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WEEK04

Simple Past - Simple Past Verb to Be

There WAS – There WERE - Verb Use To –
Use Because and So - Comparative form of Adjectives

6 MORTGAGES
Taking out a mortgage is the biggest financial decision most of us will ever make, so it’s
essential to understand what you’re signing on for when you borrow money to buy a
house.

¿What is a mortgage?
A mortgage is a loan from a bank or other financial institution that helps a borrower
purchase a home. The collateral for the mortgage is the home itself. That means if the
borrower doesn’t make monthly payments to the lender and defaults on the loan, the
lender can sell the home and recoup its money.

¿How does a mortgage work?

A mortgage is a loan that people use to buy a home. To get a mortgage, you’ll work with
a bank or other lender. Typically, to start the process, you’ll go through pre-approval to
get an idea of the maximum the lender is willing to lend and the interest rate you’ll pay.
This helps you estimate the cost of your loan and start your search for a home.

A mortgage loan is typically a long-term debt taken out for 30, 20 or 15 years. Over this
time (known as the loan’s “term”), you’ll repay both the amount you borrowed as well as
the interest charged for the loan.

You’ll repay the mortgage at regular intervals, usually in the form of a monthly payment,
which typically consists of both principal and interest charges.

Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher

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“Each month, part of your monthly mortgage payment will go toward paying off that
principal, or mortgage balance, and part will go toward interest on the loan,” explains
Robert Kirkland, vice president, Divisional Community and affordable lending manager
with JPMorgan Chase. Over time, more of your payment will go toward the principal.

If you default on your mortgage loan, the lender can reclaim your property through the
process of foreclosure.

“You don’t technically own the property until your mortgage loan is fully paid,” says Bill
Packer, executive vice president and COO of American Financial Resources in
Parsippany, New Jersey. “Typically, you will also sign a promissory note at closing,
which is your personal pledge to repay the loan.”

Types of mortgages
There are several types of mortgages available to borrowers, including conforming and
non-conforming loans; conventional fixed-rate mortgages, which are among the most
common.

Fixed-rate mortgage
With a fixed-rate mortgage, the interest rate is agreed upon before you close the loan,
and stays the same for the entire term, which generally ranges up to 30 years.

A. Choose the best words from each pair in grey type.

For the majority of 1 homeowners / houseowners, the purchase of
their property is financed by a mortgage. The bank or building society
Which lends the money to buy a property is called a mortgage 2
lender / giver or mortgagee. The person who borrows money in the
form of a mortgage is called a mortgage 3 borrower / taker or mortgagor.
There are several different types of mortgage 4 in / on the market.
Probably the most common is a repayment mortgage, in which the 5 capital sum / capital price
and the interest are paid in 6 instalments / pieces over a long period (for example 25 years).
An alternative is an interest-only mortgage, in which the interest is paid, and the capital sum is 7
repaid / paid in another way, for example with an endowment assurance policy (see unit 9). This type
of mortgage is known as an endowment mortgage.
With an offset mortgage, the mortgage borrower's 8 daily / current account is combined with
her/his mortgage. Provided the current account is usually 9 in / with credit, this can reduce the
interest repayments 10 on / for the mortgage.
Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher
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B. Match the types of mortgage with the definition (you can find some of the information
above).
1. repayment mortgage a. The mortgage interest rate is linked to the interest rate of country's
central bank (see unit 16).
2. interest-only mortgage
b. The mortgage interest rate stays the same.
3. endowment mortgage
c. You pay the capital sum and the interest.
4. offset mortgage d. You pay the interest in instalments, and you pay the capital sum by
another method.
5. fixed rate mortgage
e. The mortgage interest rate can only rise as far as a certain level.
6. base-rate tracker
f. An interest-only mortgage, with the capital repaid by an endowment
mortgage (see unit 9).
g. Your current and mortgage accounts are combined to reduce the
7. variable rate mortgage
interest.
8. capped mortgage
h. The mortgage lender can change the interest rate as they wish.

C. Choose the best word.

1. Houses, bungalows, apartments, offices, shops and any other type of building you can own are
called __________.
a. housing b. property c. buildings
2. The __________ are a document which proves who owns a property.
a. owner's deeds b. owner's papers c. title deeds
3. In some countries you can get a mortgage for __________ your annual salary.
a. times five b. five times c. five of
4. If a mortgage borrower ___________ the instalments…
a. doesn't pay b. defaults on c. fails on
5. …the mortgage lender will eventually __________ the property.
a. retake b. take back c. repossess
6. Before a property can be repossessed, the lender must apply to a court for a __________.
a. repossession order b. repossession paper c. repossession document
7. When the lender has a repossession order, the occupants of the property can be __________,
a. evicted b. put out c. ejected

Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher

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8. Generally, mortgage lenders only repossess as ____________.

