Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

The "Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal" is a website where you can see a daily comic strip, just for fun.

http://www.smbc-comics.com/

Enjoy!

Parts of the body

Some parts of the body:

arm: brazo
ear: oreja
eye: ojo
face: cara
finger: dedo
hair: pelo
hand: mano
head: cabeza
lip: labio
mouth: boca
neck: cuello
nose: nariz
shoulder: hombro
stomach: estómago
back: espalda
foot: pie
knee: rodilla
leg: pierna
brain: cerebro
heart: corazón
teeth: dientes
tooth: dientes
toes: dedos del pie
big toe: dedo gordo del pie
thumb: pulgar de la mano
tongue: lengua

Past Perfect

 

Positive		Negative
I	'd seen the film before.	I	hadn't seen the film before.
You		You
He		He
She		She
It		It
We		We
They		They
Contractions: I'd = I had I hadn't = I had not

Questions			Positive answer			Positive answer
Had	I	seen it before?	Yes,	I	had.	No,	I	hadn't.
	You			You			You
	He			He			He
	She			She			She
	We			We			We
	They			They			They

(Pluscuamperfecto = había...)

Use the past perfect when you are already talking about the past, and want to talk about an earlier past action.
When I woke up the garden was all white. It had snowed in the night.

Make the past perfect with had / hadn't + past participle.

The past perfect is the same for all persons.

!!!!
Be careful: I'd can be I had or I would.

So, neither + auxiliaries

Use So do I / Neither do I, etc. to say that you have something in common with somebody.
I love football. So do I.

Use So + auxiliary + I with positive sentences.
I'm happy. So am I.

Use Neither + auxiliary + I with negative sentences.
I'm not hungry. Neither am I.

The auxiliary you use depends on the tense.
I love basketball. So do I.
I didn't like the film. Neither did I.
I can run. So can I.
I wasn't very happy. Neither was I.
I've been to Germany. So have I.
I wouldn't like to go to the disco. Neither would I.

Word order of phrasal verbs

Phrasal Verb = Verb + Particle (preposition or adverb)


1 Some phrasal verb don't have an object. 
Come in and sit down. What time do you get up?.

2 Some phrasal verbs have an object and are separable.
With these verbs you can put the particle before or after the object.
Put on your suit. Put your suit on.
When the object is a pronoun it always goes between the verb and particle.
Here's your suit. Put it on.

3 Some phrasal verbs have an object and are inseparable.
I'm looking for my pencils.
With these phrasal verbs, the verb (look) and the particle (for) are never separate.

Now, two webs with a lot of phrasal verbs and their meaning.
- http://www.ompersonal.com.ar/omphrasal/contenidotematico.htm
- http://www.mansioningles.com/gram54.htm

Quantifiers

Too, too much, too many (demasiado, mucho, etc.) :

Use too, too much, too many to say "more than is good".
Use too + an adjective: I don't want to go out. I'm too tired.
Use too much + UNCOUNTABLE nouns: I have too much work.
Use too many + COUNTABLE nouns: I eat too many cakes and sweets.


Enough (bastante, suficiente):

Use enough before a noun to mean "all that is necessary": I don't drink enought water.
Use enough after an adjective: This dress isn't big enough.


A little, a few (un poco) :

Use a little / very little and a few / very few to talk about small quantities.
Use a little / very little with UNCOUNTABLE nouns: I drink very little coffee.
Use a few / very few with COUNTABLE nouns: Can you buy a few bananas?

The times they are a-changing - Bob Dylan

Something, anything, nothing, etc.

Something, anything, nothing, etc.
	Positive	Questions and Negative verb	Short Negative Answer
people	somebody, someone	anybody, anyone	nobody, no one
things	something	anything	nothing
places	somewhere	anywhere	nowhere

Use some*** when you don't say exactly who, what or where.
Somebody broke the window.

Use any*** in questions or with a negative verb.
I didn't do anything last night.

Use no*** in short negative answer or in a sentecne (with a positive verb.
Who's in the bathroom? Nobody. Nobody's in the bathoom.

