APRENDE CON LOS PROFESIONALES DEL INGLÉS Noviembre 2011 - Issue 88 - € 4.

20

astral
projection
Editorial

at the
checkout
Easy Read
John Hicks: Teacher Training and Recruitment

DESCARGA
TU AUDIO EN:
www.vaughanreview.com

www . gr upovaughan . com

index
THE VAUGHAN REVIEW

is published monthly and is a Vaughan Systems

Noviembre 2011
publication. All rights reserved.

Publisher:
Richard Vaughan
03 Editorial Astral Projection
Editor in chief:
Richard Brown
05 Easy Read At the checkout
Co-Editors in chief:
Elena Araújo
David Waddell
Carmen Vallejo 06 Grammar Matters Not only... but also / No sooner... than
Little... that / Only alter
Art Editor: On no account / By no means
Annie Casasús Olea
Had / Should
Design Team
Annie Casasús Olea
Ivan Morgan 11 Cloverdale’s Characters Inés García
Illustrator
Pablo Gonzalo 12 People & Places John Hicks
Contributing Editors:
Anna Katarina Victória
Annie Casasús Olea 14 Business Letter
Conor McAlinden

Audio Editors: 16 Back office List 4

Alberto Alonso
Ignacio Carvajal

Distribution Manager:
17 Pence & R Sección Infantil
Rubén Palomero

Subscriptions team: 21 Expressions with Show

Enebral Luengo
Irene Alonso
Jose Carlos Morales 22 Humanities Information Theory
suscripciones@vausys.com

Cover Photograph: 24 Phrasal Verbs To come about // To bring about

Juan Ignacio Fernández Peón

Newsroom:
Edificio Eurobuilding II
26 Something to Chew Over
C/ Orense, 69 - 1ª Planta en Madrid.

Telephone: 30 Mastering the Interrogative 77

91 444 58 44

E-mail: 31 Elision Fields Dunno

rbrown@vausys.com

Printed by: 32 Sudoku Cars

Exce Consulting Group

Depósito legal:
M-46.801-2002 34 Translation List Nivel principiante y nivel avanzado

ISSN:
1887-6137 35 Creepy Corner El terrible “The 30%”
Lugar y fecha de impresión:
Madrid, el 1 de Noviembre de 2011

Edita

Vaughan S Y S T E M S CLAVE DE ACCESO AUDIO:

Copyright © de la Edición: Vaughan Systems, S.L.,

9033vaughan9033 DESCARGA
Madrid – 2007. Todos los derechos
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2
 editorial
Astral Projection
Conscious thought
can be extremely One of the more rewarding aspects of surfing the web
is the way it enables you to stumble across (dar con)
counterproductive things you’d never imagined yourself being interested in.
It’s rather like having one of those long conversations
to effective verbal with a friend in which you go off on one tangent after
another (te sales de una tangente a otra), ending up
expression. As exploring ideas you hadn’t even dreamed of discussing.
You start looking up cheap flights to Malta and you end
soon as you start up reading about out-of-body experiences. This is
becoming exactly what happened to me the other day as I was
trying to find a good deal for a weekend get-away
conscious of the break (una escapa de fin de semana). I can’t remember
exactly how it came about, but within three or four
words you are clicks I found myself reading an article about astral
projection. “Astral what?”, you might well ask. “Astral
using or want to what?” was exactly what I thought when I stumbled
upon “A Guide to Astral Projection” or something
use, you lose all along those lines. Just in case you’re interested, and who
wouldn’t be with such an alluring (atrayente) title as
fluency and risk that, “astral projection” is basically the art of separating
drying up your mental body from your physical one and going off
on a long journey to goodness knows where. Sounds
altogether. cool (fíjate que en inglés informal es normal omitir “it”
en este tipo de expresiones). Adepts at this art claim
that they reach the state of being able to go off on an
astral trip as the result of engaging in profound
meditation or putting into practice any number of
relaxation techniques.
Anyway, the purpose of this editorial is not to tell you
about any of my own personal astral trips because…
well…, I’ve never been on one. That said, I have had
several out-of-body experiences in Spain in which I
basically found myself an outside observer of my own
incompetence with the Spanish language. One time, it
was at a station ticket office first thing in the morning (a
primera hora de la mañana). I had just come back to
Madrid from Barcelona and I needed a ticket back
home. I went up to the desk and… nothing came out,
and by “nothing” I mean “nothing”. This is when my
mind started to float and I began as if to look down on
myself from above, me this guy who’d been living in
Spain for over eight or nine years incapable of asking for
a one-way ticket. I immediately entered back into my
body and started desperately to think about what I
should be saying, but that only made matters worse
(eso sólo empeoró las cosas). The more I thought
about it, the less I was able to think of the right words
to say. In the end, I had to step away from the ticket
counter leaving a very bemused RENFE employee
trying to make sense of the strange silent man who had
just been standing in front of him for over two minutes
without uttering a word (sin pronunciar palabra).
Something similar happened to me the other day
standing in front of… the printer of all things! I was just
about to type in my personal code in order to be able
to print out some pages of text when… WHOOSH! I
found myself floating above this rather unintelligent
man who was staring blankly at the digital display of the
photocopier / printer. Unfortunately, I soon realized that
that rather unintelligent man was me, desperately trying
to remember my four-digit code, so I quickly jumped
back into my body and tried to give myself some much
needed help. The problem was, the more I tried to
remember what my code was, the more impossible it
seemed to me that I would ever be able to remember
it. I have so many four digit-codes, you see – the one for
my mobile, my bank code, my other bank code etc. In
the end, I decided to walk away from the printer, empty
my mind, go back to it, put my hand over the buttons
and let them do the talking without thinking about what
I was doing. Of course, I instantly recovered my four-
digit code. The trick is not to think about it.
This is an absolute truism when it comes to speaking a
foreign language (or even, at times, your own mother-
tongue). Conscious thought can be extremely
counterproductive to effective verbal expression. As soon
as you start becoming conscious of the words you are
using or want to use, you lose all fluency and risk drying
up altogether (quedarse completamente en blanco).
In short, if you want to be fluent, once you’ve put in
enough groundwork (te has preparado lo suficiente),
the only way is to be completely relaxed. Ironically, you’ll
only ever be relaxed enough if you put in the
groundwork first, and we’re talking about hundreds and
hundreds of hours of practice here.
So, once you’ve done the work, just close your eyes and
focus on (céntrate en) your breathing and then on each
and every one of your body parts, starting with your
toes. You never know, if you don’t end up speaking
fluent English, at least you might find yourself hurtling
through (volando a toda velocidad por) space leaving
your physical body far, far behind.
Richard Brown
3
 Si
difíc
t e result
il el
princ
e d i
ipal..
t
t

