English Pronunciation, Grammar, Tourism, and Travel Tips
English Pronunciation
Voiced Sounds
/a/, /e/, /i/, /b/, /g/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /r/, /v/. In the past simple, verbs ending in -ed are pronounced as /d/. Examples: Raised, Loved.
Voiceless Sounds
/c/, /x/, /gh/, /ch/, /sh/, /ks/, /s/, /k/, /p/, /f/. In the past simple, verbs ending in -ed are pronounced as /t/. Examples: Worked, Fixed.
/id/ Sound
At the end of verbs ending in -t or -d. Examples: Started, Visited.
Schwa
In words with two or more syllables, articles, and prepositions, the pronunciation of a vowel can change depending on whether the syllable is stressed. Examples: Man, Postman. Words with a syllable made up of a vowel letter followed by ‘r’. Examples: BrotER, WizARd.
THE
Stressed /ði/ Examples: the eye, the opera. Unstressed /ðə/ Examples: the club, the house.
- B is similar to P. Examples: Berry, Boat.
- V is similar to F. Examples: Very, Vote.
- C as S when followed by e, i, or y. Examples: Cinema, Circle.
- C as K when followed by a, o, or u. Examples: Coffee, Cucumber.
- C as CH when the next letter is h. Examples: Chocolate, China.
Tourism
Physical Characteristics
Physical features, weather, climate, soil, minerals, vegetation, and animal life.
Human Characteristics
Human-made features, language, religion, economy, and population distribution.
Types of Tourism
- Food/Culinary: Seeking new experiences through taste.
- Sport (Event, Active, Nostalgia): Engaging in or viewing sport-related activities.
- Sex (Preferential, Situational): Controversial; encompassing individuals who plan travel around the purpose of obtaining sex.
- Couchsurfing: Economic travel, offering an exchange of accommodations.
- Film/Screen: Visits to a destination featured on TV or in films, associating a destination with popular cinematic programs.
- Green: Traveling and living respectfully with the environment, minimizing waste, avoiding disturbing fauna and flora, saving energy, and not polluting.
- Mass: Originating with Thomas Cook in 1841, mass tourism accounts for 11% of world employment. Advantages: Low prices, more employment, economic growth. Disadvantages: Environmental impact, resource redistribution, poor working conditions, capital flight.
English Grammar and Writing
Linking Expressions
My personal opinion is, I believe that, People often say, According to, For example, In particular, On the other hand, However, Otherwise, For this reason, Because of this, In the meantime, At last, In short, In other words, In the same way, Comparably, In addition, Finally.
Resume
A document summarizing your work experience, academic and professional skills, personal details, education and qualifications, additional training, professional experience, professional skills, articles and projects, additional information, and references.
Cover Letter
Accompanies the resume, aiming to capture the attention of the human resources selector. It should be original and specific.
Transactional Letters
These have the purpose of getting something done or making somebody do something.
Expository Texts
Inform, explain, and describe a given subject.
Argumentative Texts
Argumentation is a technique to change others’ points of view and to express your opinion. It could be argued that, It is often suggested that, This is partly true, but, This argument has a certain superficial logic, but, It is clear that, The real situation.
Direct Speech
Transmits the speaker’s words literally, using quotation marks (” “). Example: Peter said, “I’m tired of being sick.”
Reported Speech
Quotation marks are not needed, and the verbal tense is adapted to the moment of speech. Example: Peter said that he was tired of being sick.
Present Simple – Past Simple. Present Continuous – Past Continuous. Past Simple – Past Perfect Simple. Past Continuous – Past Continuous. Present Perfect – Past Perfect. Past Perfect – Past Perfect. Will – Would. Can – Could. May – Could. Must – Could. Imperative – Infinitive.
Questions
“Have you seen Marco lately?” Maria asked me – Maria asked if I had seen Marco lately. “Why are you so upset?” John Snow asked Ygritte – John asked Ygritte why she was so upset.
Conditionals
0: If + Present + Present. 1: If + Present + Will + Verb. 2: If + Past + Would + Verb. 3: If + Past Perfect + Would + Present Perfect.
Passive Voice
Emphasizes the object of a sentence over the subject. Use “to be” in the same verbal tense as in the active sentence, followed by the past participle of the verb. Example: My brother bought a new car last week – A new car was bought by my brother last week.
A UFO was seen in the sky above London last night. It was reported to the police. A helicopter was sent by the army to look at it more closely. The helicopter was shot down by the UFO, and both men in it were killed. Photographs of the UFO have been given to the police. They are being looked at by experts now.
Indirect Object
Example: A question was asked to Danny by Kevin – Danny was asked a question by Kevin. A box is given to him – He is given a box by her.
Time Expressions
An hour ago, now, in an hour, recently, as we speak, soon, in the past, nowadays, eventually.
- On: On Monday, on the 15th of May, on Christmas Eve.
- At: At three o’clock, at breakfast, at night, at Christmas.
- In: In the morning, in summer, in June, in 1995.
Tour Guide Tips
Planning the Tour
Upon arrival in, your tour continues to, the tour ends with a, your day will not be completed without.
Describing a Location
On your right/left you will see, To your west, In a few minutes, we will be passing, I’d like to point out, Take a good look at, As we turn the corner, you’ll see, Up ahead, In front of you is, Keep your eyes open for.
Guide Questions
Do you have a question, Sir? Is there something I can help you with? I’ll try my best to answer your questions. I’m afraid I don’t have the answer to that. I wish I knew the answer. I’ll have to look into that further.
Iceland: Nature and Wildlife
Fauna refers to the set of all animal species inhabiting a geographical region or area, with reference to a geological period. Iceland is located in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a volcanic island with mountains, lava fields, volcanic deserts, glaciers, hills, rivers, lakes, fjords, islets, valleys, and only about 25% of the land has complete vegetation cover. The climate is subarctic with two seasons. Winter is much longer and extremely cold, while summer is sometimes just one month long. Regarding wildlife, a wide variety of animals can be found. However, some have disappeared due to human activity, hunting, or climate change. Other animals have been introduced. Notably, there are no reptiles or amphibians in the country.
Madrid Tour Guide Introduction
Hello everyone. Let me introduce myself, my name is David from ViajerosAlBlog.com, and I will be your tourist guide during the visit today. I will support you during the tour. I want to welcome you to this incredible city, which is my city. I’m a madrileño, and I was born here. I really love my city, and I will tell you all about the things you will see and visit today. This is an amazing and beautiful city with an incredible history, where you can visit a lot of monuments, walk into beautiful parks and ancient, maze-like streets, and enjoy the street life and nightlife, tasting beer, wine, and tapas, of course. I’m sure you will really enjoy the visit. If you have any questions, please ask; it’s my job to answer them, and all my time is free to talk to you. I’m the window through which you will see and learn about my city. Let’s start! In this tour, we are going to visit some of the main sights in Madrid Centre and El Madrid de los Austrias, or The Madrid of the Austrians or the Habsburgs. This is the end of the tour (for now)! I hope you enjoyed the tour and you enjoyed Old Madrid, and it was a pleasure for me to meet you and to show you my city. If you have any questions, please ask. Also, I could give you some recommendations about other interesting places to visit, and nice and cheap bars to eat and drink, just ask me. Have a safe trip, take care, have a good day, and enjoy your day in Madrid!