Module 1 Study Booklet 2012

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Grammar Course Module 1

Study Booklet
-----------------------------------Before commencing this module, please read the following instructions carefully. This is your Module 1 Study Booklet. You can keep this document open on your PC and switch between the Study Booklet and the Answer Booklet on the screen. However, you may find it easier to print the Study Booklet and keep it open in front of you while you respond to the questions in the Answer Booklet on the screen.
There are 3 sections in Module 1. At the end of each section, you will be prompted to go to your Answer Booklet and record your answers for that section. Once all 3 test sections have been completed, you can upload your completed answer booklet to your tutor for marking via your student area on the Global English website. You can then proceed to Module 2. Please answer each question as credit cannot be given if an answer is not attempted. Key:
This means there is a link which you can click on for extra help and support.
There are a number of stop and think areas where you see this symbol. This encourages you to recap and consolidate before you go any further.
In certain sections of the course you will see this symbol. This refers to visual parts of the course are on YouTube for you to view. There will be an instruction next to the symbol which will describe how the visual material relates to the text you are studying. You can click here now to see a welcome video from Louisa Walsh... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9g_mn9BTzw
Important words or concepts are in black bold and examples in blue italics.
Good luck. If you encounter any technical difficulties, please contact us on 44 (0) 1392 411999. For any course queries, contact your tutor via the messaging system in your student area.
Global English grammar course - Module 1 Copyright 2012 Global English
Module 1
Page
Contents Part 1 a) b) Nouns Adjectives Test yourself on Part 1 Part 2 a) b) c) Verbs Adverbs Determiners and Articles Test yourself on Part 2
3 8 13
16 21 25 29
Part 3 a) b) Present Simple Tense Present Continuous Tense Test yourself on Part 3 32 40 50
OK - lets get started!!!
Part 1 - Nouns
Were going to start with the building blocks of sentences and with nouns. As you probably know, a noun is a word used to name something. It can be an object, a person, a place, or an idea. Nouns are the building blocks of language and it is sometimes possible to make yourself understood in a foreign language only using nouns. A noun can have the function of subject or object in a sentence. Simply put, the subject of a sentence is the thing doing the action. The object is the thing being acted upon. For example, in the sentence: The boy is holding a ball.
Boy is the subject of the sentence and ball is the object. Here are some more examples: The cat (s) is sitting on the rug (o). After waiting a little while, the waiter (s) cleared the table (o). The crowd (s) went wild before leaving the stadium (o).
Were going to leave subject and object for a while but we will re-visit them again when we come to look at more complex areas of grammar in later modules.
Countable vs. Uncountable nouns

Nouns are either countable, which means they can be counted and have a plural form - for example book, man, coin; or uncountable which means we cannot count them and they do not have a plural form, for example money, water, rice. We cant say one money, two monies etc. Some nouns can be countable or uncountable depending on the context. For example, coffee is countable if you are talking about a cup of coffee but if you are talking about granules or beans it is usually uncountable. We use the question How many? with countable nouns, and How much? with uncountable nouns. Plurals of countable nouns can be regular (usually adding s or es to the word) or irregular, for example man men. Uncountable nouns are often the names for qualities or abstract ideas. Examples: love, knowledge, beauty.
Summary of countable vs. uncountable nouns
Countable How many? one book 3 coins 1 sugar (spoonful of)
Uncountable How much? some rice some money some sugar (ingredient)
Check your understanding. Say whether each of the following pictures is countable or uncountable noun.
a) pen
b) tomato
c) anger
d) water
e) air
Hopefully you found this easy. The right answers are:

Countable: a) and b) Uncountable: c) and d) - unless you are referring to cups/bottles of water e.g. how many waters shall we buy? and e)
Different types of nouns
CONCRETE
PROPER
COMMON
NOUNS
ABSTRACT
Proper Nouns Proper nouns are generally names of people or places. For example David, London, Germany, Mr Smith. These are usually uncountable but it is possible to have plurals occasionally. For example, There were three Davids in the class. Proper nouns usually have capital letters. Common Nouns This is the term we use to cover all other nouns. They are split into concrete and abstract nouns. Concrete Nouns Concrete nouns are things you can see, hear, smell, taste or touch. For example, table, sugar, music. They can be countable or uncountable. Abstract Nouns Abstract nouns do not exist in a physical sense. They can be events, feelings, states, ideas and qualities. They can be countable or uncountable. If the noun refers to an event, for example noise, competition, presentation then they are usually countable. Abstract nouns are often created by adding ness, -ity, or tion to adjectives or verbs. Examples are emptiness, reality, pollution.
Compound Nouns Compound nouns are made when two words are combined to make one new word. The two parts may or may not include a noun. Examples are: underground blackboard wallpaper birthday preposition + noun adjective + noun noun + noun verb + noun
Compound nouns can provide excellent vocabulary building activities. Possessive Nouns Possessive nouns are sometimes known as genitive markers. They are nouns used as adjectives to show possession. For example: The dogs bowl The dogs bowls
In the first example above, the word dog is a noun, but by adding the (apostrophe) and the s we change it into an adjective that shows the bowl belongs to the dog. The dog has one bowl. In the second example the dog has two bowls. The apostrophe and the s (also known as possessive S) always go after the noun the object belongs to (the subject of the sentence) so here it is after the word dog. If there are two dogs with bowls we would write: The dogs bowls The dogs bowl (if they have more than one bowl between them) (if they share a bowl)
Note that the apostrophe should NEVER be used simply to indicate a plural. You may see signs in shops saying Tomatos on special offer etc. but this is incorrect.
For more detailed information on nouns, and extra exercises, see http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/nouns.htm
Part 1 - Adjectives
Adjectives are words which give us more information about nouns. In English they do not have to change to agree with the noun they refer to. Adjectives go before the nouns. Adjectives can come after the noun they describe, as follows:
This food is delicious. The lesson was boring. The music sounded loud. I feel ill.
Common problems with adjectives

