1CURS 5 BASICS + PREPOSITIONS

PREPOSITIONS# Between and Among

According to TOEFL, between and among have the same meaning, but betweenis used with two nouns and among with three or more nouns or a plural noun. (Conformmanualului TOEFL, between si among au acelasi sens, [ = intre], dar between este folositcu 2 substantive, iar among cu 3 sau mai multe substantive, sau cu un substantiv la plural).

Ex: The work is distributed between the secretary and the receptionist.(Munca este impartita intre secretara si functionar)

The rent payments are devided among Don, Bill, and Gene.(Chiria se imparte intre Din, Bill si Gene)

Profits are devided among the stockholders of the corporation (plural noun)(Profiturile sunt impartite intre actionarii corporatiei (subst plural))

Exercises:Choose the right preposition (Alegeti prepozitia corecta):

The choice is between / among a vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.(Alegerea este intre o vanilie, ciocolata si capsuna)

Rick and his wife can usually solve their problems between/ among them.(Rick si sotia lui pot de obicei sa-si rezolve problemele intre ei doi).

The toys were distributed between / among the children in the school.(Jucariile au fost distribuite intre copiii din scoala).

The votes were evenly devided between / among the Democratic candidate and theRepublican candidate.

(Voturile au fost impartite egal intre candidatul Democrat si cel Republican).

The property was divided equally between / among his son and daughter.(Proprietatea a fost impartita egal intre fiu si fiica sa)

# In, On, At

According to TOEFL, in, on and at have similar meanings, but they are used withdifferent kinds of places. (Conform manualului TOEFL, in, on, at au sensuri similarein, pe, la, dar se utilizeaza cu tipuri diferite de locuri.) In general, in is used before largeplaces, and very small places; on is used before middle-sized places, and at is used beforenumbers in addresses. (In general, in se foloseste cu locuri mari, si foarte mici; on esteutilizat cu locuri de dimensiune mijlocie, si at este utilizat in fata numerelor din adrese).With time, in is used before large units of time (year, month), on is used before middle-sized units of time (day, date), and at is used before numbers in clock time. (Referitor la

2timp, in este folosit in fata unitatilor mari de timp (an, luna), on este folosit in fataunitatilor de timp mijlocii (zi, data), si at este folosit in fata orelor.)

Ex: We live in the Unites States, in North Carolina, in Jacksonville.(Noi locuim in SUA, in Carolina de Nord, in Jacksonville)

We live on the East Coast, on New River, at 2600 River Road.(Noi locuim pe Coasta de Est, in New River, pe Strada River Road, nr 2600)

Lilly was born in 1919 in December on Sunday at 7:00.(Lilly s-a nascut in 1919, in Decembrie, Duminca, la ora 7)

Exercises:Choose the right preposition (Alegeti prepozitia corecta):

Cliff can live on / in/ at Yellowstone National Park because he is a park ranger.(Cliff poate locui in Parcul National Yellowstone pt ca este paznic)

Is Dominos Pizza in / on / at Tenth Street?(Este cumva Domino Pizza pe Strada Zece?)

The apartments in / on/ at the Hudson River are more expensive than the ones across thestreet.

(Apartamentele de pe Hudson River [Raul Hudson] sunt mai scumpe decat cele de-a lungulstrazii)

We are going to stay overnight in/ on/ at Chicago.(Vom sta peste noapte la Chicago)

Lets take our vacation in / on / at the coast instead on in the mountains.(Hai sa ne facem vacanta pe coasta in loc de munti)

I would rather take classes in / at / on the afternoon.(As face ore mai degraba dupa-amiaza)

Gloria has a part-time job in / at / on the night.(Gloria are un servici part-time [jumatate de norma] noaptea)

The rainy season begins in / at / on July.(Sezonul ploios incepe in iulie)

The graduation is in / at/ on May 20.(Absolvirea este pe 20 mai)

# Besides

According to TOEFL, besides means in addition to [ = in plus], and beside meansnear [ = langa]. (Cf TOEFL, besides inseamna in plus, iar beside inseamna langa)

3Ex: Besides our dog, we have two cats and a canary.(Pe langa caine, mai avem doua pisici si un canar).

