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20
Alison Lanthorn: Master in Humanities and Social Sciences Teacher and Aprende Inglés TV Presenter

things everyone
should know
about energy
Humanities Article

racking
my brains
Easy Read

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TU AUDIO EN:
www.vaughanreview.com

www . gr upovaughan . com

index
THE VAUGHAN REVIEW

is published monthly and is a Vaughan Systems

Febrero 2011
publication. All rights reserved.

Publisher:
Richard Vaughan
03 Editorial Ps, Qs and Yous
Editor in chief:
Richard Brown
Co-Editors in chief: 05 Easy Read Racking my brains…
David Waddell
Carmen Vallejo
06 Grammar Matters On the way / In the way
Art Editor:
Annie Casasús Olea At the beginning / In the beginning
At the end / In the end
English Editing:
Greg Stanford At the bottom / In the bottom
Design Team
Ivan Morgan
Juan Ignacio Fernández Peón
11 Cloverdale’s Characters Luigi Barghini

Illustrator
Pablo Gonzalo 12 People & Places Alison Lanthorn
Contributing Editors:
Anna Katarina Victória
Annie Casasús Olea
14 Business Letter 72
Conor McAlinden
Audio Editors: 16 Marketing List 35
Alberto Alonso
Ignacio Carvajal
Distribution Manager:
17 Pence & R Sección Infantil
Rubén Palomero
Subscriptions team: 21 Expressions with Way
Enebral Luengo
Irene Alonso
Jose Carlos Morales
suscripciones@vausys.com
22 Humanities Things everyone should know about energy

Cover Photograph:
Ignacio Fernández Peón 24 Phrasal Verbs To go off // To go on
Newsroom/ Redacción:
Edificio Master 1 26 Something to Chew Over
Avda. General Perón, 38 - 2ª Planta in Madrid.
Telephone/Teléfono:
91 444 58 44 30 Mastering the Interrogative 68
E-mail/Correo electrónico:
rbrown@vausys.com
31 Elision Fields ‘Báunta’
Printed by/Imprime:
Grupo Aries
32 Sudoku Bedroom
Depósito legal:
M-46.801-2002
ISSN: 34 Translation List Nivel principiante y nivel avanzado
1887-6137
Lugar y fecha de impresión:
Madrid, el 1 de Febrero de 2011
35 Creepy Corner El terrible “two HOURS and a half ”

Edita

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2
 editorial
Ps, Qs and Yous
As we don’t
have the “usted” There are many reasons why I’m looking forward to
growing old in Spain: being able to sit in a park on a bright
form, it’s spring day, sipping wine and playing dominoes or “petanca”
with the other oldies ranks high among them (ocupan una
essential that posición privilegiada entre ellas), as does the fact that
you choose your anyone younger than I am will have to use the “usted“
form when they talk to me. And if they dare not to, you
words wisely can be sure that I’ll relish telling them (les diré con deleite)
“¡Trátame de usted, jovenzuelo!”. Contrary to most
when speaking Spaniards, who seem to consider being spoken to in the
“usted” form as the first sign that they’re about to be
to someone shipped off (como si estuvieran a punto de ser enviados)
worthy of an to a geriatrics’ home, I can’t wait to reach that age where
people suddenly start addressing me (se empiezan a dirigir
“usted” in a mi ) in such a directly respectful way: it appeals to the
pompous, excessively polite Englishman in me.
English.
I think it’s fantastic that any language should have a
subject pronoun such as “usted” and “ustedes” which is
a marker of immediate respect towards the person
that you are talking to. English is sadly lacking (carece)
in such a pronoun. Spanish is much more precise in the
fact that it has the “tú”, “usted”, “vosotros” and “ustedes”
forms, whereas in English all we have is the simple, old
‘you’. ‘You’ if you’re speaking to a friend; ‘you’ if you’re
speaking to Nelson Mandela; ‘you’ if you’re speaking to
your mates (colegas); ‘you’ if you’re speaking to a group
of bishops (obispos)… Oh come on, what do you
mean you don’t usually speak to a group of bishops?!
All of which begs the following questions (nos lleva a
preguntarnos): how do you know which ‘you’ English
speakers are referring to when they’re speaking? And
why, especially considering that we’re renowned for
being such a supposedly polite nation, is there no
equivalent of the “usted” form in English? It’s actually
pretty easy to know when English speakers are using
‘you’ in the sense of “vosotros” because these days ‘you
guys’ and ‘you lot’ have almost become the standard
forms of address when speaking in the plural, or at least
in informal contexts. It’s also very common if you wish
to refer to two or three people to say ‘you two’ or ‘you
three’. Beyond three (mas allá de tres) it’s
recommendable to use ‘you lot’ or ‘you guys’; it would
sound a little ridiculous to say ‘Hey, what are you seven
doing tonight?’ You could also use ‘you all’ which is
shortened to ‘y’all’ in the southern states of the US.
What should you do then to compensate for the lack of
an “usted” form in English when you want to show
respect to someone who is older than you or who is in
a position of higher seniority (que tiene más antigüedad)
than you are? The simple answer is that you should ‘mind
your Ps and Qs’. This expression means that you should
remember to be polite at all times by saying ‘your Ps’
which means ‘please’ and ‘your Qs’ which means ‘thank
you’ (la pronunciación in inglés es como si estuvieras
diciendo “than Q”). As we don’t have the “usted” form,
it’s essential that you choose your words wisely when
speaking to someone worthy (digno) of an “usted” in
English. Apart from ‘minding your Ps and Qs’ it’s also a
very good idea to use conditional tenses as much as
possible when making requests or if you have to give an
order. In fact, if you have to give an order, it’s always best
if you want to appear truly English, to disguise (disfrazar)
it as a request anyway.
Here’s a quick guide. When requesting things, always say
‘I would like…‘ instead of ‘I want…‘. It’s much better to
say ‘Could you…?’ or ‘Would you…?’ instead of ‘Can
you…?’ and ‘Will you…?’. Once you have mastered
these fundamental basics you can start jazzing things up
(embellecer) by throwing in some adverbs and other
pearls of politeness: ‘Could you possibly…?’, ‘Would
you mind awfully…?’, ‘I’m terribly sorry but could
you…?’, ‘I don’t suppose you could…‘, ‘Would you be
so kind as to…?’, ‘Is there any chance you could…?’.
And don’t forget to say ‘Excuse me…’ and ‘Sorry…’ as
much as you possibly can either: ‘Excuse me, I’m sorry
but do you have the time?’, ‘Sorry, do you have a light
please?’, ‘Sorry, I think you’re standing on my wife’s foot’.
Being English means always having to say you’re sorry
for everything!
And, indeed, I’m terribly sorry too as I would like to be
able to explain why we English are so damned polite in
the first place, but I’m rather afraid I seem to be running
out of (me temo que se me está acabando) space.
Would you mind awfully reading next month’s editorial
and I’ll tell you all about it then? I don’t suppose there’s
any chance you could do that, is there? Please? It would
be really marvellous if you could, thanks….
….and again, I’m really, awfully, dreadfully sorry.
Conor McAlinden
3
 Si
difíc
t e result
il el
princ
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ipal..
t
t

ículo
a
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a r
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Racking my brains…
Mention the word "rack" nowadays and most people immediately think
of a luggage rack (portaequipaje) where you put your bags on a train,
or, alternatively, of a toast rack (rejilla para las tostadas) where you
leave toast to steam in an upright position (we almost always say
"upright position" and hardly ever "vertical position") so it doesn't go soft.
All very mundane (banal). Mention the same word "rack" to a
mediaeval audience and you might well (muy probablemente) get a
very different reaction. The rack (potro) was that particularly cruel form
of torture (what form of torture is not particularly cruel?) where the
victim was stretched out (estirada) on and tied to (atada a) a
contraption which, as the torturer turned a wheel, would gradually
stretch the limbs (extremidades) of his victim until the latter (esta
última) either said what the torturer wanted them to say or the afore-
mentioned (susodichas) limbs were torn (arrancadas) from their body.
Knowing this, you can probably guess what the metaphorical expression
"to rack your brains” means (estrujarse el cerebro).
the fact that when Americans say "bathroom" they are often not
referring to the room where you have a bath or shower, but rather
(sino) the toilet. Language is never entirely logical! Anyway, back to
my toiletry bag. First, I unzip it and then put my toothbrush,
toothpaste, deodorant, hairbrush and razor in. I don't imagine I'll
need soap or shampoo as the hotel is bound to have some. It's also
bound to provide (proporcionar) towels and a hairdryer. When we
take something for granted (dar algo por hecho) we say "it's bound
to happen", which literally means that it's predestined to happen. So,
my hotel, if you like, is "predestined" to provide soap and shampoo.
It's bound to provide a shower cap too, so I don't ruin my hair!

