DESCRIBING PEOPLE B1 Course COMMUNICATIVE ENGLISH

1. Match the opposites.

1. clever, bright, smart	a. introverted
2. extroverted	b. tight-fisted, mean ,thrifty
3. rude, impolite	c. corteous, well-mannered, polite
4. cruel	d. gregarious , sociable
5. generous	e. unfaithful, unloyal
6. unsociable	f. half-witted, stupid , dumb
7. faithful, loyal	g. untidy
8. tidy	h. kind-hearted

  

2. Fill in the gaps with the adjectives in the box.

BRIGHT                  SOCIABLE                 RUDE                      MEAN                     KIND-HEARTED       POLITE                  FAITHFUL              DUMB

1.      Sam's really _____________. He always cares about everyone and has the best intentions

possible.

2.      I didn't like Jake's ____________ behaviour. He shouldn't have insulted Robbert that way.

1.      If the police ask you about the robbery, act ____________.

2.      Lina was never _____________ to her husband, poor chap!. She didn't stop seeing other men when she married.

3.      Sarah was a very ____________ student. All her marks were "excellents".

4.      My grandfather was a loving man but so____________! He didn't even give me a present on my birthday.

5.      I made a few ____________ remarks about her dress just to make her happy.

6.      I want to be alone, please. I'm not in a ___________ mood.

3. Odd one out. Two of the words are synonyms, the third one is not.

a.       innocent / peculiar / naive

b.      confident / ambitious / pushy

c.       bossy / despotic / weird

d.      inquiring / confident / nosy

e.       sensitive / permissive / broad-minded

f.       frank / direct / obstinate

g.      weird / pig-headed / eccentric

h.      stubborn / big-headed / obstinate

i.        sel-assured / confident / peculiar

j.        sensitive / sensible / down-to-earth

k.      relaxed / tense / calm

l.        pig-headed / reliable / trustworthy

4. STEREOTYPES. Choose one adjective for each nationality, according to the stereotype.

-          SPANISH .          Clever  / passionate / cold

-          BRITISH.             Reserved / cheerful  / chic

-          ITALIANS.         Hard-workers / meticulous / charming

-          DUTCH.              Tolerant  / chic / fiery

-          FRENCH.            Warm  / hedonistic / friendly

-          AMERICANS.    Materialistic  / affectionate  / calm

-          IRISH.                 Adventurous / humorous  / stylish

5.  Read these advertisements from a "Lonely hearts" and "sits. wanted" column in a newspaper.

           A)

I'm looking for Mr Right, is that you? Are you a non-smoker, non-drinker, intelligent, smart, romantic, easy-going, fun-loving, mature, good-looking, generous, sensitive and into soul music, dancing, cinema and most racquet sports? If so, write to Jenny soon. Box nº DD2211

v  Find words that mean:

1.      Well-dressed and with a good appearance. ____________

2.      Concerned about and looking after others. ____________

3.      Isn't complicated and doesn't make any problems. ______________

4.      Sensible and well-balanced. _______________

5.      Understanding and aware of other people's problems. ____________

          B)

THE FEMININE TOUCH Trustworthy, sociable cleaners available to clean your vilas and apartments. Denia and Benidorm. Family run, reasonable rates. Excellent service.  Tel. Andy (0064) 550123174

v  Find words that mean:

1.      Out-going, gregarious. ____________

2.      Reliable. ____________

3.      Moderate. _____________

          C)

Qualified English electrician. Honest, reliable, well-mannered and friendly. All electrical work undertaken, also alarms. Torrevieja and surrounding areas. Tel. 646230769

v  Find words that mean:

1.      Not telling lies; not cheating or stealing. ______________

2.      Polite. ______________

     D)

Gentleman, easy-going. 5'11'', 13 stone, smart, calm, good-natured, home-loving. Likes wining, dining, dancing, diving, trekking. Looks for slim lady, mid-fifties, cheerful, stylish, sporty, adventurous, about 5'6'' tall for long term relationship. Call me now. 639625769.

v  Find words that mean:

