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

Literary Profiles

Song of Myself: Walt Whitman (1819–1892)

There are two Walt Whitmans: the real person and the self he invented. The real Whitman grew up in Brooklyn and held many jobs. During the Civil War, he traveled to Washington D.C. to nurse his brother. The invented Whitman is larger than life.

What fact is enough for Whitman?

I'm Nobody: Emily Dickinson (1830–1886)

From Amherst, Massachusetts, she wrote 1,775 poems and became famous after her death. Are you nobody, too?

Me: Walter de la Mare (1873–1956)

By night, he wrote poems for adults. In Me, Walter compares his uniqueness to that of various trees and flowers.

Vocabulary Practice

• Accessory: She was wearing a beautiful leather accessory.
• Already: They have already finished the test.

Essential English Vocabulary

Remember: Always state the minutes and then the hour.

Example: It's twenty-five to five.

Modal Verbs

• Possibility
  • Can/Can't (to be able to/to know how to)
  • Could/Couldn't (was able to/could for formal requests)
• Advice
  • Should/Shouldn't (ought to)
  • Ought to (should)
• Obligation or Prohibition
  • Have to/Don't or Doesn't have to (must)
  • Must/Mustn't (to have

España (1902-1939): Del Fin de la Monarquía a la Guerra

Crisis del Liberalismo (1898-1931)

La Crisis del 98 y el Regeneracionismo

En 1895 comenzó en Cuba un nuevo movimiento independentista que duró hasta 1898. Estados Unidos declaró la guerra a España, contienda en la que España pierde Cuba, Filipinas y Puerto Rico. Como consecuencia surgió el Regeneracionismo impulsado por Joaquín Costa, cuyo objetivo era superar el atraso económico y acabar con el caciquismo y la corrupción.

Reinado de Alfonso XIII (1902-1923)

Se mantuvo la Constitución de 1876 y el sistema de turnismo bipartidista:

• Partido Conservador: Cánovas del Castillo fue sustituido por Antonio Maura.
• Partido Liberal: Práxedes Mateo Sagasta fue sustituido por José Canalejas.

Essential English Phrases and Verbs

Expressions with "Get"

• Get the impression -> Tener la impresión de
• Get the wrong end of the stick -> Entender mal
• Get the chance -> Tener la oportunidad
• Get the joke -> Entender la broma
• Get to know -> Descubrir algo
• Get hold of -> Conseguir
• Get rid of -> Deshacerse de algo
• Get one's own back on -> Tomar revancha
• Get into trouble with -> Meterse en problemas
• Get out of the way -> Moverse al otro sitio / Quitarse del medio

Idioms with "Get"

• Get real -> Abre los ojos
• Get a life -> Haz algo útil con tu vida / Haz algo con tu vida
• Not getting anywhere -> No llegar a nada
• Gets on my nerves -> Me pone nervioso
• Get her act together -> Hacer las cosas como se debe
• Get on like a house

Surrealismo

Un río, un amor, 1929; Los placeres prohibidos, 1931. En estas obras usa técnicas surrealistas, como las imágenes visionarias y el libre fluir de los versos. Abandona la métrica clásica y emplea el verso libre sin rimas. En definitiva, hace uso de la libertad formal para expresar una liberación personal: su homosexualidad y su rebeldía.

Neorromanticismo

Su obra capital es Donde habite el olvido, 1932-33. Supone una vuelta a la tradición, concretamente a Bécquer: el título del libro está sacado, precisamente, de la Rima LXVI: “Donde habite el olvido, / allí estará mi tumba”. Se incluye también en esta etapa Invocaciones, 1934-35. Frente a los poemas relativamente cortos de los libros anteriores, pasa a poemas amplios... Continue reading "Luis Cernuda: Surrealismo, Neorromanticismo y Poesía del Exilio" »

To wonder -> To ask yourself questions about

To get hold of -> To obtain something

To turn out -> To become or result in; to appear, to end up being

To do/go cold turkey -> The unpleasant symptoms caused by suddenly ceasing to take a drug to which one is addicted: stopping the drug may result in cold turkey.

