SUMMARY OF ENGLISH III UNITS

UNIT 1  -  INFORMATION OVERLOAD

In this unit we discussed about actual ways of communication, mass media consists in every kind of massive communication (T.V., newspaper, Internet, social network, etc.) that reach many people in only few minutes.  Sometimes we experienced some negative effects regarding this matter if this is used to manipulate people or for unfavorable purposes. 



Target vocabulary

Barrage

Bias

Comes in second

Evading

Inconsequential

Lethal

Makes a connection

Newsworthy

Perspective

Regardless of

Remedy

Repetitive

GRAMMAR - how to form the passive?

correct form of be

+

past participle

Use by + agent if agent is known and important

The newspaper had been read by him.

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UNIT 2  -  THE ACHILLES HEEL

The discussion of this unit was about the heroism and achievements of people who have overcome many obstacles and have inspired  many people all over the world.


Target vocabulary

Challenging

Determined

Eagles

Inspiration

Landscape

Scattered

Collapse

Recognition

Courageous

Empowerment

Judging

Limitations

Perseverance

Altitude

In store for

Peak

Proof

Soaring

Tough

GRAMMAR - Gerunds and Infinitives

To form the gerund, add –ing to the base form of the verb

Example:

It´s a story reaching new heights and overcoming great odds.

To form the infinitive, use to and the base form of the verb

Example:

It was very hard for the Achilles Track Club to climb Mount Kilimanjaro

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UNIT 3  -  EARLY TO BED, EARLY TO RISE...

Certainly sleep deprivation can be dangerous generating many negative effects to people such as fatigue, irritation, lack of focus and concentration.

Also this kind of disorders are most common that we think and they could manifest as: insomnia, apnea, restless legs syndrome, sleepwalking, daydreaming; nightmares.

Target vocabulary

Burning the midnight oil

Caught 40 winks

Nodded off

Shut-eye

Accumulate

Alert

Awake

Chronic

Do without

Drowsy

Fatigue

Irritable

Miserable

Naps

Power nap

Priority

Rub (your) eyes

Run by

Yawn

Snore

GRAMMAR: Present unreal conditionals

—It is used to talk about what you would generally do in imaginary situations.
—
—FORM:
—[If ... Simple Past ..., ... would + verb ...]
—[... would + verb ... if ... Simple Past ...]
—
Examples:
I would read more if I didn't watch so much TV.
—Mary would move to Japan if she spoke Japanese.

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UNIT 4  -  ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE

Although most people wouldn’t typically associate extreme intelligence with animals, that is a bit of a misconception. While they are obviously not able to match the computational and meta cognitive power of the human brain there are certain things some animals specialize in for which their minds are uniquely adapted. In some ways you could say they are smarter (or more functional) than even humans at performing these tasks.

Target vocabulary

Remarkable

Ape

Aware

In captivity

Cognition

Intriguing

Manipulate

Prevailing

Research

Socialized

Spontaneous

GRAMMAR: Reported Speech

What Is Reported Speech? it is also called indirect speech

if we report what another person has said, we usually do not use the speaker’s exact words (direct speech), but reported (indirect) speech“Backshift” of Verbs—

—simple present   -   simple past



—“I am 22 years old.”

—She said that she was 22 years old.


—

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UNIT 5  -  LONGEVITY

Video related to longevity

One manifestation of our ageing population structure is the rapid growth of “centenarians”. People who have reached 100 years of age. Genetic Variation has been identified as a key predictor of “exceptional longevity”.

Lifestyle factors, such as nutrition, exercise, avoiding obesity and long-term heavy smoking.

“It’s Not How Long You Live, Rather How Well You Live”

Professor Randy Pausch

Target vocabulary

Anxious	Elderly
It´s a different story	Population
Attendant	Face (verb)
Jealous	Senior
Bitter	Facility
Keep an eye on	Sit on the sidelines
Bold	Flamboyant
Life expectancy	Solidarity
Brag about	Generation
Mourning	Take care of
Bunch of	Get together with
Nurturing	The ripe old age of
Chapter	Go in for
Pass away	Widow
Citizen	Hotspot
Physician

GRAMMAR: Tag questions

THEY HAVE TWO PARTS:

• STATEMENT
•  TAG (ADDED QUESTION)

IF THE VERB IN THE STATEMENT IS AFFIRMATIVE, THE TAG IS NEGATIVE:

    The Red Hat Society is an American organization, isn’t it?

