Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
CLASE 1
THE SIMPLE AND CONTINUOUS PRESENT
DIALOG (diálogo)
TOUR GUIDE: We are leaving Cibeles Circle. We are heading toward Neptune Circle. We are now getting to Neptune
Circle. On the other side of the circle is the Prado Musuem. The Prado has Spain´s most famous
Painters. Can anyone name Spain´s 2 most famous painters?
TOURIST: Yes, I can. They are Goya and Velázquez.
TOUR GUIDE: Right. We are now taking a right. On your left is the Palace Hotel. The building on your right, with the
two big lions, is the Cortes or Spanish Parliament Building. We are now going up Jeranimo Street. We
are now taking a right, and now another left. We are on Alcala Street. Behind you is Cibeles, where the
main post office is. We are getting to Puerta del Sol Plaza. What does "Puerta del Sol" mean in English?
TOURIST: It means "Gateway to the Sun".
TOUR GUIDE: Right. "Puerta" normally means "door ". It can also mean "gate". If it is the main, open gate of a big
place, it means "gateway". We are now going down Arenal Street. What does "arenal" mean?
TOURIST: "Arenal" means "pit".
TOUR GUIDE: Right again. We are coming into Isabel II Plaza. That building behind Isabel II´s statue is The Royal
Theater. Is it really a theater?
TOURIST: No, it isn´t a theater. It´s a concert hall.
TOUR GUIDE: Excellent. Now we´re coming into Oriental Square, and in front of you is The Royal Palace. It reminds
me of King Charles III.
TOURIST: We know who Charles III is. His statue is the Puerta del Sol.
TOUR GUIDE: How do you all know so much?
TOURIST: We are studying Spanish culture, language and history in the University of Madrid.
TOUR GUIDE: Oh! My God!
VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
to leave salir, abandonar pit arenal
to head toward dirigirse hacia concert hall sala de conciertos
to take a right girar a la derecha door puerta
to take a left girar a la izquierda gate puerta de valla
to go up Subir gateway puerta abierta
to go down bajar front frente, fachada
to get to, to come to llegar circle círculo
to come into entrar statue estatua
to go straight up subir recto building edificio
to go straight down bajar recto plaza, square plaza
Read carefully this grammar note. (Lee esta nota de gramática atentamente)
OBSERVA:
En inglés es necesario utilizar uno u otro dependiendo del momento en el que se produzca la acción. Por ejemplo, "Do
you leave home now?" es incorrecto; debería ser "Are you leaving home now?". En español las 2 frases significan
"¿Sales de casa ahora?"
NOTA:
Para más información sobre el tiempo presente de los verbos, consultar la Clase 6 y la Clase 7 del curso introductorio.
TEXT (texto)
TWIN TOWERS EXPLOSION (NOV., 1998, NEW YORK CITY)
Before I went back (volver) home, I heard a bomb go off (explotar). I was going out (salir) with my girl friend at the time.
We were going over (repasar) old times. We were just about to go into (entrar) a shop. In fact, we were going up (subir)
to the door of the shop. After the explosion, my girl friend wanted to go away (marcharse), but there were some cops in
the street who had gone on strike (ir a la huelga). They told us to go on (continuar) or at least go out (salir fuera) of the
area.
VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
to go over (to review) repasar to go away (to leave) marcharse
to go out salir o apagarse to go into (to enter) entrar
to go on (to carry on) continuar to go on strike ir a la huelga
to go back volver to go off explotar, marcharse
Read carefully this grammar note. (Lee esta nota de gramática atentamente)
Un "phrasal verb" es simplemente un verbo unido a otra palabra (a menudo una preposición aunque no siempre): "to
go" (ir) + "out" (fuera) = salir.
OBSERVA LO SIGUIENTE:
to go out (prep.) the door = salir de la puerta
to go out (adv.) into the garden = salir al jardín
La clave para entender el significado de un Phrasal Verb está en la palabra que sigue al verbo; "to go": up (subir),
down (bajar), into (entrar), etc.
