Introduction

Contents
Introduction ............................................................................... 2

PART 1 - GRAMMAR
1. The English Verb ........................................................................4
2. Habit ...........................................................................................8
3. The Present Perfect ..................................................................12
4. Future Forms ............................................................................16
5. Narrative Tenses .......................................................................21
6. Multi-Word Verbs .....................................................................26
7. Articles .....................................................................................30
8. Modals (I) - Obligation ............................................................33
9. Modals (II) - Degrees of Certainty ...........................................37
10. Special Tense Use .....................................................................41
11. Reported Speech.......................................................................46
12. The Passive...............................................................................50

PART 2 - VOCABULARY
13. Work .........................................................................................55
14. The Car & Transport ................................................................60
15. The Media ................................................................................66
16. Holidays & Travel ....................................................................69
17. Crime & Punishment ................................................................73
18. Relationships & The Family ....................................................77
19. Weather & Climate ...................................................................81
20. Education .................................................................................84
21. Cinema, Theatre & Music ........................................................88
22. Money ......................................................................................93
23. Current Affairs..........................................................................97
24. Health .................................................................................... 100

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

Introduction
This Upper Intermediate Workbook has been written in order to help you with your studies for the
First Certificate in English exam.

The workbook will be useful to you in two principal ways. Firstly, you should do the exercises as
your teacher directs - he or she will make it clear what areas you are expected to know for specific
modules and grades. Secondly, it will be useful as a source of reference when you are having
difficulty with particular grammar points or areas of vocabulary.

The workbook is different from the textbooks and grammar books which you can buy in bookshops
because it has been written exclusively with students studying at Lacunza in mind. It focuses
particularly on the areas of English which cause problems for people here.

The workbook contains wordlists and examples in English and Spanish, as well as translation
exercises. We feel that the contrast between the two languages can often make it easier for you to
understand how English grammar works. However, please remember than in class you should use
English at all times, and that if you want to become a fluent speaker, it is a question of practising
as much as possible.

The wordlists in the vocabulary units of the workbook have been placed in columns. This is so
that if you want to test yourself, you can cover just the English, and see if you can remember each
word for its Spanish equivalent, and vice versa. At this level, it is vital to acquire a good range of
vocabulary.

We hope that you enjoy your lessons in Lacunza, and take full advantage of the opportunity to
practise speaking English. However, to learn a language well is no easy task, and your time in class
is limited. Inevitably this means that you will have to spend some time and effort studying on your
own. We hope that this workbook will make this task easier for you.

Simon Clarke 9th May 2010

Director of Studies

2
 Part 1
Grammar

3
 Upper Intermediate Workbook

1. The English Verb

1.1 VERB FORMS, TERMINOLOGY & THE TENSE SYSTEM

In English, unlike in Spanish, the verb can only take one of 5 different forms.

Regular verbs Irregular Verbs

Base form work write drink
S-Form works writes drinks
Past form worked wrote drank
-ing form working writing drinking
Past/passive participle worked written drunk

Some of these verb forms can have more than one use.

Base form Infinitive He wants to work.

Present tense I work very hard.
Imperative Work faster.

S-form Present tense He works very hard.

(3rd person)

Past form Past tense They worked all night.

-ing form Gerund I don’t like working.

Active participle We are working a lot.

Past/passive Past participle They have worked here since January.

participle Passive participle The building was worked on for 5 years.

If no auxiliary is used, a verb can only be in the simple present tense - I work, or the past tense - I worked. To
form the other tenses we use the auxiliary verbs have and be - I have worked, I am working, I have been
working, etc.

A Complete the tense charts below using the verb play for the active and made for the passive.

ACTIVE Simple Continuous

Present he plays

Past
Future
Present Perfect

Past Perfect
Future Perfect

4
 The English Verb Grammar Unit 1

PASSIVE Simple Continuous

Present it is made

Past
Future
Present Perfect

Past Perfect
Future Perfect

B Read the passage below. Name the tense or form of the verbs in italics.

Janet Smith (a) was born in 1960 in Chester, in the North West of England. She (b) went to school at Chester
Girls High School. While she (c) was studying there she passed 10 GCSEs and 4 A-levels. When she left
school she went to Durham University (d) to study English Literature. When she (e) had finished her course
she got a temporary job as a secretary. She (f) had been working for 6 months when she decided to leave
and spend some time abroad. She (g) took a course in teaching English as a foreign language, and then got
her first job, (h) teaching English in Bologna, Italy. Since then, she (i) has also taught English in France
and Germany, and (j) is now working here in the Basque Country. She (k) has lived here for eight years now
and is married to a Basque, and they have a small son, Ander, who is 6 months old. Next January she (l)
will have been teaching English for 12 years. Although she still enjoys (m) giving classes she would like
to try something different. She (n) has been studying Basque for a year and (o) is being taught by a teacher
in the village where she (p) lives. She wants to do an intensive residential course in a Barnetegi but she (q)
will find it difficult to organise because of her work and family commitments. Hopefully, in a couple of years
time she (r) will be speaking fluent Basque.

a) Past Simple Passive j) ...............................................................................

b) ............................................................................... k) ...............................................................................
c) ............................................................................... l) ...............................................................................
d) ............................................................................... m) ...............................................................................
e) ............................................................................... n) ...............................................................................
f) ............................................................................... o) ...............................................................................
g) ............................................................................... p) ...............................................................................
h) ............................................................................... q) ...............................................................................
i) ............................................................................... r) ...............................................................................

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

1.2 SIMPLE OR CONTINUOUS?

Verbs can express actions or states: There are four main groups of state verbs. These verbs
ACTIONS are not usually used in the continuous, because they
express the idea of permanency or completeness.
I went to the cinema.
Fui al cine.
• Verbs of mind or thinking: believe, think,
He’s writing a letter. understand, expect, know, remember, etc.
Está escribiendo una carta.
They’ve bought a new car. • Verbs of emotion: like, love, hate, hope, prefer,
Han comprado un coche.
want, wish, etc
STATES • Verbs of having and being: have, own, belong,
John needs a haircut. contain, seem, appear, need, depend, cost, etc.
Jon necesita un corte de pelo.
I like chocolate. • Verbs of sense: see, hear, smell, taste.
Me gusta el chocolate.
You don’t understand. Some state verbs can be used in the continuous to express
No lo entiendes.
an activity, not a state. However, the meaning changes.
Action verbs express activity, something happening or
changing. e.g. do, go, make, take, say, etc. We use ACTIONS STATES
action verbs with the continuous to express: I’m seeing Jane later. I see what you mean.
• activity in progress He quedado con Entiendo lo que quieres
Please don’t interrupt when I’m speaking. Jane luego. decir.
Por favor, no me interrumpas cuando estoy hablando.
I was leaving home when the phone rang. I’m thinking of going. I think you’re right.
Salía de casa cuando sonó el telefono. Estoy pensando si ir o no. Creo que tienes razon.
This time tomorrow he’ll be flying home.
Mañana a esta hora estará volando de vuelta a casa.
He’s tasting the soup. The soups tastes awful.
Esta probando la sopa. Sabe horrible.

• temporary activity She’s expecting a baby. I expect you’re hungry.

I’m staying with friends until I find a flat. Espera un niño. Supongo que tendrás hambre.
Duermo en casa de unos amigos hasta que encuentre
un piso. They’re having lunch. They have a big house.
He usually works mornings, but this month he’s Están comiendo. Tienen una casa grande.
working afternoons.
Suele trabajar por la mañana, pero este mes trabaja por
la tarde.

She’s expecting a baby.

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 The English Verb Grammar Unit 1

C Put the verb in brackets into the correct tense. Is it simple or continuous?

a) I ........................................................... (expect) an f) That .................................................. (smell) good.

important phone call. What are you cooking?
b) What ................................................ (think) of the g) They ........................................................... (think)
film on TV last night? of moving house.
c) He ...................................... (live) with his parents h) The police ................................................. (expect)
until he finds a place of his own. trouble at the football match.
d) “What’s the matter?” i) How much ......................................... (you/think)
“I ...................................... (have) a lot a problems of selling your car for?
with the computer.” k) Peter ............................................ (have) problems
e) Yes, I ................................... (expect) you’re right. coming to class this month because he has a lot of
exams.

D Translate the following sentences.

a) Trabajo de noche este mes. h) No me encuentro bien.

...............................................................................
b) Viven en una casa de alquiler mientras buscan una
para comprar.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
c) Siempre están hablando en clase.
...............................................................................
d) Esta rosa huele bien.
...............................................................................
e) “¿Qué haces?” “Huelo esta rosa.”
...............................................................................
f) Huelo a algo quemado.
...............................................................................
g) Esperamos a mucha gente para cenar.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
i) ¿Qué opinas de la situación económica?
...............................................................................
j) Este mes voy a un cursillo por la mañana.
...............................................................................
k) Están tomando algo en el bar.
...............................................................................
l) ¿Me oyes?
...............................................................................
m) Vale. Ya veo lo que quieres decir.
...............................................................................
n) No creo que tengan mucho dinero.
...............................................................................

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

2. Habit
2.1 HABIT IN THE PRESENT

Present Simple + Adverb of Frequency Present Continuous + always

This is the most common structure for expressing Habit The Present Continuous with always is usually used for
in the Present. Remember, the adverb usually comes CRITICISING annoying habits ......
before the main verb ...... He’s always asking stupid questions.
He always goes to work by car. Siempre esta haciendo preguntas tontas.
Siempre va al trabajo en coche. She’s always complaining about us.
He doesn’t usually eat eggs. Siempre se está quejando de nosotros.
No suele comer huevos.
You should never swear. .... although it can express a pleasant habit.
Nunca debes decir tacos.
I like John. He’s always telling jokes.
John me gusta. Siempre está contanto chistes.
... but after the verb to be. She’s always giving people things.
Our teacher is never late. Ella siempre está dando cosas a la gente.
Nuestra profesora nunca llega tarde.
I wonder why he is always so unhappy.
Me pregunto por qué está siempre tan triste.

A Write sentences, using either the Present Simple, or the Present Continuous (+ always), to illustrate
the following characteristics.

e.g. He’s a very rude person. f) My two-year-old son is very naughty.

He’s always swearing at people.
a) He’s a very kind person.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
b) They’re terribly mean.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
c) She’s really good fun to be with.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
d) You’re very pessimistic.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
e) People here are very reserved.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
g) Mark is very good-natured.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
h) My parents are very difficult to live with.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
i) Peter is very fit.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
j) Our neighbours are really friendly.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
k) You’re the strangest person I’ve ever met.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................

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 Habit Grammar Unit 2

2.2 HABIT IN THE PAST

Used to + infinitive Be/get used to + gerund/noun

This structure expresses PAST ACTIONS that happened This structure expresses something that was difficult,
often but no longer happen ..... strange or unusual before, but is no longer so. Here,
I used to smoke, but I stopped five years ago. used to is an adjective meaning ‘estar acostumbrado a’.
Solía fumar, pero lo dejé hace cinco años. Used to can be followed by a noun ....
I’m used to London traffic because I’ve lived
and PAST SITUATIONS that no longer exist. there for six years.
Tolosa used to be the capital of Gipuzkoa. Estoy acostumbrado al tráfico de Londres porque llevo
seis años viviendo allí.
Tolosa era el capital de Gipuzkoa.
or a gerund (-ing form)
Negative form: He’s used to getting up early.
Está acostumbrado a levantarse temprano.
I didn’t use to like coffee. (use NOT used)
Antes no me gustaba el café. Get used to is used to express ‘acostumbrarse a’.
The new teachers soon get used to life here.
Question form: Los nuevos profesores pronto se acostumbran a la vida
Did you use to play football at school? de aqui.
¿Solías jugar al fútbol en la escuela? They have got used to working late.
Se han acostumbrado a trabajar hasta tarde.

NB. Used to can be translated into Spanish using NB. Don’t confuse used to + infinitive and be/
the verb ‘soler’. However, used to only refers to get used to + gerund/noun. The meaning is
the past. To translate ‘soler’ in the present we use completely different.
the Present Simple (+ usually).
Peter smokes. (NOT Peter uses to smoke.)
Peter fuma.
He usually smokes a cigar after dinner.
(NOT He uses to smoke a cigar after
dinner.)
Suele fumar un puro despues de la cena.

B Write sentences using used to to illustrate the following situations.

e.g. When we were younger, my brother could be very
difficult to live with.
He used to shout at me.
He used to take my things.
a) My grandfather was a very clever man.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
b) I had one very bad teacher at school.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
c) When I was younger, I loved sports.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
d) My father was never at home when I was a child.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
e) I only started doing regular exercise last year.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

C Where possible, re-write the sentences with used to. If it is not possible put an X.

a) In 1983 I went to work in Italy.
X ...............................................................................
b) I had two teaching jobs .
...............................................................................
c) In the morning I went to a factory to teach
English.
...............................................................................
d) In the afternoon, I worked in a school.
...............................................................................
e) I spoke quite good Italian then but now I’ve
forgotten it all.
...............................................................................
f) I went to a pizzeria two or three times a week.
g) I made friends with the waiters and cooks.
...............................................................................
h) They prepared special pizzas for me.
...............................................................................
i) People were very friendly and often invited me to
parties.
...............................................................................
j) I spent two years in Italy, and it was a very happy
period of my life.
...............................................................................

D Using the verb in brackets, complete the sentences using used to + infinitive, be used to + gerund,
or get used to + gerund.

a) I ................................................................. (spend) d) There .............................................................. (be)

a lot of money on clothes and books but now I’m
unemployed so I can’t afford it.
b) It took me a long time to .......................................
..................................................... (work) at night.
c) He’s been in Indonesia for over three years now
so he ................................................... (live) there.
a bullring in Gros.
e) They’re having problems .......................................
............................................. (live) in the country.
f) I never ............................................................ (do)
much sport, but now I really like it.

E Rewrite the sentences using used to (do) or a form of be/get used to (doing).
a) I don’t mind getting up early in the morning. I’ve
always done it.
I’m used to getting up early in the morning.
b) I gave up smoking over ten years ago.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
c) Before I got married I went to the cinema a lot.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
d) I hated living here when I arrived but now I don’t
mind it so much.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
e) We had lots of friends when we lived in the
country.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
f) Peter was very difficult when he was a child.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
g) When you buy a new car, you need some time to
practise driving it.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
h) I’d never be happy living in a cold climate.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................

10

i) Although the job was difficult at first, she soon
became familiar with what she had to do.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
F Translate the following sentences.
a) Ella nunca se ha acostumbrado a vivir en un
pueblo pequeño.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
b) Los políticos suelen mentir.
...............................................................................
c) Mi padre no me suele escuchar.
...............................................................................
d) Hace unos años solíamos ir a Navarra en verano.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
e) Yo no solía ir a la ópera, pero ahora si voy.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
Habit Grammar Unit 2
j) Unemployment doesn’t bother him. He’s never
had a job!
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
f) Al principio, no podía entender a la gente porque
no estaba acostumbrado a su acento.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
g) Nunca me acostumbraré a la comida inglesa.
...............................................................................
h) Tengo los ojos irritados porque no estoy acostum-
brado a las lentillas de contacto.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
i) Antes las mujeres no solían ir a los partidos de
fútbol.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
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 Upper Intermediate Workbook
3. The Present Perfect
In English this structure is used to express two different basic ideas: The INDEFINITE PAST and the
UNFINISHED PAST.
3.1 THE INDEFINITE PAST
To express INDEFINITE PAST, the Present Perfect is
used more or less in the same way as the Pretérito
Perfecto in Spanish. It is used to talk about:
• finished actions and events when the time is not
specified, especially recent events with a result in
the present.
Here is the news. The Prime Minister has
resigned. She announced her resignation at 10
o’clock this morning. (Past Simple when a
specific time is mentioned.)
I’ve lost my wallet!
The train from Madrid has just arrived.
Both the Present Perfect Simple and Present
Perfect Continuous can be used to express the
present result of past activities. The Simple form
emphasises the COMPLETED ACTION:
He’s lost a lot of weight. (He’s a lot thinner.)
The Continuous form emphasises the repeated/
continuous ACTIVITY.
He’s been doing a lot of exercise and following
a diet.
• people’s experience in their lives up to now - often
with ever and never.
I’ve seen this film before.
I’ve never tried bungee jumping.
“Have you ever been to Germany?” “Yes I
have. I went to the Munich Beer Festival last
year.” (Past Simple for specific details.)
A Use the word prompts in brackets to write an appropriate sentence. (Use the Present Perfect
Simple or Continuous.)
a) John is exhausted. (He / work / hard.)
...............................................................................
b) Simon’s hand is bleeding. (He / cut / himself.)
...............................................................................
c) Peter has a sore throat. (He / shout / a lot.)
...............................................................................
d) John is red and hot. (He / run / 10 kms.)
...............................................................................
e) Dave is very red. (He / sunbathe / Concha.)
...............................................................................
12
Be careful with expressions like This is the first/
second/third time ....
This is the third time (that) you have arrived
late. (NOT .... you arrive late.)
Esta es la tercera vez que llegas tarde.
This is the first time I have seen her.
(NOT ......... that I see her)
Es la primera vez que la veo.
• actions within an unfinished period of time - today,
this week/month/year/century, etc., often with yet,
already, or so far.
La Real have won three matches so far this
season, and they haven’t lost a match at home
yet.
Unlike the Preterito Perfecto in Spanish, in English
the Present Perfect is never used with adverbs
which indicate a period of time which is finished.
In these cases the Past is used.
I saw Lucy five minutes ago.
(NOT I have seen ..........)
He visto a Lucy hace cinco minutos.
I didn’t work much this morning, but this
afternoon I have worked hard.
Esta mañana no he trabajado mucho, pero esta tarde sí.
f) Where’s Martin? (I / not / see / him / long time.)
...............................................................................
g) Mary’s car was dirty. Now it’s clean. (She / wash
/ it.)
...............................................................................
h) Jane’s wrist is in plaster. (She / break / it.)
...............................................................................
i) Your eyes are red (you / cry?)
...............................................................................
j) You look thinner. (you / lose / weight?)
...............................................................................
 The Present Perfect Grammar Unit 3

B Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense - Past Simple, Present Perfect Simple, or Present
Perfect Continuous.
a) We ....................................... (eat) a lot yesterday,
but we .................................................. (not/have)
anything to eat today.
b) I ............................. (work) hard this afternoon but
I ................................ (not/do) much this morning.
c) Last season Real Madrid ............................ (won)
the league but this season they ..............................
(not/play) very well so far.
d) “Is it a good film?” “Yes, it’s one of the best films
I .......................................................... (ever / see).
e) “When was the last time it ....................... (rain)?”
“I don’t know, but it ............................... (not/rain)
for ages.”
f) “Don’t forget to phone Tom.” “Don’t worry. I
........................................... (already/phone) him.”
g) “Would you like a cup of coffee?” “No thanks, I
................................................... (just/have) one.”
h) I ............................................ (not/speak) to James
since I ............................... (see) him last summer.
i) ............................................. (you/read) any good
books recently?
j) After years of thinking about it, now we
.................................................... (finally/decide).

C √) if the sentence is correct. If it is not correct, make any changes necessary.

Put a tick (√
saved f) She’s had driving lessons for 2 years and
e.g. He’s been saving over £1,000 pounds. ........ she still hasn’t passed her test. .......

a) I’ve been having a lot of headaches g) “You’re very dirty. What have you done?”
recently. ....... “I’ve mended the car. I’ll finish it this afternoon.”
.......
b) Mary’s written several times this month. ....... h) Half my sandwiches are missing. Who’s
been eating my lunch? .......
c) This is the second time I am here. .......
i) I’ve read that book you lent me. I’ll give
d) Henry isn’t here at the moment. He’s been it back to you when I’ve finished. .......
to the bank. .......
j) Look! Somebody has broken that window. .......
e) I’ve gone to the supermarket and done all
the shopping. .......

3.2 THE UNFINISHED PAST

In English, both the the Present Perfect Simple and the When we want to express “the unfinished past”, there is
Present Perfect Continuous are used to talk about actions little difference between the Present Perfect Continuous
and situations which began in the past, but are not and Present Perfect Simple. Sometimes the continuous
finished. However, in Spanish, the present tense is used form implies a situation which is temporary. Compare
to express the same idea. the following:
I’ve known him since 2006. I’ve been living in San Sebastian for 6 months.
(NOT I know him .... ) (I still live here but it’s probably temporary.)
Le conozco desde 2006.
My parents have lived in England all their lives.
I’ve been here for two hours. (They are not likely to move anywhere else.)
(NOT I am here ..... )
Estoy aquí desde hace dos horas. Where possible, we tend to use the continuous.
Have you been waiting long? However, remember there are some verbs which rarely
¿Llevas mucho tiempo esperando? take the continuous form: understand, know, believe,
He’s been working here since July. like, have, hear, etc.
Trabaja aquí desde Julio.

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook
D Study the life history of a teacher working in Lacunza. Use the prompts to form questions in the
appropriate tense. Answer the questions. Write full sentences. Use the Present Perfect
Continuous where possible.
1992 - Went to Italy to work. Got first job teaching
English in an academy in Bologna.
1994 - Returned to London. Unemployed.
1995 - Came to San Sebastian. Started work in
Lacunza.
1996 - Bought first car. An old Seat 127.
1996 - Got married.
e.g. How long / be / a teacher?
How long has he been an English teacher?
He’s been an English teacher since 1992 / for 18
years.
a) How long / work / Italy?
............................................................................. ?
...............................................................................
b) How many teaching jobs / have?
............................................................................. ?
...............................................................................
c) How long / work / Lacunza?
............................................................................. ?
...............................................................................
d) How long / have / a car?
............................................................................. ?
...............................................................................
e) How many cars / have?
............................................................................. ?
...............................................................................
E Complete the second sentence so it means the same as the first sentence.
e.g. He started teaching 12 years ago.
He has been teaching for 12 years.
a) How long have you been working for them?
When .....................................................................
b) Their first child was born in January.
They .......................................................................
c) She took up jogging when she was 30.
................................................. since she was 30.
d) He has changed car 3 times.
This is the fourth car ..............................................
e) We lived in Germany from 1997 to 2000.
................................................................. 3 years.
14
1998 - First child was born.
Changed car - a Seat 124.
1999 - Took up mountain biking.
2000 - Moved to Zizurkil to live.
Bought present car - a Peugeot.
2003 - Second child was born.
2004 - Bought a flat.
f) How long / live / San Sebastian?
............................................................................. ?
...............................................................................
g) How long / be married?
............................................................................. ?
...............................................................................
h) How many children / have?
............................................................................. ?
...............................................................................
i) When / mountain biking?
............................................................................. ?
...............................................................................
j) How long / live / Zizurkil?
............................................................................. ?
...............................................................................
k) How long /own / flat?
............................................................................. ?
...............................................................................
f) She met John when they were at school together.
They ................................................. since school.
g) The last time I saw her was months ago.
I ................................................................ months.
h) We haven’t been out for a meal since January.
The last time ..........................................................
i) It started raining on Monday and continued until
Friday.
.................................................................. 5 days.
j) You’re late again. You’ve already been late once
this week.
It’s the second ........................................................
 The Present Perfect Grammar Unit 3

F Translate the sentences into English.

a) Ha estado lloviendo toda la semana. j) Hemos estado en Francia muchas veces.

