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

Essential Phrasal Verbs for Communication

Get Away (from)

Definition: To leave or escape from a person or place, often when it is difficult to do this.

• Example: We walked to the next beach to get away from the crowds.

Be/Get Carried Away

Definition: To be overcome by one’s feelings (excitement, emotion, etc.).

• Example: She was/got carried away by the excitement.

Throw Out

Definition: To get rid of by throwing or by force (expulsar, echar; rechazar).

• Example: He was thrown out of the meeting.

Bring Something In

Definition: To introduce something new such as a product or a law.

• Example: New safety regulations have been brought in.

Stand Up To (Confront)

Definition: To show resistance to; to confront someone bravely.

• Example: He stood up to the bigger boys

Sample Complaint Letter: Amsterdam City Tour

Dear Sir/Madam,

My husband and I have just returned from one of your “special city tours” in Amsterdam (August 31 – September 10), and I am writing to complain about the holiday we were given.

To begin with, the hotel was not at all what we had been led to expect from your brochure. You advertise air-conditioned rooms with a mini-bar and private bathroom, but what we got was a tiny room with none of the promised appliances. The room only had a washbasin, and we had to share the sanitary installations with five other parties on our floor. The temperature was 90° every day, so you can imagine the comforts of a room with nothing but the cold water tub for cooling. As for the hotel staff, whenever... Continue reading "Formal Complaint Letter Sample and Writing Tips" »

Advertising Vocabulary

Types of Advertising:

• Billboards (cartell/valla publicitària)
• Celebrity endorsements (promoció feta per famosos)
• Covert adverts (publicitat subliminar)
• Direct mail (correu)
• Junk mail (correu brossa)
• Email and spam
• Magazine/newspaper ads (revistes/diaris amb anuncis)
• Radio/TV commercials (anunci ràdio/tele)
• Sponsoring of events
• Text messages
• Website ads: pop-ups

Adjectives to Describe Ads:

Amusing (divertit/graciós), attractive, clever (intel·ligent), dramatic, dull (avorrit), emotional, funny, humorous, sexist, shocking (impactant), silly (tonto), tasteless (soso), unusual, weird (raro).

Product Categories:

• Clothes and accessories: gloves, jewellery, trainers
• Electronic goods: hi-fi system, sat-nav, tablet computer, phone
• Health and

School and University Vocabulary

Subjects:

• Art
• Biology
• Business Studies
• Chemistry
• Drama
• Engineering
• English
• Geography
• History
• ICT
• Law
• Literature
• Maths
• Media Studies
• Medicine
• Music
• Physical Education (PE)
• Physics
• Psychology

Words connected with school & uni:

Certificate, cheat, coursework, essay, fail, grade, mark, pass, resit, term, timetable.

Noun Suffixes: -er, -or, -ist, -ian, -ee

Director, electrician, employer/employee, historian, instructor, journalist, lecturer, photographer, physicist, professor, scientist, technician, trainee.

Grammar: Modal Verbs

General rules for modals

An infinitive without to follows a modal verb. Example: Sam should go to the doctor.

Modal verbs do not take -s in the 3rd person singular. Example: He must go to school.

Modal verbs do not... Continue reading "School and University Vocabulary with Modal Verbs & Conditionals" »

Past Simple of Regular Verbs

Example: (not cook) didn't cook

• Visit - visited
• Live - lived
• Try - tried
• Stop - stopped

Sports Vocabulary

• A game: Football, baseball, soccer
• B match: Tennis, ping-pong, boxing
• C race: Swimming

Irregular Verbs

• Sit - sat
• Win - won
• Leave - left
• Lose - lost
• Beat - beat
• Throw - threw
• Catch - caught
• Ride - rode

My father (left)

Who (won)

Mike is... (lost)

Tony (threw)

My brother (rode)

Somebody (sat)

Comparative Forms

Regular

• Cheap - cheaper
• Strange - stranger
• Big - bigger
• Happy - happier
• Popular - more popular

Irregular

• Good - better
• Bad - worse
• Far - farther/further

Vocabulary

• Singer
• Artist
• Photographer
• Waiter
• Journalist
• Actor
• Musician
• Graphic Designer
• Pilot

Superlative Forms

Daisy Miller: Chapter 4 Analysis

Winterbourne's Denial and Daisy's Inscrutability

As Daisy’s friendship with Giovanelli intensifies, particularly after Mrs. Walker’s party, Winterbourne is in the unpleasant position of having to wonder about the exact nature of the relationship between Daisy and Giovanelli. Winterbourne has many theories, but he never confronts the possibility that he himself has feelings for Daisy. He always couches his interest in her relationship with Giovanelli in terms of concern for her reputation.

