THE SPEAKOUT 2nd EDITION STUDY BOOSTER FOR

SPANISH-SPEAKING LEARNERS OF ENGLISH

How can I become more confident in English? Why aren’t I making faster progress? When will I be
able to move up to the next level? Every language learner wants to know the secret to making the
fastest progress in the shortest possible time. So what does the perfect learner need to do to get
ahead? The answer is practise, practise, practise.
The Speakout 2nd Edition Advanced Study Booster for Spanish-speaking learners of English  gives
you all the practice you need to help you get the most out of your English language course. With
a focus on the particular challenges that Spanish-speaking learners of English face, the Study
Booster  complements
 complements the material in the accompanying Students’ Book and Workbook and is
divided into five main sections which provide extra exercises to help you improve your grammar,
vocabulary, pronunciation, writing, reading and listening. You can work through the different
sections in sequence, or just focus on the areas that you find particularly difficult.
All the answers to the exercises are provided in the key at the back of the book so you can check
your own work. You don’t have to do every exercise in the Study Booster  to
 to successfully complete
the course, but remember that the more you do, the faster you’ll progress!

CONTENTS

Common challenges for Spanish-speaking learners of English 3–7

Grammar 3–4
Vocabulary 4–5
Pronunciation 5–6
Writing 6–7

Speakout 2nd Edition Advanced Extra exercises 8

Grammar Extra 8–27
Vocabulary Extra 28–57
Pronunciation Extra 58–67
Reading and Listening Extra 68–87
Writing Extra 88–97

Answer keys 98–117

2
 COMMON CHALLENGES FOR SPANISH-SPEAKING LEARNERS
OF ENGLISH
GRAMMAR
Word Order
The most usual word order in English is subject + verb +
object and this tends to be more rigid than in Spanish
where we can start statements with the object. However,
word order does change in some more complex structures
in English, for example inversion for emphasis or cle
sentences, and this can cause problems for Spanish
students.
Pocas veces he visto cuadros tan bonitos.  Seldom have I
seen such beautiful paintings.
Fue a mi hermana a quien viste ayer, no a mí.  It was my
sister  you saw yesterday, not me.
The order of adjectives in noun phrases when there is more
than one adjective is also fixed in English and it can be
difficult for students to know which adjective to put first.
Era una bella mujer irlandesa de ojos grises.  She was a

beautiful, grey-eyed, Irish woman.
Grammar Extra Unit 3.1 Exercise 1; Unit 4.1 Exercises 1
and 2; Unit 7.1 Exercise 2; Unit 10.1 Exercises 1 and 2.
Verbs followed by –ing or infinitive
In English some verbs are followed by the - ing  form of the
verb and some by the infinitive. This can be a problem for
students because there is no rule.
Mencionó que iba a salir el sábado.  He mentioned going
out on Saturday.
Se ofreció a ayudarme a hacer la cena.  She offered to help
me cook dinner.
Some verbs can take either the infinitive or gerund but their
meaning may change.
 Acuérdate de volver a dejar las llaves en la mesa. 
Remember to put the keys back on the table.
Me acuerdo de haber vuelto a dejar las llaves en la mesa. 
I remember putting  the keys back on the table.
Grammar Extra Unit 2.2 Exercises 1 and 2.
Participle Clauses
Participle clauses can cause difficulties for Spanish students
because the structure isn’t always the same in English. For
example, in English the present participle is used aer
prepositions while in Spanish we use the infinitive.
Después de hablar  con su madre, decidió dejar su trabajo. 
 Aer talking  to her mother, she decided to quit her job.
 Al oír  la alarma, salieron del edificio.  On hearing  the alarm
they le the building.
Grammar Extra Unit 7.2 Exercises 1 and 2.
Relative clauses
In English, some relative clauses don’t require the use of a
relative pronoun where Spanish does. Also note that in
non-defining relative clauses we cannot use the pronoun
that, which can be very confusing for Spanish students. In
3
these clauses, we must use the pronoun who for people and
which for inanimate objects, whereas in Spanish we can use
que in both cases.
Terminó el cuadro en el que había estado trabajando durante
más de un año.  He finished the painting (which/that) he had
been working on for over a year.
Mi marido me compró narcisos, que son mis flores
 favoritas.  My husband bought me some daffodils, which

