Grammar 16: Little, a little, few, a few, much,

many. Poco(a), varios(as), muchos(as).

Anteriormente estudiamos que hay estructuras gramaticales que se utilizan
sólo con palabras contables y otras sólamente con palabras no-contables. A
continuación vamos a estudiar a conciencia, un grupo de palabras que “deben” ser
usadas dependiendo del tipo de sustantivo a usar.

Little. A little. Poco(a)

La palabra “little” sólo se utiliza con palabras no-contables, para
expresar que hay “poco(a)” de algo. Por ejemplo:

little light (poca luz -) a little time (poco tiempo + )

Y aunque a simple vista pareciera fácil, la palabra “little” puede tener dos
significados diferentes. Usamos “little” sin artículo cuando queremos indicar que
hay poco de algo, es decir, en sentido negativo. There is little light (Hay poca luz),
en esta oración estoy indicando que casi no puedo ver, el cuarto está seguramente
en tinieblas. Si escribiera, There is a little light, (Hay poca luz), estaría indicando
que hay poca luz, pero puedo ver, es decir, el que haya poca luz, no es problema.
En otras palabras, usamos la palabra “little” con el artículo indefinido “a”, para
indicar que hay poco de algo, sin embargo, ese poco es suficiente.

Few. A few. Poco(a)

La palabra “few” sólo se utiliza con palabras contables, para expresar que
hay “poco(a)” de algo. Por ejemplo:

few friends (pocos amigos -) a few computers (pocas computadoras + )

Al igual que la palabra “little”, “few” puede tener dos significados

diferentes. Usamos “few” sin artículo cuando queremos indicar que hay poco de
algo, es decir, en sentido negativo. I have few friends. (Tengo pocos amigos), en
esta oración estoy indicando que casi no tengo amigos. Si escribiera, I have a few
friends, la traducción quedaría, “Tengo (unos cuantos) pocos amigos”; la persona
está feliz con los amigos que tiene. En otras palabras, usamos la palabra “few”
con el artículo indefinido “a”, para indicar que hay poco de algo, sin embargo, ese
poco es suficiente.

Many. Muchos(as).
La palabra “many” se la utiliza junto con sustantivos contables
para expresar cantidad, de forma general, tanto en oraciones positivas, negativas,
como en preguntas. Por ejemplo:
He has many computer parts at work. ( + )
(El tiene muchas partes de computadoras en el trabajo.)
He doesn't have many computer parts at work. ( - )
(El no tiene muchas partes de computadoras en el trabajo.)
Does he have many computer parts at work? ( ? )
(¿Tiene él muchas partes de computadoras en el trabajo?)

Usamos la expresión HOW MANY cuando queremos saber la cantidad

de un sustantivo contable. Por ejemplo:

How many cars do you have? ¿Cuántos carros tienes?

How many rooms are available? ¿Cuántos cuartos están disponibles?

Much. Muchos(as).
“Much” es utilizado para expresar cantidad, de forma general, de un

1
sustantivo no-contable. No se la utiliza comunmente en oraciones positivas en
ese caso usamos “a lot of / lots of”. Por ejemplo:

There isn't much water. (-) (No hay mucha agua.)

Did you have much work to do? ( ? ) (¿Tuviste mucho trabajo que hacer?)

BUT: There is a lot of water. (+) (Hay mucha agua.)

De acuerdo a la pagina web [Link]

[Link] “much” puede ser usado en
oraciones afirmativas si es precedido por las palabras “so”, “too” or “as”. Por
ejemplo:

There is so much work to be done.

I think that he has got too much responsibility.
Drink as much water as possible during the race.

Note that we say many years / many weeks / many days ( not: a lot of years)

Usamos la expresión HOW MUCH cuando queremos saber la cantidad

de un sustantivo no-contable. Por ejemplo:

How much sugar is there in the jar? (uncountable noun)

How much water is left? (uncountable noun)

Asking for the price. Pregutando el precio.

Usamos sólamente la expresión HOW MUCH para hacer preguntas sobre
precio, independientemente del tipo de sustantivo a usar. Por ejemplo:

How much is sugar? 10 dollars. (uncountable noun)

How much are these cars? 18 dollars. (countable noun)

Exercise 16: Little, a little, few, a few, much,

many. Poco(a), varios(as), muchos(as).
Como ya sabes, para preguntar el precio de algo, independientemente si es
un objeto contable o no-contable, usamos las palabras: “How much”. Por ejemplo:
How much is cheese? How much is butter? How much is this apple? How much are
those computers? etc. Sin embargo cuando queremos preguntar por cantidad y no
por precio debemos hacerlo dependiendo si el sustantivo es contable o no. Si el
sustantivo es contable se utiliza “How many”, si es no-contable “How much”. Por
ejemplo: How much water is left? How much sugar do you need? How many
apples do you eat a day? How many computers do you have?

1. Complete the questions using “how much” or “how many”

and the correct form of the verb to be. Completa las
preguntas usando “how much” o “how many” y la forma
correcta del verbo to be.
(PRICE)
1. How much is a new desk? $ 79
2. the supplies? $ 63
3. that laptop? $ 450
4. those five mainframes? $ 6,987
5. these three USB flash devices? $ 60
6. a PCI graphic card? $ 38
7. this memory? $ 56

(QUANTITY)
8. How tall students there in your class? There are five tall

2
students.
9. How water there in this bag? There are 3 pounds of water.
10. How planets ____ there in our solar system? There are 8 planets.
11. How days __ there in a week? There are seven days in a week.
12. How sugar there in that bag? There are 2 kilos of sugar.
13. How memory does a computer need? Well, it depends on the
computer.
14. How computers does your father normally buy? It normally buys 50
computers.
15. How printers do you have? I have just one.
16. How information do you send a day? I usually send 20 pages.

2. Write questions with How much and How many. Escribe

oraciones usando “How much” y “How many”.
1. ________________ is the cellphone? $ 80 dollars.
2. ________________ printers are there on the desk? There are 2 printers.
3. ________________ calculators do you use? I use 3 different types of calculators.
4. ________________ are the books? $ 30 dollars.
5. ________________ books are there on the shelf? There are 10 books.
6. ________________ is this memory module? $ 35 dollars.
7. ________________ water is there in the ocean? A lot of water.

8. ________________ are those memory sticks? $ 11 dollars a piece.

9. ________________ coffee can you drink? I don’t like coffee.
10. ________________ cups of coffee can you drink? I think I can drink 3 cups a day.
11. ________________ water do you drink in a day? I try to drink 8 glasses a day.
12. ________________ packets of CDs do you buy in a month? 3 packets.

3 . Fill in the blacks with FEW, A FEW, LITTLE, and A LITTLE.

1. There was _______ food in the fridge. It was nearly empty.
2. 'When did Sarah go out? ' ' _______ minutes ago'.
3. I can't decide now. I need _______ time to think about it.
4. There was _______ traffic, so we arrived earlier than we expected.
5. The bus service isn't very good at night - there are _______ buses after 6 o'clock.
6. 'Would you like some soup?' 'Yes, _______ , please
7. I'd like to practise my English more but I have _______ opportunities.
8. Last night I wrote _______ letters to my family friends. They are going to be
happy.
9. I'm going out for a walk. I need _______ fresh air.
10. I drink very _______ coffee. I don't like it.

Grammar 17: Direct object. Objeto directo.

Esta clase es una de las más complicadas, si la entiendes te aseguro
habrás dado un paso muy importante en tu meta de aprender el inglés
correctamente. Por lo que pon mucha atención y practica los ejercicios.

Empecemos, en el inglés hay dos tipos de verbos, transitivos e

intransitivos. Por ahora
nos vamos a preocupar sólo de los verbos transitivos. Los verbos transitivos son los
que “aceptan o necesitan” un objeto directo, llamado también “complemento
directo”. ¿Y qué es un objeto directo? El objeto directo puede ser un “sustantivo”,
como por ejemplo: scanner, love, water o book, puede ser una persona o grupo de
personas, o un pronombre, en este caso el “pronombre de objeto directo”. Por lo
general escribimos el objeto directo después del verbo. En esta clase vamos a
estudiar cuando el objeto directo es un sustantivo y se refiere a “cosas”,
estudiaremos el “pronombre como objeto directo", así cuando una “persona o
personas” se convierten en el objeto directo, en la siguiente clase.

3
 Como ya es de su conocimiento, cuando un verbo es transitivo solemos
escribir un sustantivo, es decir un objeto directo, después del mismo. Por ejemplo:

I normally buy books at my brother's store.

(Normalmente compro libros en la tienda de mi hermano)

Mi verbo es “to buy”, este verbo “acepta o necesita” un sustantivo. ¿Qué es

lo que voy a comprar? Books. El sustantivo contable “books” es mi objeto directo.
Ten en cuenta que al escribir oraciones debes revisar si el verbo es transitivo o no,
es decir si “necesita o acepta” un sustantivo. Otro ejemplo:
She sells computers.
(Ella vende computadoras.)

Escribir solamente “She sells” (ella vende), no tiene mucho significado,

necesito un sustantivo, en este caso utilizé el sustantivo contable: computers. Mi
objeto directo es la palabra “computers” y mi verbo la palabra: “sells”. Otro
ejemplo:

We retrieve information every three hours.

(Enviamos información cada tres horas)

¿Qué enviamos cada tres horas? Information. El sustantivo no-contable:

“information” es mi objeto directo. Escribir “We retrieve” (Enviamos) no tiene
sentido.

Exercise 17: Direct object. Objeto Directo.

1. Complete the following sentences by writing one or more
direct objects. Completa las siguientes oraciones con un
objeto directo. Example:
I write computer books and novels in my free time. (to write =
escribir)

a. Marlon and he usually turn on in the morning. (to turn on =

prender)
b. She never turns off in the afternoon. (to turn off =
apagar)
c. Rebecca likes to format at work. (to format = formatear)
d. My company designs for a very reasonable price. (to design
= diseñar)
e. He scans on Sundays. (to scan = escanear)
f. I play every day. (to play = jugar)

Grammar 18: Recognizing the direct object.

Reconociendo el objeto directo.
Ahora ya sabes que cuando escribes en inglés debes darte cuenta del
verbo que usas para que no escribas oraciones incompletas. Sin embargo, una
oración no sólo está compuesta del objeto directo también está lo que se conoce
como “objeto indirecto”. Para proceder a estudiar el objeto indirecto debemos saber
reconocer el objeto directo dentro de una oración, para esto sólo debes hacer la

4
preguntas ¿What? y ¿Whom? al verbo. Por ejemplo:

I normally buy books at my brother's store. What do I normally buy? Books.

(Normalmente compro libros en la tienda de mi hermano. ¿Qué compro
normalmente? Libros.)

Por medio de la pregunta “What do I normally buy?” logré determinar si

mi oración tenía o no, objeto directo, en este caso lo tenía.

Si te fijas el objeto directo hasta ahora han sido los sustantivos: books,
computers and information, objetos innanimados; sin embargo, fíjate en la
siguiente oración:

Every time she sees Mark, she gives him the reports. Whom does she see? Mark
(Cada vez que lo ve, le entrega los reportes. ¿A quién ella ve? A él.)

Es decir, una persona puede ser el objeto directo de una oración. Otros
ejemplos:

He loves his friends, but he won't tell them anything. Whom does he love?
His friends
(El quiere a sus amigos, sin embargo no les va a decir nada. ¿A quién el quiere? A
sus amigos.)

They hire new employees every year. Whom do they hire? New
employees.
(Ellos contratan nuevos empleados cada año. ¿A quién ellos contratan cada año?Nuevos
empleados)

Exercise 18: Recognizing the direct object.

Reconociendo el objeto directo.
1. Recognize the direct object by making the question to the
verb. Then, underline the verb and circle the direct object, if
it has it. Reconoce el objeto directo haciendo la pregunta al
verbo. Luego, subraya el verbo y dibuja un círculo alrededor
del objeto directo, si lo tiene.
Example:
We play online on weekends.
games
What do we play ?

a. Manufactures increase computer prices easily.

?
b. The CPU controls all the parts of the computer.
?
c. I give Peter the reports.
?

5
d. We load programs into RAM
?
e. Computers save information into RAM.
?
f. She sings beautifully.
?
g. I repair computers cheaply.
?
h. He usually inserts pictures into Word documents to make them look nicer.
?
i. The company produces efficiently.
?

Grammar 19: Indirect object. Objeto indirecto.

Ya sabemos que una “persona” puede ser el objeto directo de una oración.
Y como el inglés no es nada fácil, es posible confundir el objeto directo con el
objeto indirecto. Para evitar esto procederemos a conocer el objeto indirecto y las
formas de reconocerlo.

Para reconocer o saber donde colocar el objeto indirecto, debes saber

que: no puede haber objeto indirecto sin objeto directo; para reconocerlo debes
hacer las preguntas ¿to whom? y ¿for whom? al verbo (no confundir con la pregunta
¿whom? que elaboramos para reconocer el objeto directo).

Analicemos la siguiente oración:

She gives Peter the reports. (Ella le da los reportes a Peter.)

Recordemos, dice la regla que para que haya objeto indirecto debo
reconocer si mi oración tiene objeto directo, por lo que elaboro la pregunta ¿What
does she give?, qué es lo que ella da: “the reports”. Como la oración tiene objeto
directo, procedo a ver si tiene objeto indirecto, por lo que elaboro la pregunta al
verbo: “¿To whom does she give the reports?” (A quien le da el reporte) La
respuesta correcta es, “Peter”. Peter es mi objeto indirecto.

