Speaking Class

Teacher Jossely Oliveira

Reduction of auxiliary verbs
Notice how the auxiliary verb forms is, are,
has, and have are reduced in conversation.

 Fresh water is being wasted.

 Newspapers are being thrown away.
 Too much trash has been created.
 Parks have been lost.
LET’S PRACTICE WITH THE SENTENCES YOU
TRANSFORMED!

 1. The health of people in urban areas is being threatened by air pollution.

 2. Soil and underground water have been contaminated because of livestock
farms.
 3. Statues and buildings have been eroded as a result of acid rain.
 4. Birds, fish, and other marine life are being harmed through oil spills.
 5. Huge amounts of farmland have been eaten up due to the growth of
suburbs.
 6. The extinction of plants and wildlife is being accelerated by the
destruction of rain forests.
How concerned are you about
these problems?

?*

*the sum of riots, general strikes and anti-

government demonstrations
What can we do?
Carla: Look at all those dead fish! What do you think
happened?
Andy: Well, there's a factory outside town that's pumping
chemicals into the river.
Carla: How can they do that? Isn't that against the law?
Andy: Yes, it is. But a lot of companies ignore those laws.
Carla: That's terrible! What can we do about it?
Andy: Well, one way to change things is to talk to the
company's management.
Carla: What if that doesn't work?
Andy: Well, then another way to stop them is to get a TV
pumping: moving liquid
station to run a story on it.
from one place to another
Carla: Yes! Companies hate bad publicity. By the way, with a machine (a pump)
what's the name of this company? against the law: illegal
Andy: It's called Avox Industries. run a story: report about a
recent event in a newspaper,
Carla: Really? My uncle is one of their top executives.
on TV, or on the radio
What else could Andy and Carla do?
 Listen to the rest of the
conversation. What do CARLA: Wait a minute. Before we do
anything, shouldn't we make sure that we've
Andy and Carla decide to got our facts straight?
do? ANDY: Absolutely. The best thing to do is to
monitor the situation over the next several
weeks to see what exactly is happening.
CARLA: How do we do that?
ANDY: Well, we can take pictures of the river
and even take water samples to see how bad the
situation is. We can get some friends to help.
CARLA: OK. And then maybe I should talk to
my uncle about it.
ANDY: That would be fantastic.
 (One way/Another way)+ infinitive+ is/are+ infinitive

Can you think of one or two more solutions for each problem?
What can be done . . . ?

1. to stop drug trafficking

2. to improve children's health
3. to keep our city clean
4. to reduce unemployment
Tell me about Porto Alegre...
 What do you think are the most attractive features of the city
you live in?
 What are some of the challenges facing the city today?
 What's the local cuisine like? Any recommendations?
 What are some must-see tourist attractions in POA?
 How does the city cater to the needs of its diverse population?
 What's the public transportation system like in Porto Alegre?
 What is the nightlife like? Any recommended spots?
 What is your favorite season in this city? Why?
 Are there any local festivals or events that take place in POA?
What are they like?
Unstressed object pronouns
a. I like him.
b. We saw them.
c. He gave it to me.
d. She told him about it.
e. They showed us the way.
f. I saw her at the store.
g. We gave them the money.