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 to/into/onto dejarse caer, desplomarse: she dropped onto the sofa se dejó caer en el sofá. (c) tr bajar (el precio de algo): he refused to drop the price se negó a bajar el precio; the government decided to drop the price of petrol el gobierno decidió bajar el precio de la gasolina. (d) intr descender, bajar (temperatura, nivel, precios): milk has dropped in price la leche ha bajado de precio; the temperature dropped bajó la temperatura. (e) intr amainar (viento): thank goodness the wind has dropped menos mal que el viento ha amainado. (f) tr derribar, tumbar: the boxer dropped his opponent with one punch el boxeador derribó a su adversario de un puñetazo. (g) tr abandonar, renunciar a: the board dropped the idea of closing down the factory la junta directiva abandonó la idea de cerrar la fábrica. (h) tr dejar un tema: drop that subject deja ya ese tema. (i) tr drop sb dejar (de ver) a alguien: he’s dropped all his friends ha dejado (de ver) a todos sus amigos. (j) tr suprimir algo (de un texto): my article will be dropped from the magazine mi artículo será suprimido de la revista. (k) tr (usado gen en pasiva) dejar fuera, caerse (del equipo): he was dropped from the team fue dejado fuera/se cayó del equipo. (l) tr acercar/llevar (en coche): can you drop me at the office? ¿me puedes acercar a la oficina? (m) tr drop sth off/in/at dejar algo en algún sitio, soltar: the lorry driver dropped the goods at the warehouse el camionero dejó la mercancía en el almacén. (n) tr (col) perder dinero (esp jugando a las cartas). (ñ) tr (dep) perder (puntos/partido): our team dropped two points at home last Saturday nuestro equipo perdió dos puntos en casa el sábado pasado. (o) tr comerse (letra al hablar): don't drop your aitches no te comas las haches. (p) tr parir (animal, esp yegua, vaca u oveja). (q) (sl) tomar drogas (esp ácido/LSD): he dropped acid in the eighties tomaba ácido/LSD en los '80. || drop a brick/clanger (IBr) meter la pata; drop a hint/suggestion/remark dejar caer/escapar una pista/sugerencia/un comentario; drop a stitch (cos) escaparse/irse un punto; drop anchor echar anclas, anclar; drop dead caerse muerto, morir de repente; drop dead! ¡muérete!, ¡vete al cuerno!; drop-dead gorgeous (col) guapísima; drop everything dejarlo todo: she dropped everything to marry him lo dejó todo para casarse con él; drop game (sl) timo de la estampita; drop history/maths/English, etc dejar la asignatura (dejar de asistir a clase); drop names mencionar nombres de gente importante (para presumir/darse importancia); drop one’s eyes/gaze bajar los ojos/la mirada; drop one’s guard bajar la guardia; drop one’s voice - let one’s voice drop bajar la voz; drop sb a line/note escribirle a alguien unas líneas/una nota; drop sharply caer en picado (lit y fig): the road drops sharply at that point en ese lugar, la carretera baja en picado; profits have dropped sharply los beneficios han bajado en picado; drop/dump sth in sb’s lap (col) cargar (responsabilidad, etc) a alguien: stop dropping everything in my lap deja de cargarme a mí con todo; let the matter drop dejar el tema tranquilo, no ahondar en un tema.

VERBOS FRASALES

drop away · disminuir, bajar (volumen, ventas, cifras, actividad, negocios, producción).

drop back · (a) (tamb drop behind) quedarse atrás, rezagarse. (b) (tamb drop) bajar, disminuir.

drop by/over/round, drop in (on sb) · pasarse (por casa de alguien), entrar un momento (a visitar a alguien): why don't you drop in for a drink this evening? ¿por qué no te pasas por casa esta tarde-noche para tomar una copa?

drop off · (a) decaer, disminuir: I regret to tell you that sales have dropped off sharply in the last few months lamento decirles que las ventas han caído en picado en los últimos meses. (b) caerse (botón, etc). (c) quedarse adormilado,-a, dar una cabezada: she dropped off while she was watching TV se quedó adormilada mientras veía la tele. (d) (euf) morir. (e) drop sb off apearse/bajarse o dejar que alguien se apee/baje (de vehículo): please drop me off at the traffic lights por favor déjame en el semáforo.

drop out · (a) drop out (of sth) dejar de asistir, abandonar (clases) antes de final de curso. (b) drop out (of sth) dejar, abandonar (gobierno/equipo/estudios/carrera/concurso). (c) marginarse (de la sociedad). (d) desaparecer (una expresión/palabra de una lengua). 