1.      Kind; ready and willing to help others, even by sacrificing one's own interest.____________

2.      Bringing or suggesting happiness. _____________

3.      Fashionable. ____________

4.      Going out for a drink of wine. _____________

5.      Going walking in the mountain. _____________

SOME GRAMMATICAL PRACTICE FOR YOUR PAU EXAM

2.1 Verbos modales. (Modal verbs)

􀀗Translate the following sentences.

a. Puede que llueva mañana. ___________________________________________________.

b. No puede ser el coche de tu tía. ___________________________________________________.

c. No puedes dormir en clase. ___________________________________________________.

d. ¿Me puede traer un vaso de agua? ___________________________________________________.

e. El debe haber conducido toda la noche. _______________________________________________.

f. ¿Sabes jugar al fútbol? ___________________________________________________.

g. Cuando lleguemos, puede que la fiesta ya haya terminado. _____________________________.

2.2 Oraciones Condicionales. (Conditional clauses)

􀀗 Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tenses.

1. If you pass your examination, we ____________(have) a celebration.

2. If you go to Paris, where you ____________ (stay)?

3. If you ____________ (read) the instructions carefully, you wouldn’t have answered the wrong

question.

4. Unless they turn the radio off, I ____________ (go) mad.

5. You’ll get pneumonia if you ____________ (not change) your wet clothes.

6. If anyone attacked me, my dog ____________ (jump) at his throat.

7. If you drove your car into the river, you (be able to) ____________ get out?

8. What you ____________ (do) if you found a burglar in your house?

9. If I had realised that the traffic lights were red, I ____________ (stop).

10. She had a headache, otherwise she ____________ (come) with us.

11. If I ____________ (win) a big prize in a lottery, I’d give up my job.

12. If I ____________ (have) a mad, I would have been all right.

13. If I see him, I ____________ (give) him a lift.

14. If I find your passport, I ____________ (telephone) you.

15. If you ____________ (not believe) what I say, ask your mother.

2.3 Pasiva. (Passive sentences)

􀀗 Put the following sentences into the passive voice.

1. Nobody cleaned the room last week.

2. You may buy some flowers.

3. I wasn’t talking to anyone.

4. They believe he is in Spain.

5. The police believe that the thief stole 100 mill. € .

6. They claim he carried out the murder.

7. My mother doesn’t let me do anything.

8. They didn’t let anyone go home peacefully.

9. They are demolishing the entire block.

10. Has someone posted my parcel?

11. People will shoe the visitors the new buildings.

12. A guide pointed out the Pyramids to me.

13. They turned my offer down.

14. People say that he is armed.

15. They brought the children up in Italy.

16. A lorry knock him down.

17. They haven’t stamped the letter.

18. Tom smith wrote the book and Brown and Co. published it.

19. Don’t touch this switch!

20. A Japanese firm makes these TV sets.

2.4 Estilo Indirecto. (Reported speech)

􀀗 Put the following sentences into reported speech.

1. “I am busy”, he told me.

2. “I’ve been in London for a year”, said your friend.

3. “I’ve just talked to her”, John told me.

4. “The teacher will take down your name tomorrow”, my classmates told me.

5. “I can’t live on my basic salary”, said Peter.

6. “Don’t swim here”, they advised.

7. “Don’t forget to take your glasses”, said Mr. Brown.

8. “Don’t lend Harry any money”, I told Ann.

9. “Make good use of time”, they recommended me.

10. “Where is your sister?”, Antonio asked Felipe.

11. “How much do you think it cost?”, he said.

12. “Where did it happen?”, I asked.

13. “Do you often get up at 7.00?”, my friend asked Lorena.

14. “Are you coming tonight?”, she asked me.

15. “Did you understand that?”, he asked me.

2.5 Clausulas de Relativo. (Relative clauses)

􀀗 Join the two sentences using a relative pronoun.

1. Ann said that there were far too many notices. Ann’s children could swim very well.

2. I met Mary. She asked me to give Peter a present.

3. The lorry crashed into a bus load of school children. Six of them were injured.

4. We lit a fire. It soon dried out our clothes.

5. Tom had been driving all day. He was tired and wanted to stop.

6. Paul wanted to take the mountain road. His tyres were nearly new.

7. Ann had been sleeping in the car. She felt quite fresh.

8. Juan speaks English very well. His mother is Swedish.

9. The story sounds incredible. It is true.

10. The storm damaged the lorry. Its driver is a friend of mine.

MODAL VERBS FOR THE PAU EXAM

1.1 Características.

Los verbos modales tienen las siguientes características:

- no tienen flexión verbal, es decir, no pueden tener “-s, -ed, -ing”.

