domingo, 23 de diciembre de 2012

EXÁMENES DE LA 1ª EVALUACIÓN


NIVEL INTERMEDIO 1 GRUPO A (TURNO DE MAÑANA):

MARTES 22 Y JUEVES 24 DE ENERO PRUEBAS ESCRITAS

MARTES 29 EXÁMENES ORALES.


NIVEL INTERMEDIO 1 GRUPO B (TURNO DE TARDE):

LUNES 21 Y MIÉRCOLES 23 DE ENERO PRUEBAS ESCRITAS

LUNES 28  EXÁMENES ORALES (PROBABLEMENTE HAYA QUE HACERLOS EN DOS DÍAS).

APROVECHEN LAS VACACIONES.

sábado, 22 de diciembre de 2012

LINKING WORDS AND CONNECTORS IN ENGLISH





Linking words help you to connect ideas and sentences, so that people can follow your ideas.

Giving examples

For example
For instance
Namely

The most common way of giving examples is by using for example or for instance.
Namely refers to something by name.
"There are two problems: namely, the expense and the time."

Adding information

And
In addition
As well as
Also
Too
Furthermore
Moreover
Apart from
In addition to
Besides

Ideas are often linked by and. In a list, you put a comma between each item, but not before and.
"We discussed training, education and the budget."
Also is used to add an extra idea or emphasis. "We also spoke about marketing."

You can use also with not only to give emphasis.
"We are concerned not only by the costs, but also by the competition."

We don't usually start a sentence with also. If you want to start a sentence with a phrase that means also, you can use In addition, or In addition to this…
As well as can be used at the beginning or the middle of a sentence.
"As well as the costs, we are concerned by the competition."
"We are interested in costs as well as the competition."

Too goes either at the end of the sentence, or after the subject and means as well.
"They were concerned too."
"I, too, was concerned."

Apart from and besides are often used to mean as well as, or in addition to.
"Apart from Rover, we are the largest sports car manufacturer."
"Besides Rover, we are the largest sports car manufacturer."

Moreover and furthermore add extra information to the point you are making.
"Marketing plans give us an idea of the potential market. Moreover, they tell us about the competition."

Summarising


In short
In brief
In summary
To summarise
In a nutshell
To conclude
In conclusion

We normally use these words at the beginning of the sentence to give a summary of what we have said or written.

Sequencing ideas

The former, … the latter
Firstly, secondly, finally
The first point is
Lastly
The following

The former and the latter are useful when you want to refer to one of two points.
"Marketing and finance are both covered in the course. The former is studied in the first term and the latter is studied in the final term."
Firstly, … secondly, … finally (or lastly) are useful ways to list ideas.
It's rare to use "fourthly", or "fifthly". Instead, try the first point, the second point, the third point and so on.
The following is a good way of starting a list.
"The following people have been chosen to go on the training course: N Peters, C Jones and A Owen."

Giving a reason

Due to / due to the fact that
Owing to / owing to the fact that
Because
Because of
Since
As

Due to and owing to must be followed by a noun.
"Due to the rise in oil prices, the inflation rate rose by 1.25%."
"Owing to the demand, we are unable to supply all items within 2 weeks."
If you want to follow these words with a clause (a subject, verb and object), you must follow the words with the fact that.
"Due to the fact that oil prices have risen, the inflation rate has gone up by 1%25."
"Owing to the fact that the workers have gone on strike, the company has been unable to fulfill all its orders."
Because / because of
Because of is followed by a noun.
"Because of bad weather, the football match was postponed."
Because can be used at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence. For example, "Because it was raining, the match was postponed."
"We believe in incentive schemes, because we want our employees to be more productive."
Since / as
Since and as mean because.
"Since the company is expanding, we need to hire more staff."
As the company is expanding, we need to hire more staff."

Giving a result

Therefore
So
Consequently
This means that
As a result

Therefore, so, consequently and as a result are all used in a similar way.
"The company are expanding. Therefore / So / Consequently / As a result, they are taking on extra staff."
So is more informal.

Contrasting ideas

But
However
Although / even though
Despite / despite the fact that
In spite of / in spite of the fact that
Nevertheless
Nonetheless
While
Whereas
Unlike
In theory… in practice…

But is more informal than however. It is not normally used at the beginning of a sentence.
"He works hard, but he doesn't earn much."
"He works hard. However, he doesn't earn much."

Although, despite and in spite of introduce an idea of contrast. With these words, you must have two halves of a sentence.
"Although it was cold, she went out in shorts."
"In spite of the cold, she went out in shorts."

