Mastering English Grammar: Units 7 & 8 – Vocabulary & Usage
Unit 7
Vocabulary: Positive and Negative Descriptions
Convenient – Inconvenient (Conveniente) / Effective – Ineffective (Eficaz) / Significant – Insignificant (Significativo) / Eventful – Uneventful (Agitado) / Creative – Uncreative (Criativo) / Conventional – Unconventional (Convencional) / Imaginative – Unimaginative (Imaginativo) / Successful – Unsuccessful (Bem sucedido)
Grammar: So and Such
Use so and such with an adjective to make the adjective stronger.
so + adjective: It was so creative. / It was so well made.
such + a/an + adjective + singular noun: It was such a creative idea. / It was such a well-made aqueduct.
Use a that clause with so or such to show a result.
The abacus was so effective that it spread to other places.
The abacus was such an effective tool that it spread to other places.
Examples: The wheel was such a significant invention. / Her ideas were so unimaginative. / His inventions have been so successful. / His thinking is so unconventional. / She was such a creative woman. / Wireless internet access is so convenient. / Downloading music is so popular that CD sales have decreased. / I think the Perfect Cake Cutter was such an ineffective invention that no one wanted to buy it. / Cell phones are so inexpensive that almost everyone has one. / MP3 players were such a big success that they changed the way we listen to music.
Interactions: Solutions
Eliciting an idea: Do you have any ideas? / Got any ideas? / Got any suggestions?
Suggesting a solution: Well, one idea could be to… / Something we could try is to… / One solution might be to…
Vocabulary: Verb – Noun Formation
Invented – invention (Inventado – invenção) / Introduced – introduction (Introduzido – introdução) / Designed – design (Projetado – design) / Innovated – innovation (Inovado – inovação) / Proved – proof (Provado – prova) / Succeeded – success (Sucesso – sucesso) / Created – creation (Criado – criação) / Developed – development (Desenvolvido – desenvolvimento) / Improved – improvement (Melhoria – melhoria)
Grammar: The Passive Voice
Active:
Simple present: People still use her recipe today.
Simple past: A chef invented it in 1853.
Present perfect: Companies have developed many flavors since 1853.
Passive:
Her recipe is still used today.
It was invented in 1853.
Many flavors have been developed since 1853.
Examples: Thomas Sullivan introduced tea bags to the world in 1908. / Tea bags were introduced to the world in 1908.
Sullivan designed small bags to hold the tea. / Small bags were designed by Sullivan to hold the tea.
A man produced the first flavored potato chip in the 1950s. / The first flavored potato chip was produced in the 1950s.
Potato chip makers have developed many unique flavors. / Many unique flavors have been developed by potato chip makers.
Example: The 3M company has been known for its innovation for a long time. But there have been mistakes along the way. Today employees are encouraged to learn from past mistakes. That’s how Arthur Fry learned about a special glue. It was created in the 3M lab in 1968. The glue wasn’t strong enough, so it was forgotten. But Fry found it in 1974 and used it to develop Post-it Notes. The original Post-it Notes have been improved since then, and now they are sold all over the world.
Unit 8
Vocabulary: Prefixes mis-, dis-, and re-
- mis-: misspell (erro ortográfico) / mispronounce (erro de pronúncia) / misjudge (erro de julgamento) / misunderstand (mal-entendido)
- dis-: disagree (discordo) / dislike (não gosto) / discontinue (descontínuo) / disregard (desrespeito)
- re-: redo (refazer) / remake (refazer) / reconsider (reconsiderar) / rethink (repensar)
Grammar: Past Perfect
Use the past perfect to describe an action that took place before another action in the past.
I’d sent the email to Leo before I realized my mistake.
The words yet and already are often used with the past perfect.
I asked him to disregard the message. Luckily, he hadn’t read it yet.
By the time I started to say something, my boss had already left.
Contraction: I’d = I had.
Examples: I had planned on working all weekend, but then I reconsidered and went to the beach instead. / I was so late this morning. By the time I had got to work, I missed the whole meeting. / Alice had woken up at 9:30 because she forgot to set her alarm clock for 8:00. / Before Richard and Alex had met, they had been e-pals for a year. / I had called my friend to cancel our plans. Luckily, he hadn’t left yet.
Interactions: Worries and Reassurance
Expressing worry: I’m kind of worried about it. / I’m a little anxious about it. / I’m pretty nervous about it.
Reassuring someone: I’m sure you’ll do fine. / I’m sure you’ll be OK. / Don’t worry. Everything will work out.
Vocabulary: Expressions with Make and Get
I hate to make a fool of myself. I dislike it when people laugh at my mistakes. (fazer papel de bobo)
I always make an effort to do my best in school. I try very hard. (fazer um esforço)
I often make mistakes. I dislike it when people laugh at my mistakes. I am careless. (cometer erros)
I never make a big deal about my birthday. I sometimes don’t even tell anyone. (fazer muita coisa)
I make up my mind easily. It’s not difficult for me to decide things. (fazer a mente)
I never get into trouble. I always try to follow the rules. (se meter em confusão)
If someone isn’t nice to me, I try to get over it quickly. I just disregard it. (tentar superar isso)
I always try to get out of doing the dishes. It’s my least favorite chore. (escapar)
My friends sometimes get on my nerves. I get annoyed when they play loud music. (dar nos nervos)
I like to get rid of things I don’t need. I don’t like to keep unnecessary things. (se livrar)
Grammar: Third Conditional
Third conditional sentences describe hypothetical situations in the past. Use the past perfect in the if clause and would have + past participle in the main clause. Remember: I’d = I would or I had.
If I’d remembered, I would have brought her something.
If I hadn’t forgotten, I would have brought her a gift.
If she had missed the party, she wouldn’t have met Santiago.
If she hadn’t gone to the party, she wouldn’t have met him.
Examples: If I had known about the party, I wouldn’t have made such a fool of myself. / If you had come home before midnight, you wouldn’t have got into trouble. / If I hadn’t got rid of my old cell phone, I would have let you have it. / I would have made up my mind easily if I hadn’t had so many choices.
Writing: Inventions
Inventions and innovations are important milestones in history. For me, the most important and widely used invention in people’s everyday lives is the cell phone (including the internet), because it enables many forms of communication between people. Many people use chat applications, like WhatsApp, because communication is very easy, fast, convenient, and free. Some people prefer to communicate through phone calls, because when you listen to the person, you can more easily understand the intonation they want to give to your speech. Other people prefer email or SMS, which are often used for more formal occasions. Besides communication, it can be used to listen to music, search for news, make calculations, make notes, etc. In this way, it is evident that this invention brings many benefits to the users.
Writing: About a Memorable Day
About two years ago, my friend called me to tell me that I was on the UFRGS call list. Three days later, I went to the UFRGS not believing that I would be one of ten people who would go to college. The woman who was organizing began to call the names of those who had achieved one by one and, surprisingly, I was the last name. I was very happy! When leaving the room, I found my friends and my mom and we all cried with my approval. It was a memorable and very exciting day.