1 Forming of question tags (11/10/2023)

Question tags are formed with the auxiliary or modal verb from the statement and the
appropriate subject.

1.1 A positive statement is followed by a negative question tag.

Jack is from Spain, isn’t he? You had arrived before he left, hadn’t you?
Mary can speak English, can’t she? You will pass the exam, won’t you?
You are a student, aren’t you? You can speak English, can’t you?
He is busy, isn’t he? You could do it for me, couldn’t you?
He was happy, wasn’t he? You must be patient, mustn’t you?
They were interested, weren’t they? You should go now, shouldn’t you?
You have studied all week, haven’t you? You would like a new job, wouldn’t you?

BE CAREFUL:
1. AM –> AREN’T?
I am late, aren’t I?
2. LET’S (=LET US) –> SHALL WE?
Let’s go home, shall we?

1.2 A negative statement is followed by a positive question tag.

They aren’t funny, are they?
He shouldn’t say things like that, should he?
He isn’t crazy, is he?
He wasn’t relaxed, was he?
They weren’t late, were they?
You haven’t been here all week, have you?
You hadn’t done it, had you?
You won’t fail the exam, will you?
You can’t drive a car, can you?
You couldn’t do it for me, could you?
We mustn’t say anything, must we?
You shouldn’t be so busy, should you?
You wouldn’t stop me, would you?

NOTE:
The statement sentences with words such as neither no, none, no one, no body, nothing,
scarcely, barely, hardly, hardly ever, seldom, etc. which are, strictly speaking, treated as
negative, are followed by an ordinary positive ‘tag’. That is to say, when the statement contains
a word with a negative meaning, the question tag needs to be positive.
Examples:
No salt is allowed, is it?
Nothing was lost, was it?
Lee hardly worked, did he?
Sarah seldom visits us, does she?
He hardly ever speaks, does he?
They rarely eat in restaurants, do they?

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1.3 When the verb in the main sentence is in the present simple we
form the question tag with do / does.
• You play the guitar, don’t you?

• You speak English, don’t you?

• He studies English, doesn’t he?

• Alison likes tennis, doesn’t she?

• You don’t speak English, do you?

1.4 If the verb is in the past simple we use did.

• They went to the cinema, didn’t they?

• You studied for the test, didn’t you?

• You didn’t study for the test, did you?

• She studied in New Zealand, didn’t she?

2 Exercise №4:
Complete the following sentences related to the life of young students at Diamondra High School
with the appropriate question tags:
1. The students at Diamondra High School are very talented, ______?
2. Most of the students enjoy playing sports, ______?
3. Diamondra High School is known for its academic excellence, ______?
4. They usually meet up at the library after school, ______?
5. We’ve all been friends since kindergarten, ______?
6. Mr. Fleuri is a strict teacher, ______?
7. The school cafeteria serves delicious food, ______?
8. The school bus arrives at 7:30 AM, ______?
9. The school principal encourages us to study hard and be responsible citizens, ______?
10. Achieving good grades will open up many opportunities for our future, ______?
11. We should always show kindness and respect to our classmates, ______?
12. Taking part in community service projects can make us better individuals, ______?
13. Being well-educated can lead to success in life, ______?
14. Studying not only benefits us but also our families and society, ______?

Answers:
1. aren’t they?
2. don’t they?
3. isn’t it?
4. don’t they?
5. haven’t we?
6. isn’t he?

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7. doesn’t it?
8. doesn’t it?
9. doesn’t he?
10. doesn’t it?
11. shouldn’t we?
12. doesn’t it?
13. doesn’t it?
14. doesn’t it?

