How can we express that a past condition has a result in the present, or that a present condition could have had a (hypothetical) past result? With the mixed conditionals.
There are more possible 'combinations'; for example, with future situations, but we will focus on the ones mentioned above:
a) Past condition with a result in the present: If I had bought that house, I would be living in it now.
b) Present condition with a past result: If she were Spanish, she could have become the Spanish Prime Minister.
An interesting article from The Guardian, talking about all the things that the teachers are looking forward to telling the parents... but can you imagine if they did?
Only comparatives: The poorer he is, the wiser he seems. (The + comparative adjective + subject + verb, the + comparative adjective + subject + verb)
With "more" and "less": The more you buy, the more you waste. The less I smoke, the healthier I am. The more I read, the more I like it. The less I go out, the more I save. Attention: The less fat they eat, the slimmer they get.
The fewer pupils I have, the happier I feel. Less → with uncountables Fewer → with countables
You can omit the verbs, too (especially in answers): - How do they prefer their soup? - The hotter, the better
- What time could I start? - The sooner, the better
The more expensive the restaurant is, the better the service is
= The more expensive the restaurant, the better the service
Clicking here you can test your abilities using this structure.
Here's a video for inspiration. Devita Davison talks about the agricultural revolution in Detroit, the citizens' commitment and all the benefits the get from urban agriculture. Watch it with subtitles to understand it better. 😉
“In my lifetime, I have never lived one day of peace in my country,”
says Jose Miguel Sokoloff. This ad executive from Colombia saw a chance
to help guerrilla fighters choose to come home — with smart marketing.
He shares how some creative, welcoming messages have helped thousands of
guerrillas decide to put down their weapons — and the key insights
behind these surprising tactics.
This interesting TED Talk shows us an extraordinarily positive use of publicity and its techniques: demobilizing guerrilas in Colombia. Advertising as a tool of change.
Click on 'subtitles' and enjoy this really touching video.
Looking for a simple and easy definitions dictionary, with a pronunciation tool? This one can be of great help. Click on the link below: Vocabulary. com
Sometimes word meanings and definitions are a bit hard to find. Especially when we are talking about slang, street language, constantly changing. Here you have a good help to make you understand and learn those words that are not in a standard dictionary: Urban Dictionary
A wonderful talk about food and health problems in USA and the rest of the world. How we should change our food habits and teach our children how to eat better.
Remember to use the subtitles tool (on the screen's bottom) or just print the transcript and read it while you are listening.