A simple vista pareciera que el preguntar ¿whom? y ¿to whom? o ¿for

whom?, fuera lo mismo, la verdad hay un pequeña diferencia. Según la página web
[Link] "los objetos indirectos se los
encuentra usualmente con verbos que indican el entregar algo o el comunicar algo,
tales como: give, bring, tell, show, take, or offer." En otras palabras, el objeto
directo no nos indica a quien se le da algo o muestra algo, sino que la persona es
vista como un objeto, por ejemplo: she sees the doctor (ella ve al doctor), ella ve
algo, en este caso a una persona, por lo que "the doctor" es un objeto directo. Si se
dijera: she gives the doctor, me estaría refiriendo al doctor no como un objeto sino
como una persona, la cual recibe la acción de manera indirecta.

Veamos el siguiente ejemplo:

He won't tell his parents the true. To whom won't he tell anything? His

6
parents.
(No le va a decir a sus padres la verdad. ¿A quién no les va a decir nada? A sus
padres.)

La oración tiene por objeto directo la parabra “true” y la persona que realiza
la acción (he), no le va a decir a “álguien” (his parents) la verdad. Ese “álguien” es
mi objeto indirecto: “his parents”.

Otra forma de reconocer el objeto indirecto es viendo si es posible cambiar el

orden de las palabras: se coloca el objeto directo después del verbo y se aumenta
las preposiciones “to” o “for” antes del objeto indirecto. Por ejemplo:

She gives Peter the reports. She gives the reports to Peter.
He won't tell his parents the true. He won't tell the true to his
parents.

En ambas oraciones se pudo realizar el cambio. Ambas oraciones estan bien

escritas, solo recuerde que cuando quiera escribir el objeto indirecto después del
objeto directo debes usar la preposicion “to” o “for”, en este caso ambas
preposiciones significan lo mismo “para”.

Al principio les parecerá un poco complicado pero a medida que ejerciten en

el tema verán que no es tan complicado.

Exercise 19: Indirect object. Objeto indirecto.

[Link] the indirect object or circle the direct object, or
both. Translate the sentence to Spanish. Subraya el objeto
indirecto o haz un circulo alrededor del objeto directo, o
ambas. Traduce la oración al español.
For example:
Laura
Barbara talks to every morning.
.
a. She needs an input device such as a keyboard.

b. We click the mouse button to enter information into the computer.

.
c. My teachers show the class the exam results at the end of the course.

.
d. Patrick listens to Mary carefully.

.
e. Their processor executes computer programs as any other.

f. Miss Lisa sends her students e-mails every end of the month.

7
.

2. Rewrite the following sentences using “to” or “for”.

Reescribe las siguientes oraciones usando “to” o “for”.

a. I give Carla the programs every weekend.

.
b. They buy their parents some gifts.

.
c. The program mails people post cards.

.
d. He tells his sister funny jokes.

.
e. We sell young people computer courses cheaper than in other places.

.
f. You explain the students homework better than me.

.
g. Martha and he show Marc Anthony an online catalog.

Grammar 20: Object pronouns. Pronombres del

objeto.
El objeto directo y el objeto indirecto puede ser un sustantivo, como
también puede ser un pronombre. Lee el siguiente cuadro:
Direct/Indirect object pronoun Replace (reemplaza)
me I
you you
him he
her she
it it
us we
you you
them they

Los pronombres son normalmente usados para reemplazar a personas,

animales o cosas. ¿Y cómo es ésto que reemplazan a personas, animales o cosas?
Veamos, a veces no queremos mencionar o escribir palabras, en este caso, el
objeto directo o indirecto de una oración, porque nos parece tedioso el escribirlo o
simplemente ya lo mencionamos con anterioridad, así que optamos por usar
pronombres. Para entender esto, tomemos un ejemplo de una de las lecciones
anteriores:

8
 I normally buy books at my brother's store.
(Normalmente compro libros en la tienda de mi hermano.)

En la anterior oración utilicé el objeto directo, “books”, sin embargo, esta vez
no quiero usar la palabra “books”, puedo usar un pronombre, en este caso le
correspondería el pronombre “los”, por lo que la oración quedaría: “Normalmente
los compro..”, donde “los” hace las veces de la palabra “books”. Mmm...¿Cómo
hago esto en inglés? La respuesta es muy sencilla, recordando la siguiente regla:
“Los pronombres que se escriben después del verbo son los “pronombres del objeto
directo/indirecto”.”

La palabra “books” no es parte de mi sujeto por lo que va después del verbo.

Si reviso el cuadro, y recuerdo la regla sobre los pronombres, me daría cuenta que
la palabra “book” sólo puede ser reemplazada por un “pronombre de objeto
directo/indirecto”. Por lo que la oración quedaría así:

I normally buy them at my brother's store. (books = they = them)

(Normalmente los compro en la tienda de mi hermano.)

Estudia este ejemplo:

Tengo una computadora. Mi hermano la vende por 900 dólares.

Si quiero traducir: “Mi hermano la vende....”, sé que primero tengo que

reconocer el verbo: “vender”, que en inglés sería, “to sell”, ahora mi sujeto, “mi
hermano”, cuya traducción es, “my brother”, tengo mi sujeto y verbo. La palabra
“la”, que no es parte del sujeto, está reemplazando a la palabra “computadora”.
Siguiendo las reglas, sé que sólo puedo usar pronombres del objeto después del
verbo, entonces mi oración en inglés quedaría:

“My brother sells it for 900 dollars.” (Mi hermano la

vende....)

Recuerda que el verbo se conjuga de acuerdo al sujeto de la oración:

My brother sells it for 900 dollars.

Fíjate en los siguiente:

We give my brother the car on weekends. (Le damos a mi hermano el carro los fines
de semana)
O.I. O.D.
Si quiero reemplazar las palabras “my brother” y “the car” por un
pronombre debo saber que no puedo hacer los siguiente:

We give him it on weekends.

Estas son mis opciones: We give him the car on weekends.

We give the car to him on weekends.
We give it to him on weekends.

Exercise 20: Object pronouns. Pronombres de

objetos.

9
1. Rewrite the following sentences by usign pronouns.
Reescribe las siguientes oraciones usando pronombres.
Remember: me (I), you (you), him (he), her (she), it (it), us (we), you
(you), them (they)

a. I give Carla the programs every weekend.

.
b. They buy their parents some gifts.

.
c. The program mails people post cards.

.
d. He tells his sister funny jokes.

.
e. We sell young people computer courses cheaper than in other places.

.
f. You explain the students homework better than me.

.
g. Martha and he show Eminem an online catalog.

2. Translate the following sentence fragments. Traduce los

siguientes fragmentos de oraciones.
Ejemplo:
Yo los invito = I invite them (my friends = mis amigos)

1. Ella lo conoce = (a program = un progrma)

2. Pedro los borra = (e-mails = correos electronicos)
3. La universidad les compra = (companies =
compañías)
4. Mi hermana la imprime = (a letter = una carta)
5. Teresa lo conoce = (a shopping mall = un mall)
6. Ellos la llaman = (a computer = una computadora)

to invite=invitar; to know=conocer; to delete=borrar; to buy=comprar

to print=imprimir; to call=llamar

10
Reading 4 : Types of computers. Tipos de
computadoras.
There are a lot of terms used to describe computers. Most of these words
imply the size, expected use or capability of the computer. The different types of
computers are:
•PC - The personal computer (PC) defines a computer designed for general use
by a single person.
•Desktop - A PC that is not designed for portability. Most desktops offer more
power, storage and versatility for less cost than laptops.
•Laptop - Also called notebooks, laptops are portable computers that integrate
the display, keyboard, a pointing device or trackball, processor, memory and
hard drive all in a battery-operated package slightly larger than an average
hardcover book.
•Palmtop - More commonly known as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs),
palmtops are tightly integrated computers that often use flash memory instead
of a hard drive for storage. These computers usually do not have keyboards but
rely on touchscreen technology for user input. Palmtops are typically smaller
than a paperback novel, very lightweight with a reasonable battery life. A slightly
larger and heavier version of the palmtop is the handheld computer.
•Workstation - A desktop computer that has a more powerful processor,
additional memory and enhanced capabilities for performing a special group of
task, such as 3D Graphics or game development.
•Server - A computer that has been optimized to provide services to other
computers over a network. Servers usually have powerful processors, lots of
memory and large hard drives.
•Mainframe - In the early days of computing, mainframes were huge computers
that could fill an entire room or even a whole floor! As the size of computers has
diminished while the power has increased, the term mainframe has fallen out of
use in favor of enterprise server. You'll still hear the term used, particularly in
large companies to describe the huge machines processing millions of
transactions every day.
•Minicomputer - Another term rarely used anymore, minicomputers fall in
between microcomputers (PCs) and mainframes (enterprise servers).
Minicomputers are normally referred to as mid-range servers now.
•Supercomputer - This type of computer usually costs hundreds of thousands
or even millions of dollars. Although some supercomputers are single computer
systems, most are comprised of multiple high performance computers working in
parallel as a single system. The best known supercomputers are built by Cray
Supercomputers.
•Wearable - The latest trend in computing is wearable computers. Essentially,
common computer applications (e-mail, database, multimedia,
calendar/scheduler) are integrated into watches, cell phones, visors and even
clothing!

Vocabulary
3D Graphics: gráfico en 3era. dimensión
all: todo
anymore: no más
are built by: son contruidos por
as: como
average: promedio
battery life: vida de la batería
battery-operated: operado por batería
by: por
calendar: calendario
capability: capacidad
cell phone: teléfono celular
clothing: ropa

11
comprised: comprimido
multiple: múltiple
high: alta
performance: rendimiento, ejecución, actuar

computer application: aplicación de computadora

database: base de datos
designed for: diseñado para
desktop: computadora de escritorio
display: pantalla
enhanced capability: capacidad mejorada
enterprise server: servidor de una compañia
essentially: esencialmente
expected use: usa esperado
flash memory: memoria flash
floor: piso
game development: desarrollo de juegos
handheld computer: computadora del tamaño de la mano
hardcover book: libro de cubierta dura
has (have) been optimized: ha sido optimizada
has (have) diminished: ha disminuido
has (have) fallen out of use : ha estado fuera de uso
has (have) increased: ha aumentado
heavier: más pesado
in favor of: a favor de
in parallel: en paralelo
in the early days: en los primeros días
instead of: en vez de
integrated computer: computadora integrada
laptop: computadora portátil
large hard drive: disco duro de gran capacidad
larger: más largo
less cost: menos costo
lightweight: peso liviano
mainframe: unidad central
mid-range server: servidor de tamaño medio
minicomputer: minicomputadora
most of these words: la mayoría de estas palabras
network: red
notebooks: computadora portátil
now: ahora
package: paquete
paperback novel: novela de bolsillo
pointing device: dispositivo punteador
power: poder
rarely: raramente
room: cuarto
scheduler: dispositivo que determina el horario
server: servidor
size: tamaño
slightly: levemente
smaller: más pequeño
still: aún
storage: almacenamiento
such as: tal como
supercomputer: supercomputadora
task: tarea
term: término
than: que
that: que
the best known: el mejor conocido (a)

12
the latest trend in: la última tendencia en
tightly: apretadamente

to be integrated: estar integrado

to fall: caer
to fill: llenar
to hear: oir
to imply: implicar
to integrate: integrar
to provide: proveer
to referred to: referirse a, ser llamado
to rely on: confiar en, caer en, apoyarse en
touchscreen technology: technología de pantalla táctil
trackball: trackball, mouse invertido
type: tipo
used to: usado para
user input: ingreso del usuario
versatility: versatilidad
visor: visera, máscara
watch: reloj
wearable: que se puede llevar o usar
while: mientras
whole: entero, todo
workstation: estación de trabajo

Task 4: Types of Computers

1. Answer the following questions.
1. What are the different types of computers?
_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________
2. What does “PC” stand for?

_____________________________________________________________________________
3. What is a desktop?

_____________________________________________________________________________
4. How are laptos also called?

_____________________________________________________________________________
5. Do palmtops usually have a keyboard? If the answer is negative, what do they
use instead of it?

_____________________________________________________________________________
6. Does a workstation have a more powerful processor than a regular computer?
What else do they have?

_____________________________________________________________________________
7. What is a server? What do they usually have?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________
8. Are mainframes small computers? If the answer is negative, what are they?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________
9. How are minicomputers normally referred to?

13
_____________________________________________________________________________

Grammar 21: Adverbs. Adverbios.

Los adjetivos y los adverbios no son lo mismo, aunque suenen igual. Usamos
adjetivos para decir colmo algo: “to be (ser), seems (parece), becomes (se
convierte), looks (parece), feels (siente), sounds (suena), tastes (sabe) or
smells (huele)”. Por ejemplo:
USB flash devices are useful. (Los dispositivos USB son útiles.)
That smells wonderful. (Eso huele maravilloso.)

Usamos adverbios para decir como alguien hace algo. Por ejemplo:

The computer works well. (La computadora trabaja bien.)

The program functions badly. (El programa funciona incorrectamente.)

Usamos además adverbios “antes” de adjetivos, pasados participios, otros

adverbios and prepositional expressions. Por ejemplo:

It’s terribly smart. (Es terriblemente inteligente.)

This computer is unusually fast. (Esta computadora es inusualmente rápida.)

Type of Adverbs. Tipos de Adverbios.

Según la página web [Link]
%20reference/adverbs/[Link], los adverbios se clasifican en:

Adverbios de modo: happily (felizmente), sadly (tristemente), slowly (lentamente)

Adverbios de tiempo: now (ahora), then (entonces), already (ya)
Adverbios de lugar: there (allí), here (aquí), nearby (cercano)
Adverbios de grado: rather (bastante), enough (suficiente), quite (bastante)
Adverbios de frecuencia: always (siempre), sometimes (a veces), never (nunca)
Adverbios de relativo: where (donde), when (cuando), why (por que)
Adverbios interrogativos: when.? (cuándo), where.? (dónde), why.? (por qué)

Cuando trabajas con diferentes adverbios dentro de una oración, los

adverbios usualmente van en este orden: MANNER PLACE TIME . Por ejemplo:

She sang beautifully in the concert hall last night.

