Grammar New Teachers

Must Master

2017
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 What are these slides for ?

These slides are meant to be a major checklist of the topics you need to master
in order to be a successful ESL teacher at Smooth Talkers.

Most of the students require from the teachers that they have a
good grammar knowledge. This is why we created this document.

Review them all and feel free to study more and add
to your personal list any other topic you want to
review in class. If you have any questions, feel free to
ask us.
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 Objectives
After finishing these slides you will be able to :
1. Identify and define different parts of speech, including nouns, pronouns, verbs, articles, adjectives,
adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.
2. Name and demonstrate the usage of the twelve tenses of English and the different conditionals
3. Switch from active voice into passive voice.
4. Know when to use the indefinite article 'a' or 'an'.
5. Summarize the different modal verbs ; the pronoun chart ; the prepositions of time.
6. Define different verb forms : infinitives and gerunds.
7. Demonstrate how to form comparatives and superlatives.
8. Explain the different ways to report a speech : direct and indirect.
9. Summarize the most important pronunciation point, such as : the phonetic symbols, the vowels
sounds, the ‘ED' ending sounds, the ‘S' sound, the ‘THE' sound, the ‘TH' sound and the intonation of tag
questions.
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 INDEX
1) The 9 parts of speech
2) A - An
3) Prepositions
4) Pronoun Chart
5) Comparatives and Superlatives
6) Verb tenses : Use and form
7) To be
a) Positive form with “to be”
b) Negative form with “to be”
c) Yes/No Questions with “to be”
d) Information questions (Wh-questions)
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 INDEX

8) Contrast : Past Simple // Present Perfect

9) Contrast : Present Perfect simple and continuous.
10) Modal verbs
11) Conditionals
12) Active and Passive voice
13) Direct and Reported Speech
14) Infinitives and Gerunds
15) Phrasal Verbs
16) Pronunciation and specific sounds
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1) The 9 Parts of Speech

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2) A - AN

A and AN are
indefinite
articles and
have the same
meaning.

The difference
depends on the
sound at the
beginning of
the next word.

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3) Prepositions
A preposition is a word used to provide information about the location in place and time.

The jelly beans are in the jar.

During the summer, I always spend my time playing the guitar

Also, this part of speech usually comes before a noun or a pronoun to describe its
relationship to another word or part of the sentence.

Choosing the right bike depends on what you want to use it for

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3) Prepositions of time

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3) Other prepositions …
Usage Example
from who gave it a present from Jane
- who/what does it belong to - a page of the book
of
- what does it show - the picture of a palace
by who made it a book by Mark Twain
- walking or riding on horseback - on foot, on horseback
on
- entering a public transport vehicle - get on the bus
in entering a car / Taxi get in the car
off leaving a public transport vehicle get off the train
out of leaving a car / Taxi get out of the taxi
- rise or fall of something - prices have risen by 10 percent
by
- travelling (other than walking or horseriding) - by car, by bus
at for age She learned Russian at 45.
about for topics, meaning what about we were talking about you
since from a certain point of time (past till now) since 1980
for over a certain period of time (past till now) for 2 years 10
3) Other prepositions …
Usage Example
ago a certain time in the past 2 years ago
before earlier than a certain point of time before 2004
to telling the time ten to six (5:50)
past telling the time ten past six (6:10)
to / till / until marking the beginning and end of a period of time from Monday to/till Friday
till / until in the sense of how long something is going to last He is on holiday until Friday.
- in the sense of at the latest - I will be back by 6 o’clock.
by
- up to a certain time - By 11 o'clock, I had read five pages.
by, next to, beside left or right of somebody or something Jane is standing by / next to / beside the car.
on the ground, lower than (or covered by) something
under The bag is under the table.
else
above higher than something else, but not directly over it a path above the lake
below lower than something else but above ground The fish are below the surface.
through something with limits on top, bottom and the sides drive through the tunnel
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3) Other prepositions …
Usage Example
- covered by something else - put a jacket over your shirt
- meaning more than - over 16 years of age
over
- getting to the other side (also across) - walk over the bridge
- overcoming an obstacle - climb over the wall