are my favourite flowers. NOT My husband bought me
daffodils, that are my favourite flowers.
Grammar Extra Unit 3.2 Exercises 1 and 2.
The passive voice
The passive voice is used more frequently in English than in
Spanish. One reason is that there is no English expression
equivalent to se hace, se vendió, etc. Consequently, the
passive voice is used in these cases.
Se ha rodado una película interesante sobre los Beatles.  An
interesting film has been made about the Beatles.
Grammar Extra Unit 5.2 Exercise 1.
Causative verbs
In English, to talk about something someone did for
someone else they use a causative verb, have or get. This
structure can be difficult for Spanish students because there
is no equivalent in Spanish.
Voy a cortarme el pelo mañana.  I’m going to get my hair cut
tomorrow. NOT I’m going to cut my hair tomorrow. (unless you
do it yourself)
 Arreglé mi coche la semana pasada.  I had my car repaired
last week. NOT I repaired my car last week.
Grammar Extra Unit 5.2 Exercise 2.
Concession
Using linkers to show concession or contrast in speaking
and writing can be difficult for Spanish students because
they can be followed by grammatical structures which are
different from those used in Spanish.
 A pesar de lo mucho que me gusta correr  , no soy muy
rápido.  Much as I enjoy running  , I’m not very fast!
Suspendí el examen a pesar de estudiar  muchísimo.  I failed
my exam despite studying  really hard.
Grammar Extra Unit 6.2 Exercises 1 and 2.
Simple, progressive and future tenses
Although English has simple, progressive, perfect and
future tenses as we do in Spanish, the use of these tenses
is not always identical in the two languages. For example, in
Spanish the present simple can be used for an action which
is taking place at this moment but in English we use the
present continuous.
¡Vaya! ¡Llueve mucho!  Wow! It’s raining a lot! NOT Wow! It
rains a lot!
Also, in Spanish the present simple can refer to the future
when English uses will or going to.
Nos vemos mañana. I’ll see you tomorrow.
 ended up spilling the beans !
El año que viene me jubilo. I’m going to retire next year.
   John nunca dice lo que piensa, siempre mira los toros desde la
In Spanish the present continuous can be used for activities
that started in the past and continue in the present but in
English the present perfect continuous is used for these
activities.
 ¿Cuánto tiempo llevas viviendo aquí?  How long have you

been living here? NOT How long are you living here?
Grammar Extra Unit 1.1 Exercises 1, 2 and 3; Unit 6
Exercises 1 and 2; Unit 8 Exercises 1 and 2.
Modal verbs
Spanish speakers oen have problems with modal verbs.
For example, there is a tendency to use can incorrectly with
the function of deduction or interpreting evidence but in
English the verbs commonly used are may , might or could.
Sarah tiene bolsas en los ojos, puede que esté cansada. 
Sarah’s got bags under her eyes, she may/might/could be tired.
NOT Sarah’s got bags under her eyes, she can be tired.
Also, the difference between have to and must is oen
confusing for Spanish speakers as both can express tener
que hacer algo. English uses the verb must to impose an
obligation and have to to speak about an obligation.
Greg, tienes que tomar la medicina.  Greg, you must take the
medicine.
Los bomberos se tienen que arriesgar todos los días. 
Firemen have to take risks every day.
Grammar Extra Unit 1.3 Exercises 1 and 2; Unit 5.1
Exercises 1 and 2.
Past simple and Present Perfect
Spanish students are oen confused about when to use
the past simple and present perfect. One important reason
for this is that in Spanish the present perfect is compatible
with expressions of finished time, e.g. hace media hora and
is oen used to refer to the recent past. In English, however,
it is important to distinguish between a finished action
(past simple), an indefinite time in the past (present perfect)
and speaking about an action that started in the past and
continues in the present (present perfect).
He terminado de trabajar hace media hora.  I finished work
half an hour ago. NOT I have finished work half an hour ago.
He trabajado mucho esta mañana, pero esta tarde no he
hecho casi nada.  I worked really hard this morning, but this
aernoon I’ve hardly done anything. NOT I’ve worked really
hard this morning but this aernoon I’ve hardly done anything.
Grammar Extra Unit 4.2 Exercises 1 and 2.
VOCABULARY
Idioms and sayings
English idioms and sayings can be difficult for Spanish
students because they are fixed expressions with meanings
that are not usually obvious. Sometimes, the context can
help us to understand the meaning.
4
Estábamos intentando mantenerlo en secreto pero Mike se
 fue de la lengua.  We were trying to keep it a secret but Mike

