NOTES: October, 2019

 Polish: High standars of behabiour; being polite. SYN: refinement.

She thought that her husband’s family lacked polish.
[Lack (v): to have none or not enough of sth. – He lacks confidence. She has the determination that her
brother lacks. Some houses still lack basic amenities such as bathrooms.]
 Brush sth up / brush up on sth.: To quickly improve a skill, especially when you have not used it for a time
(refrescar) I must brush up on my English before I go to London.
 Rusty: [not usually before noun] (of a sport, skill, etc.) Not as good as it used to be, because you have not
been practising. My tennis is very rusty these days. I haven’t played the piano for ages, I may be a little rusty.
 What is C1?
It’s about the shades. IDM: shades of sb/sth. Used when you’re referring to things that remind you to a
particular person, thing or time (=matices) Short skirts and long boots – shades of the 1960s.

Confident
Fluent And this must sound as natural as possible.
No mistakes
Use of phrasal verbs / idioms

 We’re off to a bad start (or great start) – empezamos con mal pie (buen pie) The meeting got off to a
good/bad start. (started well / badly)
C1 is also about:
1. Conventions: the way in which sth. is done that most people in a society expect.
2. Talking about general topics in an accurate manner. Correct and true in every detail. Accuracy:
exactitude.
Let you down: decepcionarte.
3. It also requires natural speech. Not just understandable but natural. We can’t hesitate. This means:
- Collocations.
- Lexical chunks (idioms)
- Fillers.
- Connected speech.
 Let’s get this over with (vamos a quitarnos esto de encima) I was glad when it was over and done with.
 To pose a threat / challenge / danger / risk. To create a threat, problem, etc. that has to be deal with.
(representa una amenaza) The task poses no special problems.
 Let’s get on with it (sigamos con ello)
 It was kind of weird (un poco). [Weird: very strange or unusual and difficult to explain] SYN: strange.
 Do you know what I mean? (this is an example of a filler)
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 Look on the ‘bright side’. To be cheerful or positive about a bad situation, for example by thinking only of
the advantages and not disadvantages.
 It must have been tough (=duro, difícil) Having or causing problems or difficulties. It was a tough decision
to make. She’s been having a tough time of it lately (=a lot of problems)
 Freak out. Snakes really freak me out.
 Brace yourself. Prepare yourself for sth. difficult or unpleasant that is going to happen. They are bracing
themselves for a long legal battle.

 To be full of energy.
 To be fidgety. Unable to remain still or quiet, usually because of being bored or nervous. SYN: restless.
 To be snappy. Tending to speak to people in a bad-tempered, impatient way.
 To be confrontational. Tending to deal with people in an aggressive way.
 To be brawly. To brawl: to take part in a noisy and violent fight, usually in a public place. They were
arrested for brawling in the street.
 To be hot-tempered. If sb. Has a hot temper they become angry very easily.
 To be quarrelsome. Linking to argue with other people. SYN: argumentative. When he drinks too much he
becomes moody and quarrelsome.
 To argue. To speak angrily to sb because you disagree with them. My brothers are always arguing. // To
argue for against sth./doing sth. They argued for the right to strike. To give reasons why you think that sth. is
right / wrong, true / not true, etc.
 To be feisty. Strong, determined and not afraid of arguing with people.

 Nuances. A very slight difference in meaning, sound, colour or sb’s feelings that is not usually very
obvious. For example:
- To kill. To make sb/sth. die. Cancer kills thousands of people every year. Three people were killed
in the crash. He tried to kill himself with sleeping pills. I bought a spray to kill the weeds.
Tiredness while driving can kill.
- To murder. To kill sb deliberately and illegally. He denies murdering his wife’s lover.
- To assassinate sb. To murder an important or famous person, especially for political reasons. The
prime minister was assassinated by extremists.
 Differences between clean, wash off and cleanse:
- To clean (sth.). To make sth. free from dirt or dust by washing or rubbing it.
- To rub. To move your hand or sth such a cloth backwards and forwards over a surface while
pressing firmly.
- To wash off. To be removed from the surface of sth. or from clothes by washing. Those grease
stains won’t wash off.
- To wash sth off (sth.) To remove sth from the surface of sth. or from clothes by washing. Wash
that mud off your boots before you come in.
- To cleanse (sth). To clean your skin or a wound. A cleansing cream.
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 - To cleanse sb (of / from sth). To take away sb’s guilty feelings or sin. [sin: an offence against God
or against a religious or moral law. Confess your sins to God and he will forgive you]
- Ethnic cleansing (used especially in news reports) The policy of forcing the people of a particular
race or religion to leave an area or a country.
 Policy (on sth). A plan of action agreed by a political party, a business, etc. The present government’s
policy on education. The company has adopted a firm policy on shoplifting. [Shoplifting: the crime of stealing
goods from a shop / store by deliberately leaving without paying for them (a shoplifter)]
 Allusion (=alusión)
 Shades of grey (=matices del gris)
 Efficiency. The quality of doing sth. well with no waste of time or money. I was impressed by the efficiency
with which she handled the crisis.
 This problem that concern us all…
 CRONYISM (disapproving) The situation in which people in power give jobs to their friends (nepotismo)
 Types of ears:
- Large ears.
- Jug ears.
- Protruding ears (orejas prominentes)
 A vague language.
 About colours: A brownish color. Fairly brown in colour [Fairly: to some extent but not very -bastante-] You
can’t see in this light, but my new coat is a sort of brownish colour.
 Idiomatic expressions: To be packet is to be extremely full of people. SYN: crowded. The restaurant was
packed.
 What can you do to a reputation?
- To ruin.
- To destroy.
- To build.
- To revive.
- To tarnish (sth). To spoil the good opinion people have of sb/sth. SYN: To taint. The
administration was tainted with scandal.
- To improve.
 C1 requires the ability to react.
 You’re a truly special person.
 Don’t cross the line.
 It’s none of your business. (=no es asunto tuyo)
 To be at liberty to do sth (formal). Having the right or freedom to do sth. I’m not at liberty to discuss my
client’s case. (=no se me permite hablar de ello – casos de política empresarial)
 A gut reaction (=una reacción visceral)
 It looks like some kind of performance.
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 What’s the big deal? (=no es para tanto) It’s used to say that you’re not impressed by sth. So he earns
more than me. Big deal!. It’s not a big deal (=no es para tanto)
 To have a backbone (=tener dignidad)
 To make the wrong impression.

