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

Mastering English Present Tenses

The Simple Present Tense

The simple present is used to describe habits, unchanging situations, general truths, and fixed arrangements.

• For habits: He drinks tea at breakfast. They watch television regularly.
• For repeated actions or events: We catch the bus every morning. It rains every afternoon in the hot season.
• For general truths: Water freezes at zero degrees. The Earth revolves around the Sun.
• For instructions or directions: Open the packet and pour the contents into hot water. You take the No. 6 bus to Watney and then the No. 10 to Bedford.
• For fixed arrangements: His mother arrives tomorrow. Our holiday starts on the 26th of March.
• With future constructions: She'll see you before she leaves. We'll give it to

Aloma: It is named for an uncle of his mother, who read Lull had wanted. It was the name of one of the book "Book of Evast Blanquerna.
It is a teenager, quite pretty, thin, pale and not very high. It has a middle tooth slightly above the other and small hands. It has very little self esteem, and in terms of feelings and mood goes from one extreme to another, the joy to sadness esborrajada blackest. It is shameful, very tender, too distracted, and says that everything he tired quickly. Wants to escape the world in which they live because it seems gray and sad. Whenever he felt trapped and dominated most, if not wanted to die asphyxiated should defend themselves with their teeth. Think we should have a cabinet to save everything nice that now...

Quantifiers and Adjectives

Quantifiers:

• Much/Many: Use many for countable nouns and much for uncountable nouns.
• Too: Too much (uncountable), too many (countable).
• Enough: Sufficient.
• Not enough: Insufficient.

Adjective Comparisons

Comparative Forms (ER, IER, MORE)

Used to compare two things:

• Good: Better
• Bad: Worse

Superlative Forms (EST, IEST, MOST)

Used to compare three or more things:

• Good: The best
• Bad: The worst

Antonyms (Opposites)

Here are some common antonym pairs:

• Chatty vs Quiet
• Dangerous vs Safe
• Strong vs Weak
• Shy vs Outgoing
• Moody vs Bouncy
• Energetic vs Tired
• Tense vs Relaxed

Detailed Comparative and Superlative Rules

Short Adjectives (One Syllable)

Add -er for comparative and -est for superlative.

• Example: Long $\rightarrow$ Longer $\rightarrow$ The longest
• Example:

Reported Speech and Modal Verbs

Reported Speech Examples

• He told me to open the door.
• He said that it would be a great idea to go on holiday.

Modal Verbs

• a) Paco must buy a pair of gloves for Nunavut.
• b) Paco needn't buy a plane ticket yet.
• c) They may not be at home.
• d) This must be the right road.
• e) Can I open the window?

Modal Verbs in Bold

• a) You should see a dentist.
• b) Ann might be at home.
• c) That can't be John.
• d) You mustn't drop litter in the street.

Correct Modal Verb Usage

• a) He could go
• b) Sarah must see
• c) He should study
• d) Students must wear
• e) Sarah could swim
• f) You mustn't talk
• g) They don't have to
• h) A mother mustn't play.

Relative Pronouns

1. She spoke to the man who had repaired her car.
2. We bought the house that John showed us.
3. I saw the boy who

Virtue and Vice: The Power of Choice

The very possibility of the boys producing virtue and vice in the same environment is an indicator that people have the power to choose what they stand for.

Lord of the Flies is a well-known book written by William Golding in 1954. It tells the story of schoolboys who have been evacuated from their homes in Britain to reach a place of safety, but instead, they crash-land on an island. They start by making rules, attempting civilization, building shelters, and holding assemblies. However, as time goes by, savagery, violence, bloodthirst, and dictatorship take over. This causes the boys to split into two groups. The very possibility of the boys producing virtue and vice in the same environment is an indicator...

Conversations with My Mother and Younger Brother

Conversations with my mother and my younger brother. Every weekend I speak with my mother by webcam, because she and my younger brother live in Ecuador. Unfortunately, my other two brothers and I live here in Spain. At first, for my two brothers and me it was very difficult to establish a conversation with my mother and my younger brother, since we were accustomed to speaking with them in person and now we have to do it by webcam. As time went on, we are getting accustomed little by little to this situation, since now it is easier and less complicated. However, though we have already been separated from them for three years, we still prefer to be with them and to speak with them in person rather...

Linking Words (Connectors)

1. In addition (En adición)
2. Furthermore (Además de)

Example: I like pizza; furthermore, I like chicken.

3. To start with (Para comenzar con)
4. To sum up (Para resumir)

Example: To sum up, I would like to say something important.

5. Since (Desde)
6. On the other hand (Por otro lado)

Example: On the other hand, she is very talented.

7. Nevertheless (Sin embargo)

Example: I like soccer; nevertheless, I don’t like going to the stadium.

8. Last but not least (Por último, no menos importante)

Grammar Structures: Used To, Get Used To, Would

A. Used To (Past Habits)

Prompt: Tell me two actions your mother used to do when she was young.

Example: When she was 10, my mother used to study every day.

B. Get Used To (Becoming Accustomed)

Prompt: Tell me two actions...

Diastratic Variations and Social Factors

The Castilian language has variants that are determined by social factors such as: the speaker's educational level, gender, age, rural or urban setting, social class, and professional group. These factors that lead to different uses of language are called diastratic variations.

Depending on their cultural and linguistic training, the speaker uses an elaborate code when utilizing resources acquired through studying and reading. This results in correct pronunciation, sophisticated vocabulary, lexical precision, and syntactical complexity. Conversely, a lack of cultural training is reflected in sloppy pronunciation, limited vocabulary, simple syntax, and a high degree of vulgarisms.

Levels of Linguistic Training

Diastratic...

Chapter 3: The Ghost's Second Appearance

The ghost had not manifested itself only in the bloodstain.

His next appearance was a Sunday night when everyone had gone to sleep. They heard a terrible noise; someone went down to see who it was and saw a huge suit of armor that had fallen and the ghost sitting in a chair, rubbing his knees with severe pain.

The twins had lowered their pea-shooters and shot the ghost. He became angry, stepped between them, and looked like the fog from a candle that Washington had left; they were in total darkness. He decided to launch a terrible laugh, which brought out Mrs. Otis, and she gave him a bottle because the ghost felt ill.

For several days the ghost was ill, and he chose a Friday—August 17—to return to the...

Essential English Irregular Verbs

Mastering irregular verbs is a fundamental step in learning English. Below is a comprehensive table featuring the present, past, and past participle forms, along with their corresponding translations in Catalan.