Word order If you use two or more adjectives together, then there is a special order for them to go in. Opinion adjectives nice, beautiful, boring go before Fact adjectives big, old, yellow, American, wooden Consider the song: Big, yellow taxi And: The beautiful yellow flower. The cute little dog. There is also a specific order for fact adjectives: size age colour origin material NOUN
Shape adjectives (square, thin, wide etc) usually come after size and length adjectives (big, short, long etc). If more than one colour is used then we combine them with and: A red, white and blue flag. Examples: see how these follow the word order rules above: a pair of long black boots, a young American woman, a big old car, a round metal table an ugly little man
Could you explain to a foreign learner of English why we say: It was an interesting, old, black and white film. rather than: It was a black and white old, interesting film?
-ing vs ed word endings Another common problem; interested or interesting? Can you explain why we sometimes use one and sometimes the other? This film is interesting. Exercise is tiring. The effects of floods are shocking. The ing adjectives tell you about something. So, The lesson was boring. but I was bored during the lesson. I am interested in this film. Exercise makes me tired. I am shocked at the effects of floods. The ed adjectives tell you how somebody feels about it.
Comparatives and Superlatives

Comparatives taller, better, more interesting and Superlatives tallest, best, most interesting are forms of adjectives used when comparing 2 or more items. If you are comparing 2 items then you use the comparative form. If you are comparing more than 2 items you use the superlative form.
FAST
FASTER
FASTEST
The rules for forming comparatives and superlatives are straightforward. Comparatives 1. If the adjective has one syllable:
Add er to the end of the word. (or r if the word ends in e) fast short big fat nice faster shorter bigger fatter nicer
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NB: The Spelling Rules! If the adjective ends with one vowel and then one consonant, the consonant needs to be doubled before adding er
2.
If the adjective has two syllables and ends in y
The y is removed and ier is added: happy easy pretty happier easier prettier
3.
If the adjective has two or more syllables (not ending in y)
We add more before the adjective, so: interesting clever beautiful Superlatives The rules for superlatives are similar. 1. For adjectives of one syllable more interesting more clever more beautiful
Add est to the end of the word. fast short big fat faster shorter bigger fatter fastest shortest biggest fattest
The spelling rule for doubling the consonant still applies.
2.
If the adjective has two syllables and ends in y
The y is removed and iest is added: happy easy pretty happier easier prettier happiest easiest prettiest
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3.
If the adjective has two or more syllables (not ending in y)
We add most before the adjective, so: interesting clever beautiful more interesting more clever more beautiful most interesting most clever most beautiful
One difference between the use of comparatives and superlatives is that the word the must be added before the superlative as there is only one superlative. For example: Russia is the biggest country in the world. Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. but Russia is bigger than the USA. Mount Everest is higher than K2. Irregular comparatives/superlatives There are three important irregular adjectives: good bad far better worse further best worst furthest
For more detailed information on adjectives and further exercises, see http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internetgrammar/adjectiv/adjectiv.htm
Do you know whether you use the with comparatives or superlatives? Do you know the comparative/superlative spelling rules? Which are the 3 most important irregular comparatives/superlatives?
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Now lets see how much you have learned. The following 20 questions will test your understanding of Nouns and Adjectives. Read the questions below and answer them in your Answer Booklet grid.
1.
Which of these nouns is countable? a) dollar b) money c) oxygen d) snow
2.
Which of these is correct? a) The childrens toys were broken. b) The childrens toys were broken. c) The childrens toys were broken. d) The childrens toys were broken
3.
Which of these is a concrete noun? a) music b) competition c) poverty d) intelligence
4.
Which of these is a proper noun? a) Pollution b) Rice c) London d) Happiness
5.
Which of these is a noun? a) stupidity b) c) stupid d)
stupidly stupendous
6.
Which of these is a not a compound noun? a) ferry b) steamship c) underground d) airport
7.
Which is correct? a) How many apple are there? b) How much apples are there? c) How many apples are there? d) How much apple are there?
8.
Which of these words has an irregular plural? a) dog b) sandwich c) lady d) woman
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9.
In the sentence David bought three books. which is the subject noun? a) David b) bought c) three d) books
10.
Which of these is the correct plural of lady? a) ladys b) ladies c) ladys d) ladies
11.
Which is correct? a) The beautiful red flower b) The red beautiful flower c) The beautiful, red flower d) The red, beautiful flower
12.
Which of these sentences is correct? a) The tennis match was very excited. b) I was very exciting when I watched the tennis. c) The tennis match was exciting to watch.
13.
Which of these is correct? a) The weather is badder than last year. b) The weather is more worse than last year. c) The weather is worst than last year. d) The weather is worse than last year.
14.
Which of these is correct? a) Out of the two brothers, John is the older. b) Out of the two brothers, John is the oldest. c) John is more old than his brother. d) John is oldest in the family. Which adjective is an opinion adjective? a) old b) tall c) red d) ugly
15.
16.
Which adjective would come first in a description? a) big b) black c) beautiful d) metal
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17.
Which of these is the correct superlative for happy? a) more happy b) most happy c) happiest d) happier Which of these words changes its spelling for the comparative form? a) neat b) fit c) full d) young How many are adjectives are in this sentence? The old man took the cute young puppy to the kennels and hoped that a nice kind person would take good care of the dog. a) 4 b) 5 c) 6 d) 7
18.
19.
20.
Are there more nouns or adjectives in the sentence in question 19? a) nouns b) adjectives c) equal nouns and adjectives
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Part 2 - Verbs
Now lets move on to verbs. The verb has often been referred to as the doing word although its remit is a bit wider; its the word in the sentence which indicates existence, action or occurrence. A verb exists in different forms, depending on tense, voice and the subject or object it refers to. Examples of verbs are:
be is was
come comes came
walk walks walked
Learners of English unlike many other languages are lucky in that the conjugation (the way the verb changes in the language) is straightforward for regular verbs. Lets look at these first.
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Present tense regular verbs