 It looks like sth. out of a fairy tale (=parece sacado de un cuento de hadas). Fairies (plural). Fairy (in
stories): a creature like a small person, who has magic powers.
 Dreamlike: As if existing or happening in a dream. The place has an almost dreamlike quality. (=de
ensueño)
 Majestic: Impressive because of size or beauty. A majestic castle/river/view. The Rockies are majestic in
size.
 It’s beyond creepy (=causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or slight horror. SYN: scary) A creepy ghost
story.
 Healing. The process of becoming or making sb/sth health again; the process of getting better after an
emotional shock.
- The healing process.
- Emotional healing.
- Psychiatry healing.
 Loosen up. To relax and stop worrying. Come on, Jo loosen up.
 Unheard-of: That has never been known or done, very unusual (=inaudito) It’s almost unheard-of for a
new band to be offered such a deal.
 Sweeping statement (=declaración radical)
 Creepy-crawly (pl. creepy-crawlies) an insect, a worn, etc. When you think of it as unpleasant. (=bichitos)
 Grain of truth: used especially in negative sentences. A very small amount. SYN: iota. There isn’t a grain
of truth in those rumours. If he had a grain of sensitivity he wouldn’t have asked her about her divorce.
 Restraining order: a written instruction made by a court that forbids (= does not allow) a particular action
until a judge has made a decision about the matter.
She obtained a restraining order forbidding her partner from seeing their two children.
 To what extent…? (=¿hasta qué punto…?)
 To be fully aware (=plenamente consciente)
 To have a nervy condition. Condition: an illness or a medical problem that you have for a long time
because it is not possible to cure it. He suffers from a serious heart condition.
 To be a bit of a rolling-stone (=culo inquieto). Hal was a bit of a rolling stone before he married and settle
down. “A rolling stone gathers no moss” (saying): A person who moves from place to place, job to job, etc.
does not have a lot of money, possessions or friends but is free from responsibilities.
 Talented (SYN: gifted). Having a natural ability or skill. Talented musician.
 A world-class: someone or something world-class is one of the best that there are of that type in the world.
A world-class athlete / performance.
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  Happen to be sth.: used to tell someone something, especially when you’re disagreeing with them or
annoyed by what they have said: That happens to be mother you’re talking about. Someone that happen to
be (=alguien que resulta ser)
 Chatty: To talk a lot in a friendly, informal way. If a piece of writing is chatty, it is informal. A chatty
letter/style. It has a negative connotation. (=habla mucho y molesta)
 Talkative: liking to talk a lot. He’s not very talkative, is he? (es más neutro)

 To be headed: going in a particular direction. Which way are you headed?

Ser perseverante

 To be persevering: to be determined to continue to do or to try to achieve something, despite

problems. She was persevering enough to reach the height of her ambition and become CEO (Chief
Executive Officer - =Director ejecutivo). He was one of the most determined, stubborn,
persevering people I had ever met.
 To be determined: Wanting to do something very much and not allowing anyone or any difficulties to
stop you. I’m determined to get this piece of work done today.

 Nuisance: a thing, person or situation that is annoying or causes trouble or problems. I don’t want to be a
nuisance so tell me if you want to be alone. It’s a nuisance having to go back tomorrow. Also a behaviour by
sb. That annoys other people and that a court can order the person to stop. He was charged with causing a
public nuisance.

Some expressions:
- An unwished decision.
- To set an example.
- To spend time with him.
- To be special to me.

Students’ Book – page 8:

3B. Complete the sentence: The main idea of the text is that when it comes to choosing names for children,
nowadays people are less traditional than in the past. The name can affect children in their life (career,
personal life, …)
3C. Answer the questions.
Reading the text – interesting expressions from the text:

Approximately 130 million babies are born each year, and under normal circumstances, they all get a name
within days of their birth. The most common given name is thought to be Mohamed (it can be spelt in different
ways). And the most unusual? Well, take your pick. British model Jordan called her daughter Princess
Tiaamii; Jermaine Jackson (Michaer Jackson’s brother) named his son Jermajesty; and actor-director
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Sylvester Stallone called his son Sage Molnblood. But it isn’t just celebrities who are going in for strange-
sounding names.
‘My pupils have increasingly outlandish names’, says one secondary school teacher from London. She cites
‘poorly spelt names’ such as Amba, Jordon, Charlee and Moniqua, and what she calls ‘absurd names’ like
Shaliqua and Sharday. How will such names affect her students when they go out to get a job? ‘I think it’s a
serious disadvantage’, she says.
Albert Mehrabian, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California, agrees with her. 'Names
generate impressions, just like a person's appearance can generate a positive or negative impression,' he
says. 'But names also have an impact when you're not physically present, such as when you send in a CV'.
Mehrabian researched people's instinctive reactions to hundreds of first names. It's striking how many
positive associations some names carry, and how negative the connotations of others turn out to be -
particularly when it comes to linking names with 'success', which Mehrabian takes to include ambition,
intelligence, confidence and other attributes.
So what kind of name does it take to reach the top of the tree, career-wise? Based on research in the USA,
Mehrabian says that Alexander scores 100 percent for 'success'. William gets 99 percent and John 98
percent. For the girls, Jacqueline rates very highly, as do Diana, Danielle and Catherine, although Katherine
with a k does slightly better than Catherine with a c.
But can the impact of a first name really be that cut and dried? Pamela Satran, co-author of eight baby-
naming books, is less convinced that the power of a name can be quantified. 'There isn't that much hard
evidence that's absolutely conclusive,' says Satran. She recalls one American study where researchers
submitted identical CVs to a number of employers. The given name on half of the CVs was Lashanda, 'seen
as a stereotypical African-American name,' says Satran. The name on the other half was Lauren - seen as
much more white and middle class. In one study, the name Lauren got five times more call-backs than
Lashanda, says Satran. But in another study the rate was similar for both names. 'I've seen similarly
conflicting studies,' Satran adds.
Satran also believes that people's attitudes towards names are changing. She says, 'Celebrity culture and
ethnic diversity have made people much more eager to look for a wide range of names of their own. The
thinking is: if you have a special name, that makes you a special person.' Let's hope so for the likes of a
certain individual born in 1990 in Java; this young man is named Batman bin Suparman, a name that went
viral and spawned a Facebook fan page that now has over 11,000 followers.
Expressions, vocabulary, …:
 Take your pick (= choose) The winner gets first pick of the prizes.
 To go in for sth: to take an exam or enter a competition // to have sth. as an interest or a hobby.
 Outlandish: Strange or extremely unusual. Outlandish costumes or ideas.
 To reach the top of the tree: to reach the top position (professionally)
 Career-wise (=Carrera profesional)
 Slightly. A little. A slightly different version.
 Cut and dried: decided in a way that cannot be changed or argued about. The inquiry is by no means cut
and dried. (= so obvious)

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 Stricking. (=sorprendente) Interesting an unusual enough to attract attention. A striking feature. She
bears a striking resemblance to her older sister. Feature: (=característica) Something important, interesting or
typical of a place or thing. Resemblance: the fact of being or looking similar to sb/sth.
 Hard evidence. Evidencia seria.
 To submit sth. to someone or something: to give a document, proposal, etc. to sb in authority so that they
can study or consider it. – To submit an application / a claim / a complaint. Completed projects must be
submitted by 10 March.
 Call-backs: when a company calls potential employees for an interview after looking at their CVs.
 Eager: (=ansioso) very interested and excited by sth. that is going to happen or about sth. that you want to
do. She is eager for (=wants very much to get) her parents’ approval. Everyone in the class seemed eager to
learn. They are eager to please (= wanting to be helpful)
 Spawn: to cause sth to develop or be produced. The band’s album spawned a string of hit singles.

3C. Answer the questions.

1 According to the article, is it only celebrities who choose strange names for their children? No it isn’t.
Also ordinary people are choosing outlandish names for their children.
2 What do the results of Mehrabian’s research show?
a. 'Names generate impressions, just like a person's appearance can generate a positive or negative
impression’
b. 'But names also have an impact when you're not physically present, such as when you send in a
CV'
c. It's striking how many positive associations some names carry, and how negative the
connotations of others turn out to be - particularly when it comes to linking names with 'success',
which Mehrabian takes to include ambition, intelligence, confidence and other attributes.
d. Alexander scores 100 percent for 'success'. William gets 99 percent and John 98 percent. For the
girls, Jacqueline rates very highly, as do Diana, Danielle and Catherine, although Katherine with a
k does slightly better than Catherine with a c.
3 According to the study in paragraph 6, how might your name affect your chances of getting a job?
She has seen similarly conflicting studies.
4 In Santran’s opinion, what influences the way people name their children?
Celebrity culture and ethnic diversity have made people much more eager to look for a wide range of
names of their own. The thinking is: if you have a special name, that makes you a special person.

 Loom. To appear important or threatening and likely to happen soon. There was a crisis looming. Looming
ahead (= algo que viene y es peligroso)
 Sketchy (adj.). Not completely safe or not completely honest. They lived in a sketchy neighbourhood.
 To be fair for: (= ser justo para)
 To reverse sth.: to change a previous decision, law, etc. to the opposite one. The Court of Appeal
reversed the decision.
 To think sth. over / through. To consider sth. carefully. They’ve made me a good offer, but I’ll have to
think it over. We can’t make a decision until we’ve thought through the different possibilities.
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 Make fun of sb/sth.: to make a joke about someone or something in a way that is not kind. The
other children were always making fun of him because he was fat and wore glasses.

 Spring to mind. To come quickly into your mind. Say the word "Australia" and a vision of beaches and
blue seas immediately springs to mind.