Anyway (Bueno), today I'm racking my brains, desperately thinking

of something to write about for this month's Easy Read. "Racking"
seems quite appropriate as the pain and anguish (angustia) I'm
going through is similar to torture. Anyway, it's no good. My mind is
completely empty so as I have to go on a trip tomorrow (fíjate en
que decimos “to go on a trip” y no “to go in a trip”), I decide to pack
my suitcases. In English we don't “do” our suitcases like you do in
Spanish, we “pack” them. So, it’s time to stop "racking" and start
"packing". First, I look for my suitcase, or ‘case’, as we also say. I open
it by unzipping (abriendo la cremallera) it and it's time to make an
important decision. Shall I pack it by folding all my clothes and place
them neatly inside, or shall I just stuff (meter a presión) everything I pack my toiletry bag and zip my suitcase up only to realise that I
in? Stuffing is ok when you're coming back home with dirty clothes, need to unzip it again because I have forgotten about my hand
but when I'm about to go away, I like to fold my clothes (don't even luggage allowance (límite de equipaje de mano). I'm not planning to
think about “doubling” your clothes as that has nothing to do with (no pienso) check in (facturar) any luggage, so my suitcase will be
packing a suitcase - "to double" means ‘duplicar’ and not ‘doblar’). I my hand luggage and I need to put all my papers - passport, plane
start by folding my trousers and putting them at the bottom of the tickets, hotel reservation etc. - inside together with my book. After
case. Then I fold a jumper and put it on top of the trousers. After putting all this inside, I zip up the case again, stop for a second,
folding and packing three shirts and a couple of T-shirts, I realize change my mind (cambio de opinión), unzip it, take my passport
that I'm going to need a bigger suitcase, so I unpack the T-shirts, and plane tickets out, unzip the outer (exterior) pocket, put them
unpack the shirts, unpack the jumper and unpack my trousers, zip in the outer pocket and zip the outer pocket up again.
up the case, get out another one, unzip it and start packing again.
As soon as I finish packing, I start racking my brains again
I pack some socks and pants (don't forget I'm English rather than (y desperately looking for something to write about for the Easy Read.
no) American, so here I'm referring to my underwear and not my Unfortunately, my brain rack is not as effective as a mediaeval
trousers) and then look for my toiletry bag. It's funny how we say torture rack. In fact, the more I rack my brains, the emptier my mind
"toiletry bag" when everything that goes into a toiletry bag has becomes. Then, suddenly I hit on (doy con) an idea. As I'm going on
nothing to do with the toilet (inodoro) itself. Equally inexplicable is a trip tomorrow, perhaps I could write about suitcases…

Richard Brown

5
On the way / In the way
En la gramática de este mes vamos a ver varios pares de expresiones en las que cambiando la preposición
modificamos su significado:

“¿Dónde estás?” “Where are you?”

“Voy de camino a casa.” “I’m on my way home”.

Puedo recoger la ropa de la tintorería porque me queda de I can pick up the clothes from the drycleaner’s because it’s
camino. on my way.

Me encontré con Peter de camino al trabajo. I bumped into Peter on my way to work.

Te cuento todo lo de la reunión por el camino. I’ll tell you all about the meeting on the way there.

Paramos unas cuantas veces por el camino. We stopped a few times on the way.

Fíjate en que ni decimos “on my way TO home” ni “on my way TO there”.

Ahora veremos la misma expresión, pero con la preposición “in” en vez de “on”:

Estuve en un atasco durante dos horas porque había un I was stuck in traffic for two hours because there was a
camión averiado en el medio. broken-down lorry in the way.

Hay algo en el medio y no podemos seguir. There’s something in the way and we can’t go on.

Estuvimos tres horas sin movernos porque había un árbol We couldn’t move for three hours because there was a big
enorme en el medio. tree in the way.

No veo nada porque Pam está en el medio. I can’t see anything because Pam’s standing in the way.

¡Siempre estás en el medio! You’re always in the way!

No olvides incluir el verbo modal “can” cuando utilices un verbo de sentido; decimos “I can’t see” y no “I don’t see”.

6
 grammar matters
At the beginning / In the beginning
La diferencia principal en el siguiente par de frases es que la expresión ‘al principio’ cuando hace referencia a ‘la
primera parte de algo’ lleva la preposición “at”.

We discussed holiday entitlement at the beginning of the

Hablamos de los días de vacaciones al principio de la reunión.
meeting.

La boda será a principios de junio. The wedding will be at the beginning of June.

El cartero aparece al principio del segundo capítulo. The postman appears at the beginning of the second chapter.

Se compraron una casa a principios de año. They bought a house at the beginning of the year.

The goalkeeper was sent off at the beginning of the second

El guardameta fue expulsado al principio de la segunda parte.
half.

Fíjate en que decimos “half ” y no “part” al hablar de las ‘partes’ de un partido de fútbol.

Ahora veremos unos ejemplos en los que ‘al principio’ equivale a ‘inicialmente’ o ‘en un primer momento’.

Al principio nos resultó un poco aburrido. We found it a bit boring in the beginning.

Al principio las cosas iban bien, pero acabaron In the beginning, things were going well but they ended up
divorciándose. getting divorced.

Al principio el dijo que no le dolía la rodilla. In the beginning, he said his knee didn’t hurt.

In the beginning, they didn’t get along but they ended up

Al principio no se llevaban bien, pero acabaron casándose.
getting married.

In the beginning, nobody wanted to buy it because it was

Al principio nadie quería comprarlo porque era muy caro.
very expensive.

Un sinónimo de “in the beginning” es “at first”.

7
At the end / In the end
En el siguiente apartado te presentamos los antónimos de las expresiones vistas en la página anterior:

Todo el mundo aplaudió al final de la función. Everybody clapped at the end of the performance.

Normalmente nos pagan a finales de mes. We normally get paid at the end of the month.

Responderé a sus preguntas al final de mi presentación. I will answer your questions at the end of my presentation.

Mi hermana vive al final de la calle. My sister lives at the end of the street.

Uno de los personajes principales muere al final de la película. One of the main characters dies at the end of the movie.

También podrías haber dicho “applauded” en vez de “clapped”.

Veremos ahora unos ejemplos con la expresión ‘al final’, cuando ésta significa ‘finalmente’:

No podíamos decidir qué sofá comprar, así que al final We couldn’t decide what sofa to buy, so in the end we
compramos dos sillones. bought two armchairs.

Él estuvo esperando durante una hora y al final se fue sin ella. He waited for an hour and in the end he left without her.

El hombre del tiempo dijo que iba a llover, pero al final hizo The weatherman said it was going to rain, but in the end it
sol todo el fin de semana. was sunny all weekend.

No pude encontrar nada que me gustara, así que al final no I couldn’t find anything I liked, so in the end I didn’t buy
compré nada. anything.

Estaba harto de su trabajo, así que al final dimitió. He was fed up with his job, so in the end he resigned.

No habrás dicho “all the weekend” ¿verdad? Recuerda que decimos “all morning”, “all day”, “all weekend”, etc., y
en ningún caso “all the morning”, “all the day”, etc.

