English Vocabulary and Grammar: A Comprehensive Resource

Posted on Dec 13, 2024 in English

Vocabulary Unit 1: World War I

Invaded (to invade): binnenvallen
Allies (an ally): een bondgenoot
Trenches (a trench): een loopgraaf
(An) enemy: een vijand
No-man’s-land: niemandsland
Shells (a shell): een granaat
Casualties (a casualty): een (oorlogs)slachtoffer
A ceasefire: een staakt-het-vuren
Battles (a battle): een gevecht, een strijd
To withdraw: zich terugtrekken
Negotiated (to negotiate): onderhandelen
A peace treaty: een vredesverdrag
Gave in (to give in to): toegeven aan
Handed in (to hand in): inleveren
Took after (to take after): lijken op
Refugee: vluchteling
Threw in the towel (to throw in the towel): de handdoek in de ring gooien
Collapse: instorting
Resource: (geld) bron
Shortage: tekort
Policy: beleid

Vocabulary Unit 2: Travel and Sustainability

To chitchat: keuvelen, babbelen over niets belangrijks
Numerous: veelvuldige
(To) go hand in hand: hand in hand gaan
Sight: bezienswaardigheid
To be apt to: geneigd zijn om
To wander: ronddwalen
Ill-fated: noodlottig
To overwhelm: overweldigen
Loo: toilet (British)
Mural: muurschildering
Ordeal: beproeving
The luck of the draw: de willekeur, het noodlot
To expel: verdrijven, buitengooien
To bar: verhinderen, verbieden
Stowaway: verstekeling
Descendant: afstammeling
Reluctant: weerhoudend, met tegenzin
Prejudice: vooroordeel
Occupation: (here) bezetting
Resistance: weerstand, verzet
Generosity: vrijgevigheid
Anxiety: angst, zenuwachtig
By trade: van beroep
A burden: een last
To let go of: loslaten
(A) specialty: een specialiteit
External: uiterlijk, aan de buitenkant
Reflects (to reflect): weerspiegelen
Internally (internal): vanbinnen, innerlijk
(To) hold on to: behouden, vasthouden aan
A kick in the butt: een schop onder de kont
Has a roof over his head (to have a roof over one’s head): een dak boven het hoofd hebben
(To) get on like a house on fire: uitstekend met elkaar overweg kunnen
Drives me up the wall (to drive someone up the wall): het bloed vanonder iemands nagels halen
Throws money down the drain (to throw money down the drain): geld over de balk smijten
Kicks the bucket (to kick the bucket): overlijden
Had skeletons in the cupboard (to have skeletons in the cupboard): lijken in de kast hebben, geheimen hebben
Showed me the door (to show someone the door): iemand de deur wijzen
Sweep it under the carpet (to sweep something under the carpet): iets onder de mat vegen
(To) build castles in the air: luchtkastelen bouwen
Narrow: smal
Alleys (an alley): een steeg
(An) approach: een aanpak
Dense: dicht, druk
Crowds (a crowd): een mensenmassa
Prior to: voorafgaand
(A) majority: een meerderheid
(A) gain: winst
Conducted (to conduct): voeren
Unaffordable: onbetaalbaar
Sustainable: duurzaam
Sustainability: duurzaamheid
Waste: afval
Emission: uitstoot
Resource: natuurlijke bron
Contemporary: hedendaags
Currently: op dit moment
Responsible: verantwoordelijk
To dare: durven
To dare someone to …: iemand uitdagen
Reusable: herbruikbaar
To roam/ to wander: rondzwerven
To harass: lastigvallen
Concrete: beton
Surface: oppervlakte
Landfill: vuilnisbelt
Lodging: verblijfplaats
Congested: verstopt (te druk)
To bully: pesten
Modification: aanpassing
Abandoned: verlaten
To confide: toevertrouwen
Surgery: (medische) operatie

Phrasal Verbs

Hold back: tegenhouden
Leave out: weglaten
(Be) laid up: in bed blijven, ziek zijn
Account for: verklaren, rechtvaardigen
Allow for: rekening houden met
Ask around: rondvragen
Back off: terugtrekken, stoppen
Bring round: bij bewustzijn brengen, overtuigen
Bring up: opvoeden
Call off: annuleren
Call out: meedelen, aankondigen
Care for: houden van, verzorgen, verplegen
Carry out: uitvoeren
Clear up: oplossen
Come across: tegenkomen, vinden
Come off: slagen
Cut down: verminderen
Draw up: opstellen
Drop out: opgeven, school verlaten
Get on: overweg kunnen
Give in: toegeven
Hand in: indienen
Make off: vluchten
Pass away: sterven
Pick up: leren
Point out: aanduiden
Pull through: genezen
Pull up: (auto) stoppen
Put off: uitstellen
Run into: tegenkomen
Send for: laten komen
Set off: vertrekken
Sit out: niet meedoen
Stand for: betekenen
Step up: verhogen
Take after: lijken op
Take in: bedriegen
Take up: beginnen leren
Think through: nadenken, bezinnen
Turn up: opdagen
Back down from: zich terugtrekken van
Catch up with: inhalen
Come down to: overtuigd geraken
Come down with: ziek worden
Fall back on: terugvallen op
Fall in with: akkoord gaan met
Get on with: voortmaken
Hand over to: overdragen aan
Hang on to: behouden, niet weggooien
Look down on: neerkijken op
Look forward to: uitkijken naar
Look out on: uitkijken op
Make out to: (cheque) uitschrijven op naam van
Make up for: compenseren
Put up with: verdragen
Run out of: zonder vallen
Stand up for: opkomen voor
Stand up to: zich verzetten tegen
Watch out for: uitkijken naar

