Disabilities and mental disorders - IOC - Institut Obert...

Disabilities and mentaldisordersCarles Mora i Núria Terradellas

Anglès tècnic

Anglès tècnic Disabilities and mental disorders

Índex

Introduction 5

Learning objectives 7

1 Mental disorders 111.1 Grammar: present and past tenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

1.1.1 The present tenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131.1.2 The past tenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151.1.3 Adverbials of time and frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

1.2 Everyday language: asking for and giving personal information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

2 Disabilities 272.1 Grammar: adjectives and the comparative forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

2.1.1 Qualifying adjectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302.1.2 Comparative forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

2.2 Everyday language: telephone conversations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

3 Accidents 373.1 Grammar: prepositions, dates and time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

3.1.1 Prepositions of place and time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403.1.2 Dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443.1.3 Clock times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

3.2 Everyday language: giving and responding to advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Anglès tècnic 5 Disabilities and mental disorders

Introduction

The second unit is called “Disabilities and mental disorders” because we focus ourattention on people who suffer a kind of physical or mental impairment, and whorequire professional health assistance.

In the first section of the unit there is a text called ‘Mental disorders’, whichdescribes different mental diseases and how to deal with them from a professionalpoint of view. In the second text you will find a classification of physical andpsychological disabilities, and the process of adjusting to the situation. In thelast text, called ‘Accidents’, you will meet a person who suffers from Alzheimer’sdisease and how this can cause accidents at home. You will also find a form to fillin with information about an accident.

The grammar sections introduce three other basic aspects. In section one, youwill learn about the different present and past tenses, which are obviously used tospeak about the present and the past, respectively. You will see the forms of theverbs and the difference in use between the present simple and continuous, andbetween the past simple, the past continuous and the present perfect. There is alsoa reference to the adverbials of time which are normally associated to the presentand past tenses. The second section is devoted to explain the adjectives, which arethe words used to describe the material world around us and our emotions. Thereis a special section to introduce the comparative adjectives and adverbs. We usethese forms to make comparisons. The third section introduces the prepositions ofplace and time, which tell us where and when something happens. We’ll learn todestinguish their uses, with specific sections devoted to explain the date formats inEnglish and the way of asking and saying the time. Before this grammar section,you will see the storyline, where you can see some examples of the grammar pointsin context.

The everyday language sections introduce other examples of this type of language.In the first part of the unit, you will learn the different questions and answers to askfor and give basic personal information, like your name, your age, your address,etc. This type of information is normally included in a friendly conversation with acolleague, or in a more formal situation, it may be part of a job interview. Next, youwill see some words and expressions frequently used in telephone conversations.Telephone conversations are very common situations in our daily and workinglives, and they require the use of the oral skills and some very specific language.Finally, you will also learn about the ways of giving advice. You give advicewhen you recommend an action to other people, and for this there are differentways which you can use in different contexts. The emphasis is on the grammaticalstructures used with each word and expression.


Learning objectives

1. Understand oral messages in standard language related to the education, thehealth, and the working and social environments of people working in the fieldof support to people with special needs and to analize the general meaning of amessage relating it to the corresponding language resources.

• Identify the context of the message.

• Identify the main idea of the mesage.

• Identify the purpose of a face-to-face or telephone message or any other oralmessage received through any means of communication.

• Get specific information from oral messages common in the professionaland daily lives in the field of support to people with special needs.

• Organize the elements of a message.

• Identify the main ideas in a speech about the professional field transmittedthrough the mass media in standard language.

• Recognize oral instructions and follow instructions.

• Be aware of the importance of understanding the general meaning of amessage even if you don’t understand everything.

2. Understand and make a comprehensive analysis of simple written texts relatedto the education, the health, and the working and social environments of peopleworking in the field of support to people with special needs.

• Read and understand written texts in standard language about the professio-nal field of support to people with special needs.

• Interpret the global meaning of a written message.

• Relate a written text to the professional field of support to people withspecial needs.

• Identify the specific information used in the professional field of support topeople with special needs.

• Interpret the most common documents used in the professional field ofsupport to people with special needs.

• Translate textsfrom the professional field of support to people with specialneeds by using the necessary reference material.

• Understand a written text received through different means: post, fax, ande-mail, among others.


• Choose the appropriate reference material such as technical dictionaries andautomatic translators.

3. Produce clear, well-organized oral messages and take an active part inconversations frequently used in companies in the fields of the education, thehealth, and the working and social environments of people working in the fieldof support to people with special needs.

• Identify and apply the correct style, formal or informal, in oral speech.

• Express an oral message by using a variety of communicative resources.

• Use the appropriate conventions in the production or oral messages in theprofessional field of support to people with special needs.

• Describe the events that normally occur in the professional field of supportto people with special needs.

• Use the appropriate terminology as commonly used in the professional fieldof support to people with special needs.

• Express feelings, ideas or opinions.

• Express the basic activities in the professional field, such as giving supportto people, meeting professionals of related fields and describing commondocuments.

• Describe the job of a professional in the field of support to people withspecial needs.

• Accept or reject other people’s proposals.

• Justify a decision taken.

• Ask other people to repeat or explain an oral message to make it more clear.

• Apply the appropriate conventions in oral communication within the profes-sional field of support to people with special needs.

4. Fill in basic documents in the field of support to people with special needsand/or write simple texts in standard language related to the education, the health,and the working and social environments of workers in that field.

• Write short texts about the professional and daily lives in the field of supportto people with special needs.

• Organize a text in a coherent way.

• Summarize texts in the professional field of support to people with specialneeds.

• Fill in documents related to the professional field of support to people withspecial needs.


• Apply the appropriate conventions and vocabulary in documents related tothe professional field of support to people with special needs.

• Summarize the main ideas in written texts by using your own words.

• Use the appropriate protocol in documents.

5. Show the appropriate attitude and behaviour in communicative situations asestablished by international conventions.

• Define the most distinctive aspects of the customs of English-speakingcommunities in the professional field of support to people with specialneeds.

• Describe the social conventions of your country.

• Identify the values and beliefs which are characteristic of English-speakingcommunities.

• Identify the social and professional aspects of the professional field ofsupport to people with special needs in all types of oral and writtenmessages.

• Apply the social conventions in English-speaking communities.


1. Mental disorders

“My brother and me were always fighting, but when I started listening to him we became

best friends, and then I understood schizophrenia.”

One of the main obstacles for mental diseases is the social environment andthe prejudices attached to them. These diseases usually involve personality orbehavioural disorders, which affect the social interaction with the rest. Ignorance,and the lack of information are the worst enemies for those that suffer from thistype of illness.

Some mental diseases are schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorders, autism,anxiety or Alzheimer. They can be caused by internal of external factors, and theycan appear at any stage in life. Some diseases can be treated pharmacologically,but they need psychological support as well. A task of the social workers andtherapists is to work on the autonomy of the patients, to make them participate insocial events, and if possible to insert them into the laboral market. They shouldhave a normal life as much as possible. That is why there are a lot of initiatives andsome governments and organizations are making efforts to offer opportunities topeople with mental disorders. A good example is “La Fageda”, a company basedin La Garrotxa that produces dairy products and employs people with mentalproblems. This business has turned to be very successful, and it is a model thatothers are trying to implement too.

There are different social health resources to help people with mental disorders,depending on the mental health of the individuals. Some live in hospitals, sincein some cases this is the only possibility to assist them properly. Then, there arethe day-care centers, where they receive treatment during part of the day, andalso supervised apartments for chronically mentally disabled people. Finally, thehousing social providers account for home help and nursing care.

All in all, most mental illnesses are still being studied and there is no treatment tocure them, just to help them to lead a better life. There is a lot to do, and by now, thefamily support and social awareness are necessary elements to accompany peoplewith mental disorders.

Language notes

Mental disorder: (Cat. transtorn mental) Condition marked by sufficient disorganization ofpersonality, mind, and emotions to impair the normal functioning of the individual.

Behavioural disorders: (Cat. transtorns de comportament) Inappropriate types ofbehaviour.

Lack of information: (Cat. falta d’informació) You do not have all the information.