............................................................................... ...............................................................................
b) ¡Me he cortado la mano! k) He estado cortando leña toda la tarde.
............................................................................... ...............................................................................
c) Tengo las manos sucias porque he estado arreglan- l) Yo he leido ese libro también.
do la bici. ...............................................................................
............................................................................... m) He visto a Iñaki esta mañana.
............................................................................... ...............................................................................
d) No ha llegado todavía. n) Llevo trabajando en Lacunza desde 2003.
............................................................................... ...............................................................................
e) He arreglado el coche así que no hace falta que lo o) ¿Has visto a José?
lleves al taller. ...............................................................................
............................................................................... p) ¿Has estado en Alemania alguna vez?
............................................................................... ...............................................................................
f) Ha llamado hace cinco minutos. q) Has contado ese chiste antes.
............................................................................... ...............................................................................
g) El Sr. Smith acaba de llamar. u) Tienes ese abrigo desde que estabas en la
............................................................................... universidad.
h) Conozco a Mary desde hace años. ...............................................................................
............................................................................... ...............................................................................
i) El nuevo cine lleva abierto desde hace una semana. r) No he tenido vacaciones este año.
............................................................................... ...............................................................................

He hasn’t had a holiday this year.

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

4. Future Forms
4.1 INTRODUCTION

We can normally be quite certain about the past and the The differences between the different forms are quite
present, but the future is a more “subjective” area. For hard to analyse. You may even find that different
this reason our ATTITUDE is important when discussing grammar books and teachers don’t agree! To begin with,
the future. In fact, there is NO future tense in English - it is best to consider two different types of idea about the
we have several different ways of expressing future time. future - PREDICTIONS and DECISIONS.
1. With the auxiliary “will”.
2. With “going to”.
3. The Present Continuous.
4. The Present Simple.
5. The Future Continuous.
6. The Future Perfect.

4.2 PREDICTIONS

For a lot of predictions you can use either going to or
will.
Tomorrow it will / is going to rain
Va a llover/lloverá mañana.
I think that Manchester United is going to / will
win the league.
Creo que el Manchester United va a ganar/ganará la
liga.
However, if there is some definite present evidence for a
future event, you can only use going to.
I think I’m going to be sick. (NOT I’ll be sick .)
Creo que voy a vomitar.
She’s going to have a baby. (You can see that
she is pregnant. NOT She’ll have a baby.)
Va a tener un niño.
Will tends to be used for more subjective predictions or
guesses, often with words like think, expect, know,
suppose, be afraid, be sure.
I expect she’ll get the job.
Supongo que va a conseguir/consiguirá el trabajo.
Don’t worry. I’m sure they’ll arrive on time.
No te preocupes. Estoy seguro de que van a llegar/
llegarán a tiempo.
Will is more frequent than going to when talking about
predictions.

A Complete the following sentences using going to or will and any other words which are necessary.
Sometimes both going to and will are possible.

a) Look at those clouds! I think it .............................
rain.
b) “What’s the weather forecast for tomorrow?”
“They say it ........................... be cold and wet but
it ................................... improve in the afternoon.
c) The government has predicted that inflation and
unemployment .......................................................
fall by the end of the year.
d) He’s really worried because he hasn’t studied and
he doesn’t think he .................................. pass the
exam.
e) Have you seen these figures? A lot of companies
............................. close if the economic situation
doesn’t improve.
f) He looks very drunk. I think he ............................
fall over.
g) I’m sure we .............................................. be there
by midnight.
h) Be careful! The glass .................................... fall.
i) He ...................................... be eighty on Tuesday.

16
 Future Forms Grammar Unit 4

4.3 DECISIONS

There are 3 different basic types of decision we make
about the future.
• INTENTIONS or decisions made BEFORE the
moment of speaking. We express this with going to.
I’m saving up because I’m going to buy a car.
Estoy ahorrando porque me voy a comprar un coche.
I’m going to make a cup of coffee. Do you
want one?
Voy a hacer café. ¿Quieres uno?
• PLANS OR ARRANGEMENTS which involve other
people. We express this idea using the PRESENT
CONTINUOUS. Unless it is clear from the context,
it is necessary to state the time.
She’s meeting her boyfriend after the class.
Ha quedado con su novio después de la clase.
We’re having a party next Friday. Would you
like to come?
Damos una fiesta para el viernes que viene. ¿Quieres
venir?
Going to and the Present Continuous are often
interchangeable, but compare the following sentences:
I’m going to speak to John tonight. (I intend to
speak to him.He may or may not know about it.)
Voy a hablar con John esta noche.
I’m speaking to John tonight. (An arrangement.
He knows about it.)
He quedado para hablar con John esta noche.
We tend to use the Present Continuous with verbs like
come, go, leave, see, and meet. We usually avoid saying
I’m going to go ...
I’m going to Greece this summer. (NOT I’m
going to go to Greece ....... ).
Voy a ir a Grecia este verano.
• SPONTANEOUS DECISIONS made at the moment
of speaking. We express this with will.
You look tired. I’ll make the dinner tonight.
(NOT I’m going to make .... )
Pareces cansado. Haré yo la cena esta noche.
That suitcase looks heavy. I’ll help you.
(NOT I’m going to help you.)
La maleta parece pesada. Te voy a ayudar.
Will is also used for other types of decision which involve
WILLINGNESS (buena voluntad o disposición).
• REQUESTS Will you help me?
¿Me ayudarás?/¿Me ayudas?
• OFFERS I’ll give you a lift home if you like.
Te llevaré/Te llevo a casa si quieres.
• PROMISES I’ll phone you as soon as I arrive.
Te llamaré en cuanto llegue.
! The choice of will or going to has NOTHING to
do with HOW SOON the action is anticipated.

B Complete the gaps using the verbs in brackets in the most APPROPRIATE form - will, going to or
Present Continuous.
a) Starting tomorrow, I ............................................... f) If you like, he ............................................. (help)
(get up) at 7 o’clock every day. you with your homework.
b) Where ............................................................ (go) g) Mr Evans ................................................... (fly) to
on holiday this year? Munich on Friday for a meeting in the afternoon.
c) A: The phone is ringing. h) I really like the car. I .................................. (give)
B: I ...................................................... (answer) it. you £5000 for it.
d) If you do that again, I ............................................ i) He ............................................. (meet) Jane at the
(get) angry. cinema tonight at 10 o’clock.
e) A: I’m going out for a drink, j) They ........................................... (move) house on
B: Wait a minute. I ..................................... (come) the 13th.
with you.

4.4 PROGRAMMED OR TIMETABLED EVENTS

Future events which are programmed or part of a Next term starts on the 8th January.
timetable of calendar are expressed using the PRESENT El proximo trimestre empieza el día 8 de enero.
SIMPLE. The Madrid train leaves at 11.15 pm.
El tren para Madrid sale a las 11.15.
When is the next bus for Barcelona?
¿Cuándo sale el siguiente autobus para Barcelona?
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 Upper Intermediate Workbook
4.5 THE FUTURE CONTINUOUS
The Future Continuous is used:
• to express the idea of an activity that will be in
PROGRESS at a specific time in the future.
This time tomorrow I’ll be doing an English
exam.
Mañana a esta hora estaré haciendo un examen de
inglés.
No, don’t phone at 9.00. I’ll be watching the
football match.
No, no llames a las 9.00. Estaré viendo el partido de
fútbol.
• to express things that will happen naturally as part of
a routine or arrangement already made.
I’ll be seeing John on Thursday. (As usual.)
Veré a John el jueves.
As you know, we won’t be having a class next
Wednesday. (Because there is a public holiday.)
Como sabeis, no tenemos clase el miercoles que viene.
4.6 THE FUTURE PERFECT
The Future Perfect is used to express an action that will
be finished BEFORE A DEFINITE TIME in the future.
We do not know exactly WHEN the action will happen,
we only know it will happen BEFORE a certain time.
C Two businessmen are trying to organise a meeting. Read the dialogue and underline the most
appropriate form in each case.
A: Hello John, this is Peter here. When (a) will we
meet / are we going to meet to discuss the N-25
project?
B: Well, it (b) isn’t / won’t be easy. I’m very busy at
the moment. When (c) are you / are you going to
be free?
A: How about Monday afternoon?
B: No, I’m afraid I can’t. I’m (d) going to play /
playing golf with the boss. Could you make
Tuesday morning?
A: No, that’s no good. I’m (e) going / going to go to
Italy for three days.
18
This use is very similar to the use of the Present
Continuous for the future, but compare these
sentences.
I think I’ll have lunch in the canteen today.
(Decision.)
Creo que hoy voy a comer/comeré en la cantina.
I’m having lunch with Alex. (Arrangement.)
Voy a comer con Alex.
I’ll be having lunch in the canteen as usual.
(Routine.)
Comeré en la cantina como siempre.
• for polite enquiries about other people’s plans.
Where will you be going on holiday this year?
¿Dónde vas de vacaciones este año?
Will you be coming back for lunch today?
¿Vas a volver para comer hoy?
Again, this is very similar to the use of “going to”
and the Present Continuous.
By this time next week I will have finished all
my exams.
Dentro de una semana habré terminado todos mis
examenes.
He will have written the report by Friday.
Habrá terminado el informe para el viernes.
B: Really, what (f) are you doing / will you do there?
A: Oh, I (g) will be visiting / will visit customers and
(h) talking / talk to our distributor there.
B: When do you get back?
A: The flight (i) is getting / gets in on Thursday
afternoon.
B: Well, Friday morning (j) will probably /
is probably going to be alright. I can’t confirm it
now though.
A: Okay, I (k) am giving / will give you a ring when I
(l) arrive / will arrive back.

D Complete the following sentences using the word prompts and appropriate future forms.
e.g. What / you / do / weekend ?
What are you doing this weekend?
a) A: What / you / do / after class ?
...............................................................................
B: Not know. Probably / go home / watch TV.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
b) A: disturb / you / if / I / ring / tonight ?
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
B: Not / all. I / not do / anything important.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
E Some of the future forms in the following sentences are wrong. If the sentence is correct mark with
√). If it is wrong, find the mistakes and correct them.
a (√
e.g. A: What are you doing tonight? √
B: Nothing. I stay at home.
I’m staying
a) They are showing the match on TV tonight.
...............................................................................
b) What do they do when they will have sold the
house?
...............................................................................
c) Don’t worry. I’ll help you if you won’t be able to
do it.
...............................................................................
F Translate the following sentences into English.
a) Mañana veré a John.
...............................................................................
b) Creo que la Real ganará este domingo.
...............................................................................
c) ¿Me ayudas un momento?
...............................................................................
d) Mañana a estas horas estaré tomando el sol en la
Concha.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
Future Forms Grammar Unit 4
c) A: What time / your train / arrive ?
...............................................................................
B: At 11.00. If / it / late / I / miss /
my appointment.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
d) A: What / you / do / if / fail / exam?
...............................................................................
B: I / try / again / September
...............................................................................
e) When / he / finish / school / study engineering /
university.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
d) This time next week we’ll sunbathe on a tropical
beach in the Bahamas.
...............................................................................
e) A: What are you doing this week-end?
...............................................................................
B: I’ll go to the cinema with some friends.
...............................................................................
f) If I have time I’m going to paint the house this
summer.
...............................................................................
e) Pronto voy a comprarme un coche nuevo.
...............................................................................
f) ¿Vas a decir la verdad?
...............................................................................
g) Te llamaré cuando llegue.
...............................................................................
h) ¿Vendrás a la fiesta del viernes en Bataplan?
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
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 Upper Intermediate Workbook
i) Mañana hará calor, y luego las temperaturas
bajarán a la tarde.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
j) ¿Crees que lloverá esta tarde?
...............................................................................
k) Me enfadaré si lo vuelves a hacer.
...............................................................................
l) ¿Este verano irás a Londres como siempre?
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
20
m) Espero que para cuando tenga 30 años habré
ganado mi primer millón de dolares.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
n) ¿Cuándo te vas de vacaciones?
...............................................................................
o) Dicen que para el año 2050 la temperatura media
del planeta habrá subido dos o tres grados.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
p) ¿Vas a venir a clase la semana que viene?
...............................................................................
...............................................................................

5. Narrative Tenses
The following tenses are used to tell a story or report
past events and situations:
Past simple
Past continuous
Past perfect simple
Past perfect continuous
5.1 PAST SIMPLE & CONTINUOUS
The past simple is used in narratives:
• to describe a sequence of completed actions.
I got up, had breakfast, and left for work at
8.00.
Me levanté, desayuné, y salí para el trabajo a las 8.00.
The past continuous is used in narratives:
• to ‘set the scene’ by describing an activity or
situation. In Spanish this use is normally expressed
using ‘el imperfecto simple’.
Max was carrying a brown leather suitcase and
was wearing a dark green overcoat. It was
raining hard and the traffic was crawling along
the street.
Max llevaba una maleta de cuero marrón y vestía un
abrigo verde oscuro. Llovía con fuerza y el tráfico
avanzaba lentamente por la calle.
A Past simple or continuous? Put the verb in brackets into the correct form.
a) It was 8.00 in the morning. The people were
standing (stand) at the bus stop, waiting
to go to work.
b) The soldiers .............................. (stand) in the sun
without moving for over two hours.
c) I .................................... (study) law at University.
d) He ............................... (study) for his final exams
when he had the car accident.
5.2 PAST PERFECT
The past perfect simple is used:
• like ‘el pretérito pluscuamperfecto’ in Spanish to
express an action that happened BEFORE a definite
time or event in the past.
I went to the shop to buy some food but it had
already closed.
Fuí a la tienda para comprar comida pero ya había
cerrado.
Narrative Tenses Grammar Unit 5
In general, these different tenses are used in the same
way as the equivalent structures in Spanish to indicate
the sequence and duration of different actions and
situations in a narrative.
• to describe an action or situation that was in progress
when something else happened.
He was working in Italy when he met his wife.
Estaba trabajando en Italia cuando conoció a su mujer.
When we arrived, they were serving lunch.
Cuando llegamos, estaban serviendo la comida.
• express the ‘future in the past’.
He was worried about the traffic. They were
catching the nine o’clock flight to Paris and he
was afraid they wouldn’t get to the airport on
time.
Estaba preocupado por el tráfico. Iban a coger el vuelo
de las nueve a Paris y temía que no llegarían a tiempo al
aeropuerto.
e) It ............................ (rain) every single day of the
holidays.
f) It ............................ (rain) so I decided not to take
my bicycle to work that day.
g) I asked him what he ................................... (think)
about.
h) He asked me what I ............................... (thought)
of the political situation.
Compare:
When the boss arrived, the meeting began.
( The boss arrived and then the meeting began.)
Cuando el jefe llegó, la reunión empezó.
When the boss arrived, the meeting had begun.
(The meeting began before the boss arrived.)
Cuando el jefe llegó, la reunión había empezado.
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 Upper Intermediate Workbook
• in reported speech and thoughts in the past.
I told him how much I’d enjoyed the party.
Le dije lo bien que lo había pasado en la fiesta.
He thought he’d left his wallet on the table.
Pensaba que había dejado su cartera en la mesa.
I realised I’d behaved like a fool.
Me dí cuenta que me había comportado como un tonto.
The past perfect continuous is used:
• to describe a continuous action that had started
before a particular time or event in the past, and
was still in progress. In Spanish ‘el pretérito
imperfecto’ is often used to express the same idea.
5.3 PAST SIMPLE OR PAST PERFECT?
The past perfect is more common with when than other
time conjunctions because when as a conjunction is
ambiguous, and it is the choice of tense which makes
the sequence of actions clear.
• We use when with the past simple if one action
occurs immediately after another, and is the result
of the first.
When they heard the shot, everyone threw
themselves on the floor.
Cuando oyeron el disparo, todo el mundo se tiró al suelo.
When I wrote to her, she came at once.
Cuando le escribé, vino en seguida.
• We use when with the past perfect if it is important
to show that the first action was completed before
the second one began.
When Miranda had written the letter, she went
out to post it.
(NOT When Miranda wrote the letter ........)
Cuando Miranda terminó de escribir la carta, salió para
echarla al correo.
B Past perfect or continuous? Underline the appropriate form.
a) He had separated / had been separating from his
wife and was feeling very upset.
b) We had cleaned / had been cleaning the house all
morning and were feeling exhausted.
c) John was still quite fresh even though he had run /
been running over 10 kms.
d) I had read / had been reading the report and
wanted to finish it.
e) I went to the doctor for a check-up because I had
felt / been feeling very tired.
22
When she finally arrived, he had been waiting
for two hours.
Cuando por fin ella llegó, él llevaba esperando dos
horas.
• to emphasise repeated activity rather than
completed actions. Compare:
I was tired. I had been writing letters all
morning. (repeated activity)
Estaba cansado. Llevaba toda la mañana escribiendo
cartas.
I had written 10 letters. (completed action)
Había escrito diez cartas.
When I had read the paper, I threw it away.
(NOT When I read the paper ........)
Cuando acabé el periódico, lo tiré.
• Other conjunctions such as as soon as, until,
before, and after make the sequence of actions clear
so the past perfect is not necessary in these cases,
although it can be used.
After he (had) finished his exams, he went on
holiday.
Después de terminar sus exámenes, se fue de
vacaciones.
As soon as I (had) put down the phone, it rang
again.
En cuanto colgé el teféfono, sonó otra vez.
He didn’t leave the office until he (had) finished
the report.
No salió de la oficina hasta que terminó el informe.
f) She called the police because someone had stolen
/ been stealing her handbag.
g) She was very upset because her husband had
forgotten / had been forgetting their wedding
anniversary.
h) I knew all about the case because I had read / had
been reading the report.
i) My hands were dirty because I had repaired / had
been repairing the bicycle.
 Narrative Tenses Grammar Unit 5

C Past simple or past perfect? Underline the correct form. If either is possible, underline both forms.

a) After they finished / had finished their work, they
went out for a drink.
b) I didn’t recognise my old teacher because we
didn’t see / hadn’t seen each other for 15 years.
c) The children ate / had eaten all the cakes before I
got home.
d) When she died / had died in 1603, Elizabeth I was
/ had been queen for over 40 years.
e) I wrote to the shop to ask why my books didn’t
arrive / hadn’t arrived yet.
f) He refused to admit the accident was / had been
his fault.
g) They arrived home from their holiday to find that
someone broke / had broken into the house.
h) When I arrived home she went / had gone out so
we didn’t have much time to talk.

D Link the two sentences to make one sentence that means the same. Only use the past perfect if it
is essential.

a) The train left. I got to the station.
By the time I got to the station the train had left.
b) I did my homework. Then I went out.
When .....................................................................
c) I saw the accident. I immediately rang for an
ambulance.
When .....................................................................
d) We finished the meal. I asked for the bill.
As soon as ..............................................................
e) I opened the door. The cat ran out.
When .....................................................................
f) I did the shopping. Then I went home.
Before ....................................................................
g) I wrote a letter. I made a cup of coffee.
When .....................................................................
h) I arrived at the party. Everyone had gone home.
By the time ............................................................
...............................................................................

E Put the verb in brackets in the correct tense - past simple or continuous, past perfect simple or
continuous.

Last week northern Spain was struck by a blizzard which a)........................................ (leave) la Concha in San
Sebastian covered with a thick layer of snow. All this b)................................ (remind) me of my arrival in the
Basque Country 11 years ago.
My plane c) ................................... (land) at Loiu and Sr. Lacunza, the owner of the language school
where I was going to work, d)............................... (come) to pick me up. It e)................................... (snow)
hard and was very cold, and the journey back to San Sebastian on the motorway was a nightmare.
A week before, I f).................................................... (work) at International House in Piccadilly, London,
when they g)............................................... (announce) that a teacher was needed in San Sebastian for a 3-
month contract. I h)............................................................. (teach) English for around 2 years and previously
i)................................................ (work) in Italy and the U.K. I j)............................................... (apply) for the
job with the idea of spending some time in “sunny” Spain.
Despite my ideas about a warm climate, the day following my arrival, they k)...................................
(be) able to organise a cross-country ski race on la Concha. In fact, the cold and the wet (l).........................
(seem) to continue for months.
Nevertheless, eleven years later I am still here, so I must have got used to the weather, and the fact that
San Sebastian is not la Costa del Sol.

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook
5.4 LINKING WORDS
Words meaning ‘and’ - also, as well, too.
• We can use and to link two clauses.
John plays football and goes cycling.
John juega a futbol y anda en bici.
• Also usually goes in the middle of a sentence.
John plays football, and he also goes cycling.
Words meaning ‘but’ - however, nevertheless, although, in spite of, despite.
There are several ways of expressing the same idea:
I like him, but I don’t trust him.
Me cae bien, pero no me fio de él.
I like him. However/nevertheless I don’t trust
him.
Me cae bien. Sin embargo/no obstante no me fio de él.
Although I like him, I don’t trust him.
Even though I like him, I don’t trust him.
Aunque me cae bien, no me fio de él.
In spite of/Despite liking him, I don’t trust him.
A pesar de que me caiga bien, no me fio del él.
• However and nevertheless are a little formal, and usually
go at the beginning of a sentence.
La Real are a good team. However/Nevertheless
I don’t think they will win the league.
La Real es un equipo bueno. Sin embargo, no creo que
ganen la liga.
Words expressing reason and result - so, that’s why, because, as.
When one action is the result of another, the same idea
can be expressed in different ways:
It was very cold so we didn’t go swimming.
Hacía mucho frio, así que no fuimos a nadar.
As/Since it was very cold, we didn’t go
swimming.
Como hacía mucho frio no fuimos a nadar.
We didn’t go swimming because it was very
cold.
No fuimos a nadar porque hacía mucho frio.
• so expresses result. That’s why or as a result
express the same idea.
He had been drinking and as a result he had the
accident.
Había bebido y por eso tuvo el accidente.
I was tired. That’s why I made the mistake.
Estaba cansado. Por eso cometí el error.
Words expressing purpose - in order to, so that.
• We can use the ‘to ’ infinitive to express purpose.
I went home to get some rest.
Me fui a casa para descansar.
(NOT I went home for to get some rest.)
If we add in order to it sounds more formal.
I went home in order to get some rest.
24
• too and as well are more emphatic. They usually come
at the end of the sentence.
John plays football and goes cycling as well/
too.
John juega a futbol y anda en bici también.
• Although, even though, and in spite of/despite the fact
that can all introduce a clause and have a similar
meaning. Even though is more emphatic.
Even though/although I don’t agree with him, I
think he’s honest.
Aunque no estoy de acuerdo con él, creo que es una
persona honesta.
• Despite and In spite of can only be used with a noun
or gerund.
Despite/In spite of the rain, we went for a walk.
A pesar de la lluvia, fuimos a pesear.
Despite/In spite of having no money, they went
on holiday.
A pesar de no tener dinero, se fueron de vacaciones.
• as, since, and because express reason. as and since
come at the beginning of a sentence and because in
the middle.
As/since no one asked me, I didn’t say anything.
Como nadie me preguntó, no dije nada.
I didn’t say anything because nobody asked me.
No dije nada porque nadie me preguntó.
• So and such can also be used to express reason in
the following way.
It was so cold (that) we didn’t go swimming.
Hacía tanto frio que no fuimos a nadar.
It was such a cold day (that) we didn’t go
swimming.
Hacía un día tan frio que no fuimos a nadar.
• so (that) can be used with the present tense, or with
will, would, can, or could.
I told you so (that) you would know the truth.
Te dije para que supieras la verdad.
Complete the second sentence so (that) it means
the same as the first.
Complete la segunda frase para que signifique lo mismo
que la primera.

F Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first.
a) I was tired, but I went to the party.
Although I was tired, I went to the party.
b) Although he felt ill, he went to work.
Despite ...................................................................
c) He got bad exam results because he didn’t study.
As ..........................................................................
d) It was such a nice day that we went for a walk.
The day ..................................................................
e) He speaks French, and he also knows some
German.
.................................................................. as well.
G Join the following pairs of sentences using the link word in brackets.
a) She opened her wallet. She paid the attendant.
She opened her wallet and paid the attendant.
(AND)
b) The exam was very difficult. She got low marks.
(SO)
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
c) They didn’t have much money. They had a good
time. (ALTHOUGH)
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
d) There wasn’t enough snow. We couldn’t go
skiing. (AS)
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
H Translate the following sentences into English.
a) A pesar del mal tiempo, conseguimos llegar a
tiempo.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
b) Como él no nos había comentado nada,
pensabamos que había suficiente comida.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
c) Los alumnos se comportaron tan mal que el
profesor se enfadó mucho
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
d) Salí temprano para no llegar tarde.
...............................................................................
Narrative Tenses Grammar Unit 5
f) He’s good at football. However, I don’t think
he’ll ever become a professional.
Even though ...........................................................
...............................................................................
g) It was such a heavy box that I couldn’t lift it.
The box ..................................................................
h) He couldn’t sleep because he was so excited.
He was ...................................................................
i) Since he was going in the same direction he
offered me a lift.
He was going .........................................................
...............................................................................
e) Although we arrived at the restaurant early, there
were no tables left. (BUT)
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
f) The children were making a lot of noise. I couldn’t
hear the television. (SUCH)
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
g) The restaurant was very expensive. That’s why we
didn’t go to eat there. (BECAUSE)
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
e) Paseaba por la Concha cuando vió a su novia con
otro chico.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
f) Ahorraba un poco cada més para tener algo de
dinero para las vacaciones.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
g) Cuando Maria contó sus problemas a su madre, se
sintió mucho mejor.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

6. Multi-Word Verbs
6.1 PHRASAL VERBS

It is often possible in English to express the same idea in
two very different ways. For example:
1.They postponed the meeting.
2.They put the meeting off.
3.The police are investigating the crime.
4.The police are looking into the crime.
Sentences 2 and 4 contain a verb and a particle (an adverb
in sentence 2, and a preposition in sentence 4). These
multi-word verbs are often called ‘phrasal verbs’ and
consist of a verb, plus one or two particles. They come
from the Anglo-Saxon roots of English, and cause
problems for learners because it is often difficult to
predict their meaning from the individual meanings of
the verb and particle. However, English has also been
heavily influenced by Latin, so phrasal verbs often have
an equivalent one-word verb, (sometimes similar to the
word in Spanish), as in sentences 1 and 3.
In practice this means that as a learner of English
you can often survive without phrasal verbs when you
are speaking or writing. On the other hand, you will
need to recognise phrasal verbs if you want to be able to
express yourself well in English and understand native
speakers.
Apart from the problem of the meaning of phrasal
verbs, you will also need to learn whether the
combination is transitive or intransitive, (can take an
object or not), and whether the verb and particle can be
separated or not. There are basically 4 types of phrasal
verb.

TYPE TRANSITIVE? 1/ 2 PARTICLES? SEPARABLE? EXAMPLE

1 No 1 No All the lights went out.

The plane took off.

2 Yes 1 Yes He switched the lights off.

Don’t leave my name out!

3 Yes 1 No He’s getting over his illness.

I’m looking for my glasses.

4 Yes 2 No We’re looking forward to your visit.

He can’t get on with her.

With type 2 verbs, if the direct object is a noun, separating Verbs which are combined with the following particles
the verb and particle is optional: which function only as adverbs are always type 2/
Peter gave away his computer. separable: back, away, out.
Peter gave his computer away. Verbs which are combined with the following
Peter regaló su ordenador. particles which function only as prepositions are always
However, if the object is a pronoun, you MUST separate type 3/not separable: into, with, of, for, at, from.
the verb and particle. However, unfortunately there are some particles that
Peter gave it away. can be either adverbs or prepositions and can be used in
NOT Peter gave away it. either type 2 or type 3 verbs: along, about, down, up, in,
on, over, round, through.
Types 1 and 4 cause fewer problems because they are Although the above grammar may help, the best way
easy to recognise; type 1 because it is clear from the to learn phrasal verbs is to consider them as items of
context, and type 4 because there are two particles. It is vocabulary and to memorise them in the context of an
more difficult to decide if a phrasal verb is type 2 or type example.
3.

26
 Multi-Word Verbs Grammar Unit 6

A Re-write the following sentences, replacing the verb in italics with a phrasal verb, combining a verb
from Box A with a particle from Box B.

Box A left put hold keep Box B out up up up

fix find go set up away out off

a) Scientists are trying to discover the reason why.
Scientists are trying to find out the reason why.
b) We must arrange a meeting.
...............................................................................
c) The problem won’t just disappear.
...............................................................................
d) The accident delayed the traffic for an hour.
...............................................................................
e) You must maintain your monthly mortgage
payments.
...............................................................................
f) You’ve omitted two names from the class register.
...............................................................................
g) They’ve postponed the match until next week.
...............................................................................
h) They established the new company 2 years ago.
...............................................................................

B Re-write the following sentences, replacing the direct object with a pronoun. (You will have to
decide if the phrasal verb is separable or not.)

a) She brought up her children alone.
She brought them up alone.
b) The thieves broke into her car while she was
shopping.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
c) The firemen had to break down the door.
...............................................................................
d) The doctor told her to carry on with the treatment.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
e) When I was looking for my passport I came
across these old photographs.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
f) Iberdrola have cut off our electricity supply.
...............................................................................
g) He got away with cheating in the exam.
...............................................................................
h) The athletes were able to keep up a fast pace until
the end of the race.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................

C Re-write the following sentences replacing the phrasal verbs with the synonyms below. Make sure
you put them in the correct tense. The exercise continues on the next page.

visit arrive select improve survive continue wear postpone

omit attack tidy succeed explode restore wait understand

a) The police forced the hijacker to give in. e) Hang on a minute.

The police forced the hijacker to surrender.
b) The postman was afraid the dog might go for him.
...............................................................................
c) When does the next train get in?
...............................................................................
d) Business seems to be looking up at last.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
f) I’m sorry, I didn’t take in a word you were saying.
...............................................................................
g) Sorry I’m late. Please carry on with the lesson.
...............................................................................
h) Can you clear up the room before you go?
...............................................................................

27
 Upper Intermediate Workbook

i) His hobby is doing up old racing cars.
...............................................................................
j) How do you get by on so little money?
...............................................................................
k) We’ve put off the meeting until next week.
...............................................................................
l) He always manages to pick out the best players.
...............................................................................
m) Leave out question 1 and start with number 2.
...............................................................................
n) Why do you always have that hat on?
...............................................................................
o) We were in class when the bomb went off.
...............................................................................
p) Unfortunately for him, his plan didn’t come off.
...............................................................................
q) I’ll call on you next time I’m in San Sebastian.
...............................................................................

6.2 DESCRIBING MOVEMENT

Multiword verbs are also used in English to describe Here are some more examples:
movement in a way which is very different to Spanish.
For example, I drove back home.
Entró en el cuarto bailando. Volví a casa en coche.
could be translated as: We jogged around the park.
Dimos la vuelta del parque haciendo footing.
1. She entered the room dancing. We cycled across the country.
Cruzamos todo el pais en bici.
2. She came into the room dancing.
3. She danced into the room. We drove past the shop.
Pasamos por delante de la tienda en coche.
In English, 3 is the most common. We use a verb which We walked along the beach.
Caminamos por la playa.
makes the nature of the movement clear - walk, run, cycle,
drive, fly, swim, crawl, etc., and 1 or 2 particles to describe They rushed out of the office.
Salieron de la oficina pitando.
the direction of the movement - into, out of, away from,
towards, around, across, past, over, under, through, etc.

D Re-write the two sentences as one sentence, using a multiword verb as in the example.

a) I returned home. I was driving.
I drove back home.
b) I went to San Sebastian. I was on a bicycle.
...............................................................................
c) They passed the shop. They were on foot.
...............................................................................
d) He went to the island. He was swimming.
...............................................................................
e) She is going to Berlin. She’s going by plane.
...............................................................................
f) You descended the stairs. You ran.
...............................................................................
g) He climbed the hill. He was stumbling.
...............................................................................
h) They entered the room. They were in a hurry.
...............................................................................

28
 Multi-Word Verbs Grammar Unit 6

E Translate the following sentences into English. Where possible use an appropriate multi-word verb.

a) Corrieron calle abajo. i) Dimos la vuelta al lago en coche.

............................................................................... ...............................................................................
b) Tiró el periódico. j) Fueron desde el Pais Vasco hasta China en bici.
............................................................................... ...............................................................................
c) ¿Has dejado de fumar? k) El avión se ha retrasado por el mal tiempo.
............................................................................... ...............................................................................
d) Han montado un empresa nueva en Lasarte. l) No puedo seguir con las clases de Francés.
............................................................................... ...............................................................................
e) Pasaron por encima del Everest en avión. m) A Jon le crió su tía.
............................................................................... ...............................................................................
f) Los ladrones tiraron abajo la puerta. n) Tengo que cuidar a mi hermano pequeño.
............................................................................... ...............................................................................
g) ¿A qué hora llega el siguiente tren de Madrid? o) Fueron por la orilla del río haciendo footing.
............................................................................... ...............................................................................
h) Todavía no he descubierto por qué no funciona.
...............................................................................

29
 Upper Intermediate Workbook

7. Articles
The correct use of the definite article the and the many different rules, to simplify things here we will focus
indefinite article a/an is one of the most difficult aspects on the differences between English and Spanish.
of English grammar. As most grammar books provide

7.1 THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE

In general the use of the indefinite article in similar in • after as with single countable nouns.
Spanish and English. However, here are some important As a rule they won’t return your money.
exceptions. Por regla general no devuelven el dinero.
• talking about jobs or professions. My first job as a teacher was in Italy.
Mi primer trabajo como profesor fue en Italia.
He’s a lawyer.
El es abogado. • in certain idiomatic expressions, for example:
• expressing frequency or rates. to be in a hurry
tener prisa
Three times a day.
Tres veces al dia. to be in a bad mood
estar de mal humor
Potatoes are £1.50 a kilo.
Las patatas están a £1.50 el kilo. to have a headache
tener dolor de cabeza
• exclamations beginning with what followed by a
singular countable noun.
What a lovely dress.
¡Qué vestido tan bonito!

7.2 THE DEFINITE ARTICLE

In general the definite article is used less in English than
in Spanish. Here are some cases where the definite article
is NOT used in English.
• Before countable plural nouns and uncountable nouns
where they refer to things in a ‘general’ sense.
Butter makes you fat.
La mantequilla engorda.
I like books
Me gustan los libros.
Life is hard.
La vida es dura.
Exceptions to this are words related to the environment
or natural phenomena: town, country, sea, seaside,
mountains, rain, wind, sun(shine).
I love the mountains.
Me encanta la montaña.
I like the sound of the wind. • Before bed, town, and work when referred to in a
Me gusta el sonido del viento.
N.B. When we refer to things in a ‘specific’ sense we
use the article:
The books I read were very interesting.
Los libros que leí fueron muy interesantes.
The life of a shepherd is very hard.
La vida de un pastor es muy dura.
• Before meals seen as routine daily events.
Lunch is at one o’clock.
El almuerzo es a la una.
• Before school, church, hospital, university, and prison
when we are referring to the purpose of the ‘institution’.
My children still go to school. (as pupils)
Mi hijos todavía van a la escuela.
Her father is in hospital. (as a patient)
Su padre está en el hospital.
N.B. When we refer to the actual building we use the
article.
I’m going to the school to speak to my son’s
teacher.
Voy a la escuela para hablar con el profesor de mi hijo.
There is a bus which goes to the hospital.
Hay un bus que va hasta el hospital.
‘familiar’ way.
I’m going to bed.
Voy a la cama.
He left town this morning.
Salió de la ciudad (la nuestra) esta mañana.
He’s at work at the moment.
Está en el trabajo ahora.

30

• Before days of the week.
Have we got a class on Friday.
¿Tenemos clase el viernes?
• With time.
At half past six.
A las seis y media.
It’s three o’clock.
Son las tres.
• With the expressions next/last week/month/
year.
They are getting married next year.
Se casan el año que viene.
We went on holiday to Greece last month.
El mes pasado fuimos a Grecia de vacaciones.
• Before names of occupations, arts, sciences,
and games.
Fishing is a very relaxing activity.
La pesca es una actividad muy relajante.
Teaching is a very rewarding profesion.
La enseñanza es una profesión muy gratificante.
Many people enjoy painting as a hobby.
A mucha gente le gusta la pintura como pasatiempo.
There have been many advances in physics
in the last twenty years.
Ha habido muchos avances en la física en los
ultimos veinte años.
We normally play cards after lunch.
Solemos jugar a las cartas después de comer.
Chess is a difficult game.
El ajedrez es un juego difícil.
A Complete the sentences with the, a, or an, or leave the space blank if no article is needed.
a) I’ve been playing ................. saxophone for years.
b) Children go to .......... school from five to eighteen
years old.
c) Why are you always in ..................... good mood?
d) We often have ............................ breakfast in bed.
e) A lot of people worry about ..................... ecology
these days.
f) I like ............................ old black and white films.
g) Hippies believe in ........... love and ............ peace.
h) The UN are in the country to keep ............. peace.
i) I left .............. school at 18, and went to ..............
university, where I got .......... degree in ...............
Sociology.
Articles Grammar Unit 7
• Before names of languages.
In Australia they speak English.
Se habla el inglés en Australia.
Chinese is a difficult language for us.
El chino es un idioma difícil para nosotros.
• In some expressions of quantity.
Most children like ice-cream.
A la mayoría de los niños, les gusta el helado.
Half the class are ill.
La mitad de la clase está enferma.
• In certain expressions.
to shake hands
darse la mano.
by night/day
durante la noche/el día
Often the definite or indefinite article is used in Spanish,
while in English we use a personal pronoun, such as with
parts of the body, or possessions.
He’s broken his leg.
Se ha roto una pierna.
I’ve got problems with my car.
Tengo problemas con el coche.
Sometimes we use the definite article in English , and in
Spanish the indefinite article is used.
In the near future.
En un futuro proximo.
I’ve got the wrong address.
Tengo una dirección equivocada.
j) Acid rain is caused by .......... industrial pollution.
k) We always have ................... lamb for ..................
lunch on Sunday.
l) He’s gone to .................. bank to get some money.
m) We went out for ............ meal last night at ...........
Indian restaurant. I don’t really like .....................
spicy food but ................. fried rice was delicious.
n) My brother joined .............. navy because he likes
playing with ................ boats.
o) ................... government without ............... strong
leader will not produce .................. good policies.
p) He has been in ............... prison for over 20 years.
q) Where did you say ............................ school was?
31
 Upper Intermediate Workbook

B Underline the correct version in italics in each case.

a) I don’t usually enjoy poetry / the poetry but here’s e) In most Basque restaurants the service / service is
the poem / a poem that I like. as good as the food.
b) “Would you like beer / a beer?” f) Do you like an ice / ice with your patxaran?
“No thanks. I don’t like beer / a beer.” g) Satellite photos show how fast ice / the ice at the
c) I went to a talk / talk on paintings / the paintings North and South Pole is melting.
of Goya last night. h) I’m afraid I’ve spilt wine / a wine on your carpet.
d) There has been a talk / talk of re-building the Have you got cloth / a cloth?
football stadium in Anoeta.

C Correct the mistakes with articles in the following sentences.

a) I like to spend time in open air. f) What is the government going to do about the
b) I’m very interested in the history, especially the unemployment?
history of South America. g) Did you remember to buy a bread this morning?
c) What a lovely day! We are having a good weather h) I was late for the work yesterday.
this summer. i) I lost the control of the car and crashed into a
d) I’m going to do shopping. Do you want anything wall.
from the supermarket? j) You should make effort to get on with your
e) People who live above us make lot of noise at the classmates.
night. k) English are very arrogant, especially the rich.

D Translate the sentences into English.

a) En este país los libros son caros.
...............................................................................
b) El queso es un producto derivado de la leche.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
c) Prefiero la montaña al mar.
...............................................................................
d) Me gustan los gatos grandes y peludos.
...............................................................................
e) La velocidad de la luz es 300,000 km por segundo.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
f) ¿Preferirías vivir en el campo o en la cuidad?
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
g) Me gusta tumbarme al sol.
...............................................................................
h) Fui a la universidad en Bilbao.
...............................................................................
i) Me gustaría aprender a tocar la guitarra.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
j) Mi hermana es médico.
...............................................................................
k) El aeropuerto de Birmingham es muy moderno.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
l) Una moto es mejor que un coche para viajar en la
cuidad.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
m) Es hora de ir a la cama.
...............................................................................
n) Está licenciada por la universidad de Oxford.
...............................................................................

32
 Modals (I) Grammar Unit 8

8. Modals (I) - Obligation

Modal verbs - must, should, can, etc. - and other verbs do things, and on the other, to express different degrees
which act like modal verbs - have to, ought to, need to - of certainty about situations and events. In this unit, we
are generally used to express two basic kinds of meaning. will focus on the first area of meaning - obligation and
On the one hand, to express obligation and freedom to freedom to do things.

8.1 EXPRESSING OBLIGATION IN THE PRESENT / FUTURE

OBLIGATION PERMISSION ADVICE

TO DO must can should

SOMETHING have to / have got to * may ought to
need to *

NOT TO DO mustn’t don’t have to * shouldn’t

SOMETHING can’t needn’t / don’t need to * ought not to
haven’t got to *

* FUTURE FORMS - will/won’t have to/need to. The others modals have no future forms.

Must & Have to Mustn’t & Don’t have to

We use both must and have to to talk about obligations,
duties, and rules. The meaning is very similar. However,
must sounds very strong in English, and expresses the
authority of the person who is speaking. On the other
hand, have to / have got to expresses the idea of an
obligation imposed by someone, or something else.
Compare:
You must do your homework or I’ll phone your
parents. (Teacher to student.)
Tienes que hacer los deberes o llamaré a tus padres.
We have to do page 38 for homework. (A
student to another student.)
Tenemos que hacer la página 38 para los deberes.
Must can also express a self imposed obligation.
Compare:
I must stop smoking.
Tengo que dejar de fumar. (Quiero dejarlo.)
I’ve got to give up smoking. Doctor’s orders.
Tengo que dejar de fumar; me lo manda el médico.
However, as a rule, only use must if you are expressing
your authority, or are angry with someone!
The negative forms of must and have to have completely
different meanings. Mustn’t expresses prohibition, while
don’t have to (or haven’t got to / needn’t / don’t need to)
mean there is no necessity or obligation. Compare:
You mustn’t tell George.
No debes decirselo a George.
You don’t have to tell Alice.
No hace falta que se lo digas a Alice.
You don’t have to wear a tie to work but you
mustn’t wear jeans.
No es necesario que lleves corbata en el trabajo pero no
debes/puedes llevar vaqueros.
Must & Should
Must and mustn’t sound very strong in English, so we
more often use should/ought to and shouldn’t/ought not
to. Often when you say “debes” in Spanish, in English
we would use should or ought to rather than must.
You should/ought to take an umbrella. It’s
going to rain.
Debes/Deberías llevar un paraguas. Va a llover.
You shouldn’t/ought not to say things like that
to granny.
No debes/deberías decirle cosas así a la abuela.

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook
A Re-phrase the following sentences using mustn’t or don’t have to/needn’t.
a) It isn’t necessary for you to do this exercise.
...............................................................................
b) Skateboarding is prohibited in the park.
...............................................................................
c) You aren’t allowed to eat in class.
...............................................................................
d) Talking is not permitted during the exam.
...............................................................................
B Fill the gaps with an appropriate modal verb - must, have to, mustn’t, don’t have to, needn’t, should,
shouldn’t.
a) This plant ................... be left in direct sunlight or
it will die.
b) It’s a terrible job because I often ...........................
work at the weekend.
c) You .............................. drive over the speed limit
but you .............................. go too slow either.
d) In Britain, you .................. park on double yellow
lines.
e) You .............................. have a visa to travel from
Spain to the USA.
f) You ....................... ask my permission every time
you want to use the phone - just help yourself.
C Translate the following sentences into English.
a) Debes tener más cuidado en el futuro.
...............................................................................
b) Creo que no debes tomar una decisión tan impor-
tante con prisas.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
c) Tenemos que irnos a casa, porque nos espera la
canguro.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
d) ¿Te exigen llevar corbata en el trabajo?
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
e) No hace falta que trabaje tanto.
...............................................................................
34
e) There is no obligation to leave a tip, but you can if
you want to.
...............................................................................
f) Don’t tell anybody else.
...............................................................................
g) Don’t wait for me if you want to leave.
...............................................................................
g) I don’t think you ....................... wear those jeans.
It’s quite a formal party, you know!
h) Sorry, I can’t come out tonight. I ..........................
go to a meeting with our residents’ association.
i) In my opinion, Stephen ............................... be so
sensitive about what people say.
j) If it starts raining, you ....................... come inside
immediately. Understand?
k) I’m sorry sir, but you ................................... be a
member to enter the club.
l) Jimmy, come here! You ................................. run
around making so much noise. This is a hospital.
f) Debemos salir ahora si tenemos que estar allí
antes de las ocho.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
g) Tengo que irme ahora mismo.
...............................................................................
h) No tienes por qué venir mañana si no quieres.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
i) La gente debería conducir con más prudencia.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
j) No debes abrir este paquete antes de Navidad.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
 Modals (I) Grammar Unit 8

8.2 OBLIGATION IN THE PAST

Study the table below. • Didn’t have/need to and needn’t have express different
ideas. If something wasn’t done because it wasn’t
PRESENT PAST necessary we use didn’t have to.
must/have to had to It started raining so I didn’t have to water the
flowers.
don’t have to didn’t have to Empezó a llover, así que no tuve qué regar las flores.
can could/was allowed to Needn’t have expresses the idea of something
mustn’t wasn’t allowed to which was done, but which wasn’t necessary.
I needn’t have watered the flowers. Just after I
should/ought to should/ought to have finished, it started raining.
don’t have to/needn’t didn’t have to/needn’t have No tenía por qué haber regado las flores. En cuanto
terminé, empezó a llover.

