Unit 10.

My family

Listening & reading Grammar Vocabulary Writing & recording Quiz

Listening: My family The possessive 's Character traits A short biography Listening quiz:
Reading Grammar exercises Vocabulary exercises who and what
Listening & reading test The articles: a/an, the Important life events
Listening and reading Grammar exercises Vocabulary exercises
exercise

Listening & reading

Listening: My family
Listen to the text twice while you read it, and try to answer the questions.

Reading
My family
My name is Ben Cassidia. I’m 25 years old and I live in
Birmingham. My family is originally from Italy.
We own an Italian restaurant in the centre of
Birmingham. I work there with my brother Sandro
and my sister Isabella, as well as with my father
and my mother. My father, Giovanni, founded the
restaurant. He started delivering home-made pizzas,
and then with the help of my uncle, Casimiro, he
opened the restaurant eight years ago.
My uncle Casimiro and my aunt Anabella have two
ice-cream parlours and one café in Bristol. They came
to the United Kingdom before my parents did. In fact,
my uncle encouraged my father to come because his
businesses were doing so well. My grandparents also
moved to the UK two years ago.
My grandfather, who is retired, sometimes helps us
in the restaurant. And my grandmother helps my
mother with the shopping.
I have two cousins, Luciano and Victor here in the
UK. They are now living and studying in London. I’m
not married, but my brother Sandro is. His wife, my
sister-in-law, is English and they have two children,
Claudia and Alberto, so I have a niece and a nephew.
I often play with my niece, Claudia, who is only 2
years old.
My sister Isabella is married too. Her husband, my
brother in-law, Jerry is a really nice man; he is English
and he works in a bank. They don’t have children,
but they want to have them soon. My parents already
have two grandchildren and would love to have more.

Vocabulary
Originally: originariamente
Brother/sister: hermano/
hermana
As well as: también
Father/mother: padre/madre
Found(v. past tense find):
fundar, fundó
He started delivering home-
made pizzas: empezó llevando
pizzas caseras
Uncle/aunt: tío/tía
Ice-cream parlours: heladerías
In fact: de hecho
Encouraged (v. past tense
encourage): animar, animó
Business: negocio
Grandparents: abuelos
Cousin(s): primos
Wife/husband: esposa/esposo
Sister-in-law: cuñada
Nephew/niece: sobrino/sobrina
Brother-in-law: cuñado
Grandchildren: nietos
They would love to: les
129
encantaría

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 Listening & reading test
1. Where is Ben’s family originally from? 6. Where do Ben’s cousins live?
A. Spain. A. London.
B. English. B. Birmingham.
C. Italy. C. Rome.
2. What did Giovanni do when he first arrived in the UK? 7. Who are the most recent arrivals in the UK?
A. Worked in an ice-cream parlour. A. The grandparents.
B. Delivered pizzas. B. Ben’s parents.
C. Opened a shop. C. Ben’s uncle and aunt.
3. Who opened the Italian restaurant? 8. Is Ben’s sister married?
A. Casimiro. A. No.
B. Ben. B. Yes.
C. Giovanni. C. Engaged.
4. How many businesses do the aunt and uncle run? 9. What does Jerry do?
A. One. A. House-husband.
B. Two. B. Helps in the restaurant.
C. Three. C. Works in a Bank.
5. Who is the youngest in the family? 10. What nationality are the brother and sister-in-law?
A. Claudia. A. English.
B. Anabella. B. Italian.
C. Isabella. C. Scottish.

Listening and reading exercise

Look at the four generations of John and Heidi’s family tree.

Ruth Plum Greg Plum Bernhard Peach MarthaPeach

(no children
or wife)

Jeremy John Crystal Peter

Heidi

Augusta Felix Fiona Marcos Jacobo

Jasmin James Penelope

Guess the answers and check them afterwards.

A. My name is Heidi; my father’s name is and my mother’s name is .

B. My name is Jasmin; my brother’s name is .
130 C. Penelope’s cousins are and .
D. Jacob’s aunt is and his uncle is .
E. James’s great-grandfather on his father’s side is .

