TO - FOR

En esta ocasión, explicamos la diferencia entre estas dos preposiciones que suelen traer de cabeza a los estudiantes de inglés.

1.- TO - Definition

La palabra "TO" se define como "a", "hacia" y "para". Estas tres definiciones nos van a ayudar a saber cuando colocar esta preposición.

Ejemplos :

- John goes to work. = John va a trabajar. / John va hacia el trabajo.

- It's a quarter to five. = Son un cuarto para las cinco. / Son las cinco menos cuarto (España).

- Give it to me. = Dámelo a mí.


2.- TO - Other uses

a) Esta preposición sirve también para acompañar a un verbo en infinitivo, es decir, sin conjugar.

Ejemplo :

- To go = Ir

- To study = Estudiar

- To work = Trabajar


b) También se utiliza para separar dos verbos principales

Ejemplos :

- I want to play.

- He studied to pass the exam.

- Mike likes to go to the beach.


NOTA.- Dos verbos principales tienen que ir separados por la preposición "to" o colocando el segundo verbo acabado en "-ing"

3.- FOR - Definition

Las definiciones para "for" son : "por", "para", "durante" y "debido" o "porque".

Ejemplos :

- This is for you. = Esto es para ti.

- I'm waiting for him. = Estoy esperando por él.

- James was taking a nap for 2 hours. = James estaba haciendo la siesta durante 2 horas.

- You can't go home now, for it's too late. = No puedes irte a casa ahora, porque es demasiado tarde.


4.- FOR - Other uses

- También suele ir acompañado de expresiones o phrasal verbs.

Ejemplo :

- Look for = Buscar

- Die for = Ansiar

- Care for = Cuidar(se)


5.- Recomendaciones

a) Aprender las definiciones de cada una de las preposiciones.

b) Evitar el uso de traductores en línea.

c) Verificar el sentido de la frase o expresión cuando se traduzca. Esto último no es recomendable salvo, en casos de duda.

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

Este tiempo se utiliza para expresar algo que ocurrió en el pasado, y que continua o tiene repercusión en el presente. Las noticias recientes (Latest news) y biografías son buenos ejemplos de su uso.

1.- FÓRMULA

Su fórmula es :

SUJETO + HAVE/HAS + PASADO PARTICIPIO DEL VERBO IRREGULAR / VERBOS REGULARES ACABADOS EN -ED + COMPLEMENTO

Ejemplo :

- I have lived here for a long time.

- France has been a republic for many years.

2.- VERBO AUXILIAR "HAVE"

Se utiliza HAVE/HAS de acuerdo al sujeto que lo precede.
Para ello debemos conocer la conjugación del verbo HAVE.

I have

YOU have

HE/SHE/IT has

WE have

YOU have

THEY have

3.- VERBOS REGULARES E IRREGULARES

A) Cuando el verbo es REGULAR, se siguen las normas para convertir
dicho tipo de verbos en el pasado.

Work - Worked
Study - Studied
Stop - Stopped

B) Si el verbo es IRREGULAR, se utilizan los que aparecen en la
3ª columna de las listas de verbos irregulares. Es decir,
el pasado participio (Past Participle) del verbo irregular.

Ejemplos:

- Be - Been

- Speak - Spoken

- Do - Done

- Write - Written

TRUCO : Para una mejor comprensión en la traducción/interpretación, podemos
concluir que "have / has" es el equivalente al verbo "haber".

Ejemplo :

- Yo he vivido aquí durante mucho tiempo.

- Francia ha sido una república durante muchos años.

Para preguntas cuya respuesta implique "si / no" (yes / no), simplemente cambiamos de lugar, el sujeto y "have / has".

- Have you lived here for a long time?

- Has France been a republic for many years?

En cuanto a las negaciones, se coloca "not" o "n't" a "have / has".

Ejemplo :

- I have not/haven't lived here for a long time.

- France has not/hasn't been a republic for many years.

4.- SINCE, FOR

En los tiempos perfectos, muchas veces se utilizan "since" y "for". Si buscamos en el diccionario, su significado será, "desde" o "durante".

A) SINCE se utiliza para marcar el inicio de una acción en el pasado.

- I haven't seen Peter since last saturday

El sujeto indica que no ha visto a Peter desde el pasado sábado.

B) FOR se usa para indicar periodos de tiempo completos o casi completos
hasta el instante de mencionar el hecho.

- I have waited for an hour exactly.

- The weather has been very warm for a week now.

En el primer ejemplo vemos que el sujeto ha calculado el tiempo exactamente.

NOTA.- A menudo se utiliza la pregunta "How long" en este tiempo verbal, lo que provoca el uso de "for" y "since" en la respuesta.

Ejemplo:

- How long have you worked here? - I have worked here for five years. / Since 1990.


5.- ALREADY, YET, JUST, STILL

a) Already, Yet

Ambos significan "ya". Varían en su ubicación en la frase. "Already" suele ir delante del verbo principal en participio y "Yet" al final de la frase.

Ejemplo:

- I have / I've already done my homework.