a. a desperate action b. a last resort c. the final option
9. A mortgage lender can also be called a mortgagee or a __________.
a. mortgage provider b. mortgage maker c. mortgage producer
10. A mortgage borrower can also be known as a mortgagor or a __________.
a. mortgage owner b. mortgage possessor c. mortgage holder
11. To change your mortgage agreement is to __________ your property.
a. mortgage again b. remortgage c. unmortage
12. A mortgage paid over 25 years is called a __________ mortgage.
a. 25 b. 25 year c. 25 years
13. When somebody's mortgage is the most they can possible afford, you can say they are
"mortgaged up to the __________".
a. hilt b. top c. head
14. If property prices go down, and your house is mortgaged for more than its current value, you have
__________.
a. negative money b. negative value c. negative equity
15. After you have paid your last mortgage instalment, you can say that you have __________ your
mortgage.
a. paid out b. paid up c. paid off

Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher

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7 THE HOUSING MARKET

Mortgage arrears reduce building society profits
1. The growth in building society profits for this financial year is expected to be
restrained due to a sharp increase in the number of buy-to-let property owners
going into mortgage arrears.
2. However, the recent interest rate cut is likely to cause arrears to level off, and
recently-introduced government measures aimed at supporting the buy-to-let
market are likely to provide a last-minute boost to building society annual profits.
3. James Edwards, chief executive of the market leaders City and Provincial Building
Society, said in a trading statement last week that he broadly concurred with
analysts’ forecasts of full-year profits for his company to rise by 5% to £240m.
However, the fact that soaring growth in the buy-to-let market (where C&P has a
19% share) has cooled significantly coupled with concerns about arrears has
knocked 7.25p off the company’s share price, leaving it at 264p.
4. Despite predictions for growth across the sector as a whole averaging around
4.5%, the share prices of the five leading players in the market have declined by
an average of just under 3%. Yields may be falling, but the restricted supply of
new-build homes and continuing enthusiasm for buy-to-let have kept the housing
market buoyant, and only the most pessimistic of analysts are predicting a slump.
Nevertheless, cautious corporate investors have been reducing their holdings.
5. Such fears may well prove to be misplaced. Hints by the Bank of England regarding
a further interest rate cut could underpin further growth.
6. An additional boost is likely to be provided by changes to pension rules from April
5th next year. Holders of Self Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs) will be permitted
to invest funds from their pensions in residential property.
7. Up to £15bn of pension cash is expected to flood into the market, including tax
relief worth as much as £5bn. This is certain to create a boom in buy-to-let
investment, shoring up building society yields, and to push up house prices,
especially in areas where they have been in decline, creating more attractive
investment opportunities.
8. In addition, the buy-to-let market is likely to continue to benefit from the fact that
many would-be first time buyers remain priced out of the market, ensuring healthy
Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher
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demand for rental properties. Evidence suggests that large numbers of potential
first time buyers are also delaying their plans to buy to due uncertainty on house
prices, creating a build-up of demand which is likely to be released when house
prices stabilize.
9. A spokesperson for the number two mortgage lender Bolton and Rochdale
reported last month that new business volumes have grown steadily month on
month from a low base, and that the growth of both the residential and buy to-let
mortgage markets remains robust.
10. However, this upbeat stance was offset by Banker and Mortgage Lender
magazine, which predicted that house prices are poised to fall by an average of up
to 7% across the UK. The South West in particular was viewed as overvalued, with
prices in some areas set to see a drop as high as 15%. In contrast, London is now
seen as slightly undervalued, following some dramatic falls over the last year and,
according to the magazine, house prices there are set to rise by a minimum of 4%
a year for the next three years.

A. Choose the definition which is closest to the meaning in the article.

1. buy-to-let property owners (paragraph 1)
a. people who rent their homes b. people who buy homes to rent to others
2. growth has cooled significantly (paragraph 3)
a. it's growing more slowly b. it's declining
3. a boom in buy-to-let investment (paragraph 7)
a. a lot more people buying-to-let b. slightly more people buying-to-let
4. tax relief worth as much as £5bn (paragraph 7)
a. up to £5bn reduction in tax to be paid b. up to £5bn increase in tax to be paid

Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher

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Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher

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8 THE CONSUMER CREDIT BOOM

Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher

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Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher

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GRAMMAR
1 SIMPLE PAST
Watch the videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-uW_KheiEc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWZ6cNq6bEY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs9_64pxISc

¿What Are Past simple?

There are several tenses for speaking about
the past in English, but the past simple is the
most commonly used. It is used for actions
completed in the past. In the past tense there
are both regular verbs and irregular verbs.

