Present Simple

09/10/13 Present Simple
AVISO: Esta página ha sido generada para facilitar la impresión de los contenidos. Los enlaces externos a otras páginas no serán funcionales.
Present Simple
The Present Simple tense is used to express:
1. Permanent states and facts. Eg.: Water boils at 100 º C

2. Habits and scheduled routines. Eg.: I go out for a walk every morning. / The train leaves at 05:30 p.m.
El Presente Simple se usa para expresar: hechos, estados permanentes y hábitos o rutinas.
Look at the following table to see how to make the Present Simple:
Function Present simple Tense
3rd. Person singular {-s / -es }
Verbs ending in:
"-ch": e.g.: He/She watches T.V. all day

"-sh": e.g.: He/She always washes his/her hands before eating.
"-o": e.g.: He/She goes to the city; he/she does the exercises.
"-s": e.g.: He/She misses you a lot when you are away.
"-x": e.g.: He/She mixes a lot of styles of music in his latest record.
"-z": e.g.: The bee buzzes when it's flying.
If the verb ends in "-y" preceded by a consonant, replace the 'y' with 'i' and add
"-es" e.g.: He/She studies at University.
Present Permanent
states Negative Form:
Simple Habits and
routines Subject + DO / DOES (NOT) + Verb
I don't like living in a big city.

She/He doesn't like living in a small town.
Interrogative Form (Interrogative Negative Form):
DO / DOES + Subject + (NOT) + Verb?
Do you like travelling?

Don't you like pop music?
Does he/she not go to the cinema very often?
Doesn't he/she want to come with us?
He/She don't want to tell us the truth.

Common Correct form: doesn't.
mistakes: Does he likes travelling?
Correct form: Does he like_ travelling?
Present continuous or Progressive
The Present Continuous (also called Progressive) can be used to express:
An action in progress while it is happening:
E.g.: I am listening to my favourite music now.
Plans in the near future:
E.g.: I am visiting my grandparents next week.
You can see its structure and main features on the table below:
educacionadistancia.juntadeandalucia.es/semi/blocks/recopila/view.php?id=192576 1/30
Function Continuous or Progressive tense
Subject + AM/IS/ARE + Verb-ING
I am listening to my favourite music now.

I am visiting my grandparents next week.
Negative Form:
To talk about:
Subject + AM/IS/ARE (NOT) + Verb-ING
An action at the
right moment it is I am not going to the party tomorrow.
happening. She/He isn't sleeping.
Plans in the near
future. Interrogative Form:
AM/IS/ARE + Subject + (NOT) + Verb-ING ?
Are you coming to the concert?

Is he/she waiting for you?
Aren't you buying a ticket for the concert?
Remember:
To add the final "-ING" form, if the verb ends in:
"-e" it disappears and then +"-ing":

Present
Eg. live liveing = living
"-ee" = exception, it remains the same:
see seeing
Final sequence "CVC" [Consonant (C) + stressed Vowel (V) +Consonant (C)] duplicate the final
consonant and then "-ing" is added:
E.g.: permit permitting / run running /
"-ie" it disappears and then +"-y":

Eg. die dieing = dying
"-y" we just add "-ing" because final 'y' is never replaced, no matter if it is either
preceded by a vowel or a consonant).
E.g.: He/She is studying at University / He/She is playing in the garden.
Remember there are some verbs that normally DO NOT take -ING:
Abstract Verbs: to be, to want, to cost, to seem, to need, ...
Possession Verbs: to possess, to own, to belong, ...
Emotion Verbs: to like, to love, to hate, to fear, to envy, to mind,

...
Common
He/She aren’t running .
mistakes:
Correct form: She isn’t running.
I am studing Maths.
Correct form: I am studying …
Past Simple
The Past Simple tense is used to talk about a finished action or a situation happened in the past.
E.g.: "Julius Caesar: he came, he saw, he conquered."
El Pasado Simple se usa para referirnos a una acción acabada o del pasado.
Ej.: Julio César: llegó, vio, venció.
Function Past simple tense
I Regular verbs: verb + "-ed"
You If the verb ends in "-y"preceded by consonant + replace the 'y' with 'i' and
add "-ed".
He/She/It
E.g.: He/She studied at University.
We
Irregular verbs: come CAME come
You
To talk about: (we use the second column of the Irr. Vbs. list)
They
a finished
Past action or Negative Form:
a
Simple situation Subject + DID (NOT) + Main Verb
happened
in the I didn't finish up my meal, I was full.
past. She/He didn't come yesterday as expected.
Interrogative Form:
DID + Subject + (NOT) + Main Verb?
Did you like the concert?

Did he/she not want to go with you?
Didn't you buy a ticket for the concert?
Common He/She didn't wanted to visit the Modern Art museum.

mistakes: Correct form: She didn´t want__.
Now put it into a practice
Task 1
Time to review verb tenses!!! Fill in the gaps w ith the correct form (affirmative, negative or interrogative forms) of the verbs in brackets. Use the
follow ing tenses: present simple, present continuous, past simple.
Where is Danny? He (PLAY) tennis.
My brother (WATCH) TV 5 hours a day every day.
(YOU/ GO) to the library yesterday?
I (READ) a book and Liz (DO) her homework.
Look! That woman (TAKE) your jacket.
The man (NOT/ WORK) here last year.
(PETER/STUDY) French this year?
Where (YOU/ LIVE)? I live and teach in Antequera.
Jim and Luca (TAKE) their laptops to work yesterday.
(YOU/USUALLY/GO) to the cinema on Mondays?
Right now, my brother (CUT) the grass in the backyard.
Jason (UNDERSTAND) the situation.
My dad (STAY) at home all day yesterday.
I (MEET) the headmaster tomorrow afternoon.
Sarah and Nicole never (GO) to nightclubs on their own.
Nick (NOT/ WANT) to go shopping today.
At the moment, Sue (ATTEND) a very important seminar on nanotechnology.
(THOMAS/ BUY) a bottle of milk twice a week?Yes, he does.
The executive board (STUDY) my petition carefully in last month's meeting.
Task 2
Interview ing Lea Paasi. You are in charge of your school e-paper. Write questions for Lea's answ ers so that you can upload the w hole transcript of
the interview , then listen and check. (TIP: How w ell do you remember question w ords?)
YOU: Good morning, Lea,

LEA: I come from Finland.
YOU:
LEA: Yes, I applied for a job as a visiting teacher.
YOU:
LEA: Oh yes, teaching is very difficult at times, but I suppose it is quite
rewarding too!
YOU:
LEA: I am learning Spanish because I'd like to interact with Andalusian students
as much as possible.
YOU: That's very interesting,

LEA: Yes, I've got one son and one daughter.
YOU: I see...
LEA: Of course I'm travelling around while I am in Andalusia. My school is located
in Antequera. That's quite handy to move around: Córdoba, Granada, the coast...
YOU: Now let's talk about educational differences between Finland and Spain:
LEA: Lessons start at 8 o'clock in the morning.
YOU:
LEA: There are 12 students in a standard class. We can have up to 20 students,
but that is not very common.
YOU: That makes all the difference!