8
 grammar matters
At the bottom / In the bottom
Otra forma de decir ‘al final’ es “at the bottom”. Fíjate en los siguientes ejemplos:

Por favor, firme al final del documento. Sign at the bottom of the document, please.

Tu nombre aparece al final de la lista. Your name is at the bottom of the list.

Las respuestas aparecen al final de la página 103. The answers can be found at the bottom of page 103.

El gato estaba tumbado al final de las escaleras. The cat was lying at the bottom of the stairs.

Marque la casilla que aparece al final de esta hoja. Tick the box at the bottom of this page.

No digas “on the page 103”. Nosotros decimos “on page 103”, sin el artículo “the”.

En la mayoría de los casos, al sustituir la preposición “at” por “in” en la expresión “at the bottom”, el significado de
ésta cambia a ‘en el fondo’.

Él puso tres capas de periódicos en el fondo de la jaula de He put three layers of newspaper in the bottom of his
su cobaya. guinea pig cage.

Creo que estará en el fondo de aquella bolsa. I think it’s in the bottom of that bag.

¿Queda algo en el fondo de aquella botella? Is there anything left in the bottom of that bottle.

Mi pasaporte está en el fondo del cajón. My passport is in the bottom of the drawer.

Su teléfono estaba en el fondo de su bolso (de ella). Her phone was in the bottom of her handbag.

9
 cloverdale’s
CHARACTERS
Luigi Barghini www.vaughantienda.com

Luigi Barghini is escorting three engineers from

Mercedes Benz around his factory in Verona.
He’s showing them the different steps in the
manufacturing process. Earlier in the morning,
he, Anna, and the Technical Director of the
company spent two hours with the engineers
in the meeting room next to Luigi’s office. They
went over every detail of a supply agreement.
The Technical Director described the raw
materials used in making the car seats and the
aluminum used for the frames. Anna spoke
about the company’s fine record in deliveries
and in quality assurance. Finally, Luigi explained
how the car seats would be shipped to
Stuttgart. However, Dieter Mittelmann, the
Chief Engineer, didn’t seem convinced. He had
never worked with an Italian supplier and he
was afraid that strikes could delay shipments
and cause production problems in Germany.
Anna assured him that the company had
suffered only one strike in ten years. It had been
a general strike throughout Italy and it had
lasted only two days. She went on to explain workers and was proud of the spirit and quality of their work. Two of the awards were
that the factory workers and employees in the collaboration on the factory floor. Finally, the from Fiat, one from Volvo, and another from
company were paid well above the going rate Technical Director showed the three Germans Rover, which was now owned by BMW. The
in the area and in the automotive industry. Luigi four different awards the company had German chief engineer looked at them but
added that he spent a lot of time with the received from different customers for the didn’t say anything.

1. Where is Luigi now?
2. What is he doing?
3. What is he showing the German engineers?
4. What happened earlier in the morning?
5. How many people attended the meeting?
6. Who attended the meeting from Luigi’s
company?
10. What did Luigi explain?
11. Who is Dieter Mittelmann?
12. What was his attitude during the meeting?
13. What was he worried about?
14. What did Anna assure him of?
15. When was the only strike in Luigi’s company?
19. What did Luigi add about the workers?
20. What did the Technical Director show the
Germans?
21. What were the awards for?
22. What company were two of the awards from?
23. What other two companies had given them an
award?

7. What did they go over in the meeting? 16. What kind of strike was it? 24. How did the German Chief Engineer react to this?

8. What did the technical director describe? 17. How long did it last?

9. What did Anna Barghini speak about? 18. What did Anna explain about the workers’ pay?

11
 This month we talk to Alison
Lanthorn, one of the Vaughan
teachers with most natural talent
for TV we have yet come across!

Q. How and why did you become an English teacher?

My mom is a teacher, so it was a profession I had always
considered; however, my plans when I came to Spain were to get
my degree and teach Spanish in The States. But once I met my
husband and decided to stay in Spain I had to rethink things. I didn’t
think there’d be much demand for an American Spanish teacher in
Madrid, so I looked into teaching English.

Q. Do you speak any other languages? If so, what did you do to

learn it/them?
Thankfully, my dad put a lot of emphasis on us kids learning a
foreign language. So in 7th grade I started with Spanish classes and
continued through the university. I have to admit that my Spanish
really took off when I moved here in 2004 for my Master’s degree.
In part because of the classwork; I had to write papers, give
presentations and do loads of reading. But on top of that I made an
effort to listen to Spanish at home; each night I fell asleep listening
to Spanish talk radio, I followed a few Spanish TV series, and above
all trying to follow my Spanish roommates. I lived with two guys
from the Canaries, so I really had to make an effort.

Q. Have you lived anywhere else, besides the US?

FACT FILE Well, I was born in Puerto Rico, but my parents moved to
Colorado when I was two so I don’t know if that really counts. I
spent all of my life in Colorado until 2001 when I moved to Alcalá
de Henares to spend my junior year of university abroad. It was a
Name Alison Lanthorn fantastic experience, and although I wanted to stay there forever, I
had to go home to finish my degree.
Age 30
Q. What made you get on a plane and come to Spain?
Nationality American The experience I had in Alcalá is what really motivated me to come
back to Spain. I knew the possibility to come back for postgraduate
Position Master in Humanities Teacher studies would be the easiest and only legal way. My dad helped me
find an American University in Madrid where the entire degree is
and Aprende Inglés TV Presenter
done here, which was just what I was looking for. Of course when
he helped me with this process, he never could’ve imagined I’d
Fact I was born in Puerto Rico
meet a Spaniard, get married and never move home. Had he known
the outcome, he’d probably have thought twice about helping me
fill out the application.

12
 people & places
Q. What do you like to do for fun in Madrid?
Honestly, I’m a bit of a homebody. So in comparison to most of my
friends I lead a fairly quiet life, but I must admit I love to go out to eat, Express Questionnaire
so having lunch or dinner out at least once is always on my agenda for
the weekend as well as the occasional trip to the movies or the theater. Shy or outgoing…
OUTGOING!!!
Q. In your opinion, what’s the main difference between Americans
An indulgence…
and Spaniards? Candy! I love Spanish gummies.
For my wedding 30 Americans came from The States and while
The thing you most like…
there were tons of differences they noticed when they were here, The company of my family.
I’d say the most shocking one was the schedule. Eating lunch at 2pm The thing you most hate…
instead of 12pm was something that even took me some getting Living away from my family.
used to. When I told them the timetable for the wedding reception, Your dream trip…
they couldn’t fathom having dinner at 10pm and then dancing until Africa (Botswana, Zambia and South Africa, for example).
dawn. Now when I go home I can’t get used to having dinner at 5:30. A favourite saying…
Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.
Q. Quick: choose a career and a place to live for the rest of your life! Your favourite time of day…
Fortunately, I love my career, so I wouldn’t change a thing, but I’d live The evening.
in the countryside in Cantabria or Asturias. Some place in the A hobby…
middle of nowhere with some cows, horses, sheep, goats, dogs, cats, Bikram Yoga.
and my family, of course. The problem is I don’t know who I’ll teach The person you most admire…
English to in the middle of nowhere… My mother.
When you were young…
Q. When you were a little girl, did you imagine someday you’d be I annoyed my older brothers.
doing the voices of “naughty characters” for kids? Winter or summer…
Never. I couldn’t have dreamed of such a thing. I was a bit of a Winter in Colorado, summer in Spain.
naughty character, though, when I was young, so I think I’ve got the A day you’ll never forget…
experience for it! No, truthfully I never could’ve imagined I’d end up My wedding day.
where I am today working on The Do-Dums, on the radio, on the Your greatest joy…
TV and doing it all in Spain. Who could ask for more? Volunteering at an animal shelter.
The last time you lost your patience…
Q. What is it like presenting a show like “Stuff”? Yesterday at 4am with my cats.
Intense! It was my first time in front of the camera, let alone four Your favourite book…
cameras, so I was definitely blown away on my first day. I knew I The Kite Runner.
would be presenting on 13 topics, so the first step was to pick the Your favourite film…
topics, then to think about all the stuff that had to do with each The Darjeeling Limited.
topic, and then to try to fit everything I wanted to say into a six- Your favourite song…
minute episode. I had a great time working with the Aprende Inglés I Will Survive.
team during filming. Now, when I see the shows, I’m incredibly Your biggest virtue…
embarrassed. I see tons of things I could do differently. I have a lot of energy.
Your biggest defect…
Q. Which one scares you the most and where do you feel more I want to do too many things.
comfortable: on radio, on TV or in a classroom? When travelling, never forget…
Teaching in the classroom comes very naturally to me. So I thought Gifts for family and friends.
that the radio and TV would be the same and to a certain extent, A regret…
they are.The radio and TV are just far more intense, but since I have Quitting piano lessons at age 15.
so much energy they allow me to funnel it into something fun and Something that makes you proud…
interesting. Unlike teaching, there is a permanent record of it all Just getting my Spanish driver’s license.
when you finish, which is embarrassing for me. I find it incredibly
difficult to see myself on TV or hear my own voice.