Regular verbs in the present simple tense (more about this in Chapter 3) only change their endings in the third person single. For example: 1st person singular I think 2nd person singular You think 3rd person singular He/She/It thinks 1st person plural 2nd person plural 3rd person plural We think You think They think
The easy way to think of this is that if you are talking about he/she or it, the verb stem adds an s to the end.
Children (they) eat cake at parties.
A panda (it) eats leaves.
SPELLING RULES forming 3rd person singular If the word ends with o/-x/-ss/-sh/-ch/-z I kiss he kisses I fix he fixes add es to the verb stem I go she goes
If the word ends with consonant-y we fly he flies you try BUT I play she plays
remove the y, add ies they spy he spies
she tries
we say
it says
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Past tenses regular verbs

The past simple tense in English will be covered in more detail in Chapter 4, but it is introduced here as it is formed by conjugating (altering) the verb stem. The verb stem is the basic form of the verb. The past participle, used in other ways of talking about the past in English, is also formed by changes to the verb stem. In regular verbs, the past simple and past participle are the same. The past simple and past participle of regular verbs are formed by adding ed to the verb stem. For example I walk (present) I walked (past simple) I have walked (present perfect using past participle). More on this later. There are spelling rules associated with adding ed endings to verbs but they differ depending on whether you are using British English or American English. In British English if the verb stem ends with one vowel + consonant then the consonant is doubled before adding ed.
I step I travel HOWEVER
I stepped I travelled
In American English the consonant doubling does not happen with the letter L.
I travel He cancels
I traveled He canceled
For more information on the differences between British and American spelling see http://www.spellzone.com/pages/british-american.cfm.
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Irregular Verbs
As with most languages, there are some verbs in English which are completely irregular, not just with their past simple and past participles. The two most important irregular verbs are be and have. These are both very important verbs as they are used as auxiliary (or helping) verbs in English. This will be covered further in later chapters. Present simple forms of be are some of the first words speakers of other languages learn in English. be I am You are He/She/It is We are You are They are You will see here that the first person (I) and the third person change. There are short forms of this verb: Im / youre / hes / shes / its / were / youre / theyre The apostrophe goes where there are letters missing. have I have You have He/She/It has We have You have They have Here, as with regular verbs, only the third person changes. It is a very irregular change though. The short forms are: Ive / youve / hes / shes / its / weve / youve / theyve. In the classroom we do teach these short or contracted forms.
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Question forms
Question forms in English are not easy for students to learn. The question forms for different tenses will be dealt with in the respective chapters but we will look at yes/no questions using be here. The present simple tense of be is shown in the statements below: I am happy. He is French. They are students. With a question, the word order is changed so the verb comes before the subject of the sentence: Am I happy? Is he French? Are they students? There are many examples of online quizzes to practise verb usage but many of these are more relevant to later chapters. Here is a verb quiz for further practice.
http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verb-tenses_present_quiz.htm
Many students who have learned English at school have learned the past simple and past participle from verb tables. A good example of such a verb table is http://www.englishpage.com/irregularverbs/irregularverbs.html.
Why is it relatively easy to conjugate regular verbs in the present tense and the past tense in English? What are the 2 most important irregular verbs a foreign learner should know? Can you explain what happens to make the statement She is French into a question? If not, read through verbs again before going on to the next section.
Watch this short video to see how we can elicit facts about a famous person and then form questions using the present simple. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x7zh2J42P8
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Part 2 - Adverbs
What are Adverbs?
The main function of adverbs is to tell us more about verbs in the same way that adjectives tell us more about nouns. Paula always drives carefully. It snowed heavily last year. Compare these with: Paula is always a careful driver. The snow was heavy last year. These two pairs of sentences mean the same thing but in the first set of examples the italicised words are adverbs and refer to the verb. In the second set, the italicised words are adjectives and refer to the noun. Students often get these confused and use adjectives in place of adverbs, It rained heavy last night. She was hurt bad in the accident. Adverb format Adverbs are often (but not always!) formed by adding ly to an adjective (removing the final y and changing it for an i if the word ends in y): bad careful happy Note the doubling of the l in careful/carefully. NOT ALL WORDS ENDING IN LY ARE ADVERBS Some adjectives, including friendly, likely, lively, kindly, manly also end in ly. badly carefully happily
My dog is very friendly. It was a very lively party.