To be dealt a bad hand -> To be very unlucky

To cope with a situation -> To manage a situation

To binge on something -> A period of excessive indulgence in an activity, especially drinking alcohol or eating:

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To feel entitled to something -> When you feel you deserve something...just because

Self esteem -> Confidence in yourself

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Peer pressure -> A feeling that... Continue reading "Common Idioms and Expressions with Definitions" »

Puerto Rico: Island Highlights

(Exercise Note: b a d a)

• Old San Juan: A historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the islet of San Juan.
• El Yunque National Forest: A tropical rainforest in northeastern Puerto Rico.
• Coquí: The common name for several species of small frogs native to Puerto Rico.

Spanish Food and Meals

(Exercise Note: b d c a)

Common Meal Combinations

• Comen cereales con leche y huevo con pan. (They eat cereal with milk and eggs with bread.)
• Comen sándwiches de jamón y queso con fruta. (They eat ham and cheese sandwiches with fruit.)
• Comen pizza y hamburguesas. (They eat pizza and hamburgers.)

Essential Spanish Vocabulary

Question Words

• ¿Dónde? (Where?)
• ¿Qué? (What?)
• ¿Cómo? (How?)
• ¿Por qué? (Why?)

Common Verbs

• Beber (to

Environment and Conservation

• Destroy: Destruir
• Dump: Tirar algo
• Poison: Veneno
• Pollute: Contaminar
• Preserve: Conservar
• Protect: Proteger
• Recycle: Reciclar
• Reduce: Reducir
• Reuse: Reusar
• Save: Salvar
• Throw away: Tirar

Characteristics and Features

• Automatic: Automatismo
• Convenient: Conveniente
• Efficient: Eficiente
• Fixed: Fijo
• Heavy: Pesado
• High-quality: Alta calidad
• Impractical: No práctico
• Inconvenient: Inconveniente
• Inefficient: Ineficiente
• Light: Ligero
• Low-quality: Baja calidad
• Manual: Manual
• Portable: Portátil
• Practical: Práctico
• Reliable: Fiable
• Time-consuming: Consumir tiempo
• Time-saving: Ahorrar tiempo
• Unreliable: No es fiable
• Useful: Útil
• Useless: Inservible

Accessories and Jewelry

• Accessory: Accesorio
• Belt: Cinturón
• Earring: Pendiente
• Handbag: Bolso
• Necklace: Collar
• Ring:

English Grammar Essentials

Verb Tenses

• Present Simple: He, she, it + s. (e.g., "I don't play...", "Do you play...?")
• Present Continuous: I am playing / You aren't playing / Is he playing?
• Past Simple: Uses "didn't" and -ed or 2nd column irregular verbs.
• Past Continuous: I was eating / We weren't eating.
• Present Perfect: I have/has + 3rd column or -ed. (e.g., "She has walked", "Have you walked?")
• Future Forms: "Will" (will/won't) and "Going to" (e.g., "I'm going to eat", "She is going to eat", "Am I going to eat?")

Adverbs and Quantifiers

• Yet: Used for "todavía" or "ya", always at the end of the sentence.
• Already: Used for "ya" (always in affirmative sentences).
• Ever: Used for "alguna vez".
• How much / Much: Used for uncountable nouns.
• How many / Many: Used

Tipus de textos en català

Text instructiu

És de caràcter informatiu i pretén ensenyar al receptor a fer alguna cosa. Les instruccions són clares, precises i objectives.

Estructura: hi ha dues parts: objectiu (finalitat del text) i instruccions (segueixen un ordre lògic o cronològic).

Forma lingüística:

• Lèxic denotatiu i precís amb tecnicismes.
• Formes verbals apel·latives.
• Sintaxi simple, oracions ordenades, curtes i simples.
• Segona persona gramatical o primera del plural.
• Connectors cardinals i ordinals.

Text predictiu

El text predictiu té com a objectiu informar sobre fets del futur.

Tipus:

• Científics: conseqüència d'una observació rigorosa.
• Pseudocientífics: suposades observacions d'astres i planetes.

Són suposicions, teories i hipòtesis.... Continue reading "Tipus de textos en català: característiques i estructura" »