Comprehensive English Language Study Notes

English Vocabulary and Grammar Essentials

Core Vocabulary and Relationships

• Relationships: relationship (relación), get to know (llegar a conocer), make friends with, confidence (seguro), romantic, match (encajar), appearance, dressed, annoy (molestar), active, negative, unfriendly (desagradable), character (personalidad), attitude, curiously, reliable (fiable), similar (parecido).
• Descriptive Terms: most of (mayoría), seems (parece), caring guy (cariñoso), joking (bromear), please (agradar), fault (culpa), tongue twisters (trabalenguas), oyster (ostra), fellow (compañero), fee (tarifa), cheerful (alegre), concerns (preocupaciones), sparkling (brillante), fireplace (chimenea), mischief (travesuras), lifeless (sin vida), aware (consciente), spoonful (cucharada), self-esteem (autoestima).

Synonyms and Antonyms

• Synonyms: confident (self-confident), match (fit in), regret (remorse), nice to meet you (pleased to meet you), modest (discreet), well-known (famous), pal (friend), eventually (finally).
• Antonyms: similar/alike/different, active/busy/passive, confident/sure/unsure, negative/pessimist/optimistic, reliable/trustworthy/unreliable.

Grammar: Verb Tenses

• Present Simple (PS): Used for habits. Adverbs: always, lately, regularly, seldom, rarely, usually, never, once, twice, habitually, occasionally. Structure: Subject + Verb (inf), Do/Does + Subject + Verb (inf), Subject + don't/doesn't + Verb.
• Present Continuous (PC): Used for actions happening now. Keywords: presently, at present, nowadays, at the moment, still now. Structure: Subject + am/are + Verb-ing, Am/Are + Subject + Verb-ing, Subject + am not/aren't + Verb-ing.
• State Verbs: Describe states, thoughts, feelings, senses, and possession. Examples: believe, know, remember, think, feel, suppose, understand, love, like, hate, want, prefer, smell, hear, taste, see, have, belong, own, need, recognize, reach, cost.
• Continuous Tenses for State Verbs: Used when the meaning changes (e.g., 'think' as considering, 'be' as behaving, 'see' as dating).

Complex Situations and Prepositions

• According to (según), along with (junto con), apart from (a pesar de), as for (en cuanto a), as part of (parte de), because of (a causa de), contrary to (contrariamente), due to (debido a), except for (excepto), in accordance with (de acuerdo con), in addition to (además de), in case of (en caso de), in front of (delante de), in spite of (a pesar de), related to (respecto a), with respect to (respecto a), in order to (para).

Compound Nouns and Adjectives

• Compound Nouns: pen pal, greenhouse, sunrise, boyfriend, high school, haircut, remote control, science fiction, CD-ROM, self-esteem, mother-in-law, football, bedroom, password.
• Compound Adjectives:
  • Past Participle: old-fashioned, well-known, broken-down.
  • Present Participle: easy-going, hard-working, mouth-watering, odd-sounding.
  • Prepositional: well-off, far-off, time-out.
  • Numerical: four-year-old.
• Additional Vocabulary: well-behaved, egg rolls (rollitos de primavera), close-up, fat-free, dry-cleaning, to daydream (fantasear), countryside (campo).