Illness, disease: (Cat. malaltia) Poor health, sickness.

Any stage in life: (Cat. en qualsevol moment de la vida) Any time during your life.


Social events: (Cat. esdeveniments socials) A planned occasion or activity, such as asocial gathering.

That is why: (Cat. aquesta és la raó per la qual) This is the reason why.

Making efforts: (Cat. fer esforços) The use of physical or mental energy to do something.

Dairy products: (Cat. làctics) Products made of milk.

Has turned to be very successful: (Cat. ha tingut molt èxit) Has had a big success.

Day-care centers: (centres de dia) Daytime care for people who cannot be fullyindependent, such as children or elderly people.

Supervised apartments: (pisos tutelats) Apartments where individuals can live semi-independently in their own apartment. They are controlled and assisted by specializedstaff.

Storyline

Suzie’s visit

Linda: “Annie, your friend Suzie has called. She said she‘s coming to play with you.”

Annie: “Oh, I’m so happy! Granny, Suzie is coming today!”

Belien: “Suzie? Who is it?”

Annie: “Suzie, my friend. She came yesterday too. And she often comes in the afternoon.Do you remember her?”

Belien: “I have never seen her.”

Annie: “Mum! Why does granny forget so many things?”

Linda: “Don’t worry, Annie. Your grandmother is a bit tired. Open the door, Suzie and hermother have arrived.”

Annie: “Hi, Suzie!”

Suzie: “Annie, I’m very angry. Two days ago Gus told me that you were playing with mytoys. They are mine!

Annie: “But Suzie, Gus cannot speak, it’s a turtle. And I didn’t play with your toys.

Suzie: (yelling) YOU ARE A LIAR! Gus told me everything.”

Suzie’s mum : “Suzie is behaving very strange lately. I don’t know what is wrong withher. She says that she hears voices, and that Annie’s turtle tells her all the secrets in theneighbourhood.

Linda: OMG! Take her to the doctor!


1.1 Grammar: present and past tenses

The verbs are the parts of the speech that describe the action, the existence or thestate of the subject. They are usually inflected. This means that they can takedifferent forms. They must agree with the subject in the person (first, second orthird person) and in the number (singular or plural).

The verb tenses tell us when the action takes place. For example, the presenttenses speak about the present and the past tenses speak about the past. In thiscourse, we are going to study two present tenses: the present simple and thepresent continuousand three past tenses: the past simple, the past continuous andthe present perfect.

1.1.1 The present tenses

There are two present verb tenses: the present simple and the present continuous.These tenses reflect two different ways of looking at the present time.

The present simple

The present simple is used to express:

• a regular, habitual action.

• permanent states and universal truths.

The following table shows the conjugation of the verb ‘to work’ in present simple:

Taula 1.1. Conjugation of the present simple

Affirmative NegativeLong form Short form

Interrogative

I work do not work don’t work Do I work...?

You work do not work don’t work Do you work...?

He / She / It works does not work doesn’t work Does he work...?

We work do not work don’t work Do we work...?

You work do not work don’t work Do you work...?

They work do not work don’t work Do they work...?

Unlike Catalan and Spanish (and the Romanic languages in general) the conju-gation of the English verbs is very simple. Compare the conjugation of the verb‘to work’ (work, works) with the corresponding Catalan verb ‘treballar’ (treballo,treballes, treballa, treballem, treballeu, treballen). As you can see, the Englishverb system is extraordinarily simple.

The base form of a verb isthe form to which we addthe suffixes to create theverb tenses. For example,‘work’, ‘go’, ‘be’, ‘have’ and‘speak’ are all base forms;‘worked’, ‘goes’, ‘being’,‘has’ and ‘spoke’ are allinflected forms.


Notice the following:

• In the third person singular, that is, when the subject is ‘he’, ‘she’ or ‘it’ (ora noun in the third person singular), the verbs in present simple always addan -s. The rules are the same as those for forming the plural of nouns. Allthe other forms are the same as the base form.

• The present simple forms the negative and the interrogative with theauxiliary ‘do’, which takes the form ‘does’ in the third person singular.

Now let’s see some examples of the use of the present simple.

1) Habitual actions:

• I get up at seven o’clock everyday (Cat. em llevo a les set cada dia).

• John plays tennis on Sundays (Cat. John juga al tennis els diumenges).

• We never smoke at work (Cat. no fumem mai a la feina).

• My friend always helps me (Cat. el meu amic sempre m’ajuda).

2) Permanent states:

• Australia is a very big country (Cat. Austràlia és un país molt gran).

• Poor Mary has got a serious problem (Cat. la pobra Mary té un problemagreu).

3) Universal truths (scientific facts):

• The sun rises in the east (Cat. el sol surt per l’est).

• Water boils at 100ºC (Cat. l’aigua bull als 100ºC).

The present continuous

The present continuous form is used:

• to express an action that is taking place at the moment of speaking.

• to express a temporary action.

Compare these uses with the present simple, which expresses permanent actions.

The present continuous is a compound verb form. The structure is:

• AUXILIARY VERB ‘TO BE’ (in present) + VERB in -ING

The table below shows the conjugation of the verb ‘work’ in the present continu-ous.


Taula 1.2. Conjugation of the present continuous


Interrogative

I am working am not working ‘m not working am I working...?

you are working are not working aren’t working are you working...?

he, she, it is working is not working isn’t working is he working...?

we are working are not working aren’t working are we working...?

you are working are not working aren’t working are you working...?

they are working are not working aren’t working are theyworking...?

Here are some examples of the use of the present continuous:

1) Actions taking place at the moment of speaking:

• Look! It is raining (Cat. mira! Està plovent).

• I think that they are speaking Russian (Cat. crec que estan parlant rus).

• We are not doing anything now (Cat. ara no estem fent res).

2) Temporary actions:

• Sarah usually lives in London, but she is living in Boston this month (Cat.Sarah normalment viu a Londres, però aquest mes està vivint a Boston).

• I always go to work by car, but I am taking the bus this week (Cat. semprevaig a treballar amb cotxe, però aquesta setmana agafo l’autobús).

In English, the present continuous tense is more widely used than in Catalan orSpanish: in the last example, the present continuous tense is usually translated bythe present simple.

Verbs not taking the present continuousThere are some verbs which are not used in the present continuous tense,although they indicate a temporary action or one that is taking place at themoment of speaking. Some of these verbs are: love, like, enjoy, hate, prefer,want, think, remember, doubt, understand, know, believe, see, have (in thesense of possession), own. So we cannot say, for example, *I’m liking thisfilm very much, and you?; we must say: I like this film very much, and you?

1.1.2 The past tenses

The past tenses are used to talk about the past. There are several verb tenses thatrefer to the past, but we are only going to study the three basic tenses: the pastsimple, the past continuous and the present perfect.

See annex “List ofirregular verbs” to see theforms of the mostimportant irregular verbs.


When we need to use the past simple, we must know whether the verb is regularor irregular. An example of regular verb is work (past tense: worked; an exampleof irregular verb is go (past tense: went).

The past simple

The past simple tense is used to express:

• a finished action or a state in the past.

• a series of consecutive actions in the past.

The past tense of regular verbs adds the inflection -ed to all the persons. The pasttense of the irregular verbs have a different form in the past, so we must learn theseforms.

The table below shows the past simple forms of the regular verb ‘work’.

Taula 1.3. Conjugation of the past simple (regular verbs)


Interrogative

I worked did not work didn’t work Did I work...?

You worked did not work didn’t work Did you work...?

He / She / It worked did not work didn’t work Did he work...?

We worked did not work didn’t work Did we work...?

You worked did not work didn’t work Did you work...?

They worked did not work didn’t work Did they work...?

The table below shows the past simple forms of the irregular verb ‘go’.

Taula 1.4. Conjugation of the past simple (irregular verbs)


Interrogative

I went did not go didn’t go Did I go...?

You went did not go didn’t go Did you go...?

He / She / It went did not go didn’t go Did he go...?

We went did not go didn’t go Did we go...?

You went did not go didn’t go Did you go...?

They went did not go didn’t go Did they go...?

Notice the following:

• In the past simple, there is only one form for all the persons.