 To be cheeky: To be rude in an amusing or an annoying way. You’re getting far too cheeky.
 Chutzpah: Behaviour or a person’s attitude, that is rude or shocking but so confident that people may feel
forced to admire it.
Behaviour that is extremely confident and often rude, with no respect for the opinions or abilities of anyone
else. I wonder who had the chutzpah to disagree with him?
 To be brazen. To be open and without shame, usually about sth that people find shocking. She had
become brazen about the whole affair.
 The bottom line: The most important fact in a situation. The bottom line is that we need another ten
thousand dollars to complete the project.
 TB. Tuberculosis. An increase in the number of TB cases.
 Cross your fingers. To hope very much that something will happen. I’m just going to cross my fingers and
hope it works.
 Alias: apodo.
 Stage name: the name, different from his or her real name, that an actor or performer is publicly known by.
David Bowe is the stage name of the singer David Jones.
 Pseudonym. A name used by someone, especially a writer, instead of their real name. She writes under a
pseudonym.
 Pen-name. A name used by a writer instead of their real name. SYN: nom de plume.
 Last name: your family name, that you use in formal situations or with people you don’t know well.
 Ring name: nombre de luchadores en el ring.
 IDM: To be sb’s middle name. Used to say that sb has a lot of a particular quality. ‘Patience’ is my middle
name.
 Nom de guerre. A false name that is used, for example, by sb. who belongs to a military organization that
is not official.
 d.b.a. doing business as. Philip Smith, d.b.a. Phil’s Signs.
 Pet name. An informal and affectionate name given to someone by their family or friends.
 Assumed name. A name that a company uses to do business that is not the legal name of the company.

 Hang out with. (= salir con alguien) I think it’s good for George to hang out with someone who knows the
value of hard work.

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 Litmus test (= acid test). A way of deciding whether sth. is successful or true. The outcome will be seen as
a litmus test of government concern for conservation issues. The acid test of a good driver is whether he or
she remains calm in an emergency.

- Social class
- Class system.
- Social background.
One of the groups of people in a society that are thought of as being at the same social or economic level.
- The working class.
- The middle class.
- The upper class.
The way that people are divided into different social and economic groups.
- Differences of class, race or gender.
- The class system.
- A society in which class is more important than ability.

 The rational (behind it). (= el argumento lógico)

 “The first thing that comes to mind”.
 To break the news to sb. To be the first to tell someone some bad news.
 “It doesn’t crack the top five”. No está entre los 5 primeros.
 Scroll through. (computing). Desplazarse por opciones/menús. Use the arrow keys to scroll through the
list of files. Scroll down to the bottom of the document.
 To be on the verge of sth. / of doing sth. To be very near to the moment when sb. does sth. or sth.
happens. To be on the verge of turning 45 (= a punto de cumplir 45) He was on the verge of tears. They are
on the verge of signing a new contract. These measures brought the republic to the verge of economic
collapse.
 The winning combo. (= combinación ganadora). A number of different things combined together,
especially different types of food. I’ll have a steak and chicken combo platter.
 Mole. A small dark brown mark on the skin, sometimes slightly higher than the skin around it. Hairy mole
(=verruga peluda) Freckle. A small, pale brown spot on a person’s skin, especially on their face, caused by
the sun.
 “He inspired me”. (= me inspiró). To inspire: To make sb. have a particular feeling or emotion. Her work
didn’t exactly inspire me with confidence.
 Perceptive. Having or showing the ability to see or understand things quickly, especially things that are not
obvious. A highly perceptive comment. It was very perceptive of you to notice that.
 Over-achiever. A person who achieves a high level of success, especially in their career. .
 Over-ambitious. (negative connotation)

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 Stubborn. (= obstinate). Determined not to change your opinion or attitude. He was too stubborn to admit
that he was wrong.
 To be laid-back. To be calm and relaxed; seeming not to worry about anything. A laid-back attitude to life.
She’s very laid-back about her exams. SYN. Easy-going. Relaxed and happy to accept things without
worrying or getting angry. I wish I had such easy-going parents!.
 Apathetic. Showing no interest or enthusiasm. The illness made her apathetic and unwilling to meet
people.
 A loner. A person who is often alone or who prefers to be alone, rather than with other people. (negative
connotation)
 To miss the boat. To be unable to take advantage of sth because you’re too late. I decided not to go to
college but watching all my friends go off made me feel like I’d missed the boat.
 To miss the train (= that ship has sailed) (= ser muy viejo para algo, se te pasó el arroz)
 Childlike (+connotation) having the qualities that children usually have, especially innocence. Childlike
enthusiasm / simplicity / delight. Childish. (disapproving. Of an adult) Behaving in a stupid or silly way. SYN:
Immature. Don’t be so childish!
 Tantrum. A sudden short period of angry, unreasonable behaviour, especially in a child. To have / throw a
tantrum (= pataleta). Children often have temper tantrums at the age of two or thereabouts. Thereabouts.
Used to say a particular number, quantity, time, etc. is not exact. She must be about 60 or thereabouts.
 A sore loser (= ser un mal perdedor).
 “Don’t walk into a mine field”. (=no camines sobre un campo de minas)