- The film hasn't started yet.

b) Just

Se utiliza cuando la acción acaba de realizarse recientemente.

Ejemplo:

- Peter has just arrived from work.

c) Still

Significa "aún" o "todavía". Suele estar ubicado antes del verbo auxiliar "have /has".

Ejemplo:

- I still haven't found my keys.

6.- HAVE EVER / NEVER

Es una forma que indica si la acción se ha realizado (o no) alguna vez en la vida de una persona, animal o cosa.

Ejemplo:

- Have you ever been to London?

- My dog has never been dangerous.

- That is the best idea you have ever had.

- Has your computer ever been repaired?

ADVANCED TEST 2

Segundo test de nivel avanzado.
Podéis solicitar las respuestas dejando un comentario al final del test.

I.- Put the following words in the correct order.


1) her/she/name/very/at/bottom/the/page/nearly/of/wrote/the

2) do/all/enough/for/that/to/you/food/?/pay/have

3) didn't/the/life/complicated/use/in/be/century/so/to/nineteenth

4) really/so/works/and/hard/wife/his/does/Phil

5) did/much/yesterday/look/more/than/tired/you/you

6) square/money/is/big/the/a/metal/handle/in/box/with/a

7) a/Jason/huge/money/American/the/lottery/car/with/bought/yellow

8) enough/soup/cool/for/eat/as/to/Is/the/?

9) a/understand/this/is/young/too/for/boy/to/hard


II.- Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words in capitals.


1) You can wear jeans because the party is ___ . FORMAL

2) This medicine will really help to cure your ___ . ILL

3) We'd like to know the ___ . TRUE

4) Greenpeace is an ___ ORGANISE

    that campaigns for the ___ CONSERVE

    of the environment.

5) People change a lot during ___ . ADOLESCENT

6) We missed the ___ of our favourite singer. ARRIVE

7) I'm going to have central ___ installed. HEAT

8) Did you have a nice ___ ? FLY

9) You should write your ___ at the bottom of the page. SIGN


III.- Fill in the gaps with "a", "an", "the", if necessary.


On ___ page 23 of ___ "Time and Out" magazine you'll find all ___ information you need to plan ___ most special weekend in London. If you ask me about ___ hotels, I would recommend ___ Ritzor ___ Savoy, but if you are travelling on a tight budget ___ Thrif hotel in ___ Warwick Lane will do. Their rooms on ___ top floor and ___ room 704 in particular have one of ___ most incredible views of ___ city. ___ mornings are the best time for ___ sightseeing. ___ art lovers shouldn't miss ___ National Gallery in ___ Trafalgar Square. It features art from all centuries from ___ italian Quattrocento to ___ Impressionists. After this art inmmersion, I recommend ___ walk through Soho, one of ___ most cosmopolitan areas, or a visit to ___ Buckingham Palace. At this point the walk may have given you ___ appetite, so a pastry and ___ big pot of tea will be much appreciated. If you feel like ___ quiet evening in ___ hotel room, do go out for ___ dinner in ___ evening. Mereila, a caribbean restaurant in ___ Noel Road, is one of my recent discoveries. It offers ___ food from ___ caribbean or dishes from Dominican Republic. Prices are quite reasonable and there is ___ dance floor to help you digest your tasty dinner.


IV.- Fill in each gap with one of these words:


about, along, at, down, from, like, to, with, across, as, before, for, in, on, up.


Some words are used more than once. There are also some extra words that you won't need. You will also need to choose wether to use the article (the/_) when there is a choice.


I am twenty-one years old and am ___ my last year ___ college. I don't really know what I will do ___ the end of the academic year but I think I may travel a bit ___ making any decisions ___ my future career.
I need some time off because I have been working really hard ___ (the/_) last three years. I'd love to have an amazing adventure such ___ a journey to ___ (the/_) Sahara desert or a boat trip down ___ (the/_) Amazon, ___ miles and miles of water. My friend Liam climbed Mount K-2 ___ (the/_) Himalayas. I haven't travelled much myself and I feel I should make the effort before I get too old ___ it. My parents think I should do something ___ travelling around Europe. Imagine taking the train ___ Madrid to Paris; it travels overnight so before you realise it, you have arrived ___ Paris, (the/_) City Of Light.

INTERMEDIATE TEST

El siguiente es un test para poner a prueba el nivel INTERMEDIO del lector. Para realizarlo, el lector deberá copiar el test y pegarlo en un archivo de WORD o similar.
NOTA.- Si lo desea, puede pedir la solución mediante un comentario o email.

I.- Say which of the following are COUNTABLE or UNCOUNTABLE.

1) Air
2) Book
3) Butter
4) Grass
5) Breath
6) Hair
7) Ink
8) News
9) Glass
10) Onion

II.- Insert the missing POSSESIVES :

1) This doesn't look like ___ book; it must be ___.

2) a.- Tell me, isn't that ___ girlfriend Maisie over there?
     b.-Oh no, she was ___ last week, but ___ dog doesn't like me!

3) I see that he has lost ___ pencil; perhaps you can lend him ___.

4) You can take ___ and give me ___.

