Preparing for the 'oposiciones': grammar transformation exercises

Re-write the sentences using the word given in brackets, so that the second sentence has the same meaning as the first: Exercise 1 1.- I don't have enough money to buy that iPad. (too) 1.- That iPad.......................to buy. 2.- I walked quietly because I didn't want to wake the baby. (so) 2.- I walked quietly................................ to wake the baby. 3.- I graduated from college a year ago today. (time) 3.- I graduated from college ...................year. 4.- I am sure it will snow tomorrow. (bound) 4.- ........................tomorrow. 5.-...

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Vocabulary of the day: hairstyle

 HAIRSTYLE: Afro (peinado afro) bald (calvo) balding (con poco pelo, quedándose calvo) bob (estilo paje, a lo chico) bun/chignon (moño) bunches (coletas) crew cut (al cero, rapado) cropped (muy corto) curly/frizzy (rizado) dreadlocks (rizos estilo rasta) flat-top (al cepillo) French plait (trenza en espiga) fringe (IBr)/bangs (IAm) (flequillo) layered (cortado a capas) lock (mechón) long (largo, melena) Mohican (BrE)/Mohawk(AmE) (con cresta a lo mohicano) permed (con la permanente) pigtails [colas (trenzadas),...

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Preparing for the 'oposiciones': Idioms (exercise)

Tomando como base las frases del primer bloque de ejemplos, coloca los nombres de pila que faltan en el segundo bloque: 1. Doris is dead to the world. 2. Jenny is a smasher. 3. Alice is at the crossroads. 4. Andrea is in a fix. 5. Palmira is out of sorts. 6. Gloria is under a cloud. 7. Tamara is knackered. 8. Paloma is hot stuff. 9. Adela is a bit touchy. 10. Marion is on edge. a. .......................is feeling a little ill. b........................ is very sexy. c........................ is easily offended. d. .......................is...

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Preparing for the 'oposiciones': participle clauses as adverbial subordinates

Participle clauses can have the value of an adverbial subordinate of time, reason, result, etc, especially in formal style: Feeling tired, she went to bed early (= as she was feeling tired, she went to bed early,or she went to bed early because she was feeling tired) Being imported, those cars are more expensive (=as they are imported..... or those cars are more expensive because...) Opening her eyes, the baby began to cry (= when she opened her eyes.....) Having lost the last bus, I had to walk home (= as I lost.......or I lost the last bus,...

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Vocabulary of the day': footwear

Footwear: ballet shoes (zapatillas de ballet) boots (botas) brogues (zapatos gruesos de cuero) clogs/pattens (zuecos) court shoes (BrE)/pumps (AmE) (zapatos de salón) dancing shoes (zapatillas de baile) espadrilles (alpargatas) flats/flat shoes (zapatos planos, sin tacones) flip flops (BrE)/thongs (AmE) (chanclas/chancletas) galoshes (chanclos) gym shoes (zapatillas de gimnasia/de deporte) high-heeled/low-heeled shoes (zapatos de tacón alto/bajo) lace-ups/lace-up shoes (zapatos con cordones) loafers/moccasins (mocasines) mules...

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Preparing for the 'oposiciones': modismos con nombres propios.

Completa las frases con los siguientes nombres propios: Thames, Spain, China, Tom, McCoy, Thomas, Parker, Riley, Adam, Joneses 1. It’s a Harley Davidson – the real .............. 2. I don’t know him from .............. 3. Now that the neighbours have bought a Mercedes, my wife wants me to buy one too. To keep up with the ...................- that’s all she cares about. 4. Stop complaining. You’re living the life of ............ 5. Our new neighbour is a nosy ............... 6. I wouldn’t sell it for all the tea in ........... 7. Stop...

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Pincelada de humor: chiste de Sir Francis

Una madre le dice a su hijita que si se muerde las uñas se le pondrá una barriga así de grande (señalando a una mujer embarazada en el autobús). La pequeña se queda mirando a la mujer fijamente y cuando ésta le pregunta por qué la mira así, le dice: «Because I know what you’ve been doing» (Porque sé lo que has estado haciendo...

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Preparing for the 'oposiciones': todos los significados y colocaciones del verbo to drop

Como complemento de mi post del viernes 23, os dejo la entrada del verbo to drop en el Diccionario Pedagógico Bilingüe, que tuve el honor de dirigir, para que conozcáis todos sus significados y colocaciones: drop /drQp/ v (pto y pp dropped) (a) tr/intr (dejar) caer, caérsele a alguien algo: he dropped his pencil dejó caer su lápiz/se le cayó el lápiz; don’t drop the plate que no se te caiga el plato; the key dropped from his hand se le cayó la llave de la mano. (b) intr drop...