Dentro de un texto, incluso en un texto con verbos muy parecidos como el anterior, no represente un gran problema si
lo leemos dentro de su contexto.
TEXT (texto)
TRAFFIC PROBLEMS IN FLORIDA
All states in the U.S. are divided into counties. There are 67 counties in Florida. Since it is the fastest-growing state, there
have been many changes in the highway system. One example of these changes is Escambia County in northwest Florida.
In Escambia there were 11 surveys in the year 2000 to determine the traffic on secondary roads. The Florida Department
of Transportation conducted the survey. Residents were asked the following questions:
There will be 6 new secondary highways in Escambia in the year 2001, but not because of the survey. The results were
lost in the computer system. So why was the mix-up in the presidential elections a big surprise?
VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
Read carefully this grammar note. (Lee esta nota de gramática atentamente)
Read carefully this grammar note. (Lee esta nota de gramática atentamente)
Para poner los verbos regulares en pasado (afirmativos), se pone "d" o "ed" detrás del infinitivo.
NOTA:
Para más información sobre los tiempo pasados de los verbos, consultar la Clase 8, la Clase 9 y la Clase 10
del curso introductorio.
EJERCICIOS (ejercicios)
Click on each speaker icon and repeat the sound (pincha en cada uno de los altavoces y repite el sonido).
VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
to get tired cansarse to get in, into entrar
to get to bed acostarse to get a fax recibir un fax
to get a shower ducharse to get worse empeorar
to get too hot calentarse demasiado to get around girar, esquivar, adelantar
to get out salir to get up levantarse
to get dry secarse to get a kiss recibir un beso
to get down bajar to get away escapar
Read carefully this grammar note. (Lee esta nota de gramática atentamente)
"To get" tiene los siguientes significados: llegar, recibir, coger, sacar, conseguir. En realidad, hay que pensar que "to
get" es obtener o conseguir algo. Por ejemplo, "to get my mother a Christmas present" es literalmente "conseguir un
regalo de navidad para mi madre", o sea, "comprar un regalo de navidad para mi madre".
Entonces, "to get" es "lograr algo" de alguna forma. Por ejemplo, "to get away" (escaparar) es "conseguir alejarse".
Cuando hay una palabra añadida (phrasal verbs), tiene otros significados: to get by (apañarse, defenderse), to get
over (recuperarse), to get through (pasar), to get a cold (resfriarse), etc.
Hay más, La clave para entender los significados son las palabras que siguen a "get": "up", "down", etc.
TEXT (texto)
THE SOUTH
"The South" is the southeastern U.S. It consists of such states as Virginia, Kentucky, Florida, etc.
It has its own dialect called the "Southern drawl", which is spoken very slowly. Two of its common words are "ain´t"
(negative of the present forms of "to be": "they ain´t" = they aren´t) and "ya´ll" (all of you).
It also has its own cooking, customs, and climate. "Southern fried chicken" ("Kentucky fried chicken") and corn bread are
typically from that area. Before the 60s, taking a nap after lunch was quite common.
The climate is hot and humid. Its commercial center is Atlanta. It has a large Black population and in the past was
principally an agricultural region, mostly cotton and corn. Its most famous novel is "Gone with the Wind". Also in the past,
it was known in foreign countries for its racial conflicts. Today it is the fastest growing area in the nation, and its racial
practices and attitudes have changed, thank God!
VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
southeastern sur este corn maíz
Southern drawl el acento del sureste de EE. UU. "Gone with the Wind" "Lo que ell viento se llevó"
cooking cocina fastest growing mayor crecimiento
nap siesta foreign extranjero
cotton algodón thank God Gracias a Díos
Read carefully this grammar note. (Lee esta nota de gramática atentamente)
Por ejemplo, la gente en Atlanta (people in Atlanta) es plural, porque "gente" siempre es plural. En cambio, si
hablamos de Atlanta como ciudad, entonces hay que usar "it".
