UNIT 7: PAST CONTINOUS AND MODAL VERBS

PAST CONTINOUS

TIEMPOS GRAMATICALES
Present Simple: I study English. I don’t study English. Do you study English?
Present Continuous: I am studying English. I’m not studying English. Am I studying
English?
Past Simple: I studied English. I didn’t study English. Did I study English?
Past Continuous: I was studying English. I wasn’t studying English. Was I studying
English?

¿CÓMO Y CUÁNDO SE USA EL PAST CONTINUOUS?

1. Se usa para expresar acciones o estados que estaban llevándose a cabo en el paso
cuando otra acción o estado la interrumpe o refuerza. Por ejemplo:
I was walking when I saw an eagle  Estaba caminando cuando ví una Aguila.

2. Ofrece contexto, es decir, dar información sobre hechos o situaciones en un tiempo

específico.
Last year, I was studying for the exams  El año pasado, estaba estudiando para los
exámenes.
Last year, I was working during the weekends  El año pasado, yo estuve trabajando los
fines de semanas.
3. Mencionar dos o más acciones del pasado que ocurrieron al mismo tiempo.
While my son was playing videogames, I was sleeping in his bedroom  Mientras mi hijo
jugaba videojuegos, yo estaba durmiendo en su cuarto.

MODAL VERBS
Los Modal Verbs son verbos auxiliares. Esto quiere decir que no se conjugan con las
personas gramaticales, por lo que:
- No tienen infinitivo (por ejemplo, no existe to can)
 - No tienen gerundio (terminación -ing)
- No tienen participio (terminación en -ed)

CARACTERISTICAS
1. No se conjugan.
2. Modifican a otros verbos, por lo que después de un modal verb siempre hay un
verbo en su forma raíz, por ejemplo:
I can eat 2 hamburgers in 10 minutes.
3. Expresan certidumbre, habilidad, necesidad, disposición y obligación.
4. La forma negativa o interrogativa de un modal verb no necesita de un auxiliar, ya
que el verbo en cuestión en usado para esos fines, por ejemplo:
You can’t sleep now  No puedes dormir ahora.
Can we go to Disneyland?

CAN
Expresa habilidad o posibilidad y en español los traducimos como “poder”.
Can  Posibilidad / habilidad de hacer algo

Ejemplos:
I can speak English  Se hablar inglés.
He cannot/ can’t go with you  Él no puede ir contigo / El no puede acompañarte.
Can you help me?  ¿Me puedes ayudarme?

!SOLO SE PUEDE USAR EN PRESENTE¡

COULD
Es la forma pasada de “can”, pero también se usa para expresar una posibilidad. Además
sirve para expresar el condicional “Podrías”.
Could  Poder en pasado y el condicional “podrías”

You could use my chair  Podrías usar mi silla.

She could not / couldn’t go the market with us  Ella no pudo ir al mercado con nosotros.
Could you open the door, please?  ¿Podrías abrirme la Puerta, por favor?
Could you call me at night, please?  Podrías llamarme en la noche, por favor?

Can you help me?  Puedes ayudarme? ; directo

Could you help me  Podrías ayudarme? ; menos directo (cortesía).

WILL
Ya lo conocimos por expresar el futuro en inglés, pero también se usa para expresar una
decisión hecha en el momento en que se habla o la intención de hacer algo. Ejemplo:
Will  Querer
He will call me back  Me va a volver a llamar.
I will not / won’t repeat, because I already explained it.  No repetiré, porque ya lo
expliqué.
Will you come with me?  ¿Quieres ir conmigo?
I will kill him  Voy a matarlo

WOULD
Se usa para realizar peticiones con amabilidad y también sirve para señalar acciones
constantes en el pasado. Ejemplos:
Would  Gustar (querer)

I would like a cup of tea, please  Me gustaría una taza de té, por favor.
Would you like to taste it?  ¿Te gustaría probarlo?
He would visit his sister every weekend  Visitaba a su hermana cada fin de semana.
She would drink coffee every day  Tomaba café cada día.

MUST
Este verbo que se traduce al español como “deber” tiene la idea de una obligación o
prohibición. Ejemplos:
Must  Deber  Obligación de hacer algo pero somos libre de decidir si se hace o no.
Have to  Tener que  Obligación de fuerza, se debe hacer.

He must be back by tomorrow  El debe estar aquí mañana.

You must not / mustn’t walk on the grass  Está prohibido que camines en el cesped.
Must I go to the dentist today?  ¿Debo ir al dentista hoy?

SHOULD
Este verbo se traduce al español como “deber” en su modo de condicional (debería), tiene
la idea de una recomendación. Ejemplos:

You should take your medicine  Deberías tomar tu medicina.

We should not drive fast  No deberiamos manejar rápido.
Should I eat more?  ¿Debería comer más?

Can / could  Poder (puedo / podría)

Will / Would  Querer ( querer hacer algo / Gustar hacer algo)
Must / Should  Deber ( Obligación o prohibición / condición (debería) )

MAY / MIGHT (mey / mait)

May  Este modal verb se utilizar para expresar posibilidad y probabilidad. Cuando se
tiene certidumbre de poder hacer algo o de que va a suceder algo. Es más cortes que el
could.