Notice the following: • Should(n’t) have and ought (not) to have express
criticism or regret about a past action.
• Must and mustn’t have no past forms because they You should/ought to have told me you were
are used to give orders and orders cannot be expressed coming.
in the past. Past obligations and prohibitions can only Me deberías haber dicho que ibas a venir.
be reported. Compare these examples: I shouldn’t/ought not to have been so rude to
I must go to the doctor. him.
Tengo que ir al médico. No debería haber sido tan grosero con él.
Yesterday I had to go to the doctor.
Ayer tuve que ir al médico.
You mustn’t watch so much television.
No debes ver tanta tele.
When I was a child I wasn’t allowed to watch
television.
Cuando yo era niño no me dejaban ver la tele.

D Complete the sentences using had to, didn’t have to, needn’t have, should have, shouldn’t have, etc.
and the verb in brackets in the appropriate form.

a) The bus ........................................................ (turn) g) We booked a room but we .....................................

back because there was so much snow.
b) We ................................................................. (ask)
that man we saw for clearer directions. We’re
completely lost now.
c) Jane didn’t realise she ............................................
(take) off her shoes before going into a Japanese
home. She was really embarrassed when they
asked her to.
d) You ............................................................ (bring)
your umbrella, it never rains here in the summer.
e) She ............................................................... (call)
him stupid; he got really upset.
f) Luckily the suitcase was under the weight limit,
so we ......................................................................
(pay) any excess baggage.
(bother). The hotel was almost empty.
h) When I was at school, we ......................................
(go) for a long run every morning.
i) John went to a very liberal school. If he didn’t
want to, he ................................... (go) to lessons.
j) The TV was still under guarantee so they
..................................................................... (pay)
to get it repaired.
k) I ran out of petrol but luckily I had a spare can in
the car so I .............................................................
(walk) to the garage.
l) I said a composition of 120 words, not 220 words.
You ..............................................(write) so much.

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook
E Translate the following sentences into English.
a) Esta mañana tuve que empujar el coche para
ponerlo en marcha.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
b) No tenías por qué haberme despertado; hoy no
tengo que ir a trabajar.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
c) No teníamos por qué reservar asientos; siempre hay
mucho sitio en el tren.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
d) Él no tuvo que explicármelo; yo comprendía la
situación perfectamente.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
e) (Ella) no necesitaba haber preparado tanta comida.
Nadie tenía hambre.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
36
f) (Yo) debería haber telefoneado a Jim esta mañana,
pero se me olvidó.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
g) No deberías haberle hablado al jefe así.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
h) Cuando tenía ocho años tenía que ir a la cama
antes de las diez.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
i) Cuando nosotros éramos niños, no nos dejaban
salir a jugar hasta que hubiésemos hecho los
deberes.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
j) Antes no estaba permitido aparcar aquí.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
 Modals (II) Grammar Unit 9

9. Modals (II) - Degrees of Certainty

In Modals (I) we looked at the use of modal verbs for expressing obligations, prohibitions, permission,
recommendations, etc. The other principal kind of meaning expressed with modal verbs are different degrees of
certainty about facts or events. The table below shows which modals can be used in this way to talk about the past,
the present, and the future.
PAST PRESENT FUTURE

CERTAINTY must have must will

can’t have can’t

PROBABILITY should have should should

POSSIBILITY may have may may

might have might might
could have could could
(can)

9.1 LOGICAL CERTAINTY - MUST & CAN'T

We use must, can’t to express the logical conclusion of a I can’t have made a mistake with the bill
situation in the present. We use must in the affirmative, because I used a calculator.
and can’t in the negative. No puedo haber cometido un error con la cuenta porque
utilicé una calculadora.
You must be tired after such a long journey.
Debes estar cansado después de un viaje tan largo. Note that must have has four possible translations in
It can’t be the postman at the door. It’s Sunday. Spanish.
No puede ser el cartero a la puerta. Hoy es Domingo. He must have come.
To express certainty about past events we use must have Ha debido venir.
and can’t have + past participle. Debió venir.
Debe (de) haber venido.
They must have left because nobody answers Tiene que haber venido.
the phone.
Tienen que haber salido porque nadie contesta.

9.2 POSSIBILITY - MAY, MIGHT, & COULD

To express possibility we use may, might, and could. This
idea is expressed in Spanish with ‘puede que sea’, ‘podría
ser’, or ‘puede ser’. However, note that in English, can
is not used in this sense.
Be careful. It may/might/could be a trap!
(NOT It can be a trap.)
Cuidado. Puede que sea/Podría ser/Puede ser una
trampa.
It’s one o’clock so they may/might/could be
having lunch. (NOT They can be having ...)
Es la una, así que es posible que estén comiendo.
In the negative we use may not and might not. Couldn’t
has a different meaning. Compare:
Don’t worry. It may/might not ever happen.
No te preocupes. Puede que nunca ocurra.
Don’t worry. It couldn’t ever happen.
No te preocupes. No podría ocurrir nunca.
To express possibility in the past we use may/might/could
have + past participle in the affirmative ......
Sally is very late. She may/might/could have
missed her train.
Sally tarda mucho. Puede que haya perdido el tren.
... and may/might not have + past participle in the negative.
John may not/might not have had time to phone
us. (NOT John couldn’t have had time .....)
Puede que John no haya tenido tiempo para llamar.
Could have has another meaning - it was possible for
something to happen, but it didn’t.
You were lucky. You could have broken your
leg.
Has tenido suerte. Podías haber roto una pierna.

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook
9.3 THEORETICAL POSSIBILITY - CAN
A common mistake is to use can instead of may/might/
could. We use may, might, and could to talk about the
chances that something really will happen or is happening.
It may snow this weekend. (It is possible that it
will snow this weekend. NOT It can snow ....)
Puede que nieve este fin de semana.
9.4 PROBABILITY
We can use should or ought to to say something is
probable because it is logical or normal.
Why don’t you phone Peter. He should/ought
to be at home . He leaves work at six.
¿Por qué no llamas a Peter? Debería estar en casa.
Sale del trabajo a las seis.
A Put in the most appropriate modal verb of deduction - must (have), can’t (have), may/might/could
(have) and put the verb in brackets in the correct form.
a) Sue’s yawning a lot. She............................... (be)
tired.
b) That ......................................... (be) John. He’s in
New York until next Friday.
c) I’m not certain but that girl ....................................
(be) Jane’s sister. I know she works somewhere
around here.
d) It .......................................... (be) my mother who
phoned. She usually does on Sunday evening.
e) “Do you think it’s a dog?”
“No, it ............................... (be). It’s far too big.”
B Translate the sentences into English.
a) Puede que esté enfermo pero lo dudo.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
b) Suena el timbre. Debe ser Roger.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
c) No han podido oír el teléfono. Vuelve a llamar.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
d) Debe de tener más de ochenta años.
...............................................................................
38
Can expresses a more theoretical or GENERAL
possibility.
It can snow a lot here in winter. (It is possible
for it to snow a lot .... )
Puede nevar mucho aquí en invierno.
You shouldn’t/ought not to find the test difficult.
El test no debería resultarte difícil.
f) They’re over an hour late now. They ....................
................................................................. (forget )
completely about the meeting.
g) He always leaves the TV on at night so that
..................................................... (cause) the fire.
h) You were at home when the burglary took place
so you ........................................ (hear) when they
broke the window.
i) I wouldn’t eat those mushrooms if I were you,
they ................................................................ (be)
poisonous.
e) No puede ser tan vieja.
...............................................................................
f) Puede que no sea verdad.
...............................................................................
g) Ha nevado mucho esta noche. La carretera podría
estar cortada.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
h) Puede que no haya sabido la verdad.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
 Modals (II) Grammar Unit 9

9.4 OVERVIEW OF MODALS

OBLIGATION/FREEDOM TO ACT DEGREES OF CERTAINTY

MUST Obligation Certainty

You must be careful. You must be tired.

NEEDN’T No obligation
You needn’t study tonight.

MUSTN’T Prohibition
You mustn’t park here.

SHOULD/ Advice Probability

OUGHT TO You should/ought to work hard. It should/ought to be fine tomorrow.

MAY Permission Possibility

You may leave the class. The plan may go wrong.

MIGHT Possibility
The plan might go wrong.

CAN Permission General possibility.

You can go now. English classes can be fun.
Request Impossibility/certainty
Can you help me. That story can’t be true.
Offer Ability
Can I help you? I can play the piano.
Opportunity
We can watch TV in the evenings.

COULD Asking permission Possibility

Could I ask a question? The plan could go wrong.
Request Past ability
Could you help me? I could play the piano when I was five.
Suggestion
We could meet later.

C Complete the sentences with an appropriate modal verb and where there is a verb in brackets, put it
in the correct form.

a) I don’t think you ............................................ (go)
swimming straight after eating. It’s bad for you.
b) “Do you think I should take an umbrella?”
“It looks fine to me but it ............................. (rain)
later on I suppose.
c) You ..................................................... (phone) me
at work yesterday. You know my boss doesn’t
like it.
d) John .................................................. (stay) out all
night because he sounded very tired this morning.
e) The train ......................................... (come) at any
moment, but you never know.
f) Excuse me, but ...................................... I ask you
a personal question?
g) Excuse me, but ................................ you take this
to the post office for me, please?
h) Don’t you think you ..............................................
(visit) your grandmother in hospital?
i) I find that some people .................................. (be)
very hard to work with.

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook
j) I can’t be sure, but I ....................................... (be)
late this evening.
k) If this timetable is correct, the coach tour to
Fuenterrabia ................................................ (leave)
in 10 minutes.
D Translate the sentences into English.
a) Puede que vayamos a los Alpes este verano.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
b) ¿Por qué tiraste la botella por la ventana? Podía
haber matado a alguien.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
c) En Escocia puede hacer mucho calor en septiembre.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
d) Puede que Alex llame. Si lo hace, podrías decirle
que vuelva a llamar más tarde.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
40
l) Listen! You really ...................................... (give)
this to Mary! It’s very important.
e) Ahora está lloviendo pero el tiempo podría
mejorar luego.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
f) ¿Puede ser verdad?
...............................................................................
g) ¿No crees que debes hablarle a tu padre de esto?
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
h) Creo que ya deberían estar allí.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
i) ¿Como iba a saberlo yo?
...............................................................................
 Special Tense Use Grammar Unit 10

10. Special Tense Use

Unlike Spanish, English has no separate form for the subjunctive. However, this unit looks at some ways in which
the subjunctive mode can be expressed in English in two cases; with If and wish/if only.

10.1 ‘IF’ SENTENCES - ORDINARY TENSE USE

If can be used in conditional structures in two different ways: i) with “ordinary tenses”, and ii) with “special” tenses
to express “unreal” situations. When a situation is normal and quite possible, we use If with ordinary tenses. i.e.
present tenses to refer to the present, and past tenses to refer to the past.

CONDITION CONSEQUENCE
a) Present condition Present conseqence
If/When the weather is good, we go to the beach.
Si/Cuando hace buen tiempo, vamos a la playa.
b) Past condition Past consequence
If/When she decided she wanted something, she always managed to get it.
Si/Cuando se empeñó en conseguir algo, siempre lo conseguía.
c) Future condition Future consequence
If he loses his job, he’ll have problems paying the mortgage.
Si pierde su trabajo, tendrá problemas para pagar la hipoteca.

Examples (a) and (b) are sometimes called “zero” conditionals. If can be replaced by when in these sentences with
no change in meaning. Example (c) is a “first conditional” type sentence. In the If clause, the present tense is used
to talk about a future situation, as in Spanish.

10.2 SPECIAL TENSE USE IN ‘IF’ SENTENCES - PRESENT/FUTURE SITUATIONS

We use “special” tenses with If when we are talking about UNREAL situations - events that will probably not
happen, situations that are hypothetical or imaginary. In these cases, to express this “subjunctive mood”, we go
backwards in time. If we are talking about the present or future, we use the past in the If clause.

HYPOTHETICAL CONDITION HYPOTHETICAL CONSEQUENCE

IF + PAST TENSE WOULD + INFINITIVE
d) Future condition Future consequence
If he lost his job, he’d have problems paying the mortgage.
Si perdiese su trabajo, tendría problemas para pagar la hipoteca.
e) Present condition Future consequence
If I had lots of money, I would travel around the world.
Si tuviera un montón de dinero, daría la vuelta al mundo.
f) Present condition Future consequence
If I were* you, I’d ask for time off work.
En tu lugar, pediría un permiso en el trabajo.

(*) It is very common to use were instead of was in this type of sentence, as in example (f), although was is also
acceptable.

These sentences are known as the “second conditional”. Note that the difference between If he loses in example
(c), and If he lost is (d) is NOT a difference of time, but of probability. In (c), the speaker thinks this is a REAL
possibility, and in (d), a very remote possibility.

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

A Complete the sentences with a verb from the box in the correct tense. Use each verb ONCE only.

lend build be train tell had go can pass

a) If you ................................................. more often, f) I’d help you if I ......................................................

you’d be able to run faster.
b) I .................................... you if I knew the answer.
c) If he ............................................ to bed earlier he
wouldn’t be so tired.
d) I’d be surprised if he ............................. the exam.
e) If I had the money, I ..............................................
a house in the country.
but I’m afraid I’m too busy right now.
g) If I ............................ you, I wouldn’t get married.
h) If we ............................................ a mobile phone,
we could call for help.
i) I .................................................. you the money if
I had it, but I don’t.

B Write a conditional sentence for each situation. The first one has been done for you.

a) I’m very busy so I don’t do any sport.
If I weren’t so busy, I’d do some sport.
b) I study all day because I have a lot of exams.
If I ..........................................................................
...............................................................................
c) He hasn’t got any qualifications so he can’t find a
job.
He could ................................................................
...............................................................................
d) He goes running every day so he doesn’t get fat.
If ............................................................................
...............................................................................
e) We can’t go skiing this weekend because there
isn’t any snow.
We ..........................................................................
...............................................................................
f) I’m not going out tonight because I don’t have
any money.
I ..............................................................................
...............................................................................
g) There is nothing good on so I’m not going to
watch TV.
If ............................................................................
...............................................................................

10.3 SPECIAL TENSE USE IN ‘IF’ SENTENCES - PAST SITUATIONS

When we are talking about past situations that did not happen, we use the Past Perfect in the If clause.

HYPOTHETICAL PAST CONDITION HYPOTHETICAL PAST CONSEQUENCE

IF + PAST PERFECT WOULD HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE
g) If you had studied harder, you would have passed the exam.
Si hubieras estudiado más, habrías aprobado el examen.

HYPOTHETICAL PAST CONDITION HYPOTHETICAL PRESENT CONSEQUENCE

IF + PAST PERFECT WOULD + INFINITIVE
h) If we had brought the map, we wouldn’t be lost now.
Si hubieramos traído el mapa, no estaríamos perdidos ahora.

Example (g) is a “third conditional”. Example (h) is a “mixed conditional”. In Spanish, there is more flexibility
permitted in the use of conditional structures, whilst in English, the choice of tense is fixed. e.g. “Si lo sé, no
vengo” in English is If I had known, I wouldn’t have come. (NOT If I know, I don’t come.)

42

C Complete the sentences with a verb from the box in the correct tense. Use each verb ONCE only.
crash win read know visit stop study write
a) If she ........................................................ what he
was really like, she wouldn’t have married him.
b) We ........................................... her if we’d known
she was ill.
c) If the train driver hadn’t seen the signal, the train
............................................................................. .
d) If we ........................................... for petrol when I
said, we wouldn’t have run out.
D Complete the second sentence so it means the same as the first sentence.
a) Polly gave up smoking and got rid of her cough.
If Polly hadn’t given up smoking, she wouldn’t
have got rid of her cough.
b) We missed the start of the film because the bus
was late.
We wouldn’t ..........................................................
...............................................................................
c) The Titanic sank because it hit an iceberg.
If ............................................................................
...............................................................................
d) The car broke down last week so we won’t be able
to go away this weekend.
If the car.................................................................
...............................................................................
E Put the verb in brackets in the correct form. Decide if the situations are real or hypothetical.
a) If you ............................................ (go) away, you
..................................... (write) to me, won’t you?
b) Unless you ...................... (water) plants regularly,
they ........................................ (die) quite quickly.
c) If my neighbours ......................... (be) as noisy as
yours are, I ........................................... (go) crazy.
d) If you ............................... (be) late for class again
tomorrow, I ........................ (phone) your parents.
e) If you .................. (have) a cat, those mice in your
kitchen ......................... (disappear ) immediately.
f) If we ................................. (go) on holiday where I
suggested, it ............................... (be) a lot cheaper
and we............................... (have) more money in
the bank now!
Special Tense Use Grammar Unit 10
e) He wouldn’t have broken the washing machine if
he ........................ the instructions more carefully.
f) They .............................................. to you if you’d
got the job.
g) If Indurain hadn’t retired, ......................................
........................................................... a sixth tour?
h) This test is not difficult. You’d be able to answer
the questions if you ..................................... for it.
e) The building wasn’t completely destroyed because
they called the fire brigade straight away.
If they ....................................................................
...............................................................................
f) Justin is badly sunburnt because he didn’t put on
any suntan lotion.
Justin wouldn’t ......................................................
...............................................................................
g) I didn’t understand what the teacher was saying so I
won’t be able to do the exercise.
If I ..........................................................................
...............................................................................
g) If you ..................... (do) your homework tonight,
you ......................... (find) the test tomorrow easy.
h) If the students ............................ (speak) Spanish,
our new teacher ......................... (get) very angry.
i) This is delicious! If I ...................... (can) cook as
well as you, I ......................... (open) a restaurant.
j) We ..................... (have) salmonella like the others
if we ..................... (eat) the mayonnaise last night.
k) If Philip ............................................. (not see) the
car, it ...................................................... (hit) him.
l) When I was a child, if my father ................... (be)
in a bad mood, he ..................................... (shout)
at us.
m) I ........................................ (not go) to see the film
43
 Upper Intermediate Workbook
if I ................................... (know) how bad it was.
n) If we ........................................... (take) the express
F Translate the sentences into English.
a) Si tu no hubieras tardado tanto, no habríamos
perdido el tren.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
b) Si sacas un pez del agua, muere.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
c) Si no hubieran estudiado en la escuela, ahora
tendrían más problemas para encontrar un trabajo.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
d) Te dará un calambre si tocas el cable.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
10.4 I WISH / IF ONLY
I wish and If only express regret that things are not
different, and again refer to situations that are unreal,
impossible, or unlikely. (These are ideas that can be
expressed by “ojalá” in Spanish, but note that “ojalá”
does not always correspond to I wish/If only.) If only is
more emphatic. As with if in conditional clauses, I wish
and If only are followed by the past tense when referring
to the present ....
I wish/If only I was/were better looking.
¡Ojalá fuera más guapo!
I wish/If only I spoke German.
¡Ojalá hablara alemán!
and Past Perfect when referring to the past ....
I wish/If only she hadn’t told the Police.
¡Ojalá no se lo hubiera dicho a la policía.
I wish/If only I hadn’t been so rude to the boss.
¡Ojalá yo no hubiera sido tan grosero con el jefe.
To express a desire for a change in the future, especially
when something is annoying us, and we think the action
probably won’t happen, we use I wish/If only ..........
would.
I wish/If only it would stop raining.
Ojalá/Me gustaría que dejara de llover.
I wish/If only the postman would come.
Ojalá/Me gustaría que viniera el cartero.
44
train, we ........................................ (be) there now.
e) Si necesitaba el dinero, él cogía cualquier trabajo.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
f) Si llego a saber la verdad, le mato.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
g) Si no nos hubiera tocado la lotería, no habríamos
comprado una casa nueva.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
h) Si dedicaras más tiempo a estudiar, sacarías
mejores notas .
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
Both I wish + past and I wish ..... would structures may
have the same translation in Spanish. However, in
English there is a slight difference in meaning.
I wish you wouldn’t smoke. (Because it annoys
me.)
I wish you didn’t smoke. (Because it’s bad for
your health.)
Ojalá no fumaras.
I wish ....... would is NOT used for:
• Wishes about things that seem possible or likely in
the future. We often use hope in this sense.
I hope you pass your exam.
(NOT I wish you would pass your exam.)
*Ojalá/Espero que apruebes el examen.
• Wishes about ourselves.
I wish I could give up smoking.
(NOT I wish I would give up smoking.)
Ojalá pudiera dejar de fumar.
I hope we get there soon.
(NOT I wish we would get there soon.)
*Ojalá/Espero que lleguemos pronto.
(*) When referring to the future, “ojalá + presente del
subjuntivo” is translated by I hope......, while “ojalá +
imperfecto de subjuntivo” is translated by I wish ...... .

G Write a sentence using I wish ...... for each of the following situations.
a) The hotel is awful. I’m not happy here.
I wish we hadn’t come here.
b) The weather is terrible.
...............................................................................
c) Last night we went out for a meal and I was ill all
night.
...............................................................................
d) There’s nothing to do in the evenings.
...............................................................................
e) We can’t go swimming.
...............................................................................
f) We haven’t got a TV in our hotel room.
...............................................................................
H Translate the sentences into English.
a) Ojalá mi hermano me llamara más a menudo.
...............................................................................
b) Ojalá me llamaran sobre el trabajo.
...............................................................................
c) Ojalá Peter me llame pronto porque tengo que
salir.
...............................................................................
d) Ojalá me ayudaras con las tareas de casa.
...............................................................................
Special Tense Use Grammar Unit 10
g) I wanted to go to Ibiza.
...............................................................................
h) The rest of the family persuaded me to come here.
...............................................................................
i) The children keep asking me for money.
...............................................................................
j) My wife says she’s on holiday and won’t help me
with the children.
...............................................................................
k) We have to get up for breakfast at 7.00 am.
...............................................................................
l) It’s so noisy I can’t sleep at night.
...............................................................................
e) Ojalá tengamos dinero para las vacaciones.
...............................................................................
f) Ojalá pudiera cantar.
...............................................................................
g) Ojalá vinieras a verme todos los fines de semana.
...............................................................................
h) Ojalá vengas a verme este fin de semana.
...............................................................................
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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

11. Reported Speech

11.1 BASIC RULES

When we change sentences from direct to reported speech, the pronouns, tense, and adverbs of time and place may
all change. Most of these basic changes are natural and logical, and are similar in English and Spanish.

a) “I’m not going to the concert because I want
to see the football match tonight.”
No voy al concierto porque quiero ver el partido
esta noche.
b) “I’ll finish the report tomorrow.”
Terminaré el informe mañana.
c) “We’ve been on holiday.”
Hemos estado de vacaciones.
d) “I may be late.”
Puede que llegue tarde.
e) “I can’t go to the meeting.”
No puedo ir a la reunión.
f) “I bought a shirt yesterday.”
Compré una camisa ayer.
g) “I felt ill but now I’m better.”
Me sentía mal pero ahora estoy mejor.
h) “Everything began with the big bang.”
Todo empezó con el big bang.
Pete said he wasn’t going to the concert
because he wanted to see the football match that night.
Pete dijo que no iba al concierto porque quería ver el
partido aquella noche.
Jane said she would finish the report the next day.
Jane dijo que terminaría el informe el día siguiente.
They said they’d been on holiday.
Dijeron que habían estado de vacaciones.
He told me he might be late.
Me dijo que quizas llegaría tarde.
She said she couldn’t go to the meeting.
Dijo que no podía ir a la reunión.
He said he had bought/bought a shirt the day before.
Dijo que había comprado/compró una camisa el
día anterior.
Stephen said he had felt ill but was better.
Dijo que se había sentido mal pero estaba mejor.
The scientist said that everything began
with the big bang. (NOT ... everything had begun ... )
El científico dijo que todo empezó con el
big bang.