ículo
a
orial
.
es
easy read
a r
¡este ti!
para

At the checkout
Here I am finally standing at the checkout of my local supermarket!
Yes, I’ve finally got to the checkout after only two months of waiting!
At last I can get out of here! But I’m afraid I’m counting my chickens
before they’ve hatched (he vendido la piel del oso antes de
cazarlo)– what a lovely saying! In English we don’t “sing victory” as
you do in Spain, we “count chickens”. Well, we don’t really count
chickens, we count eggs – if we have ten eggs, we assume we will
have ten chickens, which, as anyone who keeps chickens knows, is
not always the case. Anyway, here I am at the checkout counting my
chickens. Well, I’m not really counting chickens, I just assume that I
will be able to leave the supermarket soon.
The nice-looking middle-aged lady (fíjate cómo en inglés ponemos
los adjetivos primero: señora de mediana edad y aspecto
agradable) in front of me finally pays and picks up her shopping so
I pick up the “next customer please” sign in front of my shopping
and put it behind my things for the person behind me. I pick up the
“next customer please” sign to help the nice, friendly cashier except
that the nice, friendly cashier is not interested in my shopping. He’s
not interested in my shopping because he’s finished his shift
(turno) and is signing off the till (cerrando la caja). Another delay!
Fortunately, as he’s signing off the till, another lady appears wearing
a cashier’s uniform. This cashier’s uniform is the same colour as the
other cashier’s uniform except this cashier is wearing a big badge
on hers – she must be important I think, a supervisor or something.
Great, she must know what she’s doing! I’ll be out of here in no
a punto de) type in the aubergine code when she stops and looks
time! Then, I read the writing on her badge. The writing on her
blank (parece estar en blanco). After a minute or two, she looks at
badge says “trainee” (aprendiza)– I can’t believe it! This is not
me again and says: “Sorry, what did you say it was called?” “An
happening. This IS happening!
aubergine”, I insist. “A-u-b-e-r-g-i-n-e”. I spell it out for her. “Got it!” she
The first problem our trainee cashier encounters is signing on to says triumphantly as she successfully locates “aubergine” on her list
the till (abrir la caja). Like all trainee cashiers the world over, this of fruit. She types in the code for aubergine and picks up the
trainee cashier doesn’t know how to sign on to her till. She asks the courgettes. “These are cucumbers, aren’t they?” “No, they’re not
cashier who has just signed off the till to show her how to sign on cucumbers, they’re courgettes. Do you want me to spell “courgettes” for
to the till. He shows her and then signs her off again saying “This is you?” “It’s ok, I’ve found them on the list”. My trainee cashier types in
how you sign on... and this is how you sign off. Now practice signing on the code for courgettes and picks up the fennel bulb. I’m just about
and off a few times. That way, you won’t forget!” This is all getting too to ask her if she knows what fennel is when she says to me “This is
much for me! Anyway, my trainee cashier eventually (finalmente) fennel, isn’t it?”. I am astounded. How can you possibly know what
signs on the till for good (de forma definitiva) and we’re ready to fennel is when you don’t know what aubergine or courgettes are?
scan the items on the conveyer belt. I’m beginning to think she’s doing this on purpose (a propósito)!

My trainee cashier successfully scans the six-pack of fizzy water
(agua con gas), she successfully scans the carton of cream, she
successfully scans the cashew nuts (anacardos), she successfully
scans the crisps and then we get to the vegetables. Why, why, why,
why did I have to buy vegetables on new-cashier-at-the-checkout-
day? “What’s this?” she asks, holding the aubergine in her hand. “It’s
an aubergine”, I reply. She weighs the aubergine and is about to (está
My trainee cashier rings up (marca) the total and says “That’ll be
twelve pounds, forty, please”. All very polite. Then, just as I’m getting
my wallet out of my pocket, my trainee cashier loses her cool
(pierde la calma) and accidentally presses the wrong button. “I’m
sorry”, she says, all flustered, “I’ve accidentally pressed the wrong
button and cancelled everything. We’ll have to start again. Can you pass
me the cucumbers?”!!!

Richard Brown

5
 CURSO DE INGLÉS DEFINITVO
El curso más completo y exitoso de Vaughan.
Consíguelo en vaughantienda.com

Not only... but also / No sooner... than

Usamos la inversión del orden normal de palabras al principio de una frase para enfatizar algo. Si empezamos la
frase con ciertas expresiones, hay que seguir como si fuera una pregunta. Veamos una de las más comunes:

No sólo sé bailar, ¡también sé cantar! Not only can I dance, but also sing!

No sólo ganaron una medalla, sino también un millón de

Not only did they win a medal, but also a million dollars.
dólares.

No sólo lo escogeremos, sino que también lo pagaremos. Not only will we pick it out, but we’ll also pay for it.

No sólo trabaja (ella) todo el día, también toda la noche. Not only does she work all day, but she also works all night.

Not only would he come along, but he would also drive

No sólo se vendría, sino que también conduciría él mismo.
himself.

Ya has visto el orden con esta estructura, ¿no?: auxiliar + sujeto + verbo.

La siguiente expresión es similar a la anterior en cuanto a estructura de la frase, pero distinta en cuanto a
significado. ¿Notas el efecto de énfasis al cambiar el orden normal?

No había hecho más que entrar (él), cuando dio comienzo No sooner had he entered the room, than the show got
el espectáculo. started.

No sooner had I hung up, when the phone started ringing

Nada más colgar (yo), empezó a sonar otra vez el teléfono.
again.

No había hecho más que parpadear (ello), cuando explotó. No sooner had it blinked, than it went off.

Nada más irse la luz, salimos. No sooner had the light gone off, when we went out.

No había hecho más que llegar (yo), cuando te fuiste tú. No sooner had I arrived, than you left.

Observa que a veces usamos “when” en vez de “than”, que suena pelín más informal.

6
 grammar matters
Little did I know that / Only after
Fíjate que con la siguiente construcción sólo se puede utilizar el pasado simple.

Lo menos que (él) se imaginaba era que todo un Little did he know that a whole continent would be named
continente llevaría su nombre. after him.

Lo menos que se imaginaba el cavernícola era que el suyo

Little did the caveman know that his would be the first graffiti.
sería el primer grafiti.

Lo menos que me imaginaba era que sería alérgica a los

Little did I know that I would be allergic to watercress.
berros.

Lo menos que se imaginaban los niños era que el hombre

Little did the children know that the bogeyman would come.
del saco vendría.

Lo menos que se imaginaba la mariquita era que acabaría

Little did the ladybug know that it would end up flying.
volando.

“Ladybug” es inglés americano, mientras que en inglés británico se diría “ladybird”.

Y seguimos con la inversión. Recuerda que, aparte del énfasis, también se consigue un efecto más formal.

Únicamente lo creí tras verlo publicado. Only after I saw it in print, could I believe it.

Únicamente vivieron juntos tras casarse. Only after they got married, did they live together.

Sólo cuando acabes, apagaré la luz. Only after you finish, will I switch off the light.

Únicamente se lo dije (a él), cuando preguntó. Only after he asked, did I tell him.

Sólo nos pondremos en camino cuando tú te levantes. Only after you get up, will we set off.

Si bien la inversión aparece en un inglés más formal, no se limita al lenguaje escrito ni mucho menos.

7
On no account / By no means
En esta página tienes otras dos expresiones que van seguidas de inversión, para que amplíes tu vocabulario:

¡No nos rendiremos bajo ningún concepto! On no account will we surrender!

No revelaré mi verdadera identidad bajo ningún concepto. On no account will I disclose my true identity.

No deberías arrepentirte de tus actos bajo ningún

On no account should you regret your acts.
concepto.

No deberían (uds.) abofetear a los clientes bajo ningún

On no account should you slap customers.
pretexto.

No se modificarán ninguno de los términos bajo ningún

On no account shall any of the terms be modified.
pretexto.

El uso de “shall” como futuro se suele limitar a contextos muy formales.

Recuerda sólo cambiar el orden si la expresión en cuestión aparece al principio de la frase. Por ejemplo “by no
means” se puede colocar en el medio también, y entonces no habría inversión.

De ningún modo (él) trató de huir en momento alguno. By no means did he try to escape at any one time.