• The negative and the interrogative forms are with ‘did’, which is theirregular past form of the auxiliary verb ‘do’.

• The irregular forms only affect the affirmative form. In the negative and the


affirmative, the verb is in the base form. The past is marked by the auxiliaryverb ‘did’.

Here are some examples of the use of the past simple:

Finished actions:

• I worked in a factory 20 years ago (Cat. vaig treballar a una fàbrica fa 20anys).

• Did you watch the film on TV last night? (Cat. vas veure la pel·lícula de latele ahir a la nit?).

• Mr Smith didn’t start to work in this company until last year (Cat. el Sr.Smith no va començar a treballar en aquesta empresa fins l’any passat).

• She met her husband at a party when they were 15 (Cat. va conèixer el seumarit a una festa quan tenien 15 anys).

States in the past:

• Were you very tired after yesterday’s long day at work? (Cat. estaves moltcansada després del llarg dia de feina d’ahir?).

• We all felt very happy when he left (Cat. tots nosaltres vam estar moltcontents quan va marxar).

• It was very hot last summer (Cat. va fer molta calor l’estiu passat).

Consecutive actions in the past:

• I got up, had a shower and left the house (Cat. em vaig llevar, em vaigdutxar i vaig marxar de casa).

• He had two drinks, took his car and had an accident (Cat. va prendre duescopes, va agafar el cotxe i va tenir un accident).

The past continuous

The past continuous is used to express:

• an action in the past which was not finished at a specific moment.

• two or more simultaneous actions in the past.

• in combination with the past simple, an action that was taking place whenit was interrupted by another (in the past simple).

It is a compound tense which has the following structure:

• AUXILIARY VERB ‘TO BE’ (in past) + VERB IN -ING

The following table shows the past continuous forms of the verb ‘work’.


Taula 1.5. Conjugation of the past continuous


Interrogative

I was working was not working wasn’t working was I working...?

you were working were not working weren’t working were youworking...?

he, she, it was working was not working wasn’t working was he working...?

we were working were not working weren’t working were weworking...?

you were working were not working weren’t working were youworking...?

they were working were not working weren’t working were theyworking...?

The past continuous has the same structure as the present continuous, with theonly difference that the auxiliary verb ‘to be’ is conjugated in the past.

Here are some examples of the past continuous in a context:

Unfinished actions in the past:

• I was sleeping at eleven last night (Cat. estava dormint/dormia ahir a lesonze de la nit).

• What were you doing last year? (Cat. què estaves fent/feies l’any passat?).

• I wasn’t doing anything (Cat. no estava fent/no feia res).

Simultaneous actions in the past:

• He was talking about the markets while everybody was sleeping (Cat. estavaparlant dels mercats mentre tothom dormia).

• They were going home when I was still waiting for them in the boardroom(Cat. anaven cap a casa mentre jo encara els esperava a la sala de juntes).

In combination with the past simple:

• They were speaking with a customer, when I went in (Cat. estaven parlantamb un client quan jo vaig entrar).

• When I last saw Helen, she was leaving the building (Cat. quan vaig veurea Helen per última vegada, estava sortint de l’edifici).

As you can see in the examples, the past continuous form is usually translated intoCatalan with the periphrastic form (‘estava dormint’) or with the simple form ofthe ‘pretèrit imperfet’ (‘dormia’).

When we say two simultaneous actions, the two sentences are usually linked withthe time connectors ‘while’ (Cat. mentre) or ‘when’ (Cat. quan).


Verbs not taking the past continuousAs we said when explaining the present continuous, some verbs do not admitthe continuous forms. Remember some of these verbs: love, like, enjoy, hate,prefer, want, think, remember, doubt, understand, know, believe, see, have(in the sense of possession), own.

The present perfect simple

We use the present perfect simple to express:

• action that started in the past, but is not finished yet (usually with theprepositions ‘for’ or ‘since’).

• recently finished actions with the consequences felt in the present.

• a finished action, but within a period of time which is not finished yet. Forexample, ‘today’, ‘this morning’, ‘this week’, ‘this year’, etc.

• a finished action in an indeterminate past, that is, we say what happened,but not when it happened.

The present perfect simple is a compound verb tense. It has the following structure:

• AUXILIARY VERB ‘TO HAVE’ (in the present) + PAST PARTICIPLE

As with the past simple, the past participle form may be irregular. An example ofregular verb is work (past tense: worked; an example of irregular verb is go (pastparticiple: gone).

The following table shows the conjugation of the present perfect of the regularverb ‘work’.

Taula 1.6. Conjugation of the present perfect simple (regular verbs)


Interrogative

I have worked have not worked haven’t worked have I worked...?

you have worked have not worked haven’t worked have youworked...?

he, she, it has worked has not worked hasn’t worked has he worked...?

we have worked have not worked haven’t worked have weworked...?

you have worked have not worked haven’t worked have youworked...?

they have worked have not worked haven’t worked have theyworked...?

In the next table, you can see the forms corresponding to the irregular verb ‘go’.


Taula 1.7. Conjugation of the present perfect simple (irregular verb)


Interrogative

I have gone have not gone haven’t gone have I gone...?

you have gone have not gone haven’t gone have you gone...?

he, she, it has gone has not gone hasn’t gone has he gone...?

we have gone have not gone haven’t gone have we gone...?

you have gone have not gone haven’t gone have you gone...?

they have gone have not gone haven’t gone have they gone...?

Here are some examples of the use of the present perfect simple:

Actions that started in the past, but are not finished:

• I have worked in this company for 23 years (Cat. fa 23 anys que treballo aaquesta empresa / Porto 23 anys treballant a aquesta empresa).

• They have studied English since they were ten (Cat. estudien anglès des quetenien deu anys / Porten estudiant anglès des dels deu anys).

In both examples, the action started in the past (‘23 years ago’, ‘when they wereten’), but the action is not finished yet. This means that now I am still working inthis company, and that now they are still studying English. The prepositions ‘for’and ‘since’ indicate how long the action is taking place.

The prepositions ‘for’ and ‘since’.We use the prepositions ‘for’ and ‘since’ to express the time that has passedfrom the beginning of the action until the present. We use them in differentcontexts:

• ‘For’ is used with a period of time (23 years, ten days, six hours, etc.)

• ‘Since’ is used with a specific moment in the past that marks thestarting point of an action (yesterday, last Monday, three o’clock, etc.).

We can also use ‘for’ with other tenses to indicate the duration of an action,but ‘since’ is only used with the present perfect.

Recently finished actions:

• It’s wet because it has rained all night (Cat. està mullat perquè ha ploguttota la nit).

• She is tired because she has worked a lot (Cat.eEstà cansada perquè hatreballat molt).


Actions within a period of time that is not finished yet:

• Have you done anything special today? (Cat. has fet alguna cosa especialavui?).

• We haven’t seen Mike this week (Cat. aquesta setmana no hem vist a Mike).

Actions in an indeterminate past:

• I have just arrived (Cat. acabo d’arribar).

• They haven’t gone home yet (Cat. encara no han anat a casa).

• The classes have started (Cat. les classes han començat).

1.1.3 Adverbials of time and frequency

An adverbial is a word (and adverb) or a group of words (an adverbial phrase) thatmodifies verbs. Adverbials tell us, for example, when, where, how or how oftenthings happen.

In this section, we are going to study the adverbials of time that we use to speakabout the past and the future and the adverbials of frequency, which tell us howoften things happen. The adverbials of time are closely related to the verb tenses.

Adverbs and adverbial phrases of frequency

These adverbials answer questions with ‘how often’(Cat. amb quina freqüèn-cia...?). They are normally used with the present simple tense, but we can alsoused them in the past simple tense.

Here is a list of the most important frequency adverbs in descending order offrequency (from high to low frequency):

• Always (Cat. sempre)

• Usually (Cat. normalment)

• Often (Cat. sovint)

• Sometimes (Cat. algunes vegades)

• Seldom (Cat. poques vegades)

• Never (Cat. mai)

Apart from these adverbs, there are some adverbial phrases which are also used toindicate the frequency of an action. For example:

• Once, twice, three times a week (Cat. una, dues, tres vegades a la setmana)


• Everyday (Cat. cada dia)

• Every year, every week, etc. (Cat. cada any, cada setmana, etc.)