Note the changes to the modals can and may in (d) and (e). We do not need to change the Past to the Past Perfect
unless we want the emphasise that one thing happened before another. In (f), either tense can be used. In (g), the
Past Perfect is necessary to make the sequence of events clear. In (h), the Past Perfect is not used because it refers
to a historical event.

There is NO CHANGE:
• To the modals would, could, should, might and must*.
i) “We could come next weekend.” They said they could come the following weekend.
Podríamos venir el fin de semana que viene. Dijeron que podrían venir el fin de semana siguiente
j) “You should be careful.” He said I should be careful.
Debería tener más cuidado. Dijo que debería tener más cuidado.
k) “There must be some mistake.” Dave said that there must be some mistake.
Debe de haber algún error. Dave dijo que debía de haber algún error.
l) “I must go now.” Sarah said she had to/must go.
Tengo que ir. Sarah dijo que tenía que ir.
* If must expresses CERTAINTY there is no change as in (k). If it expresses NECESSITY then it can change
to had to, as in (l).

46
 Reported Speech Grammar Unit 11

• When reporting PRESENT and FUTURE tenses, if the situation has not changed at the time of speaking, it is
not logical to change tenses or adverbs of time and place.
m) “Bill lives in Italy now.” John told me that Bill lives in Italy now.
Bill vive en Italia ahora. John me dijo que Bill vive en Italia ahora.
n) “Tomorrow will be hot here in the south.” They said that tomorrow will be hot here in the south.
Mañana hará calor aquí en el sur. Dijeron que mañana hará calor aquí en el sur.
• If a past tense refers to an UNREAL situation.
o) “I wish I had a dog.” Mary said she wished she had a dog.
Ojalá tuviera un perro. Mary dijo que desearía tener un perro.
p) “If I knew I would tell you.” Ann said if she knew she would tell us.
Si lo supiera os lo diría. Ann dijo que si supiera nos lo diría.
• If the verb is already in the Past Perfect.
q) “Paul had been there before.” James said that Paul had been there before.
Paul había estado allí antes. James dijo que Paul había estado allí antes.

11.2 SAY & TELL

Both say and tell mean ‘decir’ in Spanish, but tell must be used with an indirect object.
He said (that) it was too late. He told her (that) it was too late.
(NOT He told (that) it was .....) (NOT He said her ......)
Dijo que era demasiado tarde. Le dijo que era demasiado tarde.
N.B. Tell can also mean ‘contar’. * When used in this sense, an indirect pronoun is not necessary.
Tell me about it. He likes telling jokes.*
Cuéntamelo todo. Le gusta contar chistes.

11.3 REPORTED REQUESTS & COMMANDS

The verbs ask (pedir) and tell are used to report requests and commands. The structure is ask/tell + indirect object
+ (not) to + infinitive. The infinitive with to corresponds to the use of the subjunctive in Spanish.
He told me to wait for him. She asked me to open the window.
Me dijo que le esperase. Me pidió que abriera la ventana.

11.4 REPORTED QUESTIONS

When we report a Yes/No type question, the reporting verb is followed by if or whether (more formal).
“Are you happy?” They asked me if/whether I was happy.
¿Eres feliz? Me preguntaron si era feliz.
N.B. Remember that ask can mean ‘pedir’ or ‘preguntar’.
She asked him to lend her his car. She asked him if he would lend her his car.
Le pidió que prestara el coche. Le preguntó si le prestaba el coche.

When we report Wh- questions the question word is followed by the affirmative word order. (i.e. the subject
before the verb.)
“Where are you going?” He asked me where I was going.
¿Dónde vas? (NOT ...where was I going.)
Me preguntó adónde iba.

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

A Report the following sentences using ask if, ask to, or tell to.

a) “Please sit down.”
He asked me to sit down.
b) “Can I go now?” Bill said to the teacher.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
c) “Make sure you signal before you turn,” the
driving instructor said to me.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
d) “Please don’t tell anyone the news - it’s a secret,”
Jane said to her sister.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
e) “Don’t shout at me,” said the man to his wife.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
f) “Could I leave work early tomorrow?” Justin said
to his boss.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
g) “Please help me with my homework,” Mark said
to his brother.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
h) “Shut up and do it yourself,” Mark’s brother
replied.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
i) “Could I use the phone to call my parents?” Dave
said to the landlady.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................

11.5 REPORTING VERBS

There are many different reporting verbs. Unfortunately they use different grammatical patterns, with or without
a direct object, and ending with a gerund or an infinitve.

a) A single clause
“I’m sorry.” The man apologised.
“Thanks for the lift.” I thanked the driver.

b) refuse, agree, offer, promise, threaten - TO DO SOMETHING

“I’m not going to do the test.” Iñaki refused to do the test.

c) advise, invite, recommend, warn - SOMEONE TO DO SOMETHING

“You really should go to the doctor.” He advised me to go to the doctor.

d) suggest, admit, deny - DOING SOMETHING

“You could go by train.” He suggested going by train.

e) apologise FOR, complain ABOUT, confess TO, insist ON, object TO - DOING SOMETHING
“I’m afraid I’ve damaged your car.” He confessed to damaging the car.

f) blame SOMEONE FOR, accuse SOMEONE OF - DOING SOMETHING

“James stole the money.” He accused James of stealing the money.

g) agree, complain, confess, explain, object, promise, suggest, threaten, warn THAT .......
“The bathroom is dirty.” They complained that the bathroom was dirty.

h) warn, advise, promise, remind SOMEONE THAT ...........

“Be careful - it’s a very dangerous road.” He warned us that it was a dangerous road.

48

B Choose a suitable reporting verb from the box and put the following sentences into reported
speech. Use each verb only once.
remind warn complain advise suggest explain invite promise say confess apologise
a) “I’ll see you next week.”
Jane told us she would see us the following week.
b) “I’d seen the film before so I didn’t go.”
Alex .......................................................................
...............................................................................
c) “I wish I didn’t have to study so hard.”
Iñaki .......................................................................
...............................................................................
d) “Yes, it was me who broke the window.”
James .....................................................................
...............................................................................
e) “Why don’t we go in my car?”
Stephen ..................................................................
...............................................................................
f) “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about it.”
Lorna .....................................................................
...............................................................................
C Translate the sentences into English.
a) Te dije que estaría aquí a las tres.
...............................................................................
b) No, tu dijiste que llegarías para las dos.
...............................................................................
c) Me aconsejaron que fuera a ver un médico.
...............................................................................
d) ¿Le has dicho que me llamara cuanto antes?
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
e) Tu madre quería saber si vas a cenar en casa.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
f) Me avisaron que la carretera estaba cortada.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
g) Dijo que no había comprado la casa porque estaba
al lado de una fábrica.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
Reported Speech Grammar Unit 11
g) “Mum, don’t take the car. It’s really icy.”
Sally .......................................................................
...............................................................................
h) “Frank, would you like to come round for lunch
on Sunday?”
Derek .....................................................................
...............................................................................
i) “That test wasn’t fair.”
The students ...........................................................
...............................................................................
j) “If I were you, I wouldn’t drink the tap water.”
The tour guide .......................................................
...............................................................................
k) “We’re sorry we’re late.”
They .......................................................................
...............................................................................
l) “Remember to take your keys, Pete.”
Jane ........................................................................
...............................................................................
h) Nos invitaron a comer el domingo siguiente.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
i) Todavía no se ha disculpado por rayar el coche.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
j) Le acusaron de mentir.
...............................................................................
k) Le di la enhorabuena por ganar el primer premio.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
l) Jon se ofreció a llevarle a Martin al aeropuerto.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
m) Me preguntaron cuánto ganaba al año en mi
último trabajo.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
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 Upper Intermediate Workbook
12. The Passive
12.1 INTRODUCTION
(For basic information on the form of The Passive in
English look at Unit 1.)
Look at these sentences in Spanish:
Ayer me robaron el coche.
Se construyó el puente en 1876.
Le multaron por exceso de velocidad.
In each sentence, the person who did the action - the
AGENT - is not stated because it is unknown,
unimportant, or obvious. In English, we use the
PASSIVE to express this idea.
Yesterday my car was stolen.
The bridge was built in 1876.
He was fined for speeding.
The Passive sounds more formal and impersonal and is
more common in academic, scientific, and journalistic
language than everyday speech. It is used far more
frequently than the corresponding form in Spanish, where
the same ideas are expressed with:
12.2 VERBS WITH TWO OBJECTS
When there are two objects in the active sentence,
either can be the subject of a passive sentence.
ACTIVE: They sent him a letter.
They sent a letter to him.
PASSIVE: a) A letter was sent to him.
Una carta le fue enviado.
b) He was sent a letter.
Le enviaron una carta.
12.3 NEED(S) TO BE DONE / DOING
The verb need can be followed by (a) a passive infinitive
or (b) a gerund.
a) Your hair needs to be cut.
b) Your hair needs cutting.
Necesitas un corte de pelo.
50
• a verb in the active.
It was delivered by DHL.*
Lo trajo el mensajero.
The roof is being repaired by a friend of ours.*
Un amigo está reparando el tejado.
• a verb “en forma impersonal”.
It has been sold.
Lo han vendido.
He was seen in London last week.
Le vieron en Londres la semana pasado.
• a verb “en pasiva refleja”.
The results of the poll will be published
tomorrow.
Se publicarán los resultados de la encuesta mañana.
English is spoken in many countries.
El inglés se habla en muchos paises.
(*) If we want to mention the agent, we use a phrase
beginning with by.
However, it is more usual for the person to be the subject,
as in (b). Other verbs like this are: give, show, tell, send,
offer, promise, etc.
He was offered a job in Canada.
Le ofrecieron un trabajo en Canadá.
I was told to buy it.
Me dijeron que lo comprara.
We were shown our room.
Nos mostraron la habitación.

A In the following sentences the agent is either not important or too obvious to be necessary. Change
each sentence into a more natural passive form.
a) Someone told her the news yesterday.
She was told the news yesterday.
b) They have discovered oil off the coast of Mexico.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
c) They didn’t invite me to the party.
...............................................................................
d) Thieves have stolen a painting from a gallery in
Madrid.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
e) I don’t know why they chose him.
...............................................................................
f) Doctors have given him six months to live.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
g) Someone will tell you what to do when you
arrive.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
B Write sentences in the Passive using the prompts.
a) good weather / forecast / tomorrow.
Good weather has been forecast for tomorrow.
b) This weekend / 48 people / kill / traffic accidents.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
c) Everything / finish / by next week.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
d) Room 45 / use / meeting / 10.15 this morning.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
The Passive Grammar Unit 12
h) They have advised him to see a lawyer.
...............................................................................
i) People have told me a lot about you.
...............................................................................
j) They say that he has committed a number of
crimes.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
k) They have promised him a new bicycle for his
birthday.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
l) They are building a new bridge across the river.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
m) They sent her some lovely flowers.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
n) Have they told him the truth?
...............................................................................
e) 450,000 new cars / sell / so far this year.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
f) Tour de France / win / Armstrong / seven times.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
g) The office / decorate / at the moment.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

C Put the verb in brackets in the correct tense. Decide if it is active or passive.

And now here are the news headlines. A bomb (a)...................................... (explode) in Lahor, Pakistan
this morning. Three people (b)............................................................... (kill) and many more
(c)......................................... (injure). The police (d)........................................... (receive) several calls
claiming responsibility for the attack, but Al Quaeda (e)........................................... (think) to be behind the
bombing.
The prisoner who (f)...................................................... (escape) from Dartmoor Prison last week
(g)...................................... (capture) . He (h)...................................... (see) walking across the moor by a
local resident who (i)......................................... (telephone) the police. He (j)...................................... (be)
tired and hungry, and (k).............................................................. (offer) no resistance. When he
(l).......................................... (examine) by a doctor he (m)..................................... (return) to jail.
Finally, the Government (n).............................................. (expect) to announce new measures tomorrow,
in the fight against unemployment. The number of unemployed (o)................................ (rise) dramatically
in the last few months and the minister for trade and industry (p)........................................ (want) to make
it easier for firms to contract and fire employees. Protests and demonstrations (q).................................
(plan) by the unions, who (r)................................. (oppose) these new measures.

12.4 HAVE/GET SOMETHING DONE

The “causative” use of have or get in have/get something I must have/get my shoes repaired.
done expresses the idea that we “cause” someone else to Tengo que llevar a arreglar los zapatos.
perform a service for us. Jane had her eyes tested yesterday.
Jane se hizo revisar la vista ayer.

D Complete the sentences with an appropriate form of have something done.

a) Your hair looks nice. Where (did / you / it / do)?
Where did you have it done?
b) That’s a nice photo of you. Where (did / you / it /
take)?
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
c) You car is making a strange noise. When was the
last time (you / it / service)?
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
d) The house will be worth more because (we / new
kitchen / install).
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
e) I wouldn’t try to mend the brakes yourself; if I
were you ( I / repair / mechanic).
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
f) (you / car / paint)? It looks as good as new.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
g) “Diane looks different.” “Yes, (she / hair / cut )
last week.”
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
h) He couldn’t eat properly because (he / two teeth /
take out).
...............................................................................
...............................................................................

52

E Re-write the sentences using the have something done form.
a) The newsagent’s deliver The Times every morning.
I have The Times delivered every morning.
b) Some decorators are going to paint the house for
them.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
c) Has anyone ever tested your hearing?
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
d) Where did she take her car for the repairs?
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
F Translate the sentences into English using the Passive, need + infinitive/gerund, or have something
done.
a) En Inglaterra beben mucho té.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
b) Antes de que se firme el contrato, se negocian las
condiciones.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
c) Siempre llevo el coche al mismo taller para que
me cambien el aceite.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
d) Construyeron esta casa en 1486.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
e) Los domingos se venden más periódicos que otros
días.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
f) Este paquete lo trajeron hace dos semanas.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
g) Era odiado por sus propios hermanos.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
The Passive Grammar Unit 12
e) Somebody is going to look after the cat for them.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
f) He arranged for them to send on his letters to the
new address.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
g) A carpenter made the cupboard for us last year.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
h) A shop installed the programs for me.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
h) La reunión se celebró en El Hotel Costa Vasca.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
i) Me han prestado el dinero.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
j) Le darán un premio por su trabajo.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
k) Se está haciendo una carretera nueva.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
l) Se dice que ha perdido todo.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
m) Hace falta cortar el césped.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
n) Piensan que él está en Sud América.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
o) Mandé pintar la bici.
...............................................................................
...............................................................................
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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

54
 Work Vocabulary Unit 13

Part 2
Vocabulary

55
 Upper Intermediate Workbook

13. Work
A Test yourself. What are the following jobs in English? (Check your answers in the word list section.)

a) funcionario ....................................... h) representante .......................................

b) obrero de fábrica ....................................... i) dependiente .......................................
c) periodista ....................................... j) agente de bolsa .......................................
d) peón ....................................... k) cajero de supermercado .......................................
e) abogado ....................................... l) cirujano .......................................
f) administrativo ....................................... m) veterinario .......................................
g) fontanero ....................................... n) conductor .......................................

B Complete the following chart.

PROFESSION / AREA PERSON / JOB

OF WORK

Medicine Nurse, Doctor, Surgeon, Chemist

....................................... Computer Programmer
Accountancy ...................................................
Education ...................................................
....................................... Engineer
Journalism ...................................................
Law ...................................................

C Complete the gap with the words below. Use each word only ONCE.

retire post pension career experience interview vacancy conditions

qualifications on commission perks reference earn application form promotion

When you see a job (a)................................. advertised, you send off for an (b) ................................. . You
fill it in and send it off and hope they invite you for an (c).............................................. where they will ask
you about your educational (d).............................. and your work (e)................................. . Then, if they
are interested they will usually ask you for a (f).................................................. from a previous employer
or teacher. You should take the opportunity to ask about the (g)............................... and the salary you will
(h)............................................. . In jobs where you are selling something, you may be paid
(i)....................................., and some jobs offer (j)............................................ like a free car or a company
(k)............................... scheme. This means that you will get extra money when you (l)......................... .
Another thing to take into consideration is what (m)..................................................... prospects the
(n)......................................... offers for future (o) ......................................... to a better job with more
responsibility and money.

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 Work Vocabulary Unit 13

D For each job, mark the two most appropriate adjectives with an X.

supermarket cashier
fashion model
civil servant

stockbroker
accountant

electrician

bus driver
sales rep
plumber
surgeon

soldier
miner
nurse
stressful
demanding
well paid
boring
worthwhile
challenging
secure
dangerous
rewarding
manual

E Organise the expressions below under the correct headings.

work shifts get a pay rise be a skilled worker make someone redundant work flexitime be out of work
do overtime work in sales get a low salary apply for a job have a 9 to 5 job do a training course
become unemployed work for an electronics company have job satisfaction be a highly qualified employee

MONEY & CONDITIONS GETTING A JOB

• get a bonus
• .................................................................................
• .................................................................................
• .................................................................................
• .................................................................................
• .................................................................................
LOSING A JOB
• get the sack
• .................................................................................
• .................................................................................
• .................................................................................
• go for a job interview
• .................................................................................
• .................................................................................
DESCRIBING A JOB
• work in the sales department
• .................................................................................
• .................................................................................
• .................................................................................
• .................................................................................
• .................................................................................
• .................................................................................

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

WORDLISTS

Work

accountancy contabilidad go for an interview ir a una entrevista

apply for a job solicitar un trabajo go on strike hacer huelga
arrive at work llegar al trabajo have a day off tener un día libre
attend a meeting asistir a una reunión hold a meeting celebrar una reunión
be fired ser despedido involve working long implicar trabajar
be highly qualified estar muy preparado hours muchas horas
be in charge of sthg. ser el responsable de job vacancy oferta de trabajo
algo join a firm incorporarse a una
be out of work estar en paro empresa
be responsible for sth. ser el responsable de join a trade union afiliarse a un
algo sindicato
be unemployed estar en paro labour mano de obra
become unemployed quedarse sin trabajo make sb. redundant despedir a alguien
belong to a trade union estar afiliado a un por reducción de
sindicato plantilla
bonus plus/prima management dirección
boring aburrido manager director
boss jefe manual labour trabajo manual
canteen comedor nine to five job trabajo de oficina
career trayectoria perk extra
profesional personnel department departamento de
challenging que constituye un reto recursos humanos
colleague compañero post puesto de trabajo
company empresa professional profesional
customer cliente resign dimitir
dangerous peligroso retire jubilarse
deal with paperwork ocuparse del papeleo rewarding gratificante
demanding que exige mucho salary sueldo
desk escritorio sales department departamento de
desk job trabajo de oficina ventas
do a job hacer un trabajo secure seguro
do a training course hacer un curso de skilled cualificado/
formación especializado
do business hacer negocios social security seguridad social
do/work overtime hacer / trabajar horas stockmarket la bolsa
extras stressful estresante
employ someone dar empleo a alguien unemployment desempleo
employee empleado well-paid bien renumerado
employer empleador work flexitime tener horario flexible
fill in an application rellenar una petición work full-time trabajar a jornada
form de trabajo completo
get a bonus recibir un plus work in sales trabajar en ventas
get a job encontrar un trabajo work part-time trabajar media
get a pay rise conseguir/recibir una jornada
subida work shifts/do shift work trabajar por turnos
get promotion ser ascendido work the day/night shift trabajar el turno de
get the sack / be sacked ser despedido día / noche
get unemployment benefit cobrar el paro working hours horas de trabajo
give a reference dar una carta de worthwhile que vale la pena
referencia
go away on business salir en viaje de
negocios

58
 Work Vocabulary Unit 13

Professions & Occupations

accountant contable hairdresser peluquero

actor actor housewife (-ves) ama de casa
actress actriz journalist periodista
architect arquitecto labourer peón
artist artista lawyer abogado
baker panedero mechanic mecánico
bank clerk empleado de banca miner minero
builder constructor model modelo
businessman/woman hombre/mujer de musician músico
negocios nurse enfermera
butcher carnicero office worker administrativo
carpenter carpintero optician óptico
chef cocinero painter pintor
chemist químico/farmacutico photographer fotógrafo
civil servant funcionario pilot piloto
cleaner mujer/hombre de plumber fontanero
limpieza policeman/woman policía
computer operator operador de politician político
ordenador receptionist recepcionista
computer programmer programador de salesman/woman vendedor
ordenador sales rep representante
cook cocinero scientist científico
dentist dentista secretary secretaria
designer diseñador shop assistant dependiente
doctor doctor shopkeeper tendero
driver conductor soldier soldado
electrician electricista stockbroker agente de bolsa
engineer ingeniero student estudiante
executive ejecutivo supermarket cashier cajero de
factory worker trabajador de fabrica supermercado
fisherman pescador surgeon cirujano
greengrocer frutero teacher profesor
guide guía vet veterinario

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

14. The Car & Transport

14.1 THE CAR

A Complete the labels below with the name of each car part.

b) ....................... c) ....................... d) .......................

a) ....................... e) .......................

f) .......................

g) .......................

h) .......................
j) .......................
i) .......................

B Read the text and complete the gaps with the words and phrases below.

glove compartment windscreen wipers handbrake get into ignition switch steering wheel
speedometer insurance certificate clutch brake turn on accelerator gear stick

“Right, open the door and a)...................................... the car. In this country the driver’s seat is on the left,
but in Britain it is on the right. Okay, in front of you there is a b).................................................... . Behind
that, you can see the c)................................................ for starting the car, and two levers. The one on the left
is to d)..................................... the indicators when you turn, and the headlights at night. The right-hand one
is to control the e)....................................... when it rains. On your right, there is a f).....................................
for changing gear, and just behind that, the g)......................................, which you put on when parking. (You
also need it when you have to start on an upward slope.) On the floor by your feet there are three pedals. The
one on the right is the h)...................................... . Next to that is the i)...................................., and on the left
there is the j)...................................... . Opposite you, there is a control panel with various indicators. The
most important of these is the k).......................................... which tells you how fast you are going. Facing
the passenger seat there is a l)............................................. where you keep things like maps, and the car’s
documents such as the log book and m) ........................ .”

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 The Car & Transport Vocabulary Unit 14

C Put the following actions into the correct order.

a) Before you move, look over your left shoulder to check

that nothing is coming. .........
b) Slowly realease the clutch. .........
c) Get into the car. 1
d) Drive off. .........
e) Make sure the gear lever is in “neutral”. .........
f) Push down on the clutch and put the motor into “first”. .........
g) Attach your seat belt. .........
h) Release the handbrake. .........
i) Put the key in the ignition and switch on the engine. .........