3 Le cas possessif ou le génitif (12/10/2023)

Exprime un rapport de possession, en réponse à la question "whose" (à qui ?)
Peter has got a moped. It’s Pete’s moped.
Ann has got a bicycle. It’s Ann’s bicycle.
The dog has got a ball. It’s the dog’s ball.
Jane and Ted have got a bike. It’s Jane and Ted‘s bike.
The apostrophe ’s is a common way to show that something belongs to someone or some-
thing. It is used to form possessive nouns, indicating ownership or association. Here are some
key rules and examples:

Singular Possessive:
- When you want to show that one person, thing, or entity owns something, add ’s to the noun.
- Tom’s car is blue.
- The cat’s tail is fluffy.
- My sister’s book is on the shelf.

Plural Possessive:
- For plural nouns, you generally add only an apostrophe (’) after the plural form of the word.
- The students’ uniforms are all the same.
- The dogs’ leashes are in the basket.
- The companies’ profits increased.

Possessive with Names Ending in ”S”:

- When a name ends with an ’s,’ you can either add ’s or just an apostrophe (’) to show
possession. Both are correct, but it depends on your style preference.
- James’s car is in the garage. OR James’ car is in the garage.
- Charles’s books are on the shelf. OR Charles’ books are on the shelf.

Joint Possession:
- When two or more people share ownership, add ’s only to the last name.
- Sarah and John’s house is beautiful.
- My brother and sister’s room is tidy.

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Indicating Possession with Inanimate Objects:
- You can also use ’s to indicate that something belongs to an inanimate object.
- The car’s engine is powerful.
- The book’s cover is torn.
Remember that using ’s is a common way to indicate possession in English. It’s a useful
tool to clarify who or what something belongs to in a sentence.

4 Remember the word order for questions

In English, the structure of questions is different to the affirmative form. So make sure you
remember to change the order of the words or add the auxiliary ‘do’. There are four ways to
make questions in English:

To be
Tor questions using the verb to be, invert the subject and verb.
For example:
- Are you a student?
- Is she a doctor?
- Are they married?
- Was he at the party?
- Were you at work yesterday?
- Are the kids asleep?
- Is it cold outside?

All other verbs

To make questions for all other verbs, add the auxiliary ‘do’.
For example:
- Do they work here?
- Do you like chocolate?
- Does she speak French?
- Did they finish their homework?
- Do we need more supplies?
- Does he play the guitar?
- Did you watch the movie last night?

Modal verbs
To make questions with modal verbs, invert the modal verb and the subject.
For example:
- Can he play the piano?
- Can you swim?
- Will he come to the meeting?
- Should I call you later?
- Must they complete the task today?
- Would you like some coffee?
- May I help you?

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Auxiliary verbs
For sentences containing an auxiliary verb, like ‘have’ in the present perfect, invert the auxiliary
verb and the subject.
For example:
- Have you seen Bob?
- Have you visited that museum?
- Has she ever traveled to Europe?
- Had they already left when you arrived?
- Have you met my friend?
- Have they finished the project yet?
- Has she received the email?

These rules still apply when you add a question word like what, how, why.
For example:

- Where are you from?

- When can we meet?
- Why have they left?
- "What are you doing?"
- "How does this work?"
- "Why did they choose that restaurant?"
- "Where did you go on vacation?"
- "When will the package arrive?"
- "Who has the keys to the car?"

5 Gerund vs present participle (18/10/2023)

Differentiating between a gerund and a present participle can sometimes be challenging
because they look identical in form. Both are formed by adding "-ing" to a verb, and they are
used in various grammatical constructions. However, their functions and usage are different:

5.1 Gerund:
A gerund functions as a noun in a sentence:
It represents an action or activity as a thing, often used to describe an activity, event, or action.
- Gerunds can be the subject of a sentence, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition.

Example 1 (Gerund as the subject):

"Swimming is my favorite hobby."

Example 2 (Gerund as the object of a verb):

"She enjoys swimming."

Example 3 (Gerund as the object of a preposition):

"He is interested in learning."

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5.2 Present Participle:
- A present participle, on the other hand, is a verb form that is typically used in progressive
(continuous) tenses and as an adjective.
- Present participles are used in verb tenses to indicate an ongoing action or state.

