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1.- Adjectives,
pronouns, adverbs and other particles
1. Actually vs. nowadays
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Actually: really F
realment, de fet
Nowadays: present time, these days, currently, at the
moment
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2. Another/other
 another
is always a singular adjective
other as an adjective never
ends by "s"
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I'ts another wonderful day in your life
You'll live other wonderful days in your
life
Some designs are bettter than others
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3. as/like
- as I've already said...
he works as a waiter
he was respected both as a professional and
as a person
|
|
- she acts like a fool
it costs something like fifty cents
I drink like a fish
|
4. Frequency adverb position: before, a
lexical verb and usually after, a modal verb
I usually watch tv serials
You can't always get what you want |
5. Never write two negative words in the same sentence.
He didn't say anything F
No va dir res
He said nothing
F No
va dir res |
6. Once, twice, three times, four times…
I practise aerobic once a week, but I
go to the gym five times a week.
Don't think twice, its all right.. |
7. Overcoat: a warm coat worn over indoor clothing. F
abric
Not to mistake
for mainly (Specially, Most of times.)
F principalment
|
I had the gun in my overcoat pocket
We are mainly interested in art
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8. Position of the adverbs: Adverbs of manner: kindly, badly,
well...
They answer the question "how". They are usually placed
after the direct object if there is one, otherwise after the verb
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They walk quickly
You speak English fluently
He plays very well
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9. To be afraid of or frightened, scared, terrified of
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You shouldn't be afraid of dark
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2.- Article
1. The definite article the
is not used when we are talking about things or people in general
|
Women today think that men can
do the housework
Lions live in the jungle
Teenagers are young people
between 13 and 19
Life has changed a lot in the last thirty
years
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2. The undefinite article a
or an is
always singular
A palm tree F
una palmera
Palm trees F
unes palmeres |
3. The undefinite article a
/ an
is generally used with jobs (but not in plural)
Her mother is a lawyer,
They are carpenters
He is a social worker |
4. Generally the definite article the
is not used with the genitive saxon
la decisió del Pere F
Peter's place
l'amic de la Helen F Helen's
friend
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3.- Prepositions
1. After a preposition we must always write an object personal
pronoun:
That's not for him
I went on holiday with them
I wouldn't share a room with her |
2. To be good/bad at
(doing) something
I'm good at playing handball
I'm bad at maths |
3. Different from/same as/similar to
|
Life today is different from life
fifty years ago
He's the same age as his wife
My dreams are similar to my friend's
dreams
|
4. In, on, at to express time
| In the morning/evening/afternoon,1986, september,
winter, the 21st century |
| On Monday, on 25th April, on that day |
|
At three o'clock, at lunch (time), at night/midday/noon
|
5. In, on, at for place
| In the garden, my pocket, Spain, Chelsea |
| On: on the pavement, my bed, on
foot |
|
At the bus stop, the station, airport, school,
home, 10 Downing St., seaside..
|
6. When a verb comes after a preposition, the verb ends in -ing
Before saying a word, think
twice
One of the advantages of being
young is...
I'm always in a bad mood after sleeping
Before taking the medecine we
must read the instructions
He's been all morning without saying
anything |
4.- Verbs
1. After a preposition we must always write the gerund.
Before saying a word, think twice
One of the advantages of being young
is...
I'm always in a bad mood after sleeping
Before taking the medecine we must
read the instructions
He's been all morning without saying
anything |
2. Verb with indirect object (IO) and direct object (DO)
Usually the IO refers to a
person and comes first without preposition
|
He gave his son a
camera for his birthday
Can you pass me the
salt, please?
|
We can also put the IO after
the DO with a preposition, usually
to or for.
Generally when the DO is much
shorter than the IO or when
we want to give special importance to the IO
|
Give it to me
She sent some flowers
to his friend
|
3. to allow/ let
To allow +
object + to
To allow somebody to do anything
He doesn't allow people to smoke in
his home |
Let somebody do anything
Let me know
Live and let live
Let him try |
4. To agree generally uses the preposition with and
never the verb to be (as in catalan/spanish
| I don't agree with right wing parties |
5. To depend on
|
Life depends on food
The value of Y depends on X
It all depends on...
|
6. To marry: usually no preposition after
We may say a man marries a woman or is married
to ; or, a woman is married to or marries a man.
Would you marry me?
She married him
He was married |
7.- Catalan tenses: perfet i imperfet
Vaig menjar massa F
I ate too much
Menjava massa F
I used to eat too much |
8.- Verb + object + infinitive
After some verbs we must use object + infinitive
I want you to be quiet
She didn't ask you to pay for the meal |
Some common
verbs that are used in this structure: advise, allow, ask, cause,
hate, mean, prefer, wish, encourage, help, need, remind, want...
|
The doctor advised him to stay in bed
They encourage me to study hard
We need you to go
|
5.- Words
misused and false friends
1. Afterwards/after
afterwards F després
after F
després de
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She left after installing the phone
Afterwards, she left
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2. Among/between
Among: sorrounded by/in the middle of a group of more than
two elements
Between: usually two point or limits
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I see him among the crowd
To sail between Dover and Calais
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3. Chemist's, chemist, Chemistry, chemical
|
Chemist's F
shop that sells medicines
Chemist
F a scientist who studies chemistry
Chemistry F
the study of the structure of substances
Chemical:
F
connected with Chemistry
|
4. Consumer society, consumer goods, consumption
|
Consumer's society
F societat de consum
Consumer goods
F béns de consum
Consumption
F
consum
Consumption: popular
name for pulmonary tuberculosis
|
5. To die, dead, death and kill
Flowers soon die if they are left without
water
She's dying to know where you've been
Dead men tell no tales
His mother death was a great blow for him |
He died of cancer
He was killed by a cancer |
6. Economic, economical and Economics
Economic means "connected
with the economy of a country or area, or with the money that a
society or individual has".
Economical means "spending
money or using sth. in a careful or conservative way".
Economics means "the study
of how a society organizes its money, trade and industry."
The government economic
priorities are not ours.
It is usually economical
to buy sth. in large quantities.
She would like to study Economics
next course. |
7. History vs. story
History: a
chronological record of significant events (as affecting a nation
or institution) often including an explanation of their causes.
Story: an account of past events
History is my favourite subject
I don't like ghost stories |
8. to intend
to have in mind as a purpose or goal, to design for a specified
use or future
F tenir la intenció
el propòsit/idea de fer alguna cosa.
You should not mistake for to
try
|
We intend them to do it
I came intending to stay
The book is intended as a guide
|
9. to know/meet
to know: to have knowledge of .
to meet: to come face to face with. To become acquainted with. To
come together with especially at a particular time or place.
|
I know her very well
F
la coneixo molt bé
I met her at the pub
F
la vaig trobar o conéixer al bar
I'll meet you at the station F
ens trobarem a l'estació
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10. To listen vs. To hear:
to listen: to try to hear, to pay attention F
escoltar
to hear: perceive with the ears
F sentir (amb l'oïda)
We listened but heard nothing
Sorry, I couldn't hear very well |
11. To look, to see
To look: turn the eyes in some direction.
F Mirar
To see: to perceive by the eye, have o use the
power of sight. F
Veure |
12. To pretend
To give a false appearance of being, possessing, or performing.
To make believe
F
Fer veure
|
She does not pretend to be a psychiatrist
He is pretending an emotion he could
not really feel
|
13. Quiet /kwaiet/ and quite /kwait/
quiet: free from noise.
quite: completely. To a considerable extent (rather, fairly)
|
Not quite finished F
no completament acabat
Quite good
F bastant bo
A quiet town
F una ciutat tranquil.la
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14. Soup/soap
soup
is liquid food and soap may be defined as a substance used
for washing the body
We usually have fish soup for dinner on tuesdays
We use soap for cleaning and washing
A soap opera: a tv serial drama (dealing
with problems in a sentimental/melodramatic way) |
15. To talk/to speak
To talk: to say things.
To speak: make use of language
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I'll talk to him
He speaks several languages
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16. Usually/used to
She usually reads novels
I used to cry a lot when I was a child |
usually: frequency adverb that goes with de Simple Present
used to: Catalan tense imperfet F
plorava molt quan era petit
17. vicious: having or showing an intention or desire to
hurt very badly
Generally translated into F
cruel, dolent, maliciós
A vicious dog
F un gos dolent
A vicious fight F
una baralla terrible |
6.-
Clauses
1. Clauses of purpose F
oracions finals
a. Purpose expressed by an infinitive
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She went to Ireland to learn English
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b. Purpose expressed by a clause:
| so that + will/would/ or can/could or may/might + infinitive |
|
He helped me so that I could pass the
course
She worked hard so that everything would
be ready on time
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|
we
shouldn't make ...