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

Dependent and independent clauses

Independent Clause Defined

An independent clause is a clause that can stand on its own, by itself. It does not need to be joined to any other clauses because it contains all the information necessary to be a complete sentence.

Independent clauses have three components:

1. They have a subject - they tell the reader what the sentence is about.

2. They have an action or predicate - they tell the reader what the subject is doing.

3. They express a complete thought - something happened or was said.

An independent clause can be as simple as a subject and a verb:

• Jim reads.

Jim is the subject. Reads is the action or verb. A complete thought was expressed - something was said, and the reader now knows that Jim likes to... Continue reading "Understanding Clauses in Sentences" »

Oven: Advantages and Disadvantages

Introduction

The oven is a kitchen appliance that generates heat and keeps it inside a closed compartment. It is used to prepare, heat, or dry food.

Advantages

Its constant heat, regular temperature, and slow cooking make any meat you cook fall apart. Cooking in the oven is appropriate for a wide variety of foods: meats, doughs, pizzas, etc.

Disadvantages

Older ovens used to have radiation loss, although that problem has been solved. Another disadvantage is the risk of domestic accidents, including burns or fires, so caution is advised.

Conclusion

The oven is a very useful kitchen appliance because you can make a variety of dishes with it. Nowadays, most households have an oven, whether modern or older.

Short Stories

Supercitizen

Thomas... Continue reading "Oven Advantages and Disadvantages & Two Short Stories" »

Causative Exercises

Fill in the blanks with the correct causative form:

- Why can't we meet tomorrow morning?

I'm having my nails done at the beauty salon.

- What did Jane do with her dog when she was away?

She had her dog walked in the mornings.

- Why is Britney talking to checkout?

She wants to have the shopping delivered to her home.

- There's a virus on our computer.

We must have it repaired immediately.

- What did you do with that letter?

I had it translated by my friend.

- It's a beautiful photo. I'm going to have the photo enlarged.

- An artist... She is having her portrait painted.

- Bob's hair has just been cut. Bob has just had his hair cut.

- He paid a lorry... He had the car towed.

- His tooth hurts... Have his tooth checked.

- I don't clean the... Continue reading "Causative, Passive, Relative Clauses & Vocabulary Practice" »

Mastering English Irregular Verbs

Introduction

This document provides a comprehensive list of common English irregular verbs. Each verb is presented in its base form, past simple, and past participle forms. Mastering these verbs is crucial for achieving fluency in English.

Irregular Verb List

• Arise/Arose/Arisen = Surgir
• Awake/Awoke/Awoken = Despertar
• Be/Was, Were/Been = Ser
• Beat/Beat/Beaten = Batir
• Become/Became/Become = Convertir
• Begin/Began/Begun = Començar
• Bend/Bent/Bent = Doblegar
• Bite/Bit/Bitten = Morder
• Bleed/Bled/Bled = Sangrar
• Blow/Blew/Blown = Soplar
• Bring/Brought/Brought = Traer
• Catch/Caught/Caught = Atrapar
• Choose/Chose/Chosen = Elegir
• Deal/Dealt/Dealt = Acordar
• Dig/Dug/Dug = Cavar
• Do/Did/Done = Hacer
• Draw/Drew/Drawn = Dibujar
• Fall/Fell/Fallen = Caer
• Feed/

Last summer I went to Cordoba with my friends Franco and Cristian. We visited Carlos Paz and Villa Maria because other friends told us there were a lot of things to do there. The first week we went to Carlos Paz. There, we explored different rivers, went shopping, and met the Cucu clock. We thought the Cucu was really big, but it is very small; we were disappointed.

The second week we went to Villa Maria. My grandparents live there, so we visited their house. My grandmother cooks really well. We returned to San Rafael with 10 kg more. In Villa Maria, we attended a lot of parties. It is a really fun place!

We really enjoyed the holidays. Next summer, we want to go to Buenos Aires.

