Mysteries Vocabulary

by accident	in a way that is not planned or intended
on purpose	with intention
good luck	a stroke of luck
bad luck	unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate event
lucky	having or bringing good fortune
reunite	v. To unite or join again, as after separation.
separate	go one's own away
work out	happen in a certain way, leading to, producing, or resulting in a certain outcome, often well
coincidence	the chance occurrence, at the same time, of two or more seemingly connected events; V. coincide: happen at the same time
mystery	something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
miss a chance	lose an opportunity
solve	find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of
make sense	be reasonable or logical or comprehensible
investigate	to look into closely; to study in great detail
figure out	solve, understand
theory	idea that explains something and is supported by data
prove	provide evidence for
doubt	uncertainty about the truth or factuality of existence of something
mysterious	very hard to explain or understand
unlucky	having or bringing misfortune

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Permission with may, can, could, would / do you mind if...?

When asking for permission

Most formal 

most formal	Would you mind if
	Do you mind if
least formal	May/Could/ Can

Do / Would you mind . . . ?

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Improving English Pronunciation Short Vowels Videos

You can improve your English pronunciation with practice. As they say practice makes perfect. These videos from BBC Learn English can help you work on areas of your pronunciation that you may have difficulty with.

Short Vowel A sound as in "cat"

Short Vowel E sound as in "met"

Short Vowel I sound as in "fit"

Short Vowel O sound as in "lot"

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Time Clauses with before, after, and when

·        A time clause explains when something happened. It begins with one of the following before, after, and when.  ·        Use a comma after the time clause.

·        We can also use these time clauses after the main clause. ·        If it comes after the main clause it doesn’t need a comma.

Before she ate, she washed her hands.

She washed her hands before she ate.

After she used the toilet, she washed her hands.

She washed her hands after she used the toilet.

When she was washing her hands, she dropped the soap.

She dropped the soap when she was washing her hands.

Here is a video on time clauses, although it focuses on the future it explains the time clauses well.

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Similarity and agreement with so, too, either, neither

When we agree with something someone says:
Positive Answers Verb To Be:		Negative Answers
I am tired		I am not going to the party.
So am I		Neither am I / Neither are we
I am, too/ She is too.		I'm not either / We are not either
Me, too (casual)		Me, neither (casual)
Difference between either and neither:
Neither Sara nor Marina is going to the party. (The girls are not going to the party)		Either Sara or Marina is going to the party. (One of them will go to the party)
Agreement with other verbs:
Positive		Negative
Carolina runs fast.		Nuria doesn’t run fast.
So do I / So does he.		Neither do I.
I do, too. / Me, too. (casual)		I don’t, either.
		Me, neither (casual)

agreeing: so, too, neither, either

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Adverbs of Manner

Adverbs of manner tell how something is done

• Often come after a verb
• He talked quietly.
• Sometimes is placed before the verb to add emphasis
• He quietly walked out the door.
• Usually end in -ly
• Exemptions: 
• hard, fast, so, well
• To know when to use an adverb of manner versus an adjective ask yourself:
• Is it describing how someone is?
• She is nice.
• They were calm after the earthquake.
• Is it describing how something was done?
• She behaves nicely.
• The reacted calmly to the earthquake.

The following table has some common adverbs of manner. The ones that are together can have close meaning. The ones on the Positive/Negative column can be used either in a positive or negative form.

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Storytelling Vocabulary

be based on	(N) a story that was inspired by events that actually occurred
be hooked on	(V) to be addicted to something
brave	(ADJ) willing to do things that are dangerous, and does not show fear in difficult or dangerous situations
character	(N) who a book, movie, or play is about
clever	(ADJ) someone who is intelligent and able to understand things easily or plan things well
eventually	(ADV) in the end, especially after a lot of delays, problems, or arguments
follow	(V) to keep up with the news of a particular person or group
happy ending	(N) a positive conclusion to something
incredible	(ADJ) something that is very unusual or surprising, and you cannot believe it is really true, although it may be
make up	(V) to invent a situation and describe it to others for entertainment
overcome	(V) when you successfully deal with a problem and control it
predictable	(ADJ) it is obvious in advance that it will happen
realistic	(ADJ) recognize and accept something's true nature and try to deal with it in a practical way
soap opera	(N) a television drama series about the lives and problems of a group of people
struggle	(V) try hard
survive	(V) manage to live or continue in spite of difficulties
tell a story	(V) to entertain or inform others by describing true or fictitious events
the same old story	(PHRASE) a phrase describing something that happens very often
true story	(N) events that actually occurred
TV series	(N) a set of programs of a particular kind which have the same title
uneducated	(ADJ) does not have a high standard of learning

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