• On Mondays, on Tuesdays, etc. (Cat. els dilluns, els dimarts, etc.)

• From time to time (Cat. de tant en tant)

When we use adverbs of frequency it is very important to place them in theircorrect position in the sentence. In general, we place the frequency adverbs:

• after the modal and auxiliary verbs.

• before all the other verbs.

For example:

• He always arrives late (Cat. sempre arriba tard).

• He can never do the shopping (Cat. no pot fer mai la compra).

• He is usually at home in the mornings (Cat. normalment és a casa alsmatins).

• They seldom use the typewriter (Cat. poques vegades utilitzen la màquinad’escriure).

On the other hand, the adverbial phrases are placed at the beginning or at the endof the sentence:

• Frank works at home twice a week (Cat. Frank treballa a casa dues vegadesa la setmana).

• From time to time, I like eating out (Cat. de tant en tant m’agrada menjar afora).

• He used to come every week (Cat. venia cada setmana).

• On Sundays, we often walk in the park (Cat. els diumenges normalmentanem a passejar pel parc).

The adverb ‘sometimes’ has a flexible position: it can go at the beginning,in the middle (after modal and auxiliary verbs and before all the other verbs)or at the end of the sentence. We can say:

• Sometimes he speaks very fast.

• He sometimes speaks very fast.

• He speaks very fast sometimes.


Adverbials to speak about the present

With the present simple, we normally use the adverbials of frequency because thepresent simple indicates a repeated action (a regular action).

With the present continuous, we may use certain adverbs and adverbial phraseswhich indicate that the action is happening at the moment of speaking or ishappening only temporarily. Some of these adverbials are:

• Now (Cat. ara)

• Today (Cat. avui)

• In this moment (Cat. en aquest moment)

• Right now (Cat. ara mateix)

• Currently (Cat. actualment)

• At present (Cat. actualment, en aquests moments)

• These days (Cat. aquests dies)

• This week, etc. (Cat. aquesta setmana, etc.)

Adverbials to speak about the past

Here are some common adverbials that refer to the past:

• Yesterday (Cat. ahir)

• (one year) ago (Cat. fa [un any])

• Last night (Cat. ahir a la nit)

• Last Monday, etc. (Cat. el dilluns passat, etc.)

• Last week, last month, etc. (Cat. la setmana passada, el mes passat, etc.)

• In 1960, etc. (Cat. l’any 1960, etc.)

• In the past (Cat. en el passat)

• When I was young (Cat. quan era jove)

• When I was a child (Cat. quan era un nen/una nena)

The adverb ago has no equivalent form in Catalan or Spanish. It is placedat the end of the sentence and it refers to the time that has passed from themoment that the action took place. In Catalan, we express the idea of ‘ago’with the verbal form: ‘fa...’. For example:

• He retired two months ago (Cat. es va jubilar fa dos mesos).

• I arrived a moment ago (Cat. fa un moment que he arribat).

• They started five years ago (Cat. van començar fa cinc anys).


The adverb just has nospecific meaning. It is used

to indicate that the actionhas taken place very

recently in the past. InCatalan and Spanish, we

normally express this ideawith the verb form: acabar

de....

The adverbials with when are very common in a type of sentence where wecombine the past simple and the past continuous to express the idea of a long action(in past continuous) that was interrupted by another action (in the past simple). Forexample: ‘I was sleeping when I received a call’ (Cat. estava dormint quan vaigrebre una trucada).

When we express the idea of two simultaneous actions taking place in the past, wenormally use the adverb while (Cat. mentre). For example: ‘Some people weretrying to put out the fire while others were looking’ (Cat. algunes persones estavenintentant apagar el foc mentre altres s’ho miraven).

The adverbs and adverbial phrases listed above are placed at the beginning or atthe end of the sentence.

Some adverbs are frequently used with the present perfect. These adverbs are thefollowing:

• Never (Cat. mai)

• Just

• Already (Cat. ja)

• Ever (Cat. alguna vegada abans)

• Yet (Cat. encara no, ja): only used in negative and interrogative sentences.

Here are some examples of the use of these adverbs:

• I have never been to Japan (Cat. no he estat mai al Japó).

• They have just arrived (Cat. acaben d‘arribar).

• They have already repaired the computers (Cat. ja han arreglat els ordina-dors.

• Have you ever been to Japan? (Cat. has estat alguna vegada al Japó?)

• They haven’t arrived yet (Cat. encara no han arribat).

• Have they arrived yet? (Cat. ja han arribat?

These adverbs are placed between the auxiliary have and the past participle, exceptyet, which is placed at the end of the sentence.

Apart from these adverbs, the present perfect is very commonly used with thefollowing adverbial phrases:

• For + period of time: for one day, for three hours, for many years, etc.

• Since + specific time in the past: since yesterday, since I was born, since1985, etc.


1.2 Everyday language: asking for and giving personal information

Asking for and giving personal information is a very common situation, especiallyin oral English. For example, we may need to ask or answer personal questionswhen we meet someone and we want to know that person better. This oftenhappens in informal situations. In more formal situations, asking personalquestions is considered rude, so you should avoid them. In formal questions,however, we may need to give personal information during a job interview, forexample.

Here are some basic questions which you should know. Suggested answers areincluded:

Wh-questions:

• What’s your name? - My name’s (Maria) (formal) / I’m (Maria) (informal).

• Where are you from? / Where do you come from? - I’m (Spanish) / I’mfrom (Spain) / I’m from (Barcelona).

• Where do you live? - I live in (Barcelona) / I live in (Spain).

• What’s your phone number? - It’s (605 33 33 33).

• What’s your address? - It’s (Paral·lel 71, in Barcelona).

• What’s your job? / What do you do? - I’m (a doctor) / I work as (a doctor).

• Where do you work? - I work (in a hospital) / I work (in Sant Pau Hospital).

• How old are you? - I’m (32 years old) / I’m (32).

• What are your hobbies? / What do you like doing? - I like (swimming).

Yes/no questions:

• Are you (Maria)? - Yes, I am / Yes, that’s right / No, I’m not (my name’sPaula).

• Are you (Spanish)? - Yes, I am / No, I’m not (I’m Italian).

• Have you got any brothers or sisters? - Yes, (I’ve got one brother and twosisters) / No, I haven’t.

• Do you work? - Yes, I do (I’m a doctor in a hospital) / No, I don’t (I’munemployed).

• Can you spell (the name of the street)? - Yes, it’s (p-a-r-a-l-l-e-l)

• Do you speak (English)? - Yes, I do (a little) / No, I don’t (Spanish)

• Do you like (sports)? - Yes, (I like them very much) / No, I don’t (I preferwatching television).


See the annex “TheEnglish alphabet” to checkthe names of the letters.

Notes:

1) Where are you from?: we can answer with the name of the country (from Spain)or with the name of the city (from Barcelona). This depends on the context. Thesame thing happens with the question: Where do you live?

2) What’s your phone number?: remember that we must say the phone numbersone by one and using the term double (six-oh-five-double three-double three-double three).

3) What do you do? (Cat. què fas, a què et dediques?): it’s the same as what’syour job. Do not confuse the question with what are you doing? (Cat. què fas?què estàs fent?). To say your job, you must use the article a/an (I’m a doctor, Iwork as a doctor).

4) How old are you? (Cat. quants anys tens?): notice the special way of askingthe age in English. The answer is: I’m... Do not say: *how many years have yougot?

5) Can you spell...?: to answer this question, you need to know the names of theEnglish letters.

6) Do not answer yes/no questions with just ‘yes’ or ‘no’. You must add theauxiliary. For example, you must answer the questions Are you Maria? with:yes, I am or no, I’m not. Alternatively, you can say: Yes, my name’s Maria or No,my name’s Paula).


2. Disabilities

“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you

managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is over. But one thing

is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person you walked in.

