Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for English for Vocational training

Four Classic Short Stories: Plot and Thematic Analysis

Mabel by W. Somerset Maugham: Plot Summary

At a club in a village on his way to Pagan, the narrator is told the story of George, a local man. George had met Mabel in England, and they had agreed to marry in six months; however, difficulties extended this period to seven years.

On the day she was finally arriving, George felt he could not marry a woman he practically did not remember, so he wrote a letter for her and fled. His escape led him across Asia, but wherever he arrived, there was news that Mabel was following him. When he finally felt safe, Mabel arrived. She expressed how relieved she was to see he had not changed, as it would have otherwise been difficult to tell him she would not...

Dear John/Hi John,

It's great to hear from you after so long! How are you doing? I'm so excited about your visit next summer. Let me give you some tips so you can get ready.

First of all, there are some places which you can't miss! For example, here in Barcelona you should totally visit Sagrada Familia, an ancient cathedral. It was nominated to become one of the new seven wonders of the world. Also, don't forget to check out Castelldefels viewpoint - you will have the best views of Barcelona and the whole city.

As for clothes, remember that it can get super hot in Barcelona, especially for foreigners! So forget about long sleeves or trousers and just pack some shorts, T-shirts, and sandals. Oh, remember to bring a cap, too!

By the way, do you have...

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!

Essential English Phrasal Verbs

This table provides a list of common English phrasal verbs, their definitions, and example sentences to help you understand their usage.

Simple Present

The simple present expresses an action, habits, facts, emotions, and permanent wishes. For instructions, if it is a third person, add “s”.

For example:

• He goes to school every morning.
• She understands English.
• It mixes the sand and the water.
• He tries very hard.

Present Continuous

Use the Present Continuous with Normal Verbs to express the idea that something is happening now, at this very moment. It can also be used to show that something is not happening now. Also, we use the Present Continuous to say that we are in the process of doing a longer action which is in progress.

For example:

• You are learning English now.
• You are not swimming now.
• Are you sleeping?
• I am sitting.
• I am not standing.
• Is he sitting or standing?

Past Simple

Use the...

Mastering Irregular Verbs in English

What are Irregular Verbs?

Irregular verbs are verbs that do not follow the standard pattern of adding -ed or -d to form their past simple and past participle forms. Mastering these verbs is crucial for achieving fluency in English.

List of Common Irregular Verbs

This list provides the infinitive, past simple, past participle, and Spanish translation for each verb.

• Be (Was/Were) Been - Ser/Estar
• Give (Gave) Given - Dar
• Become (Became) Become - Llegar a ser
• Go (Went) Gone - Ir
• Begin (Began) Begun - Empezar
• Grow (Grew) Grown - Crecer/Cultivar
• Bite (Bit) Bitten - Morder/Picar
• Have (Had) Had - Tener
• Break (Broke) Broken - Romper
• Hide (Hid) Hidden - Esconder
• Bring (Brought) Brought - Traer
• Hit (Hit) Hit - Golpear
• Build (Built)

Present Simple and Present Continuous

Present Simple: Used for habits, routines, states, opinions, or feelings.

Present Continuous: Used for activities in progress, temporary activities or situations, and fixed plans and arrangements.

Future Tenses: Will and Be Going To

Will: Used for predictions based on personal opinions.

Be going to: Used for predictions with specific evidence, plans, and intentions.

Past Simple and Past Continuous

Past Continuous: (e.g., was living in 2002) Used for actions in progress at a specific time in the past, or actions in progress interrupted by another.

Past Simple: (e.g., he spoke at a conference in 2007) Used for completed past actions.

Used To

Used to: (e.g., they used to use oil lamps) Used for habits or states in the...

Used to vs. Would

To talk about habits and continuous actions in the past, we can use used to or would.

• We use used to with both action and stative verbs.
• We only use would with action verbs.
• We use both would and used to with repeated actions.

Adverbs and Adverbial Phrases

We often form adverbial phrases with:

• in a/an + noun/adjective + way
• with/without + noun/adjective

Obligation, Permission, and Prohibition

To express obligation or necessity, we can use have to or must. To say something is (or isn't) a good idea, we can use should. To express no obligation or necessity, we can use don't have to or don't need to. To express permission, we can use let, and to say that something is not permitted, we use not to be allowed to.

Necessity: Didn't Have To,

Desert Island Essentials

Music for Memories and Motivation

If I were stranded on a desert island, I would bring two of my favorite songs to keep my spirits high. The first would be "Me rehúso" by Danny Ocean, a Venezuelan artist. This song holds a special place in my heart as it tells the story of a long-distance relationship and the determination to keep love alive despite the challenges. The second song would be "DjaDja" by Aya Nakamura, a vibrant and energetic track that always makes me want to dance. These songs remind me of a memorable summer spent in Madrid with friends from Venezuela.

Books for Escape and Inspiration

To keep my mind engaged, I would bring two of my favorite books. The first would be "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green,...