UNIVERSIDAD DE CHILE

FACULTAD DE FILOSOFÍA Y HUMANIDADES

DEPARTAMENTO DE LINGÜÍSTICA
INGLÉS INSTRUMENTAL I

INGLÉS I

Prof. Natalia Tranchino

Unit 1: The English Language

Before you read: Brainstorming.

 Think about the English language. Write or draw what you picture in your mind.

 Now think about your own language. Write or draw what you picture in your mind.

 How similar/different are these ideas? Why?

 Look at these characteristics and choose the ones that are related to English.
serious fun useful difficult crazy easy useless
 Why is English like that?

Now read the following text about the English language. Check the vocabulary spot at the end of the
text to help you.

English is the most widely spoken language in the history of our planet. At least one
out of seven human beings around the world use English in different ways: as a mother
tongue, as a second language, as a lingua franca or they only use some words in English
such as “Internet”. Half of the world's books are written in English, and the majority of
international telephone calls are made in English. More than seventy percent of international
mail is written in English and eighty percent of all computer texts, including all web sites, are
stored in English. However, English is a crazy language.

For example, eggplants do not have eggs, hamburgers do not have ham, and
pineapples do not have apples or pines. English muffins were not invented in England or
French fries in France. Writers write but fingers do not fing, and hammers do not ham.

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? In what language do

people recite at a play and play at a recital? Why do they call them apartments when
they're all together? Why do we call them buildings, when they're already built? Why is the
word abbreviation so long? And why does the word monosyllabic consist of five syllables?

Nonetheless, all languages are a little crazy because they contradict themselves.
That's because human beings invent languages, not computers. Languages reflect the way
we are.
(Extract from Richard Lederer)
Vocabulary Spot
Mother tongue: the first language a person learns.
Lingua franca: a language that is used to make communication possible between people who do not
speak the same language.
However, nonetheless = in contrast

Eggplant Eggs Ham

Pinapple English muffins French fries

Apartments

Hammer

Building
 What is the main idea of the text?
 Scan the text and find:
two ways of using English
two items of food
two objects
 What is the most suitable title for the text?
  Reading skills: skimming and scanning
Skimming means reading a text quickly to find the main ideas or information. Scanning means running
your eyes over a text to find something that stands out, like a name or date.
When you take a reading test, it is important to use these two skills to help you answer it and get a good
grade.

 Now skim the text below and find its main idea(s).

English is a mixture of words from many different languages such as Germanic languages, Latin,
and Greek. Because of this, the vocabulary of the English language is very large.

Many English words come from Latin, the old language of Rome, and also from old Greek. From
Latin they get words like “wine”, “use”, and “day”. From Greek there are words such as “photograph”,
“bible”, and “ink”. Also, there are many words from both Latin and Greek together: “television” is one
example of this. “Tele” is Greek for “far” and “vision” comes from Latin and means “seeing”.

There are other languages that influenced English too. Many ordinary words come from very
distant places. “Tea”, for example, comes from China, and “banana” comes from West Africa. “Potato” is
from Haiti and “tomato” is from Mexico.

The English language continues to grow. Today it is the language of Great Britain, the US,
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and millions of people in Africa and Asia. Many people in the world use it
for doing business and communicating in general. Actually, the number of non-native speakers is larger
than the number of people who speak English as a mother tongue.

 Scan the text and find:

a European word
an Asian word
an African word
a word from the Americas
two countries where English is used a mother tongue

 Look at the words in bold and write their meaning in Spanish. Is there any difference in the
translation? Explain it.
Grammar Spot
 Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives & Adverbs

Read the definitions and match them to the concepts.

1. Noun _____ They describe how something is, smells, tastes, looks, feels, sounds
or becomes.
2. Verb _____ They can refer to actions or states.

3. Adjective _____ They describe how something happened or it was done.

4. Adverb _____ They are names of things. They can be countable or uncountable.

Go back to the text and find examples of these types of words.

Exercises
Look at the words in the box. Choose some of them and write 3 sentences. It doesn't matter if your
sentence doesn't make sense, but it must be grammatically correct.

dogs clouds nice slowly walk(s) I talk(s) they loudly are big is good run(s)

always love(s) black she dance(s) water beer never drink(s) am happily bad

1. __________________________________________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________________________________
Unit 2: Philosophy

Read the text and then answer the questions below.

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected
with reality, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is
distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally
systematic approach and its reliance on rational argument. In more casual speech, by
extension, "philosophy" can refer to "the most basic beliefs, concepts, and attitudes of an
individual or group".

The word "philosophy" comes from the Ancient Greek φιλοσοφία (philosophia), which
literally means "love of wisdom". The introduction of the terms "philosopher" and
"philosophy" has been ascribed to the Greek thinker Pythagoras.

The history of philosophy is usually divided into six periods: Ancient philosophy,
Medieval philosophy, Renaissance philosophy, Early and Late Modern philosophy, and
Contemporary philosophy.

Some of the most recongnized branches of philosophy are:

 Metaphysics, which investigates the nature of being and the world.
 Epistemology, which is concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge, and
whether knowledge is possible.
 Ethics, or "moral philosophy", which is concerned with questions of how people should
act of if there is an answer to those questions. Ethics is also associated with the idea
of morality.
 Aesthetics, which deals with beauty, art, enjoyment, sensory-emotional values,
perception, and matters of taste and sentiment.
 Logic, which deals with patterns of thinking that lead from true premises to true
conclusions, originally developed in Ancient Greece.
 1. Name three words that show what philosophy is concerned about.

______________________________________________________________
Are these words nouns or adjectives?

2. What is the name for the person who “loves wisdom”?

______________________________________________________________
Is this a noun or an adjective?

3. Name three other words that do not appear in the text and have the same ending.

______________________________________________________________

4. Name three branches of philosophy.

______________________________________________________________

Look at the following words and identify them as noun (n), verb (v), adjective (adj) or adverb (adv).
Then change the form of the word and identify the new grammatical category.

