Carmen María's English Blog


Thanksgiving Day  is a traditional celebration of The United States and Canada which takes place on the fourth Thursday of November and second Monday of October, respectively.

In this festival families and friends usually share a banquet table and thank God for the gifts they have received. The traditional main course is roasted or baked turkey with a filling of corn and sage and served with cranberry sauce. In addition, they usually have pumpkin cake or apple pie for dessert



The Pilgrims arrived in the New World in the winter of 1620 and had many difficulties to find food and shelter. Native people, called Wampanoag, shared their knowledge and helped the English to survive. Pilgrims and Indians sat down for the first time for a meal of thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1621.




Thanksgiving Prayer

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

(Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882)






 According to a recent research in Britain,  extended exposure to mobile devices in children is changing their abilities and personality. Listen to this interesting video which tells us about the  psychological damage that the overuse of technology can cause in toddlers.


 

VOCABULARY
Swipe: To slide your finger across the iPad screen.
Tap/Hit/Click/Press: Quickly press the app or link mentioned.
App: An application or program on your device.
Scroll: Touch and hold screen and move finger in the desired direction; release when finished.
Pinching: Place two fingers on the screen at the same time and pinch together or spread apart.
Drag: Press and hold then move item to desired position without taking your finger off the screen
Sync: To synchronize your computer and iPad.



Reported Speech - Statements
Reported Speech - Requests and Commands
Reported Speech - Questions
Reported Speech - Mixed types 1
Reported Speech - Mixed Types 2




Cuando una persona desea comunicar lo que otra ha dicho, dispone de dos posibilidades: repetir las palabras textuales (Estilo Directo / Direct Speech) o adaptar las palabras de esa persona a su propia frase con las consiguientes modificaciones (Estilo Indirecto / Reported Speech)

En Estilo indirecto:
  • Siempre daremos un paso atrás en el tiempo verbal, salvo que la situación esté vigente aún.
  • Cambiarán referencias personales, tiempo y lugar, según contexto.

Cambios verbales: 



Cambios en tiempo y lugar: 


Se pueden pasar a estilo indirecto distintos tipos de mensajes:

1.- Enunciados - STATEMENTS



There are many  proverbs and quotations in English with passive structures which can help you understand life and language at the same time. Have a look and enjoy them.

  • Wisdom is only found in truth. (J. W.  Goethe)
  • An injury is much sooner forgotten than an insult. (Ph. Chesterfield)
  • He who commits injustice is ever made more wretches than he who suffers it. (Plato)
  • If on Parnassus Top you sit You rarely bite, are always bit. (J. Swift)
  • Even when laws have been written down, they ought not always to remain unaltered. (Aristotle)
  • When peace has been broken anywhere, the peace of all countries everywhere is in danger. (F. D. Roosevelt)
  • What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure. (S. Johnson)
  • New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common. (J. Locke)
  • The die is cast. (Caesar)
  • Draw the curtain, the farce is played. (F. Rabelais)
  • Libraries are not made, they grow. (A. Birrell)
  • Common sense is the most widely shared commodity in the world, for every man is convinced that he is well supplied with it. (R. Descartes)
  • Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempted to find a plot in itwill be shot. (M. Twain)
  • When Thales was asked what was most difficult, he said, “To know on one’s self.” And what was easy, “To advise another.” (Diogenes)

What if instead of throwing your pencil stubs away you could use them and get a plant? Yesterday I read on Facebook about SPROUT, a pencil that grows!
When this pencil is too short to use,  you can plant it to grow 13 different types of herbs. A good idea to wake up children´s environmental and recycling awareness, at home with your own children or  with your pupils at school. You can find them at some  stationeries, SPROUT web-shop and on Amazon



Exercise 1 

Change the following sentences into the passive voice.

The boy asked a difficult question.
She writes very good novels.

The terrorist shot the policemen
The police caught the thief.
I didn´t paint that picture
Farmers grow soy in Argentina.  
Lennon and McCartney wrote the song Yesterday.

El Greco painted The Burial of the Count of Orgaz. 

Engineers design bridges.

The airline sent our passage to Australia by mistake. 

 You don’t find penguins at the North Pole. 

 Columbus didn’t discover America in 1491. 

They draw some paintings.  

 My uncle  can ride a bicycle quite well. 

