Demonstratives - this, that, these, those

This/that/these/those show the relative distance between the speaker and a noun.

/this, that, these, those muestra la distancia relativa entre el que habla y el objeto del que se refiere/

This refers to something near to the speaker, that to something further away. These is the plural of this, and those is the plural of that.

/-this- se refiere a algo cerca de la persona que habla, algo que puede tocar, -that- se refiere a algo mas lejos, el cual no tiene a su alcance, -These- es el plural de -this y -those- es el plural de -that-/

Sometimes demonstratives are pronouns, for example: /algunas veces funcionan como pronombres/
- "This is my Mom." Mom is near to the speaker /Esta o Ella es mi Mamá (Mamá está cerca)/
- "These are my books." The books are near the speaker./esos son mis libros (los libros estan cerca)/
- "I don't like that." He doesn't like something that is further away./No me gusta eso (a él no le gusta algo que está lejos)/
- "That girl is going to dance with those boys" /esa o aquella chica va a bailar con esos o aquellos chicos/

Sometimes demonstratives can also be adjectives, for example: /algunas veces pueden ser adjetivos/
- That man is a doctor. /ese o aquél hombre es un Doctor/
- I like those jackets. /me gustan esas chamarras/
- I don't like that movie. /no me gusta esa película/

Ejercicios usando Demonstratives

Present Progressive Vs 'be going to'

Ejercicios Using the present simple or the present continuous.

Be Going to...

Going to is used to show a future intention. For example:/'Going to' es usado para mostrar una intención futura/
- I'm going to go on vacation next summer. /Voy a ir de vacaciones el próximo verano/
- We're going to start our own business./vamos a empezar nuestro propio negocio/

Going to future sentences are made as follows: /las oraciones con Going to son hechas como sigue:/

Positive: Subject + verb "to be" + going to + infinitive verb + compl.

    They are going to have dinner. -ellos van a cenar-

      I am going to buy a car next year. -voy a comprar un carro el proximo año-

     She is going to meet a new friend this night -ella va a conocer un nuevo amigo esta noche-

     It is going to rain  -va a llover- 

Negative: Subject + 'To Be ' + NOT + going to + Infinitive verb + compl.

     They are not going to have a dinner -ellos no van a cenar -

       I am not going to buy a car next year

       She is not going to meet a new friend this night

       It is not going to rain

Interrogative: 'To Be' + Subject + going to + infinitive verb + compl. + ?

    Are they going to have a dinner? -ellos van a cenar?-

    Am I going to buy a new car next year?

    Is she going to meet a new friend this night?

    Is it going to rain?

Usage /usos/

Going to is used for future plans. For example:
- I'm going to see my friends this evening.
- He's going to write a book.
- What are you going to do?

Going to is also used to make a prediction based on present evidence /Predicción basada en una evidencia presente/. For example:
- He's going to fall over! (I can see he's in danger now.)
- She's going to win. (I can see she's winning now.)

Will and going to are both used for predictions and sometimes there is little difference in meaning. Compare:
- It will be sunny this afternoon. (A general prediction)
- It's going to be sunny this afternoon. (because it's getting warmer now)

Going to with the Past Simple of "to be" is often used for an intention or plan that wasn't actually done. /con el pasado simple de 'To Be' es a menudo usado para una intensión o plan que no se ha hecho/ For example:
- I was going to meet my friends but I didn't have time. /iba a reunirme con mis amigos pero no tuve tiempo/
- We were going to take a vacation but it was too expensive. /íbamos a tomar unas vacaciones pero estaba muy caro/

Going to is often contracted to gonna in spoken English /a menudo es contraido como 'gonna' cuando se habla/. For example:
- "I'm gonna buy a new computer."

Going to        =       Gonna

(más usado cuando se escribe)           (más usado cuando se habla)

Ejercicios con 'be going to' 1

Ejercicios con 'be going to' 2 

Time expressions used with 'be going to': expresiones de tiempo usadas con 'be going to'

• tomorrow mañana
• the day after tomorrow  pasado mañana
  
• this weekend este fin de semana
• next month el próximo mes
• next week
• soon pronto
• in a week en una semana
• in a month
• in a year, etc... 