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 NOTES: October, 15th 2018
 To have a profound effect on.
 To fathom. To understand or find an explanation for sth. To fathom sb/sth. (out). It’s hard to fathom the
pain felt at the death of a child. To fathom (out) what, where, etc… He couldn’t fathom out what the man
could possibly mean.
 To deliver bad news.
 To be forthright. To be direct and honest in manner and speech. SYN: frank. A woman of forthright views.
He spoke in a forthright manner but without anger. (forthrightly – forthrightness)
 A self-assessment. The process of judging your own progress, achievements, etc.
 A shortcoming. A fault in sb’s character, a plan, a system, etc. SYN: defect. She made me aware of my
own shortcomings. Despite a number of shortcomings, the project will still go ahead.
 To be someone's emotional punching bag or scape goat means that they use you to let out all of
their emotions and take it out on you.
 Emotionally drained. When we suffer too much, we become emotionally and mentally drained. The effects
of the stress evolve beyond the mental and start manifesting in ways that we can see. We become sapped of
our energy to the point of physical exhaustion, and in some cases, all we can do is to break down. It’s
important to recognize when life has put you through too much, instead of confusing these symptoms with
everyday life.
 To sap: To make sth / sb weaker; to destroy sth. gradually. The hot sun sapped our energy. To sap sb. (of
sth.) Years of failure have sapped him of his confidence.
 Shortage: a situation when there’s not enough of the people or things that are needed. Food / housing /
water shortages. A shortage of funds. There’s no shortage of things to do in the town. Emotional
shortages (=carencias afectivas)
 To have tendency to. If sb / sth. has a particular tendency, they are likely to behave or act in a particular
way. To display artistic (etc.) tendencies. I have a tendency to talk too much when I’m nervous. There is a
tendency for this disease to run in families.
 To be inclined to. To tend to think or behave in a particular way; to make sb. do this. Young people incline
towards individualistic behaviour.
 Prone: likely to suffer from sth or to do sth bad. Tired drivers were found to be particularly prone to ignore
warning signs. I have always been prone to headaches.
 Proclivity: a natural tendency to do sth or to feel sth, often sth bad. His sexual / criminal proclivities. The
government’s proclivity for spending money.

 Key. A thing that makes you able to understand or achieve sth. The key to success is preparation. The key
to + verb -ing. The driver of the car probably holds the key to solving the crime.
 The learning curve. The rate at which you learn a new subject or a new skill; the process of learning from
the mistakes you make. We have all been through a steep learning curve to master the new procedures.
 Steep: (of a slope, hill, etc.). rising or falling quickly, not gradually.
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 competence

time

Sheet - adverbs (15-10-2018)

 Insultingly intelligent.
 Without the shadow of a doubt. (= sin lugar a dudas)
 30 million word gap:
The term 30 million word gap (often shortened to just the word gap), was originally coined by Betty Hart and
Todd R. Risley in their book “Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American
Children”, and subsequently reprinted in the article "The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap by Age
3”.
In this groundbreaking study, University of Kansas researchers Betty Hart and Todd Risley entered the
homes of 42 families from various socio-economic backgrounds to assess the ways in which daily exchanges
between a parent and child shape language and vocabulary development. Their findings were
unprecedented, with extraordinary disparities between the sheer number of words spoken as well as the
types of messages conveyed. After four years these differences in parent-child interactions produced
significant discrepancies in not only children’s knowledge, but also their skills and experiences with children
from high-income families being exposed to 30 million more words than children from families on welfare.
Follow-up studies showed that these differences in language and interaction experiences have lasting effects
on a child’s performance later in life.
 To coin. To invent a new a new word or phrase that other people then begin to use. The term ‘cardboard
city’ was coined to describe communities of homeless people living in cardboard boxes.
 Subsequently. Afterwards; later; after sth else has happened.
 Groundbreaking. Making new discoveries, using new methods. A groundbreaking piece of research.
 To assess.
1. To make a judgement about the nature or quality of sb/sth. To assess sb/sth. It’s difficult to assess
the effects of these changes.
2. To calculate the amount or value of sth. SYN. To estimate. They have assessed the amount of
compensation to be paid. Damage to the building was assessed at £40 000.
 Sheer. Straight up or down (=escarpado)
 To convey. To make ideas, feelings, etc. known to sb. SYN: communicate. Colours like red convey a sense
of energy and strength.
 Families on welfare. Welfare. Practical or financial help that is provided, often by the government, for people
or animals that need it. The state is still the main provider of welfare. Child welfare. A social welfare
programme.
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 High-income families. Income: the money that a person, a region, a country, etc. earns from work, from
investing money, from business, etc. People on high / low incomes.

 Commit to +ing. To promise sincerely that you will definitely do sth, keep to an agreement or arrangement,
etc. The president is committed to reforming health care.
 To wheeze. To breathe noisily and with difficulty.
 Hyponym. A word with a particular meaning that is included in the meaning of a more general word, for
example ‘dog’ and ‘cat’ are hyponyms of ‘animal’.
 To burp. To let out air from the stomach through the mouth, making a noise. SYN: belch. I burped my way
out of the classroom. (= salí eructando de clase)
 Storm. To go somewhere quickly and in an angry, noisy way. She stormed into my office waving a
newspaper. She stormed out of the class.
 Elbow. To push sb with your elbow, usually in order to get past them. She elbowed me out of the way to
get to the front of the line. He elbowed his way through the crowd. I elbowed my way out of the class.
[Cuando el verbo no es de movimiento, se usa ‘my way’ para darle movimiento]

 Inquisitive. 1. (disapproving) Asking too many questions and trying to find out about what other people are
doing, etc. SYN: curious. Don’t be so inquisitive. It’s none of your business! 2. Very interested in learning
about many different things. SYN: enquiring. An inquisitive mind.
 Nosy. Too interested in things that not concern you, especially other people’s affairs. Nosy neighbours.
Don’t be so nosy⸺it’s none of your business.