LEA: Back home, I teach maths and science.
YOU:
Yes, I spoke some Spanish before coming to Andalusia. Not enough to understand
the students though...
YOU: Just in case our students want to know more about you.
LEA: I know a very good website about education in Finland. Try
http://www.leonardodavinci.fi/eng-special/edu-system.html
Adverbs of frequency (and their position in the sentence)
The position of these adverbs is usually in between the subject and the main verb (middle position) Eg.: The baby always cries when she is
hungry) but if there is an auxiliary verb [be (am, is, are, was, were), have (have, has, had), can, could, will, would, ...] then the adverb will come
after that auxiliary verb (e.g.: The baby is always crying).
Remember you can also find the adverbs "often, usually, sometimes and occasionally" at the beginning of a sentence (e.g.: Sometimes I go
swimming to the seaside) or at the end of it (e.g. : I go swimming to the seaside sometimes).
La posición de estos adverbios es normalmente entre el Sujeto y el verbo principal (posición medial), pero si hay un verbo auxiliar [be
(am, is, are, was, were), have (have, has, had), can, could, will, would, ...] entonces, el adverbio irá detrás del verbo auxiliar (ej. The
baby is always crying.).
Recuerda que también puedes encontrar este tipo de adverbios en posición inicial (al comienzo), o al final de la oración (en posición
final).
Frequency scale Adverbs of frequency
Middle Position
Always Subject + (Aux. verb) + ADVERB + Main Verb
Usually / Normally The baby always cries when he/she is hungry.

The baby is alwayscrying.
Sometimes We usually go to Córdoba - Spain on holidays
I normally drink three cups of coffee a day
Occasionally They sometimes come with us on our holidays
Adverbs
She often likes going out for dinner
Often I seldom/rarely smoke
of Frequency
(Position) Have you ever been to Spain?
Seldom / Rarely
I hardly ever sing songs except when having a bath
Ever I never drink before driving
Hardly ever Also: Initial and Final Position
Never Sometimes English is difficult to understand

Today, children eat fish occasionally.
Nowadays, people read books very seldom.
Common *The baby always is crying.

mistakes Correct form: The baby is always crying.
Now look at the table and check the meaning of these adverbs of frequency:
Always Siempre
Usually Normally Habitualmente
Normalmente
Occasionally De vez en cuando
Sometimes A veces/ algunas veces
Often A menudo / frecuentemente
Seldom Rarely Raras veces

Raramente
Ever Alguna vez
Hardly ever Casi nunca
Never Nunca
Task 1
Time to review verb tenses!!! Fill in the gaps w ith the correct form (affirmative, negative or interrogative forms) of the verbs in brackets. Use the
follow ing tenses: present simple, present continuous, past simple.
a veil/ often/ in their wedding ceremony/ catholic brides/ wear
stays out/ after 1 am/ Paul/ never
usually/ chocolate cake/ John/ orders/ for dessert
is/ with us/ Francis/ bossy/ always
Does/ she/ at the front/ usually/ in a lecture theatre/ sit ?
goes/ Carmen/ once a week/ dancing
you/ watch/ don’t/ in English/ films/ ever/?
is/ posting/ always/ new entries/ Rasmus/ to his blog
after work/ swimming/ I/ go/ sometimes
idle/ Barrie/ rarely/ is/ when he is at home
Spanish/ never/ to students/ language assistants/ speak
English/ I/ twice a week/ have/ private tuitions
rarely/ my brother/ is / on time
do/ on holidays/ you/ often/ how/ go ?
My children/every day/ to the park/ go
Adverbs of degree. Modificación de adjetivos con adverbios de grado y cantidad
Adverbs of degree. Modificación de adjetivos con adverbios de grado y cantidad: very, extremely, too / (not) very, quite +
adjetivo / Too+ adjetivo / enough
ENOUGH + NOU: Enough is placed BEFORE a noun when it means "as much as is necessary".
Eg.: Poor countries don't have enough food.
Adjective / Adverb + ENOUGH: Enough as an adverb meaning "to the necessary degree" is placed AFTERadjectives and adverbs.
Eg.: Is your coffee hot enough? (adjective) / Though small this car runs fast enough (adverb)
TOO + Adjective/Adverb: Too is placed before an adjective or an adverb meaning "more than is necessary", sometimes with a negative
meaning.
Eg.: He speaks too fast and she speaks too slowly.
ENOUGH + nombre: Se coloca DELANTE del nombre cuando se refiere a un sustantivo indicando "suficiente".
Eg.: Poor countries don't have enough food.
Adjective / Adverb + ENOUGH: Significará "lo bastante" cuando se refiera a un adjetivo o a un adverbio, colocándose en este caso
DESPUÉS de los mismos.
Eg.: Is your coffee hot enough? (adjective) / Though small this car runs fast enough (adverb).
TOO + Adjective/Adverb : Too se coloca delante del Adjetivo o Adverbio al que se refiere, indicando "demasiado", a veces con
connotaciones negativas.
Eg. He speaks too fast.
Now look at the following table
Degree Adverbs of degree
Wait! I have almost / nearly finished.
Sorry! She is just leaving at this moment.
Almost / nearly She hardly noticed somebody was listening.
just The T-shirt isn't big enough for me.
hardly There is enough water for everybody.
enough I liked the movie, I think it was pretty good.
pretty / fairly Your English is fairly good !
rather/ quite/ To me the movie was rather disappointing
(not) very This is quite interesting!
extremely He doesn't quite know what he'll do after finishing his studies.
completely / utterly The coffee is not very hot but it's too hot for me.
too The weather is extremely cold!
I am completely exhausted from the trip.

Adverbs
The computer broke down, now it's completely / utterly useless.
of Degree
You didn't work hard enough to pass the exam.

She's not old enough to get married.
Adjective/Adverb
Common
+ ENOUGH The coffee is enough hot.
mistake:
Correct form: The coffee is hot enough
(adjective/adverb + enough)
TOO The shirt was too small for him.
+ The water is too cold to have a bath.
adjective / adverb I am too tired to go out tonight.
Remember
There are some words that can be both adjectives (before a noun) and adverbs (noun = Ø), like:
fast a fast car (adjective) / He drives fast (adverb)
hard It's a hard task (adjective) / I am working hard to pass my exams (adverb)
On this table you can see the meanings of the adverbs and how they are pronounced:
Almost / nearly Casi
Apenas,
just
justo ahora
hardly Apenas
enough lo bastante …
pretty / fairly/ quite (not

bastante
very) / rather
(not) very (no) muy
extremely enormemente
quite / completely /utterly completamente
too demasiado
Irregular and Regular Plural of nouns
Do you remember the general rule to make the 3rd. Person singular of the Present Simple, by adding a final “-s” or “-es” according to the final
letter of the word? Well, the same rule is also useful for the general plural of nouns. BUT there are some other nouns that do not follow the
general rules, that is why we call them Irregular Plural of nouns. You can find both, regular and irregular ones, on the tables shown below:
Regular Plural of nouns {-s / -es }
Nouns ending in:
“–ch”: e.g.: watch-watches

