PAST PERFECT

OThe past perfect simple expresses an action taking place before a certain time in the past.

O Had (not) + past participle + predicateONOTES

1. The past perfect shows something that happened before in a specific time in the past.

OExamples: By 1999 Tyler James had played many songs. In 2004 He had already been in several music videos.

O  

2. Use the past perfect to show a relationship with a past time or another past event.

OExamples: In 1987 she has visited her Canadian relatives twice. It was 1992 she had been a writer for five years.

3. Use the past perfect for an earlier event.

O Examples:

When the concert ended, Frank had left. (First he left. Then the concert ended)

When it started to rain, I had run to my car. (First I run. Then started to rain)

O 

4. Use already, yet, ever, never, just to emphasize an event.

O Examples:

Susy had never seen the Lord of the Rings Saga. Jack had already seen the saga twice.

OYES/NO QUESTIONSOHad + subject + past participle + predicateOExamples:

OHad you ever seen a horror movie?

OHad she gotten a medal before?

OWH- QUESTIONSOWH word + had + past participle + predicateOExamples:

OWhere had you seen the movie?

OWhen had she gotten a medal?

O WARNING!!!O The irregular verbs have a different

structure of the past participle and the regular verbs use -ed.

OACTIVITYOWho had been busier? OIs a game where students try to prove who had been busier, using a day it can be yesterday or the weekend, they have to compete with a partner, example: by 3 pm on Saturday I had already washed my hair, taken the dog out, did my homework…

AND, SO, TOO, NEITHER, NOT EITHER,

BUT.

OThese words help us to deny or affirm a statement. Additions are clauses that follow a statement; they express similarity or contrast with the information of the statement.

OUse And, so, too, neither, not either to show similarity.

OBut is used to show contrast.

OExamples:

OSimilarity: Lauren cooks in the oven, and so does Jay. Ana is tall, and Iveth is too. Diego can’t play the guitar, and Bobby can’t either. Camila can’t climb a mountain, and neither can I. 

OContrast: Tania loves cooking, but her mother doesn’t.

O*** The additions are used to avoid repeating information.

ONOTES

1. If the statement is affirmative the addition is negative.2. If the statement is negative the addition is affirmative.

OExamples: Karina played with barbies, but Alejandra didn’t. Johan didn’t understand, but Fabio did.O WARNING!!! After so or neither the verb comes before the subject. Use so or too if the additions follows an affirmative

statement. Use neither or not either if the addition follows a

negative statement.

3. In conversations you can use short responses with so, too, neither, not neither to express agreement with another speaker.

OExamples: I have three nieces.

O R/ So do I – I do too. Wendy isn’t forty years old.

O R/ Neither am I – I’m not either.

4. You can use short responses with but to express disagreement with another speaker. Also you can leave out but.

O Examples: I wouldn’t like to get married.

O R/ really!! (but) I would.O  

5. The additions can be used with auxiliaries like do, have, can or used be as a main verb.

O Examples: Dany loves cats, and does Gina. Jony has had two jobs, and so has I. He can’t drive a taxi, and neither can I. Rony is very kind, and his sister is too.

O ACTIVITYO Do you agree?O The students sitting in a circle, each

one has a card with a phrase related with additions, in order; the first student says the phrase aloud and the partner sitting to the right agrees and the one from left disagrees.

GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES

OTo learn or learning?  OTo eat or eating? To dream or dreaming? The difference between gerunds and infinitives is one of those things that comes naturally for native speakers but can be a nightmare for English Language Learners.  Here’s a simple explanation and four quick examples to help you keep them straight.

OA verb is an action word. In English, if a verb starts with the word “to,” it is an infinitive. If a verb ends with “ing,” it is a gerund. Verbs can be either gerunds or infinitives, but they can’t be both! 

Examples Rules Explanations

Verb + gerund

1. I enjoy playing 2. I denied stealing

Often we use the gerund for an action that happens before or at the same time as the action of the main verb.

1. I enjoy myself at the time of playing. 2. I deny having stolen anything before.

Verb + infinitive

1. I decided to visit my uncle 2. I want to go out

Often we use the infinitive for actions that follow the action of the main verb.

1. Visiting my uncle was an action of my decision. It comes after. 2. What I want (now) is to go out (after/ later)

O Both gerunds and infinitives can be nouns, which mean they can do just about anything that a noun can do. Although they name things, like other nouns, they normally name activities rather than people or objects. 

O USES:

1. Gerunds and infinitives can both function as the subject of a sentence:

O Examples: Playing basketball is her favorite hobby. To play basketball for the Lakers is her bigger

fantasy.

2. It is not impossible for an infinitive to appear at the beginning of a sentence as the subject, but it is more common for an infinitive to appear as a Subject Complement. The gerund can play this role too.

O Examples: Her favorite fantasy is to play basketball for

The Lakers. Her favorite fantasy is playing basketball for

The Lakers.

