Spanish Prepositional Pronouns

Spanish Prepositional Pronouns The easy part about learning the grammar of pronouns in Spanish is that they follow a structure similar to the pronouns of English, serving as subjects as well as objects of verbs and prepositions. The tricky part, at least for people whose first language is English, is remembering which pronouns to use. While English uses the same pronouns as objects of prepositions and for direct and indirect objects of verbs, Spanish has a different set of pronouns for each usage, and those sets overlap. The subject pronouns and prepositional pronouns are identical except in the first-person singular and familiar second-person singular forms. How To Use Prepositional Pronouns As you can probably guess, prepositional pronouns are those that come after prepositions. In a sentence such as Tengo una sorpresa para ella (I have a surprise for her), para (for) is the preposition and ella (her) is the prepositional pronoun. Here are the prepositional pronouns of Spanish along with examples of their usage: mà ­ (first-person singular, equivalent of me): El regalo es para mà ­. (The gift is for me.)ti (informal second-person singular, equivalent of you; note that there is no written accent on this pronoun): El regalo es para ti. (The gift is for you.)usted (formal second-person singular, equivalent of you): El regalo es para usted. (The gift is for you.)à ©l (third-person masculine singular, equivalent of him or it): El regalo es para à ©l. (The gift is for him.)  Miro debajo à ©l.  (I am looking under it.)ella (third-person feminine singular, equivalent of her or it): El regalo es para ella. (The gift is for her.)  Miro debajo ella.  (I am looking under it.)nosotros, nosotras (first-person plural, equivalent of us): El regalo es para nosotros. (The gift is for us.)vosotros, vosotras (second-person informal plural, equivalent of you): El regalo es para vosotros. (The gift is for you.)ustedes (second-person formal plural, equivalent of you): El regalo es para ustedes.  (Th e gift is for you.) ellos, ellas (third-person plural, equivalent of them): El regalo es para ellos. (The gift is for them.) Sà ­ as a Pronoun There is also another prepositional object that is occasionally used. Sà ­ is used to mean himself, herself, the formal yourself, the formal yourselves, or themselves as the object of a preposition. For example, à ©l compra el regalo para sà ­, he is buying the gift for himself. One reason you dont see this usage often is since the meaning is usually expressed using the reflexive form of the verb: Se compra un regalo, he is buying himself a gift. Pronouns for It Either à ©l or ella can mean it as the object of a preposition, although as a subject there is no Spanish word used for it. The word used depends on the gender of the noun it replaces, with à ©l being used for masculine nouns and ella being used for feminine nouns.  ¿Dà ³nde est la mesa? Necesito mirar debajo ella. (Where is the table? I need to look under it.) ¿Dà ³nde est el carro? Necesito mirar debajo à ©l.  (Where is the car? I need to look under it.) Similarly, ellos and ellas, when used as a preposition pronoun meaning them, can be used to represent things as well as people. Use ellos when referring to nouns that are masculine, ellas for feminine nouns. Ellos also is used when referring to a group that includes both masculine and feminine nouhs. Contigo and Conmigo Instead of saying con mà ­ and con ti, use conmigo and contigo. Él va conmigo.  (He is going with me.)  Ella va contigo.  (She is going with you.) You also should use consigo instead of con sà ­, although this word isnt very common. Él habla consigo. (He  talks with himself.) Exceptions: Prepositions Followed by Subject Pronouns Finally, note that yo and tà º are used with the following six prepositions instead of with mà ­ and ti, respectively: entre (between)excepto (usually translated as except)incluso (including or even)menos (except)salvo (except)segà ºn (according to) Also, hasta is used with the subject pronouns when it is used in the same way as incluso. Examples: Es la diferencia entre tà º y yo. (Its the difference between you and me.)Muchas personas incluso/hasta yo creen en las hadas. (Many people including me believe in fairies.)Todos excepto/menos/salvo tà º creen en las hadas. (Everybody except you believes in fairies.)Es la verdad segà ºn yo. (Its the truth according to me.)