13
business letter 72
Hola Dirk,
He echado un vistazo al plan de tu nueva página web, como me
pediste. En términos generales, me parece genial; tiene un diseño
atractivo, de fácil uso, y creo que podría generar mucho interés en
el nuevo negocio.
Sin embargo, tengo unas sugerencias. Lo que más me llamó la
atención es que falta una pestaña que dé un poco de información
sobre TI. Cuando la gente entra a la web de un negocio quiere saber
un poco sobre el “ser humano” que está detrás del proyecto. Háblales
un poco sobre ti, sobre tu vida laboral y cómo se te ocurrió esta
fantástica nueva idea. También puede que sea buena idea incluir
algunos comentarios de terceros junto con unas recomendaciones…
¡Aunque asegúrate de que sean interesantes y verdaderos!
La otra cosa importante: deshazte de ese horrible banco de
imágenes con gente mirando a sus portátiles con
miradas sinceras o con hombres de negocios dándose
t a
Inten
la mano. En vez de eso, ¿por qué no subes algunas
a y lueg
fotos tuyas a la página? Eres un tío apuesto; ¡si no r t
la ca
consigues nada más, por lo menos atraerás a las chicas!
páral
com
Un abrazo,
nues
Anita B. Carm
Hello Dirk,
I’ve had a look at the plan for your new web page as you asked
me to. On the whole, I think it’s great; it has an attractive, easy-
to-use layout and I think it could definitely attract a lot of interest
in your new business.
However, I have a few suggestions. The thing that struck me most
is that it’s missing a tab that gives some information about YOU.
When people enter a business website they want to hear about
the “human” behind the project. Tell them a bit about yourself,
your work history and how you came up with this great new idea.
It might also be an idea to include some third party comments
along with some testimonials... Although make sure they’re
interesting and true!
The other important thing: get rid of those ghastly stock
photos of people looking earnestly at laptops and men
c i r
radu
in suits shaking hands. Why don’t you upload some
t
o
photos of yourself on the page instead? You’re a
n la
good-looking guy; if nothing else, at least you’ll get
a c o
the girls interested!
tra
Take care,
Anita B. Carm

Es muy importante que pongas la preposición “to” a final de la frase. Funciona como una especie de pronombre, sólo
asked me to que representa al verbo: “you asked me TO” (look at it). Vemos lo mismo con los siguientes verbos: “Will you go
there?” “Yes, I want TO” (go there); “Yes, I’d like TO” (go there); “Yes, I need TO” (go there) etc.

on the whole También vale “In general terms” o “Generally speaking”.

people No hace falta poner el artículo, ya que estamos hablando de la gente en general y no de un grupo específico de gente.

Es un verbo modal poco usado por los españoles, pero es muy útil cuando queremos expresar posibilidades. Es
it might also be mucho mejor usar “might” o “may” en vez de decir cosas como: “Maybe/perhaps it is a good idea to...”. El uso de
“might/may” suena mucho más natural y nativo.

the other
Esperamos que no hayas puesto “the another important thing”, que es como decir ‘la una otra cosa importante’.
important thing

Como siempre, hay muchísimas maneras de traducir estas cartas; pero como somos generosos nos gusta regalaros
ghastly
palabras nuevas. ¡“Ghastly” es una palabra muy inglesa para decir que algo es ‘asquerosamente horrible’!

instead Observa como colocamos el advervio “instead” a final de la frase en vez de ponerlo al principio de la misma.

Es muy difícil traducir ‘Un abrazo’ al final de un email o una carta. La traducción literal “A hug”, sólo se puede emplear
take care, si es una relación bastante íntima, al igual que decir “Love...”. La opción segura (y algo fría en comparación con el
español) es decir “Best wishes/regards” o decir algo informal como “Take care” o “Talk soon”.

14
marketing
Cons
igue
en
enda
List 35
h an Ti
Va u g cífico
a l espe Ponte a prueba. Tapa la columna derecha con un papel y pasa
mate
r i les.
f e s iona
pro al inglés las frases en español. Irás ganando en vocabulario y
para iend
a.com
hant
vaug fluidez a medida que aumentes el número de repeticiones.

La marca no es lo mismo que la marca registrada. The brand isn’t the same thing as the trademark.

La marca registrada es un símbolo o unas palabras. The trademark is a symbol or words.

Esto hará estallar una guerra de precios. This will set off a price war.

El empaquetado debería tener un diseño atractivo. The packaging should have an attractive design.

No puedo estimar el tamaño de este mercado. I can’t estimate the size of this market.

El gráfico lo dice todo. The graph says it all.

En tiempos de recesión tenemos que apretarnos el cinturón. In times of recession, we have to retrench.

Tenemos métodos para estimar la demanda total. We have methods for estimating total demand.

Esto incluye bienes de equipo y bienes de consumo. This includes capital goods and consumer goods.

¿A qué ascienden las ventas del sector como conjunto? What do overall industry sales come to?

Hacer previsiones es estimar la demanda futura. Forecasting is estimating future demand.

¿Cuánto estará dispuesto a pagar el cliente? How much will the customer be willing to pay?

No quiero fijar un precio por debajo del de ellos. I don’t want to set a price below theirs.

Hay restricciones legales a la hora de fijar precios. There are legal restrictions when pricing.

Esa empresa es bastante agresiva al fijar precios. That company is quite aggressive when pricing.

Mucha gente asocia un precio alto con calidad. A lot of people associate a high price with quality.

Te harán un descuento si pagas en metálico. They’ll give you a discount if you pay in cash.

Hacen descuentos por pago en metálico. They give cash discounts.

¿Qué técnicas de previsión utilizáis aquí? What forecasting techniques do you use here?

No van a apoyar tu plan si no incluyes descuentos. They’re not going to support your plan if you don’t include discounts.

