Using the 2 Simple Past Tenses of Spanish

Using the 2 Simple Past Tenses of Spanish English has one simple past tense, but Spanish has two: the preterite and the imperfect. The two past tenses refer in different ways to what has happened. They are called the simple past tenses to distinguish them from verb forms that use an auxiliary verb, such as has left in English and ha salido in Spanish. In other words, the simple past tenses use a single word. Although the English past in a sentence such as he ate can be conveyed in Spanish using either the preterite (comià ³) or the imperfect indicative (comà ­a), the two tenses dont mean the same thing. In general, the preterite is used when speaking of completed action, indicating the verbs action had a clear end. The imperfect is used to refer to an action that doesnt have a specific ending. Here are some more specific uses to clarify the differences between the two tenses. Note that the imperfect is frequently translated in ways other than the English simple past. Key Takeaways: Spanish Simple Past Tense Although English has one simple (single-word) past tense, Spanish has two, and they usually arent interchangeable.In general, the preterite tense is used for actions that took place over a clear period of time.In general, the imperfect tense is used for actions whose conclusion isnt irrelevant or unspecified. Uses for the Preterite Tense The preterite (often spelled preterite) is used to tell of something that happened once: Fuimos ayer a la playa. (We went to the beach yesterday.)Escribà ­ la carta. (I wrote the letter.)Compramos un coche azul.  (We bought a blue car.) It can also tell of something that happened more than once but with a specific end: Fui ayer seis veces a la tienda. (I went to the store six times yesterday.)Leyà ³ el libro cinco veces. (He read the book five times.) Finally, the preterite can indicate the beginning or end of a process: Tuvo frà ­o. (He got cold.)El huracn se terminà ³ a las ocho. (The hurricane was finished at 8.) Uses for the Imperfect Tense On the other hand, the imperfect tells of past habitual or repeated actions where theres no definite end specified. It is often translated as used to verb, would verb, or was/were verb -ing. Iba a la tienda. (I used to go to the store. Note that it is possible that the verbs action continues today.)Leà ­amos los libros. (We would read the books. The English would is sometimes used for the imperfect, as it is here, but it also is sometimes used for the conditional tense.)Lavaban las manos. (They were washing their hands.)Escribà ­a muchas cartas. (I wrote many letters.) The imperfect can describe a condition, mental state, or state of being from the past: Habà ­a una casa aquà ­. (There used to be a house here.)Era està ºpido. (He was stupid.)No te conocà ­a. (I didnt know you.)Querà ­a estar feliz. (He wanted to be happy.)Tenà ­a frà ­o. (He was cold.) To describe an action that occurred over an unspecified time: Se pondrà ­a la ropa de deporte. (She was putting on her athletic clothing.)Cuando Josà © tocaba el piano, Marà ­a comà ­a. (While Josà © was playing the piano, Marà ­a was eating.) To indicate time or age in the past: Era la una de la tarde. (It was 1 p.m.)Tenà ­a 43 aà ±os. (She was 43 years old.) Other Distinctions Between the Past Tenses The imperfect is frequently used to provide the background for an event that is described using the preterite. Era [imperfect] la una de la tarde cuando comià ³ [preterite]. (It was 1 p.m. when she ate.)Yo escribà ­a [imperfect] cuando llegaste [preterite]. (I was writing when you arrived.) Because of the way the two tenses are used, some verbs can be translated using differing words in English depending on the tense in Spanish. This is especially true when the preterite is used to indicate the beginning or end of a process. Conocà ­ [preterite] al presidente. (I met the president.) Conocà ­a [imperfect] al presidente. (I knew the president.)Tuvo [preterite]  frà ­o. (He got cold.) Tenà ­a [imperfect] frà ­o. (He was cold.)Supe [preterite] escuchar. (I found out how to listen.) Sabà ­a [imperfect] escuchar. (I knew how to listen.) Some of the sentences in this lesson could be stated in either tense with a slight change of meaning. For example, while Escribà ­a muchas cartas would be the typical way of saying I wrote many letters, as that is something that typically would take place over an unspecified period of time, one also might say Escribà ­ muchas cartas. But the meaning of the sentence, not readily translatable without a context to English, would change to indicate that the speaker was referring to a specific point in time. For example, if you were talking about writing many letters while you were on a particular trip, you might use the preterite form.

