1. UNIT 1 Paco arrives in Africa By ep715. Creative Commons.

2. Tense revision Verb tenses are used to express time in any language. Many English tenses do not have direct translation in Spanish. So, be careful, revise all English tenses and try to do the exercises provided to check that you understand when and how every English tense is used. Present simple Present continuous Past simple Past continuous Present perfect simple Present perfect continuous Past perfect simple Past perfect continuous

3. -Ed / -Ing adjectives Adjectives ending in -ed mean effect or result: Paco was tired (that was the result of the journey) Adjectives ending in -ing describe the person or thing that produces the feeling (The journey was tiring) If something or someone is... -ing, they will make you feel... -ed Sometimes we doubt which adjective we have to use, -ed or -ing. * The -ed adjectives (bored, surprised, frightened, etc.) are used to express feelings, that is how people feel. e. g. Paco was exhausted after the flight from the States. * The -ing adjectives (boring, surprising, frightening, etc.) describe the people or things that cause those feelings. e. g. The flight was exhausting, so Paco was exhausted after the flight from the States.

4. -Ing form and Infinitive * The -ing form of a verb can be used as a noun. In these cases in Spanish we use a noun or an infinitive: Skiing can be a dangerous activity (Esquíar, El esquí...) Used as a noun can be the subject, object, complement of a sentence or object of a preposition Writing in English can be complicated (subject) I hate writing compositions (object) * The infinitive is the base form of a verb. The to-infinitive is used: after certain verbs: want, promise, hope, learn, ask, refuse, need, choose, offer, decide, persuade, plan, expect, wish, would like. after the auxiliaries to be, to have to, and ought to used with the structure: 'to be + adjective + to-infinitive' With the structure: verb + object + to infinitive. The infinitive without "to" is used: after most auxiliary verbs after the verbs: make and let: make/let + object + infinitive

5. Word formation Some words are formed by adding a PREFIX at the beginning of an existing word. Have a look at this list: dis- / fore- / full / hand / ill / mis / over / self / un / under And some other words are formed by adding a SUFFIX at the end: dom / er / ee / en / ess / ful / hand / ish / less / ly / mate / ness / y / ship / ward(s)

6. As you get started on your descriptive essay, it's important for you to identify what you want to describe. Often, a descriptive essay will focus on portraying a person, a place and sometimes a pet Writing a descriptive essay can be a rich and rewarding experience, but it can also feel a bit complicated. It's helpful, therefore, to keep a quick checklist of the essential questions to keep in mind as you plan, draft, and revise your essay. Here you have some hints: Plan your descriptive composition  Paragraph 1 Who or what you are going to write about.  Paragraph 2 Physical description  Paragraph 3 Information about personality or about what this place means to you  Conclusion Choose a suitable closing sentence or sentences Writing a descriptive composition