Example 1 (Present Participle in the present progressive tense):

"She is swimming right now."

Example 2 (Present Participle used as an adjective):

"The running water is refreshing."

Example 3 (after verbs of movement/position):

Verb + pp.
She sat looking at the sea.

Example 4 (after verbs of perception):

Verb + object + pp.
We saw him swimming.

To differentiate them, consider their role in the sentence. If the word in question is acting
as a noun and is related to an action, it’s likely a gerund. If it’s part of a verb tense or functions
as an adjective, it’s a present participle. Understanding the context in which the word appears
is often key to determining its function.

6 Exercise:
Identify whether the underlined word in each sentence is a gerund (G) or a present participle
(PP).

1. They were *singing* their favorite song together. (___)

2. *Hiking* in the mountains is an enjoyable activity. (___)
3. She loves *baking* delicious cookies for her friends. (___)
4. The *flying* birds looked beautiful in the sky. (___)
5. *Writing* is her passion, and she excels at it. (___)

Answers:
1. (PP)
2. (G)
3. (G)
4. (PP)
5. (G)

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7 To talk about time effectively in English(19/10/2023)
You can use both prepositions (e.g., at, on, for) and time expressions (e.g., last, later) in
various ways:

7.1 At (specific times):

- "The movie starts at 7 PM."
- "We’ll meet at the restaurant at 8 o’clock."

7.2 On (specific days):

- "My birthday is on Sunday."
- "We’ll have the meeting on Monday."

7.3 In (general time frames (e.g., months, years)):

- "I’ll graduate in May."
- "We met in 2015."

7.4 For (durations):

- "She studied for two hours."
- "We’ll be on vacation for a week."

7.5 Last (for past time)

- "I saw her last week."
- "They visited us last summer."

7.6 Later (for the future)

- "I’ll call you later."
- "We can discuss it later."

7.7 Next (for future time):

- "I have an appointment next Tuesday."
- "We’ll meet next month."

7.8 Soon (for a short time in the future):

- "I’ll finish this task soon."
- "The results will be available soon."

7.9 Now (for the present moment):

- "I am busy now."
- "Let’s talk about it now."

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7.10 Before (for earlier than a specific time):
- "I’ll finish before 5 PM."
- "He left before the movie started."

7.11 After (for later than a specific time):

- "I’ll call you after dinner."
- "She’ll arrive after the party."

7.12 Until (for a specific time or event):

- "The store is open until 9 PM."
- "I’ll wait until you’re ready."

These prepositions and time expressions are versatile and can be used to provide precise
information about time, whether referring to the past, present, or future, as well as specific
times or general periods.

7.13 The use of "by"

To specify a deadline or a point in time by which something is expected to happen or be
completed. Here are some examples:

7.13.1 By (specific times):

- "I need the report by 3 PM."
- "Please submit your application by the end of the day."

7.13.2 By (specific days):

- "I’ll finish the project by Friday."
- "They should arrive by Saturday."

7.13.3 By (a certain date or event):

- "I’ll have read the book by the end of the month."
- "We’ll know the results by the time the conference begins."

7.14 "By" and "at"

Both are prepositions used to indicate points in time, but they are used in different contexts
and convey distinct meanings:

7.14.1 At is used to specify a specific point in time, and it often refers to a single
moment or event:
- "The meeting is at 2 PM." (It will start precisely at 2 PM.)
- "I’ll meet you at the restaurant at 8 o’clock." (Meeting you at the exact time specified.)

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7.14.2 By is used to indicate a deadline or the point in time before which some-
thing must be completed:
- "I need the report by 3 PM." (The report must be delivered no later than 3 PM.)
- "Please submit your application by the end of the day." (Submission is required before the
day concludes.)

In summary, "at" specifies a single, precise moment in time, while "by" sets a deadline or
the latest time by which an action should be completed. They are used differently in sentences
to convey distinct temporal information.