16
Art Editor: Annie Casasœs Illustrator: Pablo Gonzalo
Sticky Feet
Lee c—mo R aprende que tener poderes m‡gicos tiene sus desventajas.
One day when Pence and R were walking home through the
park, R stopped to look at a squirrel that was climbing a tree. ÒI
wish I could climb trees like a squirrel or climb buildings like
SpidermanÓ. Pence looked at his friend and said to him: Òbeing
a squirrel looks like fun but squirrels have to eat nuts all day
and thatÕs pretty boring! Just imagine it! No cakes, no pizza and
no soft drinks, just nuts all day long! Nuts for breakfast, nuts
for lunch and nuts for dinner. Nuts on Mondays, nuts on Tuesdays,
nuts on Wednesdays, nuts on Thursdays, nuts on Fridays, nuts
on Saturdays and nuts on Sundays. And even being Spiderman
must have some inconveniences. NobodyÕs perfect!Ó
What Pence and R didnÕt notice was a small, empty, soft drinks
can sitting on a bench in the park.This soft drinks can was no
ordinary soft drinks can. Oh no.This soft drinks can was a
compulsive granter of wishes. Every time somebody made a wish
near this rather special soft drinks can, the wish came true.
R said to Pence, ÒIÕm going to try climbing that tree like a
squirrelÓ. And sure enough R ÒwalkedÓ up the tree. His feet just
stuck to the trunk and he walked straight up! ThatÕs right! Next,
R, pointing at a building next to the park, said to Pence, ÒIÕm
going to try climbing that building like SpidermanÓ. And sure
enough R ÒwalkedÓ up the building! Right to the top! His feet just
stuck to the wall and he walked straight up! ThatÕs right!
Seeing another very tall tree next to the building, R said to
Pence, ÒIÕm going to try climbing up that tree like a squirrelÓ
when Pence said to R, ÒWhatÕs that stuck to your foot?Ó
ÒOh, itÕs only a leaf,Ó said R who thought nothing more of it
and walked towards the tree. But as he walked, his sticky feet
that helped him climb trees and buildings started picking up
objects along the way: more fallen leaves, a newspaper, an
empty bottle, an apple core, a twig, another twig, and hundreds
more twigs and leaves.
R looked very silly and found it very difficult to walk properly
with so many things stuck to his feet. But he was still able to
climb to the top of the tree without any problems.
Fortunately for R, when he came back towards
Pence he trod on the soft drinks can, which
had moved from the bench to get a better
view, and all the things that had stuck to his
feet fell off as he lost his special climbing
powers. R was very relieved. He
had learnt an important lesson:
nobody is perfect and
everybody has their problems,
even squirrels Spiderman!
Un d’a cuando Pence y R iban de camino a casa por el parque, R
se par— a mirar a una ardilla que estaba trepando a un ‡rbol. ÒOjal‡
pudiera trepar a los ‡rboles como una ardilla o escalar edificios
como SpidermanÓ. Pence mir— a su amigo y le dijo: ÒParece
divertido ser una ardilla pero las ardillas tienen que comer
frutos secos todo el d’a y Áeso es bastante aburrido! Nada
de tartas, pizzas o refrescos, simplemente frutos secos Átodo
el d’a! Frutos secos para desayunar, frutos secos para comer
y frutos secos para cenar. Frutos secos los lunes, frutos
secos los martes, frutos secos los miŽrcoles, frutos secos
los jueves, frutos secos los viernes, frutos secos los s‡bados,
y frutos secos los domingos. Incluso ser Spiderman debe de
tener alguna desventaja. ÁNadie es perfecto!Ó
De lo que no se percataron Pence y R era de la existencia
de una lata peque–a vac’a de refresco en un banco en el
parque. Esta lata de refresco no era una lata de refresco
corriente. QuŽ va. Esta lata de refresco conced’a deseos sin
parar. Cada vez que alguien ped’a un deseo cerca de esta lata
de refresco bastante especial, el deseo se cumpl’a.
R le dijo a Pence, ÒVoy a intentar trepar a ese ‡rbol como una ardillaÓ.
En efecto,ÁRÒsubi— andandoÓhasta la copa del ‡rbol! Sus pies simplemente
se pegaron al tronco y Ásubi— andando! ÁEso es! DespuŽs, R se–alando
a un edificio al lado del parque le dijo a Pence, ÒVoy a intentar escalar
ese edificio como SpidermanÓ. En efecto, ÁR Òsubi— andandoÓ a la parte
alta del edificio! ÁHasta arriba del todo! Sus pies simplemente se pegaron
a la fachada y Ásubi— andando! ÁEso es!
Al ver otro ‡rbol muy alto al lado del edificio, R le dijo a Pence
ÒVoy a intentar trepar a ese ‡rbol como una ardillaÓ cuando
Pence le dijo a R, ÒÀQuŽ es eso que est‡ pegado a tu pie?Ó
ÒAh, es s—lo una hojaÓ dijo R que no le dio m‡s importancia
y camin— hacia el ‡rbol. Pero a medida que caminaba sus pies
pegajosos que le hab’an ayudado a trepar a los ‡rboles y a
los edificios empezaron a coger objetos por el camino: m‡s
hojas ca’das, un peri—dico, una botella vac’a, el coraz—n de una
manzana, una ramita, otra ramita, y cientos de ramitas y hojas.
R ten’a una pinta rid’cula y le resultaba muy dif’cil caminar
bien con tantas cosas pegadas a sus pies. Pero era todav’a
capaz de trepar a la copa del ‡rbol sin problemas.
Por fortuna para R, cuando regres— hacia Pence pis— sobre
la lata de refresco, la cual se hab’a movido del banco para
tener una vista mejor, y todas las cosas que se hab’an pegado
a sus pies se cayeron a medida que perd’a sus poderes
especiales para trepar. R se sent’a muy aliviado. Hab’a aprendido
una lecci—n importante: nadie es perfecto y todo el mundo
tiene sus problemas, Áincluso las ardillas Spiderman!
 Mix and the book

match yet

Este mes vamos a jugar con el adverbio ÒyetÓ. En preguntas significa ÔyaÕ, mientras que en oraciones negativas
significa ÔaœnÕ o Ôtodav’aÕ. En ambos casos, ÒyetÓ va al final de la oraci—n. ÁLa mejor manera de estudiar este
adverbio es jugando!
?
has terminado los deberes ya?

have you finished your homework yet?

CîMO JUGAR: Recorta los cuadrados con la ayuda de un adulto e intenta formar 6 frases siguiendo la
estructura gramatical que te indicamos en el ejemplo (si quieres, puedes hacer una fotocopia en color de la
p‡gina). Algo que te puede ayudar a hacerlo correctamente es ir uniendo las fichas por sus colores. Es decir,
el rojo al final de una palabra siempre tiene que coincidir con el rojo al principio de otra.

ÀHa llamado (ella) a sus padres ya? No has le’do el libro aœn.
Ella no ha llamado a sus padres aœn. ÀHan comprado los regalos ya?
ÀHas le’do el libro ya? Todav’a no han comprado los regalos.

called haven t they yet the book

yet has bought the book they

the presents read yet? hasn t you

have yet you her parents bought

she the presents yet? read have

called she her parents haven t yet?

LO QUE NECESITAS:
ask mummy
and daddy
Scissors for help!!!
 Word search (BEDROOM)
Encuentra las palabras que te indicamos a continuaci—n en la siguiente sopa de letras:

1. Alarm clock (Reloj despertador) 11. Closet (Armario)

e c h g p t e r g s t e e h s
2. Pillow (Almohada) 12. Sheets (S‡banas)
l u u d o u b l e b e d n r u
3. Headboard (Cabecero) 13. Curtain (Cortina)
4. Switch (Interruptor) 14. Trunk (Baœl) b r s w m a t t r e s s e s h
5. Bedside table (Mesilla de noche) 15. Rug (Alfombra) a h y r d i a d k e n w n t e
6. Mattress (Colch—n) 16. Bed (Cama) t v b e d s i d e t a b l e a
7. Chest of drawers (C—moda) 17. Hanger (Percha)
g r e g n a h l e r i r t a d
8. Bunk bed (Litera) 18. Mirror (Espejo)
n r g o e i q a d e b k n u b
9. Double bed (Cama de matrimonio) 19. Lamp (L‡mpara)
10. Dressing-table (Tocador) 20. Blanket (Manta) i s t r p x a f a u n l s w o
s i m i r r o r m i c s n o a
s p p i s t t c a n t e t l r
e m b g s s b t o k m e r l d
r a r e u y r l i b s a u i i
d l h l d u h e r o t i n p n
k c o l c m r a l a t i k l e
t e k n a l b c s w i t c h k
pence

Anagrams
Unscramble the five bedroom-related words below:

1. Couples normally sleep in BODULE DEBS.

2. People hang their clothes on NAHGRES.

3. In winter, you can cover yourself with a TELBANK.

4. You normally set the RALMA KOCLC to wake up early.

5. You can find old toys and clothes in a RKTUN.

5. Trunk (baœl). 4. Alarm clock (reloj despertador).

3. Blanket (manta). 2. Hangers (perchas). 1. Double beds (cama de matrimonio).
RESPUESTAS:
 expressions with
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Querer es poder.

