The causative

 

What is the Causative Form Used For?

The causative form is used to describe situations where one person causes another person to do something or arranges for something to be done. It emphasizes that someone is not performing the action themselves but is instead making it happen through someone else.

Causative structures are commonly used in formal speech, business contexts, and everyday situations when discussing services, responsibilities, or authority.

Types of Causative Forms & Examples

1. "Have"  – Requesting a Service

✅ Used when someone arranges for someone else to do something (neutral tone).

• Structure (Active): Subject + have + object + base verb (bare infinitive)
• Structure (Passive): Subject + have + object + past participle

🔹 Active: I had the plumber fix the leak.
🔹 Passive: I had the leak fixed.

🔹 Active: She had the doctor check her eyesight.
🔹 Passive: She had her eyesight checked.

2. "Get"  – More Informal, Sometimes Persuasive

✅ Used like "have," but slightly less formal and often implies persuasion or effort.

• Structure (Active): Subject + get + object + to + base verb
• Structure (Passive): Subject + get + object + past participle

🔹 Active: I got my brother to help me with my homework.
🔹 Passive: I got my homework done.

🔹 Active: She got the technician to repair her phone.
🔹 Passive: She got her phone repaired.

3. "Make" – Forcing Someone to Do Something

✅ Used when forcing or strongly encouraging someone to do something.

• Structure (Active): Subject + make + object + base verb (bare infinitive)
• Structure (Passive): Subject + be made + to + base verb

🔹 Active: The teacher made the students rewrite the essay.
🔹 Passive: The students were made to rewrite the essay.

🔹 Active: His boss made him stay late.
🔹 Passive: He was made to stay late.

4. "Let" – Giving Permission

✅ Used when allowing someone to do something.

• Structure (Active): Subject + let + object + base verb (bare infinitive)

🔹 Active: Her parents let her go to the party.
🔹 Rephrased Passive (Using "Allow" instead of "Let"): She was allowed to go to the party.

🔹 Active: They let us leave early.
🔹 Rephrased Passive: We were allowed to leave early.

5. Other Causative Verbs 

Test how much you know about the causative form with this quiz:
https://forms.gle/Vhd87UnwpxoWMfvU6

Modal Verbs of Deduction and Speculation

Modal verbs like can’t, might, may, could, and must are used to express different levels of certainty when making deductions or speculating about situations. Here’s how they work:

1. Must (High Certainty – 90-100%)

Used when we are almost sure that something is true.

• Present/Future: She must be at work now. (I’m almost certain.)
• Past: He must have forgotten his phone at home. (Strong deduction based on evidence.)

2. Can’t (High Certainty – 90-100%)

Used when we are almost sure that something is not true.

• Present/Future: He can’t be the thief; he was with me all day.
• Past: They can’t have finished the exam so quickly!

3. Might / May / Could (Low to Medium Certainty – 30-60%)

Used when something is possible but uncertain.

• Present/Future: She might be at home now. / He may arrive late. / They could be lost.
• Past: He might have missed the train. / She may have forgotten about the meeting. / They could have taken the wrong exit.

🔹 Differences between Might, May, and Could:

• Might/May are almost interchangeable, but "may" sounds slightly more formal.
• Could suggests a theoretical possibility rather than a strong likelihood.
  
  Now if you want to check how well you are at using the modal verbs of deduction and speculation, take the following test:
  https://forms.gle/jPSyC5msRGaN8rKK8

Queda ya muy poquito

 Falta sólo el último esfuerzo necesario para superar este curso escolar. Recuerda que tu suerte está directamente relacionada con cuánto luchas por conseguir tus metas. ¡Seguro que con tu perseverancia y dedicación lograrás superar este último trimestre con éxito! Y no olvides que lo importante es disfrutar del proceso de aprendizaje y encontrar satisfacción en tu esfuerzo diario. Compites contigo mismx y la meta es ser cada día  un poquito mejor.

Si ves que necesitas un empujoncito más, este sábado apúntate al intensivo de 3 horas, en grupo super reducido (3 alumnxs máximo) y recuerda que es sólo con reserva previa.

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ABAU

 

Lo cierto es que aunque en el calendario aun se vea lejos, los exámenes de ABAU se acercan y debemos planificar muy bien el tiempo, organizar y temporalizar contenidos y maximizar nuestra capacidad de concentración.