D Fill the gaps with one of the verbs below in the correct form.

reverse pull out honk fill up check give way skid

overtake accelerate indicate run over fine crash dip

a) The lorry was going very slowly, but she waited i) He was responsible for causing the accident
until it was safe to .............................................. it. because he didn’t ...................................... to a car
b) It really annoys me how people are so impatient coming from the right at the junction.
and are always ..................................... their horn. j) He couldn’t stop and ....................................... into
c) The accident happened because he ........................ the back of the car in front.
on a patch of ice. k) If you go too fast the police will ............................
d) Before you turn, you should look behind in the you for speeding.
mirror and then ...................................................... l) Usually, in a car there five or six ‘forward’ gears
left or right. and one gear to ..................................................... .
e) We stopped to have a coffee and to ....................... m) He didn’t stop at the pedestrian crossing and
with petrol. ............................................. a poor little old lady.
f) The opposite of slow down is to .......................... . n) That junction is dangerous because you have to
g) Before a long journey you should ......................... ................................................. into heavy traffic.
the oil and the type pressures.
h) At night, when you meet a car coming from the
other direction, you should ....................................
your headlights.

E Put the following in order of importance.

a) motorway 1 e) track .........

b) country lane ......... f) dual carriageway .........
c) footpath ......... g) minor road .........
d) “A” road .........

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F How do you say the following in English. G What are the following forms of road
transport?
a) Ceder el paso.
............................................................................... a) RAT C R O T
b) Sentido único. ...............................................................................
............................................................................... b) P O R S T S R A C
c) No aparcar. ...............................................................................
............................................................................... c) P E J E
d) Parking. ...............................................................................
............................................................................... d) M U B L A C N E A
e) Rotonda, glorieta. ...............................................................................
............................................................................... e) K I B E
f) Límite de velocidad. ...............................................................................
............................................................................... f) P E D O M
g) Area de reposo. ...............................................................................
...............................................................................

14.2 OTHER FORMS OF TRANSPORT

H Decide which adjectives in the vertical axis can be used with the nouns in the horizontal axis, and
mark an X in the appropriate spaces as in the example.
balloon
wagon

station

tanker
barge

truck
lorry
train

rank

van
car

hot-air x
intercity
delivery
freight
articulated
pick-up
local
oil
buffet
taxi
bus
canal

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 The Car & Transport Vocabulary Unit 14

I Which verbs can be used with each form of transport? Mark an X in the appropriate space, as in the
example.

motorbike
bicycle
plane
horse

lorry
train
ship

taxi

van
bus
car
get into / out of X X X X
get on / off
drive
ride
fly
send smthg. by
take
miss
catch
change
load /unload
board
hire

WORD LISTS
The Road

ambulance ambulancia lorry camión

articulated lorry camión articulado main road carretera principal
bicycle (bike) bicicleta (bici) map mapa de carreteras
bridge puente minor road carretera secundaria
bus autobús miss a bus perder un bus
bus stop parada de bus moped motocicleta
camper van auto-caravana motorbike moto
car park parking motorway autopista
catch/take/get a bus coger un bus no parking no aparcar
coach autocar one way sentido único
corner esquina pedestrian peatón
country lane carretera rural pick-up truck furgoneta de reparto
dual carriageway autovía ride a bike montar en bici
get into a car montar en un coche ride a motorbike conducir una moto
get on a bike/moped montar una bici/ roundabout rotonda, glorieta
/una moto speed limit límite de velocidad
get out of a car/taxi bajarse de un coche/ taxi (cab) taxi
taxi taxi rank parada de taxis
give way ceder el paso tractor tractor
hire/rent a car alquilar un coche traffic tráfico
jeep jeep traffic lights semáforos
level crossing paso a nivel van furgoneta
load/unload a lorry cargar/descargar un
camion

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

The Car

accelerator acelerador insurance certificate póliza de seguros

honk your horn hacer sonar la oil aceite
bocina overtake adelantar
bonnet capó park aparcar
boot maletero petrol gasolina
brake frenar petrol station gasolinera
brakes frenos petrol tank depósito
break down averiarse radiator radiador
bumper parachoques rear-view mirror espejo retrovisor
car insurance seguro de coche repair arreglar
clutch embrague reverse ir marcha atrás
crash a car chocar con el coche run out of petrol quedarse sin
check the oil comprobar el aceite gasolina
check the tyres comprobar la presión run over atropellar
de los neumáticos seat asiento
diesel gasoil seat belt cinturón de
driving licence permiso de conducir seguridad
engine motor skid patinar
engine trouble problemas con el speedometer indicador de
motor velocidad
fill up llenar el depósito sports car coche deportivo
fine multar steering dirección
gear stick palanca de cambio steering wheel volante
give someone a lift llevar a alguien (en switch on the ignition darle al contacto
coche) tyre neumático
glove compartment guantera unleaded petrol gasolina sin plomo
handbrake freno de mano wheel rueda
headlight faro windscreen parabrisas
hire a car alquilar un coche windscreen wiper limpia parabrisas
ignition switch encendido wing mirror espejo retrovisor
indicator intermitente exterior

Rail Transport

buffet car coche comedor local train tren de cercanias

carriage vagón miss a connection perder una conexión
catch/take/get a train tomar/coger un tren miss a train perder un tren
express tren expreso platform andén
freight train tren de mercancias send smthg. by train mandar algo por
get on/off a train subirse a/bajarse de ferrocarril
un tren sleeper tren con coches cama
intercity tren de largo station estación
recorrido

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 The Car & Transport Vocabulary Unit 14

Air Transport

aeroplane avión hot-air balloon globo de aire

board a plane montar en un avión caliente
catch/take/get a plane coger un avión jet avión con motor a
fly volar reación
fly a plane pilotar un avión land aterrizar
get on/off a plane subirse a/bajarse de micro-light ultralite
un avión parachute paracaídas
glider planeador take off despegar
hang-glider ala delta

Sea and River Transport

board a ship subir a bordo de un oil tanker petrolero

barco raft balsa
boat barco sailing dinghy bote (con vela)
canal barge barcaza sink hundirse
canoe canoa/piragua submarine submarino
ferry transbordador yacht yate
hovercraft aerodeslizador

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15. The Media

A Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct place in the passage below.

gossip columns headlines bias channels circulation mass media viewers

game shows censorship news agencies cartoons soap opera tabloids reviews
commercials screen sports magazines correspondents articles editorials

Television, radio, newspapers, and magazines, are often referred to as the a)..................................
because they provide large numbers of people with both information and entertainment. How much are we
influenced by these different forms of communication?
In Spain people can switch to a number of different TV b)........................................ . All, except TVE
have c).......................................... for different products. However, it’s not only advertising which makes us
want to buy things. A d)................................................., going on week after week, telling the story of one
family or a group of people, may make us want to copy the life style which we see on the
e)................................... . Also, f)............................................. which give people large prizes for answering
simple questions encourage very materialistic values. Such programmes are seen by millions of
g)......................................... .
Newspapers also influence what people think. In Britain, a popular paper like “The Sun” may have a
h)................................. of over 5 million readers. These papers are known as i).................................. because
of their smaller size. They have big j)................................................... above the news stories, sensational
photos, and amusing k)................................... to look at. The l)..................................... are full of stories
about the private lives of famous people, and there are many pages dedicated entirely to m).................................
coverage. Although these papers are mainly read for entertainment, they usually have a strong political
n)..................................... . In Spain o)....................................... such as Hola, or Diez Minutos play a similar
role.
On the other hand, in a free country where there is no p)............................................................., serious
papers are read principally for their news, sent to them by q)....................................................... round the
world, and by the big r)............................................... . While its reports attempt to be objective, the
opinion of a newspaper about important events is expressed in its s)...................................., and these may
have a specific political outlook. People also read these papers for their t).................................. of new
books, films, records, and plays, as well as u)........................................................ by well known commentators
on culture, politics and the economy.

B Match the TV programmes to the definitions.

a detective serial the news a chat show a wildlife documentary

cartoons a comedy series a current affairs programme a commercial

a) Actors doing or saying funny things. c) The animal life of the Antarctica.
............................................................................... ...............................................................................
b) People discussing politics. d) Guns, murder, and the police.
............................................................................... ...............................................................................
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 The Media Vocabulary Unit 15

e) A long interview with a famous person. g) Someone talking about a new soap powder.
............................................................................... ...............................................................................
f) Characters played by moving drawings. h) Someone telling you what happened today.
............................................................................... ...............................................................................

C Put the words below in the appropriate column, according to stress, as in the examples.

quiz newspaper financial soap opera editorial presenter video reporter listener
chat show broadcast headline advertise journalist comedy educational
network newsreader screen tabloid channel programme viewer

O O• O•• •O• ••O••

ad advert photograph commercial documentary

D First underline the 16 words that can be used as verbs in the list below. Combine the verbs with
other words to make collocations related to the Media. (You will need to add articles and
prepositions, etc.) Use each verb only once.

television news variety programme be read present subscribe

radio channel Sunday papers see film show music turn down magazine
listen watch switch on station article change nine o’clock tune in

eg. read an article in the Sunday papers.

• ............................................................................... • ...............................................................................

• ............................................................................... • ...............................................................................

• ............................................................................... • ...............................................................................

• ............................................................................... • ...............................................................................

• ............................................................................... • ...............................................................................

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WORD LISTS - THE MEDIA

Newspapers & Magazines

ad anuncio home news noticias nacionales

advertisement anuncio magazine revista
article articulo news agency agencia de prensa
cartoon chiste/caricatura (news)paper periódico
censorship censura photograph fotografía
circulation tirada photographer fotógrafo
correspondent corresponsal picture dibujo / ilustración
editorial editorial quality papers periódicos serios
financial pages paginas dedicadas a reporter/journalist periodista / reportero
la economía sports coverage cobertura de
foreign news noticias deportes
internacionales subscribe to a magazine subscribirse a una
front page news noticia de primera revista
plana tabloids periódicos
gossip column crónica de sociedad sensacionalistas
headline titular theatre review crítica teatral

Radio and Television

be live estar en directo newsreader presentador de un

be recorded estar grabado informativo
broadcast emitir nine o’clock news telediario de las
broadcast emisión nueve
cartoon dibujo animado presenter presentador
comedy comedia programme programa
commercial break pausa para quiz concurso
publicidad radio radio
commercial for sthg. publicidad para algo screen pantalla
commercial television televisión comercial see sthg. on television ver algo en la tele
commercials publicidad series serie
current affairs programa de soap opera culebrón
actualidad sports commentator comentarista de
programme debate deportes
change channel cambiar de canal sports programme programa de
channel canal deportes
chat show programa de switch to a channel cambiar a un canal
entrevistas the news las noticias
documentary documental tune in to a radio station sintonizar con una
drama drama emisora
educational programme programa educativo variety shows programa de
film película variadades
game-show concurso viewers espectadores
listeners oyentes watch television ver la tele
mass media medios de weather forecast parte meteorológico
comunicación What’s on tonight? ¿Qué hay en la tele
network cadena esta noche?
news noticias wildlife documentary documental sobre la
news broadcast informativo naturaleza

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 Holidays & Travel Vocabulary Unit 16

16. Holidays & Travel

A Put each of the following words in the correct space in the text below.
travel agents relax resorts hitch-hiking camping go package holidays lying on a beach off-peak
youth hostels charter abroad cruise going sightseeing coach tour travel off the beaten track

What is a good holiday? This depends on many different factors, although probably age and the amount of
money you have are the most important. When I was a student, I didn’t mind a)........................................
and staying in b).......................................... . These days I can afford to sleep in hotels, but I prefer to go
c)................................................... . The advantage of campsites is that if you have children, they are free to
go where they want, and they leave you in peace. I’ve never particularly enjoyed visiting museums or
d)................................................ . I just want to be able to e)........................................... in the open air, and
f)........................................... walking and cycling.
Nowadays more and more people travel g)..................................... . Many h)................................... offer
cut-price deals for flights to all parts of the world. In the summer, airports are crowded with tourists taking
i)...................................... flights to popular j)........................................... . Most of them are on
k)................................................... where the price you pay includes transport, food and accommodation.
This kind of traveller is attracted by the idea of l)............................................... in the sun, and having
everything done for them.
People who want to see more of a country may prefer to go on a m)................................................ . where
you spend one or two days in different places along a route. For those who have more money and like the
sea, one option is to go on a n)....................................... . Others prefer to make their own
o)....................................... arrangements. This way they can avoid crowded, well-known places, and get to
less famous areas which are p).............................................. . Also, they can take their holiday in an
q)............................................. period when there are less people and it’s cheaper.

B Read the definitions and choose the corresponding word from the list below.

check in check out coach bus boarding card landing card

make a stopover buffet overdue overbooked full board half board
platform waiting room intercity sleeper restaurant

a) You have to do this when you leave a hotel. .................................................

b) The cost of accommodation includes breakfast and dinner. .................................................
c) A hotel or airline accepts more reservations than it has places available. .................................................
d) A train which links big towns and cities. .................................................
e) A card you fill in on the plane to hand in to the immigration authorities. .................................................
f) When you make a break in a long journey by plane. .................................................
g) The card with your seat number on - given to you when you check in. .................................................
h) Where you can get light refreshments in a station or on a train. .................................................

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

i) When a train or plane is late. .................................................

j) Where you wait for a train - there are usually at least two in every station. .................................................
k) Used for carrying groups of people by road - usually long distances. .................................................

C Imagine you are flying from Madrid to New York. Put the following events in a logical order.

a) 1 Check in at the airline desk in the departures h) ...... Buy a present in the Duty Free shop in the
terminal. departure lounge.
b) ...... Get off the plane. i) ...... Wait for your flight to be announced.
c) ...... Go through passport control. j) ...... Take off from Barajas.
d) ...... Show your boarding pass and get on the k) ...... Go through USA immigration control.
plane. l) ...... Land at JFK airport.
e) ...... Fasten your seat belt. m) ...... Go through customs.
f) ...... Pick up your suitcase in baggage reclaim. n) ...... Go through the metal detector.
g) ...... Take a taxi to your hotel.

D Underline the words that can by used as verbs in the list below. Then combine the verbs with other
words to make collocations related to holidays and travel.

customs day make fill in book seat business flight have duty free stay buy
good go through trip suitcase cigarettes enjoy go on time pack form change
registration check in luggage change holiday money bed & breakfast excursion

eg. To book a seat on a flight. • ...............................................................................

• ...............................................................................
• ...............................................................................
• ...............................................................................
• ...............................................................................
• ...............................................................................
• ...............................................................................
• ...............................................................................
• ...............................................................................
• ...............................................................................
• ...............................................................................

E Put each of the words below into the appropriate column.

suitcase declaration air hostess take off (verb) take off (noun) arrivals departures youth hostel
holiday sunbathe relax customs passport sightseeing registration passenger luggage declare

• O O • • O • O • • • • O •
hotel porter reception register reservation

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 Holidays & Travel Vocabulary Unit 16

WORD LISTS

Travel Accommodation

bed & breakfast pensión make a hotel reservation hacer una reserva
book a hotel room reservar una overbook sobrecontratar
habitación porter portero
campsite camping reception recepción
caravan caravana reception desk mostrador de
chambermaid camarera recepción
check in registrar receptionist recepcionista
check out dejar el hotel register registrar
double bed cama de matrimonio registration form ficha de registro
double room habitación doble room with a balcony habitación con balcon
full board pensión completa room with a view habitación con vistas
go camping ir de camping single room habitación individual
guest house pensión stay in a hotel dormir en un hotel
half board media pensión tent tienda de campaña
hotel hotel twin beds camas gemelas
hotel bill factura de hotel youth hostel albergue de juventud

Holidays
at the seaside en la costa lie on a beach tumbarse en una playa
brochure folleto off-peak period fuera de temporada
enjoy a holiday disfrutar unas off the beaten track fuera de los lugares
vacaciones trillados
go abroad ir al extranjero package holiday/tour viaje organizado
go on a coach tour ir en un viaje pack the suitcase hacer la maleta
organizado pay in advance pagar por anticipado
/ excursión en autocar peak period plena temporada
go on holiday ir de vacaciones safari safari
go sightseeing hacer turismo seaside resort centro turístico
guide book guía costero
guide / courier guía turística ski resort estación de esquí
have a good time pasarlo bien souvenir recuerdo
have a holiday tener vacaciones spa resort balneario
have a rest descansar sunbathe tomar el sol
in the country en el campo travel agent’s / agency agencia de viajes
in the mountains en la montaña visit a museum visitar un museo
leave a deposit dejar una señal

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Travelling in General

be overdue llevar retraso luggage equipaje

cross the border cruzar la frontera make a customs hacer una
change money cambiar dinero declaration declaración de
customs aduana aduanas
duty free libre de impuestos make/go on a journey hacer un viaje
enquiries información make/go on a trip hacer un viaje
fare billete / pasaje nothing to declare nada para declarar
frontier/border frontera passenger pasajero
get back volver passport control control de pasaportes
get home volver a casa public transport transporte publico
get lost perderse return (ticket) ida-vuelta
get to a place llegar a un lugar rucksack/backpack mochila
go by car/train/ ir en coche/tren/avión/ season ticket abono
plane/bike bici single ida
information desk ventanilla de suitcase maleta
información ticket billete
lost property office objetos perdidos travel viajar
(oficina) waiting room sala de espera

Air Travel

airline línea aérea flight vuelo

aisle pasillo flight attendant auxiliar de vuelo
aisle seat asiento al lado del boarding gate puerta de embarque
pasillo landing card tarjeta de
arrivals llegadas desembarque
baggage reclaim recogida de equipajes life jacket chaleco salvavidas
be delayed llegar con retraso make a stopover hacer escala
boarding pass tarjeta de embarque miss a plane perder un avión
book a seat on a flight reservar una plaza en oxygen mask mascara de oxígeno
un vuelo pilot piloto
crew tripulación runway pista de atterrizaje
check in a suitcase facturar una maleta security check control de seguridad
departure lounge sala de embarque terminal terminal
departures salidas
fasten your seatbelt abrocharse el cinturón
de seguridad

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 Crime & Punishment Vocabulary Unit 17

17. Crime & Punishment

A Complete the gaps in the text with the words below. Use each word only ONCE.

investigate arrested cell stolen fined found sentence charged evidence court fingerprints

An 18-year-old youth was given a 3-month prison a).................................................. for theft, and was
also b)........................................... £500 at Chester Magistrates Court yesterday.
On 16th March at 8.00 pm the police were called to the Redcliffe Hotel to c)................................... the
disappearance of some property. When they arrived, the hotel staff had caught a young man in one of the
rooms with a camera and some cash. The police officers d)............................................. the suspect, who was
then taken to Lancaster Road Police Station for questioning, and to have his e)..................................... taken.
He was later f)............................................... with the theft of the camera and money, and appeared in
g)....................................... the next morning, having been held in a police h)......................................... overnight.
The owner of the i)................................................... property and a member of the hotel staff gave
j)................................., and although the accused denied the charges, the magistrate k)...............................
him guilty.

B Unscramble the words below and match each one to the definitions of different crimes.

PARE HICKIJANG DANKIPGINP MACKBILLA

PLIFTISHONG LEADINGGRUD GRUBYLAR MULSGGING

a) ........................................... Taking a child away from his or her family.

b) ........................................... Taking goods from one country to another without paying taxes.
c) ........................................... Getting money from someone by threatening to reveal damaging information.
d) ........................................... Selling cocaine, heroin, etc.
e) ........................................... Forcing someone to have sex.
f) ........................................... Taking control of an aeroplane by force.
g) ........................................... Stealing goods from a shop while pretending to be a normal customer.
h) ........................................... Breaking into a house and stealing things.

C Complete the table.

VERB CRIME PERSON

shoplift shoplifting shoplifter
.................... mugging .....................
.................... .......................... vandal
burgle .......................... .....................
.................... murder .....................
.................... forgery .....................
.................... .......................... smuggler
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D Fill the gaps with the correct preposition and then put the events in a logical order.

a) 1 Biggs committed a crime. g) ------- The jury reached a verdict.

b) ------- He went ......... trial. h) ------- The prosecution called witnesses.
c) ------- The jury considered the evidence. i) ------- The judge sentenced him ......... 10 years.
d) ------- He was sent .......... prison. j) ------- The police charged him .......... murder.
e) ------- He was arrested .......... the police. k) ------- A few years later he was released ...........
f) ------- The defence lawyer cross-examined the prison.
witnesses.

E Match the people below with the defininitions.

1. arsonist 5. thief 9. jury

2. vandal 6. detective 10. magistrate
3. mugger 7. traffic warden 11. lawyer
4. warder 8. judge 12. pickpocket

a) ----- Gives legal advice and represents the g) ----- Steals wallets in crowded places.
different parties in court. h) ----- Looks after prisoners in prison.
b) ----- Deliberately causes damage to property. i) ----- Fines people for parking illegally.
c) ----- Attacks people and robs them, usually in j) ----- Sets fire to property.
the street. k) ----- Tries people for minor offences or
d) ----- Steals things. decides they should be tried by a higher
e) ----- Decides if someone is guilty or innocent. court.
f) ----- Investigates serious crimes. l) ----- Decides the punishment when someone
has been found guilty.
F Find 10 words associated with crime in this soup.

