TKT: KAL Part 3 Grammar: other verb forms and patterns

trainers notes
Description
This activity reviews a number of verb forms to complement other TKT: KAL activities.
Participants use texts to identify different verb patterns and then discuss problems students
may have with this area of language, using students written work.
Time required:

40 minutes

Materials
required:

Aims:

Participants Worksheet 1 (one copy for each participant)

Participants Worksheet 2 (one copy for each participant)

Sample Task (one copy for each participant)

to review a range of different verb forms

to discuss possible difficulties students may have with different verb

forms

to identify student mistakes related to use of verbs, as well as

examples of good use of verbs

Note: It is recommended that the activities TKT: KAL Part 3: Adverbials, TKT: KAL Part 3:
Types of clauses and TKT: KAL Part 3: Tense, aspect and modality are completed before
doing this activity.
Procedure
1. Establish with participants the importance for learners of mastering different verb
forms. Explain that this session is going to review this area with them. Elicit as many
as possible of the following verb forms from participants.

Imperative

Gerund

Infinitive

Verb + gerund/ infinitive

Indirect question

Indirect command

Passive form

Tag question

Indirect statement

Interrogative

Negative

Rhetorical question

2. Give out Participants Worksheet 1, which lists these verb forms and has three
short texts. Participants work in pairs to find examples of the verb forms listed. Point
out that two of the verb forms are not exemplified in the texts.
3. Once they have found all the verb forms, they should discuss with their partner why
each one is used in each case. Feed back together (see Key below).
4. Put participants into small groups of 3 or 4. Allocate one point below to each group to
brainstorm:

the uses of the passives

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the uses of tag questions

verbs followed by gerund

verbs followed by infinitive.

All groups should also discuss:

What problems in your experience do learners have with these verb patterns?

Allow 34 minutes for this. Encourage participants to give a wide range of problems
that relate not just to tenses but to verb patterns, agreement, different uses of tenses,
forming complex sentences, understanding finite/ non-finite verbs, etc. See Key
below.
(Note: many of these areas of language are covered in other Teaching Resources
activities for TKT: KAL. At this point, participants only need to list these possible
problems and dont need to go into any detail.)
5. When they have finished, either feed back each groups ideas to the whole class, or
reorganise participants into groups of 4 with one representative from each group, to
share their ideas.
6. Discuss the following questions with the whole group:

How might knowledge of clauses, adverbials and verb forms and

patterns help the teacher in the classroom? (to help them help their
learners to, for example:
identify the parts of a sentence which are part of a verb pattern and so
improve their comprehension
form verb patterns and structures correctly
help them understand texts with more complex grammar
write texts effectively, including more formal ones
help teachers understand the problems learners have with verb
formation in English, especially those from non-Latin influenced
languages.)

Would it be useful or not to teach learners the terms related to these?

(There is no correct answer to this: teachers may have different and valid
arguments either way, according to the context in which they teach.)

7. Give out Participants Worksheet 2. There are 2 pieces of writing by B2 level

students. In pairs or small groups, participants should consider each of the
underlined mistakes, decide what the mistake is and correct it. They should also look
for good uses of verb forms in each of the letters.
8. Join the pairs/small groups together to compare and discuss their answers. Monitor,
and feed back any relevant points (see Key below).
9. Round up by giving out the Sample Task. Explain to participants that verb forms and
patterns are regularly tested in TKT: KAL. Tasks sometimes focus on what forms can
follow which verbs, sometimes on the uses of the forms. Particular forms (e.g. the
passive) may be focussed on separately or tasks may focus on various forms. The
tasks may be text or sentence based.
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Additional information
This section is mainly for revision, giving you and participants a chance to check they know
the meaning of some key terms related to verbs, some uses of these terms and they can
identify learners mistakes, with verbs. Verbs are a key area for learners to master in
English.

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TKT: KAL Part 3 Grammar: other verb forms and patterns answer
keys
Key to Procedure step 4
Passive:

Uses:

to show you are not responsible/ involved

to make something sound impersonal
to emphasize the subject, to focus on a process
(without agent).

Possible
problems of
form:

how to form past participle

use of correct tense and part of verb to be
whether to use an agent or not
use of correct preposition with agent

Possible
problems of
meaning:
Tag
questions:

Uses:

understanding that the subject of the verb is not the

doer of the verb
understanding that the passive conveys a sense of
anonymity or formality
with falling tone used to ask for confirmation
with a rising tone used to ask a real question.

Possible
problems:

when to use negative and positive tags

different meanings of tag questions
agreement between verb and tag

Verbs
followed by
gerund:

Uses:

e.g. object to, give up, delay, involve, risk, miss, avoid,
prevent, fancy, adore, admit, recall, imagine, dread, mind,
etc.
Some verbs can have an object between the verb and the
gerund, e.g. stop (him) falling asleep; see (her) talking to
them, etc.