Example: reality n > real adj

knowledge ______ > _____________ ______

reason ______ > _____________ ______

generally ______ > _____________ ______

refer ______ > _____________ ______

basic ______ > _____________ ______

thinker ______ > _____________ ______

usually ______ > _____________ ______

nature ______ > _____________ ______

beauty ______ > _____________ ______

enjoyment ______ > _____________ ______

originally ______ > _____________ ______

Grammar Spot
Word Formation: Noun suffixes

A. These are common noun suffixes added to existing nouns or verbs; they describe people and their
jobs.
-er -or -ist -an/-ian
philosopher actor artist historian
thinker translator psychologist librarian
singer director journalist Chilean
driver operator scientist Italian

-ee -ese -ant

trainee Japanese accountant
employee Lebanese applicant
interviewee Berlinese

 -er/-or can be used for things that do a particular job: pencil-sharpener, projector
 -er/-ee can contrast with each other meaning “person who does something” (-er) and “person
who receives or experiences the action” (-ee)
 -ist is used for people's politics, beliefs and ideologies, and also for their profession: marxist,
buddhist, anarchist, economist, etc.
 -ist is also used for people who play musical instruments: pianist, violinist, etc.

Other noun suffixes are:

-acy democracy -age passage
-ance/ence independence -ant/ent dependant
-ation education -dom kingdom
-hood childhood -ion/-sion/-tion introduction
-ism realism -ity/-y/-ie prosperity
-ment management -ness kindness
-ocracy aristocracy -ship relationship
B. Many nouns are formed from verbs.

C. Nouns are also formed by adding a suffix to an adjective. There are two suffixes that usually work in
this way: -ness and -ity.

Exercises
1. Complete these tables

2. Write noun forms of these verbs by adding the corresponding suffix.

I. -ation II. -ment
observe observation move ________________
inform ________________ judge ________________
form ________________ advertise ________________
examine ________________ encourage ________________
imagine ________________ manage ________________
 III. -ence/-ance IV. -ure
depend ________________ press ________________
infer ________________ expose ________________
accept ________________ please ________________
exist ________________ erase ________________
correspond ________________ fail ________________

3. Combine the suffixes on the right with the verbs on the left, and then complete the text below.
(Remember you may need to make a small spelling change)

4. In the this box there are adjectives and nouns. Check their meaning in a dictionary and classify them.

famous ease truth active heroic traditional fool fame China comfortable heroism foolish
tradition action Chinese comfort truthful easy

Nouns Adjectives
Unit 3: Linguistics

Before you read: Vocabulary

Look at all the words in bold. Identify them as nouns (n), verbs (v), adjectives (adj) or adverbs (adv).
Then look them up in a dictionary and find their meaning in Spanish or English.

Now read the text about Linguistics and then answer the questions on next page.

Linguistics is the scientific study of human language, from the sounds and gestures of speech up to
the organization of words, sentences, and meaning. Linguistics is also concerned with the relationship
between language and cognition, society, and history.

Each human language is a complex of knowledge and abilities that enable speakers of the
language to communicate with each other, to express ideas, hypotheses, emotions, desires, and all the
other things that need expressing. Linguistics is the study of these knowledge systems in all their aspects:
the structure of a knowledge system, how it is acquired, how it is used in the production and
comprehension of messages, and how it changes over time.

Linguists consequently are concerned with a number of particular questions about the nature of
language. For example, what properties do all human languages have in common? How do languages
differ, and to what extent are the differences systematic, i.e. can we find patterns in the differences? How
do children acquire such complete knowledge of a language in such a short time? What are the ways in
which languages can change over time, and are there limitations to how languages change? What is the
nature of the cognitive processes that allow us produce and understand language?

The part of linguistics that is concerned with the structure of language is divided into a number of
subfields:
 Phonetics - the study of speech sounds in their physical aspects
 Phonology - the study of speech sounds in their cognitive aspects
 Morphology - the study of the formation of words
 Syntax - the study of the formation of sentences
 Semantics - the study of meaning
 Pragmatics - the study of language use

There are also specialized or interdisciplinary branches: Historical Linguistics, Sociolinguistics,

Psycholinguistics, Ethnolinguistics (or Anthropological Linguistics), Dialectology, Computational Linguistics,
Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics. In addition to this, Linguistics has intellectual connections with
many other disciplines in the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. Some of the closest
connections are with Philosophy, Literature, Language Pedagogy, Psychology, Sociology, Physics
(acoustics), Biology (anatomy, neuroscience), Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Health Sciences
(Aphasia, Speech Therapy).

1. What is linguistics?

____________________________________________________________________________
2. Write two things that people communicate.

____________________________________________________________________________
3. What is a linguist?

____________________________________________________________________________
4. Write two subfields of linguistcs and explain what they study.

____________________________________________________________________________
5. Write three disciplines that have connections with linguistics.

____________________________________________________________________________

Grammar Spot
Adjectives and Adverbs

A. Adjectives
Look at the words in bold in these sentences:
 Linguists are concerned with particular questions about...
 How do children acquire such complete knowledge of a language in such a short time?
 Linguistics has intellectual connections with...

What is the position of adjectives and nouns?

Read these sentences and decide if they are right or wrong. Correct the mistakes.
1. The linguist boring is the new head of the department. ______________________________
2. The linguistic aspect of the movie is interesting. ______________________________
3. Linguistics require work hard and pantience. ______________________________
Word formation: adjective suffixes
Noun or verb + suffix

Other suffixes are:

-able/-ible (=can be done) enjoyable, comfortable, edible
-ful (=full of + meaning of adj) careful, helpful
-less (=without + meaning of adj) useless, homeless

Exercises
1. Write an adjective formed from these nouns or verbs.
thought ___________________ pain ___________________
wash ___________________ knowledge ___________________
create ___________________ suit ___________________
danger ___________________ music ___________________
home ___________________ break ___________________
use ___________________ rely ___________________

2. The words in the box are adjectives or nouns. Use an adjective and a noun to complete the sentences.
B. Adverbs
Compare these sentences:
Jenna sings a beautiful song. Jenna sings beautifully.
Harry is a quick reader. Harry reads quickly.
I feel nervous. I wait nervously.

 What is the difference between them?

 What is the position of adjectives and adverbs?

Adverbs tell you how something happens or how someone does something:
Harry reads quickly.

