English Language Learning: Vocabulary and Passive Voice

Vocabulary and Phrasal Verbs

• Alias: A different name that somebody uses instead of their real name.
• Pick up: To notice something that is not very obvious or to lift something.
• Upset: Sad, worried, or angry about something.
• Turn off: Apagar.
• Turn on: Encender.
• Plug in: Enchufar.
• Shut down: Apagar.

Financial Terms

• A loan: Un préstamo.
• A savings account: Una cuenta de ahorros.
• Owe: Deber algo.
• Take out a loan: Pedir un préstamo.
• Debt: Deuda.
• Purse: Monedero.
• Branch: An office representing a large company.
• Charity: An organisation that gives money and help to people who need it.
• Founder: Someone who starts an organisation.
• Fake: Made to look like something else.
• Ethical: Considered to be right.

Usage Examples

• Do you think you can lend me money?
• I am thinking of borrowing some money to buy a car.
• If we lend something to someone, we give it to them and they agree to give it back to us.
• Could you lend me ten dollars, please?
• I need to borrow some money from the bank.
• How much do I owe you for the tickets?

Descriptive Terms

• Ghost: Fantasma.
• Haunted: Obsesionado/Encantado.

Passive Voice

Usamos la voz pasiva cuando queremos centrarnos en la acción, no en la persona que realiza la acción.

If you were in a country famous for its food, would you learn how to cook it? (Si estuvieras en un país famoso por su comida, ¿aprenderías a cocinarlo?)

Medical and Global Terminology

• Cosmetic surgery: Medical operations that improve someone's appearance.
• Ground zero: A place where a lot of people have been killed.
• Health care: The services that look after people's health.
• Safari: A journey, especially in Africa, to see wild animals in their natural environment.
• Tsunami: A very large wave that is caused by an earthquake under the sea.
• Bacteria: Very small living things; some types of bacteria cause diseases.
• Identify: To recognise something and to understand what it is.
• Infection: A disease that is caused by bacteria or by a virus.
• Labour: The process by which a baby is pushed from its mother's body when it is being born.
• Rabies: A serious disease passed from animals to humans.
• Sanitation: Conditions and processes relating to the water supply and human waste.

Present Perfect Structure

Example: The Tower of London has been visited.