Identifying Phrasal Verbs

I really admire my Uncle Mario. I have always looked up to him as someone I can go for advice. What is nice, is  that now and then he comes to me. My Uncle Mario is looking for a new apartment. He spent the weekend looking through the newspapers trying to find something in his price range. He decided he needed some advice so he looked up my phone number in his address book and called me. The next day we spent the afternoon looking at some possibilities in Santo Domingo, the capital of teh Dominican Republic.  He was looking for a bargain but I told him to look out for flats which needed a lot of work. In every flat we looked over the electrics and the plumbing. All the the flats we saw were quite pricey so we looked into the possibility of getting a mortgage from the bank. In the end we managed to find the perfect flat and Uncle Mario is really looking forward to moving in. It was pricey but I think Uncle Mario will look after it well.

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Vocabulary:

To admire (verb): regard (an object, quality, or person) with respect or warm approval.

Advice (noun): guidance or recommendations concerning prudent future action, typically given by someone regarded as knowledgeable or authoritative.

Flat (noun): another word that means apartment.

Price range (noun): The highest and lowest prices recorded within a given time on a market. 

A bargain: a thing bought or offered for sale more cheaply than is usual or expected.

Pricey (adjective): Expensive

Getting a mortgage: Getting a loan to buy a property

Moving in (adverb): to change in position from one point to another.

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Grammar Point: Phrasal Verbs

A phrasal verb is a verb plus a preposition or adverb which creates a meaning different from the original verb.

Example:  To look up----- To look is a verb and up is a preposition. The new phrase means to find information or to admire someone.

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Exercise: Go on the following link to find the definition of some phrasal verbs. Then, match the phrasal verbs with the definition: http://www.eslcafe.com/pv/

1.        Look up to someone                                            a.   Look at and check to see if it is okay

2.        Look for                                                             b.    Value someone’s opinions (especially someone older)    

3.        Look through a newspaper                                  c.   Keep a careful watch for

4.        Look up a telephone number                                d.   Read quickly for the main points   

5.        Look at (possibilities)                                          e.  Go and see before something  (buying it)

6.        Look out for                                                        f.    Wait with anticipation (Christmas)

7.        Look over (a report, plumbing)                             g.   Investigate

8.        Look into                                                             h. Take care of (a baby, plant)     

9.        Look forward to                                                   i. Try to find

10.     Look after                                                           j. Try to find a telephone number in a book

Quinceañera... A Spanish Rite of Passage Celebration...

What does it mean to be a quinceañera?

The meaning
In many Latin-American countries, 14-year-old girls can hardly wait for their next birthday. They look forward to their quinceañera (KEEN-say-ahn-YEH-ruh), a special 15th-birthday celebration for girls. On this day, a girl becomes a young woman in the eyes of her family and friends.

The origin

 The quinceañera tradition goes back hundreds of years. It probably began with the Aztecs, in an area that is now part of Mexico. At that time, a girl of 15 was considered an adult, old enough to get married. Since then, the tradition has changed and spread. 

Today, quinceañeras are celebrated in most of Latin America, and in the United States. Modern quinceañeras are big events. The girl wears a fancy dress, and sometimes even a crown. Friends and relatives bring special gifts. There is delicious food, a beautiful cake, and dancing late into the night. A quinceañera is more than just a party. It includes ceremonies to show that the girl is growing up. For example, during the event, the girl’s father takes off her flat slippers and places high-heeled shoes on her feet instead. A quinceañera is a goodbye to childhood. It’s a day to celebrate the future. For many girls, it’s the best day of their lives.
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Vocabulary
Hardly (adverb): used to qualify a statement by saying that it is true to an insignificant degree
Look Forward (phrasal verb): to anticipate with eagerness or pleasure
To become (verb): to begin to be
Young (adjective): having lived or existed for only a short time.
Tradition (noun): the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way.
to spread (verb): extend over a large or increasing area.
Fancy (adjective): elaborate in structure or decoration
relatives (noun): a person connected by blood or marriage.
Slippers (noun): a comfortable slip-on shoe that is worn indoors
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Grammar Notes: Descriptive Adjectives
Descriptive adjectives are words that we use to describe the appearance of a noun. It is the largest among all the types of adjectives. They describe the noun in detail by assigning an attribute to that noun. In English, unlike other languages, the adjectives are commonly placed before the noun that they describe.
For example:
 The White House ------) White is the adjective that describes the house. 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Let's practice!
Underline the adjective and circle the nouns in the following phrases:


1) Special celebration 
2) Young woman 
3) Modern Quinceañeras
4) Big events
5) Fancy dress
6) Delicious food
7) Beautiful cake
8) Flat shoes
9) High-heeled shoes
10) Best day 

Choosing the Right Pet

Baby Leah playing with her chickens

Choosing a pet can be a very tedious process. When choosing a pet, we must keep in mind the amount of space that we have available, the budget, and be able to spend time with the pet. Many pets have high or low demands for these needs. The space available is a very important factor. For example, cats and dogs need a vast amount of space because they need to run. Whereas people who live in small houses or apartments are better off selecting pets that don’t need much running space. Such as, birds, turtles, or fishes.

The amount of money that we have available to maintain a pet is also very important. The bigger the animal is, the more food it’s going to consume. Not only do they need to eat, but also, the owner need to provide them the care they need. Pet owners must provide their animals with a comfortable space where they are able to play, eat, run, and do all the things their pets need. Animals, just like people, also need attention and love. Animals such as cats and dogs deserve and need a lot of attention. If a person cannot commit to spend some hours a day with their pet or dog, then it would be much better to get a fish or a hamster; these animals do not need as much attention, as they previously mentioned.

Choosing the right pet for my daughter was a very complicated process. My fiancée and I were not sure about which animal would be ideal to have at home. After doing some research, we decided to get chickens. We have six lovely chickens. They don't require a lot of attention. We leave enough food for them every other day, and we also let them out of their cage, at least once a week, so they can run and play with our daughter in the backyard.

People have to do a lot of thinking and planning ahead before purchasing the right pet. They have to look over the correct amount of space, the stability of the budget, and having the correct time schedule for having a pet to bring home.

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Vocabulary:

Tedious: (adj) Too long, slow, or dull: tiresome or monotonous.
Budget: (n) An estimate of income and expenditure for a set period of time.
Consume: (v) To use up (a resource).
Pet: (n) A domestic or tamed animal or bird kept for companionship or pleasure and treated with care and affection.
Previously: (Adv) An existing or occurring before in time or order.
Complicated: (Adj)consisting of many interconnecting parts or elements; intricate.
Research: (N) The systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
Purchasing: (Verb) To acquire (something) by paying for it; buy.
Selecting: (Verb) carefully choose as being the best or most suitable.
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Synonyms: 
A synonym is a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language.

For example:   
                             buy and purchase            big and large

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Exercise

The following sentences are from your reading or about it. Write the synonyms of the bold words on the space provided:

1. Choosing a pet can be a very tedious process. __________________________

2. The stability of the budget is very important. _________________________

3. Big animals consume a lot of food and time.  _________________________________
4. I want to buy an animal for my baby.  ______________________________
5. The person who walked in the office previously. ______________________

6. I was trying to find information about choosing the right pet. _________________
7. I am trying to purchase a dog. ________________________
8. Choosing the right animal is very complicated. _______________________

My Best Summer Vacation

Plaza Mayor, Madrid

Summer is a season for adventure, fun, love, and so much more. The summer of 2011 is an unforgettable one for me. I traveled to Spain in a program that my school offered. This was the first time I was traveling to Europe. I was very anxious because I was going to live with a family that I did not know for an entire month! When I was packing my luggage, I tried to make sure that I packed everything I needed. I ended up bringing two suitcases with me. 

Eiffel Tower, Paris

We took a plane for about seven hours. I watched two movies, I read half of one of my favorite books, took pictures with my friend, and slept, hoping to make this ride shorter. It sure was a long ride! The first night, we stayed in a hotel in the capital of Spain, Madrid. We watched a flamenco show and we ate dinner in a traditional restaurant. The next day, we walked throughout the city and visited some museums. On the third day, we left to Leon, the city where we stayed for the remaining of the time. In Leon, our host families flamenco us in front of one of the buildings of the University. We took classes during the morning and in the afternoon we went on excursions. We visited caves, museums, cathedrals, and many other places.  One weekend, my friends and I decided to go to Paris. We took a plane. Paris was really nice. I loved all the buildings, the Eiffel Tower, eating crepes on the streets, and visiting the Louvre Museum. I also bought many souvenirs to bring home to my family.  These are memories that I will cherish forever. 

