Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for English for Secondary education

The characters are Mr. Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Mortimer, and Dr. John Watson. They talk about the Baskerville Papers.

Dr. Mortimer's Revelation

Dr. Mortimer took out a scroll and read it. It was about a legend about the curse of the Baskerville. Later, he took out the newspaper where it was covered the death of Sir Charles Baskerville, the owner of the mansion, and said that he had died for a cause of love.

Investigation Begins

Mortimer tells Holmes and Watson that Mr. Charles stayed in part of a while, since there were cigarettes. Holmes asks him what he needed from his service, which was to ask what to do with Sir Henry, who was the heir of Mr. Charles. Sherlock thinks to do for 24 hours and tells his assistant, Watson, that Mr. Charles was running...

Carol Ann Duffy

Carol Ann Duffy was born in Scotland in 1955 and comes from a working-class background. Duffy grew up with four little brothers and was born into a Catholic family. She had a very good relationship with her mother, to whom she dedicated the poem 'Premonitions' after her death in 2005.

When Duffy was six years old, her family moved from Glasgow to Stafford. She attended the University of Liverpool and majored in Philosophy. After that, Duffy worked in some freelance jobs until the mid-80s when she decided to become a full-time poet.

Carol Ann Duffy wrote her first poem when she was 11 years old, and after realizing she had talent, her teachers encouraged her to pursue poetry. Currently, Duffy works as a professor of Creative Writing...

1.Transformations. Use 5 words maximum.

1. I told him that he had to apologize to me And he did so. (made)
I MADE HIM APOLOGIZE TO ME and so he did.

2. You lost your temper but it wasn’t Necessary. (need)
There WAS NO NEED FOR YOU to lose your temper.

3. The work was easy so it wasn’t necessary For me to try hard. (need)
I DIDN´T NEED TO TRY hard because the Work was easy.

4. She worked harder than was necessary. (needn’t)
She NEEDN´T HAVE WORKED SO hard.

5. Ane wouldn’t be able to do a job with a Lot of responsibility. (capable)
Ane wouldn’t BE CAPABLE OF DOING a job with a lot of responsibility.

6. It’s possible that he heard you say that. (could)
He COULD HAVE HEARD YOU SAY that.

7. Perhaps he’s been having too many late Nights....

Mastering Passive Voice in English

Present Simple

am/are/is + past participle

Spanish is spoken here.

Present Continuous

am/are/is being + past participle

Your questions are being answered.

Future (Will)

will be + past participle

It will be painted by next week.

Future (Going To)

am/are/is going to be + past participle

Terry is going to be made redundant next year.

Past Simple

was/were + past participle

We were invited to the party, but we didn't go.

Past Continuous

was/were being + past participle

The hotel room was being cleaned when we got back from shopping.

Present Perfect

have/has been + past participle

The President of America has been shot.

Past Perfect

had been + past participle

When he got home, he found that all of his money had been stolen.

Future Perfect

will

Summer Adventures in Spain

By Paul Alonso, a student from Granada, Spain

My last holidays were my longest holidays, and I think that I learnt how to spend the time. I enjoyed a lot with my friends and my family, and I met new people too, because I was in different places during the summer, and I wanted to meet people everywhere.

Calpe: Beach Days and Nightlife

The first place I visited was Calpe, a town in Alicante, because I was invited for some days by a friend who has a house there. I went with some friends, and we just spent five days there, but it was enough time to want to come back next summer! We stayed on the beach for hours in the mornings, just lying and asleep, taking enough energy for the rest of the day and for the night! At night,...

Inversion with Negative & Limiting Adverbials

This grammatical structure involves placing a negative or limiting adverbial at the beginning of a sentence, followed by an inversion of the subject and auxiliary verb. The typical pattern is: Negative/Limiting Adverbial + Auxiliary Verb (e.g., have, do, is, be) + Subject + Main Verb.

Illustrative Examples

• We only very rarely go to the cinema these days.

  Only very rarely do we go to the cinema these days.

• I have never seen such a terrible performance of Hamlet before.

  Never before have I seen such a terrible performance of Hamlet.

• I very rarely study at night.

  Very rarely do I study at night.

• I will never agree to those terms.

  Under no circumstances will I agree to those terms.

• Amy had not enjoyed herself

The Statue of Liberty is one of the most famous monuments in New York and around the world. It is located on the island of Liberty and was a gift from the French people.

Standing at 46 meters tall, the Statue of Liberty reaches a height of 93 meters from the base, including the structure.

At the foot of the structure, there are broken chains that symbolize freedom. The statue is oriented towards the East, facing Europe.

Construction of the statue began in September 1875, and it was given to the United States by France on the 100th anniversary of American independence. The Statue of Liberty was inaugurated 130 years ago. To reach the crown of the statue, visitors must climb 354 stairs.

Mastering English Tenses and Modal Verbs

Past Simple and Present Perfect

• Roland didn’t set his alarm…
• We decided to take… because Sue hadn’t seen…
• Jane has lost her key…
• Louisa hasn’t swum in the…
• The match didn’t last…
• My father has had six…
• When did they buy…?
• Jenny was… she had forgotten…
• How long have you known…?
• I had made…

Past Simple and Past Perfect

• Last summer, I met…
• Fiona… she had missed…
• Dan had been painting…
• Sally hasn’t written…
• How many times have you broken…?
• Andy has been staying…
• Rebecca has lost…
• I didn’t know…

Present Perfect Simple and Continuous

• Susie has been staying in the…
• Joana hasn’t bought that…
• They haven’t been playing…
• Matt has just gone…
• We haven’t known…

Modal Verbs

• You