I’m on my way!

¡Voy para allá!

WAY
There are no two ways about it.

No hay vuelta de hoja.

Don’t go out of your way.

No te tomes muchas molestias.

Get out of the way!

¡Quítate de en medio!

Make way!

¡Abran paso!

I learnt the hard way.

Aprendí a base de palos.

You can’t have it both ways.

Tienes que elegir entre una cosa u otra.

No way!

¡Ni hablar!

Give way.

Ceda el paso.

21
 (PART I)
D
N OVEDA
UB
OOK CL
IE S B
HU MANIT
ita:
ación vis m
a r a m á s inform a d e s .co
P
a u g h a n humanid
www.v
Of all the significant factors that have
contributed to making humans different to other
animals, by far (con diferencia) the most
important is our ability to manipulate and use
energy. Using 'outside' energy – energy originating
externally to our own bodies – to perform (llevar
a cabo) important tasks (tareas) drove the course
of our evolution from intelligent primates to the
modern, civilised beings (seres) we now are.
Perhaps the single most impor tant event
(acontecimiento) in human history was the
discovery of fire. The ability to cook food for the
first time, killing harmful (nociva) bacteria and
making things easier to chew (masticar), would
have given us an enormous nutritional boost
(empuje), allowing us (que nos permitió) to do
more physical work and to live longer. We could
never cook with just our own body heat! Fire also
allowed for the construction of sophisticated
tools (herramientas) for hunting and provided
warmth in cold conditions.
Millennia later, the exploitation of animal energy
was central to early agriculture and
transportation. Then, we learned to use wind
22
THINGS EVERYONE
SHOULD KNOW
ABOUT ENERGY
energy (energía eólica) to move boats across
seas and oceans, which allowed us to explore
new places and trade (comerciar) with
countries on the other side of the globe. Just a
few centuries ago, our growing understanding of
physical and chemical processes allowed us to
use fossil fuels to provide energy for the
industrial revolution, during which countless
(innumerables) new technologies were
developed, and human lifestyle (estilo de vida)
changed enormously.
We now find ourselves up against (delante de)
major energy challenges (retos): we must
support (sostener) an ever-growing, energy-
hungry population. We travel more, consume
more and live longer than we did even a few
decades ago, and none of this (nada de esto)
can be sustained without energy – and the
processes by which we produce that energy
must be as environmentally friendly as
possible (lo más ecológico posible). The
'energy crisis' is firmly on the political agenda,
and its solution will require considered and
informed decisions, because the consequences
of what we – the current generations – do in
the next few decades will be felt far, far (muy
lejos) into the future.
While (aunque) the control of energy has always
been, currently is, and probably always will be
subject to (sujeto a) politics and personal
interest, we must not forget that energy itself is a
By Ewan Munro
physical entity whose basic properties are well
known to scientists. Any decisions regarding (con
respecto a) energy use in the future must,
therefore (por lo tanto), take account of (tener
en cuenta) the way energy behaves (se
comporta) fundamentally.
Sadly, however, the laws (las leyes) of
thermodynamics and other basic traits
(características) of energy have not yet
achieved (aún no han obtenido) the status of
common knowledge (conocimiento general),
which clearly makes it difficult for people to
make up their minds (decidirse) about what we
should do. It is precisely some of these issues
(cuestiones) we'll be attempting to clear up
(aclarar) in this article and the next.
A thing of many faces
The first thing to realise about energy is that it can
take on (adquirir) many different appearances.
The most obvious are light, heat, sound and
electricity, but you can also have kinetic energy
(energy due to motion), chemical energy (stored
in the bonds (enlaces) between the atoms and
molecules of a substance), nuclear energy (locked
up (encerrado) in the nucleus), radiation energy,
gravitational energy, and mass energy, just to name
a few less familiar types.
Now, probably the most fundamental law in the
whole of science is that energy can never be

created or destroyed – it can only be converted
from one form to another, or to various others.
There is no way (no hay manera) we can just
make new energy appear suddenly, despite (a
pesar de) what you might think.
When you kick (patear) a football,
it suddenly obtains a certain
kinetic energy, and some
gravitational energy (if it is above
ground), while as it flies through
the air there is a small generation
of heat and sound. Where did all
that energy come from? Your body,
of course, which got (consiguió) its
energy from the food you ate,
which in turn (por su parte) got
its energy from sunlight by
photosynthesis. Now the sun gets
its energy from the nuclear fusion
of hydrogen into helium, and that
process can occur because the
core of the sun is extremely hot
and the pressure is very high. That
heat and pressure came from the
formation of the sun, when a
cloud of space dust started to
collapse under its own
gravitational energy.
You can continue trying to
balance the energy books (hacer ‘cuadrar las
cuentas’) like this right back until (hasta) the
beginning of time, and if you're careful to
include every possible contribution, you'll find
the total energy in the universe remains
constant. So, if anyone ever tries to sell you a
perpetual motion machine, you'll know it's a
scam (engaño), because anything that moves
creates friction, which is a form of heat energy
that is lost to the surroundings, and so the
object slows down. If something were to really
keep moving at the same speed forever, there
would need to be a compensating energy
supply to make up for the heat loss. A perpetual
motion device would then need to create its
own energy, which is impossible.
humanities
A PASSION FOR LEARNING
Finding a use for the useless
What relevance does the law of energy
conservation have to the problem of future
energy supply (suministro)? It helps us
understand the context of what we are doing
when we generate energy: we're not really (en
realidad) generating it at all! We're converting it.
We take one form of energy that is not
particularly useful to us in itself and transform it
into other forms we can use.
For example, when we burn wood for fire, we
are accessing the chemical energy stored in the
atomic bonds – which is otherwise (aparte de
eso) of no use to us – and converting it into
light and heat, which can be used for many
purposes. Nowadays, we convert chemical
energy in oil and gas into electrical energy,
which can be easily sent through metal cables to
homes, offices, shops and hospitals to be later
converted to light, heat and sound by the
appropriate devices (e.g. bulbs (bombillas),
heaters and speakers (altavoces)).
The problem clearly is not that
there isn't enough energy in
nature for us; the problem is that
we need to figure out (idear)
how to build the fancy machinery
– fusion power plants (see
Vaughan Review, January 2011),
wind turbines, solar panels, etc. -
required to convert it into the
forms we want it in.
Hand-in-hand with these scientific
and technological issues go, of
course, the economic and social
issues – the question of precisely
which forms of energy we choose
to invest in, develop, and subsidise
– but these can only be resolved
after the scientific details about
each of them are known.
Besides providing the fancy
converter machines, science must,
therefore, also tell us, amongst
other things (entre otras cosas):
the energy output (energía de
salida) for a given amount of fuel (i.e., how much
energy can you get from it?); the availability
(disponibilidad) of the fuel, and the ease with
which it can be obtained; the environmental
impact of using the fuel; and the safety implications
if anything were to go wrong. (What is meant by
'fuel' here is really 'source': oil, gas, uranium, wind,
geothermal, solar, etc.).
In this article, we've seen that the law of energy
conservation – sometimes called the first law of
thermodynamics – provides an understanding
of what it means (lo que significa) to use energy.
In the next article we'll see what we can learn
from the second law of thermodynamics about
which kinds of energy sources (fuentes) might
provide the most output for us.
23
 p well last That mil
I didn’t
s le e
ere wer
e to go o k is going
e t h ff if
night be
c a u s
o f f a ll night. put it in you don’t
g the fridg
ms goin e.
car alar a Esa lech
r m í b ie n debido e se va
ap
no do es que mala si
no la m oner
Anoche d e los coch et
a s
las alarm n sonando tod
a la nevera es en
v ie r o .
es t u .
la noche

ing has
Someth kitchen
To go off Anothe
f; the went of r bomb
gone of . f to
m e ll s r evolting Estallar centre o day in the
s f the ca
do Sonar pital.
ha echa
Algo se c ina Echarse a perder Otra bo
r ; la co mba h
a perde tal. hoy en e a estallado
huele fa l centro
la capita de
l.