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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, aferrarse a]

to seize [ + suddenly/hastily; violently, eagerly; forcibly; legally] (agarrar, asir; apoderarse de; embargar)

to snatch [ + suddenly/hastily, eagerly, rudely, roughly, violently; unexpectedly, without permission, as opportunity allows] [arrebatar, coger de un tirón, arrancar; aprovechar (oportunidad)]

to snatch at sth [ + try to take hold of sth; to take (an oportunity) eagerly] [tratar de agarrar algo; aprovechar (oportunidad)]

to grip [ + firmly, tightly] [agarrar(se) firmemente, con fuerza, asir, coger(se), agarrarse (un coche) a la carretera]

to grasp [ + eagerly, firmly, greedily; to understand] [agarrar, asir; empuñar (arma); apretar (mano); entender]

to clasp [ + firmly, tightly, closely, encircling] (tener cogido, apretar, estrechar)

to snap up [ + quickly, eagerly, avidly; accept (offer, bargain) quickly or eagerly]           [ agarrar, coger, comprar con avidez, aprovechar (buena oferta), llevarse (ganga)]

Consequently, they also have different lexical collocations:

to seize: to seize sth/sb (agarrar algo/a alguien); to seize sb by the arm/the throat (agarrar a alguien por el brazo/la garganta);  the opportunity (aprovechar la oportunidad); the throne/a country/territory (apoderarse del trono/de un país/de un territorio); smuggled things (incautarse de, decomisar, embargar artículos robados, de contrabando, etc.): the police have seized ten thousand pounds worth of stolen goods (la policía se ha incautado de objetos robados por un valor de diez mil libras); to be seized by panic/emotion (ser presa del pánico/embargar la emoción)

to grab: to grab sth suddenly (agarrar/coger algo apresuradamente), to grab at sth/sb (tratar de agarrar algo/a alguien), to grab sb by the arm/the hair/the coat (agarrar/coger a alguien del brazo/de los pelos/de la chaqueta), to grab a seat (coger sitio), a sandwich (coger un sandwich), to grab a couple of hours’ sleep (conseguir dormir un par de horas)

to grasp: to grasp sth (agarrar, asir algo), tightly/firmly/ (fuerte/firmemente), to grasp sb tightly by the wrist/the collar (agarrar fuertemente de la muñeca/del cuello), to grasp at straws (agarrarse a un clavo ardiendo), to grasp at sb’s shirt (agarrar a alguien de la camisa), to grasp (at) an opportunity (aprovechar una oportunidad), grasp all, lose all (quien mucho abarca, poco aprieta)

to grip: to grip firmly/ hard/ tightly [agarrar(se), asir(se), coger(se) firmemente/fuerte/con fuerza]: he gripped hard at the arms of his chair (se agarró con fuerza a los brazos de la silla); to be gripped by fear/panic (ser presa del miedo/del pánico); the car didn’t grip the road very well (el coche no se agarraba/adhería bien a la carretera)

to clutch: to clutch at sth (agarrarse/sujetarse a algo), firmly/tightly/desperately (firmemente/fuerte/desesperadamente), to clutch sth/sb  to one’s chest (apretar algo/a alguien contra el pecho), to clutch sth in one’s hand (tener cogido algo en la mano), to clutch at straws (agarrarse a un clavo ardiendo); to clutch at one’s beliefs/ideas (aferrarse a sus creencias/ideas)

to cling: to cling (on) to (agarrarse a algo/alguien, sin soltar): she clung (on) to his arm (se agarró a su brazo); the survivors clung to the floating wreckage (los supervivientes se agarraron a los restos flotantes del naufragio); she clung on to her baby (se agarraba a su bebé sin soltarlo); they clung together shivering with cold (se agarraron unos a otros temblando de frío); (aferrarse a ideas/creencias/costumbres/esperanza/la vida): they clung to the hope that they might see their son again one day (se agarraban a la esperanza de volver a ver a su hijo algún día); he clings to his old habits (se aferra a sus viejos hábitos); (pegarse la ropa al cuerpo): the wet shirt clung to his chest (la camisa húmeda se le pegaba al pecho); (quedarse pegado un olor): the smell of smoke still clung to his clothes (el olor a humo seguía pegado a su ropa)

to snatch: to snatch sth from sb’s hand (arrebatar algo a alguien), he snatched her bag (le quitó el bolso de un tirón), to snatch at sth (tratar de agarrar algo)

to clasp: to clasp sb’s hand (apretar firmemente la mano de alguien), to clasp hands (cogerse de las manos), to clasp sth tightly (agarrar/sujetar con fuerza), to clasp sb to one’s chest (abrazar/estrechar a alguien contra el pecho)

As you can see, in some cases there is a certain overlapping. Thus, for example, you can seize/grab/snatch/grasp an opportunity; manage to snatch/grab an hour's sleep on the train; clutch/grip/grasp  a bottle of champagne, etc.