To form adverbs, you usually have to add -ly at the end of an adjective:

Be careful with the spelling:

*The words hard, fast, late, early work as adjectives and adverbs without changing.
Sam works hard. Sam is a hard worker.
*good (adj) > well (adv)
She's a good dancer. She dances well.

Exercises
Read the sentences and choose the correct option.

1. Why are you angry / angrily?

2. Can you speak slow / slowly, please?
3. Come on, Dave! Why are you always so slow / slowly?
4. Bill is a very careful / carefully driver.
5. Jane is studying hard / hardly for her midterms.
6. “Where's Diane?” “She was here but she left sudden / suddenly.
7. Please, be quiet / quietly. I'm studying.
8. Some companies pay their workers very good / well.
9. Those oranges look nice / nicely. Can I have one?
Good Language vs. Bad Language

Before you read:

The word proper means correct or good. What comes to your mind when you think of proper
English/Spanish?

Now read a text about prescriptivism. Underline all nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs that you find
in the text.

Linguistic prescription (or prescriptivism) is the practice of elevating one variety or manner of
language use over another. It may imply some forms are incorrect, improper, illogical, lack communicative
effect, or are of low aesthetic value. These normative practices may address linguistic aspects such as
spelling, grammar, semantics, pronunciation, and syntax. They may also include judgments on socially
proper and politically correct language use.

Linguistic prescriptivism may aim to establish a standard language, teach what a particular society
perceives as a correct form, or advise on effective communication. If usage preferences are conservative,
prescription might appear resistant to language change; if they are radical, it may produce neologisms.

Prescriptive approaches to language are often contrasted with descriptive linguistics, which
observes and records how language actually is used. The basis of linguistic research is text (corpus)
analysis and field study, both of which are descriptive activities. Description, however, may include
researchers' observations of their own language usage.

Despite being apparent opposites, prescription and description may inform each other, as
comprehensive descriptive accounts must take speaker preferences into account, and an understanding of
how language is actually used is necessary for prescription to be effective.

1. What is the difference between prescriptivism and descriptivism?

_________________________________________________________________

2. What are some adjectives that are associated to prescriptivism?

_________________________________________________________________

3. What are some examples of prescriptivism in Spanish?

_________________________________________________________________

4. What do you think about prescriptivism? Why?

_________________________________________________________________
Unit 4: Literary Genres

Before you read:

What do you know about literature?
What can you say about literature in Chile?
What does genre mean?

Now read the following text and then answer the questions below.

Literary genre is a mode of categorizing literature. The term originates from French, and
designates a proposed type or class. However, such classes are subject to change, and are used
in different ways in different periods and traditions.

Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or even (as in the case of
fiction) length. The distinctions between genres and categories are flexible, often with
subgroups.

The most general genres in literature are epic, tragedy, comedy, and creative nonfiction.
They can all be in the form of prose or poetry. Additionally, a genre such as satire, allegory or
pastoral might appear in any of the general genres, not only as a sub-genre, but as a mixture of
genres. Finally, they are defined by the general cultural movement of the historical period in
which they were composed.

Genre should not be confused with age categories. These are adult, young-adult, and
children's. They also must not be confused with format, such as graphic novel or picture book.

1. What is the main idea of the text?

________________________________________________________________________

2. What is literary genre?

_______________________________________________________________________

3. Write two ways of determining genre.

____________________________________________________________________________

4. What is nonfiction?

______________________________________________________________________

5. What is the difference between graphic novel and young-adult? Are they literary genres?

_____________________________________________________________________________
Grammar Spot
 Subject Pronouns
 Present simple: Verb be

Subject pronouns identify who or what is the focus of the sentence. These are:

Now look at the sentences below and identify the verb and the subject:
 Literary genre is a mode of categorizing literature.
 The distinctions between genres and categories are flexible.

Now replace the subject of the sentence with a subject pronoun.

1. _________________________________________________________

2. _________________________________________________________
Present simple: Verb be

Present simple is used to express habits or actions that happen repeatedly. It is also used to talk about
states, as in the case of verb be.

Negative form:

Exercises
Write am/are/is to complete these sentences.
1. The weather _____ nice today. 6. My brother and I _____ good tennis players.
2. I _____ not tired. 7. Ann _____ at home. Her children _____ at
3. This bag _____ heavy. school.
4. These bags _____ not heavy. 8. I _____ a teacher. My sister _____ an
5. Look! There _____ a cat on the table. engineer.

Write true sentences about you using the information in brackets.

1. (I / interested in politics)
2. (I / hungry)
3. (I / afraid of dogs)
4. (My hands / cold)
5. (I / interested in soccer)
6. (My classmates / nice)
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Short Stories

Before you read: Vocabulary

Read a text about short stories. First look at the words in bold and use a dictionary to find their meaning
in Spanish or English.

A short story is a brief work of literature, usually written in narrative prose. It originated from earlier oral
storytelling traditions in the 17th century, but now it has a body of work so diverse that it is difficult to define it.
The most prototypical short story features a small cast of named characters, and focuses on a self-contained
incident with the intent of evoking a "single effect" or mood. In order to do this, short stories make use of plot,
resonance, and other dynamic components that make it bigger than an anecdote, but smaller than a novel.
Although the short story is very different from the novel, authors of both generally draw from a common pool
of literary techniques.

Short stories have no specific length. In terms of word count there is no official demarcation between
an anecdote, a short story, and a novel; the form's parameters are given by the rhetorical and practical context in
which a story is produced and considered. This makes that short stories differ between genres, countries, eras,
and commentators. Like the novel, the short story's predominant shape reflects the demands of the available
markets for publication. Short story writers usually define their works as part of the artistic and personal
expression of the form; they also attempt to resist categorization by genre.

Some famous writers of novels are also famous for their short stories, as in the case of Charles Dickens,
Virginia Wolf, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and James Joyce. In the case of Latin America, there are also famous short
story writers, such as Jorge Luis Borge, Julio Cortázar, Mario Vargas Llosa, Alejo Carpentier, and Gabriel García
Márquez.

Identifying main ideas and supporting details.

In every paragraph, there are some parts that are more important than others. These are the main ideas
and they are usually supported by other points of information and examples.

1. Look at paragraph 1. What is the main idea? What are some of its supporting details?
2. What is the main idea in paragraph 2?
3. What is the main idea in paragraph 3?