English Tenses

The present simple tense: For habits or routines. (I walk to school every day.)
The present continuous tense: For actions happening now or temporarily. (She is reading a book right now.)
The present perfect simple tense: For actions in the past with a result now. (They have finished their homework.)
The past simple tense: For actions completed in the past. (We visited Paris last year.)
The past continuous tense: For actions happening at a specific time in the past. (He was cooking dinner when the phone rang.)
The future simple tense: For future plans, predictions, or decisions. (I will call you tomorrow.)

Semi-Auxiliaries

Semi-auxiliaries are verbs that are used in combination with other verbs to express modal meaning such as possibility, necessity, obligation, or permission.

To be able to (express ability): I am able to help you.
To be going to (intentions/plans): I am going to study.
To be supposed to or to be to: You were to be at the airport at 6 PM.
To dare (courage or challenge a person): Do you dare to eat raw meat? I dare you to watch that horror film.
To have to (obligation): She has to leave early.
To need to (necessity): You need to work harder.
Ought to (seen as correct, probable, likely, or expected): He ought to arrive in one hour. They ought not to drink alcohol!
To want to (wish/intention): They want to go home.
To seem to (appearance of probability): He seems to know the answer.
To used to (habit in the past): We used to play outside every day.

Irregular Verbs

To be: was, were/been/zijn
To beat: beat/beaten/slaan
To become: became/become/worden
To begin: began/begun/beginnen
To bend: bent/bent/buigen
To bind: bound/bound/binden
To bite: bit/bitten/bijten
To bleed: bled/bled/bloeden
To blow: blew/blown/blazen
To break: broke/broken/breken
To bring: brought/brought/brengen
To build: built/built/bouwen
To burn: burnt, burned/burnt, burned/(ver)branden
To buy: bought/bought/kopen
To catch: caught/caught/vangen
To choose: chose/chosen/kiezen
To come: came/come/komen
To cost: cost/cost/kosten
To cut: cut/cut/snijden, knippen
To deal: dealt/dealt/handelen
To dig: dug/dug/graven
To do: did/done/doen
To draw: drew/drawn/trekken, tekenen
To dream: dreamt, dreamed/dreamt, dreamed/dromen
To drink: drank/drunk/drinken
To drive: drove/driven/rijden, besturen
To eat: ate/eaten/eten
To fall: fell/fallen/vallen
To feed: fed/fed/voeden
To feel: felt/felt/(zich) voelen
To fight: fought/fought/vechten
To find: found/found/vinden
To flee: fled/fled/vluchten
To fly: flew/flown/vliegen
To forbid: forbade/forbidden/verbieden
To forget: forgot/forgotten/vergeten
To forgive: forgave/forgiven/vergeven
To freeze: froze/frozen/vriezen
To get: got/got/krijgen
To give: gave/given/geven
To go: went/gone/gaan
To grow: grew/grown/groeien
To hang: hung/hung/hangen
To have: had/had/hebben
To hear: heard/heard/horen
To hide: hid/hidden/(zich) verbergen
To hit: hit/hit/slaan, raken
To hold: held/held/houden
To hurt: hurt/hurt/(zich) pijn doen
To keep: kept/kept/houden
To know: knew/known/weten, kennen
To lay: laid/laid/leggen
To lead: led/led/leiden
To learn: learnt, learned/learnt, learned/leren
To leave: left/left/laten, verlaten
To lend: lent/lent/(uit)lenen
To let: let/let/laten, verhuren
To lie: lay/lain/liggen
To lie: lied/lied/liegen
To light: lit/lit/aansteken
To lose: lost/lost/verliezen
To make: made/made/maken
To mean: meant/meant/betekenen, bedoelen
To meet: met/met/ontmoeten
To pay: paid/paid/betalen
To put: put/put/zetten, leggen
To read: read/read/lezen
To ride: rode/ridden/rijden
To ring: rang/rung/bellen
To rise: rose/risen/opstaan, stijgen
To run: ran/run/rennen
To say: said/said/zeggen
To see: saw/seen/zien
To seek: sought/sought/zoeken
To sell: sold/sold/verkopen
To send: sent/sent/zenden, sturen
To set: set/set/zetten
To shake: shook/shaken/schudden
To shoot: shot/shot/schieten
To show: showed/shown/tonen
To shut: shut/shut/sluiten
To sing: sang/sung/zingen
To sink: sank/sunk/zinken
To sit: sat/sat/zitten
To sleep: slept/slept/slapen
To smell: smelt, smelled/smelt, smelled/ruiken, stinken
To speak: spoke/spoken/spreken
To speed: sped/sped/snel rijden, haast maken
To spend: spent/spent/uitgeven, doorbrengen
To spoil: spoilt, spoiled/spoilt, spoiled/verwennen
To spread: spread/spread/spreiden, verspreiden
To stand: stood/stood/staan
To steal: stole/stolen/stelen
To stick: stuck/stuck/steken, plakken
To stink: stank, stunk/stunk/stinken
To strike: struck/struck/slaan, staken
To swear: swore/sworn/zweren, vloeken
To swim: swam/swum/zwemmen
To take: took/taken/nemen
To teach: taught/taught/leren, onderwijzen
To tear: tore/torn/scheuren, rukken aan
To tell: told/told/zeggen, vertellen
To think: thought/thought/denken
To throw: threw/thrown/gooien
To understand: understood/understood/begrijpen, verstaan
To wake up: woke up/woken up/wakker worden, wakker maken
To wear: wore/worn/dragen (van kleren)
To win: won/won/winnen
To withdraw: withdrew/withdrawn/afhalen, (zich) terugtrekken
To write: wrote/written/schrijven

