LANGUAGE RELATED TASK – Emilio Pinzon

TARGET ITEM 1 (e.g. Vocab, Marker Sentence, Functional chunk)

(GRAMMAR: PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE)

…everything that has happened to us during the day.

MEANING

Different things started to happen to us at some time in the past (maybe, since we wake up), and they
are completed before going to sleep.

MEANS TO CHECK UNDERSTANDING (eg CCQs, Timelines, synonyms, etc.)

PARAPHRASE / EXPLANATION
Which sentence best expresses the meaning of the following sentence:
…everything that has happened to us during the day.
a) Different things started to happen to us at some time in the past (maybe, since we wake up), and they
continue to happen when we go to sleep.
b) Different things started to happen to us at some time in the past (maybe, since we wake up), and they
are completed before going to sleep.

Answer: b)
CCQ:
In the following sentence, the actions done are:
…everything that has happened to us during the day.
a) Completed
b) Not completed

Answer: a)
TIMELINE
Which image best represents the sentence:
…everything that has happened to us during the day

a)

b)

Answer: a)
FORM (Part of speech, or grammatical breakdown)

  Have (not)
I/you/we/they
Past participle
He/she/it Has (not)
Present perfect simple
CCQ:
What is the tense of the following sentence?
…everything that has happened to us during the day.
a) Present perfect simple
b) Present perfect continuous

Answer: a)

Pick the right form for the sentence:

…everything that has happened to us during the day

a) b)

Have   Have
I/you/ (not) I/you/ (not) b
we/they Past we/they e Verb
participle e +-ing
He/she/it Has He/she/it Has n
(not) (not)

Answer: a)

ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Problem: Not knowing how to use the collocation “happen to”, because students may use a different
preposition (or no preposition), because of L1 interference.
Solution: Pre - teach the target language as lexis first in isolation.
Problem: The present perfect simple focuses on the result, not on the action as the continuous.
Solution: Present two sentences, one in the continuous and one in the simple, asking the person to
identify which sentence puts emphasis on the result.
Problem: The most important difference between the present perfect continuous and the simple is
that the simple refers to a finished action, and the continuous to an unfinished one. This difference can
be subtle and tricky for SS to grasp.
Solution: Ask SS to say if the TL’s action is completed or not.
Problem: Sometimes the present perfect simple and the continuous are similar, and sometimes
different.
Solution: Perform guided discovery asking questions to say if the meaning of two sentences, one in the
simple and the other in the continuous, is the same or different.

PRONUNCIATION (IPA, Stress, linking, intonation)

…everything that has happened to us during the day

/ˈɛvrɪθɪŋ ðæt hæz ˈhæpənd tuː ʌs ˈdjʊərɪŋ ðə deɪ/
(Word by word)

/ˈɛvrɪθɪŋ ðətəz ˈhæpəntʊəs ˈdjʊərɪŋ ðə deɪ/

W E L W E W L W
E (Elision), L (Linking), W (Weak Form)

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH PRONUNCIATION

Problem: Features of connected speech such as elision, linking or weak forms may not be clear.
Solution: divide pronunciation into smaller chunks in order to highlight features of connected speech
and model the pronunciation.

TARGET ITEM 2 (e.g. Vocab, Marker Sentence, Functional chunk)

(GRAMMAR: PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS)

I've been trying to get through to him all day.

MEANING

I started to try contact him at some time in the past, and she's still doing it now. Perhaps many times
and for a relatively long time. There is an emphasis on the action, not on the result, there is no result
yet.

MEANS TO CHECK UNDERSTANDING (eg CCQs, Timelines, synonyms, etc.)

PARAPHRASE / EXPLANATION:
Which sentence best expresses the meaning of the following sentence?
I've been trying to get through to him all day
a) She started to try to talk to him on the phone at some time in the past, and she's still doing it now.
Perhaps many times and for a relatively long time (all day).
b) She started to try to talk to him on the phone at some time in the past, but she could do it already, so
she isn't doing it anymore. Perhaps once or twice and for a short time (just a day).

Answer: a)

TIMELINE
Which image represents best the following sentence:
I've been trying to get through to him all day

a)

b)
Answer: b)
CCQ:
1) In the following sentence, the action Marina does is:

I've been trying to get through to him all day

a) Completed
b) Not completed

Answer: b)

FORM (Part of speech, or grammatical breakdown)

  Have (not)
I/you/we/they
been Verb +-ing
He/she/it Has (not)
Present perfect continuous.
CCQ:
What is the tense of the following sentence?
I've been trying to get through to him all day
a) Present perfect simple
b) Present perfect continuous

Answer: b)

Pick the right form for the sentence:

 I've been trying to get through to him all day
b)
a)

Have   Have
I/you/ (not) I/you/ (not) b
we/they Past we/they e Verb
participle e +-ing
He/she/it Has He/she/it Has n
(not) (not)

Answer: b)

ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Problem: Not knowing what the expression “get through” means, because it is a phrasal verb, and
there might not be a direct/obvious translation into L1.
Solution: Pre - teach the target language as lexis first in isolation.
Problem: To understand the present perfect continuous, a learner should study it in the context of the
present simple and know that the most important difference between the present perfect continuous
and the simple is that the simple refers to a finished action, and the continuous to an unfinished one.
This difference can be subtle and tricky for SS to grasp.
Solution: Ask SS to say if the TL’s action is completed or not. Present a timeline to clarify meaning.
Problem: Sometimes the present perfect simple and the continuous are similar, and sometimes
different.
Solution: Perform guided discovery asking questions to say if the meaning of two sentences, one in the
simple and the other in the continuous, is the same or different.
Problem: The present perfect continuous focuses on the action, not on the result as the simple.
Solution: Present two sentences, one in the continuous and one in the simple, asking the person to
identify which sentence puts emphasis on the action.
Problem: The present perfect continuous focuses on the duration of the action (In the context the
action is long), not on the result as the simple.
Solution: Present two sentences, one in the continuous and one in the simple, asking the person to
identify which sentence puts emphasis on the duration.
Problem: Continuous tenses like present perfect continuous can’t use stative verbs. SS may not know
which verbs are stative or action verbs
Solution: Show two sentences, one correct and one incorrect to make them choose the right one. The
sentence that has no mistakes is the one in which the verb has no -ing.
PRONUNCIATION (IPA, Stress, linking, intonation)

