modals: special difficulties (3)

3.- MUST/SHOULD? Both can mean ‘deber’, but must is always stronger, more assertive than should, so use must for moral or legal obligation, rules, commands or strong advice: You must switch off your mobile phone in the cinema – debes apagar tu móvil en el cine You must smoke less – debes fumar menos and use should for convenience or less strong advice: You shouldn’t eat so many cakes – no deberías comer tantos pasteles. Practice -3 * Complete with should or must as required a.- You’re getting a pot belly; you ...................

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Sir Francis: to make love

make love. To make love, hacer el amor.      He aquí otro limerick que Sir Francis solía citar co­mo típico ejemplo de humor inglés:     A reckless young man from Fort Blaney      Made love to a spinster named Janie.             When his friends said, «Oh dear,             She's so old and queer.»      He replied, «But the day was so rainy!»     ...

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modals:special difficulties (2)

2.- ‘PODER’ IN THE INFINITIVE AND FUTURE AND PERFECT TENSES To translate ‘poder’ in the infinitive, the future or perfect tenses use to be able: I won’t be able to come tomorrow – no podré venir mañana. I haven’t been able to do it – no he podido hacerlo. Practice -2 * Complete the sentences with the adequate form of to be able a.- In fifty years’ time I’m sure that everybody ........... to live to a hundred. b.- I have your report, but I ........................ to read it yet. c.- I’ve always wanted ..................................

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Sir Francis: ass

ass. La palabra ass (Am.E.) o arse (Br. E.), que significa ‘culo’, entra a formar parte de multitud de expresiones tabúes; he aquí algunas de las más usuales, extraídas de Los Apuntes Secretos de Sir Francis:  an ass kisser/licker, un lameculos, un pelota  the asshole , el ano an asshole, un gilipollas/soplapollas/gili(puertas). El típico ejemplo de asshole, según Sir Francis, sería el de aquel via­jante americano que tiene que pasar la noche en una granja y le dan a elegir entre dormir with the baby o in the barn. Prefiere...

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Modals : special difficulties (1)

1.- CAN/MAY? · Can indicates mainly capacity or abilility to do sth: I’m sure he can do (it) better than that – estoy seguro de que puede hacerlo mejor. My wife can speak French - mi mujer sabe hablar francés.  · May indicates that sth is possible: It may rain this afternoon - puede que llueva esta tarde. · Both can and may can be used to indicate ‘permission’, but may is more formal than can: Can I smoke? - ¿puedo fumar? (informal) May I smoke? - ¿puedo fumar? (formal) Practice -1 * Fill in the blanks with can...

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Idiom of the week: the full monty

The full monty = everything, the lot, the works. This idiom began to be used generally in the English-speaking world from its use as the title of a film (1997) about a group of unemployed British factory workers who raise money by staging a strip act (taking off all their clothes) at a local club. The origin of the expression is uncertain. In Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, first published in 1870, but revised by Adrian Room (Cassell, 2000), we find the following explanation: "It may derive from ...the Spanish card game 'monte'...

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Word of the week: staycation

The present economic crisis, when many families can't afford to go anywhere for their holidays and are forced to stay at home, has brought about the coinage of the following curious blend: staycation = stay (at home) + vacatio...

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Agatha Christie: her Life and her Work

Como le dije a Javi Martín Real en una entrevista que me hizo no  hace mucho y que publicó en su espléndido blog (javiervallestero.blogspot.com), me encanta leer y releer las novelas de Agatha Christie y siempre se las he recomendado a mis alumnos, no solo por el interés que tiene tratar de descubrir al asesino por las pistas que la autora va dejando caer a lo largo del  relato, aunque a veces resulten engañosas, sino porque cada página de cualquier novela de Agatha Christie está llena de modismos y expresiones coloquiales que no han...

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Can there be poetry in the world today?

CAN THERE BE POETRY IN THE WORLD TODAY? I've recovered from my 'memory trunk' this essay that I wrote long time ago, when I was a student in Granada. I wrote it as homework for my teacher of American Literature, Dr Cardenal, one of the best teachers I've ever had, who introduced me to the great American poets, like  Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman, among others. Here is a contemporary version of my essay, in homage to Dr Cardenal, my respected and admired teacher:  Hello, friends! It’s late in the evening and I’m...