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hard
fast
late
early
are adverbs AND adjectives
This car is fast. (adjective) He drove very fast. (adverb)
There is one notable irregular adverb: good (adjective) Your English is very good. well (adverb) You speak English very well.
Again, students often get confused with this and often say things like I dont speak English very good. Modifiying Adverbs can modify other adverbs, or adjectives: really sorry very quickly (adverb, adjective) (adverb, adverb)
Adverbs can also be modified by comparative and superlative forms: He drove more carefully than the other drivers. (comparative) After the crash, the most seriously injured people were taken to hospital. (superlative)
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Types of adverb
Now we are going to look at other kinds of adverb. Most of the adverbs mentioned so far have been adverbs of manner which tell us how something is done. There are also other types of adverb. The most important are place adverbs, time adverbs, frequency adverbs and connecting adverbs (also known as conjunctions).
Place adverbs include: forward, here, near, somewhere, ahead, back, low, high, inside. They can usually answer the question Where? Example: The Ferrari moved ahead of the rest of the cars.
Time adverbs include: tomorrow, tonight, yesterday, then, again, early, late, now. They can usually answer the question When? Example: I am going out tonight.
Frequency adverbs can usually answer the question How often? They include never, usually, often, rarely, sometimes, ever, always. Adverbs of frequency usually go before the verb they refer to. Example: I sometimes go shopping at the weekend, but I usually do my shopping on a Monday.
Connecting adverbs (also known as conjunctions) are used to join parts of a sentence. They include the simple words such as and, but, or as well as a vast number of other conjunctions, for example because, although, however, whenever, consequently, as a result. Example: I like fruit and vegetables. I like chocolate but I dont like cake.
There is an in-depth explanation of conjunctions here: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/conjunctions.htm More in-depth discussion of adverbs, as well as extra practice can be found here: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internetgrammar/adverbs/adverbs.htm.
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Check your understanding
How do you typically form an adverb?
Do you know what type of adverbs the following are? a) often d) here b) although e) yesterday c) however f) somewhere
Hopefully you found this easy. The answers are in the box at the bottom of this page. If you didnt get them right, have a read through the section again before moving on.
The correct answers to the adverb questions above are:

adverbs are typically formed by adding ly to an adjective a) b) c) d) e) f) frequency b) connecting c) connecting d) place e) time f) place
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Part 2 Deter iners ! Articles