EXERCISE

Fill in the blanks with the right form of one of the following: to grab, to seize, to grasp, to clutch, to clasp, to grip, to snatch

a.- He............the edge of the seat as the plane took off.

b.- The judge ordered his properties to be ............

c.- That man .....my handbag at the High Street.

d.- I don’t think you just ....how serious the situation is.

e.- He managed to .....a ham sandwich from the plate.

f.- He .....his hat to stop the wind blowing it away.

g.- Agatha Christie's novels ......... you from start to finish.

h.- She stood with her hands ........ tightly together around her             knees.

KEY

a.- gripped; b- seized; c- snatched; d- grasp; e- grab; f-                  clutched; g.- grip; h.- clasped

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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...

     j.- We’d better...

     1.- has dropped anchor

     2.- drops sharply at that point

     3.- he dropped onto the sofa

     4.- to drop the price

     5.- dropped the idea of closing down the factory

     6.- let the matter drop

     7.- his opponent with one punch

     8.- because he found it too difficult

     9.- dropped from the team at the last minute

     10.- drop me at the office?

KEY

a-3; b-7; c-5; d-10; e-9; f-1; g-8; h-4; i-2; j-6

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Preparing for the 'oposiciones': collocations of to lose/to miss/to waste

To miss, to lose and to waste can mean 'perder' in Spanish, so students are liable to use them wrongly. That's why, to avoid mistakes, you must learn in what contexts you can use each one of them properly: if what you mean is that you were too late to catch your train, for example, you  say that "you missed it"; if you can't find the key to your house, that "you lost it", and if you used more time than was necessary, that you wasted it." Here are some of the main collocations of these three verbs to help you use them correctly:

to miss: 

to miss a class, a lecture, a performance [perder(se) una clase, una conferencia, una actuación]

to miss an opportunity (perder una oportunidad)

to miss the bus, the train/the plane (perder el autobús, el tren, el avión)

to miss sb/sth (echar de menos a alguien/algo)

to miss a shot (fallar un disparo)

to miss the mark/target (no dar en el blanco/la diana)

to miss a place (no ver, pasar por alto: we missed the post office)

to miss a line (saltarse una línea)

to miss what sb says (no captar o entender lo que alguien dice)

to miss a beat (the heart) [dar un vuelco (el corazón)]

to miss one’s footing (dar un traspiés)

to lose: 

to lose sth/sb (perder algo o a alguien)

to lose a game/a match/a championship (perder un juego, un partido, un campeonato)

to lose sb sth (costar, hacer perder algo a alguien: the mistake lost me my job la equivocación me costó el puesto de trabajo)

to lose sb (zafarse, deshacerse de un perseguidor)

to lose consciousness (perder el conocimiento)

to lose one’s way (perderse, extraviarse)

to lose face (desprestigiarse, quedar mal)

to lose heart (desanimarse)

to lose one’s breath (perder el aliento)

to lose one’s figure (perder la línea)

to lose one’s head (perder la cabeza)

to lose one’s heart (enamorarse)

to lose one’s nerve (acobardarse)

to lose one’s mind (volverse loco)

to lose one’s temper (perder los estribos)

to lose one’s touch (perder facultades)

to lose sight of sth/sb (perder algo o a alguien de vista)

to lose touch/contact with sb (perder el contacto con alguien)

to lose time (perder tiempo, minutos, etc.); atrasar (un reloj)

to lose the thread of sth (perder el hilo)

to lose weight (perder peso)

to waste: 

to waste sth [perder, malgastar, desperdiciar (el tiempo, dinero, esfuerzo, alimento, ocasión), despilfarrar (recursos, dinero), desaprovechar (espacio, oportunidad)]

EXERCISE

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form of to lose, to miss or to waste, as required:

a.- At the last minute, he ...... his nerve

b.- You’ve ..........weight

c.- We’ve already ..... too much time and energy on that project

d.- You have nothing ............ by telling the truth

e.- Her heart ...... a beat

f.- In the end, my efforts were not entirely ..........

g.- This is a match our team can’t afford ...........

h.- I’m afraid he’s ..... his touch

i.- The bullet ...........his head by only a few inches

       j.- I’m sorry I ......your lecture

KEY

a.- lost; b.- lost; c.- wasted; d.- to lose; e.- missed; f.- wasted; g.- to lose; h.- losing/lost; i.- missed; j.- missed

From my book Short Stories to Help you Increase your Vocabulary (out of print).