- getting to the other side (also over) - walk across the bridge
across
- getting to the other side - swim across the lake
- movement to person or building - go to the cinema
to - movement to a place or country - go to London / Ireland
- for bed - go to bed

into enter a room / a building go into the kitchen / the house

movement in the direction of something (but not

towards go 5 steps towards the house
directly to it)

onto movement to the top of something jump onto the table

from in the sense of where from a flower from the garden

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4) Pronouns
A pronoun is a word that can replace a noun or a phrase. A pronoun can act as:

those associated with a certain person, thing, or group; they function as subjects.

those used as a grammatical object (direct or indirect), or as the object of a preposition.

those designating possession.

those preceded by the adverb, adjective, pronoun, or noun to which it refers.

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4) Pronoun chart

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5) Comparatives / Superlatives

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5) Comparatives / Superlatives
E X AM P L E :

 The dog is faster than the elephant.

 The horse is the fastest.

 The cat is bigger than the mouse.

 The elephant is the heaviest.

 The dog is more energetic than the cat.

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6) Verb Tenses

o Present Simple o Past Perfect

o Present Continuous o Past Perfect Continuous
o Past Simple o Future Simple
o Past Continuous o Future Continuous
o Present Perfect o Future Perfect
o Present Perfect Continuous o Future Perfect Continuous

Note : This is mandatory ! You need to memorize all those tenses. 17

6) Verb Tenses: form

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6) Verb Tenses: use

•action that takes place once, never or several times

•actions that happen one after another
moment
•actions that suddenly take place
in time

•action that started before a certain moment and

lasts beyond that moment
period
•actions taking place at the same time
of time

•action taking place before a certain moment in time

•puts emphasis on the result
Result

•action taking place before a certain moment in time

•puts emphasis on the course or duration of the
Course /
action
Duration
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7) Aspects to consider when teaching verb tenses

a) Positive long and contraction form with ‘to BE’

b) Negative long and contraction form with ‘to BE’

c) Yes / No Questions - long and short answer with ‘to BE’

d) Information questions (Wh-questions)

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a) POSITIVE FORM with ‘to BE’

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b) NEGATIVE FORM with ‘to BE’

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c) YES / NO QUESTIONS with ‘to BE’

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d) INFORMATION QUESTION (Wh-questions)

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d) INFORMATION QUESTION (Wh-questions)

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8) Simple past and Present Perfect
We use the past simple for past events or actions which have no connection to the present,
and the time it happened is very clear.
He wrote the book in 1987.

We use the present perfect for actions which started in the past and are still happening
now OR for finished actions which have a connection to the present.
Dan Brown has already written more than 6 books.

We CANNOT use the present perfect with a finished time word:

I've been to the museum yesterday.
I went to the museum yesterday

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9) Present perfect simple and continuous
To talk about an unfinished action we normally use the present perfect continuous with
action verbs and the present perfect simple with non-action verbs.
I’ve been learning French for the last three years.
He’s liked classical music since he was a teenager.
With the verbs live or work you can often use the present perfect simple or continuous.
However, we normally use the present perfect continuous for shorter, more temporary
actions.
We’ve lived in this town since 1980.
We’ve been living in a rented flat for the last two months.
The present perfect simple emphasizes the completion of an action (= the kitchen has been
painted). The present perfect continuous emphasizes the duration of an action, which may
or may not be finished (= the painting of the kitchen may not be finished yet).
I’ve painted the kitchen. I’ve been painting the kitchen.
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10) Modal Verbs
A modal verb is a verb used with another verb to express ideas that are not expressed by the main verb. We
can use modal verbs to show if we believe something is certain, probable or possible (or not), and they are
also used to express ability, ask permissions, give an order and give an advice.
Modal Verb Expressing Example
Strong obligation You must stop when the traffic lights turn red.
must/have to logical conclusion / certainty He must be very tired. He's been working all day long.
don’t have to Lack of obligation You don’t have to buy anything for the party.
must not prohibition You must not smoke in the hospital.
ability I can swim.
can permission Can I use your phone please?
possibility Smoking can cause cancer.
ability in the past When I was younger I could run fast.
could polite permission Excuse me, could I just say something?
possibility It could rain tomorrow!
permission May I use your phone please?
May/might
possibility, probability I might go on holiday to Australia next year.
advice You should revise your lessons
should/ought to logical conclusion He ought to be very tired. He's been working all day long. 28
11) Conditonals