 

Ejercicios con 'Be Going to'

Present Progressive

Present Progressive or Continuous

El presente continuo o progresivo se forma con el presente del auxiliar 'to be' y el gerundio del verbo que se quiere conjugar:

I am playing You are playing He is playing We are playing You are playing They are playing

Yo estoy jugando Tú estás jugando Él está jugando Nosotros estamos jugando Ustedes estan jugando Ellos están jugando

I am reading a book / Estoy leyendo un libro
Helen is phoning a friend / Helen está telefoneando a un amigo

a.) La forma negativa añade la partícula 'not' al auxiliar:

I am not playing You are not playing He is not playing We are not playing You are not playing They are not playing

Yo no estoy jugando Tú no estás jugando Él no está jugando Nosotros no estamos jugando Ustedes no estan jugando Ellos no están jugando

I am not reading a book / No estoy leyendo un libro
Helen is not phoning a friend / Helen no está telefoneando a un amigo

b.) La forma interrogativa invierte el sujeto y el auxiliar:

Am I playing? Are you playing? Is he playing? Are we playing? Are you playing? Are they playing?

¿Estoy yo jugando? ¿Estás tú jugando? ¿Está él jugando? ¿Estamos nosotros jugando? ¿Están ustedes jugando? ¿Están ellos jugando?

Am I reading a book? / ¿Estoy yo leyendo un libro?
Is Helen phoning a friend? / ¿Está Helen telefoneando a un amigo?

c.) En la forma interrogativa-negativa se coloca la partícula not después del sujeto:

Aren't you reading a book? / ¿No estás leyendo un libro?
Isn't Helen phoning a friend? / ¿No está Helen telefoneando a un amigo?

USO DEL PRESENTE PROGRESIVO

a.) Indica una acción que se está desarrollando en ese momento. 

He is smoking / Él está fumando
Está fumando en este momento. Puede ser un fumador habitual o puede que fume en muy raras ocasiones. (*) Oberva la diferencia con el ejemplo anterior del Presente Simple 'He smokes'

I am having breakfast now and it's nine o'clock / Estoy desayunando ahora y son las nueve en punto
Estoy desayunando y en este momento son las nueve en punto. Es posible que todos los días desayune a las nueve pero podría ser también que habitualmente desayune a otra hora distinta. El hecho es que hoy desayuno a las nueve en punto.

b.) También puede indicar una acción planificada que se desarrollará en un futuro.

I am going to Barcelona tomorrow / Voy a Barcelona mañana

c.) Puede indicar una acción habitual que se repite frecuentemente. En este caso, suele acompañarse de adverbios de frecuencia ('often', 'usually', etc.)

She is always shouting / Ella siempre está gritando

Plural Rules

Como norma general, el plural se forma añadiendo -s a la forma singular: Book, books / Libro, libros               Chair, chairs / Silla, sillas Car, cars / carro, carros                    bone, bones / hueso, huesos size, sizes / tamaño, tamaños             line, lines / línea, líneas

  

EXCEPCIONES

- Cuando la palabra termina en s, ss, x, ch, sh se le añade -es al final.

Bus, Buses / Autobús, autobuses         Glass, glasses / Vaso, vasos
Fox, foxes / Zorro, zorros                     Church, churches / Iglesia, iglesias
Dish, dishes / Plato, platos                  kiss, kisses / beso, besos

radish, radishes / rábano, rábanos      peach, peaches / durazno, duraznos

- Cuando termina en -o precedida de consonante se le añade -es también, aunque hay algunas excepciones (palabras de origen no inglés, como piano, pianos)

Tomato, tomatoes / Tomate (s)          Potato, potatoes / Patata (s)

hero, heroes / héroe, héroes             volcano, volcanoes or volcanos / volcán, volcanes

piano, pianos / piano, pianos            photo, photos / foto, fotos

radio, radios / radio, radios               video, videos / video, videos

- Cuando terminan en -y precedida de consonante se sustituye la -y por la terminación -ies.

Story, stories / Historia (s)     Lady, ladies / Señora (s)        Fly, flies / Mosca (s)

- Algunas palabras que terminan en -f o -fe cambian la -f / -fe por -ves.

Knife, knives / Cuchillo (s)                   Life, lives / Vida (s)                              Wife, wives / Esposa (s)
Wolf, wolves / Lobo (s)                        Thief, thieves / Ladrón (s)                    Half, halves / Mitad (es)

(Hay algunas excepciones a esta regla, como roof, proof, chief, safe y cliff, que forman el plural añadiendo -s al final de la palabra)

- Plurales irregulares

Man, men / Hombre (s)         Woman, women / Mujer (es)             Child, children / Niño(s)
Foot, feet / Pie (s)                Tooth, teeth / Diente (s)                    Ox, oxen / Buey (es)
Mouse, mice / Ratón (es)     Goose, geese / Ganso (s)                  Louse, lice / Piojo (s)
Penny, pence / Penique (s)                                                          Dormouse, dormice / Lirón (es)

- Algunos sustantivos tienen únicamente forma singular:

                              Deer / Ciervo(s)                                     Sheep / Oveja(s)

Fish / Pez (peces) aunque existe el plural Fishes, lo cual es usado cuando se refiere a diferentes tipos de peces.