"It" (lo) es también el sujeto complemento: I see it = Yo lo veo. Además, cuando es posesivo, el " it" se convierte en
"its": "its own dialect" = "su propio dialecto".
SOLUTIONS (soluciones)
1. The states of Florida, Alabama, and Virginia are in the South.
They are in the South.
2. "Kentucky fried chicken" is tipically from the South.
It is tipically from the South.
3. The climate is hot and humid.
It is hot and humid.
4. Atlanta is not the capital of Georgia.
It is not the capital of Georgia.
5. People live really well in Atlanta.
They live really well in Atlanta.
Your label on the bottle is clear: "There are no seeds in the olives".
I am going to sue you. My broken tooth caused an infection and problems to my other teeth. Please send your insurance
adjuster to my home. I want a fair settlement. My dentist bills are $600, but what about my pain and suffering?
VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
complaint reclamación (queja) fair justo
to sue demandar settlement indemnización
seed semilla bill factura
insurance seguros pain dolor
adjuster inspector What about? ¿Qué pasa con ...? (¿Te apetece ...?)
Read carefully this grammar note. (Lee este nota de gramática atentamente)
OBSERVA:
Como ejemplo, en el anterior texto "A LETTER OF COMPLAINT", en el primer párrafo no hay contracciones, pero en
el segundo y tercer párrafos, sí las hay. Esto es debido a que el primero (una introducción) es informal, y el segundo y el
tercero son más serios (va a demandar a la empresa).
EJEMPLOS:
CLASE 8 - EL GERUNDIO
TEXT (texto)
MY STORY THAT BECAME A LEGEND (NOV. 26, 1959; Hattiesburg, Miss., U.S.A)
In my college days, taking my girl friend home was marvelous. She had a dark complexion, big blue eyes, and other
interesting features. Her name was Cherry. (The sad part of this story is that later she became my wife.)
On that cold night, after leaving the highway, I parked off a small dirt road.
While listening to the radio, we heard that a dangerous convict had escaped from the local prison. He had a metal hook
for a hand.
"Let´s go back to the university," Cherry said.
At her university dormitory, I got out of the car and went around to open her door. Hanging on her door handle was the
hook!
VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
to take home llevar a casa to get out, to leave salir
features características to go around ir alrededor
dirt road carretera de tierra to hang colgar
hook gancho dangerous peligroso
cherry cereza highway carretera de asfalto
dark complexion morena dormitory residencia de estudiantes
handle tirador de puerta college universidad
to become llegar a ser, convertirse
Read carefully this grammar note. (Lee esta nota de gramática atentamente)
EJEMPLO:
I am speaking = Yo estoy hablando
De vez en cuando un verbo se convierte en sustantivo ( por ejemplo. "el hablar"). En este caso se utiliza el gerundio.
EJEMPLO:
Speaking is probably the most important part of a language.
(El hablar es probablemente la parte más importante de un idioma)
Expresión preposicional: De ir = of going. Aquí, "ir" actua como sustantivo.
EJEMPLO:
What time of day are you thinking of going?
¿A qué hora del día piensas ir?
"For" (para) más la preposición "to" no existe en inglés:
EJEMPLO:
Madrid es estupendo para vivir. (TAMBIÉN: Madrid está bien para vivir.)
Madrid is fine for to live. (INCORRECTO)
Madrid is fine for living. (CORRECTO)
EXERCISES (ejercicios)
1. I like swimming.
2. I like swimming.
3. After going to the university, we went to a restaurant.
4. Studying at that University is difficult.
5. Being tired is normal in Madrid.
TEXT (texto)
THE KEYS (by Mrs. Wilson)
Ann Wilson is the 12th grade (18-year-olds) physical education teacher at Columbus High School in Ohio. She gave Linda,
one of her students, the keys to the girls´ locker room in the gym. Linda gave the keys to 2 other girl students.
