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

Understanding Newspaper Opinion Articles

The text, titled (Title of Article), is a newspaper opinion article, written by (Author's Name). It addresses a topic of general interest, often presented as a notice either in favor of or against a particular stance, much like a manifesto aimed at a broad societal audience.

Language Functions and Discourse Mode

The predominant language functions are representative and informative, aiming for objectivity. However, the expressive function is also present, as the author conveys and defends their opinion. Furthermore, the appellative function emerges, seeking to persuade the reader to adopt a particular viewpoint.

The primary mode of discourse is argumentative, where the author defends their central thesis....

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Key Moments and Insights

Dr. Lanyon's Observations of the Mysterious Visitor

What strange thing did Dr. Lanyon see about the visitor's clothes?

His clothes were well-made and expensive, but they were far too large for him.

The Visitor's Actions with the Chemicals

Did the stranger do anything strange with the chemicals?

He put a little of the red liquid in the glass and added a packet of powder. He put the glass to his lips and drank the liquid.

The Transformation After Consuming the Chemicals

Was there any change after Mr. Hyde had drunk the chemicals?

His whole body seemed to change. He seemed to become taller and fatter. His face turned black, and its shape began to change. There stood Jekyll.

Dr. Jekyll's Background and Early

Key Characters in Like Water for Chocolate

• Tita: The protagonist of the novel. The story is centered on her life, her suffering, and her deep emotions. She is a magnificent cook who expresses her feelings through her recipes.
• Mama Elena: Mrs. Elena de la Garza is the owner of the ranch. She is a strong, straight, and very strict woman. She is the mother of Rosaura, Gertrudis, and Tita.
• Rosaura: Tita's older sister and the wife of Pedro. She is the mother of Roberto and Esperanza. She is a character who is often depicted as being physically or emotionally ill.
• Gertrudis: The second daughter of Mama Elena and the biological daughter of Jose Trevino. She escapes the ranch with a revolutionary named Juan Alejandrez and eventually becomes a general

Characters and the Grotesque Reality

Max Estrella is a frustrated poet who has gone blind. His work does not succeed, and thus he does not earn enough to eat. It is tragic that, despite his blindness, he is the only character who truly sees reality—a reality captured by defining the grotesque. Don Latino is a frequent companion of Max. He takes advantage of Max's generosity, but by the end of the play, he is the only one who has realized that the world is a sham, a grotesque reality.

This work introduces and defines the concept of the esperpento, a term Valle-Inclán places in the mouth of the protagonist, Max Estrella, when he says: "The classic heroes. The tragic sense." He later states: "The images or... My current aesthetic."

The Absurd

The media are the channels used to transmit information of general interest to the masses. They include radio, television, the internet, and newspapers.

Core Functions of Media

• Informative: This is the basic function of media; its specific genre is the news.
• Entertainment: Because most media dedicate spaces for people to be entertained.
• Training: This appears when good information is provided, coupled with serious interpretations and assessments.
• Critique: Which also involves opinion and discussion.

Key Media Characteristics

• Immediacy: The most important characteristic. Information is transmitted even from the most distant cities as events occur.
• Universality: Media communication collects news and transmits it across the entire planet.
• Diversity: This

Morphosyntactic Level

Determinants

Use of determinants with a generalizing value to extend the information of the noun they accompany.

Subjectivity

Journalistic texts often feature subjectivity, characterized by:

• First-person verbs (e.g., I think, I believe)
• The plural of modesty (e.g., we note)
• Possessive determiners (e.g., our, your, my)
• Personal pronouns (e.g., we, they)
• Complement pronouns (e.g., us, me)

Sentence Structure

• Simple Sentences: Including impersonal forms (e.g., there is) and passive reflexive forms (e.g., it has been acquired).
• Compound Sentences: Including juxtaposed clauses (linked by commas) and subordinated clauses (e.g., adjective clauses like noun + that; noun clauses like verb + that).

Verbs

• Use of the present perfect indicative with

Morphological Analysis

The aim of morphological analysis is to describe the way words are composed and their meaning. For example: EVWSI-lexeme / (to-female gender / s-number plural morphemes).

Composition is the process of obtaining a new word by joining two or more words.

Nouns

• Common: Poppy
• Proper: Javier
• Concrete: Dog
• Abstract: Intelligence
• Collective: Herd (sheep)
• Individual: Window
• Countable: Ball
• Uncountable: Air

Articles

Before a noun, an article functions as a determinant, and when attached to an adjective, it functions as a noun (e.g., "I like the Great").

Adjectives

The category adjective is a word that determines the noun it accompanies or expresses some of its properties or qualities.

Determinative Adjectives

These accompany the noun and form an...

English Grammar Essentials

Suffixes: Expanding Your Vocabulary

Understanding suffixes helps you form new words and recognize their grammatical function. Here are common suffixes for nouns and adjectives:

Suffixes for Nouns: Forming Verbs and Adjectives

• Verbs from Nouns:
  • agree (from 'accord')
  • invitation (from 'invite')
  • conclusion (from 'conclude')
  • driver (from 'drive')
  • actor (from 'act')
• Adjectives from Nouns:
  • personality (from 'personal')
  • friendship (from 'friend')
  • happiness (from 'happy')
  • obedience (from 'obey')
  • annoyance (from 'annoy')

Suffixes for Adjectives

Suffixes can also modify or create adjectives:

• Careful (from 'care')
• Careless (from 'care')
• Dangerous (from 'danger')
• National (from 'nation')
• Predictable (from 'predict')
• Reversible (from 'reverse')
• Attractive

I. Victorian London

Victorian London refers to the period of Queen Victoria's reign. It is the era during which the novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was written. Robert Louis Stevenson lived during this time and drew upon it to craft his novels. While specific historical markers may not be immediately apparent throughout the text, the atmosphere is deeply rooted in the history of London. This era was preceded by the Georgian period and succeeded by the Edwardian period. Today, England is under the reign of Queen Elizabeth, though it functions as a democracy with a parliament.

II. Masters and Servants

A master is an individual who employs another person, known as a servant. The servant is expected to carry out the orders of the master. In the novel,...

Act One: Venice and Cyprus Preparations

Iago and Roderigo are present. Roderigo, deeply in love with Desdemona, feels exploited by Iago, who had promised him ways to approach her, but to no avail. Roderigo now confronts Iago about this deception.

Iago, for his part, harbors resentment towards Othello for appointing Cassio as his lieutenant instead of him.

Roderigo warns Brabantio, Desdemona's father, that she has eloped with Othello. Elsewhere, shortly after, Iago tells Othello that he has been several times on the verge of killing Roderigo for speaking ill of Othello.

Cassio arrives to summon Othello to the Venetian Senate, where he is to receive command of an expedition to Cyprus against the Turks. While there, Brabantio falsely accuses Othello...