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

Common Irregular Verbs in English

A Comprehensive List

1. be (ser o estar): was/were, been
2. beat (golpear): beat, beaten
3. become (llegar a ser): became, become
4. begin (empezar): began, begun
5. bend (doblar): bent, bent
6. bet (apostar): bet, bet
7. bite (morder): bit, bitten
8. bleed (sangrar): bled, bled
9. blow (soplar): blew, blown
10. break (romper): broke, broken
11. bring (traer): brought, brought
12. build (construir): built, built
13. burn (quemar): burned/burnt, burned/burnt
14. buy (comprar): bought, bought
15. catch (coger): caught, caught
16. choose (escoger): chose, chosen
17. come (venir): came, come
18. cost (costar): cost, cost
19. cut (cortar): cut, cut
20. dig (escavar): dug, dug
21. do (hacer): did, done
22. draw (dibujar): drew, drawn
23. dream (soñar): dreamt/dreamed, dreamt/dreamed
24. drink (beber): drank, drunk
25. drive (conducir)

Modal certainty: will, must, be bound to

Assumption or prediction: will

Logical necessity: must

Probability or ‘reasonable inference’: should, ought

Extrinsic possibility: may, might, could

Summary of extrinsic modal

He will be there by now. (assumption/prediction based on experience or common sense)

I shall probably be back before you (prediction)

He must be there by now. (logical necessity, deduction based on evidence)

He can’t be there yet. (logical necessity negated)

He’s bound to be there. (modal certainty + inevitability)

He has to be there by now. (logical necessity, objective)

He’s likely to be there by now. (probability)

He should be there by now. (reasonable inference based on deduction)

He could be there by now. (tentative possibility)... Continue reading "Modal Certainty, Probability, and Obligation: Understanding Modal Verbs" »

SONG: TEARS IDLE TEARS

Tone: sadness, grief, nostalgia, uncertainty. “Idle”: not based on a good reason-the poetic voice does not know why he is crying

First stanza

“I know not what they mean”: uncertainty tone. “Divine despair”: oxymoron à concern of accepting the passage of time. “Divine”: inexplicable, a more religious issue, beyond human understanding. “Happy Autumn-fields”: personification à bittersweet feelings of the persona when thinking about the past. “The days that are no more”: refrain à the poem is about memories, feeling nostalgia about past life. It is repeated at the end of each stanza

Second stanza

“fresh as the first beam”: simile à he remembers memories about childhood and his friends who are now... Continue reading "Analysis of Tears Idle Tears Poem: Themes and Tone" »

Grandpa was always on the move, and once he decided to go, he didn't waste time looking back. He was only four when his mother died, and as soon as he was old enough, he left Irwin, Missouri, and traveled the world before settling in Kansas City in the early 1920s.

"Okay, good night, God bless you, see you tomorrow, Della Kay." Curiosity got the best of him, and he decided to pay her a surprise visit.

For 60 years.

I'm the firstborn child of that marriage.

Because we were always together, I was quickly dubbed his "little buddy." My sister arrived five years after I did, and things seemed to fit perfectly when she and my grandmother bonded in much the same way.

My sister and I tried to fill the void in their lives and became even richer for it.

The... Continue reading "A Grandfather's Journey: Love and Resilience in Kansas City" »

Samuel Beckett: A Nobel Laureate with a Rebellious Spirit

Early Life and Education

Born into an Anglo-Irish upper-class family in Dublin, Samuel Beckett studied French at Trinity College. He also served as a teaching assistant in Paris, where he encountered literary giants like James Joyce.

Return to Dublin and Career Change

After returning to Dublin, Beckett became a professor. However, the discipline required for the job proved unsuited to his temperament, leading him to resign.

European Travels and Resistance

Beckett embarked on a journey across Europe, eventually settling in France. During World War II, he joined the French Resistance movement and later hid on a farm for safety.

Post-War Success and Nobel Prize

After the war, Beckett returned to... Continue reading "Samuel Beckett and Shelagh Delaney: Challenging Conventions" »

Vocabulary: Health and Feelings

Complete the exercise with one of the words given.

1. There are specific departments in hospitals to treat chronic illness.
2. My back pain is getting worse. I'll have to go to the doctor.
3. He hurt her feelings and she doesn't want to see him anymore.
4. She can hardly speak. She has a sore throat.
5. He loves eating hearty meals, but afterward, he often has stomach ache.
6. Mary is pregnant and she often feels sick in the mornings.
7. Mental disorders are quite dangerous for our health.

Grammar: Comparatives and Superlatives

Complete the following sentences using the comparative and superlative form of the adjectives in brackets.

1. This computer is newer than your computer.
2. Lucy is the youngest in the class.
3. This house is bigger than my house!

English Irregular Verbs and Basic Verbs in Basque

This list presents English irregular verbs with their base form, simple past, past participle, and Basque translation, followed by common regular verbs with their Basque equivalents.

Irregular Verbs

be / was, were / been / izan

beat / beat / beaten / jo

become / became / become / bihurtu

begin / began / begun / hasi

bend / bent / bent / tolestu

bet / bet / bet / apustu egin

bite / bit / bitten / kosk egin

bleed / bled / bled / odola jario

blow / blew / blown / putz egin

break / broke / broken / hautsi

bring / brought / brought / ekarri

build / built / built / eraiki

burn / burnt / burnt / erre

buy / bought / bought / erosi

catch / caught / caught / harrapatu

choose / chose / chosen / aukeratu

come / came / come... Continue reading "English Irregular Verbs and Basic Verbs in Basque: Complete Translation List" »

The Dawn of the Modern Age

The late Victorian era was marked by the decline of traditional Victorianism, characterized by agricultural and industrial depression and a profound crisis of faith triggered by Darwin's On the Origin of Species. This period saw a rebellion against Victorian morality, challenging hypocrisy and earnestness while embracing new perspectives on sexuality and the aesthetic movement of Art for Art's Sake.

Imperialism and Literary Voices

Joseph Conrad

Born in a Polish part of Ukraine to a nationalist family, Joseph Conrad faced early hardship, becoming an orphan at age 12. After moving to Marseilles and serving 16 years in the British Merchant Service, he settled in London as a British citizen. Though Polish was his mother tongue,... Continue reading "Modernism and Late Victorian Literature: Conrad, Kipling, and Hardy" »

Essential English Vocabulary

• Audience: (Público) Our audience are Internet users.
• Eye-opener: (Abrirte los ojos) This first week has been a real eye-opener.
• Performance: (Actuación) Her performance in the movie won her an Oscar.
• Rehearsal: (Ensayo) Great dress rehearsal everybody, thank you very much!
• Face: (Enfrentarse) We'll face a very difficult situation.
• Focus on: (Concentrarse) Education should focus on developing the whole person.
• Give up: (Rendirse) This is not the time to give up.
• Manage: (Arreglárselas) At her age, she can manage for herself.
• Point out: (Señalar) Let me point out something to you I think you're overlooking.
• Share: (Compartir) Small children must learn how to share.
• Struggle: (Luchar) Lose those who abandon their struggle.

1- The lottery is conducted on June 27th around ten o’clock. The titular lottery chooses one person from the town to be stoned to death every year for no other reason than tradition.

All the people of the town gather together and the heads of the extended families each draw one slip from the black box, but they do not unfold them until all the slips have been drawn. The one with the black dot on it goes to a second round of drawing to choose one household within the family. For the final drawing, one slip is placed in the box for each member of the household and the person with the black dot is stoned to death. In the story, this person is Tessie Hutchinson.

2- Old Man Warner responds to Mr. Adams who tells him that another village had given... Continue reading "Purpose and content of" »