- Algunos sustantivos tienen solamente la forma plural

Goods / Mercancías              Scissors / Tijeras                  Trousers / Pantalones
Glasses / Gafas                     Pyjamas / Pijama                  Clothes / Ropa                      Thanks / Gracias

- En los nombres compuestos (sustantivos formados por dos palabras que juntas toman una significación única) solamente el segundo sustantivo toma la forma de plural.

Summer holiday, summer holidays / Veraneo(s)
Armchair, armchairs / Sillón (es)

En cambio, cuando se forman con preposiciones o adverbios el plural recae en el primer sustantivo.

Maid of honour, maids of honour / Dama(s) de honor
Brother in law, brothers in law / Cuñado(s)

Y si incluyen la palabra man o woman, los dos sustantivos forman el plural.

Manservant, menservants / Criado(s)

- OJO con los adjetivos. Recuerda que únicamente tienen forma singular.

Red, Good, Easy, Beautiful ...

A B mouse mice woman women house houses ox oxen friend friends sheep sheep door doors church churches potato potatoes cat cats cow cows mosquito mosquitoes man men child children story stories store stores watermelon watermelons sister-in-law sisters-in-law smile smiles meter meters fox foxes cross crosses staple staples farm farms computer computers teacher teachers country countries loaf loaves life lives chief chiefs foot feet deer deer fish fish bus buses thirty thirties bluff bluffs thief thieves home homes sky skies city cities waste wastes problem problems factory factories river rivers turkey turkeys day days tax taxes night nights car cars business businesses spy spies cloud clouds farmer farmers kitten kittens product products highway highways toy toys lady ladies gentleman gentlemen nose noses pepper peppers oven ovens mess messes lion lions owl owls mountain mountains cuff cuffs carpet carpets light lights flower flowers line lines coin coins dollar dollars cupful cupfuls trout trout editor-in-chief editors-in-chief penny pennies scissors scissors pants pants inch inches goose geese tooth teeth office offices valley valleys copy copies

Prepositions of Movement

Prepositions of Place

The Body

Decimal & Math Expressions

Punctuation

ü  At the end of a sentence that is not a question or an exclamation:

o    I knocked at the door. There was no replay.

o    I knocked again.

ü  Sometimes in abbreviations:

o    Jan.        e.g.         a.m.        etc.

ü  In internet and e-mail addresses (said ‘dot’):

o    http://www.oup.com

ü  To separate words in a list:

o    A bouquet of red, pink and white roses

o    Tea, coffee, milk or hot chocolate

ü  To separate phrases or clauses:

o    If you keep calm, take your time, concentrate and think ahead, then you’re likely to pass your test.

o    Worn out after all the excitement of the party, the children soon fell asleep.

ü  To separate an introductory word or phrase, or an adverb or adverbial phrase that applies to the whole sentence, from the rest of the sentence:

o    Oh, so that’s where it was.

o    As it happens, however, I never saw her again.

o    By the way, did you hear about Sue’s car?

ü  To separate a tag question from the rest of the sentence:

o    It’s quite expensive, isn’t it?

o    You live in Bristol, right?

ü  Before a short quotation:

o    Disraeli said, ‘Little things affect little minds’.

Simple Present

EL PRESENTE DE INDICATIVO (Simple Present)

Se forma en inglés con el infinitivo del verbo sin 'to' (forma básica) para todas las personas, a excepción de la tercera persona singular que añade una -s final:

I play You play He plays We play You play They play

Yo juego Tú juegas Él juega Nosotros jugamos Ustedes juegan Ellos juegan

 

Cuando el verbo termina en -s, -ss, -sh, -o, -ch, -x se añade a la tercera persona singular la terminación '-es'. Cuando termina en '-y' precedida de consonante cambia la '-y' por '-ies'

I kiss / Yo beso        She kisses / Ella besa
I try / Yo intento      He tries / Él intenta

FORMAS NEGATIVA, INTERROGATIVA E INTERROGATIVA-NEGATIVA

A diferencia del español, para su construcción se recurre al verbo 'to do' que realiza una función auxiliar. En la tercera persona la forma 'do' cambia a 'does'.

