CA3 - General Comments

EXCELLENT EXPRESSIONS

Here are some excellent expressions you used in your trip journals! Please have a look because I’m sure you’ll all learn something new!

·         Josep, me and a guide prepared to explore the Amazonian forest. Suddenly we turned around and we did not see Josep.

·         They obtained energy by sea currents

·         Our incredible trip began 2 years ago, when my friend Laura and I were thinking about an amazing journey to another planet, the famous Night Planet.

·         We stayed in a nice green house with a comfortable porch where we drank refreshing fruit juices at night.

·         We are in debt with this tribe and very grateful for all the things that they taught us. 

·         I remember that when I opened my eyes I was wearing a suit similar to astronauts and I I was breathing through a tube that came out of my back.

·         2101 was the year when the human race decided to colonize another planet.

·         The Island of Dragons is a medium sized island which has a large volcano in the middle. On its slopes there is a forest with giant trees, at the top of the trees live the local people.

CORRECTIONS

Here you will find a selection of corrected sentences. You will see typical mistakes

1.    We was walking through the mountains when we found a cave.

CORRECTION: We were walking through the mountains when we found a cave.

REASON: The verb form is incorrect. With the pronoun “we” the past is “were.”

2.    It exists a waterfall in the valley that offers the possibility to jump from a height of 20 meters into the lake.

CORRECTION: There is a waterfall in the valley that offers the possibility to jump from a height of 20 meters into the lake.

REASON: The expression “it exists” + a noun is a very unnatural expression in English. To say that something exists, we use “there is” or “there are.” When we are referring to something in the past, we use “there was” or “there were.”

3.    We loved Brazil and his culture.

CORRECTION: We loved Brazil and its culture.

REASON: Brazil is a country, not a man. It is gender neutral, not masculine. For more information on possessive adjectives, check this website.

4.    Also we visited a cave inhabited animals and exotic plants.

CORRECTION: Also, we visited a cave inhabited by animals and exotic plants.

REASON: This is a sentence in the passive (“a cave inhabited” = a passive form). Because it is a passive, you are including the agent (“animals and exotic plants”). When you include the agent, you need to use “by.” Here’s a link with information on how to build passive constructions.

5.    The animals, plants and natural phenomena shine with differents colours like diamonds.

CORRECTION: The animals, plants and natural phenomena shine with different colours like diamonds.

REASON: In English, adjectives do not have a plural form. They are always singular.

6.    We never forget this city and their friendly residents.

CORRECTION: We will never forget this city and its friendly residents.

REASON: You are referring to a future action, so the verb should go in the future (in this case, future simple with “will”). The word “city” is in the singular, so the possessive should also be singular.

7.    In a few time we became friends and we participated in all of their cultural activities.

CORRECTION: In a short time we became friends and we participated in all of their cultural activities.

REASON: The concept of “time” is uncountable, so you can’t use “few” with it because “few” is used with countable nouns.

8.    When the machine was finished we proved this project.

CORRECTION: When the machine was finished we tried (out) this project.

REASON: The word “prove” here is acting as a false friend.

Prove = demostrar

In this sentence, you need the verb “try” or the phrasal verb with very similar meaning “try out.”

9.    Do you will return to the island for holidays someday?

CORRECTION: Will you return to the island for holidays someday?

REASON: This question is using a verb in the future tense. The auxiliary verb “do” is only used in the present tense, so it’s an extra word here. For more information on how to construct questions in the future, check this link.