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Grammar
The possessive ’s
Presentation

Study these examples:

Egypt pyramid The yellow pages of the notebook My son’s computer

These are three different ways to express possession:

®® Without anything, just holder + item possessed: Egypt has got a pyramid → its pyramid → Egypt pyramid

®® With of: The notebook has got pages → its pages → The pages of the notebook

®® With ‘s: My son has got a computer → his computer → My son’s computer

What is the possessive 's? (genitivo sajón)

It’s the way we indicate the owner of an object.

In Spanish we use de: La planta de María. But in English we have several possibilities.

Possibilities
No possessive is used, unlike
Spanish
With ‘of’, equivalent to de
Apostrophe + “s”
Possession
Use Example
New York Stock Exchange
Names of places and monuments
La bolsa de Nueva York
A map of Germany
Inanimate objects
Un mapa de Alemania
Things a person owns, especially Ken has a car
if the possessive pronoun can be Ken’s car
substitute by the verb ‘have’ El coche de Ken

We use only the apostrophe when the noun ends in Compare:

“s”. For example in plural:
My boss’s chair My boss’ secret diary
My friends’ family
La familia de mis amigos Important: if it is a proper noun
ending in –s, then we do not add
However, if it is a singular noun that ends in –s, for an –s, we only put an apostrophe.
example “boss”, we add ‘s, except if the next word For example:
starts in –s. Correct: Chris’ car. El coche de Chris
Incorrect: Chris’s car.

131
Watch the video that will help you to solve all your doubts about this particular construction to
express possession in English.

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 Grammar exercises
1. Choose the best alternative from these sentences:

1 London's Bridge The Bridge of London London Bridge

2 Cow's milk The milk of cows Cows milk

3 Liberty's Statue The Statue of Liberty Liberty Statue

4 My house’s sister The house of my sister My sister’s house

5 James's scarf The scarf of James James' scarf

6 The colour of the coat The coat’s colour The colour’s coat

7 England's geography The geography of England England geography

8 Doris's sunglasses The sunglasses of Doris Doris' sunglasses

9 The car's wheel The wheel of the car The cars' wheel

10 The Eiffel's Tower The Tower of Eiffel The Eiffel Tower

2. Are the following sentences correct? Correct when necessary.

A. I stayed at the house of my cousin → my cousin’s house

B. What is the name of this city? →

C. Do you like the colour of this skirt? →
D. Do you know the phone number of Sheila? →

E. The job of my father is very interesting →

F. Write your telephone number at the top of the page →

G. For me the afternoon is the best part of the day →

H. The favourite colour of Martha is black →

132 I. When is the birthday of your grandfather? →

J. The house of my grandparents isn’t very nice →

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The articles: a/an, the
Study these examples:

My cousin is having lunch with a friend The woman is having lunch with the man

To talk about things in general or specifically we need to use articles to refer to those objects. Thus, like in
Spanish, we have two types of articles: indefinite and definite articles.

Articles in English
Indefinite article Definite article
a/an the

When do we use a?

The indefinite article a/an is used only with singular countable nouns to talk about indefinite things.

We use a when the following word starts with a consonant sound:

They’ve got two children, a boy and a girl
Birmingham is a large city in central England

However, we use an in front of vowel sounds:

It is an interesting film
Do you want an apple or a banana?

Be careful! → Before the letter h:

I was waiting for an hour
The Ritz is the name of a hotel in Madrid

In the first sentence, we don’t pronounce the h, so we use an. However, in the second example, we pronounce
h as /j/, so we use the article a (we must pronounce as a soft J, unlike the strong Spanish J sound).

Other possible mistakes: But:

Umbrella → an umbrella University → a university
Uncle → an uncle Uniform → a uniform
European → a European

Uses
®® To talk about a person or thing for the first ®® After “without”:
time: Don’t go out without an umbrella
There was a man in the park They bought a house without a garage

®® In descriptions: ®® To talk about possessions or personal

She’s an interesting person belongings:
David has got a big nose Have you got a watch?
I’ve got a car
®® To say what job somebody does:
Mary is a teacher but her husband is an ®® To talk about some health problems:
engineer I’ve got a cold
Mary went to bed because she has got a
®® In exclamations with ‘what’: what + a/an + ….: headache
What an awful day! - ¡qué día tan malo! 133
What a noise! - ¡qué ruido!

