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

Starter Unit: Education Vocabulary

• qualification (título) ≠ mark (calificación)
• college (universidad) ≠ school (colegio)
• allowance (educational maintenance)
• degree (título de universidad) ≠ career (trayectoria profesional)
• encourage (support)
• skip (choose / omitir)
• wage (paid every week) / salary (paid every month)
• amount (a lot of money / cantidad de dinero)

Memory & Experience Vocabulary

• appointment (cita)
• calendar
• diary (agenda)
• forget
• learnt by heart = memorize (aprender de memoria)
• memory (memoria)
• mind (mente)
• recall (recordar)
• remember (acordarse)
• remind (hacer recordar / fer pensar)
• exactitud (accuracy)
• remarkable (unusually good)
• recited (said from memory)
• very surprising (astonishing)
• top marks (maximum points)
• anxious (inquieto, nervioso) ≠

The Paris police announced the prohibition of a snack giant organized through Facebook for next Sunday at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, as consuming alcohol is permanently forbidden in that public space.

The snack giant planned for May 23 may not take place because the consumption of alcohol is banned permanently in that public space, according to a statement from the capital city police.

Security Measures in Place

The Eiffel Tower and its surroundings are among the most popular tourist spots in the French capital. The police formally discouraged attendance on Sunday from 18:00 local time at Campo de Marte, the green space at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

For security reasons, the police will ban the transportation and possession of bottles and... Continue reading "Paris Police Prohibits Alcohol Consumption at Eiffel Tower Event" »

Simple Past Tense: Regular and Irregular Verbs

Forming Simple Past Sentences

• Affirmative: Subject + verb (past form) + complement
• Negative: Subject + auxiliary (did) + not + verb (base form) + complement
• Interrogative: Auxiliary (Did) + subject + verb (base form) + complement?

Simple Past Examples

• I bought a pair of shoes yesterday.
• I didn't buy a pair of shoes yesterday.
• Did I buy a pair of shoes yesterday?

Practice Exercises: Simple Past

1. A: Did you go fishing last weekend?

   B: No, but I went swimming.

2. Yesterday, Ron found a cat on the street and took it home.
3. Yesterday, the school basketball team played against Northbridge. There were a lot of people at the game.
4. Dennis was in Barcelona last weekend and he visited many places.

Modal Verb "Would"

Understanding

English Grammar Fundamentals: Simple Past Tense

Household Chores Vocabulary

• Vacuum: Pasar la aspiradora
• Wash/Do the dishes: Lavar los platos
• Work in the garden: Trabajar en el jardín
• Pay the bills: Pagar las cuentas
• Do the laundry: Lavar la ropa
• Dust: Quitar el polvo

Simple Past Tense: Regular Verbs

Affirmative Example: I studied on Sunday.

Expressing Negatives (Simple Past)

Structure: Subject + did not (didn't) + Base Verb.

Example: I didn't study on Sunday.

Irregular Verbs (Past Tense)

Bought:

Compró

Drank:

Bebió

Had:

Tuvo/Había

Got up:

Se levantó

Met:

Se reunió/Se juntó

Sang:

Cantó

Wrote:

Escribió

Grew:

Creció

Took:

Tomó

See (Past: Saw):

Vio

Eat (Past: Ate):

Comió

Sleep (Past: Slept):

Durmió

Go (Past: Went):

Fue

Yes/No Questions in Simple Past

Example: Did you watch... Continue reading "Essential English Vocabulary and Simple Past Tense Review" »

Understanding Grammar in Language Teaching

Grammar is often misunderstood in the language teaching field. Instead of viewing grammar as a static system of arbitrary rules, it should be seen as a rational, dynamic system comprised of structures characterized by the three dimensions of form and use.

Myths About Grammar

Grammar is acquired naturally; it need not be taught.

It is true that some learners acquire second language grammar naturally without instruction. For example, there are immigrants to the United States who acquire proficiency in English on their own. Chomsky showed that native English speakers were still in the process of acquiring certain grammatical structures in English well into adolescence.

Grammar is boring.

This myth is derived... Continue reading "Understanding Grammar in Language Teaching: Key Concepts" »

Vocabulary: Places and People in the City (En Ville)

City Locations and Shops

• La pharmacie: The pharmacy
• La banque: The bank
• Le supermarché: The supermarket
• Le bureau de poste: The post office / Mail
• Le jardin public: The public garden
• Un immeuble: A building / Apartment block
• La boulangerie-pâtisserie: The bakery-pastry shop
• La boucherie-charcuterie: The butcher shop
• La poissonnerie: The fishmonger's shop
• Le bureau de tabac: The tobacconist's shop
• Le bus: The bus

Professions and People

• Le jardinier: The gardener
• Le facteur: The postman
• La caissière: The cashier
• L'employé(e) de banque: The bank employee
• Le médecin: The doctor
• L'infirmier / L'infirmière: The nurse
• Le buraliste: The tobacconist (person)
• Le poissonnier: The fishmonger (person)
• Le boucher-charcutier:

Fundamentals of Communication

Key Elements of the Communication Process

• Issuer (Sender): Transmitting the information element (person, corporate body, alarm).
• Receiver: The element that receives and interprets information (individual and collective).
• Message: The information being transmitted. This must be taken into account, along with CE IH [Contextual Elements / Information Handling].
• Channel: The natural or man-made vehicle for transmitting the message (natural or artificial physical environment). Artificial channels retain the information and save time by overcoming spatial barriers.
• Code: The set of signs and rules of combination that enables the development of the message.

Types of Communication Flow

Given the transmitter-receiver relationship,... Continue reading "Word Classes and Communication Elements in Spanish Grammar" »

Topic 3: Travel and Adventure

Literary Devices and Language Registers

Figures of Speech: Definitions and Examples

• Simile (Comparison)

  The comparison of two distinct elements based on a shared feature, often using connecting words like "as" or "like."

  Example: His life was as short as one minute.

• Metaphor

  The replacement of one element (noun) with another by virtue of their shared properties, implying a direct equivalence.

  Example: His life was one minute.

• Extended Metaphor (Image)

  A metaphor that is sustained or developed across two or more lines or throughout a passage.

  Example: His life was blessed one minute
  Among so many dead hours.

• Anaphora

  The repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive verses or similar clauses.

• Antithesis (Contrast)

  The juxtaposition of two contrasting