“–sh”: e.g.: dish-dishes
“–o”: e.g.: volcano-volcanoes
“–s”: e.g.: dress-dresses
“–x”: e.g.: fox-foxes
“–z”: e.g.: buzz-buzzes
If it ends in “–y” preceded by a consonant, replace the ‘y’ with an ‘i’ and then we add
“-es” e.g.: country-countries / university – universities
If the noun ends in “-f” or “-fe”, then those final endings change into “v” and then we
add “-es” e.g.: knife (cuchillo) knives / wife (esposa) wives / wolf (lobo)
wolves
¿Recuerdas la regla para formar la 3ª persona del singular del Presente Simple, añadiendo una “-s” o “-es” dependiendo de la
terminación de la palabra? Pues bien, la misma regla nos sirve para formar normalmente el plural de las palabras. PERO hay otros
nombres que no siguen esta regla, por esa razón los llamamos Plurales Irregulares. Puedes encontrar ambos, regulares e irregulares,
en las tablas que te mostramos a continuación.
Irregular Plural of nouns Singular Plural
Hombre / hombres man men
Mujer/ mujeres woman women
Persona / personas person people
Niño/niños child children
Pie/ pies foot feet
Diente/ dientes tooth teeth
Ratón/ratones mouse mice
Piojo/ piojos louse lice
Dado/ dados dice dice (=)
Ganso/ gansos goose geese
Buey/ bueyes ox oxen
Pez/ peces fish fish (=)
Oveja / ovejas sheep sheep (=)
Venado/venados deer deer (=)
Alce / alces moose moose (=)
(...) (...) (...)
Now put it into practice
Exercise 1
Complete the follow ing sentences w ith the appropriate form of the noun in brackets. (TIP: Irregular plurals)
We were attacked by two (thief)
There are two (lady) waiting for you at the till, Jenny.
There isn’t much (bread) in the fridge.
New (bus) are gas-fuelled.
Why don’t you ask for some more (analysis) ?
Jonas bought some (tomato) .
EU national (economy) are suffering with the crisis.
Why do you own two (house) ?
This house is full of (mouse) !!!
Uncountable nouns
Uncountable nouns (also called mass nouns) are susceptible to be measured BUT cannot be counted, therefore:
1. They do NOT take the final “-s / -es” for regular plural of nouns.
E.g.
I don’t know what to do, will you give some adviceS ?
I love fish, please order two grilled fishES for me.
Please, could we have two wineS ?, sorry, I meant two glasses of wine.
2. To form the plural of uncountable nouns you will need to use another expression before them, like “one/two/three … piece/s of…” or
“one/two/three… item/s of…”
E.g.
I like modern furniture very much, that’s why I ordered three pieces of modern Italian furniture for my new living-room.
Today’s newspaper has several pieces of news about the global crisis, you’ll find them interesting to read.
Los nombres incontables pueden ser “medidos” (mediante unidades de medida tales como “un litro de, dos kilos de, tres botellas de,
cuatro unidades de, cinco vasos de, etc”, PERO NO pueden ser “contados” en sentido literal, por lo que NO admiten plural.
Frequently used
Uncountable nouns
advice meat
air milk
anger money
blood music
butter news
equipment politics
fish pollution
food rice
furniture salt
garbage sand
graffiti soap
grass software
homework sugar
information tea
knowledge traffic
love travel
luggage water
Now put it into practice
Exercise 1
Are these w ords countable or uncountable nouns? Choose the right answ er.
a) Advice Select... uncountable countable
b) Anger Select... uncountable countable
c) Bank Select... uncountable countable
d) Bed Select... uncountable countable
e) Beer Select... uncountable countable
f) Bottle Select... uncountable countable
g) Butter Select... uncountable countable
h) Class Select... uncountable countable
i) Fork Select... uncountable countable
j) Furniture Select... uncountable countable
k) Glass Select... uncountable countable
l) Idea Select... uncountable countable
m) Information Select... uncountable countable
n) Knowledge Select... uncountable countable
o) Lion Select... uncountable countable
p) Love Select... uncountable countable
q) Love Select... uncountable countable
r) Luggage Select... uncountable countable
s) Meat Select... uncountable countable
t) Milk Select... uncountable countable
u) Money Select... uncountable countable
v) Notebook Select... uncountable countable
w) Politics Select... uncountable countable
x) Rice Select... uncountable countable
y) Salt Select... uncountable countable
z) Sea Select... uncountable countable
aa) Staff (workmates) Select... uncountable countable
ab) Tea Select... uncountable countable
ac) Tomato Select... uncountable countable
ad) Water Select... uncountable countable
Phrasal nouns
It is very frequent to find a verb + preposition/adverb connected to form a noun (“phrasal noun”), usually by means of a hyphen “-“
E.g.: To make up (= to apply cosmetics) make-up (noun = cosmetics)
Here you can see a list of some other examples of phrasal nouns:
Llamamos “Phrasal Nouns” a los sustantivos formados a partir de la unión de un verbo + prep / adv.
Phrasal Nouns (examples)
1. Breakdown (avería, crisis)
2. Check-up (revision, control)
3. Countdown (cuenta atrás)
4. Downpour (chaparrón)
5. Drive-in (restaurante con línea de

servicio a coches)
6. Feedback (respuesta, reacción)
7. Hangover (resaca)
8. Know-how (saber hacer)
9. Leftover (sobras)
10. Lift-off (despegue en vertical
11. Makeup (maquillaje)
12. Off-piste (en esquí, fuera de pista)
13. Outrage (atrocidad, escándalo)
14. Payoff (soborno)
15. Rip-off (timo)
16. Sellout (éxito de taquilla)
17. Sit-in (sentada protesta)
18. Take-off (despegue)
19. Tearaway (joven problematico)
20. Tip-off (chivatazo)
Task 1
Phrasal nouns. You’ve already used some phrasal verbs, but, how w ell can you use phrasal nouns? Complete the nouns in the list w ith the
prepositions in the box. Remember some phrasal nouns are hyphenated (w ord – w ord). Some prepositions are used more than once
hang
check-
pour
make
know-
break
drive
lift-
sit-
take-
rage
feed
count
rip-
left
tear
sell
pay
tip-
piste
Task 2
Phrasal nouns. Fill in the boxes w ith a suitable phrasal noun. Write them in plural w hen necessary.
You paid forty pounds for that jumper! What a
Fast-food restaurants usually have a lane
After you turn 50, it is time for medical
When you travel by plane, remember to switch off your laptop during and landing.
Look at that! This is not just rain: it’s a !
The tickets for the concert were sold in just 2 days: it was an absolute
A against the Bologna Plan is scheduled for next Wednesday. Student protests are likely to
go on this year.
Scotland Yard got a concerning a major bombing in Victoria Station.
Reflexive nouns
We use the “Reflexive” pronouns when the object of a sentence is the same as the subject, by adding the suffix “-self (singular) / -selves
(plural)”.
E.g.
I shave myself every morning.
If you buy the items you need you can do it yourself.
My son spends ages looking at himself in the mirror before going out.
She hurt herself with a tool at work.
Look! There is a bird washing itself in the river.
We went to a self-service cafeteria to buy ourselves some food.
There is plenty of food, you guys, just help yourselves.
Cats wash themselves without using any water.
Usamos los pronombres reflexivos cuando el objeto de una acción verbal coincide con el sujeto mismo del verbo. Se forma añadiendo
el sufijo “-self (singular) / -selves (plural)”, significando “se” o “auto” .
[Ej: (self-service = auto-servicio) / myself = me-a mi mismo /yourself = te-a ti mismo / himself-herself-itself = se – a sí mismo-a /
ourselves = nos – a nosotros mismos / yourselves = os – a vosotros mismos / themselves = se – a sí mismos]
PERSONAL Pronouns POSSESSIVES