De ningún modo intenté hacerte daño. By no means did I mean to hurt you.

De ninguna manera pretendíamos que fracasaras. By no means did we intend for you to fail.

Sus (de uds.) preguntas no son en absoluto inoportunas. By no means are your questions inappropriate.

¡De ningún modo estarías fuera de lugar en la recepción de By no means would you be out of place at the
la embajadora! ambassador’s reception!

Un dato curioso: “Ambassador” es tanto ‘embajadora’ como ‘embajador’.

8
 grammar matters
Had / Should
Vamos a dedicar los dos últimos puntos a repasar una forma de condicional más formal que la normal, por llevar
inversión.

Si hubiera sabido que estarías aquí, habría reservado una Had I known you would be here, I would have booked one
habitación más. more room.

Si (ella) hubiera podido, lo habría hecho. Had she been able to, she would have done it.

Si nos lo hubieras dicho antes, habríamos advertido a la policía. Had you told us sooner, we’d have warned the police.

Si la Tierra hubiera sido plana, el desfase horario no existiría,

Had the Earth been flat, jet-lag wouldn’t exist, would it?
¿no?

Si hubiéramos dispuesto para recogerte en el aeropuerto, Had we arranged for you to be picked up at the airport,
no habría habido problema. there wouldn’t have been a problem.

Conclusión: En el tercer condicional se va el “if ” y se pone “had” + sujeto.

En el segundo condicional se sustituiría “if ” por: “should” + sujeto + verbo básico o “were” + sujeto + infinitivo con “to”:

Por favor, póngase en contacto con nosotros si necesitara

Should you need any further information, please contact us.
más información.

Si tuviera alguna pregunta, no dude en preguntarnos. Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask.

Si dimitiera, se lo comunicaría con un mes de antelación. Were I to resign, I would give you a month’s notice.

En caso de asistir a la reunión, por favor lleven corbata. Please do wear a tie, were you to attend the meeting.

Si realizáramos algún cambio, se lo haríamos saber. Should we modify anything, we would let you know.

Recuerda que podrás ver los condicionales invertidos de otras formas, pero éstas son las más comunes.

9
 CLOVERDALE’S CHARACTERS
Consíguelo en
vaughantienda.com cloverdale’s
CHARACTERS
Inés García www.vaughantienda.com

Yesterday, Inés García had a traffic accident. It happened at about 5:45

p.m. when she was driving to the University of Seville for her evening
course in Business Management and Finance. The accident was her fault.
She was driving her car, a Ford Puma, through the narrow streets in the
center of Seville. At the same time, she was a talking with Paco, her
boyfriend, on her mobile telephone. She was listening to her boyfriend
and didn’t notice a stop sign in front of her. She ran the stop sign and
another car hit her on the passenger side. Fortunately, it was a small car
too, an Opel Corsa, and, as a result, the accident wasn’t serious. Inés cut
her phone conversation and got out of the car. She went to the other
car to speak to the driver. She was happy to see that the other driver
was a young man, probably the same age as Inés. When he got out of
his car, he smiled and said hello in Spanish but with a French accent. Inés
simply looked at him and didn’t say anything. He was tall and very
attractive. He seemed like a very pleasant person. Inés usually talks a lot,
but this time she didn’t know what to say. The young man asked her if
she had her car papers. Inés went back to her car and got the papers.
They finished the paperwork in less than ten minutes. Then, the young
Frenchman, whose name was François Monet, invited her to have a
coffee in a coffee shop across the street. Inés accepted and disconnected
her mobile telephone.

1. What happened to Inés yesterday?
2. Did it happen in the morning?
3. When did it happen?
4. Where was she going at the time?
5. Why was she going to the University?
6. Whose fault was the accident?
7. What kind of car was she driving?
8. What part of Seville was she driving through?
9. What can you say about the streets in that area?
10. What was she doing while she was driving?
11. Who was she talking to?
12. What didn’t she notice in front of her?
13. Did she run the stop sign or did she stop in time?
14. Did she hit another car or did another car hit her?
15. Where did the other car hit her?
16. Was the other car big or small?
17. What kind of car was it?
18. What can you say about the accident?
19. Why wasn’t the accident serious?
20. What did Inés do regarding her phone
conversation?
21. Did she get out of her car or stay in it?
22. Did she go to the other car or stay next to hers?
23. Why did she go to the other car?
24. Why was she happy when she saw the other
driver?
25. How old was the other driver?
26. Did the other driver smile when he got out of
his car?
27. What did he say to Inés when he got out of his
car?
28. Did he say hello in Spanish or in French?
29. What kind of accent did he have?
30. What did Inés do when the man said hello to her?
31. Describe the man physically.
32. Did he seem like a pleasant or unpleasant person?
33. Does Inés usually talk a lot or very little?
34. Did she talk a lot this time too?
35. Why didn’t she talk a lot?
36. What did the young man ask her?
37. Did Inés go back to her car or call her
boyfriend?
38. What did she get from her car?
39. How long did it take them to finish the
paperwork?
40. What was the young Frenchman’s name?
41. What did he invite her to have with him?
42. Where was the coffee shop?
43. Did Inés accept or reject the invitation?
44. What did she do concerning her mobile
telephone?

11
 This month you'll be able to learn
about John Hicks, one of the best
teachers at Vaughan Systems,
nowadays passing his valuable
know-how on to new teachers, as
well as being a source of inspiration
for them and the people around him.

How would you describe your current job at Vaughan Systems?

I work in the Teacher Recruitment and Training department and
our job is to ensure that Vaughan Systems continues to offer
students the highest quality of teaching possible. We select, train
and then advise our team of passionate teachers on how to create
the perfect class for students. The department’s ample experience
coupled with a successful and unique style of teaching means that
we are able to guide teachers into delivering classes that are not
only memorable, inspiring and enjoyable, but, perhaps most
importantly, into giving classes that finally allow students to be
triumphant with their language learning – making a real difference
to their English and breaking all the level barriers along the way!

In what way is having been a teacher helping you now?

Well, from my point of view, I am still a teacher now and I wouldn’t
be able to do my current job without having taught before. In fact,
it would be impossible! As I’ve been teaching English for around

FACT FILE seven years, I’ve been able to experience, first-hand, a lot of
activities that work and a lot that don’t - this experience proves to
be invaluable when training teachers. Furthermore, before I
worked at Vaughan, I taught for another company which, like so
Name John Hicks many language academies, did not provide any materials or
guidance for its teachers; so when I started working here, I decided
Age 27 to get stuck in and to take advantage of the help and resources
that were available. This turned out to be extremely useful for me
Nationality British when I was asked to help with the preparation of other teachers.
Nevertheless, the greatest aid for me to do my job well has
Position Member of the Teacher Training actually come from my colleagues in the department who are truly
and Recruitment team inspirational at what they do.

Fact He's crazy about everything to do
with Spain – the people, the
culture, the language, and
secretly wishes he were Spanish.
Has your job at Vaughan changed your life in any way? I mean, being
a teacher sometimes changes the way we relate to other people.
Is that your case?
Certainly. Teaching has definitely changed my life and in a whole
number of ways: it’s made me more confident, more out-going,
more patient, more self-aware with my own learning and more
determined to see things through to the end, regardless of the

12
 people & places
hurdles that might get in the way. I think that, as teachers, we see
so many students achieve their own goals with English that they
end up inspiring us to be persistent with our own personal Express Questionnaire
objectives in life.

Best concert you’ve ever been to?