IF THE VERB IN THE STATEMENT IS NEGATIVE, THE TAG IS AFFIRMATIVE:

 The old lady didn’t live alone, did she?

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UNIT 6  -  GIVING TO OTHERS
Why do we do it?

Five reason to donate to charity:

1. The amount you donate is tax deductible

2. Helping other can create an improved sense of well-being.

3. Giving to charity may improve your sense of well-being. Knowing that you sacrificed something such as time, finances or property in order to help others in need can give you a sense of purpose in life or work and inner satisfaction.

4. Supporting a cause can help keep you informed about issues of social injustice. You may discover new points of view and opinions on topics about which you were previously uniformed.

5. Giving to charity out of spiritual conviction can strengthen your spiritual life. By volunteering, you have the opportunity to build your social circles while reaping the physical, mental and spiritual benefits from the labor you contribute to your favorite cause.

Target vocabulary

Anonymous

Charity

Generosity

Moral

Passionate

Catastrophe

Contribute

Inheritance

Motivation

Wealthy

Appeal

Benefactors

Cause

Freelance

Fundraiser

Rewarding

Under the radar

Donation

GRAMMAR: Adjective Clauses

Adjective clauses, also called relative clauses, begin with one of the relative pronouns  such as who, whom, whose, where , that, which, when

Whom - Refers to people, used as object or object of preposition

Sally, who(m) he knew, arrived yesterday.

   (Relative pronoun as the object of the clause)

Which or  that, refers to things, animals

The watch which Ken bought was expensive.

The ring that Jamie wears is from  her husband.

Whose, refers to possession/ownership

The father whose child is missing is frantic!

When, refers to a time (in + year, in + month, on + day,...).

 It cannot be a subject, It can be omitted

I will never forget the day when I graduated.

I will never forget the day on which I graduated.

Where, refers to a place (in + country, in + city, at + school,...).

It cannot be a subject, it can be omitted but a preposition (at, in, to) usually must be added.

The house where he stays is old .

The house in which he stays is old.

Why, refers to reason, it can be omitted

I don’t know why he winked.

I don’t know the reason why he winked.

I don’t know the reason he winked.

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UNIT 7  -  WHAT´S DE USE OF HOMEWORK?



Target vocabulary

Ritual

Obedient

Sacrifice

Duty

Tangible

Fluctuate

Outlawed

Held accountable for

Demanding

GRAMMAR:  Make, Let, Help, and Get

Use MAKE, HAVE, LET + Object + base form of the verb to talk about things that someone can require, cause, or allow another person or animal to do.

• He has his children do their homework immediately after school.
• Jamie has them take responsibility for their own learning.
• She makes them turn off the TV.
• Amy makes her students do homework every night.
• He lets them play video games later.
• Philip lets them choose their own essay topics

You can also use make to mean cause to - force to

HELP

It can be followed by:

    1. object + base form of the verb

    She helped me do my research project.

    He helped me understand the issue.

    2. object + infinitive

     He helped me to do it.

 He helped me to understand the issue. 

GET

It has a similar meaning to make and have, though it implies a less direct action by the subject of the sentence.

It is always followed by object + infinitive.

The professor got us to do extra homework.

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UNIT 8  -  GOODBYE TO THE SIT-DOWN MEAL

Delicacies

Witnessing

Stacked

Shift

Workforce

Phenomenon

Overrun

Core

Intimate

Sit-down

Creates

Leave something until later; treat as less urgent

Earn money

Something to think about

Problems are developing

Main source of income

Start working

Salary earners

Be skeptical about what you hear

Really good person

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UNIT 9 - FINDING A NICHE:
The Challenge for Young Immigrants

Target vocabulary

Unique

Native tongue

Flourishing

Mainstream

Tight-knit

Assimilate

Suppressed

Relieved

Bone up on

Intimidating

Uprooted

Set apart

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UNIT 10  -  NO TECHNOLOGY? NO WAY?

Target vocabulary

Cell phones

Computer games

Instant messaging

Internet shopping

MP3 players

Social networking sites (Facebook, MySpace)

Voice mail

VoIP (voice-over Internet Protocol: Internet phone Services such as Skype)

You Tube