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Can Shakespeare be accused of male chauvinism?

In The Comedy of Errors, Act 3, Scene 2, Dromio of Syracuse is telling Antipholus, his master, about Nell, the kitchen-wench, who is pursuing him with marriage intentions: Dromio: ...she is spherical, like a globe; I could find out countries in her. Antipholus: In what part of her body stands Ireland? Dro: Marry, sir, in her buttocks; I found it by the bogs (seguro, señor, en su culo junto a las ciénagas). ... Ant.: Where Spain? Dro: Faith, I saw it not, but I felt it hot in her breath. ... Ant.: Where stood Belgia, the Netherlands? Dro: O, sir,...

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verbos frasales (and 10): clave ejercicios

KEY TO PRACTICE PRACTICE 1 phrasal: to put off, to break down, to fill in, to put up with, to take after, to look forward to non-phrasal: to abstain from, to complain about, to laugh at, to insist on, to smell of, to dream about/of PRACTICE 2 1.- Yes, I saw him off 2.- Yes, I will look after it 3.- No, she hasn’t got over it yet 4.- OK, I’ll turn it down 5.- Yes, they’ll look into it. PRACTICE 3 fully metaphorical: to make sth. up, to break out, to hang on, to come to/round semi-metaphorical: to play on, to work away,...

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verbos frasales (9): test de confianza en sí mismo

A quiz: let´s see how self-confident you are a.- Do you easily blow up (lose your temper/get suddenly angry).................. b.- If someone is rude to you, do you find it necessary to answer back (to reply in a rude way)? ................... c.- Do you easily give up (lose interest and admit defeat)............................ d.- In a group, do you go along with (agree with) other people’s suggestions, even if you don’t like them, rather than make your own? ................... e.- At meetings or discussions, you dare not break in (interrupt)...

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verbos frasales (8): chistes

Jokes with phrasal verbs. a.- to get on well with someone  = llevarse bien con alguien Two friends meet in the street: John: Hullo, Peter. I hear you’ve bought your mother-in-law a jaguar. Peter: Yes, I have. John: But I thought you didn’t get on well with her. Peter: And I don’t. The jaguar has already bitten her twice. b.- to drop off = quedarse dormido (lit. caerse de un sitio) Patient: Doctor, doctor, I suffer from insomnia, I can’t get any sleep at night, what can I do?. Doctor: You can't get any sleep, I see. Well,...

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Sir Francis: the organ

Para empezar con las anécdotas en las clases de Sir Francis, aquí tenéis esta entrada de los Apuntes Secretos: organ, the. El órgano, el pene. Como ocurre con otras palabras: member (miem­bro), gun (pistola), etc., organ puede prestarse a malentendidos. Sir Francis contaba la siguiente anécdota: Un hombre que tiene ya diecisiete hijos va a un médico a que le aconseje algo para no tener más familia. El médico le dice: «Put a condom on your organ before intercourse». Pa­sado algún tiempo, el doctor se extraña de que la mujer se hubiera queda­do embarazada...

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Léxico: idioms of the week

Exercise: Match the letters with the numbers a- grin and bear it b- not be over the hill yet c- it's nothing to write home about d- take somebody down a peg or two e- at the back of beyond f- I smell a rat g- beat about the bush h- clutch at straws i- let somebody down j- take somebody for a ride 1- donde Cristo dio las tres voces/perdió el gorro 2- no es nada del otro jueves 3- agarrarse a un clavo ardieno 4- bajarle los humos a alguien 5- al mal tiempo buena cara 6- llevar a alguien al huerto 7- no estar acabado todavía 8-...

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Word of the week: chugger

Chugger (someone who is paid to stop people in the street and persuade them to give money regularly to a Charity - persona a la que pagan para que aborde a la gente en la calle, tratando de convencerlos para que den dinero de forma regular a una causa benéfica) is an example of blend, a type of word formation in which two words are combined to form a new word that incorporates their meanings, for example motel from motor and hotel. Chugger is made up of charity + mugger (caridad +...

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