REFLEXIVE
Pronouns
Subject Object Adjectives Pronouns
I Me My Mine Myself
You You Your Yours Yourself
He Him His His Himself
She Her Her Hers Herself
It It Its Its Itself
We Us Our Ours Ourselves
You You Your Yours Yourselves
They Them Their Theirs Themselves
Reciprocal pronouns: each other / one another
We use “each other" or "one another" as alternative ways of showing that an action is two-way (A ↔ B).
E.g.
Both Prime Ministers greeted each other at the meeting (= Both PMs greeted one another)
They gave one another the good news (= They gave each other…)
Los pronombres recíprocos muestran una acción de doble sentido (A ↔ B); usamos las formas “each other" o "one another" para
indicar “mutuamente” (= uno a otro). “Both” es un pronombre indefinido que significa “ambos, los dos”
Task 1
PRONOUNS GALORE!!! How w ell do you master pronouns? Complete the sentences w ith a suitable pronoun.
I can’t decide which colour suits me best: red or green… I think I’ll take .
Leo and Paco are not at home at the moment, I’ll try to contact later.
Pete doesn’t learn from his mistakes. is hopeless!
Fanny, location do you prefer for a house: seaside or hills?
Bella and Edward are in love. sit together in the same class.
If I don’t answer the phone now, you can phone later.
No, no, this is your pen. I’m positive, it is .
Tell me, is your favourite TV series?
Do you think Lisa will mind? I don’t want to worry .
That house belongs to me. It is .
Tom and I met back in 2003. 've been pals since then.
I don’t need an electrician for this. I’ll do it .
He didn’t even say thank you or bye. a rude man!
My sons are mature enough. They can take care of now.
This restaurant is the best. opened 5 years ago.
So, told you that?
time is it?
Stop laughing at Larry or I’ll get mad at
I think this book belongs to Sarah. Definitely, it’s
Little Jim and Ted are always fighting with
Collective nouns
A collective noun is a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit.
In British usage, collective nouns are often treated as plurals:

The government have announced a new policy to prevent unemployment rate from rising
The Olympic team are playing the finals next week .
In American usage, a collective noun usually takes a singular verb when it refers to the collection considered as a whole (E.g.: The
family was united on this matter) and it takes a plural verb when it refers to the members of the group considered as individuals (E.g.:
My family are always fighting among themselves).
Un nombre colectivo es un sustantivo que denota un conjunto de personas o cosas entendidas como una unidad.
En Inglés Británico, los nombres colectivos a menudo funcionan como los sustantivos plurales:
The government have announced a new policy to prevent unemployment rate from rising .
The Olympic team are playing the finals next week .
En Inglés Americano, un nombre colectivo funcionará como singular y, por tanto, llevará la 3ª persona del singular en el
presente, cuando se refiera al colectivo como un todo(e.g.: The family was united on this matter). Se comportará como un
sustantivo plural cuando se refiera a los miembros del grupo considerados individualmente (e.g.: My family are always fighting
among themselves).
Here is a list of some common collective nouns:
bank banco
choir coro
class clase
clergy clero
club club
committee comité
company compañía / empresa
enemy enemigo
family familia
firm firma comercial
flock rebaño
government gobierno
group grupo
herd rebaño
jury jurado
ministry Ministerio
orchestra orquesta
party Partido político
public público
Escuela/ banco
school
(school of fish = banco de peces)
staff plantilla
team equipo
union sindicato
The possessive form of noums : 's / of + noun / noun + noun / double possessive
A. You can see the connections between Personal Pronouns and Possessives in this table:
Personal Pronouns POSSESSIVES
Subject Object Adjectives Pronouns Phonetics Examples
I Me My Mine “Whose book is this? It’s mine.

He is a friend of mine.
You You Your Yours “Sincerely yours” (at the end of a letter) /
He Him His His A friend of his has a lot of cars, even a Jaguar!
She Her Her Hers She has (got) a red car so this car can be hers.
It It Its Its A big dinosaur escaped and this footprint must be

its.
We Us Our Ours At a restaurant: “Which table is ours?” / Susan is a

friend of ours.
You You Your Yours Now, you guys listen! I don’t like those friends of
yours!”
They Them Their Theirs “Who is he? I think he’s a relation of theirs.”
Remember that:
Adjectives +noun Pronouns Noun = Ø
My house is mine +Ø
Adjective + noun Pronoun + Ø
B. The possessive case with ‘s. (The Saxon Genitive) Normally when the owner is a person (or sometimes an animal), we will add a final
ending “’s ” (apostrophe –s) to the name of the owner to indicate that “ownership” relationship and then we will write the possessed
object. If the noun already ends in a final “-s”, then only the final apostrophe “ ’ ” is needed.
E.g.:
1. It is Peter’s car = This car is Peter’s ( i.e.: This car belongs to Peter)
2. That’s my friends’ house = That house is my friends’
( i.e.: That house belongs to my friends)
Sometimes, we can also express possession when the owner is not necessarily a person:
E.g.:
1. They are America's gold medallists

2. The cat’s owner
C. The “of + noun” and the “noun+noun” expressions

Sometimes we can use both the Saxon Genitive (the boy’s name) or the “of + noun” expression (the name of the boy), but this is not
always possible. We normally use the Saxon Genitive when the owners are people or animals and we use the “of + noun” expression
with things:
E.g.:
1. The final score of the football match was 1-1
2. The windows of the house
3. The day of the Olympic race.
Some other times you can find two nouns (noun + noun) indicating possession between them:
A book case / a garden chair / an oil well
D. The double possessive (or “double genitive”): “ noun + of + noun’s”