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 When do we use the?
Compare:

the a/an
Could you open a window? (I don’t mind which
Could you close the door? (You know which door)
window)
I’m going to the post office Is there a post office near here?
I didn’t like the film Let´s go and watch a film
She came on the 8.15 train She arrived in an old taxi
How much is the red coat? I bought a coat yesterday

The definite article the is used:

®® To talk about somebody or something when the speaker and hearer both know about this person or things:
There was a man in the park. The man was wearing a blue cap

®® With specific plurals:

She bought the shoes last week

®® Adjectives used as plural nouns:

The privileged - los privilegiados

®® With the superlative degree of adjectives/adverbs and before only/first/second:

She’s the only woman for me
I live on the second floor
It´s the oldest restaurant in Glasgow

®® Nouns which are unique:

He looked at the Moon

®® Places:
hh Deserts/rivers/seas and oceans: The Sahara
Desert, the Thames, the Atlantic
hh Most names of buildings (cinemas, hotels,
theatres): the Odeon, The Ritz, The Lyceum,
The Eiffel Tower, the British Museum
hh Places in a town:
He went to the library to return some books
Peter went to the cinema to see Titanic
hh Some countries and large areas of the world:
the Netherlands, The United States, the United
Kingdom, the West, the Middle East…
hh Some expressions: the same; the country/
sea/mountains; on the right/left; at the top/
bottom/side/front/back; in the middle; at/to
the cinema/theatre; on the radio (BUT on TV):

134 Her hair is the same colour as her mother’s

They live in the mountains
Write your name at the top of the page

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Omission of article

We often use an uncountable noun (without a/an) to say what something is made of:
The walls in the house were all made of glass
This sweater is made of silk

We do not normally use the to talk about people or things in general. The does not mean “all”. We use the to
talk about particular people or things. Compare:

People are funny / The people in that house are funny

I like music / The music is too loud, can you turn it down?
Sugar is fattening / Could you pass the sugar?
I hate exams / The exam I have tomorrow is very difficult

We omit the when we talk about:

Omision of the: Examples

People Mary works for Dr. Andrews

Languages Sorry, I don´t speak Russian

Barry is from Texas and Phillip is from Cuba

Continents, countries, states, lakes, mountains,
Times Square is one of the most famous parts in the
towns, streets
world

Place name + Airport, Station, Cathedral, University, Oxford Airport, Glasgow Central Station, Buckingham
Palace, Castle, School Palace

To have breakfast/lunch/dinner
Meals
After/before/at/for breakfast

On Tuesday, On September 17th

Days, dates, public holidays, months and years
At Christmas

Sports I play football

This/next/last + a day or longer period time This Monday, last week, next month, this summer

To/at/from… school/university/college
To/in/out of… church/prison/hospital/bed
At home
Places and activities To/at/from work
On holiday 135
‘John went to university’, but ‘his mother went to the
university to see him last week’

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 Grammar exercises
1. Write sentences using elements from box A and elements from box B. Use a/an where necessary.
Box 1 Box 2
I want to ask you Mark never wears small apartment architect
I can´t ride My brother is party question
Caroline works in Ann wants to learn bar Russian
Peter lives in This evening I´m going to tie bike

A. I want to ask you a question.

B. .
C. .
D. .
E. .
F. .
G. .
H. .

2. Underline the correct forms in each sentence.

A. The old people /Old people often forget the things/things
B. I like talking to the old ladies/old ladies who live next door
C. The books/Books are expensive in my neighbourhood
D. “Where shall I put the books/books?” “On the floor”
E. Japanese is a difficult language for the English people/English people
F. The flowers/Flowers are beautiful. I love them!
G. The life/Life is sometimes very difficult and hard
H. I don’t know the words/words of that poem.
I. The food/Food in this restaurant is delicious.
J. The water/Water turns into the ice/ice at 0ºC.
K. Why are the windows/windows closed in the house?