barrera.  John never says what he thinks, he always sits on

the fence.
Vocabulary Extra Unit 1 Exercises 4 and 5; Unit 2
Exercises 1, 2 and 6; Unit 5 Exercises 1 and 2; Unit 7
Exercises 4 and 5; Unit 8 Exercises 2 and 3.
Collocations
Collocations are combinations of words which are frequently
used by native speakers. It’s important to use the correct
collocation in order to sound as natural as possible and
demonstrate mastery of English.
Se produjeron muchos accidentes debido a la lluvia intensa. 
There were a lot of accidents due to the heavy rain.
Hay una pequeña posibilidad de que Jane apruebe su/el
examen.  There’s a slim chance that Jane will pass her exam.
Vocabulary Extra Unit 2 Exercises 4 and 5; Unit 4
Exercises 1 and 2; Unit 6 Exercises 4 and 5; Unit 7 Exercise 1;
Unit 10 Exercises 1, 4 and 5.
Prefixes
English and Spanish prefixes do not correspond exactly,
which oen results in students making mistakes.
Riñeron a los niños por su mal comportamiento. 
The children were told off for their misbehaviour . NOT
malbehaviour 
Quedó completamente irreconocible después de la cirugía
estética. She was completely unrecognisable aer her

cosmetic surgery. NOT irrecognisable
Vocabulary Extra Unit 3 Exercises 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9.
Prepositional Phrases
Prepositional phrases in English and Spanish do not
correspond exactly and this can be a challenge for Spanish
students.
Se dirigió hacia el centro de la ciudad.  He set off in the
direction of the town centre.
No pudieron tomar una decisión hasta que todos estuvieron
de acuerdo.  They couldn’t make a decision until everyone

was in agreement.
Vocabulary Extra Unit 5 Exercises 7, 8 and 9; Unit 6
Exercises 2 and 3; Unit 7 Exercises 7, 8 and 9; Unit 9
Exercises 7, 8 and 9.
Multi-word verbs (phrasal verbs)
Phrasal verbs can be difficult to learn because their meaning
is oen very diffi cult for Spanish speakers to guess, although
the context oen helps the meaning to be understood.
No puedo cenar contigo, me ha surgido algo en el trabajo.  I
can’t have dinner with you this evening, something’s come up
at work.
¡No sé cómo puedes soportar a tu jefe!  I don’t know how you