When Mrs.Wilson saw Linda in the hall, she asked her (Linda) about the keys, and she (Linda) said:
- "I gave them (the keys) to them (the 2 students), but they (the 2 students) gave them (the keys) to Susan to give to
me. She (Susan) couldn´t find me, so she gave them (the keys) to Robert, who took off the blue key from the ring and
gave it (the blue key) to Mr. Johnson (another teacher). Robert put the key ring in your mail box. Mr. Johnson just gave it
(the blue key) to me, and I was going to use it (the blue key) to open your mail box to put it (the blue key) on them (the
key ring) and give them (all the keys) to give to you. Here, take it (the blue key), and you can put it (the blue key) on
them (the key ring) yourself."
- "Thanks, Linda," said Mrs. Wilson. "I´ve only wasted 30 minutes looking for you in order to find out that I have to
waste another 10 minutes to get my keys."
- "You´re welcome, Mrs.Wilson. Any time you need a favor, I´ll be glad to help you."
VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
EJEMPLO:
Se lo da.
NOTA:
Para más información sobre los pronombres, consultar la Clase 25, Clase 26, Clase 27, Clase 28 y la Clase 29 del curso
introductorio.
EXERCISES (ejercicios)
1. I´m bringing them to you.
TEXT (texto)
PROFESSIONALES (by John Lang)
I make my living by painting seascapes. Probably the best American seascapist is Winslow Homer.
This year, in the late spring, I went to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, to paint the ocean waves crashing against the rocks.
In my Travelers´ Inn room I found a promotional questionaire, which asked the following:
If you fill out this form and are a professional, we will reduce your bill by 15%. I filled out the form and showed it and my
credentials as a painter to the man at the desk.
VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
seascape marina form documento
waves olas, ondas bill factura
to crash chocar to fill out rellenar
questionaire cuestionario to recognize reconocer
advertisement (ad) anuncio de propaganda comercial ever alguna vez
Inn posada
Read carefully this grammar note. (Lee esta nota de gramática atentamente)
GRAMMAR - THE PRESENT PERFECT AND THE PAST
(gramática - el presente perfecto y el pasado)
El perfecto (yo he ido = I have gone) es una mezcla del presente con el pasado. En realidad, el
perfecto es un pasado indeterminado, y el pasado simple (yo fui = I went) es una acción ya concluida.
PARECE MENTIRA QUE LA GENTE TENGA PROBLEMAS USANDO ESTA FORMA AL CONTESTAR.
ES SUPER FÁCIL: SIMPLEMENTE COPIE A LA OTRA PERSONA, O SEA, CUANDO UNA PERSONA
PREGUNTE EMPLEANDO UNA FORMA, CÓPIELE... HASTA QUE USTED LO HAYA DOMINADO.
Have you seen Zaragossa? ¿Has visto Zaragoza?
Yes, I have seen Zaragossa. Si, he visto Zaragoza.
En español, en conversación, el perfecto está más cerca del presente que en inglés.
EXERCISES (ejercicios)
CLASE 11 - PRONUNCIACIÓN
TEXT (texto)
THE MOST COMMON MISTAKE
By Dr. Richard Grayson, University of West Florida
They have a tendency to put an "e" in front of such words. For instance, the word
"special", they pronounce "e-special"; "speak", "e-speak"; "Spanish", "e-Spanish", etc.
The following is an exercise to correct this. Pronounce the word first in Spanish, the
second in English incorrectly, and the third in English correctly:
Spanish Incorrectly in English Correctly in English
especial e-special special
Español e-Spanish Spanish
hablar e-speak speak
I speak special Spanish; you speak special Spanish; he speaks special Spanish.
If you listen to my pronunciation and copy it, you will have elimated the most common error made by
Spanish-speaking peoples.
VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
Spanish- de habla española (no "Spanish etc. (pronounced etcetera, not "E-
etc.
speaking spoken") T-C")
for instance por ejemplo following siguiente
the same
mistake error el mismo modo
way
Read carefully this grammar note. (Lee esta nota de gramática atentamente)
foundation fundación
imagination imaginación
Ejemplos:
Hablas muy rápido.
You speak very quickly.
Su (de él) imaginación trabaja lentamente.
His imagination works slowly.
Observe:
Hay un verbo que es difícil de pronunciar para los españoles en inglés y para los ingleses en español:
amenazar = to threaten.
EJERCICIOS (ejercicios)
Click on each speaker icon and repeat the sound (pincha en cada uno de los altavoces y repite el sonido).
TEXT (texto)
WHY I LIKE SPAIN SO MUCH (A radio interview with Brian Ard about his recent trip to Spain)
In August of 1999 I went to Madrid, Spain, on my honeymoon with my wife, Miriam, who is Puerto Rican. She understood
everything they said, but I only understood "no", "si", "cafeteria", and "muchos besos".
I liked it so much because they were really friendly and liked to party. They don´t like to go to bed. Four o´clock in the
morning there is like four in the afternoon here. In fact, you can´t find a cafeteria or a restaurant that has few people.
They do drive fast over there. Everybody was passing us on the highway, and I saw a sign that said "120". I asked my
cousin if "120" was miles per hour or not, if it was the maximum or minimum, and if there were any cops to stop people
from driving so fast.
Also, people liked me. I was driving slow, and a cop with a machinegun stopped me and asked me for my driving license.
I only had my fishing license from Asturias, and he laughed a lot and let me go on driving.
In Segovia, in a church, I saw a dead person, a saint probably, laying in a glass casket. He was decayed and nasty. It
made me sick. So in Spain they leave some people in churches to die.
The country is a little crazy, but a lot of fun. They are always celebrating something. They have all these statues for
virgins, which is rather odd. We must have some virgins in the States, but we don´t make statues for them!
VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
interview entrevista driving license permiso de conducir
honey moon luna de miel nasty sucio
friendly amigable crazy loco
to party pasarlo bien to lay tumbar
(to have a good time)
few pocos odd ( limpiar ) raro
sign señal de tráfico to go on continuar
cousin primo rather bastantes
cops policia the States EE.UU
Read carefully this grammar note. (Lee esta nota de gramática atentamente)
COMPARE:
I like me gusta I love yo quiero
You like te gusta You love tu quieres
He likes le gusta (a él ) He loves el quiere
We like nos gusta we love nosotros queremos
you like os gusta you love vosotros queréis
They like les gusta They love ellos quieren
Reflexivo:
Él se gusta. He likes himself.
Él se gustó. He liked himself.
No reflexivo:
A él le gustan las mujeres. He likes women.
Él gusta a las mujeres. Women like him.
EXERCISES (ejercicios)
TEXT (texto)
DOES PARAPSYCHOLOGY NEED A UNIVERSITY?
When Sigmund Freud died in 1939, psychology was beginning to be accepted worldwide by the inteligensia. Universities
soon began to accept it in their curricula.
When Carl Jung died in 1961, parapsychology was beginning to be accepted worldwide by the inteligensia.
Today there are no universities or even university departments for parapsychology. There are, however, departments of
psychology and physics that conduct parapsychological experiments: the universities of North Carolina, London, Stanford,
etc.
For instance, Stanford does experiments on mind control; the University of N. C. on telepathy; the University of London
on forecasting.
Ask Dr. Jung, Mesmer, Pauli, Brosse, Schrödinger, Minkowski, etc.: all those scientists and Nobel Prize winners, who have
added on to our knowledge of the field!
VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
To die morir
Worldwide universal
Inteligensia la comunidad de los intelectuales
Prize premio
Winner ganador
To add on añadir
Knowledge conocimiento
Field campo
However sin embargo
Read carefully this grammar note. (Lee esta nota de gramática atentamente)
Esta regla es así, excepto para la tercera persona singular: El "do" se convierte en "does" cuando es tercera persona del
singular (he, she, or it).
