Thursday, March 19, 2020

10 Facts About Spanish Adverbs

10 Facts About Spanish Adverbs Here are 10 facts about Spanish adverbs that will come in handy to know as you learn Spanish: 1. An adverb is a part of speech that is used to modify the meaning of an adjective, verb, another adverb or an entire sentence. In other words, adverbs in Spanish have basically the same function as they do in English. 2. Most adverbs are formed by taking the singular feminine form of the adjective and adding the suffix -mente. Thus -mente is usually the equivalent of the -ly ending in English. 3. Many of the most common adverbs are short words that dont end in -mente. Among them are aquà ­ (here), bien (well), mal (poorly), no (not), nunca (never) and siempre (always). 4. Regarding placement of adverbs, adverbs that affect the meaning of a verb usually go after the verb, while adverbs that affect the meaning of an adjective or another adverb are usually placed in front of the word they refer to. 5. It is extremely common in Spanish to use an adverbial phrase, usually a phrase of two or three words, where an adverb might be used in English. In fact, in many cases Spanish speakers often prefer adverbial phrases even where a corresponding adverb exists. For example, while the adverb nuevamente, meaning newly or anew, is readily understood, native speakers are much more likely to say de nuevo or otra vez to mean much the same thing. 6. In a series of adverbs that end in -mente, the -mente ending is used on only the final adverb. An example would be in the sentence Puede compartir archivos rpida y fcilmente (You can share files quickly and easily), where the -mente is shared with rpida and fcil. 7. Some nouns act as adverbs even though you might not think of them that way. Common examples are  the days of the week  and  the months. In the sentence Nos vamos el lunes a una cabaà ±a en el campo (Were going away Monday to a cabin in the country), el lunes is functioning as an adverb of time. 8. Occasionally, singular masculine adjectives can function as adverbs, especially in informal speech. Sentences such as canta muy lindo (he/she sings beautifully) and estudia fuerte (he studies hard) can be heard in some areas but sound wrong or overly informal in other areas. Such usage is best avoided except in imitation of native speakers in your locality. 9. Adverbs of doubt or probability that affect the meaning of a verb often require the affected verb to be in the subjunctive mood. Example: Hay muchas cosas que probablemente no sepas sobre mi paà ­s. (There are many things you probably dont know about my country.) 10. When no or another adverb of negation comes before a verb, a negative form can still be used afterward, forming a double negative. Thus a sentence such as No tengo nada (literally, I dont have nothing) is grammatically correct Spanish.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Mentos Diet Soda Chemical Volcano

Mentos Diet Soda Chemical Volcano Chemical volcanoes are classic projects for science fairs and chemistry demonstrations. The ​Mentos and diet soda volcano is similar to the baking soda volcano, except the eruption is really powerful, capable of producing jets of soda several feet high. Its messy, so you might want to do this project outdoors or in a bathroom. Its also non-toxic, so kids can do this project. This simple  chemical volcano takes a few minutes to set up and erupts for a few seconds What You Need Roll of Mentos candies2-liter bottle of  diet sodaIndex cardTest tube or sheet of paperA mop for cleanup Makingthe Mentos and Soda Erupt First, gather your supplies. You can substitute another candy for the Mentos, such as MMs or Skittles, but ideally, you want candies that stack into a neat column with minimal space between them, have a chalky consistency, and barely fit through the mouth of a 2-liter bottle.Similarly, you could substitute normal soda for diet soda. The project will work just as well, but the resulting eruption will be sticky. Whatever you use, the beverage has to be carbonated!First, you need to stack the candies. The easiest way to do this is to stack them in a test tube narrow enough to form a single column. Otherwise, you can roll a sheet of paper into a tube just barely wide enough for a stack of candies.Place an index card over the opening of the test tube or end of the paper tube to hold the candies in the container. Invert the test tube.Open your full 2-liter bottle of diet soda. The eruption happens very quickly, so set things up: you want the open bottle/index card/roll of candies so that a s soon as you remove the index card, the candies will drop smoothly into the bottle. When youre ready, do it! You can repeat the eruption with the same bottle and another stack of candies. Have fun! How the Mentos and Diet Soda Experiment Works The Diet Coke and Mentos geyser is the result of a physical process rather than a chemical reaction. Theres a lot of carbon dioxide dissolves in the soda, which gives it its fizz. When you drop a Mentos into the soda, tiny bumps on the candy surface give the carbon dioxide molecules a nucleation site or place to stick. As more and more carbon dioxide molecules accumulate, bubbles form. Mentos candies are heavy enough they sink, so they interact with carbon dioxide all the way to the bottom of the container. The bubbles expand as they rise. The partially dissolved candy is sticky enough to trap the gas, forming a foam. Because theres so much pressure, it all happens very quickly. The narrow opening of a soda bottle funnels the foam to make a geyser. If you use a nozzle that makes the opening at the top of the bottle even smaller, the jet of liquid will go even higher. You can also experiment using regular Coke (as opposed to the diet versions) or tonic water (which glows blue under a black light).