Travel Blog – Never Stop Travelling

Belfast has a difficult history with the troubles. Black Taxi Tours show stories about the city and its past. The Titanic museum is big and impressive. The Dark House Café is special with old-style decorations. From 1969 to 1998, 15,500 bombs were set off by the IRA (Irish Republican Army). Belfast has murals that show its history and culture. The city is interesting and full of stories, even with its hard past.

Europa Museum: Most bombed hotel during the troubles.
Titanic Museum: About the Titanic, built in Belfast.
Duke of York Tavern: Historic Pub.
The Walls: Murals showing Belfast’s history.

Titanic – Searching for the Missing Chinese Survivors

The Titanic sank in 1912, and six Chinese men survived. One of them was Fang Lang. They were saved but faced racism and were sent back due to laws against Chinese immigrants. A documentary called The Six tells their story. The film shows how discrimination affected their lives. Understanding this history helps us avoid repeating mistakes.

What Happened to the Chinese Passengers After Arriving in Ellis Island?

Within 24 hours of their arrival at the immigrant inspection in Ellis Island.

Trauma

A lasting emotional shock caused by an extremely upsetting experience. Stigma is a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society has about a group of people.

The Horrors of War: Three Poems

Main Theme

The horrors of war and its effect on soldiers.

Images of WWI

Sassoon: Lonely, sad, soldiers.
McCrea: Graves and poppies.
Owen: Brutal deaths and violence.

Tone + Messages

Sassoon: Sad, critical.
McCrea: Respectful and hopeful.
Owen: Dark and grim.

Emotions

Sadness, respect, and frustration about war.

Could These Poems Be Written Today?

Yes, wars still happen, and soldiers face similar struggles.

Favorite Poem

Depends on personal preference.

Were They Welcome Guests?

In 1914, many Belgians fled to Britain due to the German attack. They were warmly welcomed, with families offering homes. Support declined over time due to financial strain and pressure on refugees to work. A labor shortage in 1917-1918 led many Belgians to work in factories and other jobs. After the war, most returned to Belgium, but some faced criticism for staying abroad. Few traces of their time in Britain remain today, except for inscriptions and objects.

Were Belgian Refugees Welcome?

Yes, at first, but later less so.

Why Did Belgians Flee in 1914?

Germany attacked Belgium.

When and Why Did Attitudes Change?

Later, because money ran out, and refugees had to work.

Why Was There a Manpower Crisis?

Many British men were at war.

The Brutal Truth About a Holiday Hotspot

Santorini has problems because of too many tourists.

Cruise Tourists

Spend little money, make the island very full.

Problems for Locals

Too much waste, expensive houses, hard to live normally. Some locals want tourism that helps the island more.

Do Locals Like Cruise Ships?

No, because cruise tourists spend little money and make the island full.

Is Santorini a Sustainable Tourist Place?

No, because there is too much waste, there are too many tourists, and locals face problems living normally.

What Is the Housing Problem in Santorini?

Houses are too expensive. Many locals face problems living normally.