CONNECTORS

CONNECTORS

PURPOSE:

TO                              + Infinitive

IN ORDER TO          + Infinitive

SO AS TO                  + Infinitive

SO THAT                   + Sentence: Subject + Verb (Could / Would) + (Complement)

IN ORDER THAT    + Sentence: Subject + Verb (Could / Would) + (Complement)

CONTINUITY (and):

IN ADDITION

FURTHERMORE

MOREOVER

CONTRAST (but):

HOWEVER

YET

NEVERTHELESS

CONCESSIVE:

ALTHOUGH / THOUGH

DESPITE / IN SPITE OF

EXEMPLIFYING:

ON THE ONE HAND … ON THE OTHER HAND

FOR EXAMPLE

FOR INSTANCE 

A Movie Review

A Movie Review / Movie Criticism (121)

I prefer comedies and romantic films than those full of blood and special effects because when I go to the cinema I don't like being scared every second and my intention is just to have a good time.

 

In addition, comedies are usually more intelligent than any other kind of movie and, therefore, actors can perform better their role and shine as the stars they are. Besides, when considering the different registers comedian must undertake my preferences are even clearer.

 

Finally, I would like to mention the Spanish Cinema and express my support since, with a ridiculous budget if compared to, for example, American movies, they achieve their aim of entertaining and make us dream.

How to Make a Production

How to Make a Production (80 to 100 words)

 

BEGINNING / INTRODUCTION

First paragraph: 3 lines

 

TEMPORAL:                                    FIRST, FIRSTLY

PERSONAL:

My (personal) opinion is that …

I must / have to / need to say that …

I would like to say / state / affirm that …

I consider / think / guess that …

GENERAL:

It is said / thought / believed that …

(Most of the) people think that …

DEVELOPMENT

Second / Third paragraphs: 3 lines each

TEMPORAL:                                    SECOND, NEXT, THEN

CONTINUITY:

Furthermore, Besides, In addition,

CONTRAST:

But, However, Nevertheless,

ENDING / CONCLUSION

Final paragraph: 3 lines

TEMPORAL:             LAST, TO FINISH, FINALLY, TO END WITH, ENDING

To sum up, To summarize, In conclusion, To end by saying,

I would like to add that …

I must finish saying that …

ADJECTIVES

ADJECTIVES

DEFINITION:

Words modifying nouns or pronouns, usually giving a characteristic of them:
-A good / tall / handsome / young man

CHARACTERISTICS:

They are invariable, that is, they have neither plural nor gender differentiation:
- one black house                              - two black houses
- one black horse                               - two black horses

 POSITION:

ATTRIBUTIVE: They go before the nouns or pronouns they modify.
- good dog      - enormous grey elephant

 PREDICATIVE: They can be used without nouns or pronouns when employed after the verb.

 - The film IS long and boring

- Virtual reality SEEMS real
- You LOOK beautiful today

 ADJECTIVES are essential to describe people. Thus, when describing a person we could refer to:

1) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE (We usually employ TO BE): What does he look like?
He is tall. They are athletic. I am short.

2) PERSONALITY (We usually employ TO BE): What is he like?

She is kind. You are generous. We are intelligent

3) A PERSON'S SPECIFIC PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTIC (We usually employ HAVE GOT):

He has got long red hair. They have got big broad noses. You have got round blue eyes.

 ORDER:

ARTICLE + OPINION + SIZE / AGE + SHAPE + COLOUR + ORIGIN + MATERIAL + PURPOSE +  NOUN               (OSASCOMP)

• OPINION: handy, simple, ugly, precious
• SIZE: small, tiny, large, big
• AGE: old, young, middle-aged, modern
• SHAPE: round, square
• COLOUR: dark, black, shiny, light
• ORIGIN: British, foreign, Turkish
• MATERIAL: plastic, wooden, electrical
• PURPOSE: industrial, technological

Three good old black Italian wooden tables
A strange middle-aged American writer
Some big red English plastic shoes

 

GERUNDS and INFINITIVES

INFINITIVE

Infinitives are formed with the BASE plus TO.

