ENGLISH II

UNIT 2 “REPORTING”
2024-01

Texto adaptado para el Programa de Inglés de la Universidad Central de Chile

 CONTENTS

UNITS AND LESSONS PAGES

UNIT 2: “REPORTING”
Lesson 1: Asking for and giving biographical information. 3-7

Lesson 2: Talking about past events. 8 - 13

Suggested English interactive software and Websites for 14

further practice.

This booklet material was selected, adapted and/or designed for instructional purposes
and to be used in the classroom and as a study guide for students.

Texto adaptado para el Programa de Inglés de la Universidad Central de Chile

 UNIT 2: REPORTING
LESSON 1: ASKING FOR AND GIVING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

GETTING STARTED WHEN WERE YOU BORN? WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
 
NOW ASK AND ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE FAMOUS PEOPLE

Sir Jonathan Ive (1967)


Designer

Born in London, England

Designed IMac, IPod, IPhone and IPad.

Mae Jemison (1956)


Astronaut, chemical engineer and
 doctor.

Born in Alabama, United States. 


Became the first African American to fly into 
space. She was a science mission specialist
aboard the space Shuttle Endeavor in September
1992.

Steven Spielberg (1946)


 Film director and producer

Born in Ohio, USA

Directed and produced successful movies,
such as Jurassic Park, E.T, and Indiana Jones.

3
Texto adaptado para el Programa de Inglés de la Universidad Central de Chile
 PRACTISE

Complete the questions with was or were. Then ask and answer them with a partner.

1) …………….. you born in Santiago?

2) …………….. you good at sports?
3) …………….. your parents born in this city?
4) When ………………. your mother born?
5) When ……………... your father born?
6) What ……………… your favorite subject in high school?
7) Who ………………. your best friend when you were a child?

Complete the dialogues

I. II.
A: When …………………… your brother born? A: Where …………………… you born?
B: He …………………. born in 1985. B: I …………………. born in Spain.
A: How old …………………. you then? A: …………………. your parents born there, too?
B: I ……………………. ten years old. B: Yes, they ……………. . They ………………….. born in
Madrid.
A: How about your sister? ……………… she born in
Spain, too?
B: No, she ………….... . She ………..... born in
Italy. We ……….…. living there ten years ago.

Read this text about Karen’s holidays in 2005. Underline the correct verb WAS or WERE.

“When I (1)was/were eighteen my best friend (2)was/were Alice. We (3)was/were in

the same class at high school. In 2005, Alice and I (4)was/were on holiday in Canada and
there (5)was/were a party near our hotel. There (6)wasn’t/weren’t any other English
people there –they were all Canadian. There (7)was/were one very good-looking man
called Richard. He (8)wasn’t/weren’t very friendly at first – but two years later we
(9)was/were husband and wife! Our son Billie, (10)was/were born two years later in
Vancouver, where we live now.”

4
Texto adaptado para el Programa de Inglés de la Universidad Central de Chile
Read the following text and underline the verbs in past tense.
Then ask and answer questions about Margaret Naumburg.

Margaret Naumburg
(1890–1983).
An American educator, the founder of the Walden School, and a pioneer in art therapy.

Margaret Naumburg was not a psychologist, but her work as an educator and as a therapist influenced
twentieth-century ideas about creativity and mental illness. Her work with children and with the mentally ill
was widely studied by psychologists and psychiatrists. She was able to achieve all this although she was not
trained specifically as a scientist.

Naumburg was born in New York on May 14, 1890. She attended Barnard College (graduating in 1911) and
continued with graduate studies at Columbia University. Later, she studied in Europe; while in Rome, she
studied briefly with the educational innovator Maria Montessori. Part of Montessori's educational
philosophy was that children learn more effectively when they are allowed to explore ideas on their own
rather than have information merely fed to them.

Impressed by Montessori's theories, Naumburg returned to the United States and in 1915 opened the
Walden School in New York City. The school began with two teachers and ten students, and the educational
focus was on letting children develop their own ideas and interests. In this way, believed Naumburg,
children would not merely acquire knowledge but learn how to use that knowledge to their best advantage.