Nevertheless, there seems to be evidence to suggest that Daisy is more interested in Winterbourne than she is in Giovanelli. Besides her praise of Giovanelli’s voice and musicianship, she pays no attention to his performance... Continue reading "Winterbourne's Moral Conflict and Jealousy in Daisy Miller Chapter 4" »

Countries and Nationalities

England - English

Denmark - Danish

Finland - Finnish

Poland - Polish

Spain - Spanish

Sweden - Swedish

Turkey - Turkish

Scotland - Scottish

Ireland - Irish

China - Chinese

Japan - Japanese

Portugal - Portuguese

Lebanon - Lebanese

French - French

Greece - Greek

Netherlands - Dutch

Switzerland - Swiss

Thailand - Thai

New Zealand - Kiwi

Pakistan - Pakistani

Czech Republic - Czech

Israel - Israeli

Iraq - Iraqi

Cyprus - Cypriot

Oman - Omani

Philippines - Filipino

Possessive Pronouns

• I = my
• You = your
• He = his
• She = her
• It = its
• We = our
• They = their

Family Members

• Aunt - tia
• Uncle - tio
• Cousin - Primo/a
• Daughter - Hija
• Son - Hijo
• Sister - Hermana
• Brother - hermano
• Mother - madre
• Father - padre
• Grandfather - abuelo
• Grandmother - abuela
• Niece - sobrino
• Nephew - sobrina
• Wife

VOCABULARY:

Choose the correct options to complete the table:

Wide awake: Fully alert and not sleepy.

Zone out: To become unaware of your surroundings because you are bored or tired.

Drop off: To fall asleep.

Sleep deprivation: A lack of sleep.

Complete the second sentence so that it is the same as the first.

Example: I'm not rich enough to buy a new car.

a) I can't buy a new car because I haven't got enough money.

b) I can't afford to buy a new car.

c) I'm not able to afford a new car.

d) I don't have enough money to buy a new car.

Correct the errors in the sentences.

1- When the ambulance arrived, the man was still unconscious.

2- When I saw him, he couldn't cope with all the problems he had.

3- My dad was very tired and he fell asleep in less than a minute.... Continue reading "English Vocabulary & Grammar Exercises with Answers" »

The Scarlet Letter: Questions and Answers

1. Townspeople's Appearance in 17th-Century Boston

According to the book The Scarlet Letter, how did the townspeople (men and women) look during the 17th century?

R: Men wore somber colors, tall hats, and beards. The women were country women with broad skirts, strong shoulders, and round, red faces.

2. Setting of The Scarlet Letter

In which town did the story develop?

R: The story unfolds in the city of Boston.

3. The Scarlet Letter 'A'

Where was the letter 'A' placed, and how was it made? Why did Hester Prynne wear it?

R: Hester Prynne was an adulteress because she had an affair with a priest while her husband was away. Upon her release from jail, the magistrates ordered her to wear an "A," representing adultery,... Continue reading "The Scarlet Letter: Characters, Setting, and Hester's Journey" »

B — Verbs starting with B

• be — was/were, been — ser, estar
• become — became, become — llegar a ser; convertirse
• begin — began, begun — empezar
• bleed — bled, bled — sangrar
• break — broke, broken — romper
• bring — brought, brought — traer; llevar
• build — built, built — construir
• buy — bought, bought — comprar

C — Verbs starting with C

• catch — caught, caught — coger, atrapar
• choose — chose, chosen — elegir
• come — came, come — venir
• cost — cost, cost — costar
• cut — cut, cut — cortar

D — Verbs starting with D

• do — did, done — hacer
• draw — drew, drawn — dibujar
• dream — dreamt, dreamt — soñar
• drink — drank, drunk — beber
• drive — drove, driven — conducir

E — Verbs starting with E

• eat — ate,