That’s what this storm is all about.”, Haruki Murakami

In 1980 the WHO (World Health Organization) created the ICIDH (InternationalClassification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps) in order to classify the healthcomponents of functioning and disability. It was useful because it stated the differencesbetween impairment, disability and handicaps, and it was the starting point for legislationrelated to disabilities. However, there was a need to improve it and take into account not onlythe description of disabilities, but also the contextual factors. Therefore, in 2001, the ICF(International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health) was endorsed by WHO.The ICF shows a more modern view of the concepts health and disability, and it has severityqualifiers to represent different levels of limitation or restriction, ranging from 0 (no problemor within normal limits) to 4 (complete or profound). It helps to describe disabilities and treatthem more effectively by focusing on the individual’s needs.

There are different types of disabilities, they can be ”developmental”, for exampleautism or Down syndrome, “mental”, such as bipolar disorders, depression orAlzheimer, “physical”, visual, hearing or mobility impairment, and they can alsobe related to drug or alcohol consumption.

A physical disability can be temporary, short-term, or long-term. Some mayimprove or they may be a gradual deterioration. A person may be born with aphysical disability or acquire it later in life because of an accident, injury, illnessor side effects of medical treatment. Some examples of physical disability are:cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, amputation, multiple sclerosis, spina bifida,arthritis or muscular dystrophy.

People with new forms of disabilities have to adjust to the situation to make theirlifes as comfortable as possible. It is like a mourning process, they may experiencedifferent stages: shock, denial, anger or depression, and adjustment or acceptance.It is the normal process although it depends on the individuals, as every case isdifferent. The problem comes when the person gets stuck in one of the stages ofthe process that leads to acceptance. The family and caregivers can help them tomove through all the stages and accompany them so that they can adjust to the newcondition.

Language notes

WHO (World Health Organization): (Cat. OMS (Organització Mundial de la Salut)Specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that is concerned with international publichealth.

ICIDH (International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps): (Cat.CIDDM (Classificació Internacional de les Deficiències, Discapacitats i Minusvalideses).

Improve: (Cat. millorar) To bring to a more desirable condition.


Take into account: (Cat. tenir en compte) Consider particular facts or circumstances.

ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health): (Cat. CIF(Classificació Internacional del Funcionament, de la Discapacitat i de la Salut).

Individual’s needs: (Cat. necessitats individuals): Special health care needs required byan individual.

Developmental disability: (Cat. de desenvolupament) Disability that occurs in humanbeings over the course of their lifes.

Visual, hearing or mobility impairment: (Cat. deficiència visual, auditiva o de mobilitat)When a person has sight, hearing or mobility loss.

Temporary: (Cat. temporal) Only lasts for a period of time.

Short-term: (Cat. de curta durada) During a short limited period of time.

Long-term: (Cat. de llarga durada) During a relatively long period of time.

Side effects: (Cat. efectes secundaris) Harmful or unwanted effect of a drug or chemicalthat occurs along with the desired effect.

Cerebral palsy: (Cat. paràlisi cerebral) Group of disorders affecting a person’s ability tomove.

Adjust: (Cat. adaptar-se) Adapt, accomodate.

Mourning process: (Cat. procés de dol) Process by which people adapt to a loss.

Denial: (Cat. negació) It is a defense mechanism. We block out the words and hide fromthe facts.

Anger: (Cat. ira) A strong feeling of displeasure or rage.

Get stuck in: (Cat. quedar estancat) Unable to move further.

Storyline

Back to a new life

The telephone rings.

Annie: “Good morning. This is Annie.”

Suzie’s mum: “Hi, Annie. Can I speak to your mum?

Annie: “She’s very busy at the moment. Can I take the message?”

Suzie’s mum: “Well, I wanted to ask her about your grandfather, and I need a recipe toprepare a wonderful cake for Suzie. She’s excited about it.”

Annie: “Ok, I will tell her. How is Suzie?”

Suzie’s mum: “She’s fine. She’s feeling better. She just needs to rest. She looks verytired and quite worried.”

Annie: “Oh, wait! Hold on a minute, mum is coming.”

Linda: Hi, Brenda. It’s so depressing! It’s the worst situation I have ever passed through!As you know, my father-in-law came back from hospital. Now, he’s more confused thanbefore. He’s forgetful, I think he’s suffering some kind of dementia, he has memory losses,like his wife.

Suzie’s mum: “Oh, Linda, I’m so sorry! How can I help you?”


Linda: “I think I’ll need someone to run my errands.”

Suzie’s mum: “Why don’t you hire a caregiver?”

Linda: “That’s a good idea. I’ll do that!”


2.1 Grammar: adjectives and the comparative forms

The English adjectives are used differently from Catalan and Spanish adjectives.The main characteristics of English adjectives are:

• In their attributive use, they always go before the noun to which they refer.For example: a big tree (Cat. un arbre gran), an interesting book (Cat. unllibre interessant), a special day (Cat. un dia especial), etc.

• The English adjectives are invariable (except in the comparative form).This means that they do not change in accordance to the number and genderof the noun. For example: a big tree / some big trees (Cat. un arbre gran/unsarbres grans); a tall man / a tall woman (Cat. un home alt / una dona alta).

Adjectives have an atributive use when they go before the noun, as forexample, in: a big tree. When they are the subject complement of thesentence, we say they have a predicative use. In this case, they go aftercertain verbs like ‘be’, ‘feel’ (Cat. sentir-se) or ‘seem’ (Cat. semblar). Forexample: the tree is big, I feel tired, this seems good.

We can express the adjectives in different degrees of intensity. To do this, we addan intensifier before the adjective. For example:

• Very (Cat. molt): I am very tired (Cat. estic molt cansat).

• Little (Cat. poc): I am little tired (Cat. estic poc cansat).

• A little (Cat. una mica): I am a little tired (Cat. estic una mica cansat).

• Quite/Rather (Cat. bastant): I am rather tired (Cat. estic bastant cansat).

• Too (Cat. massa): I am too tired to go (Cat. estic massa cansat per a anar-hi).

2.1.1 Qualifying adjectives

We use the qualifying adjectives to make descriptions. We can describe thematerial world, but we can also describe our feelings and emotions.

Here are some basic qualifying adjectives:

Taula 2.1. Basic adjectives

big / small gran / petit cheap / expensive barat / car

long / short llarg / curt beautiful / ugly bonic / lleig

tall / short alt / baix thick / thin gruixut / prim

wide / narrow ample / estret fat / slim gras / prim


rich / poor ric / pobre hot / cold calent / fred

easy / difficult fàcil / difícil wet / dry humit / sec

clean / dirty net / brut heavy / light pesat / lleuger

light / dark clar / fosc healthy / unhealthy sa / insà

hard / soft dur / suau , tou

The qualifying adjectives also include the colours: black (Cat. negre), white (Cat.blanc), grey (Cat. gris), red (Cat. vermell, roig), green (Cat. verd), blue (Cat.blau), yellow (Cat. groc), brown (Cat. marró), pink (Cat. rosa), purple (Cat.morat), lilac (Cat. lila).

Here is a list of some basic adjectives to describe feelings and emotions:

Taula 2.2. Basic adjectives to describe feelings and emotions

good bo interested interessat

bad dolent embarrased avergonyit

happy feliç, content nervous nerviós

unhappy infeliç, descontent surprised sorprès

sad trist depressed deprimit

tired cansat angry enfadat

excited emocionat, excitat thankful agraït

bored avorrit refreshed descansat

relaxed relaxat, tranquil

Adjectives in -ing and adjectives in -ed

There is a group of adjectives that end in -ing. These adjectives are easily confusedwith another group of adjectives that end in -ed. For example, interesting and /interested.

The meanings of each type of adjective are these:

• The adjectives in -ed refer to a temporary state. They are the past participleforms of their corresponding verbs. Examples: interested, terrified, embar-rassed, fascinated.

• The adjectives in -ing refer to permanent characteristics of the noun. Exam-ples: interesting, terrifying, embarrassing, fascinating, .

Here are some examples in their contexts:

• I met a very interesting person (Cat. vaig conèixer una persona moltinteressant).

• I’m very interested in computering (Cat. estic molt interessat en lainformàtica).

• The scene was terrifying (Cat. l’escena era terrorífica).


