Thursday, November 24, 2011

Nouns as modifiers


We can use a noun as an  adjective when it precedes a noun that it modifies; The second noun takes the plural form, while the first behaves like an adjective and consequently does not, unless the word is normally used in the plural (sports anchor) or refers to people (women footballers).

I recomend you the next page:




Topic sentences



Noun/Verbs

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Nouns and verbs with the same form...

In English, sometimes the same word can be either a noun or a verb.  The only way to know if the word is a noun or a verb is from its context in the sentence.

I found this excellent video in youtube:
(Thank you Mr. Duncan)
(This video is not mine)

Friday, September 30, 2011

Skimming a text

When you decide to read, sometimes you do it because you want to know every detail of a story... In this case, Skimming is not for you.

We use skimming to find the general idea of a text or book. 

There are some techniques for reading, depending on the purpose of our reading. The most important techniques are:

  • Skimming - running the eyes over quickly, to get the gist
  • Scanning - looking for a particular piece of information
  • Extensive reading - longer texts for pleasure and needing global understanding
  • Intensive reading - shorter texts, extracting specific information, accurate reading for detail.

Skimming 

It is used to quickly identify the main idea of a text. When you read the newspaper, you're probably not reading it word-by-word, instead you're scanning the text. Skimming is done at a speed three to four times faster than normal reading. People often skim when they have lots of material to read in a limited amount of time. Use skimming when you want to see if an article may be of interest in your research.




There are many strategies that can be used when skimming. Some people read the first and last paragraphs using headings, summaries and other organizers as they move down the page or screen. You might read:

  • the title
  • subtitles
  • subheading
  • illustrations
 Consider reading the first sentence of each paragraph. This technique is useful when you're seeking specific information rather than reading for comprehension. Skimming works well to find dates, names, and places. It might be used to review graphs, tables, and charts.


If you need to practice about reading techniques, I recommend you this link:
http://www.learningtolearn.group.shef.ac.uk/read/read_reading.html

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Conditionals

Zero conditional
(for always real situations)
f clauseMain clause
If + Present tensePresent tense
If you freeze water
If he takes an aspirin,
If she comes here,
it turns into ice.
he gets an allergy.
she always sing.


First conditional
(for  real or possible situations)
If clauseMain clause
If + Present tensewill / can / may / must + verb
If it rains today,
If I have time,
If they don´t invite you,
I'll stay at home.
I will visit you in the afternoon.
you must not go.

Second conditional
(hipotetical situations)


If clauseMain clause
If + Past Simplewould / could / might + verb
If I won the lottery,
If I were you,
If I were younger,
I would travel around the world.
I would marry with him.
I would travel a lot.
Third conditional
(hipotetical past situation)
If clauseMain clause
If + Past Perfect tensewould/could/might + have + past participle
If I had won the lottery,I would have own the biggest shop in town.


theory




2nd. conditional

Thursday, August 25, 2011

LOTS OF vs. A LOT OF


In spoken English we often use lots of or a lot of. In written English, it is more common to write many (for countable plural nouns) or a great deal of (for uncountable nouns) in positive statements.

A common mistake is to use lot of. For example, "There are lot of accidents on this road". To avoid making this mistake, remember either to use a before lot, or to makelot plural – lots.
We can say either a lot of or lots of before a noun. For example, "There are a lot of people here" or "There arelots of people here". There isn't any difference between the two expressions.
We can also use a lot as an adverb to say how much you do something. For example, "She talks a lot".
A lot is also used in short answers. For example, "Do you like swimming?", "Yes, a lot."

hello / good bye!


(1st.Level)



Prefixes and Suffixes
(5th. Level)





An English word can consist of three parts: the root, a prefix and a suffix.