Immune System - the Bodys Natural Defense Mechanism

Immune System - the Body's Natural Defense Mechanism Immune System Function Theres a mantra in organized sports that says, defense is king! In todays world, with germs lurking around every corner, it pays to have a strong defense. The immune system is the bodys natural defense mechanism. The function of this system is to prevent or reduce the occurrence of infection. This is accomplished through the coordinated function of the bodys immune cells. Cells of the immune system, known as  white blood cells,  are found in our bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen, thymus, tonsils, and in the liver of embryos. When microorganisms, such as bacteria or viruses invade the body, non-specific defense mechanisms provide the first line of defense. Key Takeaways The immune system is the bodys natural defense mechanism whose function is to help fight infections.The innate immune system is a non-specific response that includes deterrents like the skin, enzymes in saliva, and inflammatory reactions by immune cells.If organisms get past the innate immune system, the adaptive immune system is the backup system. This backup system is a specific response to specific pathogens.The adaptive immunity system has two primary components: a humoral immune response and a cell mediated immune response.Disorders and diseases that can result from a compromised immune system include: allergies, HIV/AIDS and rheumatoid arthritis. Innate Immune System The innate immune system is a non-specific response that includes primary deterrents. These deterrents ensure protection against numerous germs and parasitic pathogens (fungi, nematodes, etc.). There are physical deterrents (skin and nasal hairs), chemical deterrents (enzymes found in perspiration and saliva), and inflammatory reactions (initiated by immune cells). These particular mechanisms are named appropriately because their responses are not specific to any particular pathogen. Think of these as a perimeter alarm system in a house. No matter who trips the motion detectors, the alarm will sound. White blood cells involved in the innate immune response include macrophages, dendritic cells, and granulocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils). These cells respond immediately to threats and are also involved in the activation of adaptive immune cells. Adaptive Immune System In cases where microorganisms get through the primary deterrents, there is a backup system called the adaptive immune system. This system is a specific defense mechanism in which immune cells respond to specific pathogens and also provide protective immunity. Like innate immunity, adaptive immunity includes two components: a humoral immune response and a cell mediated immune response. Humoral Immunity The humoral immune response or antibody†mediated response  protects against bacteria and viruses present in the fluids of the body. This system uses white blood cells called B cells, which have the ability to recognize organisms that dont belong to the body. In other words, if this isnt your house, get out! Intruders are referred to as antigens. B cell lymphocytes produce antibodies that recognize and bind to a specific antigen to identify it as an invader that needs to be terminated. Cell Mediated Immunity The cell mediated immune response protects against foreign organisms that have managed to infect body cells. It also protects the body from itself by controlling cancerous cells. White blood cells involved in cell mediated immunity include macrophages, natural killer (NK) cells, and T cell lymphocytes. Unlike B cells, T cells are actively involved with the disposal of antigens. They make proteins called T cell receptors that help them recognize a specific antigen. There are three classes of T cells that play specific roles in the destruction of antigens: Cytotoxic T cells (which directly terminate antigens), Helper T cells (which precipitate the production of antibodies by B cells), and Regulatory T cells (which suppress the response of B cells and other T cells). Immune Disorders There are serious consequences when the immune system is compromised. Three known immune disorders are allergies, severe combined immunodeficiency (T and B cells are not present or functional), and HIV/AIDS (severe decrease in the number of Helper T cells). In cases involving autoimmune disease, the immune system attacks the bodys own normal tissues and cells. Examples of autoimmune disorders include multiple sclerosis (affects the central nervous system), rheumatoid arthritis (affects joints and tissues), and graves disease (affects the thyroid gland). Lymphatic System The lymphatic system is a component of the immune system that is responsible for the development and circulation of immune cells, specifically lymphocytes. Immune cells are produced in bone marrow. Certain types of lymphocytes migrate from bone marrow to lymphatic organs, such as the spleen and thymus, to mature into fully functioning lymphocytes. Lymphatic structures filter blood and lymph of microorganisms, cellular debris, and waste.