Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for English for Baccalaureate

Understanding the Predicate in Sentence Structure

The predicate expresses an action, event, or situation involving the subject. Syntactically, the predicate's function is always performed by a verbal unit.

Classes of Predicates

• Nominal Predicate: Formed by linking verbs such as to be, to seem, or to appear. These verbs do not carry full meaning on their own and require an attribute (a noun, adjective, or adverbial phrase) to convey complete significance.
• Verbal Predicate: Consists of any verb other than a copular verb, and it carries its own full meaning.

The Core of the Predicate

The nucleus of the predicate is always a verb. This can be a simple verb, a compound verb, a non-personal verb form, a verbal periphrasis, or a verbal locution.

• Simple Verb

Financial and Consumer Terms

• Budget: Money that is available to a person.
• Overdraft: Money you owe to a bank.
• Down Payment: A sum of money given to start paying for something.
• A Rip-Off: Unreasonably expensive.
• No-Frills: A product that includes only basic features and is not the highest quality.
• Bulk Buying: To buy a large number of the same item cheaply at the same time.
• Impulsive Buying: Items you buy without planning ahead.
• One-Off: Happening or done only once.
• Surplus: Excess; not needed.

Verbs Related to Spending and Saving

• To Squander: To waste.
• To Splash Out: To spend a lot of money on something you don't need. (Appears twice)
• To Cut Back: To reduce the amount, size, or cost. (Appears twice)
• To Lavish: To spend or give very freely.
• To Shop Around:

Understanding the Verb

The verb is the grammatical nucleus of the verb phrase.

This is a variable word that, based on its grammatical morphological features or modifying words (such as time, number, person, voice, and aspect) and from a semantic level, expresses a process, action, situation, or state.

As for its role, the verb is the element around which the sentence or clause is structured. If the verb that forms the verb phrase is a copula, the predicate is called a nominal predicate (or predicate nominative), whereas if the verb is predicative, it forms a verbal predicate.

Verb Structure and Features

Regarding its structure, the verb consists of a lexeme, which provides the lexical or referential meaning, and some morphemes that provide information...

Understanding Journalistic Genres

Newspapers aim to report and comment on events. These distinct forms of journalistic writing are known as journalistic genres.

Journalistic texts can be broadly classified into three main categories: informative, opinion, and mixed genres.

1. Informative Genres

The primary purpose of informative genres is to convey information objectively and truthfully. A representational function predominates, focusing on new, topical, and socially relevant subjects. Key characteristics include:

• Standard Language: A formal, accessible language is used, understood by any reader. Depending on the subject, a specific lexicon may sometimes be employed.
• Narrative and Description: These texts predominantly use narrative and descriptive

Analytical Essay Structure

1. Contextualization

   Provide background and context for the literary work.

2. Literary Analysis: Characters, Setting, Theme, and Style

   • Characterization and function of characters
   • Analysis of space, time, and theme
   • Identification of stylistic traits

3. Justification of Literary Text Selection

   Explain the rationale for choosing the specific literary text.

4. Interpreting the Work: Author's Ideas and Prompt

   Discuss the treatment of the work in relation to the proposed item, establishing the relationship between the author's ideas and the subject of the prompt.

5. Student Thesis: Exposition and Argumentation

   Present and argue the student's thesis in relation to the proposed item. Consider the following positions:

   • Do not agree with this view.
   • Agree

Wish Clauses

1) Wish + Past Simple

Used for situations we wish to change in the present or future.

Example: I wish I knew the answers. (Meaning: I don't know the answers now, and I wish I did.)

2) Wish + Past Perfect

Used for wishing that things had happened differently in the past.

Example: I wish I had known the answer. (Meaning: I didn't know the answer then, and I regret it.)

3) Wish + Could / Would

Used for wishes about future situations that are unlikely or impossible, or about things we want others to do.

Example: I wish they would understand me. (Meaning: They don't understand me, and I wish they would.)

Sometimes 'wish' is used with 'only' for emphasis, similar to 'if only'.

Conditional Clauses

1) First Conditional

Structure: IF (or Unless) + Present...

Lazarillo de Tormes: The Birth of the Picaresque Novel

Lazarillo de Tormes is a seminal work in Spanish literature, marking the beginning of the picaresque novel subgenre. The first editions, published anonymously in 1554, have been attributed to various authors, including Ortega and Alfonso Valdés.

This novel shares thematic and structural similarities with other works, such as:

• The Golden Ass (an adventure novel)
• The fourth book of The Valiant Knight Rinaldo de Montalban
• Collections of love letters and folktales

The Story's Structure

The narrative unfolds in distinct modules:

First Module: Childhood

During this period, Lázaro assists a blind man, learning to navigate the world and eventually entering the service of a clergyman.

Second Module: Adolescence

As...

Characters of La Celestina

Celestina

A vivid and vital character, Celestina is hedonistic and greedy. She manipulates others through their desires, exploiting their greed, sexual appetites, and love of power.

Calisto

A high-society individual concerned only with satisfying his desires. Calisto's cynicism leads him to despise the sincerity of his servant, Pármeno, and ignore his warnings. His selfishness is revealed in his disregard for the consequences of his actions.

Melibea

A passionate woman who transitions from absolute resistance to surrendering to Calisto. This shift is portrayed with internal conflict, suggesting forced and unnatural repression.

Pármeno

Perhaps the most tragic character, Pármeno is corrupted by those around him. The son...

Grammatical Analysis of Sentence Examples

1. Offers wine and pasta (SN CD) to guests (S. PREP IC): To offer the best quality.
2. The teacher recommended students (Prep S. IC) to further study (SN CD): They recommended it after seeing the notes of the last evaluation.
3. Submit your clothes (SN CD) that will help victims (SPREP IC): They send them to the Red Cross.
4. Bring the gift of kings (CD SN) to nephews (SPREP CI): All you have to do is take it as soon as possible.
5. Peace has sold in bookstores (SN CD); its cousins (SPREP IC) are sold at affordable prices.
6. He had to send the furniture (SN CD) to parents (SPREP IC) but was not able to send them the gear.
7. We had members (SPREP IC) of the committee (SN CD): In the end, they were presented one by one.
8. I put the

Present Tenses

Present Simple

Structure: 3rd person: She lives. Negative: Do not / Does not live. Question: Do you live? Does she live?

Present Continuous

Structure: I am living, You are living, she is living. Negative: I am not living, she isn't living. Question: Am I living? Are you living? Is he living?

Expressions: At the moment, now, this weekend, this month, at present, tonight, tomorrow.

Past Tenses

Past Simple

Structure: I lived. Negative: Did not live. Question: Did you live?

Expressions: Ago, yesterday, night, year.

Past Continuous

Structure: I was living, you were living. Negative: I wasn't living, you were not living. Question: Was I living? Were you living?

Expressions: At 7 a.m. yesterday, last week, month, as, while, when.

Past Perfect Simple

Structure: