BAI

LANGUAGE: Grammar (2)

Grammar (2)

Too and enough

1. Too (“too much”) goes before adjectives and adverbs; enough (“enough, sufficiently”) goes after adjectives and adverbs.

                I don’t think I’ll go out tonight. I’m too tired. (=very tired)

                Slow down! You’re driving too fast.

                Are you warm enough, or do you want me to turn on the heating? (=vey hot)

                We aren’t working quickly enough. We’ better hurry.

2. “Too many”, “too much” and “enough” are also used before nouns.

a. “Too many” is used before countable nouns (e.g., eggs) and “too much” is used before uncountable nouns (e.g., salt).

                I bought too many eggs. (= more eggs than needed = countable)

                There’s too much salt in this soup. (= more salt than needed = uncauntable)

b. However, “enough” is used before both countable and uncountable nouns.

                We can’t make an omelette. We haven’t got enough eggs. (= we need more)

                There’s enough salt in the soup. It doesn’t need any more. (= we don't need more)

“Too many,” “too much,” and “enough” can also be used on their own, without nouns.

                “Is there enough salt in the soup?”      “There’s too much. I can’t eat it.”

                We need more eggs. We haven’t got enough.

3. Compare very and too:

“Too” (unlike “very”) means “more than necessary” or “more than is considered right.” Compare:

                She’s a good worker. She works very quickly 

     He works too quickly and makes a lot of mistakes.

     They arrived at the airport very late, but they caught their plane.                         

     They arrived at the airport too late and missed their plane.

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Too y enough

1. Too (“massa”) va davant dels adjectius i adverbis; enough (“prou, suficientment”) va darrere dels adjectius i adverbis.

                I don’t think I’ll go out tonight. I’m too tired. (=massa cansat)

                Slow down! You’re driving too fast.

                Are you warm enough, or do you want me to turn on the heating? (=prou calent)

                We aren’t working quickly enough. We’ better hurry.

2. També s’empren too many (massa), too much (massa) i enough (prou, suficient) davant de substantius.

a. Too many s’utilitza davant de substantius comptables (p. ex., eggs) i too much davant de substantius incomptables (p. ex., salt).

                I bought too many eggs. (= masses ous)

                There’s too much salt in this soup. (= massa sal)

b. Tanmateix, enough s’utilitza davant de substantius tant comptables com incomptables.

                We can’t make an omelette. We haven’t got enough eggs. (= suficients ous)

                There’s enough salt in the soup. It doesn’t need any more. (= suficient sal)

Too many, too much i enough també es poden utilitzar sols, sense substantius.

                “Is there enough salt in the soup?”      “There’s too much. I can’t eat it.”

                We need more eggs. We haven’t got enough.

3. Compara very i too:

Too (tot i que no very) té el significat de “més del necessari” o “més del que es considera correcte”. Compara:

                She’s a good worker. She works very quickly 

     He works too quickly and makes a lot of mistakes.

     They arrived at the airport very late, but they caught their plane.                         

     They arrived at the airport too late and missed their plane.

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Too y enough

1. Too (“demasiado”) va delante de adjetivos y adverbios; enough (“bastante, suficientemente) va detrás de adjetivos y adverbios.

                I don’t think I’ll go out tonight. I’m too tired. (=demasiado cansado)

                Slow down! You’re driving too fast.

                Are you warm enough, or do you want me to turn on the heating? (=bastante caliente)

                We aren’t working quickly enough. We’ better hurry.

2. También se emplean too many (demasiados), too much (demasiado) y enough (bastante, suficiente) delante de sustantivos.

a. Se emplea too many delante de sustantivos contables, (p.ej., eggs) y too much delante de sustantivos incontables, (p.ej., salt)

                I bought too many eggs. (= demasiados huevos)

                There’s too much salt in this soup. (= demasiada sal)

b. Sin embargo, se emplea enough delante de sustantivos constables i incontables.

                We can’t make an omelette. We haven’t got enough eggs. (= suficientes huevos)

                There’s enough salt in the soup. It doesn’t need any more. (= suficiente sal)

Too many, too much y enough se puede emplear también por sí solos, sin sustantivos.

                “Is there enough salt in the soup?”      “There’s too much. I can’t eat it.”

                We need more eggs. We haven’t got enough.

3. Compara very y too:

Too (aunque no very)   tiene el significado de “más de lo necesario” o “más de lo que se considera correcto”. Compara:

                She’s a good worker. She works very quickly 

     He works too quickly and makes a lot of mistakes.

     They arrived at the airport very late, but they caught their plane.                         

     They arrived at the airport too late and missed their plane.

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by BAI

LANGUAGE: Homophones (3)

Homophones (3)

8 Homophones / Homòfons / Homófonos:

Homophones are two words or more that have the same pronunciation but with different meanings and spellings. For example: new and knew are homophones. Make sure you can distinguish and use the words below correctly. Some are easy, some more difficult! (if you don’t know the meaning of a word, look it up!)

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Els homòfons són dues o més paraules que tenen la mateixa pronunciació però amb significats i ortografies diferents. Per exemple: new i knew són homòfons. Assegura’t de poder distingir i utilitzar correctament les paraules següents. Algunes són fàcils, altres més difícils! (Si no saps el significat d’una paraula, busca-la!)

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Los homófonos son dos o más palabras que tienen la misma pronunciación pero con significados y ortografías diferentes. Por ejemplo: new y knew son homófonos. Asegúrate de poder distinguir y usar correctamente las palabras que aparecen a continuación. ¡Algunas son fáciles, otras más difíciles! (Si no sabes el significado de una palabra, búscala!)

• • • • • • • • • • • • die                     dye
                      • lessen                lesson
                      • band                  banned
                      • find                    fined
                      • so                       sew                  sow
                      • side                    sighed
                      • faze                    phase
                      • ate                      eight

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by BAI

LANGUAGE: Silent Letters (2)

Silent Letters (2)

Many words in English have silent letters. These are letters that we use in the written word but not when pronouncing them, which can cause mistakes in speech. Every letter in the alphabet, except “H” and  “V” have at least one word with a silent letter! Surprised? Probably not! This is just one more aspect of the English language to master!

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Moltes paraules en anglès tenen lletres mudes. Són lletres que fem servir a l’escriptura però no a l’hora de pronunciar-les, cosa que pot provocar errors en la parla. Cada lletra de l’alfabet, excepte la “H” i la “V”, té com a mínim una paraula amb una lletra muda! Sorprès? Probablement no! Aquest és només un altre aspecte de la llengua anglesa que cal dominar!

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Muchas palabras en inglés tienen letras mudas. Son letras que usamos en la escritura pero no al pronunciarlas, lo cual puede causar errores al hablar. ¡Cada letra del alfabeto, excepto la “H” y la “V”, tiene al menos una palabra con una letra muda! ¿Sorprendido? ¡Probablemente no! ¡Este es solo otro aspecto del idioma inglés que hay que dominar!

 

The letter “C” is usually silent after an “s”.  Note the final four oddities.

ascent                                 conscience                      conscious                        crescent

descend                             disciple                            fascinating                       fluorescent

muscle                                obscene                          scenario                            scene

science                               scissors                            indict                                yacht

acquire                               czar

 

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by BAI

LANGUAGE: Irregular Plurals (2)

Irregular Plurals (2)

Common Irregular Plurals / Plurals irregulars comuns / Plurales irregulares comunes:

 

Most nouns in English are made plural by simply adding -s or -es; however, as you might expect, English has several exceptions to that rule. Below are some of the easier ones put into groups to facilitate their learning:

La majoria dels substantius en anglès es fan plurals simplement afegint -s o -es; però, com era d’esperar, l’anglès té diverses excepcions a aquesta regla. A continuació tens alguns dels més fàcils, agrupats per facilitar-ne l’aprenentatge:

La mayoría de los sustantivos en inglés se pluralizan simplemente añadiendo -s o -es; sin embargo, como era de esperar, el inglés tiene varias excepciones a esta regla. A continuación, se presentan algunas de las más fáciles, agrupadas para facilitar su aprendizaje:

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Here are some easy ones: common words that become plural by changing vowels.

Aquí en tens alguns de fàcils: paraules comunes que fan el plural canviant les vocals.

Aquí tienes algunos fáciles: palabras comunes que forman el plural cambiando las vocales.

SINGULAR                                                       PLURAL

foot                                                                    feet

goose                                                                geese

man                                                                    men

tooth                                                                  teeth

woman                                                               women

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by BAI

LANGUAGE: Idioms (2)

Idioms (2)

An idiom is a set expression that means something other than the literal meanings of its individual words. In other words, it seems almost designed to confuse language students! Like phrasal verbs, try to learn a few at a time and then sprinkle them into your speaking and writing. Warning: don’t overdo their use! It will sound unnatural or even ridiculous! They may not be perfect, but each idiomatic expression below has the best matching Spanish expression.

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Un "idiom" és una expressió fixada que significa una cosa diferent del significat literal de les seves paraules individuals. En altres paraules, sembla gairebé dissenyada per confondre els estudiants! Igual que amb els "phrasal verbs", prova d’aprendre’n uns quants cada vegada i després incorpora’ls a la teva expressió oral i escrita. Avís: no n’abusis! Sonaria poc natural o fins i tot ridícul! Potser no són perfectes, però cada expressió idiomàtica de sota té l’expressió castellana que hi coincideix millor.

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Un "idiom" es una expresión fija que significa algo distinto del significado literal de las palabras que la componen. En otras palabras, ¡parece casi diseñada para confundir a los estudiantes de idiomas! Al igual que con los "phrasal verbs", intenta aprender unos pocos cada vez y luego incorpóralos a tu expresión oral y escrita. Advertencia: ¡no los uses en exceso! ¡Sonaría poco natural o incluso ridículo! Puede que no sean perfectas, pero cada expresión idiomática de abajo tiene la expresión castellana que mejor coincide con ella.

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1. “Down to the wire.” Says something’s outcome or result is/was not decided until the very last minute. Vol dir que el resultat no es va decidir fins a l’últim moment. Significa que el resultado no se decidió hasta el último minuto.

     Example: The game went down to the wire, but Barcelona scored in the 92^nd (En las últimas.)

2. “Blood is thicker than water” Says family relationships and loyalties are ultimately the strongest and most important. Vol dir que els llaços familiars són més forts i importants. Significa que los lazos familiares son los más fuertes e importantes.

Example: When my brother and my best friend had a fight, I sided with my brother, as you know, blood is thicker than water! (La sangre llama.)

3. “Actions speak louder than words.” Says that people’s actions and what they do show their real attitudes and self—more than what they say. Vol dir que les accions diuen més que les paraules. Significa que las acciones muestran más que las palabras.

    Example: She’s been telling me for three weeks that she’s going to finish the project, but you know, actions speak louder than words! (Una acción vale más que mil palabras.)

4. “All bark and no bite.” Said of someone who talks a lot or appears threatening but doesn’t really end up taking action on his words or threat. Es diu d’algú que parla molt o amenaça però no fa res. Dicho de alguien que amenaza o habla mucho pero no hace nada.

Example: John? He’s all bark and no bite. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. (That’s another idiom!) (Perro que ladra no muerde.)

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by BAI

LANGUAGE: Grammar (1)

Grammar (1)

Present Perfect vs. Past Simple

The present perfect tense always connects the past and the present; the past simple tense only tells us about the past.

When referring to a specific period of time in the past (e.g., yesterday, last week, six weeks ago), the past simple tense is always used, never the present perfect tense.

 

I lost my wallet yesterday.                               (No: I’ve lost my wallet yesterday.)

Someone stole my bicycle last week.               (No: Someone has stolen my bicycle last week.)

 

The present perfect tense is used to refer to an indefinite period of time that extends to the present, e.g., ever, never, recently.

 

PRESENT PERFECT                                                        PAST SIMPLE

Have you ever seen a ghost?                                          Did you see your friend yesterday?

I’ve never been to New York.                                          I went to London last week.

I’ve started taking driving lessons recently.                   I started taking driving lessons 6 weeks ago.

Often, a conversation begins in an indefinite way using the present perfect tense, and then the past simple tense is used when thinking about the specific moment when something happened.

 

Speaker A) Have you ever been to the United States?             Speaker B)  Yes, I went there in 2002.

Speaker A)  Did you go to New York? (= en 2002)

I’ve seen that film. I enjoyed it (=when I saw it) very much.

 

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Present Perfect vs. Past Simple

El pretèrit perfecte relaciona sempre el passat i el present; el passat simple només ens parla del passat.

Quan ens referim a un període definit de temps passat (p.ex., yesterday, last week, six weeks ago), s'empra sempre el passat simple, mai el pretèrit perfecte.

 

I lost my wallet yesterday.                               (No: I’ve lost my wallet yesterday.)

Someone stole my bicycle last week.               (No: Someone has stolen my bicycle last week.)

 

S'empra pretèrit perfecte per referir-se a un període de temps indefinit que arriba fins al present, p.ex., ever, never, recently. Compara:

 

PRESENT PERFECT                                                        PAST SIMPLE

Have you ever seen a ghost?                                          Did you see your friend yesterday?

I’ve never been to New York.                                          I went to London last week.

I’ve started taking driving lessons recently.                   I started taking driving lessons 6 weeks ago.

Sovint s'inicia una conversa de manera indefinida amb el pretèrit perfecte, i després s'empra el passat simple quan es pensa en el moment concret en què va passar alguna cosa.

 

Speaker A) Have you ever been to the United States?             Speaker B)  Yes, I went there in 2002.

Speaker A)  Did you go to New York? (= en 2002)

I’ve seen that film. I enjoyed it (=quan la vaig veure) very much.

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Present Perfect vs. Past Simple

El pretérito perfecto relaciona siempre el pasado y el presente; el pasado simple sólo nos habla del pasado.

Cuando nos referimos a un período definido de tiempo pasado (p.ej., yesterday, last week, six weeks ago), se emplea siempre el pasado simple, nunca el pretérito perfecto.

 

I lost my wallet yesterday.                               (No: I’ve lost my wallet yesterday.)

Someone stole my bicycle last week.               (No: Someone has stolen my bicycle last week.)

 

Se emplea pretérito perfecto para referirse a un período de tiempo indefinido que llega hasta el presente, p.ej., ever, never, recently. Compara:

 

PRESENT PERFECT                                                        PAST SIMPLE

Have you ever seen a ghost?                                          Did you see your friend yesterday?

I’ve never been to New York.                                          I went to London last week.

I’ve started taking driving lessons recently.                   I started taking driving lessons 6 weeks ago.

Con frecuencia, se inicia una conversación de manera indefinida con el pretérito perfecto, y luego se emplea el pasado simple cuando se piensa en el momento concreto en que sucedió algo.

 

Speaker A) Have you ever been to the United States?             Speaker B)  Yes, I went there in 2002.

Speaker A)  Did you go to New York? (= en 2002)

I’ve seen that film. I enjoyed it (=cuando la vi) very much.

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by BAI