How to form adverbs? Como formar los adverbios.

La regla general dice que se aumenta el sufijo -ly a un adjetivo para formar
un adverbio: bad- badly, shy-shyly; sin embargo, este no es siempre el caso. Por
ejemplo:

adjective adverb
good well
fast fast
easy easily
automatic automatically
terrible terribly

En el primer ejemplo el adverbio es otra palabra diferente, aunque ambas

representan lo mismo. Por ejempo:

She is a good driver. She drives well. (Es buena conductora. Maneja
bien.)

En el segundo ejemplo el adverbio se escribe igual que el adjetivo:

14
 She is fast. She drives fast. (Es rápida. Maneja rápido.)

En el tercer ejemplo , la consonante “-y” cambia a “-i”, y luego se procede

a aumentar la “-ly”.

It's an easy job. We can do it easily. (Es un trabajo fácil. Podemos hacerlo
fácilmente)

Cuando el adverbio termina en “-ic”, se aumenta “-ally” al adjetivo para

formar el adverbio:
It's an automatic car. It does everything automatically.
(Es un carro automático. Lo hace todo automáticamente.)

Y cuando el adverbio termina en “-le” cambia por “-ly”. Por ejemplo:

It's a terrible boy. He behaves terribly. (Es un niño terrible. Se comporta

terriblemente.)

Verb to Be and adverbs. Verbo ser o estar y los

adverbios.
Los adverbios deben ser colocados antes del verbo principal, a excepción
de algunos que según su significado cambian de lugar. Sin embargo, cuando
trabajamos con el verbo TO BE, se debe colocar el adverbio después de este. Por
ejemplo:

You are usually right. Tú usualmente estás bien.

It was definitely her. Definitivamente fue ella.
We aren’t usually at home on Mondays. (No estamos usualmente en casa los
lunes.)

Negative sentences. Oraciones negativas.

Los adverbios son usualmente colocados despues del “verbo auxiliar + not”
en oraciones negativas. Por ejemplo:

I do not (don’t) always work on Sundays. (No siempre trabajo los domingos.)
He did not (didn’t) often turned off the printer. (El a menudo no apagaba la
impresora.)

Pero depende del significado. Por ejemplo:

She’s not often late. (Ella no está siempre retrasada)

It’s definitely not raining. (Definitivamente no está lloviendo)

ESTO ES INCORRECTO:
- ALWAYS I get up at six o'clocK. (Correcto: I always get up at six o’clock.)
- I don’t SOMETIMES get up early. (Correcto: I don’t OFTEN get up early)
- I don´t NEVER get up at six o´clock. (Correcto: I don’t get up at six o’clock or I
never get
up at six
o’clock.)
Source: English in Use.
[Link]

Exercise 21: Adverbs. Adverbios.

1. Make sentences using the following words. Haz oraciones

15
usando las siguientes palabras.
1. always / cost / Supercomputers / hundreds of thousands or even millions of
dollars.

__________________________________________________________________________.
2. People / wearable computers / integrate / often / into watches, cell phones and
even clothing.

__________________________________________________________________________.

3. more quickly./ their jobs / People / use / normally / computers / to finish

__________________________________________________________________________.
4. has / the main CPU and the memories RAM and ROM. / The motherboard /
typically

__________________________________________________________________________.
5. usually / do / have / not / a keyboard. / Palmtops.

__________________________________________________________________________.
6. Politicians / right. / never / are

__________________________________________________________________________.
7. is / RAM / the main memory in the computer. / normally

__________________________________________________________________________.

Grammar 22: The past simple. El pasado simple.

Se usa el pasado simple para referirse a algo que sucedió en el pasado. Por
ejemplo:

I lived in Paris for 1 year. (Viví en Paris por un año. *Ahora vivo en Roma.)

Notas: En inglés no se diferencia entre vivía y viví.

Si quieres enfatizar de que algo sucedía con cierta regularidad o de forma

permanente en el pasado se puede usar. "used to + verb base form" ("used to" =
"solía" ) Por ejemplo:

I used to live in London. (Solía vivir en Londres o vivía en Londres.)

AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCES. ORACIONES POSITIVAS.

Subject Verb Adverbial

(past form)
I
you went to the beach yesterday.
he
she
it
we
you
they

16
Por ejemplo: John went to the beach yesterday

NEGATIVE SENTENCES. ORACIONES NEGATIVAS.

Subject Auxiliary Verb Adverbial

(base form)
I did not go to the beach yesterday.
you (didn't)
he
she
it
we
you
they
John
Por ejemplo: John did not (didn't) go to the beach yesterday.

INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES. PREGUNTAS.

Questio Auxiliary Subject Verb Adverbial

n Word (base form)
When did I go to the beach ?
Why you to the beach yesterday?
How he yesterday?
Where she
etc. it
we
you
they
Por ejemplo: When did you go to the beach? Why did you go to the beach? How
did you go to the beach? or Did you go to the movies? Yes, I did. Did he go to
the beach. No, he didn’t.

ADVERBS. ADVERBIOS.
Frase Adverbio

I went to Madrid yesterday. ayer

(Fui a Madrid) last week. la semana pasada
last month etc el mes pasado
recently recientamente

Para decir "hace cuanto 2 days ago hace 2 días

tiempo" usamos AGO 2 weeks ago hace 2 semanas
5 years ago hace 5 años
a long time ago hace mucho tiempo

Para decir "durante cuanto for 2 weeks durante 2 semanas

tiempo" for 5 months durante 5 meses
usamos FOR

17
Notas: A menudo el adverbio va al final de la frase pero no siempre. Por ejemplo:

Two weeks ago, I went to the cinema . (I went to the cinema two weeks ago )

PAST FORM OF VERB TO BE

Pronombre Presente Pasado

I am was

You are were

He is was

She is was

It is was

We are were

You are were

They are were

Nota: Se hacen los afirmativos, negativos e interogativos de la misma manera que

en el presente.
- I was in Madrid yesterday. (+) Estuve en Madrid ayer.
- I wasn't in London yesterday. ( - ) No estuve en Madrid ayer.
- Were you in Paris yesterday? ( ? ) ¿Estuvistes en Paris ayer?

Fuente: [Link]

Exercise 22: The simple past. El pasado simple.

1. Read the following story.

CINDEROBOT
Cinderobot lived in a small village in the north of Guayaquíl. She had two sisters;
they were very ugly. She used to get up every morning at six o'clock to make
breakfast for her sisters. Afterwards, she used to clean the house. She worked all
day. Her two ugly sisters were very lazy; they never did any work because
Cinderobot did everything. Cinderobot was very unhappy. One day, the postman
came to the house. He gave Cinderobot's sister an envelope . In the envelope
there were three invitations to a party at the house of the Prince Laptop. She said
to her sisters, "Fantastic! There is a party at the Prince's house. I can wear my new
red dress and Esmerelda can wear her new blue dress, but Cinderobot can't go
because her dress is old and dirty and she doesn’t have any shoes." On Saturday at
8 o'clock, the ugly sisters went to the party. Cinderobot sat in the kitchen. She
was very sad. There was a ring at the door. Cinderobot opened the door. There
was a woman. She said, "Hello! I am your Fairy Scan-godmother. Why are you
sad?" Cinderobot said, "I want to go to the party but I haven't got any beautiful
clothes." The Fairy Scan-godmother said, "No problem, here is a new dress and
some glass shoes. There is a golden bicycle on the street. Now you can go to the
party, but you must return before 12 o'clock." Cinderobot said, "Thank you." She
put on the glass shoes and the red dress. She looked very pretty. Then she went
to the party by bicycle. The party was very good. At first, Cinderobot was very shy
but after an hour, the Prince asked Cinderobot to dance. They danced for a long
time. The Prince said to Cinderobot, "I like your dress and you are very pretty."
Cinderobot was very happy. She forgot what time it was. Suddenly the clock

18
rang. Cinderobot said, "Oh no! I must go. It is 12 o'clock." She ran home, at the
door of the Prince's house she lost her shoe. The next day, the Prince Laptop was
very sad because he was in love with Cinderobot but he didn't know where she
lived. He went to all the houses in the village asking the following question: "Do
you know whose shoe this is?" Finally, he went to Cinderobot's house. Cinderobot
opened the door. The Prince Laptop said, "I love you. Do you want to marry me?"
Cinderobot said, "Yes." The wedding was the week after. Cinderobot and the Prince
Laptop were never unhappy again. THE END

2. Answer these questions? Responde estas preguntas.

[Link] did she live?

_____________________________________________________________________________.
b. At what time did she use to get up?

_____________________________________________________________________________.
c. How did she go to the party?

_____________________________________________________________________________.
d. What did the postman give to Cinderobot?

_____________________________________________________________________________.
e. What did Fairy Scan-godmather give Cinderobot?

_____________________________________________________________________________.
f. Did Cinderobot go to the party?

_____________________________________________________________________________.
g. What did Prince Laptop ask Cinderobot at the party?

_____________________________________________________________________________.
h. Why was Prince Laptop sad?

_____________________________________________________________________________.i. How
did the story end? Does it have a happy ending?
_____________________________________________________________________________.

You can find this adapted story on the web page:

[Link]

3. Change the following sentences to the past. Cambia las

siguientes oraciones al pasado.

a. Most desktops offer more power, storage and versatility for less cost than
laptops.

_____________________________________________________________________________.
b. Laptops are portable computers.

_____________________________________________________________________________.
c. Palmtops do not have keyboards but rely on touchscreen technology.

_____________________________________________________________________________.
d. A workstation has a more powerful processor, additional memory and enhanced
capabilities.

_____________________________________________________________________________.
e. Servers usually have powerful processors, lots of memory and large hard drives.

19
_____________________________________________________________________________.
f. A mainframe is a large computer that is also called enterprise server.

_____________________________________________________________________________.
g. Mainframes are not huge computers.

_____________________________________________________________________________.

Grammar 23 : Colors. Colores.

SPANISH SPANISH
COLOR COLOR
MEANING MEANING
Amber Ambar Magenta Magenta
Aquamarin
Azul verdoso Maroon Castaño
e
Azulado, azul
Azure Mauve Malva
celeste
Beige Beige Navy blue Azul marino

Black Negro Olive Verde oliva

Blue Azul Orange Naranja

Blue-green Azul verdoso Orange-red Rojo-naranja

Blue-violet Azul violeta Peach Durazno

Brown Café Persian blue Azul (pérsico)

Byzantium Tipo de violeta Pink Rosado

Carmine Rojo profundo Plum Ciruela

Cerise Cereza Purple Morado

Azul, azul
Cerulean Red Rojo
celeste
Champagn
Champán Red-violet Rojo-violeta
e
Chartreuse Amarillo
Rose Rosa
green verdoso
Coral Coral Salmon Salmon (rosado)
Escarlata (rojo
Crimson Carmesí Scarlet
brillante)
Cyan Azul verdoso Silver Plata

Gold Dorado Slate gray Gris azulado

Verde (cyan y
Gray Gris Spring green
green)
Green Verde Taupe Gris oscuro

Indigo Indigo Teal Azul verdoso

Ivory Marfil Turquoise Turquesa

20
 Jade Jade (verde) Violet Violeta

Lavender Lavanda Viridian Azul-verdoso

Lilac Lila White Blanco

Lime Verde limón Yellow Amarillo

For more information go to: [Link]

Grammar 24: Say or Tell?. Decir o decir?

Según la página web: [Link] :
los verbos ingléses “to say” y “to tell” tienen significados parecidos pero “usos
diferentes”, razón por la cual tendemos a usarlos de manera incorrecta.

En la misma página encontramos la siguiente explicación sobre los usos de

“to say” y “to tell”: “Por lo general en inglés “You say something” (tu dices algo) y
“You tell someone something”(tu le dices a alguien algo)”. Por ejemplo:

Ram said that he was tired. Ram told Jane that he was tired.
Anthony says (that) you have a new job Anthony tells me you have a
new job.
Tara said: "I love you." Tara told John that she loved him.

aquí encontraras información que podría serte útil:

We cannot... These are NOT possible... These are

possible...
say someone to do something Tara said Jo to go away. Tara told Jo to go
away.
say someone something Panita said me that she is fine. Panita told me that
she is fine.
tell something He told that he likes coffee. He said that he likes coffee.
tell to someone Tom told to me that she's here. Tom told me that she is
here.
Tom said to me that she's
here.
say a lie Mark always says lies. Mark always tells
lies.
tell somebody "direct speech" Ram told Nok: "Let's go out." Ram said to Nok: "Let's
go out."
(except instructions and information) (Ram told Nok, "Turn on the
TV.")
(Ram told Nok: "I was born in
1985.")
say or tell a reported question She said if I wanted to come. She asked if I wanted
to come.
Sarah told what I wanted to do. Sarah asked what I
wanted to do.

Exercise 24: Say or Tell?. Decir o decir?

1. Explain the grammatical rule used in the following
sentences. Explica la regla gramatical usada en las siguientes
oraciones.
Por ejemplo:
a. Ram said that he was tired. Usamos el verbo “to say” porque estamos
refiriéndonos a lo
que alguien dijo en general.

21
b. Ram told Jane that he was tired. Usamos el verbo “to tell” porque estamos
indicando a
quien se le comunico algo, en este caso a “Jane” y luego lo que se dijo.

c. Anthony says (that) you have a new job.

d. Tara told John that she loved him.

e. Anthony tells me you have a new job.

f. Tara said: "I love you."

2. Complete the sentences by using the most suitable form of

the verb “to say” or “to tell”. Completa las oraciones usando
la forma correcta del verbo “to say” or “to tell”.

