To pass the buck.
Pasar la pelota.
Este blog está dedicado a todas aquellas personas que quieran estudiar inglés por su cuenta o aunque estudiándolo, ya sea en una escuela oficial de Idiomas o en una academia, quieran tener un lugar en el que consultar sus dudas o ampliar información.
viernes, 27 de mayo de 2016
viernes, 20 de mayo de 2016
Unreal conditions
An unreal condition is a type of conditional. Related link: conditionals.
The if clause (describing an unreal situation)
When you want to describe a past situation which is unreal, or imagine how a past situation might have been different, you backshift the verb in the if clause.
What really happened What might have happened
(real past) (unreal past)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She won a small amount of -> If she had won the jackpot,...
money in the lottery.
She wasn't paying attention. -> If she had been paying a little more
attention,...
Substituting if
Instead of using if to introduce the unreal situation, you can invert the subject and verb.
If she had won the jackpot,... -> Had she won the jackpot,...
If your work had been more -> Had your work been more
satisfactory,... satisfactory,...
This is more typical of formal language, especially if it is written.
The main clause
Describing possible present consequences
You use would (do) or would be (doing) to describe the possible present consequences of the unreal past situation.
If she had won the lottery, she wouldn't be working for the Tatler any more.
If she had been paying more attention, she wouldn't be in such a mess.
Describing possible past consequences
You use would have (done) or would have been (doing) to describe the possible past consequences of the unreal past situation.
If she had won the lottery, she would have bought a snazzy red sports car.
She wouldn't have been daydreaming in class if the lesson had been a little more interesting.
The if clause and the main clause can be used in either order.
The if clause (describing an unreal situation)
When you want to describe a past situation which is unreal, or imagine how a past situation might have been different, you backshift the verb in the if clause.
What really happened What might have happened
(real past) (unreal past)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She won a small amount of -> If she had won the jackpot,...
money in the lottery.
She wasn't paying attention. -> If she had been paying a little more
attention,...
Substituting if
Instead of using if to introduce the unreal situation, you can invert the subject and verb.
If she had won the jackpot,... -> Had she won the jackpot,...
If your work had been more -> Had your work been more
satisfactory,... satisfactory,...
This is more typical of formal language, especially if it is written.
The main clause
Describing possible present consequences
You use would (do) or would be (doing) to describe the possible present consequences of the unreal past situation.
If she had won the lottery, she wouldn't be working for the Tatler any more.
If she had been paying more attention, she wouldn't be in such a mess.
Describing possible past consequences
You use would have (done) or would have been (doing) to describe the possible past consequences of the unreal past situation.
If she had won the lottery, she would have bought a snazzy red sports car.
She wouldn't have been daydreaming in class if the lesson had been a little more interesting.
The if clause and the main clause can be used in either order.
lunes, 16 de mayo de 2016
viernes, 13 de mayo de 2016
Writing (3) - Tips to write an essay
Cuando escribimos una redacción (essay en inglés) es muy importante tener en mente dos cosas:
1) Qué estilo, formal o informal, tenemos que utilizar (pincha aquí para profundizar en este aspecto).
2) La estructura de la redacción que vamos a escribir así como una serie de "frases hechas" que se suelen usar en cada párrafo y en cada tipo de redacción.
En futuras entradas iremos viendo con detenimiento los siguientes tipos de redacciones:
- an informal letter describing a house for rent
- a story
- a semi-formal transactional letter
- an essay providing solutions to problems
- a for and against essay
- an opinion essay
- an article describing a visit to a place
- an assessment report
- a letter to the editor
- a formal transactional letter
- a letter to apply for a job
- a letter of complaint
El objetivo es ir desarrollando el punto 2) para cada uno de los tipos de redacciones antes mencionados. Todas estas entradas serán etiquetadas con la palabra essay.
viernes, 6 de mayo de 2016
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