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

Active to Passive Voice Transformations

Active to passive

• Many people enjoy shopping → Shopping is enjoyed by many people (Present simple)
• A Canadian invented buy nothing day → Buy nothing day was invented by a Canadian (Past)
• Millions of people will celebrate buy nothing day → Buy nothing day will be celebrated by millions of people (Future)

Modal Perfect and Conditionals

• Modal perfect: Spending so much money was a mistake - I shouldn't have spent so much money.
• Third Conditional: I fell off my bike, so I didn't finish the race - If I hadn't fallen off my bike, I could have finished the race.

Relative Clauses

• Defining relative clause: Clothes shopping is a popular hobby - Clothes shopping is a popular hobby which I don't enjoy.
• Non-defining relative

Descartes' Quest for Certainty Through Doubt

René Descartes, through his Cartesian method, aimed to demonstrate that human reason is capable of discovering fundamental evidences (born from doubt) to construct knowledge. Therefore, his method would be doubt, and his objective, the search for truth. "Doubt is the epistemological procedure to arrive at certainty."

The Cartesian Method: Four Rules

1. Criterion of Evidence: To accept nothing as true unless it presents itself clearly and distinctly.
2. Analysis: To divide each difficulty into as many parts as possible for a thorough study.
3. Synthesis: To conduct thoughts in an orderly fashion, starting with the simplest and easiest to know, and gradually ascending to the more complex.
4. Enumeration: To make enumerations

Personal Correspondence and Holiday Memories

An Email from Irene

Email: Hi! How are you? It has been a long time since we last met; it is about time we get together for a coffee. This summer, I went on vacation with my family to nearby places. We saw many people, and I had a brilliant time. You have to see the photos and videos I took; you are going to love them. I hope we meet when you come back to Spain for Christmas to see the family, who missed you, as did I. I hope you enjoy your time there; we are waiting for you here with open arms. Kisses, Irene.

Travel Narration: A Trip to Peñíscola

This Easter, I went with my friends to Peñíscola, a very well-known town in Castellón. We stayed in an apartment that was quite nice for the price. However,... Continue reading "Personal Narratives and Catalan Literary History" »

A

527 Organization

A political group organized under section 527 of the IRS.

Amicus Curiae Brief

Literally, a "friend of the court" brief, filed by an individual or organization to present arguments in addition to those presented by the immediate parties to a case.

B

Boycott

A form of pressure or protest – an organized refusal to purchase a product or service.

Bundling

A tactic in which PACs collect contributions from like-minded individuals (each limited by campaign finance laws) and present them to a candidate or political party as a "bundle," thus increasing the PAC's influence.

C

Campaign Assistance

Interest groups have additional strategies to use in campaigns, including recruiting and training candidates, and getting out the vote.

Climate Control

The... Continue reading "Interest Groups in Politics: A Glossary of Terms" »

Comparatives

We use comparatives to compare two things, people, or concepts.

• John is thinner than Bob.
• It's more expensive to travel by train than by bus.
• My house is smaller than my friend's house.

Comparative Rules

One Syllable Adjectives – Add -er

• CHEAP – CHEAPER
• FAST – FASTER
• LIGHT – LIGHTER

One Syllable Adjectives Ending in E – Add -r

• NICE – NICER
• FINE – FINER
• WIDE – WIDER

Two or More Syllables Adjectives – Use More/Less

• BEAUTIFUL – MORE BEAUTIFUL / LESS BEAUTIFUL
• INTERESTING – MORE INTERESTING / LESS INTERESTING

Irregular Adjectives

• GOOD – BETTER
• BAD – WORSE
• FAR – FURTHER / FARTHER

One Syllable Adjectives Ending in CVC – Double the Last Consonant + -er

• HOT – HOTTER
• BIG – BIGGER
• FAT – FATTER

Two Syllables Adjectives Ending in

English Vocabulary Essentials

Nouns

• Ancestor - Ancestro
• Ban - Prohibición
• Belief - Creencia
• Freedom - Libertad
• Manners - Modales
• Misconception - Idea equivocada
• Owner - Propietario
• Path - Camino
• Request - Petición
• Roots - Raíces
• Stereotype - Estereotipo
• Traditional costume - Traje regional

Verbs

• Attempt - Intentar
• Come back - Volver
• Consider - Considerar
• Find out - Encontrar
• Ignore - Ignorar
• Miss - Perderse algo
• Refuse - Rechazar
• Stay behind - Quedarse
• Surround - Rodear

Adjectives

• Appropriate - Adecuado
• Customary - Habitual
• Disturbing - Inquietante
• Forbidden - Prohibido
• Gigantic - Gigantesco
• Narrow-minded - Cerrado de mente
• Open-minded - Abierto de mente
• Proper - Adecuado
• Treacherous - Peligroso
• Typical - Típico

Expressions

• Culture shock - Choque cultural
• Keep... alive - Mantener

Adjectives: Definition and Usage

Rules for Multiple Adjectives

• Two Adjectives: If two adjectives describe a noun, use AND to link them.
• Example: Black and white televisions are very old.

• More than Two Adjectives: Use commas between the first adjectives, and then use AND before the last adjective.
• Example: The company seeks intelligent, motivated, and energetic people.

Determiners and Articles

Articles (A, AN, THE)

• A: Used

English Verb Tenses: Quick Reference

Below is a summary of the main English verb tenses, including examples and their Spanish equivalents.

• Present Simple: I walk (camino)
• Present Continuous: I am walking (estoy caminando)
• Present Perfect Simple: I have walked (he caminado)
• Present Perfect Continuous: I have been walking (he estado caminando)
• Past Simple: I walked (caminé)
• Past Continuous: I was walking (estaba caminando)
• Past Perfect Simple: I had walked (había caminado)
• Past Perfect Continuous: I had been walking (había estado caminando)
• Future Continuous: I will be walking (estaré caminando)
• Future Perfect Simple: I will have walked (habré caminado)

Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)

Reported speech often requires a tense backshift (paso atrás) and... Continue reading "Mastering English Tenses, Modals, and Conditionals" »

Vocabulary and Grammar Exercises

Section 1: Word Associations

• 1 Thunder, lightning
• 2 Arteries, skin
• 3 Lips, colourless
• 4 Disgusted, horrified
• 5 Trial, guilty
• 6 Fright, terrifying

Section 2: Phrasal Verbs

• 1 Give up
• 2 Takes place
• 3 Burst into
• 4 Broke off
• 5 Made up
• 6 Looking forward to
• 7 Bring up
• 8 Set off
• 9 Kept going
• 10 Set to

Section 3: Verb Tenses

• 1 Had been sailing
• 2 Were travelling
• 3 Had died
• 4 Introduced
• 5 Have not written
• 6 Looked
• 7 Have been crying
• 8 Had reached

Section 4: Contextual Choices

• 1 Wondered
• 2 Aimed, shot
• 3 Howled, whispered
• 4 Rage, grief
• 5 Bury, grave

Section 5: Phrase Practice

Burst into tears - carry out experiments - change his mind - pluck up the courage - blow the boat off course - draw his last breath

Blew the boat off course - plucked up the courage -... Continue reading "Essential English Language Exercises and Glossary" »