Some other times you can find expressions containing a double possessive structure, meaning “one among”:
1. “I am a friend of Maria’s” à if I introduce myself this way I mean that I am ONE AMONG Maria’s friends.
2. “I bought a portrait of Antonio Lopez’s” à it indicates that I bought ONE AMONG the existing portraits OWNED by Antonio
Lopez (not a painting in which Antonio Lopez is portrayed)
3. “I don’t like that friend of yours!” à to mean I do not like particularly that one among your friends.
There are also some expressions and places where the Saxon Genitive possessive form is used :
a fortnight's holiday Las vacaciones de dos semanas

a month's pay La paga de un mes
today's newspaper El períodico de hoy
in a year's time En un año
for God's sake! ¡Por amor de Dios!
A la tienda
to the grocer's
(‘s = del tendero)
al quiosco
to the newsagent's
(‘s = del quiosquero)
al dentista
to the dentist's
(‘s = la casa o lugar del dentista)
al doctor
to the doctor's
(‘s = la casa o lugar del doctor)
A la farmacia
to the chemist's
(‘s = la casa o lugar del químico)
al veterinario
to the vet's
(‘s = casa o lugar del veterinario)
to Saint James's A la Iglesia de Saint James's
A. La diferencia entre adjetivos y pronombres es que el Adjetivo acompaña a un sustantivo Adjectives + noun y el
Pronombre lo sustituye Pronouns Noun = Ø
B. The Genitivo Sajón“’s ” ( Genitivo = posesivo “de” / Se denomina así por tratarse de una reminiscencia lingüística de época
sajona que ha pervivido hasta nuestros días.)
Normalmente, cuando el poseedor es una persona (o a veces un animal), para indicar que posee algo añadiremos una “’s ” al
final del poseedor, luego indicaremos el objeto poseído. Si el nombre ya termina en una “-s” final, entonces bastará con añadir
el apóstrofe “’ ”:
E.j.:
1. It is Peter’s car
2. That’s my friends’ house
Algunas veces, también podemos usarlo para expresar posesión cuando el propietario no necesariamente es una persona:
E.j.:
1. They are America's gold medallists
2. The cat’s owner.
C. The “of + noun” and the “noun+noun” expressions

Algunas veces podemos usar tanto el Genitivo Sajón (the boy’s name) o la estructura “of + nombre” (the name of the boy),
pero no siempre es esto posible. Normalmente utilizamos el Saxon Genitive cuando los poseedores sean personas o
animales y usaremos la expresiónthe “of + noun” con los objetos.
E.j.:
1. The windows of the house
2. The day of the Olympic race.
Otras veces podemos encontrarnos dos sustantivos juntos (noun + noun) indicando una relación de poseedor-poseído entre
ellos:
Ej.:
1. An oil well (un pozo de petróleo)
2. The car keys (las llaves del coche)
3. A garden chair (una silla de jardín)
D. The double possessive (or “double genitive”): “ noun + of + noun’s”

En otras ocasiones puede que te encuentres expresiones que contengan una estructura de “doble posesivo” (nombre + of +
Nombre’s) para referirnos a “uno de entre varios” (one among):
1. “I am a friend of Maria’s” à si me presento de este modo quiero decir que soy UNO de ENTRE los amigos DE
MARIA.
2. “I bought a portrait of Antonio Lopez’s” à indica que compré uno de entre los cuadros que hay pintados (owned =
poseídos) por el pintor Antonio Lopez , no un cuadro en el que Antonio López aparezca retratado.
3. “I don’t like that friend of yours!” à aquí la estructura de doble posesivo que aparece es del tipo “….of + pronombre
posesivo”, para indicar que no me gusta ese amigo en particular “de entre los tuyos” (de entre tus amigos).
Task 1
Expressing possession. Rew rite the follow ing sentences using suitable possession structures: ‘s/ s’, of, noun + noun.
Example:
is open from 10 till 2 (school – its library)
The school library is open from 10 till 2
Have you met ? (David – his parents)
The is recruiting Spanish teachers (Oxford – its university)
The cat walked on the . (the boys – their schoolwork)
This is your . (car – its key)
What is ? (Darwin – his most amazing discovery)
Jason was last March. (month – its worker)
A new has been launched. (school – its newspaper)
is a doctor. (Diana and Ian – their mother)
Welcome to our cosy . (staff – their room)
I think you need a warm . You are soaked! (tea – its cup)
I met Joanna at the (theatre – its entrance)
She has a tremendous . (persuasion – its power)
The school paid for the . (plane – its tickets)
has proven wrong. (Bush – his war on terror)
Why didn’t they try with ? (James – his mobile)
Task 2
Expressing possession. Complete the follow ing sentences using a possessive adjective or a possessive pronoun.
I can’t stand (Peter’s) manners.
Why don’t you come to (mine and Lina’s) birthday party?
Stop pointing at me with (you) pen!
Don’t take your car, we can take (my car)
I like your painting, but I like (Linda’s one) better.
This book is (my book) .
Iraqi militiamen have attacked (Iraqi forces’) headquarters
Tim never understands my problems, but I always have to understand (Tim´s problems)
Shall we meet at my place or at (your place) ?
What can we do to stop (the boys’ giggling) ?
Meeting new people
Read about Maria. Then w rite the questions for the answ ers given.
Hi! My name’s Maria. I’m 28 years old. I’ve recently passed my competitive exams for a teaching post in
Spain. Last year I was an English teacher at a primary school. I’m Spanish, but I was born in Canada, so
English is also my mother tongue. I’m single, but I live with my partner in a rented flat on the coast of
Malaga. I love teaching, but I’m also very keen on sports and travelling. Last summer I went to Cracovia
for a Comenius conference, as I’m very concerned with improving my teaching skills. I met very
interesting people there. The main objective of the conference was to find partners in order to develop
teamwork and share our outcomes on the issues proposed.
(Example) What’s her name?

Maria
?
28
?
She worked as an English teacher at a primary school
?
She’s Spanish
?
In Canada
?
No she isn’t. She’s single
?
She lives in a flat with her partner
?
To Cracovia
Task 2
What do you think the title of the conference is?
a) Using new technology in Language Learning