Despite and in spite of are used in the same way as due to and owing to. They must be followed by a noun. If you want to follow them with a noun and a verb, you must use the fact that.
"Despite the fact that the company was doing badly, they took on extra employees."
Nevertheless and nonetheless mean in spite of that or anyway.
"The sea was cold, but he went swimming nevertheless." (In spite of the fact that it was cold.)
"The company is doing well. Nonetheless, they aren't going to expand this year."

While, whereas and unlike are used to show how two things are different from each other.
"While my sister has blue eyes, mine are brown."
"Taxes have gone up, whereas social security contributions have gone down."
"Unlike in the UK, the USA has cheap petrol."
In theory… in practice… show an unexpected result.
"In theory, teachers should prepare for lessons, but in practice, they often don't have enough time."


EXERCISE ONE
EXERCISE TWO
EXERCISE THREE 

martes, 18 de diciembre de 2012

lunes, 10 de diciembre de 2012

-ED / -ING ADJECTIVES

-ed' and '-ing' adjectives: describing feelings and things:

 My holiday was relaxing. I felt really relaxed.'

Few, but common, adjectives end in either -ed or -ing:
worried/worrying, interested/interesting, excited/exciting

'-ed' adjectives

Adjectives that end in -ed are used to describe how people feel:
'He was surprised to find that he had been upgraded to first class.'
'I was confused by the findings of the report.'
'She felt tired after working hard all day.'

 '-ing' adjectives

Adjectives that end in -ing are used to describe things and situations. Compare these example sentences to the ones above:
'Being upgraded to first class is surprising.'
The findings of this report are confusing.'
'Working hard all day is tiring.'

 example table:


-ed and -ing adjectives tables
Feel '-ed' describe '-ing'
annoyed annoying
bored boring
confused confusing
depressed depressing
excited exciting
frustrated frustrating
frightened frightening
satisfied satisfying
shocked shockin

martes, 4 de diciembre de 2012

CAN, COULD, BE ABLE TO.






EXERCISE ONE
EXERCISE TWO
EXERCISE THREE

Can / Be Able To

Listed below are examples and uses of can / could / be able to for ability and permission
Examples Usage
He can play tennis well.
She is able to speak five languages.
They can come on Friday.
Jack will be able to come next week.
Use 'can' or 'be able to' to express an ability or possibility
NOTE: The future of 'be able to' is 'will be able to
He could swim when he was five. Could in the past means the general ability to do something.
They were able to get tickets for the concert.
I was able to finish before 6.
I couldn't come last night, sorry. OR I wasn't able to come last night, sorry.
IMPORTANT: If someone was in the position to do something, or managed to do something, we use 'was/were able to instead of 'could'
In the negative,' wasn't able to' OR 'couldn't' are both correct.

jueves, 29 de noviembre de 2012

MUST, MAY, MIGHT, CAN´T.


EXERCISE ONE
EXERCISE TWO
EXERCISE THREE


Some modal verbs can be used to express probability in the present and past.
Must / can't - to express probability
Structure: modal + infinitive without to
must be, must have, can't go, etc.

We use must to express that we feel sure that something is true.
They are really good, they must win.
They must be very rich. Look at the house.

We use can't to say we are sure that something is impossible.
She can't be ill. I've just seen her in the shop and she looked fine.
It can't be true. I don't believe it.


May / might / could - to express probability
Structure: modal + infinitive without to
may be, might do, could go, etc.

We use may or could or might to say that it is possible that something will happen or is happening.
They may be arriving tomorrow.
He might be away on holiday.
He could be away on holiday.
He might be offered the job.

The negative of may is may not.
The negative of might is might not.

They both mean that it is possible that something will not happen or is not happening.

We DO NOT use could not to express probability.
He might not be offered the job.
I may not pass the exam.
I might not go to the match tomorrow.

jueves, 22 de noviembre de 2012

DOWNTON ABBEY CHARACTERS INTERVIEW

MUST, HAVE TO & SHOULD



Modal Verbs of Obligation

We can use have to + infinitive, must + infinitive and should + infinitive to express obligation (something you have to do).

PresentPositiveNegative
have to /
don’t have to
strong obligation (possibly from outside)
  • Children have to go to school.
(sometimes ‘have got to’)
no obligation
  • I don’t have to work on Sundays.