 What are some famous Chilean authors?

Grammar Spot
Present simple

We use the present simple for things that are true in general, or for things that happen sometimes or all
the time.
Look at these sentences:
 A short story is a brief work of literature.  fact
 Short story writers usually define their works as part of the artistic and personal expression of the form. 
something that happens sometimes or all the time

Structure: Subject pronoun + verb

I/you/we/they + say/go/read/have/etc.
he/she/it + says/goes/reads/has/etc.

Pay attention to spelling:

Some adverbs are commonly used with present simple: always, never, often, sometimes, usually.

Exercises
A. Complete the sentences about the people in the pictures. Use these verbs:

B. Write sentences about yourself. Use always, never, often, sometimes, usually.
1. (watch television) _____________________________________________
2. (read in bed) _____________________________________________
3. (get up before 7 o'clock) _____________________________________________
4. (drink coffee) _____________________________________________
Unit 5: The Meaning of Life

Before you read the text, check the words in the vocabulary spot to help yourself.

Vocabulary Spot: synonyms

Throughout: (preposition) during
Backgrounds: (noun) experience or circumstances
Realize/Achieve: (verb) materialize, complete
Seek: (verb) look for, search
Soul: (n) psyche, inspiration, energy

The meaning of life is a philosophical question associated with the significance of life or existence in
general. It can also be expressed in different forms, such as "Why are we here?", "What is life all about?",
and "What is the purpose of existence?" It has been the subject of much philosophical, scientific, and
theological speculation throughout history. There have been a large number of proposed answers to these
questions from many different cultural and ideological backgrounds.

 Questions about the meaning of life:

 What is the meaning of life?
 Who are we?
 Why are we here?
 What is the origin of life?
 What is the purpose of life?

 Some answers from popular views are:

 To realize one's potential and ideals
 To achieve biological perfection
 To seek wisdom and knowledge
 To do good, to do the right thing
 To have a pure soul and experience God
 To love, to feel, to enjoy the act of living
 To have power, to be better
 Life has no meaning
 One should not seek to know and understand the meaning of life
 Life is bad

 According to you, does life have a meaning? What is it?

Grammar Spot
Present simple: Wh-Questions

Look at some of these questions:

 Why are we here?
 What is life all about?
 Who are we?
What do they have in common?

Look at these new questions:

 What do you like about university?
 Why does she study philosophy?
 Where do you live?
 How much does a copy of the material cost?
What do they have in common?

In present simple, you need an auxiliary to help you build a question. Also, you have to change
the order of the elements in the sentence and start with a question word if the question looks for
information. If your answer is yes/no, then you should start only with the auxiliary.

In the first set of questions, the auxiliary is be, which is also the main verb. When you use be in
present simple, your auxiliary is the same verb; it only changes its position.
Example: What is the meaning of life?  The meaning of life is ____________.

In the second set of questions, the verb is different from be, so you need to use do or does as an
auxiliary. You use do for I/you/we/they and does for he/she/it. This auxiliary follows the question word
and it is placed before the subject (noun/pronoun); then you use the verb in its infinitive form to
complete the sentence.
Example: What does she have in her pocket?  She has ____________.

 Examples of yes/no questions:

Is Sarah here? Do you drink tea?
Are you happy? Does he study hard?
Exercises
1. Find the right answer for the questions.

2. Write the questions for the answers. First, look at the answers.

3. Put the words in the correct order and complete these questions with do or does.
Look at this quote.
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away”

 What does it mean?

Now look at this other quote.

“We should give meaning to life, not wait for life to give us meaning.”

 What does us mean?

Grammar Spot
Object pronouns

Object pronouns identify who or what is affected by the action done by the subject. These are:
Object pronouns are also used after a preposition (for/about/after/by):
This letter is not for me. It's for her.
I can't find my glasses. Please, help me look for them.

Exercises
1. Complete these sentences using subject or object pronouns.

a) “Who is that woman?” “I don't know _______”

b) “Do you know that man?” “Yes, I work with _______”
c) Where are the concert tickets? I can't find _______!
d) Margaret likes music. _______ plays the piano.
e) I don't like dogs. I'm afraid of _______.
f) Are _______ talking to _______?
g) Where is Ann? I need to talk to _______.
h) My brother has a new job but _______ doesn't like _______ very much.

2. Use the words from the box to form sentences with both a subject pronoun and an object pronoun.

lions her sleep(s) look(s) us see(s) it I with for me them bears him
we sheep eat(s) they talk(s) you about cats after inside shout(s) at

1. ____________________________________________________________________________________.

2. ____________________________________________________________________________________.

3. ____________________________________________________________________________________.

4. ____________________________________________________________________________________.

5. ____________________________________________________________________________________.
Unit 6: What's going on?
Before you read, check the words in bold to help you understand the topic better.
Vocabulary Spot
Current affairs: events of political or social interest and importance happening in the world at the present
time.
Trend: tendency
Share: to have a part/portion of something with other people.
Broadcast: to transmit by radio or television.
Regarding: relating to, in connection with
Properly: correctly, exactly

Before you read:

 Do you read newspapers/ watch news on TV or Internet to learn about current affairs?
 Which means of communication do you prefer? Why?
 Do you upload your own stories about events to contribute with newspapers/ TV programs?
 What do you think about this trend?

Now read this text about being a newshawk.

Nowadays it is common to see stories in the news that are not reported by professional
journalists. Newspaper websites have sections where people can upload their pictures and stories about
different events that are taking place where they live. For example, in the The Guardian, a British
newspaper, there is a section called GuardianWitness where they invite people to upload pictures,
videos, and stories about news they want to share with the world. The same happens with the CNN
website, where people use iReport to share stories, pictures, and videos of events that are taking place
in their communities.

In Chile there are sections in newspaper websites and TV programs where you can send your
news and have it published or broadcast. Cazanoticias (“newshawks”) is one of the most famous
names for these sections. People who support this method say that they are helping society with this,
because journalists can not be everywhere and in many cases, newspapers and TV programs do not
cover their stories, so cazanoticias think this is an opportunity for them to get attention on news that are
rarely published.

