Sentence stress

A little bit of practice with sentence stress, Just four short sentences. Pay special attention to what happens to words like was, are, were, for when they are not stressed. Try to repeat the sentences using the same rhythm. Remember it's not a question of how fast you speak (maybe I should speak more slowly myself): the sentence stress is going to be the same whatever the speed. Listen.

Words often mispronounced p. 10

Here is a reminder of some words which a lot of Spanish students mispronounce. I've decided not to write them, but I'm sure you'll recognise them all as thay are all common (well, maybe the last one not that much). If you have been using the "horrible" pronunciation (listen and you'll know what I'm talking about), it's not going to be easy to change it, but you can try by repeating the correct pronunciation over and over again, not just the word by itself, but in as many different phrases as you can think of.

Vocabulary review

I asked you to write sentences using certain words which have come up in class. What I'm interested in is the common usage. For example CHARGE has several meanings. What I wanted is something to do with money (cobrar), which is the context where we saw the word. Anyway, here are some comments on some of them:

EXPECT. Imagine you write something like I expect to pass the exam, because you're thinking of espero aprobar. I don't know, because you don't provide a context, whether you mean cuento con aprobar, pienso que puedo aprobar sin problema o espero aprobar=ójala apruebe (deseo). Think of a sentence where the meaning is clear, e.g.:
He's worked really hard for the past three months, and he's very good at maths, so I expect he'll pass.
I hope I pass the exam. It's my last opportunity!

CHARGE. Typical phrases: How much did they charge you for that?
Don't worry, I won't charge you extra.
If you want the windows cleaned on the outside, they'll charge you another €200.
Charge it to my account.
International calls are charged at 55 p per minute.
They send it free of charge. They don't charge you for delivery.

AFFORD I can't afford to pay the rent.

ACTUALLY ≠ actualmente. Make sure you write an unambiguous sentence.
Actually I don't believe you. You've lied too many times before. (??? ¿=actualmente, en realidad)
Everyone thinks we're twins, but actually we're not even related.

LONG HOURS is used in the context of work:
I like the salary, but I hate the long hours.
He works very long hours and doesn't see his children much. (=jornadas laborales muy largas)
Don't say I was talking to her for long hours  >>> I was talking to her for ages (informal) / for a long time. I had to wait long hours.

AT LEAST (por lo menos) ≠ AT LAST

You CARRY OUT / DO / CONDUCT A SURVEY of people's behaviour, for example. (encuesta). These verbs are the same you would use with RESEARCH (investigación --no policial--, estudio científico).
 

Vocabulary review

Complete the blanks using one word (in the appropriate form). We will correct it in class next week.

I waited an hour j________________ to see you.

A big breakfast will certainly stop you f________________ hungry, but if you’re not careful, you’ll put on a lot of w________________.

I waited an hour j________________ to see you.

I buy juice in a carton because I’m too lazy to s________________ the oranges.

Most people think  she’s overweight because she eats a lot of meat, but a________________ she’s a vegetarian.

The a________________ family in Spain has 1.8 children.

You’re less likely to suffer from heart d________________ if you eat vegetables regularly

A b________________ diet contains a bit of everything, including fat and carbohydrates.

Oranges and lemons are an excellent s________________ of vitamin C.

Common mistakes

The other day I asked you to write some sentences that included ten specific words I gave you. Some of you have made the same type of mistakes, so here's a little explanation of some of them:

AFFECT is a transitive verb. Something affects you, not to you.

RESEARCH is used in the context of science, social studies, etc. In the case of police work you speak of investigation. Research is uncountable; it has no plural. You can say a piece of research, but only if you really need to: some fantastic research, a remarkable piece of research. You do/carry out research into something.

DIET: to go on A diet; to be on A diet. Don't forget the article.

AWAKE can be a verb, but that's not what I was interested in. The usual verb is wake (up), and AWAKE is more commonly used as an adjective.

TAKE LONG:                 + infinitive

•  It won't take very long to finish that = no llevará mucho tiempo, no se tardará... (impersonal)
• It won't take you very long to finish that = no tardarás...                

Something is STRESSFUL when it makes you feel STRESSED.

To be in a good / bad MOOD = estar de buen/mal humor (transitorio; con BE IN A ...) Different from to have a bad temper (tener mal carácter)

MEAL is not FOOD. Most people have three or four meals every day: breakfast, lunch, etc.

Translation key

Here's the translation of the ten sentences I posted on October 12th. Some comments included, too. Compare with your answers and ask any additional questions at the end of the class.

Key p. 132

Here are the correct answers to exercises A and B on page 132. For listening practice, you can try playing the recording, see if you understand everything (you should know all the vocabulary).

KEY

Translation

Translate the sentences below. The words in bold (negrita)  can be found somewhere on p. 5 of EFI (English File Intemediate). You might be able to use a different translation, but I have included them here for revision purposes.

1. Los billetes suelen ser más baratos por internet.
2. ¿A quién esperas? A un amigo mío que tiene una pizzería. (Can you think of a verb that is not have?)
3. ¿Mañana qué haces? Voy a conocer al antiguo presidente del Real Valladolid.
4. La comida rica en proteínas hace que te sientas más contento.
5. Los estudios (RE....) demuestran que van mejor (DO...) en la escuela los niños que desayunan salchichas y beicon.
6. Estoy despierto pero tengo mucho sueño.
7. Tardé más que ellos en dejar de fumar.
8. Lo soltaron (liberaron) el mes pasado.
9. Nadie cree que el gobierno vaya a subir los salarios.
10. What's the meaning of "up to eighty people"?

I will collect your translation in class.

Pronunciation p. 5

We're going to look at some words that have come up on p. 5 of English File, and which are often mispronounced. Read the words out loud first the way YOU think they're pronouncedm and then listen to this:

SALMON - PROTEIN - EXPERT - RELAXED - STRESSED - DEPRESSED - SECRET - COMPLETELY - CERTAIN - CAUSES - SAUCE - WEAPON- PLAYER - PLAYING - DELICIOUS EFFICIENT - TIRED- ON THE OTHER HAND - EVERY OTHER - FOCUS - SEVERAL - SOUTH - CHOCOLATE - SUGAR - HELP STOP TIREDNESS - TO SLEEP BETTER - FEEL SLEEPY