can put up with your boss!
 Vocabulary Extra Unit 1 Exercises 7, 8 and 9; Unit 2
Exercises 7, 8 and 9; Unit 4 Exercises 7, 8 and 9; Unit 5
Exercises 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9; Unit 6 Exercises 7, 8 and 9; Unit 9
Exercises 2 and 3; Unit 10 Exercises 7, 8 and 9.
Suffixes
English and Spanish suffi xes do not correspond exactly,
which oen results in students making mistakes.
La foto era engañosa , el hotel era completamente diferente
en la realidad.  The photo was deceptive ; the hotel looked
completely different in real life.
Trabaja para una organización benéfica.  He works for a
charitable organisation.
Vocabulary Extra Unit 7 Exercises 2 and 3.
Verbs with multiple meanings
Some verbs, for example make, keep, take and set have
multiple meanings in English which cannot always be
directly translated into Spanish. Consequently, these verbs
can cause lots of confusion among Spanish speakers.
¡El manual de instrucciones no tiene sentido!  The instruction
manual doesn’t make sense!
 Andaba tan rápido que no le podía seguir el ritmo.  She was
walking so fast I couldn’t keep up with her!
Vocabulary Extra Unit 1 Exercises 7, 8 and 9; Unit 2
Exercises 7, 8 and 9; Unit 4 Exercises 7, 8 and 9; Unit 7
Exercises 7, 8 and 9; Unit 8 Exercises 7, 8 and 9; Unit 10
Exercises 7, 8 and 9.
Words with similar meanings (synonyms)
English has a lot of words with similar meanings and it
can be difficult for Spanish students to learn them, and
sometimes to know which one to use in the correct context
in terms of collocation or semantic precision, especially at
advanced level when it is important to use a wide range of
vocabulary.
 ¿Puedes echarme una mano para mover el armario? ¡Es muy
complicado!  Can you give me a hand to move this wardrobe
it’s really cumbersome/awkward!
Me sentí muy incómodo cuando me preguntó cuánto ganaba.
 I felt really cumbersome awkward when she asked me how
much I earned.
Vocabulary Extra Unit 10 Exercises 2 and 3.
Time expressions
Some expressions to talk about time are different in
English and Spanish. Spanish speakers should be aware
of inappropriate expressions and incorrect or literal
translations.
Desde el principio estaba claro que su matrimonio no iba a
durar.  It was clear from the outset that their marriage
wasn’t going to last.
Estaré trabajando en este proyecto por ahora.  I’ll be working
on this project for the foreseeable future.
Vocabulary Extra Unit 6 Exercise 1; Unit 8 Exercises 1 and 6.
5
Compound adjectives
In English it is possible to form compound adjectives in a
way that we cannot in Spanish.
Los planos del arquitecto para el nuevo centro comercial son
demasiado ambiciosos.  The architect’s plans for the new
shopping centre are over-ambitious.
Sus consejos son bien intencionados aunque a veces ella es un
poco condescendiente.  Her advice is well-meaning  even if
she’s a bit patronising at times.
Vocabulary Extra Unit 3 Exercise 3; Unit 9 Exercise 3; Unit 9
Exercise 1.
PRONUNCIATION
Weak forms in auxiliary verbs
While in Spanish vowels are always pronounced in the same
way, in English auxiliary verbs are oen pronounced with a
weak vowel form, /ə/ or /ɪ/. This can make listening difficult
for Spanish speakers and make speaking sound unnatural.
El año que viene por estas fechas, habré terminado todos los
exámenes.  By this time next year, I’ll have /əv/ finished all
my exams.
Iba a estudiar medicina, pero he cambiado de opinión.  I was
/wəz/ going to study medicine but I changed my mind.
Pronunciation Extra Unit 1 Exercises 1A and B, 2A and B,
3A and B; Unit 6 Exercises 1A and B, 2A, B and C. Unit 10
Exercise 3A.
Silent letters
English has got a higher number of silent letters than
Spanish; these letters can cause lots of pronunciation
mistakes.
Le pedí al banco una hipoteca para comprar una casa.  I
asked the bank for a mortgage /ˈmɔːɡɪdʒ/ to buy my house.
(silent ‘t’)
Mi hijo se niega a comer ningún tipo de verdura.  My son
refuses to eat any vegetables /ˈvedʒtəbəlz/. (silent ‘e’)
Pronunciation Extra Unit 9 Exercises 1A, B and C, 2A and B.
Linking in connected speech
In connected speech when one word ends in a consonant
and the next word begins with a vowel, they oen link
together and sound like one word. This can cause diffi culties
for Spanish students both in understanding connected
speech and in producing natural sounding speech
themselves.
Su nueva empresa ha tenido mucho éxito en el último año. 
Their new business has really taken‿off  in the last year.
Todos los niños dijeron la respuesta al mismo tiempo.  All the
children shouted‿out the answer at the same time.
Pronunciation Extra Unit 1 Exercises 4A, B and C; Unit 9
Exercises 5, 6A and B.
Similar sounds: / ʃ  / /z/ and /s/
Some consonant sounds can be problematic for Spanish
speakers because English contains sounds which are similar
to but different from Spanish sounds.
both in understanding connected speech and in producing
natural sounding speech themselves.
No cambiará nada si estudio o no porque voy a suspender el
examen.  It won’t make /wəʊnmeɪk/ a difference if I study or


not, I’m still going to fail the exam!

Es interesante conocer los asuntos sociales de otros
países.  It’s interesting to learn about social issues

Últimamente mi abuela está pasando por una mala época. 