Argentina has many beautiful places. In the north, we have the Cataratas... Continue reading "Discovering the Beauty of Argentina: A Summer Adventure" »

Verb Tenses: Past and Present Perfect

1. sold
2. haven't bought / had planned
3. had asked / had said
4. has just got / hasn't had
5. twisted / has spent

Present Perfect Continuous and Simple Past

1. have you been staying
2. have been
3. have you enjoyed
4. didn't expect
5. have you been doing
6. have been walking
7. have been working
8. has tried

Modal Verbs and Their Uses

1. Graham must be waiting at the bus stop.
2. Wayne may have lost the game yesterday.
3. You needn't have bought a ticket.
4. You mustn't drive when drunk.
5. Dan should have done his homework.

Conditional Sentences: Verb Forms

1. have - will
2. would - have - had
3. had - have
4. had - would
5. would - have

Reported Speech Transformations

1. Rosalind said that she hadn't seen the documentary the previous night.
2. Penn said that we couldn't sit on that sofa.
3. Amy asked if she

Hotel Check-in: The Thompson Reservation

• Receptionist: Good afternoon.
• Guest: We have a reservation – Mr and Mrs Thompson.
• Receptionist: Good afternoon. Let me see… You booked a standard room with a balcony, is that correct?
• Guest: Yes, that’s right. For two nights.
• Receptionist: And I see you asked for half board.
• Guest: Actually, we’ve decided to take full board.
• Receptionist: No problem. I’ll just change that.
• Guest: Does the room have a view?
• Receptionist: Yes, the room’s got a view of the mountains.
• Guest: Great!
• Receptionist: I see that you’ve already paid a £35 deposit. May I have your credit card and passport, please?
• Guest: Here you are.
• Receptionist: Very good. Here’s your key card. Your room number is 452, on the fourth floor.

Section 82: Conversation & Internet Use

Part A: Personal Information

Q: How old are you?

A: I am 23 years old.

Q: What do you do?

A: I'm an online researcher.

Q: What do you do in your job?

A: I use the internet to find information requested by clients.

Q: How long have you been doing this job?

A: I've been doing this job for six months.

Q: When did you graduate from university?

A: I graduated from university in 2006.

Part B: Internet Usage Questions

• What type of internet connection do you have at home?
• How fast is your internet connection?
• How much do you pay for broadband access?
• How often do you access the internet?
• Which email program do you use?
• Who do you send email to?
• Do you use a mobile phone to access the internet?
• Do you use the internet in public

Probability:

First, they can be used when we want to say how sure we are that something happened / is happening / will happen. We often call these 'modals of deduction' or 'speculation' or 'certainty' or 'probability'.

• It's snowing, so it must be very cold outside.
• I don't know where John is. He could have missed the train.
• This bill can't be right. £200 for two cups of coffee!

Ability

We use 'can' and 'could' to talk about a skill or ability.

For example:

• She can speak six languages.
• My grandfather could play golf very well.
• I can't drive.

Obligation and Advice

We can use verbs such as 'must' or 'should' to say when something is necessary or unnecessary, or to give advice.

• Children must do their homework.
• We have to wear a uniform at work.

Hi John,

Catching Up: Life Updates from Bill

How are you? It's been ages since we last spoke. I hope everything is going well. Sorry, I haven't been in contact recently. I've been meaning to write to you for the last couple of months, but I just haven't gotten around to doing it. Sorry for my laziness.

What Have You Been Up To?

What have you been up to lately? I remember you telling me that you were thinking about moving house. Did you do it, or are you still living in the same place?

Career Shift: New Role at Omega in Manchester

I don't know if you've heard, but since the last time we spoke, I left my job. I'm now working at Omega in Manchester. It's a similar job to what I had before, but I have more responsibility (and more hours, unfortunately)... Continue reading "Manchester Job, Honda Civic, and Pyrenees Travel Plans" »