This new way of reporting news looks like a democratic alternative to big broadcasting
companies. However, because the ones who are reporting are not professionals but amateurs who
provide their own point of view regarding a situation, there may be problems with credibility. Also, in
many cases, they do not research the topic properly because they report what is happening and that
does not leave time for any type of research.
  In Chile, a few big broadcasting companies own most media, which means that what they publish
agrees with their line of thought in most cases. How can people change this? Are newshawks the
only answer to this?

Grammar Spot
Present continuous + time expressions

Look at these sentences:

 Events that are taking place in their communities.
 They are helping society with this.
 They report what is happening.

How many verbs do you see? Underline them.

We use present continuous to:

 talk about things that are happening at the moment of speaking  I'm reading this example.
 talk about a current unfinished project  He is studying English.
 talk about a temporary situation  She is waking up at 6 am during this week.
 talk about future plans  We are having a party on Friday.

Present continuous is structured this way:

Questions:

* Notice spelling:

There are time expressions that you can use with this tense. Some of these are: now, right now, for the
moment, at the moment, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, on Monday (Tuesday, etc.), during this
week/weekend/month, currently, today.
Exercises
1. Look at the picture. Write sentences about what Jane is doing and what she isn't doing.

2. Look at the pictures and complete the questions using one of these verbs.

3. Write 3 sentences saying what you are doing and 3 sentences saying what you are not doing.

a) I am __________________________________________________________________________.

b) ______________________________________________________________________________.

c) ______________________________________________________________________________.

d) I am not _______________________________________________________________________.

e) _______________________________________________________________________________.

f) _______________________________________________________________________________.
Public Shaming

Vocabulary Spot
Embarrassing: humiliating
Angers: irritates, exasperates
Random: casual, non-specific
Unfair: unjust, discriminatory
Sue: to take legal action against someone
Punish: to penalize

Before you read:

 What is the most embarrassing situation for you?
 If someone takes a picture of you doing something embarrassing and then uploads it on the
Internet (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc.), how would you feel? What would you do?

Read this text about Public Shaming.

Apart from newshawks, there is a new trend in social media that is related to this. Nowadays
many people in the world have camera phones and when they see something that angers, shocks
them or makes them laugh, they take a picture of it and upload it to the different social media
accounts they have. In some cases, these pictures go viral and many people have the chance to see
them and express their opinions about them.

This is being used as a useful way of taking revenge by random people who think that there is
something unfair they want to share or sometimes, it could be a good laugh. Unfortunately, they do
not think that behind that person there are family, friends, jobs, etc., and that this action can
negatively affect a person's reputation.

For example, there are people who break up when they see a picture of their partner and a
comment such as “She says she's having an affair at work” or “This married man is having an affair
with another woman and is very happy about it”. Maybe what the person hears is not the complete
story but that doesn't seem to be relevant. Also, some people have lost their jobs thanks to a picture.

In Chile, there was a controversy some years ago when a man uploaded pictures of overweight
women to his social media accounts. He took pictures of them at public places and then uploaded
them including bad comments about the person. Some women recognized themselves in the pictures
and looked for help to sue the man. People were angry with him for what he did. He didn't go to jail
but he was beaten at a train station.

Today many people around the world continue taking pictures of people they do not know to
punish them for something they think they are doing or just for laughing at them because of the way
they look.
 1. What is public shaming?

___________________________________________________________________________
2. Why is public shaming good? Why is it bad?

___________________________________________________________________________
3. What are some examples of this trend?

___________________________________________________________________________
4. What is happening today?

___________________________________________________________________________

Grammar Spot
Present simple vs. present continuous

Keep this in mind:

Present simple

Present continuous

There are some verbs that we can't use in present continuous:

like love want know understand remember depend prefer hate need mean believe forget

Exercises
1. Go back to the text and underline all the sentences that use present simple and all the sentences
that use present continuous. Explain why they use those tenses.

2. Write the auxiliary (am/are/is or do/does) to complete these sentences.

a) “Where's Peter?” “I _______ know”

b) Why _______ you crying?
c) What _______ you do on Sundays?
d) It _______ raining. I _______ want to go out in the rain.
e) How many people _______ you know?
f) How much _______ a sandwich cost in the cafeteria?
Unit 7: Endangered Languages

Vocabulary Spot
Find the meaning of these words before you start reading.
Resource:
Samples:
Advice:
Entities:
Flux:
Over:
Provided:
Funding:

Before you read: Scanning

Scan the text and find:
two things that the Endangered Languages Project does (p.1)
how many languages are at risk of disappearing in the world (p. 2)
formats in which you can upload information (p. 3)
the name of a university (p. 4)
the name of a foundation (p. 4)

Now read this text about an online project to help endangered languages.

The Endangered Languages Project is an online resource to record, access, and share
samples of endangered languages. It also does research on them and shares advice and best
practices for those working to document or strengthen languages under threat.

Languages are entities that are alive and in constant flux, and their extinction is not new;
however, the pace at which languages are disappearing today has no precedent and is alarming.
Over 40 percent of the world’s approximate 7,000 languages are at risk of disappearing. But
today we have many tools and a lot of technology that we can use to change this situation.

The Endangered Languages Project puts technology at the service of the organizations and
individuals working to confront the language endangerment by documenting, preserving and
teaching them. Through this website, users can:
 access the most updated and comprehensive information on Endangered Languages;
 check a large number of samples provided by partners;
 play an active role in putting their languages online by submitting information or samples
in the form of text, audio or video files.

The languages included in this project and the information about them are provided by
the Catalogue of Endangered Languages (ELCat), produced by the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
and The Institute for Language Information and Technology (The LINGUIST List) at Eastern
Michigan University, with funding provided by the National Science Foundation and supported by
a team of global experts.
  Do you think this project is the solution to avoid losing languages?
 What can we do here in Chile?
 Who should do something? The government or individuals? Why?

Grammar Spot
Numbers and quantifiers

Look at these sentences:

 Over 40 percent of the world’s approximate 7,000 languages are at risk of disappearing.
 We have many tools and a lot of technology
 Check a large number of samples
The underlined expressions refer to ways of measuring things. For this you can use numbers and different
words and phrases.