Determiners
Determiners are words which go before a noun to make it clear what the noun refers to. There are many determiners in the English language.
Books refers to an unspecified number or group of books. But in the following request
Pass me those three books
Those books makes it clear which books are being referred to. Three books tells us how many books there are. Those and Three in these phrases are both determiners. Dont get overwhelmed by the different kinds of determiners in the box on the following page! There are lots but many of the labels do clearly identify quite literally the type of words that belong in their category.
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articles (definite and indefinite)
demonstratives
possessive pronouns
quantifiers
numbers
difference words distributives
defining words question words
the a an this that these those my your his her its (NB: not its) our their many much a lot of most some any a few one ten one hundred (or a hundred) other another all both half neither every each which whose which what where whose
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Determiners usually go before the noun and there is usually only one in each phrase. Examples: Which book do you want? There is one orange on the table. My bag is over there. Most cars have four wheels.
More information on determiners, and a quiz, can be found here:
http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adjectives-determiners.htm
Now we will look at a key feature of determiners, articles.
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Articles
The type of determiner which gives most students problems is articles. Many languages either do not have articles at all, or use them in a completely different way, so it is often a difficult concept for students to understand. There are two types of article in English, the definite article: the, and the indefinite article, a or an. An is used before a word starting with a vowel sound (not necessarily a vowel letter). Uncountable nouns only take the definite article (the). A bank robber might say: Give me the money! but not Give me a money! Generally if there is only one of something, it is clear which one is being referred to, or it has already been mentioned, then we use the definite article, the. If it is not clear which one is being referred to, then the indefinite article, a or an, is used. So I was walking along (1)the High Street yesterday when I saw (2)a poster. (3)The poster was advertising (4)a sale at (5)the bookshop. (6)The sale was due to start tomorrow. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. the because there is only one High Street so it is clear which one is being referred to. a because we havent heard about the poster yet and dont know which poster it is it could be any poster at this stage. The because we now know which poster is being referred to. a because it is the first mention of the sale the because there is only one bookshop in this town. The because we now know which sale is being referred to. More practice on articles can be found here: http://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_grammar/articles.htm
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Now lets see how much you have learned. The following 20 questions will test your understanding of Verbs, Adverbs and Determiners. Read the questions below and answer them in your Answer Booklet grid.
21.
When do regular verb endings change in the present simple? a) never b) plurals c) he/she/it d) we/they
22.
Which of the following verbs has an irregular past participle? a) write b) wash c) fit d) kiss Which of these verbs will add es instead of s to form the 3rd person singular present simple? a) laugh b) jump c) watch d) sing
23.
24.
Why do we say Is he English? and not Does he be English? a) Because the question is not in the present simple. b) Because the verb be doesnt need extra words (does) in questions. c) Because there is no adjective in the question.
25.
Why is I tried on the red, beautiful dress and it fitted me perfectly. incorrect? a) Because perfect should be used instead as dress is a noun. b) Because the adjective order is incorrect as beautiful is an adjective of opinion and should come first. c) Because the adjectives dont agree. d) Because beautiful should be an adverb. How many adverbs are in this sentence? I often walk slowly to the newly refurbished Chinese restaurant in the small town where I live. a) 1 b) 2 c) 3 d) 4 Which is correct? a) I go to the cinema usually on a Saturday. b) I go usually to the cinema on a Saturday. c) I go to the cinema on a Saturday usually. d) I usually go to the cinema on a Saturday.
26.
27.
29
28.
Which is correct? a) Although I was tired, I finished reading my book last night. b) But I was tired, I finished reading my book last night. c) Because I was tired, I finished reading my book last night. d) However I was tired, I finished reading my book last night.
29.
Which adverb is a different kind of adverb to the others? a) sometimes b) never c) always d) tomorrow
30.
Which one is correct? a) Its easy. c) Its easy.
b) d)
Its easily. Its easily.
31.
Which one is correct? a) The dog ate its bone. b) The dog ate its bone.
32.
The following words are all determiners - neither, many, a few, some, half, both. But which of them are distributives? a) b) c) d) neither, many, some many, some, a few neither, half, both many, half, both
33.
He eats a lot of fast food. a) Fast is an adjective b) Fast is an adverb
34.
He drove too fast. a) Fast is an adjective b) Fast is an adverb
35.
Which is correct? a) It is the honour to accept this award. b) It is a honour to accept this award. c) It is an honour to accept this award. d) It is honour to accept this award.
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36.
Which are the adverbs? This team is slow. They work very slowly. a) slow, slowly b) slowly c) slow, very d) very, slowly
37.
Which adverb is a different kind of determiner to the others? a) half b) some c) neither d) every
38.
Why wouldnt a recipe say Then, cook a rice. ? a) Because it is the incorrect form of indefinite article. b) Because rice is uncountable so doesnt take articles. c) Because rice is uncountable so only takes the definite article or no article. d) Because we dont know how much rice is needed yet.
39.
What is the past simple of speak? a) speaked b) spoken c) spoke d) spoked
40.
We say, You played well in that match. rather than You played good in that match. Why? a) because we always use well with the word you b) because well is an adjective linked to match c) because well is an adverb linked to played d) because well is the comparative
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Part " Present #i $le %ense