• I certainly was terrified by the scene (Cat. vaig quedar certament horroritzatper l’escena).

• I think the situation was embarrassing (Cat. crec que la situació va serincòmoda).

• You’re right. I felt embarrassed, too (Cat. tens raó. Jo també em vaig sentirincòmode).

• I find social networks fascinating (Cat. trobo les xarxes socials fascinants).

• I don’t. I’m not at all fascinated (Cat. jo no. Jo no estic gens fascinat).

In the table below, you can some adjectives ending in -ed and -ing.

Taula 2.3. Adjectives in -ed and adjectives in -ing

-ed -ing Meaning

excited exciting emocionat - emocionant

amused amusing divertit - divertit

amazed amazing sorprès - sorprenent

astonished astonishing sorprès - sorprenent

shocked shocking sorprès - sorprenent

disgusted disgusting fastiguejat - fastigós

confused confusing confós - confós

horrified horrifying horroritzat - horrorós

frightened frightening espantat - espantós

depressed depressing deprimit - depriment

worried worrying preocupat - preocupant

annoyed annoying molest - molest

exhausted exhausting esgotat - esgotador

tired tiring cansat - cansat

satisfied satisfying satisfet - satisfactori

In the Catalan and Spanish languages, we use two different verbs for eachtype of adjective (Cat. estar sorprès / ser sorprenent; Sp. estar sorprendido/ ser sorprendente). Sometimes, the verb is the only word that marks thedifference between both meanings (Cat. estar cansat / ser cansat).In English, there is only one verb (be) so we distinguish the two meaningswith the endings -ed or -ing.


2.1.2 Comparative forms

When the adjectives or the adverbs are used to compare things or people, they takethe comparative form or the superlative form. The comparative form is used whenwe compare two things; the superlative form is used when we compare one thingwith all the others.

The following table shows the basic rules to form the comparative:

Taula 2.4. Comparative forms

Type of adjective Form Example Meaning

One-syllable adjectives -ER THAN sad > sadder than... trist > més trist que...

Two-syllable adjectivesending in -y

-IER THAN happy > happier than...

All the other adjectives MORE... THAN tired > more tired than... cansat < més cansatque...

The following table shows the forms of the superlative.

Taula 2.5. Superlative forms

Type of adjective Form Example Meaning

One-syllable adjectives THE -EST sad > the saddest trist > el més trist

Two-syllable adjectivesending in -y

THE -IEST happy > the happiest content > el més content

All the other adjectives THE MOST... tired > the most tired cansat > el més cansat

The superlative sentences usually have the following adverbials:

• ...in the world (Cat. ...del món)

• ...I’ve ever (seen / had...) (Cat. ...que he [vist / tingut...] mai)

A few adjectives have irregular forms in the comparative and the superlative. Forexample:

• Good - better than - the best (Cat. bo - millor que - el millor)

• Bad - worse than - the worst (Cat. dolent - pitjor que - el pitjor)

• Far - farther than - the farthest (Cat. llunyà - més llunyà que - el més llunyà)

Here are some examples of the use of comparatives and superlative forms:

Comparative sentences:

• Which is better? (Cat. quin és millor?).

The word than is used to linkthe two terms of thecomparison. Do not confusewith the conjunction that.


• Los Angeles is farther than New York (Cat. Los Angeles està més lluny queNova York).

• Chinese is much more difficult than English (Cat. el xinès és molt més difícilque l’anglès).

• I start earlier on Mondays (Cat. els dilluns començo més d’hora).

Superlative sentences:

• Who is the best? (Cat. qui és el millor?).

• This is the worst job I’ve ever had! (Cat. és la pitjor feina que he tingutmai!).

• This is probably the most interesting novel that I’ve read (Cat. aquesta éspossiblement la novel·la més interessant que he llegit mai).

• Is Bill Gates the richest man in the world yet? (Cat. Bill Gates és encaral’home més ric del món?).

2.2 Everyday language: telephone conversations

Speaking on the telephone might be a little more difficult than face-to-faceconversations because we cannot see the other person and for this reason we donot have the help of non-linguistic resources, like mimic or gestures.

Having telephone conversations in a second language can be very stressful. If youdon’t know what to say, it is very common to feel nervous. This even happenswhen speaking in your native language.

To improve your confidence on the phone you must learn what to say. The firstthing you should do to improve your telephone communication ability is to learnsimple vocabulary and phrases. When you are learning English, it is easy to tryto do too much and too soon. This creates a lot of frustration because you can’tspeak as you imagined. You have to start from the beginning, develop your skillsgradually and go slowly up to something more difficult. Don’t worry if you makemistakes. The other people will understand that you don’t say everything as anative English speaker.

The following table shows some of the expressions used on the telephone.

Taula 2.6. Expressions used on the telephone

Common expressions on the phone Equivalence

Hello, this is... Hola, sóc...

Who’s calling? De part de qui?

May/Can I speak to...? Podria/Puc parlar amb...?


Taula 2.6 (continuació)

Common expressions on the phone Equivalence

One moment, please. Un moment, si us plau.

I’m afraid he/she (is not in the office right now) Em temo que (no és a l’oficina en aquest moment)

He/She (is in a meeting) Could you call back later? És (en una reunió) Podria trucar més tard?

I’ll put you through. Li passo la trucada.

Hold on a minute, please. Esperi un moment / No pengi.

Can I take a message? Vol que li deixi algun missatge?

Could I leave a message? Podria deixar-li un missatge?

I’m calling about... Truco pel tema de...

Thank you. Goodbye. Gràcies. Adéu

You should try to introduce some of these expressions when you are speaking inEnglish on the telephone.

Here are two small fragments of business telephone conversations:

1)

Sara: Hello, marketing department. How can I help?

Mark: Yes, can I speak to Amanda Watson, please?

Sara: Who’s calling please?

Mark: This is Mark Davidson.

Sara: Certainly. Please hold and I’ll put you through.

Mark: Thank you.

2)

Sara: Hello, marketing. Can I help you?

Anne: Could I speak to David Kunst please?

Sara: Certainly. Who shall I say is calling?

Anne: My name’s Anne Elgstrom.

Sara: Just a second - I’ll see if he’s in. (...) Hello, David, I’ve got Anna Elgstromon the phone for you... OK - I’ll put her through. Hang on a moment, I’m justputting you through.


3. Accidents

Accidents can sometimes happen when you are on duty, and you may have toreport them. You might have to fill in a form with the necessary information forthe health professionals. Here you can see an example:

This is what happened to Mr Brent:

Mr Brent is 89 years old. He seemed a little forgetful, but he didn’t worry muchabout it. He enjoyed making jokes about his memory loss. He lived alone foralmost 15 years and was used to being very independent.

His family never thought his forgetfulness was anything more than just a processof aging until the day his neighbour saw smoke coming from the kitchen windowand called the fire department. Mr Brent had forgotten to turn the stove off, andhad burned throught the bottom of a pot and nearly set the house on fire.

When the family went to his home to see the extend of the damages, they noticed alot of unopened mail, unpaid bills and medication that was outdated and not taken.They were very alarmed about the situation and took Mr Brent to the doctor, whodiagnosed early to mid-stage Alzheimer’s disease.

Mr Brent’s family decided that his grandson George would move in, and be thecaregiver for night duty. During the day, they hired our service to go into thehome and help Mr Brent with light housekeeping, personal care and fixing meals.

Christine works for the company “Our Elders”, which offers senior care service.She has started her job taking care of Mr Brent, and she has to fill in a form forthe company reporting about the incident.

Taula 3.1. Incident report

Our Elders Non clinical incidentreport

1. What type ofincident are youreporting?

Near miss x Vehicle accident

Security incident Violent incident

2. Where and when didthe accident occur?

Address:

Date of incident :

Time of incident :

3. Who was affected bythe incident?

Full name: Joseph Brent Sex : Male x Female

Date of birth:


Taula 3.1 (continuació)

Our Elders Non clinical incidentreport

Home Address:

Telephone:

4. Please give detailsof incident/near miss

(What happened?)

5. Did the personsuffer injury?

Yes No x

What was the type ofinjury?

Which part of the bodywas affected?

