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

Mastering Irregular Verbs

Understanding Irregular Verbs in English

Irregular verbs are verbs that don't follow the standard rules for verb conjugation in the past simple and past participle forms. Mastering these verbs is crucial for fluency in English. This comprehensive list provides a quick reference for common irregular verbs.

• Be - Was/Were - Been (Ser/Estar)
• Become - Became - Become (Llegar a ser)
• Begin - Began - Begun (Empezar)
• Bite - Bit - Bitten (Morder)
• Blow - Blew - Blown (Soplar)
• Break - Broke - Broken (Romper)
• Bring - Brought - Brought (Llevar)
• Build - Built - Built (Construir)
• Buy - Bought - Bought (Comprar)
• Catch - Caught - Caught (Coger)
• Choose - Chose - Chosen (Elegir)
• Come - Came - Come (Venir)
• Cost - Cost - Cost (Costar)
• Cut - Cut - Cut (

English Vocabulary Practice

Vocabulary Extension 1

Exercise 1: Matching

1. f
2. c
3. b
4. g
5. d
6. a
7. e

Exercise 2: Word Completion

1. activities
2. advertise
3. blame
4. collection
5. humorous
6. pollution
7. quarrel
8. native speaker

Exercise 3: Collocations & Phrases

1. foreign language / pronounce
2. join / talk into / worthwhile
3. championship / countless / sensible
4. equality / doubtful
5. fluent / get the message across / accent / slang

English Grammar Practice

Grammar Practice 1

Exercise 1: Verb Tenses

1. had rented / will have found
2. had gone / have ridden
3. has gone shopping / will have bought
4. had taken / was taking / will have repaired

Exercise 2: Verb Tenses & Time Expressions

1. has just called
2. had finished solving the problem when the bell rang
3. had been cleaning the garage for two hours
4. got to the station after the train

arise arose arisen surgir/awake awoke awoken despertar(se) /bite bit bitten morder/ bet bet bet apostar/ bleed bled bled sangrar /blow blew blown soplar /break broke broken romper/ bring broght brought traer/ build built built construir/burn burnt burnt quemar/ buy bought bought comprar/ catch caught cauht coger agarrar /dig dug dug cavar/ draw drew drawn dibujar dream dreamt dreamt soñar /fall fell fallem caerse/ feed fed fed alimentar/ feel felt felt sentir/ fight fought fought luchar/ find found found encontrar/ fly flew flown volar/ freeze froze frozen congelar/ get got got conssguir recibir/ grow grew grown crecer cultivar /hang hung hung colgar/ hear heard heard oir/ hide hid hiden esconderse/ hit hit hit pegar golpear/hold held held... Continue reading "Irregular Verbs in English: Past Simple and Past Participle" »

Body Parts

Vocabulary

• Ankle: tobillo
• Back: espalda
• Brain: cerebro
• Chest: pecho
• Finger: dedos
• Heart: corazón
• Knee: rodilla
• Muscle: músculo
• Neck: cuello
• Shoulder: hombro
• Skin: piel
• Thumb: dedo gordo
• Toe: dedo del pie
• Wrist: muñeca

Health and Fitness

Vocabulary

• Fit: en forma
• Healthy: sano, saludable
• Ill: malo, enfermo
• Strong: fuerte
• Unfit: no está en forma
• Weak: débil

Environment

Vocabulary

• Environment: medio ambiente
• Decrease: disminuir
• Eco-friendly: respetuoso con el medio ambiente
• Fossil fuels: combustibles fósiles
• Global warming: calentamiento global
• Greenhouse gas: gas del efecto invernadero
• Grow: crecer, cultivar
• Increase: aumentar
• Organic: orgánico
• Pollution: contaminación
• Produce: producir
• Run out: agotarse, quedarse sin

Additional Vocabulary

• Algae: alga
• Beef: carne

TRANSITION WORDS - ANSWERS

REASONS

• The film star wore dark glasses SO NOBODY recognized him.
• You should take your car to the mechanic BECAUSE it may break down.
• The trains didn’t operate DUE TO a heavy snowfall
• She was imprisoned SINCE her accomplice made a full confession to the police.
• The thief didn’t want to leave any fingerprints SO he wore gloves.
• The show was cancelled BECAUSE OF her illness.
• The judge didn’t send him to jail DUE TO HIS YOUTH.
• The five-cent coin looks very Canadian SINCE it has a picture of a beaver on it.

CONTRAST

• ALTHOUGH The book is very long, I’m going to try to read it before next week.
• DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE CAUSED the problem, she’s the one who solved it.
• EVEN THOUGH Volkswagen cars are cheap, they last a long

Here is a list of common irregular English verbs, their past tense, past participle, and Spanish translation:

• be / was-were / been / ser, estar
• beat / beaten / golpear
• become / became / become / llegar a ser
• begin / began / begun / empezar
• bend / bent / bent / doblar
• bet / bet / bet / apostar
• bleed / bled / bled / sangrar
• blow / blew / blown / soplar
• break / broke / broken / romper
• bring / brought / traer
• build / built / construir
• burn / burnt / burned / quemar
• buy / bought / comprar
• catch / caught / coger
• choose / chose / chosen / elegir
• come / came / come / venir
• cost / cost / costar
• cut / cut / cortar
• dig / dug / cavar
• do / did / done / hacer
• draw / drew / drawn / dibujar
• dream / dreamt / dreamed / soñar
• drink / drank / drunk / beber
• drive / drove / driven / conducir
• eat

English Grammar: Tenses and Structures

Past Tense

Simple Past

• A 1.1 will be interviewed, wasn't understood, been estimated, was/has been ordered, had been accused, is alleged
• B 1.will be charged, is being reported, have stolen, is estimated, wasn't expected, had been/was believed
• C 1.was expected, has been demonstrated, is being claimed, will be released, had been suspected, isn't thought

Past Continuous

• A 2.are believed to be discussing, are thought to be, is reported to have cancelled, admitted making up / having made up, apologised for destroying, refused to move, reminds us to change
• B 2.1 is/was known to be, are reported to be holding, are/were thought to have left, (have) advised not going out, confessed to taking, promised to improve, encouraging

Marriage in American Literature

Marriage is one of the most prominent themes portrayed in some American literary works, and there are different conceptions of the issue.

Washington Irving

In Rip Van Winkle, the protagonist sees marriage as a punishment and a source of unhappiness. Rip Van Winkle is depicted as a humble person who helps everyone that needs him and who has no evilness inside. However, his relationship with his wife is different. In fact, when he wakes up and finds out that 20 years have passed and also that everyone he knows has disappeared, Rip feels sad, but not for the loss of Dame Van Winkle.

Anne Bradstreet

In Letter to my Loving Husband, there is a different approach to marriage. The poem is a praise to her husband, whom she... Continue reading "Marriage in American Literature: A Deep Dive" »

Improve Your English: Common Errors and Corrections

Vocabulary and Usage

Vocabulary: environmentally friendly, amount, wipe out, harmful, cut down, pollution. hurt/damaged, spend/devote, achieve/reach, forbidden/banned, holiday place/resort, honest and open/frank, live on/inhabit, bring up/raise.

Correcting Common Grammatical Errors

It's extremely dangerous to ski here. We should go down the hill and ski near the hotel. Remember, it's a secret between us.

You mustn't tell a word to anyone. Joe looks really excited today. He must have passed his driving test.

Look at your eyes, they are so red. I know, I have been crying all afternoon because I had an argument with my boyfriend.

Emma will have to go out early next Saturday because she will have to... Continue reading "Boost Your English: Common Mistakes and Corrections" »