EXERCISES (ejercicios)
1. Does she want to live in Valencia? (¿Quiere vivir en Valencia?)
2. Does he like to speak Spanish? (¿Le gusta hablar español?)
3. Does she want to work? (¿Quiere trabajar)
4. Does he go to the supermarket? (¿Va al supermercado?)
5. Does she think in Spanish? (¿Piensa en español?)
TEXT (texto)
HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (by Mr. Lucas)
Generally, screenplays (scripts) are written by pouring a character in a situation or a situation in a character.
You must first write a character study. Then you must describe the situation.
Next, you write a one-page story, which must be divided into 3 parts (like a theater play): the beginning, the middle, and
the end. A script is generally 120 pages, one page per minute of screen time.
The beginning is 30 pages long; the middle, 60 pages long; the end, 30 pages long. Of course you write the end first: you
must know where the story will go.
Next, you write the beginning, and after that, the middle, which is the hardest part.
Certainly, you must include 2 plot points (pages 28 and 88). A plot point is a surprise, where the story goes into another
direction. Also, scenes must be connected by transitions (no camera directions please).
For instance, if you finish a scene by closing a door, begin the next scene by opening another door. Wait until the script is
finished before you write the dialogues.
Actually, it takes about 6 years, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week to learn how to write a screenplay. If it were easy,
everybody would write one!
VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
Sreenplay, script guión de cine
To pour echar / verter
Teather play obra de tetro
The hardest el más duro
Screen pantalla
Certainly por supuesto
Plot point punto de giro
Scene secuencia
Everybody todo el mundo
Like, How como
Read carefully this grammar note. (Lee esta nota de gramática atentamente)
Examples:
LAS EXCEPCIONES
Sin embargo, aparte de emplear "how" con el "cuanto" (¿Cuánto tiempo? = How long?, etc.) y ¿Te apetece? o ¿Te parece?
(¿Qué te parece si damos un paseo? = How about a walk?), empleamos "how" de otra forma: para explicar que sabemos
como realizar una actividad.
Example:
Sé nadar. I know how (como) to swim.
Esta forma simple seguida por un infinitivo y el verbo "saber" o "conocer", no se traduce.
Another example:
Sé jugar el tenis. I know how to play tennis.
Observa:
La gente de habla inglesa ha mezclado "like" y "as", que ya no distinguen la diferencia.
EXERCISES (ejercicios)
1. ¿Sabe el Sr. Lucas como hay que escribir un guión? (how)
2. El me ha dicho, "¿Cómo estás?". (how)
3. El no es como yo. (like)
4. ¿Cómo conoces la historia? (how)
5. Tardas tiempo en aprender ....... escribir un guión. (how)
CLASE 15 - EL IMPERATIVO
Dear Son:
Don´t do as I did. Do as I tell you to do. If you don´t, you will. Why? Because I have the money and you don´t.
Do I love you? Yes, I do, but you aren´t doing what you should - study. Actually, you´re doing exactly what I did, until
my father told me like I´m telling you: stop loafing! You´re grades have gone down. I´ve paid a speeding ticket, a big
one, since you were intoxicated, but not romatically. Then again, your mother noticed that there have been different
colors of lipstick on your collars. Your credit card shows that you´ve charged enough gas (gasoline) to go to Cadiz and
back. Etc.
So some partying is fine, but remember: I am not your mother!
You need not answer this letter. I will accept your actions as an answer.
Love, Your Dad
VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
should deberia to charge cargar ( crédito )
to loaf hacer el vago gas (gasolina ) gasolina
grades notas de exámen to party disfrutar
to go down bajar Dad/ Daddy Papá / papaiío
then again más bien to notice observar / pillar
speeding ticket multa de tráfico lipstick pintalabios
collar cuello de camisa like,as como
Read carefully this grammar note. (Lee esta nota de gramática atentamente)
GRAMMAR - EL IMPERATIVO
(gramática - el imperativo)
Siempre se usa el sujeto en inglés, salvo cuando es imperativo.