b) Skills for teacher training
c) Language and Methodology
Task 3
On the first day, participants met in a lounge, exchanged Information and tried to find suitable partners for their projects. Please read the dialogue and
choose the right phrase to fill in the gaps
Maria: Hello. I'm Maria. I'm from Spain. Select... I'd like you to meet Dorota you
can call me, Pleased to meet you! It's a pleasure to meet you Maria How do you
do! (1)
Tim: Select... I'd like you to meet Dorota you can call me, Pleased to meet you!
It's a pleasure to meet you Maria How do you do! (2) My name's Timothy, but
Select... I'd like you to meet Dorota you can call me, Pleased to meet you! It's a
pleasure to meet you Maria How do you do! (3) Tim. I work as a computer
science teacher at a Further Education School in Leeds. Where do you work
Maria?
Maria: I'm a primary English teacher in Málaga, Spain.
Tim: Malaga! That's in the south, isn't it? Right, Select... I'd like you to meet Dorota you can call me,
Pleased to meet you! It's a pleasure to meet you Maria How do you do! (4); she's Polish, and she's
also a primary English teacher. So you must have a lot in common.
Dorota: Select... I'd like you to meet Dorota you can call me, Pleased to meet you! It's a pleasure to
meet you Maria How do you do! (5).
Maria: Nice to meet you too! Could I get your email, Dorota. I'd like to send you our project.
Maria: Rebecca!
Rebecca: Select... Pleased to meet you both too Long time no see Let me introduce you to Hi Maria!
(1) What are you doing here? What a coincidence!
Maria: I'm here for the conference. You look gorgeous. Select... Pleased to meet you both too Long
time no see Let me introduce you to Hi Maria! (2) How's life?
Rebecca: Pretty well. In fact, I've just had my first baby.
Maria: No! I can't believe it! Did you get married?
Rebecca: Yes, of course I did. And it was actually a religious wedding. You know I'm a churchgoer.
Maria: Listen, Rebecca. Select... Pleased to meet you both too Long time no see Let me introduce
you to Hi Maria! (3) Tim and Dorota. Tim is English and Dorota's Polish. I met Rebecca in France,
when I was working there as a language assistant.
Tim: Nice to meet you, Rebecca.
Dorota: Please to meet you.
Rebecca: Select... Pleased to meet you both too Long time no see Let me introduce you to Hi Maria!
(4)
Maria: I hope you don't have much trouble with your baby. They say that first born children are the
most difficult ones.
Planning a day out
What did you do last w eekend? Sheila and Lizzy are language assistants in Antequera, Malaga. Listen to their conversation.
Now put the questions in the box in the correct place
Sheila: Hello.
Lizzy: Is Sheila there?
Sheila: This is Sheila.
Lizzy: Hi Sheila. It's Lizzy.
Sheila: Hi Lizzy. (1) Select... Why? Can I pick you up at the On the Run filling station? What's up? Do you
know the address? Would you mind picking me up? Can we get together again? Would you like to join us?
At what time shall I be there? Where's that? How about 12? ?
Lizzy: Have you got any plans for this weekend?
Sheila: I'm afraid I have. (2) Select... Why? Can I pick you up at the On the Run filling station? What's up?
Do you know the address? Would you mind picking me up? Can we get together again? Would you like to
join us? At what time shall I be there? Where's that? How about 12? ?
Lizzy: I had a wonderful time at the Irish pub last weekend. (3) Select... Why? Can I pick you up at the On
the Run filling station? What's up? Do you know the address? Would you mind picking me up? Can we get
together again? Would you like to join us? At what time shall I be there? Where's that? How about 12? ?
Sheila: Actually, we've already planned a get-together for this weekend. (4) Select...
Why? Can I pick you up at the On the Run filling station? What's up? Do you know
the address? Would you mind picking me up? Can we get together again? Would
you like to join us? At what time shall I be there? Where's that? How about 12? ?
Lizzy: Oh, I'd hate to impose.
Sheila: Nah, it's just a group of students from school and me. We're going to have Sunday roast at an
English restaurant. It's in Fuente Piedra.
Lizzy: (5) Select... Why? Can I pick you up at the On the Run filling station? What's up? Do you know the
address? Would you mind picking me up? Can we get together again? Would you like to join us? At what
time shall I be there? Where's that? How about 12? ?
Sheila: It's about 20 minutes from Antequera. It's called Oscar's on the Square. They provide high quality
English food at very reasonable prices.
Lizzy: (6) Select... Why? Can I pick you up at the On the Run filling station? What's up? Do you know the
address? Would you mind picking me up? Can we get together again? Would you like to join us? At what
time shall I be there? Where's that? How about 12? ?
Sheila: Yes. It's Nuestra Señora de las Virtudes, number 2. As you drive in from
Antequera, cross the motorway, then go straight on, following the indications for the
city centre. You'll reach a roundabout that leads down to the lake if you continue
straight ahead. Don't go that way, take a right instead. The square is at the end of the
street. There's a lot of parking space so you don't have to worry about your car.
Lizzy: I'm not too sure about that. It sounds rather complicated. (7) Select... Why?
Can I pick you up at the On the Run filling station? What's up? Do you know the address? Would you mind
picking me up? Can we get together again? Would you like to join us? At what time shall I be there?
Where's that? How about 12? ? I'm really bad at directions. I'm afraid I'll get lost and be very late
Sheila: Don't worry.(8) Select... Why? Can I pick you up at the On the Run filling station? What's up? Do
you know the address? Would you mind picking me up? Can we get together again? Would you like to join
us? At what time shall I be there? Where's that? How about 12? ? That's our meeting point.
Lizzy: That'll be fine. Thanks a lot, see you Sunday. Oh, (9) Select... Why? Can I pick you up at the On the
Run filling station? What's up? Do you know the address? Would you mind picking me up? Can we get
together again? Would you like to join us? At what time shall I be there? Where's that? How about 12? ?
Sheila: We've booked a table at 1. (10) Select... Why? Can I pick you up at the On the Run filling station?
What's up? Do you know the address? Would you mind picking me up? Can we get together again? Would
you like to join us? At what time shall I be there? Where's that? How about 12? ? That'll give us enough
time...
Classroom management
Sheila and Lizzy are talking about their teaching experiences. Listen to the conversation.
Complete the text:
Sheila: Select... How's that? How are your classes coming along? Can you give me your e-mail? How about
yours? Why don't we share the stuff we produce? Why don't you use some of my materials? ? (1)
Lizzy: Select... I have mixed feelings about them That would be very helpful, thank you That's a great idea
The discipline in some of the groups is terrible. Of course. It's... They're quite fun actually. . (2)I wasn't
expecting to enjoy teaching this much. Select... How's that? How are your classes coming along? Can you
give me your e-mail? How about yours? Why don't we share the stuff we produce? Why don't you use some
of my materials? ? (3)
Sheila: Select... I have mixed feelings about them That would be very helpful, thank you That's a great idea
The discipline in some of the groups is terrible. Of course. It's... They're quite fun actually. . (4) It really
depends on the group. Some groups are very enjoyable while others are a nightmare.
Lizzy: Select... How's that? How are your classes coming along? Can you give me your e-mail? How about
The discipline in some of the groups is terrible. Of course. It's... They're quite fun actually. . (6) They need a
real dose of classroom management. I don't know why we have to put up with some of those students. They
don't want to be there. They don't do any work. The worst part is that they often don't let others work either.
You are very lucky.
Lizzy: I know I am. My students are mainly adults who need English for their jobs. The underage students
are very well-behaved. All of them are very hard-working. The only trouble is that they make me work extra
hard too. I can't focus on my studies because I'm constantly preparing materials for them to work on. Most
groups go through the exercises in just one session
Sheila: Select... How's that? How are your classes coming along? Can you give me your e-mail? How about
The discipline in some of the groups is terrible. Of course. It's... They're quite fun actually. . (8) As a matter