What line of work do you think you’d be into if you lived back ACDC at Vicente Calderon.
home?
I’d probably be a lawyer; as this was something that I was looking If you were a doctor, which kind would you like to be?
Perhaps a psychiatrist?
into whilst completing my studies at university, but I fell in love
with Spain. Favorite cartoon character?
Sponge Bob Square Pants – I like his laugh.
Do you think living in other countries is an experience everyone
Something you can’t stand?
should have? Why? Arrogance.
Yes, without a shadow of a doubt! Apart from meeting lots of
What’s your latest best purchase?
insightful people, having fun and seeing lots of places of interest, I
A flight to my sister’s house in Devon.
think that living in other countries really helps you to become
more open-minded; and therefore to understand many aspects of People shouldn’t smoke because…
your life better. They’re paying to smell badly.

Perfect honeymoon destination?

Have you become the person you imagined you would, when you I don’t know, but maybe Hawaii?
were a kid?
The loudest country you’ve ever been to, apart from Spain?
No, not really. When I was a kid I didn’t really understand that I Italy.
would eventually grow up! I was too busy playing computer games
and causing havoc with my friends to notice that I was going to be What would you rather keep: your computer or your mobile
phone?
an adult one day. Luckily, a nagging family helped me to get My mobile phone.
motivated and get through my school years.
What’s more important in a song: the music or the lyrics?
Definitely the music.
Can you tell us about the funniest experience you’ve had at work
so far? Favorite painter?
There have been a lot of funny moments at work (usually at my Velázquez.
expense); it would be impossible to name the funniest experience A monument you recommend visiting?
out of so many! Admittedly, I think I spent a lot of time laughing The Sphinx.
when I was teaching kids at Club Junior. For example, I used to
An ingredient never to add on your pizza?
chase teenagers out of the classroom at the end of the class with Meat! (I’m a vegetarian)
a bag full of new words – getting them to recite the new
vocabulary they had learned in the class one more time, until they Favorite hang-out?
My living room.
were right up at the main entrance of the building to meet their
parents. I had fun doing so, but I’m not sure what impression their What’s on your fridge door?
parents had of this. I imagine they thought I was bonkers… I know Drawings from my nephew and niece, Jamie and Millie.
my students certainly did! Where did you last go swimming?
In the swimming pool near the Complutense.
What’s the short road to happiness?
What time did you finish your dinner last night?
Ufff, that’s a very tricky question! But I believe that happiness is
6 pm!
relative; so I guess the shortest road to happiness would be to
reflect on your life now, perhaps envisage your family and/or Name something you can’t do well?
Dance salsa!
friends, put a big smile on your face, and feel totally grateful for
what you have and who you are - instead of dwelling on what you
don’t, or who you aren’t.

13
 BUSINESS LETTER
Consíguelo en
vaughantienda.com business letter
Hola Miguel Ángel, Hi Miguel Angel,
Acabo de recibir tu correo electrónico con la copia del nuevo I’ve just received your email with the copy of the new contract
contrato adjunta. attached.
Si no me equivoco, este contrato es exactamente el mismo que If I’m not mistaken, this contract is exactly the same as the last
el último. ¿Tengo razón al decir que la única diferencia es que has one. Am I right in saying that the only difference is that you’ve
subido el precio del alquiler mensual de 750 Euros a 775? Eso nos raised the price of the monthly rent from 750 Euros to 775? That
parece una subida perfectamente razonable. seems like a perfectly reasonable increase to us.
Lo único es que nos gustaría pedirte unas cosas antes de que The only thing is that we would like to ask you for a few things
firmemos el nuevo contrato. Creo que mencionamos a tu esposa before we sign the new contract. I think we mentioned to your
hace unos meses que hay pequeñas cosas que hace falta hacer en wife a few months ago that there are a number of small things
la casa; ninguna de ellas es especialmente urgente. that need doing in the house; none of them are especially urgent.
Primero, hace falta pintar las paredes. Podríamos dejar nuestras Firstly the walls need painting. We could leave most of our things
cosas almacenadas durante una semana si eso ayudara. Segundo, in storage for a week if that would help. Secondly we could do
nos vendría bien una nueva lavadora porque la que tenemos ahora with a new washing machine because the one we have at the
mismo pierde más agua que nunca y siempre tenemos que secar moment is leaking more water than ever and we always have to
mucha agua del suelo de la cocina después de un lavado. Tercero, mop up a lot of water from the kitchen floor afterwards. Thirdly, I
creo que necesitamos a un fontanero que eche un vistazo a las think we need a plumber to have a look at the pipes in the
tuberías del cuarto de baño ya que siempre hacen un ruido extraño bathroom as they always make a strange noise whenever we turn
cuando abrimos los grifos. Por último necesitamos un paquete de the taps on. Finally we need a cable TV package; I’ve been
TV por cable; he perdido muchos buenos partidos de fútbol missing a lot of good football matches lately. Don’t
últimamente. No te preocupes, ¡la última fue una broma! worry, that last one was a joke!
Hablamos pronto, Speak soon, Inte
n
Frankie Frankie la ca ta trad
rta u
lueg al in cir
o co glé
con mpá s y
la n rala
ues
tra
‘Acabar de hacer’ algo en el inglés americano se expresa con el pasado simple, se diría “I just
I’ve just received received...”, mientras que en el inglés británico se utiliza el presente perfecto y se dice “I’ve just received...”.

Recuerda que ‘adjunto’ en correos electrónicos es “attached” pero si estamos escribiendo una carta física (¡si es que
Attached
hay gente que todavía hace eso!) decimos “enclosed”.

If I’m not mistaken También se pude decir “If I’m not wrong”.

Si has puesto “Do I have reason...?”, ¡vergüenza debería darte! Si has puesto “Am I right in saying...?”, ¡tienes un inglés de
Am I right in saying
leyenda!

Es muy normal confundir los dos verbos “to raise” y “to rise” ya que los dos se traducen ‘subir’. La diferencia es que
Raised “to raise” es transitivo, es decir siempre requiere el complemento directo: “to raise salaries”, “prices, taxes”, etc. “To rise”
es intransitivo, es decir que no va seguido de un complemento directo: “the sun rises”, “bread rises in the oven”, etc.

Parece algo raro, pero es un phrasal verb súper común y útil. Significa ‘vendría bien’. Si no lo sabías…¡“you could do
We could do with
with learning it”!

Is leaking Cuando algo pierde agua decimos que “the bottle (o lo que sea) is leaking” o “the bottle has a leak”.

14
 BUSINESS BOOKS
Consíguelos en
vaughantienda.com back office
List 4 Vaug
Cons
han
igue
en
mate Tiend
rial e a
Ponte a prueba.Tapa la columna derecha con un papel y traduce al inglés las frases en castellano. para spec
prof ífico
esion
Irás ganando en vocabulario y fluidez a medida que aumentes el número de repeticiones. vaug
h
ales.
antie
nda.
com

Adivine quién nos acaba de llamar. Guess who just called us.

Trata de mantener tu sentido del humor. Try to maintain your sense of humour.

Organiza tu mesa para la máxima eficiencia. Organize your desk for maximum efficiency.

Intento compartir las responsabilidades con otros. I try to share responsibilities with others.

Ni siquiera han instalado los teléfonos todavía. They haven’t even installed the telephones yet.

Tengo que transcribir una carta hecha a mano. I have to transcribe a handwritten letter.

Quiero rediseñar mi zona de trabajo. I want to redesign my office space.