Hay muchas maneras de hablar del pasado en inglés, pero el pasado simple es la forma más común. El pasado simple
en inglés es equivalente al pretérito imperfecto y pretérito indefinido del español. Usamos el pasado simple para acciones
completas en el pasado. El período de tiempo de estas acciones no es importante como en el español. En el pasado
simple hay verbos regulares y verbos irregulares

John Cabot sailed to America in 1498. / John Cabot salió hacia America en 1948
My father died last year. / Mi Padre murió el año pasado
He lived in Fiji in 1976. / El vivió en Fiji en 1976
We crossed the waterway yesterday / Nosotros cruzamos el canal ayer

Possition in verb tenses (Posición en el tiempo verbal)

Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher

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Structure of verb tenses (Estructura del tiempo verbal)

*Reg Verb: Verbos regulares

*Irreg Verb change: Cambia en los verbos irregulares

The simple past is formed using the verb + ed. In addition, there are many verbs with irregular past
forms. Questions are made with did and negative forms are made with did not.

● Statement: You called Debbie.

● Question: Did you call Debbie?
● Negative: You did not call Debbie.

Watch this videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJANe-Ah_u4
Uses (Usos)

1. El pasado simple se utiliza para hablar de una

acción concreta que comenzó y acabó en el pasado.
En este caso equivale al pretérito indefinido español.
Generalmente, lo usamos con adverbios de tiempo
como “last year”, “yesterday”, “last night”.

Use the simple past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the
past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one
specific time in mind.
Watch this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmJrYbDjxQY
Tom stayed at home last night.(Tom se quedó en casa anoche.)
Kate worked last Saturday.(Kate trabajó el sábado pasado.)
I didn’t go to the party yesterday.(No fui a la fiesta ayer.)
Did they walk to school this morning?(¿Han andado a la escuela esta mañana?)
I saw a movie yesterday. (Vi una película ayer)
EXAMPLE I didn't see a play yesterday. (No vi una obra de teatro ayer.)
Last year, I traveled to Japan. (El año pasado viajé a Japón.)
Last year, I didn't travel to Korea. (El año pasado no viajé a Corea.)
Did you have dinner last night? (Cenaste anoche?)
She washed her car. (Lavó su coche.)
He didn't wash his car. (El no lavo su carro.)
Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher
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Las interrogativas en pasado simple, el auxiliar DID, absorbe la terminación “ed” del
TIPS verbo cuando son regulares e irregulares, el verbo va en su forma simple (infinitivo).

2. Se usa el pasado simple para una serie de acciones en el pasado.

I received the good news and immediately called my husband.
(Recibí la buena noticia y llamé de inmediato a mi marido.)

EXAMPLE
He studied for an hour in the morning, worked all afternoon and didn’t return home
until 10 at night.
(Estudió durante una hora por la mañana, trabajó toda la tarde y no regresó a casa
hasta las 10 de la noche.)

3. También lo usamos para acciones repetidas o habituales en el pasado, como se usa el

pretérito imperfecto español.
We always traveled to Cancun for vacation when we were young.
(Siempre viajábamos a Cancun durante las vacaciones cuando éramos jóvenes.)
EXAMPLE
He walked 5 kilometers every day to work.
(Caminaba 5 kilómetros hasta el trabajo cada día.)

4. Lo usamos para narraciones o acciones de períodos de largo tiempo en el pasado, como el

pretérito imperfecto español.
I worked for many years in a museum.
(Trabajaba en un museo durante muchos años.)
EXAMPLE
She didn’t eat meat for years.
(No comía carne durante años.)

5. Se utiliza para hablar de generalidades o hechos del pasado.

The Aztec lived in Mexico. (Los aztecas vivían en México)
EXAMPLE
I played the guitar when I was a child. (Tocaba la guitarra cuando era niño.)

Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher

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Grammatical Rules

〉 Form
Para formar el pasado simple con verbos regulares, usamos el infinitivo y añadimos la terminación “-ed”. La
forma es la misma para todas las personas (I, you, he, she, it, we, they).

1. Para verbos que terminan en una “e”, sólo añadimos “-d”.

Ejemplos: change → changed
believe → believed
2. Si el verbo termina en una vocal corta y una consonante (excepto “y” o “w”),
doblamos la consonante final.
Exception Ejemplos: stop → stopped
commit → committed
3. Con verbos que terminan en una consonante y una “y”, se cambia la “y” por una “i”.
Ejemplos: study → studied
try → tried

Hay muchos verbos irregulares en inglés. Desafortunadamente, no hay una norma

establecida para formarlos. Debe buscar una lista de verbos irregulares y aprendérselos
TIPS A continuación veremos tres verbos irregulares más comunes y los que actúan como
verbos auxiliares.

Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher

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- Use auxiliary DID. All other verbs (Todos los demás verbos, diferente ToBE)
El DID es un auxiliar que se utiliza con todos los demás verbos en tiempo pasado, regulares e
irregulares, no se usa con el verbo TO BE. El auxiliar DID se utiliza para hacer preguntas y negaciones
con los verbos regulares e irregulares en tiempo pasado

〉 Negative Sentences (Frases negativas)

Sujeto + verbo auxiliar (to do) DID + “not” + verbo principal (en infinitivo)…

I didn’t want to dance. (No, quería bailar.)