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Vocabualry:

To be anxious:(verb) when someone is very concerned about something
Luggage: (noun) suitcases or other bags in which to pack personal belongings for traveling.Entire (adjective) : with no part left out; whole.To end up (Phrasal verb): to reach a particular place or achieve a situation after other activities.
Flamenco (noun): A Traditional dance from SpainExcursions (noun): a short journey or trip, especially one engaged in as a leisure activity.To cherish (verb): To keep (a hope or ambition) in one's mind.Souvenirs (noun): a thing that is kept as a reminder of a person, place, or event.

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Grammar note: The simple past tense

• Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

• The past tense of regular verbs is made by adding -d or -ed to the base form of the verb, while those of irregular verbs are formed in various different ways (such as see→saw, go→went, be→was/were).

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Now let's practice!  

Complete the following sentences with correct form of the verb in the past:

1) In the summer of 2001, I (go) ________________________ to Spain. 

2) I (travel) _________________________ with my friends from school. 

3) My school (offer)______________________ a trip in the summer. 

4) I (be) ________________________ very anxious. 

5) I (pack) ______________________ all my clothes for the tip.

6) We (take) ____________________ a plane for seven hours. 

7) We (visit)____________________ many places in Spain and Paris. 

8) I (read)______________________ a book on the plane. 

9) I (watch) ___________________ a movie on the plane. 

10) We (take) _________________ classes in the morning. 

Follow this link for more fun practice! 

http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-simple-past.php#.VQbXbo7F_Zc

About The Writer

Surfing the internet, sometimes I come across blogs, and I wonder, who are the people behind the screen? Therefore, I decided to write a little introduction about myself in my blog. My name is Angelica Rodriguez. I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic. I am a Spanish teacher in New York City. Currently, I am pursuing my master's degree in ESL education (K-12). Learning English has been an ongoing journey for the past ten years. I can describe myself with three words: I am a go-getter. Being a first year teacher, and also a first time mom, I have come to the conclusion that it is my nature to love, to live, to learn, to grow, to help others, to teach, to explore, to be fascinated with the unknown, to seek compassion for justice,to see the greatness in everyone, to find beauty in anything,and last, to be intense and passionate with life itself.

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Vocabulary: 
To love: an intense feeling of deep affection
To live: make one's home in a particular place or with a particular person
To learn:gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in (something) by study, experience, or being taught.
To grow: undergo natural development by increasing in size and changing physically; progress to maturity.
To help: to make it easier for (someone) to do something by offering one's services or resources.
To teach: show or explain to (someone) how to do something.
To explore: travel in or through (an unfamiliar country or area) in order to learn about or familiarize oneself with it.
To see: perceive with the eyes; discern visually.
To find: discover or perceive by chance or unexpectedly.
To be: to exist.
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Grammar Point:

Infinitive verbs

Do you know the difference between an infinitive verb and a base verb? Or, do you know when and how do you use infinitive verbs? These questions, and their answers are the key to understanding the uses of an infinitive verb.
Basically, an infinitive verb is a verb with the word "to" in front of it. For example: to have, to do, to be, etc. 

There are several ways to use infinitive verbs. You can use them:

1. as the subject of a sentence- To forgive is great. 

2. like an adjective or adverb that express purpose- My instructions are to remove the tape. 

3. following a direct object- I have to give this to you.

4. following other verbs-Ex:(afford) I can't afford to buy this

Important Note: Because an infinitive verb is a verb at its simplest form, you cannot add s, es, ed, or -ing to the end. Ever!

Let's review!

1. An infinitive is ___________________________________.

2. I can use infinitive verbs: _________________________________, ___________________________________, ____________________________, ____________________________________________.

3. Some examples of verbs that are in the infinitive form are: 

______________________________          ____________________________

______________________________          ____________________________

______________________________          ____________________________

______________________________          ___________________________ 

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