5. An attractive but dangerous visit

Finally, in this section you will learn about vocabulary building. We will focus on some common adjective suffixes. Learning something about how suffixes function in the English language can help you improve general reading comprehension. Moreover, suffixes help you use context and etymological clues to help you guess the meaning of unfamiliar words.
Icono IDevice Reading activity
Paco hadn't seen much in New York yet. However, the hotel seemed quite comfortable and peaceful. Besides, it was near Central Park, the most famous park in the city. Although he was told that New York could be dangerous at nights and that he had to be careful all the time, he thought the city was really attractive with an exciting mixture of different cultures.

View of the Midtown Manhattan skyline, looking north from the Empire State Building

By Diliff. GNU free license.
Just in case, he tried to avoid certain areas full of drunks, homeless people, drug dealers and professional criminals.

Try to find in the text all the adjectives with suffixes you are familiar with.

We remind you that the most common suffixes are -al, -ent, -ive, -ous, -ful, -less , -ing and -ed.



Icono de iDevice AV - Reflexión
Suffixes are groups of letters attached to the ends of roots, words, and word groups. Suffixes serve a grammatical function. A suffix can indicate the function of a word (noun, verb, adjective, adverb), and that makes comprehension easier. Suffixes can also modify and extend meaning.
Icono de iDevice Solved exercise
My father's car is very (economic) _______________.

There was a (marvel) _______________ serial on TV last night.

That guy is very (ambition) _______________.

That women is absolutely (beauty)_______________ .*

My grandfather loves (classic) _______________ music.

 

Be careful of false friends! These are words that are similar to words in another language, but have a different meaning. For example, sensible in English is sensato in Spanish.And sensible in Spanish is sensitive in English!

Fill in the blanks with an adjective derived from the word given.

Icono de iDevice Self-Assessment activity
Match the definitions with the suitable adjectives:
popular / attractive / energetic / interesting / flexible

1) is somebody or something pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm.

2) If something or somebody holds our attention, we can say that it is

3) Regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public. It is .

4) If we bend something without breaking it that means that it is .

5) Possessing or exerting or displaying energy, we can say that it is .

  

Icono de iDevice AV - Reflexión
QUESTION TAGS
Question tags are very common in English. We'll study them because they are very often used in everyday English.

They are placed at the end of a sentence and they ask for confirmation: Am I right? or Do you agree with me?

Watch the video below to gain a wider idea of how to form question tags. When you finish click on the Click here button to see their structure.

 

 

Icono IDevice Further knowledge
Here we give you the chance to learn about question tags and do some exercises.

Icono IDevice Curiosity
Museum of Modern Art

 

By hibino. Creative Commons.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been singularly important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world. The museum's collection offers an unparalleled overview of modern and contemporary art, including works of architecture and design, drawings, painting, sculpture, photography, prints, illustrated books and artist's books, film, and electronic media.

MoMA's library and archives hold over 300,000 books, artist books, and periodicals, as well as individual files on more than 70,000 artists. The archives contain primary source material related to the history of modern and contemporary art. It also houses an award-winning fine dining restaurant, The Modern, run by Alsace-born chef Gabriel Kreuther.

Taken from Wikipedia.


Icono IDevice Further knowledge
Learn about vocabulary building: affixes and roots.

That was enough for topic 1. Come with us to topic 2.
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