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Preparing for the 'oposiciones': Collocations of to put/to set/to lay.

We can define 'collocation' as “the way in which words are used together regularly”, but in every language there are some restrictions on how words can be used together. In English, for example, we say to do a favour, but to make a mistake; to write somebody a letter, but to drop somebody a line; to perform an operation (in a hospital), but to carry out an operation (on the battlefield); we compose music, set a record, reach a verdict, inflict a wound, etc. Collocations fall into two major groups: grammatical collocations and lexical collocations.

Grammatical collocations

 It’s important for students to know how verbs, nouns and adjectives are grammatically constructed, that is what their grammatical collocations are: what preposition usually follows certain verbs, nouns or adjectives, if they pattern with a to-infinitive, an –ing form, a that-clause, etc., e.g. to suffer from, to taste of, to invest in, etc.; to finish + -ing form, to manage + to-infinitive, to believe + that-clause, to be believed + to-infinitive, etc. 

Lexical collocations

 Most words combine freely with practically any other word, depending solely on the meaning you want to convey; thus, you can condemn (censurar) practically anything. There are words, however, which tend to occur with some words and not with others, and it is these lexical collocations that students must know well if they want their English to be idiomatic: e.g. you make an impression, do research, set the alarm clock, lay the table (also set the table), you refer to a flock of sheep, but to a pack of wolves, a shoal of fish, but a school of whales, etc.

Today we're going to have a look at the lexical collocations of to put, to set and to lay. All three verbs can be translated into Spanish as 'poner', but they are not interchangeable, since they don't have the same collocations. Here are some of the commonest collocations of each one:

to put: 

to put sth somewhere (poner algo en algún sitio)

to put an advertisement in the paper (poner un anuncio en el periódico)

to put oneself on somebody's place (ponerse en el lugar de alguien)

to put sb on a diet (poner a alguien a régimen)

to put sth to the vote (someter algo a votación)

to put the children to bed (acostar a los niños)

to put sb in the picture (about sth) [poner a alguien al corriente (sobre algo)]

to set: 

to set sth somewhere (poner/colocar algo en algún sitio)

to set a ladder against the wall (poner una escalera contra la pared)

to set foot in (poner los pies en)

to set the table (poner la mesa) (also with lay)

to set an exam (poner un examen)

to set the alarm clock (poner el despertador)

to set a record (establecer un récord)

to set a trap for sb (poner una trampa a alguien)

to set a date for a wedding (poner fecha para la boda)

to set fire to/to set sth on fire (incendiar, prender fuego a)

to set eyes on sb/sth (ver algo/a alguien) (also with lay)

to set free (poner en libertad)

to set one’s heart on doing sth (desear hacer algo con todo el alma)

to set one’s mind at rest (tranquilizarse) (also with put)

to set sail (zarpar, hacerse a la mar)

to set sth to music (poner música a algo)

to set the pace (marcar la pauta)

to lay: 

to lay sth somewhere (poner algo en algún sitio)

to lay the table (poner la mesa) (also with set)

to lay the carpet before cleaning (extender la alfombra antes de limpiarla)

to lay the fire (preparar el fuego)

to lay an egg (poner un huevo)

to lay a finger on sb (ponerle a alguien la mano encima)

to lay eyes on sb/sth (ver algo/a alguien) (also with set)

to lay it on (thick) (exagerar, cargar las tintas)

to lay one’s hands on sb/sth (poner la mano encima a alguien, agarrar algo/a alguien)

to lay stress/emphasis on sth (hacer hincapié/poner énfasis en algo)

to lay the blame on sb (echar la culpa a alguien)

to lay the foundations (of sth) [poner los cimientos (de algo)]

to lay some money on sth (apostar dinero a)

EXERCISE

Fill in the blanks with the right form of to put, to set or to lay:

a.- I’m going to ......the children to bed.

b.- The journalist has ......it on thick.

c.- That hen hasn’t ..... an egg for weeks.

d.- The priest’s words .....his mind at rest.

e.- .....yourself in my place.

f.- They’re no longer .....the pace in the computer market.

g.- The mob ....fire to the palace.

h.- I haven’t .........eyes on him for ages.

i.- Let’s ....it to the vote!

j.- The new coach has ......his heart on winning the European Cup final.

KEY

a.- put; b.- laid; c.- laid, d.- set/put; e.- Put; f.- setting; g.- set;        h.- laid/set; i.- put; j.- set.

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