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

Hurricane Katrina: A Family's Ordeal in New Orleans

On August 29, 2005, my parents, my sister, and I were sitting in our house in New Orleans, listening to the wind outside. Hurricane Katrina was here! We were all terrified, even our dog, Belle. Eventually, the wind stopped, and we knew the storm was over, so we went to bed.

At first, all was quiet. Then, my mother heard Belle drinking, but she wasn't drinking from her dish—she was drinking from the floor. Floodwater was filling our house! As soon as we realized what was happening, we ran up to the roof. We waited there for two days, with nothing to eat. We were hungry and scared.

Finally, a helicopter came and took us to a safe place. Now we live with my aunt in Houston, Texas. I'm sad that... Continue reading "Surviving Nature's Fury: Personal Accounts of Disasters" »

Lucy's Fear of Sleep

I was awake all night watching Lucy. This morning she woke up much better. This evening I went to Lucy’s room again to keep her company during the night. She was happy that I was there. Whenever she seemed to be falling asleep, she forced herself to wake up again. She did this two or three times.

"Don’t you want to sleep?" I asked. "No, I’m afraid," she replied. "Afraid to go to sleep? Why? Everybody likes sleeping," I said. "Not if you are like me. Sleep, for me, is the beginning of horror," she said. "The beginning of horror. What does that mean?" I asked. "I don’t know. I don’t know," she said, "and that is what makes it so horrible! A weakness comes to me when I am asleep."

"But my dear girl," I said, "you can... Continue reading "Lucy's Fear of Sleep and Mysterious Illness" »

Jennifer's Daily Routine

My name is Jennifer. I get up at 5 in the morning. I have breakfast, coffee, and a sandwich. Then, I go to work and leave at two in the afternoon. I go home for lunch and spend time with my daughter in the afternoon. After that, I have a shower and prepare everything for the next day before going to bed.

Hobbies

• Play football
• Play basketball
• Play volleyball
• Play tennis
• Play rugby
• Play jockey
• Play poker
• Play golf
• Go sailing
• Go yachting
• Ride a bike
• Ride a ski
• Surf
• Dance

Careful with the third person (he, she, it), add -s: play – plays, -es: watch – watches, -es: pass – passes, -es: go – goes. Usage: The present simple is used to talk about habitual actions. + (affirmative) TURN ON THE COMPUTER – (negative) DON´T TURN ON THE

Essential English Irregular Verbs

Infinitive - Past Simple - Past Participle

• to be - was/were - been
• to become - became - become
• to build - built - built
• to buy - bought - bought
• to come - came - come
• to do - did - done
• to drink - drank - drunk
• to eat - ate - eaten
• to feel - felt - felt
• to find - found - found
• to fly - flew - flown
• to get - got - gotten
• to give - gave - given
• to go - went - gone
• to grow - grew - grown
• to hang - hung - hung
• to have - had - had
• to hear - heard - heard
• to know - knew - known
• to leave - left - left
• to lose - lost - lost
• to make - made - made
• to meet - met - met
• to put - put - put
• to quit - quit - quit
• to read - read - read
• to ride - rode - ridden
• to run - ran - run
• to say - said - said
• to see - saw - seen
• to speak - spoke - spoken
• to spend - spent

City Center Flat: Park & Beachfront Living

This flat is located in the city center, directly fronting the park and extending to the beach. We are the proud owners of the entire building, which includes a private garage.

Spacious Interior & Modern Amenities

Inside, the flat features:

• Three comfortable bedrooms.
• A large living room, the most spacious in the house.
• A functional kitchen.
• An inviting terrace.

Bedroom Details

My parents' bedroom is exceptionally large, surpassing all other bedrooms, including my sister's and mine. My room is very modern, equipped with a computer, a smart TV, a PlayStation 4, and a comfortable bed.

The flat is generally older.

