English Grammar, Vocabulary, and Cultural Notes

English Grammar and Vocabulary Essentials

Zero Article

• Plural, uncountable nouns and general: hours, days
• Before languages and meals

A

• Countable: To describe what something is

The

• Specific, known places
• Superlatives

Some/Any

• Some: Used in positive sentences, offers, and requests
• Any: Used in negative sentences and questions asking for information

Third Conditional

• If + subject + HAD (past perfect), subject + would have + past participle

Complex Dependent Sentences

• Lack meaning on their own

Compound-Complex Sentences

• An independent clause + subordination + dependent + comma + FANBOYS + independent
• I went to class, even though I was sleepy, and I learned a lot.

Subordinating Conjunctions

• After - después
• Although
• As - como, a medida que
• Because
• Before - antes
• If
• Once - una vez
• Since
• Than - que (comparativo)
• That
• Though - aunque
• Till
• Until - hasta
• When - cuando
• Where - donde
• Whether
• While - mientras

Vocabulary

• Sort out: Clasificar, ordenar
• Come across: Toparse con
• Effort: Esfuerzo
• Conscientiousness: Meticuloso
• Traits: Rasgos
• Abrupt: Brusco
• Survey: Encuesta
• Struggle: Prueba
• Misjudgment: Juicio erróneo
• Denies: Negar
• Guilt: Culpa
• Wide awake: Completamente despierto
• Acknowledge: Admitir

Gerunds

• Intend, attempt, promise, plan, mean, try, arrange, offer, want, pretend, hope, forget, seem, fail, wish, expect, claim, guarantee
• When the subject of the sentence is the verb
• After prepositions

Infinitives

• Admit, give up, enjoy, mean, can't stand, resent, suggest, look forward to, appreciate, involve, consider, mind, don't mind, detest, delay, avoid, contemplate, deny, carry on, justify, remember, recommend, miss, put off
• To answer the question "why"
• After adjectives

Cultural Dimensions

• High context: Unwritten rules, taken for granted (assumed)
• Low context
• Monochronic time: Doing one thing at a time, planning and scheduling
• Polychronic time: The opposite
• High territoriality vs. Low territoriality
• Power distance: Unequal power distribution
• Self: Only caring about oneself vs. Collectivism
• Gender: Masculinity vs. Femininity
• Predictability: Uncertainty and ambiguity, uncertainty avoidance

Past Participle

• Arise, arisen
• Awake, awoken
• Become, become
• Bite, bitten
• Bleed, bled
• Bring, brought
• Buy, bought
• Drink, drunk
• Feed, fed
• Forget, forgotten
• Keep, kept
• Shine, shone