She may pass the test  Ella podría aprobar el examen.

May I come in?  ¿Puedo entrar?

Might  Es utilizado para dar sugerencias y probabilidades y también se usa para

peticiones. Contrario a “may” en probabilidades, ya que cuando se cree que algo no se va a
realizar se utiliza “might”
 I might come to your party  Tal vez puedo venir a tu fiesta.
You might not achieve it  Puede ser que no lo logras.

UNIT 7: UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS + THERE IS / THERE ARE

UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
Los nombres o sustantivos incontables son aquellos que no podemos contar porque no los
podemos delimitar individualmente sino que forman parte de un todo. Siempre se escriben
de manera singular (no se pueden hacer plurales añadiendo “-s”).
Sin embargo, en el momento de delimitarlos, estos mismos nombres o sustantivos vuelven
a hacer contables. En este caso, deberán ser precedidos por una palabra con valor partitivo
(a gran of, a piece of…)

Some uncountable nouns

- Liquids (mik, wáter, tea, wine)
- Abstract ideas (motivation, information, money, time)
- Powder and grain (rice, wheat, sand, sugar, salt)
- Mass nouns (hair, furniture, transportation, wood)
- Natural phenomena (sunshine, rain, snow, weather)
- States of being (sleep, stress, childhood)
- Feelings (anger, happiness, enthusiasm, courage)

Differences:
uncountable Countable
some a / an
Much / not much Many / not many
How much How many
A lot of A lot of / many
Little Few / a few
This These
 No tiene plural, siempre en singular Singular y plurar con “-s” al final
Examples:
Uncountable:
- I have a little money in my pockets.
- Would you like some milk in your cereals?
- How much time do we have? – 5 minutes.
Countable
- How many children do you have? – I have five girls.
- We only have a few potatoes to cook.
- I sent many resumes, but with little success.

THERE IS / THERE ARE

There is  uncountable nouns.
There are  countable nouns.

Ejemplos:
1. There is a lot of time.
2. There are many dogs.
3. How much sugar.
4. How many miles.
5. There are not many pencils.
6. There is not much money.

HOMEWORKS
DICTADO MODAL VERBS
1. I can´t open this box  No puedo abrir esta caja.
2. I should do my homework today  Debería hacer mi tarea hoy.
3. They could lend you some money  Ellos podrían prestarte algo de dinero.
4. We shouldn’t travel now because of Covid 19  No nos gustaría vijar ahora por el
Covid 19.
5. She will be a successful saleswoman  Ella será una vendedora exitosa.
 6. Could you help me, please?  ¿Me podrías ayudar, por favor?
7. Should I stay or should I go  ¿Debería quedarme o debería irme?
8. We absolutely must go to visit him  Nosotros absolutamente debemos ir a
visitarlo / Tenemos que ir a visitarlo.
9. May you take your shoes off, please?  ¿Podrías quitarte los zapatos, por favor?
10. We might miss our plane.  Podríamos perder nuestro avión.

PAST CONTINUOUS
1. She was playing soccer.
2. They were swimming in the sea.
3. It was raining.
4. We were listening to music.
5. The alarm was ringing.
6. The students were studying.
7. Max was dancing with his mother.
8. I was waiting for her, but she never came.
9. Ernesto was sleeping on the beach.
10. He was asking for more attention.

1. They were walking home.

2. I was talking to Alan.
3. Were you playing golf?
4. Where was he living?
5. My friends were smoking.
6. What was your sister doing?
7. The cat was sleeping.
8. It was snowing.
9. Where were they going?
10. Who was cutting the tree.
DICTADO MODAL VERBS 2
1. Could you play the guitar when you were seven.
2. It’s too late. we must go home now.
3. Paul is very tired. he should have a rest.
4. Will the plane be on time tomorrow?
5. Shall I make suggestion?
6. I hope we can arrive on time.
7. It’s getting colder and it might show tonight.
8. You mustn’t drink water from the river.
9. If you don’t study, you won´t past the exam.
10. I couldn’t get there earlier because of the traffic.
11. The baby is six months old so he can’t walk.
12. May I have this dance, please?
13. He wouldn’t win without you.

MODAL VERBS 2
1. We can take photos in the zoo  Podemos tomar fotos en el zoológico.
2. You shouldn’t smoke so much  No deberías fumar tanto.
3. A surgeon must not make mistakes  Un cirujano no debe cometer errores.
4. Could I have the menu, please?  Podría tener el menu, por favor?
5. We would go if you invited us  Nos gustaría ir si nos invitaras.
6. You must brush your teeth every day  Debes cepillar tus dientes cada día.
7. Peter can´t speak Spanish  Peter no sabe hablar español.
8. I will eat when I finish this  Comeré cuando termine esto.
9. If I were you, I wouldn’t do it  Si yo fuera tú, no me gustaría hacerlo / no lo haría.
10. Lily couldn’t swim when she was six  Lily no sabia nadar cuando tenia 6 años.