Misplaced Modifiers Mix Meanings

Misplaced Modifiers Mix Meanings Misplaced Modifiers Mix Meanings Misplaced Modifiers Mix Meanings By Mark Nichol Scrambled sentence structure can lead to humorous or at least head-shaking imagery that readers will stumble on. Be alert in your writing for infelicitous misplacement of meaning: 1. â€Å"Kangaroo babies are the size of a lima bean at birth.† But we’re not told how big a lima bean is at birth. Oh perhaps it means this: â€Å"At birth, kangaroo babies are the size of a lima bean.† 2. â€Å"A famous athlete in the ancient Olympics named Milo of Kroton could break a string tied around his head with his bulging forehead veins.† OK, wait, let me get this straight: Milo of Kroton tied a string around his head with his bulging forehead veins? Why not just tie the string to, um, the string? Milo evidently wasn’t using his head after all: â€Å"In the ancient Olympics, a famous athlete named Milo of Kroton could, with his bulging forehead veins, break a string tied around his head.† (It was also unclear whether the athlete or the games were called Milo of Kroton.) 3. â€Å"The first company to pioneer the idea of extended stay in 1975 was started by an apartment developer.† A year-specific long-term residence hotel? What an intriguing business model! Which entrepreneurial insight did they have for 1976? (And first and pioneer are redundant.): â€Å"The company, which pioneered the idea of extended stay, was started by an apartment developer in 1975.† (â€Å"In 1975, an apartment developer started the company, which pioneered the idea of extended stay† is also correct and is also more active, but the context may prefer passive construction.) 4. â€Å"Mail was delivered by the Pony Express in the Wild West, a system in which riders rode to checkpoints, got a new horse, and rode on.† I’ve never heard the Wild West described as a system: The writer meant, â€Å"Mail was delivered in the Wild West by the Pony Express, a system in which riders rode to checkpoints, got a new horse, and rode on.† 5. â€Å"Based on a true story, divers are left behind to float in the open seas in Open Water.† The divers are not based on a true story; a true story inspired the movie: â€Å"In Open Water, based on a true story, two divers are left behind to float in the ocean.† 6. â€Å"The president says valor and sacrifice in the armed forces are no longer defined by sexual orientation at historic signing.† What does sexual orientation at a historic signing have to do with valor and sacrifice?: Nothing. The sentence should read, â€Å"At a historic signing, the president says valor and sacrifice in the armed forces are no longer defined by sexual orientation.† 7. â€Å"If you learn to laugh with, and at, your family, you’ll be able to survive just about anything that life throws at you with confidence and style.† Why let your life throw things, much less throw things with confidence and style?: â€Å"If you learn to laugh with (and at) your family, you’ll be able to survive, with confidence and style, just about anything that life throws at you.† (I also placed â€Å"and at† in parentheses to break up a string of commas that would, unchecked, have flattened the sentence.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should KnowBest Websites to Learn EnglishNarrative, Plot, and Story