They didn’t learn English. (No, aprendieron inglés)
EXAMPLE
We didn’t believe him. (No, le creímos.)
I didn’t buy a blue car. (No, compré un coche azul.)

En frases negativas, el verbo auxiliar va en pasado (“did”) y el verbo principal se

TIPS queda en el infinitivo.

〉 Interrogative Sentences (Frases interrogativas)

DID + sujeto + verbo principal (en infinitivo)…?

Did you want to dance? (¿Querías bailar?)

Did they learn English? (¿Aprendieron inglés?)
EXAMPLE
Did you believe him? (¿Le creíste?)
Did you buy a blue car? (¿Compraste un coche azul?)

Al igual que en las frases negativas, el verbo auxiliar va en pasado (“did”) y el verbo
TIPS principal se queda en el infinitivo (no cambia su forma de escribir).

Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher

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2 PAST SIMPLE VERB TO BE

Using the verb ‘to be’ in the simple past tense:

Watch this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2nqdDSy9nk
1. Affirmative Sentences (Frases afirmativas)

Subject + TO BE (Was/Were) +…

She was a doctor. (Era doctora.)

EXAMPLE The keys were in the drawer. (Las llaves estaban en el cajón.)
I wanted to dance. (Quería bailar.)
Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher
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They learned English. (Aprendieron inglés.)

We believed him. (Le creímos.)
I bought a blue car. (Compré un coche azul.)

2. Negative Sentences

Subject + TO BE (was/were) + NOT +….

I’m not talking. (Yo No estoy hablando.)

EXAMPLE He’s not eating. (El No está comiendo.)
They’re not learning. (Ellos no están aprendiendo)

El verbo “to have got”, que en el presente simple sigue las mismas reglas que el verbo
TIPS “to be”, no puede ser utilizado en el pasado. Para indicar la posesión en el pasado,
usamos el verbo “to have”.
Watch this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTWa5M4UMO8

3.1. Interrogative Sentences

TO BE ( was/were ) + Subject + …

Was she a doctor? (¿Era ella doctora?)

EXAMPLE
Were the keys in the drawer? (¿Estaban las llaves en el cajón?)

3.2. Negative Questions form

TO BE ( was/were ) + NOT + Subject + …

Was not she a nurse? (¿No es ella enfermera?)

EXAMPLE
Were not we in paris? (¿No están ellos en Paris?)

3.3. Short Answer forms

- Affirmative YES + Subject + TO BE ( was/were ) + NOT …

- Negative NO + Subject + TO BE ( was/were ) + NOT …

Cómo construir el pasado simple del verbo “to be” en inglés, Para la primera y tercera persona del
singular se usa la palabra “was”; para el resto se utiliza “were”.

“She was a student”. (Ella era estudiante)

Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher

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Como suele pasar en inglés por sus características sintéticas, el verbo “to be” tiene únicamente dos
formas en pasado:

Was/Were

Atendiendo al sujeto con el que vayan, se usa una u otra forma. Aquí te dejamos todas las formas en
todas las personas.
I was – Yo fui, era o estuve
You were – Tú fuiste, eras o estuviste
She/he/it was – Él/Ella/ello fue, era o estuvo
We were – Nosotros fuimos, éramos o estuvimos
You were – Vosotros fuisteis, erais o estuvisteis
They were – Ellos fueron, eran o estuvieran
Last year – El año pasado
Yesterday – Ayer

Pasado Simple: Estructura y conjugación del TO BE

Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher

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Question words

Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher

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3 There WAS – There WERE

Las expresiones THERE WAS y THERE WERE se utilizan para hablar del pasado simple. Su
significado es “Hubo” o “Había”.
La diferencia entre THERE WAS y THERE WERE es que, una está escrita para la forma singular
del pasado simple del verbo TO BE y la otra para el plural.
También se usa THERE WAS cuando el sustantivo no es contable, como en el caso de dinero.
La palabra THERE es un adverbio de lugar que se traduce como AHÍ o ALLÍ, y por sí sola no nos
indica el número del sujeto.

Singular There was an old house

Plural There were five books on the table

There was
Is used when you refer to one thing or person.
There was. Es cuando te refieres a una cosa o una persona (singular). Pero en este caso nos estamos
refiriendo a esta persona o cosa, pero en tiempo pasado.
There was an old house (Ahí estaba una vieja casa)
EXAMPLE There was a tree planted (Allí estaba un árbol plantado)
There was money in the bank account (Había dinero en la cuenta de banco)
There was an accident last weeek.

2. There were
Is used when you refer to more than one thing or person.
There were. Es utilizado a más de una cosa o personas (plural). Pero en tiempo pasado.
There were some problems with the delivery
EXAMPLE El ejemplo nos dice que hubo algunos problemas con el delivery
There were many dogs playing (Ahí estaban muchos perros jugando)
There were five books on the table.
Watch this videos
https://en.islcollective.com/video-lessons/there-wasthere-were-practice

Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher

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Form
1. Affirmative Sentences (Frases afirmativas)
There + verbo to be (was/were) + complemento

Singular:
STRUCTURE There was a book.
Plural:
There were some books.

