Mastering English: Vocabulary, Grammar Structures, and Text Analysis

English Vocabulary and Word Formation

1. Suffixes and Word Endings

• Approval
• Owner
• Careful
• Buyer
• Removal
• Motherhood
• Neighbourhood
• Dreadful
• Pusher

2. Compound Adjectives and Descriptions

• De ojos azules: blue-eyed
• Tuerto: one-eyed man
• De mediana edad: middle-aged
• De mente abierta: open-minded
• Descalzo: barefooted
• De pelo largo: long-haired
• De buen corazón: good-hearted
• Tacaño: tight-fisted
• De buenos modales: well-mannered
• De piernas largas: long-legged
• Apasionado: hot-blooded
• De pelo rizado: curly-haired

3. Preposition Usage

1. on
2. at
3. at
4. in
5. in
6. in
7. in

Advanced English Grammar Practice

Passive Voice with Modals (Exercise 2)

1. Shopping has to be done the weekend before.
2. The snacks ought to be made in the morning.
3. The refreshments have to be put in the fridge.
4. Napkins and toothpicks may be needed.
5. The long table must be set in the drawing-room.
6. The drinks needn't be taken out till the guests arrive.

Passive Voice Transformations (Exercise 3)

1. The boy was given a ball.
2. My mother will be bought a car.
3. My sister has been promised a new doll.
4. The bus driver was shown the right road.
5. The boys are told the truth.
6. He will be offered a job.

Impersonal Passive Constructions (Exercise 4)

1. It is said that top models earn a lot of money.
2. It is thought that working mothers do not have enough time for their children.
3. It is believed that Spanish people are hot-blooded.
4. It is known that slim women are stylish.
5. It is said that football players are very talkative.

Text Analysis and Comprehension

"A Difficult Choice" Analysis

1. The attitude of mothers towards society is that they are all on the defensive.
2. A housewife dreads being introduced as a drudge and being stared at. A working mother dreads being accused of not caring for her child properly.
3. The writer is a woman because she includes herself in the group of mothers when she uses phrases like: "when mothers," "we tend," "we keep," "ourselves," "we've waited," and "we're truly ourselves."
4. Mothers seek other people's approval by justifying their decisions.

True/False Assessment

True, False, True, True.

"Marijuana" Text Comprehension

1. Marijuana effects are considered so harmful for health because it is a poison that kills slowly, softly, and subtly.
2. The main reason that incites young people to take drugs is frustration, which has probably been caused by a general sense of insecurity. This insecurity is due to rapid technological change and the loss of emotional support formerly provided by the family.
3. The drug problem could be solved by giving young people thorough instructions about drugs so they learn about their dreadful consequences.
4. It is important to fight against any kind of drug consumption because it is a fight for our survival.

Lexicon Review

1. Poison
2. Greed
3. Slavery
4. Wrong

Grammar Translations (Spanish)

• "...is widely used..." → "...es ampliamente usada..."
• "...has been probably caused by..." → "...ha sido probablemente causada por..."
• "...must be made..." → "...debe ser hecho..."