Mi despacho apenas tiene ventilación. My office hardly has any ventilation.

Tengo que dejar una nota a la mujer de la limpieza. I have to leave a note for the cleaning woman.

Mantengo mi mesa de trabajo muy ordenada. I keep my desk very neat. (...very tidy)

Nunca verás mi mesa desordenada. You’ll never see my desk messy.

No me gusta la iluminación en esta parte de la oficina. I don’t like the lighting in this part of the office.

Siempre necesito luz natural. I always need natural light.

Mis compañeros trabajan enfrente. (Cruzando el pasillo) My co-workers work across the hall. (Corridor)

Me falta papel con membrete. I need letterheads.

Prefiero calendarios de pared a calendarios de mesa. I prefer wall calendars to desk calendars.

Mi jefe necesita cierta intimidad durante el día. My boss needs some privacy during the day.

No puedo hacer mi trabajo con tantas llamadas. I can’t get my work done with so many calls.

Esta grapadora se atasca contínuamente. This stapler gets stuck continuously.

No tengo acceso al correo electrónico de mi jefe. I don’t have access to my boss’s e-mail.

16
Art Editor: Annie Casasœs Illustrator: Pablo Gonzalo
First time in the sky
ÁMira como Pence & R vuelan por primera vez!
Pence and R won a trip to Africa on a TV contest last week.
It was a talent show, where the contestants showed their
special talent. Our friends juggled with marbles for nine hours
nonstop. They got the prize after nine hours because it was
the only way to stop them.
Anyway, they went to the airport for the first time in their
lives. It was so exciting! They were going to get on a plane and
fly to Africa, like birds do every winter. ThatÕs why they had
bought a pair of wings each, and had put them on before
getting on the plane.
They were surprised when they saw no one else wearing wings.
They thought everybody on the plane had to flap their wings at
the same time, taking turns to sit in the cockpit.That way, when
the pilot got tired, somebody else could lead. At least thatÕs how
birds have been travelling for thousands of years, right?
Apparently, things were different on planes. In fact, they had to
sit down, fasten their seatbelts and stay put until they took off.
What a feeling! For a moment they felt their stomachs had gone
down to their feet, and as if someone had plugged their ears.
Once they were up in the air they were allowed to get up
and go to the bathroom if they needed to, so Pence got up
and went.
In the meantime, R fell asleep and when he woke up Pence
hadnÕt come back. He went to look for him. When he got
there he found the door open and saw half of Pence trying
to come out of the toilet bowl.
ÒPlease, help me out of here!Ó, cried Pence. R helped him
out of the toilet bowl and asked him how he had got in there.
ÒIt all happened so fast, R! I flushed the toilet and got sucked
in!Ó, explained Pence.
ÒBut, Pence, everyone knows
that airplane toilets have that
power, so you should never
ever sit on themÓ.
Pence y R ganaron un viaje a çfrica en un concurso de
televisi—n la semana pasada. Era un concurso de talentos, en
el que los concursantes mostraban su talento particular.
Nuestros amigos hicieron malabares con canicas durante
nueve horas Ásin parar! Les dieron el premio despuŽs de nueve
horas porque era la œnica forma de pararles.
Bueno, as’ que fueron al aeropuerto por primera vez en su
vida. ÁEra tan emocionante! Iban a subirse a un avi—n y volar
a çfrica, como hacen las aves cada invierno. Por eso hab’an
comprado un par de alas cada uno, y se las hab’an puesto
antes de montarse en el avi—n.
Les sorprendi— ver que nadie m‡s llevaba alas. Cre’an que
todo el mundo en el avi—n ten’a que batir sus alas al mismo
tiempo, turn‡ndose para sentarse en la cabina del piloto. De
esa forma, cuando el piloto se cansara, otra persona pod’a ir
en cabeza. Al menos es as’ como llevan viajando las aves
durante miles de a–os, Àno?
Al parecer, las cosas eran distintas en los aviones. De hecho,
tuvieron que sentarse, abrocharse los cinturones de seguridad
y quedarse quietecitos hasta que despegaron. ÁQuŽ sensaci—n!
Por un momento sintieron que el est—mago les hab’a bajado
a los pies y como si alguien les hubiera taponado los o’dos.
Una vez en el aire, estaba permitido levantarse e ir al ba–o
si lo necesitaban, as’ que Pence se levant— y fue.
Mientras tanto, R se qued— dormido y cuando se despert—,
Pence no hab’a vuelto. Fue a buscarle. Cuando lleg— all’
encontr— la puerta abierta y vio la mitad de Pence intentando
salir del inodoro.
ÒÁPor favor, ayœdame a salir de aqu’!Ó, grit— Pence. R le ayud—
a salir del inodoro y le pregunt— c—mo se hab’a metido ah’.
ÒÁTodo pas— tan r‡pido, R! ÁTirŽ
de la cadena y fui absorbido!Ó,
explic— Pence.
ÒPero, Pence, todo el mundo sabe
que los inodoros de los aviones
tienen ese poder. Jam‡s deber’as
sentarte en ellosÓ.
 Mix and did

match you

Mira quŽ f‡cil es hacer preguntas sobre el pasado en inglŽs. Empezamos la pregunta con el verbo auxiliar
en el pasado, es decir, ÒDidÓ. Cosas como: ÔÀDormiste anoche?Õ, ÔÀComiste una pera hace un minuto?Õ,
ÔÀHiciste caso en clase esta ma–ana?Õ se transforman en ÒDid you sleep last night?Ó, ÒDid you eat a pear a
minute ago?Ó, ÒDid you pay attention in class this morning?Ó.

fuiste a la playa el verano pasado?

did you go to the beach last summer?

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.

ÀViste una pel’cula anoche? ÀTe conoc’ el mes pasado?

ÀJug— ella al fœtbol ayer? ÀLes llamamos la semana pasada?
ÀLeyeron ellos un libro el a–o pasado? ÀSe cort— Žl el dedo el fin de semana pasado?

a movie she Did play last month?

last year? Did football watch they
Did call i last night? a book
last weekend? you we Did cut
read Did he them yesterday?
you last week? a finger Did meet

LO QUE NECESITAS:
ÁCuanto antes empiece
a conocer el inglŽs mejor!
Consigue material did‡ctico
para tus hijos en
Vaughantienda.com
ask mummy
Scissors and daddy
for help!!!
 Word search (cars)
Encuentra las palabras que te indicamos a continuaci—n en la siguiente sopa de letras:

1. Central locking (Cierre centralizado) 11. Tyre (Neum‡tico)

c e n t r a l l o c k i n g t
2. Steering wheel (Volante) 12. Dashboard (Salpicadero)
s t c k n a t l e u f n x y z
3. Upholstery (Tapicer’a) 13. Brake (Freno)
4. Accelerator (Acelerador) 14. Clutch (Embrague) f k l l r d w j o y n e o r a
5. Stick (Palanca de cambios) 15. Boot (Maletero) b a u e a a k d g r m e l e c
6. Fuel tank (Dep—sito de gasolina) 16. Bonnet (Cap—) o w t x e s b a t t e r y t c
7. Exhaust pipe (Tubo de escape) 17. Spark plug (Buj’a)
o q c h s h o r n a k c i s e
8. Rear-view mirror (Espejo retrovisor) 18. Battery (Bater’a)
t m h a l b w s t j s s d l l
9. Windscreen (Parabrisas) 19. Engine (Motor)
10. Bumper (Parachoques) 20. Horn (Claxon) p o r u f o p g e e q d p o e
e d j s y a t z n h a n q h r
k c i t s r u g n i d i t p a
a x v p b d i a o p r w h u t
r z a i o n q i b e k e k s o
b u m p e r s l x m z j e g r
o u t e s p a r k p l u g t a
r o r r i m w e i v r a e r s
pence

Anagrams
Unscramble the five words below:

1. You usually put luggage in the TOBO.

2. You step on the KERBA in order to stop.

3. You can see whatÕs behind you in the ERAR-IWEV OIRMRR.

4. In order to shift gears you need the IKTSC.

5. If you step on the CTOEALECRAR, you speed up.

5. Accelerator (Acelerador). 4. Stick (Palanca de cambios).

3. Rear-view mirror (Espejo retrovisor). 2. Brake (Freno). 1. Boot (Maletero).
RESPUESTAS:
 expressions with
I run the show here!