Expressions:
 With the experience comes…
 It’s time consuming. Taking or needing a lot of time. A difficult and time-consuming process.
 EXTENT. Idioms: used to show how far sth. is true or how great an effect it has.
- To a certain extent, we are all responsible for this tragic situation.
- He had changed to such an extent (=so much) that I no longer recognized him.
- To some extent what he argues is true.
- The pollution of the forest has seriously affected plant life and, to a lesser extent, wildlife.
- To what extent is this true of all schools?
- The book discusses the extent to which (=how much) family life has changed over the past 50
years.
Lesser. Not as great in size, amount or importance as sth/sb else. People of lesser importance. They were
all involved to a greater or lesser degree (= some were more involved than others) The law was designed to
protect wives and, to a lesser extent, children.
 ‘Act your age’. IDM. To behave in a way that it is suitable for sb of your age and not as though you were
much younger. Isn’t it time you started acting your age?
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 To be a maverick. A person who does not behave or think like everyone else, but who has independent,
unusual opinions. A political maverick. (adj. – only before noun) a maverick film director.
 To act on his own terms.
 Headstrong. A headstrong person is determined to do things their own way and refuses to listen to advice.
 Nonconformist. A person who doesn’t follow normal ways of thinking or behaving.
 The winning formula.
 To break the rule.
 To be a lone wolf.
 To be in charge of… a position or having control over sb/sth; responsibility for sb/sth. She has charge of
the day-to-day running of the business. They left the au pair in charge of the children for a week. He took
charge of the farm after his father’s death.
 To be open-minded. Willing to listen to, think about or accept different ideas. OPP: Narrow-minded.
 To be permissive. Allowing or showing a freedom of behaviour that many people do not approve of,
especially in sexual matters. Permissive attitudes. parents (= who allow their children a lot of freedom)
Permissiveness.
 Sweeping statement/generalization (disapproving) Something that you say or write that is too general and
that has not been carefully thought about. Sweeping generalizations about this complex and difficult situation
are not helpful.
─ People who are / have reputation for: sweeping generalizers.
─ Detail-obsessed nit-pickers: people who argue about small, unimportant details. A nit-picker: sb who finds
small mistakes in somebody’s work or pays too much attention to small details that are not important.
─ Split hairs. To pay too much attention in an argument to differences that are very small and not important.

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 NOTES: April, 8th 2019

 Width  (anchura) It’s about 10 metres in width.

Sheet number 1: [only sentences b) to f)]:

b) Their refusal to give me my money back made me furious.
c) What I’m not sure about is wether we’ll be able to afford it or not.
d) The latest sales figures are an improvement.
e) Nobody fails to notice the beauty of its architecture (A nadie le pasa desapercibida la belleza de su
arquitectura)
f) In light of recent events. (A la luz de los recientes acontecimientos)
(Except c), the others are C2)

 Gallows (cadalso): a structure on which people, for example criminals, are killed by hanging.
To send a man to the gallows (= to send him to his death by hanging)

 Remember! ‘news’ is singular. An ítem of news (una noticia) or a piece of news.

Workbook: page 4
Exercise 2A: (we only read until line 6)
- Instead of ‘harder and harder’ we can say: ‘increasingly hard’ or ‘difficult’.
- Mistake in line 3: It’s “I was walking through…”. Instead of that, we can say: “I was strolling around…”
Idiom: To go/walk down the aisle  To get married.

Exercise 3:
1. When she saw Jan, she knew immediately that he had been crying. (he had teary eyes)
2. Dad, I was wondering if I could borrow your car this weekend.
3. We’d already eaten all our food and we still had two more days of travel.
4. Because of the poor economy, it’s getting more difficult to find work. (It’s becoming increasingly
difficult…)
5. Are you free tomorrow? I was hoping you might help me with my tax forms.
6. I’ve owned six houses in my lifetime, but this is by far the best.
7. This room is filthy! Whay have you been doing all morning?
8. At the first signs of trouble, animals always move to higher ground.

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 9. The boss is always telling us to work hard, but she does nothing.
10. You should ask Don. He may know some good restaurants.
11. Helga and I are thinking of moving to Spain. What do you reckon?
12. Look at this car. We’ve been trying to fix it for weeks!
 The moral high ground (idiom) Meaning: to claim that your side of an argument is morally better than your
opponents’ side; to argue in a way that makes your side seem morally better.
 We can say: I’m seeing this woman = I’m dating this woman.

Sheet number 2: “Cheating on your partner”

Exercise: Read the text and make a resume. (el resumen se lo queda Rodolfo)

 Expression: “That is of no comfort to Jenifer”.

 Red flag: a red flag as a warning of danger or a problema. “They had overlooked the red flags that should
have alerted them to the county's disastrous investment strategy”.

Students’ Book – page 11:

Text ‘Are you a good language learner?’
Paragraph 6: 3 interesting expressions.
- I’m prone to making mistakes. Prone: To do sth bad. Example: Tired drivers were found to be
particularly prone to ignore warning signs.
- To have a good ear for languages.
- Nine times out of ten.
 To devote time to watching TV or working out. I could only devote two hours a day to the work.
 I was so close to winning…
Exercise 3A:
1. I have a tendency to sleep in late.
2. I’m not declined to be very laid-back.
3. I’m always looking for new things to learn.
4. As a rule, I try not to work at the weekend.
5. Nine times out of ten I’ll be right about my first impressions.
6. As a child I would spend hours reading.

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 NOTES: April, 10th 2019
Writting about “Your dream job” – para entregar a Rodolfo.

Students’ Book – page 6:

PRONUNCIATION:
Exercise 3 A:
1 hear
2 bought
3 aware
4 calm
Sheet number 3: “speakout – GRAMMAR EXTRA”
Exercise 1
1. In finishing a PhD degree in just two years, you have succeeded against significant odds.
Expression ‘against significant odds’  contra todo pronóstico.
Remember: To succeed in…
2. We plan to construct a large bridge that will join the city to the nearby island.
3. Don’t you realice that participating in class discussions makes the course more interesting?
4. I got stang by a jellyfish while swimming in the sea.
5. After studying software engineering, he went on to develop many smartphone applications.
6. We weren’t put off by the enormity of e task. We were willing to dedicate evenings and weekends to
the Project.
7. Why would you allow anyone to copy your work.
8. Studying business is not a guaranteed path to success.