Somebody, nobody, etc. are the same as Someone, no one, etc.

Passive : be + past participle

Present
Positive		Negative		Questions
Rissotto is made with rice.		It isn't made with rice.		Is it made with rice?
These offices are cleaned every morning.		They aren't cleaned on Sundays.		Are they cleaned on Saturdays?
Past
Positive		Negative		Questions
Guernica was painted by Picasso.		It wans't painted by Miró.		When was it painted?
The pyramids were built by the Egyptians.		They weren't built by the Romans.		Why were they built?

You can often say things in two ways, in the active or in the passive.
Picasso painted Guernica. (active) / Guernica was pianted by Picasso. (passive)

In the active sentence, the focus is more on the person.
In the passive sentence, the focus is more on the painting.

You can also use the passive when it's not know or not important who does or did the action. My car was stolen last week. ( I don't know who stole it)

Present passive - am/is/are + the past participle.
Past passive - was/were + the past participle.

Use by to say who did the action.

Used to / Didn't use to

(solía / no solía) (pasado)
 

Positive		Negative
I	used to wear glasses.	I	didn't use to wear glasses.
You		You
He		He
She		She
It		It
We		We
They		They

 

Questions			Positive			Negative
Did	I	use to wear glasses?	Yes,	I	did.	No,	I	didn't.
	you			you			you
	he			he			he
	she			she			she
	we			we			we
	they			they			they

Use used to / didn't use to + infinitive for things that happened repeatedly or over a long period of time in the past, but are usually not true now, for example for things which happened when you were a child.

You can also use the Past Simple here. I had a long hair when I was a child.

!!!!
Used to only exists in the past. Don't use use to for the present habits.
Use the present simple + usually. I usually cook in the evenings.

Cover letter

Incluyo en esta entrada una página donde explican cómo redactar una carta de presentación en inglés, para optar a un puesto de trabajo. Incluyen consejos según las variantes de carta que creáis os va mejor.

http://www.ingleslaboral.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=34&Itemid=31

Present Perfect or Past Simple (2)?

Use the Present Perfect + how long?, for, and since to talk about a period of time from the past until now.
How long have you been married? I've been married for 10 years. (= I'm married now)

Use the Past Simple + how long? and for to talk about a finished period of time in the past.
How long was the married? He was married for two years. (=He's not married now)

!!!!
Don't use since with the Past Simple. He was Prime Minister since 1998.
You have to use from... to. He was Prime Minister from 1999 to 2003.

Present Perfect + for & since

Use the present perfect + for(durante) & since(desde) to talk about actions and states wich started in the past and are still true now.

Where do you live now? In London.
How long have you lived there? I've lived there since 1990.

Where do you study? I study in the University.
How long have you studied there? I've studied there for three yers.

Use How long? to ask the questions about the duration of an action or a state.

Use SINCE with the beginning of a period of time.
Use FOR + a period of time.

!!!!!
You dan't use Present Simple here. How long do you live here? I live in London since 1980.

Download subtitles

Decent website to download files to subtitle a quite big number of movies.
http://www.mysubtitles.com/subtitles

Do you know any website more? Just write it inside "comments" :)

Charles Chaplin-The great dictator-Final Speech

Should / Shouldn't (advice)

Use should / shouldn't + infinitive to give somebody advice (consejo) or say what you think is the right think to do.
You should cut your hair. = I think it would be a good idea.

Should / shouldn't + infinitive is the same for all persons.

You can use ought to / ought not to (es más formal) instead of should / shouldn't.

May / Might + Infinitive (possibility)

Use may / might  and may not/might not + infinitive to talk about a future possibility.
It might / may rain. = It's possible that it will rain.

Might / may  (not) is the same for all persons (I, she, we, you, ...).

Might not / may not aren't usually contracted.