1) Can you me the way to the station, please?

2) He didn't a word.
3) She her name was Sue.
4) Let me you something about my hobbies.
5) Forget everything I just .
6) Why didn't you him that before?
7) Why didn't you that before?
8) They nothing to me.
9) You don't need to us that.
10) What did Eric when he saw the new bike?
Source: [Link]

Grammar 25: The present continuous. El

presente continuo.
Los tiempos progresivos ("continuous tenses" o "progressive tenses")
expresan el "progreso" o desarollo de una acción en un momento dado.

El tiempo presente progresivo ("present progressive") expresa una acción

que se está desarrollando en el momento presente, generalmente, una acción
temporaria que comenzó hace poco tiempo y que terminará pronto.

En inglés, al igual que en español, el tiempo presente progresivo está

formado por el verbo auxiliar "be" (ser o estar) conjugado en tiempo presente, más
el "present participle" (form + ing) del verbo principal. Se lo utiliza por lo general
con las palabras: “now” y “at the moment”, ambas significan “ahora” o “en este
momento”.

Lee cuidadosamente estos ejemplos:

Sujeto estar/se Present Participle TRANSLATION
r
eating a hot dog at the Estoy comiendo un hot dog
I am
moment. en este momento.
You are not working on your assignment. Tu no estás trabajando en la

22
 tarea.
Los chicos está jugando
The boys are playing video games now. videojuegos en este
momento.
They are singing. Ellos están cantando.
¿Está ella reparando la
Is she fixing the computer now? computadora ahora?
Carla no está imprimiendo el
Carla isn’t printing the document. documento.
No estamos escaneando el
We aren’t scanning homework. deber.
Estás estudiando
Are you studying computing? computación?
Marlon no está recuperando
Marlon is not retrieving the information. la información.

En inglés, el presente progresivo o continuo se usa con mucha más

frecuencia que en español, aún cuando no está presente en la oración una de las
expresiones que lo indican. Por este motivo existe una tendencia en los hispano-
parlantes a no usarlo. Por ejemplo:

What are you doing? (¿Qué haces?) I am watching TV. = (Miro la

televisón.)

También es posible usar el tiempo presente progresivo en inglés para hacer

referencia a una acción en el futuro. Esto no es posible en español, en donde es
necesario usar el tiempo presente o alguna forma del futuro. Por ejemplo:
What are you doing tomorrow? We are leaving to Acapulco at 6 PM.
( ¿Qué vas a hacer mañana? Nos vamos a Acapulco a las 6 p.m. )

En conclusión, usamos el presente continuo en estas situaciones:

- Para hablar acerca de acciones que están pasando ahora o al momento que la
persona está hablando:
Don´t make noise. Don’t you see that I’m reading a book now?
(No hagas ruido. No ves que estoy leyendo un libro en este momento?)

- A veces la acción no se desarrolla en ese preciso momento, pero está

“figurativamente” sucediendo al momento en que se describe la acción:
Kate is learning Italian.
(Kate esta estudiando Italiano.)

- Para hablar sobre cambios que están sucediendo:

The population of the world is increasing very fast (not increases)
(La populación del mundo esta aumentando rápidamente.)

- Para hablar sobre situaciones temporales, que pasan al momento en que se esta
hablando:
Sarah is in her car. She is driving to work.
(Sarah está en su carro. Ella está manejando al trabajo.)

Today, this week, this year…

Puedes usar el presente continuo con palabras como: today / this week / this
year, etc
You are working hard today. (Tú estas trabajando duro hoy.)
I am planning to save the world this year. (Estoy planeando salvar el mundo
este año.)

Usamos el presente continuo cuando hablamos de cambios, especialmente cuando

usamos estos verbos: get change become increase rise fall grow
improve begin start

23
 Is your English getting better? (¿Está tu Inglés mejorando?)

I always do and I’m always doing (P. simple and continuous)

I always do (sth) : lo hago todo el tiempo. Ex: I always go to work by car.
I’m always doing (sth): algo que hacemo mas de lo normal. EX:I’m always loosing
my radio.

Think (P. simple and continuous)

Cuando “think’ significa “creer” o “tener una opinión”, no usamos el presente
continuo:
I think Mary is Canadian. (Yo creo Mary es Canadiense.)
He thinks we should go. (El piensa que deberíamos ir.)
What do you think about my plan? (¿Qué piensas acerca de mi plan?)

He is … and He is being …(P. simple and continuous)

He is …. : todo el tiempo. EX: He is selfish. He never shares.
He’s being: El está siendo o actuando de un forma temporalmente. Ex: He is being
so selfish lately; I don’t know why. (El esta siendo tan egoista ultimamente. No se
porqué.)

NON – PROGRESSIVE VERBS

Estos verbos no son normalmente usados en la forma progresiva:
believe / belong / contain / forget / hate / like / love / matter / need / own / prefer
realize / remember / suppose / understand / want / know / mean / fit / consist /
seem

INCORRECTO: She is loving Pedro. CORRECTO: She loves Pedro.

Exercise 25: The present continuous. El

presente progresivo.

Part A
Name of participants: ___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

PART 1

1. Ask the following questions to your partner. Formula las siguiente

preguntas a tu compañero de grupo.:

1. Who is Angela?

______________________________________
2. Is Angela repairing her desktop computer now?

______________________________________
3. Is she formatting a CD?

______________________________________
4. What is Angela doing?

______________________________________
5. Why is she browsing the Internet?

24
______________________________________
6. What are Angela plans for next year?

______________________________________
7. Where is Angela at the moment?

______________________________________
8. Where does she want to work?

______________________________________
9. What does the author think about her?

______________________________________

Reading 2
1. Read the following conversation and answer your partner´s questions.
Lee la siguiente conversación y responde las preguntas de tu compañero:

Marcos is a boy that loves computers. Right now, he’s studying the reading “The
Parts of The Computer” at the library of his school. He has a test tomorrrow. He also
plans to go to Australia next year. He wants to study computing and English at a
very prestigious university. I think he is going to make it. He´s very smart.

Exercise 25: The present continuous. El

presente progresivo.

Part B
Name of participants: ___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

PART 1

1. Ask the following questions to your partner. Formula las siguiente

preguntas a tu compañero de grupo.:

1. Who is Marcos?

______________________________________
2. Is Marcos deleting programs on his computer?

______________________________________
3. Is he making a PowerPoint presentation?

______________________________________
4. What is Marcos doing?

______________________________________
5. Why is he studying computing?

25
______________________________________
6. What are Marcos plans for next year?

______________________________________
7. Where is Marcos at the moment?

______________________________________
8. What subjects does he want to study?

______________________________________
9. What does the author think?

______________________________________

Reading 2
1. Read the following conversation and answer your partner´s questions.
Lee la siguiente conversación y responde las preguntas de tu compañero:

Angela is a girl that likes to spend time browsing the Internet. Right now, she´s at
home searching web pages in her computer. She has to investigate about the
keyboard and its parts. She plans to finish her studies and go on vacation to Rome
next year. She wants to work in a very famous computer company such as Dell or
Apple. Well, I think she´s dreaming.

Grammar 26: The family. La familia.

adopted adoptado half- medio hermano

brother(sister) (a)
aunt tío husband esposo

brother hermano middle child hijo de enmedio

brother-in-law cuñado mother madre

cousin primo / prima mother-in-law suegra

dad papá mum mami

daddy papito mummy mami

daughter hija nephew sobrino

daughter-in-law nuera niece sobrina

elder (sister- el hermano (a) mayor older mayor

brother)
father padre only child hijo único

father-in-law suegro orphan huérfano

foster parents padres de crianza parents parientes

godfather padrino sibling hermano

godmother madrina sister hermana

26
 grandchild nieto sister-in-law cuñada

grandchildren nietos stepson hijastro

granddad abuelo son hijo

granddaughter nieta son-in-law yerno

grandfather abuelo stepdaughter hijastra

grandma abuela stepfather padrastro

grandmother abuela stepmother madrastra

grandpa abuelo single parent padre soltero

grandparents abuelos stepson hijastro

grandson nieto twins gemel os

great-grandfather tataratata abuelo(a) wife esposa

great-
grandmother

Reading 5 : The Parts of a Computer System

The parts of a COMPUTER SYSTEM fall into three fundamental groups:
HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and INFORMATION.

HARDWARE
It includes the computer and all the physical devices attached to it. The
most important pieces of hardware in the computer are: MAIN MEMORY and THE
PROCESSOR (CPU). INTERFACES, the circuits that convey signals between the
computer and peripheral devices, are also considered hardware.

Some are built-in, others such as disk or controller cards, can be installed in
the expansion slots of the computer. Then, they are the external devices, which are
the means by which a computer receives information from the outside world and
send results back. Devices that provide input or output to the computer are called
peripherals. On a typical personal computer, peripherals include input devices like
the keyboard and mouse, and output devices such as the display and printer. Hard
disk drives, floppy disk drives and optical disk drives serves as both input and
output devices.

SOFTWARE
It is made up of the sequences of instructions (programs) that the processor
can carry out when those instructions are in main memory. The instructions can be
changed easily.

INFORMATION
Information is the summarization of data. Technically, data are raw facts and
figures that are processed into information, such as summaries and totals. But since
information can also be the raw data for the next job or person, the two terms
cannot be precisely defined, and both are used interchangeably.

27
Task 5: The parts of a computer system. Las partes
del sistema de computación.

1. The reading “The Parts of a Computer System” has

vocabulary that is new for you. Here there is a list with some
of these new words. La lectura “The Parts of a Computer
System” tiene vocabulario que es nuevo para ti. aquí
encontrarás una lista con esas nuevas palabras.

between = entre
built-in = incorporado, integrado
circuit (s)= circuito
controller card (s) = tarjeta (ficha) reguladora / controladora
device (s) = dispositivo
disk (s) =disco
hardware = hardware, parte física de la computadora, maquínaria, equipos
input = entrada, acto de transferir información a la memoria principal
interface = interfaz
main memory (ies) = memoria principal
means = medio
output = salida, datos de salida, lectura, resultado de operaciones
outside world (s) = mundo externo
result (s) = resultado

slot (s) = ranura

software = software, parte intangible de la computadora (programas)
The most important = lo más importante
the processor (s) = el procesador
to attach (to) = conectar, unir, adjuntar
to convey = transmitir
to debug = depurar, eliminar errores
to receive = recibir
to send (sth) back = enviar devuelta
to provide = proveer
to be made up = está conformada o compuesta
to carry out = llevar a cabo
to change = cambiar

2. Now that you can understand the reading; try to answer

the following questions. Ahora que entiendes la lectura; trata
de responder las siguientes preguntas.
a. Which are the parts of a computer system?

_______________________________________________________________________
b. What does the hardware include?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
c. What are interfaces?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
d. Give examples of built-in devices.

28
_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
e. How is the software made up?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
f. What is information?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

3. Arrange the words in a complete and logical sentence.

a. physical / hardware / includes / all / the / The / devices.

_______________________________________________________________________
b. We / input / the memory ROM. / cannot / data / into

_______________________________________________________________________

c. but / I / would / it’s closed. / go / to the supermarket /

_______________________________________________________________________
d. are able to / Computers / calculations. / perform / difficult

_______________________________________________________________________

Grammar 27: The past continuous. El pasado

continuo.
En inglés, al igual que en español, el tiempo pasado progresivo está formado
por el verbo auxiliar be conjugado en pasado (pretérito) más el "present participle"
(forma+ing) del verbo principal.

RECUERDA: (VERB TO BE PAST FORM)

I was You were He was She was It was We were You were They
were

estar/se
Sujeto Present Participle TRANSLATION
r
Estaba comiendo un hot
I was eating a hot dog.
dog.
were working on your Tu no estabas trabajando
You
not assignement. en la tarea.
Los chicos estaban
The boys were playing video games.
jugando videojuegos.
They were singing. Ellos estaban cantando.
¿Estaba ella reparando la
Was she fixing the computer?
computadora?
Carla no estaba
Carla wasn’t printing the document. imprimiendo el
documento.

29
 weren’ No estábamos escaneando
We scanning homework.
t el deber.
¿Estabas estudiando
Were you studying computing?
computación?
Marlon no estaba
was
Marlon retrieving the information. recuperando la
not
información.

Por lo general usamos las palabras “when” y “while” con el pasado continuo. Sin
embargo, no podemos usar el pasado continuo con la palabra “when”, pero si con
“while”:

Hay cuatro combinaciones básicas:

I was walking past the car when it exploded.

Whe the car exploded I was walking past it.

n
The car exploded while I was walking past it.

Whil I was walking past the car it exploded.

e

•when + short action (simple past tense)

•while + long action (past continuous tense)

Exercise 27: The past continuous. El pasado

continuo.
1. Put in the correct form of the verb. Llena con la forma
correcta del verbo.

a. Priscila _____ _____________ (to download) the program, when I was at home.
b. They were out, while the students _______ _____________ (to work) on the project.
c. When Dennis was in the dining room, he ____ ___________ (to fix) the printer.
d. While we _____ __________ (to transmit) the information, the computer turned off.
e. It _____ __________ (to print) a document when she scanned the picture.
f. Those are the computers that I _____ __________ (to look for) yesterday.
g. They went to the store while I _____ __________ (to read) a book on computers.
h. I conveyed the information last month while you _____ __________ (to work) for
IBM.

2. Write four sentences in past continuous. Use the words

“while” and “when”. Escribe cuatro oraciones en pasado
continuo. Usa las palabras “while” y “when”.
1.
.

2.
.

3.
.

30
4.
.

5.
.