1-There was a cat in the house.

2-There was money in the safe.
3-There was a dog barking at us.
4-There was a grocery store right there.
5-There was a dog in the street.
EXAMPLE
6-There were two police officers waiting for you outside.
7-There were three friends of mine who wanted to do that.
8-There were a lot of people outside the house.
9-There were many stores around here.
10-There were 7 fish in the fish tank.

2. Negative Sentences
There + verbo to be (was/were) + NOT + complemento

Singular:
STRUCTURE There was not a book.
Plural:
There were not any books.

1-There wasn’t a cat in the house.

2-There wasn’t money in the safe
3-There wasn’t a dog barking at us
4-There wasn’t a grocery store right there.
EXAMPLE 5-There wasn’t a dog in the street

6-There weren’t two police officers waiting for you outside

7-There weren’t three friends of mine who wanted to do that
8-There weren’t a lot of people outside the house.
9-There weren’t many stores around here.
Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher
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10-There weren’t 7 fish in the fish tank

3. Interrogative Sentences
Verbo to be (Was/Were) + there + complemento

Singular:
Was there a book.
STRUCTURE Plural:
Were there any books.

1-¿Was there a cat in the house?.

2-¿Was there money in the safe?
3-¿Was there a dog barking at us?
4-¿Was there a grocery store right there?
5-¿Was there a dog in the street?
EXAMPLE
6-¿Were there two police officers waiting for you outside?
7-¿Were there three friends of mine who wanted to do tha?
8-¿Were there a lot of people outside the house?
9-¿Were there many stores around here?
10-¿Were there 7 fish in the fish tank?

4. Short Answers
YES + there + Verbo to be (Was/Were)

YES/NO + there + Verbo to be + NOT (Was not “wasn’t”) / (Were not “weren’t”)

1-¿Was there a cat in the house?.

Affirmative:
Yes, there was.
STRUCTURE Negative:
No, there wasn’t.
2-¿Were there two police officers waiting for you outside?
Affirmative:
Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher
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Yes, there were.

Negative:
No, there weren’t.
2-¿Were there two police officers waiting for you outside?
Affirmative: Yes, there were.
Negative: No, there weren’t.
Watch this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7Gxa23-
I7Yhttps://es.liveworksheets.com/worksheets/en/English_as_a_Second_Language_(ESL)/Used_To

4 VERB USE TO
El verbo “USE” significa “usar” o “utilizar”. Sin embargo, cuando utilizamos este verbo en el pasado
simple, más la preposición “to”, como verbo modal, el significado cambia. Además, se puede utilizar
“used to” como adjetivo. A continuación, tienes una explicación de los diferentes usos.
Usamos el verbo modal “used to” para indicar algo que ocurría o sucedía en el pasado de
manera habitual. También, se utiliza para algo que antes era verdad, pero ya no lo es. Como con los
otros verbos modales, “used to” está seguido por la forma base del verbo (el infinitivo sin “to”).

〉 Structure (Estructura)

1. Affirmative Sentences (Frases afirmativas)

Sujeto + “used to” + verbo…

- We used to go to the beach every summer when I was young.

(Cuando era joven solíamos ir a la playa cada verano.)
- He used to smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, but he quit last year.
EXAMPLE (Solía fumar un paquete de cigarrillos al día, pero lo dejó el año pasado.)
- I used to like mushrooms, but not anymore.
(Antes me gustaban las setas, pero ya no.)
- There used to be a great restaurant here, but it closed a few years ago.
(Había un buen restaurante aquí, pero cerró hace unos años.)

2. Negative Sentences

Sujeto + “didn’t” + “use to” + verbo…

- I didn’t use to like mushrooms, but now I do.
(Antes no me gustaban las setas, pero ahora sí.)
EXAMPLE - Food didn’t use to be so expensive.
(La comida no solía ser tan cara.)
- We didn’t use to go away on holiday very often when I was young
Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher
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.(No solíamos ir de vacaciones a menudo, cuando era joven.)

3. Interrogative Sentences (Frases interrogativas)

Did + sujeto + “use to” + verbo…?

- Didn’t he use to smoke a lot?
(Él fumaba mucho antes, ¿no?)
- Did you use to live here?
EXAMPLE
(¿Vivías aquí antes?)
- Did they use to go to the beach in the summers?
(¿Solían ir a la playa durante los veranos?)

No utilizamos “used to” para acciones habituales en el presente. En vez de este verbo
modal, se usa un adverbio como “usually” o “normally” por ejemplo.

- We usually go to the beach every summer.

(Solemos ir a la playa cada verano.)
TIP 1
- He normally smokes a pack of cigarettes every day.
(Normalmente él fuma un paquete de cigarrillos cada día.)
- They usually play football on the weekends.
(Suelen jugar a fútbol los fines de semana.)