What are the strengths and weaknesses of an artificial kidney based on Essay

What are the strengths and weaknesses of an artificial kidney based on the use of proximal convoluted tubule cells - Essay Example In the search for alternative treatment of such diseases, kidney transplant emerged as the most viable option, which has been applied extensively. Nevertheless, despite kidney transplant being a successful option, the costs and the difficulty in finding the kidneys for transplant has promoted another alternative search, this time that entails the application of artificial kidney, based on the use of proximal convoluted tubule cells. This alternative is being widely studied and experimented, since it has shown some rays of hope that it might emerge as a viable alternative for addressing the problem. The discovery of this bio-artificial kidney has shown some potential of saving the life of people who have acute renal failures (Fawcett, 2004 n.p.). The study undertaken with 10 patients with acute kidney problems indicated that the artificial kidney that is based on the use of proximal convoluted tubule cells, is well tolerated by the adult human body, and has the potential of improving their conditions (Fawcett, 2004 n.p.). However, despite this ray of hope, there is a need to understand how the bio-artificial kidney operates. Therefore, this study seeks to investigate the viability of the bio-artificial kidney, with a view to understand the advantages and disadvantages of its application. First, the strength of this bio-artificial kidney is, that it will be the first device of its kind to be implanted inside the body of humans, as opposed to the use of dialysis machines, which are connected to the body externally, and are used to filter the body waste mechanically (Boyle, 2010 n.p.). Therefore, this device eliminates all the inconvenience that are involved in mechanical removal of wastes from the body, considering that the device will be implanted inside the body of a patient, and thus will be performing continuously, as does the normal kidney (Fawcett, 2004 n.p.). The mechanical removal of human waste is associated with a lot of challenges. Most fundamental is t he fact that; the patient is not continuously involved in the removal of body wastes, but has to do it occasionally as programmed through the use of the dialysis machine. This puts the patients at a higher health risk, since the wastes may accumulate at a rate that was not anticipated by the physician, and thus cause the intoxication of the human body, while he/she still awaits the mechanical removal of wastes (Boyle, 2010 n.p.). It is in this consideration that the artificial kidney, based on the use of proximal convoluted tubule cells, is found to be advantageous, since it works like a normal kidney, without the need for programmable removal of kidney wastes. The application of this bio-artificial kidney eliminates the need to locate a patient close to a dialysis center, while also removing the need for them to undergo the extremely consuming procedure. The other strength associated with the use of the artificial kidney, based on the use of proximal convoluted tubule cells is that ; this artificial kidney is developed using the normal biological kidney cells (Fawcett, 2004 n.p.). The kidney is made up of a cartridge that is lined up with renal proximal tubule cells, which helps the kidney to operate like it was a normal kidney. This is because, the cells performs the most vital functions of the kidney, which is the filtration and separation of the kidney waste components from the vital electrolytes, salt, glucose and water, which are essential for the normal body functioning (Boyle, 2010 n.p.). Therefore, the artificial kidney prevents the loss of most important components of the blood system, which would otherwise have been lost through the

Research paperessay of Paul Robeson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Research paperessay of Paul Robeson - Essay Example In 1915 he won a scholarship to Rutgers College, New Jersey, and was also educated at Columbia University law school, where he graduated in 1923. An outstanding athlete as well as scholar, Robeson was selected for the All-American college football team as the finest player in his position. For a short time thereafter he played professional football and semi-professional basketball. In 1921 he married his lifelong partner, Eslanda Cordozo Goode (1896-1965), an analytical chemist in a hospital pathology laboratory. She would later manage Robeson's career, and even though their relationship was often stormy and included periods of separation, she was initially a major influence in his life and the author of an early biography, Paul Robeson, Negro (1930). Robeson began his acting career in 1920, appearing in Simon the Cyrenian in Harlem, New York, and played his first professional part in 1922 in Taboo. It was in 1922 as a member of the cast of this play, now renamed Voodoo, that Robeson made his dbut in Britain. In later years he recalled that it was during his performances in Voodoo at the Blackpool Opera House in 1922 that he first realized he had the talent to make a career as a singer. In 1923 he briefly worked at a law firm in New York, but his experiences of racism in the USA persuaded Robeson that he might have more success as an actor than by attempting to practise as a lawyer. In the United States, Robeson continued to develop his singing career, and with Lawrence Brown, who was to be his accompanist for many years, he performed the first ever concert comprising entirely African-American secular songs and spirituals in New York in 1925. Later that year he began his legendary recording career, and during the next thirty-five years made over 450 recordings, mainly in Britain and the United States. The previous year he had made his first film, Body and Soul, directed by Oscar Micheaux. During the next twenty-five years he starred in ten films and twelve plays and musicals. As an actor he always strove to break away from the demeaning roles often played by black actors.(Boyle ,79) By 1947 he had decided to leave the professional stage in the United States altogether; he had already ended his film career because of his dissatisfaction with the roles he was offered. Robeson made numerous recordings and some of his most memorable films in Britain, including Song of Freedom (1936) and The Proud Valley (1939). In the latter he played a black American stoker who helped Welsh unemployed miners reopen their pits. In retrospect Robeson believed that his time in Britain had a profound influence on his personal and political development. As a result of his many contacts with students and other African residents, his serious interest in African cultures and languages developed. It was during this period that Robeson became patron of the West African Students' Union and, as he put it, 'discovered Africa' in London. He also began his comparative study of African, African-American, and other folk cultures, and in 1934 enrolled as a student of linguistics and African languages at London University.