La nota de la ABAU se calcula con la calificaciones obtenidas en Bachillerato (6 puntos) y en la fase obligatoria (4 puntos), con un máximo de 10 puntos. Las notas de las materias que integran esta fase se obtienen calculando la media aritmética de los resultados, siendo necesario sacar un mínimo de 4 puntos para que pueda ponderar con el Bachillerato.

En la ABAU de Galicia, puedes examinarte de un máximo de 4 asignaturas troncales generales y 2 asignaturas troncales de opción. La calificación máxima en la ABAU de Galicia es un 10. Es decir, si multiplicamos nuestra Nota Media de Bachillerato por 0,6 y nuestra Nota de la Fase Obligatoria de la ABAU por 0,4 y las sumamos y el resultado es igual o mayor a cinco, habremos aprobado la Selectividad (siempre y cuando se haya obtenido un mínimo de 4 en la nota de la parte obligatoria).

Pero son muchos los alumnos a los que nos les basta con aprobar y es aquí donde entra en juego la parte voluntaria. Puedes añadir hasta un máximo de 4 puntos extras, si te presentas a la fase voluntaria, pero solo entrarán en el cómputo las dos notas más altas. Para esta segunda fase, es importante tener en cuenta los parámetros de ponderación, que señalan qué optativas puntúan más para cada Grado o Doble Grado: a más relación de la asignatura con la especialidad del Grado, mayor puntuación.

Para ingresar a la universidad, debes cumplir con las notas de corte establecidas por cada carrera y universidad en particular. Que tu nota sea buena dependerá de dos factores: por un lado, tu puntuación alcanzada; y, por el otro, la que de aquellos que quieran estudiar la misma carrera que tú.

Nuestro objetivo es que nuestra nota final de acceso a la universidad supere a la de la nota de corte de la carrera que hemos elegido. 

Las notas de corte varían cada año y se determinan según la demanda y el número de plazas disponibles en cada carrera. Así que aunque no se pueden conocer con exactitud con antelación, siempre pueden utilizarse como referencia las notas de corte de años anteriores. Puedes consultar las notas de corte anteriores en la página web de la universidad o en el portal de acceso a la universidad de Galicia.

Los aspirantes universitarios tan solo podrán solicitar un máximo de cinco titulaciones diferentes y un máximo de diez solicitudes si algunas son repetidas. En cualquier caso, no es obligatorio solicitar el máximo de titulaciones; es decir, una persona puede solicitar una única titulación del sistema universitario de Galicia. Es fundamental prestar especial atención al orden en el que se solicitan las titulaciones, puesto que la admisión se hace de acuerdo con el orden solicitado y no se puede cambiar una vez iniciado el proceso.

¿Y qué examen hago para certificar mi nivel?

Con la llegada de Septiembre y sus rutinas, muchxs os proponéis retos nuevos, entre ellos, examinaros de Inglés y conseguir un certificado que demuestre vuestro nivel. 

Con la intención de ayudaros a tomar una decisión, he hecho este corta-pega obteniendo información de varias webs. Para cualquier duda, decidme y os indico cómo llegar a la información original de dónde obtuve estas capturas de imagen. Éstos son sólo ejemplos, pero hay muchos más centros examinadores registrados donde podéis examinaros cumpliendo todas las normativas y recibiréis un trato igualmente excelente. Además, en algunos casos, existe la opción de hacer el examen incluso en la comodidad de vuestra casa.

En todo caso debéis tomar vuestra decisión basándoos en qué necesitáis, cuándo lo necesitáis, cuánto estáis dispuestos a invertir  económicamente (porque vuestra formación no es un gasto sino una inversión de futuro, y por tanto debe ser bien meditada) y qué tiempo efectivo le vais a dedicar por vuestra cuenta: no hay libros ni profesores mágicos. Vuestro propio esfuerzo no se puede delegar ni sustituir.

Espero que os sea de ayuda. Para lo que necesitéis, Hablemos - Let's Talk!

 

New year's resolutions

A new year's resolution can be a powerful

 way to make a change in your life -- as long as

 you stick to it.

Set your goal and let's talk.

Word formation

Adding affixes to existing words (the base or root) to form new words is common in academic English. 

Prefixes are added to the front of the base (like  --> dislike), whereas suffixes are added to the end of the base (active --> activate). 

Prefixes usually do not change the class of the base word, but suffixes usually do change the class of the word.

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Tips for conversation

Remember that everyone gets nervous in exams, especially oral exams. So, don’t worry, these tips will help you feel more confident in a speaking exam.