- están seguidos por el verbo principal sin ‘to’, con la excepción de ‘have to’.

- para cambiar a negativo, se les añade la partícula ‘not’ (en términos generales).

- para cambiar a pasado, les sigue el auxiliar “have” + el verbo principal en participio.

1.2 Uso y funciones.

Los verbos modales se utilizan en inglés para numerosas funciones que los verbos léxicos

no pueden cubrir. Podemos agrupar los verbos modales dependiendo de su función en 5

grandes categorías:

a. Possibility: verbos que indican la posibilidad entre dos extremos (imposibilidad y certeza

absoluta).

Para organizarlos se agrupan en una escala de posibilidad.

Example: Is Peter at home?

(1)He can’t be at home (Él no puede estar en casa)

(2)He might be at home (Él podría ser que estuviera en casa)

(3)He may be at come (Él podría estár en casa)

(4)He could be at home (Él puede estar en casa)

(5)He should be at home (Él debería estar en casa)

(6)He will be at home (Él estará en casa)

(7)He must be at home (Él debe estar en casa)

b. Permission: verbos que son empleados para pedir o dar permiso. ‘Can’ (informal), ‘could’

(formal), ‘may’ (muy formal).

Example: Can / may / could I go to the toilet? (¿Puedo ir al servicio?)

c. Obligation: verbos que muestran imposición de una obligación.

- ‘must’: se usa para una obligación interna. “I must study this afternoon.”

- ‘have to’: se usa para una obligación externa. “You have to pay a fine.”

(‘don’t have to’ implica falta de obligación. “You don’t have to come to class at Uni.”)

- ‘should’: implica la expresión de consejo. “You should not eat so much.”

- ‘ought to’: también implica un consejo o una recomendación, normalmente referida

a normas establecidas. “You ought to tell that to the police.”

d. Prohibition: verbos que reflejan una prohibición.

- ‘mustn’t’: expresa una prohibición. “You mustn’t smoke in class.”

e. Ability: verbos que expresan una habilidad en el presente o el pasado.

- ‘can’: habilidad general de presente, se traduce por ‘saber’. “I can play the guitar very well.”

- ‘could’: habilidad general de pasado. “When I was four I could play the piano.”

- ‘be able to’: habilidad específica. “Under pressure, she is able to run 15km/h”

PHRASAL VERBS FOR THE PAU EXAM

Lista de los phrasal verbs más comunes.

BE ABOUT TO - estar a punto de -I was about to leave the house when my friends arrived.

BE BACK - regresar -I'm working late at the office tonight so I won't be back until 10.

BE OUT OF - quedarse sin - We're out of eggs so we can't make a tortilla.

BE OVER - terminarse - When the football match was over, we went to the pub.

BE UP - estar levantado - "Phil isn't up yet: he's still in bed. Phone again in ten minutes."

BLOW UP - estallar (una bomba) - The bomb blew up killing six people.

BLOW UP - inflar - We blew up at least a hundred balloons for the Christmas party.

BREAK DOWN - averiarse - My car broke down on the way to Motril.

CALL BACK - volver a llamar - "I'm afraid the manager isn't here at the moment. Could you call back later?"

CARRY ON - seguir. continuar - I'm sorry if I interrupted you. Please carry on.

CARRY OUT - cumplir (una promesa) - The President carried out his promise to reduce taxation.

CARRY OUT - llevar a cabo - The execution was carried out at seven o'clock in the morning.

CLEAR UP - poner en orden - It took four hours to clear up after the party.

COME ACROSS - encontrar, dar con - I came across an old friend on the metro in Madrid.

COME BACK - regresar - I'm going to England for two weeks. I'm coming back on the fifth.

COME IN - entrar - "Good morning. Come in and sit down."

COME ON - ¡Vamos!, ¡Date prisa! - Come on. We're going to be late.

CUT DOWN ON - consumir menos - You must cut down on cholesterol or you'll have a heart attack.

CUT OFF - cortar, desconnectar - When we didn't pay the bill, the electricity was cut off.