I've been trying to get through to him all day

/aɪv biːn ˈtraɪɪŋ tuː gɛt θruː tuː hɪm ɔːl deɪ/
(Long versión Word by word)
  
/aɪviːn ˈtraɪntə gɛθruː tuːɪm ɔːl deɪ/
E L E L W E L E L
E (Elision), L (Linking), W (Weak Form)

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH PRONUNCIATION

Problem: /θ/ sound in ‘through’ might be mistaken for /t/.

Solution: Model the sound, give indications for the position of the tongue and teeth. Drill the word in
Isolation.
Problem: Features of connected speech such as elision, linking or weak forms may not be clear.
Solution: divide pronunciation into smaller chunks in order to highlight features of connected speech
and model the pronunciation.

TARGET ITEM 3 (e.g. Vocab, Marker Sentence, Functional chunk)

(LEXIS: VERB-NOUN COLLOCATION)

Beat your rivals / the other team / the previous record

TL: “... Real Madrid BEATS ITS RIVAL, the Bayern Munich, 4-0…”

MEANING

Beat: to defeat or do better than

MEANS TO CHECK UNDERSTANDING (eg CCQs, Timelines, synonyms, etc.)

Rephrase/paraphrase: Ask the students to choose the expression that best replaces the expression

Choose the expression that best paraphrases the one in UPPERCASE.

“... Real Madrid BEATS ITS RIVAL, the Bayern Munich, 4-0…”

a) DEFEATS ITS COMPETITOR

b) HITS ITS COMPETITOR
c) TAKES SOMETHING FROM ITS COMPETITOR

Answer: a)
FORM (Part of speech, or grammatical breakdown)

Verb-noun collocation

CCQs
Choose the correct structure for the expression in capitals.

“... Real Madrid BEATS ITS RIVAL, the Bayern Munich, 4-0…”

a) adverb + adjective
b) verb + noun
c) adjective + noun

Answer: b)

ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Problem: Mistake the meaning of beat (defeat) for the meaning of beat (hit) or beat (make a rhythmic
sound)
Solution: Use ICQs to make them choose the right meaning for the expression; they will have different
possible meanings for it.
Problem: Mistake the verb for a noun.
Solution: Make a question to clarify the kind of word.

PRONUNCIATION (IPA, Stress, linking, intonation)

 

Beat your rivals

/biːt ʃɚ ˈraɪ.vəls/

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH PRONUNCIATION

Problem: /iː/ sound could be mistaken for the /e/ sound, so ‘beat’ could get pronounced as /beat/

/j/ sound could be mistaken for /dʒ/ sound.

/v/ sound can be mistaken for /b/

Students could say the strong form of ‘you’ and not the weak.

SS could not include the elision and/or intrusion /biːt ʃɚ/

Solution: Model pronunciation once or twice and let them repeat corally and then individually,
highlighting the features of connected speech
TARGET ITEM 4 (e.g. Vocab, Marker Sentence, Functional chunk)

(LEXIS: VERB-NOUN COLLOCATION)

Win the final / an award / a competition

TL: “... Real Madrid … WINS THE SEMIFINAL …”

MEANING

Win: to achieve first position and/or get a prize in a competition, election, fight, etc.

MEANS TO CHECK UNDERSTANDING (eg CCQs, Timelines, synonyms, etc.)

CCQs
Did Real Madrid achieve something? Yes
What did Real Madrid GET? Nothing? Or the victory? The victory
Who was the best in the match? Real Madrid or the other team? Real Madrid

FORM (Part of speech, or grammatical breakdown)

Verb-noun collocation

CCQs
Choose the correct structure for the expression in capitals.

“... Real Madrid … WINS THE SEMIFINAL …”

a) adverb + adjective
b) verb + noun
c) adjective + noun

Answer: b)

ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Problem: try to express it as in L1: e.g. ‘Win to the other team’

Solution: ask CCQs like: Which is correct: ‘win to the other team’ or ‘beat the other team’? beat the
other team

Problem: Mistake the verb for a noun.

Solution: Make a question to clarify the kind of word.

PRONUNCIATION (IPA, Stress, linking, intonation)

 

Win the final

/wɪn ðəˈfaɪ:nəl/

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH PRONUNCIATION

Problem: Mistake the sound /ə/ for /e/ as in L1.

Not use the wake form of ‘the’ /ðə/

Put the stress on the wrong syllable in ‘final’: say /faɪ:’NƏL/ instead of /ˈFAɪ:nəl/

Put the stress in non-content words.

Solution: Model pronunciation once or twice and let them repeat corally and then individually,
highlighting the features of connected speech, sentence stress and intonation.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cambridge University Press. (n.d.). beat. In Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary &

Thesaurus. Retrieved March 4, 2021, from

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/beat

Cambridge University Press. (n.d.). get through. In Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

& Thesaurus. Retrieved March 4, 2021, from

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/get-through

Cambridge University Press. (n.d.). win. In Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary &

Thesaurus. Retrieved March 4, 2021, from

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/win

Parrot, M. (2000). Grammar for English Language Teachers: With Exercises and a Key Tch

edition by Parrott, Martin (2000) Paperback. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge

University Press.