 

1. The infinitive is often a complement used to help define an abstract noun.

O Examples:

They need a motivation to pass all their courses. I want permission to stay up late. He gives a gentle reminder to do your work.

O ABSTRACT NOUNSadvice appeal command decision desire fact instruction motivation

opportunity order permission plan possibility preparation proposal recommendation

refusal reminder request requirement suggestion tendency wish

1. Verbs commonly followed by a gerund.

Like love dislike hate. Enjoy Stop Practice Miss Think about Consider Quit Enjoy Stop Practice Miss Think about Consider

Quit Give up Feel like Finish Avoid (Can’t) help (Can’t) stand (Don’t) mind Give up Feel like Finish Avoid (Can’t) help (Can’t) stand (Don’t) mind

Examples:

I like playing soccer. Hanna enjoys swimming at night. I love dancing every Friday.

Talk about something you would refuse to do if your boss asked you. I’d refuse + to infinitive

Why would you go to a theatre? To infinitive….

Talk about something you are not very good at doing. I'm not very good at verb -ing

Why would you download a CD ripper? To infinitive

Talk about a household chore you always avoid doing. I avoid verb-ing

Why would you buy a router? To infinitive….

Why would someone in America dial 9-1-1? To infinitive….

What is a lawnmower for? For verb -ing

Complete this sentence: _______a sponsored walk is a good way of raising money for charity. Doing

Talk about someone you know who is crazy about doing a particular sport. [Person’s name] is crazy about verb -ing

Complete this sentence: Bill Gates made a fortune by verb -ing

Complete this sentence: You could improve your English quickly by verb -ing

Talk about a course you are interested in taking. I'm interested in taking …

What is a dishwasher for? For verb -ing

Complete this sentence: ___________people's names is a sign of old age. Forgetting

Talks about something you would find embarrassing to do at a party. I'd find it embarrassing to infinitive

How would you escape from a hotel in a fire if you couldn't use the lift or stairs? By verb –ing

Complete this sentence: __________guns, and drugs into the country is illegal. Bringing / Smuggling

Why would the police put someone in a cell? To infinitive

Talk about an activity you are thinking of doing this weekend. I'm thinking of verb -ing

O https://youtu.be/YHZ4Btcttn8O https://youtu.be/Fyr5WhdXoE8O https://youtu.be/SK_vaKuLwnw

PHRASAL VERBS

OA phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and preposition, a verb and an adverb, or a verb with both an adverb and a preposition.

OA phrasal verb has a meaning which is different from the original verb. That's what makes them fun, but confusing. You may need to try to guess the meaning from the context, or, look it up in a dictionary.

OThe adverb or preposition that follows the verb is sometimes called a particle. The particle changes the meaning of the phrasal verb in idiomatic ways. Phrasal verbs are usually used informally in everyday speech.

OLITERAL USAGEOMany verbs in English can be combined with an adverb or a preposition, a phrasal verb used in a literal sense with a preposition is easy to understand.

OExample:

He walked across the square.

OVerb and adverb constructions are also easy to understand when used literally.

OExamples: She opened the shutters and looked outside. When he heard the crash, he looked up.

OIDIOMATIC USAGEOThe figurative or idiomatic application in everyday speech which makes phrasal verbs so important.

OExample:

I hope you will get over your operation quickly.

OHere "get over" means "recover from" or "feel better".

O TRANSITIVE AND INTRASITIVEO A transitive verb always has an object.O Example:O Many people walked across the bridge.O "Across" in this sentence is the

preposition to "the bridge".O Intransitive verb doesn’t have an objectO When I entered the room he looked up.O "Up" here is an adverb, and does not

have an object.

O SEPARABLE OR INSEPARABLE O Inseparable verbs the object comes after the particle.

O Example: O She got on the bus.O On weekdays, we look after our grandchildren.

O Separable verbs have several ways of separating verb, particle and object. Usually, the object comes between verb and particle.

O Example: O She looked up the word in her dictionary.O She looked it up in her dictionary.O However, with some separable verbs, the object can

come before or after the particle.O Example: O Switch the light off.O Switch off the light.O Switch it off.

OWARNING!!!O There is usually no way of telling whether they are separable, inseparable, transitive or intransitive. In most cases you have to develop a feel for the correct use.

OACTIVITYOCharades with phrasal verbsOIs a miming game, students review some commonly used phrasal verbs. The class is split into two teams A and B. A student from Team A comes to the front of the class, picks up a card and mimes the situation. Students from both teams then try to guess what is being mimed. The first student to guess correctly scores a point for their team. Then, a student from Team B does a mime and so on. The teams are told before the mime the information they need to look for and how many phrasal verbs are in the mime.

O https://youtu.be/OBnoVar0bzM

MODALS

OModals are special verbs which behave irregularly in English. They are different from normal verbs. They give additional information about the function of the main verb that follows it. They have a great variety of communicative functions.