A. Numbers
Cardinal numbers:
1 = one 6 = six 11= eleven 20 = twenty 50 = fifty
2 = two 7 = seven 12 = twelve 21 = twenty-one 60 = sixty
3 = three 8 = eight 13 = thirteen 22 = twenty-two... 70 = seventy
4 = four 9 = nine 14 = fourteen 30 = thirty 80 = eighty
5 = five 10= ten 15 = fifteen... 40 = forty 90 = ninety

100 = one hundred

200 = two hundred...
1,000 = one thousand
2,000 = two thousand...
10,000 = ten thousand
100,000 = one hundred thousand
1,000,000 = one million

Ordinal numbers:
1st = first 6th = sixth 11th = eleventh 21st = twenty-first
2nd = second 7th = seventh 12th = twelfth 22nd = twenty-second
3rd = third 8th = eighth 13th = thirteenth 23rd = twenty-third
4th = fourth 9th = ninth 14th = fourteenth... 24th = twenty-fourth...
5th = fifth 10th = tenth 20th = twentieth 30th = thirtieth
40th = fortieth 100th = hundredth
50th = fiftieth 1,000th = thousandth
60th = sixtieth 1,000,000th = millionth
70th = seventieth
80th = eightieth
90th = ninetieth

We use ordinal numbers to write dates and say the name of kings, queens, and popes:
April 23, 1616 July 6, 1957 August 11, 1967 (American English)
23 April 1616 6 July 1957 11 August 1967 (British English)
William the First Elizabeth the Second Gregory the Thirteenth

Percentages:
1% = one per cent
2% = two per cent...

Note that when you use the word percentage, you can't use a number with it. Instead, you use a phrase
and add of at the end:
A large percentage of...
The lowest percentage of...

B. Quantifiers
When you don't use numbers, you can use words and phrases to count things. Some of these are:

a large/small number of (something) all most many some few little both

Exercises
1. Write these numbers in words
a) We drove about 100 miles.
b) He wants £1,405 for the car.
c) 3,144 people live in this town.
d) Louis XV
e) Henry VIII
g) Cleopatra VII
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________

2. Write today's date and your date of birth.

I) _______________________________________________
II) _______________________________________________
Intercultural Bilingual Education

Before you read:

What do you know about this?
Do they use it here in Chile?
It is useful? Why/why not?

Now check all the words in bold and find their meaning in a dictionary. Then read this text.

Belize, 1 January 2010 –It seems like any other school, but Aguacate Primary School is not a regular
school. This special school is now a center of inspiration and motivation for its students and parents who aim at
getting quality intercultural and relevant education. This approach to education is called Intercultural Bilingual
Education (IBE). It involves an approach with lessons conducted in both the indigenous Q’eqchi language and
English. It is adapted to the particular circumstances of Belize, home to a variety of ethnic groups including the
Mayan Q’eqchi people from Aguacate Village where the community now views diversity as a source of
enrichment and not as a factor of exclusion.

Let me introduce you to, Pablo, who is now enjoying his favourite class. Unlike other children in other
schools, Pablo is participating in a reformed model of education in Belize, a country that aims at successfully
competing in the global economy, by preparing its human capital through better opportunities for all including its
indigenous people.

As a Q’eqchi, Pablo’s father did not want to speak his native tongue because there was a subtle
intimidation and negative perception toward his language, but today Pablo is very motivated and he likes his
school because he feels proud of his language and identity. He feels that he can now understand the concepts
his teachers teach him at school because they use the bilingual approach.

Pablo also loves that his parents are more involved as they all feel more welcomed knowing that they
have an active role to play in their children’s education. All parents now incorporate their knowledge in the
curriculum and in this way, they also contribute to this new approach. The principal of Aguacate Primary
School, Mr. Kukul, says that parents have a real sense of ownership and pride in creating a healthy and safe
school that ensures positive behaviour among the children. They established a feeding program using their
own resources.

Aguacate Primary School, located in the Aguacate Village in the southern part of Toledo, serves 104
students, 61 males and 43 females. The village has a population of 330 with a homogenous community of
Q’eqchi people dedicated to subsistence farming. The Roman Catholic Mission established the school and
manages it; the government pays teacher salaries and assists in infrastructural development.

With UNICEF’s assistance, IBE methodologies are being implemented by the National Q’eqchi and
Garifuna Councils (NGC). Today, 476 children in three schools are benefiting, 75 “trainers of trainers” are now
working with schools and communities after completing training in bi-lingual, multi-cultural education in the
indigenous languages of Q’eqchi, Mopan, and Garifuna; additionally 16 Mopan parents received the first phase
of literacy training in their own language and 20 parents received training in school governance.

Thanks to the positive results of the IBE schools, teachers and parents are empowered to provide
quality education for their children. Mr. Kukul, his staff, parents and elders of the community meet every week
to plan together to transform their school and the lives of not only the children of Aguacate Primary School but
the entire community of Aguacate.
(From www.unicef.org)
1. What is the main idea in the text?

_________________________________________________________________________
2. What is Intercultural Bilingual Education (IBE)?

_________________________________________________________________________
3. Who is Pablo?

_________________________________________________________________________
4. How does Pablo feel now? Why?

_________________________________________________________________________
5. Do Pablo's parents participate in this project? What do they do?

_________________________________________________________________________
6. Who is Mr. Kukul?

_________________________________________________________________________
7. How many students does the school have?

_________________________________________________________________________
8. How many children benefit from the IBE program?

_________________________________________________________________________
9. Who decides what to do at Aguacate's schools?

_________________________________________________________________________

 After reading about this experience, do you think we could have it here in Chile? Where would
you use it? Why?
Grammar Spot
 Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns
 Possessive adjectives and pronouns
 The genitive case

A.1. Demonstrative adjectives are used with a noun.

A.2. Demonstrative pronouns are used without a noun.

“Do you like these flowers?” “No, I prefer those”
“Do you like that picture?” “No, I prefer this”

A.3. We use this is... to introduce people:

B.1. Possessive adjectives are used with a noun.

Do not confuse its with it's:

Oxford is famous for its university (the university belongs to Oxford)
I like Oxford. It's a nice city (= it is a nice city)
The adjective must agree in gender and number with the noun who “owns” the thing:

B.2. Possessive pronouns are used without a noun.

How many pronouns do you see here? Underline them: “Is this mine or yours”?