  • You don’t have to eat anything you don’t like.
must / mustn’t strong obligation (possibly based on the speaker’s opinion)
  • I must study today.
negative obligation
  • You mustn’t smoke here.
should / shouldn’t mild obligation or advice
  • You should save some money.
mild negative obligation or advice
  • You shouldn’t smoke so much.
Be careful about the difference between mustn't and don't have to!
Mustn't
means it's not allowed, or it's a bad idea:
  • You mustn't eat so much chocolate, you'll be sick
Don't have to means you don't need to do something, but it's fine if you want to do it:
  • I don't have to get up early at the weekend
    (of course, if I want to get up early, that's fine, but I can stay in bed if I want
PastPositiveNegative
had to / didn’t have to obligation in the past
  • I had to go to wear a school uniform when I was a child.
no obligation in the past
  • We didn’t have to go to school on Saturdays.
must*changes to 'had to'-
should have + pp / shouldn’t have + pp a past action which didn’t happen: the advice / regret is too late
  • You should have gone to bed earlier, now you have missed the train.
a past action which didn’t happen: the advice / regret is too late
  • You shouldn’t have taken that job., it was a bad idea.

* Remember ‘must have done’ is a modal verb of deduction or speculation, not obligation in the past. For example: Julie must have left. Her coat’s not here.



EXERCISE ONE
EXERCISE TWO
EXERCISE THREE


martes, 6 de noviembre de 2012





Forming Comparative and Superlative Adjectives


One-syllable adjectives.

Form the comparative and superlative forms of a one-syllable adjective by adding –er for the comparative form and –est for the superlative.
One-Syllable Adjective Comparative Form Superlative Form
tall taller tallest
old older oldest
long longer longest
  • Mary is taller than Max.
  • Mary is the tallest of all the students.
  • Max is older than John.
  • Of the three students, Max is the oldest.
  • My hair is longer than your hair.
  • Max's story is the longest story I've ever heard.
If the one-syllable adjective ends with an e, just add –r for the comparative form and –st for the superlative form.
One-Syllable Adjective with Final -e Comparative Form Superlative Form
large larger largest
wise wiser wisest
  • Mary's car is larger than Max's car.
  • Mary's house is the tallest of all the houses on the block.
  • Max is wiser than his brother.
  • Max is the wisest person I know.
If the one-syllable adjective ends with a single consonant with a vowel before it, double the consonant and add –er for the comparative form; and double the consonant and add –est for the superlative form.
One-Syllable Adjective Ending with a Single Consonant with a Single Vowel before It Comparative Form Superlative Form
big bigger biggest
thin thinner thinnest
fat fatter fattest
  • My dog is bigger than your dog.
  • My dog is the biggest of all the dogs in the neighborhood.
  • Max is thinner than John.
  • Of all the students in the class, Max is the thinnest.
  • My mother is fatter than your mother.
  • Mary is the fattest person I've ever seen.

Two-syllable adjectives.

With most two-syllable adjectives, you form the comparative with more and the superlative with most.
Two-Syllable Adjective Comparative Form Superlative Form
peaceful more peaceful most peaceful
pleasant more pleasant most pleasant
careful more careful most careful
thoughtful more thoughtful most thoughtful
  • This morning is more peaceful than yesterday morning.
  • Max's house in the mountains is the most peaceful in the world.
  • Max is more careful than Mike.
  • Of all the taxi drivers, Jack is the most careful.
  • Jill is more thoughtful than your sister.
  • Mary is the most thoughtful person I've ever met.
If the two-syllable adjectives ends with –y, change the y to i and add –er for the comparative form. For the superlative form change the y to i and add –est.
Two-Syllable Adjective Ending with -y Comparative Form Superlative Form
happy happier happiest
angry angrier angriest
busy busier busiest
  • John is happier today than he was yesterday.
  • John is the happiest boy in the world.
  • Max is angrier than Mary.
  • Of all of John's victims, Max is the angriest.
  • Mary is busier than Max.
  • Mary is the busiest person I've ever met.
Two-syllable adjectives ending in –er, -le, or –ow take –er and –est to form the comparative and superlative forms.
Two-Syllable Adjective Ending with -er, -le, or -ow Comparative Form Superlative Form
narrow narrower narrowest
gentle gentler gentlest
  • The roads in this town are narrower than the roads in the city.
  • This road is the narrowest of all the roads in California.
  • Big dogs are gentler than small dogs.
  • Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest.

Adjectives with three or more syllables.

For adjectives with three syllables or more, you form the comparative with more and the superlative with most.
Adjective with Three or More Syllables Comparative Form Superlative Form
generous more generous most generous
important more important most important
intelligent more intelligent most intelligent
  • John is more generous than Jack.
  • John is the most generous of all the people I know.
  • Health is more important than money.
  • Of all the people I know, Max is the most important.
  • Women are more intelligent than men.
  • Mary is the most intelligent person I've ever met.

Exceptions.