También se puede utilizar el verbo modal “would” para eventos o acciones

repetidas en el pasado. Pero ten en cuenta que sólo se puede usar con acciones, no
con estados o hábitos. Tampoco se puede utilizar “would” en el negativo. Para información
de los otros usos de “would” busque en un diccionario de gramática de Cambridge

TIP 2 - When I was young, we would go to the beach every summer.

(Cuando era joven solíamos ir a la playa cada verano.)
- At the university, they would play football every weekend.
(En la universidad, ellos solían jugar a fútbol cada fin de semana.)
Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher
 24

⊗ He would smoke a lot.

⊗ When I was young we wouldn’t go to the beach every summer.

〉 To be used to (Estar acostumbrado a)

Cuando se utiliza “used to” como adjetivo significa “estar acostumbrado a”. Se usa para cosas
que son familiares, normales o comunes y se puede usar en cualquier tiempo verbal. Cuando “to be
used to” está seguido por un verbo, el verbo tiene que estar en gerundio (“-ing”).

- She’s used to living alone. (Ella está acostumbrada a vivir sola.)

EXAMPLE - We weren’t used to traveling a lot. (No estábamos acostumbrados a viajar mucho.)
- I’m not used to this cold weather. (No estoy acostumbrado a este frío.)

Cuando utilizamos el verbo “get” en vez de “be” indica el proceso de familiarizarse con
algo.

- They divorced over 2 years ago. She has gotten used to living alone.
(Se divorciaron hace más de 2 años. Ella se ha acostumbrado a vivir sola.)
TIPS
- With this new job I am getting used to traveling a lot.
(Con este nuevo trabajo me estoy acostumbrando a viajar mucho.)
- You need to get used to this cold weather if you are going to live here.
(Necesitas acostumbrarte a este frío si vas a vivir aquí.)

〉 ¿How to use “Used to”? (¿Como usar “Used to”?)

La expresión “used to” más el infinitivo se utiliza en inglés para hablar de algo que pasó varias
veces en el pasado, o que pasó durante un largo tiempo en el pasado. En todo caso, se refiere a
algo que ya no es verdad o no pasa. Así, es parecido al pasado simple o el pasado continuo.

Puede traducirse al español como solía, o como el “pretérito imperfecto” – iba, hacía, etc.
Así la forma de usar “used to” es seguido por un verbo en infinitivo:

I used to do it. Now I don’t.

Aquí veremos algunos ejemplos de cómo usar “used to” en situaciones normales.
Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher
 25

o Para hablar de hábitos o situaciones en el pasado:

I used to go to Manchester every summer, but now I go to Liverpool.
(Solía ir a Manchester” o bien, “iba a Manchester” pero ahora no voy).
My parents used to live in Denver, but now they live in Las Vegas.
(Mis padres vivían en Denver, pero ahora no.)
She used to work in a bank, but now she works in a bar.
(Antes trabajaba en un banco, pero ahora trabaja en un bar.)
He used to have a lot of hair, but now he’s bald.
(Antes tenía mucho cabello, pero ahora es calvo.)
I used to like sweets, but now I never eat them.
(Antes me gustaban los dulces, pero ahora nunca los como.)
See that girl over there? I used to go out with her.
(See that girl over there? I used to go out with her)
I used to have a cat, but now I have a dog.
(Antes tenía un gato, pero ahora tengo un perro.)
Watch this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdErZ9AnigU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URv29IEJuFo

Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher

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4 USE BECAUSE AND SO

〉 LINKING WORDS BECAUSE AND SO

The difference is so is used to show the results of an action, and because is used to show the cause
of an action. It is really confusing because the two of them are so similar

- So
– is used to show results of an action
So es utilizado para mostrar el resultado de una acción y because es usada para mostrarnos la causa de la acción.

- BECAUSE
I went to my hotel room early because I was tired
So
I was tired so I went to my hotel room early.
I complete the sentences with because or so

Linking Words: Reasons

linking words help you connect the ideas in a sentence.
Las palabras que ayudan a conectar son conjunciones because es una conjunción subordinada y so es una conjunción
coordinada.

SO AND BECAUSE
What’s the difference between “so” and “because”?

● Use because to express a reason:

Utilize el Because para expresar razon

I didn’t go to class because I was sick.

Yo no tuve clases por que (Because) yo estaba enfermo
We arrived early today because we have a meeting at 7:00 AM.
Nosotros llegamos temprano hoy por que (because) nosotros teniamos una reunion a las 7:00 AM.
She got presents because it was her birthday.
Ella recibió regalos por que (because) era su cumpleaños.

● Use so to express a result:

He studies a lot, so he is the best student.

(reason) ——–> (result)
El estudio mucho, por lo tanto (so) él es el mejor estudiante.