Películas Speak up

Existen películas Speak Up, las cuales vienen en pack dvd-libro. ¿Y qué hay dentro del libro?
- Créditos de la película.
- Argumento de la película.
- Director (carrera, etc.)
- Actores (carrera, etc.)
- Aspectos importantes de la película y datos varios.
- Glosario y guía de diálogos.
- Ejercicios.

http://www.rbarevistas.com/speakup.php?sub=4
Esta es la página web de la revista, donde se puede ver la palícula del mes.

http://sinera.diba.cat/search~S171*cat?/tSpeak+Up/tspeak+up/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/exact&FF=tspeak+up&1%2C207%2C
Esta es la página web de la red de bibliotecas de Barcelona, con la búsqueda hecha de la colección "Speak up" y donde se ve el listado de películas (unas 200). Todas con sus respectivos libros.
* Si se pierde la búsqueda, volved a hacerla entrando en este link: http://sinera.diba.cat/

Un saludo!

First vs. Second Conditional

Compare the first and the second conditional:

- Use the first conditional for possible future situations.
If I have time tomorrow, I'll help you. (=maybe I will have time)

- Use the second conditional for improbable / impossible or hypothetical situations.
If I had time tomorrow, I'd help you. (=I won't have time.)

Second conditional: if+past, would+infinitive

Use if + past, would + infinitive to talk about an improbable / impossible or hypothetical future situation and its consequence.
If a bear attacked me, I'd run away. (I'm imagining this situation. It's very improbable.)
If I didn't have children, I wouldn't live in the country.
Would you take the manager's job if they offered it to you?

Would / Wouldn't is the same for all persons.

The contractions are would-'d and would not-wouldn't.

The if phrase can come first or second. If I saw a bear, I'd run. I'd run if I saw a bear.

Remember with can, use could + infinitive, not would can. If I had a car, we could drive there.

!! With the verb BE you can use were (instead(en lugar) of was) after I and he/she/it.
Use were (not was) in the expression If I were you... We often use this expression for advice.

First conditional: if+present, will+infinitive

Use if + present, will + infinitive to talk about a possible future situation and its consequence.
If I miss the bus, I'll get a taxi.
She won't be angry if you tell her the secret.
What will you do if it rains?

The if clause can come first or second. I'll come if you like, or, If you like, I'll come.

!! You can also use the imperative or can.
If you miss the bus, get a taxi.
If you miss the bus, you can get a taxi.

Expressing movement: go, etc. + preposition

To express movement use a verb of movement, for example go, come, run, walk, etc. and a preposition of movement (up, down, etc.)

Be careful with in/into and out/out of.
Use into / out of + noun, but if there isn't a noun just use in or out.
Come into the bath room. Come in.
He went out of the living room. He went out.

Changing Times - Iwan Rheon

Magazines in English

Dos enlaces de dos revistas en Inglés para aprender Inlgés:

http://www.rbarevistas.com/speakup.php - SPEAK UP
http://www.thinkinenglish.net/index.htm - THINK IN ENGLISH

Have to, Must

 

Have to / Don't have to
Positive	She has to get up at 8.00 every week.
	You have to drive on the right in Spain.
Negative	We don't have wear a uniform at this University.
	He doesn't have to work on Mondays.
Question	Do I have to buy a dictionary?
	Does he have to study tomorrow?
Don't contract have or has !!!!

Use have to + infinitive to talk about rules and obligations, or to say something is necessary.
Use don't have to + infinitive to say there is no obligation, or something is not necessary.
Use do/does to make questions and negatives.

 

Must / Mustn't
Positive	You must do your homework tonight.
	She must tidy her room before she goes out.
Negative	You mustn't drink in class.
	They mustn't leave their bags there.

Use must + infinitive to talk about rules and obligations:
You must turn off your mobile phones before coming into class.
Must/mustn't are the same for all the persons. It is not often used in questions.
Use musn't + infinitive to say something is prohibited.
You mustn't smoke here.
You can use mustn't or can't to talk about rules.
You can't park here.

!!!!
- The small difference between Must and Have is that we normally use have to for a general obligation (a rule at work or law). We normally use must when the speaker imposes the obligation (for example the teacher to students or parents to childrens).

- Mustn't and Have to have completely different meanings.
You mustn't go = You can't go, it's prohibited.
You don't have to go = You can go if you want, but it's not obligatory/necessary.