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LEGEND : V3 = past participle
12) ACTIVE and PASSIVE VOICE
Generally, try to use the active voice whenever possible. The passive voice is used when we want to
focus attention on the person or thing affected by the action. Passive forms are made up of an
appropriate form of the verb ‘to be’ followed by the past participle (pp) form of the verb:

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13) Direct / Reported Speech

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13) Direct / Reported Speech

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13) Direct / Reported Speech

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13) Direct / Reported Speech

PLACE
&
TIME

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14) Infinitives

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 Verbs followed by an infinitive

agree condescend happen neglect shoot

aim consent have offer start
appear continue hesitate ought stop
arrange dare hope plan strive
ask decide hurry prefer swear
attempt deserve intend prepare threaten
be able detest leap proceed try
beg dislike leave promise use
begin expect like propose wait
care fail long refuse want
choose forget love remember wish
get mean say

Example : She agreed to speak before the game.

They want to go to the party. 36
Verbs followed by an object + infinitive
Note : Some of these verbs are included in the list above
and may be used without an object.

advise choose have love remind

allow command hire motivate require
ask dare instruct order send
beg direct invite pay teach
bring encourage lead permit tell
build expect leave persuade urge
buy forbid let prepare want
challenge force like promise warn

Example : Everyone expected her to win.

They invited me to their wedding.
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14) Gerunds

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 Verbs followed by a gerund

admit continue finish love report

advise delay forbid mention resent
appreciate deny forget mind resist
allow detest get through miss resume
anticipate dislike hate need require
avoid don‘t mind have permit risk
begin encourage imagine postpone start
can't help enjoy involve practice stop
complete escape keep quit suggest
consider excuse like recall tolerate

Example : They enjoy working on the boat.

Doctors generally advised doing exercise .
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Verbs followed by a preposition + gerund

admit to depend on pay for

agree with dream about plan on
apologize for disapprove of protect from
approve of discourage from refrain from
argue about dream about rely on
begin by feel like succeed in
believe in forget about take part in
care about forgive for talk about
complain about give up use for
concentrate on insist on think about
confess to object to worry about

Example : We concentrate on doing well.

Mother complained about being tired. 40
15) Phrasal Verbs
A phrasal verb is an English verb followed by another word (particle). Often, the particle that is added will
modify the meaning of the verb in question, or even make it assume a totally different meaning!
Most of the time, phrasal verbs are use for colloquial language.
Common verbs with their most frequent particles are :
Bring about, along, back, down, forth, forward, in, into, out, up
Cut across, back on, down, in, off, out, through, up
Get up, across, along, away, by, down (to), in, off, on, out, over, through
Give away, back, in, off, onto, out, over to, up
Go up, after, ahead, away, back, down, for, in, into, off, on, out, over
Hand back, down, in, on out, over, round
Look up, to, ahead, back, for, forward to, in, on, out, round, through, to
Let down, in, into, off, on, out, up
Put across, away, down, forward, off, on, out, through, together, up
Set about, against, apart, aside, back, down, forth
Take after, apart, around, away, back, down, in, on, up, off, out, over, to
Turn against, around, away, back, down, into, inside out, 41
 16) Pronunciation
o Phonetic symbols
o Vowel sounds : short and long
o ED endings in regular verbs in past tense
o S sound for plural nouns + verbs in 3rd person (Present simple)
o THE sound
o TH sound voiced vs voiceless
o Intonation of Tag questions in Reported Speech:
confirming VS asking for new information
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 Phonetic symbols: vowels

VOWELS

When a vowel sounds like its

name (alphabet sound), this is
called “long vowels”.
A vowel letter can also have
”short sounds”. Whether a
vowel has a long sound, a
short sound, or remains
silent, depends on its position
in a word and the letters
around it.