CUT UP - cortar en pedazos - We cut up the birthday cake and gave everyone a slice.

DO UP - abrochar, atar - I was five before I knew how to do up my shoelaces.

DO WITH - tener algo que ver con, tener relación con - "What's MS DOS?" "It's got something to do with computers."

DO WITHOUT - pasarse sin, prescindir de - The shops are shut so we'll have to do without sugar.

DRAW UP - pararse - The car drew up at the zebra crossing.

GET BACK - volver, regresar - Cinderella had to get back by twelve o'clock.

GET IN(TO) - entrar - I lost my keys and so I couldn't get into the house.

GET OFF - bajar (de un autobus, tren) - You have to get off the bus at the next stop if you want the station.

GET ON - subir (a un autobus, tren, moto) - Quick! Get on the train, it's about to leave.

GET UP - levantarse - When I got up this morning it was still dark.

GIVE BACK - devolver - If you don't like the dress, the shop will give you your money back.

GIVE UP - perder la esperanza, rendirse - If you find phrasal verbs difficult, don't give up.

GIVE UP - dejar (de fumar, beber) - You'll get cancer if you don't give up smoking.

GO AHEAD - ¡Siga! - "Can I use the telephone?" "Yes, go ahead."

GO AWAY - irse, marcharse - Are you going away for Christmas, or are you staying at home.

GO BACK - volver, regresar - Although she's forty, she's going back to University to study French.

GO DOWN - bajar - The price of fruit goes down in the summer.

GO OUT - salir (por la calle) - I always go out and have a few drinks on Saturday night.

GO UP - subir - The price of cigarettes went up in January 1992.

HANG ON/HOLD ON - esperar - Hold on for a minute as Pablo will be back in five minute.

HANG UP - colgar (el teléfono) - My ex-girlfriend hung up when I phoned her.

KEEP UP WITH - mantenerse (a la altura de) - I can't keep up with my father when we go cycling as he goes too fast.

KNOCK DOWN - derribar, atropear, demoler - My grandfather's old house was knocked down and a bank was built.

LEAVE BEHIND - olvidar, dejar - When I got to the airport, I realised I had left my passport behind.

LET IN - dejar entrar - She opened the door and let in the cat.

LOOK AFTER - cuidar - My mother looks after the children when we go away.

LOOK FOR - buscar - I spent two hours looking for my glasses before I found them.

LOOK FORWARD TO - esperar con ilusión - I'm looking forward to the Easter holidays.

LOOK OUT - tener cuidado, ¡Ojo! Look out! - There's a car coming. JOHN & SARAH 1996 (c)

LOOK UP - buscar algo (en un libro, diccionario) - If you don't understand the word, look it up in a dictionary.

PUT IN - meter, introducir - Put ten pence in the machine and you will get a cup of coffee.

PUT ON - encender - Put on the light, it's getting dark.

PUT ON - ponerse (la ropa) - Put your coat on or you'll get cold.

RUN OUT OF - quedarse sin algo We ran out of petrol so we had to get the bus.

SET OFF - ponerse en camino - We set off to Madrid at five o'clock to avoid the traffic.

TAKE AFTER - parecerse a - Pablo takes after his mother: they are both optimistic.

TAKE OFF - despegar - The flight was delayed for two hours and the plane eventually took off at 6 p.m.

TAKE OFF - quitarse la ropa - Take off your coat and make yourself comfortable.

TAKE OUT - extraer, sacar - He took out a cigarette and lit it.

THROW AWAY - tirar (en la basura) - Don't throw these papers away: they're important.

TURN DOWN - bajar (el volumen) - Turn down the radio: it's too loud.

TURN UP - poner el volumen más fuerte - Turn up the radio. I can't hear it.

TURN ON - encender (televisión, luces etc.) - Turn on the television, please, I want to see the news.

Some advice to prepare the PAU exam.

Consejos generales.

1. No dejar nada en blanco, no hay penalización por fallos, por tanto, intentad

siempre dar una respuesta.

2. Evitad tachones, flechas, y borrones en el papel. Es un buen hábito hacer las 2-

3 primeras preguntas del examen en un papel en sucio. Una vez que los nervios

han pasado, se pueden copiar estas preguntas a limpio y seguir con el exámen

en el folio definitivo. Pensad que la primera impresión es muy importante para un

corrector que más que probablemente lleva acumuladas docenas de exámenes

antes del vuestro.