3. Fill in the gaps using a, an, the or nothing (-) in the following sentences:
A. My grandfather lives in big house.
B. “Where’s wallet?” “In kitchen”.
C. Andy’s brother is architect.
D. I’m taking 11.40 train.
E. Most children like animals.
F. Do you play football?
G. Martha has got beautiful blue eyes.
136 H. Can I switch on TV?
I. vegetarians don’t eat meat.
J. I don’t like vegetables.

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Vocabulary
Character traits
Listen to the words and repeat them to practice with their pronunciation.

English Spanish Example

lazy vago He wasn’t lazy - Él no era vago

proud orgulloso Were they proud? - ¿Eran ellos orgullosos?

intelligent inteligente She is very intelligent - Ella es muy inteligente

wise sabio They are wise men - Son hombres sabios

responsible responsable We are responsible people - Somos gente responsable

friendly amigable It’s a very friendly family - Es una familia muy amigable

funny divertido She was very funny - Ella era muy divertida

honest honesto Why aren’t they honest? - ¿Por qué no son honestos?

nervous nervioso He isn’t that nervous - Él no es tan nervioso

generous generoso Aren’t you generous? - ¿No eres generoso?

kind amable Paul and Jane are very kind - Paul y Jane son muy amables

quiet callado I’m very quiet - No soy hablador / Soy muy callado

clever listo Isn’t he clever? - ¿No es él listo?

Other words are:

English Spanish

sociable sociable
selfish egoísta
noisy ruidoso
ambitious ambicioso
rude maleducado
easy-going despreocupado/relajado
stubborn cabezota
polite educado
hardworking trabajador
shy tímido
affectionate cariñoso
137
caring bondadoso/comprensivo
lively animado/alegre/vivo

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 Vocabulary exercises
1. Choose the best word from the box below to fill the gaps in:

kind nervous generous wise friendly noisy funny

A. She wasn’t very because she didn’t say hello.

B. I have an exam tomorrow so I am .

C. I can’t hear anything as it is .

D. My aunt is very because she gave me a lot of money for my birthday.

E. The film was very and we all laughed a lot.

F. The man helped the old woman cross the road.

G. Old people are normally very .

2. Match the descriptions below with an adjective from the box:

selfish generous lively affectionate mean easygoing

A. She gives a lot of money to charity, and she likes to share everything she has with other people. →

B. He never gets angry. He’s always calm and relaxed. →

C. He’s very loving. He likes to show that he cares about me. →

D. He doesn´t like spending his money. →

E. She is only interested in herself. →

F. She’s full of energy. →

3. Match the descriptions to the jobs. If you don´t know the meaning of any word, please check in a dictionary.

Sales representative policeman nurse computer programmer

A. You have to be patient, caring, good-tempered most of the time, and kind and friendly. It’s hard work.
Sometimes ill people are very impatient and rude. →

B. You need to be patient and honest with people, and you shouldn’t be unfriendly. But you also have to be
very hard on people who break the law. →

C. You have to be very out-going and friendly. You have to be good at talking, too. You should also be honest,
especially when describing your product. →

138
D. You have to be patient and good at your job. But, it doesn´t really matter if you are shy, selfish or
thoughtless – just don’t break the computer!→

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Important life events
Listen to the words and the sentences, and repeat them to practice with their pronunciation and use.