Grammar 28: The parts of the body. Las partes

del cuerpo.
ankle tobillo eyelash pestaña mouth boca
arm brazo eyelid párpado muscle músculo
back espalda eye ojo nail uña
body hair vello face cara neck cuello
bone hueso *foot pie nouse nariz
brain cerebro finger dedo pore poro
buttock trasero forehead frente shoulder hombro
calf pantorrilla hair cabello skin piel
cheek mejilla hand mano stomach estómago
chest pecho head cabeza *tooth diente
chin barbilla hip cadera toe dedo del pie
ear oreja iris iris toe nail uña del pie
elbow codo leg pierna tongue lengua
eyebrow ceja lip labio waist cadera

* feet: pie foot: pies / tooth: diente teeth: dientes

Source: Internet

Grammar 29: The present continuous (Part

2). El presente continuo (Part 2).

Longer Actions in Progress Now. Acciones que están en

progreso. En inglés, la palabra “now” puede significar: este segundo, este mes,
hoy etc. A veces, usamos el presente continuo para decir que estamos en
proceso de hacer algo, aunque no lo estemos haciendo en ese exacto momento.
Por ejemplo: (Todas estas oraciones pueden ser dichas en una conversación entre
amigos por teléfono mientras estan viendo la TV.)

•I am studying to become a doctor. (Estoy estudiando para ser un doctor)

•You’re wrong. I am not studying to become a dentist. (Estás equivocado.
No estoy estudiando para ser dentista.)
•I am reading the book Tom Sawyer. (Estoy leyendo el libro Tom Sawyer.)
•I am not reading any books right now. (No estoy leyendo ningún libro en
este momento.)
•Are you working on any special projects at work? (Estás trabajando en
algunos proyectos especiales en el trabajo?)
•Aren't you teaching at the university now? (¿Estás dando clases en la
Universidad?)

Near Future. Futuro cercano.

A veces usamos el presente continuo para indicar si algo pasará o no pasará
en el futuro o para hablar sobre planes ya establecidos con anterioridad. Por
ejemplo:

31
 •I am meeting some friends after work. (Me voy a reunir con algunos
amigos después del trabajo.)
•Is he visiting his parents next weekend? (¿Va a visitar a sus padres la
próxima semana?)
•Isn't he coming with us tonight? (¿Va a venir con nosotros esta noche?)
•What are you doing next Monday? I’m flying to Europe on business. ¿Qué
va a hacer el próximo Lunes? Voy a viajar a Europa por negocios.

-ing form. Forma -ing.

- Para formar el “presente participio” solemos añadir “-ing” al verbo: work -
working /
stand standing / learn – learning

- Cuando el verbo termina en “-e”, eliminamos la “-e” y añadimos: “-ing”: come -

coming / have - having / write – writing

- Si un verbo es monosílabo y termina en consonante seguido por vocal, doblamos

la consonante: swim - swimming / get - getting / stop - stopping

*Excepciones: begin - beginning / travel - travelling - British English / admit -

admitting/ allot - allotting / bootleg - bootlegging / commit - committing / compel -
compelling /
concur - concurring / confer - conferring / control - controlling / corral - corralling /
defer - deferring / deter - deterring / dispel - dispelling / emit - emitting / equip -
equipping / excel - excelling / expel - expelling / extol - extolling / handicap -
handicapping /
impel - impelling / incur - incurring / infer - inferring / inter - interring / occur -
occurring / omit - omitting / outwit - outwitting / patrol - patrolling / permit -
permitting /
prefer - preferring / propel - propelling / recur - recurring / refer - referring /
remit - remitting / submit - submitting / transfer - transferring / transmit -
transmitting

- Si un verbo termina en "-ie", se elimina el “-ie” y se lo cambia por la letra "-y" y

procedemos a añadir la terminación “-ing": lie - lying / die - dying

SOURCE: [Link]
[Link]

Exercise 29: The present continuous (Part 2).

El presente continuo (Part 2).
1. What uses of the Present Continuous Tense do these
sentences have? ¿Cuál es el uso del presente continuo en
estas oraciones?
1. I am playing football tonight. Futuro planificado con anterioridad.
2. I can't play with you now. I am finishing my homework.
3. Where are you studying?
4. What are you doing these days?
5. Sally is taking a bath.
6. Why is she coming tonight?
7. Peter and Mary are going out.

2. Make the -ing form of the verbs. Escribe la forma -ing del
verbo.

VERB -ING FORM

to hold (sostener) holding
to remit (remitir, enviar) remitting

32
 to come (venir, llegar)
to watch (ver)
to skate (patinar)
to smile (sonreir)
to die (morir)
to speak (hablar)
to excel (distinguirse)
to infer (inferir, deducir)
to run (correr, ejecutar)
to meet (conocer)
to talk (hablar)
to have (tener)
to occur (ocurrir)
to transmit (transmitir)
to take (tomar)
to equip (equipar)
to compel (obligar)
to emit (emitir)
to live (vivir)
to sit (sentarse)
to omit (omitir)
to prefer (preferir)
to go (ir)
to refer (remitir, atribuir)
to listen to (escuchar)
to submit (someter, remitir)
to eat (comer)
to control (controlar)
to lie (mentir)
to ski (esquí)
to wear (vestir, usar)
to chat(conversar)
to transfer (transferir)
to chew (masticar)
to begin (comenzar)
to travel (viajar)
to admit (admitir)

3. Fill in the gaps with the correct form of the verb in

brackets. Llena el espacio en blanco con la forma correcta del
verbo en paréntesis.
Example: We are watching (to watch) the television at the moment.

1. My Dad (not / to have) his lunch now.

2. The kids (not / to study) tomorrow.
3. These machines (to control) that machine because the other is
broken.
4. It (not / to rain) today.
5. At least you (to admit) you were wrong.
6. I (not / to study) Spanish.
7. Computers constantly (to transfer) data.
8. The program (to run) properly.
9. We (not / to go) to the Galapagos on summer holiday.

4. Make negative sentences in the Present Continuous Tense.

Example: isn't/ homework./Anita/English/doing/her: Anita isn't doing her English
homework.

1. We / today! / Test Progress / the / having / aren't

33
2. Unfortunately, / dinner. /coming /aren't / the Petersons / for

.
3. isn't / photocopier/ working. / The

.
4. her / and / aren't / flat / Lisa / a / renting / together. / sister

.
5. aren't / working / next / We / Saturday.

.
6. anywhere / Clive / weekends. / I / and / at / going / aren't

.
7. ringing. / The / phone / isn't

.
8. doing / right / I'm / not / anything / now.

.
9. playing / games. / Nobody / computer / is

5. Elaborate questions using the words in brakets. Elabora

preguntas usando las palabras en paréntesis.
Example: (you / to listen) to me? Are you listening to me?

1. (it / to start) to rain?

?
2. (Sue / to study) to become a doctor?
?
3. Where (we / to print) the document?
?
4. (you / to take) your daughter with you?
?
5. What (she / to think)?
?
6. (the dog / to play) with the kids?
?
7. (they / to come) tonight?
?
8. Who (to be / convey) the results of the survey?
?
Source: [Link]

Grammar 30: Possessives forms ('s). Forma

de los posesivos.
Las posesivos, por lo general, son una forma de indicar el que algo le
pertenece a algo, aunque también son usados en casos particulares. Para indicar
posesión lo que hacemos es añadirle la letra “-s” a la persona que posee el objeto.
Pareciera esto un poco complicado pero vas a ver que no.

“The computer of Joe”, esta oración se traduce como “La computadora de

Joe”. Si quiero usar un posesivo y así evitarme escribir toda la frase, lo único que
debo hacer es añadirle un apostrofe y la letra “-s” al dueño del objeto, por ejemplo:

Joe's computer = The computer of Joe

Otro ejemplos:

34
 The house of Terence = Terence's house
The job of David = David's job
The calendar of Lisa = Lisa's calendar

Hasta ahora hemos solo usado nombres de personas, con estos siempre
puedes usar un posesivo y no tener problema. Lo complicado es cuando el dueño
del objeto no es una persona sino otro objeto, es aquí cuando se tiende a confundir
su uso. Por ejemplo:

The pages of the book = book's pages but computer book = libro de
computación

En el primer ejemplo se me esta indicando que las “páginas” son del libro,
en el segundo la palabra “computer” me indica el tipo de libro que es, no una
relación de posesión. Más ejemplos:
The frame of the picture = the picture's frame
The wick of the candle = the candle's wick
The drawer of the desk = the desk's drawer

Muchos de ustedes se preguntarán y que pasa si mi sustantivo a usar esta

en plural, en ese caso sólo añadimos el apóstrofe ( ' ). Por ejemplo:

The room of my sisters = my sisters' room

the home of my parents = my parents' home

Y si mi sustantivo termina en “-s” y es singular ¿qué hago?....bueno en

ese caso se aumenta el apóstrofe y la “-s”. Por ejemplo:

The car of my boss = my boss's car

Los posesivos son un tema que genera mucha confusión ya que hay ciertos
sustantivos, que aceptan directamente otro sustantivo y no la forma posesiva, ya
que, simplemente se esta calificando al sustantivo. En otras palabras, cuando un
sustantivo tiene la función de adjetivo no se utilizan las formas posesivas. A estos
sustantivos se los denomina “sustantivos compuestos”. Por ejemplo:

computer store = tienda de computadoras(no hay posesión, solo me indica el

tipo de tienda)
horse race = caballo de carreras (se especifica el tipo de caballo)

Recuerda: Sólo se aumenta la “-s” para formar el plural de un “sustantivo

compuesto” a la última palabra. Por ejemplo:
computer stores
horse races

Si una sustantivo tiene una forma plural irregular, se le aplica la regla

general de los posesivos, es decir se le aumenta el “ 's '”. Por ejemplo:
the name of the children = the children's name
the changing room of men = the men's changing room
the pasture of the sheep = the sheep's pasture
the dresses of the women = the women's dresses

Es posible usar posesivos, aún si hubieran dos o más de dos dueños, lo

único que hay que hacer es aumentar la “ 's ” al último possedor. Por ejemplo:

Jack and Jill’s hardware store. (ambos son los dueños de la ferreteria)

Y si hablaramos de objetos de la misma clase pero cada poseedor tiene el

suyo propio, podemos usar la forma posesiva de la siguiente forma:

35
Senator Obama’s and Senator Clinton’s educations (la educación que ambos
recibieron es diferente, pero quisimos usar los dos nombre juntos).

A las expresiones de tiempo se le suelen aumentar la “ 's ”, así como

con periodos de tiempo. Por ejemplo:
The time for next week's meeting has been changed from 6 to 7 p.m.
Today's party is the best party ever.
I've got a week's holiday starting on Monday.
I live near the station. It's only about ten minutes' walk.

Tambien solemos usar la forma del posesivo con nombres de

organizaciones, aunque usar “of” también es permitido:

the government's decision = the decision of the government

the company's success = the success of the company

Es posible usar “ 's ” con lugares. Por ejemplo:

the city's street the world's population Italy's primer minister

Si no estas seguro de usar el posesivo, usa "of", especialmente cuando

hables de cosas, o ideas. Por ejemplo:

the door of the garage / garage door (NOT: the garage's door)
the name of the book (NOT: the book's name )

Usamos the biginning/end/middle of....., the top/bottom of....,

the front/back/side of....:

the biginning of the month (NOT: the month's beginning)

the top of the hill
the back of the car

Source: [Link]
English Grammar in Use

Exercise 30: Possessives forms ('s). Forma de

los posesivos.

1. Form possessives if it's possible. Forma posesivos si es

posible.
Por ejemplo:

The orders of the Commander-in-Chief. The Commander-in-Chief's orders

1. The hats of ladies.

2. The poems of Keats.
3. The birthday of the President of France.
4. The wedding of James and Mary.
5. The owner of the restaurant.

36
6. The brakes of the car.
7. The name of my uncle.
8. The crown of the King of England.
9. The house of Mr. and Mrs. Carter.
10. The glass of my father.
11. The door of the house.
12. The back of the car.
13. The beginning of the month.

Source:[Link]
[Link]

Reading 6: The Keyboard

The keyboard is an input device that allows to key in programs and
data to control the computer system. The keys are arranged in the same order as a
typewriter. This layout is known as “QWERTY” because these are the first six
letters on the top left of the keyboard.

Generally, keyboards use an arrangement of buttons, or keys which act as

electronic switches. They typically have characters (letters, numbers, symbols and
blank spaces) engraved or printed on the keys. Also they have some additional
signs and some keys that do not produce characters, but have special uses.

Most keys are self-repeating, that´s to say, if they are held down, they
repeat the same function one and over again until they are released.

When using a computer keyboard, it is important not to confuse the

numbering key for number “0” (zero) with the lettering key for letter “O” and

37
the numering key for number “1” (one) with lettering key for letter “l” (as in Lima).

Sometimes you use the “mouse” instead” of the keyboard in order to work
faster.

Most character keys can produce two different characters depending on

weather or not the “SHIFT”, “SHIFT LOCK” or “CAPS LOCK” functions are in
operation.
For example:
- the character “A” produces “A” or “a”.

-the character “#/3” ‘produces “#” (upper-case character) or “3” (lower case
character)

The numeric keypad is a more recent addition to the computer keyboard.

Since a large part of the data was numbers, a set of numeric keys, was added to
the keyboard.

Other common control keys include: Home, End, Insert (Ins), Delete, Page Up
(Pgup), Page Down (Pgdn), Control (Ctrl), Alternate (Alt), Escape (Esc).

TO REMEMBER:
If a character key is pressed without using the “SHIFT”, “SHIFT LOCK” or “CAPS
LOCK” functions, the lower-case character is produced.

Investigated from “Basic English for Computing” by John Mc Evan.

Task 6: The Keyboard

1. Answer the following questions.

1. What is the keyboard function?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
2. How are the keys of a keyboard arranged?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

3. Are the keys of a keyboard similar to a Typewriter?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
4. What do keyboards typically have?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
5. Why do we say that keys are self-repeating?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
6. What can most character keys produce?

