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

MODAL VERBS

He must be in love/ She could be working too hard/ He may not earn very much/ That must be very hard/ That can't be Claire's grandfather/ He must have sold his business for a lot of money/ They can't have had another argument/ we might have met before/ she can't have had a happy childhood/ She may have thought I'd be angry.

I might be able to give you a lift but../ I wasn't able to swim till last year/ I can see Sarah../ I've made the main course for dinner.. so I haven't been able to make the dessert yet/ When I was 14, I was able to run from my home../ Will you be able to speak Chinese../ I was able to go to last Saturday's../ my brother can usually fix the computer

LISTENING

Cave Diving

(size/explorer/challenge/darkness/problem-solving/... Continue reading "English Grammar and Vocabulary Exercises" »

Put the sentences into Passive Voice:

Analysis of the Heart and the Salamander

Fahrenheit 451 is currently Bradbury's most famous written work of social criticism. It deals with serious problems of control of the masses by the media, the banning of books, and the suppression of the mind (with censorship). The novel examines a few pivotal days of a man's life, a man who is a burner of books and, therefore, an instrument of suppression. This man (Montag) lives in a world where the past has been destroyed by kerosene-spewing hoses and government brainwashing methods. In a few short days, this man is transformed from a narrow-minded and prejudiced conformist into a dynamic individual committed to social change and to a life of saving books rather than destroying them.

Before you begin... Continue reading "Analysis of Fahrenheit 451: Themes and Characters" »

Cry Freedom is a story based on the life of the black people who lived in South Africa. The story begins with a journalist named Donald Woods, from the Daily Dispatch, who often writes about the hard life of the blacks. Moments later, a black doctor, named Mamphela (a woman), enters his office to talk to him about an article he had published about Biko's Black Consciousness. She tells Woods to go talk to Biko (a black boy who wanted to end race inequality), since he is confined. Then Donald Woods goes to talk to Biko, and they agree that Biko will show him how black people live. One of the places that Biko shows Woods is a poor area of South Africa where life is not life, and makes a comparison with the lives of white people. Woods decides... Continue reading "Cry Freedom: The Story of Black Struggle in South Africa" »

Advanced English Sentence Structures and Usage

Examples 87–128: Grammar Points

The following examples demonstrate various complex grammatical structures, including conditionals, passive voice, reported speech, and modal verbs.

87. Causative Verb: I had my hair cut yesterday morning.
88. Relative Clause: This is the man whose dog bit my brother in the park.
89. Conditional Type 3: If my foot hadn’t hurt, I would have gone to the gym.
90. Reported Speech: The teacher said that we had to hand our papers in at the end of that class.
91. Conditional (Unless): Unless your boyfriend arrives before eight, we will have to leave.
92. Reason Clause: As it was raining, the children couldn’t go out to the playground.
93. Present Perfect (Duration): We have not seen that movie for six

Thursday the 4th of August

was the last working day for Inspector Salahadin El Nur in the heat of Cairo. Leila will take over his place when he is in London for three weeks. Salahadin’s job is to stop people who want to take ancient things along to another country.

Saturday at 15:00

he arrived at a small hotel in Gower Street, nearby a British museum. A friend of Salahadin works in that museum, and Salahadin was going to help his friend during his vacation. He was walking when it was still raining. He arrived at a bookshop and he bought a card for Leila and a book about Queen Axtarte. He went to a snackbar and after that he went to the cinema. Back in the hotel he went to sleep when it was late.

The following morning at breakfast

he was called... Continue reading "Mystery of Queen Axtarte: Cairo Adventure" »

The Debate on Video Games and Adolescent Development

Many people think that video games have negative effects on adolescents and they should be limited. They say that video games are a distraction from their chores. However, others think they are necessary. The question is, should parents limit the time of play video games or ban it?

Positive Effects of Video Games

On the one hand, others believe that video games are essential in this time, as they help develop qualities such as improving English skills, playing in other languages, and increasing mental speed. Video games also act as a communication bridge with other countries and cultures, as well as a form of entertainment.

Negative Effects of Video Games

On the other hand, video games also have... Continue reading "The Debate on Video Games and Sexual Education" »

Etymology

The origin of a word and the historical development of its meaning:

Example: ‘the etymology of the word ‘devil’’

Coinage

Coinage is the word formation process in which a new word is created either deliberately or accidentally.

Examples: Kleenex, Aspirin, Xerox

Borrowing

Process by which a word from one language is adapted for use in another.

Examples: croissant (French), yogurt (Turkish), piano (Italian)

Blending

Join two words together by taking parts of both words and combining them into a new whole.

Examples: Breakfast + lunch = brunch, Smoke + fog = smog, Motor + hotel = motel

Clipping

The process of cutting the beginning or the end of a word, or both, leaving a part to stand for the whole.

Examples: Prof (professor), Photo (photograph)... Continue reading "Word Formation Processes in English: A Comprehensive Guide" »

Recycling and Waste Management Around the World

Interesting Facts

• In Japan, plastic from landfill sites gets into the sea and kills 10,000 fish each year.
• The Zabaleen take away rubbish from people who live in Cairo.
• In Senegal, people use old paper to wrap bread and fruit.
• People in India think cows are special animals.
• New Zealand has some interesting ideas about...
• The best recycling state in the USA is California.
• If you are driving around Germany, you will see recycling bins at all shopping places.
• In Switzerland, recycling is free, but throwing away your rubbish is expensive.
• Finland pays people to recycle their bottles and cans.
• You cannot bring plastic bags into Zanzibar.
• Gardeners like to make compost from bits of old fruit and vegetables.
• Shakespeare'