Y aquí unos ejercicios para practicar:
http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-modals-have-to-must-not-quiz.htm

British Council

http://www.britishcouncil.org/

Página web de British Council. Como la propia página escribe, este organismo pretender conecta a UK con el mundo y viceversa. El British Council es el cuerpo que se encarga o que trabaja para la relación internacional cultural del Reino Unido.

Los temas que trata se dividen en cuatro grandes grupos:
- Learning: Apartado que trata sobretodo el conocimiento de la lengua inglesa.
- Arts: Sección dedicada al talento creativo británico y a la unión de miles de artistas e instituciones culturales ligadas con UK.
- Science: Parte encargada de las relaciones entre científicos e investigadores de todo el mundo, y la puesta en común e intercambio de ideas y conocimiento.
- Society: Encargada de obtener confianza y compromiso en aspectos sociales a través del entendimiento mutuo de valores y roles de ciudadanos, goviernos y red mundial de la sociedad civil.

To+infinitive/verb+ing = Some more uses

- Start can be used with both the infinitive / verb+ing with no real difference in meaning.
It started raining./It started to rain.
Start+ing is more common when we talk about a habit or a longer activity.
I started working here in 2005.

- Try and Remember (to+infinitive) can also be used +ing but the meaning is different.
Why don't you try doing yoga? = experiment with something.
Do you remember meeting him last year? = Remember something after it happened.

- After Make and Let use the infinitive without to.
Singing makes me feel bad.
My parents don't let me go out in weekends.

Verb+ing

Use verb+ing
- some verbs (enjoy, finish, go on, hate, like, love, (don't) mind, spend (time), start, stop, ...) (parecen verbos referentes a sentimientos o pensamientos, ver comparación con to+Infinitive)
- as the subject of a sentence: Smoking is bad for you.
- after prepositions: He left without saying goodbye.

(remember the Spelling rules for the -ing forms)

To + Infinitive

TO + INFINITIVE:

Use to+infinitive after:
- Some verbs (decide, forget, help, hope, learn, need, offer, plan, pretend, promise, remember, start, try, want, would like, ...) (parecen verbos referentes a acciones, ver comparación con Infinitive+ing)
- Adjectives.(It's easy to find a job. Nice to meet you.)

The negative infinitive is not to+verb.


INFINITIVE PURPOSE:

Use to+infinitive to say why you do something.
Why did you go to the disco? To meet new people.

Superlative (+ever+present perfect)

Superlative (+ever+present perfect)
Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
cold	colder	the coldest
hot	hotter	the hottest
pretty	prettier	the prettiest
beautiful	more beautiful	the most beautiful
good bad far	better worse further	the best the worst the furthest

Use the + superlative adjectives to say which is the biggest, etc. in a group.
It's the biggest building in the city.
We often use a superlative with the present perfect.
Russia is the coldest place we've ever been to.
It's the most beautiful performance I've ever seen.

Comparative adjectives/adverbs

Comparative adjectives
Adjective	Comparative	Adds & changes
short	shorter	one syllable: +er
big	bigger	one vowel + one consonant: double final consonant
busy	busier	consonant +y: y +ier
relaxed	more relaxed	two or more syllables: more + adjective
good bad far	better worse further	Irregular

Comparative adverbs
Adverb	Comparative	Adverb	Comparative
Regular		Irregular
quickly	more quickly	hard	harder
slowly	more slowly	well	better
		badly	worse

Use comparative adjectives to compare people and things. My brother's shorter than me.
Use comparative adverbs to compare actions. He runs more slowly than me.
You can also use (not) as + (adjective/adverb) + as. I'm not as shorter as my brother.

Formación SOC

Pongo el link directo a los cursos gratuitos del SOC (Servei d'Ocupació de Catalunya).
http://www.oficinadetreball.cat/socweb/export/sites/default/socweb_es/ciutadans/formacio/formacioVirtual.html
Entre los cursos que ofrecen, de entre 25 y 50 horas, hay varios referentes al aprendizaje de inglés. Dentro de este grupo de cursos, se puede elegir el más conveniente con respecto al nivel de cada uno. Si uno no sabe cuál es su nivel, esta página enlaza a otra de la UOC (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya) donde podrá realizar una prueba para determinarlo, también gratuita.