Net Income is defined as the total income Essay Example for Free

Net Income is defined as the total income Essay Net Income is defined as the total income of the company after all the expenses and other costs from their total revenue. The level of Net Income is very important for the managers since it is the one that will be divided into the shareholders of the company. The higher the net income, the greater would be the capital gains that stockholder would receive. There are instances that even though the company has high revenue, its net income still remains low due to the higher level of spending or costs. Answer B Legally based, White’s plan is acceptable since theoretically his strategy complies with the available accounting principles. Only that, he was able to play these principles on his hands in order to make their company look profitable based from their records. Ethically based, well of course White’s strategy is not ethical since he would trick the bank by virtually making Best Bike complying with their terms and agreement. Best Bike is profitable on the sheets of account but not in reality. Based from the definition of FASB on revenue, I think that the idea of revenue of Mr. White does not comply with the definition of the revenue of FASB. According to the definition of FASB, revenue is recognized when assets are created or liabilities are extinguished (FASB, 2005). Mr. White was not able to seclude the liabilities on their revenue. By allowing his friends and families to make credit purchases and eventually returning the bike to the company after two months would just mean that assets â€Å"virtually† increased by the months November and December and on reality sense it is not the way it is since that raise in the assets of Best Bike was just â€Å"artificial† due to the fact that friends and family of Mr. White do not have the intention of paying the bikes that they purchased on credit. As a consequence, in the long run, Best Bike would suffer on major inventory surplus, and if Mr. White was not able to find long term solution to their problem, probably they would incur large amount of losses due to the sluggish turnover of Best Bike’s inventories. Answer C In order for Best Bike to Increase their net income, first, they should be able to find ways in cutting their costs of producing a unit of bike. With this, they would now subtract fewer expenses on their total revenue. Another way by which Best Bike could improve their net income would be through cutting their average number of days for inventory turns over. With this, sales would eventually increase giving way for the revenue of the company to increase. Lastly, Best Bike’s bad debts in 19X7 as compared to the previous year have decreased. With this, expenses of Best Bike will decrease making the net income of the company to increase since there would be fewer expenses that will be deducted to the total revenue, assuming that the total revenue is constant. Answer D I think Best Bike would face a problem regarding their cash flow since they have a lot of collectible from their customers and to make things worst, the time it take for the company to collect all the collectibles is about 98 days. That’s too long and would decrease the cash in hand that the company could use to finance its other operation. Furthermore, inventory turn over of the company is in not good condition. They inventories have to take 130 days before they were all sold to the market. Being able to sell this inventory on a shorter period would mean that they could easily turn their Bikes easily into cash. It is just tantamount to increasing the sales of the company since there would be no bikes to stock in the warehouses if the sales turnover of the company is high.