P A B C J D E F

R O B G U N G H

I S L I R J K L

S E A I Y M N O

O N C P C E L L

N T K L A E T S

Q E M A R S R T

U N A W V W I X

Y C I Y Z A A B

C E L E D E L F

G H I R A P E J

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 Crime & Punishment Vocabulary Unit 17

WORDLISTS

Crime and Punishment

accuse acusar hijacking secuestro (de un

accuse so. of smthg. acusar a alguien de avión)
algo hold a trial celebrar un juicio
against the law prohibido por ley illegal ilegal
arrest so. for smthg. detener a alguien por investigate a crime investigar un delito
algo judge juez
arson provocación de un jury jurado
incendio justice justicia
arsonist incendiario (juvenile) delinquent delincuente (solo
attack so. atacar a alguien jóvenes)
blackmail (n) chantaje kidnap secuestrar (una
blackmail (v) chantajear persona)
blackmailer chantajista kidnapper secuestrador (de una
bomb bomba persona)
break into a house entrar a robar en una kidnapping secuestro (de una
casa persona)
break out of prison escapar de la carcel kill matar
break the law infringir la ley killer asesino
burglar ladrón en edificios law derecho / ley
burglary robo en una casa lawyer abogado
call the police llamar a la policia legal legal
capital punishment pena de muerte life imprisonment condena a cadena
cell celda perpetua
charge sb. with smthg. acusar a alguien de manage to escape lograr escapar
algo manslaughter homocidio sin
clue pista premeditación
commit a crime cometer un delito mug atracar a una persona
court tribunal / sala mugger atracador
crime delito mugging atraco (a una
criminal delincuente persona)
death penalty pena de muerte murder asesinar
defend defender murderer asesino (premeditado)
deportation deportación offer a reward ofrecer una
detective detective recompensa
detention detención pay a fine pagar una multa
drug addict toxicómano pay a ransom pagar un rescate
drug-dealer traficante de drogas pickpocket carterista
drug-dealing tráfico de drogas plain clothes policeman policía de paisano
escape from prison escapar de la cárcel plant a bomb colocar una bomba
evidence pruebas police policía
extradition extradición policeman policía
find guilty declarar culpable police station comisaría
find innocent declarar inocente prevent crime prevenir la
fingerprints huellas digitales delincuencia
give evidence testificar prison cárcel
go to prison ir a la cárcel punish castigar
gun arma punishment castigo
have a criminal record tener antecedentes rape violación
penales rape violar
hijack a plane secuestrar un avión rapist violador
hijacker secuestrador (de un reach a verdict llegar a un veredicto
avión)

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

release poner en libertad smuggling contrabando

report smth. to the informar a la policía solve a crime aclarar un delito
police de algo stab so. apuñalar alguien
rob a bank robar un banco steal smthg. (from so.) robar algo (de alguien)
rob so. robar a alguien (algo) suspect so. sospechar de alguien
robber ladrón take drugs tomar drogas
robbery robo take so. to court llevar alguien a juicio
security seguridad terrorism terrorismo
send so. to prison enviar alguien a la terrorist terrorista
cárcel theft robo
sentence sentencia / condena threaten amenazar
sentence so. to 5 years condenar alguien a 5 threat amenaza
años tie so. up atar a alguien
set free poner en libertad try so. procesar a alguien
shoot disparar vandal vándalo / gamberro
shoplift robar en una tienda vandalise destrozar
shoplifter ladrón (que roba en vandalism vandalismo
tiendas) victim víctima
shoplifting hurto (en tiendas) wear a mask llevar una mascara
smuggle pasar de contrabando witness testigo
smuggler contrabandista

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 Relationships & The Family Vocabulary Unit 18

18. Relationships & The Family

A Complete the text with the words below. Use each word only ONCE.

adopt relatives church bride brought up divorce couple engagement wedding

groom stepbrothers Registry Offices grandchildren propose

Just a few generations ago the average a)....................................... met and started going out when
they were in their late teens. When the young man decided he was ready, he would buy a diamond ring and
b)........................................ to his girlfriend. Their c).......................................... usually lasted for about
six months to a year while the girl’s family organised the d)..........................................., to which they
would invite e)................................................... and close friends. Most people got married in the
f).................................................... with the g)........................................ wearing a white dress and the
h)......................................... in a new suit. By the time they were in their mid-twenties most couples had
one or two children. They i)............................................... their children together and looked forward to
looking after their j).............................................. in the future.

Nowadays things have changed. In Britain one in four marriages ends in k)....................................
and there are thousands of children whose parents live in separate houses. The lucky children end up having
two loving families if their parents marry again. They may have l)............................................. and sisters,
from the new partner’s first marriage or half siblings, if their own parents have more children with the new
partner.

More and more couples chose civil weddings in m).................................. or even decide not to
bother with an official document. In the UK gay couples can also enjoy married status and can
n)..................................... children to start their own families.

B Fill the gaps by matching a verb in Box A with a preposition/particle in Box B. Make sure the verb
is in the correct form.

Box A Box B
fall go split grow bring in out up

a) I think there are many advantages to .................................................................................... in a large family.

b) Hilary and John had a terrible argument and as a result decided to .............................................................. .
c) Tom’s parents were both killed in an air crash so he was ................................................ by his grandparents.
d) After .............................................. with each other for over ten years, Mary and Peter finally got engaged.
e) People who ....................................... love often experience symptoms like palpitations and sweating palms.
f) Although they both earn a lot, in the end Susan ........................................................ with Henry over money.

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

C The following sentences have been mixed up so there are words or phrases that are out of place.
First read all the sentences and underline the words or phrases which do not fit, and then decide
in which sentence they belong. Re-write the correct sentences in the spaces provided.

eg. He got engaged last week. His bride is an old friend of the family.
The groom was very nervous and had problems getting the ring on the fiancée’s finger.

He got engaged last week. His fiancée is an old friend of the family.
The groom was very nervous and had problems getting the ring on the bride’s finger.

• He fancied her and decided to break off the • He told her he was unhappy and wanted to chat
engagement. her up.
• They decided to fall in love in a registry office. • She’s upset because she grew close to her
• They broke up with each other over the years. boyfriend last week.
• I have a distant mother who lives in South • People often get married on holiday.
America. • In a single parent family a relative usually brings
up her children alone.

a) He fancied her and decided ............................................................................................................................ .

b) They decided to ..................................................................................................................................... office.
c) They ........................................................................................................................................... over the years.
d) I have a distant ........................................................................................................................ South America.
e) He told her he ............................................................................................................................... engagement.
f) She’s upset because she .................................................................................................................... last week.
g) People often .................................................................................................................................... on holiday.
h) In a single parent family ........................................................................................................... children alone.

D Organise the following items according to the categories given. Some words can go in more than
one category.

proposal get married be married fiancée marry in-laws reception

wedding engagement guests honeymoon presents couple church stag party

BEFORE MARRIAGE MARRIAGE CEREMONY AFTER MARRIAGE CEREMONY

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 Relationships & The Family Vocabulary Unit 18

E Study the family tree and complete the sentences below.

Peter Stokes = Ethel Jones

Margaret John = Mary Brown (divorcee)

Jim Barbara Emma (Brown)

a) Peter Stokes is Mary’s........................................... d) John is Emma’s ......................................................

b) Mary is Peter and Ethel Stokes’ ........................... e) Emma is John’s ......................................................
c) Margaret Stokes is Mary’s .................................... f) Emma is Jim and Barbara’s ...................................

WORD LISTS

The Family

aunt tía grow up criarse

baby bebé half brother / sister hermanastro/a
be a member of a family ser uno de la familia husband marido
be an only child ser hijo único look after so. cuidar de alguien
be related to so. ser pariente de mother madre
alguien mother-in-law suegra
bring up a child criar un niño naughty children niños traviesos
brother hermano nephew sobrino
brother-in-law cuñado niece sobrina
child (children) niño parents padres
childhood niñez relation pariente
close family familia unida relative pariente
cousin primo single parent family familia monoparental
daughter hija sister hermana
daughter-in-law nuera sister-in-law cuñada
father padre son hijo
father-in-law suegro son-in-law yerno
generation generación spoil a child malcriar a un niño
generation gap brecha generacional stepbrother / sister hermanastro/a
grandchild (children) nieto(s) stepfather padrastro
granddaughter nieta stepmother madrastra
grandfather abuelo strict / lenient parents padres estrictos /
grandmother abuela indulgentes
grandparent abuelos uncle tío
grandson nieto well-behaved children niños buenos
great grandfather bisabuelo wife mujer
great grandmother bisabuela

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Marriage

be engaged estar comprometido get married casarse

con alguien get married in a registry casarse por lo civil
be married estar casado office
be separated estar separado groom novio
be single ser soltero/a have a church wedding casarse por la iglesia
best man padrino / testigo hen party/night despedida de soltera
break off an engagement romper un honeymoon luna de miel
compromiso marriage matrimonio
bride novia propose to so. propronerle
commit adultery cometer adulterio matrimonio a alguien
divorcee divorciado/a registry office juzgado
fiancé prometido stag party despedida de soltero
fiancée prometida
get divorced divorciarse wedding boda
get engaged to so. comprometerse con widow viuda
alguien widower viudo

Relationships

be alone estar solo girlfriend novia

be attracted to so. sentir atracción por go out with so. salir con alguien
alguien grow close to so. encariñarse con
be close to so. estar muy unido con alguien
alguien have a good relationship mantener una
be fond of so. tener cariño a relación
alguien buena
be introduced to so. ser presentado a help ayudar
alguien kiss besar
boyfriend novio leave so. dejar alguien
break up with so. separarse de alguien leave so. alone dejar alguien en paz
couple pareja love at first sight flechazo
chat so. up tratar de ligar con meet so. encontrarse con
alguien alguien
fall in love enamorarse meet so. for lunch quedar para comer
fall out with so. reñir con alguien con alguien
fancy so. sentir atracción por miss so. echar de menos a
alguien alguien
friend amigo split up with so. separarse de alguien
get to know so. llegar a conocer a
alguien

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 Weather & Climate Vocabulary Unit 19

19. Weather & Climate

A Fill the blanks in the text. Choose from the words below. Use each word only ONCE.

drizzle falling patches heavier scattered sleet mist freezing

snow intervals thunderstorms outlook dry frost weather scattered

Tonight will continue cold in most areas, with temperatures (a)...................................... to 1 degree
Centigrade in the South and Midlands, and to zero or below (b).................................................. point in the
North and Scotland. We can expect some (c)...................................... to fall on high ground in Wales, and
there will be widespread (d)........................................................... overnight, with the risk of early morning
fog (e)................................................., and (f).................................................... in the coastal areas.
The (g)................................... for tomorrow is similar for the eastern half of the country, in general fine
and (h)......................................, but there will be some snow, turning to (i)........................................ as
temperatures rise during the day. In the West the general tendency will be (j)...................................... and
some light rain, but take an umbrella because some outbreaks of (k)................................................ rain are
likely, and there could even be some isolated (l)................................................... .
Looking forward to Tuesday, the warmer (m).................................................. will spread eastward across
.
the country, with some (n)................................................................. showers, but also some sunny
(o)....................................... .

B Fill in the blanks. Choose from the words given.

a) In 1983, heavy rain caused serious ........................... in Bilbao.

drought f looding tides torrents
b) The church was damaged when lightning ............................. the tower.
soaked beat struck burst
c) Stephen walked through the grass which was wet with early morning .............................. .
dew mist steam frost
d) Look how white the grass is. Is that ............................... or snow?
dew mist steam frost
e) It’s .................................. outside, so take your overcoat.
mild sweltering stuffy chilly
f) This warm ..................................... should dry the washing very quickly.
gust gale blizzard breeze
g) When the sun came out, the ice slowly .................................... .
melted flooded froze dried
h) The match was abandoned due to the ..................................... rain.
falling pouring hailing dropping
i) The gale ............................... all night.
poured died down blew burst

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C Which of these events would you associate with the six areas of the world below?

an avalanche drought floods a hurricane a snowstorm a typhoon

a) Antarctic ................................................ d) Ethiopia ................................................

b) Bangladesh ................................................ e) South China Sea ................................................
c) Florida ................................................ f) Switzerland ................................................

D Which of these adjectives can be used with the nouns below?

heavy light thick strong dull dense rainy stuffy

overcast sunny weather damp high low sticky

a) rain ................................................ f) day ................................................

b) fog ................................................ g) forecast ................................................
c) cloud ................................................ i) temperatures ................................................
d) wind ................................................ j) humidity ................................................
e) skies ................................................ k) weather ................................................

E There are ten words that describe the weather hidden in this square. The words may be written
forwards, backwards, diagonally, up or down. Can you find them?

F O G H L K A M K

R R A I G W O N S

O T L P E N J D U

S L E Q L O Z U N

T Y X L Z W J O S

X A I C Z D U L H

E A G B I H I C I

H F S I R A I N N

F W I N D O V J E

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 Weather & Climate Vocabulary Unit 19

WORDLISTS

The Weather & Climate

avalanche avalancha light winds vientos ligeros

be fine hacer buen tiempo low humidity humedad baja
be freezing hacer un frío que pela low temperatures temperaturas bajas
be struck by lightning ser alcanzado por un mild templado
rayo outlook previsión
blizzard temporal de nieve overcast cubierto / nublado
breeze brisa / aire overcast skies cielos cubiertos
clap of thunder trueno patches of cloud nubosidad variable
close bochornoso pour with rain llover con fuerza
cloud over nublarse pouring rain lluvia fuerte
cloudy nublado rain llover
cold frío rainy lluvioso
chilly fresquito rainy day día lluvioso
degrees grados scattered showers chubascos aislados
dense cloud nubosidad densa shower chubasco
dense fog niebla densa sleet aguanieve
dew rocío snow nieve
drizzle lloviznar snow nevar
drought sequía snowstorm temporal de nieve
dull weather tiempo nublado / gris sticky weather tiempo bochornoso
flash of lightning relámpago streak / bolt of lightning rayo
flooding inundaciones strong wind viento fuerte
fog niebla sun sol
fog patches zona de niebla sunny soleado
foggy nebuloso sunny day día soleado
freezing point punto de congelación sunny intervals intervalos de sol
frost helada sunny weather tiempo soleado
gale vendaval / temporal sweltering bochornoso
galeforce winds vientos con intensidad thick cloud nubosidad densa
de tormenta thick fog niebla densa
gust of wind ráfaga de viento thick/dense cloud muy nublado
hail granizar thunder truenos
hailstone granizo thunderstorm tormenta eléctrica
hailstorm granizada typhoon tifón
heavy rain lluvia fuerte warm templado
high humidity humedad alta wet húmedo, lluvioso
high temperatures temperaturas altas wind viento
hot caluroso windy ventoso, de viento
in the shade a la sombra

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

20. Education
A Study the chart and complete the spaces with the words given below.

University Playschool State 5 - 11 Private Comprehensive Preparatory

AGE PUBLIC SECTOR a)............................ SECTOR

((b)................... Education) (Independent Schools)

3-5 c)...........................

d)............ Primary School e).......................... School

11 - 18 f)...................... School Public School /

Independent Schools

18 + g)...................................

B In Britain, in their last two years at school before university, students specialise in three subjects.
What 2 subjects do you think you would study if you wanted to be the following?

a) A doctor ................................................... d) A naturalist ...................................................

b) An engineer ................................................... e) A businessman ...................................................
c) A journalist ................................................... f) An interpreter ...................................................

C Fill the blank spaces with the best option out of the four words given.
a) There are 25 members of .................................... in our school.
teaching education staff schooling
b) He had to teach everything on the .................................... before the end of the year.
exam test syllabus course
c) You get a diploma if you ................................... the classes regularly.
assist pass take attend
d) You can ............................. for these courses next week.
register join enrol subscribe
e) On the ................................... it says he teaches a Grade 6 class at 4.30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
programme timetable schedule plan
f) In British Universities, for each subject there is only one .................................... .
professor teacher lecturer tutor
g) Other teachers in a university are called .................................... .
masters instructors readers lecturers
h) At the end of June, we ..................................... for the summer holidays.
stop finish break up enrol
i) I’m .................................. into environmental problems.
doing a study doing an enquiry doing a research doing research
j) She’s doing a university .................................... in English Literature.
course career programme studies
k) As she failed the maths exam at school, she’s having ............................... lessons.
personal particular private paying
l) ..................................... punishment is now illegal in British schools.
Corporal Capital Hitting Beating

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 Education Vocabulary Unit 20

D Fill the spaces in the text. Choose from the words below. Use each word ONCE.

detention essay tutor tests primary entrance subjects lectures strict uniform terms loan
undergraduate vacations by heart compulsory playschool marks course degree homework

On the whole I think I had a good education. At five I started at a a)............................................. school.
It was quite different to the b)............................................................... I had attended previously. We now
had regular c)................................................ to see how much we remembered, we were given
d).............................................., and the discipline was quite e).................................................... . Then, when
I changed to a secondary school at 11, we had to wear a f)..............................................................., and
instead of studying just arithmetic, reading and writing, we had 45 minute periods of various
g)................................................ . We had h)........................................... every night and often had to learn
things i) .................................... . If we behaved badly, we were put on j)........................................, which
meant staying on at school after classes had finished.
Although k)............................................... education finishes at 16, I chose to continue at school and
prepare for ‘A’ levels, which are the exams you sit for university l)................................................. . I wasn’t
a brilliant student, but I got good enough results to go to university. This meant I had to get a student
m).............................................. in order to pay for my studies.
At university the classes were called n)........................................................., and attendance was optional.
However, every week we had to write an o)....................................................... to present to the lecturer who
was in charge of our studies, who was known as a p)................................................. . Life as an
q).......................................................... was relaxing and enjoyable on the whole. The university
r)........................................... were short and we had long summer s)............................................. when we
had time to work and travel. My university t)............................................. lasted three years, and finally I
graduated and got my u)........................................... .

E Put the following events in a logical order.

a) get a degree -------

b) apply for a place at university -------
c) go to primary school 1
d) begin a career -------
e) sit university entrance exams -------
f) enrol at university -------
g) do a post-graduate course -------
h) study as an undergraduate -------
i) begin secondary education -------

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

F Match the words in list A with the words in list B to form collocations.

LIST A LIST B

a) comprehensive 5 1) progress
b) fail ------ 2) for a test
c) summer ------ 3) course
d) revise ------ 4) register
e) do ------ 5) school
f) lecture ------ 6) homework
g) playing ------ 7) term
h) pay ------ 8) an exam
i) make ------ 9) hall
j) business ------ 10) fields
k) training ------ 11) absent
l) extra ------ 12) attention
m) be ------ 13) work
n) attendance ------ 14) studies

G Organise the words below according to word stress.

teacher discipline holidays professor attend headmaster timetable lecture

playschool enrol detention scholarship enrolment secondary syllabus lesson

O • • O O • • • O •
homework degree uniform vacations

WORD LISTS

Academic Subjects
accountancy contabilidad law derecho
architecture arquitectura literature literatura
Basque Euskera maths matemáticas
business studies empresariales medicine medicina
IT informática physics física
chemistry química psychology psicología
ecology ecología science ciencia
engineering ingeniería secretarial studies estudios de
geography geografía secretariado
history historia Spanish filología española
Latin Latín technical drawing delineación

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 Education Vocabulary Unit 20

School & University

attend class asistir a clase mark nota

be put in detention estar castigado master / mistress maestro/a de escuela
después de clase pass an exam aprobar un examen
board estar interno playing fields campos de deporte
break up terminar las clases playschool grupo prescolar
certificate certificado postgraduate de posgrado
class clase primary school escuela primaria
classroom aula professor catedrático
comprehensive school instituto de segunda public school internado privado
enseñanza pupil alumno
course programa / cursillo revise for an exam repasar para un
degree título universitario exámen
diploma diploma scholarship beca
do a degree course hacer una carrera secondary school escuela secundaria
universitaria strict discipline disciplina estricta
do an exam presentarse a un student estudiante
examen study estudiar
do research into sthg. investigar algo syllabus plan de estudios
do revision hacer repaso take a course hacer un cursillo
do your homework hacer los deberes take notes tomar apuntes
enrol matricularse take / sit an exam presentarse a un
enrolment matrícula exámen
exam exámen teach enseñar
fail an exam suspender un exámen teacher profesor
graduate licenciado teaching staff profesorado /
have a degree in sthg. estar licenciado en personal
algo docente
have private classes tener clases term trimestre
particulares test test
headteacher director /a del colegio timetable horario
holidays vacaciones train formarse
independent school escuela privada training course cursillo de formación
learn aprender tutor tutor
learn by heart memorizar tutorial clase individual o en
lecture clase grupo reducido
lecture hall sala de conferencias undergraduate estudiante
lecturer profesor universitario universitario
lesson lección uniform uniforme
make progress avanzar vacations vacaciones

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

21. Cinema, Theatre, and Music

21.1 PERFORMANCE

A Fill the gaps with an appropriate word chosen from those below.

scene conductor audience theatre screenplay cast musician stage actor playwright

PLAY FILM CONCERT

a) ............................... cinema concert hall

stage screen b) ...............................
play c) ............................... music score
d) ............................... scriptwriter composer
actor e) ............................... musician
actress actress f) ...............................
director director g) ...............................
act / scene h) ............................... piece / movement
i) ............................... cast orchestra

B Match the jobs on the left with the definitions on the right.

a) a choreographer 9 1. shows the audience to their seats

b) a sound engineer ------- 2. designs the clothes actors wear
c) a producer ------- 3. tells jokes
d) a set designer ------- 4. works in a recording studio
e) a make-up artist ------- 5. is responsible for financing a film
f) a stunt man ------- 6. moves scenery
g) a stage manager ------- 7. puts make-up on the actors’ faces
h) an usher ------- 8. tells the actors and cameraman what to do
i) a comedian ------- 9. is responsible for dances on the stage
j) a film director ------- 10. looks after everything on stage during the
performance
k) a stage hand ------- 11. designs the scenery on the stage
l) a costume designer ------- 12. does dangerous things in place of an actor

C Match the verbs in Box A with the phrases in Box B to make as many combinations as possible.

Box A go see listen be Box B on a play a film to music in a group

play put win to a concert in a film to the theatre
make attend an oscar a première an entrance a part

e.g. go to the theatre • .................................................... • ....................................................

• .................................................... • .................................................... • ....................................................
• .................................................... • .................................................... • ....................................................
• .................................................... • .................................................... • ....................................................
• .................................................... • ....................................................

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 Cinema, Theatre, and Music Vocabulary Unit 21

D Fill the gaps with the most appropriate of the words given.

a) In a theatre, the seats are divided up into ................................. .

lines rows boxes groups
b) If you want to have a good view of the stage, it’s better to get a seat up in the ........................... .
circle stalls wings roof
c) The ...................................... all applauded when the actress came on stage.
audience public spectators viewers
d) The ..................................... in the paper said it was the best film of the year.
analysis commentary review criticism
e) As soon as the lights came on for the ............................. , everyone rushed to the bar for a drink.
commercial break rest interval end
f) That piano sounds as if it’s out of ................................. .
melody tune pitch note
g) In the final .......................................... of the film, the hero rode off into the sunset.
act moment scene action
h) The actress forgot her ................................ .
words paper part lines
i) You buy the tickets for the theatre at the ............................... .
window hall box office desk

21.2 MUSIC

E Match the names with the type of music they are associated with.

a) Beethoven 5 1. heavy metal

b) Louis Armstrong ------ 2. opera
c) The Rolling Stones ------ 3. punk
d) Bob Marley ------ 4. grunge
e) The Sex Pistols ------ 5. classical music
f) Michael Jackson ------ 6. reggae
g) Motorhead ------ 7. jazz
h) Nirvana ------ 8. pop music
i) Puccini ------ 9. rock music

F How do you say the following in English.

a) grupo ....................... or ........................... g) flauta ........................................................

b) ritmo ....................... or ........................... h) batería ........................................................
c) melodía ....................... or ........................... i) trompeta ........................................................
d) violín ........................................................ j) órgano ........................................................
e) guitarra ........................................................ k) teclado ........................................................
f) bajo ........................................................ l) saxofón ........................................................