¡Aquí corto yo el bacalao!

SHOW The show must go on.

Hay que continuar.

The maids of honour stole the bride’s show.

Las damas de honor le quitaron protagonismo a la novia.

If we vote by a show of hands, it will be no secret.

Si votamos a mano alzada, no será ningún secreto.

Let’s get this show on the road!

¡Manos a la obra!

He’s quite a show-off.

Es un chulito.

Show yourself!

¡Sal de ahí!

They showed me the door.

Me hicieron irme.

They showed me (to) the door.

Me acompañaron a la puerta.

He’s all show and no go.

(Él) es pura fachada.

21
 Information Theory
In the last three articles we've explored
some important ideas in probability theory.
We usually think of probability as being
related to randomness – it gives a set of
mathematical tools we can employ
(podemos aplicar) whenever we're dealing
with a situation where chance rules. The
standard example of a probabilistic process is
the tossing of a coin (lanzamiento de una
moneda) we seem to get heads half the time
and tails the other half, with no way of
predicting beforehand which of the two will
actually appear in any one toss.
It is ironic, then, that tossing a coin is not
actually a random process. If we were able to
measure with 100% precision the initial
velocity we give the coin when we toss it, the
angle at which we project it, the surrounding
wind speed, and the precise value of gravity,
we'd be able to use the laws of physics to
calculate with certainty if the coin will land on
heads or tails. The trouble is, of course, even
if we use a robotic hand connected to a
computer in a laboratory we still cannot
measure all of these details accurately
enough to erase all randomness.
Our predictions would be right very often, but
not all the time, simply because our measuring
apparatus itself has limitations and cannot give
22
INGLÉS DE
NEGOCIOS PARA
PROFESIONALES
Próxima convocatoria
14 DE NOVIEMBRE
Reserva en el
91 591 48 30
us accuracy to an arbitrary (potentially infinite)
number of decimal places. It's the uncertainty in
the values of the input variables, therefore, that
forces us to use probabilities to describe the
behaviour of the coin.
Viewing probability in this way exposes a
very deep connection with information: the
more we know about the present state of a
system – i.e. the more information we have
about it – the more confident we can be that
our predictions of its future evolution will be
correct. This leads to (esto lleva a) an
interesting idea: can we build a mathematical
theory of information based on probability?
Information is a rather abstract concept, and
you might wonder how we could possibly
conceive of measuring it. After all, we can
measure an electric current because there
really are physical entities – electrons –
passing through a wire; the current gives us
an indication of how many electrons are
flowing through in a given time (en un
tiempo dado). With information, on the
other hand, there doesn't obviously seem to
be any one physical body carrying the
property 'information': what exactly are we
supposed to measure?
By Ewan Munro
We'll postpone (aplazaremos) answering this
question for the time being (de momento),
leaving it to a later article. Let us forget what
information is in a physical sense and focus on
what properties we'd expect it to have.
We've already noted that probability
depends on information, so let's start by
turning this relationship around. When the
probability of something happening is high,
we're not usually too surprised to find out
that it actually has happened. For example,
the probability that it will snow at the top of
Mount Everest is high, so you wouldn't learn
anything you didn't already assume (que no
habías supuesto ya) if I were to communicate
a message to you saying that it did. The
message doesn't really contain much
information.
Suppose, however, I tell you that it is snowing
in Dubai. This message is telling you
something surprising, something you didn't
expect. In this sense, the message contains a
lot of information. The probability of it
snowing in Dubai is very small, so it's a
surprise when you are told it is happening.
You can almost see the mathematical
relationship forming right before your very
eyes: the information content (I) of a message
must be inversely propor tional to the
probability (p) of its content being true.

It was the mathematician Claude Shannon,
working at AT&T's Bell Laboratories in New
Jersey, who first put information on a firm
mathematical footing (equilibrio) in a
revolutionary paper published in 1948. While
considering the practical problem of how to
optimise the number of telephone calls that
could be carried by the company's network, he
was led to the relationship between
information and probability we have just seen.
One of the most noteworthy features
(características dignas de mención) of this
formula is its universality; it applies to
absolutely any event to which we
can assign a probability. We
could be thinking of the
information we'd obtain on
learning that a certain
genetic mutation has taken
place in reproduction; or
how much we'd learn if we
were told that the price of
crude oil had risen to over
200$ a barrel; or even how
much information the
message “Rayo Vallecano 5 –
Real Madrid 0” would carry.
To begin to appreciate how
what we have discussed so
far can be put to practical
use, we first need to identify
the five main elements
involved in the sending of a message. These are:
the sender, the encoder, the communication
channel, the decoder and the receiver. In many
circumstances it is easy to identify what these
are, but it's always good to have an example in
mind, so imagine that a school teacher, Alice,
writes a message on a classroom blackboard
(pizarra) for another teacher, Bob, to read.
The sender is the person writing the message,
namely Alice; the encoder is Alice's brain, which
humanities
A PASSION FOR LEARNING
translates the message into a human language
like English or Spanish; the channel is the medium
that carries the message, in this case combination
of chalk (tiza) and blackboard; the decoder is the
brain of the person reading the message, namely
Bob; and the receiver is Bob himself. In other
circumstances, the sender or receiver may not
be a human being: it could be some kind of
electronic device, or even the brain itself when it
receives signals from nerve cells.
In our example, the amount of information that
Alice can transmit to Bob is limited by the size of
the blackboard (and perhaps by the amount of
chalk she has). We say that the channel (i.e. the
blackboard + chalk) has some maximum capacity
for the amount of information it can carry.
Suppose that Alice's message is long – long
enough to exhaust the space on the blackboard:
how could she squeeze more information onto it?
The most obvious way would be to encode
her message differently. Suppose her original
message contains the sentence: “I'll see you in
the staff room at lunchtime and we can discuss
this further”. She could take advantage of the
fact that the word “see” is pronounced exactly
like the letter “c”, while “you” could be
substituted for “u”, “and” for “&”, and “at” for
“@”. She could also make use of the fact that
we can often remove vowels from words
without creating misunderstanding, as well as
some consonants. If you try to pronounce the
word “frthr”, for example, it sounds very much
like “further”. Finally, the words “I'll” and
“the” would be understood by
the reader, and can be also
removed. The final message
would then read: “C u in stfrm
@ lchtm & we cn dscs ths frthr”.
The original message contains
75 characters (spaces
included), whereas our
compressed message contains
just 43 – nearly half! In
removing letters and words,
we are exploiting the fact that
the receiver expects them to
be present anyway. The word
“fur ther” carries no more
information than “fr thr”,
because the “u” and “e” are
already understood to be present (at
least they are by someone who understands
English!). In other words, if we were expecting
a vowel (una vocal) to appear, it means the
probability of it appearing was high, and so the
information it carries is low: this is precisely
Shannon's idea.
2 B CTD IN NXT
MTH'S VR!!!
23
 PHRASAL VERBS
Consíguelo en
vaughantienda.com

eeds to How did

What n mething come a it
for so bout th
happen e about? moved at y
to Mosc ou
to c o m ow?
like that ¿Cómo s
ar
é t ie n e que pas urg
mudaras ió que te
¿Qu a
e llegue a Moscú
para qu a sí? ?
se algo
producir

Wor ld
How did about?
ome
To come about When d
id
War II c 40-hour the
w
e produ
jo la Surgir / Producirse come a eek
¿Cómo s rra Mundial? bout?
Gue
Segunda ¿Cuándo
surgió la
laboral d sem
e 40 ho ana
ras?