Además, como son cursos on-line y tampoco no he visto indicada ninguna fecha de inicio ni final de los cursos, entiendo que cada uno lo puede realizar cuando le convenga dentro de unos límites de tiempo, los cuales serán de 3 semanas para los cursos de 25 horas y 6 semanas para los cursos de 50 horas.

Para acabar, comprendo que el enlace llega tarde, ya que apenas queda un mes y una semana de año. Pero en cuanto se publiquen novedades para el año que viene, colgaré el link correspondiente.

Thanks and regards!

Present Perfect + ever, never, yet, just, already

Ever, never:

We often use the present perfect with ever ( it means in your life until now) and never.

Have you even been to Barcelona? / No, I've never been there.


Yet:

Use yet + Present perfect in Negative and Questions sentences to ask if something that you think is going to happen has happened ot to say it hasn't happened. Put yet at the end of the sentence.

Have you finished your work yet? / No, not yet. I haven't finished yet.


Just:

Use just in Positive sentences to say that something happened very recently. Put just before the main verb.

Would you like a coffe? / No thanks. I've just had one.


Already:

Use already in Positive sentences to say that something happened before now or earlier than expected. Put already before the main verb.

Do you want to see this film? / No, I've already seen this four times.

Present Perfect or Past Simple?

Conversation often begin in the present perfect (with a general question) and then change to the past simple (with questions asking for specific details: when, where, who, with, ...). Use the past simple to ask/say exactly when something happened.

Example:
Have you ever been to Mexico? Yes, I have.
When did you go to Barcelona? I went last year.

Present Perfect

Present Perfect (experience)
Positive		Negative
I've (I have)	been to Barcelona.	I haven't	worked in a shop.
You've (You have)		You haven't
He's (He has)		He hasn't
She's (She has)		She hasn't
It's (It has)		It hasn't
We've (We have)		We haven't
They've (They have)		They haven't
Question	Yes	No
Have you worked in a shop?	Yes, I have.	No, I haven't.
Has he been to Barcelona.	Yes, he has.	No, he hasn't.

Use the Present Perfect to talk about past experiences when you don't say exactly when they happened.
For regular verbs the past participle is the same as the past simple (+ed)

Cinemes en V.O. Barcelona

Enllaç a una pàgina web on surt un llistat de cinemes a Barcelona on es poden veure pel·lícules en Versió Original (amb adreces, pàgines web, telèfons i transport públic proper).

http://www.barcelonayellow.com/bcn/vo-cinemas

Will (promises, offers and decisions)

Decisions: I won't have a car. I'll have a motobike.
                We'll take the 7:30 bus.

Offers: I'll help you with your work.
           Shall I open the door? (Use Shall (I/We) when an offer is a question.

Promises: I'll always love you.
               I won't tell to your mother.

"There is/are" and "I can"

The future of there is/are = "THERE WILL BE".

The future of I can = "I'LL BE ABLE TO".

Will, Won't + Infinitive

Will, Won't + Infinitive (predictions)
Positive		Negative
I	'll be late.	I	won't be late.
You		You
He		He
She		She
It		It
We		We
They		They

Use will/won't + infinitive for future predictions.

 

Question			Positive			Negative
Will / Shall (offers)	I	be late?	Yes,	I	will.	No,	I	won't.
	We			You			You
Will	He			He			He
	She			She			She
	It			It			It
	You			We			We
	They			They			They

Present Continuous for future arrangements

Arrangement (plan o disposición)
 

Positive	I'm seeing a film tonight. We're having dinner at their house tomorrow.
Negative	She isn't leaving until Friday. They aren't coming to the party.
Question	What are you doing this evening? Is she meeting us at the cinema?

You can use the present continuous for future arrangements which we have planned for a fixed time or place.
Don't use the present simple for this (future arrangements). I see some friends tonight.
The present continuous is specially common with the expressions tonight, this weekend, etc., and with these verbs: go, come, meet, leave, see and arrive.