USES:

1. After some ADJECTIVES: busy, happy, ready, tired, willing. They were happy to see you
2. After some ADVERBS: slowly, fast, low. He walked too slowly to catch the train
3. As the SUBJECT when talking about a concrete fact. To leave now will be a mistake
4. To explain PURPOSE: We went to solve the problem
5. With some VERBS: afford, agree, appear, ask, beg, care, choose, claim, dare, decide, demand, expect, fail, hope, learn, manage, need, offer, plan, prepare, pretend, promise, refuse, seem, try, wait, want, wish. She refused to talk about her private life

Verb + Object + TO-infinitive:

Some verbs are followed by an object and the TO-infinitive. In the negative form, NOT goes before the TO-infinitive: advise, allow, ask, beg, convince, command, encourage, expect, forbid, force, help, invite, need, order, permit, persuade, request, teach, tell, want, warn.

Mike told his young brother not to touch the plough.

Jane convinced her mother to buy the lamp.

I allow you to go to the toilet.

Verb + Object + BASE:

Some verbs are followed by an object and the BASE without TO. This structure is usually used with verbs of perception (see, hear, feel, listen to, smell, watch) and make and let.

I saw the runner win the race.

Our teacher always makes us copy the instructions.

Please, let me go.

 GERUND

Gerunds are formed with the BASE plus ING.

USES:

1. After PREPOSITIONS: I am very proud of being Spanish.
2. As the SUBJECT when talking in general: Smoking is unhealthy
3. With some EXPRESSIONS: be used to, get used to, can’t help, can’t stand, don’t mind, wouldn’t mind, feel like, it’s no use, look forward to, spend (time). It's no use buying her a present
4. With some VERBS: admit, avoid, consider, continue, delay, deny, detest, dislike, enjoy, finish, give up, hate, imagine, like, love, mention, mind, miss, practise, prefer, recommend, resent, resist, suggest, understand.

 

VERBS THAT CHANGE MEANING WITH THE GERUND AND THE INFINITIVE

1) FORGET:

- Forget + Gerund (the act of forgetting is after the past activity):

I will never forget winning the championship.

- Forget + Infinitive (the act of forgetting is before the action):

Don't forget to buy some milk.

2) REMEMBER:

- Remember + Gerund (the act of remembering is after the past activity):

He remembers visiting London for the first time.

- Remember + Infinitive (the act of remembering is before the action):

Remember to visit your parents.

3) REGRET:

- Regret + Gerund (the act of regretting a past action):

I don't regret sending him out.

- Regret + Infinitive (a formal statement):

We regret to inform passengers the plain will be delayed.

4) MEAN:

- Mean + Gerund (to describe the possible consequences of a decision):

His decision will mean spending lots of money in the company.

- Mean + Infinitive (an intention or a plan):

She means to start a new design.

5) STOP:

- Stop + Gerund (to abandon or put an end to something):

He stopped smoking.

- Stop + Infinitive (To interrupt an action to do something else):

We stopped the meeting to have lunch.

6) TRY:

- Try + Gerund (a suggestion or a possible solution to a problem):

Try opening the door with this key.

- Try + Infinitive (To attempt to do something):

Don't make such a noise, I'm trying to study. 

VERBS THAT DON'T CHANGE MEANING WITH THE GERUND AND THE INFINITIVE
 

-          begin, start, continue, like, love, hate, prefer.

