Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for English for University

Zero Conditional (Simple Present)

Structure

• If + subject + simple present verb + complement
• Subject + simple present verb + if + complement

Examples

• If I go to Six Flags, I eat nachos.
• I eat nachos if I go to Six Flags.

First Conditional

Structure

1. If + subject + simple present verb + complement
2. Subject / pronoun + will, be going to, or might + infinitive + complement

Examples

• If I study hard, I will pass the exam.
• If I visit my grandpa, I am going to eat out with him.
• If she goes to Paris, she might visit the Louvre Museum.

Second Conditional (Simple Past / Would)

Structure

1. If + subject / pronoun + simple past + complement
2. Subject / pronoun + would + infinitive + complement

Examples

• If I had 50 million pesos, I would buy a house in Cancún.
• If I won the lottery,

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

Use Commas

Use a comma to separate elements in a series:

I like to eat apples, bananas, and oranges.

Use a comma to separate the month and day of the year:

June 23, 2012

Hyphen

A hyphen (-) is used to join the separate parts of a compound word; it is a joiner:

• Cooperate - co-operate
• Pre-eminent
• Re-enact

Question Mark

Use a question mark at the end of a sentence to ask a question:

• Where is the bathroom?
• Are you home?

Use a question mark when you are trying to get information:

• Where is the gas station?
• Who is your teacher?

Exclamation Mark

An exclamation mark is a type of punctuation that goes at the end of a sentence. Use it to indicate strong feelings:

Go away!

They are used after interjections:

Ouch! That hurt!

Quotation Marks

A quotation mark is used to show the...

School Break Time Memories

During school breaks, my friends and I used to play basketball. We formed teams, and the losing team would buy Lay's for the winning team. I used to play basketball, but I stopped when I broke my finger. Afterward, the school bought a thick and long rope, and I started playing jump rope with my friends. We all got together, and one by one, we started jumping. It was a lot of fun, but actually, I think I'm afraid of it now. I also used to play hide-and-seek with my friends, but I didn't like it much because I felt like time was passing, and the break was ending very quickly. When I entered high school, I stopped playing during breaks and only ate breakfast with my friends. We would sit on a bench and just talk.

A Lost

English Verb Tenses

Past Simple or Present Perfect Tense

Start: started Changed: have changed Not have: didn't have Be: were or was Become: have become

• Direct Speech Reported Speech

Dr. Lopez: That's right. Dr. Lopez said that was right.

He asked, “Are you busy tonight?”: He asked me if I was busy that night.

He said I'm making dinner: He told me that he was making dinner.

I'll see you later: She said that she would see me later.

I had taken English lessons before: She said that she had taken English lessons before.

I haven't seen Julie: She said that she hadn't seen Julie.

I was walking along the street: She said that she had been walking along the street.

• Second Conditional

She doesn’t speak English, so she doesn’t understand you: If she didn't speak English, she...

Connected Speech

Speech is a continuum, and sounds influence one another while speaking. There are four main characteristics of human speech:

• Rhythm
• Assimilation
• Elision
• Linking

Rhythm

Rhythm can be defined as a noticeable event happening at regular intervals of time, such as a heartbeat, a flashing light, or a piece of music. English speech is rhythmical, and the rhythm is detectable in the regular occurrence of stressed syllables. The stress-timed rhythm theory states that the times from each stressed syllable to the next will tend to be the same, irrespective of the number of intervening unstressed syllables.

Consider these examples:

1. First, Mike took John's book back.
2. Later, Mike visited Millington's ancient bookshop.
3. Jean Craig didn't post Bob the

Gerund ING

Infinitive TO+verb

Infinitive without TO

Reported Speech

Common English Noun Phrases

• a piece of advice
• a large number of trees
• that bit of government
• a great piece of news
• a great deal of effort
• the amount of food
• a cash box
• an advice column
• an accommodation agency
• an interesting item of news
• a flight of stairs
• a sheet of paper
• a lump of coal
• a head of hair
• a slice of toast
• an information centre
• a luggage trolley
• a set of cutlery
• a single blade of grass
• by a clap of thunder
• a bread knife
• a spelling mistake
• a parking space
• a lightning conductor
• a cookery lesson

English Articles: A/An, The, Zero Article

Indefinite Articles: a/an

• Use with singular, countable nouns mentioned for the first time.
• Use when talking about jobs (e.g., He is an engineer).
• Don't use with uncountable nouns or plural countable nouns.

Definite Article: the

• Use