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Preparing for the 'oposiciones': collocations of to seize(to to grab/to snatch and related verbs.

Taking hold of There are several verbs in English with the meaning of 'coger, agarrar' in Spanish, but they have distinctive semantic features. Here are the main ones: to grab [ + suddenly, hastily; eagerly; with a bad/selfish purpose] (agarrar, coger, apresuradamente o con malas intenciones) to clutch (at) [ + tightly, desperately, eager to keep or retain] [agarrar(se), sujetar(se) fuertemente, desesperadamente, aferrarse a]  to cling (on) to [ + tightly, because you do not feel safe] [agarrar(se), sujetar(se) fuertemente, sin soltar,...

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Preparing for the 'oposiciones': polysemous terms

We say that a term is polysemous when it has two or more meanings, plane, for example,  can have the following meanings: 'avión', 'cepillo de carpintero', 'árbol del plátano' and  'plano, nivel', spring can mean 'primavera', 'muelle' (de colchon, de asiento, de vehículo), 'resorte', 'ballesta', brío', 'energía', 'brinco', 'salto', 'manantial', 'fuente' and to spring, 'saltar', sharp, 'afilado', 'puntiagudo', 'punzante', cortante', 'cerrada' (curva), 'repentino' (cambio, caída, subida)), 'mordaz' (crítica), 'severa' (reprimenda) and 'en...

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Preparing for the oposiciones: collocations of to drop (exercise)

       Collocations of the verb to drop (exercise) Match the letters with the numbers:      a.- He was exhausted, so....      b.- The boxer dropped...      c.- The board...      d.- can you...      e.- He was...      f.- The ship...      g.- He dropped Russian...      h.- He refused...      i.- The road...     ...

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Preparing for the 'oposiciones': Idioms (exercise)

Fill in the gaps with the appropriate word below: 1   Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched This means: Don’t be over-_____. 2   He is like a bull in a china shop This means: He is very _____. 3   His bark is worse than his bite This means: He is _____ than he looks. 4   Every cloud has a silver lining This means: There is some _____ in every bad event 5   Hold your horses This means: _____ a moment. 6   She is down in the dumps This means: She is _____. 7  ...

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Preparing for the 'oposiciones': some common crimes.

MATCH THE LETTERS WITH THE NUMBERS a.- blackmail b.- housebreaking c.- bribery d.- burglary e.- corrupt practice f.- drug trafficking g.- embezzlement h.- hijacking i.- hold-up j.- influence peddling k.- kidnapping l.- laundering m.- ram-raiding n.- swindle o.- tax evasion 1.- blanqueo de dinero 2.- atraco 3.- tráfico de drogas 4.- evasión de impuestos 5.- robo en casas o tiendas 6.- estafa 7.- tráfico de influencias 8.- soborno; cohecho 9.- secuestro de avión 10.-...

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Preparing for the 'oposiciones: phrasal verbs transformation exercises

Review phrasal verbs transformation exercises 2 verbos-frasales-transformation-exercises-2 and do the following new ones: EXERCISE 3 1.- When she discovered that she had to appear on TV, she fainted. (out) 1.- She ......... when she discovered that she had to appear on TV. 2.- Sheila cried her eyes out when she was told she'd failed her driving test. (down) 2.- When she was told that she'd failed her driving test, Sheila....... 3.- They discussed the situation, but nobody had a solution. (came) 3.- They discussed the situation,...

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Preparing for the oposiciones: phrasal nouns.

Phrasal Nouns Sometimes nouns are derived from phrasal and prepositional verbs, and many are widely  used nowadays,  esp. in the language of journalism and other professions (photography, cinema, etc.); they are usually called phrasal nouns: back-up - (inform.) copia de seguridad (de un programa o documento) breakdown - avería; depresión nerviosa. As you can see by the examples above, there's no fixed rule concerning their spelling. Contrary to the phrasal verbs they derive from, which are spelt in two words, phrasal nouns are spelt...

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Preparing for the 'oposiciones': grammar transformation exercise.

Re-write the sentences using the word given in brackets, so that the second sentence has the same meaning as the first: 1.- No matter how hard he tried, he never found the treasure. (much) 1.- ................................., he never found the treasure. 2.- I told her not to cross the park at night. (warned) 2.- I .............................. crossing the park at night. 3.- I didn't answer the phone, even though I knew it was my husband calling. (despite) 3.- I didn't answer the phone ............ it was my husband calling. 4.- "Remember...

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Preparing for the 'oposiciones': below/under

Both prepositions mean «debajo de», but under is used to indicate direct vertical relationship or contiguity:          under the table               debajo de la mesa          under the sheets             debajo de las sábanas or movement:          He tried to crawl under the wire fence     Trató de arrastrarse por debajo de...

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