B.3. We use whose to ask about the owner of things. You can use it with or without a noun.
“Whose book is this?” “It's mine”
“Whose is this?” “It's mine”

C. The genitive case: -'s

We use -'s for people:
John's book (= the belongs to John)
Lara's house (= the house belongs to Lara)
After words that end in “s” (plural words), we usually add an apostrophe only ( ' ): My parents' house
* Do not confuse: Lara's house (= Lara is the owner of the house) and Lara's at her house (= Lara is in a
place)
Exercises
1. Complete the sentences with this/that/these/those + one of these words.

2. Complete the sentences with demonstrative and possessive pronouns.

a) “Is __________ your bag?” “No, it's not __________.”
b) “Whose socks are __________?” “They are __________.”
c) “Is __________ Jenna's backpack?” “Yes, it's __________.”
d) “Are __________ your bother's pencils?” “No, they aren't __________.”
e) “Whose laptop is __________” “It's __________”

3. Look at the family tree. Write sentences about the people in the family.
The Yanomami of the Amazon

Before you read: True of False

Read these statements and write T if they are true or F if they are false.
_____ The Yanomami live in a tropical forest.
_____ They are nomads.
_____ They want progress and live in big cities.

Now read a text about the Yanomami.

The Yanomami people live near the Amazon River in southeastern Venezuela and northern Brazil.
They live in the tropical forest far away from other people. There are approximately 27,000 of them in this
area. Before outsiders first visited them, they knew nothing about other people in South America, about
the government of the area where they lived, or even modern life; they did not know if they lived in
Venezuela or Brazil because they lived in their own world deep in the forest.

The Yanomami are hunters and farmers. They hunt over a large area. They grow their own crops
and medicine in large gardens. They are also deeply religious: for them, the natural world and the spiritual
world are one. As many other cultures, they believe that everything in nature has a spirit.

In the 1980s, miners found gold in Yanomami land, and soon thousands of miners, loggers, and
cattle farmers were using the land. Then there were many problems for the Yanomami: the noise from the
outsiders' machines and airplanes frightened them, they lost their trees, and the outsiders brought new
diseases to the area. As a result of this, in just seven years, 20% of the Yanomami people died.

In 1992, Brazil and Venezuela made the Yanomami land into a park, which means that one can not
mine for gold or cut trees on this land because the land was for the Yanomami people and not for loggers
and miners. Unfortunately, it was difficult to keep those people out of the Yanomami land. In 1993, some
gold miners tried to destroy a Yanomami village, and they killed 16 people.

Today the Yanomami are working to protect their land and traditions. They have their own school
and they are recording their language and history. They also want to study and learn good ways to use their
land. They do not want to live without trees and clean water. They say they want progress but without
destruction.
A. Write T, F or NG for each statement.
1. _____ Most Yanomami are very tall.

2. _____ The Venezuelan and Brazilian government want to protect the Yanomami.

3. _____ Today the Yanomami know that they live in what we call South America.

4. _____ The natural world is important to the Yanomami.

5. _____ Outsiders destroyed the Yanomami land.

6. _____ Mining companies gave the Yanomami a lot of benefits.

7. _____ The Yanomami are working to preserve their language and traditions.

B. Answer these questions.

1. The word outsiders in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to
a) aliens
b) citizens
c) settlers
d) locals

2. The word they in paragraph 1 refers to

a) government
b) other people in South America
c) outsiders
d) the Yanomami

3. The word loggers in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to

a) worker
b) cutter
c) timber
d) wood

4. The phrase those people in paragraph 4 refers to

a) loggers
b) miners
c) loggers and miners
d) the Yanomami
Grammar Spot
Past simple
Look at the underlined words in these sentences:
 Before outsiders first visited them, they knew nothing about other people in South America...
 In the 1980s, miners found gold in Yanomami land...

Write the present form of those verbs:

I. ______________________

II. ______________________

III. ______________________

We use past simple for situations that start and finish in the past:
In 1992, Brazil and Venezuela made the Yanomami land into a park.

We also use it for habits or repeated activities that happened in the past:
There were many problems for the Yanomami.

Regular and irregular verbs

Regular verbs are the ones that add -ed at the end of the word to form the past:
work  worked start  started
* Be careful with spelling:

Irregular verbs are the ones that change most of the word to form the past:
break  broke take  took
There are certain time expressions that we can use with the past simple. Some of these are: yesterday,
last week/month/year, last Monday/Tuesday/etc., a week/month/year ago.
We can also use time expressions that we use with the present simple to describe repeated actions or
habits in the past, but we have to be careful with the verb tense so we don't confuse anyone.
Example: I do yoga every day. (= people understand that I do yoga today; it's a current activity)
I did yoga every day. (= people understand that I don't do this anymore because the verb is in past)
Exercises

1. Write the past simple form of these verbs.

a) get ________ e) visit ________ j) know ________
b) see ________ f) buy ________ k) put ________
c) play ________ g) go ________ l)speak________
d) pay ________ h) think ________
i) copy ________

2. Read about Lisa's trip to Madrid. Put the verbs in the correct form.

3. Write sentences using the same information but put the verb in past.
a) Rachel often loses her keys. She ________ her keys last week.

b) Kate meet her friends every week. She __________________ last weekend.

c) I usually go to the movies on Tuesdays. I _____________________ yesterday.

d) My cousin eats an apple every day. Yesterday she ____________________________.

e) We always take the 7.15 bus. This morning _________________________________.

4. What did you do last week? Write an action for every day.
The Maori of New Zealand

Before you read: Quiz

How much do you know about New Zealand?
1. Where's New Zealand?
a) In the southeastern Pacific Ocean
b) In the southwestern Pacific Ocean
c) In the Indian Ocean
2. How many islands are part of NZ?
a) There are no islands; it's part of the continent.
b) 1
c) 2
3. How many languages are spoken in NZ?
a) 2
b) 3
c) many
4. What's the name of NZ's rugby team?
a) All Blacks
b) The Haka
c) The Wallabies
5. New Zealanders are also known as
a) Wallabies
b) Kangaroos
c) Kiwis

Now read a text about the Maori.

