Commonly Confused Verbs, Welfare State, Past Perfect, Conditionals
Commonly Confused English Verbs
Here’s a list of commonly confused verbs with examples:
- Wear (jewellery/clothes) vs. Carry (a bag/a baby)
- Win (a medal/a prize/a match) vs. Earn (a salary/money)
- Know (somebody well/something) vs. Meet (somebody for the first time/at 11 o’clock)
- Hope (that something good will happen/to do something) vs. Wait (for a bus/for a long time)
- Watch (TV/a match) vs. Look at (a photo/your watch)
- Look (happy/about 25 years old) vs. Look like (your mother/a model)
- Miss (the bus/a class) vs. Lose (a match/your glasses)
- Bring (your dictionary/something back from holiday) vs. Take (an umbrella/your children to school)
- Look for (your glasses/a job) vs. Find (your glasses/a job)
- Say (sorry/hello/something to somebody) vs. Tell (a joke/a lie/somebody something)
- Lend (money to somebody) vs. Borrow (money from somebody)
Understanding the Welfare State
Key terms and definitions related to the welfare state:
- Elderly: Ancianos (Old people)
- Schooling: Educación (Education)
- Benefits: Beneficios (Advantages or payments received)
- Subsidized: Subvencionados (Financially supported)
- Medical treatment: Tratamiento médico (Healthcare services)
- Eligible: Idóneo (Qualified)
- Social Workers: Trabajadores sociales (Professionals who provide social services)
- Low incomes: Bajos ingresos (Small earnings)
- Physically disabled: Discapacitado físico (Having a physical impairment)
- Out of work: Desempleo (Unemployed)
- Welfare state: Estado del bienestar (A system where the state protects the health and well-being of its citizens)
- Mentally handicapped: Discapacitado mental (Having a mental impairment)
- Pension: Pensión (Retirement payment)
- Social services: Servicios sociales (Government services provided for the benefit of the community)
- Retire: Jubilado (To stop working due to age)
Advice vs. Advise and Other Differences
- Advice (noun): Consejo. Advise (verb): Aconsejar.
- Blind: Ciego (can’t see). Deaf: Sordo (can’t hear).
- Free: Don’t pay. Subsidized: Money help pay state.
- Hearing aid: Audífono (help to hear). Braille: Language to read.
- Haves: Rich, have money. Have-nots: Lack something, don’t have money.
Past Perfect Simple Tense
The past perfect simple is formed with had + past participle.
Structure:
- Affirmative: I/you/he/she/it/we/they had (or I’d) + past participle
- Negative: I/you/he/she/it/we/they had not (hadn’t) + past participle
- Question: Had I/you/he/she/it/we/they + past participle…?
Uses:
- Actions and states before a point in the past. Example: I’d finished my homework a few minutes before the lesson started. (Había terminado mi tarea unos minutos antes de que comenzara la lección).
- Finished actions and states where the important thing is the result at a point in the past. Example: We were happy because we’d all done our homework. (Estábamos felices porque todos habíamos hecho nuestra tarea).
Commonly used words and phrases:
By, by the time, before, after, just, when.
Examples:
- I’d finished my homework by eight o’clock.
- By the time I got to class, the lesson had started.
- The teacher had checked the answers before the lesson.
- I left after I’d finished the test.
- Simon had just finished the test when the bell rang.
- I left when I’d finished the test.
Conditional Sentences
Zero Conditional
Form: if + present simple, present simple
Use: General or scientific facts.
Example: If people eat too much, they often get fat. (Si las personas comen demasiado, a menudo engordan.) / If you heat water, it boils.
First Conditional
Form: if + present simple, will + infinitive verb (can, may, might)
Use: Real situations, to warn of what may happen if something is done.
Examples:
- If you study, you will pass the exam.
- She won’t tell you anything if you don’t help her.
- If you take these pills, you’ll start to feel better very soon.
Instead of “if”, sometimes we find “when”, “unless” (= if not).
Second Conditional
Form: if + past simple, would + infinitive (could)
Use: To talk about unreal situations in the present, or totally imaginary situations.
Examples:
- If I were taller, I would play basketball.
- He would help you if you asked him politely.
In this type of conditional, when “to be” is in the “if” clause, we can use the form “were” for all persons. It is considered mandatory in the expression “if I were you” (si fuera tú) to give advice. Although the form is in the past, we are not talking about a real past, only the form. Most of the time, the difference in use between this conditional and the first one is how probable the speaker sees the situation: if it is more probable, the first one; if he sees it as less feasible, he will use the second one. “Unless” is used, but less than in the first conditional.
Examples:
- If I were you, I would eat less chocolate (more formal).
- If I was you, I’d eat less chocolate (more informal).
Corrected exercise example:
Incorrect: If mum is tired tonight, I cook dinner.
Correct: If mum is tired tonight, I will cook dinner.
Another example: If I ____ (do) well in the exam, my parents will buy me an MP3. Correct answer: do