What was the persondoing at the time of theincident?

6. Give details of anyattention the personreceived and fromwhom

(e.g. Treatment, advice,referral)

What measures havebeen taken to preventreocurrence?

Language notes

On duty: (Cat. de servei) At work.

Report: (Cat. informar) Give a written or spoken account of something that one has doneor investigated.

A form: (Cat. un formulari) A printed or typed document with blank spaces for insertion ofrequired information.

Forgetful: (Cat. oblidadís) that tends to forget things easily.

Making jokes: (Cat. fer broma) Making fun.

Memory loss: (Cat. pèrdua de memòria) Unusual forgetfulness.

To turn the stove off: (Cat. tancar el foc) To turn off an apparatus for cooking.

Extend of the damages: (Cat. danys) the point or degree of physical harm on something.

Unopened mail: (Cat. correu sense obrir) Letters which have not been opened.

Unpaid bills: (Cat. factures no pagades) Bills pending, which have not been paid.

Outdated: (Cat. caducats) Expired, out of date.

Move in: (Cat. mudar-se a un lloc) To occupy a house or a place of work.

Hired: (Cat. llogat, contractat) To be taken on.

Housekeeping: (Cat. feines de la llar) The management of household affairs.

Fixing meals: (Cat. preparar el menjar) To prepare meals, such as lunch or dinner.


Storyline

Unexpected events

Belien: “Mina, what should I wear, the red or the blue scarf?”

Linda: “Please, Belien, my name’s Linda, not Mina. And you’d better wear the blue scarf.It combines with your bag.”

Belien: ”You’re right, thanks.”

Linda: “Dad called from the hospital before coming home. He said he would arrive at aquarter past three, and now it’s half past four and he hasn’t arrived yet. I know that healways comes late on Tuesdays, but today we have the interview with the caregiver.

The telephone rings.

Linda: “Good afternoon, Linda speaking.”

Thomas: “Good afternoon. Linda, sorry, there was an accident. I had to stay back at thehospital. There were a lot of injured: A man broke his leg and I had to put plaster on it. Agirl twisted her ankle, she had an X-ray and I had to make a compression wrap. She alsohad a cut under her knee and I had to stitch the wound.”

Linda: “Ok, Thomas, but remember we had the interview with Céline, the new caregiver. Ihave to call her before she comes. Where is her phone number?”

Thomas: “I kept it in the box, near the TV.”

Linda: “The box is not there. I have checked behind the TV, next to the TV, and on theshelf above the TV, but I cannot see it.”

Thomas: “I don’t understand, it could be the dog. Yesterday, I put my keys on the table,and the dog took them and jumped over the fence. The neighbour gave me the keys, whichwere in front of the gate.”


3.1 Grammar: prepositions, dates and time

Prepositions are placed before a noun or a pronoun. The group of words composedof preposition + noun / pronoun form a ‘prepositional phrase’. Very often, thenouns can also have an adjective. Examples of prepositional phrases are: in Africa,before going home, in the old times, with you, next to the house, etc.

There are several types of prepositions. Here we are going to study the prepositionsof place and the prepositions of time. We use the prepositions of place to expressthe location or the position of the noun; we use the prepositions of time in timeadverbials to indicate when the action takes place.

You may find that the correct use of the prepositions is confusing. You cannottranslate a preposition literally from your own language because very often theuses do not coincide. There are no exact rules to say which prepositions go witheach noun, so the best option is to learn the preposition and the noun as a unit.

Closely related to the prepositions of time are the dates and the clock times andthe dates.

3.1.1 Prepositions of place and time

The prepositions of place and time form the adverbials of place and the adverbialsof time, respectively.

Prepositions of place

We can distinguish two types of prepositions of place: those expressing positionand those expressing movement.

The most common prepositions of place to express position are:

• In (Cat. a, dintre de): in the garden, in the box, in the street, in England, inthe city.

• Inside (Cat. dintre de): inside the kitchen, inside the pocket.

• Outside (Cat. fora de): outside the house, outside the country.

• On (Cat. a, a sobre de): on the desk, on the shelf, on the chair, on the wall,on the floor.

• At (Cat. a): at the door, at the table, at the cinema, at the window, at thetree.

• Opposite (Cat. al davant de, enfront): opposite the park, opposite Sandra,opposite the school.


• In front of (Cat. davant de): in front of a man, in front of the house .

• Next to (Cat. al costat de): next to the bank, next to my friend, next to thelamp.

• Behind (Cat. al darrera de): behind the curtains, behind a bus, behind thedoor, behind the tree.

• Near (Cat. a prop de): near London, near the road, near the window .

• Over (Cat. per damunt de): over the bed, over my head.

• Under (Cat. a sota de): under the table, under a tree, under my jacket.

• Above (Cat. per damunt de): above the vice-president, above the house.

• Below (Cat. per sota de): below the president, below the standards.

• From (Cat. de): I’m from Barcelona, these products are from China.

• On the corner of (Cat. a la cantonada de): on the corner of the street, onthe corner of London Rd and High St.

Some prepositions are similar in meaning. For example, we can say:

• He is in the cinema (meaning that he is inside the cinema, and not in thestreet).

• He is at the cinema (in a general sense, stressing the purpose of going to thecinema rather than the location).

• The lamp is on the table (resting on the table).

• The lamp is over the table (hanging, with no contact with the table).

Above and below are used to refer to a higher or lower position in status, whereasover and under are used to refer to the place. For example:

• The president is above the vice-president.

• The poster is over the bed.

The most important prepositions to express movement are:

• Into (Cat. cap a dins de): into the woods, into the box, into the street.

• Onto (Cat. cap a sobre de): onto the table, onto the wall, onto the floor.

• To (Cat: a, cap a): to Japan, to the school, to the wall, to the door.

• From (Cat. de, des de): from Japan, from school.

• Under (Cat. cap a sota de): under the table, under the tree.

• Over (Cat. per damunt de): over the wall, over the line.


• In front of (Cat. cap a davant de): in front of the shop, in front of a person.

• Opposite (Cat. enfront de, davant de): opposite the school, opposite thefront door.

• Behind (Cat. cap a darrera de): behind a car, behind the door.

We must use these prepositions with verbs that denote movement, like: ‘come’,‘go’, ‘drive’, ‘fly’, ‘put’, ‘walk’, ‘swim’, ‘run’, etc.

As you can see in the examples, we can use many prepositions to denote positionand and to denote movement. For example, compare these sentences:

• I ran behind a car (Cat. vaig córrer cap a darrera un cotxe) (movement)

• I was behind a car (Cat. estava darrera un cotxe) (position)

• I put the box under the table. (Cat: Vaig posar la caixa a sota la taula)(movement)

• The box was under the table. (Cat. la caixa estava a sota de la taula)(position)

But sometimes we cannot use the same preposition to indicate position andmovement. For example:

• I went into the house. (Cat. vaig entrar a la casa) (movement)

• I was in the house. (Cat. estava dintre de la casa) (position)

• I put the keys onto the table. (Cat. vaig posar les claus al damunt de la taula)(movement)

• The keys were on the table. (Cat. les claus estaven sobre la taula) (position)

In speech, it is very common to use the prepositions in and on to denotemovement and position. So we can say:

• I went in the house.

• I put the keys on the table.

However, in writing (especially in formal writing) we should use the formsinto and onto.

The preposition to is only used with verbs of movement:

• I’m flying to England. (Cat. vaig a Anglaterra)

• I ran to work yesterday. (Cat. ahir vaig anar corrents a la feina)

• He has gone to the cinema. (Cat. ha anat al cinema)


Prepositions of time

Here are the most important prepositions of time and their uses:

In (Cat. a, en): this preposition is used in the following cases:

• with years, centuries and historical periods: in 2010, in the 19th century, inthe Middle Ages.

• with the names of the months: in April, in September.

• with the names of seasons: in spring, in summer, in autumn, in winter.

• with the parts of the day (except ‘night’): in the morning, in the afternoon,in the evening.

On (Cat. a, en): this preposition is used in the following cases:

• with the days of the week: on Mondays, on Tuesday, on Saturday morning.

