Notes, abstracts, papers, exams and problems of English

The passage which I have randomly chosen belongs to Arthur Miller’s play All My Sons, published in 1947. It is a realistic drama about ordinary people struggling with the universal issues of grief, war, and the loss of idealism, apart from having the theme of the American Dream.

The American Dream is the idea that in the United States anyone, regardless of their background, can become rich and successful through hard work and an entrepreneurial spirit. The protagonist of All My Sons, Joe, is an uneducated man from a low social background who has become wealthy and successful, but at a great price. His determination to make money and keep his factory producing has led to the deaths of twenty-one men. Joe did what he did for the sake of his... Continue reading "The American Dream and Tragedy in Arthur Miller's All My Sons" »

Day 1: Arrival in Brussels & City Highlights

Your package tour begins with a trip to Brussels, Belgium. The journey will last three days. On the first day, upon landing and arriving at the hotel, you'll unpack and head to breakfast. Afterward, embark on a walking tour of Brussels, taking in the city's most emblematic sites. A lunch break will be followed by continuing the route through the city.

Day 2: Bruges & Ghent Excursion

Rise early for a quick breakfast and catch a train to Bruges. Enjoy the tranquility of the city in the early hours as you explore its charming streets. Lunch will be at a restaurant in Bruges. Afterward, take the train to Ghent. A guided tour awaits, including a visit to the impressive castle. Conclude the day with... Continue reading "3-Day Belgium Itinerary: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent & Antwerp" »

Sam and Dave Discuss New Year's Eve

Sam: So, New Year's Eve was bad because my girlfriend got hit by a driver and...

Eve: That's terrible!

Sandra and Francisco Discuss Messaging Apps

Sandra: Have you ever used WhatsApp?

Franco: Yes, I really like it because it's cheaper than texting.

Ingrid and Roger Discuss Phone Calls

Ingrid: Nowadays, people use regular phones less than mobile.

Roger: You're right. That's because cell phones are more convenient.

John Tries to Contact Dana

Dana: Hi, sweetie!

John: Hey, guess what! Dana? I can't hear you! We have a bad connection.

Adam and Ted's Interrupted Conversation

Adam: Guess what! I passed all... Hold on a sec...

Ted: Wow! Oh, sorry. Hold on. Where were we? Someone's at the door.

Jake and Finn Discuss Past Experiences

Jake:

Daily Activities for Fitness

Exercise can come from everyday activities such as housework, gardening, and walking to the shops. Taking the stairs, stretching, dancing, playing with children, and walking everywhere all build fitness and burn kilojoules. An active lifestyle is key to good health and weight management.

To stay healthy, we need to be active every day in as many ways as possible. Being active in small ways throughout the day can make a big difference. Short bouts of 10 minutes can be beneficial when they add up to 30 minutes on most days of the week. You can plan physical activity by going to the gym or playing sports. There are many everyday activities that provide opportunities to be active and improve health.

Make a habit of walking... Continue reading "Daily Activities for Health and Fitness" »

Shut down: Cerrar. - It stops operating (business or large piece of equipment).

Get away with: Zafarse de la cárcel, librarse.- Succeed in avoiding punishment for something.

Show up: Aparecer.- Arrive somewhere in order to join a group of people, especially late or unexpectedly.

Turn out:- Be known or discovered finally and surprisingly.

Hold onto: Conservar.- Keep smth you have.

Turn up: Aparecer.- Find unexpectedly smth you have been looking for.

Arrest: Arrestar.- When the police take someone away to ask them about a crime that they might have committed.

Kidnap: Secuestrar.- To take a person away illegally by force usually in order to demand money in exchange for realizing them.

Witness: Testigo.- To see something happen, especially a crime.

Hijack:... Continue reading "Common English Phrases and Vocabulary" »

Summer Adventures in Spain

By Paul Alonso, a student from Granada, Spain

My last holidays were my longest holidays, and I think that I learnt how to spend the time. I enjoyed a lot with my friends and my family, and I met new people too, because I was in different places during the summer, and I wanted to meet people everywhere.

Calpe: Beach Days and Nightlife

The first place I visited was Calpe, a town in Alicante, because I was invited for some days by a friend who has a house there. I went with some friends, and we just spent five days there, but it was enough time to want to come back next summer! We stayed on the beach for hours in the mornings, just lying and asleep, taking enough energy for the rest of the day and for the night! At night,... Continue reading "Summer Adventures in Spain: Calpe, Salou, and Madrid" »

The Passive with Reporting Verbs

We can use passive reporting verbs in two ways:

1. Subject of the subordinate clause + verb in the main clause is the passive + to + infinitive of the verb in the subordinate clause.

The university is said to be one of the best in the country. (= Se dice que la universidad es una de las mejores del país.)

The exam is expected to be really difficult this year. (= Se espera que el examen sea más difícil este año.)

2. It + passive form of the reporting verb + that + subject + verb

It is believed that the class will be very popular. (= Se cree que la clase será muy popular.)

It's thought that boys prefer exams to coursework. (= Se cree que los chicos prefieren los exámenes al trabajo diario.)

Reporting Verbs:

• accept
• hope
• say
• believe
• know
• think
• claim

Be; Was/were; been; ser, estar

Beat; beat; beaten; golpear

Become; became; become; llegar a ser

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

Catch; caught; caught; coger

Choose; chose; chosen; elegir

Come; came; come; venir

Cost; cost; cost; costar

Cut; cut; cut; cortar

Dig; dug; dug; cavar

Do; did; done; hacer

Draw; drew; drawn; dibujar

Dream; dreamt; dreamt; soñar

Drink; drank; drunk; beber

Drive; drove; driven; conducir

Eat; ate; eaten; comer

Fall; fell; fallen; fallen; caer

Feed; fed; fed; alimentarse

Feel; felt;... Continue reading "Common Irregular Verbs in English" »

Used to vs. Would

To talk about habits and continuous actions in the past, we can use used to or would.

• We use used to with both action and stative verbs.
• We only use would with action verbs.
• We use both would and used to with repeated actions.

Adverbs and Adverbial Phrases

We often form adverbial phrases with:

• in a/an + noun/adjective + way
• with/without + noun/adjective

Obligation, Permission, and Prohibition

To express obligation or necessity, we can use have to or must. To say something is (or isn't) a good idea, we can use should. To express no obligation or necessity, we can use don't have to or don't need to. To express permission, we can use let, and to say that something is not permitted, we use not to be allowed to.

Necessity: Didn't Have To,