of fact,
Select... How's that? How are your classes coming along? Can you give me your e-mail? How about yours?
Why don't we share the stuff we produce? Why don't you use some of my materials? ? (9) That way we'll
have twice as many activities.
The discipline in some of the groups is terrible. Of course. It's... They're quite fun actually. . (10) Select...
How's that? How are your classes coming along? Can you give me your e-mail? How about yours? Why
don't we share the stuff we produce? Why don't you use some of my materials? ? (11) We can send the
stuff to each other. That'll allow us to keep a file of everything we're doing.
The discipline in some of the groups is terrible. Of course. It's... They're quite fun actually. . (12) It's
lizparish22@gmail.com.
Religious weddings
Task 1
In the dialogue betw een Maria and Rebecca, ("What to say...") Rebecca said she w as a "churchgoer", and so she had a religious w edding. Read the
text about different religious w edding rites in Europe in "Cultures and countries". Read the w ords in the box, listen to them and try to guess their
meaning. Then use it to complete the sentences.
a) According to tradition, a Select... wedding reception breakup good luck wedding dress same-sex
marriages widow sacrament Protestant and Catholic divorcées bride marriage toasting bouquet Judaism
Islam faiths baptisized rites is for life, but it doesn't seem to be like that in recent times.
b) The liberal attitude of certain governments allows homosexuals to celebrate Select... wedding reception
breakup good luck wedding dress same-sex marriages widow sacrament Protestant and Catholic
divorcées bride marriage toasting bouquet Judaism Islam faiths baptisized rites .
c) The Select... wedding reception breakup good luck wedding dress same-sex marriages widow
sacrament Protestant and Catholic divorcées bride marriage toasting bouquet Judaism Islam faiths
baptisized rites of a marriage always implies a loss of financial stability for the individuals
d) According to some religions baptism is a Select... wedding reception breakup good luck wedding dress
same-sex marriages widow sacrament Protestant and Catholic divorcées bride marriage toasting
bouquet Judaism Islam faiths baptisized rites .
e) Nowadays, it's quite common for Select... wedding reception breakup good luck wedding dress same-
sex marriages widow sacrament Protestant and Catholic divorcées bride marriage toasting bouquet
Judaism Islam faiths baptisized rites to start a new relationship in the following two years after the
divorce took place.
f) Select... wedding reception breakup good luck wedding dress same-sex marriages widow sacrament
Protestant and Catholic divorcées bride marriage toasting bouquet Judaism Islam faiths baptisized rites
is the most extended religion in Israel
g) When we got married, we were so broke that my wife didn't even wear a Select... wedding reception
divorcées bride marriage toasting bouquet Judaism Islam faiths baptisized rites .
h) My dad is a widower, but he met Alice, who is also a Select... wedding reception breakup good luck
wedding dress same-sex marriages widow sacrament Protestant and Catholic divorcées bride marriage
toasting bouquet Judaism Islam faiths baptisized rites , and they've been going out since then.
i) One of the biggest differences between Select... wedding reception breakup good luck wedding dress
bouquet Judaism Islam faiths baptisized rites priests is that, in the first case, they can get married and
have a family.
j) We wanted to keep our budget low, so not many people were invited to the Select... wedding reception
divorcées bride marriage toasting bouquet Judaism Islam faiths baptisized rites . Only our closest
relatives and friends.
k) In most North European countries, Select... wedding reception breakup good luck wedding dress same-
Judaism Islam faiths baptisized rites is complimentary whenever you start a new drink with a group of
friends.
l) When she threw the Select... wedding reception breakup good luck wedding dress same-sex marriages
widow sacrament Protestant and Catholic divorcées bride marriage toasting bouquet Judaism Islam
faiths baptisized rites to the wedding guests it was me who got it.
m) So as they say it's supposed to bring me Select... wedding reception breakup good luck wedding dress
bouquet Judaism Islam faiths baptisized rites and a bridegroom!
n) Even among Catholics, there are different Select... wedding reception breakup good luck wedding dress
bouquet Judaism Islam faiths baptisized rites , like Adventists or Jehovah's witnesses.
o) In some cultures, it's not necessary for the Select... wedding reception breakup good luck wedding dress
bouquet Judaism Islam faiths baptisized rites and the bridegroom to know each other before actually
getting married.
p) Both Cristianity and Select... wedding reception breakup good luck wedding dress same-sex marriages
widow sacrament Protestant and Catholic divorcées bride marriage toasting bouquet Judaism Islam
faiths baptisized rites seem to have the same cultural roots.
q) As I don't believe in God, I've never Select... wedding reception breakup good luck wedding dress same-
Judaism Islam faiths baptisized rites any of my children
r) Some Select... wedding reception breakup good luck wedding dress same-sex marriages widow
sacrament Protestant and Catholic divorcées bride marriage toasting bouquet Judaism Islam faiths
baptisized rites are religious ceremonies celebrated according to traditions.
Personality
Task 1
In the same dialogue, Rebecca said she had had her first baby. According to psychologists, your personality is very much influenced by the position
you occupy in your family. Read the follow ing article and then do the vocabulary tasks dow n below .
It is a common belief among psychologists that your position in the family can affect your personality. Are you an
only child, a first-born, a middle-born or the youngest in your family? Discover how it may have determined your
behaviour.
Only children tend to gather the undivided attention from their parents and even
grandparents in such a way that they are often over stimulated. They are usually
described as spoiled and selfish. On the positive side, they tend to be well-organised
and highly conscientious and dependable. They feel at ease with facts, ideas and
details, and extremely comfortable with responsibility But don't forget they can be
difficult to deal with, as they are used to attracting most of their parents' attention. In
this sense, they are often unforgiving, very demanding, hate to admit they're wrong and
usually don't accept criticism well. In all, they are usually very sensitive and indeed,
their feelings are easily hurt.
First-born children may be considered temporary only children. Consequently, they may share some personality traits with
them. They are also well-organised, punctual and competent and high achievers in relation to their studies and professions,
and, as a consequence, natural leaders. As a matter of fact, they are often criticized as being boastful, moody and lacking
sensitivity.
Middle children usually have an unpredictable personality, as their role changes from last-born to middle-born while they are
growing up. They tend to be very sociable and sympathetic, sometimes a bit too conformist, as they are eager to please
everyone around them, form younger to oldest brothers or sisters, as well as parents.
Youngest children usually keep a privileged position in the family. They are free from the high expectations that many
parents have for their eldest children and are often grown up in a less strict environment. As a consequence, although they
tend to be more independent and self-centred, they are very talkative, extrovert and are known as great entertainers. But be
careful not to disappoint or bore them because they have a natural tendency to escape from these situations.
Further reading:
First-borns 'face more pressure'. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8123095.stm
First-borns have higher IQ scores. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6229952.stm
Task 2
Read and listen to the w ords. Repeat them. Try to guess their meaning from the text, and, if necessary, use a dictionary. Then, match the definitions to
the w ords.
a) someone who follows the standard and doesn't argue Select... spoiled selfish dependable
well-organised sociable unforgiving
demanding sensitive achiever
boastful moody sympathetic
conformist entertainer self-centred
talkative extrovert independent
b) concerned chiefly or only with yourself Select... spoiled selfish dependable

