Mastering English Communication & Grammar Essentials

Essential English Language Skills & Vocabulary

Effective Communication Vocabulary

• Make contact / Get in touch: Ponerte en contacto
• Keep up to date: Mantenerse al día
• Speak fluently: Hablar fluidamente
• Use mainly slang: Usar expresiones características
• Become bilingual
• Have a strong accent
• Native speaker: Hablante nativo
• Mother tongue: Lengua madre
• Second language
• Discussion: Debate

Common Language Pitfalls & Similarities

False Friends

Words that look or sound similar in two languages but have different meanings.

• Advertise: (Not "advertir" - to warn)
• Argument: (Not "argumento" - a plot or summary)

Cognates

Words that have a common origin and similar meaning across languages.

• Dialogue: Dialogar
• Comment on: Comentar

English Idioms & Expressions

• She puts her foot in it: She says or does something embarrassing or tactless.
• He's burning the candle at both ends: He's working or living excessively, leading to exhaustion.
• By the skin of our teeth: Barely succeeding or escaping a difficult situation.
• Actions speak louder than words: What someone does is more important than what they say.
• Don't judge a book by its cover: Don't judge someone or something based solely on appearance.

Vocabulary for Expressing Feelings & Emotions

• Astonished / Astonishment: Sorprendido / Sorprendimiento
• Doubt / Doubtful
• Isolation / Isolated
• Sadness / Sad
• Frustration / Frustrated
• Delight / Delighted
• Affection / Affectionate
• Empathy / Empathic
• Annoyance / Annoyed
• Boredom / Bored
• Confusion / Confused
• Embarrassment / Embarrassed
• Enthusiasm / Enthusiastic
• Hope / Hopeful
• Jealousy / Jealous
• Relief / Relieved: Alivio / Aliviado

Modern Communication & Technology Vocabulary

• Get through to: Contactar con
• Ringtone
• On speakerphone
• Swipe
• Lose signal
• Tag
• Predictive text function
• Instant messaging
• Offline: Desconectado
• Spam
• Stream
• Run out of battery
• Hands-free
• Listening in: Unable to ignore others' conversations
• Crunchy calls: Talking while eating
• Overposting: Uploading posts without permission
• Public speakerphoning: Conversations on speakerphone in public
• Pocket dialing: Accidentally calling someone

Essential Writing Connectors & Phrases

Improve your written English with these common phrases:

• Nowadays: En la actualidad
• It's generally accepted (frequent): Es generalmente aceptado (frecuente)
• Despite this: A pesar de esto
• First and foremost: En primer lugar
• For instance (in fact): Por ejemplo (de hecho)
• Therefore (for this reason / consequently): Por ello / Por consiguiente
• Likely to (more prone to): Más propenso a
• In addition to this (besides this): Además de esto
• As well as this (likewise / also): Así mismo / También
• As a result (as a consequence): Como resultado
• Gain confidence: Ganar confianza
• In conclusion: En conclusión
• Consequently: Consecuentemente

Mastering Reported Speech in English

Tense Changes in Reported Speech

When reporting what someone said, verb tenses often shift back in time:

• Past Simple (It fell): Becomes Past Perfect Simple (It had fallen)
• Past Continuous (was working): Becomes Past Perfect Continuous (had been working)
• Present Perfect Simple (she has arrived): Becomes Past Perfect Simple (she had arrived)
• Present Perfect Continuous (it has been snowing): Becomes Past Perfect Continuous (it had been snowing)

Examples of Reported Speech

• Original: "I'm having a great time."
  Reported: "She told/said she was having a great time."
• Original: "My new friends have just made me a cup of tea."
  Reported: "She said her new friends had just made her a cup of tea."

Common Reporting Verb Patterns

Different verbs require different grammatical structures when reporting speech:

• Verb + Object + That + Subject + Verb

  Used with verbs like tell (somebody), say, announce, deny, admit, suggest, recommend.

  Example: "He told us that he was leaving."

• Verb + To + Verb (Infinitive)

  Used with verbs like offer, promise, agree.

  Example: Original: "We can help you."
  Reported: "They offered to help me."

• Verb + Object + To + Infinitive

  Used with verbs like tell, ask, advise, order, warn.

  Example: Original: "Sit down!"
  Reported: "He told us to sit down."

• Verb (+ Object) + Preposition + Verb + -ing

  Used with verbs like apologize for, accuse somebody of, congratulate somebody on.

  Example: Original: "I'm sorry I forgot your birthday."
  Reported: "She apologized for forgetting my birthday."

• Verb + -ing

  Used with verbs like suggest, admit.

  Example: Original: "I took the money."
  Reported: "Gina admitted taking the money."