4. Seguid estrictamente las instrucciones de los miembros del tribunal con

respecto a tiempo del examen, uso (o no de tippex), no poned el nombre, etc.

5. No escribir nada en Castellano.

6.2 Consejos específicos por secciones.

(A) COMPREHENSION (4 points)

1. Leer el texto una primera vez rápidamente para comprender su significado

global. No intentad comprender o traducir palabra por palabra, porque es

innecesario y se pierde mucho tiempo.

2. Leer las preguntas de comprensión y buscar en el texto, mas detenidamente,

las respuestas. Intentad que las respuestas sean completas, esto es, si pregunta

“Which are the three ways to find a job?”, la respuesta empezaría así: “The three

ways to find a job are:…”.

3. Es determinante que no se copie del texto para hacer las preguntas de

comprensión, se pierde la mitad de la nota automáticamente.

4. Comprobar la contestación con una tercera lectura.

5. Leer las preguntas de “True or False” con cuidado buscando las respuestas en

el texto. Escribir “True” o “False” (evitad la tentación de poner “V” o “F”), y, a

continuación, la frase del texto que sustenta vuestra respuesta. Finalmente, es

aconsejable también citar la(s) línea(s) del texto, (ej. : “(lines 1-3)”. Nota: si no se

justifica la respuesta, la puntuación será de 0.

(B) USE OF ENGLISH (3 points)

1. Si el enunciado de la pregunta dice “Give a synonym…”, se pretende que

respondais con una palabra de vuestro vocabulario, no del texto. Sin embargo, si

encontrais “Find a synonym …”, hay que buscar una palabra en el texto.

2. Cuidado con la formación de palabras en inglés, si hay un pequeño error (una

letra de más o de menos) la respuesta obtiene puntuación 0.

3. Pensad cuidadosamente las respuestas de gramática, valen 0.5 puntos y

pueden decidir entre un examen aprobado y suspenso. Intentad reflexionar

sobre ellas.

(C) PRODUCTION (3 points)

1. Pensad primero en cual opción os encontráis con más confianza. Es

recomendable hacer un esquema con ideas que constituyan el esqueleto de la

composición (en Inglés o en Castellano) teniendo en cuenta los siguientes

puntos:

a. Grammar:

1. Usar al menos 2-3 construcciones complejas (pasiva, estilo indirecto,

condicional, etc.).

2. Estar seguro de no cometer un fallo gramatical grave.

b. Vocabulary:

1. Intentar evitar vocabulario simple y básico, pero no inventar palabras.

2. Evitar a toda costa el Spanglish.

3. Usar algún compuesto (traffic-light), ‘false friends’ (sensible,

embarrassed) y vocabulario específico de las unidades vistas en clase.

c. Structure:

1. Copiar la opción elegida (‘a’ o ‘b’) y copiar el título.

2. Utilizar párrafos. Es muy importante que los párrafos estén tabulados y

separados entre sí. Los párrafos no suelen componerse de una sola

oración, intentad que tengan al menos dos. La estructura básica de los

párrafos es la siguiente:

I. Introducción. (Introduction) [1párrafo]

II. Cuerpo. (Body) [1-2 párrafos]

III. Conclusión. (Conclusión) [1 párrafo]

3. Intentad evitar por todos los medios los tachones, es realmente

importante la impresión de un examen limpio a otro que no lo está.

4. Es muy importante no copiar literalmente del texto para hacer la

composición, baja los puntos.

d. Connectors:

1. Es recomendable empezar cada párrafo con un conector que

identifica la finalidad de esa parte del texto (‘first of all, in my opinion,

nowadays, to sum up, all in all, on the one hand, on the other hand,

consequently, as I mentioned before, etc.’).

2. El abuso de conectores es también un error muy generalizado, que

hace que la composición sea muy artificial y difícil de leer. Intentad

buscar un término medio.

3. El uso de conectores es un mecanismo muy socorrido para dejar ver

que, a pesar de poder tener ciertas dificultades con el idioma, hay una

base de estudio de la asignatura.