The child broke all the plates in the cupboard. 

jShe didn’t find the book. 


Exercise 2

Put these questions into the passive.

a) When did Pasteur discover Penicillin? 
b) How do people make sushi? 
c) Where do people speak Mandarin? 
d) Did Spain win the last basketball Olympics? 
e) Do people speak English in Hawaii? 

f) Who directed the film Princesas? 



Exercise 3. 

Complete using a passive tense.
  1. How many newspapers(print) in Britain every day?score
  2. Who(this play / write) by?score
  3. German(speak) in Germany, Austria, and part of Switzerland.score
  4. The royal wedding(watch) by millions of people in 2011.score
  5. Nowadays, a lot of computers(make) in Korea.score
  6. The Harry Potter films(not direct) by Steven Spielberg.score
  7. How much(paper / recycle) in Poland each year?score
  8. In the UK, alcohol(not sell)to anyone under 18. It's against the law.score









acid rain - lluvia ácida
carbon dioxide - dióxido de carbono
chemicals - sustancias químicas

climate change - cambio climático
conservation - conservación
contaminant - contaminante
contamination - contaminación
deforestation - deforestación
eco-friendly - que no daña el medio ambiente
ecological - ecológico
ecologist - ecologista
ecosystem - ecosistema
effluent - aguas residuales
endangered species - especies en peligro de extinción
environment - medio ambiente
environmental - medioambiental
environmentalist - ecologista
environmentally friendly - que no daña el medio ambiente
extinction - extinción
global warming - calentamiento global
greenhouse effect - efecto invernadero
noise pollution - contaminación acústica


nuclear radiation - radiación nuclear
organic - orgánico
ozoneNegrita - ozono
ozone-friendly - que no daña la capa de ozono
ozone layer - capa de ozono
pollution - contaminación
radioactive substance - sustancia radiactiva
radioactive waste - residuos radiactivos
radioactivity - radiactividad
recyclable - reciclable
recycled - reciclado
recycling - reciclaje
reforestation - repoblación forestal
sewage - aguas residuales
sewage farm - estación depuradora
smog - smog

solar energy - energía solar
sulphur dioxide - dióxido de azufre
toxic waste - residuos tóxicos
waste disposal - eliminación de residuos
wind power - energía eólica
to become - extinct extinguirse
to conserve - conservar
to contamNegritainateNegrita - contaminar
to die out - extinguirse
to poison - envenenar
to pollute - contaminar
to recycle - reciclar


a) Conditional 0


Situations that are always true if something happens.

If you heat water, it boils.
If you don´t water your plants, they die.

Conditional 0 is formed by the use of the present simple in the if clause followed by a comma the present simple in the result clause. You can also put the result clause first without using a comma between the clauses.

Water boils if you  heat it.
Your plants die if you don´t water them.

b) Conditional 1



Often called the "real" conditional because it is used for 
real - or possible - situations. These situations take place if a certain condition is met.

In the conditional 1 we often use UNLESS which means 'if ... not'. In other words, '...unless he hurries up.' could also be written, '...if he doesn't hurry up.'

      If it rains, we will stay at home
     He will arrive late unless he hurries up.
    Peter will buy a new car, if he gets his raise.
    Unless you invite her, she won´t come to your party.
     
Conditional 1 is formed by the use of the present simple in the if clause followed by a comma will verb (base form) in the result clause. You can also put the result clause first without using a comma between the clauses. 

If he finishes on time,  we will go to the movies/We will go to the movies if he finishes on time.


   c) Conditional 2



Often called the "unreal" conditional because it is used for unreal - impossible or improbable situations. This conditional provides an imaginary result for a given situation.

The verb 'to be', when used in the 2nd conditional, is always conjugated as 
'were'.

       If he studied more, he would pass the exam.
      If I was/were you, I would study harder to pass my exams.

Conditional 2 is formed by the use of 
the past simple in the if clause followed by a comma would verb (base form) in the result clause. You can also put the result clause first without using a comma between the clauses.

        If they had more money, they would buy a new house/They would buy a new house if they had        more money.

   d) Conditional 3


Often referred to as the "past" conditional because it concerns only past situations with hypothetical results. Used to express a hypothetical result to a past given situation.

       If he had known that, he would have decided differently.

Conditional 3 is formed by the use of the past perfect in the if clause followed by a comma would  have past participle in the result clause. You can also put the result clause first  without using a comma between the clauses.

