SOME AND ANY

SOME AND ANY

Regla General:

some -Para frases Afirmativas
any -Para frases Interrogativas y Negativas
Particularidades

· "Some": se utiliza a veces en preguntas:

a) Que suponen ofrecimiento.
Do you want some wine?
Can I give you some advice?
b) Cuando se espera casi con toda seguridad una respuesta afirmativa.

Can I have some biscuits?

"Any" se utiliza a veces:

a) En oraciones afirmativas con el significado de "cualquiera".

Any kid would have behaved like that
You can pick any of these books
You can go anywhere you want
b) En oraciones condicionales con el significado de "alguien, algo, alguna cosa".
If anyone ask for me, please tell them I will be back soon
If anything happens, please call me immediately
If I had any money I would buy a new car

• Some

Se usa SOME acompañando a sustantivos contables e incontables en oraciones afirmativas.!!!
Se usa con contables y incontables.
Ejemplos
-There is some water in the bottle. Hay agua en la botella.
-There are some bottles of water in the fridge. Hay botellas de agua en la nevera.

-There are some letters for you. Hay algunas cartas para tí.

Some se usa en la forma interrogativa cuando queremos hacer una invitación.

Do you want some coffee?	¿Quieres un café?
Do you want some biscuits?	¿Quieres unas galletas?
Would you like some sweets?	¿Te gustarían unos caramelos?

• Any
  -Se usa any para preguntas y frases negativos.
  -Se usa con contables y incontables.
  Ejemplos:
  -There isn't any water in the bottle. No hay agua en la botella.
  -There aren't any bottles of water in the fridge. No hay botellas de agua en la nevera.
  -Are there any bottles of water in the fridge? Hay botellas de agua en la nevera?.
  -We haven't got any shirts in your size No tenemos camisas de tu talla.
  -There aren't any bottles of milk in the fridge. No hay botellas de leche en el refrigerador.
  ***Tips (Consejos)
  Se puede usar some en la pregunta - Would you like some...? Es la forma educada para preguntar si alguien quiere tomar o comer algo...
  Ejemplos
  -Would you like some coffee? Quieres un cafe?
  -Would you like a biscuit? Quieres una galleta?
  -Have you got any shirts in my size? Tienen algunas camisas de mi talla?
  Are there any bottles of milk in the fridge? Hay botellas de leche en el refrigerador?
  
  
  Para el plural:

  There are some pencils	Hay algunos lápices
  Are there any pencils?	¿Hay algunos lápices?
  There aren't any pencils	No hay ningunos lápices

  EXERCISES
  I can see a house, a lake and trees.
  2 We've got one dog, two cats and fish.
  3 I like songs by Ricki Martin but not all of them.
  4 There are chocolate biscuits in the cupboard.
  5 I can't find [?] books about dinosaurs.
  6 Natalia hasn't got friends in Athens.
  7 There aren't banana trees in Scotland.
  8 Have you got [?] games for your computer?
  9 Are there messages for me?
  10 Would you like [?] grapes?

LIKE vs AS

LIKE vs AS

’Like’ y ’As’ se traducen por ’como’, pero hay diferencias entre los dos. La regla básica es:

LIKE: ’Like’ quiere decir ’parecido a’ o ’por ejemplo’.

La estructura de la oración es usualmente: verbo + like +sustantivo/ pronombre

• He speaks like a native speaker ( El habla como un hablante nativo)
• She looks like a queen ( Ella luce o se ve como una reina)
• He works like a nurse( El trabaja como un enfermero)
• It’s like Texas (similar a)

AS: As’ quiere decir ’en función de’. También puede significar ’mientras’ o ’a medida que’

La estructura dela oración usualmente es: verbo + asunto+verbo

• Nobody sings as she does( Nadie canta como ella lo hace)
• They went to the party as they were (Ellos fueron a la fiesta como estaban)

***Es muy común en Inglés Americano, usar like en lugar de as. Sin embargo es generalmente considerado informal usarlo en esta forma:

We play football like champions do.

Another use of as is to say what the role/function of a person/thing is.

• He started work as a carpenter
• She used the tapestry as a decoration in her living room.

EJ WITH LIKE

-Your jacket is like mine. (Tu chaqueta es como la mía.)