We sat beside the teacher.(Ne-am asezat langa profesoara)

Exercises:Choose the right preposition (Alegeti prepozitia corecta):

Beside / besides Marge, three couples are invited.(Pe langa Marge, mai sunt invitate 3 cupluri)

Beside / besides Dominos, four other pizza places deliver.( Pe langa Dominos, mai sunt alte 4 locuri care livreaza pizza)

To lead a well-balanced life, you need to have other interests beside / besides studying.(Pt a avea o viata bine echilibrata, trebuie sa mai ai si alte interese in afara de studiu)

Besides / beside taxi service, there isnt any public transportation in town.(In afara de serviciul de taxi, nu mai exista alt transport public in oras).

Janice has lots of friends beside / besides her roommate.(Janice mai are o multime de prieteni pe langa colega ei de camera)

# But and Except

According to TOEFL, when used as a preposition, but means except. Avoid usingexception, except to or excepting instead of except. (CF TOEFL, cand este folosit caprepozitie, but inseamna cu exceptia, in afara de. Evitati sa folositi exception, exceptto, sau excepting in loc de except)

Ex: All of the students but the seniors will receive their grades.(Toti studentii cu exceptia seniorilor isi vor primi notele)

All of the students except the seniors will receive their grades.(Toti studentii cu exceptia seniorilor isi vor primi notele)

Exercises:Choose the right preposition (Alegeti prepozitia corecta):

All of the group exception / except to/ but Barbara went to the lake.(Toti cei din grup cu exceptia Barbarei s-au dus la lac)

You can put everything except to / but for/ except those silk blouses in the washer.(Poti sa pui orice in afara de bluzele acelea de matase in masina de spalat)

Everyone exception / except to / except Larry wants sugar in the tea.(Toata lumea in afara de Larry vrea zahar in ceai).

4No one exception / exception / except Kathy knows very much about it.(Nimeni in afara de Kathy nu stie prea mult despre asta).

The mail comes at ten oclock every day, not / excepetion / but Saturday.(Posta vine la ora 10 in fiecare dimineata, in afara de Sambata)

# Instead of and Instead

According to TOEFL, instead of and instead both mean in place of [= in loc de],but instead of is used before a noun, adjective or adverb, and instead, is used at the end ofa sentence or a clause, to refer to a noun, adjective or adverb that has already been mentioned.(Cf TOEFL, instead of si instead inseamna ambele in loc de, dar instead of se folosestein fata unui substantiv, adjectiv, sau adverb, iar instead la finalul unei propozitii , pentru a sereferi la un substantiv, adjectiv sau adverb care a fost deja mentionat)

Ex: We went to Colorado instead of abroad on our vacation this year (noun).(Ne-am dus in Colorado in loc sa mergem in afara/ in strainatate in vacanta anul asta

[substantiv])

You should be firm instead of patient in this case (adj)(Ar trebui sa fii ferm in loc de rabdator in acest caz [adjectiv])

Treat the dog gently instead of roughly. (adv)(Umbla cu cainele bland in loc sa fii dur [adverb])

We went to Colorado instead.(Ne-am dus in Colorado in loc [final de propozitie])

Exercises:Choose the right preposition (alegeti prepozitia corecta):

Bobs father wanted him to be an engineer instead / instead of a geologist.(Tatal lui Bob dorea ca Bob sa fie inginer in loc de geolog)

Could I have rice instead / instead of potatoes, please?(Ati putea sa-mi dati orez in loc de cartofi, va rog?)

Paulas problem is that she likes to go to movies instead / instead of.(Problema Paulei este ca prefera sa mearga la filme in loc).

We choose Terry instead / instead of / instead from Gene as our representative.(L-am ales pe Terry in locul lui Gene ca reprezentant al nostru).

It is important to eat well at lunchtime in place / instead / instead of buying snacks.(Este important sa mananci bine la pranz in loc sa cumperi gustari).