Exercise 2:
1. In addition winning the election, the mayor got married on the same day.
2. I clearly remember leaving my keys on the kitchen table.
3. Stop complaining about the amount of work you have.
4. There’s simply too much to do. We’ll never finish by lunchtime.
5. I would to like to have gone to the concert with you.
6. There’s saving all their money to pay their son’s tuition. (Tuition: the act of teaching sth, especially to
one person or to people in small groups. She received private tuition in French)
7. She gas gone to great lengths to find a job.
8. I plan to be a doctor, buy I’d like to specialise in treating heart disease.

Students’ Book – page 11:

GRAMMAR: ‘will’ expresing a habit.
Examples:

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 Will you shut up? or Will you help me?
 If you Will excuse me… / If you will help me…

Dinámica de los papelitos:

To be inquisitive: To be very interested in learning about many different things (an inquisitive mind)
To be pushover: A person who is easy to persuade or influence.
To be a talk shop:  to talk about your job with those you work with when not at work. Even at a party they
have to talk shop!
To be calm: To never freak out, meaning to react very strongly to sth that makes them suddenly feel shocked,
surprised, frightened, etc. Sneaks really freak me out.
Video on youtube about the most important picture in the history of the USA: Edward Hopper - Nighthawks
(1942)
How to describe a painting; we can talk about:
- Light
- Geometry
- Specificity
Another Rodolfo’s favourite painter: Johannes Vermeer (La carta de amor, 1669-1670)
Another painting of Vermeer: “The isle of the Death”. There are many versions of this painting. (The place
exists in Montenegro; it must be the inspiration…
Describing a painting; we can use vague language (see the Student’s book on page 15)
- There’s some kind of…
- It strikes me…
- At first sight it seems to be….

 Awe (noun): Feelings of being very impressed by sth/sb. (= temor; admiración)

- They gazed in awe at the small mountain of diamonds. He speaks of her with awe.
 Oarsman: a person who rows a boat, especially as a member of a crew (=team)
 Idiom: ‘anything but’ (meaning ‘definitely not’) Example: The hotel wasn’t cheap. Anything but.
Talk in groups: What do you do to be inspired?
I was inspired to do sth.
He was always a big inspiration to me.
To get inspired.
He inspired me to do sth.
My go-to artist (only before noun). Used to refer to the person or place that sb goes to for help, advice,
information or inspiration. He’s the president’s go-to guy on Asian politics.

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 NOTES: April, 29th 2019

Specific maternity vocabulary:

 Delivering room (es el lugar donde da a luz la madre)
 How far along are you? (¿de cuánto estás? Answer: 3 months
 She went into labour early (se puso de parto pronto). Labour: The period of time or the process of giving
birth to a baby.
 Miscarry: to give birth to a baby before it is fully developed and able to live. The shock caused her to
miscarry.

Topic: Justice
 I want to report a crime.
 To be unjustly accused.
 To sentence someone.
 Legalese: the sort of language used in legal documents that is difficult to understand. (be careful because
it has negative connotations)
 A fixer (it’s informal): a person who arranges things for other people, sometimes dishonestly. In this case,
a kind of lawyer that fixes a case.
 To acquit sb: to decide and state officially in court that sb is not guilty of a crime. The jury acquitted him of
murder.
 The opposite  To convict sb: To decide and state officially in court that sb is guilty of a crime. He was
convicted of fraud.
 To take legal actions.
 Lawsuit: a claim or complaint against sb that a person or an organization can make in court. He filed a
lawsuit against his record company. Frivolous lawsuit: is one which, that due to lack of legal merit, has no
chance of succeeding.
 To appeal: to make a formal request to a court or to sb in authority for a judgement or a decision to be
changed. He said he would appeal after being found guilty.

Workbook: page 24
Listening – 6A (Answer key on page 86)
 ‘Guilty’ is the adjective but ‘culprit’ is the noun, so be careful. The police quickly identified the real culprits.
 Manslaughter (homicidio involuntario): The crime of killing sb illegally but not deliberately. The charge has
been reduced to manslaughter.
 Manhole (agujero de la alcantarilla)
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 Creek (río)
 Brooke: arroyo
 To be heavily medicated.
 Secondhand embarrassment (sería algo así como vergüenza ajena) A person experiencing secondhand
embarrassment feels as if they are doing the embarrassing action themselves, effectively putting themselves
in the other person's shoes.  Stefanie is singing loudly in Portuguese! I feel second hand
embarrassment... I can't be in the same room right now.
 Eyewitness statement:  is a signed document recording the evidence of a witness.
 A  police lineup (in American English) or identity parade (in British English) is a process by which a crime
victim or witness's putative identification of a suspect is confirmed to a level that can count as evidence at
trial. (alineación de la policía o un desfile de identidad)
 Testify: to make a statement that something happened or that sth is true as a witness in court (only in the
court room)
 To give evidence: to give the information that is used in court to try to prove sth. I was asked to give
evidence at the trial.
 The Bar: in British English, the profession of barrister (a lawyer in Britain who has the right to argue cases
in the higher courts of law =abogado de casos capitales) – In the US it’s called attorney.
 To be called to the Bar (=allowed to work as a qualified barrister)
 Solicitor: in British English a lawyer who prepares legal documents, for example for the sale of land or
buildings, advises people on legal matters, and can speak for them in some courts of law.
 Attorney: in the US, a lawyer, especially one who can act for sb in court.