STATIVE VERBS:

·                    They cannot be used in the progressive form

·                    They are used to express feelings, likes and dislikes, possession and mental activities:

-          LOVE, HATE, WANT

-          LIKE, DISLIKE

-          OWN, HAVE GOT

-          THINK, REMEMBER, KNOW, UNDERSTAND, BELIEVE

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PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

SUBJECT + HAVE / HAS + BEEN + VERB-ing + (Complements)

 

STATEMENT        I have been studying for ten hours

                          She has been writing a composition since Sunday

                          They have been walking home every day

NEGATION            I have not been studying for ten hours

                She has not been writing a composition since Sunday

                            They have not been walking home every day

INTERROGATION   Have I been studying for ten hours?

                  Has she been writing a composition since Sunday?

                             Have they been walking home every day?

TIME EXPRESSIONS:

 

Those related to perfect tenses.

USES:

·                   To emphasize the duration of the action: He has been training for the marathon for months

·                   Actions recently finished with a visible effect in the present: I'm tired because I have been studying all day

·                   Actions that began in the past and are not yet finished: I have been living in this house all my life

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

SUBJECT + HAD + BEEN + VERB-ing + (Complements)

STATEMENT              I had been studying for ten hours

                                She had been writing a composition since Sunday

                                They had been walking home every day

NEGATION                  I had not been studying for ten hours

     She had not been writing a composition since Sunday

                                 They had not been walking home every day

INTERROGATION     Had I been studying for ten hours?

     Had she been writing a composition since Sunday?

                              Had they been walking home every day?

TIME EXPRESSIONS:

Those related to perfect tenses.

 

USES:

·                   To emphasize the duration of the action: They had been playing with the computers for days without sleeping.

·                   Continuous actions happening in the past before another short action took place: I had been working for hours when the director came in my office.

·                    I had been trying to find an agent for months until finally I found one. (SE SUELE TRADUCIR POR ‘LLEVAR’ EN PRETÉRITO IMPERFECTO + VERBO EN GERUNDIO).
·                    Lo habitual es que esas dos acciones vayan unidas por una conjunción, que puede ser temporal (WHEN, UNTIL, BEFORE), concesiva (ALTHOUGH) o causal (BECAUSE). The play was a failure because the main character had been drinking all night.
·                    Las expresiones temporales usadas con el PERFECT CONTINUOUS deben indicar un período, no un momento concreto.
·                    Si se puede contar el número de veces que ha ocurrido una cosa no se utiliza el PERFECT CONTINUOUS. He has tried has been trying to call her four times today.
·                    Los VERBOS ESTÁTICOS (WANT, KNOW, BELIEVE, etc.) no pueden ir en PERFECT CONTINUOUS.
  

PAST SIMPLE

PAST SIMPLE

SUBJECT + VERB (Past Form) + (Complements)

                        * The PAST FORM of a verb is as follows:

                                   - REGULAR VERB:            + ed

                                   - IRREGULAR VERB:        own form

STATEMENT                      I walked every day

                                        She came from school on foot

                                        They were good friends

NEGATION                         I did not walk every day

                                        She did not come from school on foot

                                        They were not good friends

INTERROGATION                Did I walk every day?

                                          Did she come from school on foot?

                                          Were they good friends?

USES:

·                    Repeated or habitual actions in the past: He wrote to her every day

·                    Actions completed in the past: I started the job four months ago

·                    Actions in the past without mention of time: We found the ball

·                    2nd Conditional Clauses (Improbable / Unlikely): If I went to London, I would see the Queen

TIME EXPRESSIONS:

·                    YESTERDAY / THE DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY

·                    AT (Hours) / ON (Days of the Week) / IN (Months, Years and Centuries)

·                    LAST (day, year, time, ...)

·                    AGO (Three days ago)

·                    IN THE PAST

SPELLING RULES:

·                    Silent ‘e’:              + D:     ARRIVE - ARRIVED

·                    C ú C:                   + C + ED: STOP – STOPPED / PREFER - PREFERRED

·                    Final ‘l’:                + L + ED: TRAVEL - TRAVELLED

·                    Final C + ‘y’:        + I + ED: CARRY – CARRIED / STUDY - STUDIED