38
_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
7. What is the numeric keypad?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
8. Make a list of common control keys.

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Grammar 31: Comparative and superlative

adjectives. Adjetivos comparativos y
superlativos.
A desktop computer is CHEAPER than a laptop.
A workstation has a MORE POWERFUL processor than a regular desktop.

The Mac (Macintosh) series of laptops is THE NICEST on the market.

Among all computers, Supercomputers are THE MOST EXPENSIVE ones.

Cuando necesitamos realizar una comparación o indicar que algo es lo mejor

que hay, se debe recurrir al uso de los “adjetivos comparativos y
superlativos”.

Al igual que en español, los adjetivos comparativos se los usa para

comparar tanto las características físicas como las no-fisicas entre dos o más
personas, animales o cosas. Estos adjetivos tienen la particularidad de cambiar de
su estado original a otra forma, ya sea aumentando las letras -er, anteponiendo la
palabra “MORE”, o cambiando completamente la estructura de la palabra
(adjetivos irregulares). Por ejemplo:
Peter is young. He is 15 years old. Mary is also young. She is 18 years
old.
(Pedro es jóven. Tiene 15 años. Mary es también jóven. Tiene 18 años.)

Si quiero comparar a Pedro y Maria, sabiendo que Pedro es más joven que
María la oración quedaría:
Peter is YOUNGER than Mary. (adjective: YOUNG).
(Pedro es más jóven que María.) (adjetivo: JOVEN)

Otro ejemplo:
Peter is a very patient person. He likes to listen to others and give them advice. He
always has time. Mary is also a patient person. She likes to listen to people but not
too often. She´s always busy.
(Pedro es una persona muy paciente. Le gusta escuchar a otros y dar consejo.
Siempre tiene tiempo. María es también paciente. Le gusta escuchar a las personas
pero no tan a menudo. Siempre esta ocupada.)

Si quiero comparar a Pedro y Maria, sabiendo que Pedro es más paciente que
María la oración quedaría:
Peter is MORE PATIENT than Mary. (adjective: PATIENT).
(Pedro es mas paciente que María) (adjetivo: PACIENTE)

39
Otro ejemplo:
Peter is good at Math. He got a B. Mary is very good at Math. She got an
A.
(Pedro es bueno para las matematicas. Obtuvo una B. María es muy buena para las
matemáticas. Obtuvo una A.)

Si quiero comparar a Pedro y Maria, sabiendo que María es mejor en

matemáticas que Pedro la oración quedaría:
Mary is BETTER at math than Peter. (adjective: GOOD)
(María es mejor en matematicas que Pedro.) (adjetivos: BUENO)

Por otra parte, los ADJETIVOS SUPERLATIVOS se los usa para indicar que
algo o alguién es lo mejor que hay. Estos adjetivos, al igual que los comparativos
tienen la particularidad de cambiar de su estado original a otra forma, ya sea
aumentando las letras -est y la palabra “THE”; anteponiendo al nuevo adjetivo la
palabras “THE MOST”, o cambiando completamente la estructura de la palabra
(adjetivos irregulares). Por ejemplo:
Peter is young. He is 15 years old. All his friends are 16 and 17 years old.
(Pedro es jóven. Tiene 15 años. Todos sus amigos tienen 16 y 17 años.)

Si quiero decir que Pedro es el mas jóven, la oración sería:

Peter is THE YOUNGEST of his friends. (adjective: YOUNG).
(Pedro es el más jóven de sus amigos.) (adjetivo: JOVEN)

Otro ejemplo:
Peter is a very patient person. He likes to listen to people and give them advice.
Nobody likes to listen to others or give advice.
(Pedro es una persona muy paciente. Le gusta escuchar a la gente y dar consejo.
Nadie gusta de escuchar a otros o dar consejo.)

Si quiero decir que Pedro es la persona mas paciente que he conocido la

oración sería:
Peter is THE MOST PATIENT person I have ever known. (adjective:
PATIENT).
(Pedro es la persona más paciente que he conocido.) (adjetivo: PACIENTE)

Otro ejemplo:
Peter and his friends are good at Math. All of them got a B. Maria is very very
good at Math. She's the only one that got an A.
(Pedro y sus amigos son buenos en matemáticas. Todos obtuvieron una B. María es
muy muy buena en matemáticas. Es la única que obtuvo una A.).

Si quiero decir que María es la mejor en matemáticas la oración sería:

Mary is THE BEST at math. (adjective: GOOD)
(María es la mejor en matemáticas.) (adjetivo: BUENO)

Reglas a recordar sobre adjetivos comparativos:

1. Para adjetivos con dos cononantes añade er: tall-taller
2. Para adjetivos que acaban en la letra e añade r: large-larger
3. Para adjetivos que acaban en una vocal + un consonante repite la
consonante + er: big-bigger
4. Para adjetivos que acaban en y añade ier : happy-happier (tidy, empty, dry,
busy, dirty, funny, early)
5. Si el ajetivo tiene dos sílabas ó mas usa more + el adjetivo (excepciones
son los adjetivos que acaban en y ver arriba): modern-more modern
6. Hay algunos adjetivos a los que se puede añadir er or more: clever: cleverer ó
more clever, narrow: narrower ó more narrow, simple: simpler ó more simple.
7. Algunos adjetivos son irregulares: good-better, bad-worse, far-farther/further
8. Para escribir frases comparativas: se usa el verbo + adjetivo comparativo + than

40
+ objeto:
She is taller than her sister. Ella es mas alta que su hermana.

Reglas a recordar sobre adjetivos superlativos:

1. Para adjetivos con dos consonantes añade est : tall - the tallest
2. Para adjetivos que acaban con la letra e añade st : large - the largest
3. Para adjetivos que acaban con una vocal + un consonante repite la
consonante +est : big - the biggest
4. Para adjetivos que acaban con y añade iest :tidy - the tidiest (empty, dry,
busy,dirty, funny, early)
5. Para adjetivos con dos sílabas ó mas usa most + adjectivo: important-the
most important, modern-the most modern, common - the most common
6. Con algunos adjetivos con dos sílabas se puede añadir est ó most : clever - the
cleverest ó the most clever, pleasant - the pleasantest ó the most pleasant
7. Adjetivos irregulares: good-the best, bad-the worst,old-the oldest,far-the farthest

Sources:
Headway. Intermediate. John & Liz Soars. Oxford University Press. 1994
[Link]
ml

Exercise 31: Comparative and superlative

adjectives. Adjetivos comparativos y
superlativos.

1. Form comparative and superlative adjectives. Forma

adjetivos comparativos y superlativos.

adjective comparative adjective superlative

adjective

a. young
b. easy
c. fast
d. happy
e. long
f. hot
g. thin
h. cheap
i. much
j. many
k. bad
l. far

m. little
n. beautiful
o. careful
p. intelligent
q. powerful
r. violent

2. Write sentences using comparative and superlative

41
adjectives. Escribe oraciones usando adjetivos comparativos
y superlativos.
Adjective: efficient
C: A laptop is more efficient than a desktop.
S: A laptop is the most efficient computer on the market.

Adjective: big
C: A mainframe is bigger than a regular PC.
S: That supercomputer is the biggest computer in the building.

Adjective: powerful

C: __________________________________________________________.

S: __________________________________________________________.

Adjective: fast

C: __________________________________________________________.

S: __________________________________________________________.

Adjective: bad

C: __________________________________________________________.

S: __________________________________________________________.

Adjective: small

C: __________________________________________________________.

S: __________________________________________________________.

Adjective: interesting

C: __________________________________________________________.

S: __________________________________________________________.

Adjective: expensive

C: __________________________________________________________.

S: __________________________________________________________.

Adjective: good

C: __________________________________________________________.

S: __________________________________________________________.

Grammar 32: Comparative and superlative

adverbs. Adverbios comparativos y
superlativos.

42
 Espero recuerde la diferencia entre un adjetivo y un adverbio. Si no es así,
permítame refrescarle la memoria: “Los adjetivos sirven para calificar
“sustantivos” y suelen utilizarse después de los verbos: to be (ser), to seem
(parece), to become (se convierte), to look (parece), to feel (siente), to
sound (suena), to taste (sabe) or to smell (huele)”. Mientras que los
adverbios califican a verbos, adjetivos y adverbios. Por ejemplo:

She seems quiet. (Ella parece tranquila.)

She works quietly. (Ella trabaja tranquilamente.)

En la primera oración estoy calificando a una persona, estoy indicando que

alguien es tranquilo; mientras que, en la segunda oración estoy calificando a un
verbo, es decir, estoy indicando “como” alguien trabaja. Veamos mas ejemplos
para que logres entender la diferencia entre un adjetivo y un adverbio.

My new laptop is so thin that it can be carried around easily.

(Mi nueva computadora es tan delgada que puede ser llevada de un lugar a otro
fácilmente.)

En la anterior oración encontramos el adjetivo “thin” y el adverbio

“easily”. EL adjetivo “thin” esta calificando al sustantivo “laptop”, mientras que
el adverbio “easily” esta calificando al verbo “to carry around”

That beautiful woman sings beautifully.

En este caso el adjetivo lo encontramos antes del sustantivo, recuerde

que los adjetivos pueden ir despues de ciertos verbos o antes del sustantivo que
califica. En este caso se esta indicando como la mujer es, es una mujer hermosa, es
decir “ she is beautiful ”. Sin embargo, si se da cuenta también se utilizó el
adverbio “ beautifully ”, esto se debió a que no sólo se estan refiriendo al físico de
la mujer sino además a como cantaba, en este caso cantaba hermoso, por lo se
debe utilizar un adverbio para calificar al verbo “to sing”: “She sings
beautifully.”

Ahora que ya recordastes el uso y diferencias de los adjetivos y adverbios,

empecemo con nuestra clase.

Comparative and Superlative adverbs.

Los adverbios al igual que los adjetivos tienen formas comparativas y
superlativas. Es decir, puedo comparar como dos personas hacen algo o indicar
quien lo hace mejor. Por ejemplo:

My printer works more quietly than yours.

(Mi impresora trabaja mas silenciosamente que la tuya.)

My printer works the most quietly. You should buy it.

(Mi impresora trabaja de lo más silenciosamente. Deberías comprarla.)

This software retrieves information more efficiently than that one.

(Este programa recupera información más eficientemente que ese.)

Of the four softwares, this one retrieves information the most efficiently.
(De los cuatro programas, este recupera la información más eficientemente.)

Para formar los adverbios comparativos y superlativos debemos saber las

siguientes reglas:

43
- Si un adverbio termina en -ly formamos su forma comparativa y superlativa con
las palabras “more” y “most”, respectivamente. Por ejemplo:

Adjective Adverb Comparative Adverb Superlative Adverb

quiet quietly more quietly most quietly
careful carefully more carefully most carefully
happy happily more happily most happily

- For adverbs which retain the same form as the adjective form, we add -er to form
the comparative and -est to form the superlative.

Adjective Adverb Comparative Adverb Superlative Adverb

hard hard harder hardest
fast fast faster fastest
early early earlier earliest

Irregular Adverbs.
Adjective Adverb Comparative Adverb Superlative Adverb
good well better best
bad badly worse worst
far far farther/further farthest/furthest

Source: [Link]

Exercise 32: Comparative and Superlative

Adverbs.

1. Form comparative and superlative adjectives. Forma

adjetivos comparativos y superlativos.
adverb comparative adverb superlative
adverb

a. exactly
b. busily
c. immediately
d. happily
e. heavily
f. honestly
g. patiently
h. rapidly
i. fast
j. early
k. hard
l. good
m. bad
n. far

2. Write sentences using comparative and superlative

adverbs. Escribe oraciones usando adverbios comparativos y
superlativos.
Adjective: efficient Adverb: efficiently
C: Laptops work more efficiently than desktops.
S: Laptops work the most efficiently..

Adjective: powerful Adverb:

44
C: __________________________________________________________.

S: __________________________________________________________.

Adjective: fast Adverb:

C: __________________________________________________________.

S: __________________________________________________________.

Adjective: bad Adverb:

C: __________________________________________________________.

S: __________________________________________________________.

Adjective: intelligent Adverb:

C: __________________________________________________________.

S: __________________________________________________________.

Adjective: expensive Adverb:

C: __________________________________________________________.

S: __________________________________________________________.

Adjective: good Adverb:

C: __________________________________________________________.

S: __________________________________________________________.

Reading 7: Programming Languages

The instructions that you give the computer are called programs. You have
to write the programs in a language that the computer can understand. It´s to say,
a programming language is an artificial language used to write instructions
that can be translated into machine language and then executed by a computer.
Many of these “high level languages” (special languages that can be learned by
people; and computers can translate into their code) do a specific work. For
example:

FORTRAN and PASCAL work with numbers.

45
C++ is one of the most known languages. It was designed as a programming
system that controls the computer hardware efficiently. It was used to produce the
Microsoft Windows Operating System.

BASIC is used to make programs for micro computers or Pcs.

LOGO is used in primary and secondary schools because it allows to develop

creativity of children and it is applied to teach arithmetic, geometry, physics and
calculation.

JAVA is designed for programming small electronic devices such as mobile phones.
It is also used for writing programs for the world wide web.
To tell a computer what to do, programmers make a plan called flow chart,
that is like a diagram, and it shows each of the steps the computer has to take, and
the order the steps go in. When he finishes writing the flow chart, he puts it into a
language like “BASIC” and test it on the computer. If he finds bugs or mistakes in
the program he corrects them. When the program is bug free, it begins to run.

VOCABULARY
box: caja
bug: error, avería
bug free: libre de error
code: código
chart: diagrama, gráfico
to develop: desarrollar
flow: flujo
flow chart: diagrama de flujo
language: lenguaje
programmer: programador
programming: programación
to run: correr, ejecutar
to test: comprobar
to understand: entender
web: red
world wide: mundial
SOURCE: Investigated from “English through Computers” by Greoff Jordan.