In 1916 Naumburg married the writer Waldo Frank. Through him she became acquainted with a literary and
intellectual circle that included such artists Alfred Stieglitz, Van Wyck Brooks, Countee Cullen, and Jean
Toomer. The couple, who had a son, divorced in 1924, but Naumburg continued her involvement in the
artistic community. In the 1930s she began to develop art therapy programs for psychiatric patients.
Naumburg believed that art gives emotionally ill people an opportunity to express themselves and reach
into their unconscious; this activity in turn gives therapists a better idea of how to help their patients.

Naumburg continued her work with art therapy, writing several books on her theories. She remained active
in the art therapy movement in New York until she moved to Massachusetts in 1975. She died at her home
in Needham, Massachusetts, on February 26, 1983.

Source citation: "Margaret Naumburg." The Gale Encyclopedia

of Psychology, edited by Jacqueline L. Longe, 3rd ed., vol. 2,
Gale, 2016, pp. 798-799. Gale In Context:
Science, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3631000532/SCIC?u=ucchil
e&sid=bookmark-SCIC&xid=c4c7bb8e. Accessed 3 May 2022.

Recursos virtuales disponibles en:

https://www.ucentral.cl/ucentral/site/edic/base/port/program
adeingles.html
Clave institucional: ucentral 2015

5
 GRAMMAR REFERENCE 1

BE: PAST SIMPLE

PRONOUNS: I – HE - SHE - IT PRONOUNS: YOU – WE - THEY

WAS WERE

We use the Past Simple for completed actions, events and situations in the past.
 

I was I wasn’t (was not)

He was She wasn’t
She was He wasn’t
It was in Madrid last year. It wasn’t in Madrid last year.
You were You weren’t (were not)
We were We weren’t
They were They weren’t
 I was.
He was.
She was.
Was I… YES, It was.
Was he… You were.
Was she… We were.
They were.
Was it…
in Madrid last year? I wasn’t.
Were you… He wasn’t.
Were we… She wasn’t.
Were they… NO, It wasn’t.
You weren’t.
We weren’t.
They weren’t.

BE: Past Simple Examples:

Positive The conference was good last month.
They were in the same place.
Negative The big companies weren’t at the trade fair.
The presentation wasn’t OK.
Questions How many students were there?
Was Mr. Adams there?

6
Texto adaptado para el Programa de Inglés de la Universidad Central de Chile
GRAMMAR REFERENCE 2: PAST SIMPLE OF THERE + TO BE

PRESENT SIMPLE PAST SIMPLE

There is… There was…
There are… There were…

You use THERE WAS for SINGULAR NOUNS

examples:
There was a meeting yesterday.
There was an office in that building.
There was one photocopier.

You use THERE WERE for PLURAL NOUNS

examples:
There were two offices.
There were some customers.
There were a lot of company’s products.

For singular questions with short answers, you use full answers with YES:
(Sing.) Was there a reception in the office? → Yes, there was.

For plural questions with short answers, you use contractions with NO:
(Plu.) Were there any visitors yesterday? → No, there weren’t.

We use How many with countable nouns.

How many people were there in the conference room?

We use How much with uncountable nouns.

How much space was there in your office last year?

Texto adaptado para el Programa de Inglés de la Universidad Central de Chile

 LESSON 2: TALKING ABOUT PAST EVENTS

READ THIS DIALOGUE

Paul: Hello, John! How was your trip to Canada?

John: It was excellent. I enjoyed it a lot.
Paul: That’s fine. How long were you there?
John: I was there for about a month.
Paul: That’s a long time! Was the weather OK?
John: Yes, most of the time. But it rained a lot in Toronto.
Paul: So, what was the best thing about your trip?
John: I really liked the CN Tower. It is Toronto’s tallest and most defining landmark

When talking about a recent trip, you can organize your ideas
answering these questions:

Talking about past activities Giving opinions about past experiences

Did you travel last month? How did you like …?
What did you do ….? How was …? It was …. I really enjoyed it.
How did you spend…? What was the best thing about …?
Where did you go…? ….. It is difficult to say, but …
What time did you go…?
Was the trip/weather/flight/hotel, etc., OK?
How long were you …?

VOCABULARY: HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES

sunbathe – stay in a hotel – go fishing – camp - have picnics – go for walks – go sightseeing
– rent a car – rent a bike – go to the beach – go cycling – stay with friends/family –
travel by public transport – go shopping - go on holiday - fly – go on boat trips

Texto adaptado para el Programa de Inglés de la Universidad Central de Chile

 GRAMMAR REFERENCE 3: SIMPLE PAST (ACTION VERBS)

We use the simple past to describe actions in the past.