Now lets move on to the English tense system. There are two present tenses in English: the present simple and the present continuous. The correct usage of these tenses usually causes students more problems than their formation.
Present Simple
Watch this short video about Marco. This text is in what we call the present simple tense. As you watch, think about why we use the present simple tense, and how do we construct it. Were going to look at that next. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4SvdwDlCPk
The present simple is used in the following situations: 1. Something that happens all the time, or is repeated, I eat toast for breakfast. He gets up at 6 oclock. Something that is a fact, that is true in general, The earth goes round the sun. There are 100 cents in a Euro. Nurses work in hospitals. To describe permanent situations, I live in London. He comes from Bolivia. To talk about how often we do something. I usually go to bed at about 11 oclock. Every day he catches the bus. I sometimes buy Christmas presents very early.
2.
3.
4.
So, we can now see why Marco talks about himself using the present simple tense. Try it yourself; talk about where you live, your routine and what you do for a living and chances are youll be using the present simple tense!
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Regular Verbs
Affirmative (positive) form
We have already looked at the formation of the affirmative (or positive) present simple, but to recap, here is the regular form.
I you he/she/it we you they
work work works work work work
In many other languages, the verb changes depending on whether its used with I/you/he/they etc. You can see from the table above that in English, in regular verbs only the he/she/it form (called the 3rd person) changes. It has been argued that this makes English relatively easy to learn, at least at a low level: Heres the 3rd person verb ending rule for regular verbs: Add-s to the end of the word or -es if the word ends in s / -ss / -sh / -ch / -x / -o or ies (removing the y) if the word ends in a consonant and y)
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Negative form
The negative form of the present simple is formed by using an auxiliary verb. Auxiliary verbs are sometimes called helping verbs as they help the main verb and change the tense, mood, or voice of the clause. They will be covered in more depth later. The negative form of the present simple uses the appropriate part of the auxiliary verb do, and the word not in front of the bare form of the verb. Sometimes short forms are used, these are formed by joining the two words and using an apostrophe in the place of the missing letters. So, for a regular verb, the negative form of the present simple is: I you he/she/it we you they do not (dont) do not (dont) does not (doesnt) do not (dont) do not (dont) do not (dont) work work work work work work
I dont like coffee. Mark doesnt get up early. It doesnt often rain in the desert.
Common problems forming negatives in the present tense Many students forget that they do not need the s on the end of the word for the he/she/it form and often make the mistake of saying He doesnt works. They also get confused with the spelling of does and will often write dos or dose. Sometimes they forget the use of the auxiliary does and so you get I not work.
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Question forms
You all know intuitively how to make questions. Can you explain how to do it? To make questions in the present simple we need to use the helping verb do again. The question form of the present simple for yes/no questions is made by putting the appropriate form of do in front of the subject and the bare form of the main verb. So, for a regular verb, the question form of the present simple is: Do Do Does Do Do Do I you he/she/it we you they work? work? work? work? work? work?
Common problems forming questions in the present tense Again, many students forget that they do not need the s with the he/she/it form, and this can cause some confusion. Does Sally like Tom? (not Does Sally likes Tom) Do we need any paper? Do you start work early? Another problem foreign learners have is the construction/word order. It is hard to explain why we need to use do/does and so a foreign learner might say You like eggs? instead of Do you like eggs? If you say it with the correct intonation, however, it does not sound wrong. If we are making open questions with a verb in the present simple then we also need to use the question words: Who? Where? Why? When? What? How?
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The question word goes before do/does. Who does she remind you of? Where do you work? Why do you want to learn English? When do you go to bed? What does he like to eat? How do you come to college?
Watch this short video to see a demonstration of making questions with do and does. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ1mDbZOhN4
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Irregular verbs
The present simple of the most important irregular verb in the English language has already been looked at. To recap, here is the present simple affirmative for the verb be. I you he/she/it we you they am are is are are are
BE is such an important verb in English that it doesnt need any assistance from a helping verb to form the negative or question forms.
The negative form of be is formed by using the word not after the appropriate part of be.
am are is are are are
not not not not not not
The short form of the negative is: Im/youre/hes/shes/its/were/youre/theyre not. The following are also used: You arent / he isnt / she isnt / it isnt / we arent / you arent / they arent Im not happy. John isnt stupid. Youre not cold. Hes not rich. It isnt warm. You arent fat.
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So thats the negative form. What about the question form of be? Questions with be are not formed in the same way as other present simple questions. This can be difficult for students to remember. To make a yes/no question with be you need to invert the subject and verb so they change position. I am English. Youre happy Shes French Were cold. They are lucky. The cup is on the desk. becomes becomes becomes becomes becomes becomes Am I English? Are you happy? Is she French? Are we cold? Are they lucky? Is the cup on the desk?
Be is so important that it doesnt use the word do or does in the question form, even if you use question words.
Who is he? Where are we? Why is it so cold? When are the holidays? What are your hobbies? How is your mother? Have is a commonly used irregular verb, but it behaves in the same way as the regular verbs when forming the present simple negative and questions.
For more detailed information about the present simple, and exercises to help check your understanding, look at http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verb-tenses_present.htm. There is detailed information and exercises on question formation on http://www.eslgold.com/grammar/wh_questions.html
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What have we covered? Can you explain how to construct the present simple in positive form? How about the negative form and questions? Can you explain why we say Is she a nurse? and not Does she be a nurse? If you can, then thats great. If you arent sure, go back to the sections, read them through again, look at some of the other sites weve mentioned and try the practice exercises. Now youve mastered that, we are going to move on to the second present tense used in English, the present continuous.
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Part " Present &ontinuous %ense
This is Bob. He usually walks to work but this morning he is late so he is running. He doesnt want to be late today because he is meeting his boss at 9 oclock. Some of the verbs here are in the present simple and some are in the present continuous. Can you spot which ones dont follow the present simple pattern? How many are in the present continuous tense? If you said two well done! Lets look at the present continuous in some more detail.
The present continuous is used for: 1. Action which is happening now, that has not finished or a temporary state: I cant talk now, I am eating my breakfast. Thats why we use the continuous in the sentence: Bob is running to work. Im living in Canterbury at the moment
2.
It does not need to be at the time of speaking. Im learning Chinese. Im writing a book. This means I have started doing something but it isnt finished.
3.
For times around now, the present continuous is used with a time word or phrase. My daughter is doing well at school this year. A lot of shops are closing at the moment. People are feeling the cold this winter.
4.
For changes that are happening. Petrol prices are increasing rapidly. The climate is changing and temperatures are getting hotter.
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5.
To talk about planned future events (this will be covered in Chapter 5) Bob is meeting his boss at 9 oclock. Im washing my hair tonight. Im seeing the new film next Friday.
The present continuous is formed from am/is/are and the verb with ing ending. You may have picked up that am/is/are is acting as an auxiliary verb to change the tense of the main verb. If you did notice that, congratulations! (If you cant remember what an auxiliary verb is, there is a brief explanation in the section on the negative form earlier in this module.)
There are spelling rules associated with adding ing to verbs. if the verb ends in e, remove the e and add ing make/making if the verb is a one syllable word ending in one vowel then a consonant, double the consonant before adding ing cut/cutting if the word is a two syllable word ending in one vowel then a consonant, only double the final consonant if the stress is on the second syllable, then add ing. open/opening begin/beginning other words simply add ing try/trying mix/mixing
There is a useful resource to learn more about the spelling rules with ing endings at: http://www.eflnet.com/tutorials/spellinging.php.
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(positive) form
To form the affirmative form of the present continuous we use am/are/is (or the short form) plus the verb with ing ending.
I You he/she/it We You They
am (Im) are (youre) is (hes/shes/its) are (were) are (youre) are (theyre)
working working working working working working
Note that the last part of the present continuous (the ing part) does not change for the he/she/it form.
Many students forget the am/are/is in the present continuous and say I working, I watching. Im reading a really good book. Were going on holiday next week. Mike is learning to play the guitar. They are listening to the teacher.
42
Negative form
Since we are using the verb to be to form the negative (and question forms) we dont use the auxiliary form do, does, doesnt or dont. To form the negative form of the present continuous we use am/are/is not (or the short form) plus the verb with ing ending. I you he/she/it we you they am are is are are are not (Im not) not (you arent / youre not) not (he isnt / hes not) not (we arent / were not) not (you arent / youre not) not (they arent / theyre not) working working working working working working
Im not eating dinner tonight Theyre not meeting John right now Alice isnt speaking to Tom They arent skipping breakfast and just having lunch
43
Question forms
The yes/no question form of the present continuous is formed in the same way as the question form of be in the present simple, by inverting the subject and verb:
Am Are Is Are Are Are
working? working? working? working? working? working?
Are you listening? Is Paul working tonight? Are petrol prices still going up? Am I losing weight?
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Teaching the Present Continuous