Polynesians live on islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Maori are Polynesians, and they live at the
southern end of Polynesia in New Zealand. They arrived in New Zealand from other Polynesian islands over
a thousand years ago, and so they were the first people to live in this land.
In the late 18th century, Europeans came to live in New Zealand. At that time, there were around
250,000 maori in this place, but over the next 100 years, wars and disease killed many of them. By the end
of the 19th century, there were only about 40,000 Maori left. During the 19 th century, the Maori also lost
much of their land to the European settlers, and many of them were afraid that they would lose their
traditions and language too. But this did not happen.
Today the Maori population is increasing. There are about 500,000 Maori in New Zealand. Most live
like other New Zealanders but they are keeping the Maori language and traditions alive. There are now
Maori radio and television stations, many schools teach Maori language, and nearly one half of Maori
language speakers are 25 years old or younger.
Maori culture is also alive. At the center of Maori culture is the “marae”, a special place for
ceremonies and meetings. Today the number of marae in the country is increasing and many of the new
marae are in cities, where people can meet and learn about their Maori traditions.
Today most New Zealand cities have yearly Maori festivals. Among the festival activities are
competitions in speaking, dancing, and singing. Children are part of these competitions and practice for
months.
Even though modern Maori live a comfortable, city life, they are not losing their traditions because
they are passing them onto their children. In this way, the new generations can continue being Maori.
 1. What are the origins of the Maori?

___________________________________________________________________

2. What caused the death of many Maori in the 19th century?

___________________________________________________________________

3. The word settlers in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

a) pioneer
b) traveler
c) worker
d) citizen

4. The word them in paragraph 2 refers to

a) settlers
b) Maori
c) the lands
d) traditions

5. In which ways are the Maori keeping the traditions alive?

___________________________________________________________________

6. The word Most in paragraph 3 refers to

a) New Zealanders
b) traditions
c) Maori
d) speakers

7. What is a marae?

___________________________________________________________________

8. The word festivals is closest in meaning to

a) holidays
b) days
c) winners
d) meetings

9. Why won't the Maori lose their traditions?

___________________________________________________________________
Grammar Spot
Past simple: questions and negations

Look at these questions:

 Where did the Maori come from?
 When did the Maori arrive in New Zealand?
 What was the main problem with European settlers?

These three examples are questions in past simple. In some cases they use did and in others they use
was. Why is this?

In past simple, we need an auxiliary to form questions and negations. We can use did or was/were:
What was the main problem with European settlers? Where did the Maori come from?

Same as in present simple, be does not need an auxiliary because it is its own auxiliary and main verb at
the same time: The Maori were the first people to live in New Zealand.  Who were the first people to
live in New Zealand?

All other verbs need an auxiliary and a main verb:

The Maori came from Polynesian islands.  Where did the Maori come from?
*Be careful: When we use did, we have to use the main verb in infinitive.

When we use negations, we need the same auxiliaries from questions:

European settlers weren't the first people to live in New Zealand.
(were not)
European settlers didn't come from Polynesia.
(did not)

Short answers
When we answer questions, we can use a long or a short answer:
Were the Maori the first people to live in New Zealand? No, they weren't/ Yes, they were
Did the Maori lose their language? No, they didn't/ Yes, they did
Exercises
1. Complete with was/were or wasn't/weren't

2. Complete these questions using these verbs.

3. Work with a classmate. Write questions to know what your classmate did yesterday and how he/she
felt? Example: (watch TV) Did you watch TV?
(be happy) Were you happy?

a) (read a book) __________________________________________________________________?

b) (do sports) __________________________________________________________________?
c) (be cold) __________________________________________________________________?
d) (be with friends?) __________________________________________________________________?
Unit 8: Review and Practice

1. Write 4 sentences using present continuous and 4 sentences using present simple.
i. ______________________________________________________________________________
ii. ______________________________________________________________________________
iii. ______________________________________________________________________________
iv. ______________________________________________________________________________
v. ______________________________________________________________________________
vi. ______________________________________________________________________________
vii. ______________________________________________________________________________
viii. _______________________________________________________________________

2. What is the difference between these tenses?

______________________________________________________________________________

3. Ask a classmate about his/her daily routine. Write 4 sentences about it.
i. ______________________________________________________________________________
ii. ______________________________________________________________________________
iii. ______________________________________________________________________________
iv. ______________________________________________________________________________

4. Write these numbers.

Three million twenty thousand forty-five _________________________________________
One hundred two _________________________________________
Five hundred fifty-six _________________________________________
Fourty-four per cent _________________________________________
Eight thousand seven hundred three _________________________________________

5. Write the numbers using words.

Henry VII _________________________________________
15th century _________________________________________
nd
The 32 anniversary _________________________________________
The 3rd king _________________________________________

5. Write the date of birth of two famous people.

a) _________________________________________

b) _________________________________________
6. Answer these questions about you.
a) What were you doing yesterday at 2.30 pm?
________________________________________________________________
b) What do you usually do on Saturdays?
________________________________________________________________
c) When was the last time you attended a play?
________________________________________________________________
d) What was she doing last night at 2 am?
________________________________________________________________
e) Who killed him?
________________________________________________________________

7. Complete the sentences with subject and object pronouns.

i. ___________ (Susan) used a gun to kill ___________ (Pete)
ii. ___________ (Jill and Gary) went to the movies with ___________ (your teacher)
iii. ___________ (You) was very happy with the surprise visit.
iv. ___________ (You) called ___________ (Amy) last night but ___________ (Amy) was busy.
v. ___________ (Ellen and you) were watching TV when ___________(Ellen and you) heard a strange
noise.
vi. ___________ (Paul) didn't study for the exam.
vii.___________ (My parents) traveled to India last summer.
Bibliografía

Ackert, P. and Lee, L. Facts & Figures. Heinly Cengage Learning, 2005.

Lederer, R. Crazy English: The Ultimate Joy Ride Through Our Language. Pocket Books, 1989.

Murphy, R. Essential Grammar in Use. Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Redman, S. English Vocabulary in Use. Pre-intermediate and intermediate. Cambridge University Press,
1997.

Sutter, J. Vocabulary in Context. Music, Art, and Literature Words. Saddleback Educational Publishing,
2002.

Williams, J. Academic Encounters: American Studies. Cambridge University Press, 2007