Comprehensive English Language Study Notes

Sports and Achievement Vocabulary

• Astounding, award, balance, championship
• Defeat (vencer), drill (rutina), feat (achievement)
• In good shape, keep fit, leap (saltar), opponent
• Rank, role model, runner-up, setback (contratiempo)
• Strike (pegar), surpass (superar), teammate, work out

General Vocabulary and Idioms

• Allowance, asset (ventaja), eager (entusiasmado), harsh
• Make it, refrain from, reluctant, sacred
• Take off, uncertain, work one's way up

Prepositional Phrases

• In future, in private, in public, in the lead
• On one's own, out of bounds, out of place
• To this day, under pressure

Idiomatic Expressions

• Be/get/stay ahead of the game
• Jump the gun (precipitarse)
• Keep one's head above water (dar abasto)
• Learn the ropes
• Move the goalposts (cambiar las reglas)
• On the ball (al tanto)
• Par for the course (lo normal)
• Roll with the punches (adaptarse)
• The ball's in one's court (dar el paso)
• Win hands down

Grammar Structures

Passive and Causative

• Passive: A cake is made.
• Causative: Have/get something done, have someone do something, get someone to do something.

Writing Connectors

• For and against: More and more, it has drawbacks as well as benefits, on the one hand/on the other hand, in addition, moreover, to sum up, in conclusion.
• Opinion: In my opinion, I believe that, first of all, secondly, because, since, so that, as I see it.

Relationships and Emotions

• Vocabulary: Break someone's trust, cheer up, couple, deserve, drift apart, envious, fall out, fate, forgive, get butterflies in one's stomach, gossip, hold a grudge, left out, make a commitment, meant for each other, on one's mind, on purpose, row (pelea), spread rumours, well-being.
• Verbs: Attached, breathless, hang up, mumble, point out, pour down, press, rush, spot, swallow, sweat, tear.
• Idioms: Bend over backwards (hacer lo imposible), get it over with (acabar con algo de una vez), go mad over (perder la cabeza), head over heels (locamente), in over one's head (sobrepasado), over and over, over the moon (loco de contento).
• Phrasal Verbs: Drive away, drop by, hear from, help out, lead on, make up, move on, open up, see through, settle down, split up, tell off, turn down.

Relative Clauses

• Defining: No commas, necessary information.
• Non-defining: Between commas, extra information, we cannot use "that".

Phrasal Verb Reference

• Run: out of, away, over, after, into.
• Turn: up/down, on/off, out, in, down.
• Hear: about, of, from.
• Take: off, out, after.
• Go: out, off, over, by.
• Look: over, after, for, up to.
• Put: up, on/off, down, up with.
• Make: up, for, of.
• Stand: for, out.
• Give: away, up.
• Drop: by, out of, off.
• Set: off, up.