Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Language and literature for Other courses

Francisco de Quevedo: Beyond Satire and Mockery

Francisco de Quevedo is best known for his satirical and mocking poetry, his love poetry being little known. Yet, according to critics, this body of work reaches the highest levels of the Spanish lyric. This is certainly the case with “Amor constante más allá de la muerte” (Constant love beyond death), considered one of the most beautiful love sonnets ever written in Spanish.

Mythology and the Law of Forgetting

In just fourteen lines, Quevedo condenses part of Greek mythology concerning the afterlife. After death (“the final shadow I'll take the white day”), the soul separates from the body and must cross the sinister River Styx, led aboard the boat of Charon. The law of the underworld...

Inversion Exercises

Part A

1. A1 Little did Grandad know
   2 Seldom have/had I seen
   3 Down came the rain
   4 Matt did was travel
   5 a podcast I heard that
   6 we’re/are doing is learning
   7 11 got on did I realise
2. 1 1 the markets that are
   2 really amazed me was
   3 was Tom who booked
   4 truth is
   5 I in your position, I’d/would
   6 were standing
   7 no time did Ella feel
3. 1 1 sooner
   2 means
   3 had
   4 It
   5 had
   6 question
4. 1 1 authenticity
   2 immersing
   3 strive for perfection
   4 high season
   5 influenced
   6 contributing factors
   7 ended up
5. 1 1 distorted
   2 picturesque
   3 cancellations
   4 expectancy
   5 learning
   6 disparity
6. 1 1 come up against
   2 put up with
   3 rough it
   4 sent out
   5 keep up with
   6 stand out
   7 fit in
7. 1 1 C
   2 B
   3 A
   4 B
   5 B
8. 1 1 C
   2 B
   3 A
   4 A
   5 C
9. 1 1 F
   2 A
   3 C
   4 E
   5 B

Part

Getting Around Tokyo & Kyoto

Understanding Tokyo's Address System

While you can often plug in your destination's name into a map, understanding Tokyo's address system can be incredibly helpful. Tokyo is divided into "cities" (e.g., Chuo-ku, Shinjuku-ku), which are further divided into neighborhoods and then smaller numbered districts called "chome." An address typically consists of a word followed by three numbers.

Thankfully, maps are readily available at train stations and on main thoroughfares. These maps, along with numbered lampposts, can help you navigate. However, be prepared for a bit of a challenge, as building numbers are assigned based on their construction order, not consecutively.

Tips for Navigating Tokyo's Streets

Tokyo can be

English Exercises

Grammar

1 - D. 2 - B. 3 - B. 4 - D. 5 - A. 6 - C. 7 - B. 8 - B. 9 - A. 10 - B.

Vocabulary

• Get married
• Leave work
• Start school
• Settle down
• Have children
• Become a grandparent
• Grow up
• Pass away
• Retire from work
• Raise a family

Reading

1 - TRUE. 2 - FALSE. 3 - FALSE. 4 - TRUE. 5 - TRUE.

6 - TRUE. 7 - TRUE. 8 - FALSE. 9 - TRUE. 10 - FALSE.

Business Correspondence Examples

Business Loan Inquiry for a New Company

Subject: Business Loan Inquiry for My New Company

Dear Sir/Madam,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to inquire about obtaining a business loan to finance my new company. Here are the details:

1. Business Type: I plan to start a small technology consulting firm specializing in providing IT solutions and services to local businesses.

First of all, Romanticism and the Journey of the Ancient Mariner

Romanticism is a cultural movement that originated with Wordsworth's publication of Lyrical Ballads in 1798 and ended with Lord Byron's death in 1824.

It is considered a reaction against the Age of Reason, also known as the Enlightenment. Romantic thinkers rejected rational thought and embraced irrationality instead.

Romanticism also seeks to answer the question, "Who am I?"

Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is a well-known poem that exemplifies Romanticism. It is included in Coleridge's influential book, "Biografia Literaria". The poem tells the story of a mariner and his crew who go sailing, but face punishment after the mariner kills an albatross.

The poem

Sentence Types and Moods

Types of Predicative Sentences:

• Transitive
• Intransitive
• Active
• Passive
• Reflexive
• Reciprocal
• Impersonal (no subject: e.g., "It is raining")

Sentence Modality (Mood):

• Declarative (Enunciativa)
• Interrogative
• Exclamative
• Tentative/Dubitative
• Desiderative (Expressing desire)
• Imperative (Command)

Verbs and Tenses

Examples of tenses:

• Past Simple: I ate.
• Perfect: I have eaten.

Polyphony in Communication

Polyphony refers to the set of voices participating in the development of any communicative situation. We can distinguish between:

1. External Reality: The actual author of the text (the issuer who truly produces the text) and the actual reader (the real receptor).
2. Model: The model or image of each participant that the other creates. The author has a

Foundational Software Quality Models: McCall, Boehm, and ISO 9126

McCall Software Quality Model (1977)

The McCall model breaks down the concept of quality into three capacities (or uses) important for a software product, from the standpoint of the user:

• Each use is decomposed into a number of factors that determine the quality of these capabilities. Since a factor is an abstract concept, it cannot be directly measured or evaluated.
• Each factor is decomposed into a set of criteria or basic properties, which in most cases are internal properties of software that do not depend on the observer (e.g., modularity, fault tolerance, ease of training, etc.).
• For most software developers, these criteria directly influence software quality.

Boehm Software Quality

VOCABULARY: APPROACH DELAYS

**Fahrenheit 451: Montag's Final Stand**

Summary of Burning Bright

In this final section of the book, Montag discovers that Millie turned in the fire alarm (though her friends, Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowles, earlier lodged a complaint that Beatty ignored). While Beatty seems to regret what he must do to Montag, he taunts Montag in a mean-spirited way and reminds Montag that he has given him many warnings about what could happen.

Finally, in his conversation with Montag, Beatty forces Montag to set fire to his own home. Little does he realize that Montag finds a certain perverse satisfaction in torching the interior of his home — especially the television screens.

Meanwhile, Faber continually urges Montag to escape, but Montag is hesitant because...

I used to own a standard headset, but a few months ago, I got wireless headphones. Of the two earphones, I like the wireless headphones better for a couple of reasons.

Comfort and Portability

The wireless headphones are very comfortable and portable. They go with you everywhere, making them practical for daily use.

Affordability and Durability

While the wireless headphones are closer to $200, the standard earphones cost $40, making them more affordable. However, the wireless headphones need to be charged, unlike the standard earphones. Additionally, the standard earphones are manageable but not as durable as they claim to be.

Conclusion

Considering the comfort, portability, affordability, and durability, I believe that the wireless headphones are...