• Listening to as much English as possible will help to improve your speaking. Listening to songs, podcasts, films, TV series or video clips will help you to feel more confident about speaking.
• Speak as much English in class as possible. If you speak English regularly in class, you will find it easier to speak in an exam.
• Slow down! It’s not a race. Before you speak, think carefully about what to say and speak a little slower than normal.
• Use language you know is correct. Use words and expressions you have used before.
• If you don’t know a word, think of another way to say it. For example, if you know the word ‘expensive’, but can’t remember the word ‘cheap’, you could say:
  It’s not expensive.
  It’s a good price.
  It’s not a lot of money.
• Listen to yourself while you speak and if you hear a mistake, correct it. Native speakers make mistakes and correct them all the time.
• Look at the examiner’s or other student’s face and eyes when you speak. Do they understand you? If not, say it again with different words.
• If you don’t understand the question or the activity, ask the examiner. Say: ‘Could you repeat that, please?’
• Always say something. Don’t just say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Explain your answer with a reason. Say ‘Yes, I agree because....’
• Speak clearly so that the examiner can hear you. If you find this difficult, practise with a friend at home. Stand at opposite ends of a room and speak to each other in English. Or speak to each other in English on your computers.

Making suggestions

Why don’t we ... (+ verb without ‘to’) ?
Shall we ... (+ verb without ‘to’) ?
Would you like to ... (+ verb) ?
Let’s ... (+ verb without ‘to’)
What about ... (+ -ing) ?
How about ... (+ -ing) ?

Responding to suggestions

Yes, OK.
That’s a good idea.
That sounds great!
No, I don’t think so.
I’m not sure about that.
I’d prefer to ... (+ verb).

It is very important to show that you are interested in what your partner is saying. Use these expressions to show you are interested. Remember! When we are very interested or surprised our voice is higher and louder.

Normal response

Uh-huh.
That’s interesting.
Oh, I see.
Right.

Stronger response

Really?
Wow! That’s amazing!
That’s incredible!
No way!
You’re joking!

Do you understand?

When you are speaking to someone it is important that you understand each other. If you don’t understand something, ask your partner to explain what they mean. If they don’t understand you, explain what you mean. Use these expressions to help you.

When you don’t understand

I don’t understand.
Could you repeat that?
Could you say that again?
What do you mean, exactly?
I’m not sure what you mean.
Can you explain that?

Explain what you mean

What I mean is ...
In other words ...

Giving your opinion

I think... / I don’t think ...
I believe... / I don’t believe ...
In my opinion,
For me,
Personally, I think ...

Asking for someone’s opinion

Do you agree?
What do you think?
What do you think about ... (this)?
Do you think that’s right?
What’s your view?
Are you OK with that?

Agreeing

That’s right!
Absolutely!
Exactly!
Me too!
Yes, I agree!
I totally agree!
I couldn’t agree more!
I see exactly what you mean!
You're right. That's a good point.

Disagreeing

I don’t agree!
I totally disagree!
Absolutely not!
That’s not right!
I’m not sure about that.

Partly agreeing

I agree up to a point, but ...
I see your point, but ...
That’s partly true, but ...
I'm not so sure about that.

It is always a good idea to justify your opinions. Don’t just say ‘I agree’, but say ‘I agree because I think that ... (explain your reason).’

what can you do to improve your level of accuracy when you speak English?

• Even native speakers make mistakes when they speak in their own language, but they are always listening to themselves and correct themselves. Here are some tips to help you speak correctly.
• Don’t worry about making mistakes, it’s normal, but ...
• Listen to your English when you speak and if you notice a mistake, correct it. If you don’t notice any mistakes, don’t worry.
• Make a ‘my typical mistakes’ page in your notebook. Write down mistakes you often make and when you speak, listen out for those mistakes. If you always say ‘I must to go’, then write it down next to the correct version ‘I must go’ and listen out for this mistake when you speak.
• Use grammar you know. If you use new grammar you don’t know for the first time in an exam, you will make more mistakes and find it more difficult to correct yourself.
• Use words you know. Revise the vocabulary you learn in class and try to use new words again to help you remember them. If you don’t know an exact word, use a different word that you know.
• Record yourself speaking and listen to yourself. Correct your mistakes and remember the good language to use again.
• Take your time and think when you speak! If you speak too fast and don’t think about your language, you will make mistakes. However, don’t speak too slowly – you don’t want to sound like a robot.

Text from: https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/exams/speaking-exams