Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for English

Predictions

Impossible: People DEFINITELY WON’T live on Mars. / Unlikely: People PROBABLY WON’T choose to have holidays in space. / IT’S UNLIKELY that the earth WILL be hit by a meteorite. / I DON’T THINK the use of smartphones WILL increase. / Possible: Food MAY become more expensive. / Tablets MIGHT replace textbooks. / IT’S POSSIBLE that everyone WILL speak English. / Likely: IT’S LIKELY that in the future we’LL import more. / The cost of mobile technology WILL PROBABLY fall. / I THINK the use of smartphones WILL increase. / Certain: The use of smartphones WILL DEFINITELY increase. / I AM SURE the use of smartphones WILL definitely increase.

Usage

Will: predictions about the future.
Might/May/Be Likely/Unlikely/Possible: degree... Continue reading "English Grammar and Vocabulary Guide" »

C/ Gozón, 16 4ºD

Oviedo

33012

Big Road Restaurant

Calle Rojo

Florida

00814

Friday, 23rd November

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to complain about an incident in your restaurant last Saturday. I was having dinner with my family when the incident happened.

We ordered a mixed salad without peppers. It was a surprise when I saw a pepper in my salad. I am allergic to peppers and that was a very bad situation.

Futhermore, when we told the waiter, he was extremely rude with me because he said that I did not tell him anything about that.

Before this problem, I had a very good opinion about your restaurant because I have eaten there two more times and it was very good. However, after this I am so disappointed. I understand that sometimes there are problems with... Continue reading "Complaint about Incident at Big Road Restaurant" »

Modal Verbs

1. Vera might... That must be... Italian can’t be that difficult if you can learn it so quickly! The teacher can’t... Jackie must... Wait! That might...

2.

• You must have heard about the accident. It was in all the newspapers.
• You must have gone to bed late. You look really tired.
• You can’t have seen this film before. It has only been in the cinema for a couple of...
• I might have left my notebook.
• The teacher can’t have gone yet because...
• I missed a call this morning. It might have been Simon.

3.

• If we’d arrived earlier, we would have gotten better seats.
• I wouldn’t have made so many mistakes if I had revised more.
• If they had been more careful, the disaster would never have happened.
• If I had known you were in town, I would have

English Vocabulary & Passive Voice

Key Vocabulary Terms

• Overshadowed: opacado / ensombrecido
• Appropriateness: idoneidad
• Achieve success: alcanzamiento
• Knowledge: conocimiento
• Traits: rasgos
• Self-esteem: autoestima
• Main: principal
• Actually: en realidad / de hecho
• Understanding: comprensión / entendimiento
• Which: cuales / las cuales / el cual
• Self-development: autodesarrollo
• Skills: habilidades / destrezas
• Rate: ritmo / velocidad
• Mistakes: errores
• Sensitivity: sensibilidad
• Agreement: acuerdo
• Aptitude: aptitud
• Able: capaz
• Worth: valer la pena

Rewrite Sentences Using Passive Voice

Rewrite these sentences using the passive voice.

1. In Britain today most people read newspapers online.

   In Britain today, newspapers are read online by most people.

2. Colourful leaflets advertise

Two years ago, I met again with a girl named Maite. Maite and I had been friends since we were little. We met in Barcelona, specifically in the Ramblas of Plaza Cataluña. She used to live here, in La Llagosta, but due to family problems, she had to move to France.

When we met, it was very strange because we didn't know how to react by simply saying hello or hugging each other. When we saw each other, we quickly went towards each other and hugged each other very tightly. It had been two years since we had seen or spoken to each other. We had completely lost touch. We started talking, and I told her that there were times when I talked to her, but she didn't get the messages and she told me that she had changed her cell phone and lost all of her... Continue reading "Reconnecting with Old Friends: Stories of Friendship and Change" »

Essential English Irregular Verbs

Here's a list of common irregular verbs in English to help you improve your grammar and vocabulary:

• B:
  • be - was/were - been (ser/estar)
  • beat - beat - beaten (golpear)
  • become - became - become (convertirse)
  • begin - began - begun (empezar)
  • bend - bent - bent (doblar)
  • bet - bet - bet (apostar)
  • bite - bit - bitten (morder)
  • bleed - bled - bled (sangrar)
  • blow - blew - blown (soplar)
  • break - broke - broken (romper)
  • bring - brought - brought (traer)
  • build - built - built (construir)
  • burn - burnt - burnt (quemar)
  • buy - bought - bought (comprar)
• C:
  • catch - caught - caught (coger)
  • choose - chose - chosen (elegir)
  • come - came - come (venir)
  • cost - cost - cost (costar)
  • cut - cut - cut (cortar)
• D:
  • dig - dug - dug (cavar)
  • do - did - done (hacer)
  • draw

Should People Stop Eating Meat?

Honey, Honey Lyrics (Mamma Mia!)

Honey, Honey, how he thrills me, a-ha, Honey, Honey.
Honey, Honey, nearly kills me, a-ha, Honey, Honey.
I've heard about him before,
I wanted to know some more.
And now I know what they mean, he's a love machine.
Oh, he makes me dizzy.

Ali: A love machine?

Sophie: That's nothing!

Honey, Honey, let me feel it, a-ha, Honey, Honey.
Honey, Honey, don't conceal it, a-ha, Honey, Honey.
The way that you kiss goodnight,
(The way that you hold me tight)
I feel like I wanna sing when you do your thing!

Honey, Honey, touch me, baby, a-ha, Honey, Honey.
Honey, Honey, hold me, baby, a-ha, Honey, Honey.
You look like a movie star,
But I know just who you are.
And, honey, to say the least,
You're a doggone beast!

Under Attack Lyrics