Irregular adjectives.
Irregular Adjective Comparative Form Superlative Form
good better best
bad worse worst
far farther farthest
little less least
many more most
  • Italian food is better than American food.
  • My dog is the best dog in the world.
  • My mother's cooking is worse than your mother's cooking.
  • Of all the students in the class, Max is the worst.
Two-syllable adjectives that follow two rules. These adjectives can be used with -er and -est and with more and most.
Two-Syllable Adjective Comparative Form Superlative Form
clever cleverer cleverest
clever more clever most clever
gentle gentler gentlest
gentle more gentle most gentle
friendly friendlier friendliest
friendly more friendly most friendly
quiet quieter quietest
quiet more quiet most quiet
simple simpler simplest
simple more simple most simple
  • Big dogs are gentler than small dogs.
  • Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest.
  • Big dogs are more gentle than small dogs.
  • Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the most gentle.
PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK TO DO THE EXERCISES:

EXERCISES 1

EXERCISES 2


EXERCISES 3

GRAMMAR EXPLANATION IN SPANISH

MORE GRAMMAR EXPLANATION IN SPANISH



lunes, 29 de octubre de 2012

PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE vs PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS





Form
Present Perfect Simple
Present Perfect Progressive
irregular verbs: form of 'have' + 3rd column of irregular verbs
Example:
I / you / we / they have spoken
he / she / it has spoken
regular verbs: form of 'have' + infinitive + ed
Example:
I / you / we / they have worked
he / she / it has worked
form of 'have' + been + verb + ing
 
Example:
I / you / we / they have been speaking
he / she / it has been speaking
Exceptions
Exceptions when adding 'ed' :
  • when the final letter is e, only add d
Example:
love - loved
  • after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled
Example:
admit - admitted
  • final l is always doubled in British English (not in American English)
Example:
travel - travelled
  • after a consonant, final y becomes i (but: not after a vowel)
Example:
worry - worried
but: play - played
Exceptions when adding 'ing' :
  • silent e is dropped. (but: does not apply for -ee)
Example: come - coming
aber: agree - agreeing
  • after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled
Example: sit - sitting
  • after a vowel, the final consonant l is doubled in British English (but not in American English).
Example: travel - travelling
  • final ie becomes y.
Example: lie - lying

Use
Both tenses are used to express that an action began in the past and is still going on or has just finished. In many cases, both forms are correct, but there is often a difference in meaning: We use the Present Perfect Simple mainly to express that an action is completed or to emphasise the result. We use the Present Perfect Progressive to emphasise the duration or continuous course of an action.
Result or duration?
Do you want to express what has happened so far or how long an action has been going on yet?
Present Perfect SimplE
Present Perfect Progressive
Result (what / how much / how often)
I have written 5 letters. / I have been to London twice.
Duration (how long)
I have been writing for an hour.
Certain verbs
The following verbs are usually only used in Present Perfect Simple (not in the progressive form).
  • state: be, have (for possession only)
Example: We have been on holiday for two weeks.
  • senses: feel, hear, see, smell, taste, touch
Example: He has touched the painting.
  • brain work: believe, know, think, understand
Example: I have known him for 3 years.
Emphasis on completion or duration?
Do you want to emphasise the completion of an action or its continuous course (how has somebody spent his time)?
Present Perfect Simple
Present Perfect Progressive
Emphasis on completion
I have done my homework. (Meaning: My homework is completed now.)
Emphasis on duration
I have been doing my homework. (Meaning: That's how I have spent my time. It does not matter whether the homework is completed now.)
Result or side effect?
Do you want to express that a completed action led to a desired result or that the action had an unwanted side effect?
Present Perfect Simple
Present Perfect Progressive
desired result
I have washed the car. (Result: The car is clean now.)
unwanted side effect
Why are you so wet? - I have been washing the car. (side effect: I became wet when I was washing the car. It does not matter whether the car is clean now.)
Time + negation: last time or beginning of an action?
In negative sentences: Do you want to express how much time has past since the last time the action took place or since the beginning of the action?
Present Perfect Simple
Present Perfect Progressive
since the last time
I haven't played that game for years. (Meaning: It's years ago that I last played that game.)
since the beginning
I haven't been playing that game for an hour, only for 10 minutes. (Meaning: It's not even an hour ago that I started to play that game.)
Permanent or temporary?
If an action is still going on and we want to express that it is a permanent situation, we would usually use the Present Perfect Simple. For temporary situations, we would prefer the Present Perfect Progressive. This is not a rule, however, only a tendency.
Present Perfect Simple
Present Perfect Progressive
permanent
James has lived in this town for 10 years. (Meaning: He is a permanent resident of this town.)
temporary
James has been living here for a year. (Meaning: This situation is only temporary. Maybe he is an exchange student and only here for one or two years.)
Signal words
Present Perfect Simple
Present Perfect Progressive
  • how often
  • ... times
  • how long
  • since
  • for
Exercises on Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Progressive