel de inglés tiene usted?
- Intermedio.
- ¿A qué se refiere con 'intermedio'?
- Mmm...

Cada persona tiene un baremo distinto para identificar los niveles de destreza en un idioma. No obstante, el 'marco común europeo de referencia para las lenguas' (MCERL) ha catalogado todas las lenguas que se hablan en la Unión Europea en seis niveles diferentes. ¿En cuál estás tu?

NIVELES 'A': nivel básico.

A1: El hablante es capaz de comprender y utilizar expresiones sencillas de uso muy cotidiano. El interlocutor debe hablar despacio y cooperar.
A2: El hablante es capaz de comprender y utilizar expresiones sencillas de uso cotidiano y con un objetivo específico (quedar con un amigo, tomar un recado...) así como resolver sus necesidades.

NIVELES 'B': nivel intermedio.

B1: El hablante comprende textos sencillos sobre aspectos de la vida cotidiana que le rodea. Puede justificar sus opiniones.
B2: El hablante comprende textos sencillos que hablen de aspectos más técnicos (siempre que estén en su campo de conocimiento). Puede comunicarse con fluidez.

NIVELES 'C': nivel avanzado.

C1: El hablante comprende y se expresa naturalmente en ámbitos complejos y técnicos. Es capaz de expresarse sin esfuerzo, de forma espontánea y con expresiones concretas.
C2: El hablante es capaz de comprender todo lo que oye y puede hablar de cualquier tema de forma natural y sin complicaciones. Es capaz de comprender cualquier acento.

En los próximos días nos adentráremos nivel por nivel analizando los puntos más importantes y exámenes reconocidos que te ayudarán a demostrar oficialmente tus capacidades.

Siéntete libre a hacer las preguntas que necesites.

Dani.

Adding contrast

Añadir contraste a tus redacciones es bastante sencillo, pero BUT no es la única forma. ALTHOUGH y HOWEVER están a tu disposición pero debes mirar bien sus estructuras.

BUT   [informal]
Ann ate her dinner, but she wasn't hungry.
Separa ambas oraciones por una coma.
La oración con BUT no puede encabezar la oración.

ALTHOUGH   [formal]
Ann ate her dinner although she wasn't hungry.
Although she was hungry, Ann ate her dinner.
Separa ambas oraciones sin una coma.
La oración con ALTHOUGH sí puede encabezar la oración sin una coma.

HOWEVER   [formal]
Ann ate her dinner. However, she wasn't hungry.
Ann ate her dinner. She wasn't hungry, however.
Introduce una nueva oración. Va seguida de una coma.
HOWEVER también puede ir al final con una coma.

Dani.

The beginning of a nice friendship...

What's going on nowadays? Everybody has gone bananas with this story of English. Me too actually, I have to recognise...

After many years teaching English, which I absolutely love, I've decided to create all this.

In this blog, I will eventually be uploading easy-reading and entertaining lessons which will help you improve your skills. Furthermore, I will also add really useful information about official examinations and the way to proceed.

Are you joining?

Dani.

You may need this...

TO GO BANANAS: volverse loco/a

ACTUALLY: de hecho [FALSE FRIEND!]

SKILL: destreza

PROCEED: proceder