THERE IS / THERE ARE

1. There are two apples on the table.
2. There will be a party tomorrow.
 3. There were a lot of illnesses in the 14th century.
4. There were any people at the meeting.
5. There is a Starbucks next to the bank.
6. Is there a table in the garden?
7. There is a bath in my flat.
8. Is there a train to Glasgow tonight?
9. Are there a lot of mountains in Switzerland?
10. There are many mosquitoes near the lake.
11. Will there be biscuits at the meeting?
12. There isn’t any bread in the kitchen.
13. Is there a good clothes shop in this town?
14. Were there good teachers at your school?
15. Is there a police station nearby?
16. Were there a lot of people in the restaurant?
17. There are no flowers in the hall.

DICTADO THERE IS / THERE ARE

1. There is a hair on mi glasses.  Hay un pelo en mis gafas.
2. There are three peoples waiting.  Hay tres personas esperando.
3. Is there a reason why you’re late?  Hay una razón por la que llegas tarde?
4. There will be five hundred peoples at the event.  Habrá 500 personas en el
evento.
5. There might not be a microphone for the presentation.  Puede que no haya
micrófono para la presentación.
6. There are many possible solutions to this problem.  Hay muchas posibles
soluciones para este problema.
7. When you enter the website, there are some options on the scream.  Cuando
entras al sitio web, aparecen varias opciones en la pantalla.
8. There are five of us in the group.  Somos 5 en el grupo.
9. There were a lot of people at the party yesterday.  Hubo muchas personas en la
fiesta ayer.
 10. There wasn’t enough space for everyone.  No hay suficiente espacio para todos.

MODAL VERBS 3
1. Can I go to the toilet?  Puedo ir al baño?
2. You should eat less sweets.  Deberias comer menos dulces.
3. It’s broken. Who would break it?  Esta roto. ¿Quién la rompería?
4. I must study for the exam.  Debo estudiar para el examen.
5. Sorry, I’m busy. I can’t help you.  Lo siento, estoy ocupado. No puedo ayudarte.
6. Can I watch TV now, mum?  ¿Puedo ver television, mamá?
7. You shouldn’t shout at your children.  No deberías gritarles a tus hijos.
8. Tomorrow we will camping.  Mañana vamos a acampar.
9. I couldn’t start my car yesterday.  No pude arrancar mi carro ayer.
10. May I call you later, Mr. Levis?  ¿Puedo llamarlo más tarde, Sr Levis?

PAST SIMPLE INTO PAST CONTINOUS

1. I ate lunch at noon  I was eating at noon.
2. I walked to school  I was walking to school, yesterday.
3. We swam in the sea  We were swimming in the sea.
4. They washed the car  The were washing the car.
5. She sat on the chair  She was sitting on the chair.
6. He went to school by bus  He was going to school by bus.
7. The boys read their books  The boys were reading their books.
8. The policeman caught a thief  The policeman was catching a thief.
9. The students drew a picture  The students were drawing a picture.
10. The men drank a lot of beer  The men were drinking a lot of beer.
11. I had lunch in my classroom  I was having lunch in my classroom.
12. The students wrote in their workbook  The students were writing in their
workbook.
13. The girl chose a red hat  The girl was choosing a red hat.
14. I took a photo of the temple  I was taking a photo of the temple.
15. I slept in my bedroom  I was sleeping in my bedroom.
WORK VOCABULARY
- A career  una carrera. ( a carier)
- Working conditions  Condiciones laborales
- Workplace  Lugar de trabajo.
- A job  un empleo.
- A job interview  una entrevista laboral.
- A job offer  una oferta laboral.
- An odd / casual job  un empleo casual.
- A summer job / a holiday job  un empleo de Verano.
- An occupation  una profesion.
- A skill  una calificación.
- Salary wage  salario.
- Salary rise  aumento de salario.
- An intership  un stage / una práctica.
- A training  una capacitación.
- A trade union  un sindicato.
- Unemployment  desempleo.

COUNTABLE OR UNCOUNTABLE
1. Can you give me some information about uncountable nouns?  uncountable.
2. She has three dogs  countable.
3. He did not have much sugar left  uncountable.

4. I would like two books please  countable.

5. How much rice do you want?  uncountable.

6. Would like to give you some advice.  uncountable.

7. How many friends do you have?  countable.

8. I found a hair in my soup!  countable.

 9. How much bread should I bring?  uncountable.

10. I didn't make much progress today.  uncountable.

11. I washed my hair yesterday.  uncountable.

12. This looks like a lot of trouble to me.  uncountable.

13. We did an hour of work yesterday.  countable.

14. She has long blond hair.  uncountable.

15. I own a house.  countable.

16. The child's hair was curly.  uncountable.

17. My father is getting a few grey hairs now.  countable.

DICTADO MODAL VERBS 3

1. I can drive a car because don’t have a driving license yet.
2. Could you lend me some money, please?
3. The shops are closed, it must be very late.
4. I won’t go to the tonight; I have to study.
5. You mustn’t tell anyone about this it’s a secret.
6. Spain Can be very hot in summer.
7. You have a , so you should stay at home.
8. You can smoke in a hospital.
9. If it’s Sunday, I will do nothing.
10. What you do