PAST SIMPLE: REGULAR VERBS

POSITIVE NEGATIVE QUESTIONS SHORT ANSWERS
( Yes, + pronoun + did .)
(Infinitive + - ed ) ( didn’t + infinitive) ( Did + subject + infinitive)
I/you
I worked I didn’t work Did I work?
Yes, he/she/it did.
You worked You didn’t work Did you work
we/they
He worked He didn’t work Did he work?
She worked She didn’t work Did she work?
(No, + pronoun + didn’t)
It worked It didn’t work Did it work?
I/you
We worked We didn’t work Did we work?
No, he/she/it didn’t.
They worked They didn’t work Did they work?
we/they

PAST SIMPLE: IRREGULAR VERBS

POSITIVE NEGATIVE QUESTIONS SHORT ANSWERS
(Infinitive change! ) ( Yes, + pronoun + did .)
( didn’t+ infinitive) ( Did + subject + infinitive)
I went I/you
I didn’t go Did I go?
You went Yes, he/she/it did.
You didn’t go Did you go?
He went we/they
He didn’t go Did he go?
She went
She didn’t go Did she go?
It went (No, + pronoun + didn’t)
It didn’t go Did it go?
We went I/you
We didn’t go Did we go?
They went No, he/she/it didn’t.
They didn’t go Did they go?
we/they

THESE VERBS ARE IMPORTANT FOR THIS UNIT. COMPLETE THEIR PAST SIMPLE FORMS.

Infinitive Past Infinitive Past

1. become 8. graduate
2. come 9. grow up
3. choose 10. have
4. enter (college) 11. happen
5. finish 12. study
6. get married 13. travel
7. go (to) 14. work

9
Texto adaptado para el Programa de Inglés de la Universidad Central de Chile
 PRACTISE

A) Read about Lisa’s trip to Madrid. Then write the verbs from the box correctly

Last Tuesday, Lisa (1) flew from London to Madrid. She (2) ……………..up at 6 fly - get
o’clock in the morning and she (3) …………….….... a cup of coffee. At 6.30 she have
(4) …………………….. home and (5) ……….…..………. to the airport. When she leave - drive
get - park,
(6) …………………….. there, she (7) ……..…..………… the car, (8) ……………… to the
walk.- check,
airport building, and (9) …………….. in. Then, she (10) …………….. breakfast at a
have - wait,
café and (11) ………………… for her flight. The plane (12) ……………... on time and
depart - arrive,
(13) …………………… in Madrid two hours later. Finally she (14) ………………….. a taxi take – take
from the airport to her hotel in the center of Madrid.

B) Make questions with these words.

1. did / travel / around / you / How? _____________________________________
2. Where / stay / did / you? _____________________________________
3. you / Did / a good time / have? _____________________________________
4. When / your / was / last holiday? ____________________________________
5. you / go / did / Where? _____________________________________
6. did / do / you / What / in the day? _____________________________________
7. business trip / your last / When / was? _____________________________________
8. go / did / with / Who / you? _____________________________________

PAIR- WORK: WRITING AND SPEAKING

Can you talk about a recent trip? As a guide, you can use the previous information.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
10
Texto adaptado para el Programa de Inglés de la Universidad Central de Chile
C) Complete the paragraphs with the verbs from the box.

make – leave - buy - write - have(x2) – get - eat – go – write – give - put

Peter didn’t ___________ out for lunch, he_____________ a hamburger at the fast food
restaurant around the corner and _____________ it at his desk. Then he ___________ some
important phone calls. At about 2:00 p.m. he _____________ the first paragraph of the
weekly report, but he didn’t _____________ time to finish it. A colleague ____________ to
Peter’s office because he_____________ a problem with his laptop. Peter ____________ him
some useful information. At about 6 p.m. Peter_____________ the report in his briefcase and
then ____________ the office. On his way home, there was a lot of traffic jam. He didn’t
_____________ home until 9 p.m.

D) Complete the chart.

Infinitive Past simple positive Past simple negative

help helped didn't help
was/were
think
bought
make
didn’t come
read
knew
studied
didn’t say
work
didn’t stay

E) Fill in these dialogs with WAS, WASN’T, WERE or WEREN’T.