m
oke alar
The sm ecause I can’t b
fb
went of s smoking alarm d elieve my
idn’t go
e wa boss is o
going to ff; my
someon ilets.
in the to kill me.
dios No pued
m a c o n tra incen a o
sonara m creer que no
La alar ab
u e a lg uien est i
mi jefe m despertador ;
rq
sonó po en los ser vicios. e va a m
atar.
fum do
a n

24
 phrasal verbs
I could
go on a
stamps bout
t forever,
Don’t le probably but it’s
le A lb e r t go on best I d
on’t.
Unc w ar again
.
t t h e Podría h
abou sellos ha ablar de los
erto st
s q u e el tío Alb pero me a no poder más
No deje barra con la jor que n ,
o lo hag
de la ta tra vez. a.
guerra o

W h a t a re you
?
To go on
o n a b out now (about something) What w
going he goin s
a
estás g on
¿De qué ora? about t
o ah his time
habland No parar de hablar de algo ?
¿De qué
habla
él esta v ba
ez?

You don
always h ’t
n’t you
Why do ’re always av
on abou e to go
u
u t up! Yo t politic
ju s t s h
a b o u t money. s.
n
going o No tiene
sq
as! siempre ue hablar
r q u é n o te call r de polític
a.
¡Po habla
ejas de
Nunca d inero.
de d

25
something
TO CHEW OVER

¡Algo para pensar!

Abajo encontrarás una serie de frases. Sólo una es correcta en cada caso, bien sea por razones gramaticales o por el contexto.
Piensa la respuesta muy bien antes de contestar y piensa el porqué de la respuesta correcta y de las incorrectas. Como
siempre, las respuestas vienen en la página 28 con sus correspondientes explicaciones.

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1.a. Let’s bring the kids to the zoo.

1.b. Let’s take the kids to the zoo.

1.c. Let’s carry the kids to the zoological.

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2.a. How much does it cost to get in?

2.b. How much costs it to enter?

2.c. How much does the entry cost?

1.d. Let’s take the kids to the zoological. 2.d. How much money does it costs to enter?

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3.a. Let’s start by going to the lion cage.

3.b. Let’s start going to the lion cage.

3.c. Let’s start to go to the lion jail.

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4.a. That looks like a bit fierce.

4.b. That one looks a bit feroce.

4.c. That looks a bit ferocious.

3.d. Let’s start for going to the lion cage. 4.d. That one looks a bit fierce.

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5.a. That elephant’s got a long trompe.

5.b. That elephant’s got a long trumpet.

5.c. That elephant’s got a long trunk.

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6.a. Look at that monkey climbing that tree.

6.b. Look at that monkey who is climbing that tree.

6.c. Look at that money climbing that tree.

5.d. That elephant’s got a large trompe. 6.d. Look at that monkey which is climbing that tree.

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7.a. That’s not a monkey; he’s your son.

7.b. That’s no monkey; he’s your son.

7.c. That isn’t no monkey; he is your son.

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8.a. Peter! Get down from there!

8.b. Peter! Lower yourself down of there!

8.c. Peter! Get yourself down of there!

7.d. That’s no monkey; it’s your son. 8.d. Peter! Lower you down from there!

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answers
SOMETHING TO CHEW OVER
Aquí tienes las respuestas al reto que te propusimos en la página 26. La idea no es sólo acertar, sino también sacar
provecho de las respuestas erróneas que, en muchos casos, son errores típicos.

Aquí estamos ante uno de los errores más comunes que cometen Un inciso:
Aquí estamos antecasi
unonunca
de losformulamos
errores máslacomunes
preguntaque “How much
cometen
Para empezar,
los españoles cuandoenquieren
inglés “zoological”
integrarse sólo
en la funciona
cocinacomocon money?”, siendo “How much…?” más
los españoles cuando quieren integrarse en la cocina conque suficiente. Por
adjetivo. La A,
angloparlantes.“Remover”
aaloparlantes. “Remover”nosiendono segramaticalmente
se traduce correcta,
traduce nini “move”
“move” (cambiar no tiene
de otro lado, la palabra “entry” se emplea para
angloparlantes. “Remover” no se traduce ni “move” (cambiar dereferirse al acto
1.sitio)
B ni mucho sentido,
“remove” ya que
(quitar). implica
A veces seque
dicelos
enpadres están “remove
las recetas ya en el 2.sitio)
A ni de entrar en
“remove” un lugar
(quitar). y no como
A veces entrada
se dice en las /recetas
billete. A“remove
la B le
zoopero
the sauce” cuando
casi se les ocurre
siempre traer“from
se añade a los the
niños. ‘Llevar’
heat”. es “to
En cuanto falta el verbo auxiliar “does” mientras que en
the sauce” pero casi siempre se añade “from the heat”. En cuantola D sobra la
take” ya que “to carry” conlleva
a “moven” me lo inventé para la ocasión. el matiz de ‘llevar en brazos’. ‘s’ final del verbo “costs”
a “moven” me lo inventé para la ocasión. (la “s” de la tercera persona ya
está en el auxiliar “does”).

Aquí estamos ante uno de los errores más comunes que cometen La traducción
Aquí estamos ante uno dede lossiempre
‘ése’ errores ha
másdecomunes
ser “thatque y nunca
one”cometen
‘Empezarcuando
los españoles algo’ se traduce
haciendoquieren integrarsecomo en “to
la start by doing
cocina con “that” a secas. Cuando algo parece feliz,
los españoles cuando quieren integrarse en la cocina aburrido o feroz
con
something”. Aquí la preposición es imprescindible,
angloparlantes. “Remover” no se traduce ni “move” (cambiar ya quedeal (como en este caso) empleamos la estructura:
angloparlantes. “Remover” no se traduce ni “move” (cambiar verbo “look”
de
3.sitio)
A ni omitirla
“remove” (quitar). A veces se dice en las recetas “removea
(como en la B) el sentido de la frase cambia 4.sitio)
D ni +“remove”
el adjetivo en cuestión
(quitar). A veces sin recurrir
se dice en lasa larecetas
palabra “like”.
“remove
the sauce” peroa casi
‘vamos empezar
siempre a irseaañade
la jaula de los
“from the leones’
heat”. En(decuanto
forma the sauce” pero casiexiste
“Ferocious” siempreen se
inglés,
añadepero se the
“from suele reservar
heat”. para
En cuanto
habitual). Una jaula es “a cage”
a “moven” me lo inventé para la ocasión. y no “jail” que significa ‘cárcel’. describir una acción feroz y
a “moven” me lo inventé para la ocasión. no a un animal, en cuyo caso
emplearíamos “fierce”.

Aquí estamos ante uno de los errores más comunes que cometen Aquí estamos ante uno de los errores más comunes que cometen
los españoles cuando quieren integrarse en la cocina con los españoles cuando quieren integrarse en la cocina con
angloparlantes. “Remover” no se traduce ni “move” Aquí la “Remover”
estructura másno económica
se traduce es
ni la“move”
que mejor suenade
al
C ni La
5.sitio) ‘trompa’ de un elefante es “a trunk”. Y ‘largo’(cambiar
es “long”dey angloparlantes.
6.sitio)
A ni igual
(cambiar
“remove” (quitar). A veces se dice en las recetas “remove que ocurre en español. La B y la D suenan
“remove” (quitar). A veces se dice en las recetas “removemuy
no “large” que significa ‘grande’.
the sauce” pero casi siempre se añade “from the heat”. En cuanto forzadas.
the sauce” ¿Y lasiempre
pero casi C? ¿Hasseleído bien?
añade “from the heat”. En cuanto
a “moven” me lo inventé para la ocasión. a “moven” me lo inventé para la ocasión.