-It’s like he thought.( Es como él pensaba)

-Your hands are like ice./ tus manos con como el hielo).

-Korean food is like Japanese food.( la comida koreana es conmo la japonesa)

-Are Portuguese people like us?( son los portugueses como nosotros?)

-Do they eat like us?( Comen como nosotros?)

EJ WITH AS

-As you well know, we have to stop the production.( Como bien sabes, tenemos que parar la producción.)

-As you read it will make more sense.( a medida que leas tendrá más sentido).

-As time passes, you will understand.( Conforme pase el tiempo entenderás).

-They gave it to me as a gift.( ellos me lo dieron como un regalo).

Musical Instruments

accordion (akórdion) – acordeón

banjo (bándchou) - banjo
bass guitar (béis guitár) – bajo

bassoon (basún) – fagot

bongo (bóngou) - bongó
bugle (biúgl) – clarín

cello (chélou) - violoncelo
clarinet (clarinét) - clarinete
cymbals (símbals) - platillos

double bass (dóbl béis) - contrabajo
drum (drám) - tambor
drums (dráms) - batería
drumsticks (drámstiks) - palillos

fiddle (fídl) - violín
flute (flút) - flauta
gong (góng) - gong

grand piano (gránd piánou) - piano de cola
guitar (guitár) - guitarra

harmonica (harmónica) - armónica
harp (hárp) - harpa

kettledrum (kétl dram) - timbal
keyboard (kíbord) - teclado
keys (kíis) - teclas
lute (lúut) - laúd

mandoline (mándolin) - mandolina
maraca (moráca) - maraca

oboe (óubou) - oboe
organ (órgan) - órgano

piano (piánou) - piano
piccolo (pícolou) - flautín
saxophone (sáxofoun) - saxofón
string (stríng) - cuerda
synthesizer (sínzisáiser) - sintetizador
tambourine (tamboríin) - pandereta
trombone (trombóun) - trombón

trumpet (trámpet) - trompeta
tuba (tiúba) - tuba
violin (vaiolín) - violín
xylophone (sáilofoun) - xilofón

Meeting to practise en english

Meetings

MEETINGS (reuniones)

A

Sean:   The office move, as you know, the plans have been up by the main exit for a week now. I just wanted to see what kind of feedback you’ve got.

Tim:      Yeah, Sean, I’m sorry, but I really strongly disagree with the new floor plan. I think it's divisive to separate the secretaries and the assistants out from the editors and managers. I’d be much happier if we could be located in teams.

Carrie:  Actually, I think Sean is right. I’ve been chatting to some of the secretaries and they’re quite keep to all be sitting in the same area, and, speaking as an editor, I think I’d like to be with other editors so that we can bounce ideas off each other and things. So I think Sean’s floor plan is right.

B

If you are interrupting or disagreeing with people, it is even more important to be polite: your views are more likely to be respected if you present them in a professional and non-confrontational (non-argumentative) way.

There are several ways to make what you say sound more polite and less confrontational:

Use 'can' or 'could'.  
In unit 4, John says; 'Sean, can I just ask you…?'
In Unit 1, Alex says 'If you could go through them in order…'
Both expressions above are more polite than simply saying 'I want to know…' or 'Go through them in order…'

Use 'would like'
In unit 2, Tim says '…I'd like to be with other editors…'
In unit 3, Will says 'I would like to be able to show her drawings…'
This sounds are much more polite than 'I want…'

Say 'sorry'
In unit 2, Tim says: 'I'm sorry, but I really strongly disagree…'
In unit 4, John says: 'Sorry to hold the meeting up'

This is a very common way to 'soften' what you say. Tim and John are not really apologising for what they say - using 'sorry' is telling the listener: 'I'm going to say or do something you might not like, so please don’t get upset'.

Use 'just'
In unit 2, Sean says: 'I just wanted to see…' 
In unit 4, John says; 'Sean, can I just ask you…?'
The word 'just' gives the listener a message that you are not asking them to deal with something difficult or time-consuming; that it is not going to be a problem.  

Use 'I think' or 'I feel'
In unit 4, John says: 'I do feel quite strongly that we're bringing this out too soon…'
and Carrie says 'I don’t think we’ve got any choice…'
These phrases have the effect of softening what they are saying, by presenting their ideas as opinions, not orders or instructions.