Because we often use the present continuous to talk about things that are happening now, its quite an easy one to graphically illustrate. After introducing the concept, have students practice by miming one of the following cue cards to the rest of the class and asking what am I doing now? Only accept grammatically correct answers!
45
Present Simple or Present Continuous?

The biggest problem students have is understanding when to use the present simple and when to use the present continuous. The easiest explanation to give students up to pre-intermediate level is that the present simple is used for things that happen repeatedly or general facts, and the present continuous is for incomplete actions that are happening at this time.
past
now
future
I am working.
I work.
So with our friend Bob, we have both tenses in the text. Before you continue, have another look at the text and see if you can identify all the present simple verbs and all the present continuous verbs. Why is each one used? When youve had a look, read on. To make it easier, weve used red for the simple form and blue for the continuous form.
This (1) is Bob. He usually (2)walks to work but this morning he (3)is late so he (4)is running. He (5)doesnt want to be late today because he (6)is meeting his boss at 9 oclock. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Present simple. It is a fact and presumably a permanent situation! Present simple. It is something that happens repeatedly and we are talking about how often it happens (using an adverb of frequency) Present simple. It is a fact. Present continuous. It is happening at this present time. He hasnt finished running. Present simple (negative). It is another fact. Present continuous. It is a future, planned event.
46
This text as it is, would not be a very good one to use to introduce the present continuous to students. Why do you think that is? When introducing the present continuous for the first time it can be confusing to introduce too many reasons for its use. It is better to stick to the distinction between now and general or repeated actions unless you are specifically teaching it for another reason (such as planned future events).
What do you know about the present continuous now? Can you explain why it is used instead of the present simple sometimes? Whats the difference in meaning between: Im living in Canterbury and I live in Canterbury (hint: think of permanent vs. temporary state) Can you explain how to form the present continuous in the positive, negative and question forms? Can you explain why we say the train always leaves at 9am and not the train is always leaving at 9am. Hint: think about what tense we use to denote habit or when something is continually true. Could you do the exercise on the text about Bob? If yes, fantastic! If not, go back and have a look at the sections again, look at the other recommended sites and do the exercises. Then come back and carry on.
47
Further problems students have with present simple vs present continuous: As is often the case with the English language, there are some finer points to the use of the present simple and the present continuous. These arent all basic grammar points but you should certainly be aware of all of them. 1. There are some verbs which do not usually take the present continuous. The most common are: like love hate prefer know remember want need mean understand believe Unfortunately a certain advertising campaign has confused this issue with their grammatically incorrect Im lovin it slogan, but that illustrates the changing nature of language.
2.
The verb think has a slightly different meaning in the present simple and present continuous.
If you are talking about an opinion then think is usually used in the present simple: I think reality TV is boring. I think Marcus speaks English very well. If think is being used in the sense of mull over, the process of thinking, then the continuous can be used. Im thinking about buying a new car. I cant sleep because Im thinking about the work I have to do tomorrow.
3.
The use of always can also cause problems for students.
I always go to bed late. (means all the time) Im always forgetting his phone number. (very often, too much)
4.
What do you do?/What are you doing?
This one causes particular problems. What do you do? usually refers to a job and emphasises the general ongoing fact. What are you doing? refers to now. What does Gemma do? What is Gemma doing? Shes a teacher. Shes reading a book.
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There is a good summary of the present continuous formation and its uses on
http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/present_continuous.php
and some more exercises on