The Hunger Games: A Tale of Survival

The story unfolds in Panem, a nation starkly divided into... Continue reading "City Center Flat & Hunger Games: A Dual Story" »

Section 1: Verb Forms and Contextual Usage

Context: Opening of the New Gulliver Sports Center

Exercise: Select the Most Suitable Verb Form

• 1. was opened
• 2. was used
• 3. fell
• 4. was sold
• 5. was converted
• 6. played
• 7. were held
• 8. was damaged
• 9. broke out
• 10. was not used
• 11. remained
• 12. went on
• 13. was decided
• 14. was launched
• 15. was raised
• 16. offered
• 17. were drawn up
• 18. includes
• 19. congratulated
• 20. was given

Section 2: Passive Voice Sentences

Examples of Passive Voice Construction

1. The football pitch was flooded by a sudden storm.
2. The car door was scratched by vandals.
3. A new planet has been discovered by scientists in Geneva.
4. The new National Museum will be opened by the president.
5. The new primary school is being built by a local firm.
6. The swimming pool was not used

My Ideal Job

How do I imagine an ideal job? While a well-paid position is often considered a good job, an ideal one encompasses much more. In my opinion, an ideal job is one where you have your own office and set your own rules.

Nowadays, it is standard to work eight hours a day, but some people attempt to work longer to increase their salary. Unfortunately, this often has a negative influence on their health.

There is no such thing as a perfect job in the real world. If a person wants to achieve their ideal career, they must choose their future profession early. That is why we begin planning in school, then attend universities or colleges to gain the necessary qualifications. After graduating, we start our careers. At the beginning, we must work... Continue reading "Defining the Ideal Career, Favorite TV Shows, and Music" »

The Dual Role of Smartphones in Crime and Prevention

Hello, my name is Arnau. Today, I am going to discuss how mobile phones—one of the electronic devices we use most in our daily lives—can lead to crime, be used to fight crime, or perhaps both.

In my opinion, mobile phones are excellent tools with many utilities, but they can also become the perfect accomplice for criminal activity.

Common Mobile Phone Fraud Methods

First, I would like to explain one of the newest methods of phone-related fraud: carding. This is a type of fraud in which a thief steals credit card numbers while we are shopping online via our mobile phones, verifies that they work, and then uses them to purchase items on various platforms for personal gain.

I believe this method... Continue reading "Mobile Phone Security: Preventing Fraud and Digital Crime" »

I thought that we could talk about travelling. Do you enjoy travelling?

If answer is YES.  Ahhh, then you will probably feel the same as me about this way of life.

If answer is NO  Oh.... You must be then one of the very few people who don’t..... In any case…

I prefer to speak about the reasons why we do it and the benefits we might get when we travel. Have you been on a trip recently?

Let me tell you a bit more about the reasons why people decide to travel. Nowadays, people travel mostly for pleasure. Travelers typically choose destinations where they think they’ll feel relaxed in different ways. Other people instead prefer travelling for deeper, more conscious motivations. If you have lived all your life with the comforts of western society,... Continue reading "The Benefits of Traveling: Why You Should Explore the World" »

Present Simple Passive Voice Examples

1. Emails are sent.
2. The grass is cut.
3. Chocolate is preferred.
4. Cars are often stolen.
5. Loud music is played.
6. English is spoken here.
7. The London parks are loved.
8. Staff is wanted.
9. Articles are written.
10. Julie is loved.
11. A lot of books are read.
12. Dinner is cooked every day.
13. Milk is delivered in the mornings.
14. Flowers are bought for the flat.
15. The cars are washed every week.
16. A report is written every Friday.
17. The roads are fixed.
18. New houses are built every year.
19. Vegetables are sold in the market.
20. The office is cleaned every day.

Past Simple Passive Voice Examples

1. The key was found.
2. Mistakes were made.
3. That woman was loved.
4. The rooms were cleaned.
5. The computer was fixed.
6. That house was built.
7. War and Peace was written.
8. The Mona Lisa was painted.
9. My