Aquí estamos ante uno de los errores más comunes que cometen Aquí estamos ante uno de los errores más comunes que cometen
los españoles Cuando cuando
un niño está subidointegrarse
a un árbol,enla forma de decirle
Se puedecuando quieren
decir tanto “That’sintegrarse en la como
not a monkey…” cocina“That’s
con los españoles quieren la cocina con
angloparlantes. “Remover” no se traduce ni el“move” (cambiar de ‘¡Bájate de ahí!’ es “Get down from there!”.
angloparlantes. “Remover” no se traduce ni “move” (cambiar Eso es, de
la
7.sitio) no monkey…”. Lo importante aquí es uso del pronombre
D ni “remove” (quitar). A veces se dice en las recetas “remove 8.sitio)
A ni preposición es “from”. También se podría decir
“remove” (quitar). A veces se dice en las recetas “remove “Lower
impersonal “it” hasta que se revela la identidad de la
the sauce” pero en
casicuestión.
siempre se añade “from the heat”. En cuanto yourself
the sauce” perodown from there”
casi siempre (Bájate“from
se añade de ahí
thecon cuidado),
heat”. pero
En cuanto
persona
a “moven” me lo inventé para la ocasión. en ese caso la exclamación
a “moven” me lo inventé para la ocasión. sobraría.

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mastering
THE INTERROGATIVE 68
This month we’re going to have a look at the verbs “to
know” and “to meet”.

No, I don’t know Susan. ? Do you know Susan?

Sam met Tom last week. ? When did Sam meet Tom?

Sam met Tom last week. ? Who did Sam meet last week?

I’ve known Robert for ten years. ? How long have you known Robert?

I met him ten years ago. ? When did you meet him?

I met him in Nottingham. ? Where did you meet him?

I had known him for five years before we got married. ? How long had you known him before you got married?

I met his parents eight years ago. ? When did you meet his parents?

We were living in Scotland when I met them. ? Where were you living when you met them?

I was 17 when I met my sister-in-law. ? How old were you when you met your sister-in-law?

I’ve known her for nine years. ? How long have you known her?

No, Anna doesn’t know anyone in London. ? Does Anna know anyone in London?

Mary has just met the new boss. ? Who has Mary just met?

Pete was waiting for the bus when he met his wife. ? What was Pete doing when he met his wife?

No, I haven’t met my sister’s boyfriend yet. ? Have you met your sister’s boyfriend yet?

No, I’ve never met anyone called Hyacinthe. ? Have you ever met anyone called Hyacinthe?

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 elision fields
‘BÁUNTA’
La pá
gina
te ay que
Yet another look at the way we slide one word into another creating “new words” which sound uda
com con
unintelligible to a Spaniard. For example, when we say /itsa/ we are actually using three words you know
pren la
perfectly well - it + is + a. It is essential to learn these “new words” as it will help your understanding of the sión
spoken language enormously. Recognizing these contractions or, in some cases, elisions, represents the key to
reaching a better understanding of English as spoken by native speakers. It is the key to “English Paradise”.
Don’t forget that the “Elision Fields” are right before the “Elysian Fields”.
This month’s example of real spoken English is the way many natives tend to slide the words “bound to” (seguro que…)
together when they speak at a normal speed.

They’re BÁUNTA say “yes”.

Seguro que dicen que “sí”.
They’re bound to say “yes”.

It’s BÁUNTA happen one day.

Seguro que pasa algún día.
It’s bound to happen one day.

We’re BÁUNTA win the match.

Seguro que ganamos el partido.
We’re bound to win the match.

Don’t worry; it’s BÁUNTA turn up somewhere.

No te preocupes; seguro que aparece en algún sitio.
Don’t worry; it’s bound to turn up somewhere.

They’re BÁUNTA find out sooner or later.

Seguro que se enteran tarde o temprano.
They’re bound to find out sooner or later.

It’s BÁUNTA rain later.

Seguro que llueve luego.
It’s bound to rain later.

There’s BÁUNTA be a bank around here somewhere.

Seguro que hay un banco por aquí.
There’s bound to be a bank around here somewhere.

Don’t tell Ben; he’s BÁUNTA tell everyone. No se lo digas a Ben; seguro que
Don’t tell Ben; he’s bound to tell everyone. se lo dice a todo el mundo.

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translation list
Ponte a prueba. Tapa la columna derecha con un papel y traduce al
inglés las frases en español. Comprobarás que tu nivel mejora a medida
ue tu
Consig que avanzas en la lista. Incluimos dos listas para diferentes niveles.
tion
Transla
t
Bookle

Nivel Principiante

1. Aquél es un informe corto. 1. That’s a short report.

2. Estoy contento con el resultado. 2. I’m happy with the result.

3. ¿Está ella contigo? 3. Is she with you?

4. ¿Con quién está? 4. Who’s she with?

5. ¿De dónde es? 5. Where’s she from?

6. No soy tu jefe. 6. I’m not your boss.

7. Ella no es su mujer. 7. She’s not his wife.

8. No eres su marido. 8. You’re not her husband.

9. Él no es mi hermano. 9. He’s not my brother.

10. Ésta no es mi dirección. 10. This isn’t my address.

Nivel Avanzado

1. Él ha perdido la mayoría de sus amigos. 1. He’s lost most of his friends.

2. El plástico se ha hecho más importante que el acero. 2. Plastic has become more important than steel.

3. Nunca ha sido fácil. 3. It’s never been easy.

4. No he empezado a buscarlo aún. 4. I haven’t started looking for it yet.

5. Han estado escuchándonos. 5. They’ve been listening to us.

6. Nunca te he prometido nada. 6. I’ve never promised you anything.

7. Nos lo hemos pasado bien. 7. We’ve had a good time.

8. Ha hecho buen tiempo. 8. The weather’s been nice.

9. Ha hecho un poco de calor. 9. It’s been a little hot.

10. ¿Cuándo volveremos a vernos? 10. When will we see each other again?

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 creepy corner
El TERRIBLE... “two HOURS and a half ”
g i n a d e los
La pá Siguiendo con lo que vimos el mes pasado, ahora vamos a centrarnos en la
más
errores s estructura ‘dos HORAS y media’, ‘tres AÑOS y medio’, ‘cuatro MESES y medio’, etc.
m u n e s y má
co La gente tiende a pensar en español y decir “two HOURS and a half ”, “four MONTHS
es
horribl and a half ”, etc., cuando lo correcto es “two and a half HOURS”, “four and a half
MONTHS”, etc.

The flight from Madrid to London

El vuelo de Madrid a Londres es de dos horas y media.
takes two and a half hours.

Llevaban saliendo tres años y They had been going out for three and a half
medio antes de que se casaran. years before they decided to get married.

Susan va a pasar seis meses y medio Susan’s going to spend six and a half
en Italia aprendiendo italiano. months in Italy learning Italian.

Peter se cogió dos semanas y media Peter took two and a half weeks off
para cuidar de sus padres. to look after his parents.

Miriam tardó tres semanas y media en terminar It took Miriam three and a half weeks
el álbum de fotos de su hermana. to finish her sister’s photo album.

La renovación llevó tres meses y medio. The building-work took three and a half months.

Los padres de Lisa se quedaron con ella y su marido Lisa’s parents stayed with her and her husband
durante cinco semanas y media la primavera pasada. for five and a half weeks last spring.

Es la segunda vez este mes que retrasan It’s the second time this month that the 1:30 plane has
dos horas y media el avión de la 1:30. been delayed for two and a half hours.

BJ tardó cuatro años y medio en completar su doctorado. It took BJ four and a half years to complete his PhD.

Marisa no puede viajar en avión porque Marisa can’t travel by plane because she’s
está embarazada de ocho meses y medio. eight and a half months pregnant.

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