Task 7: Programming Languages

1. What are programs?

_____________________________________________________________________________
2. What are programming languages?

_____________________________________________________________________________

3. What are high level languages? Give examples.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________
4. What is a flow chart?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________
5. What are bugs?

_____________________________________________________________________________

46
_____________________________________________________________________________

Grammar 33: Going to. Ir a. Future simple.

Futuro simple.

GOING TO + VERB BASE FORM

Se usa 'going to' para hablar del futuro en inglés cuando quieres expresar un
plan ó una intención. Por ejemplo:

Tomorrow, I´m going to visit my aunt.

(Mañana voy a visitar mi tía.)

Tambien se usa 'going to' cuando ves que algo va a pasar. Por ejemplo:

Look at the sky. It´s going to rain!

(Mira el cielo. Va a llover.)

Síntesis:
Afirmativo : sujeto + verbo to be + going to + verbo base / lugar
She is going to walk tomorrow morning.
They are going to the beach tomorrow.

Negativo : sujeto + verbo to be + not + going to + verbo base / lugar

She is not going to walk tomorrow
morning.
They are not going to the beach
tomorrow.

Pregunta : verbo to be + sujeto + going to + verbo base / lugar

Is she going to walk tomorrow morning?
Are they going to the beach tomorrow?
Why is she going to the beach? Because she
likes it.
Where are they going to tomorrow? To the beach.

Tips (consejos): Normalmente se usa el presente continuo para el futuro con los
verbos:

To go (ir) To come (venir).

I´m going to the cinema. (Voy al cine.) es corecto y suena más natural que
decir: I'm going to go to the cinema. Lo mismo ocurre con el verbo “to come”:
Peter is coming to visit tomorrow, suena mejor que decir, Peter is going to
come to visit tomorrow.

The simple future. El futuro simple.

Hay varios tiempos verbales para expresar el futuro en inglés. Aqui vamos a
ver el futuro con el verbo auxilliar 'will'.

Usamos will o won't para:

Hacer predicciones: Tomorrow it will be sunny. (Mañana estará soleado.)
Cuando es una decisión espontanea: I think I´ll go out this evening (Creo que
saldré esta noche).

47
Para prometer algo: I´ll visit you next week (Te visitaré la semana que viene).
Para ofrecer ayuda: I´ll help you with your books. (Te llevaré los libros)
Para pedir que alguien haga algo: Will you collect my suit from the drycleaner´s
please? (Recogerás mi traje de la tintorería?)

Tambien se usa “will” o “won't” con las expresiones:

I´m sure + sujeto + will : I´m sure you'll pass the test (Estoy seguro de que
aprobarás.)
I expect + sujeto + will: I expect he'll arrive late (Supongo que llegará tarde.)
Sujeto + will + probably : I'll probably drive there (Probablemente iré en coche.)
I think + sujeto + will: I think I'll stay in and watch tv. (Creo que me quedaré y veré
la tele.)

Recuerda: Usamos el presente continuo cuando nos referimos a planes o

actividades que han sido planificadas anteriormente. En este caso no usamos el
futuro simple o “going to”. Por ejemplo:

A: What are you doing this weekend?

B: Mmm. Let me check my agenda. I am meeting Mr. Davis on Friday
night.
A: What about this Saturday?
B: I am playing tennis with Mark in the morning, then I am going to a
party late
at night. However, I have nothing to do on Sunday.
A: Can we meet on Sunday morning?
B: Sure. I will be waiting for you.

SOURCE: [Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]

Exercise 33: Going to. Ir a. Future simple.

Futuro simple.

1. Elaborate positive and negative sentences as questions usign

the following words and the structure “going to”.

1. Tomorrow / I/ do / homework.

(+)
.

2. At the weekend / I / clean / the house.

(+)

3. On Monday I / read the book. / I promise it.

(+)
.

4. I / watch TV / this evening.

(-)
.

5. He / buy / a new car.

48
(-)
.

6. You / meet / some friends / this evening.

(?)
.

7. She / have a baby

(?)
.

2. Complete the following sentences.

1. I think ...............................................................(I/read/a book) this evening.
2. I expect ..............................................................(it/rain) at the weekend.
3. (I/help/you)............................................................. with your homework.
4. (I/phone/you)....................................................... tomorrow.
5. (I /probably/go) ..........................................................to the cinema tonight.

3. Use the correct form of the verb (present continuous, future

simple or going to).
1. Tony a software developer tomorrow.(to meet)
2. I think it soon.(to snow)
3. Perhaps I New York one day.(to visit)
4. What time tomorrow?(to leave/you)
5. Who the next World Cup? (to win)
6. I'm sure you the exam next week. (not - to fail)
7. I my parents at the week-end. (to visit)
8. this CD for me? (to format)
9. They for a meal tonight.(to come)
10. Look at those clouds, it .(to rain)

Source: [Link]

Grammar 34: The Present Perfect Tense. El

tiempo Presente Perfecto.
El Presente Perfecto está conformado por la forma presente del verbo TO

49
HAVE: (has/ have) más el pasado participio del verbo.

has
Subject + + bought / formatted / copied / aligned /
connected
have

USES. USOS
Usamos el Presente Perfecto para hablar de algo que empezó en el pasado y
continua sucediendo. Por ejemplo :

I have been here for two hours. He estado aquí durante dos horas.

En el presente perfecto a menudo usamos las palabras for and since para
referirse a actividades inconclusas. Se suele usar además acompañado con las
expresiones: a long time (hace tiempo), a moment (un momento), ever (de
siempre), a century (un siglo)...Por ejemplo:

I have been here for a long time. He estado aquí por largo tiempo.
Mrs. Fish has been a teacher since 1955. La señora Fish ha sido profesora
desde 1955.

También se usa el Presente Perfecto para hablar sobre experiencias vividas o

por vivir. Por ejemplo:
Have you ever flown in a balloon? ¿Has volado alguna vez en globo?
Some people have never seen snow. Alguna gente nunca ha visto la
nieve.

Usamos el Present Perfecto para decir que algo ha pasado por primera,
segunda, tercera vez, etc.

It´s the first time Gustavo has driven a car.

(Es la primera vez que Gustavo ha manejado un carro.)
Sarah has lost her passport for second time.
(Sarah ha perdido su pasaporte por segunda vez.)

HAS/HAVE GONE TO - HAS/HAVE BEEN TO

Note la diferencia entre GONE TO y BEEN TO:
- Jane has gone to Italy. = el está viajando a Italia o está en Italia.
- Jane has been to Italy. = ella ha estado en Italia o acaba de regresar de Italia.

Sintaxis:
POSITIVE STATEMENT
Sujeto + have/has + participio del verbo + predicado.
I have seen three movies this week.
(Yo he visto tres peliculas esta semana.)

She has lived here since 1984.

(Ella ha vivido aqui desde 1984.)

NEGATIVE STATEMENT
Sujeto +has/have + not + participio del verbo + predicado.
I have not seen three movies this week.
(Yo he visto tres peliculas esta semana.)

She has not lived here since 1984

(Ella no ha vivido aqui desde 1984.)

Have/has + Sujeto + participio del verbo + predicado.

Have you heard about Michael Jackson
recently?
( Has escuchado sobre Michael Jackson últimamente?

50
)

Has she had a holiday this year?

( Ha tenido ella vacaciones este año? )

Question Word + have/has + Sujeto + participio del verbo + predicado.

How long have you studied English?
(¿Durante cuanto tiempo has estudiado inglés?)

What has she done to the computer?

(¿Qué le ha hecho ella a la computadora?)

Exercise 34: The Present Perfect Tense. El

tiempo Presente Perfecto.

1. Conjugate the verb TO HAVE in the Present Simple Tense. Then,

translate the new verb form into Spanish.
I have Yo tengo
You ________ Tu _______
He ________ El _______
She _______ Ella _______
It _______ __________
We _______ Nosotros (as) ________
You _______ Ustedes _______
They _______ Ellos (as) _______

2. Conjugate the verb TO FORMAT in the Present Perfect Tense.

Then, translate the new verb form into Spanish.
I have formatted Yo he formateado
You ___________ Tu _________
He ___________ El _______
She ___________ Ella _______
It ____________ __________
We ___________ Nosotros (as) ________
You ___________ Ustedes _______
They ___________ Ellos (as) _______

3. Conjugate the verb TO DRAG in the Present Perfect Tense. Then,

translate the new verb form into Spanish.
I have dragged Yo he arrastrado
You ___________ Tu _________
He ___________ El _________
She ___________ Ella _________
It ____________ ____________
We ___________ Nosotros (as) __________
You ___________ Ustedes _________
They ___________ Ellos (as) _________

4. Conjugate the verb TO DRAW in the Present Perfect Tense. Then,

translate the new verb form into Spanish.
I have drawn Yo he dibujado
You ___________ Tu _________

51
He ___________ El _________
She ___________ Ella _________
It ____________ ____________
We ___________ Nosotros (as) __________
You ___________ Ustedes _________
They ___________ Ellos (as) _________

5. Use the correct verb form and complete the sentences with FOR
or SINCE.
1. He _____ ________ (to be) sick ______ a week.
2. I _____ _________ ( - to be ) in Miami ______ 1987.
3. He ______ ___________ ( - to smoke) ______ six months.
4. He _____ _______ (to be) sick ______ a week.
* 5. I ____ _________ (to be) in New York _____ all day.
6. Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the
verb. (present perfect tense)
1. Bill _______ ____________ ( - to bring) a new software.
2. Peter _______ ___________ (to begin) to study Computing.
3. The students _______ just _____________ (to download) the information.
4. _______ they __________ (to use) this software before?
5. ________ she ever __________ (to develop) a program?
6. ________ he ever ___________ (to scan) a document?
7. They ______ __________ (- to edit) the video.
8. The technician ______ __________ (to align) the printer, so you can use it.
9. Marcos _______ ___________ (to connect) the fax.
7. Write down four sentences in the present perfect tense. Escribe
cuatro oraciones en el tiempo presente perfecto.

1.

2.

3.

4.

52
Grammar 35: The present perfect continuous.
El presente perfecto continuo.
Utilizamos el presente perfecto continuo cuando queremos referirnos a una
acción que ocurrió en el pasado continúa ocurriendo en el presente o terminó
recientemente. Por lo general se lo utiliza con expresiones de tiempo tales como,
“for two minutes," "for five weeks," and "since Sunday”.

El presente continuo se forma muy facilmente, sólo debes usar el verbo “to
have” en presente continuo, (recuerda que debes conjugarlo: has / have), añadir el
verbo “to be” en pasado participo (been) y el verbo principal en presente participio
(... -ing).

Para poder entender este tiempo, ayudémonos de un ejemplo. Imagina que

alguien te pidió que esperaras en algún lugar determinado, y que aún estas
sentado en el mismo lugar y has esperado por cinco horas. Si quiero decir que “he
estado esperando por cinco horas”, y tengo que elegir un tiempo a usar, tendría
que ponerme a pesar, el pasado simple (past simple) no podría ser ya que la acción
no ha terminado, el presente continuo (present continuous) tampoco ya que no
quiero referirme a lo que estoy haciendo en ese exacto momento, quiero indicar
duración, además de la relación entre el pasado, el presente y el futuro, el presente
perfecto (present perfect) tampoco ya que necesito un tiempo que me indique
continuidad. Entonces en este caso utilizo el presente perfecto continuo. Para poder
expresar correctamente mi idea la oración quedaría asi:

Subject + verb (present perfect continuous) + predicate

I have been waiting here for five hours.
(Yo he estado esperando aqui por cinco horas)

Otra forma de poder reconocer cuando usar el presente perfecto continuo es

recordar que este tiempo se refiere a acciones que han pasado "ultimamente" o
"recientemente". Es decir si le preguntas a alguien: Have you been smoking?, le
estarías preguntando si ha estado fumando en las últimas horas no si fuma.

ADVERB PLACEMEN. COLOCACION DEL ADVERBIO.

El ejemplo que vas a leer a continuación te ayudará a indicar donde colocar el
adverbio, tales como: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

You have only been waiting here for one hour.

You have not only been waiting here for one hour.
Have you only been waiting here for one hour?

POSITIVE STATEMENT
(+) I have been waiting for one hour.
(+) You have been talking too much.

NEGATIVE STATEMENT
(-) It has not been raining.
(-) We have not been playing football.

QUESTIONS
(?) Have you been seeing her?
Yes, I have. / No, I haven't
(?) Have they been doing their homework?
Yes, they have. / No, they haven't
(?) Where have you been seeing her?
At the parking lot.
(?) Why have they been doing their homework?
Because they are paying them.

CONTRACTIONS

53
 Cuando usamos el presente perfecto continuo por lo general contraemos el
verbo “to have”, tanto cuando hablamos o cuando escribimos informalmente. Por
ejemplo:

I have been = I've been You have been = You've been

He has been = He's been She has been = She's been
It has been = It's been John has been = John's been
The car has been = The car's been

“SINCE” and “FOR”

“For” puede ser utilizado en todos los tiempos. Lo usamos para referirnos a un
periodo de tiempo. “Since” es usualmente usado con los tiempos “perfectos” y lo
usamos para referirnos a un punto fijo en el pasado.

for since
(a period of time) (a point in past time)
20 minutes 6.15pm
three days Monday
6 months January
4 years 1994
2 centuries 1800
a long time I left school
ever the beginning of time
etc... etc...

I have been studying for 3 hours.

I have been watching TV since 7pm.
Tara hasn't been feeling well for 2 weeks.
Tara hasn't been visiting us since March.
He has been playing football for a long time.
He has been living in Bangkok since he left school.