NEGATIVA: sujeto + auxiliar + not + forma básica

I do not play You do not play He does not play  We do not play You do not play They do not play

Yo no juego Tú no juegas Él no juega Nosotros no jugamos Ustedes no juegan Ellos no juegan

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTERROGATIVA: auxiliar + sujeto + forma básica

Do I play? Do you play? Does he play? Do we play? Do you play? Do they play?

¿Juego yo? ¿Juegas tú? ¿Juega él? ¿Jugamos nosotros? ¿Juegan ustedes? ¿Juegan ellos?

INTERROGATIVO-NEGATIVA: auxiliar + sujeto + not + forma básica

Don't you play? / ¿No juegas?
Doesn't he play? / ¿No juega?

USOS DEL PRESENTE INDICATIVO

a.) Para indicar acciones o estados habituales

He smokes / Él fuma

Es un fumador. No se trata de que está fumando un cigarrillo en este momento, sino que lo que se indica es que es una persona que habitualmente fuma.

I get up at nine o'clock / Me levanto a las nueve en punto
No estoy diciendo que me estoy levantando y que son las nueve, sino que habitualmente suelo levantarme a dicha hora.

b.) Dado que se emplea para indicar acciones o estados habituales, suele acompañarse de los adverbios de tiempo (usually,  sometimes, never, etc.).

I often get angry with Rachel / A menudo me enfado con Raquel

c.) Puede indicar una acción indeterminada en el tiempo:

I speak English / Hablo Inglés

Does She sing? / Ella canta?
He doesn't drink coffee / No bebe café

How To Learn English!

  

1.   Speak without Fear

The biggest problem most people face in learning a new language is their own fear.  They worry that they won’t say things correctly or that they will look stupid so they don’t talk at all.  Don’t do this.  The fastest way to learn anything is to do it – again and again until you get it right.  Like anything, learning English requires practice.  Don’t let a little fear stop you from getting what you want. 

2.   Use all of your Resources

Even if you study English at a language school it doesn’t mean you can’t learn outside of class.  Using as many different sources, methods and tools as possible, will allow you to learn faster.  There are many different ways you can improve your English, so don’t limit yourself to only one or two.  The internet is a fantastic resource for virtually anything, but for the language learner it's perfect.

3.   Surround Yourself with English

The absolute best way to learn English is to surround yourself with it.  Take notes in English, put English books around your room, listen to English language radio broadcasts, watch English news, movies and television.  Speak English with your friends whenever you can. The more English material that you have around you, the faster you will learn and the more likely it is that you will begin “thinking in English.”

4.   Listen to Native Speakers as Much as Possible

There are some good English teachers that have had to learn English as a second language before they could teach it.  However, there are several  reasons why many of the best schools prefer to hire native English speakers. One of the reasons is that native speakers have a natural flow to their speech that students of English should try to imitate.  The closer ESL / EFL students can get to this rhythm or flow, the more convincing and comfortable they will become. 

5.   Watch English Films and Television

This is not only a fun way to learn but it is also very effective.  By watching English films (especially those with English subtitles) you can expand your vocabulary and hear the flow of speech from the actors.  If you listen to the news you can also hear different accents.

6.   Listen to English Music

Music can be a very effective method of learning English.  In fact, it is often used as a way of improving comprehension.  The best way to learn though, is to get the lyrics (words) to the songs you are listening to and try to read them as the artist sings.  There are several good internet sites where one can find the words for most songs. This way you can practice your listening and reading at the same time.  And if you like to sing, fine.

7.   Study As Often As Possible!

Only by studying things like grammar and vocabulary and doing exercises, can you really improve your knowledge of any language. 

8.   Do Exercises and Take Tests

Many people think that exercises and tests aren't much fun.  However, by completing exercises and taking tests you can really improve your English. One of the best reasons for doing lots of exercises and tests is that they give you a benchmark to compare your future results with.  Often, it is by comparing your score on a test you took yesterday with one you took a month or six months ago that you realize just how much you have learned.  If you never test yourself, you will never know how much you are progressing. Start now by doing some of the many exercises and tests on this site, and return in a few days to see what you've learned. Keep doing this and you really will make some progress with English.

9.   Record Yourself

Nobody likes to hear their own voice on tape but like tests, it is good to compare your tapes from time to time.  You may be so impressed with the progress you are making that you may not mind the sound of your voice as much.

10.              Listen to English

By this, we mean, speak on the phone or listen to radio broadcasts, audiobooks or CDs in English. This is different than watching the television or films because you can’t see the person that is speaking to you.  Many learners of English say that speaking on the phone is one of the most difficult things that they do and the only way to improve is to practice.