Apuntes de inglés/English notes

Blog destinado a recopilar el máximo de apuntes de inglés e intentar ordenarlos de la manera más útil posible...

Blog destined to compile as much English notes and trying to order by the most useful way possible...

By Raül Montejano Gutiérrez; Twitter @raulmontejanogu

lunes, 28 de noviembre de 2011

Superlative (+ever+present perfect)

Superlative (+ever+present perfect)



AdjectiveComparativeSuperlative
coldcolderthe coldest
hothotterthe hottest
prettyprettierthe prettiest
beautifulmore beautifulthe most beautiful
good bad farbetter worse furtherthe 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


AdjectiveComparativeAdds & changes
shortshorterone syllable: +er
bigbiggerone vowel + one consonant: double final consonant
busybusierconsonant +y: y +ier
relaxedmore relaxedtwo or more syllables: more + adjective
good bad farbetter worse furtherIrregular




Comparative adverbs







AdverbComparativeAdverbComparative
RegularIrregular
quicklymore quicklyhardharder
slowlymore slowlywellbetter
badlyworse

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.

lunes, 21 de noviembre de 2011

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)






PositiveNegative
I've (I have)been to Barcelona.I haven'tworked 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




QuestionYes 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)

jueves, 17 de noviembre de 2011

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.

miércoles, 16 de noviembre de 2011

"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)





PositiveNegative
I 'll be late.I won't be late.
YouYou
HeHe
SheShe
ItIt
WeWe
TheyThey


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

 
QuestionPositiveNegative
Will / Shall (offers)I be late?Yes,I will.No,I won't.
WeYouYou
Will HeHeHe
SheSheShe
ItItIt
YouWeWe
TheyTheyThey

Present Continuous for future arrangements

Arrangement (plan o disposición)
 
PositiveI'm seeing a film tonight. We're having dinner at their house tomorrow.
NegativeShe isn't leaving until Friday. They aren't coming to the party.
QuestionWhat 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




PositiveI'm going to study in my room. She's going to study in her room.
NegativeWe aren't going to stay very long. He isn't going to like the weather there.
QuestionAre 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".

martes, 15 de noviembre de 2011

Prepositions

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

 
INPlaceCountries and citiesFrance, Paris, …
RoomsThe kitchen, ...
Buildingsa shop, a museum, …
Closed spacesa park, a garden, a car, …
TimeMonthsFebruary, June, …
SeasonsWinter, …
Years2004, …
Times of the daymorning, afternoon, … (not night)
ONPlaceTransportsa bike, a bus, train, … (not a car)
A surfacethe floor, a table, the roof, …
TimeDatesMarch 1st, …
DaysTuesday, New Year's Day, …
ATPlaceschool, home, work, a bus stop, a party, the door, ...
TimeTimes6 o'clock, half past two, 7:45, …
Festival PeriodsChristmas, Easter, night, the weekend, …

sábado, 12 de noviembre de 2011

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




SubjectVerb
What happenedafter the concert?
Which countrywonthe Eurocup?
Whowritestheir 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






QUestionAuxiliarySubjectInfinitive
What picturedo you like?
Which moviedid he see?
Whodid 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/ItYou/We/They
Positive… was studying.… were studying.
Negative… wasn't studying.… weren't studying.
Question/Ok/NoWas 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.

viernes, 11 de noviembre de 2011

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/NoDid 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.

jueves, 10 de noviembre de 2011

Spelling rules, Present Simple & Present Continuous

For a 3rd person singular in Present Simple:

work-works: add -s.
study-studies: consonant+y - remove y and add -ies
finsh-finishes: sh, s, ch, x: add -es
go-goes; do-does; have-has


For the -ing form:

cook-cooking
study-studying
live-living
run-running

Relative clauses

Use relative clauses to explain what a person (who), thing (which) or place (where) is or does.
You can use that instead of who or which.

That's the man who/that ran the race last week.
This is the University where I'm studying.
This is the hat which/that protects you from the rain.

Present Continuous

 
Present Continuous be+verb+ing







IYou/We/Theyhe/she/it
PositiveI'm working.We're runningShe is sleeping.
NegativeI'm not studying.You aren't working.He isn't sleeping.
Question/Ok/NoAre you studying?Yes, I am.No, I'm not.
Is she running?Yes, she is.No, she isn't.


Use the present continuous for things/actions happening now, at this moment.

Some verbs, for example: like, have (=possession), nedd, want; are not normally used in the present continuous.

Adverbs & Expressions of frequency

ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY:

Always (siempre), often (a menudo), sometimes (a veces), usually (usualmente), hardly ever (casi nunca), never (nunca), ...

Adverbs of frequency go BEFORE the main verb.
Adverbs of frequency go AFTER be.
He always travels by by bus./He's never on time.

EXPRESSIONS OF FREQUENCY:

Every day (todos los días), once a week (una vez a la semana), ...

Expressions of frequency go at the END of a SENTENCE.
I have classes twice a week.

Present Simple


I/You/We/Theyhe/she/it
PositiveI usually work at home.Danny knows me very well.
NegativeThey don't live near here.It doesn't often rain here.
QuestionDo you smoke?Does Nina like music?
Ok/NoYes, I do. / No, I don't.Yes, he does No, he doesn't.

Use the Present Simple for things/actions you do every year, week, month, day or which are always true.

miércoles, 9 de noviembre de 2011

EOI

Aquest és l'enllaç de les Escoles Oficials d'Idiomes a Catalunya. Estigueu atents per tal de poder-vos inscriure!
http://phobos.xtec.cat/eoi/

martes, 8 de noviembre de 2011

The first one

To begin, my favorite online dictionary: http://www.wordreference.com/
With meanings of words and forum discussions with the words.

Para empezar....

Sacando esta idea de una profesora de inglés, en este blog intentaré recopilar el máximo de apuntes, notas, recomendaciones, consejos, vídeos, curiosidades, etc., posibles para, paso a paso, ampliar conocimientos sobre la lengua inglesa. Por supuesto, autocrítico de mí, acepto tantas correcciones y sugerencias como sea, y es que estamos aprendiendo...