(reason) ———— so ——–> (result)

● Jane didn’t like the movie, so she turned off the TV.
Jane no le gusta el cine, por lo tanto, ella apago la televisión
● Yesterday was a holiday, so the school was closed.
Ayer era un día feriado, por lo tanto, la escuela estaba cerrada.
● I lost my car keys, so I took a taxi.
Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher
 27

Yo perdí las llaves del carro, por lo tanto yo tome un taxi.

BECAUSE AND SO

Because is a subordinating conjunction. It shows the cause. So is a coordinating conjunction. It

shows the effect.

▪ We can combine two clauses using because and so.

▪ Study the example given below.
▪ Susie didn’t attend the party. She was not invited.
▪ We can combine these two clauses in two different ways.
▪ Susie didn’t attend the party because she was not invited.
▪ Susie was not invited, so she did not attend the party.

5 COMPARATIVE FORM OF ADJECTIVES

〉 WATCH THIS VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpQbmdKkNFs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEKV5TBeLfo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiI1UmfgprM

Form quality inferiority adjective

▪ I don't have as many clothes as you. - No tengo tanta ropa como tú.
▪ This house has got as many windows as the house next door. Esta casa tiene tantas ventanas como la casa
de al lado.
▪ fewer + countable noun + than
▪ I have fewer clothes than you. -Tengo menos ropa que tú.

COMPARATIVES
One way to describe nouns (people, objects, animals, etc.) is by comparing them to something else.
When comparing two things, you’re likely to use adjectives like smaller, bigger, taller, more
interesting, and less expensive. Notice the -er ending, and the words more and less. A mistake that
both native speakers and non-native speakers make is using incorrectly formed comparative
adjectives. See the sentences below for an illustration of this common error:
Una forma de describir los sustantivos (persona, animal, cosa) es comparándolos. Cuando usted compara dos cosas, usted le gustara
utilizarlos al utilizar adjetivos como pequeñísimo, grande, altísimo, más interesante y menos caro que él.
* er en la terminación y las palabras more, or less.
EL Error los hablantes nativos y no nativos es utilizar incorrectamente la forma comparativa de los adjetivos.

See the sentences below that show us this common mistake.

Vea las oraciones siguientes que nos muestra este común error.
His house is more big than my house. Su casa es más grande que mi perro.
His house is bigger than mine. Su casa es grandísima ante la mía.
Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher
 28

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So what makes the first example wrong and the second right? There are a few rules that explain this:
- For adjectives that are just one syllable, add -er to the end (this explains the above example).
- For two-syllable adjectives not ending in -y and for all three-or-more-syllable adjectives, use the
form “more + adjective.”
- For two-syllable adjectives ending in -y, change the -y to -i and add -er.
These simple rules make it easy to tell when you should add -er or -ier and when you should use
“more + adjective.”
Here are a few more examples:

● This house is more exciting than ever. Esta correcto

● This house is excitinger than ever. Incorrecto la palabra exciting no se le puede agregar er-

● Mike is funnier than Isaac. Esta correcto

● Mike is more funny than Isaac. Es incorrecto
●
Notice the spelling change for adjectives ending in -y: the comparative ends in -ier.
● This book is boringer than the last one. Incorrecto
● This book is more boring than the last one. Correcto

● Advertising pressures women to be more thin. Incorrecto

● Advertising pressures women to be thinner. Correcto
Los comparative adjectives Se utilizan para comparar una determinada característica o cualidad entre dos o más cosas, animales o
personas.
En los adjetivos de una sílaba generalmente se añade la terminación final -er en los comparativos. En cuanto a los superlativos, se
añade el artículo the delante del adjetivo y la terminación -est detrás.

 That is the sleepyest puppy of the litter. Incorrecto

 That is the sleepiest puppy of the litter. CORRECTO
Aquí nos encontramos con la regla de que el adjetivo dormilón Inmediatamente se cambia la “y” por la “i” para que se escriba
correctamente.

FORMING COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVES OF IRREGULAR ADJECTIVES

It’s important to note that there are irregular adjectives (and adverbs) that you have to memorize
because they don’t follow the rules above. They are:

Adjective/Adverb Comparative Superlative

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 29

good/well Better Best

bad/badly Worse Worst

Far farther, further the farthest, the furthest

Little Les Least

SUPERLATIVES
When comparing more than two things, you’ll likely use words and phrases like smallest, biggest,
tallest, most interesting, and least interesting. Notice the -est ending and the words most and least.
Make sure you use the proper ending or superlative adjective when forming these superlatives. The
examples below illustrate the correct form:

Remember that adjectives ending in -y change their spelling when -est is added. To form these
superlatives, change the y to an i before adding the -est ending, as illustrated below:
That is the sleepyest puppy of the litter

Forming Comparative and Superlatives of Irregular Adjectives

It’s important to note that there are irregular adjectives (and adverbs) that you have to memorize
because they don’t follow the rules above. They are:

Adjective/Adverb Comparative Superlative

good/well better Best

bad/badly worse Worst

Far farther, further the farthest, the furthest

Little less Least

COMPARATIVO Y EL SUPERLATIVO

Los adjetivos en grado comparativo

El comparativo se usa en inglés para comparar diferencias entre los dos objetos a los que modifica
(larger, smaller, faster, higher). Se emplea en oraciones donde comparamos dos nombres, de la
manera siguiente:
Nombre (sujeto) + verbo + adjetivo en grado comparativo + than + nombre (objeto).
El segundo término de la comparación puede omitirse si se entiende a partir del contexto. (ver ejemplo).