Students’ Book – page 134:

4.1 – A:
1. I can’t stand it when all it does is rain for days on end.
2. I’d appreciate it if you could give me a little more notice next time.
3. It’s no use just standing there. You’d better get on with it.
4. I find it hard to believe that the summer is here already.
5. It appears that the police have video footage of the incident.
6. It’s pointless arguing with her when she’s in that kind of stage.
7. I’ll leave it to the others to decide what time we should meet.
8. I’ve always made it clear that my family has to take priority over my work.
Notes:
 I don’t find it easy to forget/to do that.
 To give notice (=notificar)
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 “At short ‘notice” or “At a moment’s ‘notice”: not long in advance; without warning or time for preparation.
This was the best room we could get at such short notice. You must be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
 Video footage (=metraje grabado) - Footage: Part of a film showing a particular event.
 To be strictly forbidden (=terminantemente prohibido): Pesticide application in greenhouses is strictly
forbidden, as long as unprotected workers are inside. SYN: absolutely.

Workbook: page 26 – exercises 5A and 5B - (Answer key on page 86)

Notes:
 To campaign for: To take part in or lead a campaign, for example to achieve political change or in order to
win an election.
 To advocate: to support sth. publicly. The group doesn’t advocate the use of violence.
 To champion a cause: to fight for or speak in support of a group of people or a belief. He has always
championed the cause of gay rights.
 A reluctant hero (=a person who does not want to be called a hero) - Reluctant (=reacio)
 An unsung hero: not praised or famous but deserving to be. The unsung heroes of the war.
 Lovable rogue (=canalla): a person who breaks the law, for their own personal profit.

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 NOTES: May, 22nd 2019

GRAMMAR:
Relative sentences: they allow us to articulate 3 ideas in just one sentence.
Exercise on sheet nº 1 (22-05-19):
1. Although the trees had been there for sixty years, they cut down them in order to sell the timber.
2. When he returned to the village where he had been born and brought up, he realised it had changed
beyond recognition.
3. Although it was wet and muddy, he walked across the common in order to save at least 10 minutes
(or because this would save at least 10 minutes)
4. Whenever he stayed in hotels, in case they catch fire Hans took a rope-ladder with him.
5. Although he wore several pairs of socks, it was so cold that he suffered frostbite in several toes.
6. As the weather has been extremely poor, the price of potatoes has remained steady whereas the
price of cabbages has doubled because supplies have been imported from Egypt.
7. Despite the fact it made him feel sick, he swallowed the fish’s eye because he wanted to impress his
friends.
8. He wrote a letter to Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, in whose house he had stayed in for eight weeks while he
was giving a series of lectures at the university, in order to thank them for their hospitality.

 Note: ‘yet’ es para pijos; es mejor usar ‘but’. It’s a small car, yet (=but) it’s surprisingly spacious.

VOCABULARY:
The plural of some words:
Singular Plural
Cherub Cherubs or cherubim
Ultimatum Ultimatums or ultimata
Criterion Criteria
Alumnus Alumni
Formulas or formulae
Formula (especially in scientific
use)
Bacterium Bacteria

Ocurre que una palabra técnica (como por ejemplo bacteria; que sólo se usa en un ámbito de conocimiento
determinado), se mantiene ‘a salvo’ (sin añadirle la ‘s’, como ocurre con ‘cherubs’), mientras siga siendo
usada exclusivamente en ese ámbito cerrado de conocimiento. En el momento en que sea ‘popular’ (que
empiece a usarse por todo el mundo), dejará de conservar su léxico original y derivará hacia formas
modificadas para hacerla más fácil de pronunciar o conocer.

Exercise on sheet nº 2 (22-05-19):

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The words in the box. Meaning:
Algorithms: Algorithms are used in social media to deliver specific content to the user.
Bubble: a situation in which an Internet user encounters only information and opinions that conform to and
reinforce their own beliefs.
To censor: in social media.
Echo chambers: In social media, are people that only read the news that is going to confirm and strengthen
(=fortalecer) their opinions.
Fake: In social media, we can find fake news, fake users, fake profiles, fake accounts, …
Filtering: Selective presentation or deliberate manipulation of information to make it more acceptable or
favourable.
Hacking: Hacking generally refers to unauthorized intrusion into a computer or a network. The person
engaged in hacking activities is known as a hacker. 
Post-truth: relating to a situation in which people are more likely to accept an argument based on their
emotions and beliefs, rather than one based on facts.
Reinforced:  If something reinforces an idea or opinion, it provides more proof or support for it and makes
it seem true.
Segregation: to keep one group of people apart from others because of race, religion, sex, etc.
Trolling: the act of leaving an insulting message on the internet in order to annoy someone. There
are people who create several different profiles at once for the purposes of trolling.
Unbiased:  able to judge fairly because you are not influenced by your own opinions. We try to remain as
unbiased as we can, but it is difficult.
More vocabulary mentioned in class:
 Driverless cars: a car not having a person as a driver.
 Conspiracy theory: a belief that an event or situation is the result of a secret plan made
by powerful people.
 Post-truth politics: The referendum was the first major vote in the era of post-truth politics.
Video: “Scaping the internet echo chambers”.
Ideas from the video:
- To critique information / your sources.
- To engage other views.
- To be mindful.
Vocabulary used:
 To burst out of your echo chambers. One of the best things you can do to burst the echo chamber bubble
is to be aware that you're in one.
 Hatred: an extremely strong feeling of dislike. The motive for this shocking attack seems to
be racial hatred.

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 Expand your boundaries.

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