III.- Put the given ADVERBS in correct ORDER.

1) She went (to school / at 10 o'clock)

2) He was born (in the year 1923 / at 10 am / on June 14th)

3) They stayed (all day / quietly / there)

4) I like coffee (in the morning / very much)

5) He played (at the Town Hall / last night / beautifully / in the concert)

IV.- Choose the right PRONOUN.

1) a.- Who's there?
     b.- It's only ___(I / me).

2) Let my boyfriend and (I / me) lay a duet.

3) What would you do if you were (he / him).

4) What's the name of (him / he), who came first?

V.- Insert SOME and ANY as required.

1) I want ___ new potatoes; have you ___?

2) I asked him for ___ ink, and he gave me ___:

3) Don't make ___ noise. He wants to get ___ sleep.

4) Have you had ___ tea? I can give you ___.

5) Are there ___ more books?

VI.- PRESENT TENSE

A) Supply the correct PRESENT TENSE.

1) Ships (travel) from Southampton to New York in four or five days.

2) It (be) very cold now.

3) The sun (warm) the air and (give) us light.

4) John (swim) very well, but he (not dive).

5) Wood (float) on water, but iron (not float).

B) Supply the correct PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE TENSE.

1) She (do) no homework this month.

2) Our students (progress) very well this term so far.

3) Mary (not buy) a new dress for years.

4) He (wear) a black suit ever since his wife died.

5) Peter (be) in hospital for almost 6 weeks.

C) Put SINCE os FOR.

1) I have been awake ___ three hours. ___ six o'cock.

2) The weather has been very cold ___ Christmas. ___ a month now.

3) We haven't had a swim ___ last summer. ___almost a year.

4) I've been standing here in the rain ___ half an hour. ___ half past four.

5) How long has John been learning English? ___ quite a long time, ___ last summer.

D) Put the verb in brackets in the PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS.

1) Turn the tv off. The children (watch) for too long time.

2) Mary is learning the piano. She (practise) since breakfast time.

3) John needs a holiday. He (work) too hard.

4) We (travel) for three days and we are still only half a way to London.

5) We (spend) far too much money lately.

VII.- PAST TIME

A) Supply the SIMPLE PAST form

1) John (buy) a second-hand car last week. He (pay) 1000 pounds for it.

2) For breakfast, last Tuesday my sister (make) coffee in a new kind of machine. It (taste) horrible and everyone (spit) it out.

3) They (have) more horses than cars when I (be) young.

4) The lesson (begin) at nine o'clock.

B) Complete the PAST CONTINUOUS form of the following.

1) He (sit) in the garden when the house fell down.

2) I (work) all day yesterday.

3) We (live) in France when the war began.

4) The bus started when I (get) on.

5) I took another cake when you (not look).

C) Put the PAST PERFECT.

1) Mary (prepare) our meals on the previous day.

2) We couldn't play football that Saturday as it (rain) all the previous week.

3) He lived quietly on little money he (save) before his retirement.

4) We (finish) our work, so we went home.

D) Supply the PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS form.

1) It (rain) for days on end and everything was soaked.

2) She still couldn't sing although she (take) lessons for years.

3) They (lose) money for quite a long time.

4) We (wait) for more than an hour.

5) They said I (worry) about business too much and needed a rest.

VII.- Put SHALL or WILL.

1) I ___ help you tomorrow.

2) We ___ never leave our friends who need us.

3) They ___ receive the freedom of the city.

4) Mary ___ come to my wedding. I ___ invite her at once.

5) I ___ pay my account at the end of the month.

IX.- Complete the following sentences with DO or MAKE.

1) He ___ a lot of money last year.

2) I always ___ my best.

3) It has nothing to ___ with you.

4) He ___ a lot of business with us.

5) Have you ___ your homework?

X.- INTERROGATIVES

A) Add the queston word.

1) ___ pencil is this? Is it yours?

2) ___ are you doing tonight?

3) ___ is singing in the next room?

4) ___ room is the largest?

5) ___ is wrong?

B) Turn the following statements into questions.

1) My father has taken the newspaper.

2) Montblanc is the biggest mountain in the Alpes.

3) The boy learned many subjects at school.

4) They want to go out.

5) That house is mine.

C) Add the missing word

1) We don't know ___ she has gone.

2) Can you tell me ___ this box is so heavy?

3) I remember ___ you were a little girl.

4) Show me ___ this machine works.

5) Did anyone see ___ way Jane went?

XI.- Add the correct form of THERE IS o IT IS.

1) _____ no one at home when I called for him.

2) _____ no place like home.

3) _____ hard to decide what was the best thing to do.

4) _____ no time for tea if we don't hurry.

5) _____ so much work to get through this morning that I haven't had time  think about the questions.

XII.- Put in suitable PREPOSITIONs.

1) Wait ___ me ___ the bus stop!

2) We had to go ___ the hill ___ a little house ___ the top.

3) Read ___ line 10 ___ line 20 ___ page.

4) Do you want to speak ___ me ___ anything?

5) You can cut the apple ___ two __ this knife.