En el presente perfecto continuo no se utilizan las siguientes expresiones de

tiempo:
two months ago / one year ago / last week / yesterday
when I was five years old

Pero usamos expresiones como ya que no hablan del pasado que no se repite sino
más bien de continuidad:
already / yet / before / never / recently / at last
ever / just / lately

Sources: [Link]
[Link]
[Link]

54
Exercise 35: The present perfect continuous.
El presente perfecto continuo.
1. Underline the correct answer. Subraya la respuesta
correcta.

1. I (have / had) to write a program yesterday because my boss asked me to do it.

2. She (has been writing/ had) programs since she was in high school.
3. A programming language (is/was) an artificial language.
4. That computer (didn't work / hasn't been working) lately.
5. The programmers that (designed / has been designing) C++ did it to produce the
Microsoft Windows Operating System.
6. Schools (has been using / have been using) LOGO because because it allows to
develop creativity of children. It is also applied to teach arithmetic, geometry,
physics and calculation.
7. Students (have been participating / have participated) in a variety of activities
related to Computing and Multimedia since August.
8. If a program (has / had) bugs or mistakes, the computer programmer corrects
them. When the program is bug free, it begins to run.

2. Write two sentences in present perfect continuous. Escribe

dos oraciones en presente perfecto continuo.

1.

2.

3. Fill in the blacks. Llena los espacios en blanco.

1. It has snowing a lot this week.
2. your brother and sister been getting along?
3. Rick been studying hard this semester.
4. I'm tired because I been working out.
5. Julie living in Italy since May.
6. How long have you been German.
7. We have been watching TV 3 hours.
8. You have too hard today.
9. Has it raining since you arrived?
10. My brother has been travelling he finished school.

Vocabulary Summary: Technical English I

LESSON 1

55
pronoun: pronombre
I: yo
He: Él
She: Ella
It: (lo usamos para reemplazar animales y objetos)
You: tú
We: nosotros (as)
You: ustedes
They: ellos (as)

I am : Yo soy o Yo estoy
He is: Él es o Él esta
She: Ella es o Ella esta
It is: (lo usamos para reemplazar animales y objetos)
You are: Tú eres o Tú estas
We are: Nosotros (as) somos o Nosotros (as) estas
You are: Ustedes son o Ustedes estan
They are: Ellos(as) son o Ellos(as) estas

a: un, una
an: un, una

The: el, la, lo, las, los

There is: hay (singular)

There are: hay (plural)

This (is): esto, esta

That (is): eso, esa
These (are): estos, estas
Those (are): esos, esas

adjective (s):adjetivo
my computer: mi computadora
my computers: mis computadoras (+1 computadora)
your computer: tu computadora
your computers: tus computadoras (+1 computadora)
his computer: su computadora
his computers: sus computadoras (+1 computadora)
her computer: su computadora
her computers: sus computadoras (+1 computadora)
its computer: su computadora
its computers: sus computadoras (+1 computadora)
our computer: nuestra(o) computadora
our computers: nuestras computadoras (+1 computadora)
their computer: su computadora o la computadora de ellos
their computers: sus computadoras o las computadoras de ellos (+1 computadora)

noun (s): sustantivo

advantage (s): ventaja
artificial intelligence (s): inteligencia artificial
assignment (s):tarea
bar code (s):código de barras
barcode built-in reader (s): lector de código de barras incorporado
barcode good (s):bienes o artículos con código de barra
barcode label (s):etiqueta de código de barra
built-in: integrado, incorporado
college (s):universidad
chip (s):pastilla (término informático)
computer (s):computadora
data base (s):base de datos
data: dato (s), información

education (s):educación
human brain (s):cerebro humano
industrial revolution (s):revolución industrial
information (s):información
laser (s):láser

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machine (s):máquina
operator (s):operador
school (s):escuela
silicon: silicón
spreadsheet (s): hoja de cálculo
teaching (s):eneseñanza
transistor (s):transistor
university(ies): universidad
user (s):usuarios
wand (s):pistola lectora de código de barras
word - processor (s):procesador de palabras (Microsoft Word, etc etc etc)

VERBS
verb (s):verbo
to appear = aparecer
to convert = convertir
to create = crear
to change = cambiar
to delete = borrar
to design = diseñar
to drag = arrastrar
to edit = editar
to file = almacenar
to fit = ajustar
to follow: seguir
to format = formatear
to hold down = sostener
to insert = insertar
to move = mover
to press = presionar
to print = imprimir
to process: procesar
to release = liberar, soltar
to remove = remover
to retrieve = recuperar
to save = guardar
to scan: escanear
to store = almacenar

LESSON 2
computer (s):computadora. It´s a device which performs high-speed calculations.
the parts of a computer: las partes de una computadora
the main computer box: caja principal. The main computer box is where most of the
computer intelligence is contained.
the motherboard (s):tarjeta madre. It´s the main card in the box. It typically has the
main CPU, Chipset, RAM, connections to the hard disk drives, PCI slots, connections to the
power supplies, and some other peripheral connections like USB and Ethernet.
the processor (s) or CPU (Central Processing Unit): procesador o Unidad Central de
Proceso. This is the brain of the computer. It is a logic machine that can execute computer
programs. CPUs. Most PCs today are run by CPUs made from Intel or AMD. The processor in a
personal computer or embedded in small devices is often called a microprocessor.
the chipset: circuito integrado. The chipset is a family of chips that sit around the CPU
and connect the CPU to the outside world
buses. buses
main memory (ies):memoria principal. The computer has all sorts of memory on it. On
the motherboard, the main memory is RAM (Random Access Memory).
the memory RAM (Random Access Memory): Memoria RAM (Memoria de Acceso
Aleatorio). This is the high speed memory where the CPU keeps the programs it is currently
running. The CPU will take the program from the hard disk drive and put it into the RAM for
high speed execution. The amount and speed of RAM can greatly affect the overall
performance of the computer. RAM types and speeds vary depending on the CPU and
chipset.
the memory ROM (Read Only Memory): memoria ROM (Memoria de Solo Lectura).
It´s a static memory. They retain the software even when power is off.
secondary storage: almacenamiento secundario. For example: a pendrive, a CD, a hard
disk, etc
BIOS : The BIOS (Basic Integrated Operating System) is the software that allows the
computer to boot up. It's main function is to start up the computer and then load the main
operating system off of the hard drive.
the hard disk drive : el disco duro. This is where all the computer's software is stored.
Hard disk drives are "static" memory, meaning that the memory remains intact even when

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the power is turned off.
CD/DVD drives: CD ROM. Drives that play and/or record to CD ROMs or DVDs. It reads and
writes information on a magnetic disk for repeated use, as a tape recorder plays back and
record music.
PCI cards: tarjetas para video y sonido. The typical PCI cards used in desktop computers
are video cards (to connect the motherboard to the monitor) and sound cards (to connect the
motherboard to the speakers). Often the motherboard already has sound and video
capabilities, but for high end gaming, graphics, or music a high performance PCI card will
replace the onboard function to get better results
the monitor (s):el monitor. it is the mean of conveying information to you, either in words
and numbers ( text ) or in picturs (graphics). It is also called SCREEN.
the keyboard (s):teclado. It is the most important mean of sending information to the
computer by typing characters.
the mouse (s):el ratón. The keyboard is mainly used to input text and data. The mouse
help us to choose and execute programs as to do special tasks.
the speaker (s): parlante
peripheral (s):periférico. Any input, output or storage device connected externally or
internally to the CPU. For example: keyboard, mouse, disks, scanner, etc et etc
the printer (s):la impresora. It is a pherical device used to show the output of a
processed program in shape of letters, numbers or graphics printed on sheets of paper.
camera (s):camara fotográfica
scanner (s):escáner
peripheral port (s):puertos periféricos
USB port (s):puerto USB

binary language: lenguaje binario

bit (s):1 or 0. It´s the basic unit of information
button (s):botón
byte (s):. 10010101 A group of bits. (8 bits)
digit (s):dígito
input device (s):dispositivo de entrada
key (s):tecla
output device (s):dispositivo de salida
storage device (s):unidad de almacenamiento

like: como

prepositions: preposiciones
in: en
on: en
at: en
for: para
to: para

types of computers: tipo de computadoras

PC - The personal computer (PC) defines a computer designed for general use by a single
person. Desktop - A PC that is not designed for portability. Most desktops offer more power,
storage and versatility for less cost than laptops.
Laptop (s) - Also called notebooks, laptops are portable computers that integrate the
display, keyboard, a pointing device or trackball, processor, memory and hard drive all in a
battery-operated package slightly larger than an average hardcover book.
Palmtop (s) - More commonly known as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). Palmtops are
typically smaller than laptops.
Workstation (s) - A desktop computer that has a more powerful processor, additional
memory and enhanced capabilities for performing a special group of task, such as 3D
Graphics or game development. Server - A computer that has been optimized to provide
services to other computers over a network. Servers usually have powerful processors, lots
of memory and large hard drives.
Mainframe (s) - In the early days of computing, mainframes were huge computers that
could fill an entire room or even a whole floor! As the size of computers has diminished while
the power has increased, the term mainframe has fallen out of use in favor of enterprise
server.
Minicomputer (s) - Another term rarely used anymore, minicomputers fall in between
microcomputers (PCs) and mainframes (enterprise servers). Minicomputers are normally
referred to as mid-range servers now.
Supercomputer (s) - This type of computer usually costs hundreds of thousands or even
millions of dollars. Although some supercomputers are single computer systems, most are
comprised of multiple high performance computers working in parallel as a single system.
The best known supercomputers are built by Cray Supercomputers.

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VERBS
can: poder
could: podía
to be able to: can: poder
to click: presionar
to control: controlar
to convey: transmitir
to download: descargar
to load: cargar
to run: ejecutar
to turn off: apagar
to turn on: prender

LESSON 3
computer system. sistema de una computadora. The parts of a COMPUTER SYSTEM fall
into three fundamental groups: HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and INFORMATION.
hardware: parte fíisica, hardware. It includes the computer and all the physical devices
attached to it. The most important pieces of hardware in the computer are: MAIN MEMORY
and THE PROCESSOR (CPU). INTERFACES, the circuits that convey signals between the
computer and peripheral devices, are also considered hardware.
software: programas, software. It is made up of the sequences of instructions (programs)
that the processor can carry out when those instructions are in main memory. The
instructions can be changed easily.
information (s) [data]: información [dato]. Information is the summarization of data.
Technically, data are raw facts and figures that are processed into information, such as
summaries and totals. But since information can also be the raw data for the next job or
person, the two terms cannot be precisely defined, and both are used interchangeably.

LESSON 4
button(s): boton (es)
character(s) (letters, numbers, symbols and blank spaces): caracteres
lettering key(s):teclado alfabético
numbering key(s): teclado numérico
switch (es):interruptor
the numeric keypad: teclado numérico. It´s a more recent addition to the computer
keyboard. Since a large part of the data was numbers, a set of numeric keys, was added to
the keyboard.
typewriter(s):máquina de escribir
“QWERTY” layout: The keys are arranged in the same order as a typewriter. This layout is
known as “QWERTY” because these are the first six letters on the top left of the keyboard.

key(s):tecla
Home : inicio
End: fin
Insert [Ins]: insertar
Delete [del] : borrar
Page Up [Pgup] : teclas direccionales
Page Down [Pgdn] : teclas direccionales
Control [Ctrl]
Alternate [Alt]
Escape [Esc]

comparative adjective(s): adjetivo comparativo

superlative adjective(s):adjetivo superlativo

VERBS
to be arranged: estar arreglado o posicionado
to engrave: grabado artesanalmente o a mano
to key in: ingresar

LESSON 5
operating system (s):sistema operativo. The operating system is the manager of the
computer. It is sometimes called the OS for short. When the computer starts up (or boots up)
the operating system is loaded into the RAM and the CPU. From there the OS manages the
hardware resources, memory, peripherals, applications, as well as the primary user interface
(called the GUI). The common operating system in most PCs today is Windows, however
Apple computers have their own operating system called MAC OS and many computers run
the open source operation system, Linux.
The instructions that you give the computer are called programs. You have to write the

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programs in a language that the computer can understand. It´s to say, a programming
language is an artificial language used to write instructions that can be translated into
machine language and then executed by a computer.
application (s). programa. Applications are the programs you run. The types of applications
that run on the computer are practically endless, but some major applications include word
processors, spread sheets, games, and internet browsers. Examples of applications are
Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Corel Draw, etc.
programming language (s): It is an artificial language used to write instructions that can
be translated into machine language and then executed by a computer.
high level language (s):lenguaje de alto nivel. Special languages that can be learned by
people and computers can translate into their code. They do a specific work. For example:
fortran, pascal, C++, basic, logo etc etc etc
FORTRAN and PASCAL work with numbers.
C++ is one of the most known languages. It was designed as a programming system that
controls the computer hardware efficiently. It was used to produce the Microsoft Windows
Operating System.
BASIC is used to make programs for micro computers or Pcs.
LOGO is used in primary and secondary schools because it allows to develop creativity of
children and it is applied to teach arithmetic, geometry, physics and calculation.
JAVA is designed for programming small electronic davices such as mobile phones. It is also
used for writing programs for the world wide web.
flowchart (s):diagrama de flujo. It is like a diagram, and it shows each of the steps the
computer has to take, and the order the steps go in. When he finishes writing the flow chart,
he puts it into a language like “BASIC” and test it on the computer.
box (es):caja
bug free: libre de error
bug (s):error, avería
code (s): código
chart (s): diagrama, gráfico
language (s): lenguaje
programmer (s): programador
programming: programación
web (s): red
world wide: mundial
VERBS
to develop: desarrollar
to test: comprobar
to understand: entender

Bibliography

[Link]
[Link]

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