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 Phonetic symbols: diphthongs

DIPHTHONGS

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 Phonetic symbols: consonants I

CONSONANTS
Voiced sounds occur when the
vocal cords vibrate when the
sound is produced. There is no
vocal cord vibration when
producing unvoiced (voiceless)
sounds.

To test this, place your finger

tips hand on your throat as you
say the sounds. When saying
the voiced sounds, you should
be able to feel a vibration.
When saying the unvoiced
(voiceless) sounds you sound
not be able to feel a vibration. 45
 Phonetic symbols: consonants II

MORE
CONSONANTS

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 How to pronounce -ED ?
The pronunciation of words ending in ED depends on the final consonant (sound).
There are 3 ways to pronounce ED :

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 How to pronounce -S ?
The pronunciation of words ending in S depends on the final consonant (sound).
There are 3 ways to pronounce the S :

For : Plural
Nouns -
Verbs in Third
Person

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 How to pronounce THE ?
Normally, we pronounce the with a short sound (like "thuh").
But when the comes before a vowel sound, we pronounce it as a long "thee".

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 How to pronounce THE ?
It is important to understand that it is what we say that matters, not what we write.
It is the sound that matters, not the letter used in writing a word. So we use a long "thee"
before a vowel sound, not necessarily before a vowel. Look at these cases :

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-TH sounds

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confirming VS asking for new information?

Intonation of Tag questions :

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 Questions
1. Give me some examples of articles, adverbs and conjunctions.
2. Which part of speech are these words : “yellow” - “they” - "Oh!”
3. Give me an example of a sentence in the present perfect continuous.
4. Which verb tense are these sentences :
The boy is starting to feel sick. // I will have bought the house by the summer
5. What is the difference between the first and the second conditional ?
6. Which conditional is this sentence ? When water reaches 100 degree Celsius, it boils.
7. Explain how to make a sentence written in an active voice into passive voice.
Give an example.
8. Transform this sentence using active voice into passive voice : The hunter killed the lion.
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 Questions
9. For which information do you use : who, which, why ?
10. Put the correct question words :
_____'s that girl? - She's my sister. // _____ do you go to school? - By bus.
11. What are the 2 forms of infinitives ?
12. After the verb “enjoy”, do you have to use an infinitive or a gerund ?
13 . After the verb “expect”, do you have to use an infinitive or a gerund ?
14 Give me an example of one ‘subject pronoun’ and one ‘possessive adjectives’.
15. Which type of pronoun are “mine” and “myself” ?

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 Questions
16. When do you have to use ‘a’ and ‘an’ ?
17 When can you use the preposition ‘on’ for the time and location ?
18 Complete this sentence with the appropriate preposition : She is sitting ___ a chair.
19. What are the modal verbs for giving an order ? Advice ?
20 Fill the blank with the correct modal verb : Take an umbrella. It ___ rain later.
21. Fill in the correct form of the words in brackets (comparative or superlative).
- This is the book (interesting) ______ I have ever read.
- Non-smokers usually live (long) ______ than smokers.
22. Transform this sentence using direct into reported speech => They say : “we went to
the beach yesterday.”
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 Questions
23. If you say ‘next year’, ‘tonight’, ‘now’ in direct speech, how would you say in reported
speech ?
24. Give me some phrasal verbs with the verb ‘take’, ‘look’ and ‘get’.
25 What is the difference between the long and short vowel sounds ?
26. What are the 3 ending sounds for “ed” in regular past tense verbs or adjectives ?
27. What are the 3 ending sounds for “s” ?
28 When do you have to pronounce ‘the’  ‘thee’ ?
29 For this question “you are going to the party, are you ?”, does the intonation goes up or
down ?

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 NOW,
FEEL FREE TO ADD OTHER
TOPICS YOU THINK
ARE IMPORTANT  57