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

English Grammar Guide

Passive Voice

Forming the Passive Voice

The passive voice is formed using the verb "to be" in the appropriate tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

• Affirmative: subject + verb "to be" + past participle (e.g., The appointment was canceled by the doctor.)
• Negative: subject + verb "to be" + "not" + past participle (e.g., The appointment wasn't canceled by the patient.)
• Interrogative: verb "to be" + subject + past participle (e.g., Was the appointment canceled by the doctor?)

Changing Sentences to Passive Voice

1. Make the object of the active sentence the subject of the passive sentence.
2. Use the correct form of the verb "to be" based on the tense of the active sentence.
3. Change the main verb to its past participle form.

What is FMEA?

FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) is a methodology aimed at achieving Quality Assurance. Through systematic analysis, it contributes to the identification and prevention of failure modes for both products and processes/services. It is a tool that systematically investigates the potentially weak points of products, processes, and services, quantifying and evaluating their risk of failure.

Objectives of FMEA

• Customer satisfaction
• Introduce the philosophy of prevention to companies
• Analyze the effects and failures that may affect a product or process
• Stipulate the means and procedures for each failure mode, and assign a method of detection for each failure
• Adopt corrective and preventive actions

Types of FMEA

Design FMEA

The study of... Continue reading "FMEA Essentials: Prevent Failures & Enhance Quality" »

Present Simple - Past Simple (2 Columns)

Present Continuous - Past Continuous

She was, were writing

Past Simple and Present Perfect Simple

She wrote, she has written

Past Perfect Simple

She had written

Future Simple

Will write

Conditional

She would write

Time Expressions

This morning, afternoon, evening, week, month, year - That

Today - That day

Tonight - That night

Next week, month, year - That

Yesterday - The day before

Last summer, week, month, year - The ... before

Now - At the time

Tomorrow - The following day

Here - There

A week, month, year ago - The week, month, year before

Verb Patterns

Verb + That

Rebeca admitted, complained, explained, mentioned, pointed out, proved, recommended, said, stated, suggested that the subject should verb.

Verb + To + Infinitive

David... Continue reading "English Grammar and Vocabulary Guide: Tenses, Time Expressions, and More" »

English Verb Tenses

Past Simple

Form:

• Regular verbs: Base form + -ed (e.g., wanted)
• Irregular verbs: Consult an irregular verb list (e.g., went)
• Negative: Did not + base form (e.g., didn't want)

Uses:

• Completed actions in the past (e.g., last year, yesterday, in 1937)

Past Continuous

Form:

• Was/Were + present participle (-ing form) (e.g., was walking, were talking)

Uses:

• Actions in progress at a specific time in the past
• Often used with "when" (past simple for the interrupting action) and "while" (past continuous for the longer action)

Present Perfect

Form:

• Have/Has + past participle (e.g., have talked, has eaten)

Uses:

• Actions completed at an unspecified time in the past
• Actions that started in the past and continue to the present
• Often used with "never," "ever,

English Grammar Essentials

Verb Tenses

Present and Past Tenses

• Present Simple (Past Simple)
• Present Continuous (Past Continuous)
• Present Perfect (Past Perfect)
• Past Simple (Past Perfect)
• Past Continuous (Past Perfect Continuous)

Future Tenses and Modals

• Be Going To (Was/Were Going To)
• Will (Would)
• Would (Would)
• Can (Could)
• Could (Could)
• May (Might)
• Might (Might)
• Must (Had To)
• Mustn't (Mustn't)
• Should/Ought to (Should/Ought to)

Adverbs of Time

• Now (Then)
• Today (That Day)
• Tonight (That Night)
• Yesterday (The Previous Day)
• Tomorrow (The Next Day)
• Next Week (The Following Week)
• Last Week (The Previous Week)
• A Week Ago (The Week Before)
• This (That)
• These (Those)
• Here (There)

Reported Speech

Statements

Use verbs like "say" or "tell." Look for time shifts. Example: Simon said, "David... Continue reading "English Grammar: Tenses, Conditionals, and Passive Voice" »

Competition Policy in Mexico vs. the European Union

Statement: There is a popular belief that competition policy in Mexico is oriented towards consumer protection. However, this is not the case. This criterion differs from that proposed by the European Union, which does consider consumer protection among the pillars of its competition policy.

Question: What is the main orientation of competition policy in Mexico, and how is it different from other jurisdictions? Consider at least one jurisdiction other than Mexico in your interpretation.

Answer: Consumers are the ultimate beneficiaries of competition policy. In an environment of effective competition, companies strive to be better than their competitors and, therefore, win customers, reduce their... Continue reading "Competition Law and Policy in Mexico: A Comparative Analysis" »

English Word Components and Expressions

Prefixes and Their Meanings

Understanding prefixes helps in determining the meaning of many words. Here are examples grouped by their common prefixes:

• ANTI-: war, learning, coeducational, exist, cooperation
• MIS-: behave, print, understand
• OUT-: perform, play, run
• OVER-: charge, confident, work
• RE-: write, do
• UNDER-: achieve, cook, estimate
• DIS-: approve, honesty, loyalty
• IL-: legal, legible
• IM-: mature, polite, possible
• IN-: compatible
• IR-: rational, responsible
• UN-: comfortable, usual

Nouns Related to Personal Qualities

A list of important personal attributes:

ABILITY, AMBITION, CAUTION, DETERMINATION, ENCOURAGEMENT, ENJOYMENT, HAPPINESS, IMAGINATION, INSPIRATION, PATIENCE, PERFORMANCE, REALITY, TOUGHNESS, VIOLENCE,

Finding Joy in Your Work

Happiness at Work

If you want to be happy at work, remember that all problems can be solved.

Another way to be happy is to enrich your work environment with photos and flowers.

Working Conditions

Builders have worse working conditions than bankers.

Job Satisfaction

I love developing new products. It's the most fascinating job in the company.

Information technology specialists are slightly happier than real estate agents.

Legal Profession

I am a lawyer specializing in real estate law. My work is always interesting.

I handle all the legal work related to the sale of buildings and land.

I work 60 hours a week and sometimes get very stressed, but I'm happy most of the time.

Fitness Industry

I am a personal trainer. I love this job because

**That's a Real Point in Favor of a Working Mother**

And this is very well-paid. My schedule is much more flexible than in some of the larger accounting firms.

**I'm a Public Employee and Work for the Board**

I'm in a department with eight others. Our job is to attract investment to the area. I love the teamwork.

**This is the Most Stimulating Work I've Ever Had**

In addition, my work is very secure. I'm happier in my job than most of the people I know.

**When I'm Not at Work, I Spend All My Time with My Children**

Allow me to say a few words about myself. I was born in the United States and now work on the West Coast.

**I Love to Go Back to My Hometown Whenever I Can**

I really miss my family. I grew up in the North of England, but my family moved