The root is the part of the word that contains the basic meaning (definition) of the word. The root is the base element of the word.
ex.  write
 A prefix is a word element that is placed in front of a root. A prefix changes the word's meaning or makes a new word. A suffix is a word element that is placed after the root.


ex.  rewrite
 The suffix changes the word's meaning as well as its function (use). Prefixes and suffixes are called affixes because they are attached to a root.


ex.  writer 



PREFIX
MEANING
USAGE
ab,abs
from, away from
abduct,  
abstinence
ad, ac, af, ag, an, ap, ar, as, at
to, forward
accord,
affliction, 
aggregation 
annexation  
addition

ambi
both
ambiguous
ambivalent
an, a
without
anarchy 
amoral 
ante
before
antecedent 
antediluvian 
anti
against, opposite
antipathy  
antithetical 

arch
chief, first
archetype
archbishop 
be
over, thoroughly
bedaub 
befuddle 

bi
two
bicameral 
biennial
cata
down
catastrophe
cataract 
catapult

circum
around
circumnavigate 
circumspect  
circumscribe

com, co, col, con, cor
with, together
combine
coeditor
collateral  
connected
conference
corroborate 

contra, contro
against
contravene 
controversy 

de
down, away
debase
decadence 
deterioration
demi
partly, half
demigod
di
two
dichotomy
dilemma 
dia
across
diagonal 
diameter 
dis, dif
not, apart
discord
differ 
dys
faulty, bad
dysfunctional
ex, e
out
exit
exodus
extra, extro
beyond, outside
extracurricular
extraterritorial 
extrovert 







Suffix
Meaning
Usage
able, ible
capable of
(adjective suffix)
portable - able to be carried
legible 
ac, ic
like, pertaining to
cardiac - pertaining to heart
aquatic - pertaining to water
acious, icious
full of
audacious - full of daring,
avaricious - full of greed
al
pertaining to
maniacal - insane
portal - doorway
logical - pertaining to logic
ant, ent
full of
eloquent - pertaining to fluid, effective speech.
verdant - green
ary
like, connected with
dictionary - book connected with words
honorary - connected with honor
ate
to make
(verb suffix)
consecrate - to make holy
mitigate - make less severe
ation
that which is
(noun suffix)
irritation - that which is irritated
cy
state of being
(noun suffix)
democracy - ruled by people
obstinacy - obstinate state, stubbornness
eer, er, or
person who
(noun suffix)
mountaineer - person who climbs mountains
teacher - one who teaches
advisor - person who advises
escent
becoming
(adjective suffix)
evanescent - tending to vanish
pubescent - arriving at puberty
fic
making, doing
(adjective suffix)
fantastic - arousing great wonder
terrific - arousing great fear
fy
to make (verb suffix)
magnify - to enlarge
petrify - turn to stone
iferous
producing, bearing
(adjective suffix)
pestiferous - carrying disease
vociferous - having a loud voice
il, ile
pertaining to, capable of
(adjective suffix)
civil - polite
docile - easily taught or led
ism
doctrine, belief
(noun suffix)
monotheism - belief in one God
socialism - kind of governance
ist
dealer, doer
(noun suffix)
realist - one who is realistic
dentist - deals with teeth
ity
state of being
(noun suffix)
sagacity - state of being wise
ive
like (adjective suffix)
quantitative - concerned with number or volume
ize, ise
to make
(verb suffix)
harmonize - make harmonious
revolutionize - make revolutionary
oid
resembling, like
(adjective suffix)
ovoid - like an egg
anthropoid - resembling a human
ose
full of
(adjective suffix)
verbose - full of words
osis
condition (noun suffix)
psychosis - diseased mental condition
hypnosis - induced sleep
ous
full of (adjective suffix)
nauseous - full of nausea
ludicrous - foolish
tude
state of (noun suffix)
fortitude - state of strength
certitude - state of certainty




If you want to play a prefixes and suffixes game, click here.


If you want to play another kind of game,  click here.


if you want to practice, click here.






The following resources were used to create this article:
. vocabulary workshop 
 http://www2.southampton.liu.edu/academic/pau/course/webesl.htm

. Michigan Proficiency Exams
http://www.michigan-proficiency-exams.com/prefix-suffix.html