5# Such as

Such as means for example ( = de exemplu). (Such as inseamna de exemplu)

Ex: Some birds such as robins and cardinals, spend the winter in the North.(Unele pasari, de exemplu prihorii si cardinalii, isi petrec iarna in nord)

Exercises:Choose the right form (Alegeti forma corecta):

Taking care o pets as such / such as dogs and cats can teach children lessons.(Ingrijirea animalelor de casa, cum sunt cainii si pisicile, poate fii o lectie utila copiilor)

Magazines such / such as Time, News Week and U.S News and World Report provide thereader with a pictorial report on the weeks events.

(Reviste ca Time, News Week si U.S News and World Report ofera cititorului un raport ilustrat/ expresiv despre evenimentele saptamanii)

Jobs at fast-food restaurants for such as / such as/ as such McDonalds or Taco Bell are oftenfilled by students.

(Serviciile/ slujbele la restaurantele fast-food ca McDonalds sau Taco Bell sunt adeseaindeplinite de studenti).

# Despite and In spite of

According to TOEFL, despite and in spite of have the same meaning ( = in ciuda).They introduce a contradiction in a sentence or clause of cause-and-result. (Cf TOEFL,despite si in spite of au acelasi sens in ciuda. Ele introduc o contradictie intr-o propozitiede cauza-si-efect)

Ex: Despite his denial, we knew that he was guilty.(In ciuda faptului ca a negat, noi stiam ca era vinovat)

In spite of his denial, we knew that he was guilty.(In ciuda faptului ca a negat, noi stiam ca era vinovat)

Exercises:Choose the right form (Alegeti forma corecta):

Despite of / despite the light rain, the baseball game was not canceled.(Desi ploua usor, jocul de baseball nu a fost anulat).

Dick and Sarah are still planning to get married despite of / inspite of their disagreement.(Dick si Sara inca isi fac planuri de casatorie in ciuda certurilor dintre ei)

In spite / Despite the interruption, she was still able to finish her essay.(In ciuda intreruperii, tot a reusit sa-si termine eseul).

Despite of / despite their quarrel, they are very good friends.(In ciuda certurilor, ei sunt inca foarte buni prieteni).

6In spite / in spite of the delay, they arrived on time.(In ciuda intarzierii, ei au ajuns la timp).

Teoria si exercitiile de gramatica pentru acest curs au fost luate din CURS DE ENGLEZA GENERELA, OLEACIUCIUC SI EUGENIA TANASESCU si din MANUALUL PENTRU TOEFL (gramatica). Textul despre presaa fost extras din INSIDE JOURNALISM, SARAH NIBLOCK, vol 3, pg 200

BASICS

* Lets first see this fragment taken from the internet, a report about the first importantsteps when learning a foreign language (Sa vedem pentru inceput acest fragment luat de peinternet, un raport despre primii pasi importanti atunci cand invatam o limba straina):

The first thing we learned was how to introduce ourselves, by giving our name, ageand where we lived. (Primul lucru pe care l-am invatat a fost cum sa ne prezentam, spunandnumele, varsta si unde locuim) After mastering that, we paired up and introduced our partnerto the class, adding more information such as marital status and number of children. (Dupa ceam invatat bine asta, ne-am grupat 2 cate 2 si ne-am prezentat partenerul, adaugand informatiica stare civila, numar de copii)

We learned formal and informal greetings, the alphabet, how to pronounce vowelscorrectly, numbers, colors, and the grammar rules of singular and plural, masculine/femininenouns. (Am invatat saluturi formale si colocviale, alfabetul, cum se pronunta corect vocalele,numerele, culorile si regulile de gramatica de singular si plural, substantive masculine sifeminine) We learned the parts of the body from eyebrows to toes. (Am invatat partilecorpului de la sprancene la degetele picoarelor). We figured out how to describe people atall man with long straight hair and a large nose, a slim girl with blue eyes. ( Am inteles cumsa descriem persoanele un barbat inalt cu par lung si drept si un nas mare, o fata zvelta cuochi albastri.). We learned occupations, and how to identify family relationships such asgrandfather, cousin, son-in-law. (Am invatat ocupatiile/meseriile , si cum sa identificamrelatiile in familie, ca de exemplu bunic, var, ginere)