The strik
t’s came ab e
And tha tion ou
addic to the w t due
how my e about
. or ke
ett e s c a m disconte r s’
to cigar nt.
rgió La huelg
como su o.
Y así es bac debido a a se produjo
a d ic c ión al ta l desco
m i los traba ntento de
jadores.

24
 phrasal verbs
The tsu
na
about s mi brought
r was eriou
The wa ut by all along s damage
abo the coa
brought content. st.
dis
people’s
El tsuna
mi c
or el p a lo larg ausó graves dañ
r ra fu e causada e. o de tod
a la cos s
o
La gue nt
n t e n t o de la ge ta.
desco

h a t b rought
W
abo u t h e r quitting To bring about Did ban
k
her job? about t s bring
he c
ella) Causar / Producir econom urrent
hizo (a ic crisis?
¿Qué le trabajo?
dejar su ¿Causar
on
crisis ec los bancos la
onómica
actual?

The cur
some illn e for
e
bring ab sses can
e’s visit out oth
The Pop t some can’t it?
er s,
abou
brought cal businesses.
for lo
earnings
La cura
d
enferme e algunas
del Papa dades p
uede
La visita ncias para producir
otras, ¿n
gana o?
ocasionó ntes locales.
comercia

25
something TEST YOUR ENGLISH
Consíguelo en
vaughantienda.com

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.

1
1.a. I have a revision at the dentist’s this afternoon.

1.b. I have a check-up at the dentist’s this afternoon.

1.c. I have some revision with the dentist’s this afternoon.

1
2.a. What casualty! I have to go to the dentist’s too!

2.b. What a coincidence! I have to go to the dentist’s as well!

2.c. What coincidence! I also have to go to the dentist’s!

1.d. I have a check-up at the dentist this afternoon. 2.d. What a casualty! I have to go to the dentist’s too!

1
3.a. One of my fillings came out the other day.

3.b. One of mine feelings went out the other day.

3.c. One of my empastes went out the other day.

1
4.a. He could see me in the last minute.

4.b. He was able to fit me in at the last minute.

4.c. He was able to fit in me at the last minute.

3.d. One of my fillings went out the other day. 4.d. He was able to fit in me in the last minute.

1
5.a. What did they do you?

5.b. What did you have done?

5.c. What did they do to you?

1
6.a. Did you have an anaesthetic?

6.b. Did they give you an anaesthetic?

6.c. Did they give to you an anaesthetic?

5.d. What did he did to you? 6.d. Did they give an anaesthetic to you?

1
7.a. How much long was the needle?

7.b. How long was the needle?

7.c. How of long was the needle?

1
8.a. It was long like that!

8.b. It was long like this!

8.c. It was that long!

7.d. How much large was the needle? 8.d. It was this of long!

26
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 Aquí estamos ante uno de los errores más comunes que cometen
los españoles cuando quieren integrarse en la cocina con Nuestra cuando
los españoles forma dequieren
decir ‘¡Qué casualidad!’
integrarse en la es “Whatcona
cocina
‘Una revisión’
angloparlantes.
aaloparlantes. “Remover”dental
“Remover” noose
no semédica
traducees ni
traduce “a check-up”.
ni “move”
“move” Se puede
(cambiar de coincidence!”.
angloparlantes. “Casualty”
“Remover” significa
no se ‘herido/a’,
traduce ‘víctima’
ni “move” o incluso
(cambiar de
1.sitio)
B ni tener
“remove” (quitar). A veces se dice en las recetas“a“remove
“a check-up with the dentist” (la persona) o check- 2.sitio)
B ni ‘Urgencias’. Vemos A
“remove” (quitar). tres formas
veces de decir
se dice ‘también’
en las recetas en inglés:
“remove
up at
the sauce” thecasi
pero dentist’s”
siempre(el se
local).
añade “from the heat”. En cuanto “also”,
the sauce” pero“ascasi
well” y “too”.
siempre se En cada“from
añade caso the
aquíheat”.
la palabra está
En cuanto
a “moven” me lo inventé para la ocasión. correctamente
a “moven” me lo inventé colocada.
para la ocasión.

Aquí estamos ante uno de los errores más comunes que cometen Aquí estamos antelauno
¡Ojo con de los errores
preposición! más comunes
La forma que elcometen
de decir ‘en último
los españoles cuando quieren integrarse en la cocina con los españoles
momento’ es “at the last minute”. Por otro cocina
cuando quieren integrarse en la lado, “toconfit
Cuando“Remover”
angloparlantes. se nos caen
nolosseempastes siempre
traduce ni “move”empleamos el
(cambiar de angloparlantes. “Remover” no se traduce ni a“move” (cambiar de
3.sitio)
A ni verbo 4.sitio) someone in” significa ‘hacer un hueco alguien’.
B ni “remove” (quitar). A veces se dice en las recetas “remove Aquí el uso
“to come out” y nunca “to go out”. ‘Un empaste’
“remove” (quitar). A veces se dice en las recetas “removees
de “was able to” suena mucho más natural que “could”, ya
“a filling”.
the sauce” pero casi siempre se añade “from the heat”. En cuanto the sauce”
quepero
indicacasilo siempre se añade “from
que las circunstancias the heat”. Enhacer
le permitieron cuantoal
a “moven” me lo inventé para la ocasión. a “moven” me lo inventé para la ocasión.
dentista, nada que ver con sus capacidades personales.

Al hacer
Aquí estamos antelauno
pregunta ‘¿Qué te
de los errores máshicieron?’
comunes que en inglés
cometen en Aquí estamos ante uno de los errores más comunes que cometen
referencia a lo que te hicieron en el dentista
los españoles cuando quieren integrarse en la cocina con solemos decir los españoles cuando
Aquí estamos antequieren
la mismaintegrarse
fórmula: eneninglés
la cocina con
no solemos
“What did
angloparlantes. you have no
“Remover” done?”. De hecho,
se traduce la respuesta
ni “move” seguiría
(cambiar de angloparlantes. “Remover” no se traduce ni “move” (cambiar de
5.sitio)
B ni la“remove”
misma estructura: “I had a tooth out”, “I had a
(quitar). A veces se dice en las recetas “removefilling”, “I A ni decir
6.sitio) literalmente ‘Me dieron una anestesia’, sino ‘Tuve una
“remove” (quitar). A veces se dice en las recetas “remove
anestesia’. La B es técnicamente correcta, pero nadie lo
had my teeth cleaned”, etc. La pregunta “What
the sauce” pero casi siempre se añade “from the heat”. En cuanto did they do the sauce”
diría.pero casi siempre se añade “from the heat”. En cuanto
a “moven” me losería
to you?” algopara
inventé como ‘¿Qué te han hecho?’ y conlleva
la ocasión. a “moven” me lo inventé para la ocasión.
una idea de sorpresa, de horror.