EXAMPLES:
He sees you. Te ve.
He believes you. Te cree.
EXERCISES (ejercicios)
1. Dámelo. Give it to me.
2. Déselo (a él). Give it to him.
3. Ven aquí. Come here.
4. Ayúdame por favor. Please help me.
5. Repítemelo por favor. Repeat it please.
TEXT (texto)
AN E-MAIL FROM MONICA TO BILLY
I knew you needed a more youthful point of view. You wanted someone with a feminine touch, too. You said my attitude
was very refreshing.
It is true that I got my degree in interstate relations several years ago. You said that there was a position, which was
especially for me.
Remember I told you that I didn´t mind working late, very late.
VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
youthful juvenil to mind querer decir
point of view punto de vista I didn't mind no me importó
touch toque to take me on aceptar un puesto de trabajo
interstate autovía earliest el más temprano ( pronto )
degree título de Universidad convience conveniencia
Read carefully this grammar note. (Lee esta nota de gramática atentamente)
GRAMMAR - PAST IRREGULARY VERBS
(gramática - el pasado de los verbos irregulares)
Sin ninguna duda, aparte de los verbos compuestos, esta es la parte más difícil del inglés.
(Observe que no hay cambios al hacer preguntas o contestar en negativo : se emplea el infinitivo)
England is called "a nation of shopkeepers", just as the U.S.A. is called "a nation of joiners".
There are members of a country club, the MDA (American Medical Association), and consumer groups.
There are also groups who give awards to the worst artists, films, and politicians of the year, etc. If there is a pro-
abortion group, there is a pro-life group.
Foreigners don´t realize just how important these associations are. In fact, many groups put pressure on governmental
instituations and individuals to obtain their goals.
This is called "lobbying". Lobbying groups are those groups who pressure Congress and the President to pass laws for
their causes.
It was President Carter who expressed the danger of being pressured to act for a single cause instead of the national
interests.
VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
joiners los que ingresan in fact de hecho
shopkeppers tenderos lobby grupo de presión
awards galardones to pass laws aprobar leyes
to realice darse cuenta danger peligro
instead of en vez de single único
Read carefully this grammar note. (Lee esta nota de gramática atentamente)
Ejemplo:
I am = yo estoy
Gone = ido
Estoy fuera. = I am gone.
Otros ejemplos:
Él está parado en la carretera por la poli. He is stopped on the highway by the cops.
Él fue parado en la carretera por la poli. He was stopped on the highway by the cops.
EXERCISES (ejercicios)
1. It was spent Fue gastado
2. I am fed up Estoy harto
3. I am left out Estoy fuera
4. I am finished Estoy terminado
5. I am tired Estoy cansado
TEXT (texto)
ORIENTATION (by Ronald G. Watson)
In the late 1950s, there were as many university student failures in the U.S. as Europe and more. After much wrangling,
the U.S. federal government gave universities extra money if they included orientation courses in their curricula.
Orientation is a university course that teaches students how to study. By 1960 these courses were in as many universities
as colleges, both private and public. They saved students as much as time as work. They also improved grades by 80%.
In these courses students learned "spaced cramming", speed reading, etc. Specifically, they learned not to listen to music
while studying: the brain consumes more oxygen (more energy, more effort). They also learned to put their notes on only
one side of the page: the other side can be used for extra notes. They learned not to use a pencil. Pencil marks smear or
become blurred.
They learned not to study one hour before an exam, since this is the weakest point of your recall curve.
Actually students began to learn more in the U.S. than Europe in less time. Of course less failures saved the U.S. federal
government a lot of money and students a lot of headaches.
VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
failures fracaso
how to study como hay que estudiar
to save ahorrar ( salvar )
to improve mejorar
spaced cramming estudiar en cortos espacios de tiempos todos los temas importantes
to wrangle discutir
to smear emborronar (la tinta)
to recall recordar
headaches dolores de cabeza
weakest el más debil
Read carefully this grammar note. (Lee esta nota de gramática atentamente)
Tan...como As...as
EXAMPLES
Maria has as much money as me. María tiene tanto dinero como yo.
Maria has as many cars as me. María tiene tantos coches como yo.
EXERCISES (ejercicios)
TEXT (texto)
THE NEWS MEDIA
Newspaper articles answer the following questions: who, what, when, where, and how? Whose, which, how much and how
many are simply variations of those.
The first and last sentences are also summaries of the article.
In addition, like other news media, newspapers do not present a realistic picture of the world.
About 95% of the news concerns negative things. The other 5% is positive in order to make the 95% appear realistic. For
instance, no U. S. articles say that in one day: 180,000,000 people in U.S. arrived to work safely; 240,000 lives were
saved in hospitals; 11,000 peoples´ lives were saved by heroic acts; etc.
Not only does the news media distort reality, but it also presents different distortions.
Studies confirm that the the news in Spain is different than in Italy or England.
Of course news is also fabricated. If the amount of news varies, the news media´s coverage does not: radio news lasts
the same 5 minutes every day; TV news usually lasts 30 minutes; a newspaper has the same number of pages (except
Sundays).
So why do we read, listen and see the news? What news? How much news? Whose news?
VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
newspaper periódico summary resumen
who quién safely a salvo
whose de quién, cuyo to save salvar
what qué to last durar
where donde coverage cobertura
how much cuánto in addition además
how many cuántos for instance por ejemplo
when cuándo
Read carefully this grammar note. (Lee esta nota de gramática atentamente)
GRAMMAR – PRONOUNS
(gramática - los pronombres)
Why ¿por qué?
Because porque
What qué, cual, lo que
How (like y as ) ¿cómo?, como
Who quién
When cuando
How much cuánto
How many cúantos
Where dónde
Which cual / lo cual
That que / ese
Whose cuyo / de quién
Por eso, la regla dice que, cuando la comparación es indirecta (no declarada),
emplea el "what"; cuando la comparación es entre 2 cosas declaradas, hay que usar el "which".
EXERCISES (ejercicios)
1. ¿De quién es el perro? Whose
2. Él es el hombre cuyo perro está allí Whose
3. ¿Cúal es mejor? What
4. ¿Cómo es él? Which
5. ¿Cuántos tienes? How many
CLASE 20 - TRANSICIONES
TEXT (texto)
THE CLASSLESS SOCIETY
In the year 2000, there were 3 different surveys asking Americans if they were middle class or not.
In the first, 91% said yes; the second, 93%; the third, 97%.
This means that Americans don´t understand the word "class". Of the working population, 96% are employed. Fictional
unemployment (students, people job-hunting, housewives, etc.) is between 2 and 3%. The crime rate has gone down for
the last 11 years, simply because people don´t have time to commit crimes? Even with foreign emigration flooding in (the
U.S. accepts 90% of the world´s official emigration), there aren´t enough people to fill the jobs available.
Every day, TV is filled with long lists of jobs. Truly, the U.S. has become exactly what Marx envisioned: a classless society.
Even 80% of the unemployed say they are middle class!
VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
Surveys encuestas Trutly de verdad / en realidad
To mean significar To envision preveer
job-hunting busca-trabajos Even incluso
crime rate Tanto por ciento de crimenes Enough suficiente
To flood in entrar a lo bestia Available disponible
Read carefully this grammar note. (Lee esta nota de gramática atentamente)
A veces son adverbios (truly) pero también son conjunciones (and, but, etc.) o frases (in the first, etc.).
EXERCISES (ejercicios)