● My house is larger than hers.

Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher
 30

● This box is smaller than the one I lost.

● Your dog runs faster than Jim's dog.
● The rock flew higher than the roof.
● Jim and Jack are both my friends, but I like Jack better. ("than Jim" se
sobreentiende)

Superlative adjective

Superlative adjectives are used to describe an object which is at the upper or lower limit of a quality
(the tallest, the smallest, the fastest, the highest). And it is used in sentences where the subject is
comparative with the group of objects, like these examples.

Noun (subject) + verb + the + adjective in a superlative + noun (object).

Los adjetivos en grado superlativo

Los adjetivos superlativos se utilizan para describir un objeto que se encuentra en el límite superior o inferior de una
cualidad (the tallest, the smallest, the fastest, the highest). Se utiliza en oraciones en las que comparamos un sujeto con
un grupo de objetos, como aquí:

Ejemplos
● My house is the largest one in our neighborhood.
● This is the smallest box I've ever seen.
● Your dog ran the fastest of any dog in the race.
● We all threw, our rocks at the same time. My rock flew the highest. ("of all the rocks"
está sobreentendido)

Rules: Comparatives and Superlatives

We use Comparatives and Superlatives to compare two or more nouns.

The formation of the comparative and superlative depends on the number of syllables in the
adjective:

One-syllable Adjectives
To form the comparative, we add -er to the end of the adjective.
To form the superlative, we add -est to the end of the adjective.

Adjective Comparative Superlative

small smaller the smallest

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 31

cold colder the coldest

light lighter the lightest

wide * wider the widest

hot ** hotter the hottest

* When an adjective ends in the letter E, we just add the -R (for comparatives) or -ST (for
superlatives). We do not write two Es together. Wider (correct) not wideer (incorrect).
** When an adjective ends in a consonant + short vowel + consonant (C + V + C), we normally double
the last letter. big - bigger - biggest, wet - wetter - wettest

 London is bigger than Santiago.

 Mike is taller than John but James is the tallest.
 Yesterday was the hottest day of the year.
 It is the oldest building in the village.
 I want a faster car.

Notice how comparatives are often followed by than when comparing two things or people.

Two-syllable Adjectives ending in -Y

To form the comparative, we remove the -y and add -ier to the end of the adjective.
To form the superlative, we remove the -y and add -iest to the end of the adjective.

Adjective Comparative Superlative

crazy crazier the craziest

happy happier the happiest

early earlier the earliest

 It was the happiest day of my life.

 My joke was funnier than your one.
 This section is easier than the rest.

Adjectives with Two or more Syllables

For Adjectives with 2 syllables (that don't end in -y) and higher (3, 4 syllables etc), we use more for
comparatives and the most for superlatives.

Adjective Comparative Superlative

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 32

handsome more handsome the most handsome

nervous more nervous the most nervous

enthusiastic more enthusiastic the most enthusiastic

 My girlfriend is more beautiful than yours.

 Alex is more intelligent than you but I am the most intelligent.
 It was the most wonderful day I have ever had.

Some exceptions with two-syllable adjectives ending in -er and -est:

narrow - narrower, simple - simpler, quiet - quieter

Irregular Forms

Adjective Comparative Superlative

good better the best

bad worse the worst

far *** further / farther the furthest / farthest

little less the least

many/much more the most

old **** older/elder the oldest / eldest

 I am a better tennis player than you but Marcelo is the best.

 Steve is a worse liar than me but Adrian is the worst.

*** Farther - Further

Further / farther, furthest / farthest are all used for distance.
Only Further / furthest are used to mean 'additional' or 'more advanced'.

 Puerto Montt is further / farther than Valdivia is from here (in Santiago).
 If you require further information, please contact reception.

Remember that the opposites of 'more' and 'most' are 'less' and 'least', respectively.
**** Older - Eldest

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We use elder / eldest when we are talking about family relationships and normally only before a
noun (not by itself unless it is a pronoun).

 He is my elder brother. (We cannot say: My brother is elder than me. - incorrect)
 The eldest sister would pass on her dresses to the younger one.

Comparative and Superlative of ILL

When comparing how ill people are, you will normally hear worse or the worst and not "iller or illest".
Some people may prefer to replace ill with sick (sicker, sickest) when comparing.

Martha A. Dorati – English Teacher