c) tidy Select... spoiled selfish dependable

d) someone who likes social contact and enjoys interaction with Select... spoiled selfish dependable
others well-organised sociable unforgiving
e) someone who is not easily satisfied by others, because he/she Select... spoiled selfish dependable
expects a lot from them well-organised sociable unforgiving
f) talking about yourself in a very proud way Select... spoiled selfish dependable
g) talking about yourself in a very proud way Select... spoiled selfish dependable
h) someone who talks a lot Select... spoiled selfish dependable

i) a successful person, usually, professionally speaking Select... spoiled selfish dependable

j) a person who enjoys amusing others Select... spoiled selfish dependable

k) a person who understands well people's problems Select... spoiled selfish dependable
l) a child who is given everything he/she asks for Select... spoiled selfish dependable
m) confident and free to do things without needing help from other Select... spoiled selfish dependable
people well-organised sociable unforgiving
n) unwilling to forgive other people when they have done something Select... spoiled selfish dependable
wrong well-organised sociable unforgiving
o) bad-tempered or upset, often for no particular reason Select... spoiled selfish dependable
p) caring only about yourself and your own needs Select... spoiled selfish dependable
q) that can be relied on to do what you want or need Select... spoiled selfish dependable
r) a lively and confident person who enjoys being with other people Select... spoiled selfish dependable
Task 3
Write the adjectives w hich correspond to each statement. Find in brackets the number of adjectives w hich apply to each sentence.
In job meetings, I always backs the boss, never say anything against him (1)
My house is always in order and my appointments in my agenda (1)
I love going out and meeting new people, and making them have a good time with my stories (4),,and
I'm quite good at my job, that is the reason why I have such a high post in the company (5) ,,, and
Don't you think I will ever forgive you. I expected something else from you (2) and
Don't tell me about that poor girl. Once you start, I won't be able to stop crying (2) and
I don't know what is happening to me: I feel happy one moment and sad the next.(1)
House exchange
Preston and Mavis eventually did the house exchange they were after. The Home Exchange Company asked them to write about how they felt
about the experience for the website. Here is what they wrote:
"In general, the experience was much better than what we expected! We had read a lot on the advantages
and disadvantages of home swapping, but I have to say that advantages outweighed far too much the
disadvantages. To begin with, the house exceeded our expectations and the pictures we had been sent in
advance didn't make justice to the real building. It was cosy and beautiful, indeed. Of course, we had to put
up with the things we didn't like from the house, like the lack of a TV set or a dish-washer. Apart from that,
the environment was fantastic, very close to the coastline and in a nice quiet tiny village.
I have to say that these are not the ideal holidays if you want to get away from it all and relax, as you still
have to go on with the house chores, vacuuming, doing the washing, ironing, etc., and above all, washing the
dishes!, something we got rid off years ago when we bought our first dish-washer.
Besides, the next-door neighbours had the irritating habit of pushing us into a friendship we weren't keen on establishing, constantly coming
up to our door with cakes, and dinner party invitations that we had to put off diplomatically on several occasions.
Another inconvenience was that the car wasn't as good as ours and it really was in a mess. All full of children's toys and food left-overs.
But in all, the holidays were really inexpensive; we only had to make an extra budget for the flight expenses. And, best of all, in spite of our
fears, when we 'recovered' our house, it was in an excellent condition. I felt a bit ashamed, as everything was clean and tidy, even cleaner and
tidier than when we left it.
Thank a lot. It really was a memorable experience. We are already thinking where to go next year with your house exchange programme!"
Task 1
Read the text below and then find a w ord or expression in the text for each of the synonyms below
Exchange
Warm, comfortable and safe
Accept something which is annoying or unpleasant
Equipment
A machine used to wash the dishes
Small
Forget about your daily routine
Tasks that you do regularly at home
Use the vacuum cleaner to clean the carpet
Wash the clothes
Untidy
Remains
Cheap

Present Simple

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Present Simple

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

09/10/13 Present Simple

The Present Simple tense is used to express:

1. Permanent states and facts. Eg.: Water boils at 100 º C

Function Present simple Tense

3rd. Person singular {-s / -es }

Verbs ending in:

"-ch": e.g.: He/She watches T.V. all day

I don't like living in a big city.

Interrogative Form (Interrogative Negative Form):

DO / DOES + Subject + (NOT) + Verb?

Do you like travelling?

He/She don't want to tell us the truth.

Present continuous or Progressive

The Present Continuous (also called Progressive) can be used to express:

An action in progress while it is happening:

E.g.: I am listening to my favourite music now.

Plans in the near future:

E.g.: I am visiting my grandparents next week.

Subject + AM/IS/ARE + Verb-ING

I am listening to my favourite music now.

AM/IS/ARE + Subject + (NOT) + Verb-ING ?

Are you coming to the concert?

"-e" it disappears and then +"-ing":

"-ie" it disappears and then +"-y":

Abstract Verbs: to be, to want, to cost, to seem, to need, ...

Possession Verbs: to possess, to own, to belong, ...

Emotion Verbs: to like, to love, to hate, to fear, to envy, to mind,

E.g.: "Julius Caesar: he came, he saw, he conquered."

Ej.: Julio César: llegó, vio, venció.

I Regular verbs: verb + "-ed"

DID + Subject + (NOT) + Main Verb?

Did you like the concert?

Common He/She didn't wanted to visit the Modern Art museum.

Now put it into a practice

Where is Danny? He (PLAY) tennis.

My brother (WATCH) TV 5 hours a day every day.

(YOU/ GO) to the library yesterday?

I (READ) a book and Liz (DO) her homework.

Look! That woman (TAKE) your jacket.

The man (NOT/ WORK) here last year.

(PETER/STUDY) French this year?

Where (YOU/ LIVE)? I live and teach in Antequera.

Jim and Luca (TAKE) their laptops to work yesterday.

(YOU/USUALLY/GO) to the cinema on Mondays?

Right now, my brother (CUT) the grass in the backyard.

Jason (UNDERSTAND) the situation.

My dad (STAY) at home all day yesterday.

I (MEET) the headmaster tomorrow afternoon.

Sarah and Nicole never (GO) to nightclubs on their own.

Nick (NOT/ WANT) to go shopping today.

At the moment, Sue (ATTEND) a very important seminar on nanotechnology.

(THOMAS/ BUY) a bottle of milk twice a week?Yes, he does.

The executive board (STUDY) my petition carefully in last month's meeting.

YOU: Good morning, Lea,

YOU: That's very interesting,

YOU: That makes all the difference!

Adverbs of frequency (and their position in the sentence)

Frequency scale Adverbs of frequency

Always Subject + (Aux. verb) + ADVERB + Main Verb

Usually / Normally The baby always cries when he/she is hungry.

Hardly ever Also: Initial and Final Position

Never Sometimes English is difficult to understand

Common *The baby always is crying.

Usually Normally Habitualmente