Index

Objectives Objectives

Vocabulary Are you a good burglar?

Reading Bad News

Vocabulary Vocabulary

Reading Practice 1

Grammar The Present Perfect

Present Perfect

Sentence Structure Practice 2

Grammar Grammar Interlude

Practice 3

Time markers used with the Present Perfect

Practice 4

Sentence Structure Practice 5

Help Index

Objectives


Weve been burgled!
Functions Objectives
Talking about burglaries and
break-ins.

Talk about undefined events
Distinguish the contextual instances that call for the simple past
and the present perfect tenses.

Use the simple past and the present perfect tenses in context.
in the past
Use time markers correctly.



Bad News


Dialogue: Situation: Jaime and Peters apartment has been burgled. Jaime telephones Peter.
JAIME: Peter, finally. Ive tried to call you for the past ten minutes.
PETER: Sorry I was in the library and turned off my cell phone. Whats up?
JAIME: Bad news, someone has broken into our apartment. Weve been burgled.
PETER: What? What do you mean burgled. How long ago?
JAIME: Not long ago. They left just before I arrived 15 minutes ago.
PETER: Oh, no! What have they taken?
JAIME:
Only the valuable things, unfortunately. Theyve stolen my laptop and
your digital camera and
PETER: Oh no! Ive only had that camera since Friday?
JAIME: Well, Im sorry to say they have taken the rent money, too.
PETER: But how did they know where to find that?
JAIME: I dont know, somebody must have told them.
PETER: Hmmm! Somebody who has been in the apartment recently, maybe?
JAIME: Maybe, it looks suspicious.
PETER: Have you called the police?
JAIME: Yes, I called them immediately.
PETER: Well, hang on Ill be right over.







Present Perfect


The present perfect is formed as follows:
Forming the Present Perfect
Subject Has/Have Past Participle
I, you, we, they
The burglarsor any plural noun
have
gone
stolen
broken into
bought
come
caught, etc
been *

* (past participle of to be)
He, she,
The burglar or any singular noun
Somebody, some one, etc.
Impersonal subjects: It / there
has

For example:
I have gone to the movies many times
The burglars have stolen many valuable objects from the guests rooms.
A burglar has broken into the bank and gone hiding in the city inner streets.
A passerby has taken a picture of the burglar. The police have caught him.
There has been a burglary in the hotel.