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 Upper Intermediate Workbook

21.3 THE THEATRE

G Put the following in a logical order.

a) the publicity is organised ---------

b) the play is written 1
c) the play opens on the first night ---------
d) the scenery is built ---------
e) the reviews appear in the press ---------
f) auditions are held to select the actors ---------
g) the rehearsals begin ---------
h) the dress rehearsal takes place ---------

21.4 THE CINEMA

H Fill the blanks using the words below. Use each word only once.

performance special effects subtitles plot stars on location dubbed heroine

fun directed role playing set screenplay photography masterpiece acting

I recently saw The Specialist. It a)........................................... Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone,
with James Wood b)...................................... a psychopathic villain. The film is c)...................................
in Miami and was made d)............................................. . The e)..............................................., Sharon
Stone, wants revenge against some gangsters who murdered her parents, so she hires an expert in
explosives to kill them. This is the f)...................................... played by Sylvester Stallone. In fact, the
g)...................................... is quite ridiculous, and is merely an excuse for all the spectacular explosions
and h)..................................... in the film.
Although I normally prefer to see films in the original version with i)................................................., in
this case the j)................................................. is irrelevant, and I didn’t mind the fact that it was
k)........................................ .
I can’t remember who the film is l)....................................... by, but it is reasonably well made and the
m)......................................... is good. As far as the n).............................................. is concerned, James
Wood is excellent, and Sharon Stone also gives a good o)........................................ . The film is certainly
not a p)................................................, but it is quite good q)..................................................., so if you
have nothing better to do, I would recommend seeing it.

I Match the film title with the type of film it is.

a) Rio Grande 8 1. an adventure film

b) Shrek ------ 2. a thriller
c) Twilight ------ 3. a science fiction film
d) Rec ------ 4. a comedy
e) Star Wars ------ 5. a love story
f) Moulin Rouge ------ 6. a detective film
g) Meet the parents ------ 7. a horror film
h) Basic Instinct ------ 8. a western
i) Pirates of the Carribean ------ 9. a cartoon
j) Sherlock Holmes ------ 10. a musical

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 Cinema, Theatre, and Music Vocabulary Unit 21

WORDLISTS

Cinema
act (in a film) actuar go to the cinema ir al cine
acting interpretación hero héroe
actor actor heroine heroína
actress actriz horror film película de terror
adventure film película de acción love story película de romance
afternoon performance sesión de tarde masterpiece obra maestra
attend a première asistir a un estreno musical comedia musical
be awarded an oscar ser premiado con un part papel
oscar performance (of an actor) interpretación
be dubbed estar doblado photography fotografía
be in a film trabajar en una play a part interpretar un papel
película plot argumento
be set estar ambientado producer productor
box office taquilla review crítica de prensa
cartoon película de dibujos role papel
animados science fiction film película de ciencia
cast reparto ficción
cinema cine screen pantalla
comedy comedia screenplay guión
detective film película policiáca scriptwriter guionista
directed by dirigido por see a film ver una película
director director special effects efectos especiales
dubbing doblaje star in a film ser el protagonista de
film película una película
film director director de peliculas subtitles subtitulos
film on location in rodar los exteriores en thriller película de suspense
Miami Miami villain el malo

Music

bass bajo opera ópera

band grupo orchestra orquesta
beat ritmo organ órgano
composer compositor out of tune desafinado
concert concierto performance interpretación
concert hall sala de conciertos piano piano
conductor director de orquesta piece pieza
drums batería pitch tono
flute flauta play in a group tocar en un grupo /
gig actuación / concierto una banda
go to a concert asistir a un concierto play in an orchestra tocar en una orquesta
group grupo pop concert concierto de pop
guitar guitarra rhythm ritmo
keyboards teclado saxophone saxofón
listen to music escuchar música singer cantante
melody melodía sing cantar
movement movimiento song canción
music música sound engineer técnico de sonido
music score partitura trumpet trompeta
musician músico tune melodía
note tono violin violín

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Theatre

act in a play actuar en una obra performance (of a play) representación

teatral performance (of an actor) interpretación
act (of a play) acto play obra de teatro
actor actor play a character interpretar un
actress actriz personaje
afternoon performance sesión de tarde play a part interpretar un papel
audience público playwright dramaturgo
audition prueba production producción
ballet ballet programme programa
ballet dancer bailarín put on a play montar una obra
box office taquilla teatral
cast reparto rehearsal ensayo
circle primer piso / platea rehearse ensayar
alta review crítica de prensa
cloakroom guardarropa role papel
comedian humorista row fila
costume designer diseñador de vestuario scene escena
choreographer coreógrafo scenery decorado
dress rehearsal ensayo general seat asiento
first night estreno teatral set designer escenógrafo
foyer foyer stage escenario
front row primera fila stage manager director de escena
go to the theatre ir al teatro stagehand tramoyista
interval entreacto / intermedio stalls patio de butacas /
lines papel platea
make an entrance entrar en escena theatre teatro
make-up artist maquillador theatre critic crítico teatral
matinee primera sesión usher acomodador
part papel wings bastidores
performance función

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 Money Vocabulary Unit 22

22. Money
A Here is a story about some problems a customer had with the bank. Put them in the correct order.

a) He had £200 in his current account. 1

b) He forgot about a standing order for £50 (to pay his rent every month). ---------
c) He transferred £160 back to his current account and closed his deposit account. ---------
d) He wanted to earn more interest on his savings, so he opened a deposit account. ---------
e) He paid for a new shirt by cheque. ---------
f) He was overdrawn and had to pay bank charges. ---------
g) He got a bank statement in the post. ---------
h) He transferred £160 from his current account to his new deposit account. ---------

B Match the words on the right with the definitions on the left.

MONEY PAID .......

a) for a place to live. 3 1. salary
b) to the government. ----- 2. pension
c) as charges on money borrowed. ----- 3. rent
d) to older people who no longer work. ----- 4. fare
e) to workers by the hour or week. ----- 5. taxes
f) to workers for a month’s or a year’s work. ----- 6. fees
g) for a journey by bus, train or plane. ----- 7. interest
h) for professional services. ----- 8. cash
i) in coins and notes. ----- 9. wages

C Fill each blank space with the best choice of the words given.

a) If you buy twenty or more, you’ll get a special ..................................... .

discount loss profit cost
b) She was very pleased because when she sold her house she made a .......................... of £10,000.
margin profit benefit rise
c) Make sure you keep the .............................. in case you want to change the trousers.
ticket recipe receipt note
d) Excuse me. Can you give me some ............................. for the coffee machine?
bills change exchange metal
e) The euro has risen in .............................. against the dollar.
value worth currency exchange
f) The more you earn, the more .............................. tax you have to pay.
salary wages income rent
g) I didn’t enjoy the holiday at all. It was a complete ......................... of time and money.
loss waste expense ruin
h) When you book a holiday, you usually have to pay a ...................... .
reservation security deposit signal
i) If you change your money at the bank, you’ll get a better .......................... of exchange.
value ratio rate price

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j) The meals in the factory canteen are very cheap because they are ........................ by the company.
reduced refunded deducted subsidised
k) Her company pays all her travelling ................................... .
costs expenses diets subsidies
l) We’ve got a small car so it’s very ............................... to run because it doesn’t consume much petrol.
economic economical economising economised
m) In the shop they said they would change the shirt but they couldn’t give me a ........................ .
reduction deduction refund discount

D Use a verb from Box A with a preposition from Box B to complete the sentences. Put the verb in the
correct tense.

Box A pay insure spend go Box B for for up

charge save take out on up by

a) The cost of living has ..................... ......................... by 3.5% over the last year.
b) She went out shopping and ......................... all the money she had saved ............................ new clothes.
c) The mechanic didn’t ........................... me .......................... repairing the car.
d) Before going abroad he .......................... all his money ........................ of the bank.
e) He is ................................... .................................... to buy a new car.
f) The stolen painting was ........................... ............................... £1,000,000.
g) Is it all right if I .......................... .......................... cheque?

E Fill the blanks in the text using the words below. Use each word only once.

interest own save worth sell investment paying back rates

afford mortgage lend earn spend cost profit payments

Most people would like to a).................................... their own home, but it is usually very difficult to
b)..................................... enough money, as often we c)...................................... as much money as we
d).................................... each month. However, you can usually get a bank to e)..................................... you
the money to buy a house. This type of loan is known as a f)................................................, and if you can
g)................................ it, it’s a good idea, because a house is a very good h).............................. . A few years
after you buy it, a house is usually i).................................... much more than it originally j)....................................
you, so you can k).................................... it for a big l)............................. .
The only problem is that, apart from m)...................................... the capital you have borrowed, you also
have to pay a lot of n)........................................ . Sometimes you don’t know how much this will be because
interest o).................................... can vary from year to year. Another problem is that if for some reason you
can’t keep up the monthly p)......................................... , the bank may take the house from you and sell it, so
you lose your home and your money.

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 Money Vocabulary Unit 22

F Match the words on the right with the words on the left to form collocations.

a) deposit 9 1. expenses
b) credit ------ 2. statement
c) interest ------ 3. rate
d) income ------ 4. fare
e) travelling ------ 5. book
f) bank ------ 6. tax
g) train ------ 7. number
h) lawyer’s ------ 8. card
i) cheque ------ 9. account
j) account ------ 10. fees

G Organise the words in the different columns according to word stress.

expenses interest afford transfer (verb) subsidy pension deduct

travelling receipt invest discount currency deposit overdraft

• O O • • O • • • O O • •
account transfer (noun) investment overdrawn subsidise

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WORD LISTS

Money

account number número de cuenta insure sthg. for .... asegurar algo por ....
afford smthg. permitirse algo interest interés
bank statement extracto de cuenta investment inversión
bank transfer transferencia lend so. money prestar dinero a
bancaria alguien
bargain ganga losses pérdidas
be short of money andar escaso de make a loss tener pérdidas
dinero make a profit tener beneficios
be worth smthg. tener valor make money ganar dinero
bill factura mortgage hipoteca
borrow money from so. pedir prestado dinero open an account abrir una cuenta
a alguien own sthg. poseer algo
buy comprar pay a bill pagar una factura
buy smthg. on credit compar algo a crédito pay a deposit (in a shop) dejar un señal
cash metálico pay a deposit (on a flat) pagar una fianza
cash a cheque cobrar un cheque pay back a loan pagar un préstamo
change cambio pay for sth. pagar por algo
change money cambiar dinero pay for sthg. by cheque pagar por algo con
charge so. for sthg. cobrar alguien por un talón
algo pay in cash pagar al contado
cheque book talonario de cheques pay off a mortgage pagar una hipoteca
close an account cerrar una cuenta pay so. back devolver dinero a
come to (a bill) 1000 pts. ascender a 1000 pts. alguien
cost costar pay the rent pagar el alquiler
cost coste pound libra esterlina
count the change contar los cambios profit beneficios
credit card tarjeta de crédito rate of exchange tipo de cambio
current account cuenta corriente rate of interest tipo de interés
currency divisa receipt recibo
cut down on costs reducir gastos refund devolución
deduct money descontar dinero registration fee matrícula
deposit account cuenta de ahorros rise in value incrementar en valor
discount descuento save money ahorrar dinero
dollar dólar spend money gastar dinero
economic económico (de subsidise subvencionar
economía) take money out of an retirar dinero de una
economical económico (costar account cuenta
poco) tax impuesto
economise on sthg. economizar transfer money to an transferir dinero a
fees honorarios account una cuenta
get money for something ganar dinero travelling expenses gastos de
give a refund devolver dinero desplazamiento
have a mortgage tener una hipoteca value valor
have an overdraft tener un descubierto wages sueldo
income tax impuesto sobre la waste money derrochar dinero
renta waste of money derroche de dinero

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 Current Affairs Vocabulary Unit 23

23. Current Affairs

23.1 POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

A Match the words on the right with the definitions on the left.

a) king 3 1. Someone involved in politics, normally a member of a

political party.
b) queen ------ 2. The head of state in France or the USA.
c) prime minister ------ 3. The head of state in Spain or Belgium.
d) president ------ 4. Someone who stands in an election for a place in the
national assembly.
e) voter ------ 5. The head of state in Britain or Holland.
f) candidate ------ 6. The head of the government in Britain or Japan.
g) politician ------ 7. Someone who chooses a democratic representative.

B Fill the blanks in the text using the words below. Use each word only once.

candidate politician seat president coalition prime minister

parliament elect vote political party government cabinet majority

If you want to be the leader of a country, usually first you have to become a a)..............................., and
then the head of the most popular b)............................................. . In most countries where the people
c)..................................... the government, the voters normally d)..................................... for a person, or list
of people, that represents one of the main political parties in their local region. In Britain, the
e)...................................... who receives the most votes takes a f)........................................ (or place) in
g).................................... Other countries have a system of proportional representation.
The party with the most seats usually forms the h)................................................... . The head of that
political party then becomes the i)................................................ in countries like Britain or Japan, but in
countries like Spain is called the j)............................................................. . This person then chooses a
k)................................................. consisting of the principal ministers.
Sometimes no single party wins enough seats to form an overall l)............................................., and two
or more parties must join together in a m)....................................... .

C Place the words below in the appropriate column according to word stress.

president presidential politics political politician policy republic republican industry

industrial economy economics conservative socialist society election equality parliament
assembly democracy democratic unemployment minister government monarchy democratic

• O • O • • • O • • • • O •
republic president political democratic

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23.2 THE ECONOMY

D Match the words on the right with the definitions on the left.

a) exports 4 1. Goods which come from abroad.

b) natural resources ------ 2. Manufacturing of goods or provision of services.
c) a slump ------ 3. When there is not enough work for people.
d) stock exchange ------ 4. Goods which are sold abroad.
e) a boom ------ 5. Increase in prices from month to month.
f) inflation ------ 6. Economic recession.
g) unemployment ------ 7. Basic materials required for manufacturing goods such
as oil, coal, iron, etc.
h) imports ------ 8. Place where stocks and shares in companies are bought
and sold.
i) industry ------ 9. Buying and selling of goods.
j) trade ------ 10. Rapid economic growth.

WORD LISTS

Government and Politics

cabinet gabinete political party partido político

candidate candidato prime minister primer ministro
coalition coalición prince príncipe
communist comunista princess princesa
constituency distrito electoral poll sondeo
conservative conservador queen reina
democracy democracia republic república
democratic system sistema democrático republican republicano
elect elegir right wing politics política de
elect a government elegir un gobierno derechas
elections elecciones seat escaño
form a coalition formar una coalición socialist socialista
form a government formar un gobierno society sociedad
govern gobernar stand in an election presentarse en una
government gobierno elección
government policy política del gobierno state estado
head of state jefe del estado talk about politics hablar de política
king rey UN ONU
left wing de izquierdas (in)equality igualdad
liberal liberal vote votar
minister ministro vote for someone votar para alguien
monarchy monarquía voter votante
national assembly asemblea nacionál win a seat in parliament ganar un escaño en
NATO OTAN el parliamento
NGO ONG win an election ganar una elección
overall majority mayoría absoluta

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 Current Affairs Vocabulary Unit 23

The Economy
economic boom boom económico imports importaciones
economic crisis crisis económica industry indústria
economic recovery recuperación económica shares acciones
economy economía slump depresión económica
employment empleo stock exchange bolsa de valores
exports exportaciones trade comercio
goods productos unemployment desempleo / paro

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24. Health
A Put the following events in a logical order.

a) She diagnosed food poisoning. -------

b) After a day or two I began to feel better. -------
c) I started feeling funny at work on Monday afternoon. 1
d) I spent the next day in bed feeling absolutely awful. -------
e) She gave me a prescription for some tablets. -------
f) I went home and was sick all night. -------
g) I went back to work on Friday. -------
h) I managed to get up and go to a doctor in the evening. -------

B Match the symptoms on the right with the diagnosis on the left.

a) You have a cough, your nose runs, and you sneeze. 5 1. pneumonia
b) You feel faint or dizzy, with shivering, a temperature, and a headache. ----- 2. the flu
c) Your stomach hurts, and you suffer from vomiting and diarrhoea. ----- 3. migraine
d) You have a sore throat and it hurts when you talk or swallow. ----- 4. food poisoning
e) You come out in spots all over your body. ----- 5. a cold
f) You have a bad headache, and suffer from double vision. ----- 6. tonsillitis
g) You have a high temperature or fever. ----- 7. measles

C Fill the spaces in the texts with the words below. Use each word only once.

bruise surgeon filling X ray bug ambulance temperature injection

crutches dose ward plaster ache aspirin wound sting bandage
check-up scratch prescription operating theatre operation anaesthetic

1 “You’ll have to take him to hospital for an a)............................................., and he’ll probably have to have it in
b)...................................................... for a month or so. He can go to school, but of course he’ll need
c)......................................... to walk.

2 “Don’t worry, I’ll give you an d)............................................................ so it won’t hurt. It’s not a very big
e)......................................, but it may f).................................................. afterwards. If it does, just take an
g)........................................... .

3 “No, the skin’s hardly broken. It’s only a h)............................................... really, but you must have bumped
your head on the windscreen, because you’ve got an enormous i).................................................. . I’ll give
you a j)......................................... for some painkillers because it will probably hurt later, but be careful not to
exceed the k)............................................. , not more than three every twenty four hours.

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 Health Vocabulary Unit 24

4 “I’ll take your l).........................................., and then I’ll give you a general m)........................................... . I
don’t think it’s anything serious, it’s probably this n)............................................... that’s going around at the
moment.

5 “The o)......................................... is already waiting in the p)................................................. . The operation

can begin as soon as the q)..................................... arrives.

6 “We’re happy to say that the r)....................................... has been a complete success, and that the patient is now
out of danger. She won’t be fully conscious until the effects of the s)............................................. wear off so
you can’t see her yet. If you can just wait a while I can tell you what t)............................................... she’ll be
in, and details of visiting hours.

7 “That’s a nasty cut. I’m going to clean the u)...................................................... with antiseptic, so it may
v).................................................... a bit. Then we’ll put a w)...................................... over it to keep the air
and dirt out.”

D Match the situations described below with the texts above.

a) A friend of a patient has gone to the e) There has been a serious accident and
information desk for information. 6 they are waiting for the patient in the
b) A doctor is speaking to someone who casualty department of the hospital. ------
has been injured in a car crash. ------ f) A nurse in the casualty department is
c) A dentist is speaking to a patient. ------ talking to a cyclist who has had an
d) A patient has gone to see the doctor accident and cut his forehead. ------
because she has a headache, and feels g) A doctor is speaking to a mother about
tired and dizzy. ------ her son who has broken his leg. ------

E Combine words from Box A with words/phrases from Box B to complete the blanks in the
sentences. Use of word/phrase only once.

Box A infected nervous badly Box B wound a muscle attack injured

infectious heart high breakdown blood pressure throat
sore pull feel catch a cold sick disease

a) If you don’t wear a coat you will ..........................
........................ .
b) Is it all right if I go home? I’m afraid I.................
........................ .
c) Tuberculosis is an ................................................ .
d) If it hurts when you talk or swallow you have a
............................................................................. .
e) If you don’t stop smoking and drinking so much,
and take some exercise, you’re going to have a
.............................................................................. .
f) Unless you warm up properly before hard
exercise you can easily ........................................ .
g) My mother-in-law has to avoid food with salt in it
because she has .................................................... .
h) My girlfriend’s brother was ...................................
............................ in a motorbike accident.
i) If you have an ........................................................
it usually hurts, goes red, and produces pus.
j) He has to see a psychiatrist because he’s suffering
from a .................................................................. .

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F Choose the best word to fill the blank in each case.

a) I’m .................................. tomatoes. They bring me out in a rash.

allergic to hurt by wounded by injured by
b) She has lost so much blood that they gave her a .............................. .
transfer transplant transport transfusion
c) They go running every day to keep ................................... .
in form fit thin well
d) The surgeon operated ................................. the patient’s leg yesterday.
on in with at
e) We’re going to .............................. you with a different kind of drug, which we hope will be more
successful.
cure treat heal apply
f) It took me weeks to get .................................... my illness.
back from out of away from over
g) His ................................ was so bad that he never used a lift.
agoraphobia claustrophobia insomnia acne
h) When the doctor arrived, she found that the husband had already ............................. the baby himself.
pulled out given birth to delivered extracted
i) There was an ................................... of cholera after the disaster.
infection spread upset outbreak
j) The instruments have to be .................................... before any operation.
disinfected sterilised diagnosed immunised
k) This product is a type of medicine so if you have any doubts you should consult your ......................... .
chiropodist midwife surgeon chemist
l) He is unable to play in the match this evening because he was .............................. in training.
wounded injured treated infected

WORDLISTS

Health

ache (v.) doler bleed sangrar

ambulance ambulancia break (a leg) romper (una
antibiotics antibióticos pierna)
be allergic to sthg. ser alérgico a algo bruise moratón
be ill estar enfermo burn yourself quemarse
be in intensive care estar en la UVI burn your hand quemar la mano
be in pain tener dolor casualty department urgencias
be infected estar infectado catch a cold pillar un resfriado
be injured estar lesionado crutches muletas
be painful ser doloroso cut yourself, cortarse (un dedo)
be sick estar enfermo / (your finger)
vomitar checkup reconocimiento
be wounded estar herido chemist farmacéutico
be well estar bien chemist’s farmacia

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 Health Vocabulary Unit 24

disease enfermedad heart attack infarto

diarrhoea diarrea hurt doler
die morir hurt yourself hacerse daño
dose dósis infected wound herida infectada
double vision visión doble injection inyección
faint desmayarse injure lesionar
feel all right sentirse bien injury lesión
feel dizzy / faint sentirse mareado keep fit mantenerse en
feel fine sentirse bien forma
feel funny sentirse raro make an appointment pedir hora
feel ill sentirse mal medicine medicina
feel sick sentirse mal midwife comadrona
feel tired sentirse cansado operate on so. for sthg. operar a alguin de
feel unwell sentirse mal algo
filling empaste operation intervencíon
get better mejorarse pain dolor
get over an illness recuperarse de una pill pastilla
enfermedad prescribe a medicine recetar una
get worse empeorarse medicina
give so. a prescription recetar algo a prescription receta médica
for sthg. alguien pull a muscle desgarrarse un
give so. an injection ponerle a alguien músculo
una inyección pulse pulso
have a black eye tener el ojo morado put on a bandage ponerse una venda
have a bruise tener un moratón put on a plaster ponerse una tirita
have a checkup hacerse un chequeo recommended dose dósis recomendada
have a cough tener tos scratch rasguño
have a headache tener dolor de see a doctor/a dentist ver un médico /
cabeza dentista
have measles tener sarampión shiver temblar / tener
have a migraine tener jaqueca / escalofríos
migraña shivering escalofríos
have a nervous tener una crisis sneeze (v.) estornudar
breakdown nerviosa sore dolorido / irritado
have a sprained ankle tener un esguince sterilise sthg. esterilizar algo
de tobillo sting (v.) escocer / hacer
have a temperature tener fiebre arder
have a toothache tener dolor de suffer from insomnia padecer insomnio
muelas suffer from migraines padecer jaquecas
have an accident tener un accidente surgery consulta
have an infection tener una infección take a tablet tomar una pastilla
have high blood pressure tener la tensión take an aspirin tomar una aspirina
arterial alta take medicine tomar medicina
have pneumonia tener neumonía treat sb. with a drug tratar a alguien con
have (the) flu tener gripe un medicamento
have tonsilitis tener anginas treatment tratamiento
have your leg in plaster tener la pierna vomit vomitar
escayolada ward sala (en hospital)
have a cough tener tos wound herida
have a cold tener un resfriado X-ray radiografía

103