Aquí estamos ante uno de los errores más comunes que cometen Aquí estamos ante uno de los errores más comunes que cometen
¿Cómo se
los españoles dice ‘¿Cómo
cuando quierendeintegrarse
larga era laenaguja?’? Decimos
la cocina con los españoles cuando quieren integrarse en la cocina con
textualmente ‘¿Cuán larga era la aguja?’:
angloparlantes. “Remover” no se traduce ni “move” (cambiar“How long was the
de angloparlantes.
7.sitio)
B ni needle?”. C ni ‘¡Era
8.sitio) así“Remover”
de larga!’ senotraduce
se traduce
con “Itni was
“move” (cambiar
that long!” de
o, más
“remove”Te(quitar).
proponemosA vecesmás
se ejemplos de recetas
dice en las la misma“remove
forma:
enfático (quitar).
“remove”todavía “It Awas
veces
this se dice en las recetas “remove
long!”.
“How
the sauce” perofarcasi
is itsiempre
to the station
se añadefrom here?”,
“from “How En
the heat”. bigcuanto
is her the sauce” pero casi siempre se añade “from the heat”. En cuanto
flat?”, “How small is your new
a “moven” me lo inventé para la ocasión. mobile?”, etc. a “moven” me lo inventé para la ocasión.

28
mastering
THE INTERROGATIVE 77
This month we’re going to work on questions
with the third person plural.

Yes, most people like me. ? Do most people like you?

No, Native Americans can’t grow beards. ? Can Native Americans grow beards?

Yes, boxers’ teeth are usually loose. ? Are boxers’ teeth usually loose?

Yes, falling stars can fall in the ocean. ? Can falling stars fall in the ocean?

Yes, people in prison have more free time than me. ? Do people in prison have more free time than you?

Yes, pigeons choose where they do their business. ? Do pigeons choose where they do their business?

No, most women aren’t taller than men. ? Are most women taller than men?

No, they shouldn’t take things for granted. ? Should they take things for granted?

Yes, they have to have what it takes. ? Do they have to have what it takes?

No, her intentions aren’t good. ? Are her intentions good?

No, my friends don’t know the real me. ? Do your friends know the real you?

Yes, castanets bring out the gipsy in me. ? Do castanets bring out the gipsy in you?

No, they’ve never seen a flying cat. ? Have they ever seen a flying cat?

Yes, they’ve seen your cat flying. ? Have they seen my cat flying?

Yes, your double bacon cheese burgers are ready. ? Are our double bacon cheese burgers ready?

No, they didn’t steal your banana labels collection. ? Did they steal my banana labels collection?

30
 elision fields
‘DUNNO’
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
audi
spoken language enormously. Recognizing these contractions or, in some cases, elisions, represents the key to tiva
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”.
If you’ve been exposed to spoken English, you must have heard /DUNNO/ a thousand times before, with
or without the pronoun “I” first. It’s just a more natural way of speaking.

/DUNNO/ if she’ll make it tonight.

No sé si (ella) vendrá esta noche.
I don’t know if she’ll make it tonight.

/DUNNO/ what I’ll do if she doesn’t make it in time.

No sé lo que haré si (ella) no llega a tiempo.
I don’t know what I’ll do if she doesn’t make it on time.

/DUNNO/ if we’ll make it to the top.

No sé si llegaremos a la cima.
I don’t know if we’ll make it to the top.

He’s been shot. /DUNNO/ if he’ll make it.

Le han disparado. No sé si sobrevivirá.
He’s been shot. I don’t know if he’ll make it.

/DUNNO/ how, but they made it.

No sé cómo, pero lo lograron.
I don’t know how, but they made it.

/DUNNO/ if it’s interesting, but it looks interesting.

No sé si es interesante, pero parece interesante.
I don’t know if it’s interesting, but it looks interesting.

/DUNNO/ what you’re trying to do.

No sé lo que intentas hacer.
I don’t know what you’re trying to do.

/DUNNO/ what it depends on.

No sé de qué depende.
I don’t know what it depends on.

31
translation list
Ponte a prueba.Tapa la columna derecha con un papel y traduce al inglés
las frases en castellano. Comprobarás que tu nivel mejora a medida que
ue tu
Consig avanzas en la lista. Incluimos dos listas para diferentes niveles.
tion
Transla
t
Bookle

Nivel Principiante

1. Es muy largo, ¿no? 1. It’s very long, isn’t it?

2. ¿No es interesante? 2. Isn’t it interesting?

3. ¿No es él profesor? 3. Isn’t he a teacher?

4. Son botones, ¿no? 4. They’re buttons, aren’t they?

5. Éste es el informe, ¿no? 5. This is the report, isn’t it?

6. ¿Por qué es de ellos? 6. Why is it theirs?

7. El tuyo es aquél, ¿no? 7. Yours is that one, isn’t it?

8. ¿No está ella con ellos? 8. Isn’t she with them?

9. ¿Dónde está ella entonces? 9. Where is she then?

10. Somos los mejores, ¿no? 10. We’re the best, aren’t we?

Nivel Avanzado

1. He ganado mucho peso últimamente. 1. I’ve gained a lot of weight lately.

2. Casi siempre le veo por la noche. 2. I almost always see him at night.

3. Casi nunca consiguen sus objetivos. 3. They hardly ever achieve their objectives.

4. Suelo hacerlo días alternos. 4. I usually do it every other day.

5. Tiene que tomarse una decisión. 5. A decision has to be made.

6. Ya han sido informados. 6. They’ve already been informed.

7. Algo extraño va a suceder. 7. Something strange is going to happen.

8. Fue la reunión más corta a la que jamás he asistido. 8. It was the shortest meeting I’ve ever attended.

9. Explícamelo. 9. Explain it to me.

10. ¿Vas a tomar postre? 10. Are you going to have dessert?

34
 creepy corner
a d e los
EL TERRIBLE... “The 30%”
g i n
La pá
más
errores
Los porcentajes en inglés nunca van precedidos directamente por el artículo
s
m u n e s y má definido “the”. Cuesta quitarse esa costumbre, porque en castellano sí, pero habrá
co
es
horribl
que ponerse un post-it en la frente o algo, ¡ya que suena fatal!

El 89% de las cervezas que

The 89% of the beers we drink at home are European.
bebemos en casa son europeas.

El 70% de nuestro cuerpo está compuesto por agua. The 70% of our body is made out of water.

Me conformo con el 20% de las ganancias. I’m happy with the 20% of the profits.

¿Sólo el 44% de los niños ve la tele

Do only the 44% of kids watch TV before going to bed?
antes de irse a la cama?

Sólo están hechas con mantequilla el 40 % de las galletas. Only the 40% of the cookies are made with butter.

El 65 % de la gente no sabía a quién votar. The 65% of the people didn’t know who to vote for.

Queremos comprar el 50% de la empresa. We want to buy the 50% of the company.

El 55% de los alumnos no había estudiado en absoluto. The 55% of the students hadn’t studied at all.

Paso alrededor del 5% de mi tiempo I spend about the 5% of my time

esperando a que algo ocurra. waiting for something to happen.

El 60% de las plumas de mi pavo real son rosas. The 60% of my peacock’s feathers are pink.

35