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

My Summer Vacation Memories

My last vacation was longer, and I think I've learned to pass the time well. I enjoyed friends and family, and I met new people too, because I was in different places during the summer, and I wanted to meet people everywhere.

Adventures in Roses, Catalonia

The first place I visited was Roses, a town in Catalonia, because I was invited for a few days by a family member who has a house there. I went with my family, and we were there only five days, but it was long enough to want to return next summer.

We stayed on the beach for hours. In the morning, we just slept and slept so as to have energy for the rest of the days and nights. We danced, met people, and enjoyed walking near the beach while watching the moon in silence.... Continue reading "Summer Adventures: Catalonia, Disneyland, and Exchange Plans" »

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" »

English Sentence Transformation Practice

Below are the corrected and transformed sentences based on the provided grammatical structures.

1. Passive Voice Example

   They say this tree is over 400 years old. (Passive)

   → This tree is said to be over 400 years old.

2. Reported Speech

   The man said to us: “Keep off the grass!” (Reported Speech)

   → The man ordered us to keep off the grass.

3. Passive Voice

   They didn’t tell me the secret. (Passive)

   → I wasn’t told the secret.

4. Modals (Deduction)

   I’m sure they are at home. The lights are on. (Modals)

   → They must be at home because the lights are on.

5. Conditionals (Third Conditional)

   I didn’t invite Beth. I had forgotten her telephone number. (Conditionals)

   → If I hadn’t forgotten Beth’s telephone number,

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'

Anne Frank -  The author of the diary. Anne was born on June 12, 1929, in Frankfurt, Germany, and was four years old when her father moved to Holland to find a better place for the family to live. She is very intelligent and perceptive, and she wants to become a writer. Anne grows from an innocent, tempestuous, precocious, and somewhat petty teenage girl to an empathetic and sensitive thinker at age fifteen. Anne dies of typhus in the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen in late February or early March of 1945.

The Rise of Shakira: A Global Pop Icon

Many people know Shakira for being the artist who represents the pop musical genre. Her fame began at the age of 19, when she released the song "Pies Descalzos". However, she started recording when she was only 13 years old.

Shakira was born in 1977 in Barranquilla, Colombia. She was born into a middle-class family. From the age of 5, she showed her passion for music, demonstrating her talent for dancing and singing. By the age of 8, she wrote her first song, and at the age of 10, she appeared on a television program. As a teenager, she signed her first contract with Sony Music Colombia.

Thanks to all the views on her songs, she became a talented singer traveling around the world, and from there, she became... Continue reading "Shakira's Legacy, Family Traditions, and Healthy Living" »

Common Health and Medical Terms

1. The flu is a very contagious disease.
2. Some people have a flu vaccine in winter.
3. If you fall and break an arm, you need to have an X-ray.
4. If you cut yourself badly, you must have stitches.
5. I felt dizzy and nearly fainted.
6. The doctor told him to take off the bandage because the wound needed fresh air.
7. His temperature went up to 38º.
8. Nurses look after patients when they are in hospital.

Shopping, Money, and Consumer Vocabulary

9. Money in notes and coins is cash.
10. A reduction in price is also called a discount.
11. Something attached to a product with information about it: label.
12. A document from a shop showing how much you paid: receipt.
13. A person who is addicted to shopping: shopaholic.
14. Someone who looks for products with a discount:

English Irregular Verbs

Simple Past and Past Participle Tenses

High School Reflections

High school has given me very good and not so good moments, but it was undoubtedly the best time of my life. I had many friends, and the days in class were fun and enjoyable. I remember that the first day of high school I entered with a lot of fear of not making friends since I didn't know anyone, but after the first playground I had already made 3 friends, one of whom today is my best friend. A not so good stage in high school was repeating the course, since I had a bad time both socially with my new classmates and on a personal level.

The Digital Connection

Today, both new and old generations have something in common: the need to connect to the internet, either to work or to hang out. I think that punishing a person without... Continue reading "Personal Reflections on Life's Journey" »

Samuel Beckett: Life and Works

Samuel Beckett was born in Ireland in 1906. He attended Trinity College, where he studied English, Italian, and French. He taught at Campbell College and the École Normale Supérieure. He met James Joyce in 1926, who became a great influence on his own works. Beckett traveled around Europe before he settled in Paris. He married a French woman in 1961. He was a playwright, novelist, and poet. He wrote most of his works in French and later translated them into English. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969 and died in 1989.

Major Works:

• Eleutheria
• Molloy
• The Unnamable
• Happy Days
• Waiting for Godot

The Theatre of the Absurd

The Theatre of the Absurd points out the meaninglessness of life. Modern life is depicted... Continue reading "Samuel Beckett's Life and the Absurdity of Waiting for Godot" »