English Spanish Example

The wedding was last Saturday
wedding boda
La boda fue el sábado pasado
My parents’ wedding anniversary is next month
anniversary aniversario
El aniversario de boda de mis padres es el mes que viene
What is your date of birth?
date of birth fecha de nacimiento
¿Cuál es tu fecha de nacimiento?
He was born in September
to be born nacer
Él nació en septiembre
When is your birthday?
birthday cumpleaños
¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?
mudarse They moved to a new city in May
to move
cambiarse de casa Se mudaron a una nueva ciudad en mayo
Where does she go to school?
to go to school ir al colegio
¿Dónde va ella al colegio?
They got married in June
to get married casarse
Se casaron en junio
to go on a Where are you going on your honeymoon?
ir de luna de miel
honeymoon ¿Dónde vais de luna de miel?
to go to college / She’s going to college next year
ir a la universidad
university Ella va a ir a la universidad el año que viene
to get a diploma / licenciarse When are you going to get your degree?
degree graduarse ¿Cuándo vas a acabar tus estudios?
Apply (ing) for Are you applying for a job?
solicitar un trabajo
a job ¿Estás solicitando un trabajo?
She got a job last month
to get a job encontrar un trabajo
Ella consiguió un trabajo el mes pasado
Is she pregnant?
to be pregnant estar embarazada
¿Está ella embarazada?
They had four children
to have children tener hijos
Tuvieron cuatro hijos
Are they engaged?
to be/get engaged comprometerse
¿Están comprometidos?

139

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 Vocabulary exercises
Look at the list below to see how you use expressions of time in the past. Notice the differences between
Spanish and English:

yesterday morning/afternoon/evening
ayer por la mañana/por la tarde/…
Yesterday
last night/week/year/Monday
Ayer
la noche pasada/la semana pasada/el año pasado
The day before yesterday
a year/a month/three weeks ago
Antes de ayer
Hace un año/un mes/tres semanas
a long/some time ago
Hace mucho tiempo/hace algún tiempo

1. Find the mistakes in these sentences and rewrite them correctly:

A. I had a meeting with my boss and my workmates yesterday for the morning

→ I had a meeting with my boss and my workmates yesterday morning

B. I went to England the last week →

C. I got married a long time past →

D. They had a baby on the last year →

2. Translate the following sentences. Look up the words you don’t know in a dictionary.

1 ¿Cuándo es tu boda?

2 Su (de ella) cumpleaños fue el pasado jueves

3 Se casaron el mes pasado

4 Fuimos de luna de miel a Tailandia

5 Ella no consiguió el trabajo

6 Ellos solicitaron ese trabajo la semana pasada

7 Se (ellas) mudaron a Venezuela

8 El aniversario de bodas de mis padres fue ayer

9 Él nació en febrero

140 10 Él no fue al colegio ayer

11 Ella estaba embarazada

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Writing & recording
A short biography
1. Choose a member of your family and write a short biography using not only the tenses you have already
learnt in this course but also the vocabulary from this unit (if possible, also from previous units).

Look at the example:

My grandfather, Anthony, was born in 1919. His father

was a lawyer and his mother was a housewife. He had
2 brothers and 3 sisters, but 2 of them died 15 years
ago. Anthony got married in 1930. He had 5 children
with his wife, Adelaide. He got a degree in Journalism
while my grandmother was pregnant with their third
child. They moved to London for 5 years and then
came back to Spain. He worked as a journalist until he
died 5 years ago.
He was very hard-working because he never stopped
working. He was very caring, generous and affectionate.
I never saw him angry during his life. He was always
smiling and trying to make everybody happy.

2. Now, you need to record yourself using the expressions and grammar learnt from this and previous units.

Quiz
Listening quiz: who and what

Listen to this audio and do the test. Pay attention: the answers have a lot to do with the genitive
saxon (‘s).

1. It’s not mine, , but I'm sure he won't object. 6. Yes, but is broken and he is waiting for a
A. It's Steve's paper. technician.
B. Chris' secretary. A. Bill's computer.
B. Chris' holidays.
2. By the way, have you seen today?
A. It's Steve's paper. 7. I wanted to know when finish.
B. Chris' secretary. A. Bill's computer.
B. Chris' holidays.
3. No, Chris' secretary's hair is black, is blonde
8. He comes back on Monday for the .
and so is . A. Boss's meeting.
A. Julie's hair / Alice's. B. Yesterday's meeting.
B. Alice's hair / Julie's.
9. To check answers.
4. I don't know, but she sits near . A. Boss's meeting.
A. Bill's desk. B. Yesterday's.
B. Olga's hair.
10. The is more interesting than the account
5. isn't black – it's dark brown. report. 141
A. Bill's desk. A. Times crossword / department's.
B. Olga's hair. B. Department's / times crossword.

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