      If Alice had won the competition, life would have changed / Life would have changed if Alice had won the competition.



EXERCISES:

 1.- Conditionals 0, 1, 2.

 The police ______________________ (arrest) him if they ____________________(catch) him (1) 

 - What ______________________ (happen) if my parachute __________________(not open)? (1) 

- My mother___________________(help) me with my homework if I (ask) ________________her (0)

 - I ______________________ (be) angry if he _____________________(make) more mistakes. (2) 

 - If I ____________________(lend) you 10 pounds, ______________________ (you, give) it back to me? (1) 

- I ______________________ (not drink) that wine if I ______________________ (be) you. (2) 

- If you ______________________ (paint) the walls white,  the room ______________________ (be) much brighter (1).

 - I ____________________________ (can repair) the roof myself if I ______________________ (have) a ladder. (2) 

- Photos______________________ (be) better if you __________________ (use) a flashlight. (0)

- You ______________________ (not have) so many accidents if you ______________________ (drive) more slowly (2)

 - What ______________________ (you, do) if you ______________________(hear) the alarm? (2)

 - If you ______________________ (go) to Paris where ______________________ (you stay)? (1) 

- If everybody ______________________ (give) me 3 pounds we ______________________ (have) enough. (1) 

- We ______________________ (invite) him if he ______________________ (be)at home(2) 

- I ______________________ (put)some money into the bank if I ______________________ 
(have)some left (2)

- If I ________________________ (be) late for work, my boss ___________________ (get) angry (0) 

- I ______________________ (offer) them coffee and cake as soon as they ___________________ (come) over (1) 

- If you ______________________ (ring) the bell someone ______________________ (surely answer) it (1) 

- If the professor ______________________ (speak) clearly we ______________________ (understand) him better (2) 


2.- Mixed Conditionals. Write the correct verb tense.

        1. If Mr Brown (sell) his car last year, he would have got more money for it.
        2. If Susan takes her driving lessons regularly, she (pass) her driving test.
      3. If Mr Jones  (watch) the news every evening, he would know more about politics.
        4. If Charlie (not stop) eating these green apples, he’ll soon feel sick.
        5. If you had told me the truth, I  (help) you.
        6. If old Mrs White heard a strange noise, she (call) the police.
                 
    3.- End these conditional sentences.

    1 If I were you...
    2 I won´t go to university if...
   3 Would your sister take the job if...?
   4 If Lucy had invited us to her wedding...
   5 Jack will have a party on Friday if...
   6 If the local shop's closed...
   7 Unless he phones me...


    4.- IF or UNLESS? Circle the correct word.

    1. if/ unless you think about it you will make the right decision.
    2. if/unless I'm mistaken,that's certainly Mr Jones.
   3. if/unless it's very cold,we will probably not have snow.
   4. if/unless Mr Jones comes to visit us we won't have a party.
   5. if/unless you use high quality material, you can't build a good house.
   6. if/unless you finish work early,we can play tennis.
   7. if/unless you don't keep your promises,you 'll lose your friends.
   8. if/unless you study hard,you won't get a scholarship.
   9. if/unless you told me what you want I could get it for you.
   
     5.- Rephrasing sentences.

    1. They won´t let her in if she doesn´t have a ticket
    Unless…

    2. People don´t do enough exercise, so there is a lot of heart disease.
    If…

    3. She looked in the papers; that´s why she saw the ad
    If…

    4. We won´t go to see that film if you don´t want to.
    Unless…

    5. There are too many cars; that´s why the city is polluted.
    If…

    6. She didn´t speak German well, so she didn’t apply for the job.
    If…

           7. The doctor will not see you if you do not telephone first
    Unless…

     8. People drive too fast, so there are a lot of accidents.
    If…

    9. I lost your number; that´s why I didn´t phone you.
    If…
   
    10. You can´t go if they don´t invite you.
    Unless…

    11. People watch too much TV, so they don´t have time for reading.
    People…

    12- Jane didn´t come in her usual train, that´s why I didn´t see her.
    If…


    13. Elizabeth has to work in the evening, so she can´t go to concerts.
    If…

    14. Sally broke her leg, so she didn´t go on holiday.
    If…

    15. It´s not a good idea to go there.


    If I…








                                             



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