Mastering English Grammar: Infinitives, Gerunds, and Phrasal Verbs
Infinitives in English Grammar
Infinitive with ‘to’:
- afford, agree, appear, ask, arrange, beg, care, decide, expect, encourage, fail, force, hope, intend, learn, manage, offer, order, plan, pretend, promise, refuse, request, seem, teach, tell, try, wait, want, warn, wish…
- After semi-modals: have (got) to, used to, be going to, be able to…
- Adjectives
- too/enough
- would like, love, hate
- Infinitives of purpose (to/in order to/so as to)
Infinitive without ‘to’:
- After modal verbs: must, can, could, will, would,
Daniel Serrallonga: A Character Analysis and Novel Summary
Daniel Serrallonga: A Character Analysis
History
The novel recounts the life of Daniel Serrallonga from his youth to his early death, focusing on his progressive decline.
Plot
The narrative doesn’t follow a classical plot structure with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Instead, it presents a troubled life through a series of episodes.
Daniel Serrallonga
Daniel Serrallonga is an absent protagonist. He is discussed extensively, but only appears briefly at the beginning and end of the novel. He is described
Read MoreMaster English Grammar: Reported Speech, Passive Voice
Reported Speech
6. We took a taxi to the station. They told me: that they had taken a taxi to the station.
7. Our luggage has been damaged. They said: that their luggage had been damaged.
8. Are you going to the school tomorrow? He asked me: if I was going to school today.
9. We may stay until the weekend. They said: they might stay until the weekend.
10. Where have you been living? They asked: where I had been living.
Passive Voice
They will give him a prize if I learn this. A prize will be given to him
Read MoreEssential English Vocabulary and Phrases Explained
Key English Vocabulary and Phrases
Verbs
Pamper (verb) = to give someone special treatment, making that person as comfortable as possible and giving them whatever they want.
- She pampers her dog with the finest steak or salmon.
Conceal (verb) = to prevent something from being seen or known about; to hide something.
- I tried to conceal my surprise when she told me her age. I couldn’t believe she was just 40; she looked so much older.
Dash out (phrasal verb) = to leave in a hurry.
- I’ve got to dash out before
Analysis of Three Literary Masterpieces: Streetcar, Earnest, Godot
A Streetcar Named Desire
This is a fragment from act (1, 2, 3 – 11) of A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. Tennessee Williams was born Thomas Lanier Williams III in Columbus, Mississippi, in 1911. He was an American playwright. Along with Eugene O’Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three foremost playwrights in 20th-century American drama. The Pulitzer Prize for Drama was awarded to A Streetcar Named Desire in 1948.
The plot of this play, in brief, involves Blanche’s
Read MoreChannel 4: A Teen’s Glimpse into the Future
I liked the book because it was easy to read and short. Although sometimes it was too heavy to translate.
I like the books of love and mystery, but this book I have not seen anything interesting, as the channels of the future don’t exist.