OCHARACTERISTICS They never change their form. You can't add "s",

"ed", "ing" They are always followed by an infinitive without "to"

They are used to indicate modality allow speakers to express certainty, possibility, willingness, obligation, necessity, ability.

OPROBABILITYOMust / might / could / may / can'tOThey can be used when we want to say how sure we are that something happened / is happening / will happen. We often call these 'modals of deduction' or 'speculation' or 'certainty' or 'probability'.

Examples:

It's snowing, so it must be very cold outside.

I don't know where John is. He could have missed the train.

This bill can't be right. $200 for two cups of coffee!

OWill / won'tOWhen we are very sure.OExample: She will be at work now.

TALKING ABOUT THE PAST

Must / might / could / may / can't + have + past participle Examples:

She must have forgotten about our date. She might have worked late. She could have taken the wrong bus. She may have felt ill. She can't have stayed at home.

Will / won't + have + past participle Will and won't / will not + have + past participle are used for past certainty.

Example:

The plane will have arrived before now.

OABILITYOPRESENT

OCan / can't OExamples:

She can speak English. He can't drive. We can't come now.

PAST

Could / couldn't Examples:

I could read when I was four. He couldn't dance at all until he took lessons.

Was able to / couldn't Examples:

When the computer crashed yesterday, I was able to fix it. She was able to pass the exam.

Could + have + past participle Examples:

I could have played the piano well but I didn't practice enough. We could have come earlier. She could have studied law, but she preferred to become a secretary.

OFUTURE

OWill / won't be able to OExamples: At the end of the course, you will be

able to make your own website. He won't be able to speak Japanese in

a week! OCan / can't OExamples: I can help you tomorrow. I can't come to the party.

Present Positive Negative

have to / don't have to

strong obligation

Children have to go to school.

(sometimes 'have got to')

no obligation

I don't have to work on Sundays.

 

You don't have to eat anything you don't like.

must / mustn'tstrong obligation

I must study today.

negative obligation

You mustn't smoke here.

should / shouldn'tmild obligation or advice

You should save some money.

mild negative obligation or advice

You shouldn't smoke so much.

OBLIGATION AND ADVICE

OWARNING!!!OThe difference between mustn't and don't have to.Mustn't mean it's not allowed, or it's a bad idea.

You mustn't eat so much chocolate, you'll be sick.

ODon't have to means you don't need to do something, but it's fine if you want to do it:

I don't have to get up early at the weekend.

Past Positive Negative

had to / didn't have to

obligation in the past

I had to wear a school uniform when I was a child.

no obligation in the past

We didn't have to go to school on Saturdays.

should have + pp / shouldn't have + pp

A past action which didn't happen: the advice / regret is too late.

You should have gone to bed earlier, now you have missed the train.

A past action which didn't happen: the advice / regret is too late.

You shouldn't have taken that job, it was a bad idea.

WARNING!!!

Must have done is a modal verb of deduction or speculation, not obligation in the past.

Example:

Julie must have left. Her coat's not here.

OACTIVITYOFind someone who can, be able to…OStudents have a list of different abilities on their worksheet. Students have to find someone who possesses each distinct ability. The students ask each other Can you...? or are able to…? questions. When a student responds with a Yes, I can answer, the student demonstrates they have the ability and the other student writes their name down on the worksheet.

Can you…? Are you able to…?

Names ... say the alphabet backwards?

… make a paper plane?

... draw a straight line without a ruler?

... sing a song in English?

... draw a square and a circle at the same time?

... click your fingers?

... run faster than your teacher?

... remember all your classmates' names?

… introduce yourself in English?

… sing in a Karaoke?

O https://youtu.be/3KcSEnVnQ98

REFLECTIONS

OIt is important as a student to learn how to use words; English requires certain knowledge of words. They are basic building blocks in speech and writing because no one can communicate without words.

OIn this course I realized that are so many grammatical rules that I ignore, also there are some specific topics which I had trouble with, not because they were difficult but you need to be careful and know how and when used them.

OThe topics mention before are the same that I chose for the magazine because that way I can practice them more.

OThings to remember:

Be careful and don’t confuse past tense with past participle. Been is different from being. The non- action verbs are not usually used in the progressive tense. Prepositions are followed by gerunds. Phrasal verbs have more than one meaning you have to deduce it

from context. Must = you don’t have another option.

What do you know now that you did not know before this course?

O I did not know that there are lots of phrasal verbs and that they have different meanings. Also that modals have different meanings too depending on the context and they can be used in different tenses.

What can you do as a result of participating in class that you could not do before?

O I feel more confident about my knowledge in English, I lost my fear of being wrong and now I am not embarrassed anymore to speak with another person.

What could you teach someone that you could not teach them before?

OKnow I can teach the correct structure of all the verb tenses and how and when to use them correctly. Also I can teach and encourage people to use modals, tag questions, phrasal verbs in writing and speaking.