/ˈsəʊʃəlˌɪʃjuːz/ in other countries. My grandmother’s /ˈɡrænmʌðəz/ had a really bad time

/bætaɪm/ recently.
Recientemente, ha habido un aumento del paro.  There has


been a rise /raɪz/ in unemployment recently. Pronunciation Extra Unit 1 Exercises 5A and B; Unit 4
Soy alérgico al marisco.  I’m allergic to shellfish /ʃelfɪʃ/.
 Exercises 6A and B; Unit 5 Exercises 1A and B, 2A and B,
3A and B; Unit 9 Exercises 5, 6A and B.
Pronunciation Extra Unit 4 Exercises 3A, B and C.

Word Stress (unstressed vowel sounds)

Intrusive sounds in connected speech
In unstressed syllables in English the vowel is oen spoken
In connected speech an extra sound is added to mark as a /ə/ or /ɪ/ sound. This can cause difficulties for Spanish
the difference between two vowel sounds. This can make students because in Spanish we always pronounce vowel
listening difficult for Spanish speakers as words are sounds in the same way.
pronounced slightly differently and can also make speaking
El protagonista no era muy convincente.  The lead actor

sound unnatural.
wasn’t very convincing /kənvɪnsɪŋ/.
 ¿Alguna vez has estado en San Francisco?  Have you‿ever  La película mostraba Italia desde una nueva perspectiva.  The 
/juːwevə/ been to San Francisco?
 film showed Italy from a new perspective /pəˈspektɪv/.
No me gusta la idea de comer carne cruda.  I hate the idea‿of 


/aɪˈdɪərəv/ eating raw meat! Pronunciation Extra Unit 2 Exercises 2A and B; Unit 10

 ¿Por qué nadie me escucha? Why ‿is /waɪjɪz/ it that nobody

Exercises 1A, B and C, 2A and B.
ever listens to me?
Word stress (prefixes and suffi xes)
Pronunciation Extra Unit 8 Exercises 2A and B, 3A and B;
Unit 9 Exercises 5, 6A and B. When a prefix or suffix is added to a word in English, the
word stress sometimes changes and sometimes says the
same. It can oen be hard for Spanish students to know
Heteronyms which syllable to stress.
In English some words are spelt the same but pronounced El centro de la ciudad es muy moderno.  The town centre is


differently. This can be confusing for Spanish students.
Teníamos asientos de primera fila en la ópera.  We had front
row /rəʊ/ seats for the opera.
 Jane y Peter tuvieron una fuerte discusión por dinero.  Jane
really modern (Oo).
La biblioteca necesita modernizar sus ordenadores.  The 
library needs to modernise (Ooo) its computers.
Queremos renovar la casa el año que viene.  We want to


and Peter had a huge row /raʊ/ about money. renovate (Ooo) the house next year.
Pronunciation Extra Unit 7 Exercises 4A and B. La reforma costó mucho más de lo que esperábamos.  The 

renovations (ooOo) cost much more than we expected.

Double contractions Pronunciation Extra Unit 3 Exercises 3A, B and C; Unit 7
In spoken English the contracted form of have is oen used Exercises 1A, B and C, 2A, B and 2C.
alongside the contracted form of would or the negative
contraction of other modal verbs. This can make listening
difficult for Spanish speakers and it can also make speaking
sound unnatural. WRITING
Habría estudiado más si hubiera sabido lo importante
que era. I’d’ve /aɪdəv/ studied harder if I’d known how

Use of gerunds
important it was. The use of gerunds can be different in English and
Ella no habría ido a la fiesta si hubiera sabido que él iba a estar Spanish. For example, in Spanish we use the infinitive aer
allí.  She wouldn’t’ve /wʊdəntəv/ gone to the party if she’d

prepositions but in English they use the gerund.
known he was going to be there.  Al escuchar  el timbre, el perro empezó a ladrar.  On hearing 
the doorbell, the dog started to bark.
Pronunciation Extra Unit 2 Exercises 1A, B and C. Nadar  es el mejor ejercicio para todo el cuerpo.  Swimming  is
the best total-body exercise.
Consonant clusters in connected speech
Writing Extra Unit 10 Exercise 3.
Two or more consecutive consonant sounds (consonant
clusters) are much more frequent in English than in Spanish.
In connected speech one consonant sound is oen lost
(elision) which can cause difficulties for Spanish students