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verb-tenses_present-continuous_quiz.htm
Further practice on present tenses can be found on these sites: http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs1.htm and http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs2.htm
Before you do the test, make sure you understand the problems and exceptions in the previous section. Have you done some of the practice exercises? Can you explain the difference between What does Nicola do? and What is Nicola doing? Why cant we say Im not understanding you?
49
Now lets see how much you have learned. The following 20 questions will test your understanding of the Present Simple and the Present Continuous. Read the questions below and answer them in your Answer Booklet grid.
41.
Which tense do we use to describe facts or something which is generally true? a) past simple b) present continuous c) present simple d) past continuous How do we form the present continuous tense when we make an affirmative statement? a) by using the auxiliary verb do or does and the ing form of the main verb b) by using the ing form of the verb c) by using the auxiliary verb be and the ing form of the main verb d) by using the main verb and adding s to he/she/it We are being very happy in our new house. is not correct. Why? a) Because happy is not a continuous event. b) We cant use the present continuous for the verb be c) It isnt talking about now so we cant use the present continuous d) It is a fact so we should use the present simple A foreign learner asks why it is I speak English well instead of Im speaking English well. You say. a) Because you want to speak English well in the future. b) You speak English every day so you need to use the present simple. c) It is a fact so you need to use the present simple. Which of the following takes es at the end of the he/she/it form? a) kiss b) walk c) play d) kiss and play Tea doesnt grows in Britain. is not correct. It should be Tea doesnt grow in Britain. Why? a) Because tea is an uncountable noun and it behaves differently b) Because we need an auxiliary verb to make the negative form of the present simple c) Because it is a fact and the present simple is different for facts d) Because the main verb doesnt change in the negative form of the present simple
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
50
47.
Why do we say The sea levels are rising every year and not The sea levels rise every year? a) Because it is a change that is happening so we use the present continuous. b) Because it isnt a fact so we cant use the present simple. c) Because the rise hasnt finished so we use the present continuous. d) Because it is going to happen in the future so we use the present continuous. What auxiliary verb is used to form the present continuous tense? a) do b) be c) it depends on whether it is an affirmative or negative statement, or a question. d) we dont use auxiliary verbs in the present continuous You see a friend you havent met for a long time. Which is appropriate to say? a) What do you do now? b) What are you doing now? c) a) and b) are both possible Which is the correct answer to the question: Are you going on holiday next year? a) I think about it. Because you think in the present b) Im thinking about it. Because you are pondering the situation c) I think about it. Because you have an opinion d) I think about it. Because we cant use thinking in the present continuous Which is incorrect? a) Im watching TV. b) Im eating dinner. c) Im hating cold weather. d) Im thinking about you. Which is correct? a) The present continuous never uses auxiliary verbs. b) The present simple never uses auxiliary verbs. c) Both present simple and present continuous use auxiliary verbs for negative statements and questions. d) The present continuous always uses an auxiliary verb. Which of these is spelled incorrectly? a) making b) likeing c) talking d) smacking
48.
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54.
Petrol prices are increasing. What can we say about this sentence? a) We shouldnt use the present continuous because it is a fact. b) We use the present continuous because it is a change that is happening. c) We use the present continuous because it is a future planned event. d) It could be b) or c) depending on the context of the sentence What can we say about the phrase Im having lasagne tomorrow which describes the future but is in fact the present continuous tense? a) We can use the present continuous to describe upcoming planned events. b) Eating is a repeated action and so it is O.K to use the present continuous c) We shouldnt use it because the present continuous tense is only used for things that are happening now. What is the mistake in Im not understanding you.? a) It is present continuous and should be present simple. b) It is present simple and should be present continuous. c) There is a spelling mistake d) The apostrophe is in the wrong place. What is the mistake in The earth goes round the sun. a) It is present simple and it should be present continuous. b) There is a spelling mistake. c) The apostrophe is wrong. d) a) and c) David plays guitar in a band on Wednesdays. This is the present simple tense. It tells us that: a) David is playing the guitar right now b) David does something regularly c) David has been playing guitar for a long time d) b) and c) When do we use the auxiliary do or does with the present simple? a) To make the negative form and questions for regular verbs b) To make the negative form and questions for all verbs c) To make the negative form and questions for verbs other than be d) To make questions Which is correct? a) I dont often drink tea. b) I dont often drink tea. c) Im not often drinking tea. d) Im not often drink tea.
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Grammar Course Module 1

Global English grammar course - Module 1 Copyright 2012 Global English

OK - lets get started!!!

Global English grammar course - Module 1 Copyright 2012 Global English

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Countable vs. Uncountable nouns

Summary of countable vs. uncountable nouns

Countable How many? one book 3 coins 1 sugar (spoonful of)

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Hopefully you found this easy. The right answers are:

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Different types of nouns

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Common problems with adjectives

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Comparatives and Superlatives

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If the adjective has two syllables and ends in y

If the adjective has two or more syllables (not ending in y)

The spelling rule for doubling the consonant still applies.

If the adjective has two syllables and ends in y

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If the adjective has two or more syllables (not ending in y)

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Which of these nouns is countable? a) dollar b) money c) oxygen d) snow

Which of these is a concrete noun? a) music b) competition c) poverty d) intelligence

Which of these is a proper noun? a) Pollution b) Rice c) London d) Happiness

Which of these is a noun? a) stupidity b) c) stupid d)

Which of these is a not a compound noun? a) ferry b) steamship c) underground d) airport

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Global English grammar course - Module 1 Copyright 2012 Global English

Global English grammar course - Module 1 Copyright 2012 Global English

come comes came

walk walks walked

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Present tense regular verbs

Children (they) eat cake at parties.

A panda (it) eats leaves.

remove the y, add ies they spy he spies

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Past tenses regular verbs

I step I travel HOWEVER

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My dog is very friendly. It was a very lively party.

are adverbs AND adjectives

This car is fast. (adjective) He drove very fast. (adverb)

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Global English grammar course - Module 1 Copyright 2012 Global English

Check your understanding

How do you typically form an adverb?

The correct answers to the adverb questions above are:

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Part 2 Deter iners ! Articles

Pass me those three books

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articles (definite and indefinite)

difference words distributives

defining words question words

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