Now that you have read the text above, make sure you do know how to introduceyourselves, by telling you colleague your name, age and where you live. (Acum ca ati cititacest text, asigurati-va ca stiti cum sa va prezentati, spunand colegului dvs numele, varstasi unde locuiti). Then introduce your colleague to the class, by telling us his/her name,age, where he/she lives. ( Apoi prezentati-va colegul, spunand numele sau, varsta si undelocuieste). Then tell us about his/her job/hopes for the future in order to review the jobsection. (Apoi spuneti-ne despre meseria lui / locul lui de munca/ sperantele lui pentruviitor, pentru a recapitula capitolul despre meserii). When speaking to your colleaguedont forget to greet him/her, with either formal or informal greetings. (Atunci candvorbiti cu colegul, nu uitati sa-l salutati, formal sau colocvial).

Beginners are asked to pronounce the English alphabet correctly and to count in English,first from 1 to 10, then from 11 to 20, 21 to 30, then count by tens till 100. Thenremember the family relations part.(Incepatorii sunt rugati sa spuna corect alfabetulenglezesc si sa numere in engleza, intai de la 1 la 10, apoi de la 11 la 20, 21 la 30, si apoidin 10 in 10 pana la 100. Apoi amintiti-va partea legata de relatiile de familie.

Name the colors in English (Spuneti culorile in engleza): alb = white [wait]; negru = black[blk] ; rosu = red [red]; galben = yellow [jelou / yelou]; gri = grey [grei]; mov = mauve[mouv] /purple [prpl]; verde = green [gri:n]; portocaliu = orange [orind/ oringi];albastru = blue [blu:]; maro = brown [braun]; roz = pink [pik], rosy [rouzi].

7 Name the days of the week in English (Spuneti zilele sapt in engleza): duminica = Sunday[sndi / sandi]; luni = Monday [mndi / mandi]; marti = Tuesday [tju:zdi / tyuzdi];miercuri = Wednesday [wenzdi]; joi = Thursday [:zdi]; vineri = Friday [fraidi]; sambata= Saturday [stdi]. Name the prepositions that precede them [Spuneti ce prepozitie lepreceda]. Name the months of the year (Spuneti lunile anului): ianuarie= January[dnjuri / genuri]; februarie = February [februri]; martie = March [mart]; aprilie =April [eiprl]; mai = May [mei]; iunie = June [du:n / giun]; iulie = July [du:lai / giulai];august = August [o:gst / ogst]; septembrie = September [septembr]; octombrie =October [oktoubr]; noiembrie = November [nouvembr]; decembrie = December[disembr]. Name the four seasons of the year (Spuneti cele 4 anotimpuri ale anului):primavara = spring [spri]; vara = summer [smr / samr]; toamna = autumn [o:tm];iarna = winter [wintr]

Name the parts of the body (Spuneti partile corpului): cap = head [hed]; pr = hair [ her];frunte = forehead [forhed]; fa = face [feis]; ochi = eye [ai]; gene = eyelashes [ailiz];sprancene = eyebrows [aibraus]; nas = nose [nouz]; gura = mouth [mau]; ureche =ear[ir] ; gt = neck [nek], throat [rout] (beregata), nape [neip](ceafa); umar = shoulder[ouldr]; spate = back [bk]; piept = breast [brest], chest [test]; burta = belly [beli],stomach [stmk / stamc]; mana = hand [hnd]; deget = finger [figr] (mana), toe [tou](picior); picior = leg [leg], foot [fut] (laba piciorului).

Useful basic adjectives ( Adjective utile): inalt = tall [to:l]; scund = short [ort]; mare = big[big]; mic = small [smo:l], little [litl]; lung = long [lo]; scurt = short; slab = thin [in];gras = fat [ft]; corpolent = stout [staut]; blond = fair-haired [fer heard]; brunet = dark-haired [dark heard] ; saten = brown [braun]; roscat = reddish [redi]; par drept = straighthair [streit her] ; par cret = curly hair [krli]

[HOMEWORK TEMA BEGINNERS INCEPATORI: Describe yourself or onefriend of yours (descrie-te pe tine sau descrie un prieten)]