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

jueves, 30 de agosto de 2012

Question tags

Form:
Question tags are formed using either a modal verb, an auxiliary verb or the verb to be + subject pronoun. A negative tag is normally used with a positive statement, and a positive tag with with a negative statement.

- If the verb to be appears in the statement, it is repeated in the question tag.
He isn't married, is he?
I'm late again, aren't I?

- If an auxiliary verb or a modal verb appears in the statement, it is repeated in the question tag.
You've been to Poland before, haven't you?

- If the verb in the statement is a full verb, an appropiate form of the auxiliary verb do is required in the question tag.
You bought it last year, didn't you?

- "Will you?" and "can you?" are used with imperatives. "Would you?" and "could you?" are more formal alternatives.
Open the window, will/can/would/could you?
"Will you?" is used after a negative imperative.
Don't forget to write, will you?

- If let's appears in the statement, the question tag "shall we" is used.
Let's go home, shall we?

- If the statement contains negative words such as nothing or nobody, the question tag is positive.
Nothing frightens you, does it?
NB the pronoun they is used with nobody/no one, somebody/someone and everybody/everyone.

Use and intonation:
We can use question tags to ask a real question if we are unsure if the statement is true or not. In this case we say the question tag with rising intonation.
We can also use question tags when we expect someone to agree with a statement. In this case we say the question tag with falling intonation.

martes, 21 de agosto de 2012

Linking ideas

You can use linking words to join different ideas together. Using linking words makes the presentation of your ideas more interesting and easier to understand. They have a number of different functions:

Addition: also, and, in addition, too
Cause and effect: as a result, because, so
Condition: if, unless
Contrast: although, but, however, though

You can use many of these linkers either at the start or the middle of sentences:
Only at the end of a sentence: too
In the beginning or in the middle of the sentence: also, and, because, so, if, unless, although, but
In the biginning, middle or the end of a sentence: though.

Qualifying adjectives

Very and Absolutely
You can qualify adjectives by using words like very and absolutely. Most adjectives can follow very. These are called gradable adjectives. Some adjectives can't follow very. You can use absolutely with these ungradable adjectives.

very+gradable adjectives: bad, big, good, important, interesting, nice, poor, rich, small.
absolutely+ungradable adjectives: enormous, extraordinary, fantastic, huge, perfect, terrible, tiny, vital, wonderful.

Quite
Quite has got two very different meanings. When you use it before gradable adjectives its meaning is similar to a bit. When you use it before ungradable adjectives its meaning is similar to absolutely.

Verb+Preposition

Many verbs are followed by a preposition:
hear of: Have you heard of Spice Girls?
read about: I read about the fight between the two families.
speak to: Camila won't speak to Daniel.

Most verbs can have more than one preposition. Usually this changes the meaning:
apologise for: I apologise for my behaviour last night.
apologise to: I apologised to John for swearing at his sister.
complain about: Leigh complained about the food.
complain to: Leigh complained to the waiter.

Sometimes using a different preposition after a verb doesn't change the meaning:
speak to/with: I need to speak to/with you.
think about/of: I'm thinking of/about you.

Sometimes using the same preposition after a verb can have more than one meaning:
She went through the park. (go through = go cross)
She went through the details (go through = to explain)

lunes, 6 de agosto de 2012

Giving advice

There are a number of ways to give advice:

- Could + infinitive
You could try phoning her.

- Should + infinitive
You should go on a long trip.

- If I were you I'd + infinitive
If I were you I'd complain to the manager.

- You might think about + -ing form
You might think about having a romantic weekend.

You use Could, If I were you I'd and You might think about when you want to be polite or formal. You can use Should to be more direct or to give stronger advice.

Degrees of politeness and formality

There are a number of ways of making requests more polite or formal in English:

- Use past tense verb forms.
Can you shut the door, please? - Could you shut the door, please?
Will you tidy your room, please? - Would you tidy your room, please?

- Use introductory phrases. This changes the word order in the request.
I'd be very grateful if you turn the radio off.
Is it allright if I close the window?
You can also use introductory phrases to apologise or explain something.
I'm sorry but Mrs Smith's not here today.
I apologise for arriving so late.

In the most polite and most formal requests you use the past tense forms and introductory phrases. but if you are too polite or formal with your friends they may think you are being unfriendly or insincere.
I was wondering if you would do me a favour, please.

Time words and phrases

Time words and phrases help tell us about when something happened or is happening. You use some time words and phrases with the past simple and others with the present perfect.

Normally used with the past simple: when I was, last year, ago.

Normally used with the present perfect: ever, just, since.

Used with the past simple and the present perfect: always, never, for.

David changed his job last year.
Eli's just arrived.
Paul studied medicine for four years.

domingo, 5 de agosto de 2012

Future Plans

- Verbs to talk about the future.

LESS SURE: Hope / Would like / Aim
MORE SURE: Intend / To be due / Expect

- All these verbs are followed by to + infinitive.

- Hope and Expect can also be followed by (that) + WILL

- Hope / Expect / Aim / Intend, can be used in Present Simple or Present Continuous
We're hoping to go to Spain this summer.

Hope http://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=hope
Would Like http://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=would%20like
Aim http://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=aim
Intend http://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=intend
To be due http://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=due
Expect http://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=expect

Modifying comparisons

You can compare things in several ways:

- You can compare two things which are different using the comparative forms of adjectives.
Although my house is smaller than Anna's house, it's more beautiful.

One syllable - double the consonant and add -er. 
big-bigger than
Two syllables ending in Y - change Y to I and add -er.
angry-angrier than
Two or more syllables (not ending in Y) - Use MORE.
famous-more famous than

- You can compare two things which are similar (or not) using as...as
The kitchen is as large as the lounge.
With big difference: nowhere near / not nearly + as+adj.+as
With small difference: not quite / nearly + as+adj.+as
I'm not nearly as good at tennis as my brother.

- You can use some structure to emphasise a strong or weak comparison.
Big difference: much/far - Small difference: a bit     +    COMPARATIVE
The kitchen is much bigger than the lounge.

- You can compare one thing which is different from the others in a group using the superlative form of adjectives.
This is the cheapest flat but it isn't in the best location.


One syllable - double the consonant and add -est. 
big-the biggest
Two syllables ending in Y - change Y to I and add -est.
angry-the angriest
Two or more syllables (not ending in Y) - Use MORE.
famous-the most famous


- You can use some structure to emphasise a strong difference using superlatives.
Big difference: by far     +    SUPERLATIVE
The kitchen is by far the biggest room in this house.


!!!!!!!IRREGULARS
good-better-the best
bad-worse-the worst
far-further-the furthset
well-better-the best
badly-worse-the worst
little-less-the least

Adverbs of frequency

You use adverbs of frequency to say how often you do something. The most common ones are:
never, seldom, rarely, occasionally, sometimes, frequently, often, usually, normally, always.

Adverbs of frequency usually appear between the subject and the verb.
We usually eat out on Friday evenings.

With the verb be the adverb of frequency appears after the verb.
I am sometimes late for my classes.

Occasionally, sometimes, frequently often, usually and normally can also appear at the beginning or end of sentences. When they appear at the beginning of a sentence we want to emphasise the frequency:
Occasionally she works until seven o'clock in the evening.

Never, seldom, rarely and always are not normally used at the beginning or end of sentences.