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

The Concept of Alter Egos in Poe's Short Stories

In Edgar Allan Poe's short stories, the concept of alter egos often appears. Minister D., a character in"The Purloined Letter" serves as the criminal counterpart to Dupin, a detective who typically operates within the law.

Dupin's Recognition of the Similarity

Dupin acknowledges the resemblance between himself and Minister D., referring to him as"that monstrum horrendum, an unprincipled man of genius" He delights in outwitting the Minister in a battle of intellect.

The Fake Letter and the Greek Mythological Reference

In a fake letter left for Minister D., Dupin includes a quote about the Greek brothers Atreus and Thyestes. Thyestes's adultery with Atreus's wife leads to Atreus's revenge, in which... Continue reading "Minister D.: Dupin's Equal in Understanding the Human Mind" »

Oscar Wilde's Biography

Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin on 16 October 1854. His mother, Jane, was a successful poet and journalist, and his father was a leading ear and eye surgeon. He was educated in Portora Royal School in Dublin and Magdalene College, Oxford. While at Magdalene, he won the 1878 Prize for his poem 'Ravenna'. After graduating, he moved to London to establish a literary career. He married Constance Lloyd in 1884, and they had two sons. Wilde's marriage ended in 1893, and he began an affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, which led to his downfall. He died in 1900.

Lord Arthur Savile's Crime

The story begins at a party where a palmist predicts that Lord Arthur is destined to commit murder. Arthur attempts to fulfill this prophecy but... Continue reading "Oscar Wilde: Life, Love, and Literary Career" »

Techniques in Handling People

1. Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.
2. Give honest and sincere appreciation.
3. Arouse in the other person an eager want.

Six ways to make people like you

1. Become genuinely interested in other people.
2. Smile.
3. Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
5. Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
6. Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.

Win people to your way of thinking

1. The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.
2. Show respect for the other person’s opinions. Never say, “You’re wrong.”
3. If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
4. Begin in a friendly way.

T.S. ELIOT:

Modernism (poetry) → The Waste Land: The Burial of the Dead (1922).

VIRGINIA WOOLF:

Modernism (fiction) → A Room of One's Own (1929), Lappin & Lapinova (1944), Kew Gardens (1919).

PHILIP LARKIN:

Fiction from the 1950s onwards (The Movement) → The Explosion (1974), This Be the Verse (1971).

SAMUEL BECKETT:

Modernism (Theatre of the Absurd) → Waiting for Godot (1955).

GEORGE ORWELL:

Fiction in the 1940s → Nineteen Eighty Four (1949).

TED HUGHES:

Contemporary Poetry → Pike (1960), There Came a Day.

SEAMUS HEANEY:

Contemporary Poetry → Punishment (1966).

SALMAN RUSHDIE:

Postcolonialism (fiction) → The Prophet's Hair (1994).

NADIME GORDIMER:

Postcolonialism (fiction) → The Moment Before the Gun Went Off (1991).

V.S. NAIPAUL:

Postcolonialism... Continue reading "Modernist Literature and Poetry: Key Figures and Movements" »

Defining and Non-Defining Relative Clauses

Types of Sentences with Relative Pronouns

1. Defining Clauses

   These clauses provide essential information and cannot be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence. For example: "Ximon is one of the students who got sick."

   In defining clauses, the relative pronoun can be omitted if it is the object of the verb (not the subject).

2. Non-Defining Clauses

   These clauses provide extra information and can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence. For example: "Ximon, who got sick, is a good student."

Relative Pronouns and Prepositions

1. Informal Style

   The relative pronoun comes before the preposition. For example: "The person who I spoke to..."

2. Formal Style

   The preposition comes before the relative

Analyzing Alex's Emotional Turmoil

Q2: The writer evokes an emotional response to the storm by using the past participle verb, 'tangled.' This verb carries connotations of entrapment and immobility caused by the storm. The reader witnesses Alex’s physical and emotional turmoil. The storm's impact on Alex highlights its power and dominance.

Alex's Internal Conflict

Q3: The text centers on Alex Cold, revealing him from two perspectives. Initially, he's alone, waking from a nightmare where his mother is taken by 'an enormous black bird.' Later, the focus shifts to Alex with his family at breakfast. His sharp response to his sister's comment, 'Momma's going to die,' connects the two scenes. The fear from the nightmare manifests in his breakfast... Continue reading "Analyzing Alex's Emotional Turmoil and Literary Techniques" »

Common Irregular Verbs: English and Spanish

Verb Conjugation

This is a list of common irregular verbs in English with their Spanish translations. Each verb includes the infinitive, past simple, past participle, and translation.

• Awake - Awoke - Awoken - Despertarse
• Be - Was / Were - Been - Ser / Estar
• Beat - Beat - Beaten - Golpear
• Become - Became - Become - Llegar a Ser
• Begin - Began - Begun - Empezar
• Break - Broke - Broken - Romper
• Bring - Brought - Brought - Llevar
• Build - Built - Built - Construir
• Burn - Burnt - Burnt - Quemar
• Buy - Bought - Bought - Comprar
• Catch - Caught - Caught - Coger
• Come - Came - Come - Venir
• Cost - Cost - Cost - Costar
• Cut - Cut - Cut - Cortar
• Choose - Chose - Chosen - Elegir
• Do - Did - Done - Hacer
• Draw - Drew - Drawn - Dibujar
• Dream

Vocabulary

1 - Match the words in A to the definitions in B.

1. Isolated 3 a. full of people or things

2. Lively 4 b. not safe

3. Crowded 1 c. far from any town or city

4. Dangerous 5 d. not interesting

5. Boring 6 e. natural, untouched by people

6. Unspoiled 2 f. full of action

7. Foreign 7 g. from another country

2 - Complete the sentences with the words below:

package holiday – guided tour – traveller`s cheques – seat belt – boarding card – scenery – guidebook – departure time

1. If you don't know which cities to visit, look in the... guidebook.

2. Always wear a …seat belt when we wanted to learn about the local history.

3. We took a ..guided tour because we wanted to learn about the local history.

4. You can't get on the airplane without... Continue reading "Enhance Your English: Vocabulary and Grammar Exercises" »

Answer for: I agree, but I can't answer for my friends.

Answer back: I got a mail from my teacher since. I'm so tired now, answer back tomorrow.

Asking for: Yesterday, your friend came home asking for you, but I didn't tell him that you went out to walk the dog.

Asked after: I met your friends Peter and Ana yesterday and they asked after you.

Ask up to: My mother lets me ask up to 100 for clothes.

Asked out: Yesterday I asked my friends to the cinema.

Asked then in: Last Saturday my cousins came to my house and I asked them in nicely.

Asked: He asked his father about jobs in the factory.

Ask up: I asked my friend up to eat in my kitchen.

Backed away: I backed away from the mountain when I realized how dangerous it was.

Backed out: My friends and I backed... Continue reading "Common Phrasal Verbs with 'Ask', 'Back', 'Be', 'Bend', 'Blow', and 'Break'" »