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

The Blue Cross

ORDER

1. h) A boat arrived in Harwich.
2. g) A police chief had breakfast.
3. a) A bowl of soup was thrown at a wall.
4. c) An apple cart was knocked over.
5. f) Three policemen took a ride on a bus.
6. b) A window was broken.
7. d) A parcel was left at a sweetshop.
8. e) Two priests took a walk in a park.

Plot Analysis

2. Some key actions in the plot are only referred to later in the story. When do you think the following actions took place? Is it important to know exactly when? Why (not)? It is not important to know what happens at the moment because otherwise the end would not surprise you so much.

a) Valentin found out about Father Brown and the blue cross. At the end of the story, when Flambeau ends up discovering what Father Brown has done and the police... Continue reading "The Blue Cross: A Detective Story Analysis" »

PastSimple: I go to my house

PastConti: I was going to my house

Past Perf Simple: I had gone to..

Pre Perf Simple: I have gone..

Future Sim: I will go to ..

Be going to: I am going to go..

FuturePerSimp: I will have gone..

Futu Conti: I will be going to..

PrePerfConti: I have been going

PastPerConti: I had been going

0 :General truths and general habits

 -If + present simple, present simple

1:Possible or likely things in the future

-If + present simple, will + infinitive

2: Impossible things in the present / unli

kely things in the future

- If + past simple, would + infinitive

3:Things that didn't happen in the past

 and their imaginary results

- If + past perfect, would + have + past

participle

Chapter 3: Understanding Scrooge's Transformation

Question Word Review

This chapter tests your understanding of key events. Can you answer these questions?

1. Where did the Ghost of Christmas Present first take Scrooge? Outside, into the cold, snowy streets.
2. Why did the spirit hold his torch over people’s heads? To inspire kindness and stop arguments.
3. Who held a special place in Bob Cratchit’s heart? Tiny Tim, his son.
4. Why was Mrs. Cratchit reluctant to toast Scrooge? She resented his meager wages and considered him a hateful man.
5. Who played a YES/NO game? Scrooge’s nephew, his family, and friends.
6. Who were the figures beneath the ghost’s robe? Two children, representing Want and Ignorance.

Character Analysis: Ebenezer Scrooge

Ebenezer Scrooge,... Continue reading "A Christmas Carol: Chapter 3 Summary & Analysis" »

1. Modal Verbs of Possibility and Certainty

Exercise 1

1-Vera might be back before lunch time.-That must be the new student.-Italian can’t be that difficult.-The teacher can’t have the results already.-Jackie must have a lot of money.-Wait! That might not be.

Exercise 2

2-You must have heard about the accident.. -You must have gone to bed late. -You can’t have seen this film before.-I might have left my notebook in the kitchen.-The teacher can’t have gone yet because her car is still in the car park. -I missed a call this morning. It might have been Simon, but I don’t think it was his number.

Exercise 3

3-If we’d arrived earlier, we would have got better seats.-I wouldn’t have made so many mistakes if I had revised more.-If they had

English Verb Tenses

COMPUTERISED ENGLISH: A)1.Most people are aware of the effec that computers have had on the English language. TRUE: Lines 2-3. 2.The Word Internet once had a different meaning before computers. FALSE: Lines 5-6. 3.On-line conversations have got an informal writing style. TRUE: Lines 8-9-10. C)In the past, the Word conversation referred to situations where people spoke face-toface or on the phone. D)Large-vast. Extra-additional. In person-face to face. Oppose-object.

OPINION ABOUT THE EFFECT THE COMPUTER HAS HAD  ON YOUR LIFE: Several years ago, the computer is causing many problems because people use it a lot and this causes several problems. In my opinion, I agree with that. //First, the computer is causing serious problems for people by misuse... Continue reading "The Walsh family have a computer at home" »

Ask someone out

- invite on a date- Brian asked Judy out to dinner and a movie.

Ask around

- ask many people the same question- I asked around but nobody has seen my wallet.

Add up to something

- equal- your purchases add up to $204.24

Back something up

- reverse- you'll have to back up your car so that I can get out

Back someone up

- support- my wife backed me up over my decision to quit my job

Blow up

- explode- the racing car blew up after it crashed into the fence

Blow something up

- add air- we have to blow up 50 balloons for the party

Break down

- stop functioning- our car broke down at the side of the highway in the snowstorm

Break down

- get upset- the woman broke down when the police told her that her son had died

Break something down

- divide into smaller... Continue reading "Common Phrasal Verbs with Examples" »

Using "To" for Purpose and More

We use "to" to express the purpose of an action:

• I phoned the restaurant to reserve a table.

Common phrases where "to" indicates purpose or suitability:

• A place to park
• Something to eat
• Work to do

Example: Would you like something to eat? (meaning: something that you can eat)

"To" is also used with nouns like money, time (e.g., days), opportunity, energy, and courage:

• I need a few days to think about your proposal.

Understanding "For" in English Grammar

We use "for" + noun:

• We stopped for petrol.

Contrast this with "to" + verb:

• We stopped to get petrol.

You can also use "for somebody to do something":

• There wasn't any chair for us to sit on.

For general purpose or general use, we use "for" + gerund (-ing):

• I use this for washing.

RS: -He said that Jenny would be doing some temporary work in a hospital the following summer -He asked me what I had done with his iPad -Secretary told me to sign that form  -The headmaster wanted to know why I wanted to come to that University PASSIVE: -The teacher was asked by the students to explain them the exercise again. -Me and my sister were told by our dad to clean up our room -10,000 were given to the charity anonymously -A box of organic vegetable is delivered to us every week  Rewrite using conditional -If you had asked me, I would have lend you the money -they are in a trafic... -If I hadn´t been full, we would have stayed at that hotel /* -If I had found my mobile, I would have phoned you -If you don´t stop to make noise,... Continue reading "The school" »