Going to

Going to
Positive	I'm going to study in my room. She's going to study in her room.
Negative	We aren't going to stay very long. He isn't going to like the weather there.
Question	Are you going to find a job? When is your brother going to visit you?

Use (be) going to + infinitive to talk about future plans and predicition.
I'm going to work in the UK for seven weeks. (plan)
I think it's going to rain this afternoon. (prediction)

When you use going to go, you can omit "to go".

Prepositions

Table about the use of the prepositions in, on and at.

 

IN	Place	Countries and cities	France, Paris, …
		Rooms	The kitchen, ...
		Buildings	a shop, a museum, …
		Closed spaces	a park, a garden, a car, …
	Time	Months	February, June, …
		Seasons	Winter, …
		Years	2004, …
		Times of the day	morning, afternoon, … (not night)
ON	Place	Transports	a bike, a bus, train, … (not a car)
		A surface	the floor, a table, the roof, …
	Time	Dates	March 1st, …
		Days	Tuesday, New Year's Day, …
AT	Place	school, home, work, a bus stop, a party, the door, ...
	Time	Times	6 o'clock, half past two, 7:45, …
		Festival Periods	Christmas, Easter, night, the weekend, …

How soon is now? - The smiths

Dance with somebody - Mando Diao

Michael-Franz Ferdinand

Because, so, although and but

Because-porque; So-por lo que; Although-aunque; But-pero.

Use because to express a reason.
She was driving fast because she was in a hurry.

Use so to express a result.
She was in a hurry so she was driving fast.

Use although and but to show a contrast. Although can go at the beginning or in the middle of the sentence.
It was late but she couldn't sleep.
Although she tried to stop, she hit the man.
She couldn't sleep although it was late.

Questions without an auxiliary

Questions without an auxiliary
Subject	Verb
What	happened	after the concert?
Which country	won	the Eurocup?
Who	writes	their songs?

When the question word (What, which, who, How many..?) is the SUBJECT of the verb in the question, we do NOT use an auxiliary (do, does, did) and the verb is in the third person.

Questions with an auxiliary

Questions with an auxiliary
QUestion	Auxiliary	Subject	Infinitive
What picture	do	you	like?
Which movie	did	he	see?
Who	did	you	go with?

To make questions in present and past simple, we normally use the auxiliary verbs do/does/did + infinitive. The normal order is QUASI.

Past Continuous or Past Simple?

Past Simple for a completed action in the past. She studied yesterday.

Past Continuous for an action in progress at specific moment in the past. They were studying when the TV program started.

Past Continuous: was/were + verb-ing

Past Continuous
	I/He/She/It		You/We/They
Positive	… was studying.		… were studying.
Negative	… wasn't studying.		… weren't studying.
Question/Ok/No	Was she studying?	Yes, she was.	Were they studying?	Yes, they were.
		No, she wasn't.		No, they weren't.

Use the past continuous to describe an action in progress at a specific moment in the past.

Spelling rules (Verbs in Past Simple and Past Participle)

To make the Past Simple or Past Participle for regular verbs:

work-worked: add -ed.
stay-stayed: add -ed.
like-liked: verbs that finish in -e, just add -d.
study-studied: consonant+y - remove y and add -ied.
stop-stopped: if verb finishes in consonant-vowel-consonant, double the final consonant.

Past Simple (Regular and Irregular)

 

Past Simple (Regular and Irregular)
	I/You/He/She/It/We/They
Positive	… stayed in a hotel. … went to the school.
Negative	… didn't stay in a hotel. … didn't go to the school.
Question/Ok/No	Did you...	stay in a hotel?	Yes I did.
	Did you...	go to the school?	No, I didn't.

Use the Past Simple to talk about finished actions in the past. The Past Simple is the same for all persons.
Use the infinitive after Did in questions, and after didn't for negatives.

For regular verbs, for positives sentences, add -ed.
For irregular verbs in Past Simple, check the Irregular verb list. For example go>went.