• with dates: on 9th June, on 4th February 2009.

At (Cat. a, en): this preposition is used in the following cases:

• with clock times and nouns denoting clock times: at 4 o’clock, at 3:30pm,at midnight, at dawn.

• with the names of holidays and festivals: at Christmas, at Easter.

• with the words ‘night’ and ‘weekend’: at night, at the weekend.

For (Cat. durant): this preposition expresses duration. It is always placed beforea period of time: for five years, for three hours.

Since (Cat. des de): this preposition expresses the starting point of a present actionor state: since last year, since yesterday.

Before (Cat. abans de): before 1997, before three o’clock, before summer, beforeChristmas, before he came.

After (Cat. després de): after 1997, after three o’clock, after summer, afterChristmas, after I met you.

Until (Cat. fins a): this preposition is used in all situations to indicate the end ofan action: until midnight, until 2023, until Sunday.

From ... to (Cat. des de... fins a): this double preposition indicates the beginningand the end of an action: from three to four; from April to May, from the 18th tothe 20th century.


Do not confuse the meaning of these prepositions:

• Since: it expresses the beginning of an action.

• Until: it expresses the end of an action.

• From...to or from...until: they express the beginning and the end of anaction.

3.1.2 Dates

The expression of the date usually implies the use of the day, the month and theyear. We must always express the day with an ordinal number. The formats of datesare different in British and American English, so it is very important to know thedifferences.

The table below shows the different ways of expressing the dates in both varietiesof English.

Taula 3.2. Dates in English

British English American English

A The ninth of June 2007 June the ninth, 2007

B 9th June 2007 June 9th, 2007

C 9 June 2007 June 9, 2007

D 9/6/2007 6/9/2007

E 9/6/07 6/9/07

F 09/06/07 06/09/07

In relation to the dates, notice the following:

• Format A is very formal and is mostly used in printed items, such asinvitations.

• Formats D, E and F can cause misinterpretations. We can interpret the date9/6/2007 in two ways: 9 June 2007 (in the British format); 6 September2007 (in the American format). We must know in which variety the date iswritten to interpret it correctly.

• The way in which we write and say the dates often differs. All the dates,irrespective of their format, are pronounced: ‘the ninth of June two thousandand seven’(in British English) or ‘June the ninth two thousand and seven’ (inAmerican English).


3.1.3 Clock times

We generally use clock times to answer questions like:

• What’s the time? (Cat: quina hora és?)

• What time is it? (Cat: quina hora és?)

Both questions are used in the same way, with no difference in meaning.

The following table shows the different ways in which we can say the time inEnglish.

Taula 3.3. Clock times in English

3:00 three o’clock

3:05 three oh five five past three

3:12 three twelve twelve minutes past three

3:15 three fifteen a quarter past three

3:30 three thirty half past three

3:40 three forty twenty to four

3:45 three forty-five a quarter to four

3:56 three fifty-six four minutes to four

4:00 four o’clock

In relation to the clock times, you should notice the following:

• The adverb ‘past’ indicates the minutes between the hour and the halfhour; the adverb ‘half’ indicates the half hour; the adverb ‘to’ indicates theminutes between the half hour and the next hour.

• When the minutes are not multiples of five, we should add the word‘minutes’: for example, twenty-two minutes past six; forty-three minutes toeight.

• To say the times, we must say: it’s three o’clock (Cat. són les tres). Thesubject (it) and the verb (is) are always the same.

• To say when something happens, we must use the preposition ‘at’: I finishwork at eight (Cat. plego a les vuit).

In English-speaking countries, the 24-hour clock is not widely used. They preferto add the labels ‘am’ (ante meridian) and ‘pm’ (post meridian). Therefore, 23:40is usually ‘11:40 pm’ and 11:40 is ‘11:40 am’.

To specify the part of the day, we need the following expressions:

• In the morning: it’s ten in the morning (Cat. són les deu del matí).

ante meridian means beforemidday and refers to thetimes between 00:00 and12:00; post meridian meansafter midday and refers tothe times between 12:00and 00:00.


Notice the difference inspelling between the noun

(advice) and the verb(advise).

• In the afternoon: it’s four in the afternoon (Cat. són les quatre de la tarda).

• In the evening: it’s eight in the evening (Cat. són les vuit del vespre).

• At night: it’s three at night (Cat. són les tres de la nit).

The times included in each part of the day are not clearly established.Approximately, they are the following:

• Morning: 06:00 to 12:00

• Afternoon: 12:00 to 17:00

• Evening: 17:00 to 22:00

• Night: 22:00 to 06:00

Other expressions related to time are:

• At midnight (Cat. a mitjanit)

• At midday (Cat. al migdia)

• At dawn (Cat. a la matinada)

• At sunset (Cat. a la posta de sol)

3.2 Everyday language: giving and responding to advice

We give advice (Cat. consell) when we recommend another person to dosomething. To do so, we have a variety of ways In English.

The noun ‘advice’ is uncountable. This means that it has no plural form andthat we cannot used the indeterminate article ‘an’ or the numeral ‘one’. Wecannot say: *I’ll give you an advice. We must say: I’ll give you some adviceor I’ll give you a piece or advice.

Giving advice

Here are different ways of giving advice:

1) The verb ‘advise’ (mostly in formal situations):

This is the most obvious way.

We can use different structures with this verb:

• SUBJECT + ADVISE + TO + INFINITIVE


• SUBJECT + ADVISE + GERUND

• SUBJECT + ADVISE + INDIRECT OBJECT + TO + INFINITIVE

Examples:

• I advise to work hard. (Cat. Aconsello treballar molt)

• He advised getting up earlier. (Cat. Va aconsellar llevar-se més d’hora)

• We advise you to see a doctor. (Cat. T’aconsellem que vagis al metge)

2) Should:

The modal verb ‘should’ is the most common way of giving advice in English.

The correct structure is:

• SUBJECT + SHOULD + INFINITIVE (without ‘to’)

Examples:

• You should work hard. (Cat. Hauries de treballar molt)

• You should save money. (Cat. Hauries d’estalviar diners)

• He should go back to school. (Cat. Hauria de tornar a estudiar)

When you give advice with ‘should’, it is very common to add ‘I think (that) ...’,so we can say:

• I think that you should work hard. (Cat. Crec que hauries de treballar molt)

3) Had better:

The expression ‘had better’ is used when we want to give strong advice.

The structure is:

• SUBJECT + HAD BETTER (NOT) + INFINITIVE (without ‘to’)

Examples:

• You had better work harder. (Cat. És millor que treballis molt)

• We had better go. (Cat. El millor és que marxem)

• He had better not speak. (Cat. El millor és que ell no parli)


This expression is mostly used in informal spoken English, where ‘had’ is oftencontracted or is simply omitted. We can also say:

• You’d better work harder. / You better work harder.

• We’d better go. / We better go.

Sometimes, the use of ‘had better’ can imply a threat, as when we say:

• You had better be careful. (Cat. Més et val anar en compte)

4) ‘If I were you, ...’:

This expression corresponds to a type of sentence called ‘second conditional’, butit is frequently used to give advice.

The structure is:

• IF I WERE YOU, + I WOULD + INFINITIVE (without ‘to’)

Examples:

• If I were you, I would work hard. (Cat. Si estigués en el teu lloc, jotreballaria molt)

• If I were you, I would save money. (Cat. Si jo fos tu, estalviaria diners)

In this structure, the subject of the two clauses is always ‘I’.

Responding to advice

When responding to advice, it is customary to thank that other person. Here aresome possible replies:

• Thank you. I’ll do that (Cat. Gràcies, això ho faré).

• You’re right. Thanks (Cat. Tens raó, gràcies).

• Yes, that’s a good idea. Thank you! (Cat. Sí, bona idea).

If you decide to respond negatively, you can say the following:

• No, I’d rather not do that. Thanks anyway! (Cat. No, m’estimaria més nofer això. Gràcies de totes maneres).

• Thank you, but I’m afraid I can’t do that (Cat. Gràcies, però em temo queno ho puc fer).

• No, thank you. I can’t do that! (Cat. No, gràcies. Això no ho puc fer).

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