Sean:   First of all, the book re-launch. I just wanted to remind everybody that we will be re-launching the fairy-tales range with new modern covers, and that this is going to happen at the beginning of next month. It's important that we get this right and there have been quite a few…

John:    Actually Sean, can I just ask you – sorry to hold the meeting up – can I ask you about those dates, because I thought that this was going to be published the month after next, and I understand that everybody has got their dates, but I do feel quite strongly that we’re bringing this out too soon.

Sean:   Well, any other thoughts before I comment on that?

Carrie:  I don’t think we’ve got any choice at all about it. If the radio programmes are going out at the beginning of next month, we’ve got to launch the book at the same time if we’re going to have any sales impact.

SPEAK, TALK HABLAR

SPEAK-TALK (HABLAR)

I spoke to Ms. Brown.	Yo hablaba con la Sra. Brown.
She will talk to your father.	Ella va a hablar con tu/su padre.
They spoke to her son.	Ellos hablaron con su hijo.
We are talking to a professor.	Nosotros estamos hablando con un profesor.

Al hablar con alguien, la preposición to, usualmente está en medio del verbo y de la persona a quien se le está hablando. Una opción es usar la preposición with.

	Susan was with Nancy. Susan estaba con Nancy.
	The professor is talking with her students. El profesor esta hablando con sus alumnos.
	I spoke with your friend. Yo hablé con tu amigo. English inglés German alemán Chinese chino Spanish español Portuguese portugués French francés Russian ruso Korean coreano Italian italiano Japanese japonés Arabic Árabe foreign language idioma extranjero native language or mother tongue lengua materna Al hablar de lenguas o idiomas, siempre se usa speak Mr. King speaks German. El señor King habla alemán. He speaks my native language. Él habla mi lengua materna. They speak English. Ellos hablan inglés.

Eliminating Clichés In English

Eliminating Clichés In English

Over the years, many developing writers have learned that using clichés is the primary mark of an unskilled writer. While clichés may sound impressive or clever, they are also so common that they do very little to convey the original nature of your thoughts about a particular subject. Unfortunately, when people are learning English as a second language, there can be a strong tendency to rely on clichés. Whether this comes from studying phrase books or from pop-culture references, you’ll want to be aware of this phenomenon to help eliminate unnecessary clichés from your vocabulary. In order to curtail their usage, we must first define what a “cliché” is. Dictionary.com defines the word as “a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse.” Cliché’s can be found throughout the English language and include such phrases as “stronger than an ox” or “sadder but wiser.”

Clichés as a Security Mechanism: When you’re trying to communicate in a foreign language, you’ll want to do everything possible to make sure that you’re understood. When you hear clichés and understand them, it’s easy to assume that native English speakers will be able to understand you clearly. In addition, because clichés often convey a sense of fun, humor, or other emotional content, you might feel that they are way to express or gain empathy. Unfortunately, because we tend to be desensitized to clichés, they are almost useless in this capacity.

It’s best to concentrate on developing your own mode of expression, so that others can recognize that you are trying to convey something unique. While this may take some extra effort, it’s well worth it. Each time you use a cliché to make sure you are understood, go back and look for a more unique sentence to express your meaning. This is especially easy to do when you’re writing, since you can go back and read what you wrote and systematically eliminate clichés. If you find yourself using clichés often during a conversation, spend some time looking in a dictionary or thesaurus for more appropriate words.

Clichés and Language Rhythm

Without question, clichés catch on because they sound interesting – whether a cliché carries a rhyming pattern or conveys a sense of humor, people just seem to want to repeat them. However, it’s important to realize that simple, direct sentences will go much further to convey sincerity and clarity than clichés. Even if you want to write or convey something humorous, it’s best to take the time to develop your own unique means of expression.
Unfortunately, the habit of using clichés can become fixed fairy quickly in non-native speakers. Even people that learned English as a primary language may use clichés too often in their writing and verbal conversations. The sooner you eliminate clichés from your vocabulary, the sooner you’ll be on the way to speaking and writing English in a clearer, more professional manner. You may even notice that finding your own method of expression makes adapting to English an enjoyable and rewarding process.

VOCABULARY

To curtail: reducir

To convey: trasmitir

Trite: trillado

Overuse: uso excesivo

To Rely: confiar

Wiser: más sabio

Notice: aviso