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

Social Commentary: Fame and Prejudice

The Pros and Cons of Being Famous

I would like to say that I wouldn't like to be famous because many people, including journalists and fans, would follow me all the time, severely limiting my personal freedom.

Advantages of Celebrity Status

On the one hand, one major advantage of being famous is financial freedom and access to luxury:

• Wealth: You can buy everything you want because you have a lot of money.
• Endorsements and Gifts: You advertise products (like clothes, watches, perfumes, cars, etc.), and the directors of these firms often give you expensive presents.
• Social Access: You can attend exclusive parties where you can meet other celebrities, although they may sometimes be perceived as snobbish or superficial.

Passive Voice Tense Table

Conditional Sentence Structure

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Technology

Technology is essential for modern work and daily life. On the one hand, we benefit from numerous household appliances that simplify chores. Furthermore, tools like mobile phones and the internet are vital for communication.

On the other hand, there are disadvantages, particularly regarding internet usage. Parents must monitor the websites their children access, as some content can be dangerous. In summary, technology offers more advantages than disadvantages.

St. John's Eve: A Spanish Tradition

On June 23rd, we celebrate St. John's Eve in Spain. This tradition began on the coast and has spread nationwide. Key customs include:

• Bathing in the sea, swimming pools, or fountains at midnight.
• Setting fires, eating,

Central Characters and Relationships

Teresa Goday

The young and attractive daughter of a fishmonger. Her first love affair was with the lamplighter, Michael Masdeu, with whom she had a son, Jesus Masdeu.

Nicolau Rovira

A wealthy, older man who marries Teresa. His wealth provides Teresa, who is of humble origin, with significant social and economic promotion.

Michael Masdeu (Jeweler)

Teresa's first love. He meets Teresa while she is married and has a son, Jesus Masdeu, whom he later adopts (s'afillarà). He is associated with the descriptor "Mr. Drink" and his character is referred to as a "bluff."

Jesus Masdeu

He is seen as a burden by Teresa, but she does not want to leave him helpless.

Salvador Valldaura

Tall, good-looking, with a striking blond beard....

Adjective

Superlative
Explanatory adjective expresses a quality abstract or concrete noun and reports, stressing that quality, for example: "Sweet Sugar", "Blue Sky." Apart from that, this is always an adjective before the noun

Specified is the adjective which expresses a necessary quality of the name that distinguishes it from others. The "big car", "cold morning" ...

Adjective is the defining, expressing qualities or characteristics of the noun. Eg tall, handsome dog, etc ...

Adverb

Adverbs of place: here, here, here, here, here, up, down, near, far in front, behind, above, below, front, back, around, etc.. And so are some examples

Adverbs of time [all]: early, late, early, still, still, and, yesterday, today, tomorrow, always, never, ever,...

Email Communication

Greetings

• Dear...
• Hi...

Starting

• Thanks for your message.
• I'm glad to hear that...
• I'm just writing to...

Changing the Subject

• Anyway, ...
• One more thing, ...
• What about you...?

Finishing

• It would be great to hear from you.
• Must go now!
• Keep in touch.
• Write soon.

Saying Goodbye

• All the best.
• Bye for now.
• Love / XXX
• See you / CU

Interview Communication

To Welcome the Audience*

• Good morning/afternoon/evening and welcome to today's program.
• Welcome to another edition of (name of program)

To Introduce the Interviewee

• Today we have here with us Mr./Ms...
• We are very pleased/delighted to have here with us Mr./Ms...
• Please welcome Mr./Ms...
• He/She has...
• He/She is famous for +ing

To Close the Interview*

• Well, our time is over for today.
• I'm afraid our time is over.

1. Voices of Presence and Absence

Speech sender:

• Personal: Individual or collective.
• Absence: Impersonality procedures (e.g., "should," "seems").

[Spatial and temporal dimensions]

2. Variant Dialect and Coherence

Grade of Objectivity: Judgments made as "demonstrable truths" using impersonal structures.

Subjectivity: Value judgments that are "indemonstrable" (e.g., modalized statements).

Modalization Techniques

Includes parentheses, dashes, italics, irony, exclamations, evaluative lexicon (adjectives, verbs), adverbial phrases (e.g., "undoubtedly," "luckily," "logically"), and rhetorical figures (rhetorical questions, metaphors, hyperbole).

Enlargement Procedures

• Apposition: Clarification within comments.
• Reformulation: Paraphrasing (e.g., "i.e.," "that

The Tragic Love of Callisto and Melibea in La Celestina

Callisto's Infatuation

Callisto, deeply enamored with the noble Melibea, declares his love. Melibea, perceiving his desire as purely sexual, rejects him. Furious, Callisto returns home and confides in his servant, Sempronius. While Sempronius plays a melancholic tune on the lute, Callisto vents his frustrations. Sempronius suggests seeking the aid of Celestina, an old woman known for her cunning. Callisto agrees, and Sempronius sets out to find her.

Celestina's Intervention

Upon arriving at Celestina's home, Sempronius encounters Elicia, his lover, who quickly hides upon seeing him with another man, Crito. After greeting Sempronius, Elicia departs. Sempronius then enlists Celestina's help...

English Modal Verbs and Usage Rules

Permission and Obligation

• Permitted: Can, Could
• Not permitted: Cannot, Could not / Are not allowed to
• Obligatory: Had to, Have to / Must
• Not obligatory: Do not have to, Did not have to / Needn't
• Advised / Recommended: Should / Shouldn't

Common Noun Suffixes

The Suffix -HOOD

Used for stages, conditions, or life situations (e.g., motherhood) and groups of people (e.g., neighborhood).

The Suffix -SHIP

Used for relationships between people (e.g., friendship), status or position (e.g., leadership), membership, childhood, and general relationships.

Expressing Habits

Past Habits

Used to / Did not use to: Refers to actions that happened regularly in the past but no longer happen.

Present Habits

Usually, normally, generally: These...

Occidental Catalan: Key Linguistic Traits

In Occidental Catalan, flat masculine words in the plural often add -os, as seen in homes joves (young men). The first person singular present indicative typically ends in -o (e.g., jo canto – I sing). Weak pronouns often precede verb forms, which can make the full verb form appear less emphatic. For example, et mossegaré (I will bite you) illustrates this placement.

North-Western Catalan: Phonetic & Lexical Traits

North-Western Catalan often features diphthongization, as observed in words like au (bird) and rodó (round). The term 'fota' might refer to a specific phonetic process. This dialect retains the archaic masculine article lo, derived from Latin illum. First person present indicative and...