6
Phrases to support your opinion
Some phrases used when supporting your opinion can lead
to confusion because Spanish speakers tend to translate
them literally.
Por otra parte , le respeto mucho.  On the other hand , I
respect him a lot. NOT On the other side , I respect him a lot.
Para empezar  , es demasiado caro.  To start with , it’s far too
expensive. NOT To start , it’s far too expensive.
Writing Extra Unit 2 Exercises 2A and B; Unit 10
Exercises 2A and B.
Time linkers
It is important to use time linkers in narratives to sequence
events and make your writing more cohesive. Some time
linkers are followed by grammatical structures different
from those used in Spanish which can cause Spanish
students to make mistakes.
Después , nadie podía recordar exactamente lo que había
pasado.  Aerwards , nobody could remember exactly what
had happened.
En cuanto pagaron, salieron del restaurante.  As soon as they
 confusion because Spanish speakers tend to translate them
had paid, they le the restaurant.
Writing Extra Unit 5 Exercise 5.
Informal expressions
When writing informal emails or letters, Spanish speakers
must be aware of inappropriate expressions and incorrect
or literal translations. It is important to remember who your
target reader is and adjust your register accordingly.
Está loca por  los caballos.  She’s crazy about horses.
NOT She’s crazy for  horses.
Se piensa que es lo más.  He thinks he’s the  greatest.
NOT He thinks he’s the maximum.
Writing Extra Unit 1 Exercises 1A, 4A and B.
Linkers of contrast
Some linkers of contrast are particularly difficult for Spanish
students because they are followed by grammatical
structures which are different from those used in Spanish.
 A pesar de no tener una cita, se fue a la fiesta.  In spite of/  Punctuation
despite not having a date, he went to the party. NOT Despite
he didn’t have a date, he went to the party.
Por el contrario, yo diría que la comida esta buenísima.  On
the contrary, I’d say that the food is delicious.
Writing Extra Unit 2 Exercises 2A, B, 3, 4A and B.
Phrases to describe trends
Figurative language is oen used to describe trends in
English, which does not always directly translate from
Spanish.
Los beneficios de su empresa se dispararon el año pasado. 
Her company’s profits soared/rocketed last year.
Las temperaturas en el desierto se desploman después del
anochecer.  Temperatures in the desert plummet aer nightfall.
Writing Extra Unit 6 Exercises 3 and 4.
Descriptive language
At higher levels it is important to demonstrate a wide
range of vocabulary, particularly in descriptive pieces of
writing. This can be difficult for Spanish students because
some words are almost identical but have slightly different
meanings.
Le echó una mirada a la mujer y sonrió.  He glanced at the
woman and smiled.
Tuvimos la suerte de vislumbrar  un leopardo y su cachorro tras
la espesura.  We were lucky enough to  glimpse a leopard and

her cub through the foliage.
Metaphorical language can also be difficult for Spanish
students as the ideas might not directly translate.
El bosque estaba cubierto de campanillas.  The forest was

carpeted with bluebells.
Writing Extra Unit 3 Exercises 1A, B, C, 2 and 3; Unit 5;
Unit 8; Unit 9.
Phrases to describe cause and effect
Some phrases used to describe cause and effect can lead to
literally.
No podían soportar la idea de comer carne. Por eso , se
convirtieron en vegetarianos.  They couldn’t bear the idea of

eating meat. Therefore , they became vegetarians. NOT For this
they became vegetarians.
Writing Extra Unit 4 Exercises 2 and 5.
Capitalisation
Some rules about capitalisation are different. For example,
in English when writing a title all the words are capitalised
except articles and conjunctions. Nationalities, languages,
races, months and cardinal points are capitalised as well.
Ella trabaja los sábados.  She works on Saturdays.
Mucha gente británica y alemana vive en las costas
españolas.  Lots of British and German people live on
the Spanish coasts.
Writing Extra Units 1–10.
There are some differences between English and Spanish
punctuation. One of the main differences is the use of the
colon in Spanish when starting a letter, and the use of the
comma in numerals.
Estimados señores: (colon in Spanish)  Dear Sirs , (comma in

English)
¡No me lo puedo creer, acabo de ganar 50.000€ en la lotería!  I

don’t believe it – I’ve just won €50.000 on the lottery!
Writing Extra Unit Units 1–10.