Possible
problems:

which verbs take the gerund and which the infinitive

differences in meaning after some verbs (e.g. to see)
of gerund and infinitive
use of possessive adjective before gerund e.g. I
understood his confessing to the crime

Verbs
followed by
infinitive:

Uses:

Possible
problems:

choose, decide, continue, fail, refuse, offer, promise, learn,

manage, etc
which verbs take the gerund and which the infinitive
which verbs to the infinitive and which the bare
infinitive
form and use of perfect infinitive

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Key to Participants Worksheet 1

A
Do you ever find (l) your students
annoying, lazy or just plain stupid?
These thoughts have occasionally
crossed my mind, but last year I
realised that, after six years in
Taiwan, that my Chinese was still
pretty rudimentary, so who was I to
judge? (k, l)

B
With minimal guidance, students can
create (h) a story orally and
collaboratively. Story-telling is a
universal tradition and we are all
primed (d) to listen (b) to and tell (b)
stories. Even students who claim not
to have (b, f) much imagination may
surprise (h) themselves doing (g)
these activities.
Watch (a) me doing (g) this storytelling activity on: www.youtube

C
For
years
told 2010,
(d) not
to useadapted.)
(b, f, i) too much TTT. We were
(First
twoteachers
excerpts have
from been
ETP May
slightly
asked (d) to think (b, i) about who needed speaking (g) practice in the classroom. It
wasnt the teacher, was it? (j) So, we practised keeping (h) quiet and handing (h)
talking (g) time over to the learner. But now, as in so much else, the tide is beginning
to turn (h) for TTT .Turning (g) TTT into a teaching tool

c (indirect questions) and e (indirect statements) are not used in the texts.

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Key to Participants Worksheet 2

Letter A

Problem

Correct answer

1. enjoied

spelling

enjoyed

2. to organise

preposition + gerund

organising

3. I suggest you
to be

suggest + that

I suggest (that)
youre/you should be

4. advice

spelling

advise

5. I could

meaning of could, past tense of can

was able

Strengths

The writer shows good use of tenses and agreement. Problems seem to
be mostly with spelling and verb patterns after other verbs or prepositions.

Letter B
6. will be

wrong tense in indirect statement

thought/ would/could

OR wrong tense in thought

think/ will

7. belived

wrong tense and spelling

believe

8. wanted

wrong tense

want

9. was

wrong tense, needs to refer to future in indirect

speech

would

Strengths

Verbs are sometimes used well in complex structures e.g. it was a good
idea courses, You mention that .students, but the writer has
repeated the same mistake with misuse of the past tense. In this context,
this misuse is quite confusing to the reader as you dont know when he/
she is talking about.

Key to Sample Task

1D

2B

3C

4B

5B

6A

7C

8A

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TKT: KAL Part 3 Grammar: other verb forms and patterns

Participants Worksheet 1
Look at the list of verb forms and the extracts from a magazine for teachers.
Find examples in the texts of the verb forms. Why has each form been used?
You will not find any examples of two of the forms.
a. Imperative

g. Gerund

b. Infinitive

h. Verb + gerund/ infinitive

c. Indirect question

i. Indirect command

d. Passive form

j. Tag question

e. Indirect statement

k. Interrogative

f. Negative

l. Rhetorical question

B
A
Do you ever find your students
annoying, lazy or just plain stupid?
These thoughts have occasionally
crossed my mind, but last year I
realised that, after six years in
Taiwan, my Chinese was still pretty
rudimentary, so who was I to judge?

With minimal guidance, students can

create a story orally and collaboratively.
Story-telling is a universal tradition and
we are all primed to listen and tell
stories. Even students who claim not to
have much imagination may surprise
themselves doing these activities.

Watch me doing this story-telling

activity on: www.youtube

C
For years teachers have been told not to use too much TTT. We were asked to think
about who needed speaking practice in the classroom. It wasnt the teacher, was it?
So, we practised keeping quiet and handing talking time over to the learner. But now,
as in so much else, the tide is beginning to turn for TTT .Turning TTT into a teaching
tool
(Extracts A and B from ETP May 2010, slightly adapted.)

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TKT: KAL Part 3 Grammar: other verb forms and patterns

Participants Worksheet 1
Look at the underlined verbs in these two pieces of intermediate (B2) students writing.
Identify the kinds of mistakes they are, then correct them. Comment on any good use of
verbs you notice.
A
Dear Benson
I am so enthousiasm for your letter! How are you? Of course and I enjoied yours school
social programme! It was fantastic and I would be glad if I could help you with my
suggestions.
Firstly, about your question how can the college encourage more people to get involved in
swimming and chess club I think that I have an idea. How about to organise races that in
the end the winner will take some money?
In addition, I suggest you to be very careful about who you are going to invite for
speaking, because the students may be bored. I would advice you to invite a member of a
gym organisation to speak about the goods that gymnastic provides. Friday evening is not
a good time because the students will be tired. In my opinion Friday morning is a better
time.
In the end, I think that a disco would be better for the students. They will dance and
have fun. I hope I could help you with my advice.

B
Dear Mr Benson
I am writing to say that I enjoyed the time I spent at your social programme last summer. I
thought that next summer the social programme of your school will be better.
I thought that is a good idea to keep the swimming club and chess club, but you must hire
some professional coatches with experience to help the childrens. Also I belived that it was a
good idea to advertise these courses.
You mention that you are going to invite some people to come and speak to the students. I
thought that you must invite famous players that the children will be more careful with them.
I didnt belive that Friday evening is a good time, because the children wanted to spend their
time with their family.
I thought that this year it was a good idea that after the course should be a disko time,
because the childrens wanted to have some fun.
Yours faithfully
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TKT: KAL Part 3 Grammar: other verb forms and patterns Sample
Task
A teacher is doing a task from a language awareness book to check his understanding of
verb forms.
For questions 18, match the examples of verb forms in the sentences to their grammatical
names listed AD.
You will need to use some of the options more than once.

Grammatical names
A

indirect question

passive voice

indirect command

rhetorical question

Examples of verb forms

1. How can I possibly get there by 5 oclock with all the work Ive got that needs
finishing?
2. It ought to have been repaired by now.
3. Could you please tell him to get there early?
4. His life prior to returning to Paris was often discussed in great detail.
5. They felt they had been overlooked for promotion.
6. He couldnt understand what the matter was.
7. They asked them to return the key to the porter when they left the flat.
8. I dont know how many times shes been to London.

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