1. A: ……………… Samuel at the meeting yesterday?

B: No, he ………………….. there. He was on a business trip.

2. A: Where ……………… you yesterday?

B: I …………….. at work. My colleagues and I ………………… finishing the annual report.

3. A: How ……………… the conference last Tuesday?

B: It ………………….. very interesting.

11
Texto adaptado para el Programa de Inglés de la Universidad Central de Chile
 GRAMMAR REFERENCE 4: WORD-ORDER OF QUESTIONS IN PAST

(a) With action verbs:

WHAT you DO yesterday?

WHERE he STUDY yesterday morning?
WHEN she TRAVEL
last month?
HOW DID they FEEL
WHY it SLEEP last week
WHO the men MEET after lunch yesterday?
WHAT TIME Susan, etc. START WORK a week ago?

(b) With the Verb TO BE

I
WHAT he DOING yesterday?
WHERE
WAS she STUDYING yesterday morning?
WHEN it last month?
HOW BORN
WHY you last week?
WHO HAPPY
WHAT TIME WERE we after lunch yesterday?
they AT SCHOOL a week ago?

EXERCISES A) Look at the charts (a) and (b) and make questions with the
words given. Add “DID” when necessary. Then, answer the
questions with your own information.

Example: When / born / you? When were you born?

1. you / when / born / were /? Q. : _______________________________________________

A.: _____________________________________________________

2. your parents / Where / born / were /? Q. : __________________________________________

A.: _____________________________________________________

3. you / travel / last summer /Where / ? Q. : __________________________________________

A.: _____________________________________________________

4. you / start work / What time / yesterday /? Q. : _____________________________________

A.: _____________________________________________________

5. were / worried / you /yesterday/ Why /? Q. : _______________________________________

A.: ___________________________________________________

6. you / speak /Who / to / this morning /? Q. : _________________________________________

A.: ___________________________________________________

12
Texto adaptado para el Programa de Inglés de la Universidad Central de Chile
 7. last Monday/ how/ you/ go to work /? Q. : _________________________________________
A.: ____________________________________________________

8. your father / Why / was / yesterday/ at home/? Q. : _________________________________

A.: ____________________________________________________

9. visit / last weekend/ you / Who/? Q. : _____________________________________________

A.: _____________________________________________________

10. borrow / When / you/ from the bank / money/ ? Q. : ________________________________

A.: _____________________________________________________

B) Read these short dialogs. Then fill in the gaps with the correct QUESTION WORD
(What / Where / How, etc.) and DID , WAS or WERE.

Example:
A: How old was Bill Gates when he began to show interest
in computer programming?
B: He was thirteen years old

1. A: ___________ ________ Bill study? B: He studied at the Lakeside School.

2. A: ___________ ________ Bill’s first business partner? B: His first business partner was Paul Allen.

3. A: ___________ ________ Bill Gates build? B: He built the world's largest software business.

4. A: ___________ ________ he grow up? B: He grew up in Seattle, Washington.

5. A: ___________ ________ the Gates family? B: It was warm and close.

6. A: ___________ ________ Bill and his sisters competitive? B: Because their parents encouraged
them to be competitive.

C) Ask other students in the class five questions in the PAST SIMPLE. Use your models from
GRAMMAR REFERENCE 3 (page 9) to help you write complete questions in each box.

13
Texto adaptado para el Programa de Inglés de la Universidad Central de Chile
 Suggested English interactive software and Websites for further practice

Recursos virtuales National Geographic – Cengage Learning disponibles mediante clave institucional.

http://www.ucentral.cl/prontusucentral2012/site/edic/base/port/english_program.html

- GALE VIRTUAL REFERENCE LIBRARY

- SCIENCE IN CONTEXT

- Práctica de gramática y
vocabulario:
- www.agendaweb.org
www.ego4u.com
http://eslpdf.com
www.english-zone.com

- Práctica de pronunciación http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/

- Videos gramaticales:
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/grammar-vocabulary/grammar-videos

Diccionarios online:
www.wordreference.com
www.dictionary.cambridge.org/
www.ldoceonline.com
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

This booklet material was selected, adapted and designed for instructional
purposes and to be used in the classroom and as a study guide for students.

14

Texto adaptado para el Programa de Inglés de la Universidad Central de Chile