Political Protest under the Totalitarian System Essay example -- Total

The paper concerns the principles presupposed in political protest against the totalitarian regime. In contrast to the utilitarian view of participating in political protest (K.D.Opp, M. Taylor) the author tries to suggest the moral model of political protest. According to this model, the main reason and motif for challenging the regime is the transgression of the limits of concession, which jeopardizes the spiritual identity and essential qualities of the individuals and all groups (i.e., Church, family, nation). The participants of the protest do not calculate in terms of egoistic or private interests and utilities but in terms of moral values. They consider what action is morally "good" and "bad" or morally "better" or "worse" in this situation, disregarding their personal profits and happiness. The overthrow of the communist system is an incalculating and contingent result of combating the extreme manifestations and worst excesses of the system. 1. Protest in Defense of Identity There are three essential forms of opposing the totalitarian system: covert passive resistance, overt non-violent protest, and armed struggle. The first form of activity results, in a way, from a combination of utilitarian calculating and axiological considerations. The oppositionists may cooperate with the rà ©gime and publicly countenance it, while at the same time they venture to take action in order to liberalize the system and take the edge off the dictatorship, whenever this is possible, i.e., not noticed by the authorities, legitimate, or profitable in view of the mildness of the punishment faced by the offenders. Both individuals and institutions may follow this pattern. Under the Communist rule in Eastern Europe, even persons holding publ... ...pp, "Repression and Revolutionary Action: East Germany in 1989," Rationality and Society, Vol. 6, No. 1, 1994, pp. 101–138; M. Taylor, Anarchy and Cooperation, London, 1976; M. Taylor [ed.], Rationality and Revolution, Cambridge, 1988. (7) M. Weber, Gesammelte Aufsà ¤tze zur Wissenschaftslehre, Tà ¼bingen, 1973, especially Chapters II & X. (8) Cf. A. Michnik, Z dziejà ³w honoru w Polsce [From the History of Honor in Poland], Warszawa, 1993. (9) Cf. V. Havel, Sila bezsilnych [The Power of the Powerless], Berlin, 1995. (10) Arystoteles [Aristotle], Etyka Nikomachejska [Nichomachean Ethics], Warszawa, 1956, Books III & V. (11) T. Buksinski, „Kategoria etycznosci a rzeczywistosc krajà ³w postkomunistycznych" ["The Category of the Ethical vs. the Reality of the Post-Communist Countries"], Edukacja Filozoficzna, 1995, No. 19, pp. 123–132. (12) J. Kuron, op. cit.

Travel Life

My travel experience During the first time I stepped on the plain I was so exited about it, but when the plane started to fly I cried because I was still 3 years old I was with my dad and my mom I had so much fun traveling then I told my dad can we travel every year he said okay then I became happier and my father kept his promise every year we go traveling in some parts of Asia like Taiwan, hong kong, Singapore, Cambodia, china, Malaysia , Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and others it was so much fun because you get to see places that you never imagined and I felt so good about it.Two years ago we went to Taiwan, with my father and my cousin during the plane ride our ears was hurting so much I really don’t know why so I went to the washroom and checked maybe my ears where dirty but no I asked my daddy he said it was about some engines in the plane that makes you ears hurt.We arrived at Taiwan early in the morning I was so sleepy then we had to hind our hotel(which was so comfor table and such a good place)then after another day we started exploring some beautiful places in like the garden, and Taipei 101 it was so high and it had the most beautiful view in whole Taipei. We only spent 1 week because it was sembreak only in October so I had missed Taiwan ever since. Then last year we went to India my country (that I still really miss so much) for ma little vacation during summer it really felt good to smell the breeze in the place where you (kainda) grow up.Then i felt so good seeing my grand parent's again in such a long time and also some of my relative like my aunt and uncle but the days did no last long the day we are going back to the Philippines I cried so much because I didn’t want to go back I wanted to live there but I cant my family is here so I have to stick with them as well so every day I kept on calling to know how are they and kept on asking me how is my travel life.My traveling life mearns everything to me because I cannot just stay in one play my whole life because you got a whole life to spent and I what to see the world with it because of what every one say life it to short but not for me because you have to embrace your life to be happy to experience every thing that you did no know about the world the cause that is your life you have to live it in the fullest and no just by traveling one single country but all of it for you to see the world before it stopes in a moment.My traveling experience is no just by going to that place but to fell it you have got to see it fell it and do it ti like then for you to have fun at the fullest that never stopes for to have a memories of what you have being doing your whole life and foe you to have al long and good experiencing life with people you what to be with and people you never you that will become you friends so never think traveling is no just going to different countries but to embrace that country like is is yours.